When Wen Wen opened his eyes again, he found himself in the Disaster Containment Facility.
Seeing the place with his consciousness was a completely different experience from being there in person, a solemn, austere, and oppressive atmosphere pervading the entire space.
A thick layer of dust covered the ground, indicating that no one had been here for a long time.
“What is this place! Let me out!”
The female vampire’s voice came from the side. Wen Wen turned his head and saw that she was confined in a metal cage five meters square, the cage numbered Disaster-0001.
Wen Wen smiled at the female vampire and said, “I’m not entirely sure what this place is, but you shouldn’t expect to get out of here.”
Then, ignoring the female vampire’s incessant curses and not lingering by the cell, he headed towards the interior of the containment facility. He remembered that the voice had told him to go to the central area to collect some items.
Wen Wen wasn't particularly concerned about those items; what bothered him more was what exactly this Disaster Containment Facility was, and why he had been chosen.
If he couldn’t figure these things out, he wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly. The reason he had risked so much to hunt vampires was precisely because he wanted to understand the circumstances.
The first level of this containment facility, the Disaster Zone, was vast. All that met the eye were various cells and equipment he didn’t recognize.
Soon, he reached the center of the Disaster Zone and saw what was referred to as the Disaster Zone Hub.
The hub was blocked by a massive metal door. Wen Wen hadn’t managed to enter the metal door during his consciousness-based exploration.
As Wen Wen approached the entrance, the metal door opened automatically. Upon entering, he discovered a colossal circular space. Directly facing Wen Wen was a silver-white sphere composed of countless small, circular metallic particles.
“Hiss… this must be the hub. This certainly doesn’t look like Federation technology.”
Seeing the continuously moving metallic particles, Wen Wen’s mouth fell open. Besides in science fiction movies, he had never encountered such a miraculous thing.
“Welcome to the Disaster Containment Facility, the 725,800th Disaster Containment Officer, Mr. Wen Wen.” The small metallic particle transformed into a man dressed in a suit and bowed to Wen Wen.
“Amazing, you can even speak. Can you tell me what exactly this Disaster Containment Facility is?” Wen Wen raised an eyebrow and asked in surprise.
“Discover threats, control threats, contain threats, reduce disasters, imprison supernatural entities that are harmful to the world, and maintain the balance between worlds. These are the primary missions of the Disaster Containment Facility…” the metallic man replied truthfully.
“Tsk, such a straightforward answer?” Wen Wen narrowed his eyes. He had expected to have to probe and pry to get any information out of this fellow.
“This information is within the authority of a Disaster Containment Officer,” the metallic man responded.
“In that case, tell me in detail whatever you can. I’ve inexplicably become a Disaster Containment Officer and don’t understand anything yet.”
Wen Wen found a clean spot to sit down and posed all his questions to the metallic man.
… About an hour later, Wen Wen stood up from the ground. He had learned almost everything he needed to know.
This metallic man was not a living being but the management hub of the facility. Therefore, the conversation with him was more akin to searching for data on a computer.
Much of what Wen Wen wanted to know was inaccessible due to insufficient authority. For instance, he still didn’t understand how he had suddenly gained access to this space.
However, he had gained some insights. As the metallic man had said, this was a place that existed to combat supernatural phenomena.
Many years ago, this space had completely ceased to operate. It was only after Wen Wen captured a vampire that this space began to function again.
Disaster Containment Officers were the lowest-level employees of the facility, primarily responsible for capturing supernatural entities roaming the world.
If the containment facility were operating normally, Wen Wen would be a frontline employee constantly battling dangers. But now, he was the human with the highest authority in the entire facility…
Having confirmed the situation, Wen Wen received a briefcase from the metallic man. Inside was a badge and a complete set of black trench coats – this was the entire equipment for a Disaster Containment Officer.
The material of the black trench coat was very special; at least, Wen Wen had never seen anything like it on the market. It should fetch a good price.
As for the badge, it was a silver pentagram metal piece about the size of a duck egg, with a fine silver-white metal chain. It was likely meant to be worn around the neck.
“Black trench coat… this badge… combined with my gloves, it’s quite chuunibyo,” Wen Wen quipped.
“You have collected your items. Please do your best to capture more monsters and restore the Disaster Containment Facility to its former glory as soon as possible,” the metallic man said to Wen Wen.
“That depends on whether I want to.”
Wen Wen waved goodbye to the metallic man and began to wander around the central area. Behind Wen Wen, the metallic man displayed an expression of disappointment.
This place was like a small city. The rooms must have housed people in the past, but now they were just empty buildings, which inexplicably made Wen Wen feel a sense of desolation.
As he walked, he moved beyond the buildings and witnessed a spectacular sight: a vast cemetery.
This was the graveyard of Disaster Containment Officers!
Each tombstone recorded the merits of the containment officer beneath it.
Dan Xiazi, captured 27 monsters, contained 48 dangerous items, saved over a hundred people…
William Aaron, captured 74 monsters, contained 25 dangerous items, saved the town of Grey Dust from destruction…
…
Whenever Wen Wen focused his attention on a tombstone, fleeting glimpses of the tombstone's owner's life would automatically appear in his mind.
These flashes seemed to tell touching stories, and the tragic emotions contained within them involuntarily affected Wen Wen’s heart.
The tens of thousands of tombstones standing before him represented tens of thousands of people who had sacrificed themselves to save others.
Even someone as somewhat detached as Wen Wen couldn’t remain detached at this moment.
“Has the environment here affected my state of mind…”
But it was fine; this place was worthy of his emotion.
Wen Wen sighed softly, a sense of contemplation filling his heart.
It was like facing the sacrifice of a heroic firefighter. Ordinary people might feel saddened for a while after seeing it on the news, but indifferent individuals would merely dismiss it as news.
However, if one were truly present at a funeral, even a hardened heart could not remain unmoved.
These tens of thousands of tombstones formed a tangible, almost supernatural, atmosphere of ultimate tragedy and solemnity. Anyone standing within it would be affected, and Wen Wen was no exception.
He walked step by step, and upon reaching the very back, he saw a rather rudimentary tombstone. There were no flashes of the past above this tombstone, and in front of it was an empty coffin covered in dust.
There were no remains here, because no one was there to collect his body… Sudan Fiction Network
The inscription on the tombstone moved Wen Wen slightly.
It read:
‘This is my tombstone!
My name is Jing Du, and I am the last containment officer. I am seventy-eight years old this year. My last companion passed away seventeen years ago…
To this day, I have captured 124 monsters and contained 54 dangerous items…
I can feel my life force ebbing, and my days are likely numbered. No one is here to erect a tombstone for me, so I erected one for myself.
I have never been afraid of monsters or danger.
But when I was left all alone, I became truly afraid.
I didn’t want to be the last one…’
After reading it, Wen Wen sighed softly. Since you didn’t want to be the last one, I’ll help you fulfill that wish; it’s a small matter.
Wen Wen disliked things that were beyond his control and was resistant to this Disaster Containment Facility, but upon seeing the words on the tombstone, he found he couldn’t truly hate it.
He first bowed to the tombstone and then found a piece of wood, which he inserted next to the tombstone, writing his name on it.
“At least now, you are not the last.”