No "Big Brother" Allowed

Thanks to the Myriad Blood-Red Tentacles Riot in the Tian Kong, Rose Manor was now in Utter Chaos.

The surroundings were blood red, with writhing crimson tentacles everywhere. After taking a little longer, Bai Zhi finally found the figure of Dead Zero inside the castle.

Compared to the terrible situation on the side of Fireworks of Romance, the situation for Dead Zero was much better. Not only did her body show no signs of mutated, but the tentacles couldn't even get within a meter of her. Often, a Blade Light would come and a pile of severed tentacles would be left on the ground.

Judging from the other party's posture, it seemed that they wanted to rush towards the rooftop. When Bai Zhi, dressed in a White Magicians Formalwear, appeared in front of her, the Young Girl's eyes clearly flickered a few times.

--The clothes are very nice.

When Bai Zhi returned with the Dead Zero, Fireworks of Romance and the others had finally recovered from the terrible situation they had just experienced. However, due to the Sanity Value, they all had splitting headaches.

This temporary underground shelter was not large to begin with; calling it a shelter would be an exaggeration. It was more like a Cave that had been dug out temporarily. Between Heaven and Earth’s Mountains and Seas had already fallen asleep, and Fireworks of Romance had made a bed for the other person.

"It's safe here for now, but I don't know if it will be safe in the future. I know you have many questions, so I will answer them one by one."

Inside the man-made underground hideout outside the castle, Bai Zhi casually tossed a towel to Fireworks of Romance, who was leaning weakly against the wall, and spoke seriously.

Do you have any questions for me?

"All I want to do right now is get a good night's sleep; this has been a Nightmare..."

Leaning against the rock wall, squinting at the two people in front of her, Fireworks of Romance rolled her eyes listlessly.

"From now on, I'm Shadow by tentacles. At least they should be like magical Young Girl, right? Growing tentacles on my own body is just... Why are you two the only ones who aren't affected?"

"Spirit."

The back of the knife hanging from his waist was placed horizontally across his lap as the Dead Zero, sat down and spoke calmly.

"The Mutation Curse itself is a form of spiritual pollution. The more resilient your spirit, the longer you can withstand the Curse. You could try increasing your Intelligence attribute, as this attribute is related to your mental strength."

"Add points to Intelligence... what else?"

He hastily wiped his face with a towel, and there was a noticeable change in the Fireworks of Romance.

"Then it's about improving your Mental Resistance. You need to be able to remain calm even if Mount Tai collapses before you. Here's what I recommend: search for a video online, download it, and watch it. When you can watch the whole video without changing your expression while eating, your Mental Resistance will have increased."

Bai Zhi thoughtfully offered a suggestion.

"The video is called 'The Most Uneasy Person in the World.' Remember to tell me your thoughts after watching it."

"Uh... a horror video? I'm not easily scared, I think..."

"Let's talk after you've finished reading. Let's get down to business now."

With a slight pout, Bai Zhi sat down as well, his face filled with emotion.

"Speaking of which, those Slitted Eyes really are Monster. That guy from the March-shi is so decisive; he's trying to wipe us all out, leaving me no chance or time to turn the tables... That guy is truly shameless."

"What exactly happened?"

Having secretly memorized the video's title, Fireworks of Romance couldn't help but ask about it.

"It's very simple: a crazy experiment, a daring ritual, a pitiful victim, and a tragic end."

Bai Zhi glanced at the other person, his expression noncommittal.

"There was once a crazy couple who wanted to complete a grand ritual, so they chose their daughter and turned her into a test subject in their insane experiments... Do you know Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"Uh... I know."

"Just like some depraved individual who turned his daughter and dog into a chimera, this insane couple also turned their daughter into a non-human being."

Looking up, Bai Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly.

"The [Doll Curse] and the [Mutation Curse] are the two core factors that linger in this manor. Everything that has happened in this manor has revolved around these two Curse."

"They're deliberately turning their daughter into Anomaly... Are they insane!?"

Alone, recalling a certain "older Big Brother," Fireworks of Romance couldn't help but curse.

"It's not entirely Anomaly, but rather a non-human existence... or rather, a Special Inhuman Existence that lies somewhere between Anomaly and humanity."

Bai Zhi shook his head.

"They were probably experimenting to see if humans could gain access to the Strength of Anomaly, and their daughter was their test subject, but they failed."

"... Dollmaker Anna outside?"

Fireworks of Romance paused for a moment.

"Judging from Anna's situation, it should be considered a success, right...?"

"No, they failed. I only know of one other Anomaly that has retained its complete human consciousness, that one and only one, and it's an existence that can't be copy... Perhaps there should be others?"

Bai Zhi reached up and touched his chin, looking thoughtful.

"In short, let me summarize: this is a story of Black-hearted Parents who attempted to sacrifice their daughter for greater Strength and a book, but failed and died, turning their castle into an Anomaly story. Of course, due to insufficient clues, this kind of thing can be interpreted in many ways."

"Is there any other interpretation?"

"Of course, for example, the reason that Black-hearted Parents did this was simply to sacrifice their daughter in order to control the spread of the Curse. As the saying goes, 'Sacrifice one for the happiness of thousands.' By using the [Doll Curse], they firmly controlled the [Mutation Curse] within the Rose Manor, preventing it from spreading further, thus saving more people."

Bai Zhi spread his hands, his face showing complete indifference.

"However, although their plan succeeded, and the [Doll Curse] and [Mutation Curse] were indeed firmly contained within the Rose Manor and could not spread, Anna, as the sacrifice, will be forever bound here, enduring loneliness alone while reliving the past again and again in her own Mental World... What do you think of my interpretation?"

Which one is correct?

The Dead Zero, suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

"I don't know, who knows? Besides, is it even meaningful to worry about this now? It's pointless."

Bai Zhi pursed his lips.

"Everything has already happened; these are all things that have already occurred in the past. Does it really matter what the truth is?"

"So, that riot of blood-red tentacles that happened before..."

The Fireworks of Romance suddenly paused.

"That's right, the ceremony started ahead of schedule."

Looking up, Bai Zhi narrowed his eyes.

"Just as there are individuals completely immune to the T-Virus, I think Anna herself is also immune to the [Doll Curse]. When both Curse converge on Anna's body, that might be..."

"So what are we doing here? Let's hurry up and save her!!"

Before Bai Zhi finish speaking, Fireworks of Romance stood up excitedly.

"How can we just stand by and watch something like this happen..."

"Didn't you understand what I said? This happened in the past."

Bai Zhi raised his head and looked directly into the other person's eyes, his brows furrowing slightly.

"This is Anna's Mental World, whether she's outside or inside. Even if we manage to save Anna now, what difference will it make?"

What has happened has happened, and there's nothing that can be changed.