Anomaly Handling Bureau / Player Forum

"This is interesting. Seeing you reminds me of when I was young."

The middle-aged man looked at the confusion on the three faces, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "A few years ago, when I first encountered these incidents, I was just as green."

"Sir, can you tell us what happened?"

Qin Lang took a deep breath and asked, "Why did our friend suddenly drop dead? And what was that monster?"

Chapter 6: Anomaly Handling Bureau

The middle-aged man smiled, found a chair, and sat down. "You already have an answer in mind, don't you?"

"Because of... that game?" Shen Xing said slowly.

The middle-aged man smiled and nodded.

"But... how could dying in a game affect reality?" Qin Lang still found it hard to accept.

"Then how do you explain a monster from the game appearing in reality?" the middle-aged man asked.

Qin Lang was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"All right, I'll stop teasing you. You young men need to toughen up mentally."

The middle-aged man took a pack of cigarettes from inside his trench coat, pulled one out, and put it between his lips. Then he began to explain:

"This game is absolutely real. We don't know where it came from, only that it involves a power we can't comprehend."

"At intervals, the game randomly gives out a number of slots, and in different forms."

"A pair of glasses, a helmet, or even an activation code can let someone enter the game."

"So you aren't isolated cases."

After a pause, he continued, "Now, back to the game itself. The skills, items, and equipment in it can all be brought into reality."

"You can even materialize the game's troops and have them fight for you in reality."

"Likewise, if your character dies in the game, your physical body will die on the spot."

"Not only that, when players die in reality, they release a large amount of mist, and there's also a chance that a monster from that world will be born."

"Although the mist isn't as powerful as it is in the game, it can still knock Common unconscious instantly. Prolonged exposure can even cause death."

"And monsters from the game will slaughter Common indiscriminately."

"To deal with this, the government established the Anomaly Handling Bureau, which specializes in handling incidents of this kind."

"Do you understand?"

The three exchanged glances, nodded, then shook their heads.

"It's fine if you don't. You'll have plenty of time to encounter and learn about it in the future."

The middle-aged man pulled several documents from inside his coat and gave them a gentle flick, sending the sheets sliding across the table to the three of them. "Here, sign this agreement."

Shen Xing glanced at the document. A conspicuous line of large black characters was printed on it: "Mist Reincarnation Pioneer Management Regulations."

It listed dozens of provisions in all.

Among them were rules forbidding pioneers from abusing their abilities in public, disrupting social order, or using abilities from the game to commit crimes, and so on...

"Does everyone have to sign it?" Shen Xing asked.

"Yes." The middle-aged man nodded. "Anyone who has entered that game must sign this agreement while within the borders of Hua Country."

"Then can we quit and stop playing the game?" Qin Lang asked tentatively.

"Quit?" The middle-aged man smiled meaningfully. "I'm afraid that from the moment you entered the Land of Mist, quitting was no longer an option."

"The monsters in the mist will keep attacking, each wave stronger than the last, until they completely destroy your camp."

"I don't need to explain what that means, do I?"

The three went deathly pale again.

They understood that it was as if, the moment they entered the game, they had stepped onto a single-log bridge with no way back.

They could only keep moving forward, or be smashed to pieces.

"Isn't there any other way?" Qin Lang asked, still unwilling to give up.

"Of course there is."

The middle-aged man lit his cigarette and took a deep drag. "You just need to keep getting stronger in the game, strong enough to withstand attacks from the vast majority of monsters. Then you can survive."

Everyone rolled their eyes. How is that any different from saying nothing?

"Look on the bright side."

The middle-aged man chuckled and said comfortingly, "Think of it this way: this is an opportunity to reach the supernatural. Ordinary people would never get a chance like this."

"The abilities you master and the troops you train in the game can all be used in reality."

"Like that spear of holy light I just threw. Wasn't it incredibly cool?"

The three said nothing, but they were somewhat moved.

After all, that was supernatural power.

As modern people, who hadn't dreamed of having such an ability?

Although the price was that they could lose their lives at any moment, at least...

Shen Xing reached for the pen on the table and was the first to sign his name.

The other two hesitated for a moment, then gritted their teeth and signed the agreement as well.

The middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction and spoke cheerfully. "All right, that's the important business taken care of. Feel free to ask any other questions."

"But don't ask me for game guides or anything like that. You'll receive a text message on your phones shortly."

"It'll lead you to an internal forum set up by Hua Country's authorities. There's plenty of pioneering experience shared by your predecessors, as well as lots of featured posts."

Shen Xing thought for a moment, then spoke. "I have a question."

"If the game is so dangerous that it can even threaten public safety, why doesn't the government ban it?"

"Good question."

The middle-aged man clapped his hands and continued, "You've probably seen the recent news, haven't you? All kinds of anomalous incidents have been happening frequently around the world."

The three nodded. They had come across that news on their phones too.

At the time, it had all been covered up by the experts' various explanations, but now they understood.

"In fact, this game appeared many years ago. No one currently knows exactly how long it's been available."

The middle-aged man explained slowly, "In the first few years, not many people had come into contact with it, and the situation was still under control."

"As the number of pioneers grew, incidents in which people died in the game and caused mist to spread in reality became more frequent. Only then did they gradually draw the attention of the upper echelons of various countries."

"But because its slots are distributed completely at random, with no pattern to follow, there's naturally no way to control it at the source."

"Besides that, there's one more reason, and it's the most important."

His expression suddenly turned serious, and his voice grew lower. "There are many pioneers around the world who have come into contact with this game, but the first batch to enter has already grown to an inconceivable level."

"Shattering mountains, splitting seas, and destroying cities are not difficult for them."

"A few years ago, a top pioneer from one country crossed a border to attack and wiped an entire military base off the map."

"In the end, the countries involved suppressed the incident, claiming publicly that it was an earthquake."

"Today, every top pioneer is a strategic-level deterrent."

"So it's like nuclear weapons. Everyone knows they're dangerous, but you can't go without them."

"If you don't develop them, others will be quietly developing theirs. If you ban them, other countries won't."

Shen Xing nodded thoughtfully.

The struggle between nations had never been limited to open military and economic confrontation.

Now there was simply one more supernatural arena that Common couldn't see.

After a pause, the middle-aged man's tone softened. "Also, the government provides corresponding subsidies and support to some outstanding pioneers."

"That includes, but isn't limited to, materials, equipment, blueprints, skill books, and so on."

"If you can break through to Tier Two and formally enter the supernatural realm, you can even join the Anomaly Handling Bureau and enjoy various benefits."

The three showed no particular reaction to his words.

They hadn't even figured out the game yet, let alone broken through to Tier Two.

"All right, I've finished answering your questions. You can go back now." The middle-aged man stood up and shook out his trench coat.

"Go back... what about my friend?" Qin Lang pointed at Lu Xiang's remains.

"There's nothing we can do. It can only be treated as an accidental death." The middle-aged man looked at the corpse on the floor. "Better luck next life."

The three fell silent, a trace of sorrow flashing across each of their faces.

They took deep breaths, composed themselves, and headed out of the private room.

Too much had happened today. They needed to go back and digest it all.

Shen Xing was pushing the wheelchair when, just as he was about to leave, he suddenly asked, "Sir, may I know your name?"

"Zhou Zheng," the middle-aged man answered briefly.

Shen Xing nodded slightly, then pushed the wheelchair out the door.

Once the three had left the Sichuan Fragrance Pavilion entirely, the wooden door to the private room opened again, and a tall young woman in a black uniform walked in.

"Captain Zhou, the scene has been dealt with."

The woman opened the tablet in her hands and reported, "All the bystanders affected at the scene have been taken to the hospital. The mist erased their memories, so there won't be any impact on society."

The middle-aged man named Zhou Zheng nodded slightly.

"Besides that, I have a question for you."

"Go ahead."

The woman in black glanced around and said slowly, "With your strength, you could easily materialize Tier Two supernatural troops and kill that three-star Lost One instantly."

"Why waste a [Spear of Holy Light] scroll worth thirty thousand yuan?"

Zhou Zheng took a long drag on his cigarette. "Xiao Min, there are some things you shouldn't ask too many questions about."

"The waters here run deep. You can't handle them."

The woman in black looked at him thoughtfully, then picked up a pen and wrote on a document. "Then I'll put down that Captain Zhou Zheng deliberately showed off in front of the newcomers and recklessly used up the team's resources. How does that sound?"

The middle-aged man froze, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Chapter 7: Player Forum

That evening, Shen Xing took the subway back to his rented room.