GRMFBS CH16

[Impossible.] Zhan Yan rejected it coldly and ruthlessly.

Beinong University was right next to Yunjin City, and it only took a few hours by high-speed rail. He had already booked a ticket for tomorrow morning.

Zhan Yan opened the Chaofan Forum, intending to boost the reputation of the “Approaching Science” account.

His account currently had very low credibility. Although it had gained some fame through the forum’s “Teen Mode” incident, its foundation was too weak. As an intelligence dealer, it was still insufficient. Zhan Yan didn’t plan to slowly accumulate reputation through small tasks—that was too slow.

He opened the flood zone.

When it came to generating buzz and credibility, what could grow faster than gossip?

As soon as he entered the section, Zhan Yan saw that the post he had commented on earlier was still prominently pinned on the homepage. Since he hadn’t replied to it, all sorts of speculations had popped up in the comments.

Someone even started a separate thread to discuss:

{Anyone want to discuss who Approaching Science really is?}

Zhan Yan clicked in out of curiosity.

1L:
Some well-known big shots have already denied being Approaching Science.

The ones who haven’t responded yet are:
@Hacker @SecretaryAo @CantCarryAnymore @…

2L:
Hacker is out of the question, right? Fang Pai already said he’s busy lately.

Also, several people connected to the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, the Wan Yao Alliance, and Chao Fushan can be ruled out. If there were official ties, why post publicly instead of contacting directly?

The thread was full of guesses about his identity. Some thought he was a big shot using a Smurf account; others speculated he was a retired veteran making a comeback. The discussion was lively. Since he had only made one post and never appeared again, and the content of the post was solely about an anomaly with no personal information, many assumed he was a high-level, aloof expert.

73L:
Has no one considered that Approaching Science might be a newbie? That would explain why none of the big shots match.

75L:
Don’t be ridiculous. Could a complete newbie have this level of skill?

And if he were a newbie, why would he disappear after showing up once?

76L:
Maybe he was recruited by the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau after that appearance.

The thread went silent for a moment.

That did seem plausible!

Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau’s domain had been summoned by his post. If Approaching Science was truly capable, it would make sense for the Bureau to offer him a high-level position.

Because he joined the Bureau, he wouldn’t need to post anymore—just complete assignments internally.

77L:
Isn’t that like hitting the jackpot? Straight to a government job. So envious.

80L:
Envious? Do you guys not know how controlling the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau is?

81L:
I’m just an ordinary nobody. Let them investigate me; once they’re done, I’ll quit. I hate my current job anyway. Working for the Bureau with a stable salary and benefits beats being exploited by capitalists.

Nie Yu was also browsing the posts.

The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau had indeed tried to recruit him. No matter who Approaching Science was or where he came from, as long as he agreed, the Bureau would have an entry point to investigate. If he passed the background check, they’d gain a capable superhuman.

Unfortunately, Approaching Science had disappeared too quickly. Their recruitment post had gone unanswered, and he hadn’t resurfaced on the forum since.

Deputy Director Ning Xi speculated that this guy had only shown up to inform them about that nameless anomaly.

The thread continued.

96L:
Heh, it also makes sense if Approaching Science has a criminal past. That would explain why he only showed up once and then disappeared.

97L:
Everyone keeps hyping up his abilities. Does he have any achievements besides this one? If he’s so capable, why doesn’t he dare to reply?

The detailed information he provided about the “Youth’s Grudge” anomaly was too suspicious. It only makes sense if he created the anomaly himself.

98L:
Maybe he’s already been caught.

These few comments were all posted by the same user, “Big Wet Sky.”

This wasn’t ordinary suspicion anymore—it was malicious. The “Approaching Science” account had never offended anyone, yet this person’s hostility was intense. Zhan Yan decided to search the gossip system directly.

Did they think anonymity gave them the right to spew malice? Ha, not on his watch!

100L Approaching Science:
@AdministratorLuoWang, come and arrest someone.

Big Wet Sky, real name Wei Weishuo, hypnotic superhuman.

Since two years ago, he has been using his powers to abduct women and children.

Big Wet Sky panicked and began accusing and cursing, claiming Zhan Yan was slandering him. But Zhan Yan immediately posted the dates and locations of his crimes.

After that, Big Wet Sky vanished and never replied again.

Nie Yu, who was also reading the thread, narrowed his eyes sharply and began contacting the Bureau to investigate and apprehend the suspect.

“Approaching Science has resurfaced?” Nie Ling asked, noticing Nie Yu’s sudden change in demeanor.

“Yes,” Nie Yu replied, typing furiously. “He just exposed a criminal…”

While she was speaking, she had already checked the information provided by “Approaching Science.” Most of it matched with existing cases, and for the few without records, it was likely they hadn’t been discovered yet.

Judging by Big Wet Sky’s reaction, “Approaching Science” was probably right about everything.

This person’s intel was incredibly fast and accurate. Nie Yu poked him again via private message, but still got no reply. Frustrated, she closed the interface. When it came to calling her out to catch someone, he was unreserved, but he ignored private messages—what a jerk!

The post, which had been losing traction, quickly regained popularity with “Approaching Science’s” sudden appearance.

Such precision and efficiency!

Some admired “Approaching Science’s” performance, while others worried about how he obtained Big Wet Sky’s information.

Zhan Yan ignored these opinions and began searching for high-traffic gossip threads in the Flood section.

He couldn’t rely solely on his own fame—hopping on trending topics was the most efficient way.

{Anyone know what’s going on with Chao Fushan lately?}

Chao Fushan, as Zhan Yan recalled, was a force from the underworld. It housed the Network Ghost King, one of the forum’s back-end creators.

In past incidents, the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau and the Wan Yao Alliance had both been active, but Chao Fushan remained oddly quiet. Zhan Yan was intrigued.

He clicked on the thread but hadn’t had a chance to read it when his brother, Zhan Jinli, came home.

Zhan Yan bookmarked the thread and logged out of the forum.

[Ge, why are you back so late?] Zhan Yan typed to him. [Jie called to say she’s staying at the studio tonight and won’t be back.]

Zhan Jinli usually came home early. His cake shop had little business and no repeat customers. The best sellers were yogurt parfaits and cream fruit tarts, as these didn’t involve adding sugar.

Zhan Jinli replied: [Had inspiration for a new cake.]

Zhan Yan: …Oh.

[Did you eat? Should I heat up some buns for you?]

Zhan Jinli: [No need, I had cake.]

In some ways, his brother was terrifying. He could eat his own cakes without flinching and even find them delicious.

Zhan Jinli drifted back to his room like a shadow.

Of course, he wasn’t late because of a new cake recipe.

Zhan Jinli had been investigating the Hungry Ghost’s case for the past two days. He retraced the ghost’s remembered experiences but found nothing. The Hungry Ghost seemed normal now, though it couldn’t recall the anomaly either, only retaining an unbearable hunger. To be cautious, Zhan Jinli kept the ghost with him.

However, tonight’s lateness wasn’t due to that—it was because some little ghosts came crying to him again.

In his room, Zhan Jinli opened a tin candy box from his pocket. Out tumbled six ghosts—a Hungry Ghost and five little ones in red, yellow, white, green, and black.

“Great King…” The little ghosts were teary-eyed.

“You can hide here for now,” Zhan Jinli said.

For some reason, the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau had gone on a rampage, sweeping through Yunjin City to clear anomalies and register all supernatural beings.

This was a big problem.

Zhan Jinli had given up being a Ghost King to reincarnate and live a peaceful mortal life in the living world. If the Bureau found these little ghosts, they might trace them back to him.

“We’ve lost our territory, wuwuwu…”

“We wanted to conquer the world for you…”

“Our venture failed before it even began…”

“Shh,” Zhan Jinli said, expressionless. “If my family finds out, I’ll make sure you all fail completely.”

The little ghosts fell silent.

Zhan Jinli, exasperated, opened the Chaofan Forum. He hadn’t touched it since reincarnating, but with his old supernatural connections severed, the forum was now his only way to gauge the Bureau’s actions.

He logged into his old account: “AdminWouldRatherDieThanOwnACat.”

{Isn’t Yunjin City the territory of the Chongming Demon King? Why is the Bureau suddenly so aggressive—are they trying to start a war with the Wan Yao Alliance?}

Apparently not. The Bureau had simply reached an agreement with the Wan Yao Alliance.

Zhan Yun, after thoroughly enjoying a heated argument, had efficiently concluded negotiations by the afternoon.

To investigate the nameless anomaly, Yunjin City and its surrounding areas had to be sealed off, starting with a thorough sweep of all anomalies.

This task was assigned to Tianshi’ team, who began the purge that very night.

“If speed is the priority, there’s no need to conceal our actions,” Ji Yueming said, fastening her thunder-patterned mask. Interlocking her fingers, lightning streaks spread across her palms.

The next morning, after Zhan Yan got up and washed, he received a call from Zhen Hua, the editor-in-chief of the news agency.

“Zhan Yan, do you have plans today? If not, could you come in for some overtime?”

Zhan Yan: “Uh, I was planning to return to school today—I’ve already booked my ticket.”

Zhen Hua: “Is it urgent? If not, could you postpone it? I’ll reimburse your ticket, pay triple overtime, and give you a week of paid leave after this busy period.”

Zhan Yan: “It’s not that urgent.”

Let Tian Youcheng study English for a few more days!

Zhan Yan eagerly went to the news agency. The overtime pay and leave were nice, but the sudden busyness at the agency meant there was gossip to uncover!

At the agency, Zhen Hua hurriedly handed him a stack of odd reports, asking him to turn them into scientifically plausible news articles.

Zhan Yan skimmed through them. Oh boy! All of them were about events in Yunjin City last night!

He opened the gossip system.

[Congratulations on earning a chance to accumulate good karma.]

Zhan Yan: …

What nonsense! Search Yunjin City!

[Last night, the “Tianshi” team purged anomalies in Yunjin City and surrounding areas, reporting great satisfaction.]
[The cleanup team complained bitterly, stating that logistics matter too!]

So the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau had acted—likely due to the garbled anomaly information he provided. Such efficiency! The report was given Friday night, and by Saturday night, the citywide purge was complete.

As he wrote news articles while munching on gossip, Zhan Yan didn’t forget to message his dorm leader, Duan Hong: [Something came up, so I won’t be returning to school today.]

At Beinong University.

Duan Hong looked up at Gu Jiancheng. “Uh… Zhan Yan said he’s not coming.”

“Didn’t you guys plan this?” he asked cautiously.

Gu Jiancheng, clutching his phone, was overwhelmed by melancholy.

Was this the consequence of sneaking off without telling Zhan Yan?