enjoyebooks Chapter 6 Action Report: The Tide of Fungi
Chapter 6 Action Report: The Tide of Fungi
Two days later.
"I'm back!"
Cheng Xu walked into the office with a travel bag on his back, and his colleagues all peeked out from behind their desks.
"Xiao Cheng is back?"
"The field mission is over? So fast?"
Cheng Xu smiled as he walked across the aisle and took out a simply packaged cardboard box from his travel bag.
"I'm so lucky! I brought back some local specialties from Chengxing City. Everyone, come and try them."
"There's a really nice pastry shop near the Jiangyue campus. Their fresh peach and red bean paste pies are absolutely amazing. I always pack a few boxes to go whenever I go."
Walking all the way to the back of the office, Cheng Xu placed the last two boxes of pies on the table and met the gaze behind the black-rimmed glasses.
"Director Hu, mission successfully completed!"
Cheng Xu made a salute gesture, and the two smiled at each other.
Hu Zhou gestured to him with his chin: "Sit down. I've already heard about your performance from Fu Chen; he praised you highly."
"Not at all, this mission was only possible thanks to Captain Fu's assistance and cooperation."
Cheng Xu feigned modesty, but inwardly he was overjoyed. To gain Fu Chen's approval meant his evaluation for this mission would certainly be high, and he had a very good chance of being promoted early!
Hu Zhou seemed to hear his thoughts and took a transparent tablet from the drawer and threw it over.
"I heard from other people in the office that you're really keen on getting promoted early. Fill out the application form on your tablet, and I'll help you submit it to your supervisor."
"Thank you, Director Hu!" Cheng Xu took the tablet and seemed to see a halo of holy light spreading around the back of Hu Zhou's head.
Director Hu is such a good person!
"Wait a minute, don't get agitated. I have a few things to tell you."
"Director Hu, please speak." Cheng Xu immediately sat up straight.
"First of all, your most important task right now is to complete the action report for this field mission as soon as possible, and this part of the work will also be included in the evaluation."
"Then there's the routine physical and mental health assessment after the field mission, which needs to be completed within a week. I suggest you finish the action report today and then schedule the check-up for tomorrow morning."
Cheng Xu nodded. These procedures were clearly written in the management bureau's regulations, and he had been familiar with them in detail for a long time.
"Finally, after the routine inspection is completed and the operation report is verified to be correct, as is customary, you will have seven days of paid leave, and the branch office will also issue an additional field mission bonus."
Hu Zhou patted Cheng Xu's left shoulder lightly: "You've worked hard on the mission. Go take a break, rest well for a while, and come back to work when you're in good shape."
Cheng Xu was stunned; there was no such clause in the Administration Bureau's regulations.
Is it really possible to get paid leave and bonuses just for completing a single mission?
Incredulously, when asked by Director Hu, he replied, "This is a unique benefit of our branch; everyone receives it after a mission. The headquarters authorized it privately, but it can't be written into the official regulations."
"oh--"
Their eyes met, and Cheng Xu nodded knowingly, then turned and returned to his workstation to begin writing the action report.
Special benefits are nothing special for an organization of the size of Chengmingxing Branch, but ultimately they can't be made public.
Otherwise, if other branch employees who do not have this benefit find out, it may lead to a situation where "it is not the scarcity that is the problem, but the inequality."
No wonder Cheng Xu had never heard of this benefit when he asked other colleagues about field missions. Cheng Xu himself wouldn't easily reveal such a good thing to others either.
Stealing a glance at Cheng Xu, who was busy at work, the others in the office secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
In reality, the "special benefits" that Hu Zhou mentioned did not exist. In other words, these benefits were simply prepared specifically for Cheng Xu by the Chengmingxing Branch.
On the one hand, this is the first time that a suspected terminal-level anomaly has come into contact with an uncontained anomaly. The Anomaly Management Bureau needs a lot of time to study the video footage, analyze various data, and determine the impact of Cheng Xu's existence.
On the other hand, testing Cheng Xu using the reward mechanisms of human society is an important part of the Administration's second-phase observation plan.
Observing the target's response to this welfare mechanism will greatly influence subsequent planning decisions.
Cheng Xu was unaware of the thoughts churning in his colleagues' minds; his attention was completely focused on the action report at hand.
As Hu Zhou said, the action report of the field mission is an important part of the whole process, which is related to the Bureau's judgment of the anomaly and the determination of the containment method.
In his daily work, Cheng Xu has read over a thousand action reports, and he was able to easily build the report's structure at this moment.
First, as the person in charge, he needs to describe the entire field mission experience in detail, objectively and fairly.
This part was not difficult for Cheng Xu, who was deeply involved in the entire process. On the return spaceship, he reviewed the entire mission and had already prepared his thoughts.
Next comes the characteristics and descriptions of the anomaly, which is the most crucial part of the action report. After review, it will be entered into the anomaly file.
After thinking for a long time, Cheng Xu began to type on the keyboard.
【Resentment Incubator (tentative name)】(Safety Level Anomaly)
Description:
An anomaly appeared at Chengxing University Jiangyue Campus in Chengxing City, Chengxing County, and its appearance resembled a BIO-470 standard incubator manufactured by Senyang Company.
The accumulated resentment stemming from previous students' failures to cultivate fungi in the biology lab has given rise to regular anomalies, with the impact distributed in concentric circles of varying sizes.
Within a small circular area centered on the organism, the growth of all fungi is completely suppressed; in a circular area extending outwards from this area by up to two hundred meters, the vitality and growth rate of all fungi are greatly enhanced.
Containment recommendations:
Based on the abnormal underlying mechanism, it is recommended to place it in a sterile environment. If there is a need for contact, standard protective clothing must be worn before entering the area affected by the abnormality.
Tests have shown that some of the newly revised rules and regulations of the School of Life Sciences at Chengxing University can significantly suppress abnormal activity, with the "Management Measures for Scientific Research Projects of the School of Life Sciences (Revised Edition)" showing the best effect.
It is recommended that the above rules and regulations be shown repeatedly.
……
Two days ago, Cheng Xu captured the incubator using a temporary containment device and, with the cooperation of Dean Yu Kai, conducted several experiments to verify its characteristics.
Only after he had fully determined the method to suppress the abnormal activity did he arrange for the personnel to place the incubator in the specially designed containment device of the official spacecraft and return with Fu Chen.
The Bureau has a wide variety of methods for containing anomalies, most of which are based on the specific characteristics of the anomaly itself.
The “loop screening rules” may seem absurd, but the “Standardized Anomaly Handling Manual” contains many more bizarre containment methods.
For example, the security-level containment object "Compassionate Reciter" of the Chengmingxing Branch is contained by placing it in a completely soundproof quiet room and sending in three "listeners" every once in a while.
These three listeners were required to remain in a meditative state, listening to the muttering "words of compassion" emanating from the contained creature for a full twelve hours.
If no listeners appear for an extended period, the "words of compassion" will gradually transform into violent and manic sound waves, causing widespread and intense destruction.
The reason it is classified as safe is mainly because the containment method is simple and controllable, and as long as containment measures are carried out routinely, it will hardly cause any harm.
Bringing his thoughts back, Cheng Xu typed the last subheading on the screen:
Task notes and other remarks.
This last section is a special area left by the Administration for employees to write freely, regardless of whether the content is related to the task or not.
It is precisely because of this freedom to act that Cheng Xu has seen various action operators let loose in this part of the many original action reports published within the system.
Some operators expressed their feelings to their teammates who had gone through thick and thin with them during the mission, some offered "suggestions for post-disaster recovery" with great concern, and some grumbled and complained for tens of thousands of words.
One food enthusiast even wrote a serious paper at the end of his action report on "the changes in the texture of grilled meat down to the second" after solving a certain flame anomaly.
However, Cheng Xu knew very well that the Administration allowed the operators to speak freely and without restraint not only to allow them to vent their emotions and stress, but also to have a more important purpose.
Data analysts in various regions have repeatedly uncovered previously unnoticed clues in these insights and notes when reviewing reports, and have used these clues to dig out more valuable intelligence.
This was Cheng Xu's first time on a field mission, and the novel experience gave him a lot of thoughts he wanted to record in his action report.
[During my second direct confrontation with the anomaly, I experienced a visual hallucination where I saw black, tentacled-like energy extending from the anomaly, within which appeared images related to the origin of the resentment.]
I haven't seen similar descriptions in other anomaly-related action reports. Could this be a characteristic of the incubator anomaly itself?
For Cheng Xu, the hallucinations he experienced during containment were undoubtedly the most perplexing phenomenon.
These images did not cause him any harm; it was more like he had opened his eyes to see another side of the world.
The Bureau of Anomalies has a vast collection of information, and Cheng Xu hopes to provide feedback through an action report in order to obtain an explanation for this phenomenon.
[Dean Kai Yu of the School of Life Sciences at Chengxing University was indispensable in assisting with this mission.]
In exchange for assistance, I agreed to Dean Yu's request. After the personnel completed the investigation of the unusual contamination, the remaining fungi were donated to the School of Life Sciences as research material.
Cheng Xu was not surprised that the old dean proposed this exchange as payment.
When Yu Kai first saw the collected fungal samples in the lab, the surprise and longing in his eyes was as if he wanted to devour all the rows of incubators. How could Cheng Xu not see it?
According to Yu Kai, the colonies of bacteria that filled the teaching building were rare species that are usually very difficult to cultivate, but they grew everywhere due to the abnormal effects.
When the other teachers and students from the college arrived at the scene, their cheeks were practically stretched to the back of their heads, and their bright smiles never stopped.
Although the abnormal effects were eliminated, a large number of strains still retained considerable vitality.
With a wave of his hand, Yu Kai summoned a large amount of experimental equipment. Everyone in the college got to work, transplanting the bacterial strains into the incubators, their expressions like those of an old farmer witnessing a golden, bountiful wheat field.
When seeing Cheng Xu off, the old dean joked that it was such a good deal to exchange the scrapping of a teaching building for so many precious living materials. He said he wanted to do this kind of profitable business a few more times.
Cheng Xu immediately said that it was best not to do this kind of thing again, otherwise he was afraid that the special agents of the Administration Bureau would not be able to handle it.
Yu Kai patted his chest and assured that he would definitely pay more attention to the students' research progress and mental state, so that every student who was serious about academics could graduate smoothly.
Recalling the scene, Cheng Xu smiled knowingly. He could still trust the old dean's character.
This can be considered a good deed done for his juniors.
A smile unconsciously appeared on his face, and his fingers tapped the keyboard more nimbly.
Dean Yu Kai also said that if there is an opportunity, he would like to coordinate with the branch bureau leaders to borrow the "resentment cultivation box" to their college to assist in scientific research.
Personally, I do not recommend lending it out. Exposure to complex environments could trigger secondary mutations, potentially leading to dangerous consequences.
[If the impact of the resentment incubator is smaller, for example, only effective on edible fungi, it can prevent the overgrowth of gut flora caused by stimulation.]
If that's the case, the cafeteria will have an endless supply of mushrooms (laughs).
Ending with a joke, Cheng Xu double-checked the format and content to ensure they were correct, then clicked send.
He stretched, propped his chin on his left hand on the table, and started scheduling a routine check-up on the intranet.
-----------------
Chengmingxing Branch, Anomaly Containment Zone, a containment chamber covered with a special alloy.
Fu Chen's gaze pierced through the protective glass, staring at the unremarkable incubator inside, lost in thought.
The sound of a door opening came from behind him. Fu Chen turned his head and saw a tall, thin man covered in thick black clothes, with only his eyes showing, followed by two middle-aged men in white coats.
"Hey, Lao Wen? Long time no see. I didn't expect it would be you personally contacting me."
Fu Chen slapped the tall, thin man on the shoulder.
The visitor was named Wen Mu, the director of the Abnormal Research Center of Chengmingxing Branch, and also an old acquaintance of Fu Chen.
"Nonsense." Wen Mu glanced at him.
Fu Chen knew that his friend was a quiet person who spoke in hushed tones, so he didn't mind.
It's not surprising that Wen Mu personally led a team to test and record the anomaly brought back from the first field mission, which was suspected to be a terminal-level anomaly.
He pointed to the incubator behind the glass: "This thing doesn't look special, and it doesn't seem to have been affected by a high-level anomaly. I'll leave it to you from now on."
"Hard."
Wen Mu raised his chin. Clearly, he knew the inside story of Fu Chen's mission and how dangerous it was.
"It's alright."
Fu Chen shrugged: "The one who's having a hard time now is Old Hu. My mission is complete..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Wen Mu staring intently behind him, while his two subordinates in white coats trembled and pointed at the protective glass in alarm.
Fu Chen suddenly turned around.
In the iron-gray room, countless thin black electric currents tore through the light, dividing the space into distorted and chaotic grids.
The newly contained anomalous incubator melted like dough, rolled and flattened by the turbulent currents, and stretched into various strange shapes, with a faint gray-green halo appearing on its surface.
A moment later, the current dissipated, the distortion returned to normal, the containment chamber was restored to its original state, and the incubator stood quietly on the metal floor.
It was as if the scene they had just witnessed was merely a hallucination.
Fu Chen and Wen Mu emitted sharp explosions.