19: Chapter 19 Gray Web

The first thing Bai Ya did after joining the Xinhuo Council was not to redeem items.

It was to update files.

The task name given by Zero was very cold.

"Intelligence Supplement."

"Task Content: Submit records of known abnormal Old Object transactions."

"Submitted content will undergo residual verification, keyword comparison, and risk classification by the Core of the Torch."

"Once verified as valid, contribution point rewards can be obtained."

Bai Ya sat in front of the stone tablet for a long time after reading the task description, not saying a word.

If Zhao Ye were here, he would probably ask: "Isn't this just confessing to crimes?"

Bai Ya felt the same way.

He had been in the old goods business for so many years; naturally, he had more than just a few records in his hands. Many things weren't caused by him, but they had indeed passed through his hands; many buyers weren't scammed by him, but they had indeed left their names, addresses, and transaction traces with him.

Handing them over meant he lost a layer of self-protection.

If he didn't hand them over, he knew very well that the Xinhuo Council was not negotiating business with him.

The rules here were very direct.

You provide clues.

The organization verifies them.

If valuable, you get contributions.

If you fake or conceal, your authority is lowered.

Bai Ya stared at the two words "authority" and clicked his tongue softly.

He used to hate it most when others used authority to pressure him.

But now he had to admit that this thing was indeed effective.

A grey-white light screen floated beside the stone tablet.

Bai Ya began to input entries.

First, old mirror.

Buyer missing, seller account deactivated, suspected of having similar residuals to the Nanliu Residential Complex The Sleepwalking Mirror incident.

Second, black leather notebook.

Three consecutive holders dreamed of the same classroom, would be called by name in the dream, and woke up with chalk dust on the backs of their hands.

Third, unbranded Buddha statue.

Automatically turns towards the door at night, nearby residents continuously heard knocking sounds.

Fourth, time-lost table clock.

Black bronze bell core already submitted, main body abnormality recovered by Torch.

Bai Ya paused here.

He didn't dump everything out at once.

This wasn't resistance.

It was instinct.

Anyone working in intelligence knows that if you have absolutely no chips in your hand, you become a pawn that can be discarded at will.

But the stone tablet seemed to see through his thoughts, coldly floating a line of text.

"Please continue."

Bai Ya's mouth twitched.

"This thing is quite impolite."

Behind the firelight, Lu Chen didn't speak.

He was looking at the backend.

The Old Object records Bai Ya input weren't directly becoming a Grey Net map. They were just reality clues that needed the Core of the Torch to compare with existing residual samples.

If there weren't already recovered samples like the black bronze bell core, fragments in the mirror, and doorplate fragments, what Bai Ya submitted would at most be a pile of suspicious stories.

But now it was different.

Every Old Object entered was being compared against abnormal residuals within the Core of the Torch.

Similar pollution fluctuations were lit up.

Similar transaction paths were connected.

Similar trigger times were marked.

Gradually, a very rough grey network appeared above the Torch stone tablet.

That wasn't a map.

It looked more like a spiderweb that hadn't been finished weaving.

Zero's prompt appeared.

"Intelligence Node: Grey Net prototype, activated."

"Current Capability: Record reality abnormal clues, perform residual verification, keyword comparison, and risk classification."

"Current Limitation: Can only track associated nodes of recorded, contacted, and recovered samples."

"For completely unknown, untriggered, un-Fire Seal marked, or reality-intelligence-lacking abnormalities, can only perceive vague fluctuations."

Lu Chen looked at these lines, feeling a bit more at ease in his heart.

An omniscient map sounded powerful, but that thing wasn't suitable for the current Xinhuo Council.

The true value of the Grey Net wasn't to replace everyone, but to connect the members' eyes, clues, sealed objects, and reality intelligence together.

Shen Qinghe could provide case traces.

Zhao Ye could provide on-site contact records.

Bai Ya could provide Old Object Chains.

In the future, there would also be medical, logistics, official, ordinary witnesses, and Outer City Candidates.

These things would be nailed into the Grey Net bit by bit, and only then would the Grey Net become increasingly accurate.

Lu Chen raised his hand, confirming the Grey Net prototype was running.

"Activation cost: 5 source essence."

"Currently available source essence: 12."

He watched the source essence number drop, and the corner of his eye twitched slightly.

Very expensive.

But it had to be opened.

If he let Shen Qinghe and Zhao Ye continue to crash into abnormalities by themselves, the team would sooner or later be scattered by abnormalities, or collapsed by functional gaps.

Bai Ya watched the Grey Net take shape, his expression becoming serious for the first time.

"You guys didn't have this before?"

Zero didn't answer.

Lu Chen didn't answer either.

Bai Ya quickly realized it himself.

"So I'm the third one to join?"

He glanced at the empty hall, his expression subtle.

"This organization is even poorer than I thought."

Lu Chen behind the firelight was expressionless.

If Bai Ya's authority were high enough now, he could probably see the Fire Keeper agreeing with that sentence in his heart.

But his authority was insufficient.

Bai Ya continued to input records.

Fifth, East Suburb Logistics Park parcel locker abnormality.

This one wasn't directly handled by him, but fragments he heard in the Old Goods Circle.

Some said that abandoned parcel lockers at the East Suburb Logistics Park would automatically pop out pickup codes at night. Some had obtained a blank express delivery slip with no sender, only the recipient's name. Others said that the locker had swallowed a broken mirror.

Bai Ya had originally treated it as an Old Goods Circle ghost story.

But when he entered the keywords "East Suburb Logistics Park," "parcel locker," "broken mirror," and "express delivery slip," a dark red node suddenly lit up on the Grey Net.

"Node match successful."

"Suspected association: Mirror fragment secondary pollution."

"Location: Qinghe City East Suburb Logistics Park, abandoned parcel locker E-17."

The joking look on Bai Ya's face slowly faded.

Shen Qinghe's name also lit up on the edge of the Grey Net.

Because that mirror fragment was exactly what she and Zhao Ye had brought back.

Lu Chen looked at the E-17 node, his fingertips resting on the stone tablet.

The Sleepwalking Mirror had already been recovered by the Core of the Torch; the main body abnormality could not possibly be taken away by someone in reality again.

But what the Grey Net was capturing now was not the main body.

It was secondary pollution.

It was traces left by the abnormality in reality, being recaptured, marked, and then distributed by some Old Object Chain.

This was more troublesome than a single abnormality.

The abnormality itself would kill people.

But if someone started transporting abnormalities, packaging abnormalities, or even using abnormal traces to screen targets, then it wouldn't just be a matter of a building, a mirror, or a bell.

Lu Chen raised his hand and dropped a fire mark on the Grey Net node.

"Low-tier task generating."

"Task name: Old Object Chain node investigation."

"Target location: East Suburb Logistics Park, abandoned parcel locker E-17."

"Recommended members: Shen Qinghe, Zhao Ye, Bai Ya."

Bai Ya saw his own name light up, and his face stiffened.

"I have to go too?"

Zero responded.

"You provided key intelligence."

"You are familiar with the Old Goods transaction chain."

"You are suitable for on-site identification of Old Object secret marks."

Bai Ya was silent for a moment.

"Can I apply for remote assistance?"

Zhao Ye was not present.

But Lu Chen could almost imagine Zhao Ye's expression when hearing this sentence.

Zero coldly floated a line of text.

"Application rejected."

Bai Ya sighed.

"Fine, got it."

He looked at the E-17 node on the Grey Net, his voice dropping.

"But first, let me say, things that can circulate to my ears in the Old Goods Circle are usually not first-hand anymore."

"Behind this line, there might be someone waiting."

The E-17 node on the Torch stone tablet flickered gently.

For the first time, the Grey Net truly pointed to an artificially planted abnormal node.