Investigation Report of the Gods

Chapter 66: Crystal Plague

【Miss Ai, could you send me the relevant task information about the Gate of the Crystal Plague?】

On his way to the place, Han Su fixed his gaze on the task being carried out by the Monster Investigator, doubts growing endlessly in his heart. Suddenly, a thought stirred in his mind, and he messaged Miss Ai on his phone.

【Permission detected. Sending the information. Good luck, Mr. Butcher!】

The result was unexpectedly smooth—his identity as the Monster Investigator’s assistant helped him obtain the necessary permission.

【B3-class Task: Investigate the Gate of the Crystal Plague】

【Task Description: Traces of the Crystal Plague have been detected in multiple locations in Qinggang, but no effective spread or deep infection has been observed yet. It is suspected that members of a mysterious organization worshipping the Shadows are deliberately releasing the plague. Due to the light level of contamination, investigation has proven difficult.】

【The responsible personnel are requested to investigate the pattern and locations of the Crystal Plague release, trace and resolve its source, and interrupt the phenomenon of plague spread.】

【……】

Further below, there was an extensive section detailing the Crystal Plague.

In summary, the source of this plague originated from a crystal skull unearthed during the Radiation Era. Its texture was like crystal, resembling a piece of art, but tests confirmed it to be a human skull.

What’s more, a form of activity was detected within it.

Reason for crystallization: Unknown

However, it had been proven that this skull, imbued with vitality, had the trait of affecting those who either observed it at close range or shared the same space with it. Once the contamination reached a certain threshold, the polluted individuals would undergo physical and mental abnormalities.

Physically, the polluted person’s bones would begin to mutate, developing crystal characteristics and gaining bizarre strength along with flesh-repairing abilities.

Mentally, the affected individuals became convinced they heard the crystal skull speaking to them, believed they had received divine revelations, and were willing to give their lives for certain goals.

The groups who had come into contact with the crystal skull and suffered contamination were precisely those registered in the Disaster Management Bureau of Qinggang City as an illegal mysterious organization:

Crystal Skull.

……

……

‘So, this is the mysterious organization Zhang Zhiguo once spoke of, the one connected to that woman?’

A sudden mix of surprise and delight welled up within him.

He had promised Zhang Zhiguo that he wouldn’t recklessly approach this mysterious organization until he had the power to protect himself. Yet unexpectedly, he encountered them during a task...

He paused in thought, intending to message Zhang Zhiguo about this discovery—only to find that the message wouldn’t send. Looking closely, the phone had lost all signal.

‘Why is there no signal in Qinggang City? Or is this too part of the grotesque interference?’

‘……’

There was no time to dwell on it. He quickly reviewed everything in his mind:

‘Confirmed. Song Chu‑shi entered the city to investigate the gate that the Monster Investigator was searching for!’

‘This waste of space searched three places in a week—and those three places just happened to be where Song Chu‑shi recently appeared. Now, Beidi Street is the fourth place he’s heading to...’

‘No way... did he really find the gate the Monster Investigator couldn’t find in just thirty minutes?’

‘……’

“Beidi Street. The reason we’re here is…”

While Han Su was thinking, the taxi driver dropped them off at the entrance to Beidi Street. The group of four—three of them looked at Han Su with strange expressions.

“Let’s take a look first.”

Han Su slowly put away his phone and raised his head. This was a bustling street filled with pedestrians, lined with shops on both sides. Above, neon lights seemed to form a cloud, casting an unreal hue over everything.

Beneath the cloud, people of all kinds hurried along.

Yet, as Han Su frowned and looked carefully, he noticed that everyone walking the street looked completely normal—there were no blurred faces.

Though he had a nagging sense of crisis, there were indeed no visible signs.

Could it be that Song Chu‑shi was mistaken?

As this thought crossed his mind, his gaze swept slowly across the street. Suddenly, his body tensed.

Across the street, he saw a familiar figure sitting in front of a cake shop.

It was Song Chu‑shi. He looked exactly the same as when Han Su had last seen him, with a suitcase beside him.

With a calm gaze, he looked over in Han Su’s direction, smiled faintly, and gently nodded—like he was saying hello.

Then, he slowly raised his right hand.

Snapped his fingers lightly!

Pa!

At that very instant, suddenly, the entire crowd on the street seemed to freeze like a jammed videotape, pausing for a moment.

The next moment, the flow resumed—but already, countless faces began to show blurred shadows, patch by patch, piece by piece.

One even passed less than two meters in front of Han Su.

A chill flickered through Han Su’s heart: “So that gate really is here?”

The infiltration in this place had clearly started long ago. Yet not only was the Monster Investigator completely unaware, even the Disaster Management Bureau of Qinggang had not noticed, while Song Chu‑shi had already found it so quickly?

As astonishment and unease welled in Han Su’s heart, the Doctor beside him suddenly stopped in his tracks and said in a low voice, “Did you see that?”

Hei Hu was surprised. “What?”

“The faces.”

The Doctor spoke in a low tone, “It looks like many people on this street suddenly lost their faces… or rather, they just became invisible.”

Hei Hu also grew tense. “Where?”

“Is this the same strange phenomenon we encountered during our task with that Investigator near Line 2?”

Miss Crow had also sensed something wrong. She shifted her black suitcase to the other hand and murmured, “Why are we in a place related to that previous task again? And what exactly are these things?”

“They are plague source bodies released by the Crystal Skull.”

Han Su withdrew his gaze from Song Chu‑shi and, recalling the data sent by Miss Ai, slowly explained:

“The data says this plague has the ability to infect a normal person’s memory and self-perception. It can lie dormant within a person and, within three to five seconds, turn them into its puppet.”

“Those with exceptionally strong willpower, especially if prepared in advance, can last about thirty seconds. Those who have undergone Spiritual Penetration can hold out until their Spiritual Power is completely exhausted. If they don't counterattack, they can usually endure for three to five minutes.”

“Electric shocks are an effective way to repel them—you can try it.”

“If necessary, killing their hosts can also slow their actions down a bit.”

“As for what’s happening now... we can only say that the contamination was originally very light, or very deeply hidden. Under normal conditions it couldn’t be detected. Someone simply used a certain method to activate the contamination—then it suddenly appeared right before us.”

“……”

He shared, bit by bit and in concise words, what he had observed and experienced during the previous Line 2 task. The Doctor, upon hearing this, immediately took a step back.

Next to him, Hei Hu and Miss Crow looked at him with somewhat odd expressions. The Doctor calmly shook his head and said, “My willpower isn’t exactly strong.”

‘So Song Chu‑shi brought me here… but for what? To meet me here?’

Han Su was uncertain. If Song Chu‑shi had brought him here, then why look for the gate?

The only reason he had been able to follow and catch up here was thanks to the Monster Investigator.

But looking at it another way—if even he could discover it, how could the Monster Investigator not?

He even began to suspect that the Monster Investigator might have already arrived nearby and, like him, spotted Song Chu‑shi.

In that case—should they meet or not?

As they spoke, the number of blurred-faced people around them was increasing rapidly—far more than Han Su had encountered back on Line 2. However, these people had not been alarmed, so they merely walked quietly to and fro beside them.

“All of you, come closer to me!”

At that moment, Miss Crow suddenly said, “The scale of contamination on this street is beyond expectation. Stand by me—I can protect you.”

As she spoke, her tone grew heavy, as if earnestly reminding Han Su: “The correct choice is to leave this street immediately. Go somewhere with a signal, report the outbreak to headquarters, and have them send reinforcements.”

While Han Su listened, his gaze happened to sweep across the street—and then he suddenly saw that Song Chu‑shi had already stood up. After a slight pause, he decisively turned and stepped into the door behind him.

The door of the cake shop!

At the same moment as he entered, every single blurred-faced figure on the street suddenly froze in place like a crash.

The next second, they all simultaneously turned their heads toward the cake shop.

“That’s the ‘gate’?”

A chill pricked at Han Su’s heart. He realized that Song Chu‑shi had not only located the region where the gate appeared and discovered the hidden contamination—but had even confirmed the exact location of the “gate.”

Before he could react, another figure suddenly leapt out from a nearby vehicle.

It was Mr. Strange Bird.

At this moment, he wore a look of fanaticism, actually pushing through the crowd on the street. One hand gripped a gun, the other held a suitcase.

His figure grew fainter with every step, as if vanishing. He swiftly passed through the dazed crowd on the street and followed Song Chu‑shi into that door.

‘He went too?’