Whoosh!

Chou Niu stared dumbfounded as flames erupted in his crotch. Bizarrely, the fire only burned there, showing no signs of spreading!

What the hell?

Literal… internal fire manifesting?

Since taking up the post of commander of the stationed forces in the ROK, Chou Niu had often been ‘worked up’ by the idol groups offered up by the ROK elites, but for it to get to the point of spontaneous combustion in his pants was just absurd!

Moreover, wasn’t it just because he got chewed out in the recent meeting? The moment the thought of ‘venting his fire’ crossed his mind, actual fire appeared?

Chou Niu was stunned by this bizarre situation for a second or two before the searing pain from his ‘good brother’ jolted him back to reality, and he hurriedly started patting the flames.

Ever since undergoing the modification from the Freak Project, Chou Niu’s physical strength had far surpassed human limits. A ‘small fire’ like this should have been extinguished before it could even burn him.

But the intense pain from his good brother clearly indicated this wasn’t ordinary fire. A glance at the detector on his wrist confirmed it – there was a ghost energy reaction!

A paranormal event!

Chou Niu’s first thought was that the reportedly ‘vanished’ giant paranormal entity mentioned in the reports might not have simply disappeared. The coast might still be under the influence of a ghost space!

Slapping at the unextinguishable flames, Chou Niu rushed out of the room. He burst out of the tent and leaped into the nearby sea.

Ghost energy flames were only slightly hotter than ordinary flames; they didn’t possess the ‘inextinguishable’ effect of a ghost energy lighter. Therefore, Chou Niu successfully ‘vented the fire’ after plunging into the sea.

His disheveled appearance startled the surrounding soldiers and anti-parallel agents; after all, it was rare to see someone with their crotch on fire running towards the sea.

Attempting to salvage his image, Chou Niu shouted upon landing, “Stay alert! The ghost space isn’t completely gone! I’ve encountered a paranormal event!”

Even though Chou Niu had become the scapegoat for this rescue operation, his status as the commander of the stationed forces in the ROK remained. As long as the dismissal order hadn’t arrived, his word was command!

His words prompted the military forces on the coast to spring into action immediately. Tanks and armored vehicles formed up, while helicopters and drones equipped with detection equipment took to the skies. Anti-Paranormal agents and soldiers began conducting investigation in teams.

The busy scene left Shen Ge, sitting atop the distant command tent, momentarily speechless. He had merely activated his “Non-Combustion Ghost Domain,” controlling the ignition point to test whether Chou Niu would directly take action.

Unexpectedly, his actions had inadvertently provided Chou Niu with the perfect ‘excuse,’ directly attributing it to a ‘paranormal event.’

This suited Shen Ge just fine. He could use this opportunity to stir up trouble, ideally forcing the moles the Twelve Branches had infiltrate within the military to expose themselves, letting them, the US, and the ROK fight amongst themselves.

Killing a few members of the Twelve Branches wasn’t difficult, but striking at their foundation was necessary to make them lay low.

Additionally, Shen Ge remembered Fatty Xin mentioning that besides the Jiangnan Underground Research Institute, the “Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches” had also established another research institute at the Border Trench earlier.

Shen Ge had originally planned to check out the Border Trench Research Institute before leaving the ROK. Having a ranked captain like Chou Niu exposed before his departure would surely prompt the US, the International Anti-Paranormal Organization, and the ROK – provided they weren’t fools – to investigate further along this lead.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Twelve Branches, as his arch-nemeses who caused him trouble every now and then, might not pose much real danger, but it was annoying to have mosquitoes buzzing around and biting occasionally.

Shen Ge was waiting for an opportunity to wipe out the Twelve Branches. Relying solely on the Special Investigations Department to investigate made it hard to uproot them completely. But if their standing with the US and the International Anti-Paranormal Organization could be shaken, it might have a remarkable effect!

Thinking this, Shen Ge pondered how to force Chou Niu to reveal his trump card, preferably making him display the Twelve Branches’ signature “Three Heads and Six Arms.”

Within the camp, the Anti-Paranormal agents and soldiers cooperated seamlessly. It was evident that these ROK soldiers had significantly improved in terms of skill and experience under the ‘training’ of the US troops.

The fact that the ROK and the US could coordinate so ‘seamlessly’ in this joint rescue operation seemed somewhat inconsistent with the rumored ‘discord.’

However, Shen Ge was, at best, a ‘combat unit.’ Matters like logistics, or issues rising to the level of international relations, weren’t his concern. He only needed to include these observations in his report; the higher-ups dealing with diplomacy would handle the headaches.

Right now, the only thing Shen Ge needed to worry about was how to force Chou Niu to show his hand.

Having clashed with the Twelve Branches multiple times, they were well aware of his Rotten Flesh Armor. During the fight with Wei Yang and others inside the heart of the No. 2 Ghost King, they had also witnessed his Red Mist form.

Revealing himself directly now would essentially announce to everyone that he was the one responsible, unless he could ‘clear the area.’ If even one person escaped or managed to transmit information, his involvement would be obvious.

Attacking with the combined “Intangible + Silent + Traceless” three-trait buff state could ensure his identity remained hidden, but it might also leave some potential risks.

For instance, it could let the Twelve Branches, the International Anti-Paranormal Organization, the US, and others know that there was an ‘invisible’ threat in the world.

After weighing the pros and cons, Shen Ge decided to use the “Misfortune Ghost Domain” to try and force Chou Niu to reveal his trump card, then apply pressure covertly using the stealth provided by the three traits!

With this plan, Shen Ge stealthily approached Chou Niu’s vicinity and then deployed the 500-meter radius “Misfortune Ghost Domain,” enveloping the entire coastline.

After the System’s ‘revelation,’ Shen Ge had gained a more intuitive understanding of the conceptual-type ability “Misfortune.”

Combined with Fatty Xin’s earlier ‘speculation’ – that a researcher proposed the dense ghost energy from the earth’s core was actually ‘negative energy’ emitted by the planet, and Misfortune drew upon this energy. Due to the intense ‘negativity’ contained within, it triggered various natural disasters and accidents.

After all, natural disasters like the earthquakes, rainstorms, tsunamis, and dust storms previously triggered by “Misfortune” were all manifestations of the planet’s wrath!

Now, as the Misfortune Ghost Domain expanded, Shen Ge suddenly realized that even within just a 500-meter radius, the concentration of ‘negative ghost energy’ in this area was ridiculously high!

He then recalled that the No. 2 Ghost King was created by the “Heavenly Stems” to share the burden of the Sakura Ghost King and absorb the negative ghost energy from the earth’s core.

The death of the No. 2 Ghost King meant the negative ghost energy surging here lost a vessel to share the load, so its accumulation here wasn’t surprising.

According to research reports from the Haiya Research Institute and the “Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches,” the world’s ghost energy could be divided into three types. Two emerged from the earth’s core: one was the ‘intangible ghost energy’ permeating the air. This type had low intensity, appearing as faint ghost energy in Shen Ge’s “Ghost Eye.”

Another type is the supernatural energy generated by the “mutation” of a creature after prolonged inhalation of these weak supernatural energies and subsequent torture and death. This is the most common type of supernatural energy.

The third type, which gave the “Heavenly Stems” and “Earthly Branches” the biggest headaches, was the negative ghost energy released from the earth’s core when the research team ‘pulled the plug’ back then.

This ghost energy had high intensity, could fuse with the faint ghost energy and blend into the air. If living creatures inhaled too much of it, they would mutate rapidly.

The latest research report issued by the Special Investigations Department last month indicated that if creatures harboring ‘hatred’ towards humans inhaled this negative ghost energy, they could undergo rapid mutation even without facing abuse or death. This explained the recent increase in paranormal events over the past few months!

“Wait, since ‘Misfortune’ gathers this negative ghost energy to trigger natural disasters, if I use this method to find an uninhabited area and ‘vent’ the earth’s negative emotions on its behalf, couldn’t I achieve an effect similar to creating an artificial Ghost King?” While using the Misfortune Ghost Domain’s “Transfer” power to shift the surrounding black aura onto Chou Niu’s head, Shen Ge suddenly had this wild idea.

In a way, this ‘hypothesis’ might be possible?

But that would require testing later. For now, Shen Ge had just finished transferring all the surrounding black aura onto Chou Niu’s head when, suddenly, the sky darkened with thick, heavy clouds, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling within.

The military forces on the coast were bewildered by the sudden stormy weather. Before they could recover from their shock, a deafening “BOOM” echoed as a lightning bolt struck Chou Niu, who was still commanding at the shoreline!

When the first bolt struck, some people nearby were affected. The rest quickly moved away from the lightning strike zone.

But they soon realized something was wrong…

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Lightning bolts crashed down one after another, each one accurately striking Chou Niu. They continued relentlessly even after he was struck down, essentially whipping a dead horse.

“? “

Fortunately, besides Shen Ge, there were no other people from the Celestial Dynasty present; otherwise, someone would surely have asked, “Which fellow cultivator is undergoing their tribulation here?” and it looked like the legendary Nine Heavens Tribulation!

Chou Niu was completely dazed by the strikes. Even though his body, modified by the Freak Project, had surpassed human limits, facing the terrifying damage of heavenly thunder placed an immense strain on him. By the time the seventh lightning bolt hit, the freak cells within his body had already begun frantically repairing the damage.

Chou Niu didn’t know why the lightning targeted only him, but he knew he absolutely must not release his full freak power at such a moment.

When the Twelve Branches first revealed themselves last year, due to a ‘mistake’ in judgment and arrogance from higher-ups, their artificial paranormal characteristic “Three Heads and Six Arms” was exposed. This had become their trademark. If he fully unleashed his freak power, even if it resolved the immediate crisis, his position as commander of the stationed forces in the ROK would be over.

Fatty Xin had said the biggest difference between the “Twelve Branches” and their “Heavenly Stems” was that the Stems focused on the future, wanting to survive the ‘reset’ and become gods in the next civilization.

The Twelve Branches, however, believed in ‘seizing the day.’ They underwent the Freak Project modifications, meaning they only had about a decade left to live. Using their enhanced strength and manipulation of paranormal events, they climbed step by step to important positions, enjoying the pleasures brought by power and money.

If Chou Niu were exposed and lost his commander position, it would mean he’d have to return to their base. While life at the base meant want for nothing, it was a world of difference from living like a local emperor in the ROK!

Chou Niu struggled to push himself up. Although this scene shocked many present – it was impossible for a human body to withstand such terrifying seven consecutive lightning strikes and still get up – as long as he didn’t release his freak power and transform into “Three Heads and Six Arms,” there was still room to maneuver regarding his identity.

He just needed to get away from here, away from the coast…

Whoosh!

Instantly, violent winds and torrential rain swept the coastline, the rain mixed with fist-sized hailstones. In the sea, just after the tsunami, sudden waterspouts appeared, once again plaguing the US fleet that was still executing reorganization and rescue operations.

For a moment, the command headquarters thought the No. 2 Ghost King had ‘returned,’ waiting for them to let their guard down before launching another attack.

Little did they know, this was just the chemical reaction caused by someone gathering powerful negative ghost energy onto one person’s head for the first time.

Thunderstorms, hail, tsunamis… various natural disasters that could occur along a coastline were all triggered simultaneously at this moment, leaving even the instigator, Shen Ge, speechless with astonishment!

What was that saying?

Ah.

Dreadful prowess!

Previous characteristic abilities, more or less, had discernible rules based on their names and effects, allowing one to judge their power and impact. But this conceptual-type characteristic power completely defied normal understanding!

Chou Niu was disoriented by the chain lightning and pummeling hail. The area around him became a disaster zone, and no one dared approach.

Horrifically, under the onslaught of various natural disasters, the patch of ground he stood on was swallowed by the tsunami in the blink of an eye. Even though he was the commander, no one dared attempt a rescue at this point.

Of course, the coastal camp and forces were in complete chaos, struggling to protect themselves, let alone spare manpower to rescue Chou Niu.

Chou Niu felt he couldn’t hold on much longer. He stuffed several secret self-healing pills developed by the organization into his mouth and reached for the teleportation device in his pack.

But upon feeling his tactical waist pack, not only was the teleportation device gone, but even the ghost bone dagger inside was missing!

“How is this possible!” Amidst his shock, Chou Niu didn’t dare linger. He leaped into the air, intending to use the gliding ability of his ghost skin suit to distance himself from the camp.

However, the rainstorm was too heavy. Merely stabilizing his posture mid-air exhausted his strength. Just as he reached a point above the camp, a loud “BANG” sounded as if he had collided with an invisible barrier, and he plummeted directly down into the camp.

Clearly, Shen Ge had stolen the teleportation device. If the ghost armguard and ghost skin suit weren’t being worn, Shen Ge would have likely taken those too.

Shen Ge was now just a few meters away from Chou Niu. Seeing Chou Niu try to escape using ghost energy equipment, he naturally couldn’t let him have his way, so he condensed an intangible barrier to block his aerial escape.

After Chou Niu fell into the camp, he tried to struggle to his feet, but Shen Ge had already covertly deployed his Intangible Ghost Domain and used “Heart Snatcher” targeting his heart.

As Chou Niu felt excruciating pain in his heart, the freak hormones in his body reacted first. The red tumor on his neck burst open, sprouting two additional heads.

Subsequently, Chou Niu’s freak power went completely out of control due to ‘self-preservation.’ Combined with the fact that he had undergone a secondary awakening experiment, earning him the title “Chou Niu,”

when his freak power was fully unleashed, a layer of deep brown “thick hide” grew over his body surface. Then, his skull also mutated, protruding with two horn-like growths resembling ox horns.

“Freak!”

“A freak!”

People in the camp immediately noticed Chou Niu’s transformation. His Three Heads and Six Arms feature were too distinctive, instantly confirming his identity as a member of the Twelve Branches.

“No, it’s me, ah—” Chou Niu roared, his body enduring the internal agony of the freak power consuming his human cells while externally suffering continuous assaults from natural disasters.

Seeing Chou Niu in such misery, Shen Ge felt a pang of ‘sympathy.’ As the saying goes, true brothers share hardships and fortunes alike. An organization like the Twelve Branches probably valued ‘loyalty.’ How could they let a ranked captain suffer alone while the other members watched from the sidelines?

Thinking this, Shen Ge, while preventing Chou Niu from ‘escaping,’ used the System’s “Scan” and “Detect” functions to ferret out the other Twelve Branches members hidden within the camp.

Then, using the transfer ability of the Misfortune Ghost Domain, he shifted the black aura from Chou Niu onto these Twelve Branches members, making them ‘share the hardship.’

This immediately caused a chain reaction. What was originally Chou Niu’s solo suffering became a group ordeal. These other members, whose strength didn’t match Chou Niu’s, almost immediately revealed their artificial paranormal characteristic “Two Heads and Four Arms” during the first wave of attacks.

The military forces hadn’t expected so many freaks to be infiltrate among them. Immediately, calls for reinforcements went out, and combat ensued, clearly not intending to let these freaks go.

The fleet group, upon receiving the command that freaks had taken over the camp, was equally shocked. They were caught in the tsunami, struggling to ensure their own survival, and couldn’t spare forces for rescue.

However, many warships had approached the coast before the “Misfortune” erupted. Seeing the freaks slaughtering within the camp, they immediately ordered a withdrawal.

The US was already displeased with the ROK over this rescue operation, accusing them of providing ‘false intelligence,’ allowing Twelve Branches members to infiltrate and muddy the waters, and even ultimately facilitating the transfer of the giant paranormal entity.

Coupled with the earlier commanders who blamed Chou Niu now discovering he was a freak, they decided to settle old and new scores together, launching ghost energy missile strikes against the attacked ROK coastal camp!

When the fleet group opened fire, the people in the ROK camp were dumbfounded. Who could have imagined that while they were still resisting the freak attacks within the camp, the US would stab them in the back?

“Warning!”

“Ghost energy missiles detected approaching! Ghost energy missiles detected approaching!”

Alarms blared from the ghost energy detectors in the ROK camp headquarters, but by then, the whistling sound of projectiles was already audible in the sky, even leaving a trail through the thick clouds!

Crack!

Crack!

As the ghost energy missiles separated, the ROK camp was instantly subjected to carpet bombing. Freaks, soldiers alike were swallowed by the flames!

Shen Ge, still within the camp, was nearly caught in the blast. Fortunately, Little Seven’s detection capabilities were far more advanced than the ROK’s ghost energy detectors, giving him ample time to evacuate.

Just after retreating outside the camp perimeter, he saw the missiles land. Then, a figure burst out from the flames – it was the fully transformed, Three Heads and Six Arms Chou Niu!

“Trying to leave?”

Shen Ge leaped into the air, using his ghost leather boots to pursue Chou Niu. He released Rotten Blood Tentacles to bind Chou Niu’s legs, yanking him down from the air and slamming him “BANG!” into the ground.

Shen Ge was currently under the effect of the three-trait buff, so his presence went undetected. However, he couldn’t afford to waste too much time on Chou Niu. If some ability or instrument detected Chou Niu being beaten up by seemingly nothing, it could leave clues.

Shen Ge wasn’t afraid of confronting the Twelve Branches directly; he feared they would become overly cautious of him. If they reached a point of ‘fleeing at the mere mention of his name,’ dealing a blow to the Twelve Branches would become even harder!

Deciding to end this quickly, Shen Ge went all out. Little Seven controlled the Rotten Blood Tentacles combined with the Ghost Stomach’s bite to restrain and bind Chou Niu’s head, while Shen Ge seized the opportunity to use the Butcher’s Knife for a heart excision. “Heart Snatcher” + “Heart Gouger” – the speed was so fast it resembled a Rainy Night Butcher’s modus operandi.

Chou Niu didn’t even have time to mount a counterattack before Shen Ge beheaded him, dug out his heart, packaged everything up, and left the coastal area.

As for the “Two Heads Four Arms” freaks in the camp, they were left for the ROK soldiers to handle. Shen Ge was sure this incident would firmly pin the blame on the Twelve Branches, and they would ‘enjoy’ bearing this burden!

Shen Ge’s actions created chaos along the coast. ROK stationed forces from various regions rushed to the coast for support, initially thinking they were dealing with the returned No. 2 Ghost King, only to find themselves in a ‘civil war.’

However, the subsequent events weren’t Shen Ge’s concern. He found a deserted spot, dismembered and packaged Chou Niu’s corpse, and let the System devour it for energy.

[Host has eliminated a Tier 5 Freak. Rewarding 1000 System Points and 3 F-grade Supply Items. The paranormal entity corpse can be devour converted into energy to obtain System Points for drawing various equipment and items.]

[ devour a Tier 5 paranormal entity converts to 3000 System Points.]

After the System’s ‘revelation,’ the elimination prompts had slightly changed. Previously, it used “Sell” as a cover, diligently playing the role of a system.

Now it told Shen Ge that both ‘Sell’ and ‘Devour’ were essentially devour. The former just converted into energy, while the latter was used for absorbing characteristics and repairing the System. This also explained why some corpses couldn’t be devour before and could only be ‘sold’ for points.

After ‘selling’ Chou Niu’s corpse, Shen Ge acquired a vehicle and, while the ROK and Twelve Branches were still preoccupied with the coast, drove towards the Border Trench.

Using the System’s scan, Shen Ge quickly pinpointed the Border Trench Research Institute’s location on the [Map].

Shen Ge found a place to replenish his mental energy, then activated the three-trait buff and stealthily approached the Border Trench Research Institute. To his surprise, he found it in a state of devastation, as if it had been attacked.

Moreover, there were stationed forces on both sides of the Border Trench. The ROK side, busy with the coastal conflict, had minimal forces here. In contrast, the DPRK had deployed two army groups.

Taking advantage of the ROK’s preoccupation, they had already begun a carpet search of the Border Trench area. They had long known the ROK secretly built a research base here, but before the attack, its exact location was unknown. Now, with the ROK unable to focus here, it was their best chance to act!

Shen Ge, based on feedback from the System and Little Seven’s detection, moved closer to the explosion’s epicenter. He found the Border Trench Research Institute completely collapsed. The DPRK forces were trying to dig down, but it would likely take them considerable time to achieve anything.

Shen Ge attempted to use “Collapse” to pass through the soil layer. However, the explosion seemed to have originated from within, and the soil layer’s thickness even exceeded that of the Jiangnan Research Institute.

Given Shen Ge’s current ghost energy strength, he couldn’t use “Collapse” to find a foothold without exhausting his ghost energy.

However, what might have been problematic before, perhaps forcing him to regretfully abandon the resources of the Border Trench Research Institute, was different now.

With the System clearly defining the “Transfer” ability, Shen Ge could perform targeted category transfers. He could first use detection to identify the resources here, then perform extraction. If no ghost energy equipment was detected, he’d even save exploration time.

“Resource Detection.”

[Consuming 1000 System Points. Now detecting resource types within a 100-kilometer area. After detection, the draw probability for each type will change.]

[Daily Supplies 16%; Weapons & Equipment 55%; Paranormal Remains/Cells usable for devour conversion to attribute enhancement points (4%); Vehicles 0%; Ghost Energy Equipment (25%)]

“Tch, it seems the destruction of the Border Trench Lab wasn’t premeditated. It’s more like a temporary move by the Heavenly Stems or Twelve Branches after the No. 2 paranormal entity issue arose, resulting in the ghost energy equipment not being fully transferred.” Shen Ge had been busy dealing with the No. 2 Ghost King earlier. Although he learned about the Border Trench Research Institute from Fatty Xin, he wasn’t in a hurry to loot it immediately.

The main reason was he guessed the No. 2 Ghost King incident had caused the already strained relationship between the “Heavenly Stems” and the “Twelve Branches” to completely rupture. Therefore, the research institutes they co-established would inevitably suffer.

Whether the “Heavenly Stems” moved first to transfer assets, or the “Twelve Branches” used their influence to sweep the place clean first, remained unknown.

But from the looks of it, the Border Trench Research Institute was utterly destroyed, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last “Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches” research institute to meet this fate.

[Consuming 1000 System Points. Performing targeted transfer for “Ghost Energy Equipment”…]

[Transfer successful!]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the ghost energy equipment “Ghost Energy Corrosion Device” – This equipment can convert ghost energy into corrosive liquid for attack.]

After the first targeted transfer of ghost energy equipment, the probability for “Ghost Energy Equipment” dropped from “25%” to “5%.” This meant there were roughly five pieces of ghost energy equipment left here in total.

Shen Ge continued using “Targeted Transfer.” Sure enough, after spending a total of 5000 System Points and acquiring 5 pieces of ghost energy equipment, the probability dropped to 0%.

Combined with the functional equipment looted from the ROK warehouse earlier, Shen Ge’s ‘business trip’ had netted him nearly twenty pieces of ghost energy equipment, matching the research department’s ‘output’ for several months.

Although it was a pity not to get the experimental reports from the Border Trench Research Institute, obtaining a large amount of ghost energy equipment was still a decent harvest.

He had no interest in the remaining weapons, so he contacted Deng Yuqi to arrange for his pickup.

With the ROK preoccupied with the coastal conflict, Deng Yuqi devised a reason for the pickup: claiming Shen Ge was injured during the battle in Hanseong and had proactively contacted the branch department.

Given the ROK was busy dealing with internal strife, they wouldn’t trouble them for assistance and would send their own people to retrieve him.

Although the ROK wanted to prevent, their domestic situation was chaotic, and they lacked the capacity, so they could only watch as Shen Ge was taken away.

By the time Shen Ge returned to the Rong City branch, it was already noon the next day. Apart from a change of clothes, he carried no bags, unlike someone returning from an overseas ‘assignment,’ but more like someone who had just taken a stroll outside and come home.

But the Anti-Paranormal agents and elite soldiers at the Rong City branch knew his whereabouts. They gathered at the operations department training ground to welcome his return.

Entering the operations department, Shen Ge looked at the familiar faces and, like a leader on an inspection tour, waved with one hand while keeping the other behind his back: “Children, come see what local specialties your King has brought back for you!”

“…”

“…”

After a brief silence, a wave of laughter and good-natured curses of “Get outta here!” erupted, led by Wang Han, Ma Chao, Zhang Hu, and Zhao Long, comrades who usually had a good relationship with him.

Older colleagues like Chen Ke and coworkers like Liu Jiayi exchanged a few polite words before leaving, leaving only those Shen Ge was most familiar with.

Wang Han, Ma Chao, and the others chatted with Shen Ge for a bit before making way for the ‘sister-in-law.’

“Back?” Cheng Shengnan asked.

“Back.” Shen Ge nodded.

“Not hurt?”

“No.”

Their simple Q&A seemed calm but couldn’t hide the smile in their eyes.

This was followed by a chorus of teasing “Eeeeee~~~” and whistles, making even the usually calm and steady Cheng Shengnan blush.

“Old Shen, you said you brought ‘local specialties.’ Weren’t they all for Director Cheng? Tsk tsk, I knew it. The word ‘brother’ has long been erased from your dictionary,” Wang Han teased.

Shen Ge ignored him and asked, “Why haven’t I seen Li Xiang?”

Deng Yuqi replied, “He said that with your abilities, it’s perfectly normal for you to come back safely. Instead of wasting time being polite with you, he’d rather research upgrade options for your armor. Oh, by the way, he’s not interested in your safe return. He said if you came back missing an arm or a leg, he would definitely come to see you and test out the latest exoskeleton combat suit.”

Shen Ge really wanted to complain “That’s so him,” but it indeed matched Li Xiang’s personality. He said with a smile, “Then he missed a chance to broaden his horizons!”

“Oh?”

Hearing this, everyone around became interested. Lin Yin, who had been fortunate enough to witness Shen Ge looting the Jiangnan Mall Underground Research Institute firsthand, roughly guessed something and stepped forward excitedly, “Hey, Investigator Shen, looks like you taught the little ROK folks another lesson this time?”

Shen Ge glared at her, “Watch your words. My trip abroad was for friendly exchanges with our neighbors. Exchanges involve gift-giving, right? Besides, I’m the face of our department. Charging a higher fee for an overseas exchange is perfectly reasonable, don’t you think?”

Everyone listened to Shen Ge’s serious tone, especially when he mentioned ‘face,’ they almost nodded, but then felt something was off.

Did this guy just say “Face of the department,” not “Strength of the department”?

“Get out of here!” Wang Hanma, Zhang Hu, and Zhao Long unleashed a barrage of attacks, leaving even Feng Chengxiu and Huo Yu helplessly shaking their heads at Shen Ge’s shamelessness.

However, Anti-Paranormal agents like Tu Doubi and Yang Yuxing were more interested in the ‘local specialties’ Shen Ge brought back. After all, if even Li Xiang would consider it ‘eye-opening,’ what he brought back was self-evident!

Under everyone’s urging, Shen Ge asked them to step back and clear an open area. Then, he started pulling things out from the twisted space of his Bloodskin Backpack.

When Shen Ge pulled out a full twenty pieces of ghost energy equipment, everyone, including Deng Yuqi, stared wide-eyed.

“Holy crap, Old Shen, did you take out all the ROK’s Anti-Paranormal agents?” Wang Han exclaimed, looking incredulous.

Feng Chengxiu immediately smacked Wang Han on the back of the head, scolding, “What nonsense are you spouting? Words like that could cause an international incident if they got out!”

Wang Han slapped his own mouth, glanced at the dozen or so people around, and laughed awkwardly, “Aren’t we all among friends here?”

“Watch your words,” Deng Yuqi also glared at Wang Han.

Lin Yin sighed, “As expected of Investigator Shen. Tsk tsk. I wish I could have gone too. We could have even taken the tables from the little ROK folks.”

“Pfft, Sister Lin, were you a bandit in a past life?” Yang Yuxing laughed.

Lin Yin laughed and said, “Bandit? No, no, no, ever since I caused a ruckus with Shen Tan, I’ve been determined to become a ruthless bandit like him!”

Thump!

Thump!

Lin Yin received two knocks on the head. Deng Yuqi said exasperatedly, “Hey, you’re the chief captain of the Rong City branch! Don’t get led astray by Wang Han!”

“Hehe, hehe, just kidding, just kidding!” Lin Yin scratched her head and laughed awkwardly.

Feng Chengxiu reached out and patted Lin Yin’s head, shaking his head helplessly. He was probably the only one present whose physique allowed for such a gesture.

Although Shen Ge took out all twenty pieces of ghost energy equipment acquired during his ROK trip, he didn’t let everyone pick freely.

Theoretically, these were his spoils of war, and he had absolute discretion over them. However, most of these were weapons and equipment for direct combat, with few functional items.

Shen Ge had the Butcher’s Knife for close combat, the Anti-Paranormal Revolver for ranged attacks, plus the bone hammer, bone whip, and bone sword transformed from the Red Mist Armor. So, weapons like the Ghost Bone Staff or Ghost Bone Blade held little significance for him. Rather than letting them gather dust in the Bloodskin Backpack, it was better to use them to enhance the branch’s strength.

As for previous functional equipment like the “Power Kid Springboard” or “Ghost Skin Balloon,” he would hand them over to Li Xiang for research, hoping to integrate them into the Red Mist Armor.

Everyone’s attention was completely captured by the pile of ‘local specialties’ Shen Ge pulled out. Shen Ge winked at Cheng Shengnan, signaling they should slip away together.

The two managed to slip away for almost half an hour. While the others were examining the ghost energy equipment and encountered items whose usage they couldn’t figure out, they wanted to ask Shen Ge, but when they turned around – where was he?

Deng Yuqi slapped her forehead, “Darn it, forgot about the report.”

“Beep.”

At that moment, the light on the mobile computer on Deng Yuqi’s wrist lit up, and Little Seven’s voice sounded, “Director, Master has had me prepare and send the report. Please review it.”

Hearing this, Deng Yuqi thought to herself that Shen Ge was indeed reliable. But the moment she saw the report’s title, she couldn’t hold back anymore –

“Fist Fighting a Tier 5 Ghost King, Kicking the Freak Organization, Am I Invincible Now?”

“…”

Hey, where did you pick up this third-rate novel title?

…

…

Shen Ge rested at the Rong City branch for a week. The ROK sent people multiple times to ‘inquire’ about his condition, but Deng Yuqi fended them off using ‘serious injuries.’

According to Deng Yuqi’s investigations, the ROK, the US, and the International Anti-Paranormal Organization, stirred up by Shen Ge’s actions, had indeed begun comprehensive investigations into the Twelve Branches’ ‘infiltration’ issue.

But Shen Ge wasn’t concerned with these matters. He knew the Twelve Branches and the US had suffered a major loss this time, losing both their advantage and their forces, and would likely lay low for a considerable period.

This week, he mainly researched the System’s new functions after the upgrade. He also used “Scan” and “Detect” to screen the Rong City branch, preventing any further infiltration by the Twelve Branches.

After the previous two attacks by the Twelve Branches, Deng Yuqi had implemented multiple layers of checks, from the branch’s basic defense capabilities to personnel screening. Joining the Special Investigations Department now wasn’t just about checking three generations of family history; it even involved investigating the people and areas recent applicants and transferees had contacted or appeared in.

Starting six months ago, the “Skynet” system was directly integrated into the Special Investigations Department’s information division, enabling 24/7 monitoring of the entire city, every corner.

In other words, unless you stayed hidden at home without going out, once you stepped outside, the Special Investigations Department could retrieve a full day’s surveillance footage based on your travel route at any time.

The upgrade of “Skynet” was primarily for monitoring paranormal events but also played a role in personnel screening for the Special Investigations Department.

However, after Shen Ge conducted screenings using “Scan” and “Detect,” he still managed to uncover three Twelve Branches infiltrators.

Two of them were “non-staff” at the Quanlongshan base, essentially doing odd jobs, while the remaining one was at the Rongshi branch and was a full-time employee approved by Deng Yuqi.

The reason is simple: Deng Yuqi confirmed the identity of the other party’s Twelve Branches in the first round of verification. It was impossible to completely eliminate the “spy,” so she simply kept an enemy informant by her side, which is also the most commonly used counter-espionage tactic.

After confirming this with Deng Yuqi, Shen Ge didn’t interfere with her decision. After all, he was primarily operational personnel; Deng Yuqi was more adept at these mind games.

Time flew by, and it was now the end of January. Cheng Shengnan’s mother had originally intended to stay in Rong City a bit longer but received news from Australia about problems with her business.

Deng Yuqi had previously sent people to Australia to investigate Cheng’s mother’s business rivals and confirmed their collusion with “12.” The agents sent to investigate had brought back considerable intelligence.

Included was information related to the Twelve Branches.

“Are you sure? The Twelve Branches headquarters is in Australia? Is the intel reliable?” Shen Ge was summoned to Deng Yuqi’s office early in the morning, never expecting her to drop such a bombshell.

Shen Ge had thought the International Anti-Paranormal Organization, being the Twelve Branches’ ‘base,’ would have its headquarters in the US. He never expected it to be in Australia.

“Coincidentally, because Ms. Cheng’s identity is rather special – she has repeatedly provided funds to support the headquarters’ operations and research – the headquarters is particularly concerned about her safety. They specifically asked me to send people to Australia to investigate the competitors attempting to assassinate her. The investigation revealed that a consortium in Australia was supporting Ukraina against Russia. Following that lead, we indeed found the Twelve Branches pulling the strings behind the scenes.”

“Recently, that consortium supplied Ukraine with a batch of supernatural skeletal armor, which has temporarily strained Russia’s military situation… At the same time, there have been attacks by strange beings in military camps.” “…” Deng Yuqi said, showing Shen Ge images of the battlefield in Mu Us and photos of the latest type of supernatural exoskeleton armor used by the Ukrainian people.

“While this exoskeleton armor improves mobility, it still exposes the weakest parts of the human body. It might work against humans, but against supernatural beings… it’ll be difficult. In the Korean battlefield, the United States used supernatural mechs, but those behemoths are too cumbersome. Unless these two types of mechs can combine their respective advantages, I think it’s too early for humanity to use mechs to fight supernatural beings,” Shen Ge said, glancing at the photos and shaking his head.

Deng Yuqi nodded, agreeing with his assessment: “Indeed, but that’s not the point. The point is that I had people investigate the consortium that provided these exoskeletons, and unexpectedly, they actually found the headquarters of the Twelve Branches, right here…”

As she spoke, Deng Yuqi took out a map and pointed to a mountainous area circled in red.