New Employee Training

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, yet Sun Hang's memory showed no signs of returning.

At nine o'clock on the morning of the third day, before the doctor on their routine rounds arrived, two soldiers in black tactical gear entered the hospital room, carrying a document and a discharge summary signed by the director.

They had Sun Hang change into a light gray uniform and then escorted him into an SUV with tinted windows and the Tianfu City Anomaly Investigation Bureau logo on its side.

"Where are you taking me? To the Investigation Bureau?" Sun Hang couldn't help but ask.

The two soldiers didn't reply. They simply sat on either side of him, silently gripping their weapons. They gave Sun Hang the impression that they were escorting a criminal.

Sun Hang could only look at the buildings lining the road on his own. He realized he felt no familiarity with Tianfu City at all. Moreover, he couldn't speak the local dialect, which suggested that he was likely not a local resident before losing his memory.

Could I really be a refugee?

After an hour and a half drive, the SUV stopped in a spacious courtyard.

At the soldiers' signal, Sun Hang got out of the car alone, and the SUV quickly drove away.

"Please show me your identification," a middle-aged man, wearing the same light gray uniform as Sun Hang but with Anomaly Investigation Bureau insignia on his chest and sleeves, said as he approached.

Sun Hang fumbled in his pocket and produced his two identification documents, handing them over.

"0420, right? We've been waiting for you," the middle-aged man said, returning the documents to Sun Hang. "The onboarding training is about to begin. Follow me."

He led Sun Hang into the building, to a tiered lecture hall as large as a movie theater. About twenty people were scattered in the seats, all wearing the same plain uniform as Sun Hang.

"The new recruits for this batch have all arrived. We can begin," the middle-aged man said into his walkie-talkie, then casually sat down in the back row.

Sun Hang also sat in the back row, with two empty seats between him and the middle-aged man.

Shortly after, a tall, thin man, as lanky as a bamboo pole, wearing a white lab coat, walked onto the stage and began, "First, welcome everyone to the Tianfu City Anomaly Investigation Bureau. Although you are all currently temporary investigators outside the regular staff, I believe that becoming a full-fledged member is only a matter of time in the near future."

"Life reset is also only a matter of time," Sun Hang heard a young woman in the row in front of him mutter softly. "They're just dangling a carrot right from the start... Do they really think everyone here is an idiot?"

Sun Hang quietly stood up, hunched over, and stealthily moved to the front row, sitting down next to the young woman. He whispered, "Are you also... 'voluntarily' signed that contract?"

"What else?" The young woman glanced at Sun Hang, tilting her head slightly and raising an eyebrow. "Everyone sitting here owes the Federation a huge debt. They can't pay it back, so they're forced to sell their lives to the Federation... Hmph, 'full-fledged membership.' Being able to live long enough to pay off the debt would be a miracle."

"Uh..." Sun Hang wanted to ask more, but the lanky man on stage had finished his brief self-introduction and was starting the formal content of the onboarding training. He had to focus, afraid of missing any crucial information.

Every word the man spoke could potentially determine his future survival.

"I'm sure everyone here knows about Anomalies, but the Federation's classification system for Anomalies has never been publicly disclosed. The first thing I will teach you is the classification, identification, and naming of Anomalies," the lanky man said.

"Except for a very small number of 'Special Anomalies' that possess 'names,' most Anomalies are referred to by codenames. The codename is divided into two parts. The first part uses the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to define the broad category of the Anomaly. For example, the most troublesome 'Rule-type Anomalies' have the category number 'Jia.' Besides that, Category Yi refers to 'Phenomenon-type,' and Categories Bing, Ding, and Wu all belong to 'Biological Anomalies,' representing animals, plants, and microorganisms, respectively..."

The lanky man paused for a moment before continuing, "Of course, the classification of Anomalies isn't always precise. Historically, some 'hybrid types' have been discovered, such as a beast integrated with fungus. This needs to be determined based on the actual situation. Generally, if the fungal part controls the behavior of the animal part, it's classified as a 'Wu-type Anomaly.' If the fungus is merely an appendage to the animal's body, it would fall under the 'Bing-type Anomaly' category."

"Then there are Inanimate Anomalies. The classification for this type is even more complex: Appliance-type, Architecture-type, Giant-type, Environment-type... and the boundaries between different categories are often blurred. This requires experts to deliberate before a decision is made."

"As for the second part of the codename, it's a simple numerical sequence, representing the chronological order in which the Anomaly was discovered. While this number doesn't indicate strength, the vast majority of the top ten ranked Anomalies are not beings that humans can easily provoke. As for the 'Zero-type Anomaly,' considered an 'absolute taboo,' it is also known as a 'Primal Anomaly'... For instance, the 'Ding Zero - Decaying Mother Tree' is the source of all plant-type Anomalies."

"Is the Zero-type Anomaly the strongest?" a newly recruited temporary investigator couldn't help but ask.

"The strength of an Anomaly cannot be measured by quantifiable values. At most, we can assign it a vague 'danger level'," the lanky man replied. "The danger level of a Zero-type Anomaly is 'maximum'... Of course, you can rest assured. I can say that none of you here will ever encounter a Zero-type Anomaly in your lifetime."

After saying this, the lanky man cleared his throat and said, "Alright, that's all I have to say. Congratulations, you are now qualified investigators."

A sudden uproar swept through the crowd.

Sun Hang also frowned... This onboarding training, it's already over just as it started?

It was like a game where the tutorial only tells the player that WASD controls movement, the right mouse button aims, and the left mouse button shoots, and then throws the player directly into a hellishly difficult level, saying, "You have fully mastered the game's mechanics. Now, try challenging the final boss!"

What a joke?!

The temporary investigator who had just asked the question immediately stood up, his face full of disbelief. "Is this all the onboarding training consists of?!"

The lanky man nodded. "That's correct. This is the entirety of the onboarding training. You must understand that Anomalies are very peculiar entities. When investigating them, experience not only doesn't help, but it can sometimes get you and your teammates killed. Therefore, the onboarding training process is the same for both regular and temporary investigators."

"But we don't even know what we're supposed to do!"

"Specific mission objectives and necessary intelligence will be provided when you receive your respective assignments. There's no need to worry," the lanky man replied.

"What about weapons training?"

"We do not issue weapons or carry licenses to non-staff personnel. If you require firepower support during an investigation, accompanying soldiers or peacekeepers will provide it."

When temporary investigators undertake missions, they are always accompanied by soldiers or peacekeepers—these individuals serve as both assistance and surveillance.