Chapter 1: The Girl Who Was Taken In

Description

[Jinghua] appeared calm despite being caught off guard by the bizarre notification.

Linghai Country, a great nation with vast territory and sea domains……it was also the country where the headquarters of the Anomaly Containment Bureau was located.

So-called anomaly containment meant discovering, containing, and safekeeping all supernatural individuals.

Clearly, Bai Zhi Liuli didn’t consider herself one of them……

But that was exactly how she got arrested on her way to school by a containment special task force that flashed an arrest warrant at her!

Where was justice!

Where was the law!

Where was morality!

I’m just an ordinary high school student……QAQ

Just released from her restraints, Bai Zhi Liuli hugged her legs clad in white stockings, her small hands nervously forming a fist while her fingers moved in regular patterns…………This situation had completely exceeded her imagination.

Just moments ago, she had been worrying about the breakfast shop she usually visited being closed for the day, then the shop next door posting “if they rest, I rest too,” and the one next to that posting “accompanying them for a day,” and the one next to that……when a group of people suddenly came out and arrested her.

Where was she supposed to find someone to reason with about this?

Bai Zhi Liuli sat in a chair.

On her right sat a male recorder wearing glasses along with two assistant recorders, each using different mediums—electronic devices, handwriting, and Braille—to take notes.

Across from her sat a tall, mature-looking woman, flanked by two burly, heavily armed bodyguards standing at her side.

[Wah wah……what do I do……I didn’t do anything……why did the police arrest me……Could I be involved in some serial murder case?

Isn’t that the kind of plot that only happens in novels?]

“Name.”

The mature woman asked the question.

“Uh……huh?”

Lost in the storm of thoughts in her head, Liuli didn’t react to what the other had said in time.

“Your name.

What’s your surname, what’s your given name—the unique identifier that anchors you.”

“Uh……Bai, Bai Zhi Liuli.”

“……What exactly are you?”

“?”

[What a strange question……Of course I’m a human……Maybe she’s asking about my occupation or something……]

“I’m a student in Class 5, Grade 10 at A City No. 3 Middle School……”

“No, please tell the truth.

If you don’t cooperate with the containment facility’s work, you might have to endure more hardship during your containment period.”

“Huh?

Containment……facility?”

Bai Zhi Liuli recalled similar fictional works she’d seen on Site O—could this be cosplay?

“A containment facility under the Anomaly Containment Bureau……All you need to know is that you’ve been classified as an anomaly, and the bureau has the authority to contain and safekeep you.”

“Wait wait wait……Contain……safekeep—those are words used to describe objects, right?

Cosplay should have its limits……This counts as illegal detention!”

The recorders around them continuously documented the exchange, while the woman in front maintained a defensive posture the whole time, occasionally glancing at the instrument panel on the table—they clearly had long been accustomed to this kind of work……

If this were cosplay, they were way too dedicated.

“Seems like you still have some sense of the rule of law…………Take a look at these.”

The tall woman pulled out several documents stamped with official seals from a drawer, along with a tablet.

On them were recorded the containment facility’s qualification license, the approval paperwork for arresting Bai Zhi Liuli, and the entire process of classifying Bai Zhi Liuli as an anomaly:

Bai Zhi Liuli, female, age 16 (uncertain), height 145 cm, white hair, curly locks, attending school on assets left by her parents—but no information about her exists in the student registration system database.

Bai Zhi Liuli’s homeroom teacher stated that students who approached her would often get injured for no apparent reason, with injuries severe enough to reach first-degree disability.

After reviewing surveillance footage, the claim was confirmed as factual.

Video files are attached to this document.

Investigation of Bai Zhi Liuli’s residence showed that her dwelling was an ownerless building, with utility and maintenance fees paid from untraceable accounts.

Investigation of Bai Zhi Liuli’s household registration revealed that her parents listed on the family register do not exist in the identity database, and neither does Bai Zhi Liuli herself.

Based on the above investigation, the bureau decided to dispatch a small anomaly detection drone for scanning.

The detection result: Bai Zhi Liuli exhibits D-class reality modification fluctuations in her surroundings, which shift entirely in tandem with her movements.

In summary, Bai Zhi Liuli is judged to be a D-class anomaly with human self-awareness.

Recommendation: containment and observation.

“Th-This……What is all this…………These……These must all be fake……”

After reading everything, Bai Zhi Liuli still refused to believe……that she was some strange supernatural anomaly or something……

This kind of thing could only happen in novels and short videos.

“Forging official seals and government documents gets you the firing squad.”

The interrogator rested her chin on her interlaced hands.

“You still don’t want to believe it?”

“Make your move.”

At the command, a bodyguard swiftly approached Liuli, drawing a knife from his waist and slashing at her.

“Waaah!”

Liuli squeezed her eyes shut and hurriedly raised her arms to protect her head.

The anticipated pain and blood never came.

Surprised, she opened her eyes and found that the knife in the tall bodyguard’s hand had snapped before it could reach her, a resounding metallic clang echoing through the room.

Next, the bodyguard delivered multiple punches, but every single one either missed by a centimeter, caused him to trip accidentally, or sent his shoe flying off.

“Wuwuwu……This is too much……I’m just……just an ordinary high school student……”

Little Liuli, subjected to continuous intimidation, couldn’t take it anymore.

A bunch of people had grabbed her when she was already upset about having no breakfast, spouted a bunch of nonsensical things, and then inexplicably terrorized her right in front of her face……

Someone, please save me……

“Ordinary?

Miss Bai Zhi Liuli, face reality.”

“Why can’t any school find your student registration information?”

“Why does everyone who tries to harm you inexplicably fail and get injured before they can act?”

“Why is your surrounding anomaly index so high?”

“The answer……there’s only one……”

“No……wait……This is all……Don’t say any more……”

No matter how unwilling she was, she had to admit it……because most of what the other party said was true, especially the part about people who tried to harm her.

“You are an uncontrained anomalous entity, or at least, you carry anomalous phenomena.

Until we determine whether the phenomena around you are caused by your individual self or by an anomaly possessing you, please cooperate with our work.”

“Ugh……”

“Don’t worry about school……If we confirm it’s indeed our judgment, we’ll provide you with compensation, as well as a full set of household registration and student record repair services.

And we can add some points to your score in the future unified college entrance examination.”

“…………”

“During your observation period at the containment facility……As long as you cooperate with our work, we’ll do our best to provide what you need……Electronic devices, food, drinks, or temporary leave permits.

You won’t be responsible for any expenses, and if we later confirm it was a misjudgment, you can take all of it with you.”

In other words—a PS5, a Switch 2, a computer with a 5090 Ti 32GB graphics card and 64GB of RAM…………

Liuli thought about it.

If they could really provide all that……it didn’t sound half bad……

Because her parents had passed away early, her life was actually quite tight.

Normally she only wore her school uniform and nothing else—she was still wearing her uniform with its label on it right now.

A carrot after a stick—as a traditional student of Linghai Country, Bai Zhi Liuli was very susceptible to this tactic.

“Then……this……observation……about how long will it last?”

“At least three months, at most half a year.”

That was only about a semester, right?

If they really provided electronic devices, with how easy first-year high school material was, self-study shouldn’t be a problem.

Plus, if everything they said earlier was true……people with official seals probably wouldn’t lie, right?

The college entrance exam points bonus……

That temptation was just too great.

“Then……fine then……”

“Thank you for your cooperation.

This is the compensation agreement……Please sign.”

The interrogator opened a drawer containing a contract and a strange firearm—it seemed she had prepared two sets of “persuasion” for this interrogation.

The agreement was handed to Bai Zhi Liuli.

Liuli wasn’t very savvy about these things, so she took the agreement and gave it a hasty once-over…………

The contents were all straightforward with no convoluted fine print.

Roughly: if the observation concluded she wasn’t the anomaly source, she would be compensated 5–10 million Linghai coins based on observation duration, plus a 50-point bonus on the unified exam, and any items purchased during containment could be replaced with identical models as compensation.

Honestly, that was way too tempting.

Sign!

Changing the fate of her life and achieving a leap in living standards—all in one stroke!

By the time Liuli saw the contents and the official seal already stamped on it, her doubts had vanished.

“…………”

Seeing Bai Zhi Liuli sign, the female interrogator seemed to let out a breath—though it might have been her imagination.

“The items you carried have been placed in your future containment cell.

Someone will escort you there shortly and explain the details.”

“O-Okay.”

Having signed, Liuli was still buzzing with excitement imagining the hefty compensation she’d receive in the future……

After all, there was no way she could be an anomaly.

The other side would most likely end up paying her out.

The door opened—it looked like she could leave.

After stepping out, a tall, skinny figure dressed in strange black clothing that covered every inch of skin led her toward the so-called containment cell.

Along the way, she curiously glanced around, taking in this so-called containment facility……

Clean floors, corridors filled with a strange disinfectant smell, a design dripping with high-tech aesthetic and unusual materials, special operations personnel in bizarre outfits who all looked sharp and carried weapons…………

None of it seemed to have anything to do with her.

Because she finally stopped in front of a room that looked perfectly ordinary.

The nameplate on the door read:

E-01-999, Jinghua.

“Huh?”

That was a bit cryptic—a room number and a room name, right?

The tall, skinny figure urged the girl inside.

“Please hurry in……After this, the higher-ups will assign a dedicated administrator to handle your daily needs.

If you need anything, you can ask her.”

“Oh……Okay.”

The girl pushed open the door————

Inside was a room built from strange metallic materials, furnished like a normal room—nothing particularly special about it.

Aside from the bed, chair, table, and wardrobe, there was no other furniture.

On the bed, Bai Zhi’s backpack lay quietly.

On the wall was a control panel with what looked like different buttons.

“Press the blue button if you have a request, and the red button if you feel unwell.

I’ll take my leave now.”

“Hey……wait, I still have—”

Bai Zhi Liuli tried to turn back and ask more questions, but the tall, skinny figure had already vanished.

“……I still wanted to ask where I could get food……”

She patted her stomach.

“Growl……”

“The request button……Let me try pressing it……I’m so hungry.”

She pressed the request button, and a mechanical voice came through.

“[Jinghua], what do you require?”

“Uh……I want some Ofc……I’ll have a spicy chicken burger, a Coke, a mashed potato, and a large fries……”

“Request received.

If your request is complete, please press the button again to end it.

Then wait patiently for ten minutes.”

Liuli pressed the button again.

“Hmm……Will that really work……I’m so hungry……”

She looked around the room once more, inspecting her new space.

The room was surprisingly large—maybe a full sixty square meters—with an attached shower stall and a separate bathroom…………

Though the ventilation seemed a bit poor; the grates over the vents and drains looked rather dense.

She went back to the bed and rummaged through her backpack……

It seemed someone had gone through it—everything was neatly organized, which she could never have managed herself.

Unfinished homework and test papers with mediocre scores still lay inside the backpack.

“Ding-dong——”

The doorbell rang.

She looked up and discovered that a……door? had suddenly appeared on the wall, glowing faintly.

She walked over and pulled it open, finding a space inside holding steaming-hot food—her ordered Ofc meal.

“Wow……It really is Ofc!”

She had thought it was a scam just moments ago, but surprisingly, it really was Ofc, delivered in such a bizarre way!?

She picked up the meal set, placed it on the table, tore open the packaging, and took small bites.

“…………”

Eating her burger and sipping her Coke while staring at this cold, sterile room—a room with zero sense of security—the girl couldn’t help but sigh.

“So it was all real…………A high-tech research institute……strange rooms……strange people……strange events…………”

“I’ve really been contained.”

Still, no matter what, eating came first.

Days like this—she could tough them out……

And maybe they wouldn’t be so hard.

Before long, they’d realize they’d made a mistake, send her back, and hand her an ultra-luxurious compensation gift package.

Then she could return to her ordinary daily life.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The door sounded.

“Who is it?”