New Mission

Even though he had been specially recruited into the Anomaly Management Bureau, Yu Duanhong could still occasionally feel someone peeking at him from the shadows.

One of the rules of the ghost he controlled was "Death Upon Eye Contact," so he was extremely sensitive to the gazes of others.

Thinking it over carefully, he understood why.

Perhaps the Bureau didn't trust him all that much.

Or perhaps someone was simply curious about him and was observing him in secret.

It was also possible that he had been caught up in some conspiracy and was under suspicion, requiring surveillance.

The moment he thought of how miserably Wang Hao's family had died, Yu Duanhong couldn't help but want to laugh.

The shadow in his heart was mostly cleared away, and his entire demeanor had become much more cheerful.

If they wanted to watch him, let them. In this era, people didn't have much privacy anyway.

With an expressionless face, Yu Duanhong stared at the screen and continued searching the archives.

Unfortunately, he hadn't found the answer he was looking for by noon.

Rule-based ghosts like this were truly rare.

During the lunch break, Yu Duanhong went to eat with two good friends he had recently met at the Bureau, Xia Xihai and Lin He.

He wasn't a social butterfly; the reason he could make two good friends in such a short time was that the Bureau had been acting strange lately.

Many people in the Bureau were absolute lunatics and eccentrics. As the rare normal people among them, the three of them naturally gravitated toward each other.

In the cafeteria, Xia Xihai spoke while eating, "On your way to work today, did you notice anything different?"

"Different? No, everything seemed the same as usual." Yu Duanhong was busy dealing with his own troubles every day and had no energy to pay attention to anything else.

At that moment, Lin He spoke up, "I noticed that there are many more unfamiliar faces on the streets of the Old District lately. Most of them are traveling with families, carrying luggage and bundles. They seem to have come from other cities. It doesn't look like tourism—otherwise, they wouldn't come to the Old District. It looks more like they're fleeing a disaster."

Lin He lived in the Old District, so he had some understanding of the situation there.

"Listen to that; that's professionalism for you. Little Yu, your observation skills still need work," Xia Xihai teased.

Yu Duanhong smiled and said, "I'm just a newcomer. I haven't had any professional training, so how would I notice things like that? Lin He, tell us more. Why would so many outsiders suddenly appear?"

Lin He inadvertently glanced at Yu Duanhong's corpse-like skin, then lowered his head and said:

"I noticed the influx of outsiders as early as two weeks ago. At first, those people were calm and composed; they rented houses, looked for jobs, and even bought property. I have quite a few new neighbors near my home."

"But in the last two days, the outsiders pouring into Forging City have become more numerous and more hurried. By this morning, the situation turned into what it is now. I have no idea what's going on."

Xia Xihai cleared his throat and said slowly, "I actually know a bit of inside information."

Lin He replied, "If you know, then say it. Stop keeping us in suspense."

Xia Xihai lowered his voice. "I have a relative living in the neighboring Hu City. I heard they had a very serious riot over there, but it was suppressed by the local Bureau."

"Unless I'm mistaken, they failed to keep it under control, and things have blown up."

Lin He's brow arched. "What nerve. The residents of Hu City have already fled to Forging City, yet the local Bureau still hasn't reported the situation to get it resolved quickly?"

Xia Xihai lowered his voice even further. "The brains of the leadership in Hu City might be filled with dishwater."

"I'm just giving you guys a heads-up. Hu City is too close to us. Once a large-scale supernatural incident truly breaks out and Hu City can't handle it, we'll likely be urgently deployed there as reinforcements."

"Especially you, Little Yu. You should have some idea of your own situation."

Yu Duanhong put down his chopsticks, a sense of helplessness rising in his heart.

Even though he had 'made it to the shore' and secured a stable position, there was still social maneuvering within the system.

Securing the job didn't mean he could just slack off. The Bureau frequently handled supernatural incidents, and many people had to rush to the front lines and come into close contact with danger.

Those easy and prestigious idle roles were all tailor-made positions for those with connections.

Those without power or influence could only get the battles that were impossible to win. If they managed to turn such a battle around, someone would naturally come along to steal the credit and pad their resume.

Yu Duanhong not only lacked power and background but was also a 'suspect' in a special situation. He wasn't close to most people in the Bureau, so if a high-risk supernatural incident really occurred, he would likely be the first one pushed out.

That mysterious long-haired man who had given him his fortuitous encounter wasn't his protector; the Bureau wouldn't have any qualms.

...

"Forgot to turn off the faucet this morning, causing the floor below to flood."

"Although the neighbor was very angry, I watered their potted plants. I am the best little lamb!"

In order to complete the system's beginner mission, Jiang Kun immediately filmed a video of himself performing a good deed and received many positive comments.

The mission was complete, and the rewards were settled immediately.

The complete text of the basic martial arts cultivation manual, 《Introductory Explanation of Qi Refinement》, appeared directly before his eyes.

Jiang Kun was ecstatic. Without a word, he locked himself in his bedroom and began to cultivate.

He concentrated all his attention, trying to capture that trace of 'Qi' flow.

Ten minutes later, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Half an hour later, his joy vanished, replaced by growing irritability.

An hour later, he opened his eyes, his brow furrowed tightly.

He had long been accustomed to the low cost, high return, and instant results of mechanical modification. Every time he upgraded, it brought a massive, instantaneous improvement.

Martial arts cultivation was simply too slow.

Moreover, he was completely unable to even reach the entry level.

Jiang Kun raised his hand. His mechanical arm was covered with a layer of bionic skin, making it look almost no different from a human arm.

But it wasn't real flesh and blood.

Can I really cultivate martial arts?

Jiang Kun began to have doubts.

He tried for a long time, struggling until evening, but he still achieved nothing.

It seemed that martial arts were not destined for him.

His heart was gradually filled with frustration, and Jiang Kun felt emo for a while.

However, he soon regained his spirit because he now had a greater reliance—the Heaven-Defying Fate-Changing System.

Since he couldn't cultivate the martial arts system, he would just switch to another one.

In any case, the martial arts system wasn't exactly top-tier. The supernatural systems that official institutions were willing to distribute to the public through transcendent academies certainly wouldn't be too powerful.

Systems like immortal cultivation, Daoist arts, and magic were the ones truly kept under lock and key, held only by those at the very top, with not a shred of knowledge leaking out.

The system's beginner mission rewarded a martial arts technique, so if he performed other missions, there might be even better things!

At this thought, Jiang Kun immediately opened the system to check his new missions.

【Mission 1】: The Hu City Anomaly.

Mission Description: Head to Hu City and investigate the truth behind the recent massive population outflow.

Mission Reward: Randomly awaken a supernatural power; 1000 system points.

Jiang Kun's eyes immediately widened.

Randomly awaken a supernatural power?

Was this for real!

He wasn't seeing things, was he?

He rubbed his eyes.

He hadn't misread it; it was real!

Jiang Kun was so excited he almost jumped for joy.

He had thought the reward of a martial arts manual for the beginner mission was generous enough. He hadn't expected there would be even better things waiting for him!

"As expected of the Heaven-Defying Fate-Changing System. I love you to death!"

Jiang Kun laughed maniacally in his room.

If he could awaken a supernatural power, what did it matter if he couldn't cultivate martial arts?

He immediately packed his things, preparing to set off for Hu City.

However, he quickly calmed down. The system wanted him to investigate the truth behind the massive population loss in Hu City.

The beginner mission had been very simple, but formal missions might not be so easy.

Since it involved missing persons, he would likely encounter danger. He had to do his homework and prepare thoroughly beforehand.

He had finally bound with a system; it would be a terrible loss if he died while executing a mission.

Jiang Kun first searched the internet to see what strange things had happened in Hu City recently.

Online, everything was calm.

Occasionally, a netizen would mention that a supernatural incident seemed to have broken out in Hu City and that many people were selling their homes and moving away.

But such comments were quickly scrubbed.

Because of this, Jiang Kun became even more certain that something big had happened in Hu City!

Since he couldn't find anything online, Jiang Kun began to use his wealth and connections.

He picked up his phone and called one of his friends.

"You want to come to Hu City? Take a brother's advice—now isn't a good time. Wait a while," his friend said.

"What exactly happened?" Jiang Kun asked.

He knew something big had happened, but he had to go.

He was only investigating the truth; he shouldn't encounter too much danger.

Moreover, he was quite confident in his current self. His mechanical limbs were loaded with many weapons, and he could run extremely fast.

If he really ran into something, he would just flee.

If ordinary people could sell their houses and run, he didn't believe he couldn't outrun them.

His friend said, "I'm not clear on the specifics."

"I can only tell you for sure that there's an indescribable strangeness in Hu City right now. Public transportation to Hu City and the surrounding areas might have already been closed to the public."

"If you don't believe me, check for yourself. You shouldn't be able to buy tickets for the trains to Hu City."

Jiang Kun immediately checked and said, "No, the trains to Hu City are still selling tickets normally."

"What?" On the other end of the line, his friend seemed shocked.

"I remember the ticket windows for that route were closed not long ago. Why did it change back?"

"Could I have remembered wrong?"

"There are so many damn strange things going on."

...

In a research lab at the Wang Group.

On a workbench, various precision instruments were arranged in an orderly fashion, and a mechanical body was secured in the center.

The body had a male appearance with long, well-proportioned lines, covered in a layer of bionic skin.

The skin texture was delicate, even featuring vein patterns and pores.

"Your body is ready. You can give it a try." Yue Shi looked at the black cat crouching nearby.

The black cat's pupils flickered, and the Ghost's original form emerged, quickly possessing the mechanical body on the workbench.

The eyelids of the mechanical body twitched.

Then, they slowly opened.

The irises were amber, simulating the contraction and dilation of a biological pupil as they adapted to the light.

His gaze fell upon his own hands. The five fingers were long, and the knuckles were well-defined.

He tried bending his fingers, and the joints made a realistic sound of soft tissue friction.

He sat up from the workbench, his movements coordinated without a hint of mechanical stiffness.

Lowering his head to examine his entire body, the bionic skin shifted with his movements.

He raised a hand and touched his cheek; the sensation was warm and elastic, no different from real human skin.

"A perfect fit. This is exactly what I wanted." The Ghost's voice emerged from the mechanical body's throat, the tone a deep, raspy baritone that sounded very close to a natural human.

He rotated his neck, performed several complex movements, and even did a split.

"The precision of the Wang Group's production line is indeed quite good," Yue Shi commented.

The Ghost controlled his new body and walked to a full-length mirror on one side of the lab, carefully studying his reflection.

His height, proportions, and facial contours were all built strictly according to the parameters he had provided.

His brow was clear, his nose bridge straight, and his facial proportions were just right; it was a very handsome face.

"The visual simulation is very high."

"A bit too high." Yue Shi walked over and also looked into the mirror.

"It's perfectly symmetrical, the skin is too flawless, and the expressions are too standard. You look like a game model."

The Ghost made a smiling expression.

It was a bit pseudo-human; he looked more like a person when he was cold and expressionless.

"The bionic skin was based on your data. Your evaluation is just a boomerang hitting yourself."

Yue Shi raised an eyebrow. "My fault?"

The Ghost replied, "No, I'm complimenting you. Your looks exceed the human limit; it just produces a bit of an uncanny valley effect."

Yue Shi said, "I can't help it. 'Beauty' is innate, a passive effect."

The Ghost turned and walked toward a nearby clothing rack where a set of clothes was hanging.

"In situations where you need to quickly establish surface-level trust, an outstanding face is very useful."

He put on the clothes, his movements smooth and natural. The fabric clung to the curves of his bionic body, immediately diluting the non-human feel and adding a touch of the cold aloofness of a social elite.

However, while putting on his trousers, he suddenly paused for a moment as if he had encountered something incredible.

Yue Shi was puzzled. "What's wrong?"

The Ghost looked dazed. "Nothing. By the way, do you usually dress to the left or the right?"

"..." Yue Shi was speechless.

...

"The train to Hu City will be arriving shortly..."

The station broadcast for the high-speed train sounded. Jiang Kun carried his luggage and walked toward the gate.

"So many people..."

He saw crowds of people moving through the station with their families, with luggage and bundles everywhere.

Not only that, but Jiang Kun also saw a specially established temporary inspection station at the entrance of the waiting hall.

An entire squad of police officers and intelligent robots stood by in the vicinity.

As Jiang Kun walked forward, a staff member at the gate made a stop gesture toward him.

"Sorry, sir. The trains to Hu City have been taken over. Non-official personnel are currently prohibited from boarding."

Jiang Kun's eyes narrowed. Something big had indeed happened in Hu City.

He handed over an ID. "I have received authorization from the Anomaly Management Bureau."

"An outsourced investigator with temporary clearance to be granted convenience depending on the situation?" The staff member was somewhat surprised upon seeing the ID.

"'Depending on the situation' means exactly this situation. An anomaly has occurred in Hu City, and a large number of citizens are being transferred; you should know about this. I am a temporary investigator, and the Bureau has sent me there on an important mission," Jiang Kun said.

This was an ID he had obtained through his connections—he was an outsourced investigator.