GRMFBS CH52

Zhan Yan’s pupils quaked as he frantically refreshed the gossip logs downward.

“An undisclosed, hidden corner”—that wording left far too much to the imagination!

Had his brother strayed down a dark path? Had his brother run into danger and placed that call and sent those texts to drop subtle hints? Or did his brother harbor some shadowy little secret?

Yet none of these wild hypotheses could be substantiated, because the gossip logs refused to refresh any further, showing zero new developments.

Zhan Yan stared blankly, the light fading from his eyes.

His brother had already been lingering in that “undisclosed, hidden corner” for several hours. He wouldn’t pick up phone calls, and his text replies merely insisted that nothing was wrong. The gossip logs remained completely stagnant; ever since his brother entered that hidden corner, he hadn’t moved an inch.

This state of affairs reminded Zhan Yan of the night he tracked his brother entering a love hotel. Back then, once his brother stepped inside, all activity ceased as well, forcing him to stand guard through the entire night out of sheer terror that something might happen to him!

What was his brother doing crouching there anyway? Sprouting mushrooms?

What kind of bizarre, mysterious quirk was this!

If he wasn’t overly obsessed with it, he really ought to swap it for a different hobby. It wasn’t very wholesome.

And it was taking quite a toll on his little brother.

Gu Jiancheng watched Zhan Yan with deep concern.

Ever since receiving that call from his brother several hours ago, Zhan Yan had been like this—dazed, distracted, his soul seemingly adrift.

Had his brother run into some kind of trouble? He could step in and solve it!

Zhan Yan cared deeply about his family, and Gu Jiancheng was more than willing to extend his own protective umbrella over these ordinary mortals for his sake.

If they encountered anomalies or troublemaking demon ghosts, he could beat them to a pulp; if they were short on cash or drowning in debt, he could help clear it; if they were bullied by others, he had ample means to handle it. If someone was genuinely beyond redemption… he had methods to discipline them, too.

Though the latter was rather unlikely; Yan Yan possessed such a wonderful personality, so the family members he held dear could hardly be scoundrels.

Yet Zhan Yan said nothing.

And Zhan Yan said nothing primarily because his brother refused to elaborate.

“He should be fine,” Zhan Yan murmured, slowly gathering his wits.

Since the gossip logs hadn’t refreshed, it proved nothing new had transpired. He would just let his brother crouch there for now.

Zhan Yan decided to continue his pursuit of Garbled Anomaly No. 2.

The issue hidden within the fly’s gossip logs hadn’t been solved yet, and he was currently combing downward through the keywords he had extracted. When he would finally unearth the answer remained uncertain. However, while compiling all the past traces left by Garbled Anomaly No. 2, Zhan Yan caught onto an anomaly:

The movements of Garbled Anomaly No. 2 appeared chaotic on the surface, but in reality, followed a distinct pattern. It almost never appeared in the exact same location twice. If one were to map out all the areas it had roamed within Beiling City, they would find that it had already traversed nearly two-thirds of the entire city.

This wasn’t explicitly spelled out by the gossip logs; it was an deduction he had made himself.

For Garbled Anomaly No. 2 to wander like this, it was either setting up a city-wide array, or actively searching for something.

Tianshui Lane.

Bao Qingshan squatted by the well rim, scratching at the mosquito bites on his skin as he munched on an ear of corn.

Even though the ancestral matriarch had declared that he had outlived his usefulness, he still dashed over here whenever he was free of lectures.

The ancestral matriarch looked upon him with deep disdain: “What’re you doing here? Go on back and study properly!”

Bao Qingshan felt terribly aggrieved. He had skipped classes for days on end for this; he couldn’t very well head back without seeing it through from beginning to end, could he?

At the very least, let him watch the finale and understand what this was all about!

Furthermore…

“I can’t put my mind at ease leaving you here all by yourself, Grandma,” Bao Qingshan said. “How much longer do you reckon this whole ordeal is going to take?”

Their lineage’s cultivation method carried unique requirements. The ancestral matriarch usually lived in seclusion, and upon entering the bustling city, she despised having other people tailing her. She had chased away even the operatives dispatched by the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, deliberately picking out such a secluded alleyway.

The ancestral matriarch remained seated cross-legged upon the well rim, her calloused fingers stroking the rough stone. She lifted her gaze toward the dusky sky: “I reckon it’s almost time…”

A fly buzzed into Tianshui Lane, seeking the cool shade as it descended toward the edge of the well.

With a flick of the cattail fan in her hand, the ancestral matriarch swatted the fly away with pinpoint accuracy.

Before Bao Qingshan could register what was happening, the ancestral matriarch shoved him violently. Her withered, gaunt hand packed astonishing force, propelling him clean out of the alleyway in one push.

The buzzing within the alley abruptly amplified. The fly that should have been crushed by the fan took flight once more, its vibrating wings emitting a twisted, piercing screech.

Bao Qingshan’s face drained of color. It was that anomaly!

He yanked out his phone and speed-dialed the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau.

Save me! Both Grandma and I are support-types, we can’t beat this damn thing in a fight, aaaaah!!

Yunjin City, Black Market.

Zhan Suiru was clad in a tight-fitting tank top, busy at work inside her studio.

She had been swamped lately. Not long after she informed the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau of her ability to cleanse mental pollution, they dropped a massive commission on her.

Cleansing pollution was secondary; their primary request was custom-ordering specialized tools designed to capture the unnamed anomaly. To facilitate this, the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau had even sent over a wisp of the unnamed anomaly’s aura.

This request drove Zhan Suiru up the wall.

What could anyone possibly analyze from a mere wisp of aura? The varieties of anomalies were endlessly volatile; at most, she could deduce that this anomaly possessed strange properties, but confirming anything else was nearly impossible.

The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau’s demand was the equivalent of handing her a scrap of raw meat and expecting her to manufacture a tool capable of capturing whatever beast it came from.

I can tell this scrap came from a fish, but who the hell knows whether you’re trying to catch a blue whale or a clownfish!

Even so, Zhan Suiru did her utmost to fulfill the assignment.

Regardless, whatever equipment she completed would inevitably undergo testing and modification once the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau took it back.

Zhan Suiru held no objections to that; she had already secured her payment anyway.

The “Artisan” was the most well-rounded artificer in terms of comprehensive capabilities, but not necessarily the absolute pinnacle in every granular specialty. After all, this manufacturing supernatural power wasn’t something she had originally possessed. If the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau could optimize it further, she would be more than happy; only by stomping out those pests dancing on the fringes could she truly rest easy.

Having wrapped up today’s workload, Zhan Suiru tossed her tools onto the workbench and threw herself onto the sofa.

Her puppet butler stepped forward considerately, offering a damp towel.

“Master, Tequila has sent you a transmission.”

Zhan Suiru couldn’t be bothered to open her eyes: “Read it.”

Tequila was quite an intriguing character. He acted as though he had completely forgotten that their transaction was already concluded; whenever he came across intel he assumed she might find interesting, he would forward it right over, entirely unbothered by whether she replied or not.

In a flat, unvarying monotone, the puppet butler read out Tequila’s intelligence report:

The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau is suspected to be hunting another special anomaly in Beiling City.

Zhan Suiru shot straight up from the sofa.

Beiling City, special anomaly—dammit!

Donning her trench coat and fastening her hat, she established a communication link with the Broker.

Tequila’s information might not be entirely accurate. She had to verify it herself.

The Broker answered with audio, but he could view the video feed from Artisan’s end. It was still that lavishly decorated reception parlor, the face shrouded in shadow so that only the jawline and lips remained visible, leaving zero flaws to exploit.

He let out a quiet scoff and asked, “What is it?”

“Turn on your video.”

The Broker: “Hmm?”

His mind raced. The comms were meant strictly for verbal exchange; Artisan had never cared about video feeds in the past. Why would she suddenly demand a video call?

“I said turn on your video!”

This was the first time the Broker had ever seen Artisan this irate. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, he activated the camera.

“Is the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau capturing a special anomaly in Beiling City, yes or no?”

Oh, so it’s about this. The Broker didn’t take it to heart. In his partnership with Artisan, serving as an intermediary for the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, there was indeed an agreement to relay critical intelligence. However, certain updates weren’t deemed that vital, so he simply hadn’t bothered forwarding them.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you notify me?”

“I assumed you were busy lately. Besides, haven’t you always handled manufacturing exclusively without getting involved in field operations?”

From the shadows of the wide-brimmed hat, two icy eyes suddenly bore into him.

“There will not be a next time,” Zhan Suiru warned with chilling frost. “There will not be a next time, Broker. You are not the only partner I can work with.”

She severed the transmission.

The Broker sat bolt upright: “Wait!”

The screen had already gone black. He cursed under his breath.

Artisan attached extraordinary weight to this single piece of intel—why? There was nothing particularly unusual about this information; they had known long ago that the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau was tracking a special anomaly.

Could it be unrelated to the intel itself, and Artisan was merely dissatisfied with their recent dealings, deliberately seizing this pretext to intimidate him?

No, that wasn’t it.

Artisan had demanded a video feed to analyze his body language across the screen. Though that was ultimately useless—the Broker was masked and kept entirely motionless during discussions.

Artisan genuinely cared.

The crux didn’t lie in the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau capturing a special anomaly; it lay in Beiling City.

Did Beiling City harbor something Artisan cared about?

Yet Beiling City and Yunjin City are practically next-door neighbors! Anomalies certainly didn’t restrict their movements according to arbitrary mortal municipal borders; the Bureau’s definition of “Beiling City” encompassed the entire surrounding perimeter anyway. When things went down in Yunjin City previously, Artisan hadn’t seemed to care in the slightest; why was she suddenly flying into a frenzy now?

Nonsense! Back then, Yan Yan came home every single day; if something happened, she could reach him in time. Now that he was living on campus, how could it possibly be the same?!

Mom and Dad were both home recently, and her brother had gone off to Fengyu City to study pastry baking, which was also a safe haven. Only Beiling City, where her younger brother resided, was the most dangerous—and she couldn’t reach him immediately!

Zhan Suiru recalled that Yan Yan had messaged her a couple of days ago, asking if she wanted to attend Old Master Luan’s birthday banquet.

She wasn’t going anymore! Send Zhan Yan instead!! Go right this second!!!

Zhan Yan opened the Gossip System, observing the movements of Garbled Anomaly No. 2 from afar.

He hadn’t discovered the gossip logs for Garbled Anomaly No. 2 on his own this time; Administrator Lingyu had just provided the lead to him. Regarding Garbled Anomaly No. 2, both sides had maintained real-time mutual sharing of information.

Garbled Anomaly No. 2 had possessed another fly. It seemed to harbor a particular obsession with flies.

If I had known earlier, I would have petitioned for a city-wide pest extermination campaign.

The keyword Zhan Yan used was “ancestral matriarch,” intel supplied by Administrator Lingyu’s end.

The fly possessed by Garbled Anomaly No. 2 had flown toward Tianshui Lane, only to be cornered by the ancestral matriarch who was already waiting there.

While keeping one eye on the live broadcast, Zhan Yan continued to investigate the inconsistencies within the gossip logs; he didn’t have the spare time to look into the ancestral matriarch’s background for now.

Reading through the logs, Zhan Yan sensed something amiss. The ancestral matriarch couldn’t overpower Garbled Anomaly No. 2, nor could she prevent it from escaping.

Based on past experience, Garbled Anomaly No. 2 was as slippery as an eel and exceptionally skilled at fleeing. The moment it caught wind of danger, it would instantly execute a leap. The Bureau’s previous operations had fallen short at the final hurdle multiple times precisely because it slipped away like this.

Garbled Anomaly No. 2 had always sought to evade direct confrontation. The reason it wasn’t fleeing right now was because what it sought was right there in Tianshui Lane!

Zhan Yan stared at the real-time gossip logs, intensely on edge.

During combat, the logs refreshed at a frantic pace; he had to concentrate with absolute focus to avoid missing any developments.

[Bao Qingshan struggles desperately to evade the fly’s attacks; pulling a tearful, grief-stricken face, he asks the ancestral matriarch: “When will the Bureau arrive? I can’t hold out much longer.”]

Huh? Bao Qingshan?!