Who Still Understands Farming?

"Boom!" A muffled explosion rang out.

The ornately decorated wooden door was blasted open, sending wood splinters flying inward as a team of heavily armed Anomaly Bureau investigators swarmed inside.

Leading the charge were three Awakened with lightning-fast reflexes; two crawled along the walls like spiders, while the third hung upside down from the ceiling, clutching a fishing rod.

Behind them, the fully equipped investigators surged in like a wall, wielding riot shields and specialized riot guns.

Following closely in their wake, two snipers kept their sights trained on whatever lurked behind the threshold.

The glass windows on both sides shattered simultaneously, and a dozen armed investigators rolled across the floor, instantly surrounding the entities within the room.

Yet, to the astonishment of the Anomaly Bureau agents, what lay before them was not a room, but a field of crops.

The original wooden floor was now carpeted with stalks of corn.

These corn stalks stood tall and sturdy, each one heavy with ears of grain.

A dozen or so had already been chopped down, and a faint, bloody fluid oozed from the severed stalks.

The data support team stood frozen in disbelief, staring at the scene.

The Psychic Radiation Detectors in their hands indicated that every single stalk of corn possessed a psychic radiation reading higher than that of an average person, with several reaching levels comparable to an Awakened.

What kind of hellish place was this?

Captain Hong Tao strode into the room, his expression cold as he surveyed the scene.

The reality was nothing like what they had anticipated...

"There are people ahead," the Awakened hanging from the ceiling with the fishing rod called out.

The investigators who had pushed forward had already spotted the figures crouching in the cornfield and shouted:

"Who goes there!?"

"Hands in the air!"

Two masked individuals immediately raised their hands and stood up.

One wore a boar mask, the other a sunflower mask, creating a bizarre sight.

"You've arrived, brother?" the man in the sunflower mask greeted Hong Tao. "How's my cornfield? Does it have that authentic, rustic charm?"

Hong Tao's brow furrowed tightly as he demanded:

"Who are you people? Answer me at once!"

The man in the boar mask spoke with a hint of disdain:

"I told you corn wouldn't work. I said plant flowers, but you wouldn't listen. What year do you think this is? Who even cares about farming anymore?"

The man in the sunflower mask sighed, sounding somewhat dejected:

"People these days are just too restless. Grain is the foundation of everything. Without grain, where would a prosperous life come from? One must never forget their roots..."

Hong Tao let out a cold snort:

"Stop with the theatrics! You are under arrest! You can say whatever you want at the Bureau. Take them!"

The Awakened hanging from the ceiling instantly whipped his fishing rod forward; the hook split into dozens of lightning-fast barbs, darting toward the two masked figures.

The two Awakened on the walls abruptly braced their anti-materiel sniper rifles and pulled the triggers in a blur of motion.

They fired the single-shot rifles with the rapid-fire intensity of submachine guns.

High-kinetic energy rounds, powerful enough to pierce armored vehicles, roared toward the two masked men!

The sunflower-masked man let out an "Ouch!" and ducked behind the boar-masked man. The latter suddenly opened his mouth, his jaw expanding all the way to the floor in an instant. His maw became a gaping, bloody abyss, his throat resembling a black hole.

A violent suction force erupted from his mouth, causing even the nearby investigators to stumble.

The dozens of hooks and the barrage of bullets were all sucked into his throat and vanished without a trace.

The Awakened hanging from the ceiling felt a sharp tug, and his fishing rod was ripped right out of his hands.

"Explode, explode, explode!" the sunflower-masked man hiding behind shouted. The corn hanging from the stalks shattered instantly, turning into a thick, dense cloud of dust and smoke that engulfed the entire room.

"Protective masks on!" Hong Tao shouted to prevent his team from being poisoned. "Blowers!"

The support team immediately activated the blowers, rapidly dispersing the dust and smoke.

But by the time the air cleared, the two masked figures had vanished, leaving behind nothing but withered, fallen corn stalks.

The psychic radiation levels of these stalks had now dropped to absolute zero.

Hong Tao's expression darkened as he walked forward with heavy, deliberate steps, each one leaving a deep footprint in the floor.

It was a clear display of the rage simmering within him.

The dust in the hall had yet to fully settle, swirling like a sandstorm.

Looking at the withered corn on the ground, Hong Tao felt his anger tempered by a newfound sense of caution.

"Calling Team Three, what is the situation on-site? Are there any casualties? Over." The urgent voice of the command center crackled through his earpiece.

Everything that had just occurred had been transmitted to the Anomaly Bureau command center via the field camera, but the thick dust had obscured the feed, leaving them reliant on the team's report.

Hong Tao narrowed his eyes, staring ahead, and spoke into the comms unit on his collar:

"Command Center, the scene is suspected to be a lure trap. There were only two enemies, and they have fled. We have no casualties. Over."

There was a moment of silence in the communication system after hearing Hong Tao's report.

Then, that soft female voice sounded once again:

"You have done well. The intelligence system will continue to correct its errors. No casualties is already a very good outcome. Clear the battlefield as soon as possible and preserve the traces for the Support Center to conduct a deep analysis. Over."

Although the lack of expected results left the higher-ups at the Anomaly Bureau somewhat disappointed, at least nothing had gone wrong.

A lure trap was still better than an ambush.

Hong Tao, however, did not feel the slightest bit relaxed. While vigilantly staring at the dust and mist surrounding them, he said slowly:

"One of the enemies just now... is highly suspected to be 'Gluttony'."

As soon as these words were spoken, a flurry of panicked exclamations erupted in the communication channel, followed by the sound of the headset being snatched away, and a loud, steady voice instantly took over:

"Are you certain it is Gluttony? Gluttony has appeared in Gu City?"

This was the voice of Zhao Yifeng, Director of the Anomaly Bureau.

Hong Tao's gaze sharpened. He took a deep breath, looked up at the Angler on the ceiling and the Gunmen on the walls on either side, and seeing the three of them nod slightly, he said with a grave expression:

"It is basically certain to be Gluttony. With that unique devouring ability—specifically the ability to devour psychic bullets—there is no one else."

The other side of the communication channel fell silent again. After a few seconds, Zhao Yifeng said:

"Withdraw the ordinary investigators immediately; keeping only the Awakened is sufficient. You return as well. Regardless of whether it is Gluttony or not, tonight's events prove that the source of the information has ulterior motives. The current top priority remains that other matter!"

"Yes!" Hong Tao replied.

He then ordered the investigators present:

"Awakened specialists remain. Everyone else, return to the Bureau immediately!"

"Boss Hong, what about this place? Are we staying behind to clean up?" the Angler hanging upside down from the ceiling said with a bitter face. "If it really is Gluttony, the three of us won't be enough to handle it."

Hong Tao said expressionlessly:

"You are responsible for early warning. If you truly encounter Gluttony, launch a feint attack to stall for time and buy the civilians a chance to escape."

"I've never heard of Gluttony targeting ordinary people anyway," the Angler pouted. "I was planning to go fishing by the river at four o'clock; I've already baited the spot."

Hong Tao raised an eyebrow: "Yang Gan! Can you be serious?"

The fisherman named Yang Gan immediately gave a salute while still hanging upside down: "Mission guaranteed to be completed!"

Gunshots pierced the night sky, echoing from afar.

Li Fan, who was being worshipped by the crowd, looked up slightly toward the direction of the gunfire.

The Mother with the Clown Mask immediately said:

"The trap set by Old Li and Old Sun has been discovered. My Lord, should we leave?"

The Anomaly Bureau had tracked them down, only to be fooled by a trap set by the Cleaning Association?

Li Fan was shocked internally, but on the surface, he remained calm and said:

"Do not kill anyone. Stealth is paramount. We can leave now."

The Mother nodded immediately: "Yes."

At the same time, she quickly relayed the Collector's intent.

The gunshots from outside also startled the Cleaners and Association members present. They looked over one after another, realizing the sound was coming from the direction of the Red Star International Hotel.

Auntie Zhang signaled to Song Zhonghai, Lv Feng, and a few other Cleaners, who immediately led the crowd away from the area.

However, unlike when they arrived, this time they walked out through the main entrance.

They stepped directly out of the building, walking out through the front door in broad daylight.

Only then did these members of the Cleaning Association realize that the building where they had held their worship ceremony was actually the City Hall auditorium!