Chapter 133: Phantom Transformation |
[Plunder Successful]
[New Anomalous Effect added to Records]
[New Active Ability: Phantom Transformation]
The Cognitohazard faded, and the Anomaly Fluctuations disappeared completely.
Shi Rang quickly scrambled up from the freezing floor tiles. The Wig slipped from his head, but he hurriedly caught it, adjusting it back into place over the Hairnet with a couple of quick tugs.
He and Ma Cidi had collapsed on the floor near the third-story window. It seemed they had been affected the very moment the Tampering took effect.
The latter wore a peaceful expression, a faint smile lingering on his lips. He was likely trapped in a dream of Old Times as well.
It turned out that after the Tampering, the phantom lost its physical Entity and transformed into a Cognitohazard that would undergo Neutralization once its illusion was broken.
As the Anomaly Project underwent Neutralization, Ma Cidi's previously relaxed brows suddenly furrowed. "Mom...
His fingers twitched. He was about to wake up.
Shi Rang immediately raised his Flashlight and swung it hard at the glass window where the ghostly apparition had first appeared.
Crash!
"What... what was that noise?" Startled by the sound of shattering glass, Ma Cidi instantly snapped his eyes open. He propped himself up on the floor, still entirely dazed. "What happened to me... Why am I on the floor? Just now, I...
"
"You passed out and wouldn't wake up, no matter how much I called you. It was probably caused by the phenomenon. I've already taken care of it," Shi Rang explained, using the base of his Flashlight to clear away the sharp shards of glass still clinging to the window frame.
Ma Cidi finally remembered their mission. He hurriedly dusted off his clothes and stood up, pulling out his phone to check the Records. He tried his best to hide his unprofessionalism and the lingering nostalgia from his dream. "...Was that a dream? Did the distortion change? It really does whatever it wants."
A chorus of dogs barking echoed from the center of the village.
The sound of shattering glass traveled far in the dead of night. The two immediately hurried downstairs and crouched by the door, waiting for a while. Only after confirming that no villagers had been drawn to the noise did they put on their gloves to gather the scattered shards and clean up the scene.
"Does this mean the mission is complete?"
"The ghost hasn't appeared again, so it should be resolved." After keeping his head down and sweeping up glass fragments for a moment, Ma Cidi slowly added, "You did better than me. You'll definitely be commended for this."
The entire process had been much simpler than Shi Rang had anticipated. It seemed that not every Anomaly Project required brute force to be "destroyed"—or perhaps the scope of his Tampering had been relatively minor, so the Anomaly had not been significantly strengthened.
Standing to the side holding the trash bags, Shi Rang re-evaluated his Tampering ability.
Whatever words he wrote into the Records were bound to come true, but the way they manifested was entirely unpredictable. Shi Rang's original intention had been to give the phantom a clear and familiar appearance—hoping to Plunder an ability that could hypnotize others into trusting him. Instead, the ability fulfilled his request by "pulling people into memories to see old friends."
This Old Times Anomaly hadn't displayed any explicit malice or harmful intent; it merely tried to trap people within their own memories.
Compared to others of its kind, it was practically gentle—nothing more than a fragile mirror of reminiscence.
But what if he had gotten lost inside it? If he hadn't woken up Ma Cidi, would they have died?
Adding extra prerequisites and details was highly unadvisable. The more specifically and intricately he wrote, the greater the scale of the Tampering became. It might even summon something akin to the Divine Corpse. This ability was far more difficult to control than he had expected. He needed to be incredibly cautious when using it to avoid repeating the tragedy brought about by the Midnight Visitor.
He just wanted to find Ying Shang and protect himself. He had no intention of destroying others, let alone the world.
He had to remember that.
"All done. The Field Department will send someone to keep an eye on this house for the next two months as usual, and then the procedure will be complete." Ma Cidi tied several trash bags together and set them by the door. He sighed as he looked out at the village, which was lit by only a sparse scattering of lights. "Now we'll have to walk fast if we want to make it back in time for a late-night snack."
"Thanks for bringing me along on the mission, Captain Ma."
"It's nothing, I didn't really do much anyway. It's all thanks to you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have even known I got hit..." Ma Cidi waved his hands repeatedly, as if declining the praise, or perhaps swatting away annoying nocturnal bugs. By the end of his sentence, his voice had grown quieter, lacking in confidence.
Despite claiming to be in a hurry, Ma Cidi didn't leave.
And because Ma Cidi didn't leave, neither did Shi Rang.
Slightly worried that his cover was blown, he discreetly gripped the phone in his pocket, resting his thumb right over the dial button.
The two men stood in the darkness before the door, each lost in his own thoughts as a strange, heavy silence settled over them.
Finally, Ma Cidi squeezed out a small, hesitant sound from his throat. "Um... Jack? Can I discuss something with you?"
"Go ahead."
"Could you... pretend you were never here?"
Shi Rang's eyes flashed. "What do you mean, 'never here'?"
"I mean, just..." Ma Cidi struggled to organize his words, his face flushing bright red as if he were enduring immense suffering. "Could you give this mission credit to me? Let me write in the report that I handled this distortion all by myself? If I can complete a mission solo, I'll definitely become an official employee—oh, right, I'll pay you Compensation! I'll pay you the standard rate for an External Consultant."
Shi Rang silently marveled at how familiar this scene felt.
He saw a reflection of himself in the other man. Although he wasn't much older than Ma Cidi, their shared rigidity and mutual unfamiliarity with the so-called unwritten rules of society were strikingly similar.
However, Shi Rang was incredibly stubborn and obstinate. Aside from begging the police to let him view the surveillance footage after Ying Shang's disappearance, he had never once bowed his head to anyone. He had suffered immensely just to uphold his principles.
This actually worked out perfectly for him. Just moments ago, he had been racking his brain over how to keep Ma Cidi's mouth shut.
Now that the other party had brought it up first, things were much easier.
"That works. Even if I took credit for this mission, it probably wouldn't be enough to make me an official employee anyway."
Ma Cidi was briefly stunned by his straightforward agreement, but he was immediately overcome with joy. He eagerly followed up on the proposal, actively making excuses on Shi Rang's behalf.
"You're a temp, so you don't even need to report your movements. I can tell the superiors that I solved it before you arrived, or just pretend I never ran into you. With all the chaotic personnel transfers going on right now, leadership will probably forget anyway... Oh, right, man, give me a Bank Account number..."
It would seem far too suspicious if he didn't accept the money. Shi Rang pondered for a moment, pretending to check for his card number, while deliberately muttering a Constant Grumbling under his breath. "Bank Account...
"
The voice of Mirror immediately sounded from the Micro Earpiece in his ear, reciting a string of numbers for him.
It felt so good to have backup.
He didn't know whether the amount of Compensation Ma Cidi was giving him was considered a lot or a little, but the specific figure of '8719' that Mirror reported was quite interesting. Shi Rang was slightly surprised. "Did you just give me your entire Living Expenses for the month?"
"That's my entire savings..." Ma Cidi lowered his head in embarrassment.
"Alright, at least this trip wasn't for nothing. But how are you going to afford to live from now on?"
"It's fine, I'm a survivor."
After aligning their Formal Testimony once more, the two finally departed in opposite directions.
Before walking too far away, Ma Cidi cast one last glance at "Jack's" retreating back, feeling a twinge of guilt and regret in his heart. 'Since he gave this opportunity to me, how much longer will it take for him to officially join the Management Authority?'
He secretly made up his mind. Once he obtained a higher clearance level, he would absolutely recommend Jack to join the Management Authority.
'If Jack could become an official employee and join the Management Authority, with his skills, he'd definitely become a B-Class Employee before his Retirement, right?'
Ma Cidi was heartbroken over the loss of his money but very satisfied. Shi Rang was also very satisfied.
It was a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Mirror was waiting for Shi Rang on a mountain that offered a clear view of the Small Building. Per Shi Rang's request (or rather, out of respect for A Piao's authority), he hadn't remotely monitored the Small Building—Shi Rang didn't want the Ascension Society to discover the secrets of his Tampering and unique Plunder abilities.
While hiking up the mountain, Shi Rang equipped his newly acquired Phantom Transformation ability and actively triggered it.
...He didn't notice any changes.
Shi Rang touched a tree and activated the ability again, but the tree's appearance remained unchanged. He pondered for a moment, suddenly realizing he felt slightly fatigued. He conjured a bar of Chocolate out of thin air and popped it into his mouth while holding up his phone, switching it to the Front Camera and aiming it at himself.
Illuminated by the flashlight, the screen reflected Ma Cidi's exact appearance—a slightly round, simple-looking face, complete with a pair of vibrant, youthful eyes.
Shi Rang blinked, and "Ma Cidi" blinked back.
It was flawless.
He reached out to touch the cheeks that were plumper than his own. In the camera's view, his hand rested against the cheek, and his fingertips even felt the sensation of flesh. Shi Rang's height seemed to have decreased slightly, and when he spoke, his tone and cadence were completely identical. But when he closed his eyes and focused his mind entirely on his sense of touch, the sensation in his fingers reverted back to its original state—touching a thin layer of skin draped over bone. His voice, too, returned to normal.
He proceeded to test changing his appearance into Mirror, A Piao's previous host body, The Sheriff, and even Ying Shang. Each transformed appearance precisely matched the clearest version he held in his memory.
As long as he had a template, he could execute the Phantom Transformation.
Looking at "Ying Shang" blinking and smiling at him on the camera screen, Shi Rang wished more than anything that she was truly here.
He deactivated the ability and ate two more pieces of Chocolate to replenish his stamina.
This was an ability specifically designed to disguise his own physical appearance.
A Cognitohazard that operated strictly through visual perception.
He smiled, pulled off the Wig, and briskly hiked up the mountain.
He had finally found a method of disguise far superior to makeup.
This was exactly what he needed!