The Price of Survival

“Wanwan? Contacting me so soon? What’s wrong? Do you miss your Annian sister already?”

Chu Annian’s voice, tinged with a hint of weariness, came through the phone. Despite her fatigue, a playful teasing note still lingered in her tone.

“Yes, I miss you most, Annian-jie. I can’t bear to be away from you for even a second. So, Annian-jie, I wanted to ask you something.”

Bai Wanwan’s sudden turning of the tables left Chu Annian utterly flustered. She had intended to playfully tease her innocent junior, but unexpectedly, Bai Wanwan had outmaneuvered her.

Believing herself to be the big bad wolf seducing a little lamb, she hadn’t anticipated that she, the wolf, would instead be outsmarted by the lamb.

This only added to the frustration of her already stressful overtime work.

“What do you want to ask?”

Chu Annian’s voice on the phone feigned calmness, but in reality, she frantically grabbed a folder, shielding her flushed, pretty face, terrified a passing colleague might notice.

“It’s about the Anomalous Zones. Do people who have entered an Anomalous Zone re-enter them again for various reasons?”

Bai Wanwan’s words plunged Chu Annian into silence. Hearing such a question, the flush on her face instantly vanished, replaced by grave seriousness.

“There is such a theory.”

“The Special Incidents Investigation Bureau has several elders who, like you, possess certain folk practices. Some of these elders even exhibit abilities with a touch of the fantastical.”

Chu Annian knew Bai Wanwan would soon be one of them, so sharing this less-than-top-secret information in advance was perfectly acceptable.

After all, rumors were already circulating online about special code-named psychic units or supernatural phenomenon investigation bureaus within the country.

These were merely the unavoidable traces left by the Special Incidents Investigation Bureau during their operations. Over time, these traces became topics of casual conversation among the public, gradually evolving into urban legends.

It was no secret that the nation possessed an organization dedicated to investigating paranormal incidents, and that this organization even had high-level, mystically powerful figures presiding over it.

However, for the sake of public protection, the authorities had simply never officially acknowledged it.

“They believe that Anomalous Zones are essentially opened for those fated to die. Once you enter an Anomalous Zone, it signifies that death is not far away.”

“Yet you, against all odds, escaped from an Anomalous Zone, eluding death… This doesn’t mean you will avoid death entirely. Death is a certainty, and sooner or later, it will find you again in various forms.”

Chu Annian sighed softly, her gaze falling upon the empty desk opposite hers, her expression forlorn.

“Let me put it this way: almost ninety-nine percent of the Special Incidents Investigation Bureau’s grassroots members are people who have narrowly escaped death from an Anomalous Zone.”

“And these grassroots personnel, without exception, typically die one after another within an Anomalous Zone within ten years.”

Chu Annian’s words sent a shiver down Bai Wanwan’s spine. She wasn’t worried for herself, but for Chu Annian.

“So, Annian-jie, you are…?”

“Yes, all my predecessors have already sacrificed themselves in Anomalous Zones. I am the last survivor of the Third Action Group, Section Seven. I didn’t tell you this before because I was afraid of scaring you and making you resistant to the Special Incidents Investigation Bureau.”

“In fact, we’ve spoken with many survivors of Anomalous Zones, and a significant number of them are resistant, believing we’re trying to deceive them.”

“We cannot simply stand by and watch them die helpless and alone, which is why we go to great lengths to bring them into our fold.”

Chu Annian explained to Bai Wanwan while simultaneously handling her current work, busy organizing intelligence regarding the Stitched Lips Hospital.

This was, after all, the first Extreme Danger-level Anomalous Zone to be conquered, yielding invaluable and unprecedented intelligence for the Special Incidents Investigation Bureau.

The sooner this information could be organized and uploaded to the Bureau’s database, the more grassroots personnel might be saved.

“Joining the Special Incidents Investigation Bureau isn’t about us coveting your abilities or harboring ulterior motives. We simply want to provide you with a platform for intelligence sharing, hoping that you can escape death once more and survive your next entry into an Anomalous Zone.”

“And truthfully, this approach has proven quite effective. At the very least, it has extended the average lifespan of survivors like us from one or two years to ten years.”

Chu Annian said, a hint of a joke in her voice.

“Moreover, Wanwan, you’ve performed a great service! This Extreme Danger-level Anomalous Zone contained so much crucial intelligence. With this information, we might just save several more lives.”

“The Bureau’s leadership greatly commends you, and they’ve decided to issue you another one million bonus.”