A meeting of directors

The meeting room on the Containment Bureau's third floor could only be requisitioned by staff at director level or above for work discussions. At that moment, the spacious room held only three people, plus a woman's head resting on a tray.

At the center of the long conference table sat an old man with the bearing of a lion. He wore a military uniform covered in medals and sat with the Iron Lion Cane in hand, his stern expression concealing a murderous edge.

At the far right end of the table, a white-haired man wearing sunglasses, his face covered in surgical stitches, played on his phone with a broad smile.

His legs were crossed and propped on the table, as though he were attending an ordinary social gathering rather than a meeting of directors.

At the far left end, Shangguan Yan wore an ordinary employee's uniform and a smile, her hands steepled before her. Of everyone present, she actually looked the most unremarkable.

"You've all read the documents, I assume?" the beautiful head on the tray asked.

"I heard the Curse Power in the Blood Demon House really has dissipated, and its extradimensional structure is showing signs of collapse. That means this anomaly has been resolved, doesn't it? There shouldn't be anything left worth discussing," the young white-haired man said with a smile.

"Mr. Shang, things aren't as simple as you think. Let me summarize the situation with the Blood Demon House again," the head on the table said.

"The current situation is this: although the strange phenomena in the Blood Demon House have disappeared, the investigation team searched the entire house after entering and found no trace of Edward.

"Meanwhile, Edward's Life Lamp in the Containment Bureau is still lit.

"That means Edward, who disappeared inside the Blood Demon House ten years ago, is still alive, but he isn't in that house. This is one of the main issues we need to discuss."

The colonel rubbed the Iron Lion Ring on his finger and asked in a deep voice, "What about the personnel involved in this mission?"

"They're listed on the third page of the documents you're holding," Lin Yanxue replied.

Shang Liang flipped casually through the documents and gave a derisive chuckle. "Their strongest fighter was only a Level Three Cleaner, and even he was dispatched by the Second Division Director through her personal privileges.

"For a team like this to resolve the Blood Demon incident could only be called a miracle. Looking at the personnel alone, I can't see any indication that the higher-ups took this mission seriously."

"Actually, the higher-ups never intended to resolve the Blood Demon House incident this time. The original objective was merely observation.

"Everything that happened was the result of a series of minor accidents. Fortunately, judging by the final outcome, the incident really was resolved, and the villa returned to normal."

At that, Lin Yanxue let out a relieved sigh.

According to the latest deciphered passages of Dorian Gray's Notes, the Blood Demon House's potential threat far exceeded the Containment Bureau's initial expectations. Resolving this anomaly through sheer happenstance had been one hell of a lucky break.

"Where is this sole survivor named Xia Shou?" the lionlike colonel asked in a deep voice.

"He's still in detention. According to his testimony, after the Tamer handed him the relic, he went deeper into the house alone, while Xia Shou remained in the Entrance Hall.

"Only an hour later, when the Entrance Hall's door could be opened freely, did he leave the Blood Demon House safely.

"Oh, right. This survivor is Director Shangguan's subordinate. Apparently, he's a new recruit who only started today, and his Anomaly Level is just one," Lin Yanxue explained.

"He performed exceptionally well this time." The smile on Shangguan Yan's face was like a mask.

"Sorry, this matter is covered by a confidentiality agreement, so I can't say much. All I can reveal is that this request was approved by the deputy bureau chief," Shangguan Yan replied with a smile.

Shang Liang pushed his sunglasses up onto his forehead and stared at Shangguan Yan, saying half-jokingly, "Director Shangguan really is quite the social butterfly."

"Hardly. If possible, I'd like to be like you, Mr. Shang, and still keep my childlike spirit at thirty," Shangguan Yan said with a smile.

"Hahahaha! I could teach you, but I'd have to charge tuition."

Seeing the conversation begin to drift off topic, Lin Yanxue hurriedly brought it back. "Although this authorization is covered by a confidentiality agreement, Xia Shou's personal records are complete, with nothing concealed. What do you two make of the outcome?"

"Though I can't be one hundred percent certain, a lineup like this couldn't possibly overcome this anomaly."

The colonel set down the documents in his hands. That was his final answer.

Shang Liang also raised a hand in agreement.

"Under normal circumstances, success would have been impossible.

"Of course, we can't rule out someone suddenly tapping into hidden strength. Things like that have happened in the Containment Bureau's history.

"If we absolutely have to explain this outcome, then the only explanation is that the Level Three Cleaner suddenly unleashed his potential and killed the Blood Demon.

"And so many people died in that house, yet only the Tamer's body was found. That makes what happened pretty obvious, doesn't it?"

Shang Liang paused after speaking, then looked up at Shangguan Yan across the table. "But more than that, I'm curious why Director Shangguan sent this person to provide support."

Shangguan Yan smiled and shrugged, indicating that she had no comment.

Shang Liang turned his gaze toward Lin Yanxue.

"Looking at me won't help. My clearance isn't any higher than yours.

"Let's get back to the subject. If those were the only unanswered questions, we wouldn't have called you here.

"There are several other strange things about this operation worth noting.

"First, the Analysis Department's initial assessment was the same as yours: they concluded that this mission was bound to fail.

"They believed that anyone who came out of the house would undoubtedly be a Blood Demon host.

"So, to contain the host, the higher-ups sent 678 and the Execution Squad to handle it.

"But at the scene, after attempting to attack Xia Shou, 678 stopped midway, abandoned the plan, and has yet to give the Containment Bureau any explanation."

"That fellow isn't an unreasonable lizard, is it? I've always found it pretty easy to talk to." Shang Liang rubbed his chin, sinking into thought.

Lin Yanxue continued, "In addition, the Execution Squad members who attacked Xia Shou all had both hands severed, but no one at the scene noticed anything abnormal about it.

"In their minds, this incident had been rendered 'axiomatic.' When questioned, they couldn't provide any reasonable explanation."

The colonel immediately pressed her. "What about the footage?"

"We had people watch it, but the staff who viewed the footage also considered the Execution Squad's arms being severed an entirely natural, self-evidently normal occurrence," Lin Yanxue replied.

"Even their thoughts were rendered axiomatic? This is clearly an Anti-Meme. Let me see that footage." Shang Liang suddenly became interested.

"Mr. Shang, don't be too sure

"of yourself. Mo Yun Xi just watched it, and she didn't think anything was abnormal either," Lin Yanxue cautioned.

Shang Liang froze at her words, then murmured, "In other words, this Anti-Meme's Anomaly Level is higher than Mo Yun Xi's."

"Correct. In addition, according to a lead provided by a certain director, before entering the Blood Demon House, the Tamer actually intended to eat Xia Shou to improve his chances against the Blood Demon. But in the end, not only did he not eat Xia Shou, he handed the relic over to him instead."

With that, Lin Yanxue had finished her account.

Everyone present fell into a long silence.