However, it remained unclear whether the residual anomalous energy on the brick was due to Shen Ge activating his trait while holding it or if there was another reason. Further testing was needed.

“Oh, right.”

At that moment, Shen Ge pulled out two peeled sections of a sausage from his pocket and handed them to Li Xiang through the small window. “Test these for any residual anomalous energy. I picked them up outside that shop.”

Li Xiang took a tray and a pair of tweezers, carefully placing the sausages onto the tray before carrying them away with a grave expression for testing.

If the sausages also carried traces of anomalous energy, it would mean there was more than one anomaly in the market—and the entire place would have to be locked down immediately.

Shen Ge had no idea what Li Xiang was thinking. He simply recalled that, aside from the brick, he’d also been holding these sausages (originally meant for feeding cats) when activating his “Immobility” trait.

If the sausages showed the same residual energy, it would mean that using his trait could imbue any object he touched with anomalous energy.

Shen Ge stared at the corpse of the anomalous rat, lost in thought as he ate. By the time he finished his meal, Li Xiang had returned.

“Tests show no anomalous energy on these sausages,” Li Xiang reported.

Shen Ge frowned. It seemed his hypothesis was wrong—activating his trait didn’t automatically imbue objects with energy.

Did it only happen when attacking other anomalies?

For now, there was no way to test that. He’d have to wait until he encountered another anomaly to investigate further.

But carrying out such tests would be tricky. If he relied on the Special Measures Department’s resources and identical energy traces were detected, suspicion would inevitably fall on him.

Fortunately, aside from “Immobility,” Shen Ge also possessed the “Silence” trait. He just didn’t know if it would produce the same effect.

After assisting Li Xiang with dissecting and analyzing the anomalous rat’s corpse in the lab, Shen Ge finally headed home close to 11 p.m. He took a shower, made himself a cup of instant noodles, and rested for a bit—preparing to perform his card draw exactly at midnight!

The mystical art of gacha—the midnight ritual!

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, Host! You’ve survived another day in this anomaly-ridden world. Reward: 1% freely distributable attribute points, 10 system points.]

Shen Ge casually allocated the free points to Mental Strength, then opened the “Today’s Lucky Draw” theme song he’d prepared in advance—

“I wish you fortune, I wish you success,

Bring the best, leave the rest,

You can never have too many blessings!”

[Spend 100 system points to draw?]

After leaving the tech department, Shen Ge had received 50 system points as a reward. Adding the 10 from surviving another day, he now had 481 points—enough for four draws.

[Prize selection in progress!]

[Ding!]

The glowing cursor bounced between the five options before gradually slowing down… and finally landing on [Freely Distributable Attributes (2%)].

With these 2% added, Shen Ge’s Mental Strength reached 170%. This meant he could now use “Immobility” to control a low-tier anomaly for 17 seconds—or sustain “Silence” for 340 seconds.

“As long as I don’t get daily supplies, it’s not a loss.”

Next draw!

Ding-ding-ding-ding—

The cursor raced across the options again. Just as it seemed about to land on [Daily Supplies], it gave one last hop and stopped at [Weapons & Equipment].

[Congratulations, Host! You’ve obtained: “M134 Minigun ×1” with 1,000 rounds of ammunition.]

A flash of white light later, a gatling gun—the very same “divine weapon” featured in countless FPS games—materialized on the coffee table.

Yes, the same Minigun wielded by the “Bodhisattva of Lead Spray” himself!

Even someone as unflappable as Shen Ge could only think one thing upon seeing this monstrosity:

System, I curse your ancestors!

“A butcher’s knife and grenades? Fine. The knife can pass as a kitchen tool, and the ‘green pineapples’ are small enough to hide. But this thing? How the hell am I supposed to explain it? Use it? I’d get a life sentence before sunrise!”

Shen Ge was at a loss for words.

Was this good luck or bad luck?

On one hand, it was a high-tech, ultra-rare weapon with insane firepower.

On the other hand… it was a freaking Minigun!

In a country where even a 1.8-joule airsoft gun could land you in jail, possessing this was a one-way ticket to prison.

Shen Ge was officially done.

He found a large cardboard box (originally for an AC unit), wrapped the Minigun in a bedsheet, stuffed it inside, and shoved it under his bed.

“Two draws left. System, cut me some slack—give me something actually usable, okay?”

[Prize selection in progress!]

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, Host! You’ve obtained a crate of daily supplies.]

Another flash, and a one-cubic-meter cardboard box appeared on the table.

“A whole crate?”

Shen Ge opened it and pulled out:

* A pair of thermal gloves

* Rubber boots

* A black down jacket

* A scarf

* And… two boxes of Durex condoms.

What the hell?!

“Oh, so these are ‘usable equipment,’ huh?”

“Alright, fine—I’ll call you ‘bro’ if I have to! System, stop messing with me. Earning points isn’t easy. Out of four draws, can’t you give me one combat upgrade?”

With a sigh, Shen Ge initiated his final draw.

[Prize selection in progress!]

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, Host! You’ve obtained a crate of instant noodles.]

“System, you’re a goddamn troll.”

Shen Ge didn’t even bother checking the brand. He shut his laptop, flopped onto his bed, and opened the [Log] and [Daily Tasks] tabs.

[January 7, 2028 – Day 3 of Leave]

You continued training via the system’s mission function. In the afternoon, you sparred with fellow organization members, improving your combat skills. Rumor has it an elderly martial arts master has joined the organization. You’re considering learning from him to enhance your fighting prowess.

[Daily Mission]

*The apocalypse rages, anomalies roam, danger lurks everywhere. At your current level, you can’t handle high-tier anomalies—only low-tier ones. Remember those three Rank-1 anomalies you let escape? Find them. Kill them.*

Reward: 100 system points, 1 random F-grade recovery item.

The log entry wasn’t particularly noteworthy, aside from mentioning an elderly martial arts expert joining the organization. If future logs confirmed that learning from him boosted combat effectiveness, Shen Ge figured he might as well seek the old man out early. After all, years of training would naturally yield better results than starting from scratch later.

As for the daily mission, this was a new type—different from resource gathering or physical training.

*”Three Rank-1 anomalies… Does that mean the three stray cats from the ‘Silence’ incident?”* Shen Ge decided to revisit the villa area tomorrow.

“Sigh.”

“Tomorrow, it’s back to hunting anomalies.”

“Is this gonna be a daily routine now?”

The Next Day

Cheng Shengnan had received a delivery notification earlier, so she arrived at the office ten minutes early to pick up her package from the management office.

As she walked through the lobby, she spotted Shen Ge heading toward the elevators.

She moved to call out to him but paused when she noticed he seemed to be in high spirits—humming a tune under his breath.

Curious, she quickened her pace to eavesdrop—

“No work tomorrow—hell yeah, feels so good!

I can laze around all day, ignore the alarm,

No need to kiss clients’ asses,

Finally livin’ a little real!”

Cheng Shengnan: “…”

Probably not the best song for your boss to overhear.