Chapter 36: The Feeling of Progress

Captain Chu picked up his field phone and issued a series of orders. These included an all-out effort to locate a specific book, redirecting resources to support Professor Ge’s students, and establishing a five-person think tank.

These five individuals would be conscripted, bound by long-term non-disclosure agreements, and even have their personal freedoms restricted. They would be granted access to some of the information Xu Chen had shared with Captain Chu to facilitate decision-making. This secret group would ensure that the information remained contained.

If the information provided by Xu Chen was inherently corruptive, then that corruption had to be strictly contained from the very beginning.

Xu Chen had no objections to this method. Since he was not an expert, he could not make valuable decisions; if anything, he was only qualified to cause trouble.

"Very well. Once they have signed the agreements, let them join the secure conference line."

"Alright, now that you are all here, I will speak, and you may continue to provide your analysis."

"...It is like this. Xu Chen told me... about extraordinary beings..."

"The name of the book..."

"He will bring..."

By the time Captain Chu finished speaking, his throat was parched. He paused. Xu Chen noticed that small beads of water had begun to condense on the marble floor of the room.

Had His influence reached such a level? He wondered what would happen to those on the other end of the line.

Inside Captain Chu’s earpiece, the think tank continued their detailed analysis. Suddenly, Captain Chu’s expression shifted as he looked at Xu Chen. He gave a soft grunt of acknowledgment and turned off the earpiece.

"Well? What did your think tank say?"

Captain Chu replied solemnly, "I had them analyze the information you provided. These experts were specially recruited from various sectors; many are leaders in their fields, and these five are among the best. One of them is a top criminal investigator from the Hai City Police Bureau who has cracked numerous international cases. He believes there is a flaw in your conclusion."

"Oh? What conclusion?"

"You seem certain that there is only one extraordinary entity?"

Xu Chen was stunned. He thought it over carefully. In reality, he had only arrived at that conclusion based on a single remark from Professor Ge. As for whether there was truly only one, he couldn't be sure. After all, within the Cthulhu mythos, there were many entities more powerful than Him, and there was also the formless entity behind Cthulhu. Truth be told, Cthulhu was the only one whose existence he could confirm, having unconsciously called out His name and received a response.

"I cannot be certain."

Captain Chu nodded. "According to his analysis, your aphasia prevents His name from being spread, but this symptom was not caused by Him."

"Wait, what?"

"Based on his analysis of you, he claims that there seems to be another entity helping you."

"My Grandpa Yang?"

"No, an extraordinary entity."

Xu Chen immediately thought of Director Yang’s mysterious remarks and realized it was indeed possible. But did anything in the Cthulhu mythos hold any goodwill toward humanity? He pulled out the jade pendant and examined it, but it appeared unremarkable.

However, verifying the existence of other extraordinary beings was not impossible. Xu Chen looked at Captain Chu. "Step aside for a moment. I know the names of other extraordinary entities. Let's see if they exist as well."

Captain Chu was horrified and grabbed Xu Chen. "Don't! Having Him is enough. Let's discuss that later."

Xu Chen looked around and agreed that this was not the right place for such an experiment. "Fine, we'll find another place later."

Captain Chu breathed a sigh of relief. "The investigator asked me to use that to test you. I didn't expect you to be so reckless. To be blunt, he believes the one providing you with help is 'Taihao'."

"Taihao?" Xu Chen was deeply shocked. "Why would he think that?"

"Because hasn't He also displayed obvious extraordinary power? The patient known as Taihao is still lying in the hospital."

"Huh?"

Xu Chen was confused. In the context of the Cthulhu mythos, the appearance of one of the Three Sovereigns felt incredibly incongruous.

"It seems you really don't know... but that's fine. He said there is another way."

"What is it?"

"You tell me His name again, and we’ll observe our reactions. After I learn His name, I will also call out to Him."

Xu Chen was shocked once more. "That's not right. By your logic, even if I tell you His name, I would still be stopped by 'Taihao'."

"Have you forgotten what Director Yang gave you?"

Xu Chen suddenly remembered. "Right. But how did he know about that?"

"Director Yang told me."

"Tch." Xu Chen nodded. "Are you sure you want me to say His name? His name is far more dangerous than what I mentioned earlier."

"Say it."

Xu Chen held the jade pendant in his hand and looked at Captain Chu. After a moment of hesitation, as if reciting a nuclear launch code, he spoke the name.

"Cthulhu!"

A dark aura flashed by. A vague sense of hostility hovered in the air. Xu Chen waited breathlessly for the horror to descend, but in the end, nothing happened. However, when he looked at Captain Chu, he saw that the captain’s eyes were vacant, as if his soul had been taken.

When Xu Chen tapped him to bring him back to his senses, Captain Chu still looked bewildered.

"Huh? You already told me the name?"

Xu Chen nodded.

Captain Chu scratched his head. He realized that the gag order on Xu Chen was still in effect, though it no longer restricted him personally.

"It seems it still doesn't work."

***

Xu Chen remained deeply worried after leaving, but upon reflection, he realized there was nothing he could do. He sighed and took a taxi back to his dormitory.

The room was empty; it seemed Song Tian’s father was still undergoing treatment. Thinking of the man’s illness, Xu Chen felt a pang of melancholy. It was a pity he couldn't be of any help.

When the class monitor learned that Xu Chen had returned, he brought him the handouts from the past few days. Xu Chen looked at the lectures he had missed and felt a bit helpless. With so many things happening lately, his studies had fallen behind; he would have to work hard to catch up.

He spread out the handouts, but after a few minutes, he felt as if something was missing from the dormitory. He realized that when Song Tian was around, the sound of him playing video games was a constant presence. Studying while a roommate played games provided a sense of focus that felt even more fulfilling than being in class. Sometimes, instead of finding it annoying, he felt the more noise there was, the better. It gave him a persistent, driving sense of constant progress.

Heaven knows where that feeling came from.

To compensate, Xu Chen looked around the room, turned on the small television Song Tian had brought, tuned it to the evening news, and turned the volume up to bring some life back into the dorm.

"According to recent statistics from the Health Bureau, the pressure on hospitals nationwide has increased sharply, with the number of patients rising by over..."

Listening to the news, Xu Chen nodded with satisfaction. He decided that while Song Tian was away, this was how he would study.