Deity Investigation Report

Chapter 46 Monsters in the Swamp
"ability?"

Han Su, who was tearing open the instant noodle packaging, stopped and looked up at Cui Qiao: "I'm rather curious..."

He paused, looked up at her, and said, "I've studied the occult before, and I think I've seen similar theories. Some abilities in the mystical world are often accompanied by unknown risks..."

"Will there be a price to pay when you use these abilities?"

"There is a price to pay, of course."

Upon hearing Han Su's words, Cui Qiao was surprisingly appreciative and nodded slightly: "Considering the cost before understanding the mysterious power, I must say, your clear-headedness is admirable."

"And speaking of costs, there are indeed some."

She paused for a moment and said softly, "Using one's abilities means excessive consumption of mental energy, squeezing the brain and destroying reason. Therefore, people who abuse their mental energy often suffer from insomnia, confusion, and poor memory."

"Moreover, within the mysterious side of the body, there is often a tendency for severe hair loss after the age of forty..."

"..."

Han Su was stunned: "That's it?"

"Of course, there are even more serious ones..."

Secretary Cui Qiao smiled, then suddenly became serious: "Using your ability will bring you closer and closer to those mysterious beings, until you can no longer escape them!"

"Like you, you were forced to leave your usual lives and enter this department simply because you came into contact with the bizarre."

"Mental infiltration, however, directly broke through my own boundaries..."

"You can think of it this way: the whole world is built on a huge swamp, all of humanity walks on the swamp, and deep within that swamp, there are countless monsters and shadows, always thinking of devouring the humans on it."

"Even if you do nothing, some unlucky guys will accidentally get stuck in the mud or be caught by monsters at the bottom of the swamp and dragged down."

"What the mind infiltrators are doing is repeatedly, recklessly, digging their feet into the mud, even deliberately approaching and provoking the monsters lurking in the silt..."

"In reality, it's the same for those with special abilities. Every time they use their abilities, they get a little closer to those monsters. The more powerful their abilities, the easier it is for those monsters deep in the swamp to see them..."

"The ability itself is a way for monsters from the swamp to infiltrate reality."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

"..."

Han Su nodded, now he truly understood.

At this point, Cui Qiao suddenly laughed and said, "However, you don't need to be afraid."

"There are limited spots available for this training, and you don't know when you'll get a turn!"

"..."

At this point, she glanced at her watch, then turned and walked towards the door. Han Su, however, was somewhat anxious: "Uncle Zhang..."

The secretary walked out without looking up: "Don't inquire about the whereabouts of important leaders of the Disaster Management Bureau."

"...What the hell?!"

Seeing her leave without saying a word, Han Su felt somewhat helpless. He could only slowly boil water to make instant noodles while silently pondering what she had told him.

'A world where you walk on swamps?'

If what she says is true, then the whole world is built on swamps, and those who have achieved spiritual penetration are the ones who occasionally stick their feet into the swamps to provoke monsters.

So, what category does someone like me belong to—one who has been kidnapped by a monster since childhood and can't escape now?
It was long ago submerged in the swamp, but it keeps surfacing to breathe.
However, if we follow this theory, what exactly are those monsters that kidnapped me? Why is there a mysterious power remaining in my body?
He did have some wild ideas, thinking that these monsters were "gods" or something else, but how could a god be at this level?
Although I've never truly escaped, I've deceived them, evaded them, and even hurt them...

...Those junk things are definitely not gods!

Han Su looked at his left hand again. On the back of his hand, there was a conspicuous cross-shaped scar, which was ferocious and clear, with an ugly and eerie feeling.

During my time at the Disaster Management Bureau, the only inconvenience was adapting to this ability. Although I had gained a general understanding of it during the assessment, there was no room to familiarize myself with or develop either the ability of my right eye or my left hand.

Of course, if you really want to develop without restraint, you do need to find out the costs first.

It must be said that Cui Qiao's reminder was quite necessary:
Hair loss is truly terrifying!
But other things, like the more you use your abilities, the closer you get to the monsters in the swamp and the easier it is to sink, are hardly a price to pay.
While thinking, Han Su put the instant noodles into the bowl.

He's used to eating instant noodles from a bowl for two reasons.

Firstly, the woman who took care of me before I was ten years old told me that I couldn't use a paper bucket to eat instant noodles at home.

This is a principle that represents that one has a home.

Another reason is that Han Su bought instant noodles in packets. Xu Ji is indeed very generous, renting out such a small apartment to himself, but the key point is that while the rent is cheap, the property management fees and maintenance fees are not cheap at all.

Having already taken advantage of Xu Ji, and not wanting to let others pay for it, he ended up paying out of his own pocket. In the end, it wasn't much different from when he went out to work and lived in a low-rent apartment.

Boiling water poured into the instant noodle bowl, scalding hot. Han Su's right hand was already about to loosen its grip, but in his heart, he silently recited the incantation once, and instantly, his spiritual power "flowed" and concentrated in his left hand.

He had recited the incantation several times and had become accustomed to the feeling that this spiritual power seemed to have transformed into flowing water, something that could be captured.

This hand, which is usually a bit sluggish, suddenly became icy cold and couldn't feel the scalding hot water at all. On the contrary, the strength of the hand became extremely strong. It was clear that the hand was not holding the bowl with any force, but the large bowl inexplicably cracked open.

Han Su hurriedly changed the bowl and withdrew the mental energy that was concentrated on his left hand.

He thought to himself, "If mere contact can leave such a powerful mark on my body from those monsters, then......"

"Next time I'm in the castle, I'll find a chance to touch those monsters and leave behind their power, which I can then activate when I return to reality?"

"Touch the monster?"

"That's weird!"

"..."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. The moment Han Su opened the door, he was stunned.

Zhang Chiguo stood at the door with a big smile on his face, while his secretary Cui Qiao stood behind him with a dark expression, carrying a full load of groceries.

"Xiao Han, you..."

He was talking happily when he suddenly paused, smelling the instant noodles, and said, "You've already started eating?"

Han Su was bewildered: "What are you doing?"

Zhang Chiguo turned around and looked at Secretary Cui with a strange expression, and said, "I came over to cook you a meal to celebrate your entry into the Disaster Management Bureau, and also to have a chat with you. Didn't Secretary Cui tell you?"

Han Su said, "No."

Behind Zhang Chiguo, Secretary Cui, expressionless, said, "Your whereabouts cannot be revealed under any circumstances, and besides..."

"...How was I supposed to know that when you said 'get ready,' you meant going to the market?"

"...and you bought so much?"

"..."

He had indeed bought a lot. After helping Secretary Cui carry it in, Zhang Chiguo smiled, tied on an apron, and went into the kitchen to cook.

Cui Qiao, the female secretary in a black suit, was assigned to squat on a small stool to wash potatoes.

Unlike when Zhang Chiguo was in the Disaster Management Bureau, he looked like a typical old man at home in the kitchen.

However, Cui Qiao seemed different from her refined, capable, and confident demeanor at the Disaster Management Bureau. Instead, she looked bitter and resentful, scrubbing the potatoes with a loud swishing sound.

Han Su thought he should be polite and sit down next to her to work, but she had lost the friendliness she had shown him before, and instead gave him a cold look: "Go sit on the sofa over there. Zhang Tou said this is my task!"

The word "task" was emphasized, especially.

'Your attitude towards completing this task is clearly unprofessional...'

Han Su thought about it, but didn't dare to say it out loud, so he had to give up the idea of ​​saving those potatoes.

Just by the smell, you can tell that Zhang Chiguo is preparing to cook oil-splashed fish and beef tofu, so he pushes the bowl of instant noodles that is about to expire aside.

My nerves, which had been constantly on edge, began to relax a bit.

These are all dishes I loved to eat when I was a child.

I don't have many memories of myself before I was ten years old, and in the few fragments I do have, I can't say that I had a good time.

The single woman who took care of him had a bad temper, and he was always covered in bruises. He couldn't remember what delicious food he ate, but in any case, he didn't starve to death.

On the contrary, after the kidnapping, Zhang Chiguo took care of him for a period of time under the guise of protecting witnesses. This rough old man often cooked him some delicious food and occasionally made him laugh.

Of course, he was probably thinking of coaxing Han Su at the time, hoping that Han Su might remember something, but that doesn't matter anymore.

Back then, when faced with the serious police department, the frenzied media, and the grieving families of the victims, if it weren't for the tall and silent figure of Zhang Chiguo standing in front of him, he might have gone crazy.

As he thought about it, he picked up a handful of bean pods and slowly began to pick them.

(End of this chapter)