Chapter 133

Faced with Leon, who was not only cautious but also shameless, the scarred director, having been bilked of five questions, angrily gave him a vulgar gesture.

Then his soul suddenly split into two identical dark flames that clashed, twisted, and strangled each other before instantly extinguishing with a puff, his body collapsing onto the desk at the same moment.

Although the scarred giant’s breathing and heartbeat remained normal, Leon knew clearly that his soul was gone—only an empty shell without a soul remained.

So his method of suicide was soul annihilation? Then I truly couldn’t have stopped him.

Looking at the scarred giant slumped over the desk, Leon couldn’t help but shake his head, then activated the Holy Pendant and carefully prodded the man’s body, confirming there were no explosive traps before slowly inching closer and beginning to search him.

Since he didn’t know what the man’s anomaly’s “carrier” was, Leon had to rely on his hands to meticulously inspect the scarred giant’s belongings—not just the pockets of his clothes and pants, but even every possible seam where a pocket might have been sewn.

Yet although he did find some small items, they were all pens, notebooks, handkerchiefs—nothing belonging to the “anomalous category.”

So… did his ability work like Director’s [Forgetful Love], both being carried within himself rather than anchored to an object?

After frowning and pondering for a moment, Leon directly touched the scarred giant’s body—and as expected, upon skin contact, [Materialist Soul] finally flickered to life.

[Encountered… Materialist… Information]

[Name: Counterfeit Workshop (Replication, Substitution, ?)]

[Appearance: ?]

[Ability: After designating a small area as a workshop, it can replicate all non-anomalous objects within range and forcibly substitute them; the original objects are temporarily banished to another world.]

Due to the previous user’s soul being shattered, the third ability cannot currently be detected and requires repair or reforging.]

[Cost: ?]

[File: One of the many functional anomalies created by the Water Bureau Director of the Cleanup Bureau to fulfill a wish, temporarily designated as 0116.]

Since the previous user died after suffering a shameful betrayal, many fragments of vengeful soul remained, making this anomaly particularly incompatible with untrustworthy individuals—or humans named Leon Ryan.]

[Evaluation: A fairly capable ability; though its upper limit is low, its concealment is extremely strong and can prove highly effective under certain special circumstances.]

After submission to the Cleanup Bureau and processing, it should yield a decent anomaly—though incompatible with you, someone else will likely find it interesting.]

[Contamination Value: ?]

“…”

Fine… Looks like, like with [Wealth-Switching Toad], damage occurred due to soul shattering—but the damage is far less severe; at least I can still see what the ability does.

After reading the information provided by [Materialist Soul], Leon couldn’t help but shake his head, then reached into the shopping bag and patted the pup’s head.

“Help me out—put him in the mirror first.”

“Wang Wu~”

Upon receiving the order, the pup stood wobbling on the black goat’s head, peered at the scarred giant over the edge of the bag, then barked once toward the office window.

The next instant, the scarred giant vanished from the real world, while his shadow reflected in the window grew noticeably deeper.

Following the pup’s somewhat confused instructions, Leon held up the small mirror toward the window, transferred the scarred giant into the mirror he carried, patted the exhausted pup, then rose and left the Cleanup Bureau Director’s office without disturbing anyone, heading back toward the stairwell.

…

After the scarred giant’s ability deactivated, the Cleanup Bureau, previously isolated in another “layer,” had returned to normal, and the collapse of the dungeon finally drew attention from those in the lobby.

“Hurry! Two more injured people are still down there! Get them out!”

“Call an ambulance—someone’s been crushed!”

“Too slow—use the bureau’s official vehicle!”

Watching six or seven injured personnel covered in dust, Leon instinctively pulled out [Infected Blood Band] to treat them, but after glancing at the chaotic crowd in the lobby, he abandoned the idea and rewrapped the bandage around his own forearm.

It wasn’t that he lacked the strength to treat them—just that there were too many people now; using an anomaly was inappropriate. Better to apply for reimbursement later, and if the bureau refuses, deduct it from his salary—he’d caused the dungeon collapse after all…

As Leon thought this, he used his soul vision to recheck the injured, confirmed they all had minor injuries, and felt slightly relieved, then walked toward the female police officer in the corner.

Leon thought as he used his soul vision to check the injured again; after confirming they all had minor wounds, he felt slightly relieved, then walked toward the female police officer in the corner of the hall.

The female officer, who had been watching the stairwell, had already seen Leon and limped over, her expression complex as she pressed:

“Someone noticed the dungeon situation—the bureau suddenly returned to normal, so I brought them up. The director… that man? Did you handle him?”

“Someone discovered the situation in the dungeon; the bureau suddenly returned to normal, so I brought them up. Director… where’s that man? Did you deal with him?”

Leon nodded.

“To prevent me from extracting more information, he committed suicide. I couldn’t stop him.”

“To prevent me from extracting more information, he killed himself. I couldn’t stop him.”

The female officer bit her lip, her eyes slightly sorrowful, but finally spat bitterly:

“Too good for him! Aunt Martha was such a good person—she worked here for years and never had a single argument with anyone. This bastard had the heart to kill her—and others too… Where did the bastard die?”

“Upstairs in the office—but I took the body. There’s nothing left up there… Oh! By the way!”

After answering her question, Leon paused, then suggested:

“Don’t call him a rebel. If anyone asks, say rebels attacked the Cleanup Bureau’s dungeon, rescued the prisoners, kidnapped the director, and stole a large amount of classified intelligence.”

“Why not just say he wasn’t a rebel? If anyone asks, claim the rebels attacked your Secret Investigation Bureau’s dungeon—rescued the prisoners, kidnapped the bureau director, and stole a large amount of classified intelligence.”

“Why say that? Even if he was careful, I could still investigate and find the truth eventually… Wait… I get it.”

Looking up at Leon, the female officer nodded thoughtfully:

“Since that bastard is dead, Aunt Martha and the others’ vengeance is settled. But if we say the director was kidnapped, it sounds better than saying he was a rebel infiltrator.”

“After all, if it’s proven he was a spy, the entire Cleanup Bureau might be investigated—or even temporarily disbanded and reorganized.”

“And during this chaotic gap, the rebels would surely exploit it, causing massive casualties… Is that what you’re thinking?”

“During this chaos, the rebels will surely take the chance to sabotage and cause massive casualties… is that what you’re thinking?”

Actually no… I just want to annoy the rebels. The point isn’t the scarred giant’s identity—it’s that the rebels stole a huge amount of classified intelligence.

As for the dirt, it should be the scandals of nobles, officials, and wealthy merchants. Now that the Cleanup Bureau’s top brass is gone and they’re suddenly facing intensified crackdowns from all sides, they’ll probably lie low for a while and stop thinking about coming after me.

“As for the dirt, it should be scandals involving nobles, officials, and major merchants. Now that the Secret Investigation Bureau’s top brass are gone as inside agents, and they’re suddenly facing doubled crackdowns from all sides, they’ll probably calm down for a while and stop thinking about coming after me.”

Nodding along with her interpretation, Leon vaguely brushed it off, then noticed her awkward posture and suggested:

“Did your leg get crushed too? Why not go to the hospital first? I see there’s still room on their vehicle…”

“No need! I’ll just go home and apply some medicine. But your hand… Huh? Where did your wound go?”

Grabbing Leon’s left palm, she stared at the skin that had fully regrown, her eyes wide with astonishment:

“You… it was clearly severe just now. How did wrapping it in a bandage fix it so fast?”

“What…? It was clearly serious just now—how did wrapping it with bandages fix it?”

“By the way, how did you even do that?”

With the situation now settled, the female officer, who had been holding back a flood of questions, finally seized the chance, grabbing Leon’s sleeve and leaning in to whisper:

“Why could he die and come back to life, and even spawn a dozen copies? And how did you manage to block so many nails? Why did the dungeon collapse the moment you pulled me into the corner? And…”

“Why did he come back to life after dying, and even produce a dozen copies? And what about you? How did you block so many nails? Why did the dungeon collapse right after you pulled me into the corner? And…”

Hearing her barrage of questions, Leon’s head throbbed, and he evasively replied:

“You look busy too. Let’s each attend to our own matters. Tomorrow, after I’m done, I’ll explain everything—deal?”

“I see you’re busy too. How about we each mind our own business for now? Tomorrow, after I’m done, I’ll explain everything to you—deal?”

Unaware that tomorrow the Cleanup Bureau’s God-Brain would erase all memories related to anomalies, the female officer hesitated briefly, then released him, solemnly warning:

“I’ll be waiting for you in my office tomorrow. You’d better come find me after you’re done—don’t lie!”

“Absolutely, absolutely!”

Having made a promise as reliable as “next time for sure,” Leon hurried away from the chaotic Cleanup Bureau, but didn’t head straight back to report—he walked toward the main road outside the municipal district, preparing to catch a public carriage.

Why? Because the scarred giant wasn’t much of a threat. From the moment he left the Cleanup Bureau until now, less than an hour had passed—and he’d already dealt with him.

If he returned after a half-hour field mission, only six or seven hundred meters from the bureau, even the director would be too embarrassed to approve his allowance. Better to first go to Rose Manor and rescue the person before reporting.

If you go on an external mission and come back in half an hour, only six or seven hundred meters from the bureau, even the director would be too embarrassed to approve your allowance. Better go rescue the person at the Rose Estate first.

Damn it, I missed the carriage. Now I’ll have to wait over half an hour. I should’ve just gone back to the bureau first.

Running all the way to the station, Leon watched the public carriage vanish from sight and rubbed his temples in frustration, feeling his luck had been abysmal lately.

His sister hospitalized, encountering an uncontrolled contaminant; investigating the middle-aged nurse, nearly cut in half by an old brute; delivering goods to the mall, accidentally encountering the Scale Gold Sect’s Holy Spirit; just wanted a bandage, ended up trapped in a dungeon by rebels.

Though he’d survived them all without major issues, it felt like a curse had taken hold—trouble followed him wherever he went…

Although nothing major happened in the end and everyone made it through, it still felt like misfortune had possessed me—wherever I went, trouble followed.

Likely sensing Leon’s hesitation and confusion through his soul vision, the black goat shook his head curiously:

“Aren’t all the rebels dealt with? What are you still overthinking?”

“It’s not a big deal…”

After a brief hesitation, Leon voiced his suspicion:

“I’m wondering if I’m encountering anomalies too frequently. Why does trouble always follow me? Like I’m some kind of Conan…”

“I’m wondering if I’m encountering anomalies too frequently? Why does trouble always follow me wherever I go, like I’ve got Conan attached to me…”

“Uh… he’s not a demon god. He’s just… never mind him.”

“I mean, ever since joining the Cleanup Bureau, whenever I try to do something deliberate, something bizarre always happens. Could I be cursed by some anomaly that brings bad luck?”

“What I mean is, since joining the Clearance Bureau, every time I try to take initiative, something bizarre always happens. Could I be cursed by some anomaly that brings bad luck?”

Hearing Leon’s suspicion, the black goat snorted:

“You’ve got potential, sure, but you’re still just a Level Three Cleanup Agent. There are dozens like you in this bureau. Who’d waste an anti-luck anomaly on you? It’d be easier to just kill you outright.”

“You may have potential, but right now you’re just a Level Three Clearance Officer. People like you are a dime a dozen in the bureau—who’d bother giving you an anomaly of misfortune? It’d be easier to just kill you outright than waste an anomaly on ruining your luck.”

“You’re not unlucky—you’re a Cleanup Bureau employee. You’re forced to seek out anomalies, so your exposure rate is high. Almost getting sliced in half by that old man? That’s why.”

With a disdainful glance at Leon’s “superstitious” thinking, the great demon declared firmly:

“The incident at Red Brick Road Hospital? Whether you joined the bureau or not, it would’ve exploded that day. The Scale Gold Sect’s Holy Spirit? As soon as Charles Department Store started selling heavily, those noble families would’ve caused trouble—you just happened to be there.”

After glancing disdainfully at the “superstitious” Li Ang, a great demon declared with certainty:

“The incident at Red Brick Road Hospital would have surfaced that day regardless of whether you joined the Cleanup Bureau; the Holy Spirit of the Scale Gold Cult too—once Charles Department Store began selling in bulk, those noble families would have found a way to cause trouble; you just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

Hmm... that's true...

He was slightly swayed by Black Goat, but Li Ang thought again and couldn't help shaking his head:

“Those things will happen sooner or later, with or without me—but why do I always seem to show up right when they do?”

“Heh, what do you mean ‘you always show up’? Those are things you encountered in the past that influenced the present, so you feel like trouble always follows you.

Take that scar-faced man today—he probably had his eyes on you long before. If you hadn’t gone to the Secret Investigation Bureau, he wouldn’t have dared act. But once you walked in there, offering yourself up like that, he couldn’t possibly resist! Is that ‘showing up at the right time’?”

“...”

Indeed, if I hadn’t gone to the Secret Investigation Bureau, that scar-faced director would never have surfaced—he’d likely have kept lying low...

After hearing Black Goat’s words, Li Ang thought it over and realized it made sense—but for some reason, something still felt off.

Seeing his soul-fire still flickering uncertainly, Black Goat grew impatient:

“Fine. You’re planning to go to Rose Estate to rescue someone, right? Then let’s see if you can rescue her without any trouble.

If everything goes smoothly, then you’ve been overthinking it. But if something goes wrong along the way, we’ll figure out how to check it for you—deal?”