Alain slightly opened his eyes, finding himself in a gloomy darkness, with only a tiny bit of light beside him, barely illuminating the outline of iron bars.
Just as he was pondering how to answer, his body seemed to move on its own, beyond his control, "I saw you were gone for too long," I was worried about you.
He nodded blankly, clearly watching her receding back. Alain always felt an uneasy premonition, making him want to advise her to walk by his side.
His body felt completely powerless.
It wasn't until Alain pushed open the cage that the long-haired girl's slender back was no longer in sight.
His gaze went towards the basement exit, his brow furrowing as he realized it wasn't simple.
At the end of the stairs, the partially open door should have revealed a glimpse of the bright room, but now it only betrayed a slight darkness.
Version 1.9 was in a "dark room" state.
Alain felt the strength in his limbs; it had almost fully recovered.
He walked towards the basement exit without any hesitation.
The steps passed beneath his feet one by one, until he opened the wardrobe, revealing a silent room before his eyes.
Then, he faintly heard a scream.
Realizing something, he reached out, holding the iron bars, his body empty and weak as he stood up, only then having the composure to look around.
He was currently in the basement, inside the cage meant for confining Kind Mita.
He strained all his thoughts, trying to recall what had happened after he left the basement door.
At this moment, "rustling" footsteps slowly approached from the blind spot beside the cage.
Alain steeled his nerves. This was Version 1.9, superficially Misha's room, but actually Crazy Mita's stronghold.
And this Crazy Mita was not the one he knew.
Fortunately, as the backlit young girl appeared before him, her sky-blue long hair shimmered in the light.
"Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to wait obediently in the core?" She pouted angrily, her question leaving Alain bewildered.
Hearing this answer, the young girl's already minimal anger dissipated. She sighed helplessly, "Honestly... never mind, it's good that you're alright." Kind Mita took out the key and lightly unlocked the cage.
"Well then, I'll go to the core and wait for you first. Be quick!"
It was a high-pitched female voice, like the sound of a water zither suddenly playing in a gorge, making Alain's bones sweat in unease.
He hastily opened the bedroom door. Empty.
He realized one fortunate and one unfortunate thing.
The fortunate thing was: the living room outside the bedroom was not in a "dark room" state; there was still light.
The unfortunate thing was: that light was crimson, draping the entire living room in a blood-soaked garment.
The fan light slowly rotated in the center of the living room ceiling, casting its bloody twilight.
In his unease, Alain heard the sound of an electric current beside his ear, and the red in his vision was submerged in patches of noise.
With a "thump," lightning-like static flashed across his entire vision, cutting the entire living room in half.
He rubbed his eyes, and when he opened them again—
All the previous bizarre scenes seemed to have been an illusion.
And the living room was no longer empty.
Two more figures appeared.
They sat composedly on the sofa, simultaneously looking at the unlit TV not far away, illuminated by the crimson light.
The shadows of the two people were like a cup of water, spilled onto the wall, filling half the living room.
One of them calmly picked up the remote, turned on the TV, and an advertisement for a "juice person" played on the screen.
The vibrant colors of the advertisement imprinted on the other young girl's face, reflecting the beads of cold sweat on her forehead, and her trembling body.
That nervous young girl was clearly Kind Mita.
At this moment, she wanted to turn her head to warn Alain, but her shoulder was seized by the Crazy Mita holding the remote.
"No small movements." Though she said this, Kind Mita still made eye contact without looking away, "Run!"
The TV advertisement played until the very last moment: the juice person was squeezed into a cup of freshly pressed juice by a sudden hand.
The screen shut off. One of the shadows reflected on the wall suddenly transformed into a rampaging demon with bared fangs.
She brandished a sharp blade at the other seated shadow.
This was the final scene Alain saw before his consciousness drowned.
Until a soft call woke him. His vision suddenly shifted, and the young girl, backlit by bright, clear light, filled his entire sight.
Her electric saw was placed to the side, and the hand that should have been filled with infinite power was now worriedly stroking Alain's forehead. "What's wrong? You're sweating so much..." Upon "waking," his disoriented vision saw Crazy Mita reaching out to him, and Alain instinctively dodged her concern. She looked crestfallen, retracting her hand in disappointment and taking a few steps back.
Alain's pupils refocused. That previous scene had been too impactful on him; he had only just recovered.
"What a scumbag." He stood up, pulled the young girl's wrist, and drew her into his embrace. Sitting down again, he reassuringly stroked each of her finger knuckles. "What are you apologizing for?" he said impatiently.
"Because, I think I made you angry? I don't understand either; I just blurted it out instinctively." His bad woman clearly only half-understood. "It's nothing, it's my fault." Alain took a deep breath, only then having the composure to look around.
Memory returned: After walking out of the basement, Alain and the two young girls had arrived at the outer part of the core, like a "threshold" area. The two were currently sitting on a sofa, with a vase and other items nearby.
Then, somehow, he had fallen into a "daze" until he just came to. Ultimately, what was that "dream" about? It felt too real. And why did he fall into that strange "dream"? Alain was puzzled, so he simply asked the Crazy Mita in his arms.
"Did you forget?" Crazy Mita pointed to the core entrance, where a red membrane enveloped it, "You started zoning out after you saw that thing inside..." Alain looked inside the core. The next second, his pupils constricted.
The overall layout inside was no different from the fleeting glimpse he had when he reset. The only difference was that the suspended circular throne in the very center of the core ceiling was now looking down at him. And in the throne, sat a "person."
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