Chapter 18: Grotesque Contactee
“Three choices for grotesque contactees?”
Ten minutes ago, Han Su hadn’t expected that just as he was about to leave the Public Security Bureau, such a sudden twist would occur.
Looking at Zhang Chiguo’s face suddenly sinking, he felt a little curious.
“Yes.”
Zhang Chiguo, who had called Han Su back again, saw that the matter had reached an impasse and simply said:
“Hypnosis, cleansing, and the third option:”
“Forced recruitment!”
“Anyone who personally experiences or comes into contact with grotesque phenomena must face these three choices.”
“The phantom truck is a special existence. Before this, the legends about it had already leaked out, so its secrecy level wasn’t that high.”
“In addition, because of the Xu family’s influence, I originally could have made an exception and let you go.”
“Unfortunately, the hatred the victims’ families have toward you is even deeper than I thought.”
“Song Chu‑shi gave you this spell, which meant that neither I nor the investigator lady sent by the Xu family to mediate could do anything about it.”
Seeing Zhang Chiguo’s solemn expression, Han Su was slightly moved and asked, “So, what does this mean?”
Zhang Chiguo said in a calm voice:
“It means that apart from undergoing anomalous hypnosis or being specially cleansed or detained long-term by our enforcement division, you only have one choice left:”
He paused here:
“To join the Disaster Management Bureau.”
Han Su’s expression didn’t change, but his tone shifted:
“Disaster Management Bureau?”
“Bureau of Anomalous Disaster Assessment and Management.”
Zhang Chiguo let out a low sigh and pulled out another cigarette, sniffing it beneath his nose, and muttered:
“Responsible for assessing and intercepting surreal grotesque phenomena that shouldn’t exist in this city.”
“Usually, suitable talents are selected from border troops, the Public Security Bureau, as well as social elites and specialized individuals from various fields.”
“But even those people have to go through fierce competition before being chosen by us.”
“Grotesque experiencers, however, are one of the only two paths we recruit directly.”
As if afraid Han Su hadn’t understood, he fell silent for a moment and added:
“Although we haven’t investigated it fully yet, we can already make a rough judgment—”
“That Young Master Zhang most likely had such an idea and wanted to join.”
“By contacting the phantom truck, he entered our radar, and then used his background and status to avoid hypnosis or cleansing.”
“In the end, he would become a member of the Disaster Management Bureau’s enforcement division.”
Han Su listened carefully, slightly surprised:
“Why?”
That Young Master Zhang was already a wealthy man, and he had been doing well in Qinggang.
Yet he went through so much trouble just to join this department?
Combined with what he had previously overheard, this so‑called Disaster Management Bureau was directly overseen by Secretary No. 5?
“Because we have great power.”
Zhang Chiguo’s single sentence revealed the truth, his expression slightly gloomy:
“So many people ignore the risks of this path and instead see it as a promotion channel!”
‘That does match…’
Han Su suddenly recalled the conversation between Young Master Zhang and Xu Ji before his death, and remembered the confident look on his face at the time.
Having cleared his doubts, he slightly withdrew his gaze.
Looking at Zhang Chiguo again, his tone softened as he slowly asked:
“If that’s the case, then why didn’t anyone come to find me ten years ago, when I had already experienced something like this?”
If even a phantom truck could decide the fate of some contactees, then what about that mysterious Ancient Castle kidnapping case…
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chiguo let out a low sigh.
Since things had come to this point, there was no need to hide anything, so he explained plainly:
“Definition—means this event never happened.”
“The kidnapping case happened, but the monster kidnapping case did not.”
“So even at the level of the Disaster Management Bureau, it’s only considered the nonsense of a frightened child.”
“That’s why you were neither cleansed nor subjected to another kind of compulsory hypnosis. Understand?”
“Before this, you were not a ‘contactee’ recorded by the Disaster Management Bureau.”
“……”
Han Su’s heart skipped a beat.
He still wanted to say something, but Zhang Chiguo slowly shook his head at him and said in a low voice:
“Xiao Han, some things shouldn’t be said too quickly.”
He slowly opened his mouth again, very seriously:
“I need you to understand—being forcibly recruited by the Disaster Management Bureau is not a good thing.”
“Indeed, there are many ambitious or overly curious people who want to join us to climb the ladder in life.”
“But more often, this road only buries people like them.”
With his personality, he would never have agreed to such an under-the-table release.
When that investigator lady, entrusted by the Xu family, came to plead for Han Su, she was visibly surprised to see him agree to let Han Su go.
But unexpectedly, even this one attempt at leniency wasn’t permitted.
Now, he could no longer freely let him go.
That only left forced recruitment, but that was a serious matter—a lifelong decision…
Why did this kid not seem worried at all?
Could he at least show some normal reactions that a mentally sound person should have?
“Looks like the person who determined the nature of my experience must be someone of high status…”
And the second time he heard Zhang Chiguo’s warning, Han Su strangely didn’t get angry.
Nor did he show the shock or panic Zhang Chiguo wanted to see.
Instead, he quietly thought for a moment, then raised his head gently and smiled:
“Uncle Zhang, after joining you guys, I’ll have to deal with grotesque things like the killer truck, right?”
“……”
Zhang Chiguo nodded with a cold expression:
“Lifelong service, fighting the tides.”
Han Su immediately nodded and smiled:
“Then I’ll join. What should I do now?”
“You adapt this fast?”
Han Su’s reaction made Zhang Chiguo a little uneasy.
He even began to doubt whether he hadn’t explained the stakes clearly enough, or if this kid had genuinely gone a bit off now.
He had countless things he wanted to say, but in the end, he just sighed and lowered his voice:
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking.”
“Listen to me, once you come in, you’ll indeed encounter things that normal people never do.”
“But stop bringing up that kidnapping case all the time, and especially don’t casually talk to others about our conversation today.”
“In return, I promise you—”
“When you complete your training, I’ll talk to you about that kidnapping case in an official capacity!”
“……”
This time, Han Su finally saw determination and decisiveness on Zhang Chiguo’s face.
He suddenly felt a little better and nodded:
“Got it, Uncle Zhang.”
“I hope you understand the seriousness of this matter now!”
Han Su’s relaxed, even slightly expectant demeanor made Zhang Chiguo feel helpless again.
He waved his hand:
“For now…”
“Someone will arrange a test for you, to assess your spirituality and resistance to interference.”
“If you pass, you’ll receive training from the Disaster Management Bureau’s enforcement division and become an operative…”
“But if you fail…”
He paused here, then said in a low voice:
“The best outcome awaiting you will be compulsory hypnosis!”
…
Several armed security guards had already arrived at the door.
Han Su obediently followed them out.
But watching his relaxed back, Zhang Chiguo looked a bit weary.
He sat quietly for a while.
Someone brought him a cup of green tea.
Zhang Chiguo took a sip, shuddered from the heat, and frowned at the woman in the black suit beside him.
The woman shrugged and said:
“Although this is part of my job, you know I’m not good at this.”
Zhang Chiguo didn’t get angry.
After a long time, he let out a helpless sigh:
“So, it’s confirmed—this kid has no way out?”
The woman in the black suit nodded:
“If it were just the Fisherman’s Chant from Cape Harbor, then as long as you signed the paperwork, he could leave.”
“But after thorough analysis, it’s confirmed that the Fisherman’s Chant is only the surface.”
“This spell has a much more dangerous essence.”
As she spoke, she pulled out an analysis file from her handbag.
It was stamped “Confidential.”
She said in a low voice:
“The content of the Fisherman’s Chant is very simple—it means: Gods descend with their divine decree!”
“This is a common spell.”
Many religious and folk organizations recite such spells during rituals and prayers.
“But in that voice recorder, there’s something misleading.”
In addition to that sentence, there were a few extra syllables hidden deeply.
Only detailed analysis could detect them.
With those extra syllables, the meaning of the ordinary spell completely changed.
“……”
She paused before speaking slowly:
“The two extra syllables, though fuzzy, have been confirmed to carry the meanings of ‘I’ and ‘am’.”
“In that case, the spell changes from a regular ‘Gods descend with their divine decree’—”
“To ‘I am the god, descending with the divine decree!’”
“……”
The room fell silent instantly.
Zhang Chiguo furrowed his brow and sipped his tea again.
After a long while, he asked in a low voice:
“Has this spell been activated?”
“No.”
The woman in the black suit shook her head and said:
“I’ve already tested it.”
“Although this spell is entirely composed in cryptic form, it contains no directional mysterious power.”
“In other words, it’s empty.”
“So reciting it shouldn’t have any effect.”
“However, because of the spell’s inherently high status, it frightened off that cunning and cowardly phantom truck—which is reasonable.”
“Also, I already asked that Xu family kid.”
From his statements, we can confirm that when he recited the spell, there was no spiritual power infiltration.”
“And his current mental state supports my conclusion.”
“……”
“That’s good.”
Zhang Chiguo breathed a sigh of relief.
There was a sense of fortune within misfortune.
He slowly stood up and said:
“Write the report to the higher-ups just like this!”
“As for everything else—”
“Let’s just hope this kid can pass the test smoothly…”