INHA Chapter 109

The director immediately rushed over. Although he had been informed of the incident as soon as it occurred, he still personally arrived at the scene. The researcher quickly pointed to the shadow on the tree, which, though indistinguishable in face, could be identified as that of the mysterious person through their clothing. “Director, look, it has indeed turned into a fruit on the tree.”

As for the corpse on the ground, it was decaying normally, like an ordinary corpse, without any special characteristics. After being analyzed and deemed harmless by other personnel, it was processed for disposal.

Of course, they had also tried to investigate the real identity of the mysterious person, such as their name, their family, and so on.

After comparing big data, the Anomaly Handling Bureau still found nothing. This only indicated one thing.

The mysterious person left no traces related to their identity in reality. They could only investigate some personal items left behind by the mysterious person but still found nothing.

He seemed to be very cautious. Even his phone card was one of those old ones without identification, making it impossible to know his true information.

The only thing they could determine was the activation time of the card and the specific service center. They went to this service center to retrieve information, but the videos recorded by the center’s cameras would be cleared after a certain period.

The trail ended there.

The handlers were somewhat disappointed and discouraged. The only thing that might comfort them was the discovery of the evil source.

The bureau is currently discussing the array. Some suggest destroying the array to completely eliminate the appearance of evil.

Others argue for keeping the array and monitoring it continuously.

Perhaps this array was created by the mysterious person. Even if not, it is definitely related, considering that evil exists not only in this city but in other cities as well.

It’s unlikely that all the evil in the world comes from this array, which implies that there must be other arrays elsewhere.

This also means there could be others like the mysterious person who are responsible for placing the mysterious beads under this tree.

After discussion, they unanimously decided to retain the array for further research and analysis. As for the mysterious person’s phone, they will keep it powered on in case anyone tries to contact him.

So far, only the Anomaly Handling Bureau knows that this person is dead.

There might be other mysterious people trying to reach him.

To prevent any resentful spirit from escaping, some handlers will stay behind to seal it, and researchers will remain on site to keep watch daily.

Xu Dongyou was not needed at the moment, so he was allowed to return to his normal work and life. He started preparing for his album and composing a main track.

He also needed to continue live streaming, though other cities’ Anomaly Handling Bureaus had introduced new streamers to cover local evil events.

These streams were also edited and uploaded to websites afterward. However, everyone still preferred watching Xu Dongyou’s live streams and kept asking on Weibo when he would next stream.

Xu Dongyou thought about it and decided he would reduce his live streaming in the future. Given his current situation, going out often attracted crowds, which could interfere with investigations.

So, after consulting with the bureau, he decided that he would only stream in cases of sudden and relevant evil events.

He also expressed hope that people would watch the live streams of other handlers, learn useful knowledge, and perhaps apply it in the future.

The fans were disappointed, but they didn’t push too hard. Instead, they expressed their hope that Xu Dongyou would make more appearances, even if it was just on some variety shows.

Xu Dongyou thought about it and agreed that it made sense. He decided to participate in a casual, everyday variety show called “Fields and Smoke”. The destination was a remote place filled with mountains, rivers, fields, and a leisurely, joyful daily life. When people living in bustling cities watched this show, they often felt a sense of inner peace and longing.

Once Xu Dongyou agreed to participate, the program’s staff and director were thrilled, as this was his first variety show since his debut.

Meanwhile, the director of the talent show he had once been part of regretted not realizing how amazing Xu Dongyou would become back then.

When Xu Dongyou arrived on set, the regular guests were pleasantly surprised and warmly greeted him.

Xu Dongyou didn’t put on airs; instead, he greeted everyone with humility and respect. He actively participated in the tasks, though he seemed a bit unfamiliar with some parts.

Nevertheless, the regular guests gradually lost their awe of him. They realized that he was a polite young man, though his stunning appearance always seemed out of place in the rural setting.

In the evening, the show was still being recorded, and the regular guests sat down to eat. They invited Xu Dongyou to join them, and he nodded, eating heartily without a hint of his idol image, filling his belly until it was round.

After everyone had eaten, they began chatting. Normally, the conversation should have focused on the other star guest, but they were far more interested in Xu Dongyou.

Even the star guest was curious, and everyone carefully asked if they could inquire about Xu Dongyou’s role as a handler.

Xu Dongyou smiled and said that if there were any questions he couldn’t answer, he would let them know.

Only then did everyone feel at ease.

One person, particularly intrigued, asked Xu Dongyou when he first realized he was different and what it felt like to have special abilities.

Xu Dongyou thought seriously before answering, “I realized I was different after I became aware of things. For example, I could sense danger, and if I focused hard enough, the whole world would slow down. Back then, I even imagined that I might be Superman.”

He said this with a bit of embarrassment.

Everyone listened with fascination and envy. They also realized that at their age, it was unlikely they could ever develop special abilities, leaving them feeling a bit regretful and disappointed.

“That time when you controlled water and plants, did you learn those abilities at the Anomaly Handling Bureau? Were they difficult to master?” another guest asked.

Not just the guests, but even the staff and cameramen nearby perked up their ears.

They were all incredibly curious.

Recently, other handlers have also started live-streaming. It was clear that these handlers held significant positions in their respective branches—otherwise, they wouldn’t have been given the live-streaming job.

However, after watching more of these streams, people began to notice that Xu Dongyou’s abilities, powers, and reactions seemed far superior to those of the others.

Some bold viewers even asked these handlers in the stream’s chat why they weren’t as powerful as Xu Dongyou.

One would have expected these handlers to get angry, but to everyone’s surprise, they responded with admiration and respect: “Although Xu Dongyou isn’t from our branch, all of us, whether veterans or rookies, really admire him. He’s genuinely incredible. There are some things I can’t talk about, but I can tell you this: we had a mission in our bureau that hadn’t been completed for thousands of years, and Xu Dongyou completed it as soon as he joined the bureau. It even caught the attention of our general director.”

This was the first time viewers had heard this. They were immediately shocked and eager to learn more details. But unfortunately, the handlers were tight-lipped and revealed nothing more.

This only left everyone itching to know—what kind of task could be that difficult? But now it all made sense. No wonder Xu Dongyou was chosen for the first live-stream; his strength was truly unmatched.

Xu Dongyou’s fans were especially proud, their chests puffed out with pride. Some fans, whose parents were about to scold them for obsessing over a celebrity, narrowly avoided punishment when they explained they were fans of Xu Dongyou. Their parents immediately responded, “We like that young man too! He’s amazing and has protected so many people.”

Back to the present.

Xu Dongyou continued answering the guests’ questions. Even when it was time for bed, many of them were still buzzing with excitement.

The next morning, Xu Dongyou got up and joined the others in the fields to catch fish. The show had assigned them a task: catch five fish, which could be exchanged for other items.

One guest mentioned that they hadn’t had ribs in a long time, but ribs could only be exchanged for five fish. That meant they couldn’t trade for anything else, leaving the guest sighing in disappointment.

The fish were indeed hard to catch, especially since they could only use fish baskets, making the task even more challenging.

Xu Dongyou didn’t feel comfortable using his enhanced senses to “cheat”, so he earnestly worked on catching the fish. However, his strength had grown immensely, far beyond what it once was. He easily caught five fish. Seeing that the others were still struggling, he decided to help them complete their tasks as well.

The guests all praised Xu Dongyou for his quick reflexes, remarking that he truly lived up to being a handler.

A bit embarrassed, Xu Dongyou smiled shyly. On the way back, as they were about to take a boat ride, an unexpected accident occurred. The boat suddenly started to capsize, and the guests along with the cameraman had no time to react, about to fall into the lake.

The director onshore anxiously stood up in panic.

Although lifeguards were present, avoiding accidents was always preferable. To everyone’s surprise, a stream of water instantly formed on the lake’s surface, catching the guests who had fallen and controlling the boat with an even larger flow of water, gently setting it back onto the lake.

Everyone was safe, especially the guests who had been suspended in midair. After recovering from their fright, they became excited. “I was actually floating!”

It was the first time anyone had witnessed, up close, what they had only seen as special effects in TV dramas. Everyone was both amazed and thrilled.

Xu Dongyou gently placed the guests back on the boat and used the water to accelerate their speed, bringing them all safely ashore. The guests quickly thanked Xu Dongyou, knowing that although falling into the lake wouldn’t have led to drowning, it would have been an unpleasant experience.

Xu Dongyou, as always, was friendly and approachable, smiling as he said, “It’s no big deal.”

That evening, when they returned, the guests kept offering food to Xu Dongyou, giving him the best dishes and telling him he had worked hard.

Xu Dongyou tried to decline, but eventually, he couldn’t refuse any longer and ate everything. He also noticed that the staff, who already treated him with great respect, became even more awestruck after the incident.

Xu Dongyou sighed quietly to himself, reminding himself that he needed to get used to this kind of reverence.

After all, no matter how approachable he seemed, everyone now understood even more clearly that Xu Dongyou was indeed different from ordinary people. His power was strong enough to easily handle terrifying monsters.

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