GRMFBS CH53

In an instant, Zhan Yan understood. Why had Bao Qingshan suddenly taken so many leaves of absence before? What was he doing observing the stars outside school late at night? It all made sense now! So this kid wasn’t just an ordinary person!

But Zhan Yan didn’t have time to dwell on this gossip. The situation ahead was urgent. The combat power of Garbled Anomaly No. 2 was clearly more than one level stronger than Garbled Anomaly No. 1. Granny Zu seemed not to be a combatant, and she and Bao Qingshan were struggling immensely.

However, the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau was currently held up. They had discovered what Zhan Yan had found earlier. While investigating the places Garbled Anomaly No. 2 had been, they were also focusing on areas it hadn’t visited yet, which could be its future appearance points. 

This forced the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau to disperse its personnel. At Granny Zu’s request, they hadn’t approached Tangshui Alley directly but had stationed people in the adjacent block. These people were now trapped in an illusion.

“Grandma, help me, ahhh!!!” Just as Bao Qingshan was about to be dragged in by Garbled Anomaly No. 2—

[Former Ghost King powerfully arrives, saving Granny Zu and Bao Qingshan.]

Zhan Yan let out a huge sigh of relief. The Former Ghost King’s combat prowess was formidable, and the gossip updates were incredibly cool. Tangshui Alley had transformed into a gloomy ghost domain, and the anomalies trapped within it could no longer escape.

Granny Zu: “What it wants is in the well. Don’t let it in!”

Bao Qingshan: “It will dissipate on its own!”

[Former Ghost King blesses the fly with a long life.]

Zhan Yan: ??? What is the Former Ghost King doing?

[The fly receives the blessing, will exist for at least a century, and cannot dissipate.]

Zhan Yan: !!! Blessings can be used like that?!

[The fly decides to gamble before escaping.]

However, Zhan Yan had already grasped its escape route: 

He had previously split his attention to check on the trapped personnel. The illusion wasn’t Garbled Anomaly No. 2’s ability; someone was helping Garbled Anomaly No. 2 set up the illusion! He had caught keywords from these gossip updates, combined with clues discovered earlier when tracking the fly’s updates, and had already found the key. The jumping ability wasn’t Garbled Anomaly No. 2’s power, but rather the ability of the one setting up the illusion.

[The fly ingested the nectar of the Corpse Flower Konjac – Split Body.]

[The Corpse Flower Konjac uses the nectar-infused fly to cast illusions.]

Garbled Anomaly No. 2 could freely jump from the nectar-infused fly, but the execution of this ability required the Corpse Flower Konjac – Split Body hidden within Beiling City as a base. By leveraging the ability of the Corpse Flower Konjac – Split Body located outside the ghost domain, Garbled Anomaly No. 2 was very likely to escape from the Former Ghost King’s grasp!

Zhan Yan had already located the Corpse Flower Konjac – Split Body, but he couldn’t attack it. Contact the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau? Zhan Yan hesitated, then decided against it. The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau was currently being watched by the mastermind. Even if they sent people to deal with it, they might get entangled. Any delay, and Garbled Anomaly No. 2 could escape. He knew of only one capable person still in Beiling City.

He logged into the forum, opened his private messages, and found “I just saved the world!”

Approaching Science: “Urgent mission, taking it or not?”

Gu Jiancheng was contacting Wan Shitong. Wan Shitong was telling him about the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau’s activities in Beiling City. 

After Approaching Science told him a few days ago that the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau was in Beiling City, he had asked Wan Shitong to investigate the situation. 

However, Wan Shitong was network-based, and its capabilities were relatively limited, so Wan Shitong’s message reached him a few days late.

“Boss, you were right. Their current pursuit is the same as the last time in Yunjin City,” Wan Shitong’s voice came through the headphones.

Gu Jiancheng: “And now?”

“They’re still trying to catch it.”

Gu Jiancheng clicked his tongue. “Still haven’t caught it after so many days, truly useless.”

Wan Shitong: Is Boss in a bad mood today?

“Boss, do you want to get involved?” Wan Shitong asked. If it were an ordinary mission, he certainly wouldn’t have asked this. His boss was still on the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau’s hidden wanted list. But this time, it might be related to Infinite, and they couldn’t just stand by.

“How do I get involved?” Gu Jiancheng asked.

Wan Shitong stammered. They really couldn’t get involved. His boss had enough strength, but it was useless if he couldn’t find an opponent. Information had always been their weakness. Wan Shitong knew his limits; if the numerous information experts in the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau couldn’t find something, he certainly couldn’t either.

“Boohoohoo, I’m holding Boss back…”

“Stop whining,” Gu Jiancheng said.

Wan Shitong stopped his fake crying and honestly asked, “Boss, are you really not going to do anything?”

Gu Jiancheng didn’t speak. He said that, but in his heart, he really couldn’t just ignore it. If it were before, he might have just let fate decide. Back then, his after-effects were severe, and he didn’t even know how long he had to live. What could he manage then? But now it was different.

Dealing with this was quite troublesome. First, he had to understand the situation, not just meddle blindly and disrupt the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau’s arrangements. Wan Shitong couldn’t get this kind of information. Approaching Science likely knew, but since he was already cooperating with the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, he couldn’t sell information to others. That was a matter of integrity. He knew a few people who came out of Infinite and later joined the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, but those few people had limited abilities and wouldn’t know much.

Just as he was pondering, his phone suddenly received a special notification message. Approaching Science. Gu Jiancheng looked at the message Approaching Science sent him and lightly clicked his tongue. The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau really did make a blunder.

I just saved the world!: “Accepted.”

He looked at Zhan Yan, who was lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully with closed eyes. The shadow beneath him flowed like water, surging into the night’s darkness, traversing towards the location provided by Approaching Science.

The moonlight flowed chillingly, yet the ground was dry and barren. Gu Jiancheng slowly stepped onto this land. He lowered his gaze to his feet, then suddenly chuckled, a laugh as cold as winter moonlight.

Shadows seeped into the ground from beneath his feet, like flowing water soaking every inch of mud and sand, like light illuminating every drop of water. The hidden entity beneath the ground was quickly engulfed by the shadows, forced to emerge like a suffocating fish breaking the surface. Countless tiny sharp points arched out of the ground. They quickly grew, dark red flower buds encasing pale pistils that poked their heads out. In the blink of an eye, the barren land transformed into a blossoming sea of dark red flowers.

Gu Jiancheng stepped through the flower sea to stand under the moonlight, but he remained indistinct, as if he were merely a fleeting, translucent shadow, visible but untouchable. Dark red flower buds were crushed under his feet, viscous sap flowing on the ground like murky blood. Yet, the shadows constantly enveloped them. Under the moonlight, the flowers, eager to bloom, solidified into black sculptures.

The ground began to vibrate. A massive Corpse Flower Konjac emerged from the soil, quickly rising more than a person’s height. Its pale pistil bore glistening, eerie patterns, like carved and polished bone, struggling to break free from its dark red skin, eerily resembling a scene from a horror movie.

“Demon?” Gu Jiancheng said coldly and with disgust. “You’re as disgusting as an anomaly.”

Shadows climbed the Corpse Flower Konjac. Its dark red petals trembled, seeping dark red liquid as if bleeding. However, no sooner had they flowed out than they too were covered by shadows, solidifying into dark sculptures. Its illusion hadn’t even begun before it ended.

Gu Jiancheng looked at the Corpse Flower Konjac he had captured. This thing had no sentience; it was a Split Body that only acted on instinct. He couldn’t extract any information from it.

Then, he’d just kill it.

__

Tangshui Alley. 

Chilly dew had seeped onto the ancient bluestone bricks at some unknown time, and a thin layer of mist enveloped the alley. The mist was like a sound absorber; the previous eerie buzzing had completely silenced, leaving only dead quiet.

The fly, manipulated by Garbled Anomaly No. 2, had long since deformed. The ability to jump wasn’t its own, nor was the ability to cast illusions. It couldn’t even control a sentient spirit like Garbled Anomaly No. 1. Its skill points were all allocated to explosive power.

Within the thin mist, a massive, grotesque shadow faintly twisted and struggled. Its size had long exceeded the alley’s walls, yet it couldn’t escape the range of the gloomy mist. It suddenly gave up struggling, rushing towards the Tangshui Well with immense oppressive force!

Dew seeped from the brick walls, and the sound of waves echoed in the mist. The anomaly couldn’t get close; it was pushed away from the wellhead by the water-like yin qi. Invisible waves surged towards it from all directions. Ten thousand layers of yin springs pressed down on its head, forcibly shrinking it until it finally turned back into a fly.

Zhan Jinli stepped onto the wellhead, looking down at it with profound eyes. 

“What you want is under the well,” he said. But it couldn’t get it. Nor could it escape. Its method of dissipation had been rendered useless by his “long life” blessing, and its escape method had just failed.

Zhan Jinli sensed the dissipation of the eerie fluctuation on its body. Someone outside had likely foiled its backup plan. Perhaps someone from the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau? Now, this anomaly had no retreat. So, would the mastermind who sent it still calmly watch it fall into someone else’s hands? Zhan Jinli was waiting for it to take the bait.

However, no one came. Instead, the ground began to vibrate. A massive roar came from beneath the well. The spring water, sealed for over twenty years, suddenly shot skyward, drenching Bao Qingshan, who hadn’t managed to get out of the way. Granny Zu, standing at the corner of the wall beside him, was perfectly shielded and didn’t get a single drop of water on her.

“Oh, I knew I felt I should stand here,” she mumbled.

Bao Qingshan: “…” 

Something was flushed out by the well water, vibrating wildly, trying to break free from the yin-filled ghost domain.

Zhan Jinli floated up, his pale fingers forming a cage, firmly holding the object he had caught from the well water in his palm. He glimpsed runes suddenly lighting up on the surrounding walls. With a clench of his left hand, all the yin qi in the alley was drawn into his palm.

The ghost domain was dispelled. The Garbled Anomaly No. 2 fly flapped its wings, desperately trying to fly out of Tangshui Alley. However, the runes had already contracted into a net, trapping the Garbled Anomaly No. 2 fly and solidifying into a translucent box.

A young man in an Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau uniform squatted on the wall, reaching out towards the box, which then fell into his palm. This was something they had bought from a craftsman, then modified, specifically to catch this kind of special anomaly.

Fang Zhen jumped from the wall into the alley, looking cautiously at Zhan Jinli. He couldn’t clearly see the appearance of the ghost cultivator in front of him, only that he was enveloped in a robe condensed from yin qi, black with gold patterns, exceptionally luxurious. 

Just standing there, he exuded an astonishingly calm and stern aura. He rummaged through his mind for a moment, then cautiously asked, “Your Excellency, Limyuan Ghost King?”

Zhan Jinli nodded. Those runes were arrangements the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau had made in Tangshui Alley beforehand, but perhaps to avoid alarming the target, they were hidden a bit subtly, requiring some time to activate, or perhaps, they also wanted to use this place to lure out the mastermind.

Zhan Jinli saw that the young man was about to speak to him again. He tossed the object he had caught from the well water to him, then decisively retreated into the shadows, entering the yin path, and leaving. 

He didn’t want to talk. No need for pleasantries. He hated trouble. Such matters were best left to the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau; they were more professional. His mission was complete, it was time to learn how to make cakes.

Yunjin City. 

“Xiao Ran, book me a ticket to Beiling City, the fastest and nearest one!” Zhan Suiru instructed her doll butler. She was currently dialing Zhan Yan’s phone number. Zhan Yan had the protective barrier she gave him, but this special anomaly was too bizarre, and Zhan Suiru didn’t want to gamble on whether it could break through her barrier.

Before the call connected, the broker she had just scolded sent another message. The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau’s operation in Beiling City was over; they had already caught the special anomaly.

Doll Butler: “Do you still need a ticket?”

Zhan Suiru: “…No.” 

She ended the call, let out a sigh of relief, and then replied to the broker who was trying to curry favor. This fellow just wasn’t honest unless he was getting a beating! If she was normal with him, he’d always try to test her. Threaten him, and he immediately became incredibly considerate. But using him as a transit point to hide her identity was quite effective. She’d make do.

The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau had already caught a special anomaly. Her previously made tracking device could now be used. She would have many opportunities to cooperate with the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau in the future.

Zhan Yan had been monitoring the situation in Tangshui Alley. This battle, involving many people, hadn’t even lasted ten minutes from start to finish. Garbled Anomaly No. 2 was after the Infinite Fragment hidden beneath the Tangshui Well. Granny Zu, relying on her “I reckon” intuition, waited for Garbled Anomaly No. 2, and then blocked it just as it was about to get the Infinite Fragment.

Just then, the Former Ghost King, who had been tracking Garbled Anomaly No. 2, arrived and took over the fight, effectively standing between Garbled Anomaly No. 2 and the Infinite Fragment. 

In the next few minutes, the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau’s hidden arrangements in Tangshui Alley finally activated. Deep Shadow accepted his mission, cutting off Garbled Anomaly No. 2’s escape route. Garbled Anomaly No. 2 couldn’t escape, couldn’t dissipate, and was caught red-handed by the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau.

Only then did Zhan Yan have time to slowly scroll through the gossip updates and clarify the situation. He scrolled to Deep Shadow’s updates and suddenly froze.

Deputy Director Ning Xi, that control freak, had designated several key areas for monitoring during his previous investigations. Each area had a two-person team assigned to watch and monitor. The location of the Corpse Flower Konjac – Split Body was within Ning Xi’s designated range. 

Previously, because he had spent all his gossip updates searching for Garbled Anomaly No. 2, Zhan Yan had completely missed this fact. The two Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau personnel responsible for that area had already arrived next to the Corpse Flower Konjac – Split Body. They weren’t as fast as Deep Shadow, but they just happened to corner Deep Shadow…

At the same time, next to the remains of the Corpse Flower Konjac – Split Body. Two Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau personnel vigilantly stared at the person shrouded in shadows. “Who are you?”

Gu Jiancheng, cornered: “…”

App-roaching Sci-ence!