Book 3, Chapter 9: Resurrection

A group of specialists?

Chen Chuan was quite surprised to hear that. The average person couldn’t possibly ward off the continuous damage from supernatural beings, and prolonged exposure to them would increase their risk of dying. Then again, that might not necessarily be the case. After all, this was Central City. They might have some way to deal with the damage.

“Are they from the government?” he asked.

“Not really. Anomalous-event missions are often linked to strange things, so everyone knows to avoid them, but there’s a group that specializes in doing them.

“I heard that they aren’t really that good, though. I know of one mission myself. They went there to take care of whatever was causing the anomaly, but they couldn’t get rid of it. Still, the mission was recorded as completed.”

At this point, disgust and aversion colored his voice. “Some of them even died, but no one looked into their deaths. Despite that, those guys just keep taking up these missions.”

Chen Chuan pondered over this. Judging by what Qi Gao said, these people were not very competent, but had little regard for the rules in the business. They were probably the ones who took up the anomalous-event missions from the day before.

In a hopeful voice, Qi Gao asked, “Chen Chuan, are you really able to take care of those anomalous-event missions?”

“Supernatural beings arise from a wide range of sources, making their origins complex. I can’t take all of them out, but when I was in Yangzhi City, people came to me first for those missions,” Chen Chuan declared.

“That’s good enough. There are plenty of anomalous-event missions. We can think of ways to pick up the ones those guys miss. Leave the tedious paperwork before and after to me. I’ll take care of it for you. You just need to focus on the anomalies,” Qi Gao said.

Qi Gao was a little too excited, so Chen Chuan decided to give him a reminder. “Mr. Qi, I didn’t know that there were other people taking up these missions before this. After what you told me, they sound like they’re not to be taken lightly. You must think this through.”

Qi Gao knew this clearly. Those people considered all anomalous-event missions as theirs and didn’t let anyone steal even a bit of their pie. Taking up some of those missions in secret would be fine, but if they did too many of them, those people might come knocking on their doors for trouble. While Chen Chuan would be fine, Qi Gao might get into serious hot water.

But he had a debt to pay, and there were also the tuition fees. Chen Chuan had also paid for his penalty. On top of that, his company would hold the record of him getting detained. The clients then might avoid hiring him. For the time being, he was bound to get no work. If that was the case, it would be better to earn some money with Chen Chuan first to weather the storm.

While feigning relaxation, he said, “I’ve thought about it. If we do only a few missions, they shouldn’t notice.”

“Mr. Qi, you’re more familiar with Central City than I am. Be careful,” Chen Chuan cautioned.

Qi Gao huffed. “I’ve been in this profession for twenty years. I know what I’m doing.”

He then pressed a spot on his neck, and his eyes flashed orange again. “Let me treat you to lunch. I’m going to start researching these missions and give you an update soon.”

Chen Chuan didn’t reject the offer. “Sure.”

Qi Gao was short on money and couldn’t treat Chen Chuan to a proper meal, so they ended up ordering some snacks from the food truck by the road. Chen Chuan didn’t mind. If he was able to stomach the tasteless tubes of nutritional paste, anything with even a little taste was good to him.

Qi Gao had felt a little embarrassed and was worried that Chen Chuan would scoff at his offering, but when he saw Chen Chuan scarfing down the food, he found himself feeling hungry as well and started shoving food into his mouth. After finishing his bowl of fried noodles, he felt as if he had become alive, and he started engaging in small talk. “How old are you, Chen Chuan?”

“Seventeen,” Chen Chuan said, though if they went by his nominal age, he would already be eighteen. Not that he cared about that one-year difference in age. The people who associated with him often ignored his age.

“Seventeen? You’re so young. I have a daughter. She’s thirteen this year and is in middle school. She’s great at her studies.” At the mention of his daughter, the originally dejected middle-aged man smiled. Even his eyes sparkled.

While they were talking, he saw one of his contact’s profile pics jumping up and down in his Realm Pass. He perked up and said, “It’s here.”

He answered the call immediately, and someone asked, “Lao Qi, why are you looking into these anomalous-event missions?”

“I’m looking into them for a client. He’s interested in the supernatural. If you have any confirmed anomalous-event mission cases, send as many of them as you can my way.”

“Is that so? Lao Qi, I’d like to tell you: Don’t take up those missions. Gold Prawns aren’t to be trifled with. They have the Moss Gang supporting them and ties with the government.”

“I know. I’m just helping my client satisfy his curiosity,” Qi Gao said in a relaxed fashion.

The person’s voice became less grave, but he still said earnestly, “You’re no longer alone, Lao Qi. Think about Xiao Qi before doing anything.”

“Got it.”

After his conversation with the man, Qi Gao received a few anomalous-event missions. Once he read through them, he sent them to Chen Chuan’s Realm Pass.

“Take a look. These are all anomalous-event missions. I’ve had someone check through them, and they’re definitely legit.”

“Let me take a look,” Chen Chuan said.

Qi Gao observed him for a while before grinning. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry. I can differentiate between anomalies caused by supernatural beings and rituals.”

“You know that?” Chen Chuan was quite surprised. The average person was unable to tell.

“Everyone’s been young once, right? I wanted to try something back then and mingled with the cults. I even picked up some skills. Later on, I didn’t like how things were going, so I quit.” His voice contained a hint of wistfulness at the end.

Chen Chuan checked through the missions. They contained the locations, along with descriptions of what had happened before and after. They were much more detailed than what he saw before. Based on what was written, he could tell that they were most likely related to supernatural beings. This time, his targets were clear.

“Thanks, Mr. Qi,” he said gratefully.

“You’re being a stranger here, Chen Chuan. You’ve helped me a ton and even gave me a way to earn money. I’m the one who should thank you,” Qi Gao shot back.

Since he had decided to do this, he wasn’t going to overthink and hesitate. Besides, just the fact that Chen Chuan had been willing to pay his penalty and bail him out showed that he was reliable. He had also seen Chen Chuan showing his unrestricted defense permit to the border patrols, which was one of the reasons why he was willing to take this risk.

“Let’s check one of these places. Once I’m certain that it’s a supernatural being causing the anomaly, I’ll take up the mission and try to complete it,” Chen Chuan said.

Qi Gao stood up right away. “Alright. I have a car, so let me send you there.”

He ran over and drove his SUV out of the guard post’s parking lot to pick Chen Chuan up. Then, they headed to the location of the mission.

Chen Chuan cast a glance at the map. They were currently in Majestic Light District, while the mission was located at the intersection between Majestic Light District and Martial Order District. If things went well, he could head straight back to Martial Valor University.

Forty-five minutes later, they drew near the place. The area was a run-down neighborhood in a low-lying area. It was full of simple, hand-built wooden houses. Through the Realm Pass, Chen Chuan could see that most of the residents weren’t citizens.

While they went down a slope, Chen Chuan looked to the side and found a ritual symbol displayed blatantly on a wall.

Qi Gao noticed it too and explained, “Those symbols are everywhere in Central City. It’s better in the upper city district, but they’re rampant in the lower city district. It can’t be helped. The people can’t see any future for themselves. They do this to find some emotional comfort, which helps them keep on living.”

Chen Chuan knew that he was talking about the large underground slums. No one knew just how many people were down there. The laws and order of Central City couldn’t reach the slums, so Chen Chuan could imagine just how widespread cults were over there.

They traveled a little more before reaching a point inaccessible to vehicles. They got out and walked up the bumpy dirt road covered in wood and crushed stones.

They followed the instructions of the Realm Pass and walked forward four hundred meters until they arrived at a simple shack. Chen Chuan paused for a moment, because he saw his second self blurring out a little.

While rituals could also cause his second self to blur out, it was different from what he saw right now. Chen Chuan patted his ears to turn off the Realm Pass. He couldn’t leave a record of what he was about to do. After all, he was doing a mission while bypassing the platform. If he could avoid any unnecessary trouble, he would.

Even though his conversation with Qi Gao might have been recorded, the rules were simple. Their conversation couldn’t serve as evidence, and without concrete proof, he couldn’t be considered to have broken any rules.

Of course, this was just a precaution. Aside from the related parties, no one would look into such matters, just like how no one tried to capture the organ traffickers he encountered earlier.

Qi Gao fixed his eyes on the shack and said, “That’s the place. They’re the ones who posted the mission. Chen Chuan, I’m an agent, so I’m a professional in this. Let me negotiate with them. Wait outside for me.”

“Alright. I’ll wait here,” Chen Chuan said.

Qi Gao gave him a gesture to tell him not to worry before smoothing out his clothes and walking in. After ten minutes, he came out.

“I got the details. It’s the same as it was described on the platform,” he said after returning to Chen Chuan’s side.

Chen Chuan nodded. To put it simply, there was a pair of siblings whose parents had died when they were children. The older brother dropped out of school and joined a gang so that he could pay for his younger brother’s tuition fees. His younger brother’s grades were pretty good. Just when he was about to become successful, the older brother died in a gang conflict.

This was a huge shock to the younger brother, but after a few days, his dead brother had been resurrected, even though he couldn’t speak, didn’t move, and just stood around staring at him every day.

The younger brother knew that this was strange and wanted to hide it, but the neighbors soon discovered what had happened. A large number of plants around the area withered, and their pets died, so they came over to persuade him to bury the older brother.

While the younger brother didn’t want to do it, he knew that there was something wrong with the situation, so he buried the older brother with the help of the neighbors. But things didn’t end there. The anomalies persisted. At this point, the people in the run-down neighborhood had had enough and asked him to burn his brother’s corpse.

But the younger brother was strongly against it and guarded his brother’s grave with a gun. In order to solve the matter, the neighbors went to a person who had managed to move out of the area and had obtained citizenship to post a mission on the public platform.

Chen Chuan had never encountered such a supernatural being before, but he had seen something similar in the files Cheng Zitong had given him. As long as he could find the root cause, he could complete the mission.

“Chen Chuan, can that thing really affect the people around it?” Qi Gao asked hesitantly. “Xiao Man is pretty pitiful. He’s only fourteen, and he already had to live through such a tragedy.”

Chen Chuan looked him in the eye as he said, “Not only does it affect them, but also the effects are quite significant. People will be fine if exposed briefly, but many problems will arise if the exposure is long-term.”

“Like what?” Qi Gao asked instinctively, but Chen Chuan didn’t answer. Even so, he already knew what would happen.

With a sigh, he said, “Alright, I’ll go tell them that we’ll take up the mission.”