[Host single-handedly slays two Tier-1 anomalies, displaying fearless and heroic prowess. Reward: 100 system points.]

[Sold Tier-1 anomaly corpse. Reward: 200 system points.]

[Sold Tier-1 anomaly corpse. Reward: 200 system points.]

[Daily mission completed. Reward: 100 system points, random F-grade recovery item x1.]

[Extract rewards now?]

Shen Ge was the first to return to the villa. After turning off the recording on the blond guy’s phone and confirming there were no hidden cameras in the living room, he immediately tried selling the two stray cats—brutally killed by the blond guy—to the system.

As he suspected, even though the two cats in the villa hadn’t mutated, the system still classified them as Tier-1 anomalies.

By now, Shen Ge had also figured out the system’s “rating” system for anomalies.

Due to the four-year time discrepancy, there were generally three scenarios:

* Currently “normal,” but becomes an “anomaly” four years later.

* Currently an “anomaly,” and remains one four years later.

* Currently “normal/anomaly,” but gets destroyed before four years pass.

Regardless of whether it was scenario 1 or 2, the system would always base the rewards on the four-year-later rating.

When Shen Ge first encountered the three stray cats, the system rated them as “Tier-1.” But when he arrived at the villa and witnessed the blond guy torturing the cats, causing the calico to mutate into a Tier-1 anomaly, the system’s rating changed to “Tier-2.” This meant that, four years from now, the stray cats would evolve into Tier-2 anomalies.

Thus, even though Shen Ge faced a newly mutated Tier-1 “ghost cat,” the rewards for killing or selling it were calculated based on a Tier-2 anomaly.

This was further confirmed by the fact that the two non-mutated cats on the grill still yielded Tier-1 anomaly rewards.

As for scenario 3—whether due to the system’s “conscience” or a bug from premature activation—the rewards would be based on the current timeline’s rating.

For example, the ghost car and ghost rats.

Either way, as long as the system gave rewards, it was a win.

When Shen Ge came out of the bathroom, Deng Yuqi and the tech team were already examining the grill. Spotting him, Deng Yuqi said, “There are still traces of other stray cats on the grill. You didn’t really go to the bathroom—you came back to check if there were more anomalies here, right?”

Shen Ge nodded solemnly. “Exactly. But I searched the entire house and didn’t find any sign of the cats. Either they’re hiding somewhere, or the ghost cat outside ate them after I fled the villa. If it’s the latter, that’s fine. But if it’s the former… we might have to seal off this area.”

Deng Yuqi replied, “I understand your concern, but next time, be more serious about critical moments like this. Just call us, and we’ll rush back together. What if those two cats had also mutated? Could you have handled them alone? Remember, our work is important, but so is every operative’s life. Don’t make unnecessary sacrifices.”

“Understood. Next time, for sure.” Shen Ge nodded, though his resolve wasn’t that high. The real reason he rushed back ahead of the Special Response Division was to claim the two corpses for himself and exchange them for system points—since he’d already “given up” the ghost cat outside.

Deng Yuqi didn’t overthink it. She immediately ordered the assault team leader to conduct a sweep of the villa area under the guise of an anti-terror drill.

After that, it was the usual routine: the Special Response Division secured the scene for cleanup, while Shen Ge returned with Deng Yuqi to give his statement.

In the briefing room, Deng Yuqi’s gaze at Shen Ge was complicated.

After a long, silent stare, Shen Ge couldn’t help but speak up first: “Officer Deng, if you think I’m handsome, you can just say so. It’s a fact—it doesn’t count as harassment.”

“……”

Deng Yuqi sighed deeply. “I really want to know what kind of luck you have to run into anomalies every single day.”

“Well, that’s a long story…” Shen Ge straightened his collar and sat up, ready to spin a tall tale.

Deng Yuqi cut in, “Then keep it short.”

“……Maybe because I’m handsome?”

Deng Yuqi, already used to this, didn’t hesitate to close her notebook and head for the door. “If you’re not in a hurry to leave, you can stop by the tech department. Li Xiang wants your help with the dissection. He said… your suggestions last time were very insightful and gave him a lot of inspiration.”

“No problem.” Shen Ge agreed readily.

As she reached the door, Deng Yuqi suddenly paused and turned back. “Since you’ve officially resigned, come in tomorrow morning for your onboarding assessment and a psychological evaluation. Once the paperwork’s done, I’ll assign your daily duties.”

“With my exceptional luck, you might as well just assign me as a patrol officer. I guarantee our branch’s performance will multiply in no time, making us the national champions in anomaly elimination,” Shen Ge said earnestly.

“……”

Deng Yuqi was silent for a moment before sighing. “As much as I hate to admit it, there’s some truth to that. I’ll consider it. But before that, I’ll design a detailed training plan for you.”

“Huh?”

“Headquarters almost rejected your application for three reasons, two of which were related to your physical fitness,” Deng Yuqi said seriously.

“Well, the Special Response Division is a big place—it’s not just field work, right? For example… the tech department?” Shen Ge’s top choice was naturally the tech department, especially if he could land a role in anomaly corpse disposal.

“We’ll discuss your assignment tomorrow. For now, head to the dissection room—they’re waiting.” With that, Deng Yuqi left with the files.

“Got it.”

A few minutes later, Shen Ge arrived at the dissection room in a “senior mobility scooter” and, just like last time, assisted Li Xiang in dissecting the ghost cat’s corpse.

The two like-minded individuals sliced and probed the corpse with gusto, even enthusiastically debating whether its mutation pattern or the zombie dogs from Resident Evil were more biologically plausible. The assistant who came in twice to remind Li Xiang about tomorrow’s meeting was so disgusted she vowed never to enter the dissection room again when these two were around.

Shen Ge had agreed to assist with the dissection for three reasons:

First, he was genuinely curious about the ghost cat’s corpse.

Second, he had used “Stillness” on the ghost cat and wanted to see if Li Xiang could detect traces of its energy.

And third—most importantly—he wanted to build a good relationship with Li Xiang.

Though Li Xiang was also a newcomer, Shen Ge had observed over the past two days that he was blunt, obsessive about anomaly research, and a rising star in the tech department.

From their conversations, Shen Ge learned that the Special Response Division generally handled corpses in two ways: those with residual anomaly energy and those without.

The former would be sealed and stored in an airtight chamber for energy extraction or further study.

The latter would be disposed of—commonly by cremation—with the ashes then bottled and stored.

The key point? Some anomalies would burn away completely, leaving no ashes behind.

And those were Shen Ge’s target. If he could become an anomaly corpse disposal worker, he could sell them to the system right as they were tossed into the incinerator—free system points, just like that.