Pursuit Over A Thousand Miles

Today, to deal with the "Shy Guy," Luo Shu employed six different anomalous project abilities in succession—truly going all out.

Though these abilities could be reactivated later, it would be a huge loss if all this effort yielded no reward!

At any rate, he decided to check the Anomalous Project Encyclopedia first to see if anything had changed.

But when Luo Shu looked at the title page, the result left him deeply disappointed.

In the dropdown menu under the "Anomalous Friends Milestone," there was no entry for Anomalous Project-096.

This wasn't entirely unexpected—after all, the "Shy Guy" had never considered him a friend.

But what about the "Anomalous Nemesis Milestone"?

Why wasn't Anomalous Project-096 listed there either?

After beating the "Shy Guy" to such a miserable state, how could he not be its nemesis? That didn't make sense!

Luo Shu had a sudden idea. He grabbed the unprocessed photo still lying on his desk and took a look, intending to summon the "Shy Guy" back and ask it directly—Are you scared now?

If it dared say no, he'd just beat it up again!

Under the influence of the Photo Passage ability, Luo Shu could see through the photo that the "Shy Guy" was trudging dejectedly toward the surface, showing no intention of turning back.

It seemed the creature wouldn't be bothering Luo Shu anymore—which could be considered a good thing.

But for Luo Shu, it meant tonight's efforts were wasted, and that was unacceptable!

Unwilling to let it go, he tore off his pillowcase and chased after it.

At that moment, the "Shy Guy" had just reached Sublevel-4 and was preparing to continue its ascent to the surface.

Site-19 was eerily silent. Everyone—whether awake or asleep—stayed locked in their rooms, too afraid to come out.

Night-shift security personnel, with nowhere to hide, could only crouch on the ground, covering their heads and closing their eyes, waiting for further instructions over the intercom.

In the Site Director's office, both the Director and Bearded Jack watched as the "Shy Guy" reappeared in the fourth-floor stairwell, but neither dared act rashly.

Bearded Jack might not have realized the issue yet, but the Director was already convinced that something was wrong with that stairwell.

Once the "Shy Guy" left, he would assemble an investigation team to look into it.

Even if they had to dig three feet into the ground, he would find the cause!

After leaving the Mobile Task Force dorm, Luo Shu didn't recklessly head downstairs.

The "Shy Guy" might no longer attack him, but he couldn't make his actions too obvious.

So he positioned himself at the Sublevel-1 atrium garden stairwell, leaning against the wall in an ambush stance.

That way, even if someone reviewed the security footage later, his behavior wouldn't seem suspicious.

Before long, the "Shy Guy" trudged up the stairs, looking utterly defeated.

Luo Shu immediately pounced, throwing the pillowcase over Anomalous Project-096's head.

This was the standard containment procedure for subduing it.

When its face wasn't visible, the "Shy Guy" was actually quite docile.

True to form, once its head was covered, it froze in place.

Luo Shu nudged the two security guards still crouching nearby and used his tactical terminal to call Bearded Jack.

"Boss, I've got Anomalous Project-096 under control. Send a team to contain it."

Meanwhile, the Director and Bearded Jack were puzzled as they watched the thermal imaging feed—why had the "Shy Guy" suddenly stopped in the atrium stairwell?

Upon hearing Luo Shu's report, they noticed an extra figure standing beside Anomalous Project-096.

Bearded Jack asked, "Is that you next to 096?"

"Yeah, and there are two night-shift guards crouching nearby."

Even so, the Director didn't immediately lift the alert. Instead, he ordered the two security personnel to verify whether the "Shy Guy" had truly been neutralized.

As one of the earliest contained anomalies, Anomalous Project-096 was infamous among veteran staff, and most knew how to avoid its triggers.

The two guards cautiously shielded their eyes with their hands, peeking through the tiniest gaps while keeping their faces down, focusing only on the "Shy Guy's" feet.

After confirming its orientation, they circled behind it before finally daring to look up.

Seeing the pillowcase over its head, they finally relaxed and reported the situation to the Director.

Soon, a specialized team arrived to take the "Shy Guy" away for transfer to the appropriate containment site.

As for Luo Shu, he was summoned to the Site Director's office by the two Level-4 authorities.

The Director studied him with interest. "How did you dare confront 096? Weren't you afraid it would kill you?"

Luo Shu replied absentmindedly, "I'm a containment specialist with the Mobile Task Force. Shouldn't I step up to contain it? As long as you don't see its face, it's not that scary."

"True, but very few can actually do that." The Director's expression showed approval.

Meanwhile, Luo Shu was staring at Page 37 of the Anomalous Project Encyclopedia.

He had discovered something interesting.

[Page: 37]

[Item #: Anomalous Project-096]

[Designation: "The Shy Guy"]

[Object Class: Euclid]

[Image: Are you sure you want to see this? Before clicking, read the disclaimer and check ☑ 'I agree.' Consequences are your own responsibility!]

[Description: …]

[Special Containment Procedures: …]

[Abilities: Pursuit Over a Thousand Miles]

If you're after its body, forget it. Like 053, its immortality is granted by the "God." Its true ability is relentless pursuit—only one target at a time, until death or abandonment.

[Status: Mental Enslavement]

Due to the "God's" influence, full control is impossible. You cannot command it, but you can freely activate its abilities. To truly own it, you must defeat the "God"!

[Interaction Log: ▶ Play] [O]

The implications were staggering.

The encyclopedia's sassy image disclaimer aside, Anomalous Project-096's ability was far more than Luo Shu had imagined.

Just like with Anomalous Project-053 (The "Little Girl"), the "God's" interference was evident—no wonder Luo Shu couldn't fully dominate the "Shy Guy."

But the ability to freely activate Pursuit Over a Thousand Miles was a silver lining.

Without hesitation, Luo Shu selected his first target—the "God" itself.

In that instant, he sensed the old entity lurking just a few hundred meters above Site-19, clearly waiting to enjoy the show.