Cthulhu Panel: One organ mutates every day

Wayne slowly opened his eyes. He was covered with a thick, dark gray formal fleece blanket. At the bottom of his field of vision was a pair of polished, shiny leather boots. He looked up.

The room was dimly lit, with walnut wainscoting and brass trim, floor-length velvet curtains, a solid wood filing cabinet against the wall, and an old wooden bulletin board in front of it covered with densely written regulations.

A middle-aged man with a mustache, wearing a black leather jacket, sat in an office chair in the room.

Under the dim, retro glass chandelier, the air was filled with a faint scent of incense and old paper.

[Perception Lv.1·Microscopic Observation] Progress: 1.9%

Wayne sat up in the recliner, a sharp pain shooting through his head, his memories jumbled:

"Where is this?"

The man with the mustache lowered his head and processed the documents in his hands, his tone flat: "Michigan City, Ritz Hotel, Federal Special Administration Branch, Seventh Special Investigations Section."

Wayne sorted through his memories.

The Special Management Bureau? I think I've heard of that organization.

Full name: Special Abnormal Affairs Bureau, which specializes in investigating and handling mysterious and abnormal events.

Rumor has it that this organization claims to confront the unknown head-on, hiding in the shadows and inaccessible to ordinary people.

But how did I get here?

My head hurts so much, what happened before?

Oh, and the pocket watch. And that heretic with the hooked nose!

Wayne regained consciousness almost instantly and tried to struggle to stand up, but his limbs were still weak and powerless.

The man with the mustache glanced at it and said indifferently, "Just stay calm and rest."

Wayne simply lay back comfortably and asked, "What should I call you?"

"Matthew William, Special Investigations Bureau, Michigan Division, Seventh Investigation Section, Team Two Leader." The man with the mustache showed his identification.

Wayne confirmed that the information and stamp on the document were correct.

In the ID photo, the man named Matthew, with a mustache, is meticulous, serious, and perfectly normal.

But whether it was an illusion or not, he always felt that the end of Matthew's mustache in reality would occasionally wriggle gently as the light and shadow flickered, like tentacles.

Moreover, Matthew's pupils do not appear to be perfectly round, but rather narrow ovals, like the eyes of an aquatic creature.

It looks completely different from the photo on the ID card.

But these anomalies were fleeting.

[Perception Lv.1·Microscopic Observation] Progress: 2.1%

Matthew retrieved the documents.

"Team Leader Matthew, aren't you going to explain the situation? Like, why am I here?" Wayne asked.

Matthew said, word by word:

"Wayne Webber, the eldest son of the Webber family and the future heir to the Webber family business, was traveling on a special train to Michigan today when an accident occurred. The train driver inexplicably fell into a coma, the train went out of control, overturned, and derailed, injuring nearly a hundred people. But in the carriage you were in, all the passengers became vegetative, while you alone only suffered minor injuries. Do you think that makes sense?"

So that's why he wasn't at the hospital, but at the Special Affairs Bureau—he was being used as a key witness.

Just don't get mistaken for a suspect.

"It's very unreasonable, but I'm also a victim," Wayne said.

"Well, we think that carriage is the primary scene of the incident, and you're the only person in that carriage we can communicate with, so we wanted to ask you if you've observed any suspicious people or unusual things," Matthew said.

Of course, there are unusual things that happen.

That hook-nosed heretic is one, and so is that pocket watch. The train driver's coma was mostly caused by that pocket watch, and so were the passengers' comas.

However, it's unclear what the Special Affairs Bureau's attitude is. We don't know if this is an interrogation or just casual conversation, nor do we know how much information the Special Affairs Bureau knows. It's best to hold back and test the waters first.

After a moment's thought, Wayne said with certainty, "There's a strange man in the car with a hooked nose, dressed in what looks like a black cloak, carrying an old-fashioned kerosene lamp, thin and hunched over. He's definitely a prime suspect."

Matthew picked up a black-and-white headshot from the table and showed it to her, saying, "Is this the person?"

Wayne looked at the man in the black-and-white headshot. Even though the photo was old and blurry, his exaggerated hooked nose and cloudy eyes were very prominent. So he nodded: "Yes, it's him."

Matthew put the photos away, his tone indifferent:

"This man is named Albert. He is a heretic who has been wanted by the federal government for many years. We apprehended him at the crime scene in a deep coma. This unusual event was most likely caused by him."

"So they really are heretics?" Wei En thought to himself.

Matthew paused, looked at Wayne, his eyes filled with meaning:

"But Albert has been hiding for over a decade, living under an assumed name and never showing himself. Based on our experience, we deduce that his sudden reappearance this time is to find an important person, which is why he found you."

The deduction was correct. Although I don't know why that person was looking for me, they were definitely looking for me.

It seems that the Special Bureau has comprehensive information; even without being at the scene, they can deduce the key events.

"Let him look for himself, what does it have to do with me?" Wayne said calmly, subconsciously touching his pocket and finding that his pocket watch was not there.

Matthew took out a mechanical box with intricate runes, opened it, and showed it to the viewer: Inside was a pocket watch.

"This was found in your hands. We call such items mysterious objects or contaminants. Your pocket watch is an extremely special one. We call it a keepsake. It is a rare high-level contaminant. Only people with special constitutions can survive after the contaminant is activated."

Wayne thought to himself, "So, it was the lamp oil that ignited the pocket watch. The reason I'm still alive might not just be due to my special constitution, but also because this body has been contaminated a second time."

Matthew paused abruptly, observing Wayne's expression. Seeing no flaws, he continued:

"You are one of those people with this special constitution, which is why this heretic Albert sought you out. With this constitution, you will continue to experience strange events around you in the future. Have you thought about what to do?"

As he spoke, he took a piece of paper from the drawer, walked over, and handed it to Wayne.

Wayne looked at the paper, which was an information form that read "Federal Special Administration Michigan Branch, Personal Information Registration".

What does that mean?

Is this suggesting that only by joining the Special Bureau can the problems caused by special physical constitutions be solved?

After going through all this trouble, and bringing me here, it turns out they just wanted to recruit me.

Joining the Special Bureau is indeed a good thing. It grants access to higher privileges and more intelligence, allows access to more mysterious objects, and enables better utilization of the interface for development.

After all, relying solely on family resources, the chances of coming into contact with truly mysterious items are probably not many; it would be best to get involved with the identities of some secretive organizations.

But the key question is, how could such good fortune come so easily?

We can't join so hastily; we need to weigh things more carefully and test the waters.

"I don't think I necessarily have to join your Special Affairs Bureau. Perhaps our Weber family can help me solve anomalous events?" Wayne probed.

Matthew sensed that Wayne was testing him, so he answered directly:

"The prosperity and glamour you see are all superficial. You can't imagine the unknown dangers lurking in the shadows of the Federation. Any slight disturbance could destroy the entire Federation. Our Special Bureau operates in the shadows, serving the Federation. We can effectively control this danger and are the core force for the Federation's stable development."

Seeing that Wayne remained unmoved, Matthew continued:

"You know in your heart that no force in the open can protect you. Only by joining our Special Bureau can you effectively increase your chances of survival. Our Special Bureau is also happy to recruit survivors of anomalous events, especially survivors like you who possess a token and have a special physique. You will become a key target for training by the Special Bureau, and you can also protect your family."

Could they be given special attention and training?

Wein observed and pondered.

The other person's eyes were calm, their breathing was steady, their subcutaneous pulse was normal, their facial muscles were not tense, their eyebrow and eye muscles were not stiff, and their sweat glands on the surface of their skin showed no abnormality.

It can be basically concluded that he did not lie.

[Perception Lv.1·Microscopic Observation] Progress: 2.3%

Feeling a bit tired from focusing too much on observation, Wayne quickly looked away.

"It sounds like anyone with a sound mind would choose to join the Special Affairs Bureau, right?" Wayne asked.

Matthew remained very patient:

"Someone with a special constitution like you will either live to join us, or die in some abnormal event and be recycled as contaminant. Either way, you'll end up in the Special Affairs Bureau, so why not do it sooner? Besides, there are many benefits to joining our Special Affairs Bureau."

"What are the specific benefits?" Wayne was waiting to hear about the advantages.

"The Special Affairs Bureau has the highest authority over the entire Federal military. Since you're in it, you can naturally act with ease," Matthew said.

"For example? Let's get practical," Wayne continued, shamelessly asking.

"For example, I've checked, and this time you just wandered around and didn't have a complete enrollment plan."

"And then?" Wayne asked.

Matthew called out to the door, "Ethan."

"Team leader, I'm here." A burly man with brown hair walked in.

"Tell him about the arrangements at the University of Michigan," Matthew instructed.

"Okay, team leader."

Ethan stood upright, his tone serious, and handed Wayne a pen, gesturing for Wayne to fill out the form quickly.

"You can tell your family that you chose the University of Michigan yourself, and they don't need to worry about the arrangements. You can enroll on your own."

"Just for enrollment?" Wayne did not take the pen.

Ethan's hand, which was handing over the pen, paused in mid-air as he continued explaining:

"Of course not. Our Special Affairs Bureau has already arranged a special admission status for you at the University of Michigan. You can choose from the school's top professors and mentors, and you don't need to attend many classes. All your exams will be A+, guaranteeing you a smooth graduation."

It sounds good; I can get a university degree and give my family some peace of mind.

Having privileges is comfortable.

Wayne then took the pen: "Okay, that's quite thoughtful."

Unexpectedly, I ended up joining a secret organization by some twist of fate. I'll just stay here and develop slowly.

Then I looked at the form again, wrote down my personal information smoothly, and finally signed my name. My handwriting was fluent and I finished it in one go.

"That's a good pen," Wayne said, putting down his pen.

"If you like it, you can have it." Matthew pulled the form away.

Wayne, however, shoved the pen into Matthew's hand as well: "I don't like using things that other people have used."

"Suit yourself." Matthew checked the form and, after confirming it was correct, said, "Also, it is strictly forbidden to mention anything related to the Special Affairs Bureau to outsiders; that's the rule."

"I understand." Wayne shrugged. "But after something like this happened, I have to let my family know I'm safe, otherwise my sister will definitely come looking for me, and that would be a hassle for nothing."

"You can go anytime," Matthew said.

"But you took my pocket watch, aren't you going to give it back?" Wayne asked.

Since I can withstand the contamination when the pocket watch is activated, how can I just give it away?

Submitting it to the Special Affairs Bureau is fine, but we can't just let it go to waste. We still need to accumulate Old Days Points on the panel, and it would be best if we could get some new Mysterious Items.

"The contamination on the pocket watch is still in an abnormally excited state. The Special Affairs Bureau will temporarily keep it for you until you are strong enough to control it," Matthew said.

good chance.

"So I guess I've temporarily handed over a mysterious item? Could you give me some compensation, like letting me see other mysterious items, the less polluting kind, just to touch them?" Wayne asked.

Matthew thought Wayne's sly appearance was quite clever, so he swallowed back the words of reprimand he was about to say and took out a one-cent copper coin from his pocket, handing it to Wayne.

"Normally, only official investigators can possess a mysterious item, but I can make an exception and let you have access to it once."

"That's all?"

Wayne took the copper coin in his hand, weighed it for a while, and found nothing unusual. But as he stroked it, the copper coin seemed to gradually exude an elusive aura.

"Judging from how Matthew always keeps it in his pocket, it doesn't seem to be contaminated."

The twisted threads gathered before Wayne's eyes, revealing a panel:

[Old Points: 0.12]

He watched the numbers jump: 0.23, 0.34, 0.45...

"Is there anything special about this thing?" Wayne asked.

"It was the first copper coin issued during the tenure of the previous federal president, and only 20 of them were made in the entire federation." Matthew stroked the pen in his hand.

"Then how can you be sure this thing is a mysterious item?" Wayne probed while stalling for time, receiving the aura flowing from the copper coin, waiting for the old points to naturally increase to the limit.

Matthew paused for a moment and then said:

"The head of the Seventh Investigation Division went completely insane during an unusual investigation. This copper coin was his life-saving item, which he clutched tightly in his hand. Don't you think it's special?"