Cthulhu Panel: One organ mutates every day

"The human-shaped symbols may be related to the Great Old Ones and their retinues, with a 20% probability of being directly associated with the Great Old Ones," Matthew said.

"Twenty percent," Ethan murmured. "Phew, that means there's still an eighty percent chance it's only related to the clan. That's still acceptable."

Family members?

I don't know what the difference is between the Familias in this world and the Familias in the Cthulhu Mythos.

After thinking for a moment, Wayne still asked:

"Team leader, last time you said that anything that can cause a 30% to 50% deviation from reality is called a 'familia.' What exactly is a familia?"

Matthew was very patient, explaining things to Wayne:

"You've seen the Xenomorphs before. The contamination on Xenomorphs is often very mixed, and the resulting reality bias is relatively low."

The Familiars are much stronger than the alien species we encountered before. They generally carry a purer and rarer form of powerful corruption, and some scholars call them servants of the Great Old Ones.

"Low-level alien species can be handled by a small team from our investigation department, but once a battle involves a familiar, it often requires a coordinated effort from all departments across the entire branch office to deal with them."

"Now that we know in advance that it might be the coming of the Old Ones, can't we just deploy military forces to wipe out all the heretical forces and erase all the factors or rituals related to the coming of the Old Ones?" Wayne asked.

"No," Matthew explained.

Ethan chimed in, "If we deploy military forces to wipe out all suspected organizations, the various variables that arise during the turmoil may become nourishment for the old rulers. At that time, the disasters that will follow will expand even further."

It turned out to be the case.

Only then did Wayne fully understand the thorny nature of the Old Ones' arrival.

We must avoid large-scale armed conflict while collecting relevant information with the lowest possible impact.

Moreover, the coming of the Great Old Ones is inevitable, unstoppable, and irresistible; humanity is completely passive.

Matthew sighed softly:

"Don't try to fight the past. Being able to gather enough information to help more people survive is already a good result."

"Mmm-hmm." Lillian listened intently from the side, nodding repeatedly in agreement.

Matthew paused for a moment, then continued:

"In addition, considering that the Old Ones may be coming to Michigan, a new head of the investigation department has been parachuted in from headquarters. He will also serve as the deputy director of our Michigan branch. He is our new superior and a senior investigator. I will take you to see him after Bob's case is closed."

Next, Ethan followed up on the Bob case, recounting the arrest of Joseph and the persuasion of Howard.

After listening, Matthew nodded in praise, "Yes, you two did a good job. When will the interrogation of Joseph and his group be over?"

"I asked when I came back this evening, and it should be finished tonight. We're just waiting for the latest transcript from the intelligence department," Wayne said, glancing at the time: 8 p.m.

"Then let's wait and see what happens tonight, and then make the next arrangements," Matthew said.

"Huh? Do we have to wait?" Wayne asked in a low voice, surprised.

Matthew's tone carried a hint of command: "If any crucial clues emerge during this interrogation, our investigation department must respond immediately and track them down immediately, even if it means working through the night."

As Wayne listened to Matthew's words, a sense of exhaustion washed over him, as if he had returned to the time when he was working overtime in his previous life.

Okay. The investigation department's work has become quite a hassle.

It was only the second day. During the day, he was busy with Joseph and Howard, and at night he had to work overtime all night waiting for the interrogation results.

Most importantly, there are no cell phones or computers here, so you can't sneak around killing time.

Sigh, if I had encountered this situation in my past life, I would have hoped for some overtime pay. But now I'm a rich guy, what use is overtime pay?

Wayne leaned back in his chair, looking somewhat dejected.

Lillian propped her cheek on her elbow, pouted, and muttered, "Wean taught us how to shoot during the day, and then he had to sort through those awful case files in the afternoon. Team leader, I'm so sleepy."

Normally, when there are no cases, the staff of the Special Affairs Bureau have relatively free time, but now that there are cases, especially those that may be related to the Great Old Ones, they naturally have to work overtime and around the clock.

Ethan had no objection to working overtime all night and was full of energy. He exchanged a glance with Matthew.

Matthew smiled helplessly: "I'll go and submit the night operation report later. This time there are overtime pay and night pay, let's see if we can get five times the pay for everyone."

"Five times the subsidy? That's quite a high subsidy, but unfortunately I'm not short of money," Wei En thought to himself.

Lillian gently raised both arms, clenched her fists excitedly, and cheered like a little girl entering the workforce, "Great! I love nighttime operations the most! When I get the allowance, I'm going to buy a ton of new clothes!"

Looking at Lillian's happy expression, Wayne's thoughts drifted back to the past:

"Sigh, I want to spend money too. In my past life, I was a wage slave with no money to spend. In this life, I finally have more money than I can spend, but I can't find any desire to consume in this era."

……

Two o'clock in the morning.

In the second department, while several people were dozing off, there was a knock on the door.

Matthew sat up straight: "Come in."

The door opened, and a sleepy-looking colleague from the intelligence department walked in, handed over a simplified version of the interrogation report, said "Edward is waiting for you at the South Precinct," and then turned and left.

Matthew, his eyes showing fatigue, quickly glanced through the report: "Let's go, South District Police Station. We've found a crucial lead; we're taking action tonight."

Wayne yawned, still half-asleep: "So, it's finally time to make our move...?"

Lillian was still dozing off, her elbow resting on the table and her chin propped up by her hand, when she suddenly lost her balance and woke up with a start, lightly brushing her red hair aside: "Huh? Now...?"

Ethan stood up, instantly switching to work mode, and picked up his black briefcase: "Let's go, I know that area well, I'll lead the way."

Wayne rubbed his eyes, quickly absorbing oxygen through [breathing] to return to his excited state. Then, looking at Ethan's decisive and efficient manner, he was inwardly surprised:

Ethan's energy recovered way too quickly, didn't it?

He took me to so many places today, and I'm exhausted, but he seems to have unlimited stamina and energy; he's practically a machine for carrying out missions.

As expected of a survival role, so reliable.

The group quickly packed their gear, and Ethan drove them straight to the South District Police Station.

In the interrogation break room of the Southern District Police Station, I met Edward, the intelligence colleague who was in charge of the liaison.

Edward wore a well-tailored casual suit with custom-made platinum cufflinks hidden in the cuffs. His hair was meticulously styled, and he kept twirling a luxurious and expensive lighter in his hand.

He leaned back in his office chair, and upon seeing Ethan arrive, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ethan, you've finally arrived. This interrogation really drained me. Oh, Miss Lillian is here too, and of course, Chief Matthew is here as well."

Matthew, leaning on his black umbrella, nodded.

Lillian, still with her hands folded in front of her, smiled politely and said, "Mr. Edward, you've worked hard. Our team will do our best to investigate."

Wayne witnessed it firsthand; it seemed that colleagues from other departments all had a good impression of Lillian. Sure enough, everyone preferred to work with pretty female colleagues.

Ethan asked, "So, just tell me if you have any key clues."