Catastrophe Containment Facility

"Gray Mist Layer? Inner World?" Wen Wen smacked his lips, hearing these two terms for the first time.

"Yes, the Gray Mist Layer and the Inner World," Lin Zheyuan nodded in confirmation.

"Beyond the real world, there exists another world overlapping with it, known as the 'Inner World.' The Inner World is very close to the real world, and the boundaries are quite blurred.

Neither superpower users nor creatures of the Inner World can directly reach the opposite world, no matter how powerful they are.

However, there is a merging zone between the real world and the 'Inner World' called the 'Gray Mist Layer,' which exists simultaneously in both worlds. Creatures of the Inner World and some superpower users can manifest themselves in the Gray Mist Layer."

"That shadow!" Wen Wen clapped his hands in revelation.

"That's right, the shadow. When a superpower user clearly sees another's shadow, their gaze forms a passageway that spans space within the Gray Mist Layer, and the life forms of the Inner World can use this channel to descend into the real world."

"So, keep your eyes in check, and don't carelessly look at things you shouldn't."

Wen Wen's expression sagged a bit. He enjoyed thrills, but he was also rational; too much excitement wasn't good either.

"So, this world is so dangerous... If I'm unlucky and see a big monster boss."

"Then you're really overthinking it," Lin Lu huffed lightly. "You can't clearly see monsters much stronger than you. The more powerful the monster, the more stringent the conditions need to be for it to come into reality."

Wen Wen's eyes lit up. He couldn't summon monsters that were too strong?

So could he set up traps in the future and then lure monsters into them to catch them?

He envisioned a bright future where he captured a monster every day, gaining more and more privileges at the Catastrophe Containment Facility.

"But even if you can't summon very powerful monsters, you need to control your sight in the Gray Mist Layer. Some beings, although you can't see them clearly, your attempt to do so can completely destroy you!"

Seeing Wen Wen's eyes gleam, Lin Lu added.

Wen Wen sighed, reining in his unreliable thoughts. Could he die just by taking a look? The monsters of the Inner World were indeed terrifying.

"Alright, Lin Lu, stop scaring him. He'll come to understand these things in time. Let's head back and rest," Captain Lin said.

During their conversation, they had already brought Wen Wen to the door of the accounting room of the mental hospital.

Upon opening the door, there was a young man with male pattern baldness seated inside. Yes, a young man...

Around the young man were computers, printers, and many other enigmatic machines. On the desk was a thermos cup with goji berries in it.

"He is Ding Mingguang, the coordinator of the Furong River Hunters Association. Discuss the next steps with him. Remember, whatever decision you make, don't think about backing out," Lin Zheyuan said as he left the room.

"Hello, I was brought here by Lin Zheyuan..."

"I've heard from Captain Lin. Freelance Detective Wen Wen, right? You are now in the database of the Hunters Association. I've printed out your ID. As long as you don't break any superpower user agreements, the Hunters Association will not trouble you," Ding Mingguang interrupted, handing Wen Wen two booklets: one was his identity documentation, and the other was the superpower user agreement with several requirements for superpower users written on it.

"How did you get so much information about me?" Wen Wen flipped through the identity documents in astonishment, all the various details on them filled in without error, even including a photo, and he had only just been brought in by Lin Zheyuan.

"It was not difficult to obtain. Also, some things that superpower users should know are written at the back of the agreement. Take a look at those first, and then we'll proceed with the rest."

Ding Mingguang leaned back and picked up his cup to take a sip, while the monitor in front of him automatically started playing an anime from the Sakura District, which seemed to be related to orthopedics.

"Mysterious and strange, odd and bizarre."

Wen Wen muttered, flipping through the superpower user agreement.

The superpower user agreement was essentially the set of rules informally agreed upon by all superpower users.

Rule number one: superpower users must not use their powers for evil deeds

Rule number two: they must not deliberately reveal their superpowers in front of ordinary people

Rule number three: intentional communication with the Inner World is not allowed

...

After reading it, Wen Wen rubbed his forehead. Besides gaining more understanding of matters related to superpower users, his awareness of the Inner and Outer Worlds increased.

The Inner World was a realm filled with distortion and despair, where every creature was a bloodthirsty demon monster, none of them normal.

When people in the real world died, their souls would enter the Inner World. When something happened in the real world, or for some other reason, souls would return from the Inner World to the real world, becoming what folk tales referred to as ghosts.

This was also the easiest existence to enter the real world from the Inner World, because ghosts were so weak that they almost couldn't affect reality.

For other monsters to enter the real world, it was much more difficult. The specifics weren't mentioned; the text merely advised superpower users to watch their own eyes.

Whether it was ghosts or other types of monsters, after their first entry into the real world, they would all go through a period of Assimilation.

The duration varied, but during this time, they could not interfere with reality and could only reach out to superpower users, meaning they couldn't affect ordinary people, and ordinary people couldn't detect them.

However, ordinary people with strong Inspiration could sense their presence and were more likely to be targeted by monsters.

The Hunters Association would try to eliminate the monsters during this period, but achieving that completely was actually quite difficult.

Seeing Wen Wen put down the booklet, Ding Mingguang paused the anime and continued, "Finished reading? Then talk about your plans for the future. You have a few options before you."

"First, if you enjoy hunting monsters, you could join the Hunters Association. You'd train at the headquarters to improve your strength, and you'd also enjoy many conveniences from the Association."

"Second, you don't join the Hunters Association and keep things as they are, but you must not actively engage in supernatural events, to avoid interfering with us."

Undergoing training as a superpower user and enjoying the conveniences of the Hunters Association were very tempting to Wen Wen.

But he knew very well that his Catastrophe Containment Facility was not something to be revealed, and if people saw him "eating" monsters, they'd certainly treat him as a threat.

However, not joining the Association would mean he couldn't hunt monsters, effectively stalling the development of the Catastrophe Containment Facility. From how easily Lin Zheyuan had found him, Wen Wen knew that hunting monsters behind the Hunters Association's back was not really feasible.

"What if I want to hunt monsters... but don't want to be bound by the Association?" Wen Wen asked tentatively.

"Then you can choose to be a freelance hunter. We won't train you, but we can give you the qualifications to hunt monsters. You can also exchange the monsters you catch for some resources with us. However, in this case, you have to report to the Association every time you complete a hunt," Ding Mingguang said without looking up, indicating that Wen Wen's choice was not uncommon among superpower users.

"Alright, I'll choose to be a freelance hunter."