Looking at the residents of the Fourth Research Institute's family area, their expressions stiff, cold, and intimidating, Shang Jianyao strode forward.
Behind him, thick smoke billowed, and crimson flowed. The entire gate area had become an exceptionally active volcano, yet it had no effect on a single blade of grass or tree inside the family area.
The two seemed to exist in different worlds.
The first target Shang Jianyao selected was the white-haired old woman he had chatted with before, sitting under a tree enjoying the shade.
He had barely approached and hadn't even had a chance to speak when the old woman stood up with an expression of cold indifference mixed with a hint of loathing, and took two steps back.
Bang!
Suddenly, a penetrating wound appeared on Shang Jianyao's chest!
This came from a gunshot, but he hadn't noticed where the shot came from. The military exoskeleton's "Integrated Warning System" showed no reaction. The bullet seemed to have materialized out of thin air and originated from a rule, destined to hit, impossible to dodge.
Shang Jianyao slowly lowered his head, looking at his chest.
There, crimson blood overflowed, flesh was blurred, and one could vaguely see the heart beating with each contraction and expansion.
Such a gunshot caused Shang Jianyao to feel intense pain from the heart area, but miraculously, the injury was clearly severe, yet not fatal.
"Isn't this unreasonable? I'm wearing a military exoskeleton, and there's bulletproof armor protecting my chest. How could it be penetrated so easily with a single shot? Even a Gauss rifle wouldn't be this easy!" Shang Jianyao muttered honestly.
He then stroked his chin:
"Could this be the so-called 'heartbreak' attack?"
The novelty-seeking and curious Shang Jianyao popped his head out from the side, realizing:
"Because we are essentially playing the room's owner, and are being disliked by the old woman in front of us, it's as if corresponding memories are being triggered upon seeing an unwelcome stranger, and hidden psychological shadows are surging. Thus, the emotion of heartbreak has materialized into the event of the heart being shot. Furthermore, emotional trauma is something the military exoskeleton cannot block, and there is no warning; once it happens, there is an immediate reaction."
This is a psychological shadow, many things cannot be based on real-world logic, and the manifestation of many things is more symbolic.
The sinister and ruthless Shang Jianyao immediately sneered:
"The room owner's psychological resilience is too weak, isn't it?
"To be so heartbroken by this?"
He opened another mouth on his forehead.
The honest Shang Jianyao couldn't seize control of the body and could only pop out from the other side of his shoulder to respond:
"Otherwise, how would it have evolved into a psychological shadow?"
The calm and rational Shang Jianyao thoughtfully nodded:
"If that's really the case, then Da Bai's hypothesis is correct. The essence of this psychological shadow is the room owner's painful memories of being abandoned, hated, and treated coldly by all acquaintances, including some family members, back then."
"Let's confirm it again. I feel we can withstand two or three more 'heartbreak' attacks." The novelty-seeking and curious Shang Jianyao eagerly turned his gaze to the middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses earlier.
The other Shang Jianyaos withdrew into the body to avoid scaring the target and affecting the experimental effect.
The novelty-seeking and curious Shang Jianyao then walked towards the middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.
He pushed up his visor and mustered a smile.
The middle-aged man's cold, emotionless face suddenly twisted, and he shouted hysterically:
"Get away!"
With a ripping sound, Shang Jianyao's abdomen, protected by the military exoskeleton, was sliced open, armor and flesh, all of it. Bloody intestines gushed out, some already severed.
Zen Master Pudu replaced the novelty-seeking and curious Shang Jianyao, sighing:
"Namo Anutpattika-Dharmakaya, this is 'Entrails Severed'."
"Ah ha, even if my Entrails Severed I will not resent…" The novelty-seeking, singing, and dancing Shang Jianyao regained control.
The sinister, ruthless, but cowardly Shang Jianyao finally couldn't bear it and created another mouth on his forehead, urging:
"Aren't you going to treat the wound? Doesn't it hurt?"
"Heartbreak" and "Entrails Severed" are both top-tier pains.
"Then it's up to you!" The novelty-seeking and curious Shang Jianyao immediately relinquished control of the body.
After treating the wound, Shang Jianyao stroked his chin and "talked to himself":
"Now it's basically confirmed that the essence of this psychological shadow is the room owner's painful memories of being abandoned.
"But directly confronting the pain seems full of danger. If we experience two more injuries equivalent to 'heartbreak' and 'Entrails Severed,' we will most likely die here."
In reality, they would become a vegetable.
"Let's try another way." The cowardly Shang Jianyao didn't want to endure another "heartbreak" or "Entrails Severed."
"Yes, yes." The agreeable Shang Jianyao immediately agreed.
The Shang Jianyao who valued emotions but still had the mentality of a child was afraid of pain and felt that they shouldn't rashly confront the pain head-on.
After some discussion, they suppressed Zen Master Pudu, who believed in "If I don't go to hell, who will?" and the reckless Shang Jianyao, and decided to seek another approach.
The joking Shang Jianyao laughed:
"Since the room owner's psychological shadow is being abandoned, hated, and treated coldly by the people here, wouldn't it be enough for us to have him re-accepted?
"This is our strength!"
"Let's try it." The calm and rational Shang Jianyao agreed to this plan.
They merged into one and, using the loudspeaker attached to the military exoskeleton, shouted to the middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and the other hundred or so people not far away:
"We've known each other for so many years, there must be some feelings between us. I know you have your reasons, I don't blame you, I can accept it, I hope you can also abandon that unpleasant memory and return to how we were in the beginning..."
He directly used "Mind Implanting."
And in order for "Mind Implanting" to have sufficient effect, he played the card of the feelings of knowing each other for so long.
Smiles gradually appeared on the faces of the middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and the hundred or so people nearby.
Shang Jianyao quickly said the same words to the other hundred or so people to avoid them disrupting the effect of "Mind Implanting."
—He could only influence so many people at once, so he had to repeat the labor, and he also had to be careful not to arouse suspicion.
In the real world, others would likely think that Shang Jianyao's emotional appeal was working when they saw such a drastic change in the attitude of their colleagues and neighbors. However, after two or three times, they would definitely notice that something was wrong and try to awaken the affected people, causing Shang Jianyao's "Mind Implanting" to fail.
But this was a psychological shadow. The room owner and the people here may never have had similar interactions, and he himself should also lack the corresponding experience. Therefore, Shang Jianyao was able to "persuade" a specific group of people again and again while being watched by hundreds or thousands of people, without suffering any backlash, as smoothly as if he was giving a speech.
Finally, Shang Jianyao completed the "Mind Implanting" of the consciousness of all the humans in the Fourth Research Institute's family area.
He once again saw everyone's smiling faces, felt the kindness of most of the people, and received a warm welcome.
Everything returned to before the change occurred.
However, this psychological shadow did not collapse, and the problem was not substantially resolved.
"Could it be that the room owner's subconscious can still distinguish that this understanding and acceptance is false and is unwilling to believe it?" Shang Jianyao silently muttered while stroking his chin.
Suddenly, his heart stirred, and he repeated a sentence:
"Unwilling to believe...
"In the psychological shadow, I am essentially playing the room owner, I clearly know that the current kindness and enthusiasm is false, brought about by 'Mind Implanting'...
"I don't believe it, so the room owner naturally won't believe it either."
"The one who slipped through the net was myself!" The honest Shang Jianyao clenched his right fist and struck his left palm.
In order not to leave out any Shang Jianyao, they didn't use the method of Shang Jianyao implanting thoughts into Shang Jianyao. Instead, they returned to the primitive stage, using the visor of the military exoskeleton as a mirror and convincing themselves:
"Look:
"Here, it's like returning to the company;
"Everyone's smiling sincerely, and they're so pleasant to talk to;
"So..."
The Shang Jianyaos simultaneously realized:
"Isn't this home?"
He chatted with people everywhere, gradually organized a group of people to dance, a group of people to sing, fulfilling his responsibilities as the activity center director.
A cheerful atmosphere gradually enveloped the Fourth Research Institute's family area.
…………
Tarna, "Dream" Hotel.
The landlady, Aino, sat at the front desk, propping her chin up with one hand, watching an old-world drama with a lack of focus.
Suddenly, she shivered.
In a daze, she had recalled some buried memories, remembering those faces that were once kind and amiable but were now cold and stiff.
She had actually let go when she passed through that island of fear, but her heart would still ache when corresponding images occasionally flashed through her mind.
And unlike usual, the scene that flashed through her mind just now was:
Everyone suddenly smiled at her again, singing and dancing, extremely enthusiastic!
"This is even more terrifying..." Aino muttered to herself.
The reason she said this was because she knew very well:
Those people in the family area were already dead back then.
Dead people wouldn't change their expressions and smile.
Based on this, Aino suspected that someone had broken into her mental room and was exploring the corresponding shadow.
Her expression changed for a while, she shrank her body, and muttered:
"Watch the drama, watch the drama, he'll leave on his own after he's done exploring."
The price she paid was "escaping reality."
…………
It wasn't until his spirit was close to exhaustion and he had no choice but to exit "Room 506" that Shang Jianyao got rid of the effects of "Mind Implanting" and regained his corresponding judgment.
He stroked his chin and muttered in confusion:
"It doesn't work even if I make myself believe it...
"What should I do?"
At this time, in Area C, Room 12, on the 349th floor, Jiang Baimian was also thinking about the psychological shadow of "Room 506."
Letting her thoughts wander aimlessly, some questions suddenly flashed in her mind:
"The owner of 'Room 506' should be a resident of the Fourth Research Institute's family area, or someone who lived there for quite a long time, familiar with almost everyone, and with a certain amount of affection.
"Then, why was he unanimously abandoned by the people in the Fourth Research Institute's family area, why was he treated with coldness and hatred?
"What exactly did he do, what trouble did he cause?
"Or, what secret did he discover that he shouldn't have?"