Fate-Based Trait

Bai Ge needed to confirm one thing: had the abnormal trait been implanted into his body, or had it been implanted into some inanimate object, like the Haunted Sword?

This was very important. It would determine whether Bai Ge could make use of the containment object known as the Shadow Person.

If the trait had been implanted in a human, then the government could deal with the headache.

Bai Ge was already running low on electricity. He had no way to "process" a fully grown person.

But if the trait had been implanted in an object, then things would be simple. He would force the other party to change back, then take the object away.

"Implanting a trait into my phone that directly makes the other party turn back into a human? That's too vague. The energy consumption would definitely be astronomical."

"Hmm... I have to greatly reduce the consumption."

"I've got it... Bell, help me fill in the details."

His consciousness sank into his imagination. In the Material Universe, Bai Ge's phone floated in midair.

The so-called Material Universe was a universe he had created specifically to store physical matter from reality.

There was a large amount of air, soil, and stone inside, as well as iron, wood, glass, plastic, rubber, and other materials.

Put simply, it was a warehouse.

If some almighty being from one of the universes in his imagination could break into this universe, it would be the equivalent of entering a great treasure vault.

Even a grain of sand inside would be a supreme treasure!

Any random handful of physical matter from reality would be far more powerful than the divine artifacts of the imaginary worlds.

Of course, to the people of Earth, they were all just ordinary materials.

If he didn't need to "grab" anything he sent into it, he would have loved to move an entire mountain inside.

Whether something could be grabbed was determined by Bai Ge's own ability to move it.

If Bai Ge himself couldn't carry an object, there was no hope of dragging it into the imaginary universe.

"Whenever something is materialized, no matter how many traits it contains, it will only create one containment object... I've got it!"

"First trait: my phone's intelligent assistant will answer one of my questions with an objectively correct answer. It won't force its way to the correct answer. Instead, it will randomly provide the name of an object that happens to answer my question."

"Second: give the phone a coincidence trait that allows it to make a random call..."

"When I press the call button, it will randomly dial a number, and the owner of that number will happen to be the person I want to contact."

"This isn't an unrealistic trait. It's merely a coincidence that happens in the unseen workings of fate."

Bai Ge happened to be testing whether coincidence was realistic enough.

In any case, failure wouldn't cost him anything.

If a random number was dialed enough times, one of them would eventually be the number he wanted.

That was the method of exhaustive enumeration.

Bai Ge's trait simply made that "one time" occur on the first try.

That was possible in reality, so the energy consumption wouldn't be too high.

The first trait worked the same way. The assistant would randomly provide the name of an object, and Bai Ge would ask what was allowing the person before him to turn into an immortal Shadow Person.

The answer didn't matter. As long as it wasn't "a human," it meant that the other party relied on an external object to transform.

Both traits were, in a sense, forms of coincidence.

"It worked on the first try!"

"But the consumption is still pretty high! Still, turning a possibility into certainty is acceptable."

When he took out the phone, Bai Ge felt almost all the electricity in his body drain away. He had charged for a while at home before leaving today, so he had stored more than a thousand units of electricity.

"Is it because of the absolute nature?"

Thinking carefully, making a possible coincidence occur with absolute certainty on the first try still involved absoluteness.

Moreover, most of the consumption should have gone into the first question. After all, he had specifically set the answer to be "objectively correct."

Compared to that, randomly calling a number was much "cheaper."

"This isn't a Temporary Trait this time, but a One-time Trait."

"The phone has been granted one coincidental opportunity and one chance to ask a question. There's no time limit. I can use either opportunity whenever I want. As long as I don't use them, they'll remain available."

"If the answer to the first question doesn't satisfy me, I'll save the second trait for later."

Bai Ge smiled. This successful attempt had made his thoughts even more active, and he had come up with quite a few more ideas.

Besides reducing energy consumption by shortening the duration of existence, there were also traits based on counting.

"Intelligent assistant, tell me: what turned him into this?"

The question itself wasn't important, because the assistant wasn't intelligent at all and didn't need to understand the vague question. The one making the judgment was Bai Ge himself. The assistant merely gave an answer as if it had "made a mistake," and that answer just happened to be objectively correct.

"A bow tie," the assistant answered.

"I see..."

Bai Ge smiled as he looked at the Shadow Person nearby.

"Beep beep beep beep..."

Bai Ge didn't save the second trait for later. He immediately used the opportunity.

He pressed the call button, and the phone automatically dialed a number.

Bai Ge frantically pictured the Shadow Person in his mind. As long as the other party had a phone, the call would go through!

Whether the Shadow Person had a phone was obvious. Just two days ago, he had still been an ordinary person!

Who in society didn't have a phone?

The call connected, but no one answered. Clearly, the Shadow Person hadn't brought his phone with him.

Bai Ge hadn't expected anyone to answer anyway. All he wanted was the number.

"I've got the number. Finding out your identity will be easy now, won't it?"

Bai Ge was a professional in this area. It wasn't difficult at all. He didn't need to use any connections or hack into anything.

The method was simple. Bai Ge picked up his phone, opened Alipay, and transferred one yuan to the number.

As long as the number was linked to Alipay, the recipient's name would be displayed.

Using a similar method, Bai Ge found the other party's WeChat account. It even showed where he was from.

"Tsk, tsk... The profile picture and the photos in the album are all of the real person..."

While Bai Ge was fiddling with his phone, the researchers at the botanical garden had finished their experiment.

Following orders from above, they prepared to lock the Shadow Person in an almost completely sealed container lined with thick steel plates. Like the Haunted Sword, he would be sent to the capital overnight.

The Shadow Person remained silent, clearly still stubbornly holding out. He was relying on the fact that no one could do anything to him, intending to take things one step at a time.

By this point, outsiders were no longer suitable to remain there. It was already the middle of the night, so the researchers asked Luo Wendi and Bai Ge to leave.

Actually, if not for Bai Ge's great assistance, he shouldn't have been allowed to observe the experiment.

"Bai Ge, we should go," Luo Wendi said.

Bai Ge shook his head and suddenly said, "Wait. Actually, I know his identity."

"What?"

Everyone looked toward Bai Ge, including the Shadow Person, who glared at him.

The Shadow Person revealed his snow-white teeth in a grin. "Heh heh, pulling a few little tricks is all you can do. I admit defeat! But I've already become like this—even my own mother wouldn't recognize me! What the hell could you know?"

Anyone who had watched Detective Conan knew the purpose behind Shadow Lord's design: to conceal his identity.

His entire body was pitch-black, his teeth were bright white, he had not a single hair on his head, and even his clothes were invisible, making him look as if he were naked.

With an appearance like that, even his own mother really wouldn't recognize him!

Everyone was baffled. How could Bai Ge possibly know?

Yet Bai Ge said, "Liang Wei, are you really not going to change back and honestly confess? Do you still need me to confess for you?"

"..."

The Shadow Person stared at Bai Ge in shock. No matter how hard he tried to maintain his disguise, he could no longer keep his expression under control.

"What Liang Wei? Are you talking to me?" the Shadow Person asked softly.

Bai Ge calmly said, "You don't need to pretend anymore. You have a mole on the left side of your nose, you're twenty-nine this year, and you're not young anymore. Why did you dye your hair brown?"

The Shadow Person was dumbstruck. Beneath his bizarre disguise, his identity was his greatest secret.

Confronted with Bai Ge's detailed description, he finally broke down.

"How did you know?"

Bai Ge had been far too precise. The Shadow Person no longer had any reason to hide.

He had concealed his identity in hopes that he might escape someday and avoid being tracked down.

Now that his name and appearance had both been exposed, and he had already been captured, what was the point of continuing to pretend?

Everyone was astonished by the Shadow Person's admission.

"Did he get it right?"

Facing the astonished gazes of the others, Bai Ge calmly said, "Of course. I know him."

"Impossible! I don't know you!" the Shadow Person said firmly.

Bai Ge smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself... My name is Bai Ge, and I'm a private detective. I have a photographic memory. Anything I see or hear gets recorded."

"I happened to see you on the street once and heard someone call you Liang Wei. It's perfectly normal that you don't recognize me. We were merely strangers who passed each other by."

The Shadow Person, Liang Wei, was utterly stunned.

Then he shouted angrily, "Impossible! So what if you recognize me? I look like this now..."

Bai Ge smiled. "But your voice hasn't changed. Your speech habits, your tone, and the rhythm of your words are all your characteristics. They're unique to you!"

In reality, Bai Ge had no idea what Liang Wei's voice sounded like, but that didn't stop him from boasting.

Even if his voice had changed, Bai Ge could simply insist that his tone and rhythm were the same. No one could expose him.

"That works too? You clearly didn't recognize me earlier!" Liang Wei was utterly shocked. Only he knew that his voice really hadn't changed.

But in the vast sea of humanity, how could anyone possibly identify a passerby by voice alone?

Everyone stared at Bai Ge in disbelief. Luo Wendi's eyes were practically glowing.

Bai Ge said, "Yes. Even for me, this is an extremely difficult task. I've memorized too many faces and voices. Just from talking with you, it took even me a long time to recall your identity."

"But I finally remembered just now, matching your voice to the memories in my mind. Actually, I wasn't completely certain either. But since you admitted it, that means I didn't mistake you for someone else..."

What kind of terrifying memory was that?

Who would remember complete details about every stranger who passed by them in daily life?

To search through his memories by voice alone and match it to the corresponding person—did he have a computer installed in his brain?

After hearing Bai Ge's explanation, Liang Wei finally fell into complete despair and had nothing to say.

He felt incredibly unlucky. The first time he had used his ability to make a major scene, he had encountered someone like Bai Ge and been captured immediately. He felt inexplicably aggrieved!

With Liang Wei's mental state shattered, he confessed under the researchers' questioning. "Yes, the Shadow Person is merely a state. My name is Liang Wei. I stole Danmu so that my human self could consume it and gain superpowers as well."

"Then change back!" Doctor Xiao Wang said.

Liang Wei lowered his head. "Don't. Just let me stay like this. Now that I've been exposed, does changing back even matter?"

Everyone looked at each other, but Bai Ge didn't find it strange.

Clearly, Liang Wei was still trying to conceal the existence of the bow tie. Once he changed back, the fact that he transformed because of an object would be exposed.

Bai Ge said, "If you don't change back into a human and explain everything clearly, the government will never trust you. In your Shadow state, you'll inevitably be placed under strict restraint. Being restricted with alloy plates like these would already count as lenient treatment..."

Liang Wei said, "You already know my identity. I have no way out. What else is there to worry about? Just let me work for the country! I'll do whatever the government says!"

As he spoke, Liang Wei stared at Bai Ge with a venomous gaze. He hated Bai Ge to the bone.

"Even now, you're still making excuses and refusing to cooperate. Could it be that there's another secret about your ability that you haven't revealed?" Bai Ge asked.

Liang Wei widened his eyes and remained silent.

Bai Ge continued, "Perhaps the moment you change back into a human, that secret will be exposed?"

"If that's the case, the possibilities are quite limited. For example... the thing that turns you into the Shadow Person isn't you yourself, but an external object."

"In that case, you'll have no value to the government at all, and you'll be subject to a regular trial. You just mentioned working for the country, which clearly reveals how anxious you are. You're afraid you won't even have that opportunity."

Liang Wei desperately wanted to control his emotions, but he was still too inexperienced.

The panic in his eyes had already exposed him completely. After Bai Ge's repeated blows, his mental state had long since collapsed. How could he possibly keep his expression steady?

Anyone with eyes could see that Liang Wei no longer had any secrets left.

The researchers also felt that Bai Ge's reasoning made sense. After all, the Haunted Sword had already set a precedent, reminding them that abnormal traits did not necessarily have to be attached to a person.

Even if they hadn't been certain before, Liang Wei's expression had settled the matter.

The researchers all looked at Liang Wei. Under their sharp gazes, he nearly went mad.

"Wah... So what if you know? If I don't change back, no one can force me!" Liang Wei roared.

"Hahaha, that's right! I'm not a superpowered person. The thing that turned me into a Shadow Person is a bow tie I bought for two hundred yuan!"

"But as long as I remain in this state forever, the bow tie won't appear! You can only cooperate with me..."

Bai Ge interrupted him. "No. Now that the secret of the bow tie is public, you have no value left. Just like the Haunted Sword, the bow tie with its bizarre effects is the key."

"Under these circumstances, the best choice is to study the bow tie after you die."

Liang Wei laughed loudly. "After I die? Ridiculous! Who could kill me?"

"You," Bai Ge said.

Liang Wei froze, and his pupils contracted.

Bai Ge said, "Even if you really are immortal, there's still one person in this world who can kill you: yourself. Just as I said before, immortality without corresponding power isn't a good thing. There are countless ways to drive you mad. I have ten thousand ways to make you kill yourself."

"Bury you underground. Once you feel that death is a release, you'll naturally turn back into a human. Do you think the government would compromise when dealing with a monster like you?"

Liang Wei snarled in fear, "You can't do that to me! I'm a citizen! I have human rights!"

Bai Ge said, "You're not human right now! Give it up. Only after you turn back into a human will you have so-called human rights. Your crimes aren't serious, and you can still have a future. But if you insist on resisting to the end, death is what awaits you."

Under the heavy verbal assault, Liang Wei realized that he had nowhere to go.

Bai Ge had cleverly changed the nature of the issue, turning it into this: if Liang Wei handed over the secret willingly, he could live. If he refused, he would certainly die.

Liang Wei lowered his head in dejection. Then, abruptly, he changed back into a human.

Sure enough, he had brown hair and a mole on the left side of his nose.

He wasn't wearing any clothes. Strangely, he only had a black bow tie on. As expected, changing back made it very easy to see through him.

"A containment object!" Bai Ge stared at the bow tie with blazing eyes.