If stealing the protagonist’s spotlight was really that easy, how could Lin Zhen possibly land the leading role in this series?
Mo Yuan or Yun Ruoxi, even Zi Jiu—there were many times when they were stronger than Lin Zhen.
But there were just some things that only Lin Zhen could accomplish.
For example, establishing contact with the Level 4 Cyborg, Chicha, leveraging his relationship with the Doctor to secure benefits for them, and even leading them in their escape from the battle camp.
Yun Ruoxi couldn’t do any of these things.
That was why Yun Ruoxi never even considered pinning the blame on Lin Zhen at first; it wasn’t until much later that the thought finally occurred to her.
Habitual thinking can be fatal!
Yun Ruoxi shook her head, recalling everything that had happened in those previous four months, her eyes growing more profound.
That period—despite using pain suppression, she had still been tormented to her limit and never wanted to experience it again.
That was why her decision to toss Aili into the protagonist group from the beginning and have her escape the camp with them was absolutely right.
Without pain suppression, if Aili had stayed with her and gone through the same torment…
Yun Ruoxi clenched her fists, then slowly released them.
Thank goodness.
Whether for Lin Zhen and the others or for the audience, Aili had now fully integrated into the protagonist group.
The plot correction force from the “Groove” shouldn’t take effect anymore.
Yun Ruoxi glanced toward the upper right of her vision.
The freshly released Episode 10 had just finished the OP, and Lin Zhen’s face appeared on screen once again.
He sat on his bed, face full of excitement, listening intently to everything about the Mental Seal.
Chicha had blocked the room’s surveillance, so Lin Zhen didn’t fear their conspiracy being discovered by the Instructor or the Doctor.
Yet neither he nor Chicha could have imagined that, at this very moment, over a billion alternate-world viewers and a little girl were watching them.
“The Mental Seal is an extremely formidable technology. Even within the Empire, it’s classified at Level 5 secrecy.”
“Anyone implanted with a Mental Seal will absolutely obey whatever the seal dictates… but they won’t be able to sense the seal’s presence, only believing they’re acting of their own will.” Chicha explained slowly.
“This is just like Xiao Xi’s situation!” Lin Zhen nodded eagerly. “Senior Chicha, please continue.”
“Mm.” Chicha paused, then went on:
“The Mental Seal comes in a full version and a seed version. The former severely damages the subject’s mind and potential, but brainwashing can be completed in a very short time, completely twisting a person’s values and mindset.”
“You can think of it as amputating a limb—turning a normal person into a cripple,” Chicha gave a metaphor.
“The latter is much gentler, originally developed by the Empire for brainwashing high-potential targets. It preserves potential, but takes longer and requires auxiliary methods to subtly achieve brainwashing over time.”
“In comparison, it’s like teaching a child by word and deed, convincing them that they’re crippled. So when they—meaning the Mental Seal—grow up, they really can only walk with a limp.”
“So based on what you said, she should be…”
“Seed type.” Lin Zhen picked up the thread.
“The Hand of Saints wouldn’t want to waste her potential. That’s why they spent four months implanting the seed version of the Mental Seal in her. Once it had developed enough, they sent Xiao Xi back. Damn it!”
He pounded the bedframe heavily, then asked, “Senior Chicha, is there any way to remove the Mental Seal?”
“There isn’t… but it can be destroyed.” Chicha said gravely, “The Mental Seal exists in the subconscious. It brainwashes by affecting the subconscious, but the human subconscious has a self-repair mechanism.”
“When the Mental Seal is still a seed, it’s easily erased by the subconscious’s automatic repair.”
“That’s why, during the brainwashing period, auxiliary methods are required to ensure the seed grows steadily.”
Lin Zhen nodded thoughtfully, then hurriedly asked:
“So, if the auxiliary methods fail, will Xiao Xi’s brainwashed state gradually wear off?”
“Yes,” Chicha affirmed. “But only if you can figure out what auxiliary methods the Hand of Saints used, and block their influence on that Xiao Xi.”
“You’ll help me, won’t you?” Lin Zhen finally showed a hint of a smile.
“Of course. I’m still waiting for you to fix me up.”
There was a hint of amusement in Chicha’s voice. “I’ll transfer all the data on the Mental Seal in my database to you.”
“The Mental Seal is exclusive Empire tech. The Hand of Saints must have stolen it from somewhere, so their auxiliary methods probably won’t be much different from the Empire’s.”
“Let’s hope so,” Lin Zhen said seriously. “Also, once I leave the battle camp, all your maintenance is on me. I’ll make sure you have the best bio-metal available.”
“Not bad. The channel will close soon. Next time you want to contact me, there’s no need to call in the virtual network—just tap your collar twenty times.”
After Chicha finished speaking, three seconds later, Lin Zhen heard a faint, barely audible, familiar “tick” from his collar.
He knew Chicha had disconnected.
He let out a long breath, a rare reluctance showing in his eyes.
Chicha truly was a powerful ally.
If they could keep in contact, anything he did in the future would surely be much easier.
Lin Zhen shook his head and left the dormitory.
Though it was pitch black outside and officially nighttime in the camp, nothing stopped him from heading straight to the training room.
After all, these days, his desperate search for a way to cure Yun Ruoxi had made others think he was nearly possessed.
It wasn’t the first or second time he’d gone to the training room in the middle of the night.
「Is Xiao Xi really about to be cured? No, where will I get my fix of villainous Xiao Xi?!」
「Curing Xiao Xi now—isn’t that sort of a redemption arc? Her dark side is pretty terrifying, you know」
「Somehow, I doubt it’ll be that easy」
As before, after entering the virtual space, all knowledge related to the Mental Seal was unpacked and transmitted, materializing in Lin Zhen’s hands as a thin booklet.
He devoured its contents, gradually understanding the Mental Seal beyond just what Chicha had told him, and learning about the Empire’s commonly used auxiliary methods.
“They never gave Xiao Xi any medicine in the camp, so drugs aren’t used to aid the brainwashing. The Doctor never called her away either, so it probably isn’t machine-assisted…”
Lin Zhen pondered.
“Could it be a force field? But if it’s a force field, where would the generator need to be placed to affect Xiao Xi at all times?”
“At all times… effect?”
Suddenly, Lin Zhen recalled that unusual collar Yun Ruoxi wore.
The Hand of Saints had abruptly given her a new collar—could it be that the force field generator was built into it?