Mysterious Source

Xiao Xiao pondered all of this, lying woodenly in bed, while Yang Jia, who had just returned home, sat quietly on the sofa, her expression clouded with lingering solemnity.

After hesitating again and again, she finally made a call.

The signal traveled with lightning speed to the very center of the city, where the tallest building stood, over a hundred stories high, but without any billboards or decorations.

On the top floor, everything was silent. There was no one there, only precise instruments and dazzling circuits, meticulously connected to a glass tank in the very center.

Inside the glass tank, submerged in a deep green liquid, was a brain, a human brain, without any protection, only connected to many circuits on top.

Yang Jia's call was answered by an instrument outside the glass tank, her voice echoing in the room filled only with cold machines, complex circuits, and a brain:

"I met the newcomer today, and I helped him see the truth of this world..."

"..."

The cold electronic voice unexpectedly held a hint of gentleness: "I don't know whether to be glad that we have another companion, or to pity another person who has fallen into a nightmare!"

"This newcomer is strange."

Yang Jia slowly massaged her temples, and said softly: "He is calm, decisive, has strong analytical skills and the courage to resist malice, but he has not reached the point of being cold and ruthless."

"It can be said that after coming to this strange land for so many years, this is the first time I have seen such a promising guy."

"But at the same time, there are things about him that I can't see through."

"..."

After a pause, she said softly: "Clearly, everything he does seems very reasonable in retrospect, but it always makes people feel surprised."

"So, I hope you can investigate him."

"..."

The gentle electronic voice was silent for a while, and said: "I'll try."

Yang Jia said softly: "Thank you."

Then she stopped talking, just waiting patiently.

In the room full of machinery and complex circuits, the brain that existed quietly seemed to tremble slightly on the surface. Tiny sparks of electricity intertwined around it. These faint sparks triggered intense reactions among the surrounding machines. Even some cables writhed like pythons. Countless screens were filled with garbled characters. The huge server was operating frantically in an overloaded state.

It seemed that some kind of microwave began to stimulate the city.

The huge and magnificent foundation of the city trembled in a way that ordinary people could not detect, emitting strange signals that intertwined into a chaotic network.

Yang Jia could also feel this vibration. She held the phone, motionless, waiting patiently.

After a long time, the vibration disappeared, and the gentle electronic voice sounded on the other end of the phone:

"I have accessed all the information about him in this city. It went smoothly, and there were no traces of shielding or tampering."

"Judging from this information, he should not have interacted with this world as an Outsider, nor does it seem like he has been remotely replaced or controlled by some will."

"So, my answer is that, at least on the surface, he is just a newly awakened newcomer."

"However..."

The voice paused for a while, and the machine faintly emitted a high-speed whirring sound before saying: "Four years ago, he went to the hospital for an examination due to severe mental illness."

"Four years ago?"

Yang Jia frowned and said: "What were the symptoms?"

"According to his self-description, he experienced dizziness, headaches, auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, sensory disturbances, intense depression, and immense pressure..."

"...But the final examination results showed that everything was normal."

"..."

Yang Jia's expression suddenly became serious, and she sat up straight: "This sounds like symptoms of being affected by the Mysterious Source."

"Yes."

The electronic voice replied without inflection: "Those Mysterious Sources that peer into the city will indeed try to seize the will of certain individuals in this city through cross-space influence for certain reasons."

"But he is different. You and I both understand that no individual can maintain the integrity and rationality of their self while being influenced by the Mysterious Source."

"..."

Yang Jia, who was tense, frowned even tighter, but her tense muscles were slowly relaxing: "Yes..."

"If he was really affected by the Mysterious Source, a person who has been affected for four consecutive years..."

Speaking of this, she couldn't help but smile bitterly, and said: "Let's not talk about whether there will be any distortions or anything. The Pain Substance in his body can probably flood the entire city, right?"

"..."

"This situation is impossible."

The electronic voice also stated its conclusion: "So, I think he is a clean individual."

"His level of seclusion and being a homebody, judging from the young people in this city, is not an isolated case, but even very common."

"Usually, people just think this behavior is more decadent."

"At most..."

Speaking of this, even the extremely rational and stable electronic voice actually paused slightly, and chose a rather humanized word:

"A little sick?"

"..."

Yang Jia nodded, her expression appearing somewhat melancholic in the misty haze. After a long silence, she said in a low voice, "In any case, the potential he has shown is enormous, and we have no other choice..."

"I only hope that when he understands the truth in the future, he won't blame me..."

"..."

The next day, Xiao Xiao woke up very early.

He didn't know why, but he had slept surprisingly soundly last night.

In the previous four years, his headaches had often flared up, and his entire head seemed to be constantly soaked in pain and fear. But yesterday, he learned the truth about this world, and his fear reached its limit.

But in this situation, he suddenly calmed down, as if he had the courage to face it calmly.

At this time, his mother was already up and making breakfast in the kitchen.

Xiao Xiao didn't want to see her, so even though he was awake, he just sat on the bed, waiting for the noise in the living room to disappear.

Around 8:30, he heard the sound of the courtyard door opening and closing, and he knew his mother had gone to work. Only then did Xiao Xiao walk out of the room.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he got to the living room, he saw the food left on the table, along with a note and some cash held down by a carton of milk.

"Stinky brat, I've gone to work."

"Dating doesn't come without expenses. Don't be too stingy when you're going out with such a pretty girl."

"..."

Xiao Xiao was stunned for a moment.

She had misunderstood the relationship between him and Yang Jia, and considering that he hadn't been working, she gave him pocket money?

A strange feeling rose from the bottom of his heart.

What was this?

After signing a contract with the city, the city and the people living in it were beginning to show him kindness?

Or was it the emotion his mother was expressing?

He had just felt that nothing unexpected could happen again, but this note and the cash made him feel complicated.

After a long silence, he sat down, ate breakfast, and put away the note and pocket money.

After breakfast, he just sat quietly at home. He was ready to face everything, but he was surprised to find that there was nothing urgent for him to face.

Yang Jia didn't say much yesterday, she just showed him the truth of this city.

She said that there would be someone to guide him, but who was this person, and what should he do?

Just as he was thinking about this question, the phone rang at the right time.

"How did you sleep last night?"

Yang Jia's voice still sounded so calm, with a hint of laziness, seemingly out of tune with this world.

Xiao Xiao honestly replied, "Very well, very grounded."

"Very well?"

Yang Jia was a little surprised. Newcomers who learned the truth about this world were in constant fear, some calling her all night, and some committing suicide that same night.

Xiao Xiao's answer was actually "very well"?

"Yes."

Xiao Xiao replied softly, "Didn't you tell me? In a city full of monsters, what else can you do but be at peace?"

Yang Jia didn't know what to say. After a while, she laughed and said, "You really are a very obedient person."

Xiao Xiao didn't know how to respond to these words.

Yang Jia, however, sensed his silence and said with a smile, "Now that you're ready to face all this, it's time to take the next step."

Xiao Xiao was slightly moved and said, "What do you mean by the next step?"

"We are too weak, so of course we need to find something to protect ourselves."

Yang Jia's voice sounded a little mysterious, "This is a very complicated issue, but don't worry, I've found a very experienced designer to help you."

"Be polite to her, she is a very well-behaved and quiet girl."

"..."

"Okay."

Xiao Xiao agreed, feeling a faint sense of anticipation for the person Yang Jia was going to introduce.

After waiting for a while, he heard the notification sound on his phone. Yang Jia had indeed sent him a contact, but Xiao Xiao was stunned when he saw it. The profile picture was a cute girl wearing a maid outfit.

And the nickname was: [Old Auntie Eighteen Sitting on the Ground Sucking Dirt]

"This quiet girl's nickname is a bit wild, isn't it?"