Chapter 198
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Chapter 198: Mycelium Biomimetic and the Great Abstinence Effect
In the examination room, Flowing Sand glanced around, sensing nothing unusual about the place.
Lin Qingliu sat on a nearby chair, with three neatly stacked piles of books beside him.
Of course, there was nothing strange; as someone who had admired various genres in a different world, Lin Qingliu had long since turned the first-generation biomimetic individuals, who were in deep sleep, into little bundles of grass and stuffed them inside book covers that had lost their pages.
He only needed to leave a thin layer of blank paper on the outside, making it look indistinguishable.
Lin Qingliu understood the essence of the books but did not know what was written inside them.
This wave was "The Redemption of Hope City."
It was just a pity that the sleeping Nian would probably never leave this prison of his, like Shawshank.
After closing the door, Flowing Sand still felt nothing was wrong; he could still sense a faint connection with his teammates outside.
Lin Qingliu no longer needed to create high-purity isolation to ensure there would be no interference with the outside world.
He smiled and had Flowing Sand lie down on the examination table, then walked behind him, gently placing one hand on his forehead, while the other hand pointed towards a book titled "Common Psychological Problems After Trauma and Coping Guidance"…
—
"Hey, brother, how are you feeling?"
Flowing Sand walked out of the examination room, and this time, Nian’s reaction speed was faster than the Shadow Master’s, as if he had been prepared.
Flowing Sand’s honest face appeared somewhat embarrassed; he avoided the gazes of those around him and calmly said,
"I do feel much more relaxed inside. I must say, the doctor you found, Captain, is truly professional.
"Although I haven’t heard any rumors from the city defense army, to be fair and without exaggeration, I think it’s great from a completely neutral perspective as a pure bystander."
The Shadow Master sat in a chair, feeling his worldview shatter a bit.
Wait, why do you all have such a knack for writing advertisements? Why don’t you work under that congressman in charge of broadcasting and news?
Don’t you like it?
Whether it was Nian’s few sentences or Flowing Sand’s set of words, they both made the Shadow Master genuinely consider trying it out himself.
These people were simply geniuses at promotion!
Not only was their superpowered team ranked higher than his, but they also seemed quite skilled at publicity…
Damn it, I definitely want to try it out to see if it really feels this good!
As the Shadow Master clenched his fists, many soldiers and superpowered individuals who heard the reactions of the two after treatment had similar thoughts.
However, the difference was that the former had begun to worry about whether the charges here would be high, planning to wait and see how much the Shadow Master would pay before making a decision.
The superpowered individuals, most of whom had no financial burden, had already begun to cast their eyes toward the appointment sheet at the front desk…
"It’s your turn, Gecko."
Flowing Sand’s tone remained unchanged as he looked at the Dummy, Gecko, who was still sitting in the chair a meter away.
"Yes, go ahead, don’t keep the doctor waiting too long."
Nian beside him also said so, the care evident in his tone.
Gecko looked around and suddenly realized that whether it was his two teammates, the Shadow Master, other superpowered individuals, or even the soldiers on duty, they were all staring at him.
He tried to decipher the meanings behind the gazes directed at him:
"Go on."
"Go ahead."
"Why aren’t you going yet?"
"Hurry up!"
"……"
The surrounding looks were varied and peculiar, filled with envy, encouragement, doubt, and even killing intent… The only commonality was that they were all focused on him.
His processor struggled to handle such data input, and he soon felt an uncomfortable sensation, as if the entire world had tilted, with everyone attempting to push him into an abyss.
As a Dummy, Gecko was unaware of the uncanny valley effect, but he sensed a fear that he had once instilled in others now descending upon himself.
"Right, you’re right, I… I’ll go now."
Gecko shakily rose from his chair in the waiting area and stepped forward into the clean, orderly Clinic that exuded an air of rationality.
Only after he fully entered did the gazes of the crowd seem to be shut out, making it feel as though everything had finally come to an end.
Gecko’s face remained expressionless, but his heart was filled with dread.
He firmly closed the door of the examination room, yet a sense of foreboding rose within him, as if he had escaped a tiger’s lair only to enter a wolf’s den.
Outside the examination room, Flowing Sand casually took a seat in the spot Gecko had just vacated.
At that moment, both second-generation Dummies were under the control of Lin Qingliu inside.
He already felt the mental strain and tension; manipulating them was no longer as effortless as before.
Once Flowing Sand sat down, Lin Qingliu finally exhaled in relief and began to focus on the last target who had entered the examination room.
Without a grasp on the details, Flowing Sand and Nian appeared somewhat dazed, their bodies slowly leaning to the side uncontrollably.
The two soon leaned against each other, resting side by side as if they had dozed off.
Wait, what?
The Shadow Master witnessed the entire scene and felt… nothing. He had already grown numb today and felt he couldn’t get any more numb.
He no longer cared about the relationship between these three; instead, he was more curious about the psychologist’s area of expertise—whether it was trauma psychology or male psychology.
As for whether he should book an appointment to experience it himself later, the Shadow Master thought it required further consideration; he shouldn’t jump to conclusions.
Five minutes later, the last patient, Gecko, emerged from the examination room looking radiant.
His ordinary face was lit up with a brilliant smile, and he declared without hesitation,
"I feel like life is full of hope once again. Hope City truly lives up to its name!
"Those extraordinary beasts? What’s there to fear? Next time, I’m definitely joining the Exploration Plan!"
His expression was exaggerated, his tone exuberant, and he even spread his arms wide and shouted,
"Long live the revival of humanity!"
The Shadow Master adjusted his collar to mask his embarrassment and quietly commanded through the communicator,
"Treatment is complete. Alert lifted. Return in an orderly manner."
He signaled for the others to leave first while he stood at the front desk, preparing to settle the bill.
As the one who had proposed the protective escort, the Shadow Master knew it was more appropriate for him to pay. After all, he had been the one to cast doubt initially, and the other party had proven their innocence. He felt the need to make amends, even if subtly.
The superpowered individuals and soldiers, each fulfilling their roles, began to withdraw, leaving only a few who lingered to check the prices.
Lin Qingliu stretched, walked out of the final examination room, ignored the crowd on his way, and arrived at the front desk, ready to take on the role of the cashier handling the billing.
