Cthulhu Panel: One organ mutates every day

"Oh? This must be very valuable! How could I possibly accept it?"

Wayne smiled and took the bullet Theodore gave him.

Just kidding. I want something expensive.

Seeing Wayne's decisiveness, Theodore, equally unconcerned, gradually regained the composure befitting an operations team leader and offered a serious assessment:

"Brother, you have a great talent for body control. After becoming a formal investigator and entering the bureau's evaluation system, your score in the agility dimension will definitely be good. Keep it up, I will keep an eye on you, and maybe you will have the opportunity to come to our action section."

He patted Wayne on the shoulder, gave Lillian a slightly infatuated smile, and turned to walk out of the shooting range.

"Lady Lillian, I'll consider improving my fashion sense. See you next time."

Lillian didn't deny it, turning to look at Wayne, her eyes showing surprise:

"Wayne, how did you do that? Your marksmanship just now is comparable to many of our older colleagues."

"Luck, good luck, plus... maybe a bit of talent?" Wei En pondered for a moment, then added in his mind: If the distortion that the panel brought me can be considered talent.

Moreover, he was able to confirm that among the six dimensions of the evaluation system, "agility" is about body control.

"A messenger," Lillian said thoughtfully.

Isn't it true that all messengers have special physical constitutions related to pollution characteristics? How come they also have agility...?

Until nearly 10 a.m.

After practicing his shooting, Wayne met Ethan on the 32nd floor.

Ethan, looking hurried, carried a rectangular black briefcase and held a small stack of stamped reports, which he waved in front of Wayne.

"Sometimes I really don't want to go through these troublesome procedures at the bureau, but the preparations for arresting Joseph have been arranged, and the coordination with other departments has been well communicated. We'll head straight to the Hofhouse Tavern in the South District and talk as we go."

"Just the two of us? Aren't Lillian and the team leader with you?" Wayne asked.

Ethan also took a moment to browse the documents in his hand:

"After reporting the face symbol to the director, the team leader went to the Huadun City Special Bureau headquarters and probably won't be back until tonight. Lillian is more suited to fighting mutants, and the next battle is between humans. It'll just be you and me. Let's go."

With that, Ethan turned and left.

"Huh? Does that mean there might be a fight?" Wayne's eyes lit up with excitement as he touched the revolver at his waist and followed Ethan.

It's only the second day, and we're already facing another big event?

That was really exciting, just the right kind of fun.

Step into the brass cage-like elevator.

Ethan loosened his tie and checked the equipment in his arms:

"Is there a possibility of a fight? The South District is a gang-ridden area, and Hofhouse is a gang-run pub. If we go there like this, do you think a fight might break out?"

"If you bring so much equipment, and they find out, it'll be hard to avoid a fight," Wayne couldn't help but complain.

Ethan glanced at the revolver at Wayne's waist and the crowbar fixed to the side of his custom-made belt like a police baton, and smiled.

"Your gear is even more obvious than mine; you're too lazy to even pretend."

Wei En shrugged, looking nonchalant: "With you, the survivor, by my side, I'm not worried at all."

The two laughed, went downstairs, and took a tram to the South Side of Michigan.

On the road, the trams jingled.

Ethan handed the documents to Wayne and explained the key points of the operation:

"Our investigation is mainly focused on why Bob committed suicide and where he obtained the pagan rituals associated with the human face symbol. The most prominent clue at present is the pamphlet Joseph gave during his speech at the Hofhouse tavern."

Wayne quickly flipped through the documents in his hand. They contained Joseph's personal information, which was extremely detailed, almost like Joseph had been thoroughly investigated.

This includes bank assets, social connections, family background, past experiences, education level, etc.

Ethan leaned back casually in his seat, frowning slightly.

"Joseph is a bit eccentric at times, but he's definitely capable. His father was the former leader of the Crime Gang, and the influence he left behind allowed him to quickly establish himself in the South District. Although he's not part of the three major gangs now, he's managed to win over some old members of the Crime Gang by running a tavern and frequently gathers people from the three major gangs, giving him the air of forming his own gang."

The current leader of the Sin Gang is Philippe, the owner of the Silver Gallery cabaret.

Joseph's father was the previous leader of the criminal gang.

"Do you know Joseph?" Wayne asked.

"I had some dealings with them in the past," Ethan said.

"From your description and the information presented in these documents, taking action against Joseph will be quite troublesome." Wayne glanced through the documents and handed them to Ethan.

Ethan took the document and casually placed it aside:

"That's right. The biggest difficulty is that we can't use the police to deal with him. He has deep roots in the gang and his interests are intertwined with the city police department and even the city hall. The only way to deal with him is through our Special Bureau."

"So you spent the whole morning coordinating with colleagues from other departments?" Wayne asked.

Ethan crossed his legs, looking relaxed.

"Yes, the process is complicated and exhausting, but thankfully everything is in place. The logistics department has already installed listening and tracking devices inside the tavern and deployed firepower outside, ready to suppress any potential shootouts. While the intelligence department is secretly gathering Joseph's personal information, they are also helping to distract the police department and prevent them from interfering with us in order to protect Joseph."

Wayne nodded:

"It's great. It's worth risking our lives on the front lines. In the Special Bureau, there's a lot of information, high authority, high salary, and extra mission subsidies. Once you're here, you won't want to leave."

Ethan glanced at Wayne, indicating his agreement:

"That makes sense. But once you're contaminated, you won't be able to leave here. Well, you're the messenger, you don't really have a choice."

"You didn't have a choice of messengers? The team leader mentioned it to me." Wayne asked.

Ethan explained:

"Well, you received a token from some big shot, and you haven't died immediately, which means you have a special constitution—you're naturally drawn to and attracted to pollution. Even if you hadn't come here, you would have submitted to some unknown, mysterious organization and become a cultist, making you a target for the Special Affairs Bureau. So you understand, you either come to the Special Affairs Bureau alive or dead, either way, you're going to come. Isn't that fun?"

I received a token from some important person...

This is the second time that important figures and tokens have been mentioned.

The pocket watch that belonged to the original owner was given to him by that gray-haired little girl.

It is now confirmed that the gray-haired little girl is the important person Ethan was talking about.

"Does that mean I'll definitely be wiped out by the Special Bureau if I join another mysterious organization?" Wayne asked, puzzled.

Ethan nodded:

"Yes, that's most likely the case. Our Special Affairs Bureau is the only officially recognized and legitimate secret organization, backed by countless powerful figures. It's precisely because of these powerful figures that our bureau has a reliable classification system for accepting and achieving a symbiotic balance with pollution. If you join other secret organizations and attempt to be tainted by the power of pollution, going insane and dying a miserable death is almost inevitable."

"I understand. If I don't get tainted by the corrupted power, I won't be able to resist when facing the Special Bureau's extermination efforts. If I do get tainted by the corrupted power, I'll almost certainly die. So if I become a messenger, won't I be unable to leave the Special Bureau in the future?" Wayne said.

Ethan continued, with a hint of sarcasm, as he explained:

"Look on the bright side. The situation is constantly changing. Currently, our department has a complete evaluation system and professional training program for investigators. There are no strict working hour requirements, and when there are no tasks, the time is relatively flexible, which has many advantages. You just need to focus on your growth, and maybe you will have a bigger stage in the future. Of course, it would be even better if the department's procedures were not so complicated."

That makes a lot of sense.

Wei En listened with growing empathy, thinking to himself, "It seems that staying with the Special Affairs Bureau is indeed the best solution right now. At least I still have the control panel, which allows me to develop in both areas and make them complement each other."

Then he gave Ethan a faint smile and said, "You forgot to mention one benefit."

Ethan asked, "What?"

Wayne raised an eyebrow: "The sense of accomplishment from engaging with the unknown and the mysterious."

"Heh." Ethan smiled knowingly, a hint of appreciation in his eyes. "I didn't realize before, but you are indeed quite suitable to be an investigator, not just a job, but a real investigator."

"What do the real investigators say?" Even though Wayne already had the answer in his mind, he still wanted to ask Ethan for his opinion.

Ethan's gaze flickered, and he fell into a moment of reminiscence:

"Humanity tries to explain everything unknown, such as darkness or the universe, through religion, faith, science, and philosophy. It seems that only by explaining things clearly can we stop being so afraid. Back then, I..."

"Back then?" Wayne pressed.

Ethan snapped out of his reverie, hesitated, and ultimately said nothing more, only glancing at Wayne with a smile in his eyes:

"So, you've witnessed that kind of reality bias. Everything we humans know and understand is limited to the level of our own species; the truth we perceive may not be the truth. If I were given a chance to glimpse the ultimate truth, even just a corner of it, I would gladly die for it. Isn't that interesting?"

Looking into the other person's fluctuating gaze, Wei En felt a sense of belonging to the Special Affairs Bureau.

I've finally met someone who shares my values.

It seems there are quite a few like-minded people in the Special Affairs Bureau.

[Perception Lv.1 - Observation of the Microscopic] Progress 21.1%

This is interesting, isn't it?

Faced with Ethan's question, Wayne smiled knowingly as well:

"certainly."