Director Wu cleared his throat, indicating to the two individuals that there were still others present. When Jiang Que turned back to him, he continued, “What I mean is, as the only mature tentacle containment anomaly with a ‘mother’ that we can access, could we perform another examination after the mature phase?”
This question was a bit presumptuous, and Jiang Que didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Shen Tazhi.
This was a private matter between him and Shen Tazhi.
Noticing Jiang Que’s hesitation, Director Wu quickly added, “Please rest assured, we’re not looking into any private matters. We simply want to understand the condition of the tentacle after the mature phase to provide data for future research. It’s also an opportunity for you to undergo another physical examination to see if there are any changes in your tentacle after the mature phase.”
Receiving Jiang Que’s questioning look, Shen Tazhi rubbed his head, “It’s okay. If you agree, then it’s settled.”
Jiang Que then refocused on finishing the remaining half of his peach cake, pondering with his chin in his hand, “Alright, but doesn’t this mean I’m offering myself as a test subject for free? That doesn’t seem fair.”
Director Wu broke out in a cold sweat at Jiang Que’s statement, “Are you asking for compensation? Feel free to ask. As long as it’s something we can provide, I will do my best to meet your demands.”
So generous, just as Shen Tazhi had mentioned. It seemed like the Anomaly Investigation Department had no shortage of funds.
With this in mind, Jiang Que stated his predetermined condition, “I want money. As for the specific amount, it should be at least on par with the bonus that Du Lulu received for getting close to me last time.”
Director Wu almost immediately agreed, “No problem, I will do my best to fulfill your request… Wait, you just want money?”
He looked at Jiang Que in astonishment.
He had prepared himself to be asked for rare materials or special items by Jiang Que, but Jiang Que simply wanted money?
Director Wu gave Shen Tazhi a skeptical look.
Wasn’t Shen Tazhi quite well-off? Hadn’t he provided Jiang Que with enough pocket money? Or was the Shen family facing some financial crisis?
“Shen Tazhi gives me money. He even linked his card to mine,” Jiang Que interrupted Director Wu’s wild speculations with a deadpan expression.
“I just don’t want to use his money to buy him gifts; it’s weird.”
He hadn’t really spent much of the money Shen Tazhi had given him before. Shen Tazhi had provided him with everything he needed, and aside from occasionally purchasing novels, he had minimal extra expenses.
Firstly, he found it strange to constantly rely on Shen Tazhi for everything, just like the Phoenix Man1those men that mooch off rich women he had ‘seen’ while in the Abyss. Even Du Lulu could afford to give gifts to him and Shen Tazhi, but he couldn’t. Although Jiang Que didn’t care much about money and didn’t want to work for the Anomaly Investigation Department, he still wanted to occasionally buy something for Shen Tazhi.
“Sure, sure,” Director Wu had no reason to refuse.
After agreeing, a bright idea struck him, “How about considering becoming a long-term external consultant for our Anomaly Investigation Department?”
Frowning, Jiang Que asked, “What does that entail?”
Director Wu explained, “You wouldn’t be an investigator for the Anomaly Investigation Department but rather a consultant who assists us when we need special help.”
“Of course, everything is voluntary. If you’re willing to assist, I can offer you a satisfactory salary. If not, it’s not a big deal.”
The system of external consultants had been around for a long time, but the rewards were usually in the form of items or goods. Initially, Director Wu thought Jiang Que wouldn’t care about the money offered by the Anomaly Investigation Department, so he hadn’t considered this option.
Now that Jiang Que had requested money, it opened up a new possibility for Director Wu.
After a moment of contemplation, becoming an external consultant sounded quite appealing. No need to work every day, the freedom to choose when to help, and getting paid – it perfectly aligned with all his requirements. Moreover, if he became an external consultant for the Anomaly Investigation Department, would they stop monitoring him?
Thinking along these lines, he asked directly, “If I become an external consultant for you, will you still have someone monitoring me?”
“Of course not,” Director Wu was afraid Jiang Que would refuse outright and shook his head, “Your monitoring period is actually almost over. Based on the reports from Du Lulu these days, you indeed have no major issues. Besides, we absolutely won’t infringe on the privacy of external consultants.”
That sounded good. He had already learned most of the common human knowledge, and even if Du Lulu continued to teach him, it usually ended up with them sitting silently or him asking difficult questions to challenge her. It might be better to have Du Lulu stop coming and just leave him with Shen Tazhi. With this in mind, Jiang Que agreed outright:
“Alright, do I need to sign any contracts?”
“The contract will be sent to your email later, and you can simply sign the electronic contract,” Director Wu smiled.
Although they didn’t let Jiang Que join the Anomaly Investigation Department, just by offering some money, they managed to attract such a powerful ally, which was a pleasant surprise that exceeded Director Wu’s expectations.
Jiang Que was quite satisfied with this deal.
The Anomaly Investigation Department had approached him only after knowing about his ability to see through people’s hearts. In other words, all they needed was his ability to read minds.
This kind of work could easily be done online. The Anomaly Investigation Department could simply send a video call to whoever they wanted to investigate.
Having the opportunity to earn money from home made Jiang Que increasingly content. His appetite improved, and after finishing the peach cake in front of him, he moved on to enjoy the second slice of strawberry mille-feuille.
It had to be said that the small cakes from the Anomaly Investigation Department were indeed well-made.
Shen Tazhi remained silent throughout the conversation, observing Jiang Que and Director Wu talking.
As Director Wu excitedly lowered his head to start editing the electronic contract, Shen Tazhi took out his phone and sent a document.
[Shen Tazhi: [Investigation Report by Wu Mingzhe.doc]]
Wu Mingzhe was the police officer in charge of the Sharp case.
After receiving a detailed report from Wu Mingzhe about Sharp, Shen Tazhi began to feel uneasy.
If preventing trouble with the Adonis family could be attributed to the entire public security system, the information regarding Sharp clearly exceeded what public security could access.
Obtaining information about Sharp’s fanatical devotion to the evil god under the Adonis family’s blockade was no easy task. Even he hadn’t been able to find such information immediately.
Firstly, the domestic public security was not more powerful than the Adonis family, and secondly, the Adonis family clearly couldn’t have a traitor. So, the only conclusion was—
Someone was always monitoring Sharp, or more specifically, paying attention to the cult he fanatically followed.
And who would be interested in such matters?
The answer was quite apparent: it had to be the Anomaly Investigation Department, which constantly monitored various supernatural phenomena domestically and internationally.
Furthermore, with Wu Mingzhe and Director Wu sharing the same surname, following this lead and investigating further would easily uncover the truth:
Wu Mingzhe was Director Wu’s nephew, but he was unaware of this fact. His wife was an investigator under Director Wu.
He was unknowingly assisting Director Wu within the public security system.
This is also the reason why Wu Mingzhe, an inexperienced detective, was assigned to handle international cases involving major foreign families—Shen Tazhi and Jiang Que were involved, and the Anomaly Investigation Department had to ensure they wouldn’t be exposed.
The actions of the Anomaly Investigation Department were indeed appropriate. That police officer, Wu Mingzhe, was the first to notice the suspicious points in Jiang Que’s temporary ID, which was timely discovered by his wife before submitting the report.
This report was quietly intercepted by the Anomaly Investigation Department; otherwise, who knows how many issues might have arisen later.
Thinking this, Shen Tazhi rubbed his brow.
Who would have thought that what was initially just a regular business meeting would lead to so many hidden currents surfacing?
He continued to message Director Wu:
[Shen Tazhi: Is this police officer Wu your nephew? Using even your nephew for the Anomaly Investigation Department, how do you think he will react if I tell him the truth?]
[Director Wu: Wait, wait, wait!! He doesn’t even know about our family relationship. The female investigator only found out he was a detective after they were already in a relationship. I really didn’t interfere!!]
[Director Wu: I simply asked her to keep an eye on Wu Mingzhe’s missions. After all, in recent years, the police have often encountered cases that seemed like unsolved mysteries but were actually related to supernatural phenomena. The grassroots police officers often fail to report these cases to the Anomaly Investigation Department, which can lead to numerous casualties. It’s better to discover these cases early and hand them over to the Anomaly Investigation Department for proper handling.]
[Director Wu: …Wait, are you not here to listen to my explanation? What do you want to do??]
Seeing Director Wu finally catching on, Shen Tazhi typed leisurely:
[Shen Tazhi: Give him a salary raise.]
Originally, he intended to use this information to threaten Director Wu, as even if the Anomaly Investigation Department claimed they “don’t force”, Shen Tazhi was still concerned they might change their minds.
When it came to Jiang Que, he was always extremely cautious.
Now that the Anomaly Investigation Department showed no ill intentions, he decided to put this news to other uses.
Across the table, Director Wu gritted his teeth and cursed Shen Tazhi as a “sly old fox” several times, reluctantly adding several more zeroes to the original contract before screenshotting and sending it to Shen Tazhi:
[Director Wu: [Image attachment] Is this enough?]
[Shen Tazhi: And include social insurance, housing fund, provide an official employment contract, not an outsourcing contract.]
Director Wu: …
Arguing over every detail, huh!! Official employment opportunities are rare these days!
Especially since most of the Anomaly Investigation Department were not entirely human, getting positions approved was already difficult. Even Xi Jing had only recently obtained a formal position. How could Shen Tazhi just demand a position right off the bat!
Just as Director Wu was about to explain that directly giving Jiang Que a position was not compliant, Shen Tazhi sent two consecutive messages:
[Shen Tazhi: Right now, you see me as a means to restrain him, but I will eventually die. If you want to continue having a good relationship with him in the future, this contract must be given to me.]
[Shen Tazhi: Besides, I can’t bear to see him left all alone. I always want to provide him with some security. You will always protect your employees, right?]
Starting with a threat, adding more demands, and finally playing the emotional card, Shen Tazhi played his words quite skillfully.
Ironically, Director Wu understood that everything he said was true. Even the last message he sent did evoke a sense of unexpected emotion in him.
…This capitalist who could manipulate people’s minds was, in a sense, as terrifying as Jiang Que.
With Shen Tazhi’s words reaching this point, Director Wu could only grit his teeth and reluctantly agree:
[Director Wu: Alright.]
So, he really hated conversing with Shen Tazhi. Even if he did nothing, the other party could easily take a big chunk out of him.
When Jiang Que looked up after finishing the strawberry mille-feuille, he saw a green-faced Director Wu and a smiling Shen Tazhi.
Ignoring Director Wu’s strange expression, he playfully shook Shen Tazhi’s hand with his tentacles, “Why aren’t you eating the cake? Their cakes taste pretty good.”
“Really? Let me try then.” Shen Tazhi smiled and scooped a piece of blueberry cake in front of him with a spoon.
The taste was indeed good. The quality of the cream was top-notch, the blueberries were fresh and sweet, not sour, and paired with the perfectly baked cake base, it was truly delightful.
Especially since he had just managed to snatch a piece of cake from the Anomaly Investigation Department.
Shen Tazhi lightly praised, “It’s really delicious.”
Jiang Que felt like there was more to Shen Tazhi’s smile, but before he could ponder further, the door in the distance was knocked on.
The voice of Du Lulu came from outside, “Director, the inspection report and blood test results are ready.”
Director Wu wearily responded, “Alright, just bring them in.”
Du Lulu then entered, holding two stacks of documents. Seeing the despondent expression on Director Wu’s face, she was startled and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” Director Wu waved his hand. “Jiang Que has agreed to become an external consultant for our Anomaly Investigation Department.”
“Alright,” Du Lulu nodded, but she was now even more puzzled.
It was a good thing that Jiang Que was willing to become an external consultant, right? Why did Director Wu look so sad?
However, Du Lulu didn’t pry further. She was only there to deliver the documents and had no intention of eavesdropping on the secret conversation between Director Wu and Jiang Que.
Seeing that they might still have more to discuss, Du Lulu very perceptively left the documents and exited the room.
She had brought two identical sets of documents, one for Director Wu and one for Jiang Que.
Jiang Que took the medical examination report and began to read:
[Examinee Information:
Name: Jiang Que
Gender: Male
Bone Age: 18 years old
Age: ?
Overall Health Evaluation:
After a comprehensive physical examination, Jiang Que’s health condition is good, with no significant organic abnormalities found. In comparison to the previous examination, his malnutrition condition has significantly improved, with noticeable growth in height. Additionally, his tentacles are in good health, with new tentacles growing and normal reproductive capability.
Improvement in Malnutrition Condition:
…
…
Assessment of Reproductive Capability:
External Genitalia Examination: Jiang Que’s external genitalia development is normal, with no deformities or abnormalities.
Reproductive Hormone Examination: Reproductive hormone levels are within the normal range, indicating normal reproductive function.
Special Reproductive Organ Examination: Examination shows that Jiang Que’s special reproductive organs are developing normally, fully functional, with no deformities or abnormalities, and have not yet entered the mature phase.
Analysis based on data from the database [Tentacle Anomaly 041 Data.zip] suggests that Jiang Que’s special reproductive organs will enter the mature phase in one month, with an estimated duration of one week, followed by a normal monthly mating period.
…]
In contrast to the previous reading by Du Lulu, this time the Anomaly Investigation Department truly caught him off guard. Jiang Que finally saw the full extent of his medical examination report.
“One month?!?”
When he saw the details about his tentacles in the report, Jiang Que exclaimed in surprise.
While the idea of a mature phase was not entirely unexpected, given his sixth sense, this seemed too soon, didn’t it?
Jiang Que shook the tentacles behind his back, and the small tentacles hidden within them sadly shrank back.
One month is not enough for them to grow that big, right? Do I have to watch the other tentacles do it again?
“One month, according to the current growth rate of the tentacles, my eighteen tentacles haven’t fully grown yet.” Jiang Que also felt disheartened.
He couldn’t be as intimate with Shen Tazhi as before.
Shen Tazhi choked up for a moment, unsure of how to comfort Jiang Que. He could only say, “It’s okay, it also says here that after the mature phase, there will be a monthly mating period…”
Even he found it hard to believe.
At first, he didn’t believe Jiang Que would have a mature phase, but now not only did he have one, it was happening in just a month. And after the mature phase, there would be a monthly mating period.
If Jiang Que’s mating periods turned out like the tentacles in the containment…
Shen Tazhi recalled the appearance of the tentacles he had seen earlier and the number of eggs on the floor without a doubt:
He might actually die in bed.
“It’s different,” Jiang Que shook his head, still saddened. “I can feel it; the mature phase and the mating period are different. During the mating period, there won’t be as many eggs.”
Shen Tazhi breathed a sigh of relief, but then sensed that something was amiss.
Why would there be a monthly mating period when there was already a “mate”?
His intuition told him that the mating period might not be as simple as Jiang Que described.
But it couldn’t be scarier than the mature phase… right?
Meanwhile, Director Wu, after reading the medical report, also exclaimed in surprise, “You’ve already grown new tentacles? According to the Qishan Taoists, you shouldn’t have…”
“Because I’m a monster who can live off emotions, Shen Tazhi has given me a lot of feelings, a lot of love,” Jiang Que proudly boasted.
On this topic, he was no longer sad. He held Shen Tazhi’s hand with his tentacles and began to ramble, “I’ve known Shen Tazhi for less than a week, and my back started itching. Shen Tazhi loves me the most; he bought me many beautiful clothes, and…”
Director Wu: …
Thinking back to their previous nervous and comical concern that Jiang Que might be an emotionless antisocial monster, and comparing it to the current Jiang Que, Director Wu felt a bit bitter.
But as the two captains who had seen Jiang Que before were both on missions, there was no one to share his bitterness. He could only weakly wave his hand and say, “I wish you both happiness. I’ve said everything I wanted to say.”
“This floor is temporarily cleared out. If you want to continue resting, I can accompany you around. If you don’t want to stay at the Anomaly Investigation Department, I can arrange for a driver to take you home.”
Jiang Que immediately said, “I want to go home.”
