Chapter 52
Chapter 52
Under the night sky at Mingjiang No. 7 Special School, Nightmare followed Meng Mo to the dormitory entrance and asked in a low voice,
“Who exactly is this teacher of yours? Has he ever told you anything about that place?”
Nightmare was intensely curious about Li Que. Anyone who could produce an anomalous entity at the Dreamcatcher’s level and had previously granted divine investiture to the Water God’s Authority…
Only someone who had entered that place could accomplish such things!
“Sir is Sir. What else would he be?” Meng Mo replied with a curl of his lip.
“Stop prying into Sir’s affairs. Since Dean Qin made you the dormitory supervisor, focus on watching the dormitory.”
“Cause trouble, and don’t blame me for dealing with you.”
“I’m going back to sleep. The poems Sir taught me today feel useful. They can strengthen my ability to dream.”
He turned to leave.
Nightmare froze, then nearly exploded with anger.
He had assumed that with no one else present, father and son could share a private conversation and Meng Mo would tell him more about Teacher Li.
Instead, Meng Mo was wholeheartedly protecting the teacher and treating his own “father” as an outsider!
“Fine, fine. I’ll endure it!”
Nightmare gritted his teeth. “I’d like to see what is so impressive about this man surnamed Li!”
Then he glanced toward the girls’ dormitory across from them.
“By the way, Son, is the anomaly who obtained the Water God’s Authority inside that building?”
Eagerness entered his eyes.
Nightmare had been qualified to become a god long ago, so he could sense a mysterious divine power flowing inside the girls’ dormitory.
To ordinary people, the lights were out and the building stood in total darkness. To an anomaly of his level, however, it seemed to contain an entire full moon, radiant beyond measure!
“That’s right. Go take a look if you want,” Meng Mo said calmly. “But if you get locked inside a mirror and kept as a pet, don’t cry about it. Once Big Sister Bai Lu makes a move, even I won’t be able to plead for you.”
Then he walked away.
Nightmare remained where he was, momentarily stunned.
Was it really as terrifying as Meng Mo claimed? He could be captured and kept as a pet merely for taking a look?
Even if that anomaly had obtained the Water God’s Authority, her strength would require time to grow. She should be no more than S-plus-class at present.
As an SS-class anomaly, Nightmare should have been able to seize the Water God’s Authority from her with ease!
Yet after staring at the building, he ultimately suppressed the thought.
Even setting aside the mysterious Teacher Li, this school alone was deeply strange. While standing outside the campus, he had barely sensed the Water God’s Authority at all.
Only after approaching had he discovered it.
So… he would restrain himself for now!
Then he abruptly looked in another direction.
He sensed Sun Xingsheng trying to contact him.
After a moment’s thought, Nightmare ignored it.
He now had other ideas. Until he understood Teacher Li’s background, he would not make any reckless decisions.
…
Inside the girls’ dormitory, Lin Xiaoyu was still awake.
She sat on her bed, a scarlet dragon shadow circling her body. The horns on her head continued to grow, and a faint layer of gold had entered her eyes.
She suddenly noticed something.
“Big Sister Bai Lu, why are you awake?”
Across from her, Bai Lu replied indifferently,
“Mm… A little cockroach tried to fly over and investigate you. I was preparing to swat it.”
Lin Xiaoyu looked surprised. “A cockroach? Is it still there?”
“It is. The little cockroach has some sense and didn’t come over.”
“You’re about to reach SS-class. Continue. Don’t stop. I’ll keep watch for you.”
Lin Xiaoyu nodded and resumed her cultivation.
After a long while, she suddenly asked,
“Big Sister Bai Lu, do many wild deities… want to steal my things?”
“Besides little cockroaches, are there big cockroaches too?”
In the darkness, Bai Lu adjusted her bangs while holding a small mirror.
“There are, but they don’t matter.”
“Sir didn’t give you this divine authority to deal with little and big cockroaches.”
“Perhaps one day… he’ll take you somewhere to catch venomous snakes. Many, many venomous snakes.”
“So you need to work hard. The snakes in that place are very powerful.”
Anticipation entered Lin Xiaoyu’s pale golden eyes.
“Have you caught them before, Big Sister Bai Lu?”
“No,” Bai Lu replied.
“But I’ve killed many.”
…
Elsewhere, Meng Mo returned to Room 203 in the boys’ dormitory. Nian Youyu was still eating.
At the sight of the “food” in his hand, Meng Mo stared in surprise.
“You even eat that? Aren’t you afraid of getting diarrhea?”
Nian Youyu was holding a block of ice. A haze of black mist swirled inside it.
This was the “local delicacy” Lin Xiaoyu had brought back from Five Dragons Mountain!
“Sir gave me some sour jujube seeds before. They’re good for the stomach, so I can eat a little without any problem.”
Nian Youyu licked his lips.
“This thing is absolutely delicious… If only I could eat as much as I wanted.”
He sounded regretful, then asked,
“Meng Mo, are you about to become a god too?”
“I don’t know… But I still can’t control the Dreamcatcher Sir gave me completely,” Meng Mo said.
“I need to learn more and become capable of containing it as soon as possible!”
He took out the Dreamcatcher, fervor filling his eyes.
“I dreamed that I became a butterfly and flew into a certain place. But there were so many venomous snakes there that I didn’t dare go farther.”
“I need to become stronger. I have to fly inside and see it for myself!”
Nian Youyu looked envious as he stuffed a large mouthful of ice into his mouth.
“You can become gods… That’s wonderful.”
“Can’t you?” Meng Mo asked. “If you want to become a god, Sir will help you too.”
Nian Youyu shook his head.
“I’m different from you… Sir doesn’t discriminate against me. That already makes me very, very happy.”
…
“Why can’t I contact him?”
Elsewhere, Sun Xingsheng stared at the feather in his hand with a puzzled expression.
Had something happened to Nightmare?
That was impossible. Nightmare was an SS-class anomaly with the power of a wild deity. In all Mingjiang City, only the SSS-class Abyss could suppress him.
But they were closely monitoring the great anomaly traveling upstream against the current of the Mingjiang River. Abyss remained on the way and had not yet arrived.
Even if something unexpected happened, Nightmare should have been able to send a message.
Could he simply be ignoring Sun Xingsheng?
“The Jiangdong Chamber of Commerce has invited you to a small gathering tomorrow,” a subordinate said as he approached.
“They confirmed that the visitor from the capital is a member of the Xu family. She may not belong to the clan’s direct line, but she remains a powerful outsider they cannot oppose.”
Sun Xingsheng considered this.
“All right. We’ll go take a look.”
He had originally planned to leave quickly if Nightmare returned with the anomaly who possessed the Water God’s Authority and the Divine Seal Fragment.
Mingjiang City was already in chaos, with every faction joining the struggle. One careless step could overturn everything.
But Nightmare’s situation… appeared unstable.
Establishing cooperation with the Jiangdong Chamber of Commerce first might be wise.
…
The next day, inside an office at the Mingjiang City Anomaly Suppression Bureau…
“Old Shi, have you made your decision?” Guo Shoubo asked. “We received word that Abyss is drawing closer to Mingjiang City.”
“That is an SSS-class anomaly, far beyond anything the Eclipse Organization or Hall of Anomalies can compare with. If he truly arrives… Mingjiang City will be destroyed.”
“Agree to our terms, and Mingjiang City can rest easy. You can succeed me as director of the Jiangdong Provincial Anomaly Suppression Department, while I take another step upward. Everyone benefits.”
The choice should have been simple.
“Director Guo, I called Director Xun at the Special Anomaly Investigation Bureau yesterday,” Shi Xuan said slowly.
“Director Xun believes an anomaly that has received divine investiture possesses unique research value and should be protected and managed. He has already completed the registration.”
“Furthermore, the person who helped Rain receive divine investiture should be treated as a special individual. Representatives will arrive soon to make contact and attempt to recruit that person into the Special Anomaly Investigation Bureau.”
“If you insist on capturing Rain and seizing the Divine Seal Fragment… I suggest speaking with the Special Anomaly Investigation Bureau first.”
His tone was calm.
Guo Shoubo’s head snapped up, shock and anger filling his eyes.
As director of the Provincial Department, he naturally understood what the Special Anomaly Investigation Bureau represented.
It was responsible for investigating and managing unusual anomalies, possessed tremendous authority, and could report directly to the upper ranks of the Anomaly Wielders’ Alliance.
Moreover, Director Xun-Xun Fayin-came from an Old-Grave Clan himself!
Shi Xuan had done this deliberately.
Knowing that he lacked the power to oppose Xu Guoguo, he had reported the matter directly to the Anomaly Wielders’ Alliance and drawn other senior figures into the conflict!
“Deputy Director Shi… What an impressive move!”
Guo Shoubo’s expression turned dark, and his voice became thoroughly cold.
Shi Xuan’s decision placed him in direct opposition to the Xu family. There was no room left for negotiation.
Having chosen different sides, they were now enemies.
Shi Xuan rose as well.
“Until the Special Anomaly Investigation Bureau issues formal written notice, we will take no action. One more reminder, Director Guo: the Provincial Department has no authority to dispose of a special anomaly once the bureau has registered it.”
With that, he and Xu Changjiang left.
The meeting ended in open hostility.
Guo Shoubo’s eyelid twitched as he watched them leave, fury rising inside him.
He entered a smaller office nearby.
Xu Guoguo was drinking coffee. On the table, her gray three-eyed rat was chewing on a blood-soaked human heart.
“I heard everything,” Xu Guoguo said irritably. “Why not arrest Shi Xuan and torture him? Why make this so complicated?”
They had kept Shi Xuan under constant surveillance to locate the Water God anomaly.
After the Water God’s Authority appeared above Five Dragons Mountain like the moon in the night sky, it quickly vanished again.
No one knew where it had gone, and no one could detect it.
They had sent people to every school that participated in the Teachers’ Day event. They had even inspected Mingjiang No. 7 Special School from a distance. Everything appeared normal, and they discovered nothing unusual.
“Miss Guoguo, the situation is more difficult now…” Guo Shoubo said grimly. “The Special Anomaly Investigation Bureau is involved, and so is the Xun family. If we handle this poorly, even your grandfather may become angry.”
Xu Guoguo frowned impatiently. “Then what do we do?!”
Guo Shoubo gritted his teeth.
“Shi Xuan has placed the issue in the open. Other senior figures within the Alliance are watching. We must act according to procedure and leave no grounds for criticism.”
“Then tell me the solution,” Xu Guoguo said.
“The Hall of Anomalies, the Jiangdong Chamber of Commerce, and even anomalies brought here by other wild deities are all waiting to make their move…”
Guo Shoubo continued,
“If they cause chaos in Mingjiang City and endanger the entire city… you can intervene then. Suppress the disaster, obtain the Water God’s Authority and Divine Seal Fragment in the process, and no one will be able to criticize you.”
He was a seasoned bureaucrat who had perfected the art of political maneuvering.
To do something dishonorable, one needed an exceptionally reasonable and lawful excuse.
Now that the Special Anomaly Investigation Bureau was watching, Xu Guoguo could no longer seize everything openly. They simply needed a different approach.
They would wait for Mingjiang City to descend into chaos and its civilians to suffer heavy casualties. If Xu Guoguo acted then, she would become a savior fighting the disaster. Her cause would be perfectly legitimate, and no one could object.
“Do as you said. Make it quick,” Xu Guoguo ordered. “My little rat cannot wait much longer!”
“I’ll arrange it immediately,” Guo Shoubo replied.
…