As soon as Shen Ge finished speaking, the other agents erupted into a flurry of questions, throwing the scene into chaos.

“Seriously?”

“It can block spatial distortion?”

“How do you know so much?”

“What else do you know?”

“This ghost energy…”

No one could wrap their heads around it. How could this young man deduce so much about the ghost space at a glance, when even veteran agents had spent days researching it without results?

But if what he said was true, then he certainly had the right to act so arrogantly.

At that moment, a single thought crossed many minds: Just how capable is Deng Yuqi? First, she recruited a “freak” like Lin Yin, and now this guy pops up out of nowhere?

Many had assumed Deng Yuqi would send Lin Yin to handle this incident. Who would’ve guessed that, aside from the “Ace,” she had another hidden “Wild Card” up her sleeve?

The Rong City branch… really has some tricks up their sleeves!

Just as everyone expected Shen Ge to keep up his arrogant act—chest puffed out, ready to take charge—he instead spoke in a detached tone:

“Hold off on the other questions for now. I might have a way to resolve this supernatural incident. At the very least, I could find a method to help you establish contact with those trapped inside. But before that… let’s talk price. Write down all the ghost-energy equipment you can spare and let me pick three. Then we’ll discuss the rest.”

The moment these words left his mouth, the command center fell dead silent. Aside from Deng Yuqi, everyone stared at him as if he were insane.

Who the hell do you think you are?

This arrogant?

You’re already negotiating payment before even solving the problem?

Deng Yuqi frowned. She couldn’t quite figure Shen Ge out. He usually adopted an attitude of “not my problem, not my concern,” only dealing with supernatural incidents when they piqued his interest. She had assumed that to get him to take action willingly, she’d at least have to enter the ghost space herself and bring back critical intel.

But now, he had come here on his own?

Facing the furious crowd, Shen Ge remained unbothered. After letting them vent their frustrations, he calmly continued, “Alright, let me break it down for you.”

Everyone froze. Break it down?

Before they could react, Shen Ge really did start calculating—first tallying the cost of training a single soldier, then an elite agent, followed by the expenses from R&D to production for a single piece of ghost-energy equipment.

“Right now, nearly a hundred people are trapped in that ghost space. Asking for three pieces of ghost-energy equipment isn’t excessive, is it? Oh, and just to be clear—I’m taking them, not borrowing. Don’t think you can ask for them back after the problem’s solved.” His tone carried unwavering confidence, as though he truly had a solution.

While others continued to berate him, Deng Yuqi pondered for a moment before nodding. “Fine. I’ll negotiate with HQ.”

“Seventh Sister, are you serious?”

“You’re really going along with your subordinate’s madness?”

“He’s clearly unhinged—don’t follow him down this path!”

“Yeah, don’t pick another fight with the old man over this!”

“……”

Despite their protests, Deng Yuqi remained unmoved. She picked up the phone, contacted HQ, explained the situation, and made the request for three pieces of ghost-energy equipment.

While this fourth-tier supernatural incident had “swallowed” quite a few ghost-energy devices, the truth was that the entire nation didn’t have many to begin with—barely over twenty, many of which were still in the prototype phase.

Ghost-energy equipment was like the “nuclear weapons” of the new era. Due to their unique capabilities, they weren’t just invaluable against supernatural threats—they also served as a deterrent against other nations’ anti-supernatural organizations.

This was precisely why HQ was so intent on conserving resources. This incident was, after all, a localized problem. But if they lost leverage against, say, the U.S., it could escalate into an international crisis. Even the slightest risk of that was something the higher-ups wanted to avoid at all costs.

However, Shen Ge had a point. Due to HQ’s misjudgment, the repeated failed rescue attempts had already cost the Special Response Department dearly. Aside from the Southwest Third Division, no one else was willing to get involved in this mess anytime soon.

Shen Ge had chosen the perfect moment to step in—he did have bargaining power.

Soon, HQ responded. They agreed to provide Shen Ge with a list of all available ghost-energy equipment in the country and let him pick three.

But there was a condition: He had to resolve the supernatural incident first. Otherwise, not only would the equipment be reclaimed, but Rong City Branch would also have to compensate with two of their own ghost-energy devices.

Shen Ge couldn’t care less. After all, he planned to bring his Ghost Gloves and Freezing Device into the ghost space with him. If he died in there, those two pieces of equipment would be lost anyway.

If anyone wants them, they’re welcome to go in and retrieve them.

The reason Shen Ge was so confident in resolving this incident was the [Log]. According to it, Deng Yuqi had eventually succeeded in dealing with “No Exit,” meaning a solution did exist.

If she could pull it off, then with his three major traits, ghost-energy equipment, and ghost domain, there was no way he wouldn’t make it out.

If I still fail… then there’s no point waiting four years for the apocalypse. I might as well lie down and die now—save some food in the process.

Ten minutes later, Shen Ge received the list from HQ. Scanning the array of ghost-energy equipment, his focus was on countering “No Exit.”

First, he needed gear that wouldn’t hinder his mobility or clash with his existing equipment.

Second, since “No Exit” only allowed entry, not escape, he needed something akin to an intangible ghost domain—something that could create an opening, even if he couldn’t fully dismantle the barrier.

The first item Shen Ge picked was the “bulletproof vest” he had jokingly referred to as “Indestructible” when extracting the “Unbreakable” trait from the Butcher’s Cleaver.

However, this vest wasn’t called “Indestructible.” Instead, it was a “skin suit” crafted from the hide of a self-regenerating supernatural entity.

Its trait was rapid healing—when a bullet struck the suit, the resulting hole would quickly close, effectively blocking the projectile.

It could stop bullets… to an extent. Against high-powered rifles, it struggled, but against handguns or melee weapons, the healing speed was sufficient.

The second piece of equipment was a pair of leather shoes, also made from the hide of a low-tier supernatural entity. They enhanced the wearer’s jumping ability.

An average person might jump one meter at best, but with the ghost shoes’ energy, clearing three to five meters was effortless.

The third item was a grenade-sized “stomach.” When thrown, it could expand into a massive maw, swallowing anything from a chicken to a cow whole. It would then secrete a stomach acid-like substance to dissolve its prey.

Two of the three items weren’t on-site and had to be transported from other branches. As a result, it wasn’t until evening that Shen Ge finally received them.

Meanwhile, the command center had spent the afternoon drafting a new operation plan.

Given past experiences, sending in more people would just be a waste. Since Shen Ge had refused a combat team, the Yunnan Branch proposed sending three technicians with him to attempt setting up a signal tower inside the ghost space.

First, to establish contact with the outside.

Second, to enable coordination between the trapped elite agents and soldiers.

According to Shen Ge, those who had entered earlier weren’t dead—just “lost.” If communication could be established, they might still work together.

More hands meant a better chance of breaking the ghost space.

Shen Ge had no objections. His target was the fourth-tier supernatural entity “No Exit” on the 18th floor of the ghost-energy building. A space that blocked all escape? He had no intention of letting the Special Response Department—or those supernatural mercenaries—get their hands on that ability.

While Yunnan provided technicians and equipment, the Guizhou Branch wasn’t idle either. They brought out their trump card—ghost-energy protective suits.

The Special Response Department’s standard suits could prevent excessive ghost-energy absorption, but Guizhou’s version went further. Not only did they shield against ghost energy, they could also absorb and store it, serving as a power source for ghost-energy equipment.

In other words, they were portable ghost-energy canisters.

Shen Ge’s biggest headache was his limited mental energy reserves, which was why he currently carried twenty-three ghost-energy canisters. With these suits—though their storage capacity was only about 130% of a first-tier supernatural entity’s energy, and absorption took nearly ten hours—this was still a major upgrade.

Since this was likely a prolonged operation, with no telling how long they’d be stuck inside, recharging two canisters a day was already a significant advantage.

Shen Ge immediately took one. After putting it on, he and the three technicians emerged from Guizhou’s airlifted ghost-energy container. He kept shooting Deng Yuqi meaningful glances, urging her to find a way to acquire one of these suits for their branch.

Unfortunately, Deng Yuqi couldn’t see his expression beneath the helmet.