Chapter 23: Serendipitous Trait

Chapter 23: Serendipitous Trait

Bai Ge needed to confirm one thing: whether the anomalous trait was implanted directly into his body or into an inanimate object, like the Haunted Sword.

This was crucial. It would determine whether Bai Ge could utilize the Shadow Man containment anomaly.

If the trait was implanted in a human, well, he could just let the state authorities deal with that headache.

Bai Ge was currently low on energy and couldn’t possibly “handle” a living person.

But if the trait was implanted in an object, things were much simpler. He would just force it to revert and take the item away.

“Implant a trait in my phone to directly revert the target to human form? That’s too vague and open-ended; the energy cost would be astronomical.”

“Hmm… I must drastically reduce the consumption.”

“Got it… Ling Dang, help me refine the details.”

His consciousness sank into the Brain Hole. Within the Material Universe floated Bai Ge’s phone.

The so-called Material Universe was one he had created specifically to store real-world matter.

It contained vast amounts of air, soil, stone, iron, wood, glass, plastic, rubber, and other materials.

Simply put, it was a warehouse.

If some powerful entity from a Brain Hole Universe could breach this universe, it would find a colossal treasure trove.

Even a single grain of sand within it would be a priceless relic!

Any handful of matter from reality would be far more potent than the mightiest artifacts of the Brain Hole World.

Of course, to Earthlings, these would just be ordinary materials.

If it weren’t for the “grasping” requirement to send matter in, he would have gladly moved a whole mountain inside.

The criterion for grasping depended on Bai Ge’s own physical ability.

If he himself couldn’t move an object, there was no hope of the Brain Hole pulling it in.

“A single manifestation, regardless of how many traits it contains, creates only one containment anomaly… That’s it!”

“First trait: When my phone’s smart assistant answers one of my questions, its answer must be objectively correct. This isn’t about it forcing a correct answer; it’s that it randomly gives the name of something that just happens to answer my question precisely.”

“Second trait: Grant this phone a serendipitous ‘coincidental dialing’ trait…”

“When I press the dial button, it will randomly call a number, and the owner of that number will coincidentally be the person I am trying to contact.”

“This isn’t an unrealistic trait; it’s merely a single coincidental occurrence in the vast scheme of things.”

Bai Ge saw this as a perfect test to see if coincidence was sufficiently rooted in reality.

Failure wouldn’t cost him anything anyway.

Randomly dialing a number enough times would eventually yield the number of the person you wanted to find.

That was the brute-force method.

Bai Ge’s trait simply made that “coincidental” success happen on the very first attempt.

This was possible in reality and wouldn’t consume too much energy.

The first trait worked on a similar principle. By randomly naming any object, all Bai Ge needed to ask his phone was ‘What thing causes the transformation into an undead shadow?’

What the answer was didn’t matter, as long as it wasn’t “Human.” Any other answer would mean the power relied on an external object.

Both traits were essentially exploiting coincidence in their own way.

“It worked once!”

“But the consumption is still significant! Though turning a possibility into an absolute certainty makes it acceptable.”

When he took the phone out, Bai Ge felt nearly all his stored electrical energy drain away. He had topped up at home before leaving today, holding thousands of kilowatt-hours of reserve.

“Was it because of absoluteness?”

Upon reflection, forcing the possible coincidence to absolutely work on the very first try did involve utilizing absoluteness.

And most of the energy cost likely stemmed from the first question, especially since he had specifically mandated “objectively correct.”

In comparison, randomly dialing a number was “cheaper.”

“This time it’s not a temporary trait, but a single-use one.”

“The phone was granted one instance of serendipitous coincidence and one question opportunity. There’s no time limit; I can use this opportunity at any time. If I don’t use it, the chance remains.”

“If the answer to my first question isn’t satisfactory, I can save the second trait for later use.”

Bai Ge smiled. This success made his thoughts even more active, sparking plenty of new ideas.

Beyond reducing consumption by limiting the duration of existence, there were also count-based traits like this.

…

“Smart Assistant, tell me: What object caused him to transform like this?”

The exact wording of the question didn’t matter because the assistant had no intelligence; it didn’t need to understand the vague query. The judgment belonged entirely to Bai Ge. The assistant would seemingly “malfunction” and give an answer that just “happened” to be objectively correct.

“Bow Tie,” the assistant answered.

“I know…”

Bai Ge turned and smiled towards the Shadow Man.

“Beep beep beep beep…”

Not saving the second trait for later, Bai Ge used the opportunity immediately.

He pressed the dial button, and the phone automatically called a number.

Inside, Bai Ge was intensely focusing on the Shadow Man. If the Shadow Man had a phone, this call would go to it!

Did the Shadow Man have one? It was obvious; just the day before yesterday, he’d been an ordinary person!

Who in society doesn’t own a cell phone?

The call connected… but no one picked up. Clearly, the Shadow Man hadn’t brought his phone.

Bai Ge hadn’t expected an answer anyway. He only wanted the number.

“With the number in hand, finding your identity is simple, right?”

Bai Ge was a professional at this sort of thing; it was no challenge for him. He didn’t need to lean on connections or hack into any systems.

His method was straightforward: Bai Ge opened his Alipay app and sent one Chinese Yuan to the number.

If that number was linked to an Alipay account, the recipient’s name would be displayed.

Using a similar technique, he found the person’s WeChat account as well, which even showed their hometown.

“Tsk tsk… profile picture and albums have actual photos…”

While Bai Ge was tinkering with his phone, the botanical garden researchers had concluded their test.

Following orders, they prepared to seal the Shadow Man inside a heavily reinforced, nearly airtight shipping container lined with thick steel plates. It was being transported to the capital overnight, just like the Haunted Sword.

The Shadow Man remained silent, obviously still holding out, relying on his invulnerability to see how things played out step by step.

Given the circumstances – it was past midnight – outsiders were no longer welcome on the premises. The researchers requested Luo Wendi and Bai Ge leave. In fact, had Bai Ge not been so helpful, he shouldn’t have been allowed to observe the testing at all.

“Bai Ge, it’s time we left,” Luo Wendi said.

Bai Ge shook his head and suddenly declared, “Wait. Actually, I know who he is.”

“What?!”

Everyone stared at Bai Ge, including the Shadow Man, who glared at him.

The Shadow Man revealed his snow-white teeth and laughed, “Heh, your little schemes can only do so much. I surrender! But I look like this now—even my own mother wouldn’t recognize me! What do you know, huh?”

Anyone who had seen Conan knew the purpose behind the Shadow-kun trope: to conceal one’s identity.

Pitch-black all over, teeth sparkling bright white, not a single hair on his head, and no clothes visible—as if naked.

With this appearance, it was truly impossible for even my own mother doesn’t recognize me!”

Anyone who had watched Conan knew the purpose of the Shadow-kun design—it was to conceal one’s identity.

He was entirely pure black, with teeth that were bright white and shiny, no hair on his head at all, and his clothes didn’t show, as if he were naked.

With that appearance, even his real mother wouldn’t recognize him!

Everyone was puzzled—how could Bai Ge possibly know?

However, Bai Ge said, “Liang Wei, won’t you really change back and confess honestly? Or do I have to reveal it for you?”

“…” The Shadow Man stared at Bai Ge in shock; even if he wanted to keep pretending, he couldn’t hold back his expression at that moment!

“Liang Wei? What? Are you calling me?” the Shadow Man said softly.

Bai Ge said calmly, “You don’t need to act anymore. You have a mole on the left side of your nose bridge, you’re twenty-nine years old—not that young—and why dye your hair brown?”

The Shadow Man was stunned; beneath his bizarre appearance, his identity was his biggest secret.

Faced with Bai Ge’s detailed recounting, he finally broke down.

“How could you know?”

Bai Ge had spoken so clearly that the Shadow Man felt there was no point in hiding any longer.

He had concealed his identity to have a chance to escape later and avoid pursuit.

But now, his name and appearance were both revealed, he was already captured—so why keep pretending?

At the Shadow Man’s admission, everyone was astonished.

“Did he get it right?”

Faced with their shocked gazes, Bai Ge said calmly, “Of course. I know him.”

“Impossible! I don’t know you!” the Shadow Man said firmly.

Bai Ge smiled and said, “Let me introduce myself… I’m Bai Ge, a private detective. I have a photographic memory; I remember everything I see and hear.”

“I happened to see you on the street once and heard someone call you Liang Wei. It’s perfectly normal that you don’t recognize me—we were only passing strangers.”

Liang Wei, the Shadow Man, was baffled.

Then he angrily said, “Even if you recognize me, what of it? I look like this now…”

Bai Ge laughed, “But your voice hasn’t changed. The habits of your speech, the tone and rhythm—these are your characteristics, one-of-a-kind!”

In truth, Bai Ge didn’t actually know what Liang Wei’s voice sounded like, but that didn’t stop him from bluffing.

Even if the voice had changed, he could insist on something about tone or rhythm—no one could refute him anyway.

“Is that even possible? You clearly didn’t recognize me before!” Liang Wei was utterly astonished; only he knew his voice really hadn’t changed.

But in a vast sea of people, how could anyone identify a mere passerby just by their voice?

Everyone looked at Bai Ge in disbelief; Luo Wendi’s eyes glinted with intense interest.

Bai Ge said, “Indeed, even for me, that was quite difficult. I remember so many faces and voices that recalling your identity through this conversation alone took me a long time, even after thinking hard.”

“Still, I finally remembered just now, matching your voice to the memory in my mind. I wasn’t entirely sure, but since you admitted it, that means I didn’t mistake you…”

What terrifying memory was that?

Who could remember a stranger they passed by in daily life so clearly?

Just by the sound of his voice, he could search his brain and match it to the right person—was it like his mind had a computer?

After hearing Bai Ge’s explanation, Liang Wei fell into utter despair and had nothing left to say.

He felt he was too unlucky; the first time he used his ability to stir up some trouble, he encountered Bai Ge, got captured instantly, and felt unjustly wronged for no reason!

With his mindset shattered, under the Researchers’ questioning, Liang Wei confessed: “Yes, the Shadow Man is just a state of being. My name is Liang Wei. I stole the Danmu to let my Human self consume it and gain superpowers.”

“Then turn back!” Dr. Little Wang said.

Liang Wei lowered his head and replied, “No, just leave me like this. Since my identity is already exposed, what’s the point of changing back?”

Everyone exchanged astonished glances, but Bai Ge wasn’t surprised.

Clearly, Liang Wei was trying to hide the existence of the Bow Tie; once he turned back into a Human, the fact that he transformed because of an object would be exposed.

Just then, Bai Ge said, “If you don’t return to being a Human and don’t explain things thoroughly, the nation will never trust you. As the Shadow Man, you’ll be tightly restrained; using these steel plates to confine you is actually lenient…”

Liang Wei said, “You know who I am now—I have no escape left. Why wouldn’t you trust me? Let me serve the nation like this! I’ll obey all orders!”

As he spoke, Liang Wei glared at Bai Ge with extreme hatred, seething with resentment as if etched in his bones.

“At this point, you’re still avoiding the truth. Do you have another secret hidden about your ability?” Bai Ge said.

Liang Wei widened his eyes and stayed silent.

Bai Ge continued, “Presumably, as soon as you turn back into a Human, that secret will immediately be exposed, right?”

“If that’s the case, the possibilities are quite narrow. For instance… what lets you become the Shadow Man isn’t you yourself, but an external object.”

“Then, you’d be worthless to the nation, and a formal trial awaits you. When you mentioned serving the nation earlier, you clearly showed your anxiety—you’re afraid you won’t even get that chance.”

Liang Wei tried hard to control his emotions, but he was too inexperienced.

His eyes clearly exposed his panic; shattered by Bai Ge’s constant attacks, he couldn’t maintain his composure any longer.

Any observant person could tell that Liang Wei had no secrets left.

The Researchers also agreed with Bai Ge; given the precedent of haunted swords, it reminded them that an Anomalous Trait didn’t necessarily have to reside in a person.

Even if they weren’t sure before, Liang Wei’s expression now confirmed it.

All the Researchers stared at Liang Wei; their sharp gazes almost drove him mad.

“Woo-hoo… What if you know? I won’t turn back—no one can force me!” Liang Wei roared.

“Hahaha, that’s right! I’m no superhuman! What made me into this Shadow Man is a Bow Tie I bought for two hundred yuan!”

“But as long as I stay this way forever, the Bow Tie won’t show up! You can only cooperate with me…”

Bai Ge interrupted, “No. After the Bow Tie’s secret is revealed, you have no value left. Like a haunted sword, that Bow Tie with eerie effects is the key.”

“In this case, the best option is to study it after your death.”

Liang Wei laughed loudly and said, “After I’m dead? How ridiculous! Who can kill me?”

“You can,” Bai Ge replied.

Liang Wei froze, his pupils contracting.

Bai Ge said, “Even if you truly have an immortal body, there’s someone in this world who can end you—yourself. As I said earlier, having immortality without matching power is not a blessing. I have countless ways to drive you insane and make you commit suicide.”

“For example, bury you deep underground until death feels like freedom; then you’ll naturally turn back into a Human. Do you think the nation will compromise to save a monster like you?”

Liang Wei growled in fear, “You can’t do that to me! I’m a citizen! I have human rights!”

Bai Ge said, “Right now, you’re not Human! Give up. Only if you turn back into a Human will you have human rights. Your crimes aren’t serious—you can still have many opportunities. But if you cling stubbornly to the end, death is what awaits you.”

Under the barrage of such harsh words, Liang Wei realized there was no way out.

Bai Ge cleverly distorted the issue into a choice: cooperate and live, or refuse and die.

Disheartened and deflated, Liang Wei abruptly transformed back into a Human.

As expected, he had brown hair and a mole on the left side of his nose bridge.

He wore no clothes, oddly wearing only a black Bow Tie. As soon as he reverted, the secret was easy to spot.

“Containment Anomalies!” Bai Ge’s eyes burned intensely as he stared at the Bow Tie.