When Wen Wen opened his eyes again, he found himself inside the Calamity Containment Facility.
Seeing this place through his consciousness and physically being here were entirely different experiences. A sense of solemnity, gravity, and oppression permeated the entire space.
A thick layer of dust covered the ground, indicating that no one had been here for a long time.
"Where is this place? Let me out!"
The female vampire's voice came from nearby. Wen Wen turned his head and saw her locked inside a five-meter-square metal cage with the identifier "Calamity-0001."
"This is a place you'll never escape from," Wen Wen said with a smile, ignoring the vampire's endless curses. He didn't linger there and walked deeper into the facility, remembering that voice telling him to collect something from the central area.
Wen Wen wasn't particularly interested in those items; what he cared about more was understanding what this Calamity Containment Facility really was and why he had been chosen.
Without getting to the bottom of these mysteries, he couldn't sleep peacefully. The reason he had risked hunting a vampire was to uncover the truth.
The first layer of this facility, known as the Calamity Zone, was vast. Everywhere he looked, there were various cells and some devices he didn't recognize.
Before long, he reached the center of the Calamity Zone and saw the so-called Central Command.
The command area was blocked by a massive metal door. When Wen Wen had wandered here in his consciousness, he hadn't entered this central area.
As Wen Wen approached the door, it opened automatically. Inside, he found a huge circular space.
Directly facing him was a silver-white sphere made up of countless small round metal particles.
"Wow... This must be the central command. This doesn't look like Federation technology at all," Wen Wen exclaimed, his mouth agape at the sight of those constantly moving metal particles. He had never seen anything like it outside of a sci-fi movie.
"Welcome to the Calamity Containment Facility, Mr. Wen Wen, the 72,580th Calamity Containment Officer," the metal particles transformed into a figure resembling a man in a suit, bowing to Wen Wen as it spoke.
"Amazing, it can even talk. Can you tell me what exactly this Calamity Containment Facility is?" Wen Wen raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Detect threats, control threats, contain threats, reduce disasters, imprison supernatural entities that pose a danger to the world, and maintain the balance between the outer and inner worlds. These are the primary tasks of the Calamity Containment Facility," the metal figure replied honestly.
"I ask, and you just answer?" Wen Wen narrowed his eyes, thinking he would have to rely on subtle questioning to extract information from this guy.
"This information is within the access level of a Calamity Containment Officer," the metal figure explained.
"In that case, tell me whatever you can. I've suddenly become a Calamity Containment Officer, and I don't know anything," Wen Wen said, sitting down in a clean spot as he began to ask the metal figure about his doubts.
…
About an hour later, Wen Wen stood up, having learned almost everything he needed to know.
The metal figure wasn't a living creature; it was the facility's central management system, so their conversation had been more like searching for information on a computer.
Many of the things Wen Wen wanted to know were inaccessible due to his insufficient clearance level, like why he suddenly connected to this space—he still didn't know.
However, he had gained some insights. As the metal figure had stated, this was a place designed to combat supernatural entities.
For unknown years, this space had completely ceased operation until Wen Wen captured a vampire, prompting it to resume functioning.
Calamity Containment Officers were the most basic employees of the facility, primarily responsible for capturing and dealing with supernatural entities roaming the world.
If the facility were still functioning normally, Wen Wen would be just another low-level employee constantly battling danger. But now, he was the highest-ranking human in the entire facility.
After understanding the situation, Wen Wen received a briefcase from the metal figure. Inside was a badge and a complete set of black trench coat gear—this was the entire equipment set for a Calamity Containment Officer.
The material of the black trench coat was unusual, at least something Wen Wen hadn't seen on the market, and it probably could be sold for a good sum.
As for the badge, it was a silver pentagram-shaped metal piece about the size of an egg, with a thin silver chain, clearly meant to be worn around the neck.
"A black trench coat... and this badge... combined with my gloves, it all seems pretty edgy," Wen Wen muttered to himself.
"You have received your equipment. Please do your best to capture more monsters and restore the Calamity Containment Facility to its former glory," the metal figure said to Wen Wen.
"That depends on whether I feel like it," Wen Wen replied, waving off the metal figure as he began wandering around the central area. Behind him, the metal figure's expression showed a hint of disappointment.
This place was like a small city. The rooms here once housed people, but now they were just empty buildings, giving Wen Wen a sense of desolation.
As he walked further, he came upon a spectacular sight—a massive graveyard filled with tombstones.
This was the Calamity Containment Officers' cemetery!
Each tombstone recorded the accomplishments of a Containment Officer.
Danxia Zi: Captured 27 monsters, contained 48 dangerous items, saved over 100 people...
William Allen: Captured 74 monsters, contained 25 dangerous items, spared Graystone Town from destruction...
…
Whenever Wen Wen focused on a tombstone, flashes of the owner's life story would automatically appear in his mind.
These flashes seemed to tell touching stories, filled with a tragic heroism that moved Wen Wen's heart.
The thousands of tombstones standing before him represented thousands of people who had sacrificed themselves to save others.
Even someone as cold as Wen Wen couldn't remain indifferent in this moment.
"Is this environment affecting my state of mind... But it's okay, this place is worth my respect."
Wen Wen sighed softly, feeling a wave of emotion.
It was like hearing about a firefighter's death on the news; a sensitive person might feel sad for a moment, while a more indifferent person would only see it as just another story. But if one were to actually stand at the funeral, even the coldest heart couldn't help but be moved.
The thousands of tombstones here created a tangible atmosphere of extreme, almost supernatural solemnity and heroism. Just standing among them, one would be affected, and Wen Wen was no exception.
He walked step by step until he reached the innermost part, where he saw a rather simple tombstone with no flashes of memory. In front of the tombstone was an empty coffin covered in dust.
There was no body because no one had collected it.
The words on the tombstone stirred Wen Wen slightly.
It read:
"This is my tombstone!
My name is Jing Du, and I am the last Containment Officer. I am now seventy-eight years old, and my last old partner died seventeen years ago...
To this day, I have captured 124 monsters, contained 54 dangerous items...
I can feel my life slipping away; my days are numbered. No one is left to erect a tombstone for me, so I'm doing it myself.
Facing monsters and danger, I was never afraid.
But when I was the only one left, I truly felt fear.
I don't want to be the last one…"
After reading it, Wen Wen sighed. Since you don't want to be the last one, let me help you fulfill that wish—it's a small favor.
Wen Wen despised being out of control and was reluctant to be tied to this Calamity Containment Facility, but he couldn't bring himself to loathe it after reading the words on this tombstone.
He first bowed to the tombstone, then found a piece of wood, placed it beside the tombstone, and wrote his own name on it.
"At least now, you're not the last one anymore."
...