"Is it you who was talking to him?"

Lin Ye also sat down at the edge of the rooftop, carefully observing the young girl beside him. She had short black hair, looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, and was wearing a light orange full-length dress. Her features were extremely delicate and cute.

She looked very strange, possessing an inhuman quality, like a very solid virtual image.

"Mhm, but I didn't tell him to hit you. I just told him that if you guys continued approaching the city center, he would die here."

The young girl looked at the corpse below, not showing any clear emotion.

"After he died, I could finally see you. Is this some kind of infectious disease?"

Lin Ye hadn't yet fully grasped the nature of the young girl's existence. His knowledge level regarding spiritual matters was far inferior to his understanding of flesh and blood Alienation.

"You could understand it that way. According to your human way of thinking, I'm probably some kind of infectious disease transmitted through the spirit. This city was destroyed because of the outbreak of this infectious disease. If you want to solve the problem here, you have to enter that area in the city center crammed with utility poles. I suggest you act as soon as possible, because you don't have much time left."

The young girl leaned back, lying down on the rooftop. Her two calves swung gently, her black leather shoes tapping against the wall and making sounds.

"You're quite cooperative. That makes Number 4's actions seem rather laughable."

Lin Ye also lay down on the rooftop. He looked at the sky, where some things that looked like wires were chaotically tangled together.

"Of course I'll cooperate. I am your mental illness, so of course I'm on your side."

The young girl made a voice so sweet it was almost cloying.

"If that were really true, Number 4 wouldn't have died so miserably."

Lin Ye wasn't in a hurry to explore that area filled with utility poles. He felt there was something off about the other party's attitude.

"I'm just an illusion produced by mental illness. I can only provide you with some information. As for other things, even if I wanted to do something, I can't. Just like I couldn't stop you from pushing him down, I also can't help you solve the problem here."

The young girl revealed a weak and innocent expression.

"But your attitude seems to have changed. Before, you wanted me to stop. Now, you want me to go there quickly. What caused your attitude to do a complete one-eighty? Is it because I can see you now?"

Lin Ye looked at the chaotic wires in the sky as he asked.

"No. Before, I was on your companion's side. He just wanted to survive, so he had to stop you from getting closer to the city center. Now, I'm on your side. You want to solve the problem here, so of course I want you to enter that area quickly, because if it's any later, it'll be too late."

The young girl turned on her side to look at Lin Ye's profile, explaining very seriously.

"A very reasonable explanation. But if you analyze it carefully, you'll find it's full of holes. Is this how you deceive people? Or do those people deceive themselves?"

Lin Ye also turned on his side, smiling as he met the young girl's gaze.

"If you want to think that way, then think that way. It's fine. I really am the monster that destroyed the entire city. I'm now waiting for you to turn into one of those wire monsters. After seeing me, approaching the city center will accelerate this process. That's why I want you to go there quickly."

The young girl revealed a sweet smile, her eyes meeting Lin Ye's.

"Are you being this honest because you think I'm already out of options? As long as you exist, am I destined to become a wire monster?"

Lin Ye stood up and looked toward that area. It was time to set off.

"That's right. As long as I exist, you can't solve the problem here. Regarding this point, I can't help you either."

The young girl also sat up. She leaned close to Lin Ye, letting out a somewhat melancholic voice.

"Then I can only ask you to disappear. Sorry, and goodbye."

Lin Ye used his Special Ability, Brain Control, on his own brain.

Trying to subtly affect his Consciousness was extremely difficult. But if it was a physical pathological change, it wasn't as hard. The Spiritual Energy Concentration here was extremely low, and Lin Ye couldn't confirm whether his brain had a problem or not. So, he could only use his Special Ability to modify his brain.

The Special Ability quickly took effect. The young girl's image began to blur and become indistinct in Lin Ye's eyes.

Looking at her own disappearing body, the young girl wasn't angry. Instead, she revealed what could be described as a beautiful smile. In a light, cheerful tone, she said to Lin Ye:

"Then, goodbye."

The high fever caused by the brain's Alienation caused Lin Ye's field of vision to begin twisting and distorting. Everything within his sight started to change.

Not far away, the Commercial District was piled high with human corpses. A metal construct that pierced straight into the sky was stuck in the center of those corpses. The sky was crammed full of disorderly wires, like a giant metal tree and its tendrils.

Staggering, Lin Ye crawled into the Building. If he had known it would turn out like this, he should have gone downstairs first before using his Special Ability.

He had already planned his route to the Commercial District, but now he had to take a different path.

But after taking just a few steps, Lin Ye collapsed onto the ground. The high fever had already begun affecting his thinking ability and was also reducing his control over his body.

Just as Lin Ye thought this simulation would end because he used a special ability on his own brain, a pair of black leather shoes appeared within his field of vision.

"Are you sick?"

The young girl squatted in front of Lin Ye, touching his forehead.

"...Didn't you disappear?"

Right now, Lin Ye really wanted to dig out his own brain to see what went wrong.

"Changing the brain's structure will indeed cause me to disappear. But why would you think a brain whose structure has been changed wouldn't get infected by this infectious disease?"

The young girl held Lin Ye's upper body in her arms, speaking in a voice so gentle it could make one lose themselves in it.

"Damn, the development speed of your infectious disease is way too fast, isn't it?"

Lin Ye had actually considered this possibility, but he didn't expect the young girl to reappear so quickly. He had originally thought that at worst, he could just use the Special Ability on himself periodically. But at this speed, even if he could withstand the negative effects of the Special Ability, it would be very difficult to use this method to solve the problem here. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Changing the brain's structure only makes your brain more susceptible to the infectious disease. Because the more unstable the structure, the easier it is to be affected."

The young girl turned her head to look toward the end of the corridor, where a wire was approaching them.

"This is really... If I had known it would turn out like this, I might as well have tried taking the other path."

Lin Ye also noticed that wire. He struggled, trying to get up, only to find he had already lost control over more than half of his body. Now, he could only use his left upper arm and right thigh to crawl along the ground.