Not a single person questioned whether Song Zang’s judgment was correct. Everyone simultaneously looked as though something had suddenly clicked into place and began seriously considering what he had said.
One researcher even looked worried and asked with concern, “Director, what are you planning to do next? Are you going to personally investigate the Deep Sea’s weakness in one of the coastal cities? Wouldn’t that be too dangerous?”
“Exactly! It’s terrifying out there. Director, you should stay in the capital.”
“Now that we’ve confirmed the anomaly’s identity, we have a direction for further research. Please don’t put yourself in danger!”
The employees, who had originally been anxious because of the terrifying anomaly, completely lost sight of the main issue and began talking over one another in concern for the Director’s safety. The tense atmosphere immediately eased considerably.
Song Zang did not answer their questions right away, because he was thinking too.
What weakness could the deep sea possibly have?
On Earth, the deep sea was practically eternal by nature. It had no natural predators and had endured for hundreds of millions of years without perishing.
Still, since this was a game instance, there had to be more than one way to solve the problem.
After thinking for a moment, Song Zang’s expression remained perfectly controlled.
His face was a little pale, but he still looked calm and composed as he slowly said, “Don’t worry. I’m not going. The only thing capable of countering a Legendary-rank anomaly is another Legendary-rank anomaly.
“Although we can’t find another one right now, everyone knows that large quantities of water evaporate under sunlight.
“High temperatures, intense heat, and the overwhelming power of the sun can all reduce the damage this anomaly causes… I’ll think of a way to make use of the sun over the next few days.”
Song Zang had made all of that up on the spot, but regardless of whether it was true, it did successfully calm everyone down.
As for how exactly he could make use of the sun, he actually had the beginnings of an idea. He simply needed to think it through more carefully.
Surprisingly, Yin Chen did not contradict him either. He quietly listened to the entire speech, then curved his lips and agreed, “Everything the Director said is correct.”
Ning Yan was thoroughly confused. Assuming Song Zang and Yin Chen had already reached some sort of unspoken understanding, he wisely kept quiet.
By then, the chaos surrounding the hotel had largely been brought under control. Song Zang cleared his throat and continued issuing instructions. “Starting now, we’ll work in shifts. Teams One and Two will alternate between duty and rest. And one last thing—you must all be hungry. Let’s have some barbecue first.”
“Huh? Barbecue?” Ning Yan froze.
Song Zang nodded with a smile. “That’s right. Barbecue.”
At the very least, they needed to get some braziers and charcoal fires going and see what effect the heat had before discussing what to do next.
Although a large rain canopy had been erected over the open area in front of the hotel, cold rainwater was still slowly accumulating and creeping inward.
An ominous film of water had already spread beneath the paving stones.
The employees Song Zang had reassured worked extremely efficiently. Before long, the aroma of grilled meat spread through the crowd, while the warm fires brought an indescribable sense of security.
As it turned out, Song Zang’s arrangement really was useful.
One researcher who had accidentally touched a scale, gone mad, and subsequently fallen unconscious happened to be lying not far from one of the charcoal braziers.
As the flames grew stronger, the man suddenly jolted awake from his sleep and shouted in panic, “I’m so thirsty! Why did I turn into grilled fish?! Don’t eat me… Huh?”
His friend rushed over despite the danger. “Old Li! How are you feeling?”
Old Li looked dazed. “I-I had a nightmare…”
After repeated checks, the fortunate researcher was confirmed to have regained his sanity. Once his entire body had been disinfected, no contamination remained on him. It was excellent news.
Since it worked, Song Zang immediately ordered them to build up the fires and have the staff drag the unconscious victims over one by one to warm themselves beside the flames.
The researchers generally had fairly high Resistance, so most of them were successfully revived. Far more ordinary civilians, however, could not be awakened at all.
Even when placed beside the fire, all they could do was twist, flop, and thrash like fish, their limbs moving in distinctly unnatural ways.
“They’re not coming back. They’ve already begun mutating. They need to be submerged in seawater, or they’ll die of thirst very soon.”
After saying this with a frown, Yin Chen immediately turned around and ordered someone to find a giant inflatable pool.
Everyone who appeared completely beyond saving was gathered inside the inflatable pool after it had been filled with seawater. Dedicated personnel were assigned to watch over them, barely keeping their vital signs stable.
Not long afterward, strange changes gradually began appearing in the pool.
Fish scales emerged along the sides of their faces and necks. Gills slowly grew where their jawbones had once been, and their legs began grotesquely fusing together, their clothes merging with them to become part of their fish tails.
Because they had been wearing different clothes, everyone developed tails of different colors and shapes. Their upper limbs and eyes also began showing signs of degeneration.
The brightly colored “merpeople” piled together inside the inflatable pool created such a disturbing visual that chills ran down the spine.
Whether this transformation was ultimately good or bad for them remained impossible to say. At the same time, Carp Nation delivered another piece of bad news.
The super-tsunami really was approaching, and its speed toward the coastline had begun accelerating rapidly. Faint tremors could already be felt in the capital.
The observable tsunami front was now only about one hundred kilometers from the nearest coastal city.
That might sound far away, but one hundred kilometers meant very little to an enormous wave. In less than two hours, it could potentially swallow the coastline whole.
Lan Yu Heng could no longer sit still. She called for a helicopter and decided to personally inspect the scene.
Before leaving, she specifically called to Ning Yan. “Little officer, want to come with me and take a look?”
Ning Yan hesitated and glanced at Song Zang. “C-can I? But I’m supposed to stay beside the Director and protect him…”
“Go. If someone’s handing you an opportunity, don’t wait until it goes cold,” Yin Chen interrupted icily. His tone was impatient, though at least his choice of words was relatively civilized.
Ning Yan stared blankly at him, then turned toward Lan Yu Heng’s friendly smile and suddenly understood—this powerhouse was offering to teach him and carry him along!
He immediately shouted, “I’m coming! Sister Lan, it’s such a shame you can’t see my expression right now… I’m grinning like a maniac. Absolutely ecstatic!”
“…I can tell.” Lan Yu Heng was both amused and exasperated as she put on her goggles. She was the first to jump into the helicopter and waved a hand. “Come on, little officer. Let’s go see what exactly is going on with this tsunami.”
“Coming!”
And so Ning Yan happily followed Lan Yu Heng out on a field mission.
Song Zang actually wanted to go have a look too, but Yin Chen forcefully kept him where he was and insisted that he continue eating barbecue.
Seeing that Yin Chen did not seem anxious in the slightest and remained perfectly calm, Song Zang naturally felt even less inclined to resist.
More importantly, the Deep Sea had not triggered any of Song Zang’s instinctive warnings of imminent death.
So he remained comfortably stationed in the rear, guiltlessly eating the grilled chicken wings Yin Chen kept handing him.
Yin Chen’s control of the heat was flawless. The fresh chicken was grilled until juicy and tender, glazed with honey, then sprinkled with cumin and chili powder. The instant Song Zang bit through the lightly charred, golden skin, he felt as though he had entered heaven.
This was the best barbecue he had ever eaten!
Song Zang could already imagine how viciously the players on the forum would curse him if they ever saw footage of him eating barbecue at a time like this.
The more he imagined it, the happier he became. His appetite immediately improved, and he ate to his heart’s content.
Yin Chen also seemed extremely satisfied and visibly became happier.
Song Zang quietly took note of that detail, and his suspicion that Yin Chen had a white-knight complex rose another notch.
＊
Half an hour later, Lan Yu Heng sent back a message.
【Lan: The anomaly isn’t the giant fish. I caught the fish and killed it on the spot.】
【Lan: super_giant_black_fish_split_in_half.jpg — Ning_Yan_delirious_and_lying_down.jpg — Ning_Yan_blowing_bubbles.jpg】
Reading the messages, Song Zang silently lit an imaginary stick of incense for poor Ning Yan.
Lan Yu Heng truly lived up to her reputation. She had no fear of contamination and could dominate the battlefield entirely on her own. Song Zang sincerely admired her brutal efficiency, so he immediately gave her a raise, doubled her bonus, and spread the news that the black fish had been killed to stabilize morale.
Unfortunately, what looked like good news was merely an appetizer. The truly dangerous development arrived immediately afterward.
【Lan: There’s a problem. Sea level hasn’t risen significantly, but the land near the coastline is rapidly disappearing and sinking.】
【AAA Old Zhang · Affordable Dragon-Tongue Incense Wholesale: What do you mean?】
【Lan: …Old Zhang, what is wrong with you? Change your nickname!】
After scolding Zhang Ming Shen, she quickly sent several high-definition aerial photographs.
The original coastline had been a beautiful stretch of golden beach.
But now, with each rise and fall of the waves, all the sand had disappeared, exposing the black reefs beneath.
Even those stubborn reefs could not escape being devoured. Every time a wave struck them, they inexplicably collapsed a little farther downward.
As the helicopter flew farther out over the sea, they discovered that the once-visible boundary between deep water and the shallows was gradually becoming indistinct.
Dark green shadows filled the seemingly calm seawater. The deeper the color, the deeper the seabed beneath it.
Ten minutes later, Ning Yan sent a video as well. His hands were trembling slightly, and he did not say a word throughout the recording.
The sight in the video was even more shocking.
Beginning where the “shallows” met the shore, an enormous underwater cliff now stretched across the seafloor.
The reefs and land that had existed there earlier looked as though they had simply been sliced away and erased!
Everywhere the seawater reached had become dangerously deep ocean that could no longer be casually entered. One misplaced step would send someone plunging straight into lethal depths.
Song Zang’s guess had been correct. The existence capable of wielding such vast and horrifying power—even manipulating seawater to devour the land itself—was 【Deep Sea】.
If it were allowed to continue unchecked, not only could all of Carp Nation eventually sink beneath the ocean, but Dragon Nation’s own land would inevitably be threatened as well.
“What a troublesome anomaly,” Yin Chen said, his expression darkening slightly.
Song Zang finally lost interest in his barbecue. He was troubled too.
How exactly was he supposed to kill an unfathomably vast stretch of deep ocean?
Hmm… I should light three sticks of Dragon-Tongue Incense first and see how strong it is.
Without attracting attention, Song Zang returned to his luxurious hotel suite and shut the doors and windows.
Click—
A spark flashed, and the Dragon-Tongue Incense lit successfully.
But even after Song Zang waited a full two minutes, it showed no sign of going out. Smoke gradually filled the room.
Song Zang experimentally blew toward the glowing tips. They flickered briefly but stubbornly refused to extinguish. The incense tips actually seemed to glow with a faintly sinister light after being fanned brighter.
Thoughtfully, Song Zang raised one hand and pressed his palm over them, grinding down gently several times.
They still would not go out.
“So it really is that powerful…”
The Dragon-Tongue Incense usage rules explicitly stated that if the incense continued burning for an abnormally long time, a large-scale self-destruct device was to be deployed.
And what exactly was a large-scale self-destruct device?
Junior employees would serve as human explosive charges. Each person would carry either an anomaly capable of self-detonation or a small nuclear device, then deliberately trigger the explosion at the moment of contact with the target anomaly so that both sides died together.
In the end, it amounted to filling the gap with the lives of low-ranking employees. It was simply dressed up in less shocking terminology to disguise the brutal reality behind the procedure.
Song Zang personally disagreed with the method, but he still asked Yin Chen for his opinion.
Yin Chen disagreed as well and answered seriously, “Teacher, a self-destruct device would be useless.”
“Really?”
“If you throw a nuclear bomb into the ocean, will it actually kill the deep sea? Unless we destroy the entire planet along with it, a self-destruct device isn’t a realistic option.”
At that point, Yin Chen suddenly curved his lips. Lowering his voice, he spoke softly as though coaxing Song Zang into something. “Teacher, if you want to try blowing up this world, I wouldn’t object. I can help you.”
Song Zang: …
What kind of insanity is this man spouting now? Help.
He could not even summon the enthusiasm to perform being “afraid” in front of Yin Chen anymore. He merely stared at him in gloomy silence before returning to his earlier train of thought.
As long as the Deep Sea refused to stop attacking, human intervention would achieve nothing, and the rain of fish scales could return at any time.
There was no time to waste. Fire could only maintain temporary stability, and they could hardly force the people of Carp Nation to remain indoors forever. Their most promising solution now was to find more fire, more sources of heat, and greater power.
If that was the case, Song Zang could only try the most extreme plan he had thought of.
He told Yin Chen to bring over Wang Shu, who had remained under strict confinement.
Wang Shu had not exactly been enjoying himself over the past few days. Not only had he lost his freedom, but his meals were exceptionally poor, barely qualifying as food that met the minimum nutritional requirements.
Yin Chen was particularly mean to Wang Shu. Whenever the staff were eating delicious food, he would even make a point of livestreaming it for him to watch.
Wang Shu had not lost much weight, but his complexion had visibly worsened, and he looked listless.
Before being brought into the suite, he simply hung his head and allowed himself to be handled. The instant he saw Song Zang, however, he suddenly came alive. His slightly protruding eyes were streaked with red as he glared at Song Zang viciously.
How strange. Song Zang still could not understand why Wang Shu hated him so much.
After all, it had been another “person” entirely who had beaten the Earth Mother Goddess senseless.
Unfortunately, that clingy troublesome thing had not appeared even once in this instance. Instead, Song Zang had encountered another unpredictable “Brother Chen.”
Perhaps because their names happened to share the character Chen, Song Zang occasionally thought of that creature whenever he called Yin Chen’s name.
Song Zang kept that tiny coincidence entirely to himself and had no intention of mentioning it to anyone.
In fact, it was precisely because of that coincidence that his tolerance for Yin Chen’s confusing behavior had quietly increased severalfold.
Of course, he intended to keep that little secret firmly to himself as well.
Faced with Wang Shu’s hateful stare, Song Zang pressed his lips together in an innocent smile and took out the most unbelievable top-secret anomaly in the entire Anomaly Containment Agency—the Director’s Seal.
He stroked the soft, restless seal paste wriggling beneath it, then raised his hand and firmly stamped a vivid blood-red mark onto an employment contract written specifically for Wang Shu.
“Congratulations. Starting now, you have officially been hired as an E-rank employee of the Anomaly Containment Agency.”
Song Zang informed him of this wonderful news in a gentle voice, smiling brightly.
As he spoke, he held up the tyrannical contract, its terms written clearly in black and white, so Wang Shu could admire it from close range.
The Director himself had personally drafted these clauses. Ordinary employees could not get this sort of treatment even if they wanted it.
Wang Shu’s eyes widened, confusion mixed with panic. “What the hell is that? What are you trying to do?!”
Song Zang put the contract away and patiently explained, “You’re now the lowest-ranking employee in our Agency. Under the legally binding Employee Rules, you must obey every order unconditionally.”
“…What?”
“So now, tell me why you’re able to summon anomalies.”
Wang Shu’s face twitched several times before he snapped viciously, “Hmph. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“No, you do.” Song Zang idly played with the handle of the seal and issued a quiet command. “E-rank employee Wang Shu, answer my question immediately.”
Wang Shu opened his mouth to refuse, only for an urgent sense of mortal danger to suddenly close around him. It felt as though, if he insisted on disobeying the order, the consequences really would be severe.
Seeing the hesitation in Wang Shu’s eyes, Song Zang settled himself and began coaxing him patiently.
“Wang Shu, we don’t actually have some irreconcilable blood feud. I’ve never forced you to abandon your faith, have I?”
“Nonsense! What you did to the Earth Mother Goddess—”
Song Zang smiled and interrupted him. “If you want to worship the Earth Mother Goddess, I won’t stop you. As for me, if the Goddess intends to make me suffer divine retribution, then naturally She has powerful ways of dealing with me. There’s probably no need for you to do it yourself, right? Wouldn’t it be better to stay alive and personally watch me receive my punishment than die here for no reason?”
“…”
The effect of Mask began to take hold. Wang Shu fell silent, his eyes flickering faintly with internal struggle.
“At the end of the day, we share the same goal—we both want to clear the game. You don’t need to tell me anything else. I only want to know how you summon anomalies so that all of us can successfully clear this instance.” Song Zang put slightly more weight into his voice. “Staying alive is what matters most. Otherwise, you’ll never be able to serve the Earth Mother Goddess again.”
“My own flesh and blood are the finest offering!” Wang Shu immediately shouted, sounding almost desperate now that he had finally found a loophole he could use to argue back.
“But if you survive, you could continue offering yourself for another ten years, twenty years, perhaps even forever. You could remain beside the Earth Mother Goddess for all eternity. But if you die, all you can give Her is this one miserable body.” Song Zang paused. Then, imitating Yin Chen’s usual expression, he curved his lips into a cold, mocking smile. “Would She even remember you? Would She really care?”
“N-no!”
Wang Shu stammered under his breath. Confusion and doubt repeatedly crossed his constricted pupils as he struggled internally for a long time before Song Zang finally managed to persuade him.
He raised his cuffed arms and forcefully wiped the sweat from his face. “The Earth Mother Goddess gave me a permanent item called the Summoning Flag.”
“Good. What does the Summoning Flag do?”
“Once per day, I can summon one monster native to the current instance to fight for me.”
“Wait. How do you summon it?” Yin Chen, who had remained silent for a long time, suddenly cut in. “What do you have to sacrifice?”
“My vitality,” Wang Shu snorted. “Satisfied?”
Song Zang nodded honestly, his eyes curving as his tone became considerably gentler. “Very. So now, please sacrifice ninety percent of your vitality and summon something capable of fighting a Legendary-rank anomaly.”
“Legendary rank… You mean something that can fight the Deep Sea?” Wang Shu’s face twitched. “Are you kidding? I’ll die!”
“If we can’t contain the Deep Sea and fail to clear the instance, you’ll die anyway.” Song Zang remained extremely patient and continued calmly laying out the facts.
Expressionless, Yin Chen added flatly, “If you refuse to cooperate, I can kill you right now and save the Agency the manpower.”
He looked perfectly calm, but beneath the table, his long fingers were pinching the blade of his knife and rubbing against it with faint irritation.
Song Zang glanced over without drawing attention and caught Yin Chen’s little movement perfectly. He suspected Yin Chen was actually hoping Wang Shu would resist so that he would have a legitimate excuse to stab him to death.
“I-I…”
Wang Shu faltered for a moment before numbness suddenly settled over his face and he closed his eyes.
He felt utterly powerless. The favor of the Earth Mother Goddess had indeed been twisting his personality little by little, but that did not mean Wang Shu had completely become an unfeeling piece of wood.
Sitting across from Yin Chen was absolutely not a pleasant experience.
For some inexplicable reason, Yin Chen’s very presence filled Wang Shu with instinctive physical terror.
Every cold, careless glance Yin Chen cast in his direction felt like a sinister giant python lying silently in wait, ready at any moment to suddenly coil around him, crush him tight, and swallow him whole.
The suffocating pressure surrounding him made even breathing feel like something Wang Shu had to consciously force himself to do. Only by making himself keep looking at Song Zang could he slightly ease the absurd instinctive terror stabbing through his nerves.
He could feel Yin Chen’s malice with perfect clarity. This apparently calm man wanted him dead even more than Song Zang did.
Wang Shu would rather communicate with Song Zang. No—right now, he only wanted to communicate with Song Zang. At least Song Zang still looked much the same as before: outwardly harmless but irritating as ever, always putting on that fake, pitifully weak expression so other people would charge into danger for him…
“I need a wide-open area. Give me enough time to summon it, plus energy drinks and high-calorie food,” he said dejectedly.
“How long?” Yin Chen’s narrow eyes narrowed further as he abruptly asked another question, making Wang Shu shrink slightly.
Wang Shu’s throat gradually went dry. He could not stop worrying that the man might explode into violence at any moment. “…At least an hour.”
“That’s acceptable. We’ll meet all of those requirements. Please hurry as much as possible.”
Now that Wang Shu had given them concrete information, Song Zang no longer hesitated. He pressed the intercom and ordered the staff to take Wang Shu away, then instructed them to immediately evacuate and clear the hotel parking lot so Wang Shu would have plenty of room to work.
He was finally getting somewhat accustomed to acting like the Director.
When the combat personnel waiting outside seized Wang Shu by the right arm, Song Zang saw him visibly breathe a sigh of relief. His back was covered in a layer of cold sweat.
Song Zang commented with satisfaction, “Looks like our good-cop, bad-cop routine worked pretty well.”
Yin Chen did not respond. His gaze lingered first on the small seal in Song Zang’s hand, remained there for a moment, then slowly moved upward and locked onto Song Zang’s round, innocent eyes.
He gave a faint, unreadable smile. “Teacher, is that an anomaly too?”
Song Zang quietly looked away and answered innocently, “Not just anyone can become Director. I need a few secrets to protect myself. Don’t ask.”
Surprisingly, Yin Chen did not press the issue. He merely gave a quiet “Mm,” then spoke as though reminding Song Zang of something. “Be careful, Teacher. Don’t hide too much and end up getting yourself killed.”
“Mm. I won’t die that easily.” Song Zang smiled, his answer half true and half false.
After all, his Health stat was still displayed as a question mark, every bit as mysterious as his Resistance.
Perhaps he would suddenly drop dead tomorrow. Perhaps he would still be alive and kicking decades from now. Song Zang had no way to learn the truth, so he simply chose not to think too deeply about it.
Yin Chen suddenly narrowed his eyes and said slowly, “I don’t believe you.”
“…Then what would make you believe me?”
“Add me as a friend.”
“What?” Song Zang froze.
“A game friend,” Yin Chen repeated. Then he took out the sharp little knife he had been playing with for ages and slapped it onto the table. “From now on, you’re only allowed to accept my party invitations.”
God, he’s so unhinged—and ridiculously domineering. For some reason, I really want to play along with his madness.
Song Zang lowered his eyes in apparent alarm, avoiding the cold gleam reflected from the knife. His thick black lashes trembled like raven feathers as he asked softly in a weak voice, “Why am I only allowed to accept yours…?”
“Because I’m the one who can protect you. Ning Yan can’t.” Yin Chen paused, then added coldly, “Neither can Xie Chun Ye.”
Song Zang thoughtfully nodded. What Yin Chen said actually made some sense.
But where had he learned Xie Chun Ye’s name? Ning Yan? The game forum? Or some other player who knew about the Future Research Institute?
Song Zang instinctively felt that something was strange. Yin Chen’s tone had seemed to turn several degrees colder the instant he mentioned Xie Chun Ye…
“You know Brother Xie too?” Song Zang quietly raised his eyes and asked tentatively.
Yin Chen did not answer. Instead, his beautiful lips curved into a mocking smile as he slowly asked in return, “Brother Xie? Just how many good ‘brothers’ do you have?”
What kind of strange question was that?
Song Zang shivered slightly and smoothly adopted a pitiful expression as he protested softly, “I’m very weak. I want to stay alive. Is that not allowed?”
His words inexplicably silenced Yin Chen for a long moment.
“…It is.”
Yin Chen stared steadily at him, complicated emotions surging beneath his eyes before he coldly emphasized once more, “If you want to stay alive, team up with me.”
“Only I can protect you.”
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