INHA Chapter 35

To make it easier to reach the Anomaly Handling Bureau early tomorrow, Xu Dongyou decided to stay at the same hotel he had previously stayed in. Lying down, he opened his phone to check Weibo and saw that the topic of the strange fish and the video was still trending.

He was a little surprised.

Hot topics usually only last five or six hours at most before fading away. It’s rare for something to stay trending all night.

When he clicked in, Xu Dongyou understood the reason. A passenger who wasn’t injured had posted a Weibo denying that the video was fake.

【I was a passenger on that boat. Here is a picture of my ticket which proves I was on the boat when the incident happened. [Picture]. Do you say that the special effects team could edit live effects on the spot? I really saw that strange fish rush onto the boat and eat people. I’m definitely not lying.】

At first, people suspected this person was just trying to gain fame by riding the trending topic. However, after searching for the blogger’s photos on Weibo and comparing them with those in the video, they realized that the person wasn’t lying.

The blogger was indeed on that boat, but this didn’t prove that what they said afterward was true.

Many netizens, half-believing and half-doubting, left comments accusing the blogger of being fame-hungry.

Angered, the passenger turned off the comment section to avoid further aggravation.

Other passengers remained silent, unsure if the video would be taken down and preferring to stay out of it.

Xu Dongyou, worried, put down his phone and wondered why the Anomaly Handling Bureau hadn’t responded yet. After a while, his spiritual energy watch suddenly vibrated. Xu Dongyou checked it and found a notification of points being credited.

There were three types in total. The first was a reward for appeasing Zhulong, which had finally arrived after such a long delay.

The second was for picking up the stone that had Zhulong’s aura and could be used against resentful spirits. The third was for the strange fish incident. Altogether, he had earned 573 points.

Xu Dongyou’s eyes widened.

He had accumulated so many points! Even though it was just over five hundred, considering that completing a single resentful spirit task usually only awarded five to ten points, these five hundred-plus points were astonishing.

He felt a bit like he had suddenly struck it rich. With five hundred points, even if he exchanged just five points for RMB, it would be nearly five hundred thousand yuan.

Thinking about his family’s current financial difficulties, Xu Dongyou was tempted to exchange tens of thousands of yuan to use as a down payment for a house.

His parents had always wanted a bigger house, and this might be the opportunity to make that happen.

But how would he explain where the money came from?

Xu Dongyou felt a bit of a headache and temporarily put aside the idea of buying a house, planning to use just one point to exchange for ten thousand yuan for emergencies.

Blank talisman paper had to be bought with money and wasn’t cheap, costing a thousand yuan per sheet. He didn’t have that much money on hand, and he needed the talisman paper to practice drawing talismans.

After all, even a talisman of the lowest level required one point, which equated to ten thousand yuan!

Xu Dongyou silently calculated and became even more determined to be self-reliant.

Not only would it save money, but he could also sell the talismans for a profit.

Xu Dongyou suddenly felt full of motivation, so much so that he couldn’t sleep. When he glanced at his backpack out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly sat up.

Oh no.

He quickly used his spiritual power watch to contact Tian Ze, explaining that he couldn’t make it due to an unexpected event and that he was trying to find a way to get there as soon as possible.

Tian Ze quickly replied.

【Tian Ze (4th Division, 8th Squad Leader): Don’t worry, the chief has already rushed over to help handle it. We’re all fine here. You must have just finished, right? Good job, you even made it to the trending list!】

Xu Dongyou thought back to the video where even Mother Xu probably couldn’t recognize him.

Did he, technically, make it to the trending list?

However, Xu Dongyou still felt very guilty. Not only did he not help, but he also didn’t inform Tian Ze about the situation immediately.

Tian Ze could easily imagine Xu Dongyou’s guilty expression and replied again.

【Tian Ze (4th Division, 8th Squad Leader): Don’t overthink it. In our line of work, unexpected events are as common as everyday meals, haha.】

Xu Dongyou pursed his lips, apologized once more, and then secretly vowed to find a way to make it up to the team in the future.

After ending the conversation, Xu Dongyou lay down but still couldn’t sleep, staring at the ceiling and muttering, “One sheep, two sheep, three sheep…”

He didn’t know how long he counted, but when he suddenly opened his eyes, it was already dawn. It was only 6:30 AM. He got up to wash up and then went to a street-side breakfast shop to grab a bite.

“Really? So the video is real? That big fish could feed us for years!”

“Didn’t you see the later video? The fish meat was rotten. Everyone on the boat was throwing up. How could anyone eat it?”

Hearing this conversation, Xu Dongyou immediately opened Weibo. Sure enough, there was a new trending topic.

#Official Endorsement? The Video is Real?#

Xu Dongyou clicked on the topic and found that the official blog of the live-streaming site had posted a statement, released promptly at 6 AM.

It was just a few brief sentences.

【Starting today, this live-streaming platform will open a new live-streaming site and server. We welcome everyone to follow the live stream in advance. Here is the link: www.xxxx.com.】

Clicking on the link led to a page showing only one closed live-stream room. However, what caused a stir was the name and description of this live stream.

【Official Educational Live Stream】

—Unscheduled broadcasts. This live stream will educate the public on non-human information. The host is an official from the Anomaly Handling Bureau, with their identity kept confidential. Viewers are advised not to panic or spread fear during the broadcast.

Returning from the official educational live stream page to Weibo, netizens were confused and commented on the platform’s official blog.

【Can someone explain what this means? Is it just a new site to ride the trending wave? But claiming it’s official seems a bit much, doesn’t it?】

【Absurd, using official status for clout? Aren’t they afraid of being shut down?】

【The sun is up; let this live-streaming platform cool down.】

【Maybe ‘official’ doesn’t mean what we think it does. And I’ve never heard of this ‘Anomaly Handling Bureau’. Must be made up.】

【Let’s wait and see. If they’re involving ‘official’, the official Weibo will surely respond. This live stream will be shut down, and the responsible party will definitely get a talking-to.】

【Yeah, wait and see.】

However, the live-streaming platform remained unaffected, showing no signs of worry.

【See? The platform is already panicking. Give it half an hour; this site will be taken down.】

【Exactly.】

After half an hour, the platform’s official blog still hadn’t budged, leaving netizens puzzled.

What’s going on?

It’s been half an hour, and why hasn’t it been shut down or warned?

Xu Dongyou thought that the bureau had likely contacted the live-streaming platform in the morning. So, does this mean he’ll be live streaming on this platform from now on?

Xu Dongyou felt a mix of excitement and nervousness, worried that failing to complete his tasks perfectly might tarnish the bureau’s reputation.

With this pressure weighing on him, Xu Dongyou found it hard to eat. However, not wanting to waste food, he forced himself to finish, paid, and quickly headed to the bureau.

On the way, he received a message from Tian Ze, who had noticed the Weibo post and live-stream link.

【Tian Ze (4th Division, 8th Squad Leader): Don’t be nervous. I just asked the chief. If the task is dangerous, we’ll come to help. You know, with your unique status, the demon clan is a bit worried about letting you handle it alone.】

Xu Dongyou blinked and quickly thanked Tian Ze.

【Tian Ze (4th Division, 8th Squad Leader): No need to thank me. The main reason is that this task offers a lot of points, haha. When you arrive at the bureau, you’ll see us.】

Xu Dongyou was taken aback. Had his team returned so quickly?

About ten minutes later, Xu Dongyou arrived at the bureau. As soon as he entered the lobby, there was a noticeable pause as everyone went silent for a second, and many curious eyes glanced his way. It was likely because Xu Dongyou was always wearing a hood, making it easy for people to connect him to the person in the video, even though he had changed clothes.

Xu Dongyou felt relieved for being cautious and wearing the hood the entire time. This way, he could take it off when leaving the bureau, and no one would recognize him.

Xu Dongyou quickly went up to the second floor. Tian Ze and the others were in the chief’s office. As he pushed the door open, Tian Ze greeted him warmly, as did the others. Only Yan Jingnan remained reserved, merely nodding at Xu Dongyou.

The chief, seated behind the desk, let his stern expression soften into a faint smile when he saw Xu Dongyou. He nodded and said, “Have a seat. Now that everyone is here, we can get down to business.”

Xu Dongyou obediently sat down.

The chief handed out a one-page document to each person, “These are some key points of what not to say or do during the live stream. Go through them carefully and remember them.”

Xu Dongyou skimmed through the document. It mainly covered rules like not revealing any incantations clearly enough for viewers to hear, as some curious people might try them out. If any happened to possess spiritual abilities, it could lead to trouble. Another rule was not to mention the real names of victims or those involved during the live stream, using terms like Ms. X or Mr. X instead to avoid causing them real-life issues.

During the live stream, they could mention place names because the micro camera would automatically mute any mention of locations. It could also identify and censor inappropriate content in the footage.

“That’s pretty smart, isn’t it?” Tian Ze exclaimed.

The chief replied, “You think that’s impressive? This micro camera can also automatically blur the faces of everyone, making it impossible for viewers to remember them even if they see them. Even if someone recognizes a familiar street and tries to find the live stream location, the system detects this and causes them to get lost, making it impossible to locate the stream.”

Tian Ze was amazed, giving a thumbs up, “That’s awesome!”

Yan Jingnan adjusted his glasses and nodded, “It’s definitely impressive technology. The demon clan must have had a hand in this, right?”

He added, “If it were up to me, I could detect if someone watching the stream was near the location, as they would also be using a phone. But I couldn’t make them get lost.”

The chief didn’t respond, implicitly confirming it. He tapped his fingers on the table, “Once you’re done reading, head up to the third floor. You’ll be trained on how to use the camera and live stream. Remember, your actions reflect on our bureau’s reputation but don’t suppress yourselves too much, as it could affect the mission.”

Tian Ze immediately stood up, “Understood!”

---