[Successfully devoured a Tier-5 anomaly (Trait: Immobility). Extracted the trait “Immobility,” which will now “fuse” into a form more suited to the host. Host attribute panel has been updated.]

Shen Ge opened his attribute panel to check the effects of “Immobility”—

Immobility: When the user remains completely motionless, they can manipulate shadows to restrain targets that are also in a motionless state. The amount of mental energy consumed per second (ranging from 10% to 100%) depends on the target’s tier, quantity, and distance (maximum range: 10 meters).

“Seriously…”

Wasn’t this just a watered-down version of Shadow Imitation? Not only did it lack the ability to force targets to mimic the user’s movements, but it also came with several additional restrictions.

Still, Shen Ge felt the trait had its merits. While it required both parties to remain motionless, that was merely an extra activation condition—after all, staying still was something he could easily control.

Moreover, if the enemy was unaware of Immobility’s effects and limitations, it could catch them off guard.

Hell, since the enemy wouldn’t know the restrictions, he could even use it to bluff.

“The Tier-5 anomaly’s corpse was a rat… wrapped in long strands of hair. So that’s why the long-range effect only worked on women?”

Because Shen Ge had been cautious—maintaining a silent state when facing the Tier-5 anomaly up close—he never found out whether the hair would have entangled him the same way it had Cheng Shengnan and Xiao He.

Not that he’d ever test it. He was curious, but not suicidal.

“Still, the system said it fused ‘Immobility’ into a form more suited to me. If even the fused version has these restrictions, then the original Tier-5 anomaly’s trait must’ve had its own limitations too.”

As he mused, Shen Ge used a net to smother the remaining flames, gathered the ashes, and hauled the cart downstairs.

[Crisis Mission: “Escape the Tier-5 Anomaly’s Lair” completed. The host has successfully escaped a near-certain-death scenario within a Tier-5 anomaly’s lair, displaying both wit and valor. Reward doubled—100 system points.]

The moment he left the rooftop, the system notified him of the mission’s completion.

Earlier, when the daily tasks had refreshed, Shen Ge had only seen one in the log: [Gather Seven Days’ Worth of Supplies]. He’d planned to pick up some groceries after work, but now, an unexpected crisis mission had popped up.

It was probably similar to the time he’d killed the Tier-4 anomaly and escaped its lair—the mission must’ve triggered when he reached the rooftop. But back then, his mind had been entirely focused on how to deal with the anomaly, so he hadn’t noticed.

Either way, an extra 100 system points for the gacha was always welcome.

While waiting for the elevator, Shen Ge received another text from Cheng Shengnan:

“We brought the police upstairs. Are you still in the office?”

Police?

“I’m fine. Heading back now.”

Shen Ge pulled the cart back to the 19th floor. When the elevator doors opened, he saw Cheng Shengnan and Xiao He standing there—alongside two police officers.

“Miss, you should keep workplace pranks in moderation. Look, you scared your colleague so badly they called the police,” the older officer was lecturing Xiao He.

Cheng Shengnan kept apologizing. When the group noticed Shen Ge stepping out of the elevator, the officers instinctively sized him up.

“You’re still here?” Shen Ge deliberately turned to Cheng Shengnan.

She replied, “There was a small misunderstanding. Sorry for the trouble, officers. We’ll be more careful in the future. Thank you for coming.”

“No problem, it’s our duty.”

After seeing the officers off, Xiao He nervously asked, “Shen Ge, where’d you go? We were worried something happened to you. When we ran into the police downstairs, we brought them up right away. Manager Cheng was afraid you’d gotten trapped in the restroom too.”

From Xiao He’s explanation, Shen Ge learned that Cheng Shengnan and Xiao He hadn’t actually left earlier—they’d been waiting in the lobby.

Cheng Shengnan, still uneasy, had then received a call from the local police station, checking if she’d found her colleague and informing her they were on their way.

After a moment’s thought, she told them she hadn’t found Shen Ge yet. Once the police confirmed they’d arrive soon, she hung up.

She then instructed Xiao He to “go along with the misunderstanding.” Cheng Shengnan would go to the 19th floor first, while Xiao He, upon meeting the police, would bring them up under the pretense of resolving the “prank.” This way, they could both clear up the misunderstanding and test whether the restroom was truly abnormal.

Cheng Shengnan repeatedly drilled Xiao He on Shen Ge’s rescue method before heading upstairs alone. She then texted Shen Ge to confirm his status.

Upon learning he wasn’t trapped in the restroom, she rejoined Xiao He and the officers, explaining the “misunderstanding.”

Had she clarified things downstairs, the police likely wouldn’t have come up at all.

In other words—if Cheng Shengnan hadn’t received Shen Ge’s reply, or if he’d asked for help, she would’ve led the police into the restroom.

Shen Ge couldn’t help but admire her nerve. After what had happened, she’d still dared to return to the 19th floor.

“Shen Ge… you didn’t actually go to deal with the ghost, did you?” Xiao He eyed the cart behind him.

Shen Ge shrugged. “I’m no Taoist master. Old Zhang asked me to help dispose of some archived files, and since we got off early today, I figured I’d take care of it.”

Xiao He was stunned. “After all that, you’re still working? Aren’t you scared?”

“Compared to ghosts, I fear poverty more,” Shen Ge said with a laugh.

Xiao He was impressed. Leave it to Shen Ge to stay so motivated in the face of the supernatural. Still, she admitted she was too spooked and asked Cheng Shengnan if they could relocate the office.

“I’ll submit a request. The company’s been looking to cut costs—they won’t refuse a cheaper space.” Despite her words, Cheng Shengnan shot Shen Ge a skeptical look. Clearly, his excuse only worked on the more naive Xiao He.

She suspected Shen Ge had his own reasons for calmly pushing a cart around a haunted office.

Not to mention, he’d known exactly how to free her and Xiao He from their paralyzed state. It made her wonder—did he actually know how to exorcise spirits?

Was there a legendary Taoist priest in his family history?

Whatever the case, Shen Ge had saved her life. Since he didn’t seem keen on elaborating, she wouldn’t press further.