That was an integrated structure composed of giant cubes, their surfaces engraved with complex, intertwined patterns. The colors of the patterns on each cube varied, yet the flow of the lines connected seamlessly from one to the next.
Moreover, these cubes were not stationary; they shifted at high speeds high up in the sky. The cubes rubbed against one another’s surfaces as if operating according to a specific logic.
This massive, strange building completely obstructed the sky for any citizen in the city center trying to look up.
“Let me guess… That wouldn’t happen to be the Yulin City branch the Universal Salvation Society had the city host, would it?”
He Denghong increasingly suspected he had unknowingly transmigrated into a universe within a dual-universe world.
Otherwise, how could so many world-shaking, strange things happen in less than two days?
‘The civilization behind the Scarlet Crow Rabbit, it seems, is extremely powerful…’
He Denghong and his clone, He Jiulu, stood by the apartment window, gazing at the massive object made of countless moving cubes that had appeared out of thin air in the city center. They remained silent for a long time.
The clone’s wet side-ponytail drooped, transmitting a cold, damp sensation to him in sync.
The clone’s intense pain continued, but it did seem to be subsiding extremely slowly. A faint itching sensation began to sprout at the edges of the wound.
“When did that thing appear?”
He Denghong murmured to himself. He and He Jiulu rubbed their eyes at the same time, wondering if they were hallucinating from excessive fatigue and shock.
But no matter how they looked, that giant, eerie structure that defied any known principles of architecture still stood towering in the heart of the city, casting unsettling, ever-shifting shadows in the faint light of dawn.
It operated silently, as if it had existed there since ancient times.
The phone suddenly buzzed. It was an unknown number.
He Denghong hesitated, glanced at He Jiulu, took a deep breath, and answered. He subconsciously pressed the speakerphone button.
“*Zhi-gu-gu*, good morning, my new E-Shu subordinate!”
The Scarlet Crow Rabbit’s characteristic playful voice came through the receiver. The background noise seemed rowdy; he could faintly hear sounds like keyboard typing and the humming of instruments.
“Did you see that beautiful big fellow in the city center? That’s the Universal Salvation Society’s temporary office and observation tower in Yulin City. How about it? Pretty efficient, right? My talk with your Mayor went quite ‘smoothly.'”
The corners of He Denghong’s and He Jiulu’s mouths twitched simultaneously. “Smoothly? Are you sure he didn’t almost have a heart attack?”
They asked in unison. It was easy to imagine the expression of the city’s highest official when faced with a talking rabbit and a surreal architectural proposal.
“*Zhi-gu-gu-gu!* His mental fortitude is much stronger than yours. At least he didn’t faint.”
The Scarlet Crow Rabbit laughed triumphantly. “Anyway, I’ve settled the identity issue for you. He Jiulu, female, 12 years old, an overseas Chinese returning to the country. You can fill in the details yourself.”
He Denghong’s first concern was his salary. “So… will I get paid for doing this kind of work in the future?”
“Ah, ah — you mean that. Unfortunately, not at all,” the Scarlet Crow Rabbit said with a teasing tone.
“I can’t just conjure a new bank account out of thin air for you, can I? The Mayor can, at most, pretend to be ignorant and accept the identity I fabricated for you. If he insisted on paying you in cash, there are no legal procedures for it.”
“Oh dear, who told your human society that paying salaries must strictly follow legal procedures? As your superior, I really feel sorry for you, *zhi-gu-gu-gu-gu!*”
“Can’t you just give it to me privately? Let’s skip the procedures,” He Denghong asked.
“No, no, no. If discovered, the Mayor would have to bear the responsibility of embezzling public funds. He’s not stupid; he doesn’t want to become another mayor in this city shot as a corrupt official by the unruly masses.”
“The Yulin City branch of the Universal Salvation Society has already begun operations. It will continuously monitor ‘eerie’ fluctuations in the city and surrounding areas. Once a new infiltration phenomenon is detected, I will notify you immediately.”
“Normally, ‘eerie’ entities appear in locations that match their characteristics or where negative emotions have been intense lately.”
“Also, the humans the Mayor dispatched to the Universal Salvation Society branch specially composed a slogan. I think it’s something like: ‘Seal the Eerie, Understand the World, Utilize Nature, and Benefit the People’?”
“Anyway, I’ve explained everything that needs to be said and the things that don’t need special mentioning. That’s all. Bye-bye.”
Before the Scarlet Crow Rabbit finished speaking, he hurriedly hung up, seemingly in a rush to slack off.
*Knock, knock, knock!* Right at that moment, the apartment door was pounded violently, as if someone were there to claim a life.
‘Who would come looking for me?’ He Denghong and He Jiulu walked to the door. When they opened it, they saw two police officers, one male and one female, standing before them.
‘As expected…’
He Denghong wasn’t surprised at all. He had more or less anticipated this. He had made such a scene in the alley last night and accidentally let the anomaly destroy the cameras. The police would find him sooner or later.
He Denghong’s heart sank, but he tried to maintain his composure.
He Jiulu stood slightly behind him. She was also expressionless, but her red eyes with black cross patterns scanned the two officers.
“Are you Mr. He Denghong?”
The leading male officer showed his ID. His tone was serious and his gaze sharp as he scanned He Denghong, then landed on the little girl behind him who was wearing a strange military uniform and had wounds on her body. A trace of doubt flashed in his eyes.
“It’s me. How can I help you?” He Denghong and He Jiulu spoke at the same time. Their voices overlapped, sounding somewhat strange.
He saw the two officers’ brows furrow simultaneously, but they didn’t voice any suspicion regarding the girl.
“We would like to ask you to come back with us to assist in the investigation of a case that occurred in a nearby alley last night.”
The female officer took over. Her tone was relatively soft, but her eyes were equally scrutinizing. “According to the surveillance, you seem to be the last passerby to walk through that alley, and… your behavior was somewhat abnormal.”
He Denghong understood immediately.
The surveillance probably captured the horrific scene of a passerby’s head suddenly disappearing and blood gushing out, as well as his violent, synchronized, and bizarre reaction after being splashed with blood.
To the uninformed police, that indeed looked like an over-the-top reaction from shock or… a “dance” of mental instability.
‘It seems human cameras don’t have the ability to capture the specific forms of anomalies and clones,’ He Denghong thought.
“Anomaly?” This time, He Denghong consciously controlled He Jiulu, preventing her from speaking.