Plague Doctor

Chapter 66: Abnormal Energy Investigation Group

Abnormal Energy Investigation Group, well the name itself begged inquiry.

“I knew someone would ask that because I asked the same thing way back when.” Brother Qiang lightened the mood with his statement, and then he proceeded with the script prepared. “Mandela, the one from South Africa, you guys know about him, right? Next, I will ask you a question. Do not voice your answer. Instead, I need you to write down your own answer on your own review report, and then we can compare notes.”

Zhou Jiaqiang scanned the group and then asked, “What year did Mandela die? Which decade, and what was his cause of death?”

Those of them who had heard of this theory understood what Brother Qiang was getting at instantly. Those who did not were confused, but all of them jotted down their answers. Gu Jun had heard about this, but he could remember the exact year in detail… He could not be sure of the correct answer, so he wrote down what first came into his mind. “In the eighties, year 1985, he was assassinated after he got out of prison and was elected president.”

After everyone finished writing, Brother Qiang had everyone show their answer. They looked at each other’s.

Wang Ruoxiang had written, “In the 80s, year 1980, assassinated.”

Cai Zixuan had written, “The 80s, year 1986, died in prison.” He had even added, “The color of his skin gave him meaning in life because he threw his entire life into the war against injustice due to skin color.”

Sun Yuheng wrote 2010 and died from illness…

There were mainly two kinds of answers among the nine people. One was in the eighties, and the cause of death was related to prison and assassination; the other was in the twenty-first century, around 2010, and died from natural causes…

“The correct answer is December 5th, 2013,” Zhou Jiaqiang announced with a smile. “He died at ninety-five from illness.”

“Ah‽” Other than Gu Jun, the others who wrote down the date of death in the eighties were stunned. Ninety-five? He had only died a few years ago? Cai Zixuan scratched at his bald head and gasped in shock. “Brother Qiang, are you sure you didn’t remember it wrongly?”

“I don’t know,” Zhou Jiaqiang said seriously to show that he was not joking. “When I was young, I remember that Mandela was already dead, but in around 2005, I suddenly saw that Mandela had appeared at a social event on the news. The feeling that I had then was comparable to what you all are feeling now. But what is the reason behind this? Is it because our understanding of Mandela is not enough? But this phenomenon is common all over the world. Much of the general public believes that Mendela passed away in the eighties or nineties, and they have even seen documentaries, reports, and even Mandela’s own funeral. Even for a new generation like yourself, this impression is still going strong. This situation where the collective memory is incongruous with the truth is known as the Mandela Effect.

“The Mandela effect applies not only to its namesake but to others known by public and those not known by public. The Mandela Effect is a kind of Abnormal Event. Is it a social psychological effect, a mystery of the universe, or is there an abnormal force behind it? That is the job of the investigation department to investigate. I do not wish to make the whole thing sound so out there. After all, it is our belief that all these supernatural things are nothing but scientific theories that we currently do not comprehend.”

The group nodded silently. After learning this, they realized the strange events investigated by their colleagues from the Investigation Department might not be easier than what they had to do at the Medical Department. Gu Jun hummed silently to himself. If this was in the past, he would definitely have thought that the Mandela effect was just mass misdirection of the crowd consensus, but now… could there really be an abnormal force of energy acting behind it?

Seeing no one had followed up with a question, he volunteered, “Brother Jue, can you give us more examples of these abnormal events?”

“Well, you have the urban legends like SCP foundation and so on. Some are already public record.” Zhou Jiaqiang shrugged. “If you wish to learn more about these mysteries, feel free to visit the library to read up on them, but the content made accessible to you will be dependent on your membership grade. In any case, this is what the abnormal energy investigation group does. In fact, they are currently investigating the source of the Malformed Banyan Disease.”

Gu Jun’s heart skipped a beat. So, that was their jurisdiction. He wondered what discoveries they had made. With the mention of the Malformed Banyan Disease, everyone wanted to know more, but Zhou Jiaqiang did not oblige. After all, it was not his place to discuss this. After a quick introduction of the Investigation Department, he went on to introduce the Tribunal Department. The Tribunal Department was basically the judicial branch. They were responsible for all the judicial decision within Phecda. The discipline, morality, rules, rewards, and punishments of members would be applied by their respective department, and it would be sent to the Tribunal Department to be judged. The Tribunal Department had no young members; they were all high-grade members with great experience and reputation.

While the Tribunal Department was responsible for the judicial branch, the Correctional Department was responsible for meting out its decision.

“I hope none of you ever encounter people from Correctional…” Zhou Jiaqiang sighed as if remembering his past and those who had gone before him. “Stay as far as you can from the prison. It is not a good place to be.”

The ‘prison’ mentioned here was specially used to lock up the secret and internal criminals. The group could not help but imagine what the place would look like.

And the images that appeared in Gu Jun’s mind were of those who had gone completely insane or had done insane things. These people might look normal with their intelligence and rationality intact, but the humanity that made them human had disappeared without a trace. Even so, should these people be considered insane?

Without letting them dwell too long on it, Zhou Jiaqiang continued to talk about the Scientific Research Department. This was a very huge department, where the scientists and scholars could be found. They studied physic events, astrology, biology, chemistry, language, and so on, providing technical support for the other departments. The many different kinds of technological products used by Phecda came from this department as well.

Finally was the Action Department. From aerial, land and sea, they provided all the other departments with heavy artillery support.

As he listened to all this, Gu Jun felt overwhelmed by a sense of self-deprecation. The files about the Afterlife Cult would be on the table of the Abnormal Energy Infestation Group, the language group of the Scientific Research Department could have information about the foreign language, the members of the Afterlife Cult could currently be locked up in the Correctional Department’s prison, and the Action Department might have even destroyed one of the bases of the Afterlife Cult before…

But he was just a medical student. There were so many departments, and they contained confidential information that a member from Medical Department like him could never reach!

Then Zhou Jiaqiang continued to introduce some admin-related departments.

General Affairs Department: The home of the secretaries, the center of power in Phecda. The people there were responsible for human resources, finances, and expansion.

Public Relations Department: Liaison between Phecda and the mass media. In reality, though, they were more like spin doctors. ‘Cross-fire? No such things, that was just fireworks.’

Training Department: Responsible for selection and training of normal members. Brother Qiang and Lee Hwalong had joined Phecda through this route.

Recreational Department: Responsible for the arrangement of recreational activities and everyday supplies. Help the members relax. After all, what is more important than having fun! The workers at the dormitory belonged to this department.

There were also an engineering department, a traffic and transport department, a library information management department…

“Lastly, I have to give a special mention to the Special Mobile Forces.” Zhou Jiaqiang’s voice rose several octaves. His eyes swept over the group, seemingly settling a tad longer on Gu Jun. “This is, without a doubt, the most impressive department of Phecda.”