Chapter 700: Chapter 698: The Moment of Tasting (15)_1 Chapter 700: Chapter 698: The Moment of Tasting (15)_1 Of course, there is a problem here.
Based on past experience, entities like the Goddess of Sin and Punishment and Angel’s Mirror tend to affect their surroundings indiscriminately.
And in these two attempts, I had not refrained from misleading the crowd, and it was clear at times that they actually believed me.
But I didn’t feel any significant change or feedback.
That’s why Fu Qian didn’t think in this direction initially.
However, looking at it now, Fu Qian could come up with an explanation–degree.
The degree of cognitive distortion varies, thus affecting the strength of the feedback.
My previous deceptions were nothing more than performances that led others to misunderstand my situation.
For those people, this was a matter of cognition related to “others.”
What Cynthia did to me was to make me doubt myself, even to the point of overturning the concept of self.
In comparison, there might be a qualitative difference between the two.
Ultimately, the feedback from the former was too subtle to be noticed.
If all of this is true, the purpose of the warehouse having me undertake this task seems understandable.
Gaya Ulrich, at this very moment, like the First Sinner Sir William, is doing something similar–using an active magical contract to continuously spread influence.
And this is something the warehouse absolutely cannot tolerate.
…
How miraculous!
To encounter such a special entity in the Underground Research Facility of Yasui Corp!
But thinking about it, it’s not impossible.
An item with Transcendent effects that appears regularly would easily catch attention.
And for a giant like Yasui Corp, it’s not too illogical to occasionally collect a few escapements from the Night Watchmen.
The only question is, to what extent does Brother Gaya understand the true nature of this thing?
Is he simply studying and testing it as a Transcendent item, or has he realized its essence and is systematically affecting more people?
This is not easy to confirm right away, but it leads to another question–what is the posture for establishing a contract?
According to previous experiences, performing special actions in front of such contractual items can conceptually bind a person to them.
And these actions are often bizarre and difficult to generalize–Patch!
The next moment, the name suddenly flashed through Fu Qian’s mind.
As a concept that appeared out of nowhere but with great consistency, it’s hard to separate it from the contract.
Those who were influenced and claimed themselves as Patch, could it be that they have established a contract and that’s why they are deceptive by nature?
That doesn’t seem quite right either, I have clearly seen someone successfully rid themselves of the influence, like Kuraki Rieko.
In those past contracts, I hadn’t seen such bargaining behavior.
“False feedback is a tester’s worst nightmare.”
While Fu Qian’s thoughts were rapidly turning, Dr. Cynthia could no longer restrain herself and, grinding her teeth in anger, accused Fu Qian.
“Moreover, those affected by the concept of Patch can be understood for being naturally deceptive, but your actions are entirely out of personal malice.”
“From now on, you will be under the strictest surveillance.”
“Furthermore, I will not rule out the possibility of you being exposed long-term in front of Dimming Pony.”
“After all, you are a special case, the first person I’ve ever seen without a hint of self-doubt.”
Self-doubt?
Facing Cynthia’s threats, Fu Qian focused on one particular word she used and recalled the process of establishing the contract during the Angel Dungeon incident with Ji Yicheng and the others.
If I were to make a comparison… Simply being near Dimming Pony and influenced by Patch’s cognizance doesn’t mean the contract is established; it’s only when one fully believes?
If that’s the case… Fu Qian suddenly looked towards Cynthia.
“I have a question, have you been exposed to Dimming Pony?”
…
“What do you mean?”
Cynthia asked very cautiously, as if she sensed some danger.
Indeed, without waiting for her to issue orders, two guards had already rushed forward.
Unfortunately, they flew back even faster.
And in the next moment, Cynthia, whose pupils suddenly constricted, found her neck was tightly grasped.
As a Middle Tier Transcendent, she was utterly powerless to resist!
What kind of monster was this?
“I can see that you’re very interested in special cases,”
“At the same time, however, I have something I would like to confirm.”
The alarm bells were already ringing in her ears, but Fu Qian acted as if he heard nothing.
As he spoke, he lifted Cynthia up and simultaneously pulled back the cloth covering the Soul Guidance.
“Look inside, or I’ll crush your head.”
The next moment, Fu Qian’s emotionless voice successfully stopped Cynthia’s impulse to close her eyes.
Intuition told her that if she did not obey, there really wouldn’t be a second warning.
In the next moment, her field of vision filled with mist swirling on the mirror’s surface, rapidly converging.
…
It was indeed a unique access channel.
Cynthia was so understanding of the times that Fu Qian felt relieved for a moment.
However, seeing that her gaze quickly became hazy, Fu Qian looked over and could still only see the rolling mist.
Clearly, the mirror respected privacy, and he could not see the contents of her vision.
After confirming this, Fu Qian said nothing more and quietly played the role of the Observer.
“It’s hard to imagine that I would actually pose such a question to myself…”
At this moment, Cynthia, seeming rather calm, slowly addressed the mirror.
“I don’t deny that there’s danger in this test, but they all acted voluntarily, choosing to be exploited…”
“Even for them, this is an opportunity provided by the company…”
“The company doesn’t restrict them from leaving on their own, but they are reluctant to leave, aren’t they?”
“So, from a moral perspective, I never felt there was anything to feel guilty about.”
…
After a series of self-justifications related to her values, Cynthia fell silent for a short while.
“People change…”
“You’re just me when I was younger, all your words are my own scrutiny and justification, I don’t want to argue about right and wrong, but one thing I’m very certain of–you are a part of me…”
“I don’t even need to answer, these questions posed by ‘myself’…”
Toward the end, her tone even took on a firmer edge.
Swish!
The next moment, Fu Qian’s fingers flicked the black cloth upward, tossing it onto the mirror.
Dr. Cynthia shuddered, as if awakened from a dream, yet there wasn’t much confusion in her eyes.
Her reaction appeared quite normal.
Considering that one inevitably gets affected after coming into contact with the “Dimming Pony,” it’s highly probable that Cynthia hadn’t been directly exposed to that thing.
Truly cautious!
As for why he didn’t let Cynthia look a bit longer and directly induce a full-strength effect lasting over five minutes to find some clues, of course, there was a reason.
Amidst the wailing alarms, Fu Qian had already released his hold, sitting in front of Cynthia.
And this researcher, who had just been coerced, was looking at Fu Qian with a complex expression, even stopping the two guards from trying to come forward.
“Mr. 9527, given the behavior you have just exhibited, you have been classified as a special case.”
“Next, we need your cooperation for further testing.”
Look, that’s the spirit of scientific research!
Faced with a serious-looking Cynthia, Fu Qian couldn’t help but admire her in his mind.