Three hours later.
Su Ming shook hands with Zhou Zhengyang, satisfied, and couldn't help but say, "Joining the national ranks has been my lifelong dream."
"Director Zhou, rest assured, I will definitely serve the country, bring glory to it, and never disgrace our bureau."
Zhou Zhengyang was also very pleased, holding Su Ming's hand, "Good, good, with your words, I'm relieved."
"The country lacks talents like you. Work hard, your future is limitless, and the organization will certainly not treat you unfairly."
"If you have any questions, you can contact me directly."
"Don't keep calling me Director Zhou, if you think highly of me, just call me Brother Zhou."
The two of them talked very happily.
Su Ming successfully joined the Anomaly Management Bureau.
He immediately became a Level 5 Handler, enjoying the highest privileges.
The only requirement was that if a major anomaly incident occurred, Su Ming would have to step in.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be restricted in any way.
After seeing Zhou Zhengyang off, Su Ming turned around and found that the Ghost School Belle had already disappeared.
"She ran off pretty quickly."
Murmuring to himself, Su Ming didn't bother with the Ghost School Belle.
Instead, he took out the satellite phone that Zhou Zhengyang had specifically left for him.
This was a phone exclusive to Handlers.
Upon opening it, he found the internet was openly discussing anomaly incidents everywhere.
[Dozens of people disappeared overnight in Zhang Family Village, suspected to be zombies, interested parties contact 159XXXXXX]
[Over ten suicides at Wei River Bridge in An City, cause unknown, if you have clues, call 138XXXXXXXX, big reward]
[Seeking information on the Lust Ghost, female, good-looking, reward offered]
[Family, what to do if haunted by a Hanged Ghost, online waiting, urgent!]
According to Zhou Zhengyang, the internet for ordinary people is called the Surface Web, while the Handlers' network is called the Deep Web.
Besides the official Anomaly Management Bureau, the Deep Web also has many civilian organizations and lone wolves.
In this regard, Dragon Nation is relatively open.
When an Awakened is discovered, staff will be arranged to make contact.
Regardless of whether the person is willing to join the official ranks, they must sign some confidentiality agreements.
For now, information about anomalies cannot be disclosed to the public.
According to the official research over the years.
They believe that the greater the public's fear, the faster cursed objects are born.
The faster cursed objects are born, the greater the public's panic.
To avoid a vicious cycle, information must be sealed.
Besides handling anomaly incidents, the officials also have to deal with troublesome Awakened.
After all, Awakened possess powers beyond ordinary people.
Power can lead to loss of self.
Therefore, many Awakened, after gaining power, become more dangerous than anomalies.
Once it's determined that an Awakened poses a threat, a wanted notice will be posted online.
Whether civilian or lone wolf, anyone who kills or captures a wanted criminal will receive a substantial reward.
The same goes for anomaly incidents.
After all, Dragon Nation is vast, and the officials can't cover everything.
After browsing for a while, Su Ming logged into the official website.
He had already registered and verified his account, which was the highest-level official account.
[Detecting, please wait]
[Identity verification in progress…]
[Level 5 Handler Su Ming, highest access granted]
[Login successful]
Once on the official website, there were even more messages.
The scope was not limited to Dragon Nation; it even included international news.
Su Ming eagerly browsed the official website.
As a Level 5 Handler, he had the highest access, able to unlock all features without additional applications.
Moreover, the completeness of the official website far surpassed that of the Deep Web.
The anomaly central module replaced the chaotic information on the Deep Web.
All anomaly incidents were categorized after official review, eliminating false information.
"Urgency levels: urgent, emergency, general, pending verification."
"Incident types: cursed objects, Awakened disturbances, unknown anomalies, foreign imports."
"Impressive."
Su Ming felt he made the right choice joining the officials.
Each message came with detailed information, incident location, specific situation, damages caused, and preliminary on-site investigation reports.
There were also details of the current responsible Handlers or civilian organizations, and the official danger level marked.
Su Ming located Pingjiang City, where he was.
Pingjiang City had numerous anomaly incidents, handled, unhandled, and unmanageable ones, all searchable.
He specifically checked the [Lychee Hotel Anomaly Incident].
Upon clicking, a complete archive popped up immediately.
[Lychee Hotel Anomaly Incident, danger level tentatively set as extreme danger, on-site detection of strong signal interference and anomalous fluctuations, suspected "Ghost Domain"]
[Within the area, 7 official Handlers and 3 civilian Awakened have intervened, all currently missing]
Su Ming could freely view the detailed profiles of these ten people.
Among the 7 official Handlers, the highest level was 4, capable of confronting extreme danger level aberrations.
The three civilian Awakened formed a small team, having previously handled a danger level anomaly incident together, with the strongest being a 3rd-Awakening Awakened.
3rd Awakening means evolving one's abilities three times.
Such strength is considered outstanding even among the officials.
Yet they still went missing.
"Ghost Domain, isn't that a mark of disaster level?"
Su Ming frowned.
The information said it was suspected, not confirmed.
However, judging by the number of missing people, there's a high probability that Lychee Hotel is disaster level.
Continuing to browse.
Cursed Object/Awakened Archive.
With Su Ming's access, he could view it freely.
This section contained the most information, making Su Ming dizzy.
The main categories were "Cursed Object Archive" and "Awakened Archive," both supporting keyword search and category filtering.
The Cursed Object Archive detailed all discovered cursed objects' appearances, abilities, reasons for birth, past handling cases, and coping methods.
The Awakened Archive detailed "Registered Awakened," "Wanted Awakened," and "Potential Awakened."
Su Ming mainly checked Pingjiang City, where he lived.
What he saw was truly startling.
There was an Awakened at his school, currently a Level 2 Handler.
And this person was someone Su Ming knew well.
"Jiang Qian."
He murmured, his fingertip pausing on Jiang Qian's name and photo on the screen, eyes full of surprise.
Jiang Qian was the Chinese class representative in his class, introverted and quiet, not fond of showing off, speaking in a soft and gentle voice.
She rarely engaged in playful banter with classmates, mostly sitting quietly at her desk reading, organizing notes, or calmly helping teachers collect and distribute assignments.
She was particularly meticulous and serious in her work, well-liked by classmates, and often praised by teachers for being steady and reliable.
Su Ming couldn't help but marvel at how much the world had changed.
If he hadn't joined the officials, he really wouldn't have known about these changes.
Next was the task assignment and reward module.
There wasn't much to say about this.
Take tasks, complete tasks, earn rewards.
Su Ming was more interested in the resource and item library.
It was the official exclusive exchange mall.
It contained "Anomalous Items," "High-Risk Items," "Taboo Items," and "Sealed Objects."
These items referred to processed cursed objects.
Though processed cursed objects could serve as items, each had side effects.
Anomalous Items had minor side effects and could be used multiple times.
High-Risk Items had more severe side effects, ranging from disability to instant death.
Taboo Items had even greater side effects, often resulting in death, with a high chance of reviving into a real ghost.
As for Sealed Objects.
These were special, unable to be processed or destroyed, only temporarily sealed.
Anomalous Items could be purchased with money, but they were very expensive.
High-Risk and Taboo Items couldn't be measured by money, requiring corresponding points.
Sealed Objects were not allowed to be traded.
With Su Ming's current access, he could bypass money and points, freely choosing items, even selecting one or two Sealed Objects.
But there was a time limit, after which he had to apply for renewal or return them.
If others wanted to purchase the item, Su Ming had priority.
Unless he decided not to buy, others couldn't purchase.
The officials had two other major modules.
One was the "Intelligence and R&D Dynamics Module," which updated the latest official research results and global intelligence information in real-time.
The other was the "Personal Center and Access Management Module."
Su Ming, with the highest access, had the privilege to temporarily authorize lower-level Handlers, issue tasks, send emergency notifications, and mobilize personnel.
"Truly worthy of being official."
Su Ming was extremely satisfied, with his Level 5 Handler access, it was akin to holding the master key to the Dragon Nation Anomaly Management Bureau.
This was incredibly convenient.
As for now, he was going to choose a gift for the School Belle.
The gift was provided by the state, but the benefits were his to keep.
That seemed fair, right?