Investigation Report of the Gods

Chapter 79: I Shall Enter the Abyss

As he looked at those spells, Han Su immediately felt a sense of distortion and mystery rushing toward him.

It was difficult to describe specifically. It was as if these spells existed only in written form, yet once his gaze landed upon them, it felt like he was falling into a twisted space.

While he was staring blankly, the voice of the Red Trench Coat beside him rang out: “These are the first five among the thirteen encrypted spells of the Zero Sequence in the Disaster Management Bureau.”

“The remaining eight can only be accessed after you officially become an Investigator. It’s not about being stingy, but even within the Zero Sequence, there are still some unknown risks. Only after ensuring one’s rationality can withstand them will permission be granted.”

“Of course, for you all, this is enough.”

“Encrypted spells must not be learned greedily. Many people specialize in just one spell, which is more than sufficient to handle the various grotesque phenomena encountered in daily tasks. It also makes managing one’s own rationality easier.”

“Just like Weiwei.”

She casually dragged Miss Crow next to her as an example: “She only knows one spell.”

Han Su was slightly curious and turned his head: “Which one?”

“The one she was born with.”

The Red Trench Coat glanced at Han Su, then clasped her hands behind her back and said, “Mortals are bound by reality, so they inherently possess an instinct to pursue mysterious power. But there are only three ways to obtain mysterious power.”

“What our Disaster Management Bureau represents is one such way. Through the excavation and compilation of ruin texts and records, we search for encrypted spells pointing to mysterious power. After managing the risks and gaining experience, we grant them to ordinary people, who then master mysterious power.”

“Of course, that’s the current training model of the Disaster Management Bureau. The system before its establishment is something you haven’t encountered yet.”

She paused briefly before continuing, “The second method belongs to those mysterious followers. They often get contaminated through various channels, either actively or passively.”

“This kind of contamination also leads to mutations, eventually allowing them to control mysterious power. However, the birth of this mysterious power is accompanied by the distortion of their will and pollution of their brains, so they are usually madmen.”

“Still, one cannot deny that these madmen acquire mysterious power faster than we do, because we have to constantly avoid risks, whereas they fear nothing.”

“The risks we avoid are opportunities for them.”

“……”

Upon hearing this, Han suddenly thought of that dead person behind the ‘door’. Did the memories from his lifetime not reveal that he was of this type?

The Red Trench Coat sighed and looked toward Miss Crow, saying, “The third kind is like her.”

“She was innately contaminated by mysterious power. From the moment she was born, she had already mastered it. Such people, within mysterious organizations, are considered natural saints or saintesses.”

“However, because it was acquired from birth, her will remains intact and she has been resisting it all along. It’s just unclear how long she can endure.”

“Of course, the reason I had her accompany this training is to see if any of the Zero Sequence encrypted spells are suitable for her.”

“After all, she’s already in here working for the Disaster Management Bureau. How could she get nothing in return?”

“……”

Han Su listened patiently, then looked up at those spells and asked, “Which one is the spell that allows someone to become invisible when chanted?”

“The first one.”

The Red Trench Coat followed his gaze and said, “Actually, the effect of that spell isn’t invisibility, but detachment.”

“It detaches one’s existence from reality. The stronger the detachment, the weaker the sense of presence, making one harder to be detected. In the eyes of others, it does appear almost like invisibility.”

“This encrypted spell, when pushed to the extreme, is said to allow one to exit the entire space-time continuum.”

“……”

Han Su memorized it carefully, then looked toward the other spells and asked, “What about those?”

“The second one, 『Respond to My Limbs』, is an enhancement-type spell.”

The Red Trench Coat said, “This spell can change the nature of one’s spiritual power, and through its fluidity, enhance certain parts of the body.”

“Simply put, it’s for heavy-duty tasks.”

“The third one, 『What I Think Becomes the Boundary』, is a spell that transforms spiritual power into an invisible barrier. It is one of the two must-learn encrypted spells for all members of the D5 and D6 groups after completing the internship period and reaching an A-level evaluation.”

“It forcibly sets a boundary: as long as one does not die or collapse mentally, the boundary remains unbroken.”

“……”

As she spoke, she tapped her head and added, “As for the fourth spell, it heavily tests one’s innate ability. It is an encrypted spell that can forcibly pull a dead person back into reality.”

“Usually, it's used to inquire about information that only the dead would conveniently know.”

“Sometimes the higher-ups in the Security Department would request help from experts in this area, and in return, they’d offer us certain conveniences in daily life—for example, even without presenting a Disaster Management Bureau ID, we could have demerit points on our driver's license cleared.”

“……”

Han Su was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and his curiosity surged: “Are there really ghosts in this world?”

Even though he had already encountered the Ghost Freight Truck and Impostors, those still felt somewhat different from ghosts—especially the kind that drifted around…

“There are no such things.”

The Red Trench Coat said, “But there are certain bizarre existences that blur the boundaries between life and death.”

“And the fifth encrypted spell, 『By My Command, Appear in the Light』, forcibly commands mysterious anomalies nearby that have not yet manifested but have already begun to infiltrate, to gather toward oneself first. Heh…”

She let out a couple of cold chuckles and added, “Exclusively for the D7 group.”

Han Su nodded. Inwardly, he thought: this one I already know. His dear mentor, Mr. Strange Bird, had taught it to him…

The Infected Individual from the Spiritual Plague that appeared on that street had indeed only noticed him after first contaminating the unknown colleague who recited the spell. Then it began to gather in his direction.

The functions of the five spells were now mostly clear. His decision hadn’t changed. For him, the most important one was still the first spell.

The Red Trench Coat noticed the look in Han Su’s eyes and instantly knew he was still fixated on the “Invisibility Spell”. She smiled and said, “Prioritizing a life-saving skill—what a clever little guy.”

“You, come over here. Weiwei too.”

“……”

She called both Han Su and Miss Crow to sit on the floor. She herself kicked off her shoes, sat cross-legged, and extended both hands—one pressing down on Han Su’s shoulder, the other on Miss Crow’s forehead.

It wasn’t preferential treatment. Although pressing on the forehead allowed more effective transmission of information, the forehead was a dangerous place.

Thus, among the mysterious side, unless two people were particularly close, they wouldn’t touch this area.

In truth, if it weren’t for Zhang Chiguo’s commission, and Han Su’s close relationship with Zhang Chiguo, she wouldn’t even press on his shoulder. Under normal circumstances, people on the mysterious side exchanged information by shaking hands.

Her gaze moved from left to right across Han Su and Miss Crow’s faces. Slowly and in a low voice, she spoke: “I shall enter the abyss.”

Each word was enunciated clearly and seriously, as if immense effort had been put into speaking them.

But nothing happened around them. It seemed like she had only chanted it for them to hear clearly. After a brief pause, she spoke again:

“I shall,” “enter,” “the abyss.”

This time, she seemed even more focused on the phrase, and her tone became somewhat peculiar. As the spell was spoken, even her form began to blur. Han Su felt as if he were hallucinating—he could no longer see her clearly.

And then, the third time she recited the spell, her voice suddenly shifted into a sound that was extremely muffled and unclear.

Only because of the preceding repetitions could one barely discern that she was still reciting the same spell.

As this spell exited her lips, her body flickered, as though layers of fine space were opening, and she was slowly sinking into spatial rifts.

It also seemed as if the surrounding shadows—those ever-present, always avoiding the light—were converging and cloaking her body.

For a fleeting moment, Han Su completely lost sight of her. Even the hand placed on his shoulder seemed to vanish, and for an instant, he felt dazed—as if he had…

…completely “forgotten” her existence?

“A skilled mysterious power controller, once they recite this spell, won’t even be heard.”

Just as Han Su forgot her existence, a voice suddenly entered his spiritual world: “I’m not particularly skilled, but I can still make it so you completely lose awareness of me—even briefly forget I exist.”

“Accordingly, you also can’t hear my voice. This is beyond my control.”

“That’s why I must maintain contact with you both, using spiritual power to transmit messages—only then can you fully understand.”

“Now, you may begin learning. Remember the pronunciation from my final recitation, but know what spell you are chanting when you produce its sound.”

“The true spell is the Gods' Language—or rather, a language of higher beings that has already been annihilated. We’re not truly learning their language, but rather using our own to reproduce the effect of theirs.”

“Before studying encrypted spells, this concept must be understood.”

“……”

Han Su quietly “listened” to her words and gave a slight nod. Then, slowly, he recited the encrypted spell.

Even he hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly. It felt perfectly natural:

【I shall enter the abyss!】