Chapter 1926 - 38: Great Fusion (Part 1)_2

Old Li was amused by his actions, handed him a tissue to wipe himself properly, and then got up to settle the bill at the counter.

The two of them walked out of the noodle shop, immediately feeling a wave of heat hitting their faces. It was midsummer and the sun was at its fiercest in the afternoon. Apart from the low-flying anti-gravity cars, hardly any pedestrians were to be seen on the street.

In fact, even in the pleasant climate of spring, the number of pedestrians on ordinary streets, outside of those pedestrian zones, was still few and far between.

These days, everyone travels by anti-gravity car, which have become prevalent across Water Blue Star. Even underage children can wait for public transportation or call a ride service, making it very convenient to get anywhere.

However, the number of pedestrians inside various tourist areas is still very high, as driving is not allowed there, and it remains a no-fly zone, pretty much as it used to be.

This time, Old Li and his partner received a new assignment near Canal Street, which happens to be a tourist spot bustling with people. Even in this sweltering summer, it doesn’t stop people from visiting.

The two of them fetched some equipment from the police station and set off. These were specially made Dark Spiritual Artifacts, valuable and difficult to maintain, typically not used unless a special abnormal event is discovered.

"The detection department has identified a suspected space anomaly here, signal strength 1 level, and the nearby area is a tourist spot with quite a lot of people, so we need to be cautious in our actions."

In the anti-gravity car, Old Li explained the situation to Ma Xiaowen while organizing the equipment.

"Another 1-level signal, sigh, I wonder when we’ll encounter an impressive big one..."

Ma Xiaowen muttered, his voice small, but Old Li heard it clearly.

Old Li couldn’t help but give him a flick on the forehead and jokingly scolded:

"You little rascal, what are you thinking? Everyone’s hoping for smaller issues, fewer troubles, and here you are, wishing for a big one. Are we not busy enough? Getting into nonsense all day long."

Ma Xiaowen scratched his head.

"Hehe, I just want to make a contribution, you know. I heard if you achieve something, you might get a chance to join the Abnormality Department, and maybe, with more effort, I could become an Awakener someday."

Although he said that, it was clear from his tone that he was mostly joking.

The space anomaly signals are divided into nine different levels, and their police station can only handle incidents of 1-2 level signals. If the signal strength reaches level 3 or above, it won’t be for them to handle, but rather a more advanced department will take over.

The police anti-gravity flying car they were in drove over Canal Scenic Spot and landed on an open space.

Ordinary vehicles certainly couldn’t enter the no-fly zone, but police models of anti-gravity cars were not bound by this restriction.

At this time, tourists were still coming and going. Instead of avoiding, they curiously gathered around when they saw Old Li and his partner in protective gear.

Typically, 1-level signal incidents do not require public avoidance, nor is there a need to evacuate, as these incidents merely involve mild space fluctuations, which wouldn’t matter even if ignored. They usually dissipate on their own soon enough, sometimes disappearing before anyone even notices. Ordinary people wouldn’t feel any motion even if they were standing next to it. Instead of calling it space fluctuations, it’s more appropriate to refer to it as space ripples.

Of course, there are some rare exceptions, where a 1-level signal might actually project something. However, whatever appears is usually ordinary objects like plants, with hardly any harm involved.

Thus, such level of incidents are usually handled by the local police, which is fully within Old Li and his partner’s capability.

However, any signal, no matter how weak, is linked to an anomaly, so their application to bring out the equipment wasn’t against regulations.

Ma Xiaowen held a spear about two meters long, entirely silver-white, with simple inscriptions carved on it. Every now and then, a faint white light flashed at the spear tip, making it appear quite majestic.

Old Li carried a pure black shield, also inscribed with runes, which granted the equipment special abilities, greatly assisting in combating Alien Species.

Seeing their equipment, the surrounding tourists realized an anomaly might have occurred here. Driven by curiosity, they gathered around for a closer look.

"Dear residents, dear tourists, as per section 28, item 13 of the ’Abnormal Event Management Ordinance,’ this area has detected a space fluctuation. We are conducting on-site inspections. Please avoid the area."

Ma Xiaowen spoke to the surrounding tourists, asking them to avoid the area, though there was no forced dispersal.

Firstly, 1-level signal events don’t require evacuation, and secondly, the regulations only mention evacuating the public for signals 2 levels and above. Being a frequently recurring event, reminders for 1-level signals suffice.

These tourists, surely not foolish, knew there was no danger with 1-level signals, so they gathered around to satisfy their curiosity.

Initially, people might have been afraid, but as these events became frequent, they became desensitized, not taking it to heart.

The signal this time was coming from the canal. As a famous spot in Qionghua City, it was built along the water, right next to the historic Canal. In the past, vessels frequently transported goods here, but with technological progress, all transportation shifted to the air, leaving the canal unused. Without diesel pollution, the water quality improved.

Old Li and Xiao Ma arrived at the riverbank. Now it being the peak tourist season, there were quite a few tourists around. Fortunately, upon seeing them on duty, everyone naturally made way.

"It’s just ahead. The detection panel shows it’s on the lake surface. Look, it’s right there!"

Ma Xiaowen held the spear in his right hand and a holographic projection in his left, showing rings of scan traces marking the nearby anomaly points.

"Yes, I see it. The traces are very faint, the situation stable. Let’s record it and stand by here for it to disappear."

Old Li also observed the scene on the detection panel, then glanced past the image at the lake surface.

The water surface shimmered with sunlight, seemingly calm without the slightest anomaly.

This was the effect of a 1-level signal, similar to most cases, posing no threat.

However, since they had received the task, they had to wait here for the space traces to disappear. Typically, this would take 1-2 hours, after which, they could move on to handle the next task.

Thankfully, an environmental modification system was installed in the scenic area, making it feel like four seasons like spring despite the heat outside.

Ma Xiaowen couldn’t help but yawn. Midday was when people felt the most drowsy, but with tasks continuously coming in, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken a nap.

"Master, this is the thirteenth anomaly this month, and today is only August 7th. Why do I feel the frequency of anomaly signal points is getting higher? I heard that the old town next door has already experienced a 2-level signal anomaly. Do you think we might also hit the jackpot?"

During the idle wait, Ma Xiaowen started to chat with Old Li.