Chapter 140: Chief Qin?

Zhong Er jolted awake, drenched in sweat.

He stared up at the mosquito net above his bed, gasping for air.

This was his dorm bed at school. He was back. He had really made it back!

Frantically, he grabbed his phone with trembling hands, fumbling several times before unlocking it.

The date hadn’t changed. The time read 3 a.m.

He had struggled to survive for seven days in the Strange Tales World, yet only three hours had passed in the real world.

Yes, Zhong Er had entered the Strange Tales World and successfully cleared the Newbie Level. He had made it out alive.

The Strange Tales World had appeared without warning. Thankfully, he had read enough novels to adapt faster than most when he was suddenly pulled into the Anomaly Game.

Zhong Er climbed out of bed and grabbed the first cup of water he saw, not caring which roommate it belonged to. He gulped it down in one go.

A roommate still up late on the bed next to his cracked his neck and asked, “Had a nightmare?”

Zhong Er gave a vague “Mm” in response.

He wanted nothing more than to shake his roommate by the shoulders and shout, “Your dad here was chosen! I really went into the Strange Tales World!”

But he couldn’t say a word.

Anomaly Game Rule Number One: Never reveal the existence of the Strange Tales World to people in this world.

Zhong Er valued his life and had no desire to find out what the punishment for breaking that rule might be.

In the Newbie Level, every player who tried to defy the rules had exploded into a mist of blood.

Still, he desperately needed to vent.

The excitement, the fear—it was all too much.

Yes, the Anomaly Game was terrifying, but for Zhong Er, there had been a thrill to it. Especially now that he had cleared the level and come back alive, a sense of superiority surged in his chest, impossible to shake.

Looking at his roommates again, his entire mindset had shifted.

He was an Awakened One, a Darling of Destiny. His roommates? Just clueless nobodies, completely unaware of the truth that only a chosen few in this world would ever come to know.

He wanted to shout, to scream.

Obviously, that kind of behavior didn’t belong in a student dorm at three in the morning.

Brushing off his roommate’s question, Zhong Er slipped out of the room.

His dorm was on the second floor. He leaned over the railing and jumped straight down.

“Hiss…”

His legs ached a bit, but it wasn’t serious.

He stood up and let out a silent scream toward the streetlight, then threw a flurry of punches into the air.

Only then did he start to calm down.

Zhong Er wandered along the campus paths.

This time in the Strange Tales World, he had also obtained an item.

A legendary cheat item.

It was called “Not of My Kind.” When activated, it allowed him to blend into a designated group, making them completely unsuspecting of him.

He had just tested it on a stray cat—it worked in the real world too.

Before he knew it, he had wandered to the edge of the school’s greenbelt, near a construction site.

They were building a new sculpture there.

There had been an old one in that spot since the school was founded, but for some reason, it had been torn down and replaced. The new sculpture was a design by an art student from the university. It had been posted on the campus forum, and everyone thought it looked terrible.

People had been complaining about how the school always did these weird, pointless things.

As he got closer, he realized there were a few people standing in front of the sculpture.

All of them, without exception, were dressed in camouflage combat uniforms.

In the dead of night, the scene was as eerie as when he had first entered the Strange Tales World.

Startled, Zhong Er turned and ran a few steps before remembering he still had the “Not of My Kind” item activated.

He cautiously crept back closer. Sure enough, none of them noticed him.

The leader of the group was holding a silver combination-locked case. Even from a distance, it looked expensive—like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Four subordinates held each corner of the case as the leader carefully opened it and retrieved an object from inside.

Zhong Er leaned in for a better look. It seemed to be a glass sphere, about the size of a fist.

The sphere was wrapped in thick shock-absorbent padding, then placed into a mold where concrete was poured over it.

The concrete was fast-drying. In no time, they had a neat, square block.

That block was inserted into the sculpture and sealed inside.

Once they were done, the sculpture looked exactly the same as before.

The group visibly relaxed after completing the task.

Zhong Er overheard one of the subordinates grumbling, “Why does it have to go in a sculpture? Everyone online says these things are ugly as hell.”

Another one snapped back, “Where else are we supposed to put them? There are so many of these things to install all over the country. We can’t just dig random holes and bury them.”

The leader signaled for silence and made a phone call.

He said only one sentence: “Yes, it’s been installed.”

Whatever the person on the other end said, the leader didn’t lower the phone from his ear.

Then, Zhong Er saw a beam of light shoot out from inside the sculpture, connecting with a web of light pulses that had appeared out of thin air around it. The beams wove together, forming a crisscrossing network.

Zhong Er stared, dumbfounded. Was… was he still on Earth? Had Earth become this sci-fi already? Or were these people actually aliens?

But could aliens look East Asian? Would aliens use Chinese-made phones? Would aliens wear army combat uniforms?

The light pulse network vanished.

The leader spoke into the phone again: “Understood.”

The group packed up and left the scene.

Only after they were far enough away and clearly not coming back did Zhong Er approach the sculpture to check it out. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make sense of anything.

This night had been far too surreal for him.

But one thing was certain: his item worked. No doubt about that.

All night long, his mind raced with possibilities. What could he do with this item?

Infiltrate the Golden Triangle as an undercover agent to eliminate the drug trade?

Disguise himself and sneak into the Pentagon to gather critical intel for the military?

Or maybe blend into a panda colony to understand their needs and help humans better raise and care for them?

His imagination ran wild, and he barely slept a wink.

It wasn’t until morning that he finally dozed off for a bit.

Before his mind went fuzzy, Zhong Er had planned to visit the sculpture site again during the day. Maybe he’d find something new.

At 7 a.m., the boys’ dormitory was filled with thunderous snoring.

Even walking down the hallway, you could hear the chorus of snores like electric drills going off in waves.

Room 205, where Zhong Er stayed, had its door knocked on.

No one wanted to deal with some idiot disturbing their sleep so early in the morning.

But the knocking didn’t stop. It came every thirty seconds, like clockwork.

The sound wasn’t loud, and it even sounded… polite.

Inside the dorm, curses flew. The people outside definitely heard them, but it didn’t interrupt their rhythm at all.

The guy sleeping closest to the door finally snapped. Swearing under his breath, hair a mess like a bird’s nest, he stormed over and yanked the door open.

The curses caught in his throat.

Standing outside were their counselor, a department head, the dorm manager… and two people who clearly weren’t ordinary.

They were the ones knocking.

Buzz cuts, white shirts, black jackets, long black umbrellas, black briefcases… and faces so nondescript they’d disappear in a crowd.

The school staff behind them looked like they were about to explode with frustration.

These two were here for Zhong Er.

Zhong Er, eyes bloodshot and face blank, had no idea what was going on.

But with the school leadership backing it up, he barely had time to throw on a wrinkled sweatshirt before being taken away by the two Black Jackets.

Out of the dorm, into the car, out the school gate, and off they went.

Zhong Er was a bundle of nerves the entire ride.

The two Black Jackets didn’t say a single word.

He quietly activated his “Not One of Us” item.

The Black Jackets were completely unaffected.

Zhong Er: !!!

A few hours later, they arrived in front of a building in a neighboring city.

He looked up at the sign: Shenhai City Prison.

Zhong Er’s legs went weak.

No way, right?

He was half-dragged into the high-walled building.

Only once inside did he realize they weren’t here to lock him up. The two Black Jackets brought him to an office to check in.

Yes, check in.

The clerk inside flipped through some papers. “Zhong Er, 20 years old… First entry into an Strange Tales World, obtained item ‘Not One of Us’. Please confirm your information. If everything’s correct, sign at the bottom right.”

Zhong Er was still in a daze.

“Huh?”

Aren’t Strange Tales supposed to be unspeakable? How do they already have all this info?

Dazed and confused, he stumbled through the check-in process.

That’s when he learned this was actually a government-run “Anomaly Ability Enhancement Training Class.”

And it wasn’t just for newbies like him. Veterans came too.

New players had to attend a full month of training. Veterans only needed to come in one weekend a month. As for the top-tier players, they could opt out entirely—or even be invited to serve as instructors.

Those instructors were officially on the government payroll.

The training content was seriously impressive.

For the beginner class, the main goal was to improve survival rates.

They shared practical knowledge passed down by experienced players: how to find hidden rules, how to stay alive, how to break through traps, how to clear classic Anomaly scenarios…

The instructors were all top-ranked players.

They were strict. On top of teaching Anomaly-related theory, they also put the trainees through intense physical training—combat skills, mental fortitude, endurance.

More than once, Zhong Er thought it might be better to just die in an Anomaly Tale. At least he wouldn’t have to suffer this kind of inhuman torment.

Their Chief Instructor was surnamed Shi. Compared to the others, she was downright terrifying. Just hearing her name made your knees go weak.

Her scolding was brutal.

But rumor had it she was on the verge of clearing the final gate, about to completely escape the Anomaly system. A top-tier elite.

Zhong Er was so scared of her, he didn’t even dare eat in the cafeteria if he saw her from a distance.

Aside from classes, the organizers also gave Zhong Er a personalized analysis of his item. They handed him a thick stack of usage strategies and told him which types of items to look out for to maximize its potential.

Zhong Er was stunned. You could play it like this?

He even received a Newbie Gift Pack filled with rare, practical items.

During training, Zhong Er met a senior from his university—though this “senior” was seven years ahead of him.

The senior told him that the items in the Newbie Gift Pack were obtained through a collaboration between the government and a top-tier figure from within an Strange Tales.

“What? Our side is that powerful? Even working with Strange Tales bosses?”

The senior gave him a mysterious smile. “You think the Strange Tales has elites, and we don’t?”

“Who’s that badass?”

The senior leaned against the railing and gestured downward.

Three black vans pulled up outside the training building. Instructor Shi personally opened the door of the middle van.

The first to jump out was a glossy-coated Border Collie. It trotted around Instructor Shi a few times, rubbing up against her affectionately.

To everyone’s shock, the usually stern-faced Instructor Shi pulled a dried duck neck from her combat uniform pocket and tossed it to the dog.

The Border Collie leapt up, caught it, pinned it down with its front paws, expertly tore off the packaging, and lay down to chew.

Then, a young woman in casual clothes stepped out of the van. She looked to be in her twenties. Instructor Shi gave her a faint smile.

The two leaned in close, speaking quietly.

As they walked toward the building, the woman kept adjusting her shoulder, like something about her clothes was bothering her.

Zhong Er asked, “Who’s that?”

The senior replied, “Chief Qin. The top boss on our side.”

“So young?”

The senior chuckled. “The title’s just ‘cheif’. In reality, she’s a department-level cadre.”

Zhong Er sucked in a sharp breath.

“And also…” the senior added, “among cadres of the same rank, her authority is far higher.”

As they spoke, someone came up the stairs.

Instructor Shi swept her gaze over them. The two of them immediately lowered their heads like quails and scurried off along the wall.

Chief Qin had come to inspect the progress of the training and deliver the closing speech.

She emphasized that survival in strange tales must prioritize safety. Once your own safety is secured, if you have the capacity, you can seek out items within the tales that are useful to the nation—physical objects, technology, information…

These things, once evaluated, can be exchanged for corresponding points. Accumulated points can be redeemed for items or needs, either in reality or within the tales.

In short, cooperating with the system brings many benefits.

If you encounter fellow trainees from the enhancement program within a strange tale, sticking together increases the chances of survival.

Of course, if your intentions are malicious and you harm your comrades within the tale, you will be punished.

She also mentioned that their names and items had all been registered. If anyone used them to stir up trouble in the real world, the consequences would be… something they wouldn’t want to find out.

All of these rules had already been explained by the instructors during class.

Chief Qin was merely reiterating them.

Zhong Er felt that her speech was ordinary, on par with the usual school administrators—dull enough to put you to sleep.

He couldn’t understand how someone so young had already become a chief, and even earned such deep respect from the iron-blooded instructors.

Yes, all the instructors held Chief Qin in high regard.

It wasn’t the usual flattery toward a superior, but genuine respect from the heart.

It wasn’t until three months later, when Zhong Er entered another strange tale, that he finally understood.

The grueling special training that had haunted his dreams turned out to be the very thing that helped him breeze through the tale this time. It gave him the illusion that strange tales weren’t so terrifying after all.

When he woke up, Zhong Er practically wanted to throw himself into the arms of the great Instructor Shi.

She was like a second mother to all strange tale players.

Just a few days after he woke up, the municipal government issued a notice: an earthquake was imminent in the area, and all citizens had to evacuate within 24 hours—either beyond the quake zone or to designated safe locations.

Zhong Er also received a notification from the training program, asking them to assist with evacuating the public and maintaining order.

His school was one of the designated evacuation sites within the city.

Because it was still within city limits, not many people came to the school to seek shelter.

Some students and teachers were even leaving.

The soldiers stationed at the school didn’t stop them.

Zhong Er stayed. Since the training program said it was safe, he believed them. He still had a lot of trust in the program.

Even though he didn’t understand why the school was considered safe.

Among the evacuees was the senior he had met during training.

Zhong Er took the opportunity to ask him about it.

They were resting on the sports field, leaning against a tent they had set up.

The senior reached out from inside the tent and pointed in a direction.

Zhong Er followed his finger and saw the newly built sculpture.

It was already completed.

“The sculpture?”

“No, the person under the sculpture.”

Zhong Er looked more closely and finally spotted the person the senior was referring to.

It was a woman in her thirties, dressed rather unusually, in ethnic-style clothing with a beaded headband across her forehead.

She was sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed beneath the sculpture.

He hadn’t noticed her before, but now that he looked carefully, she gave off an air that was both mysterious and eerie.

“Who is she?” Zhong Er asked.

The senior replied, “I met her by chance. Her name is Gao Yang. She’s a High Fate Master, from the Fate Masters’ Sect.”

The more he explained, the more confused Zhong Er became. “Fate Masters’ Sect?”

The senior let out a long sigh. “Well, you’ll find out eventually. No harm in telling you now. Let’s put it this way—Chief Qin is the head of the Fate Masters’ Sect.”

“What? A government official forming a private sect and acting as its leader? Are you kidding me?” Zhong Er exclaimed.

“The Fate Masters’ Sect is different. It’s a civilian group that Chief Qin helped organize and incorporate. These fate masters used to work in traditional folk practices.”

“You mean superstitious stuff?”

The senior replied, “It’s complicated. Not exactly. Basically, they’re a group of folk practitioners with merit, enlightened by Chief Qin and brought under her wing to cultivate. They usually operate among the public, but during special times, they cooperate with the authorities.”

He gestured around them. “Like now. This is one of those special times.”

Zhong Er was skeptical. “Chief Qin? Enlightened them? Are you serious?”

The more he heard, the more far-fetched it sounded.

The senior just chuckled and didn’t explain further.

Zhong Er asked, “So what is she doing here? And what does that have to do with the question I asked you?”

The senior adopted a mysterious tone and explained, “A skilled fate master can awaken the dead, foresee the future, and alter fate. A High Fate Master is here to guard a Pulse Point.”

“A what now?”

“I heard that Chief Qin refined hundreds of Pulse Points and buried them across the country. Each Pulse Point has a certain range of protection and sensitivity. Together, they form a Pulse Network. Anything that happens within the network can be sensed by fate masters. Each fate master is responsible for guarding and sensing one Pulse Point.”

Pulse Point? Zhong Er thought back to that night when he saw those people in tactical gear hiding something inside the sculpture.

The senior continued, “This earthquake must have been predicted by the Pulse Network. That’s why the authorities organized the evacuation. As for why the school is a designated safe zone, isn’t it obvious? There’s definitely a Pulse Point buried here.”

Zhong Er was half-convinced. “How do you know all this?”

“My cousin is a monk at Baiyun Temple—Daoist Master Xinghe. He’s pretty famous online,” the senior said with pride. “The Taoist sects have some overlap with the fate masters, so I know a bit more than most.”

He patted Zhong Er on the shoulder. “Don’t doubt it. Baiyun Temple has been at the top of its game these past few years. The current High Priest there, Abbot Wuyong, is actually good friends with our Chief Qin. My cousin even climbed trees and picked fruit with her back in the day. He’s also played with Chief Qin’s Border Collie—you know, the one that’s super smart.”

Zhong Er felt that his senior had fallen into blind hero worship of Chief Qin. Even the slightest connection between his relatives and Chief Qin—or her dog—was something he had to show off.

He shook his head, thinking everything his senior said sounded so hollow.

Chief Qin sounded impressive, sure, but after all that talk, he still hadn’t heard a single concrete thing she’d actually done.

It all felt like hot air.

With nothing else to do, Zhong Er pulled the covers over his head and went back to sleep.

At 4:20 in the morning, the predicted earthquake struck.

A powerful tremor hit.

Even lying on flat ground, Zhong Er was jolted awake.

The earth shook violently. Cries of alarm echoed through the crowd.

Suddenly, lights flared on in the direction of the sculpture, illuminating a woman with sharp brows and deep-set eyes—rumored to be a Fate Master.

The ground was trembling, but she stood firm and unshaken.

Holding a loudspeaker, her voice rang out again and again, calm and compelling, soothing the panicked crowd. She told them that as long as they stayed within the school grounds, they would be safe.

In the dim yellow light, the High Fate Master’s features were hard to make out, but her presence felt both mysterious and powerful.

She inspired trust. She was someone people could turn to for protection.

Gradually, the crowd calmed. People huddled together in groups, leaning on one another to get through the night.

Before dawn, three aftershocks followed.

Communication was down. No one knew how strong the quake had been or how far it had spread.

But they couldn’t help recalling the municipal warning: a magnitude 7.3 earthquake.

When daylight broke, Zhong Er saw the mountains not far from the school. A massive landslide had occurred, the sight enough to make one’s blood run cold.

But within the school grounds, not a single pane of glass had shattered.

Voices began to stir among the crowd. Rumors spread that the school sat atop an ancient Dragon Vein, which was why it had remained untouched.

People spoke with conviction, detailing the location of the dragon’s head, tail, whiskers, and claws as if they’d seen it themselves.

His senior didn’t refute the rumors in public.

But in private, he scoffed to Zhong Er. “It was clearly Chief Qin who set up the Pulse Network to predict the quake, and it was her who buried the Pulse Points that protected the school. And now all the credit goes to some ridiculous Dragon Vein?”

Only then did Zhong Er start to grasp the true weight behind all the praise his senior had lavished on Chief Qin.

Looking out at the vast slope of yellow earth in the distance, cold sweat broke out along his spine.

Were those really things a human could do?

Could Chief Qin be a deity come down to earth, enduring tribulations among mortals?

His voice trembled as he asked, “Who exactly is Chief Qin?”

His senior’s face lit up with pride.

“Chief Qin is the greatest Fate Master of our time.”

—The End—