"You can thank him, but don't trust him too much."
Zhang Lin had already sensed something was off. He wasn't an ordinary citizen, after all. As a patrol officer, he sometimes dealt with dangerous people.
Still, he pretended not to know and asked, "Why?"
"He has a terrible personality. No, 'terrible' isn't quite the word. He's utterly inhuman."
Zhang Lin asked seriously, "Are you an organization that specializes in handling anomalous events?"
"That's right."
"Then why would you accept a member you describe as utterly inhuman? With such a dangerous ability, shouldn't you be even more careful about how it's used?"
Seeing how tense things had become, Xu Zhou shifted uneasily and touched his blade, lowering his head to study the patterns on the floor tiles.
"Well..." Ji Wu said. "He's talented."
"Talented? That's the only reason? From what you said, Contract Anomalists are influenced by the anomalies they contract, and their personalities change dramatically. Good people turn bad, and bad people become even worse. Shouldn't you be choosing people of good character, then?"
As a patrol officer, Zhang Lin knew all too well how utterly insane people could become once they crossed the line.
That was true even of people without special powers. It was hard to imagine the damage someone with special powers could do if they turned evil.
"I understand your concerns. But there are so few people who can become Contract Anomalists, while anomalies are as plentiful as cattle and horses. Considering the pros and cons, we're better off making good use of his power. At least, saving those people wasn't wrong."
So it was a compromise made after weighing the pros and cons?
Zhang Lin said helplessly, "Sorry, I was too harsh just now."
You promoted part of the Aberration Association's mission to the public. Construction Points +50.
"Not at all. Your concerns aren't unfounded. Otherwise, the organization wouldn't have a Supervisor position."
The two adults continued exchanging polite remarks.
Xu Zhou was already yawning nonstop with boredom. He'd been out on assignments for several days and hadn't had a proper rest. It was only natural that he'd start feeling sleepy after spending so long in a heated hospital room.
He yawned and found a chair to sit down.
A sharp infant's wail suddenly reached his ears.
"Waaah! Waaah!"
"Huh?" Xu Zhou jolted. That cry had woken him right up.
He immediately stood, then relaxed again. This was a hospital, after all. It was perfectly normal to hear a baby crying.
Ji Wu, however, glanced toward the door and listened intently.
Zhang Lin asked, "What is it?"
Ji Wu said, "If I remember correctly, there's no pediatrics or obstetrics department in this building."
"Maybe a patient's family brought a baby with them."
Ji Wu considered it, but decided the mission was more important. He took a business card from his pocket and placed it by Zhang Lin's bed.
"If you need anything, you can contact me anytime."
Zhang Lin thanked him.
"Waaah! Waaah, waaah!"
Another infant's cry rang out, this time much closer.
Xu Zhou nervously gripped his clothes. Thank goodness it wasn't night—otherwise, he would have been scared to death.
Ji Wu led the way out of the hospital room, and Xu Zhou followed.
The instant Xu Zhou stepped outside, he sensed the lingering presence of a powerful anomaly. It filled the entire corridor, making the brightly lit hallway feel horribly strange.
Squish!
"Ugh! What is this?"
Xu Zhou lifted his foot and saw a blob of sticky liquid stuck to the sole of his shoe. "That's disgusting!"
Ji Wu took the cigarette from his mouth and held it beneath his nose. The smell of nicotine helped steady his mind.
"Ahhh... giggle, giggle, giggle..."
A baby's laughter echoed from every direction in the corridor.
Other patients' family members were walking through the hallway. One woman touched her ear. "I think... I heard a child laughing."
The man beside her said, "Where? There's no child laughing. You must've heard wrong."
"Giggle, giggle! Giggle, giggle!"
The baby laughed even more gleefully.
"I really did hear it. There's a child—no... it must be a baby laughing."
Sun Chengzhi felt her forehead. "Xiao Li, you've been exhausted these past few days. Let's go back and get some rest."
Xu Zhou unfastened the strap on his blade and cradled it in his arms, his gaze constantly sweeping over his surroundings.
"Have you found it?" Ji Wu asked him.
Xu Zhou shook his head in confusion. "I don't know why, but there's a sense of the supernatural everywhere. I can't pinpoint its location."
"Waaah! Waaah!"
"It's crying! He's crying!" Xiao Li suddenly grabbed the man's hand in agitation. "He's crying!"
Sun Chengzhi looked bewildered. "Who's crying? I can't hear anything!"
"The baby! Our baby is crying!"
"What are you talking about? We don't have a baby."
Drip. Drip.
A lot of blood suddenly began dripping from the ceiling.
Ji Wu reached out with a grave expression and ran his fingertip along the wall. Instead of a smooth surface, he felt something sticky. "I see. It's a Ghost Domain!"
"Powerful anomalies can unfold a Ghost Domain and pull people from reality inside it."
"We're probably already in its Ghost Domain."
Pink folds slowly appeared across the white walls. The windows and doors vanished, and blood continued to drip from the ceiling. Puddles of yellow-green water spread across the floor.
"Ah!!!!"
The blood dripping onto Xiao Li's face startled her, and she screamed.
Sun Chengzhi trembled as he held her. "What's going on? Where are we?"
Xu Zhou had already pulled the cloth from his blade. It was an exquisitely crafted Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade, an A-grade Ghost Artifact capable of harming anomalies.
He wasn't faring any better than the two ordinary people. Xu Zhou's legs trembled as he shook all over. He held the blade upright in front of him, trying to psych himself up.
"Breathe deeply. Don't panic! Don't be afraid!"
Ji Wu had more experience than a rookie like him, and still had the presence of mind to pay attention to the others. "Hey! You'd better not move around."
"Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of projection technology? Pulling a prank like this in a hospital is way over the line! I'm going to file a complaint!"
Sun Chengzhi looked extremely flustered. His fear of the unknown drove him to flee as quickly as possible.
"Please calm down. This is a Ghost Domain. We don't know what might happen if you wander around."
"Blood. So much blood!" Xiao Li stared blankly as she reached out to catch a few drops. Then she suddenly ran off like a madwoman.
"My baby! My baby!"
"Xiao Li! Xiao Li!"
Sun Chengzhi couldn't catch up before she disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Sun Chengzhi tried to chase after her, but Ji Wu grabbed him in time. "Wait. Running around like that is too dangerous."
"But Xiao Li..." Sun Chengzhi covered his face and sank to the floor in despair.
Ji Wu watched in silence. He was only a Supervisor; he didn't have the strength to deal with anomalies.
Before you continue