Training at the Bureau
At some point, the anomaly that had become the Diver Mother and lived in the sewers opened its eyes.
Where am I?
Her last memory was the nightmare of facing that incomprehensible being that had licked her.
The place she was trapped in was a confinement cell like a prison with a tiny window the size of a mung bean. If she had strength, it looked like she could easily break out.
"Is anyone there?!"
"Mother? Is that you, Mother?"
Her child answered her call.
"Where is this place?"
"We don't know. We got done in by that monstrous human, and when we opened our eyes, we were here."
"Why didn't you break out on your own? None of my children are so feeble they can't smash walls like these."
"Our... our strength... it's all gone. It gradually drained away, our divesuits turned soft and squishy, and now we can't even move properly. Did you come to save us?"
"......"
As she fell silent, her children pleaded desperately with her.
"This place is hell. We miss the sewers."
"Please save us from that man."
"Shut up, you pathetic things."
Their whining was nothing but noise irritating her headache as she pondered how to escape this place.
—!
A scream echoed through the window.
It was the simultaneous scream of two beings with identical voices. Amid the screams, she also heard a human humming a tune.
"Mommy's home."
Jeongchan, who had erased himself from the family photo to escape, had gone back in and erased all the mothers inside, dragging them out.
"No, wait—there's one more mom. Wonder if she's waking up yet?"
Thud, thud—
Footsteps grew louder.
Beyond the window, she saw a confinement room decorated like a princess's bedroom. Inside, a mannequin with hair bleached completely white was visible. The mannequin mouthed silently.
Welcome. To the Containment Facility.
And mocked her.
Try getting caught yourself.
Though confined now, she had once ruled the sewers with hundreds under her command.
She couldn't tolerate the insult of being mocked.
How dare you mock me, the ruler of the sewers?
She wanted to scream it out, but the human appeared.
"Hi there?"
The nightmarish memory froze her solid.
Before she knew it, the mannequin beyond the window had gone blank-faced and hidden itself, as if stunned.
"How's the environment here? Gotta be a far cry from the sewers—uncomfortable, right? I'll switch it up for you soon."
Could you even call that human?
The anomaly peered beyond the surface.
It wasn't just fiddling with the appearances of those Response Agency agents who came like her—messing with their outer shells.
The human before her had souls ripped from various anomalies plastered all over him.
The sight was utterly horrifying.
Her body trembled, but she barely held her voice steady.
"I am the ruler of the sewers. Send me back, and I can give you greater rewards."
Lick.
At the chilling sensation, the anomaly widened its eyes to see the human bleeding from every orifice on his body—yet smiling.
"I only need you, okay?"
It was a clear refusal.
The human gazed at the empty air near her and muttered something incomprehensible.
"No anomaly name, no weaknesses, no prior containment records. Looks like we've got a lot to learn about you."
"What are you even saying?!"
"Don't worry about it. Just means I gotta figure you out with my own power. Romantic, huh?"
Jeongchan beamed brightly at the anomaly before him.
"Come here, baby?"
The anomaly 'Diver Mother' has been completely subdued.
Mother's Husk
Mental barrier becomes thicker. Conceals your inner self from higher-grade beings.
*
I went to check it out since those sewer bastards all got wiped. But the whole sewer's fucked.
(Photo of empty sewer)
(Photos of wrecked divers)
No divers means I'm starving too. Those bastards are tougher than they look when they clump up.
Already tons of residents. Super comfy—your bodies'll melt right in. Oh, and that special VIP from the sewers moved here too.
(Photo of Diver Mother with lifeless eyes)
Looks happy, right? Hit me up. I'll protect ya.
Girls: Move in immediately^^
Guys: Interview first.
Mary's Broadcast has lifted the ban.
The reaction's worse than expected.
Survival in the wild vs. comfy lifelong lockdown—anyone'd pick the latter, right?
What's the issue?
The Containment Facility lacked entertainment. From the moment they were confined, no gallery access—double the boredom.
No wonder they weren't eating well, losing their spark despite daily care.
They're not as tough as Mary.
Next anomaly should fill that gap—something with entertainment value.
Checking missions: Dating shows, quiz shows, documentaries—tons of anomalous TV programs.
Grab a bunch from there, and the anomalies' mental health should improve.
All anomalies so far surrendered willingly under my love.
The sewer ruler had zero info, so it was tricky—but time paid off.
Bigger reward too. Not like the 1-coin others.
Exactly 20 coins on the dot.
Still not used to the visuals myself. Even approaching makes bloody tears flow.
Weak mental barrier's the cause—better care, and it'll normalize soon.
Body's the real issue though.
Like turning into a donut last time—to steal moms from Diver Father types, need more strength.
For that exact purpose.
Apparently builds a dantian or whatever in your body to store energy. More energy, tougher body.
Everyone agreed: Basic, so buy the best.
Wrong internal art could erase my love for anomalies?
Chilling just thinking about it.
Skip Doll Bloodsucker as usual.
Skip Hospital Director too.
Looks solid.
Pricey though—all my savings.
Hunyuan Gong purchased.
Now applying.
My head itched.
"Mix and merge all things, and it becomes one.
One universe, Hunyuan.
Split and divide all things, and the end is the same.
That too is Hunyuan.
Merge or split, all is equal—no need to distinguish.
Hunyuan alone."
⟨ Hunyuan Gong Oral Formula ⟩
The formula etched into my mind, and my lower abdomen tingled right in the center.
Is this kidney stones?
Explanation: Dantian's an energy storage spot.
No pain like with Direct Gaze, no change felt—weird.
This legit?
Learned internal arts and qi control live from Containment Gallery ghosts.
Learned to gather qi too.
Taking 'em out for walks.
But they all attacked like they planned it—suppressed the lot. Still got some aggression left.
Only Mary's truly chill.
Gonna smooch her later.
Mastered qi handling too.
Hoo—
Exhaling, inhaling again, I sucked in the qi of my precious anomalies overflowing with energy via Breathing Technique. The absorbed qi gathered in my dantian.
Finally settling down a bit.
Much more refined than physical training before.
Time to get to work.
Time to move for Containment Facility anomaly mental health.