He wanted to take first place.
He placed both hands on the keyboard, and a highly anomalous computer appeared in front of him.
Staring at the screen, he furiously pounded the keyboard, trying to kill [Nightfall].
[You cannot kill an anomaly with no head...] [You cannot kill an anomaly with no heart...]
The Anomaly Computer kept displaying prompts.
Zhou Gui was completely dumbfounded. "How could this be?"
At that moment, Liu Jia, who was tied up nearby, finally couldn't take it anymore. She pleaded, "Zhou Gui, please let me go... I don't want to die..."
Zhou Gui's hands stopped moving over the keyboard. He turned to look at Liu Jia, anger already showing in his eyes. "Let you go? You're mine. Why would I let you go? I want you to stay with me for the rest of your life!"
"Zhou Gui, we're not right for each other... No, if you let me go, I might consider being with you someday."
When pleading didn't work, Liu Jia tried to persuade Zhou Gui instead.
As long as Zhou Gui dared to let her go, Liu Jia would report him to the police without hesitation.
Who knew that Zhou Gui would force a smile that looked more like a grimace and say, "Let you go? You think I don't know what women like you are thinking? You're mine. I'll never let you go as long as I live."
As he spoke, Zhou Gui seemed to remember something. He swiveled his computer chair around with a lecherous grin and ogled Liu Jia's slender figure.
"Since you're already mine, why don't we do something couples are supposed to do?"
With that, he moved toward Liu Jia.
Seeing the fat pig approach with a lecherous look on his face, Liu Jia despaired. Two streams of tears spilled from her eyes.
Can someone please save me?
"Heh, heh, heh."
Zhou Gui reached out with his greasy hand and ran it up and down Liu Jia's stocking-clad thigh, moving higher and higher.
At last, he was almost touching a place he shouldn't.
The moment Zhou Gui touched her, Liu Jia shuddered and struggled violently.
Unfortunately, Zhou Gui had tied her far too tightly.
She had no way to break free and could only let him grope her.
Zhou Gui stood up and unfastened his belt.
Liu Jia's face had gone deathly pale.
Can anyone save me...?
If someone saves me, I'll follow him for the rest of my life!
Just then.
The phone Zhou Gui had left beside his computer suddenly vibrated.
Black shadows seeped out of the dark phone screen like liquid, then appeared on top of the phone.
The shadow had no head, but it had limbs. It stood on two feet inside the phone screen, unable to step out.
It looked just like the genie in Aladdin's lamp.
It was a ghost shadow—the Headless Ghost Shadow belonging to Chen Yu!
Since the phone was on the desk and Zhou Gui had his back to it, he had no idea danger was approaching.
[Ghost Controller of the Anomaly Computer: Zhou Gui.] [Anomaly under his control: Level Five Anomaly Computer.] [Potential: Three stars.]
A series of prompts appeared on Chen Yu's phone.
Three stars?
And he dared to invade the Anomaly Era Official Forum and cause such a huge commotion?
Was Zhou Gui too full of himself, or had the Anomaly Era's officials lost their grip?
Chen Yu understood as soon as he thought about it.
Perhaps the cruel game known as the [Anomaly Era] simply didn't care about human lives... not even the lives of Ghost Controllers.
However many Ghost Controllers died in the spreading disaster, the game didn't care in the slightest.
"So this is the Ghost Controller of the Anomaly Computer? Why is he so ugly? And he's a fat slob, too."
Chen Yu couldn't help being taken aback when he saw Zhou Gui.
At that moment, Zhou Gui was groping a cute, pretty girl all over.
Chen Yu took control of the Ghost Shadow and armed it with the Ghost Butcher Knife. Then, without making a sound, he drifted up behind Zhou Gui.
"Heh, heh, heh. Just give in to me. If you're with me, I promise you'll live the high life from now on!"
As he took off his clothes, Zhou Gui spoke to Liu Jia lecherously.
Because the internet café was dark, Liu Jia didn't see Chen Yu's Ghost Shadow arrive.
"Please don't touch me. I'm begging you..."
Liu Jia pleaded desperately, but got no response. Instead, her pleas only made Zhou Gui more excited.
The next moment, Zhou Gui was about to pounce on Liu Jia.
Liu Jia cried out.
But just then.
Clap. Clap.
A black hand suddenly patted Zhou Gui on the shoulder.
Zhou Gui frowned and instinctively turned around. "Who's there?"
But there wasn't a soul behind him.
There was, however, a headless ghost shadow!
Seeing a shadow standing behind him, Zhou Gui went pale. Terror seized him, and he was about to scream.
Whoosh!
The Ghost Shadow gently gripped Zhou Gui's head and lifted it up.
A jet of blood shot skyward from his severed neck!
The next moment.
"Gurgle..."
Zhou Gui, separated from his head, desperately clutched at his torn-open neck. His fallen head still stared at the Ghost Shadow in terror. The words he wanted to say turned into choking, gurgling moans, like he was drowning.
With a look of unwillingness and disbelief, he pointed a trembling finger at Chen Yu, then collapsed to the ground.
"Ah!"
Only after Zhou Gui fell did Liu Jia see who had attacked him!
It was a headless figure!
Liu Jia cried out in alarm and covered her mouth, her face full of terror.
Chen Yu's mission was to kill the anomaly.
Saving the girl was just something he did along the way.
Chen Yu didn't waste time. While the girl watched in shock, he went straight to the Anomaly Computer and ate the enormous machine, bite by bite.
The components inside the Anomaly Computer filled Chen Yu's mouth as his teeth snapped shut.
The parts burst apart as if they were made of flesh, with a satisfyingly chewy texture.
"Mm... hard to describe the taste. It's like chewing on crab shells."
After offering his review, Chen Yu finished eating the Anomaly Computer.
The Anomaly Computer entered Chen Yu's stomach and was instantly digested.
It turned into a trace of energy, which then surged through Chen Yu's limbs and body.
The energy coursed through him once before pouring wildly into the Ghost Butcher Knife.
[Ghost Butcher Knife (70%), Level Six.] [You have devoured the Anomaly Computer, successfully raising it from Level Five to Level Six.] [Potential: Three stars (yet to be discovered).] [Anomaly Ability acquired: Anomalous Data.] [Anomalous Data: By spreading anomalous data, you can infect those who come into contact with it with a curse.]
After the Headless Ghost Shadow finished eating the Anomaly Computer, it slipped back into Zhou Gui's phone and returned to Chen Yu. Then it became Chen Yu's shadow again.
"Mission complete. That was pretty easy."
Chen Yu breathed a sigh of relief and said calmly, then called the Investigation Bureau.
The person who answered was the same investigator as before.
"Hello, Mr. Nightfall. Are you about to make your move? Do you need assistance from the Investigation Bureau?"
The investigator's tone was extremely respectful.
"No need. I've already dealt with the anomaly. It was an Anomaly Computer."
Chen Yu spoke calmly.
"An Anomaly Computer? It must be a tough one to deal with. Right now, everyone in the Investigation Bureau is..."
The investigator trailed off, then finally realized what Chen Yu had said. He asked in astonishment, "What did you just say? You've already dealt with the anomaly?!"
"Yes."
Chen Yu replied.
"I-I'll go tell the Director right away..."
After thanking Chen Yu profusely, the investigator hung up.
Even after ending the call, the investigator was still stunned. He went over to the Director and reported, "Director, I have some great news!"
The Director was already worried sick over the Anomaly Computer. He waved a hand and said, "There's no good news for me right now. Not unless the anomaly that hacked into the forum has been dealt with."
"You really are amazing. You even guessed it! The Anomaly Computer has already been dealt with by Mr. [Nightfall]!"
The investigator was so excited his voice trembled.
It took the Director a long while to recover. He stared in astonishment and disbelief. "It's been dealt with?"
He checked the time on his phone and saw that only a minute and a half had passed since [Nightfall] accepted the mission.
"T-That's all? It's only been a minute and a half! Are you sure you've got this right?"
"I'm sure. It's true. It's been dealt with. Mr. [Nightfall] told me himself. If you don't believe me, we can check the forum."
With that, the two of them gathered around the computer and logged into the Anomaly Era Official Forum.
The official forum's private messages were back to normal.
And the front page was no longer filled with anomalous posts.
The two stared at each other in disbelief.
Meanwhile, on the Supernatural Forum.
The post about the earlier anomaly invasion had been deleted.
Another post had been pinned.
[The anomaly that invaded the forum has been dealt with. You can all post freely again. You don't have to worry about being targeted by the anomaly.]
Everyone opened the post.
The body of the post displayed a huge scene-style profile picture.
Beneath the picture were the two words: [Nightfall].
The Investigation Bureau had posted a bounty earlier.
Anyone who could deal with the anomaly that had invaded the Anomaly Era Forum would receive a large amount of gold and get to choose an item from the Investigation Bureau's collection.
"Whoa, it's been dealt with? So fast?"
"Hasn't it only been a few minutes since the forum was invaded?"
"I hadn't even reacted, and the anomaly's already been dealt with?"
"I heard that anomaly already killed a Ghost Controller! It was classified as one of the extremely dangerous anomalies!"
"Damn, no wonder he's a super big shot. He strikes and it's amazing! The anomaly was dealt with in minutes!"
"I bet that anomaly never expected to bite the dust so quickly!"
"Big shot, do you need someone to cling to your leg? Can I be your hanger-on?"
"I'm so jealous! He finished the mission so quickly and got a reward we'll never get in our entire lives!"
"I have to admit... I'd call [Nightfall] the strongest..."
After falling silent for a few seconds, the Supernatural Forum erupted again. The anomaly invasion had genuinely frightened quite a few people.
Some thought the anomaly was a pushover and [Nightfall] had simply gotten lucky.
They figured that if it had been a powerful anomaly, it couldn't have been dealt with so quickly.
Others, however, thought [Nightfall] was unbelievably strong.
He'd dealt with an anomaly in about a minute.
Chen Yu had no idea about the commotion on the forum.
[His phone vibrated.]
He picked it up and saw a text message from the Investigation Bureau.
It clearly listed an address and even included a picture with the location marked on it.
That had to be where the Investigation Bureau's collection was located.
At the bottom was a passcode for getting inside.
Chen Yu could choose anything he wanted from the Investigation Bureau's Anomaly Vault.
Tong Jian, who had been unconscious earlier, opened her clear, sparkling eyes and sat up in bed.
Ghost Doll had been restless for quite a while and was probably tired, so it had fallen asleep with Tong Jian. When it sensed Tong Jian stir, it woke up too.
Ghost Doll rubbed its bleary eyes. Seeing Tong Jian awake, it immediately said, overjoyed, "Sister, you're all right?!"
Tong Jian shook her head at Ghost Doll.
"Sister, I'm glad you're all right. I feel like I got stronger after sleeping, but I don't know why!"
Feeling the eerie aura filling its body, Ghost Doll looked down at its hands, surprise written across its face. Then it said, "As long as I get stronger, I'll be able to protect you better from now on, Sister."
Hearing this, Chen Yu couldn't help looking at Ghost Doll.
[Ghost Doll has successfully advanced from Level 4 to Level 5.]
How had Ghost Doll suddenly leveled up?
Chen Yu hadn't seen that coming.
Since Chen Yu had to devour other supernatural beings to make them level up, turning them into energy, he had no idea how they advanced on their own.
But the supernatural beings he'd encountered lately had all been Levels 5, 6, or 7. There were plenty below Level 5.
That was enough to show that leveling up must be very difficult for them.
[Hum!] [That one is no ordinary child. If you look at it through ordinary eyes, you're making a grave mistake.] [And she is even more extraordinary. To have survived the supernatural rampage at Honghong Orphanage, she may hold a secret that would astonish anyone!]
Chen Yu glanced at the message on his phone, then put it away.
Even without the phone's warning, Chen Yu knew that Tong Jian and Ghost Doll were definitely not ordinary.
Especially Tong Jian!
The child's origins were shrouded in mystery.
According to Ghost Doll,
every child and adult at Honghong Orphanage had died.
So why had Tong Jian been the only one to survive?
And how had she found Ghost Doll?
Why was she carrying a Ghost Embryo?
They were all mysteries.
But those questions could wait. He would have to uncover the answers gradually in the future.
Afterward, Chen Yu invited Tong Jian to go with him to the Investigation Bureau's supernatural archive.
Tong Jian said nothing.
But Ghost Doll, behind her, agreed on her behalf.
Then the two of them set off together.
The supernatural archive was located in the outskirts.
It was extremely well hidden. Without a map and coordinates, an ordinary person would never find it.
The archive had been built in a place surrounded by mountains, and its entrance blended in with the trees around it.
Unless you looked carefully, you wouldn't notice it at all.
This was also a restricted area!
Ordinary people weren't allowed in.
Before you continue