Since there was no video footage, it was still impossible to confirm whether the enormous fish truly existed.
For all they knew, it might simply have been a whale swept up by the gigantic waves and collectively mistaken by panicked witnesses for some impossible mythical creature.
Even so, as Director of the Anomaly Containment Agency, Song Zang still believed he had to go there personally.
After all, his fraudulent persona claimed to possess an ability that could see through the weaknesses of anomalies.
Quite a few people tried to persuade him not to go, saying he could simply direct everything remotely.
But according to his assigned character setting, Song Zang’s ability—or rather, Yin Chen’s ability—only worked if he personally saw the anomaly with his own eyes.
More importantly, several hundred thousand people had already died in the neighboring country. The situation was catastrophic, and if the deaths continued, the entire nation might be wiped out. With the title of the Anomaly Containment Agency’s highest-ranking leader on his shoulders, refusing to step forward personally would have been downright inhuman.
Yin Chen did not object to the travel plan. In fact, he immediately turned around and leaked the news to the media.
The Dragon Nation government promptly began extensively publicizing his “righteous and compassionate act.” Song Zang had not even done anything yet, but somehow his reputation skyrocketed all over again.
Without even trying, he had made his position as Director even more secure.
Song Zang was beginning to wonder whether the role-playing mission Yin Chen had seemingly made up out of thin air was actually entirely true…
On the day they were leaving, Song Zang watched Yin Chen lower his head and pack his luggage for him. He hesitated for a long time but still did not dare ask anything.
Because there was another, far more terrifying possibility—what if Yin Chen was not after his ass, but his feelings?
Song Zang was still busy trying to save Xiao Bai, and his life in the real world was already riddled with trouble. One careless mistake could drag someone else to their death. He simply had no room to consider anything extra, much less respond to someone’s feelings.
It has to be his role-playing mission. It has to be his role-playing mission. Stop imagining things.
Song Zang unconsciously kneaded the Director’s Seal between his fingers as he repeatedly warned himself.
“Teacher, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Song Zang paused, then stopped fidgeting with the seal as if to cover himself and lowered his eyes to avoid Yin Chen’s gaze.
Unexpectedly, Yin Chen suddenly gave a quiet, cold laugh, grabbed Song Zang’s luggage, and turned away.
His back disappeared rapidly down the corridor, somehow radiating immense resentment.
Song Zang: …?
He silently took out his phone and sent a message.
【Song Zang: Yin Chen, where are you going?】
【Yin Chen: Carp Nation.】
【Song Zang: cat_peeking.jpg. I mean, where are you going right now…?】
【Yin Chen: The helipad. We’re all waiting for you.】
【Song Zang: Coming!】
Is he angry?
Why is he suddenly angry again?
Utterly confused, Song Zang put the seal back into his pocket and hurried after him.
⸻
Once the decision was made, they departed immediately. Aside from Zhang Ming Shen, who was still busy reselling Dragon-Tongue Incense, every player joined the trip this time. Even Wang Shu was packed up and taken along.
Lan Yu Heng brought her well-trained Combat Team Two, along with several senior researchers whose character and reliability had been thoroughly vetted.
The Dragon Nation government provided the Agency with an official aircraft, complete with a medical team accompanying them for the entire trip. Meals and transportation expenses were reimbursed as well, so they did not have to spend a single cent themselves.
Once they boarded, Yin Chen’s expression seemed even worse. Every so often, he would suddenly glance at Song Zang for no apparent reason, then glance at him again.
Song Zang was already a little traumatized by airplanes. Sitting beside Yin Chen while being stared at so intensely made his back prickle…
After thinking it over, he simply pulled down his sleep mask, lay back, and went to sleep. Yin Chen seemed to give a faint heh, but at least he was not vicious enough to disturb Song Zang’s sleep.
By the time Song Zang woke up, the plane had already landed safely in the capital of Carp Nation.
They received an enthusiastic welcome the moment they disembarked. Two unfamiliar men in suits approached and tried to shake Song Zang’s hand, and Song Zang instinctively shifted behind Yin Chen.
That unconscious movement visibly improved Yin Chen’s mood.
The corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly before his face returned to its usual expressionless state. Standing in front of Song Zang, he said coolly, “Everyone, please step back immediately and undergo the Agency’s comprehensive contamination screening. Until you have been cleared, do not make any physical contact with the Director.”
“Ah… yes. Of course.”
Lan Yu Heng quickly organized the researchers and erected a temporary screening tent. Carp Nation was the one begging for assistance, so its officials did not dare object and obediently lined up for inspection.
Song Zang happily continued doing absolutely nothing. He remained silent throughout, lifted his chin to maintain an air of mystery, and hid behind Yin Chen and Ning Yan whenever negotiations or discussions arose, refusing to let anyone get near him.
His entire diplomatic strategy was to let everyone else do the talking.
Besides, Song Zang’s face was simply too youthful to be particularly intimidating. Forcing him to conduct negotiations himself would weaken the effect.
Yin Chen, on the other hand, became terrifyingly convincing the moment he put on his glasses.
Song Zang gladly handed every matter over to Yin Chen and enjoyed the peace and freedom. More importantly, Yin Chen himself seemed perfectly satisfied with the arrangement.
Finally. I managed to appease this temperamental great Buddha.
Song Zang rubbed the thermos filled with iced cola and secretly wiped away imaginary sweat.
The capital of Carp Nation stood on relatively high ground and was nowhere near the coast, so it was comparatively safe. Because of that, the locals did not seem to feel any immediate sense of impending catastrophe. Businesses throughout the streets and alleys remained open as usual, and the city grew even livelier as lunchtime approached.
With nothing urgent to do for the moment, Song Zang decided to experience the customs and atmosphere of a different country by going out for a walk with his “bodyguard.”
That bodyguard was Ning Yan, who happened to be equally enthusiastic about sightseeing.
Because Carp Nation was poor at containing anomalies, several Fog Barriers had already carved the already-small country into fragmented sections. Even so, the capital remained prosperous. Crowds packed the streets, and there were even quite a few carefree Dragon Nation tourists wandering through the shopping districts.
It was early autumn. The breeze carried pale yellow fallen leaves and a faint chill, while Song Zang wore a long overcoat and wandered from street to street buying food.
He also picked up plenty of delicate souvenirs and small decorations. None of them could be taken out of the game, but his Director persona was absurdly wealthy anyway, so spending a little extra hardly mattered.
Song Zang contentedly turned a tiny dog figurine over in his hands and decided that once they returned to the Agency, he would place it on his desk to add a little color to the dull, cold-toned office.
On their way back, a fine drizzle began to fall. Unlike the dry coolness expected in autumn, the air gradually became damp and heavy.
Neither Song Zang nor Ning Yan had brought an umbrella, so they hurried their steps.
The drizzle seemed perfectly normal at first, but without warning, something unexpected came straight at them.
There was something inside the rain.
A cold fish scale landed on Ning Yan’s face. It remained there for less than a second, yet a rapid sizzle, sizzle of corrosion immediately sounded.
Ning Yan sucked in a sharp breath but did not cry out in pain. Instinctively, he brushed the scale away with his sleeve, grabbed Song Zang, and hurried beneath the awning of a nearby storefront.
“How is it? Are you all right?”
Song Zang watched Ning Yan closely and saw a tender red mark gradually appear on his face in the shape of a fish scale.
It was bizarre. The injury looked almost exactly like a burn scar.
Ning Yan’s handsome face remained serious, and his tone sounded as though he were concerned about Song Zang, but the words coming out of his mouth made no logical sense whatsoever. He almost sounded like he was blowing bubbles. “Fish… gurgle, gurgle… fish. Big fish. Super big fish!”
Song Zang: …
He pressed a hand onto Ning Yan’s shoulder and deliberately slowed his speech. “Ning Yan, what did you see?”
Ning Yan did not move. He stood in front of Song Zang to shield him from the wind and rain while continuing to “blow bubbles.” “Gurgle-gurgle, big fish. It’s a big fish. Super big fish!”
When Ning Yan still showed no sign of recovering, Song Zang’s expression gradually became serious. He asked carefully once more, “What do you mean by ‘big fish’?”
“Gurgle. Fish. It’s a fish…”
Ning Yan looked utterly convinced. He was still capable of moving normally and even pulled out his phone, sent a pile of gibberish into the group chat, and finally managed to hit the emergency-help shortcut.
What happened? Did one fish scale contaminate him so badly that he went insane on the spot?
Song Zang fell silent for a moment. Then he abruptly raised one hand and struck the back of Ning Yan’s neck, deliberately using about twenty percent more force than usual.
With a thud, Ning Yan collapsed instantly and lost consciousness.
Song Zang thoughtfully picked up the fish scale. Nothing happened to him, so he put it into his pocket for safekeeping.
Not long afterward, Song Zang’s phone began ringing urgently.
“What happened?” The instant he answered, Yin Chen’s concerned voice came through the line.
Song Zang sniffed and immediately softened his voice, crying out in panic, “Something’s wrong with Ning Yan. He seems to have gone crazy and lost his mind. There’s definitely something wrong with this place… It’s the fish scales. Fish scales are falling from the sky. They might carry contamination that damages the mind…”
Yin Chen patiently listened to the entire explanation before replying softly, “Calm down. Where are you? I’m coming now. Don’t rush. Tell me slowly.”
“We’re outside an ice cream shop right now. There really are fish scales in the rain. I’m hiding under the awning…”
Yin Chen’s voice was slightly distorted through the phone, but Song Zang could still hear him deliberately making his tone gentler. “Don’t be afraid. Just leave him lying there. He’ll be fine until I arrive.”
“Okay.”
“Go inside the shop first. Buy two scoops of ice cream. Put one scoop on his face and eat the other one slowly. Teacher knows how to pay, right?” Yin Chen remained completely unhurried, coaxing him as if he were a child.
Why are you still calling me Teacher at a time like this?
“Okay. I know how.” Song Zang slowly exhaled and answered softly.
He obediently followed Yin Chen’s instructions and bought the ugly scoops of ice cream the frightened, trembling employee managed to serve him.
He carefully spread the plain vanilla flavor over the burn-like wound on Ning Yan’s face.
However, Song Zang did not immediately hide inside the shop. He sat at a small table outside, keeping an eye on Ning Yan while picking up his spoon and enjoying the other scoop.
Mint milk with chocolate chips, served with a thin, crispy wafer.
It was delicious.
Song Zang finished it quickly and could not resist buying another scoop.
“Mm. The matcha is good too.”
Finding moments of peace amid chaos and enjoying life in the middle of disaster had long since become one of Song Zang’s practiced skills.
He tilted his head and listened to the patter-patter of the rain while carefully observing the unfortunate pedestrians who had no rain protection.
Sure enough, the moment a fish scale touched someone, something went wrong without warning. Their reactions were far more violent than Ning Yan’s. First they cried out loudly in pain, then they quickly fell into the same shared hallucination, roaring and screaming as they ran around like headless flies.
In the worst cases, the skin on their faces rapidly began to dissolve. Yellow-white layers of fat were torn open by their own hands until even their blood-red gums were exposed, yet they seemed completely unaware of it and did nothing but scream gibberish like “Fish, fish, fish!” and “Aah! Big fish!”
Viewed that way, Ning Yan was actually incredibly strong…
Song Zang frowned slightly. After eating half of his second scoop, he could not resist reaching into his pocket and taking out the black fish scale that had driven Ning Yan insane.
The scale resting on his pale palm was beautifully curved, almost like an expensive shell. Its deep black color resembled black jade, gleaming brilliantly whenever light struck its surface.
After thinking for a while, Song Zang placed the scale on his spoon, covered it in ice cream, lowered his head, and bit into it.
As expected, a blue screen immediately appeared before his eyes.
【You consumed anomaly fragment: Scale of a Deep-Sea Subject. Resistance +1.】
A Scale of a Deep-Sea Subject… What exactly are these Deep-Sea Subjects?
Could this scale be connected to the Fish listed among the Legendary-rank anomalies?
If so, then their entire group really had come to the right place by rushing to support Carp Nation.
Song Zang strongly suspected that the Deep Sea itself was the truly terrifying existence in Carp Nation, while its so-called subjects were nothing more than cannon fodder.
The scale itself had almost no flavor. Song Zang wanted to pick up a few more and eat them, but there were now more and more crazed people in the street. Several with badly ulcerated faces stumbled around like headless flies and nearly charged straight into the ice cream shop.
The poor employee had been frightened into tears and was hiding beneath the counter, trembling.
The situation outside had become too chaotic, so Song Zang dragged Ning Yan into the shop, barricaded the door with two chairs, rested his chin in his hand, and waited for Yin Chen to come rescue him.
Less than five minutes later, a deafening mechanical roar filled the sky. A black helicopter whipped up violent winds as it landed steadily in front of the ice cream shop.
Yin Chen jumped out, opened a large black umbrella, and strode through the rain with the hem of his coat whipping behind him, looking almost like a god descending from the heavens.
Holding a gun in one hand, he precisely stunned every crazed pedestrian on the street without missing a single shot.
Only after confirming that the scene was completely safe did he nod for Song Zang to open the door.
The moment Song Zang pushed it open, Yin Chen pulled him into his arms.
Before Song Zang could react, the arm around his waist tightened slightly. His vision suddenly flipped and blurred… Yin Chen had actually hoisted him straight over one shoulder and carried him all the way back to the helicopter.
Song Zang’s mind went blank for a moment. For reasons even he could not explain, he did not resist.
The four-seat helicopter specially dispatched from Dragon Nation had an exterior coated in material resistant to fire, water, and corrosion. In terms of safety, it was probably more reliable than an ordinary concrete building.
Yin Chen tossed Ning Yan into the front seat but pulled Song Zang into the back with him.
Amid the roar of the helicopter taking off, Yin Chen made sure Song Zang’s seat belt was properly fastened. Then he suddenly spoke in a low, expressionless voice.
“Teacher, do you know why this accident happened?”
Song Zang blinked and shook his head. “Why?”
Yin Chen glanced at the drowsy Ning Yan and replied flatly, “Because you didn’t invite me to go out with you.”
Song Zang: …
His tone sounded calm, but there seemed to be a faint current of resentment hidden underneath.
“I was wrong.” Song Zang did not want trouble and immediately surrendered.
Hearing that, Yin Chen slowly curved his lips into a cold smile. “How could Teacher possibly be wrong?”
Great. Now he had switched to sarcasm.
Song Zang kept silent in resignation and turned his head toward the window to admire the scenery outside.
It could not really be called beautiful scenery. A sinister darkness hung faintly along the horizon, marking the Fog Barrier zones spreading wildly across Carp Nation.
A tsunami warning notification appeared on Song Zang’s phone. The predicted impact zone was extremely close to the capital, and the projected wave height was nearly one thousand meters.
The situation here was becoming worse by the minute. A tsunami could strike at any moment, and once a tsunami reached sufficient scale, the entire crust would tremble with it, threatening even more lives.
Frequent disasters made it easy for new anomalies to be born, and that was without even mentioning the poisonous rain of black fish scales currently falling from the sky…
Dragon Nation really is better. This place is practically unfit for human habitation.
While Song Zang was lost in thought, Ning Yan, who had been unconscious for quite some time, somehow managed to wake up through sheer determination.
He abruptly sat upright and immediately shouted, “Fish!”
Yin Chen reacted instantly, raised the butt of his gun, and jabbed Ning Yan hard in the lower back.
“Ah! Ah… huh?”
The sudden pain finally woke Ning Yan completely.
He was still dazed and had absolutely no idea what had happened. All he knew was that his face hurt, his neck hurt, and his entire body felt miserable.
“007, tell us what happened to you,” Yin Chen said, lowering the gun and folding his arms.
“Oh, right. I just… had a dream. I dreamed that I turned into a fish. It felt incredibly real, nothing like an ordinary dream.”
“Did you hear me talking to you?” Song Zang cut in.
“No. Not at all.” Ning Yan tried hard to remember, then frowned. “All I knew was that I was an ordinary fish swimming through a deep sea with no light at all, and I was really ugly…”
“What was in the sea?”
“No idea.” Ning Yan scratched his head and answered with remarkable simplicity and sincerity. “There’s no light in the deep sea, so there’s no need to see anything. None of us evolved much eyesight. Mm, my eyes were on my back. They looked awesome.”
Song Zang listened with great interest. “What an interesting dream.”
“So, um… what happened while I was dreaming? Why does the atmosphere feel kind of weird?”
“You went insane,” Yin Chen said bluntly.
But Ning Yan was far from the only person who had gone insane.
Looking down through binoculars from the helicopter, they could see crazed people filling the streets.
Even farther away along the horizon, a tsunami already loomed beneath the black clouds. It hung suspended in midair, surging like the enormous hem of a giant’s skirt. A normal tsunami could never behave like that. It made no sense.
The crazed people in the streets had begun crawling across the damp, slippery pavement. Though “crawling” was not entirely accurate—they mostly flailed their arms while using their core muscles to propel themselves forward, twisting along in an extraordinarily bizarre posture.
Such an exaggerated mass disturbance made the possibility of a Legendary-rank anomaly extremely high.
Song Zang looked through the binoculars only briefly before lowering them, his face pale. “They haven’t all started thinking they’re fish too, have they?”
“Yes.” Yin Chen answered leisurely. “Just like 007. If his brain becomes completely convinced of it, then after enough time passes, he’ll never wake up again. His body will also turn into that of a fish, leaving him unable to survive on land.”
Ning Yan sucked in a sharp breath. “Damn, that’s troublesome…”
A single fish scale had been enough to drive even a veteran player like him insane. Ordinary people clearly stood no chance of resisting. Anyone unlucky enough to touch even one would almost certainly meet a miserable end.
⸻
The government reacted fairly quickly and issued an emergency announcement warning all citizens of Carp Nation to return home immediately and stay out of the rain. It also began firing weather-modification shells into the sky in an attempt to suppress further rainfall.
By the time the three returned to the sealed hotel provided by Carp Nation, the staff had already implemented protective measures and erected a huge plastic canopy over the front courtyard.
The Agency’s combat personnel had all changed into raincoats and were busy capturing and restraining crazed people nearby. The researchers had also joined in, wearing fully enclosed protective suits as they threw themselves into studying the scales.
Lan Yu Heng moved among them calmly, keeping the staff’s emotions firmly under control.
Hearing that Yin Chen had returned after rescuing them, she came over to ask what had happened. “How did it go? Nobody was injured, right?”
“I accidentally went insane, but I’m fine now,” Ning Yan admitted somewhat sheepishly.
“Are these fish scales really that powerful?”
Lan Yu Heng seemed unconvinced.
Perhaps because she could not see, her mental state had always been extraordinarily stable and was rarely affected by contamination. Her curiosity piqued, she immediately reached out experimentally, caught a fish scale, and waited with it resting in her palm.
Ten seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
Ning Yan stared in disbelief, practically radiating stars from his eyes. “Sister Lan, you really are an absolute powerhouse! Hello, Big Shot. Would you be interested in learning about the Future Research Institute? Our mission is—to create a brighter, better future for humanity and the world!”
As he enthusiastically shouted the slogan, he nudged Song Zang with his elbow, signaling for him to join in and tell Lan Yu Heng all about the wonderful life at Helin Estate.
Song Zang smiled helplessly and was just about to speak when he abruptly felt Yin Chen’s cold gaze land on him.
“Teacher, we’re all members of the Anomaly Containment Agency. How could you secretly join another research institute? Why didn’t you tell me when you acquired a new organization?”
Each question was sharper than the last, making it impossible to tell whether Yin Chen was merely acting or expressing his genuine feelings.
Song Zang hurriedly explained, “It’s not my organization. I only just—”
Before he could finish, Ning Yan excitedly darted over. Summoning his courage, he enthusiastically pitched the idea. “Big Shot Yin, if you’re interested, you can check us out too! Miss Chi, the youngest daughter of Luo City’s richest family, owns businesses all across the country. Helin Mountain Villa is springlike year-round, the accommodations are top-tier five-star quality, and we’ve got every kind of entertainment you could want!”
Yin Chen listened expressionlessly. After a brief silence, he leisurely adjusted his cuffs and said, “I only listen to Teacher. If Teacher tells me to go, I’ll go.”
Song Zang did not hesitate for even a second. “Then come.”
So what if Yin Chen had a strange personality? Song Zang would much rather have someone like him remain permanently on his side.
In the Infinite Game, the ability to fight was what truly mattered.
“All right, Teacher.” Yin Chen agreed immediately, a faint smile appearing in his eyes. “Then I’ll go take care of some things. Teacher, please remember what you just said.”
“…”
Song Zang stared blankly as Yin Chen turned away, then exchanged an equally blank look with Ning Yan.
“Did it work?” Ning Yan whispered.
“I think so,” Song Zang answered weakly.
He had the distinct feeling that he might spend his entire life never understanding what went on inside Yin Chen’s head.
He could not predict what would make the man happy or angry at all.
Song Zang was still dazed, but Ning Yan had already become ecstatic.
Now that his recruitment pitch had succeeded, Ning Yan’s lingering gloomy mood vanished completely. His courage rose with it, and he even dared to follow directly behind Yin Chen to help rescue people.
In the blink of an eye, every player seemed to become busy.
What they really should have been doing was discussing containment strategies together and using the known information about the anomaly to infer an appropriate containment method like proper researchers.
Instead, everyone was busy saving people.
The reason for this awkward situation was simple: with the tiny scraps of information they currently possessed, there was nowhere to begin.
Real-time satellite images of the cloud cover above Carp Nation showed absolutely nothing abnormal. All they captured were ordinary storm clouds.
Even worse, nobody had the ability to fly directly into the sky and personally investigate where the fish scales were coming from, and nobody could withstand a tsunami with their bare body. Not even Dragon Nation’s most advanced naval fleet could accomplish that.
By now, it was essentially certain that Carp Nation’s catastrophe originated from some terrifying and immensely powerful anomaly, and it was almost certainly Legendary-rank.
The creature shedding those scales might live somewhere on the seafloor, but trying to fish that enormous thing out of a dangerous ocean already threatened by tsunamis had virtually no chance of success and carried countless additional risks.
If they accidentally triggered even more attack conditions, the aftermath would become impossible to control.
For now, all they could do was bring the chaos in the capital under control as quickly as possible, prevent further casualties, and patiently wait to see whether the researchers could uncover any useful clues from the scales.
“Boss, should we call Zhang Ming Shen over too? Have him perform a divination in person?”
Seeing that they could not make rapid progress, Lan Yu Heng frowned and asked Yin Chen while leaning on her white cane.
“No need. Old Zhang is extremely busy right now. Let him focus on making money.”
Yin Chen spoke as though he were occupied with his work, yet his gaze was quietly following Song Zang the entire time.
Because Song Zang had been surrounded by NPCs.
As one unconscious “body” after another was carried inside, the researchers who did not understand what was happening were becoming increasingly anxious. They could not resist crowding around Song Zang and bombarding him with questions.
What should they do next? How were they supposed to deal with such an incomprehensible and mysterious anomaly? What specific research plan should they follow?
Song Zang’s fraudulent persona, who claimed to possess the Eagle Eye ability, had inevitably become the anchor everyone in the Agency relied upon.
Standing at the center of the crowd, Song Zang raised one hand and motioned for everyone to quiet down.
He did not panic. He pressed his lips together, lowered his eyes in thought, and stared at the pitch-black fish scale for a long moment before declaring with absolute certainty, “This fish scale does not belong to a Legendary-rank anomaly. It belongs to one of a Legendary-rank anomaly’s subjects.”
“The real anomaly…” Song Zang paused, deliberately adding just a little dramatic flair before continuing in a grave voice, “is the Deep Sea itself.”
The crowd immediately erupted into shocked discussion, looking at Song Zang with complete trust and admiration.
Only then did Song Zang finally grasp the most important function of 【Mask】.
—One day, all he would have to do was make something up on the spot, and everyone around him would believe it completely.
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