“Don’t forget your home was just haunted not long ago… But don’t worry, if there’s anything supernatural, I’ll handle it,” Shen Ge said.
“What do you need me to do?” Cheng Shengnan asked.
Shen Ge replied, “I need an excuse to check out the kitchen.”
Cheng Shengnan said, “That’s easy. High-end restaurants pride themselves on fresh ingredients. When the food arrives, take a bite, claim it’s not fresh, and ask the server to take you to the kitchen.”
The two chatted like old friends reunited, reminiscing about their time as colleagues.
Shen Ge, with an “I’ve already quit, so what can you do?” attitude, teased Cheng Shengnan about how she had constantly given him a hard time during his first year at the company.
Cheng Shengnan let out a cold “Hmph” and said expressionlessly, “Then do you remember what you said when I walked past you and the other interviewees waiting in the hallway before your interview?”
One of the guys, caught up in the conversation, immediately pointed at those legs and started enthusiastically analyzing their shape, proportions, and how “legs like those could entertain a man for a year.”
Shen Ge had absentmindedly agreed, “Yeah, legs for days.”
Little did he know Cheng Shengnan had overheard.
“Wait… You could hear us from that far away?” Shen Ge asked, surprised.
Cheng Shengnan snorted. “I only caught the last part—‘…for days.’ But judging by your expressions, it definitely wasn’t anything respectable.”
“Now that’s just prejudice. Humans are emotional creatures with an innate appreciation for beauty. When you see a beautiful bouquet, you’d compliment it too, right? Our ‘appreciation’ was just acknowledging your beauty… Unless you think you’re unattractive?” Shen Ge shot back.*
Cheng Shengnan was momentarily speechless, giving him a strange look. “No wonder you were the company’s top salesperson. That silver tongue of yours is something else.”
“Oh, please, I just had lackluster competition,” Shen Ge replied modestly.
Just then, the server arrived with their first dish—“Charcoal-Grilled Pork Tenderloin”, crafted by a former Michelin three-star chef.
When Shen Ge saw the steaming dish, his first thought was, “Is this thing even fully cooked?” The meat still had a faint reddish hue, as if underdone.
His second thought: That black smoke rising from it looks… peculiar.
Cheng Shengnan picked up her knife and fork, about to cut a piece to taste, but Shen Ge pressed down on her fork with his knife.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Shen Ge tapped the black smoke drifting from the meat with his knife. “You’re not seriously considering eating something that’s obviously tainted, are you?”
“Tainted?” Cheng Shengnan’s eyes widened slightly—but Shen Ge noticed something odd.
Frowning, he asked, “Wait… You can’t see the black smoke coming off this meat?”
Cheng Shengnan shook her head.
Shen Ge immediately pulled out his phone and dialed Deng Yuqi’s direct line.
“Location? Threat level? Any civilian casualties?” Deng Yuqi’s voice carried the weary resignation of someone who had seen too much. She was clearly used to this by now.
“Hah, I knew you’d get it,” Shen Ge quipped before briefly explaining the situation.
While waiting for Deng Yuqi and her team to arrive, Shen Ge picked up a piece of the grilled tenderloin, tearing it into thin strips and arranging them into a smiley face on the plate.
Cheng Shengnan sighed. “Do you really have to draw this much attention while playing with your food? And what’s this about black smoke?”
Shen Ge’s antics had attracted curious glances from nearby diners, many of whom seemed to be thinking, “Good-looking guy… too bad he’s an idiot.”
“Supernatural entities emit an energy called ‘supernatural power,’ which manifests as black mist or smoke. What you see as steam rising from the meat appears as black smoke to me,” Shen Ge explained.
He found it strange. Supernatural energy was supposed to be visible as black gas—even to ordinary people. So why couldn’t Cheng Shengnan see it?
Shen Ge scanned the restaurant. Patrons were happily eating various cuts of pork, steak, and ribs—some of which also emitted black smoke—yet no one else seemed to notice.
Convinced the restaurant was hiding something, Shen Ge had called Deng Yuqi to seal off the place before anything could escalate.
“Is there an issue with today’s dishes?” A server approached, eyeing them cautiously.
Shen Ge set down the meat, wiped his hands with a napkin, and smiled. “My friend here insists this is imported pork, but I say it’s domestic free-range. Free-range pork is tender enough to shred into fine threads, so I was just verifying.”
“Sir, our pork is authentic Spanish Iberian—renowned for its exquisite texture. A single bite will prove it.”
“I have OCD. If it’s not shredded into exactly 1,080 pieces, I can’t eat it,” Shen Ge said.
Since the restaurant was only three blocks from the Special Measures Department, Deng Yuqi arrived with her team in under ten minutes. This was the first time Shen Ge had urgently summoned her, emphasizing “Get here fast” and demanding an immediate lockdown.
Deng Yuqi was tense, wondering if Shen Ge had detected something even more dangerous than an Invisible-class entity.
Under the guise of a health inspection and anti-smuggling operation, the team escorted the diners out for screening and sealed off the restaurant.
While her assistants questioned the manager, Deng Yuqi and Li Xiang approached Shen Ge. Seeing the meat-strip smiley face, Deng Yuqi remarked dryly, “I’m surprised they didn’t kick you out. Their service must be exceptional. So, this is the ‘tainted meat’ you mentioned?”
Shen Ge pointed at the plate and asked Li Xiang, “Old Li, can you see the black supernatural energy rising from this?”
Li Xiang squinted. “There’s supernatural energy here?”
Shen Ge’s frown deepened. So it wasn’t just Cheng Shengnan—even Deng Yuqi and Li Xiang couldn’t see it.
Deng Yuqi seemed to realize something and said to Li Xiang, “Run a scan.”
“Got it.” Li Xiang pulled out a device and passed it over the meat. With a beep, the screen displayed: [1].
“The energy reading is barely detectable. How did you even spot this?” Li Xiang asked, baffled.
“Well, I’m actually a super-soldier from Planet M78. I’ve awakened an ‘Anti-Supernatural System’ that pinpoints supernatural activity with perfect accuracy—”
Deng Yuqi cut him off. “If the issue is with the meat, let’s check the kitchen first.”
With that, she turned and walked away.
Li Xiang leaned in. “You really have an Anti-Supernatural System? If that’s true, let me study it sometime.”
Shen Ge turned to Cheng Shengnan. “I’ll have someone escort you back to the department. Since you didn’t eat anything here, you won’t need testing. I’ll take you home once I’m done.”
“Alright.” She nodded.
Shen Ge followed Deng Yuqi and Feng Chengxiu into the kitchen. The moment he stepped inside, his system blared with warnings—
[Host has approached a supernatural nest. Target’s threat level exceeds host’s. Evacuate immediately to avoid unnecessary casualties!]
[Host has entered a low-level contaminated zone. Area is tainted by supernatural energy!]
Just then, Shen Ge noticed faint black smoke seeping from the vents near the freezer where several agents stood.
“Wang Han! Ma Chao! Get away from that freezer! The supernatural entity is inside!” Shen Ge shouted.
The two agents from Team 1 immediately raised their guns and backed away, eyes locked on the freezer.
“Inside the freezer?” Deng Yuqi’s brow furrowed as she ordered a full perimeter around it.
Shen Ge equipped his supernatural glove, “No Release,” and helped Feng Chengxiu pull open the freezer door.
Inside was a frozen, grotesque creature—part pig, part ox—completely motionless.
The bizarre “supernatural pig” emitted faint black smoke, appearing even weaker than the supernatural rats or cats Shen Ge had encountered before. Strangest of all, it showed no reaction to their presence.
As if… it was already dead.