Chapter 1610: Seeds of Infection
For the next two months, the situation in the instance seemed to be balanced on a delicate strand of hair, teetering precariously. Everyone understood how fragile the current situation was; it wouldn't take much action, just a little doubt and suspicion, to push it rapidly into an irreversible state. Honestly, even Wu Yiliu was surprised that the situation didn't suddenly collapse, and that it had held up for over two months.
If it weren't for the seeds that were planted some time ago slowly sprouting, he might have thought that both sides would make it out unscathed.
During these two months, Wu Yiliu and Abby had constantly worn earplugs, avoiding looking at the television screen; they ate together, stayed in each other's line of sight, even putting their beds together at night, and took turns keeping watch. They used every method to prevent or detect if the players were whispering to them.
Living like this was incredibly taxing, but Abby didn't complain even once.
Perhaps she just lacked the opportunity to do so.
Since the players had all left the camping house—or at least, he believed they had, as he couldn't see them and was about 70-80% sure—the two hadn't spoken a word to each other. They both blocked their hearing for one reason, but also because they didn't dare risk their conversation being overheard by the players. For over two months, they communicated only by writing, stacking papers filled with writing in a corner.
The pile had grown thick, not just from necessary conversation but also because the three brainwashed subjects, including Cuining, were continually comparing and correcting their understanding.
They had no idea how much false information the players had implanted in them. But it was safe to assume that the content used by the four players during the brainwashing would have inconsistencies. Even if the content came from the same list, the timing and choice wouldn't necessarily be uniform.
Wu Yiliu couldn't rely solely on the players for reverse brainwashing; he hoped that by comparing notes, they could reverse brainwash themselves.
Indeed, this method seemed to work: they found several discrepancies in their understanding, such as Abby insisting that there was a picture of a harbor near the door, while Wu Yiliu saw a still life of fruit.
They didn't know the real answer, but at least they were aware of the discrepancy. The very doubt weakened the effect of brainwashing.
A reduced effect meant that the players would need more time to brainwash them again, and the longer the process, the more opportunities Wu Yiliu and Abby would have to stay alert. After all this time, Wu Yiliu was now quite confident that it would not be an easy task for the players to brainwash them again.
However, during the comparison of their perceptions, he and Abby had to be particularly careful with Cuining's testimony.
Cuining's broken limbs had long been healed, and every day she had a little time to wash, eat, walk around, and even breathe fresh air outside the door. She never complained about Wu Yiliu having broken her limbs or seemed to resent being confined for most of the day.
Her whole heart and mind were now focused on another goal.
"Take off your earplugs for a moment," she wrote on one occasion. "I want you to listen to whether there are any bird calls in the forest outside."
At the time, her transformation was not yet complete. Therefore, when she raised her head and handed over the paper, her smile suddenly pierced her right cheek – apart from this description, Wu Yiliu couldn't find a more suitable word – one side of her mouth, her skin twisted into a spike, suddenly stabbing upward into the air; her eye was pulled into a long black slit, and her nose was a twisted mound of flesh.
Abby's scream at the time was so high that it pierced through the earplugs.
Wu Yiliu found that when he faced the Changeling again, he seemed to have become that fragile and powerless young boy once more.
Even though he understood everything rationally, every time he saw Cuining's transformed face, he had to retreat to the corner and take a moment to break free from that inexplicable terror.
To enable them to transform too, Cuining exhausted all means.
First, she memorized the content of the TV show. Not only did she memorize the content, but she also spent effort summarizing a series of key points most likely to infect others, so that when Wu Yiliu and Abby occasionally took off their earplugs, she could quickly recount as much content to them as possible.
Having lost her ability to evolve after transforming, she didn't stop trying to make physical contact with them. To achieve this, she even undressed completely once, attempting to entice Wu Yiliu into checking her body.
A naked human body, twisting like a worm and contorting into various postures; that enticing expression was both slimy and deliberate, yet also seemed to assume success was imminent. It was not just devoid of charm but even a bit nauseating.
'See, it's not that one is indifferent, but it's really hard to consider this thing as a form of human, right?' Such a thought crossed Wu Yiliu's mind at that time.
Actually, before transforming, Cuining should have been a decent person, so her fall to this state was indeed lamentable.
This could be seen from the time of her transformation: Cuining sat motionless in front of the TV, with little internal resistance, and only began to gradually transform after receiving a full three or four days of indoctrination.
If someone were infected through physical contact, they would quickly transform in a short period; if it were soft contact through mental, cultural, and cognitive means, the time of transformation would vary based on individual thinking, nature, and essence.
It's a simple principle. For example, when facing the same television work, the resistance of Professor Qiao and the player "Abby" cannot be mentioned in the same breath.
Even if Professor Qiao had stayed in the fake pocket dimension for a month, she might not have been infected through soft contact. But for the player "Abby," it only took ten minutes to plant a seed of infection and transformation.
They indeed had those ten minutes – Wu Yiliu made the best use of them.
During those ten minutes when Abby activated the [Priest's Roman Collar], making "Abby" obediently listen, she had quietly asked the latter several questions and made requests, one of which was to have "Abby" watch the television intently.
The pen and paper she was holding were given to her by Wu Yiliu. When he handed her the paper, there was already a line written on it – "After the item takes effect, tell her to focus on the TV" – the players naturally didn't notice anything, as their vision was shrouded in darkness. "Abby," who was obedient to the "Priest" at the time, had no reason not to watch TV.
Watching TV for just ten minutes, of course, was far from enough, but it was the beginning of an infection.
Even when she hadn't been infected and transformed, the player "Abby" had already shown some characteristics of the Changelings, such as harming others for personal gain. Wu Yiliu believed that choosing him as the first player to be infected would naturally lead to transformation; there wouldn't be much effective resistance in "Abby."
Forty-seven days later, he knew he had guessed right.
"Put on all four items," Abby said to Cuining inside the transparent box, her mouth opening and closing. "Don't go far, just at the door, do you hear me? I will keep an eye on you."
Every day at this time, Cuining was let out of the transparent box for a walk, a routine that Wu Yiliu had intentionally formed.
By now, all the players should have realized that Cuining had been infected and transformed; she had become a retrievable asset, a huge temptation, and anyone could have a try at her, as she had all the necessary garments on her.
After Cuining went out, Abby would stand at the door watching her from a distance, while Wu Yiliu would sit by the window, looking through the glass as she walked through the grove and open space.
Cuining knew that there were four players outside in spirit form. She obviously took the walk as a great opportunity. Through the glass window, Wu Yiliu could see her mouth moving, likely reciting the contents of the TV shows she had memorized; walking time was her chance to loudly repeat the content.
To lower other players' guards and add variety to the content, Wu Yiliu had changed several DVDs over the past two months, all to turn Cuining into a mobile, powerful source of infection when she went out.
Faced with such a tempting yet dangerous target, players had protested to Wu Yiliu, but he had responded that the Changelings must do what the Changelings do. He told them, "When you see her go out, just stay away. If we keep her locked up, she'll seek death. You don't want the instance to end before the teleportation, do you?"
Cuining wouldn't seek death; nothing was more precious to the Changelings, but the players didn't need to know that.
Today, Cuining unexpectedly stopped.
Abby approached the window, removed one of her earplugs, and whispered to Wu Yiliu, "What's going on?"
Wu Yiliu, who had also taken out his earplugs when she approached, slowly smiled.
"Her lip movements have changed," he whispered. "Usually, I can tell she's reciting the DVD content by her lip movements. But now... she's conversing with someone. It seems that the player who brainwashed you has been infected."
"Conversing?" Abby was startled. "When did that happen? When was he further infected? What is Cuining saying?"
"She's saying now, 'They've corrected some of their cognition; it might be hard for you to brainwash them again, you might as well start with the other players first,'" Wu Yiliu relayed, looking at Cuining's lip movements from afar. "'They can't see your body; they probably don't know you've been transformed yet.'"