Mother Research Report (4,000 Words)

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

When Xiao Xiao woke up, his mother was cleaning the room.

The sound was just loud enough for Xiao Xiao to hear and wake up, but not loud enough to be considered noisy.

Xiao Xiao got up and went to the living room, where he saw his mother holding a mop turn around and smile, saying:

"How old are you? Why are you getting up so late?"

"Tsk, look at your room, it's like a doghouse, you don't even bother to tidy it up..."

"..."

Looking at the sunlight shining on her face through the window, Xiao Xiao vaguely felt that this scene seemed somewhat familiar.

He even needed to calm himself down to determine if he was dreaming or in reality. It wasn't until the hazy feeling from waking up completely disappeared that he realized he had indeed seen his mother. She was in the house cleaning, just like before, and her luggage was placed by the door. He was a little surprised and asked, "Why did you come back without saying goodbye?"

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with you anyway, why are you lying in the yard all day?"

Mom quickly said, "If I tell you, you'll inevitably try to persuade me to stay longer, but won't I be spending money every day if I stay there?"

"Now that I'm back, at least I can tidy up your house and make sure you have something hot to eat when you get home..."

"... How about I make you dumplings for lunch today?"

"..."

The familiar smile on his mother's face made Xiao Xiao momentarily lost in thought, then he smiled and nodded, "Okay."

It's clear that Mom doesn't know about Dad's situation yet.

I imagine that the mother and son probably wouldn't dare tell her the news.

Similarly, yesterday there was such a serious explosion at his father's company, and people died, but until now, there has been no news about it, and no one from the Guard Hall has come to inquire. Xiao Xiao didn't want to think too much about it, but he vaguely felt something unusual.

He just feels that it's nice that his mother suddenly came back.

Although I had generously paid all the hospital fees so she could rest and recuperate without worry, claiming it was for her health, I also secretly wanted to create some space for myself. From a stranger's perspective, my mother was, after all, a monster, and living under the same roof as a monster would inevitably feel awkward. But that feeling had disappeared after what happened yesterday.

My mother's return filled the void in my heart.

Xiao Xiao cherished this feeling, and he wondered how his mother would react if she found out about his father's death.

"I'll go buy groceries for you."

He forced a smile and said, "Don't keep working so hard. You've just been discharged from the hospital, don't overwork yourself."

Carrying his shopping basket, Xiao Xiao stepped out of his house and looked up at the world that was no longer shrouded in night, feeling a subtle difference.

It felt like waking up from a deep dream.

This was the exact opposite of the distorted feeling he had when he first learned about the strangers in the land.

"Good morning Xiao-gege..."

Just as Xiao Xiao was thinking this, a crisp voice rang out from not far away.

The girl next door Nuo Nuo, was standing in the yard, holding a dog bowl, looking at me with a smile. She looked clear and bright in the sunlight.

"Morning."

Xiao Xiao greeted her with a smile, while silently observing her for a moment.

In the past, when I believed in the perspective of a stranger, I always felt that no matter what I looked at, it confirmed the falseness of this world. Now that I have managed to detach myself, it seems that no matter what I look at, it confirms the reality of this world. For example, the girl in front of me is young, beautiful, and full of vitality. Even as an observer, I cannot find any evidence that she is not a "person".

Following this thought, Xiao Xiao suddenly remembered that when he first met Little Four, Xiao Si was investigating the Shepherds.

At that time, they were worried that what happened to Nuo Nuo was related to the Shepherds, but who would have thought that it was not Nuo Nuo was related to the Shepherds, but themselves who were only separated from her by a wall. From this perspective, the Shepherds had indeed never given up observing them.

"These ones one by one..."

Xiao Xiao thought to himself, both Mister Ye and the Shepherds were very good at spying.

They all like to hide in the shadows and observe secretly...

However, I couldn't really say anything, because I'm quite good at this kind of observation now.

Unfortunately, those two people could observe themselves, but they couldn't observe each other.

After chatting with Nuo Nuo for a few minutes with a smile, Xiao Xiao pretended not to know San Tiao very well and left. He passed under the second floor with the curtains fluttering and came to the Butcher's meat stall. The guy still had a cigarette in his mouth, but instead of his usual smiling face, he was cutting meat for his neighbors with a cold expression. When he saw Xiao Xiao, he just nodded slightly and charged him the full amount of money he was owed.

However, that strange feeling persisted.

It's that kind of feeling where, even without opening your eyes, you know he's there, that he belongs to you on a spiritual level.

Xiao Xiao carried the meat home to chop it into filling. On the way, he suddenly had a strong desire to understand the world from the perspective of the indigenous people.

After making dumplings with her mother and finishing the meal, Xiao Xiao told her not to rush out to work and left her some money.

Then I left home, hailed a taxi at the intersection, and went to the old director's small building.

Outsiders always encounter many obstacles when researching the indigenous people. Some of these obstacles come from the resistance of the indigenous people themselves, while others come from the obstruction of the City Will. However, Xiao Xiao has already made the decision to understand the city's core secrets, so understanding the city itself in the early stages becomes an essential foundation, and this can be achieved by consulting real-world data.

In the old dean's small building, there are the materials he left behind after researching this city.

"The Matrix... Fantasy... Mental Power..."

Silently flipping through the documents left behind by the old dean, Xiao Xiao gradually entered a strange state, as if waking from a deep dream.

The old dean's research on the indigenous people was not from the perspective of an outsider, but rather he collected a lot of issues discovered from the perspective of the indigenous people themselves. Now, as Xiao Xiao gained a deeper understanding of these materials, he felt a strange yet strong sense of identification.

The invasion of the Mother is the most terrifying crisis in the world.

This enormous symbiotic fantasy has been growing wildly in the mysterious corners of the city, influencing many people.

These people call themselves strangers, and they often have a kind of temperament that is out of place in this city. No matter how well they disguise it, if you look into their eyes, you will see a sense of oppressive and lonely alienation, a feeling of standing outside the world and being unable to integrate.

But the power of fantasy is terrifying.

This power is elusive and incalculable, yet it has always existed; wherever there are extraordinary people, the power of imagination follows.

Strangers can use the power of imagination to "pollute" the mental world of normal people, and this pollution can occur in different ways and to different degrees. Sometimes, this pollution simply shuts down the mental world of the natives, making them lose their vitality like puppets, or turning them into their puppets, making them work hard for them and hand over the money they earn. Other times, it can directly distort their will.

Normal people would submit to their will, willingly accepting the status of slaves.

"How did you view the Matrix Force when you were working at the Black Forest Biological Laboratory?"

Xiao Xiao flipped through the documents, he suddenly remembered something and quietly asked the old housekeeper in the small building.

He had once introduced himself as a researcher at the Black Forest Biological Laboratory before being bought by the Old Chairman. Now, as Xiao Xiao was studying the data on these indigenous people, this researcher could conveniently serve as his teacher...

"It is a mysterious force full of possibilities."

The old butler stood quietly beside Xiao Xiao, and even remembered to pour Xiao Xiao a cup of tea.

"I don't know when the Mother appeared. When I entered the Black Forest, the laboratory had been researching the Mother's power for many years. As far as I know, the gene enhancement drugs, controllable electromagnetic amplification devices, and other things developed in the Black Forest are all related to the Mother's power. We can be sure that there are some mysterious specimens in the laboratory, but we don't know how they were obtained."

"However, the work we do is mostly marginal and auxiliary."

"The core personnel researching the Mother Force have a very high level of secrecy. At that time, there was a rumor circulating in our laboratory that there were madmen controlled by the Mother Force who were trying to destroy our laboratory because they had the ability to corrupt and completely transform people without them realizing it. Therefore, those core researchers dared not let anyone know their names, appearances, or identities."

"..."

Xiao Xiao suddenly felt strange. As a researcher, this old butler should have had a clear understanding of the power of the Mother Body before. So, what kind of changes occurred in his spiritual world after he was bought by the Old Chairman, or rather, "polluted"?

"It feels like it should be this way."

The old butler wasn't offended by the question, but explained carefully, "Before meeting you, sir, I was also determined to understand the power of the Mother, or to uncover more possibilities from this power and make better use of it. Of course, I felt resistant to, and even fearful of, those 'madmen' controlled by this power..."

"But after meeting the master, I suddenly had a sense of understanding of this world."

"I am unwilling to live in the illusion created by that city of flesh and blood forever, unwilling to be driven away by this flesh and blood like livestock in a pasture, so I decided to follow the Old Chairman and be willing to give my life to help him realize his plan..."

"..."

He paused for a moment, then explained, "Perhaps, my thoughts are influenced by the mother."

"But personally, I don't feel that my will has been distorted at all. I only believe that everything was done voluntarily."

"..."

Xiao Xiao nodded silently, feeling a mix of sympathy and pity for the old butler.

Knowing that you may be being influenced, but not feeling that influence.

Knowing that they are being controlled, yet deep down they feel that they are doing it willingly...

... This feels really strange.

Xiao Xiao continued to look down at the data. He saw "pollution," which was the most alarming thing for ordinary people, as well as Enhancement Element, special items, Aberrant Creature, and so on. He saw that the natives had tried to explain these strange phenomena. These were things that he was already very familiar with. Now, they were being explained from a different perspective, which gave him a sense of novelty. He even felt like he was about to be convinced.

Like Aberrant Creature, in the eyes of ordinary people, it is a person who has become abnormal after being influenced by the power of the Mother. It can be tangible or intangible. The power of the Mother has descended upon this city, but only people whose emotions are extremely intense can feel it. Under extreme grief and anger, it is easy to lose rationality, and being influenced by the Mother will cause mutation.

It is worth mentioning that ordinary people cannot see the distortion and strangeness of these Aberrant Creature. To them, they are just people who are obviously a little mentally unstable. Sometimes they will do things that attack people, and sometimes ordinary people will also become a little abnormal when they get close to them. However, the Black Forest defines these phenomena as symptoms of being affected by its mental power.

Of course, these things are kept secret by the Black Forest, and ordinary people have no idea about them.

There is a department in the Black Forest whose job is to provide a "rational" explanation for all these things that are likely to cause panic.

They also provided explanations for special objects, even weapons that can be summoned.

Fantasy creatures.

According to their understanding, strangers, as extensions of the mother, have a much higher concentration of fantasy power than other places. When they exert the power of the mother, the concentration of this fantasy power is several levels higher. Within this fantasy power, they can freely control the surrounding spirits, and it is extremely easy for them to see strange things.

Enhancement Element, on the other hand, belong to a kind of "special spiritual power" that can be preserved.

The spirit is invisible, yet it exists.

The spirit itself has no nature, but emotions and memories can leave an imprint on the intangible spirit.

Just like water being dyed in different colors.

Those outsiders who collect these specific "mental wavelengths" can then use these special mental powers.

"Is the Black Forest really just a bunch of self-righteous indigenous people?"

Even before he started looking at the information, Xiao Xiao had already mentally prepared himself.

But as he delved deeper, he felt a profound shock. He knew that some of the indigenous people had been trying to explain the power of the strangers, and he had even come into contact with them, but he never expected that they had studied it to such an in-depth extent.

Whether this city is real or not, it is a terrifying phenomenon.

Xiao Xiao thought of the most crucial question:

The study of anything is only the first stage; the second stage, and the most crucial one, is its utilization.

Now that the Black Forest has reached this level of research on the Mother, what will they do next?

The Pioneer Project was undoubtedly an attempt by them...

... So, what exactly is the significance of being part of the Pioneer Project to them?

I'll post less today; I need to write the detailed outline for later...