Everyone Was Afraid

Li Fan's smile froze on his face, and a storm was already raging in his mind!

I'm the Collector from the Cleaning Association!?

Those two cheap parents were both impostors!?

What happened to my peaceful life with loving parents? It was just gone!?

When his parents had chanted those lines from the Cleaning Association, Li Fan had thought they were joking.

But when he saw the shriveled heads in the box, he finally understood the kind of situation he'd gotten himself into.

Absurd, yet real.

He'd actually transmigrated into the body of the Collector, an Anomaly Bureau mole!

The Collector was the most vicious criminal on the wanted list of awakened offenders!

But Li Fan couldn't do a thing! He hadn't inherited any memories, and he had none of the Collector's powerful abilities. It was impossible to imagine that those heads were the Collector's weapons...

He was just an empty shell. Wasn't he doomed?

Once he'd sorted out his situation, Li Fan's thoughts raced as he tried to work out how to deal with this crisis.

If they found out he wasn't the real Collector, these two "parents," who were so deferential right now, would turn on him in an instant. He probably wouldn't even know what killed him.

Li Fan, Li Fan, whether you live or die depends on whether you can keep your cool.

Just keep smiling!

When Li Fan smiled without answering, the middle-aged couple before him couldn't help looking uneasy.

The Collector was mercurial. No one knew what he was thinking.

His father seemed to suddenly remember something. He hurriedly took out a phone-sized controller covered in buttons and a slip of paper, then handed them to Li Fan with both hands.

"Team Leader, this is the detonator for the psychic bombs, along with the list of undercover agents assigned to the mission."

Li Fan's heart skipped as he took the detonator and the paper.

The Cleaning Association was ruthless. They'd planted bombs all over the Anomaly Bureau and installed a whole group of moles.

The Anomaly Bureau was absurdly incompetent, too. It was an official organization, and yet it was about to be wiped out in one fell swoop.

His father said ingratiatingly, "Everything's been tested. The individual switches are all working, so you can detonate them separately, or press the master switch to set them all off at once. After the explosion, you only need to hold off the Anomaly Bureau's strongest awakened agents. Leave the rest to your subordinate."

Li Fan lightly stroked the master switch with his finger, saying nothing, as if deep in thought.

What should he do? Press it or not?

If he did, who knew how many people would die? And he was supposed to hold off the strongest awakened agents? Hold them off with what, exactly...

But if he didn't, he might be exposed. He had no idea what the Collector's undercover mission was even about.

The air in the room seemed to freeze.

Seeing that Li Fan hadn't moved, his parents exchanged a worried glance.

They had both noticed the Collector's hesitation.

His mother gritted her teeth, mustered her courage, and spoke in a low voice.

"Team Leader, the Cuckoo Project that Headquarters designed is indeed a little too radical. It'll provoke a full-scale response from the Anomaly Bureau. But it was the Chairman who gave the order himself..."

At that, Li Fan's heart lifted as he suddenly realized something.

He'd already noticed a problem in the cafeteria that day.

The Collector had rendered great service and become so powerful that he overshadowed his superiors. Even in a criminal organization like the Cleaning Association, that was bound to provoke suspicion.

After all, the Cleaning Association had only one leader: the lofty Chairman.

His mother's words confirmed that the problem was real!

The Collector might be at odds with the Chairman of the Cleaning Association, or even defying his orders!

First, he needed to bluff his way through this!

Li Fan's expression darkened. He toyed with the detonator as he spoke slowly.

"Circumstances have changed. The Anomaly Bureau has already caught on to the Cuckoo Project and taken precautions. Initiate Plan B. We'll take our time and think this through."

His parents' expressions changed dramatically. Then they exchanged another glance, and their eyes seemed to hold a hint of relief, as if to say, "We've finally reached this point."

The Collector was going to openly defy Headquarters.

And his people, who belonged to the Collector, felt both nervous and a little pleased.

It was dangerous, but everyone wanted to follow a strong leader.

His father took a deep breath and asked nervously, "This subordinate is dense. What is Plan B for the Cuckoo Project?"

Li Fan replied coolly, "I'll remain undercover in the Anomaly Bureau until I become its director."

He'd make the bold claim first, giving himself an excuse to stay here long-term.

His parents were once again deeply shocked. They couldn't help drawing in sharp breaths.

As expected of the powerful Collector!

Only the Collector could come up with such an extraordinary plan!

Just imagine: if the Collector became the Anomaly Bureau's director, the entire bureau would become a joke—and even a subordinate of the Cleaning Association!

What staggering ambition!

Li Fan had no idea what the two of them were thinking. He just wanted them gone as soon as possible, so he said indifferently, "We need to change our method of communication right away. Leave as soon as you can."

He had to get hold of the Anomaly Bureau's mole list.

His father hurriedly replied with respect, "Yes. I'll change everything as soon as possible and give you the new contact method. But if Headquarters asks about the Cuckoo Project..."

"Report the truth. Go."

He needed them to take the equipment with them, too. He had no idea what to do with a pile of heads left in his dorm room.

His parents exchanged a glance, then hurried out as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

At the entrance to the Anomaly Bureau, his father dragged a suitcase and looked at Li Fan with fatherly affection.

"Xiaofan, make sure you work hard. A secure job like this is hard to come by. Do your best, and get along with your coworkers."

Li Fan grinned brightly.

"Got it, Dad. Don't worry. I'll work hard and try to get myself a position or two."

His mother smiled from the side.

"Never mind the position. As long as you're happy at work, that's enough. We don't expect you to be rich or powerful; we just want you to stay safe and healthy. Be careful, okay?"

"Okay, Mom. You can relax. I've been assigned to the Support Center. It's very safe."

The guards at the entrance saw this loving family scene and couldn't help smiling, reminded of their own parents.

The young man was clearly a devoted son.

After seeing his parents into the car parked outside, Li Fan waved at them with a smile as they drove away. Then he nodded to the guard and returned to his dorm.

He locked the dorm room, quickly searched it to make sure there weren't any listening or surveillance devices, then went into the bathroom and turned the shower on full blast. He dropped onto the toilet, clasped his head in his hands, and began thinking about his situation.

His warm family and peaceful life as an antique dealer were both gone!

He was the Collector!

Had he become a bad guy?

The problem was, he hadn't inherited any memories or abilities, including combat skills. He was completely blank. How the hell was he supposed to survive?

He'd nearly pissed himself just now!

Fortunately, he'd seen his share of things in his previous life, and Li Fan quickly made a decision.

Forget the Cuckoo Project or the Magpie Project. He'd stall for time and take things as they came.

He'd just hide in the Support Center and be useless. He'd waste time, and if anyone asked, he'd say the plan was underway. He wouldn't get promoted for ten or twenty years. He'd just be a low-level employee, quietly doing his job.

By the time the Cleaning Association lost patience, they'd probably give up on him.

Then, when no one remembered him anymore, he could sneak away?

Perfect plan!

For now, that was all he could do...

Also, he had to get his resignation letter back as soon as possible!

Quitting was out of the question. If he did, he'd give himself away to the Cleaning Association right away!

At the same time, in a private car several blocks away from the Anomaly Bureau,

the "parents" had parked in a quiet alley.

His father's hands still trembled on the steering wheel as he tried to calm his fear.

"He puts even more pressure on you now. In just those few minutes, I felt like I'd been to the gates of hell..."

His mother gulped down a large mouthful of water and wiped her mouth hard. Then she said despondently, "That's because we didn't know whether we'd become one of his collectibles... After all, he's the mercurial Collector..."

"Is the Cuckoo Project really being put on hold? Headquarters will be furious. Saying the Anomaly Bureau caught on is just an excuse. We were already one step away from destroying the Anomaly Bureau Southwest Branch... Will Plan B really work? Is it that easy to get promoted in the Anomaly Bureau?"

His mother waved a hand. "How would I know... The attack on the Anomaly Bureau was just a cover, anyway. Headquarters was testing him. From what we've seen, he's already getting impatient..."

His father asked fearfully, "Then what do we do? If he clashes with the Chairman, what side should we take? We're already his fifth set of parents. I don't want to be replaced!"

His mother stared coldly ahead and said slowly, "Stay calm, Old Li. No matter what happens, I believe he's the person closest to the Lord of the Abyss. When the Lord of the Abyss descends, we'll be saved, too... We have a visitor."

His father immediately regained his composure. He rubbed the wrinkled skin at the corners of his eyes and nodded.

"Yes, I lost my composure."

His father opened the car door and walked toward a young man by the roadside who was selling vegetables from a stall.

The man wore only a sleeveless undershirt and a straw hat. His face was dark and weathered. In front of him sat a bundle of celery and a bag of peppers.

"How much for the celery?" His father squatted down and asked.

"Three-fifty a pound. Homegrown, so I'm selling it cheap," the vegetable seller said with a grin.

His father shook his head. "Celery's gone down in price lately. It's only a dollar eighty at the supermarket."

As he spoke, he suddenly reached out. His arm was like an iron clamp as he grabbed the vegetable seller's shoulder and yanked hard.

The seller suddenly grinned. His body turned soft as a puddle of mud, engulfing his father's hands. Vein- and nerve-like tendrils burst out of his body and wrapped around his father!

His father snorted. His large hands slid out of the man's body as if greased, while his fingers twitched rapidly. Like an embroiderer, he caught every blood vessel and nerve the man thrust at him, twisted them together, and tied them into knots.

A strange power surged through his hands. As if he were kneading putty, he crushed the vegetable seller's muscles and bones into a lump of sludge.

The seller didn't even have time to scream before his father had molded his body into a bizarre "human ball." Then his jaw dislocated, his mouth stretched open to an unbelievable size, and he swallowed the ball whole.

When he was done, his father closed his jaw, picked up the bags of celery and peppers, and returned to the car.

"That method of fusing psychic energy... It's from the Unity Society," his mother said.

His father nodded. "It's got that sour Unity Society taste. Not good. How about celery stir-fried with pork and pepper scrambled eggs for dinner?"

His mother shook her head slightly. "Let's make celery dumplings instead. We can use the peppers for a cold dish."

The private car started up again, left the alley, and headed for the suburbs.

The alley was silent, as if nothing had happened.