Chapter Five: Fishing

Inside an office.

Yuan Ren was animatedly describing the vile behavior of Li Juetian and the seriousness of the matter. Their team leader, Xiao Buyu, who headed the combat division of the Bureau of Anomalous Investigation, sat silently in his chair, smiling but saying nothing.

How could he fail to see through the antics of the young man before him? He merely smiled in response.

After Yuan Ren had talked at length and seemed at a loss for more to say, Xiao Buyu smiled again. “So, what do you think should be done about this?”

At these words, Yuan Ren immediately replied, “I think he and his little brother should take over the case completely. Aren’t they supposed to be the nemeses of anomalous beings? They’re sure to catch this so-called doll.”

It was clear he was making things difficult. Combat operatives always fought entities of their own class; a G-class anomaly was beneath Li Juetian and his brother’s notice. Besides, both were notorious for their laziness, so this task was sure to vex them.

“But those two were transferred here for making a mistake. Higher-ups have specifically asked me to look after them. Isn’t it a bit much to have them spend so much time chasing down a G-class anomaly?” Xiao Buyu said with a kindly smile, as if embarrassed.

“What’s wrong with it? Aren’t they supposed to be geniuses? What, geniuses don’t have to do the jobs ordinary operatives do?” Yuan Ren replied, visibly disgruntled, his envy of Li Juetian and his brother’s talents clear.

Li Juetian had reached D-class at twenty-one; his younger brother Han Zhen, only nineteen, was already E-class. Their talents were extraordinary.

But as an official organization in Huaxia, the Bureau was home to the nation’s finest ghost handlers. Geniuses were common, which meant the upper echelons didn’t value them as highly. Thus, for a minor mistake, Li Juetian had been demoted here.

Xiao Buyu stared at him for a long moment before finally nodding. “Very well, let them handle this. It should keep them busy for a while.”

Yuan Ren’s face lit up with delight at Xiao Buyu’s agreement. He nodded furiously. “Good, I’ll go notify them right away!”

...

Outside the Fisherman’s Hall, the Li brothers had just enjoyed a special service and looked thoroughly satisfied. Just then, Li Juetian’s phone rang. Seeing it was the Bureau of Anomalous Investigation, he curled his lips, his satisfaction evaporating.

Irritated, he answered. The news from the other end nearly made him smash his phone in fury.

Seeing his brother’s expression, Han Zhen was puzzled. “What’s wrong, big brother?”

Li Juetian took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. “Damn it! They want us to take care of that doll!”

“They want us to deal with that doll?” Han Zhen echoed, equally indignant. “Seriously? Don’t they know who we are? Sending us after a G-class? Isn’t that an insult?”

Anomalous beings of the same rank were always weaker than human handlers, a simple truth. Humans had intelligence and could learn combat techniques, while anomalies fought on instinct alone.

So, it was standard procedure for handlers to fight anomalies of corresponding rank. To send a D-class and an E-class after an F-class was nothing short of humiliation.

“Who knows? We’ll just have to see how things go. If we find this G-class anomaly, we’ll finish it off instantly—no big deal,” Li Juetian said with a wave of his hand. As talented as he was, orders from above were not to be disobeyed.

...

Meanwhile, Long Mengting, holding Feng Tianlin, had arrived in a deserted alley. Feng Tianlin was pondering how to increase his fear value.

“It seems killing is the only option now.”

They were now in the city’s outskirts, a poor district with few residents compared to the urban center. Feng Tianlin intended to develop his power here first—who knew if this world had people specialized in hunting anomalies like them?

He and the little girl, Long Mengting, stood by the roadside. It was night, and the street was nearly empty.

Long Mengting, clutching Feng Tianlin, crouched at the curb like a lost child. No one could guess what she was really holding. This was exactly the effect Feng Tianlin wanted.

When no one took the bait for a while, Feng Tianlin activated his energy and began.

“What do you call your daddy’s daddy? Grandpa. What do you call your daddy’s mommy? ...”

It was that nursery rhyme again. Now that Feng Tianlin had energy, he detected something unusual about it—it seemed to have a guiding effect, drawing attention more quickly.

Sure enough, a fat, bearded man approached them with a smile, squatting down to look at Long Mengting. “Little girl, are you lost? Do you want to come to uncle’s house?”

Seeing a fish had bitten, Feng Tianlin immediately gave the order: “Nod your head.”

Receiving the command, Long Mengting nodded mechanically.

“Then come with uncle. My house is lots of fun.” A flicker of greed flashed in the man’s eyes, gone in an instant.

“Follow him,” Feng Tianlin continued to command.

Long Mengting stood up and followed the man woodenly. The man kept glancing back, afraid she would run.

Feng Tianlin was starting to suspect something was wrong, but he didn’t care much. As far as he was concerned, the fat man was already dead.

After more than ten minutes, they reached an increasingly remote area and finally arrived at an abandoned parking lot.

...

Entering, they saw many people living inside, bedding spread out on the ground. There were even some children bound and lying there, their eyes blindfolded, their mouths stuffed with rags.

“Fatty, you’re back.” A wiry man greeted him, eyeing Long Mengting behind him. “Nice catch this time—we’re in for a windfall!”

At those words, Feng Tianlin understood. This was a den of human traffickers.

The fat man roughly grabbed Long Mengting and shouted to the thin man, “Get me a rope! Don’t want this girl running off!”

Long Mengting, uncomfortable from the rough handling, instinctively moved to get rid of the fat man—but Feng Tianlin stopped her. “Wait! We want to maximize their fear.”

Long Mengting immediately ceased struggling and stood there.

Once the fat man had tied her up, Feng Tianlin was tossed aside as an ordinary doll.

“Strange, why is this girl so pale? And not fighting back?” The fat man mused aloud, but didn’t dwell on it, speaking instead to his companions.

“You lot keep an eye on them. I’m going to use the bathroom,” he said, heading deeper into the lot.

This parking area had been abandoned for years and had no real facilities. He simply found a secluded spot to relieve himself.

The place was dilapidated and eerily empty, which unsettled the fat man. He hurried to finish his business so he could return.

But as he was relieving himself, suddenly—he saw the doll sitting before him, grinning.

“Holy hell!” Instinctively, he staggered back, urine splashing on his hand.

He finished as quickly as possible, wiped his hand on the wall, and looked back. The doll had vanished.