Will It Cost Me My Life?

What's truly important is the fortune teller who guided him.

No, it should be called Contract Anomalist.

This fortune teller's true identity is that of a Contract Anomalist backed by an incredibly powerful force.

The only force truly capable of resolving this disaster is the Anomaly Containment Association.

Otherwise, even if Mike manages to resolve the strange occurrences involving him and his home with the help of the Investigation Team, he will ultimately be drawn into an even greater disaster.

"Sir, since you already knew, why didn't you stop it...?"

Mike knew that this fortune teller probably knew even earlier than he did that Australia was about to face a catastrophe.

Otherwise, how could this fortune teller have appeared in Australia before the disaster struck, and even managed to infiltrate the Eternal Kingdom in disguise?

The shaman said with some surprise, "This is probably a difference in perception."

What?

"What you're thinking about is preventing this disaster from happening and avoiding more casualties, so what you're seeing are only the people who are about to die right now."

Isn't that so?

Mike thought to himself that he had seen the disaster strike, and countless people lost their lives in an instant—tens of thousands of deaths.

Wasn't it right of him to want to stop and change this disaster?

The shaman sighed.

"What you see, I also see, and I see even more than you do."

Then... why didn't you stop it?

Before he could utter those somewhat accusatory words, Mike suppressed them with reason.

Is there anything else he hadn't considered?

What he saw Divine Descent, the death of tens of thousands of people, the appearance of the Contract Anomalist of the Anomaly Containment Association, a great battle with the Evil Deity, and the successful containment of the Evil Deity by the encirclement of several people.

However, the tens of thousands who died will never come back.

The best approach, of course, is to eradicate the sect before the Evil Deity descends, thus cutting off the medium through which the Divine Descent.

The fortune teller couldn't possibly have missed what he could think of.

With such amazing divination abilities, the fortune teller could see far more of the future than Mike.

Despite this, the fortune teller still chose this path.

So, what exactly did the fortune teller see?

Mike suddenly realized a possibility: if he prevented the Evil Deity from descending this time, would the Evil Deity truly never descend again?

The world will never lack people who are willing to take risks for money, power, and even their lives.

Look at the believers who participated in today's ceremony.

Don't they know how strange this sect is?

However, the lure of enormous profits made them overlook other dangers.

He was able to stop it this time because his mother was involved in the Eternal Kingdom, which gave him the opportunity to intervene.

What about next time?

If he couldn't stop it beforehand.

Will the next Evil Deity that descends be even more powerful, more troublesome, and cause even more deaths?

This is similar to the trolley problem: there's a child tied to the tracks ahead, and if you change lanes, the child can indeed avoid death.

But on another track, even more children are tied up.

The change in trajectory, ironically, led to the deaths of even more children.

Mike felt like all the strength in his body was about to disappear.

He collapsed to the ground.

"Isn't there a better option?"

"Were those tens of thousands of people destined to die?"

Witch: "Have you ever wondered why tens of thousands of people, including you, died at the same time?"

Mike looked up blankly.

He was unaware that the future revealed within the crystal ball was, after all, limited to his perspective.

He did not witness the deaths of those tens of thousands of people firsthand.

It was only after he died inside the crystal ball that he saw the subsequent reports, coldly highlighting these glaring death numbers.

Yes, why did all these people die at the same time?

If, in his theory, his death was due to being possessed by a demon, were these other people the same?

Mike's eyes suddenly widened, and he said in disbelief, "Could it be... that all these dead people were believers in the Eternal Kingdom?"

The shaman did not deny his guess.

Are all tens of thousands of people like that?

No, the person in the crystal ball isn't a believer in the Eternal Kingdom; it's just because they have a statue of a deity in their home...

Sometimes my mother would pull me to light an incense stick.

This might be why he was being targeted; perhaps his act of offering incense was interpreted as worshipping that strange entity.

Among those tens of thousands of people, there were probably others like him who were caught up in it.

Having witnessed believers willing to sacrifice everything for their own greed, Mike knew he could not save those whose souls had already been devoured by the devil.

"What should I do? Is it better for me to do nothing?"

Mike has joined the Investigation Team and has also come into contact with the Contract Anomalist.

As long as he resolves his troubles through Contract Anomalist and applies for the organization's protection to bring his family to safety, then even if Divine Descent, he and his family will not be affected.

This can be considered a positive outcome.

Mike, however, was distressed by this.

If he knew nothing, if he had never seen those cold, hard numbers of death.

Perhaps he can live on without knowing or feeling anything, without any guilt.

He is suffering from this.

His intense emotional fluctuations stirred up the strange force lurking within him.

It attacked Mike's mind even more aggressively, attempting to brainwash him.

Mike's pain slowly faded, replaced by numbness; no emotion could stir him.

Only those gods are the greatest, and the most worthy of his utmost devotion to worship.

Mike could clearly feel his mind being slowly devoured by that eerie creature.

But he was powerless to resist.

The shaman appeared completely normal.

The moment that phantom rushed into his body, the Scales of Fate made their own judgment.

When a strange entity willingly enters the witch's body, it essentially becomes the witch's possession.

Therefore, this strange creature naturally became something that could be placed on one side of the scale.

The poor monster didn't even have time to utter a sound before the shaman placed it on the scales.

Its entire eeriness became a bargaining chip for the shaman to manipulate fate, let alone influence the shaman.

Unfortunately, this strange creature was of such a low level that even if it were placed on a scale, its fate would only be slightly diminished by a negligible margin.

The witch said, "There is something that might give you the answer you're looking for, but you have to give something in return for what you want to gain."

Mike thought for a moment, "Will it cost me my life?"

"Won't."

"Family?"

"Won't."

"Friend or lover?"

"Won't."

Mike breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't the kind of person who could sacrifice himself for others; if the price was too high, he might start to back down.