Chapter 87: Fake Person

A few days later.

Federal Weird Investigation Bureau headquarters.

In the cold, minimalist alloy Corridor, a young figure in a brand‑new combat suit was stepping briskly, almost jogging forward.

His name is Jiang Yuan, a newly recruited batch of probationary agents of the Investigation Bureau.

At this moment, he was eagerly swiping his tactical terminal, and the screen displayed the legendary "Federal Weird Investigation Bureau Rules Manual V1.0".

"A Ji, Disaster-level... Sequence 003 "Smiling Dummy"... My god, it has already caused over five hundred deaths!"

Jiang Yuan stared at the file's picture of the "Smiling Dummy", its face censored with black mosaic and annotated "Meme Pollution Hazard", and his heart betrayed him with a few frantic thumps.

He couldn't help but turn to another page.

【Sequence 002, "Ghost Wall", C Ji, Death‑Calamity level.】

【Containment method......】

He looked at the photo of the unfinished tower suspended by countless massive steel cables at ten thousand meters altitude, and his Adam's apple rolled.

According to the briefing in the manual, a month ago a legendary agent codenamed "Mei" had spent a full twenty‑four hours inside it, bare‑handed, and stubbornly withstood the "Ghost Wall" Spiritual Pollution, emerging alive!

Twenty‑four hours!

That's a C-level Weird that can drive elite SWAT units mad!

Just thinking of that scene made Jiang Yuan's scalp tingle.

"That's insanely awesome... it's practically Superman!" he exclaimed sincerely.

Jiang Yuan grew up in his father's martial arts school, honing solid kung fu.

He had countless times imagined being like the masters in wuxia novels, leaping across eaves and walls, dispensing justice.

Later, he discovered his greatest talent was extreme focus and precision.

During a wager with his father, he could even use a regular Poker Card to precisely slice a flying mosquito in the evening breeze.

His father patted his shoulder then, saying he was material for great deeds.

And now, he finally found the path he truly should walk.

Not to become a wandering hero, but to become the nation's blade, personally sealing these "Weird" that sprout from darkness back into containment facilities one by one!

He clenched his fists, his eyes full of yearning and fervor.

Soon, he arrived at the gathering point for his first mission—a tactical preparation room codenamed "B17".

He pushed the door open; a man stood with his back to him, wiping a peculiarly shaped handgun.

The man turned, and Jiang Yuan's heartbeat missed a beat.

It was a weather‑worn face, about forty years old, with shallow scars that didn't diminish his vigor but added a touch of iron‑blooded aura.

The most striking feature was his eyes.

Steady, calm, as deep as an ancient mountain pool—any emotion tossed in would not stir a ripple.

"Report! Probationary Agent Jiang Yuan, reporting for duty!" Jiang Yuan instinctively straightened his back and performed a standard military salute.

The man nodded, sheathing the handgun back into its holster.

"Wang Zhangzhi," he said, his voice as steady and strong as his demeanor, "Specialty is command. For this mission, I am your Captain."

One sentence, simple, direct, yet exuding a reassuring, powerful confidence.

Jiang Yuan instantly felt solemn respect.

He had read Wang Zhangzhi's agent dossier!

Wang Zhangzhi, former commander of the Southeast Military Region Special Forces "Wolf Fang", had amassed countless brilliant achievements. At the early stage of the Weird incidents, he was covertly recruited and independently led the first contact operation against Sequence 008 "Hanged Man".

In that operation, with zero casualties, he not only rescued all team members but also fully uncovered the "Hanged Man" Murder Rule, paving the way for subsequent containment squads!

That was nothing short of a miracle in those early high‑casualty exploratory missions!

"Captain, hello!" Jiang Yuan saluted again, this time with genuine reverence.

Wang Zhangzhi waved his hand, signaling him to relax.

"Don't get so tense; from now on we're comrades in life and death."

He pointed to the corner of the room.

"Let me introduce you to the other two teammates."

Jiang Yuan followed his gaze and saw a pale man with a bird‑nest haircut slumped in a chair, hands in his pockets, looking ready to fall asleep at any moment.

Next to him stood a petite woman, almost invisible unless one looked closely, her head bowed as she meticulously adjusted the device on her wrist.

Wang Zhangzhi introduced, "That half‑asleep one, codename 'Ghost', is a top‑tier technical expert and network analyst. He and another lady were transferred from the 'Smiling Dummy' countermeasure unit."

"They could come because the method to counter the Smiling Dummy has been fixed; now only peripheral personnel are needed, no Core agents required."

Smiling Dummy countermeasure unit!

Jiang Yuan's pupils contracted, and his heart pounded violently again.

That is currently the Federation's only confirmed A-level Weird!

Anyone extracted from that battlefield is absolutely elite among elites!

He looked at the man called "Ghost" with admiration and stammered, "Um… hello! I'm Jiang Yuan! I… I have read your report! You actually can counter A-level Weird, that's amazing!"

Ghost lazily lifted his eyelids, his voice hoarse and impatient as if not fully awake.

"Don't mind, we're just the grunt workers."

He yawned, lazily waved his hand, "The truly impressive one is our Captain."

He seemed to recall something, a rare smirk tugging his mouth, his eyes showing a hint of complex sentiment.

Qin Zhixia grew rapidly, and now is one of the Core Captains of the Weird Investigation Bureau.

He previously thought Qin Zhixia indecisive.

But reality proved Qin Zhixia merely has lofty resolve and is actually very decisive.

He now is already completely convinced by Qin Zhixia.

"Uh? May I ask who your Captain is..."

"Code name 'Mei', Qin Zhixia, you should have learned about her deeds, right?"

In an instant, Jiang Yuan's blood boiled with passion.

Code name "Mei", Captain Qin Zhixia!

Unexpectedly, not only did she physically defeat the "ghost wall", she also heads the Smiling Dummy response team, handling that terrifyingly extreme Weird!

How inspiring, truly a living legend!

Jiang Yuan is certain: she is the target he has been pursuing!

At that moment, Captain Wang Zhangzhi clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

His expression turned serious.

"Alright, idle chat ends here."

"State this mission."

He remotely opened the main screen, and a blurry, surveillance‑like screenshot appeared before everyone.

In the picture, a family is happily watching TV.

But the Weird part is that on the sofa, the mother's spot is signal‑interfered, her head a blur.

Only she is like that; the others are normal.

"This picture leaked from an encrypted forum, accompanied by a description."

Wang Zhangzhi's voice deepened.

"The latest Weird rumor—'Fake Person'."

"According to the currently fragmented Intelligence analysis, this thing is a monster that can hide among crowds. It can perfectly disguise itself as a human, even fabricate false memories, allowing it to silently blend into a group, such as a family or a company."

"Then, at some unknown moment, it will kill and replace the group's 'normal people'."

When Wang Zhangzhi said this, the temperature in the conference room dropped a few degrees.

Jiang Yuan only felt a chill surge from his tailbone straight to the back of his head.

Fabricate memories?

Replace humans?

This is a hundred times more insidiously terrifying than those straightforward killing Fierce Ghosts!

Your closest family members, your best friends, may at some moment you don't know have already been replaced by a monster!

Wang Zhangzhi continued:

"Based on the assessment team's preliminary judgment, the 'Fake Person' is most likely classified as a 'ghost story' category."

"Our mission is to locate it, determine its mode of existence, the Murder Rule, and the trigger conditions, and conduct a danger‑level assessment."

His sharp gaze swept over everyone:

"Remember the new guideline in the Rulebook—figure out the rules, report the rating, await orders, and contain precisely!"

"If the assessment shows our team alone cannot handle it, then report immediately and request a dedicated response team to intervene."

"Understood!" Jiang Yuan replied loudly at once.

Only the ghost, lazily raised a hand, as a response.

"Very good," Wang Zhangzhi nodded, looking at the ghost, "Ghost, regarding the specific target of this mission, it's your turn."

The ghost stretched lazily, tapped the laptop keyboard a few times with ten fingers, and the main screen instantly switched to a personal information sheet.

The man in the photo wears black‑rimmed glasses and looks refined.

"Li Mo, twenty‑five, a Weibo top influencer, online name 'Sharp-tongued Brother Social Commentary', with three million followers, renowned for sharp remarks and daring exposure of societal blackness."

The ghost's voice remains lazy.

"He is the last one online, and also the most detailed active poster describing the 'Fake Person'."

"And then, there have been no updates since."

"Based on online activity analysis, it can basically be confirmed that this Li Mo is our target this time."

The ghost's finger lightly tapped the laptop, a map popped up, and a red dot flickered on the map.

"And the city he currently resides in is—Ling Chang City."