Chapter 331: Chapter 331: The Fool’s Cage (25)_1
Was that just the sixth time?
Then, according to the nature of Hidden Thread, the effects of psychological parasitism should not have appeared yet.
After Su Gao finished explaining the function of the dice, Fu Qian fell into deep thought.
In this regard, the Night Watchman should not make a mistake, after all, writing the wrong instructions would trap one’s own people.
But Violetta, Margaret, Hani, Bella, and Souffle, I indeed encountered five people when I was in the consciousness cage before.
They were trapped in that chaotic cage, possibly losing themselves in a fairy tale world, never to wake up again, which seemed to align with Hidden Thread’s effect of “segmenting and twisting, removing corruption.”
...
Although their appearance did not seem at all like the product of mental distortion.
It seemed that Su Gao’s mind was fragmented by the Hidden Thread before the negative effects of psychological parasitism even had the chance to manifest.
Her obviously abnormal state confirmed this.
The situation was like an antivirus being too powerful and destroying system files.
As for why, it was still unclear at the moment; it’s unknown whether it was related to Madam Madeline or not.
Moreover, it seemed that Su Gao herself had not realized it, or she had but attributed it to the results of cognitive distortion.
Looking at Su Gao standing still like a doll, Fu Qian sighed inwardly.
“Mr. Fu, I’m really happy to have met you.”
“Even if it’s in an illusion.”
At this moment, having been silent for a while, Su Gao spoke again, her voice more ethereal.
“But I’m sorry, before I get completely lost, I still have a duty to fulfill.”
“That criminal, he injured so many innocent people, adults… children… little boys… little girls…”
“So, I can’t stay here too long.”
“But I’m really happy that when I fell into an illusion, the voice I heard was yours… Thank you!”
As she spoke, Su Gao once again raised the dice in her hand.
…She really still thinks she’s in an illusion, huh!
Fu Qian wasn’t too surprised by Su Gao’s reaction.
From the previous few encounters, I saw that this girl’s character is strong and stubborn, difficult to sway once she’s decided on something.
And now, in her determination to catch the target, she clearly locked onto Hidden Thread as the only reliable thing and did not trust anything else.
In theory, it’s simple, just let her roll again, and after seeing the result, she will naturally know this is not an illusion.
But that means another piece of her mind might well be cut off and thrown into the cage.
Given her current state, perhaps she’d forget her own last name by then.
And when her sanity is completely shattered, the process of puppetization is one hundred percent set.
“Don’t hurry.”
Thinking of this, Fu Qian took two steps forward and reached out to stop her.
“Hmm?”
“Distinguishing reality from illusion is indeed not easy.”
Facing the firm murderous intent rising in Su Gao, Fu Qian spoke unhurriedly.
“But you’ve missed one point.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Do you know what professionalism is?”
Faced with Su Gao’s question, Fu Qian snorted coldly, full of swagger.
“There’s no need to differentiate between reality and fantasy, a true action consultant, even if it’s just an illusion, can still provide professional guidance!”
…
Fu Qian’s domineering logic clearly caused some short-circuiting in Su Gao’s thoughts.
But the effect was quite evident, as she stopped moving the dice in her hand.
“A teachable moment – now tell me everything in detail, without omitting any particulars.”
Seeing this pleasing change, Fu Qian nodded his head with a smile.
…
“I understand, words are not proof, I still need to show some real skill first.”
Seeing Su Gao still not speaking, Fu Qian pointed to the palm of her hand.
“Let’s do this, I’ll ask you a question: what was the number you locked onto?”
“…I’m sorry, I can’t——”
“You can’t tell anyone, right? It’s okay because I can tell you.”
Fu Qian gestured for her to stop talking and then recalled how Souffle had operated the door when she opened it.
“6, right?”
…
Although Su Gao didn’t utter a word, Fu Qian still felt the uncontrollable astonishment in her heart.
It was indeed the same number!
“So, what was I saying just now? Don’t be nervous, relax.”
Fu Qian didn’t explain how he knew but instead gestured towards the dice in Su Gao’s hand.
“Put this away for now and answer a few of my questions.”
“Hmm.”
After a brief hesitation, it seemed that Su Gao was finally persuaded; her affirmation carried an indescribable sense of relieved resignation.
“Very good!”
Fu Qian did not skimp on his praise and pointed to the steps beside them.
“Your mission isn’t finished yet, right? Let’s walk and talk!”
“…Okay, should we go up or down?”
Su Gao looked at the world outside upside down.
“Let’s go up; the view seems better from above.”
Fu Qian followed her gaze, looking at the vast sheet of water above them.
“Hmm.”
Su Gao expressed no objections, carefully stowed her knife, and followed behind Fu Qian.
“First, tell me, what is this place?”
As they walked, Fu Qian asked casually.
“This is a Forbidden Area, with a danger level of medium,” Su Gao replied in a light tone.
It seemed that she had convinced herself that Fu Qian was a figment of her imagination; she found nothing strange about him not knowing this place.
“Based on the information we have so far, there is almost no material of value produced here, so very few people come here.”
“I’ve been tracking the target all the way here and it’s my first time, too. I didn’t expect that being here in person, it would feel much stranger than the information indicated.”
“The most direct change is that everyone who enters here receives enhancements to various degrees.”
“The target excels in transformation and mind control, and I was managing to handle him quite easily on the outside. I didn’t expect his threat to surge suddenly after entering here, forcing me to rely on Hidden Thread to keep my mind clear.”
That’s not called keeping your mind clear; that’s called being mentally tormented.
Fu Qian sighed, furrowing his brow.
“Are you saying that there’s some special force here that can amplify people’s abilities?”
“It seems to be so,” Su Gao nodded.
“Did any of the materials you saw before mention anything about that?”
“Not that, but the target definitely became stronger, and my own powers also received quite a boost, so I thought——”
“One shouldn’t rely on assumptions.”
Fu Qian waved his finger and lowered his head in thought.
Everyone?
I’m one of everyone, but I didn’t feel any enhancement at all.
This place is obviously weird!
Considering the situation from our earlier skirmish, the target Su Gao was tracking seemed to know this place extremely well, using information advantage to set traps.
And if Su Gao truly hurt herself five times, then the so-called stronger mind control also means it’s entirely her misunderstanding.
Looking at it from this angle, it appears that the enhancement has only happened to her.
So, the question arises, why?