Chapter 29

The Seaweed Monster, an S-class entity, feeds on emotions.

Had it not been for Yun Feng and his team, Geng Yang would have struggled considerably to capture it.

"A large number of fish died in the sea, Captain Jiang. I suspect they used high-precision equipment," Geng Yang reported.

Jiang Linchuan leaned against the table, scrutinizing the data projected before him. After a prolonged silence, he finally spoke, "The 547th Regiment, on a special mission, and it involves an anomaly."

"Something feels off to me," Geng Yang lit a cigarette. "Logically, even for a special mission, if it's conducted in our jurisdictional waters, you should have been informed."

"A cargo ship?" Jiang Linchuan suddenly turned to him. "You said they were on a cargo ship?"

"Yes," Geng Yang paused, "They claimed they went out to sea specifically to catch the Seaweed Monster, but why would they use such a large cargo ship?"

"Did the Seaweed Monster confess to any wrongdoing?"

As Jiang Linchuan finished speaking, Liang Minghui entered. "Captain Jiang, the interrogation is complete."

Liang Minghui had been leading a team investigating cases of emotional consumption over the past few years, and now all the pieces fit together.

"The Seaweed Monster admitted to being responsible for the high school student and the programmer whose emotions were affected. However, there's an issue with Ms. Chen, the housewife who suffered domestic abuse."

"What's the problem?" Jiang Linchuan looked up.

"The Seaweed Monster thrives on negative emotions. Ms. Chen, having endured years of domestic abuse, presented the perfect meal. To enhance the flavor, it would first amplify her emotions, making them more 'delicious,' before consuming them—much like dipping dumplings in vinegar."

"Over the past year, it fed on her multiple times, always during instances of abuse, amplifying her emotions. A month ago, during another violent episode, Ms. Chen completely lost control and stabbed her husband to death."

Geng Yang couldn't help but interject, "Damn, what happened next?"

"Ms. Chen has been detained by the police, but no residual anomalous energy was detected in her. If it weren't for the Nanshan collapse investigation leading us to this case, we would have remained oblivious." Liang Minghui sighed. "That's the crux of the matter. The Seaweed Monster said that initially, it amplified Ms. Chen's emotions, but later, it became unnecessary—her emotions were already exquisitely 'delicious' on their own, especially when she was in the act of stabbing her husband. It was a true feast."

"That's how it discovered a more potent feeding method, making Wu Yao the first victim of this new approach."

"Wait, but Wu Yao's emotions had clearly improved by then," Geng Yang said, puzzled.

"I asked. It said..." Liang Minghui sighed helplessly. "Wu Yao's emotions are inherently more 'delicious' than those of normal people, possessing a natural 'fragrance.' If his negative emotions were provoked, it would be the ultimate delicacy—something it absolutely couldn't afford to miss."

"......"

A brief, heavy silence descended upon the room, a silent tribute to Wu Yao.

"Alright, Minghui, assist the police with the investigation. If the results are clear, issue a Special Operations Brigade certificate for Ms. Chen to reduce her sentence," Jiang Linchuan instructed.

"Understood." Liang Minghui added, "The Seaweed Monster also confessed to many unreported cases, but they were relatively minor. At the time, it hadn't yet discovered this feeding method—Wu Yao was its first 'test subject.' However, it denied any involvement in the Nanshan collapse."

"Right, I know it wasn't responsible." Jiang Linchuan asked again, "Did it say what offense it committed against the 547th Regiment?"

"It said it doesn't know, but it's committed many offenses. It might have offended them somehow. Oh, and Captain Jiang, it also mentioned encountering another, more powerful entity that night. If we release it, it promises to tell us more."

Jiang Linchuan felt a flicker of intrigue.

"Another entity?" Geng Yang frowned. "I was there. If there was another entity, how could so many detectors miss it? It's already S-class—what level would something stronger be? Could it be the one responsible for the Nanshan collapse?"

Geng Yang and Liang Minghui both tensed. Liang Minghui turned to leave. "I'll interrogate it again."

Jiang Linchuan followed.

Once the Seaweed Monster was in the interrogation room, it had little choice. After some strategic pressure, it quickly confessed.

"I didn't see its true form," the red seaweed swayed in the specially designed transparent tank, speaking in a human voice. "I only saw its tentacles. It slapped me several times, and I was powerless to resist."

Jiang Linchuan's brow twitched rapidly, a tingling sensation spreading across his cheeks. The Seaweed Monster's words reminded him of the soft, slippery sensation when he reached out to grab it.

"If you say it was there, what was it trying to do?" Geng Yang asked.

"How should I know? It was just watching... Oh, right, when it first arrived, it said the human who jumped off the cliff was its food."

"Damn, it's the one from the Nanshan collapse!" Geng Yang slammed the table, eyes wide. "Captain Jiang, is it targeting Wu Yao?"

Jiang Linchuan slowly narrowed his eyes. So it really was him.

*

After leaving the Special Operations Brigade, Jiang Linchuan took a detour to another street and made a phone call. Soon, a truck emblazoned with "Turtle Express" pulled up to the roadside.

"Hey, Captain Jiang, are you injured?" The driver, a middle-aged man with an honest face, hunched over and jumped out of the truck, circling Jiang Linchuan. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, it's not serious." Jiang Linchuan got into the truck and gave an address. "Help me move a mattress."

"The hillside villa area?" The man started the engine. "Captain Jiang, did you strike it rich?"

"Actually, I recently came into some money," Jiang Linchuan sighed. Adding a new member to the family—wasn't that a form of wealth?

"That's great, congratulations. You don't mind if I charge a bit more for delivery today, right?"

Jiang Linchuan: "...Of course. By the way, how's business lately?"

"Not bad," the man smiled. "I have to thank you, Captain Jiang, for going easy on me back then."

The truck drove along the coastal road. The man glanced at Jiang Linchuan. "You don't usually reach out to me. Is there something you need?"

Jiang Linchuan didn't beat around the bush. "There's someone among you who forges documents. Have you seen him recently?"

The man clicked his tongue. "Captain Jiang, are you trying to trick me into talking? You know my rule—unless it's something seriously harmful to humans, I won't tell you anything... Wait, you don't usually ask about these things. Why the exception today?" The man turned to him in surprise.

"Just asking casually. The Special Operations Team tried to catch him recently, but he got away."

"You let Hua... him get away?" The man raised an eyebrow. "Has that kid gotten so capable now?"

"From your tone, you seem quite familiar with him?"

"Stop right there, Captain Jiang. Let's not talk anymore, or you'll trap me with your questions."

Jiang Linchuan chuckled.

On the way back, Jiang Linchuan finally brought up his real purpose. "Have you ever seen your Abyss Lord?"

"The Abyss Lord? Why ask about him?"

"Just curious. There are many legends about him."

"Oh." The man didn't suspect anything and thought for a moment. "Not many anomalies have actually seen him. There's not much to talk about."

"Tell me what you know."

The man steered the wheel. "I don't know much more than you do."

The Others were not always anomalies. At most, they were beings who gained sentience and possessed more spiritual energy than their kind. It wasn't until the abyss was awakened by malevolent energy that the world began to undergo strange changes.

They transformed from the flowers, plants, trees, fish, and birds of the natural world into imperfect human forms.

They were also bewildered and lost. Humans could not tolerate them, and they could no longer return to their former appearances or lives.

It wasn't until the appearance of the Abyss Lord, who reached an agreement with humans, that they bowed down to him and were taken back to Baigu Town. The Abyss Lord erected a barrier, and no matter how powerful the Others were, they could not leave Baigu Town.

"He must have been in slumber all along and never woke up. Later, roughly forty or fifty years ago, one day the barrier suddenly disappeared, and we began to quietly leave Baigu Town."

"Why did the barrier suddenly disappear?"

"No one knows. No Other has ever seen him, and no Other dares to approach his great crater. We've never seen him, but we all know he has a bad temper."

Jiang Linchuan tapped his fingers absently on his pants. "Why do you think he helped humans?"

Jiang Linchuan remembered General Wu saying that the senior general had described the Abyss Lord as innocent and guileless. He had always been skeptical of that statement.

"Helped humans?" The man let out a harsh laugh. "Captain Jiang, you've been dealing with anomalies for so many years, and you actually believe something as ridiculous as the Abyss Lord helping humans?"

"What do you mean?"

"The one who crushed all anomalies underfoot—you call him kind? Hahaha... anyone who believes he's kind is truly blessed."

Jiang Linchuan frowned, resting his elbow on the car window as he gazed outside thoughtfully. Crushing all anomalies underfoot...

The car drove smoothly, and the interior fell into a brief silence. After laughing for a while, the man suddenly turned his head, his expression serious. "Captain Jiang, asking this question—could it be that you humans suspect the Abyss Lord is stirring?"

"What do you think?" Jiang Linchuan countered.

A flicker of caution instantly appeared in the man's eyes. His gaze swept over Jiang Linchuan's resolute face before he tentatively asked, "If he breaks free, what do you humans plan to do?"

Jiang Linchuan shook his head. "How would I know? I'm not at that level."

The man lowered his eyes, which were full of shrewdness. "You humans set up such an extensive defensive perimeter in Baigu Town—what for? Isn't it to guard against the Abyss Lord? If he emerges, you probably won't treat him like a deity, will you?"

As he said this, the man curled his lips mockingly. "Humans may not have supernatural abilities, but they are the cruelest species in nature." If the Abyss Lord emerges, humans will only try to kill him.

"You haven't actually detected something, have you?" The man frowned deeply. Although anomalies often called the Abyss Lord useless, humans, despite their advanced technology, still dared not launch a wholesale slaughter against anomalies because they feared the Abyss Lord. If anything happened to the Abyss Lord, these anomalies would likely lose their chance of survival.

This was a truth even a fool could understand.

"Don't be so sensitive." Jiang Linchuan patted his shoulder. "I was just curious and asked casually."

The car stopped in front of the unit building. The man slouched, jumped out of the car, and walked to the rear to open the compartment and heft the mattress. "I advise you humans to be kinder. Otherwise, you'll face retribution."

Jiang Linchuan moved to help him, but the man dodged. "I can manage on my own. You're injured—don't strain yourself."

Jiang Linchuan quickened his pace to open the door and let him in. Shen Jin, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa scooping watermelon with a spoon, looked up.

The aura of an anomaly.

A big turtle that couldn't hide its nature?

The anomaly's aura was poorly concealed. Could it be that Jiang Linchuan hadn't noticed?

Shen Jin's gaze swept over the man. The man hauled the mattress into the room, and as his eyes glanced at the youth, he raised his eyebrows in surprise—such a strikingly handsome face.

Shen Jin's eyes followed the big turtle as it moved.

"I got your mattress back," Jiang Linchuan said.

"Who is he?" Shen Jin pointed at the man entering the master bedroom.

"He's the delivery guy."

Shen Jin sneered. Had Jiang Linchuan lost his senses? Couldn't he sense it was an anomaly?

The man finished setting up the mattress and came out. As he walked out, he couldn't help sneaking another look at the youth.

Jiang Linchuan took out three hundred-dollar bills from his wallet and handed them to him. As the man stuffed the money into his pocket, he glanced over again.

Shen Jin lifted his thin eyelids and muttered darkly, "What are you looking at?" Keep looking, and I'll crack your shell.

Besides, why did Jiang Linchuan give him three hundred dollars but only two hundred to me?

-----------------------

Author's note: Seeing many people worried, I'll reveal a tiny bit—the Abyss Lord will definitely be the strongest. Humans will be the ones begging him, not the other way around.