I created the Bureau of Anomaly Control

“You don’t seem to like this armor very much.” The Shadow said, looking at Ma En. “You don’t even seem interested in trying it on.”

Ma En replied:

“This Hell Armor is powerful, but as you said, it’s not suitable for that battle. I think you know better than I do what the Church will think when they see me wearing this. I wasn’t planning on choosing it when you suggested it.

“After all, I’m just cooperating with you, or strictly speaking, getting paid to do things. There’s no need to offend the Church for the Federation.”

The Shadow nodded:

“Then let’s try the other two armors.”

Actually, the Shadow also felt that someone like Ma En wouldn't choose the Hell Armor, so he was really curious whether Ma En would choose the armor he recommended or the one Zhao Guanwu recommended. Although he couldn’t show it, he did have some inexplicable desire to win in this matter.

After all, the one “competing” with him was Zhao Guanwu, an old man known for his extraordinary intelligence. His judgment was often regarded by the Federation as a source of information that needed to be carefully considered, which was why the Shadow wasn't very confident in the armor he recommended.

If he put aside his understanding of Ma En, then he believed that Zhao Guanwu's choice would definitely be the most accurate. So, if Ma En's choice was within his expectations, it would mean that he had a certain understanding of him.

Under his gaze, Ma En walked towards the Gula Ma Empire's magical armor.

The armor, which emitted a purple glow, disintegrated itself when he approached, and then directly put itself on him. Immediately, the ancient magical power began to penetrate under Ma En's skin, circling his bones and flesh a few times, and finally quickly integrated into his entire body.

[

Gula Ma Magic Armor Basic Function (Temporary) Ⅳ-4

Gula Ma Magic Armor Strength Enhancement (Temporary) Ⅳ-4

Gula Ma Magic Armor Speed Enhancement (Temporary) Ⅳ-4

Gula Ma Magic Armor Physique Enhancement (Not Activated) —

]

Unlike the effect of the Hell Armor, the enhancement of the Gula Ma Magic Armor itself directly affected his body. Coupled with its ability to adjust according to the user, the main function of this armor was slightly inferior to the Hell Armor, but it was much more flexible overall.

After all, moving with the armor's wings and moving with one's own body were completely different concepts. However, it wasn't easy to say which was better between these two armors, because the Hell Armor also had four souls to assist in control, which in some cases might be much better than direct control. However, in most cases, direct enhancement was definitely stronger.

Considering the side effects of the Hell Armor, this magic armor seemed to be the most perfect choice. It could push all aspects of himself except his physique to the top of the same tier, only a little bit away from the theoretical limit of Ⅳ-5 where the Divine Body was located.

Moreover, this armor came with small functions like flying. Most importantly, it had more valuable unknown functions to be explored. Although Zhao Guanwu couldn't know the specifics, Ma En did have a way to fully uncover its secrets.

Just put this armor into the SCP Foundation.

Ma En pretended to fly a few times in the air, and then tested his new physical speed and explosiveness in the training ground, before gently landing in front of the Shadow.

“Very good armor.” Ma En nodded. “With it, I might not have many enemies relying on physical combat alone. Coupled with the weapons you gave me, I’m quite confident in winning this battle.”

The Shadow reminded:

“Although I’ve already said it, I still have to tell you that she’s very dangerous. You are indeed very strong, and you even killed the Reality Warper Hong Yuan, but I want to tell you that Hong Yuan wasn’t weak either, but he met someone of similar strength to you and lost his life.

“Don’t become him.”

Ma En said calmly:

“Of course, I won’t underestimate my opponent.”

The Shadow nodded:

“Then, how about trying the Mind Enhancement Armor I chose?”

Ma En twisted his neck slightly, and the magic armor instantly disintegrated and fell off, then floated back to a position a few meters away, silently waiting for the user to summon it again.

He walked towards the last mechanical armor, and it actively opened to both sides as Ma En approached. The machinery that looked like armor revealed its entire front for the user to enter and drive.

Ma En leaned against the front of the armor with his back, and then the mechanical armor quickly closed again, tightly wrapping Ma En. Then, a few cold structures gently touched the back of his neck and his back, and then…

Ma En felt that he had become this armor. The armor's sensory equipment went directly to his head through a mental link, perfectly and harmoniously replacing and extending his own sensory system.

Just looking at the Shadow standing not far away, the distance between them immediately popped up in his mind—12.553 meters.

This was something that only the mechanical armor could understand and see. The distance between objects was accurate to the millimeter level, and the temperature and humidity of the air had become precisely perceptible numbers. Hearing and vision could be adjusted at will with thoughts and mind.

Unfortunately, for Ma En, who already possessed mental perception abilities and a powerful body, the extended senses gained from the mechanical armor wouldn't have a particularly high improvement for the upcoming battle, but it would definitely have some impact.

Then he heard a voice in his mind.

“Detecting mental ability…

“Three mental abilities have been captured and are being enhanced…”

[

Telepathy (Enhanced) Ⅳ-5

Prosopagnosia (Enhanced) Ⅲ-5

Memory Erasure (Enhanced) Ⅲ-5

]

As the Shadow said, this armor could enhance one Tier Ⅳ ability and three Tier Ⅲ abilities, but perhaps because his mental strength was already Ⅲ-5, it wasn't affected in any way.

Just as Ma En was thinking this, he suddenly felt the mental link device that was touching him vibrate slightly, and then a sense of numbness began to spread along the link to his whole body, and immediately turned into a pleasant tingling sensation.

“Detected, detected, detected…” The mechanical armor's voice sounded intermittently, “Detected…ability,………………, undergoing comprehensive inspection, detected…………, searching for…solution…………

“…………Direct…solution not found, calculating alternative solution, please be patient…………

“………………

“…Alternative solution calculated, secondary…solution can be achieved through modification and enhancement channels,………………

“After the armor completes the secondary…function, the conventional enhancement function will be permanently stopped, requires…………maintenance…

“Perform…?”

Ma En blinked.

“How about it, do you want to try the enhanced mental ability with me?” The Shadow asked, standing 12.553 meters away from him.

Then the Shadow saw the mechanical armor shake its head slightly, and then its front opened again.

Ma En walked out:

“I’ve basically decided on my choice.”

The Shadow asked curiously:

“What are you going to choose?”

Ma En didn't directly answer his question, but instead said:

“You said that I can get reasonable compensation after I complete this mission, right?”

The Shadow nodded:

“That’s right, even if you lose, we won’t treat you badly, and as long as you win, I can guarantee that your reward will be incredibly generous. If you want, you can also take this opportunity to find a good position in the Federation's internal system.

“If you are willing to join the Investigation Department, I can give you very favorable and relaxed treatment and conditions. Your starting point will be higher than that of the Yin-Yang Twins who betrayed Divine Firmament. If you are sincere and serious, I believe that you will become one of the people with the highest status under the Minister and Deputy Minister in a short time, and you won’t be as constrained as others.

“After all, you have such amazing talent, and you have made such great contributions before joining.

“At that time, you can basically walk sideways in this world. You will have the strongest organization backing you up, and you will get the best training resources. I believe that you will definitely gain the trust and recognition of the Federation in a few decades, in that case…

“Tier V won’t be so out of reach for you.”

Ma En said with a smile:

“I believe you will definitely welcome me very much, not only because of my talent, but your tolerance of me will also be the best example of showing the Federation’s tolerance, which can well promote your positive image characteristics, but I can only express my gratitude for your invitation.

“I don’t want to get too involved in these rights and wrongs anymore.”

The Shadow's promise of Tier V was just an illusory temptation. After all, not everyone who puts in resources can become Tier V, but Ma En refused for the exact opposite reason—he didn't need the Federation to invest any resources and could still be promoted to Tier V.

Even if purely considering interests, joining the Federation was not the best choice for him. After all, his method of promotion was actually very simple, but it must not be known by organizations like the Federation. Maintaining an appropriate distance from the Federation was a necessary prerequisite to ensure his safety.

The Shadow said:

“If that’s the case, we can also offer corresponding material rewards.”

Ma En nodded slightly:

“What if I said I wanted to pick a few things to take away from here?”

Kang Shouxing, who was resting on the side, suddenly showed a nervous look on his face, and then immediately stood up and walked towards them.

The Shadow paused and said:

“Many of the things here are the best and most valuable equipment in Tier Ⅳ. Even for the Federation, this is a very important resource. For example, the battle you encountered this time relied on them to determine victory, so the value of these things is very high…”

Ma En looked at him and asked:

“So?”

The Shadow said:

“First of all, some things here are more valuable than their combat power, and some have particularly sensitive backgrounds. Even if you win the victory, I’m afraid it will be easy to get them. Even if you get them, there will be a lot of trouble. Before discussing the specifics, I want to ask you…

“You don’t want the Saint Slayer Spear, do you?”

Kang Shouxing, who had already walked to their side, was also looking at Ma En nervously, seemingly worried that he would give an affirmative answer.

Ma En smiled and said:

“Of course not. If I wanted to get that spear, would I still ask you?”

They were very worried that he would establish some connection with Divine Firmament through that spear, which showed their and the Federation they represented's strong concerns about Divine Firmament, even though she was already in prison, the Federation didn't reduce its vigilance against Divine Firmament.

The Federation was still guarding against Divine Firmament's counterattack, but they never imagined that when they just got the spear, this spear, which was personally forged by her, had already completed its mission, and they couldn't imagine how he would interact with it.

The Shadow's tone was slightly relaxed:

“That’s no problem, but apart from the spear, the Gula Ma armor and the broken sword are also more valuable. If you really want the former, I can also negotiate with the Federation after you win the victory to help you get it, but that will also bring other troubles.

“After all, its true value doesn’t lie in its superficial combat power, but in the knowledge of ancient civilizations.

“If you really make a request to ask for it, some people in the Federation will definitely suspect that you have mastered Gula Ma-related information and think that you have a way to get other value from this armor, otherwise you wouldn’t have chosen to ask for it.

“As for the broken sword, we can give it to you if you insist, but you have to deal with the Church yourself.”

Ma En shook his head:

“No, what I want are the two armors besides the magic armor, and that Siren Tear.”

His purpose was naturally the Mind Enhancement Armor that had just sent out intermittent sounds. That spear was just Divine Firmament's communication tool, and now it seemed that its more important role might be to divert the Federation's attention, so that he could get the most important thing.

Although the information wasn't very complete, Ma En could vaguely sense its special situation. The plan it just mentioned was likely aimed at the impact his memory and spirit had suffered in the Viktor Liaoyang Center. Its appearance here was not a coincidence in Ma En's view.

If the Federation disagreed, he might have to consider wearing this armor and letting it be “damaged” in that battle.

No matter how important its function was, Ma En couldn't let the Federation have the opportunity to detect his problems, otherwise, they would probably immediately arrange for him to be Divine Firmament's cellmate in the newly built prison.

As for the remaining two, they were used to cover up his true intentions, and after all, the work he did was so dangerous, it was reasonable to ask for more.

As expected, after hearing Ma En's words, neither the Shadow nor Kang Shouxing thought much about it.

After all, no one could possibly think out of thin air that Ma En still had a long-standing problem, and could guess that this Mind Enhancement Armor happened to have the function of healing Ma En's problem.

Their suspicion would at most be in thinking about the connection between Ma En and the spear.

“If you can win the victory, then you can have these.” The Shadow said, “Even if you lose at that time, you can choose one of those two armors and take that tear.

“And if you can win the victory, I and those politicians who support you can also help you fight for some other benefits, but you can’t take them away before you finish the battle.”

"After all, these rewards correspond to your work, and we have no power to restrain you. In this transaction, you completely hold the initiative, so the Federation will definitely want some insurance.

"But as long as you don't want to break the contract, it doesn't seem to make any difference whether you get it sooner or later."

Ma En asked with a puzzled expression:

"Don't you trust me?"

Shadow smiled and said:

"No, of course I do. I actually really want to get these rewards for you in advance. In fact, I originally had the right to do so, but unfortunately, this kind of decision still has to go through the Federation's approval process, and recently, both you and I have been targeted by someone."

Ma En asked:

"Who?"

"Tang Jinghong," Shadow replied. "She is Shu Yun's mother, and she has been very hostile to me and the Savior Alliance recently. Actually, you've been a little implicated by me. She cares about this matter because I had some conflicts with her daughter.

"But in short, she will try to seize every opportunity to make trouble for us, so before you finish the battle, our attempt to get your reward in advance will only give her a chance to mess things up. If you want, I can try to deal with her.

"But I'm afraid the result won't be good."

After hearing this description, Ma En nodded:

"Then it doesn't matter. I'm just instinctively worried about your credibility."

Shadow returned to the main topic and asked:

"Which one are you planning to wear for the battle?"

Ma En replied:

"I choose the magic armor."

Hearing this, Shadow was a little surprised, and also a little amazed that Zhao Guan had guessed the result again:

"Why?"

Ma En replied very frankly:

"Because the remaining two are mine.

"I'm afraid of breaking them."

The word count is finally enough.