Bai Zuo disregarded human life, toyed with people's hearts, and scorned human nature.
Like a spider, he would silently weave his web in the dark. By the time you noticed, you would already be trapped, unable to escape.
Your fate, your life, even your thoughts were all under his control.
Only those he had set his sights on and made his prey knew just how terrifying he was.
If the Aberration Association hadn't discovered Bai Zuo, recruited him as a Contract Anomalist, and kept him under supervision, a wicked man like him would probably have committed an unforgivable, heinous crime.
"What Ghost Domain? I don't see any Ghost Domain."
Bai Zuo's tone was as ever: flippant, with a hint of carelessness.
"Then what are you doing on Anyang Island!" Ji Wu roared.
"Having fun~ What, are Contract Anomalists not allowed to have a little time for themselves? Keep that up and you'll get strung up from a lamppost~"
"What about the mission!!!"
"Anyway, that's that. I'll come back when I've had enough fun."
The call ended.
The more Ji Wu thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, as if disaster were about to strike.
He'd had this feeling countless times before, and every time, it had come true!
"Xu Zhou, you head back to Yi Gui Company first. I'm going to Anyang Island to find that little bastard!"
"I'll go with you!"
Ji Wu thought it over. Bai Zuo was on Anyang Island, and support from the Aberration Association would arrive soon, so going there now shouldn't be too dangerous.
It might do Xu Zhou good to get out and about, change the scenery, and lift his spirits instead of dwelling on things.
"Fine. We'll take another bridge."
This Abandoned Bridge was clearly an entrance to a Ghost Domain. Ji Wu had already notified the Aberration Association and asked them to send people to seal it off, so no one unaware of the situation would wander in and add unnecessary complications to the containment operation.
Meanwhile.
Ever since Special Dispatch Team captain Kong Yubo had obtained the business card's information from Zhang Lin, his team had been keeping an eye on Yigui Clean Energy Transport Co., Ltd.
"Captain, this company was just acquired. Before that, it sold software. Its monthly profits were only a few hundred thousand, but it was still turning a profit."
Why would the owner suddenly decide to sell a profitable company like this?
And after the sale, the money on the company's books had been left behind. It was practically an act of charity!
That would only make sense if the new owner were the previous owner's son.
But their investigation showed the new owner had no connection whatsoever to the previous one.
"I looked into it. The company's current status is a little odd. It doesn't appear to be selling any products, and even the software it used to sell has been taken off the market."
Yi Gui Company operated in the open, so it had no reason to fear scrutiny. That was exactly what their investigation had found.
Apart from an Execution Department of unclear purpose and a slightly smaller workforce, it was just an ordinary company.
"There's one other strange thing. Some former employees complained that Yi Gui Company's contracts were problematic and said they were going to sue. But later, they changed their minds."
Perhaps the time, effort, and expense of a lawsuit didn't seem worth the potential compensation, so they'd given up.
But Kong Yubo and his team knew the truth: that mysterious organization had intervened again!
Just like the earlier bus incident, and countless other abnormal events that had been covered up without their knowledge.
This colossal entity lurking in the shadows, of which they'd glimpsed only a single corner, had already shown them enough to leave them trembling with fear!
With an organization like that operating in their country, there was no way Xia Kingdom could leave it alone.
"I checked all the company's employees. Their records make them look like ordinary people, except for these two. Their information is hidden, and they're difficult to investigate."
A team member pulled up a still from a surveillance recording and enlarged it. The image showed Xu Zhou and Ji Wu.
"One is a Contract Anomalist, and the other is a Supervisor. From the sound of it, Contract Anomalists are the ones who contain anomalies, while Supervisors oversee, watch, or manage them?"
Kong Yubo looked over the files several times. "Have we found out where they're going?"
"They don't seem to be trying to hide their movements."
The team member pulled up several more surveillance clips, all showing Ji Wu and Xu Zhou riding electric scooters on their way.
Kong Yubo coughed. He'd never expected this organization to travel in such a plain, unremarkable way. That made it seem less like a mysterious organization.
"They're probably headed to Anyang Island. At first, their route took them across that long-abandoned bridge. But then they came back from that direction and took another bridge instead."
"Is the Abandoned Bridge impassable?"
"It's passable. If there were a problem with it, the local government would've closed it or built a new one."
As a tourist destination, Anyang Island had brought a considerable boost to Anyang City's economy.
Anyang City had plenty of money. It had built several bridges; there was no way it couldn't afford to build another.
So why take the long way around?
Did they just not like that route?
Kong Yubo couldn't figure out their reasoning. He could only send a few people to investigate near the Abandoned Bridge and tell them to be extra careful.
If a Contract Anomalist from a mysterious organization was on the move, it had to be related to an abnormal event.
The abnormal events Kong Yubo had encountered had already taught him that underestimating such things came at a bloody price!
"Keep watching them. Gather our people. We're going to Anyang Island!"
Kong Yubo's instincts told him something was wrong on Anyang Island!
It could've happened earlier or later, but it had to happen just as Anyang Island was holding an event. The island must be crowded right now.
Many residents of Anyang City and tourists would probably flock there, drawn by the festivities.
Just imagining the number of casualties if something went wrong during such an important event made the captain's scalp tingle.
Kong Yubo led his team to Anyang Island and notified the local authorities to send more people to maintain order.
Anyang Island.
Today was the annual Lamp Mansion Festival. It was a grand event, and the crowds along the streets stretched as far as the eye could see.
Many people had voluntarily dressed in traditional Han clothing and joined the procession with lanterns in hand.
Red ropes lined both sides of the street, with numerous staff members on duty along them to keep the spectators from crowding together.
The people carrying lanterns wore beautiful traditional outfits of every color. Their lanterns were filled with prayers and wishes for their departed loved ones.
At the very front of the Lamp Mansion Festival procession was Yama, a Procession Deity painstakingly crafted from a giant Tower Bone.
Black and White Impermanence and Ox-Head and Horse-Face followed behind him.
After them came the procession, made up of residents of Anyang Island, residents from other districts, and tourists, all following with lanterns in hand.
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