"Everyone, please follow me. A Strange Tales Management Bureau staff member discovered an anomaly and is currently tracking it..."
Mitsui led the way, explaining the details.
After receiving information about the anomalies from Natsuki, Mitsui immediately notified all players. At the same time, other Strange Tales Management Bureau staff members were not idle and began searching and investigating suspicious targets near Ichiban Street.
This operation was the first since the Strange Tales Management Bureau's establishment. With ample personnel and funding, the goal was to smoothly eliminate the anomalies and achieve a strong start. In addition to dozens of players participating, there were even more staff members, making it a truly saturated operation.
Many hands make light work.
As players and staff members continued their search, someone soon discovered a highly suspicious presence.
Mitsui said as she walked, "That suspicious target is in the corner of the plaza at the east exit of Ichiban Street, standing alone by the fountain, wearing a trench coat, always looking down, and not playing on a phone..."
The suspicious part wasn't that the person was wearing a trench coat in summer.
Perhaps it was an exhibitionist, and it was hard to say if there was nothing under the trench coat. There were countless people in strange clothes on the street. The information previously obtained from victims indicated varying ages and genders, and their clothes were also different.
The real reason the staff member was suspicious was that although the person was looking down, they were not playing on their phone.
In this era where everyone is captivated by their phones, setting aside work hours, after getting off work, no one can resist the temptation of their phone.
A moment later.
"We're here."
Mitsui stopped.
Everyone had already arrived outside Ichiban Street, and not far away was the plaza fountain, with Japan lights constantly flashing and beautiful water spraying out from time to time. Unfortunately, in this busy era, no one would stop to appreciate it.
At the same time, two Strange Tales Management Bureau staff members in suits quickly walked over and bowed. "Mitsui."
Mitsui pushed up her glasses and whispered, "Has the target shown any anomalies during this time?"
"No." A man in a suit replied softly. "The target has been standing quietly by the fountain, never moving."
After discovering the suspicious target, the staff members did not act rashly but observed cautiously from a distance until everyone arrived.
Natsuki said softly, "Mitsui, let us take a look at the target."
"Please." Mitsui bowed. "Everyone, please be sure to pay attention to your safety."
Natsuki nodded, and together with Kaguya and others, led by the staff members, they soon saw the suspicious target.
It was a disheveled woman, standing alone by the fountain, head down, black hair covering her face, making it impossible to see what she looked like.
At this moment, as their gazes fell upon the suspicious target, a [game] notification rang out in the minds of all players—
[Reality Guardian Mission Triggered!]
[Mission Objective: Kill the Bizarre Face Demon]
[Time: Unlimited]
[Upon successful kill, you will receive the following rewards—]
[One thousand game coins]
[Ten free attribute points]
[Three random skill scrolls]
[One Skin Card]
[One exquisite item]
[One instance exemption card]
"So many rewards!"
"A single Bizarre is worth so much?"
"Much higher than clearing an instance!"
Aside from Natsuki and his group, many other casual players had never encountered an invading anomalies in reality.
Now, seeing the rewards for killing an anomaly, they all became excited.
Instances were full of dangers, and one could die at any moment. Even veteran players couldn't guarantee they would clear an instance alive.
But now, just by killing an anomaly invading the real world, the generous rewards were equivalent to clearing two or three instances. Who wouldn't be tempted?
Not only that, the danger level was also very low.
Surrounded by so many people, there's no way this anomalies could escape, right?
It's a sure thing!
This is a sure thing!
"It really is an anomaly." Marin muttered softly. "It feels so easy to find it; the previous anomalies were super hard to find."
Natsuki whispered, "This operation has invested a lot of manpower and resources. It would be strange if we couldn't find the anomalies."
Tsubame frowned slightly, saying with some worry, "Anomalies that invade the world are all very bizarre. I don't think it will be easy to eliminate them."
Natsuki narrowed his eyes slightly and whispered, "Senpai is right."
"Huh?"
"You'll see if you keep watching."
...
Although the rewards were generous, only the killer could receive them, unlike instances where they were distributed based on contribution. So, players who were originally united against a common enemy quickly became subtly hostile towards each other.
And what these casual players were most concerned about was Natsuki. As a 'leg brother' and with Time Stop skill in hand, no one could 'steal' a kill from Natsuki.
Noticing the gazes on him, Natsuki took half a step back, stating his position: "This is a Bizarre that has invaded from another world. They usually possess bizarre abilities and are not that easy to eliminate... You can try it; I won't make a move."
After receiving Natsuki's assurance, the passerby players immediately felt relieved. After exchanging glances, they all began to attack the anomalies.
At such a time, no one would queue up. Instead, they swarmed forward, hoping to be quick and lucky enough to get the kill and receive the reward.
"President, are we really not going to do anything?"
Chika asked in a low voice.
"No need to rush." Natsuki narrowed his eyes slightly. "That anomalies won't be eliminated so easily."
...
Players cannot eliminate anomalies with their fists. To harm supernatural beings, they can only use equipment, items, or skills produced by the game.
The passerby players who were willing to hunt anomalies naturally knew this common sense. At this moment, they all took out their supernatural weapons, which varied widely: blood-stained scissors, baseball bats covered in suspicious liquid, cracked mirror shards, and some even pulled out a silver flintlock pistol...
Although this was a corner of the plaza, pedestrians passed by from time to time.
At this moment, seeing a group of strangers pull out various items and rush towards a seemingly frail woman, the passersby were all startled. Some quickly retreated, worried about getting involved and preferring to mind their own business. Others quickly took out their phones, wanting to call the police. As for those who would stand up for injustice... there were none.
"Please do not make calls or record videos."
Several staff members in suits, having anticipated this, quickly stepped forward to control the passersby.
At the same time.
The attacks from the passerby players landed on the anomaly's body. Scissors, baseball bats, scalpels... Struck by numerous attacks, the woman's body quickly trembled, and bright red blood began to flow out.
The strange woman's body immediately trembled, and she covered her face with both hands, seemingly wanting to turn and flee.
Bang!
A young player pulled the trigger. A puff of white smoke erupted from the flintlock pistol's muzzle, followed by a silver bullet flying out. It was unclear what kind of gun this was, but the bullet flew very slowly; even an ordinary person could see it clearly with their naked eyes.
The bullet spun as it flew through the air, creating a spiral air ripple, and hit the strange woman in the back.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.
White flames immediately began to burn on the woman's body. The strange woman's steps faltered, and she fell to the ground with a thud, losing all movement.
"Tsk."
"Damn it."
"That guy got the kill."
The other passerby players were displeased by this scene, but with the Strange Tales Management Bureau's staff nearby, no one made any extreme moves.
However, the passerby player's face did not show joy. Instead, he looked surprised and asked in confusion:
"Where's the promised reward? Why is there nothing?"
Natsuki said calmly:
"Because you didn't kill that strange being."
The passerby player looked over warily: "What do you mean?"
Natsuki did not explain. He turned his head and said:
"Mitsui-san, you can come and clean up the battlefield."
Mitsui-san, who had been observing from a distance and clearly understood the meaning of self-preservation, quickly walked over and had her people start examining the strange woman.
Two staff members stepped forward and carefully turned over the woman lying on the ground. It was an unfamiliar face they didn't recognize.
Kaguya lightly furrowed her delicate brows and said:
"She seems to be an ordinary person."
A staff member quickly said:
"She still has a breath and a pulse. She is indeed an ordinary person."
Mitsui-san frowned slightly and quickly said:
"Yamamoto-san, please have the paramedics come over."
"Yes!"
A man in a suit bowed upon hearing this, quickly took out his phone, and walked to the side.
"H-how could it be an ordinary person?"
Hearing this news, the group of passerby players were all dumbfounded, especially the few who had attacked the strange woman with weapons. They were all at a loss, their faces filled with nervousness.
Killing a strange being carried no psychological burden, but if the target killed was an ordinary person... the feeling was completely different.
"Strange?" Chika asked curiously, "What are those fragments on the ground?"
Everyone looked towards the ground upon hearing this, only to see a layer of white fragments where the strange woman had been lying. As the evening breeze blew, the white fragments scattered everywhere.
A passerby player hesitated and said:
"If I remember correctly, the ground was quite clean before. This must have appeared after this woman fell."
"Looks like some kind of debris."
"I once ate a kind of crispy flatbread. When you bite into it, there are a lot of crumbs. It feels somewhat similar."
...
Natsuki said in a deep voice:
"Those are broken pieces of skin from a face."
"Eh? Face skin?!"
Hearing this, the passerby players who had been discussing quickly retreated, fearing that this thing would be blown onto them by the wind. If broken pieces of face skin landed on them, it would feel quite disgusting.
Especially the female passerby player who said it looked like flatbread crumbs, she covered her mouth with both hands, her expression particularly uncomfortable.
"Natsuki-kun, have you discovered anything?"
Mitsui-san looked up and asked seriously.
Among everyone present, the person she trusted the most was Natsuki, followed by Kaguya. Everyone else was secondary.
Natsuki said calmly:
"When I used Divination earlier to summon the victims' ghosts to inquire about the situation, they all said that after encountering the anomalies, they felt someone tracking them from behind... Mitsui-san, you must have checked the surveillance. There was only one person in the surveillance, right?"
"That's right." Mitsui-san nodded and said, "After confirming that anomalous incidents appeared on Ichiban Street, we immediately investigated all surveillance. All observable victims were alone, and there was no sign of being tracked... Based on analysis, we suspect the anomalies has the ability to be invisible and cannot be captured by electronic surveillance."
"There's another possibility." Natsuki held up a finger. "That anomalies wasn't invisible; it was always beside the victim, but no one discovered it."
"How is that possible?" A passerby player couldn't help but say, "If the anomalies wasn't invisible, why couldn't it be discovered?"
At this moment, Kaguya suddenly spoke:
"It's a face!"
Everyone looked at her. Kaguya's expression was calm as she continued:
"The information provided by the victim's ghosts may not be 100% accurate. The strange being might just be a face. The moment the victim saw the strange being, it covered the victim's face. That's why every ghost said they were being tracked, but neither they themselves nor the surveillance could find the anomaly's figure."
Yukino said softly:
"It's very likely so. When those victims met their demise, there were reflective objects nearby: mirrors, puddles, glass, phone screens, etc. That's why the last words everyone heard were 'You saw it'... 'You saw it' is both the beginning and the end of the anomalies."
...
Hearing this speculation, everyone fell silent.
The strangeness of the Face Demon clearly exceeded everyone's imagination. Those passerby players who had initially thought the strange being was nothing special quickly shed their contempt.
Natsuki broke the silence and said:
"The game hasn't given a task completion notification, which proves that we haven't killed that strange being yet. It should have multiple lives, and each collected face is one life. The broken face skin likely attached itself to someone else through some means."
Everyone shivered simultaneously and quickly took out their phones to look at their own faces, lest they be possessed without knowing it.
"Good, it's my own face." Chika covered her chest and let out a sigh of relief. "This anomalies is too strange, isn't it?"
"It is indeed very strange, but its strength is not strong." Natsuki said, "After all, it was just blown up by everyone's random punches."
Everyone: "..."
"Eh, wait a moment." Juju's eyes widened, and she suddenly realized, "If one face represents one life, do the faces stripped from those victims count among them?"
Kaguya said with a serious expression:
"Most likely, yes."
Everyone's expressions turned grim.
So far, the number of victims has approached thirty. In other words, that anomalies has at least thirty lives. Eliminating one face just now was nothing at all.
Natsuki looked at Mitsui-san and said seriously:
"The person possessed by that face will most likely still be like this lady, with their head down, unwilling to see people."
"I understand." Mitsui-san nodded seriously, without any unnecessary words, and said directly, "Everyone, continue searching. We must eliminate that face today."
There's no time to delay.
The more victims there are, the more substitute lives that face will have. It must be eliminated as quickly as possible.
"What about her?"
A passerby player asked uneasily.
The paramedics hadn't arrived yet, and the unfortunate woman lay alone on the ground, blood flowing beneath her, her condition uncertain.
Mitsui-san frowned and said:
"Tell the paramedics to hurry up."
"Yes." A man in a suit bowed and said, "They'll be here in three minutes, they're coming right away."
Despite this, everyone understood that this unfortunate woman would most likely not survive.
"President." Chika looked up, tugged at Natsuki's sleeve, and whispered, "Save her, please?"
Natsuki nodded lightly, half-squatted, took out a red glass bottle, pulled out the stopper, and poured the potion into the woman's mouth.
As the potion was consumed, the woman's complexion visibly recovered, no longer as pale as before.
"What was that?"
Someone couldn't help but ask.
A knowledgeable passerby player whispered:
"I've seen it in the game's refresh shop. It should be a healing potion. After drinking it, no matter how serious the injury, it can quickly restore half of one's health. A bottle of potion costs one hundred game coins..."
Hearing this, the expressions of the other passerby players immediately became very complicated.
If they were honest with themselves, even if they had the potion, they might not be willing to take it out.
The woman lying on the ground was just a stranger they didn't know, but a red potion could save their own life. They really couldn't be that generous.
But Kaguya and the others knew that what Natsuki fed the woman was not a life potion at all. If it truly were a red potion, the woman would already be sitting up, running, and jumping by now.
Natsuki had actually used Copy and Paste just now, directly transferring his own life force. He didn't need too much; enough to save the woman's life was sufficient. Although one hundred game coins wasn't a lot, red potions were very rare and couldn't be bought whenever one wanted.
Immediately after, paramedics in white coats ran over with a stretcher, quickly lifting the woman onto the ambulance for treatment.
Mitsui-san let out a light breath, her gaze sparkling as she looked at Natsuki, then said:
"Please, everyone, continue your actions."
"Yes!"
The morale of the passerby players greatly increased. If there were an emotion collection system, these people would have surely produced a large amount of positive emotion just now.
Everyone began to act.
Knowing the strangeness of the anomalies, no one was careless anymore.
Natsuki looked at Juju and extended his hand, saying:
"Let's go too."
Juju's small face flushed, and she whispered:
"Let's seriously look for that anomalies, don't do anything strange!"
Natsuki asked in confusion:
"What's the strange thing?"
Juju bit her silver teeth: "You know it well!"
Natsuki smiled: "I don't know."
"Bah!"
Juju couldn't help but spit lightly, "Shameless!"
The situation was quite serious, so Natsuki didn't go to the park to take advantage of Juju, nor did he wander around aimlessly. Instead, he took Juju to a corner to conserve his strength, waiting for others to notify him.
Ten minutes later.
Under the saturated search, the unlucky person newly possessed by the anomalies was discovered again…