According to the system’s “Supernatural Alert Mechanism,” even a Tier-1 supernatural entity would trigger a warning—and this was a Tier-1 entity from four years in the future.
In other words, the Tier-1 entity the system warned about would only reach Tier-1 status four years later. Right now, it was just an ordinary lifeform—like the cat in the villa or the dogs outside the mall.
But the foul smell coming from the women’s restroom meant that “supernatural” signs had already appeared—or worse, an entity had already formed.
The stray cat with the “Silent” trait was Tier-4, yet when Shen Ge encountered it, there was nothing supernatural about it. It was just an ordinary stray.
So, if this place was already showing signs of supernatural activity, its rating had to be at least Tier-4 or higher.
So far, Shen Ge had “encountered” two high-tier supernatural entities. The first was the Tier-7 “Tom’s Mall,” which the system’s warning kept him from entering. The second was Old Wang from his apartment complex—a Tier-5 entity (Trait: Three Heads and Six Arms).
The first instance was irrelevant, but in the second case… Shen Ge had received the warning the moment he saw Old Wang from afar at the entrance of the complex.
Yet now, standing right outside the women’s restroom, the system remained completely silent.
Shen Ge considered three possibilities:
The entity was so powerful that the system couldn’t detect it.
The entity had some special method of evading the system’s detection.
He immediately ruled out the first option. The fact that only women could smell the rot while men couldn’t was strange in itself.
Besides, Shen Ge trusted Cheng Shengnan’s character. She wasn’t the type to conspire with Xiao He and Xiao Li to prank the male employees.
The second possibility also seemed unlikely. The system had issued warnings for Tier-7 and Tier-8 entities before—there was no reason it couldn’t detect whatever was here.
But if it was the third option…
That thought weighed even heavier on Shen Ge’s mind. It would mean the system couldn’t fully guarantee his safety, and he might encounter undetectable entities multiple times in the future.
Wouldn’t that make the system way too unreliable?
“System, can you detect any supernatural presence around here?”
[Host must increase their rating to unlock more functions.]
“Useless.” The system wasn’t designed for casual conversation. Unless Shen Ge posed a direct question, it wouldn’t respond.
He tried asking a few more questions related to hidden supernatural entities, but the replies were either about unlocking functions by leveling up or complete silence. Clearly, relying on the system to identify this entity was hopeless.
Shen Ge returned to the office area. Half an hour later, the maintenance team arrived, and he followed them into the women’s restroom.
“Hey, Brother Shen? What are you doing here?” Xiao He, the receptionist, asked curiously when she noticed Shen Ge trailing behind the two maintenance workers.
Shen Ge replied, “Just curious if it’s really a dead rat.”
The two workers looked around, checking each stall. This was a five-star office building, cleaned daily by janitorial staff, so the restroom was spotless.
“There’s nothing here. I don’t smell anything either,” one of the maintenance men said.
Xiao He frowned. “You seriously don’t smell it? It’s like something rotting. Could it be a dead rat stuck in the pipes?”
The two workers exchanged glances and shook their heads.
“What about you, Brother Shen? Can’t you smell it?”
Shen Ge thought for a moment. “A little, but it’s faint. Xiao He, why don’t you help the workers check? Follow the smell to where it’s strongest, and they can investigate.”
Xiao He sniffed around the restroom, her face scrunched up in disgust. It was clear from her expression that the stench was overwhelming.
Finally, she stopped at the sink.
“It’s strongest under here,” she said before covering her nose, gagging, and bolting out of the restroom.
As the maintenance workers moved to inspect the sink, Shen Ge took the chance to move closer. But to his disappointment, the system still gave no response.
After a thorough search with Xiao He’s help, they found nothing. The maintenance team eventually suggested checking the floors above and below to see if a dead rat was indeed clogging the pipes.
Even after inspecting the neighboring floors, they found nothing unusual. By noon, the female employees reported that the smell had faded significantly, so everyone dropped the matter.
Though Shen Ge remained curious, there was nothing more he could do. No trace of the supernatural had been found, and the system remained dormant, offering no clues.
The workday passed uneventfully. By the time most employees had left, Shen Ge was finishing up his revisions and preparing to leave when Cheng Shengnan suddenly rushed into the office in a panic.
Standing up from his desk, Shen Ge faced her. In all his years at the company, this was the first time he’d seen Cheng Shengnan so visibly shaken.
“Shen Ge! Something’s happened!”
Cheng Shengnan took a moment to catch her breath. “X-Xiao He… she’s… she’s gone!”
“Xiao He usually rides with me to the subway. Before leaving, we went to the restroom together. We were at the sink, and when I turned around—she just vanished!” Cheng Shengnan said, her voice tense.
“Maybe she was playing a prank and hid somewhere?” Shen Ge replied casually, though his mind immediately linked this to the supernatural.
Cheng Shengnan shook her head urgently. “No way! We walked out of the restroom together and stood at the sink. I turned on the water—just two seconds—and when I looked up, she was gone! The door didn’t open, she wasn’t under the sink, and I checked every stall!”
Shen Ge: …Damn, you’ve got nerves of steel to check every stall in that situation.
“What do we do? Oh—right, call the police!” Cheng Shengnan quickly pulled out her phone and dialed emergency services, briefly explaining the situation.
Shen Ge’s emotions were mixed—nervous, concerned, but also itching with curiosity, despite knowing how dangerous that could be…
Two minutes later, Cheng Shengnan looked up. “They said they’d send someone to check—”
Before she could finish, a scream echoed from the restroom—Xiao He’s voice.
“Xiao He!” Cheng Shengnan immediately sprinted toward the restroom.
Shen Ge followed. As they neared, he instinctively activated the system, enabling the “Trait: Silent” state.
“Xiao He! Xiao He?!” Cheng Shengnan pushed open the restroom door, checking every stall, but there was no sign of her.
Shen Ge deactivated “Silent” and asked, “Director Cheng, where exactly were you standing when Xiao He disappeared?”
Cheng Shengnan pointed to the sink. “We were right here, just a step apart. I was here, she was there. I turned on the water, looked down, and when I looked up—she was gone.”
“Is the rotten smell still there?” Shen Ge suddenly asked.
Cheng Shengnan nodded. “Yes, but it’s much fainter than this morning.”
Frowning, Shen Ge stood at the doorway, deep in thought, while Cheng Shengnan stared into the mirror, wondering how Xiao He could have vanished.
Then, in a blink, Cheng Shengnan—a full-grown adult—disappeared right before his eyes.
Shen Ge’s heart lurched. He instinctively stepped back, and without him blocking it, the restroom door slammed shut with a thud.
He quickly reactivated “Silent,” pushed the door open, and scanned the room carefully—though he didn’t dare let go of the door to step inside.
After a thorough look, he found nothing.
Deactivating “Silent,” he called out, “Director Cheng? Director Cheng? Xiao He? Are you still in there?”