Chapter 690: Chapter 688 – The Moment of Feasting (Part 5)_1 Chapter 690: Chapter 688 – The Moment of Feasting (Part 5)_1 “Is your name Patch?”
Upon hearing Ms. 6’s somewhat neurotic response, Dr. Cynthia naturally furrowed her brow and repeated.
“That’s not the name in your file.”
“In my file… my name isn’t Patch, is it?”
Ms. 6 subconsciously repeated, her eyes becoming increasingly bewildered.
“It told me that my name is Patch… no, I told myself…”
This symptom looks like she’s under a heavy mental influence!
Observing Ms. 6’s evidently unusual reaction, Fu Qian silently commented from the side.
Dr. Cynthia didn’t interrupt her, just listening and making notes in the file she held.
At this moment, Ms. 6 was once again scratching her head in pain, even drawing several bloody lines across her fair face.
“No matter who told you, do you still remember the name on your file?”
After making some notes, Dr. Cynthia finally stopped writing, closed the file in her hands, and tapped it.
“…I remember.”
Staring at the table for a full half minute, Ms. 6 finally spoke with difficulty.
“What is it?”
“My name is… Kuraki Rieko–”
As she spoke, Ms. 6’s tone became firmer, and her speech quickened.
“I understand now, my name is Kuraki Rieko; Patch… the voice in the testing room, it wanted me to believe my name was Patch!”
“Is that why you attacked the other test subjects?”
Dr. Cynthia asked in an indifferent tone, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her.
Attacking other test subjects…
With Dr. Cynthia’s prompt, Kuraki Rieko quickly recalled her recent actions.
“…I also find it difficult to understand my behavior at the time, as if I was mesmerized, feeling that there was danger inside, something influencing me, wanting to get out of that room.”
“And when Subject 1349 approached me, that sense of danger intensified, so I–how is he now?”
“He’s not in any life-threatening condition.”
Dr. Cynthia nodded, her feelings unreadable.
“Of course, the effects on him are far more severe than on you, because after the first test, his reaction was a bit like yours now.”
…
“So what about you?”
Ignoring Kuraki Rieko’s stunned face, Dr. Cynthia had already turned to Fu Qian.
“I’ve noticed your reactions have been very calm, with no special behavior, and you didn’t even try to hide or intervene when the other two were in conflict.”
Very professional, but seemingly not professional enough.
Facing the doctor’s second inquiry, this was Fu Qian’s immediate response.
As a researcher, Dr. Cynthia’s logic was sound, and her questioning was very astute.
But since the beginning, Fu Qian had been wondering about the intent behind putting the three of them together in the testing room.
Everything must have a motive.
Especially in a test, the most basic scientific integrity is to minimize variables as much as possible.
Even the questioning was done in front of both subjects, and she had not asked Kuraki Rieko to leave.
Could it be that this was the effect Dr. Cynthia wanted all along?
She was not only concerned about each individual’s response, but also the influence they had on each other.
Such as the conflict between Kuraki Rieko and Brother 1349, as well as Fu Qian’s detached observation.
She wanted to see how each person understood the state of the others.
From the current situation, Kuraki Rieko had been under a rather severe mental influence, almost distorting her self-recognition, and Brother 1349’s situation was bound to be worse.
In that moment, Fu Qian had an epiphany and quickly made up his mind.
He decided to play an even more extreme role.
“Calmness comes from the absence of confusion,”
he answered flatly the next moment, glancing up at Kuraki Rieko.
“I have never had any doubts about who I am.”
Oh?
Cynthia nodded noncommittally.
“So your name is–”
“Patch.”
Before she could finish her question, Fu Qian had already directly responded.
Ah~
A few seconds later, a life-questioning exclamation arose.
Kuraki Rieko covered her mouth with her hand, instinctively wanting to distance herself from Fu Qian.
Her expression and demeanor were as if a statue in a temple had suddenly bled.
“Interesting, but I have to remind you, this is quite different from the name in your file,”
Dr. Cynthia appeared calm, her hand resting on another document, her face still expressionless.
Impressive composure indeed, befitting of a high-level researcher.
Of course, this might also be related to ability.
In Fu Qian’s assessment, Dr. Cynthia was the strongest individual he had encountered so far in the mission, solidly Middle Tier, much higher than Kuraki Rieko beside her.
“That’s why I forgot them all.”
At the next moment, Fu Qian pointed at the file in her hand and scoffed again.
“I had been puzzled as to why I forgot so much after the first test ended,”
“Until just now, I finally understood.”
“It was because those were just some boring false appearances.”
“The True Self has always been deep within my mind.”
Fu Qian tapped his temple, his tone full of conviction.
“The second encounter finally enlightened me, and now I have truly awakened.”
He stretched out his arms, his movements as if he wanted to embrace the world, his voice growing deeper.
“I dream of butterflies, or the butterflies dream me… With so many obstacles, recognizing one’s True Self is truly not an easy task!”
“I think I understand what you mean, Mr. Patch,”
Facing Fu Qian’s declaration serene as meditation, Dr. Cynthia’s expression finally stiffened slightly.
However, she continued to fulfill her duty as a researcher, asking further questions.
“But if that’s the case, there’s something I’m curious about.”
“How do you interpret the reactions of your two fellow test subjects? They seem to have similar feelings as you but to a lesser extent.”
Without a doubt, it was an excellent question, but Fu Qian had already thought of an answer.
“I know, everyone wants to be the chosen one, especially Transcendents,”
came Fu Qian’s dismissive laughter.
“Unfortunately, that voice wasn’t meant for them.”
“If their will is too weak to discern, or they deceive themselves just for the sake of a fleeting sense of fulfillment, I can only say it’s rather regrettable.”
“Luckily, it seems that this lady finally recognized her own limitations in the end.”
“Is that why you didn’t intervene?”
Dr. Cynthia nodded.
“You think they’re not worth your effort?”
“You could say that, in any case, I find such boring matters not worth my time.”
Fu Qian’s expertise in feigning madness was indeed unfathomable, as he now coldly sneered at Kuraki Rieko until her expression froze stiff as wood.
“Of course, at the same time, I like to watch the excitement.”