Chapter Seven: Anomaly

Two hours later, after redoing the assessment, Hodge was full of admiration as well.

“What a pity. If we were to judge by physical aptitude alone, your progress outstrips even some A-level ‘body-type’ Gifts. Unfortunately, your personal abilities aren’t particularly special, so you can only be rated B+.”

Hodge’s praise was genuine, but there was regret in his voice.

Take, for example, Wan Qili’s “Steel Body,” which allows her to turn her flesh into tempered steel—at the first stage, she could already withstand a submachine gun’s barrage. Lin Lei’s strength and physical power were formidable, but lacked any comparable unique attribute.

As for abilities like “Boiling Blood” or “Night Stalker,” he naturally had no intention of revealing them.

Lin Lei simply shook his head. “B+ is fine. It’s already high enough.”

Hodge nodded in agreement.

“Yes, ‘body-type’ abilities are always rated with stricter standards. In just a month, your Gift level has risen from C+ to B+, the equivalent of leaping a whole major tier. That’s nothing short of extraordinary.”

“Most third-stage body-types with Gifts below C probably don’t have physical strength to rival you as you are now.”

“I suspect your ability is one of those that can rapidly grow along with your Gift level. There’s likely more room for you to develop—you might even reach true A-level in the future!”

Hodge had certainly connected quite a few dots.

But in truth, his assumptions were actually beneficial for Lin Lei. If he made further progress in the future, he could always attribute it to deeper potential of his own Gift.

Hodge looked over at Lin Lei.

“I’ll resubmit a report for your ability and get it reviewed. Are you sure you want to keep the old name ‘Ghoulification’?”

Lin Lei nodded. “The name doesn’t matter.”

As long as it wasn’t too awkward, there was really no need to change it. He didn’t use the Gift’s name anyway.

…

With his Gift rating updated, Lin Lei bid farewell to Hodge and headed straight for the Equipment Division.

He still had the “Ever-Burning Feather” with him. It was of little use for now and more of a burden than anything else. Carrying it around wasn’t safe, but if he left it behind, he’d worry it might be lost.

It was simpler to just hand it over to the Bureau for safekeeping—after all, the Bureau could be trusted. He wasn’t worried about it being embezzled.

On the other side of things, after completing Lin Lei’s Gift reassessment, Hodge collected his documents and data and made his way to the top floor of the Bureau’s headquarters.

In a certain office—

“Director, I’m here.” Hodge entered the room with a respectful smile.

A middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses and a refined air looked up with a cold smile. “No need for that little flattery. I’m only the deputy director—you can leave off the ‘Director’.”

Hodge replied in all seriousness, “Director Gongyu, you misunderstand me. I absolutely didn’t mean to drop the ‘deputy’ on purpose. It just slipped out.”

“Truly, it’s straight from the heart.”

Deputy Director Gongyu snorted. “You’re still as talkative as ever. Out with it—what’s the matter?”

Hodge cleared his throat, his demeanor turning solemn as he handed over the documents.

“This is the detailed data from the latest Gift evaluation for Investigator Lin Lei. His Gift’s growth is staggering—there must be something behind it!”

“However, Dr. Zhou Wei’s ‘sleep quality’ exam showed no irregularities. And from my dealings with Lin Lei, he doesn’t seem mentally unstable either.”

Deputy Director Gongyu took the file, frowned deeply, and read through it carefully. Two minutes later, he set it down and looked at Hodge.

“What’s your take? How did this kid progress so quickly—could something be wrong?”

Hodge furrowed his brow.

“There’s definitely something odd, but I don’t think he’s an agent from the dark cults or organizations. If those groups were planting a spy, they’d never let him stand out so much.”

Lin Lei’s rate of improvement really was unusual.

Though on the surface, his gains and advancements all seemed well-founded—Gifts and Source Energy are, after all, inherently full of potential—the pace was enough to draw the Bureau’s attention.

If the dark organizations were at play, they would never be so blatant.

Deputy Director Gongyu nodded. “I agree.”

“But we can’t rule out the possibility that someone’s being deliberately counterintuitive—using a reverse approach.”

“In any case, Lin Lei’s progress and his experiences since joining the Bureau are out of the ordinary.”

“So…” Hodge looked at the man before him. “How should we proceed with Lin Lei?”

Deputy Director Gongyu nodded.

“Upgrade the level of covert monitoring and review for Lin Lei. You may use suggestive questioning at appropriate moments, but don’t make it too obvious or excessive…”

“He’s someone Li Xueshu values highly. We should show Li Xueshu some respect.”

At the mention of Li Xueshu, the deputy director let out a quiet sigh.

“First Li Xueshu, then Wen Xiang, now Lin Lei… Tell me, is Biyang truly a land of outstanding talent, or are we entering a turbulent age?”

Hodge coughed again. “It’s all due to your and the Director’s excellent leadership.”

“Hmph.”

Deputy Director Gongyu shook his head, then changed the subject. “By the way, the Blood Sakura Society seems to be plotting something again lately. There’s a matter I’ll need your help with…”

…

Lin Lei had no idea the deputy director of the Bureau had taken a special interest in him.

But in truth, he had anticipated as much the moment he chose to reveal a portion of his strength—he knew he would draw certain eyes.

Still, as long as he posed no threat to the Bureau’s safety or to social order, he doubted the Bureau would do anything to him.

Having advanced to the second stage, he was, compared to the Bureau as a whole, still not especially powerful, but no longer just a pawn either.

After spending nearly half his investigation points and handing over the “Ever-Burning Feather” to the Equipment Division, Lin Lei felt a weight lifted from his shoulders.

…

Late at night, when the world was quiet.

Lin Lei, who had lain in bed early, suddenly opened his eyes.

He got up, walked to the window, and gazed out at the dim world beneath the crimson moon, eyes narrowing.

Just now, he had sensed an unusual fluctuation in Source Energy.

It was some distance away, so he couldn’t pinpoint the exact location or gauge the strength of the energy.

“Could the Source Energy fluctuation nearby be related to the person who ambushed me before?”

He licked his lips, thinking it was a distinct possibility.

Quietly, he dressed, picked up his alloy longsword, and slipped out the door.

Under the cover of night, he could activate the concealment effect of “Night Stalker,” which was quite convenient.

About ten minutes later—

Lin Lei arrived at a nearby shantytown.

Hidden in the darkness, he observed the goings-on inside.

The strange energy fluctuation had come from this area.

But the odd surge of Source Energy had only flickered for a moment, and now Lin Lei couldn’t pinpoint its origin.

The shantytown was a chaotic mess, with too many inhabitants for Lin Lei to search everyone.

Just then, several tall, burly men brandishing weapons came charging from within the shantytown.

“Damn it, that brat got away. Dare to steal from me? I’ll kill him sooner or later!”

They climbed aggressively into a nearby van and sped off.

Lin Lei raised an eyebrow.

These were ordinary men, and likely unrelated to the energy fluctuation.

But their presence here didn’t seem coincidental.

He hesitated, wondering whether to follow them, when suddenly, not far away, the source energy fluctuation flickered again.

Brows raised, he gazed into the distance and set off straight toward the spot where the energy had appeared.

This time, the aura was clearer and much nearer.

“Roughly an ordinary second-stage Source Energy fluctuation…”

Of course, judging by energy waves alone, it wasn’t always possible to determine the other party’s actual level.

After all, the strength of a Gift could heavily affect the energy signature.

Some with powerful Gifts could cause quite a surge even with low Source Energy levels.

So when Lin Lei called it an ordinary second-stage Source Energy fluctuation, he meant it was comparable to the standard energy wave produced when a typical second-stage, C-level Source Energy user used their ability.