The system is four years ahead of schedule, but Weird is still a cub.

Shen Ge and Cheng Shengnan did not go to the upscale restaurant they had visited last time, but instead went to a bustling pedestrian street in the old town of Rong City.

The place was brightly lit, bustling with people, and filled with the aroma of various snacks.

The sweet aroma of roasted chestnuts, the fresh scent of grilled skewers, and the spicy fragrance of hot pot mingled together, creating a lively and comforting atmosphere.

Cheng Shengnan changed out of her business suit and into a beige knit sweater and jeans. Her long hair was casually draped over her shoulders. She looked less capable than the director of the Special Operations Department's Information Center and more like a gentle girl next door. She linked arms with Shen Ge and walked enthusiastically through the crowd.

"Try this? I heard this takoyaki is really authentic!" Cheng Shengnan pointed to a stall with a long queue, her eyes sparkling.

Seeing Cheng Shengnan, who is usually calm and composed, showing such a girlish expression, Shen Ge couldn't help but smile and said, "Okay."

He queued up and bought two servings. The steaming hot meatballs were drizzled with sauce and bonito flakes, and the aroma was irresistible.

The two found a bench by the roadside and sat down to share their food.

Shen Ge wasn't used to this kind of street food enjoyment, but watching Cheng Shengnan squinting his eyes in satisfaction as he ate small bites, he thought the taste seemed pretty good.

"How is it? Much more interesting than the base canteen and those high-end restaurants, right?" Cheng Shengnan asked with a smile, a little sauce still on his lips.

Shen Ge reached out and naturally wiped it off with his thumb: "Hmm, it is somewhat interesting."

After finishing the meatballs, the two wandered around aimlessly again.

Cheng Shengnan stopped in front of a stall selling handmade jewelry and picked out a pair of uniquely designed silver earrings and a pair of rings.

Shen Ge paid directly and, under her slightly reproachful gaze, personally helped her put one of the bracelets on.

"It's very beautiful." Shen Ge examined it closely. Under the light, the small earrings shimmered slightly on her fair earlobes, like a dazzling star.

Cheng Shengnan smiled and picked up the other one: "Then you have to wear one too."

Shen Ge was taken aback and subconsciously wanted to refuse, but looking at her expectant eyes, he finally reached out and let her put the obviously simple and masculine wedding ring on his finger.

The design on this ring is a pig's head.

The cool touch made Shen Ge feel a little uncomfortable, but when she saw the sly and smug smile in Cheng Shengnan's eyes, that discomfort seemed to dissipate.

Like any ordinary couple, they strolled hand in hand through the bustling crowd, watched street performers, shared a cup of milk tea, occasionally whispered to each other, and let out knowing laughs.

Leaving aside Cheng Shengnan's assets and the family businesses behind her, the money Shen Ge "extorted" from the leaders of the twelve tribes was enough to buy this entire street.

But for them, the focus is not on material things, but on enjoying the tranquility of the moment.

At this moment, the battle, the supernatural powers, the strange people, and the conspiracies all seem to have temporarily faded away, leaving only the warmth of the people around you and the hustle and bustle of the city.

……

……

three days later.

Shen Ge was resting in his dormitory when his wristwatch transmitted the voice of his classmate Xiao Qi: "Master, high-level strange energy fluctuations have appeared in East Lake."

No sooner had it finished speaking than an alarm sounded in the base.

"Top-level alert! An unusual burst of supernatural energy has been detected! The source is the sealed-off East Lake in the eastern suburbs, and the energy characteristics are highly consistent with the supernatural energy of the Snake!"

"The intensity of the paranormal energy is rapidly increasing, and a large number of life signs have been detected in the target area! These are citizens who were taking a walk in the park this evening! The number exceeds two hundred! The paranormal energy contamination is spreading, and the trees and facilities in the park... are undergoing rapid mutation!"

"Teams one through four, the anti-monster squad, please proceed to the vehicle area immediately!"

The broadcast calling for assembly was repeated several times. Shen Ge was an "unofficial member," and like Lin Yin, he was the "chief captain."

The difference is that Lin Yin has formed his own team. Deng Yuqi had previously suggested to Shen Ge that he form a team to fight ghosts, but he was either "on a business trip" or trapped in the fragment world, so forming a team would be meaningless.

In other words, if Shen Ge were to form the Anti-Ghost Squad, then it's highly likely that Yun'er, Fang Mingyue, Cai Hua, and others would be incorporated into his team, effectively reducing Rong City's team size by three captains at once.

Although Shen Ge was not the captain, there was no reason for him not to take action in such a critical situation.

When they arrived at the tank area, the squads that were ready to depart were not the four squads that had been notified, but rather five squads: Wang Hanma Chao, Zhang Hu Zhao Long, and Tu Doupi.

Tu Doupi noticed Shen Ge's confusion and explained that today was the day for the Quanlongshan base to upgrade its anti-human equipment. They had completed the upgrade yesterday, while the other team leaders went today.

In other words, the main force of the Rongshi Special Operations Department is all at the Quanlongshan base today, which is only a few kilometers away from Donghuan Lake.

Is it a coincidence that something "happened" at this time, or...?
"How many people are left at headquarters?" Shen Ge asked.

Tu Doupi replied, "Two teams."

"Where is the minister?"

"At the Quanlongshan base."

Shen Ge thought for a moment and called out to Zhang Hu, Zhao Long and the others who were about to board the chariot: "Xiao Tu, you all stay here at headquarters. I'll go to Donghuan Lake. I handled the strange incident at Donghuan Lake before, so I'm familiar with it. I always felt something was wrong that the Snake chose to strike when there were the most people at the Quanlong Mountain base."

Shen Ge was worried that the Snake was trying to use a feint to lure most of the headquarters' forces to the East Lake before attacking the headquarters.

If Shen Ge stays at headquarters, then let alone a Snake, even if the leader of the twelve zodiac signs came, he wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.

However, the situation at Donghuan Lake is much more complicated than imagined. It was because of the strange events at Donghuan Lake that Shen Ge gradually unraveled the mystery of the fragmented world and gained the power of dreams.

This strange event happened to occur at Donghuan Lake. Shen Ge only had one fragment of a dream with energy level 1, and he insisted on going to take a look.

He went to Donghuan Lake, which made the headquarters the biggest loophole. So for safety reasons, he asked Tu Doupi and others to stay behind and also planned to go to the Quanlong Mountain base to "replace" Lin Yin.

Even if Shen Ge didn't explain the reason, Tu Doupi and the others wouldn't question his decision. The entire Special Operations Department was like it had been brainwashed by Fang Mingyue, firmly adhering to a tacit rule—Captain Shen must have a deeper meaning in doing this!
……

East Lake Ring Road Blockade Zone.

The atmosphere here is more somber than I expected.

Thick, swirling black mist, like a giant, inverted bowl, completely enveloped the entire East Lake and the surrounding area for hundreds of meters.

The fog was as black as ink, thicker and more viscous than the eerie black fog that had appeared during the last strange incident, and it exuded a chilling sense of malice and pollution.

A faint smell of decay permeated the air; it was the eerie and unique odor emanating from the corrosive energy that corrupted the surrounding creatures.

The temporary command center was set up on the top floor of a hotel about 500 meters from the edge of the black fog. Deng Yuqi stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking solemnly at the thick fog that was swallowing the light.

Seeing Shen Ge push the door open and come in, she immediately went to greet him.

"You've arrived. The situation is worse than last time; the concentration and corrosiveness of the eerie black mist far exceed records, forming an extremely powerful independent eerie space."

"Lin Yin and his team made several attempts to break through, but the conventional energy barriers and detectors quickly failed as soon as they entered the edge of the fog zone. Communication was also severely disrupted, and they could only maintain short-range contact with difficulty. It is estimated that there are more than 300 citizens trapped inside."

The East Ring Lake has been under lockdown since the last strange incident. However, the East Ring Lake area is very large, and only the core area has been locked down.

In addition, nothing happened over the past year, and the paranormal detectors did not find any problems, so the area near the highway was unsealed.

Deng Yuqi retrieved the last blurry image transmitted by the anti-device drone before the anti-device space was formed.

Deep within the thick fog, one could vaguely see twisted and mutated trees wildly waving their branches, park facilities writhing like living things, and a dark red, foul-smelling, viscous liquid flowing on the ground.

Even more alarming, several staggering figures were captured at the edge of the frame, only to be entangled and dragged into the depths of the thick fog by tendrils that stretched out from the ground like blood vessels.

"Lin Yin, Yun'er, Fang Mingyue, Cai Hua, and Yang Yuxin are all at the front-line blockade point, trying to establish a communication channel using the latest 'fog-breaking sonar' and 'devious energy beacon,' while simultaneously directing the anti-devious mech forces to build a second blockade line to prevent the fog zone from spreading," Deng Yuqi quickly explained the deployment.

"I have already ordered the Quanlongshan base to enter a state of first-level combat readiness. All non-essential personnel have been evacuated to deep bunkers, and the remaining troops will be under the command of Chen Qiming. Wang Han, Ma Chao, and Zhang Hu and Zhao Long's team have also stayed at headquarters as you instructed."

After Shen Ge gave the order to have Tu Doupi and the others stay at headquarters, Tu Doupi, following procedure, was required to report the matter to Deng Yuqi after he departed.

Shen Ge walked to the window, her gaze piercing through the glass as she stared at the churning darkness.

The little seven on his wrist vibrated slightly, silently projecting more detailed environmental scan data into his field of vision:

The spectrum of the strange energy fluctuations was abnormally chaotic, mixed with strong strange energy interference signals; the spatial structure showed an unstable "wrinkling" phenomenon at the edge of the fog area; at the very core... there was a strange energy point with an astonishing intensity, pulsating like a heart!

The fluctuations detected during the Australian incident, when the international anti-terrorist organization's Australian branch was swallowed by that giant "flesh and blood tree," showed a 90% similarity.

"My judgment was correct."

Shen Ge said in a deep voice, his voice particularly clear in the quiet command room: "The goal of the Snake is likely not just to create chaos and slaughter. This thick fog, this eerie space... combined with the appearance of the 'New God Cult,' it seems like some kind of 'ritual' is being performed, using the lives of trapped citizens as fuel."

"His choice of Donghuan Lake, and the timing of the main force's departure from the Quanlongshan base, is no coincidence. This place... is very likely connected to something deeper."

Deng Yuqi's eyes sharpened: "You mean... the fragmented world?"

“Or a similar place.” Shen Ge nodded.

"I only have a fragment of a dream, and its energy is limited. I must use it at the most critical moment. The most urgent task is to save people and at the same time interrupt the 'ritual' of the Snake."

He turned to Deng Yuqi: "Senior sister, leave this to me. Have Lin Yin take Yang Yuxin's team back to Quanlong Mountain Base immediately to strengthen the defenses of the core area, especially the research department and the deep containment zone."

"Yoona, Fang Mingyue, and Cai Hua's three teams will stay behind to cooperate with the anti-mech forces and hold the blockade line at all costs. We must not allow the dense fog to spread even an inch. Also, notify Li Xiang: is the 'Armor-Piercing Type I' inhibitor airdrop ready? We may need it to neutralize the core pollution source."

"The airdrop team is in position and ready to move at any time!" Deng Yuqi immediately ordered, "Lin Yin, upon receiving this order, immediately lead Yang Yuxin's team to disengage and return to Quanlong Mountain Base at full speed. Shen Yun'er, Fang Mingyue, and Cai Hua, hold the blockade line. Shen Ge will enter the fog zone."

The command was quickly transmitted via an encrypted channel.

Shen Ge didn't linger any longer and turned to leave the command room.

Deng Yuqi watched his figure disappear through the doorway, took a deep breath, turned her gaze back to the despairing darkness outside the window, and whispered, "Be careful."

At the forefront of the blockade, the atmosphere was as tense as a bowstring.

The massive anti-mech stood like a silent steel fortress, its shoulder-mounted energy cannons flashing with a ghostly blue light, aimed at the churning wall of mist.

Team leaders Yoona, Fang Mingyue, and Cai Hua each led their teams, relying on mechs and temporary cover, and remained on high alert.

Upon receiving the order, Lin Yin did not hesitate at all and immediately called out to Yang Yuxin: "Yuxin, retreat! Return to base!"

She glanced deeply at the thick fog, then looked at Shen Ge, who was striding towards her, her eyes filled with worry, but even more so with trust: "Old Shen, be careful!"

"Don't worry." Shen Ge nodded to her, without stopping.

Upon seeing Shen Ge, Yoona immediately approached him and reported rapidly, "Master... cough. Captain Shen! The corrosive energy at the edge of the fog wall is extremely potent, rendering conventional detection completely ineffective."

She originally wanted to address him as "Master" as she was used to, but she had been promoted from vice-captain to captain, and Shen Ge and Deng Yuqi had talked to her about this issue several times, which somewhat affected the prestige of the title "captain".

But in the end, Shen Ge couldn't go against Yun'er's wishes. In private, the two sisters could call each other whatever they wanted, but in official business, they had to be called "Captain Shen".

Yoona could ignore what others said, but Shen Ge, who gave her and her sister a new life, treated his words like a royal decree.

"We tried using the 'fog-breaking sonar,' and could only barely detect a huge life reaction and a large number of scattered, slow-moving life signals in the core area, which should be the trapped citizens. However, the signals were very chaotic and covered by strong ghost energy interference, so we could not pinpoint their exact location, let alone establish communication guidance."

Fang Mingyue added, "The fog wall itself is 'active'; any object that tries to force its way through will be corroded and entangled. We lost three small reconnaissance drones and two detection robots. Captain Cai tried to create a safe passage with his 'barrier' device, but the ghostly domain was quickly eroded and disintegrated as soon as it came into contact with the fog wall, and it lasted for a very short time."

Cai Hua nodded gravely: "This fog... it's like it's alive, and incredibly strong. My 'barrier' can only create a safe passage for about ten seconds at most, and the distance is still very limited." (End of Chapter)