Xiao Qin was indeed in a good mood.
She had solved a big problem and could take a flight home.
— Although, strictly speaking, her body had never left Xigu Valley City.
Having been in this world for so long, she had taken a few flying taxis, but she had never seen the ground from such a height.
She had always known that the major cities of the Federation were giant urban circles, with the largest cities having a radius of over 200 kilometers.
From the air, there seemed to be no significant natural landscapes; only skyscrapers, flying tracks, lights, streets, warehouses, and ruins stretched out below.
She didn't feel much, only a sense of shock.
In contrast, within her body, Yu Zhezhun experienced an uncontrollable surge of emotions.
— It must have been too long since he had been out, and he was a bit excited to see such a scene.
"The mainframe said that when you were on missions before, you would get some free time?" Qin Xuezhong asked curiously.
"Yeah," Yu Zhezhun seemed to just come back to his senses, "but it couldn't be too long, or my condition would worsen. It was usually just enough time to eat a meal. But now…"
He didn't finish his sentence, but Xiao Qin understood.
Now, with the help of her consciousness in the void, Yu Zhezhun didn't have to worry about his condition; in fact, it might even be possible to heal him.
At the same time, Qin Xuezhong could use his body anytime to accomplish tasks she couldn't do herself.
Everyone was getting what they needed, working together sincerely.
The plan was going smoothly.
As the shuttle approached Xigu Valley City, the mainframe reported to Qin Xuezhong again.
"The backup maintenance team in Xigu Valley City has temporarily taken control, directing the military on site to capture Fifth Ningyi."
Since Qin Xuezhong had directly killed Tang Kede, she was completely unaware that Fifth Ningyi was still alive and how she was connected to Tang Kede.
Xiao Qin was surprised and asked, "Fifth Ningyi is still alive? Wasn't she dead?"
The mainframe replied, "Not at all. You did examine Fifth Ningyi's body, but at the time she was in a state of apparent death. After the examination, she returned to a normal state and used a dummy body for cremation. Her physical condition was very poor, so she wanted to get away quickly and carry out her plan."
Xiao Qin was taken aback. Sometimes, she really couldn't understand why these people would go through so much trouble.
She asked, "Can you tell me the whole story? Make it simple."
"Sure."
The mainframe began to summarize the entire process without any pause.
"A year ago, Fifth Foundation's director, Fifth Jiu, discovered Tang Kede, who was in exile in the New World, and brought him back to Xigu Valley City."
"Soon after, Tang Kede claimed that his experiments had made breakthroughs, and with the help of Fifth Jiu, he used the Fifth family's virtual dream software to test the population of Xigu Valley City."
"This test was to select people suitable for Tang Kede's new technology experiments."
"They ultimately chose Yue Zhao."
"At the same time, because Fifth Jiu had animosity toward Fifth Suofeng and learned that Fifth Suofeng's daughter, Fifth Ningyi, had significant character flaws."
"Character flaws imply consciousness vulnerabilities. Tang Kede used a hidden virus to influence Fifth Ningyi, making her fall in love with Yue Zhao at a bar to facilitate subsequent plans."
The mainframe continued, but Qin Xuezhong already knew what happened next.
Due to being covertly influenced in her character and state, Fifth Ningyi became extreme and even threw Yue Zhao into the laboratory for Tang Kede to create a version of Yue Zhao that would completely obey her orders.
However, the mainframe's explanation clarified one of her doubts.
How could a daughter of the Fifth family, who had been accustomed to the most luxurious life and the darkest aspects of humanity, become so infatuated with Yue Zhao?
The mainframe continued, "According to Tang Kede's analysis, Fifth Ningyi's mother disappeared early on, and her father was always busy with work, leaving her with a lack of familial affection. Additionally, she idolized her powerful father, craving Fifth Suofeng's recognition."
"So, in the final stage of Tang Kede's plan, he told Fifth Ningyi that the new virus would affect everyone, including Fifth Suofeng, making them regard Fifth Ningyi as a family member who wanted to be with her every day."
Qin Xuezhong frowned and asked, "Does the new virus really have that effect?"
"I'm not sure," the mainframe replied. "Because this type of neural programming is completely new technology, I don't have complete data. However, based on Tang Kede's behavior, it's very likely a lie meant to deceive Fifth Ningyi to achieve his own goals."
Xiao Qin nodded; that made sense.
"So what about Fifth Ningyi now?" she asked.
"She's in the southern suburbs…" the mainframe started, then interrupted itself, "The temporary commander of Xigu Valley City has ordered Fifth Ningyi's arrest, and it has succeeded. She is being sent to the Silver Star Building in Bay Flow District, intending to develop an antivirus program through Fifth Ningyi's brainwaves, but that's no longer needed."
Xiao Qin was momentarily stunned; she hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
The mainframe continued, "I need to remind you that Fifth Ningyi's condition is very poor. Because Tang Kede's technology is still immature, her mental state has reached the brink of collapse."
Qin Xuezhong hesitated for a few seconds, then decided to go see her.
Thus, there was the scene in the parking lot on the 90th floor of the Silver Star Building.
---
Qin Xuezhong swaggered into the backup team's office, followed by the escort team.
She said only one sentence: "Everyone, please give us a quiet room."
Following the mainframe's authorization, Old Liu didn't say a word, silently leading Qin Xuezhong to a private enclosed area.
The escort team had already placed Fifth Ningyi there and adjusted the restraints.
Not to prevent Fifth Ningyi from harming the person in battle armor, but rather to guard against her having problems.
Everyone could see that Fifth Ningyi was not in a good state.
Her body was twitching, and her eyes occasionally quivered wildly, looking very frightening.
Once the door closed, Qin Xuezhong directly connected to Fifth Ningyi's chip.
She saw that Fifth Ningyi's consciousness space was on the verge of collapse, filled with chaotic red mist everywhere; the consciousness light spheres couldn't maintain their shape, becoming a scattering mist.
She quickly cleared out the red, wrapping Fifth Ningyi's entire consciousness light sphere with powerful consciousness tendrils, reshaping it into a sphere.
The mainframe reminded her, "This type of damage is likely irreversible."
"Yeah, I know." Xiao Qin said softly.
Although Fifth Ningyi had indeed pushed many terrifying events and even knew that she was the ghost and wanted to kill her… in the end, Fifth Ningyi was also a victim who had been set up.
Qin Xuezhong couldn't bring herself to end her life like she did with Tang Kede.
But then again, could Fifth Ningyi have achieved this to such an extent only because of Tang Kede? According to the mainframe, Tang Kede's virus could only push people's characters; it couldn't completely change them. Perhaps in time, she could still commit some horrific acts herself?
That question would never have an answer.
Fifth Ningyi across from her seemed to regain some consciousness, looking around in confusion, unsure of what had happened.
Even with a person in battle armor standing in front of her, her emotions showed no change.
"What is this place?" Fifth Ningyi asked.
"Security department. It's all over." Qin Xuezhong answered.
Upon hearing this, Fifth Ningyi seemed to regain a bit of her wits. She twitched in pain again, and her gaze gradually turned to despair as she appeared to remember the events of the past year.
"I… remember now, I'm sorry." Her voice was low.
Qin Xuezhong asked, "You remember? You didn't know what happened this past year?"
"Mostly… but it's all vague, like I was being controlled."
After saying this, Fifth Ningyi hung her head and whispered, "Just kill me."
Xiao Qin was taken aback; she hadn't expected Fifth Ningyi to be so resolute. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
"Do you… want me to call Fifth Suofeng?" Xiao Qin said uncertainly.
Since the mainframe said that Fifth Ningyi idolized her father, perhaps handing this broken version of herself over to Fifth Suofeng would be a good idea.
Fifth Ningyi twitched a couple of times, then smiled and said, "What do you want him for? When I was in a state of apparent death, he didn't even come to check on me. Instead, it was Fifth Jiu who helped me handle the aftermath."
A silence fell.
In her mind, Yu Zhezhun said gloomily, "This is the Federation; everything is about interests, and everything else is fake."
Qin Xuezhong agreed deeply.
Fifth Ningyi's voice rose slightly.
"I'm not joking. I've come to realize that I'm actually looking forward to death. Even without Tang Kede, I was anticipating it."
"W-why?" Xiao Qin felt a bit lost.
"Because everyone is either being used or obeying; they've lost all emotions," Fifth Ningyi murmured. "I've been changed by this twisted family. Maybe the world after death would be better? Nobody knows what happens after we die."
As she spoke, her body trembled again, and she smiled, as if feeling a bit happy.
"Actually, maybe the time I spent under Tang Kede's control wasn't so bad. Even if it was fake, I got to experience what it was like to like someone."
"Just kill me," Fifth Ningyi said again.
Then she looked at Qin Xuezhong with deep affection and said, "Yue Zhao, you're here! Where are we going to play today? I've been waiting for you for so long."
Qin Xuezhong felt a chill run down her spine.
At that moment, the mainframe reminded her, "Her brainwaves are becoming chaotic again."
Xiao Qin silently glanced at her, reached out, avoided Fifth Ningyi's outstretched arm, and pressed down on both sides of her neck, rendering her unconscious.
Neither she nor Yu Zhezhun spoke.
Only the mainframe displayed a sentence in front of Qin Xuezhong again.
Xiao Qin had never seen it before; it was likely written by a writer from this world:
[In that moment, she truly realized that she could not love. The desire she had pursued her entire life could not settle in her heart, which was riddled with scars.]
Xiao Qin rolled her eyes and said, "Didn't expect you to be so poetic."
The mainframe replied, "Providing a good emotional experience and release for my service users is one of my duties."
Xiao Qin said flatly, "You did well; skip it next time."
Then she walked out without looking back.