I created the Bureau of Anomaly Control

After acquiring the three additional pieces of anomalous equipment, Mann devoted all his energy to adapting to and training with the entire set of Federal gear. He aimed to master it completely in less than a month, ensuring he could skillfully apply it in combat.

And so, time slowly slipped away in training.

Knock, knock, knock.

With a few knocks on the door, Mann, resting in the room arranged by the Federation, heard Shadow's voice again.

"It's time," Shadow said from outside the door.

Mann stood up and opened the door.

Shadow was standing behind the door, but behind him was not the corridor Mann had become somewhat familiar with, but a vast plain shrouded in deep darkness. Only a faint light from an unknown source allowed the outline of this world to be barely discernible to the naked eye.

"Although you can also teleport, for safety reasons," Shadow explained to him, "the Federation still believes it's best for me to escort you to your destination. We have to guard against any insidious tricks the opponent might use, such as assassination or stalling the duelists.

"Come with me."

Mann stepped onto the ground of the plain. At first glance, the object under his feet was no different from ordinary mud, but after standing on it, he felt a kind of stickiness that didn't belong to normal ground.

"Is this also your ability?" he asked curiously.

Shadow smiled and said:

"What else could it be? Why do you look so surprised? I am the Director of the Federal Investigation Department, isn't it normal to know some abilities besides basic telepathy? Besides, to me, the mind and matter are not two separate things.

"In fact, they are originally intertwined, but most creatures can only perceive them separately."

Mann said:

"So, are we going to walk forward?"

Shadow said with a smile:

"Why don't you look back?"

Mann turned his head and glanced behind him, and then found that the door he had just walked out of had become incredibly distant. It was just because this world was too empty that he didn't realize he was "moving forward."

"Our destination is not a place that can be reached simply by walking," Shadow said. "I will take you there directly. Have you made all the preparations?"

"I've done my best," Mann shrugged and said. "The rest is beyond my control. After all, I'm just someone you temporarily found because you lacked manpower. You'd better not have too high expectations of me."

Shadow nodded:

"I think so too, but I can hardly guarantee that other Federal politicians think the same way. After the Sun God decided to deal with us, the outcome of this duel became unpredictable. They will definitely pay attention to you.

"And they are all laymen who don't understand how complicated combat at this level is. They will only judge you based on your performance in this match. If you lose, they will definitely think you are inferior to Ivanae, and won't think you just had bad luck.

"But you don't plan to stay in the Federation, so it doesn't really matter to you.

"At most, it will affect your final reward, but because of the inherent difficulty of this job, you won't really get much less. As long as I spend some time negotiating, we only need to give up the least valuable part.

"If I really have to say it, some of them might doubt my judgment, but in fact, politicians with brains will realize that you are already our best choice, and won't be too harsh on me.

"Actually, the only reason this matter will affect you and me is not because they can really see anything, but because this battle itself is too important to the Federation, which will amplify all their joys and sorrows.

"That's why, if they say something unpleasant when you unfortunately lose, I hope you won't take it to heart. They are not telepaths like us, who have had a deep understanding of their own thoughts and emotions since childhood."

Mann nodded:

"Of course, if I really cared about these things, I wouldn't have come to the Federation to cooperate with you."

Shadow nodded in agreement:

"Indeed, turning to the Federation as a former Savior Alliance member is not a good reputation. Your former colleagues may understand, but I believe there will definitely be many people who have heard this news who will imagine you as a traitor in their chats, of course…"

"Those people won't have the opportunity to appear in front of you, and those politicians' views of you are actually not important to us."

Mann showed a curious expression:

"Since you think so, why do you still work for the Federation?"

Shadow said:

"Because the Federation pays the most. Of course, I'm not talking about the usual sense of transaction. The Federation has special recruitment measures for Tier V ability users like us. For free Tier V ability users who meet certain conditions, joining it is probably the best among all forces.

"Although after joining the Federation, I can no longer freely enter and exit the brains of those politicians, nor can I secretly do anything that could truly harm the Federation's survival, but I didn't want to do these things anyway, and the benefits they give are very generous even for Tier V ability users.

"You've seen some of their foundations this time, right? But I can guarantee that the things you've seen can't even be considered the best among the Tier IV anomalous equipment they possess. The Federation will never expose those things to others for this battle.

"And in fact, the Federation's conditions for us are also very lenient. As long as we don't threaten humans or their rule, we are basically free. Shenxiao is actually a special case among us. She was cultivated by the Federation from a young age, and her relatives are all Federal politicians.

"In the Federation's eyes, she belongs to them, and I am just a tool used to rule the world."

Just as Mann wanted to ask something else, subtle changes suddenly appeared in the surrounding environment. He turned his head to look at the faint ripples in the dark world, trying to see clearly what it was.

Several faint blue lights, like distant fireflies, lit up in the direction he was looking at, and then Mann saw clearly what had appeared—it was Alice and another Shadow.

And the faint blue light came from Alice, who was waving to Mann with a cheerful expression.

And although Mann and Alice on the opposite side were both standing still, the blue light was approaching him at a speed that could be clearly perceived. After about half a minute, they approached to within only five meters.

But when they got here, Mann and Alice remained relatively still, which meant they were moving forward in parallel in this world at the same speed.

"Mann, why haven't you come to play with me these days?" The girl looked a little excited, as if she and Mann were going to some amusement park to have fun, instead of participating in an important duel that would affect countless people.

Mann replied:

"I've been preparing for this duel recently."

She nodded with empathy:

"I've also been training hard these days. Then you must come find me after you kill them. It would be even better if you could call Sister Shenxiao over too."

Mann nodded:

"Okay, I'll remember."

Shadow interjected:

"Don't pay too much attention to what she says. In fact, there's no harm in ignoring her, because in her world, no matter what you do, you will respond to her expectations in some way that is difficult for you to understand.

"And whether she forms a conversation in reality is just the power of reality distortion correcting the misalignment."

Mann looked at Shadow and said:

"So, we are going to participate in the battle together. How are you arranging the time and order?"

As he turned his head, Alice instantly turned around and started talking to the Shadow beside her, but the Shadow standing beside her didn't seem to answer, and she just continued to "talk to herself."

The Shadow beside Mann said:

"We will hold the duel on the coast of the Southern Federation. Although the area for you to fight is very wide, there are no obstacles or cover to block you and Ivanae, so you can basically only fight head-on.

"And you and Alice will fight in the same place. We will all watch and supervise. You will take turns to fight.

"As for Li Hu and the Sun God, they will fight in a location that cannot affect you. Their battle will be watched from afar by a few Tier V ability users to ensure they have enough space to use their abilities. You don't have to worry about them.

"As for who goes first, the Federation is considering letting Alice go first, because we don't want her to be exposed to the outside world for too long. After you go on stage, she will be immediately protected, and if there is anything unusual, I will escort her away as soon as possible.

"Actually, there are no other real rules. You just start fighting when we say it's time, and then go on stage."

While speaking, Shadow also raised his head and looked forward. Mann also looked in the direction he was looking.

Whoosh!

As if they were sitting on a train rushing out of a dark tunnel, the surrounding darkness almost completely receded behind them in an instant, and bright and dazzling sunlight immediately shone on them, and the harmonious sea breeze also blew across Mann's face.

The azure coastline appeared in front of them.

Alice's figure also suddenly appeared beside him, and people continued to appear near them one after another, but most of the others appeared several at a time, and there were also a few familiar faces to Mann.

Kang Shouxing, Tang Xueluan, Wang Yang, and the ability users and Federal politicians beside them.

And on the opposite side of where they appeared, there were also some unfamiliar figures that Mann didn't recognize at all, but he had seen their previous photos in the Federation's database, such as the two men and women standing very close to each other.

"He actually came in person?" Shadow murmured, narrowing his eyes slightly. "It seems that it may not be a rumor."

Mann asked doubtfully:

"Shouldn't he have come?"

Shadow said to him telepathically:

"Raphael was only supposed to send a projection, but I didn't expect him to stop what he was doing and come here.

"Mann, now you have to be careful no matter what. Raphael has one of the most volatile tempers among us. If you really almost kill Ivanae, he will definitely get angry on the spot.

"I can escort you away, but no matter what, he will hold a grudge against us and you. He came here to specifically show his attitude, to warn us not to have any ulterior motives towards Ivanae, but if that's the case…"

The internal conflicts within the Church seemed to be more serious than he knew.

Just as the two sides were about to greet each other, a rumbling thunder came from behind Mann and the others.

When he turned around, he saw an unprecedented and wondrous sight. The city far away on the coastline was completely submerged and devoured by endless dark black cumulonimbus clouds, and this pitch-black cumulonimbus cloud was clearly "stopped" behind them.

Bright sunshine and pitch-black rainstorms divided the world in two.

And almost as soon as they appeared, the black clouds covering the entire city began to advance and spread towards the coast at an unreasonable speed. The churning black clouds opened their bloody mouths like monsters about to swallow the scorching sun.

And the originally mild sunlight instantly became dazzling. They could see the scene on the distant sea surface becoming distorted, and the originally gentle sea breeze instantly turned into a hot storm.

The most amazing thing was that the sun above the ocean was slowly turning dark red, and strange black lines spread out from within, forming a bizarre and solemn pattern on the entire surface of the scorching star.

Then the sea surface in the distance rose up like it was boiling, and it seemed that everything in their eyes was slowly melting like a candle, as if it was experiencing a terrifying high-temperature burn.

But perhaps because the dark clouds had passed over them, or because there were ability users around protecting them, in any case, they, who were already in the "shade", didn't feel anything, as if the boiling ocean in the distance was just an illusion.

And the huge monster formed by the pitch-black clouds was still baring its fangs and claws, eroding the territory that the sunlight could cover.

Shadow withdrew his gaze and patted Mann on the shoulder:

"The battle between them is not something you can interfere with. Let's focus our attention on the matter in front of us."

While they were observing this bizarre scene, Kang Shouxing had already walked to the opposite side and was intensely communicating with some of them about the specific details of the battle. Not long after, a young man who looked only in his twenties walked out.

But this was not any of the contestants in Mann's memory.

Shadow reminded:

"Not long ago, the ability user selected by Atlantis died in some inexplicable accident, so they had to replace him with a substitute. This is quite lucky for us."

Mann certainly understood what he meant.

He asked:

"So, we are going to send Alice?"

Shadow nodded.

Then Mann heard the Shadow beside Alice say to her in a low voice:

"Okay, go play with your brother."