Chapter 30

30 Infection Value

【Friend of the Demon (Silver): After completing ten extreme evil sacrifices and continuously offering offerings saturated with human hatred and sweat, your soul’s hidden ambition was fortunately favored by a high-ranking demon】

【Wearing Effect: Greatly increases affinity with anomalies marked “Corrupted,” reduces usage cost while significantly enhancing effect】

【Advanced Path: Continue fulfilling the agreed-upon evil sacrifices until the demon’s avatar is fully revived; this badge will then automatically upgrade to the Gold Badge “I Am the Demon”】

Additionally, each time you offer a human soul tainted with sin, the demon’s revival speed increases proportionally; current revival value: 5%】

[Hidden Trait (No Equipment Required): Over time, your soul has been tainted by the demon’s evil aura, making you more likely to attract the attention of certain evil entities]

Your infection value has increased】

Current infection value: 0.4】

Infection value…

Watching this strange value reappear, Li Ang, crouched in an alley near the Police Department, lighting a cigarette for Black Goat, unconsciously narrowed his eyes.

He had privately asked Black Goat, but the Cleanup Bureau seemed to have no record of infection value, so its meaning could only be deduced by himself.

And if he remembered correctly, this thing called infection value had appeared only four times so far.

The first was when he touched Black Goat, and through the effect of 【Materialist Soul】, he learned its infection value was 0.1;

The second was when he gained Black Goat’s approval and its usage rights, and his own infection value rose to 0.1;

The third was when he learned the information about Red-Haired Director’s 【Love Without Memory】, discovering its infection value was 7;

The fourth was after touching the doorknob of Happiness Apartment, where the pop-up message revealed 【Habitation of Spirits】 also had an infection value of 0.1.

So it was now basically confirmed that infection value was a unique trait of anomalies.

Moreover, since his own infection value rose after Black Goat began reviving, it was likely that once an anomaly’s usage rights were obtained, the user’s infection value increased by the same amount.

As he thought of this, Li Ang reached out and rubbed Black Goat’s head twice.

【Name: Demon’s Horn (Corrupted, Knowledge, Whisper) (Reviving)】

【Appearance: …】

【…】

【Infection Value: 0.4】

As expected, the stats are the same as mine.

Looking at Black Goat’s infection value now at 0.4, Li Ang’s eyes flashed with sudden understanding, and he deduced the reason the middle-aged nurse had not had her memories erased by the God-Brain.

According to the 【Habitation of Spirits】’s “cost of use,” those residents who greeted the administrator lady used the anomaly daily, so their infection values should all be 0.1.

And the God-Brain controlled by the Cleanup Bureau likely identified ordinary people and bureau staff by detecting infection value, which is why she was treated as “related personnel” and spared memory cleansing.

If his guess was correct, this must be the truth the Cleanup Bureau understood: anyone who had used an anomaly would not have their memories erased by the God-Brain.

But there was another question: what did the amount of infection value actually represent? The most plausible theory was that it indicated the anomaly’s strength.

Because 【Demon’s Horn】 and 【Habitation of Spirits】 had equal strength—both 0.1—Black Goat could withstand Old Man Zhuang’s shears, leaving only a scratch on the horn.

Yet Director’s 【Love Without Memory】 could erase the memories of seventy thousand people at once, far stronger than these two.

So its infection value was 7?

Hmm… he had encountered too few anomalies; information was still insufficient… but perhaps he could find a way to test further.

As he thought of this, Li Ang glanced again at the panel floating above Black Goat’s head, watching its infection value now at 0.4, and absentmindedly patted its head once more.

If infection value truly represented item strength, then 0.4 > 0.1, meaning Black Goat’s current strength exceeded 【Habitation of Spirits】.

So later, when his strength improved, he could return to Happiness Apartment and try using Black Goat to block Old Man Zhuang’s shears—if this time it didn’t get dented…

…

“Why do you keep patting my head? You treating me like a dog?”

Unaware Li Ang planned to use him as an experiment, Black Goat swatted away his sticky hand, exhaled a thick, murky smoke ring, then squinted contentedly:

“Kid! Since you’re so generous, I’ll let you off the hook for using me as a shield. Keep offering me sacrifices, and we’ll remain good partners!”

“Mm-hmm.”

After giving two half-hearted replies, Li Ang—now more desperate for power after a series of events—lit seven or eight cigarettes, shoving them into Black Goat’s mouth while probing:

“I’ve observed carefully: everyone in our bureau has unusually strong physiques! Sister Emma left handprints on alloy cabinets; the Director drank over a hundred bottles of hard liquor and only flushed slightly.

And Brother Harry, who just returned and was immediately sent out again—he carried a crate I couldn’t budge an inch, yet he lifted it like it was a cup of water…”

After finishing his observations, Li Ang stared intently at Black Goat, not blinking:

“If it were just one or two people, it might be due to anomaly effects—but everyone in the bureau is like this! There must be a reason!

So can you tell me: how do I gain the same physical condition as them?”

“Tsk… you observe carefully, but this can’t be rushed!”

After a deep drag, smoke puffing from Black Goat’s ears, he lazily said:

“Hmm… let me put it this way: when you use my power, don’t you eventually feel mentally and physically drained, as if your entire being has been hollowed out?”

“Do I?”

“…”

Damn… forgot this kid has exceptional affinity with demons…

After a silent glance at Li Ang, Black Goat flipped his thick lips, clamped the cigarette between them, and glared:

“My power isn’t about observing souls—it’s about stirring the darkness in others’ hearts! You’ve been using me like a telescope and half a mind-reader, never properly using me! Of course you feel no cost!”

“Oh…”

“Every time you use an anomaly, besides meeting its own rules, you must pay a price in physical strength and willpower—the stronger the effect, the more you must expend.

Hmm… for example, your bureau’s Harry—he has the strongest anomaly: a roll of tape that never runs out. It doesn’t just bond physical objects—it can even bind conceptual things.”

“Conceptual things… what do you mean?”

"Souls, bonds, shattered beliefs... anyway, be careful around him. If one day you suddenly find yourself liking him, you've probably been stuck—slap yourself awake!"