It increased again? Is this also considered by the system as defeating or subduing a virus?
Alain's mood at this moment was one of terror. He wanted to slap himself.
Thinking about it carefully, this professional habit seemed to have more bad consequences than good ones.
The most immediate one was praising the strange woman's short hair back then, which led to a whole series of events.
Alain's gaze focused on the face directly in front of him.
Her nose was almost touching Alain's. The bangs of the girl in the white dress tickled his face.
In addition to Misha's fragrance, he could also smell the scent of the person in front of him.
If the strange woman's scent was the sweetness of dessert, and Misha's was a light floral fragrance, then "Ugly Mita's" was a calm, woody aroma.
"W-what did you just say about me?" she asked.
Her words weren't as calm as her scent. Out of the corner of his eye, Alain saw "Ugly Mita's" body trembling.
And, the occasional glint of a sharp blade revealed within the teddy bear…
This one was definitely very angry. And not like the strange woman, who had a higher tolerance for him when they were one-on-one.
So what should he say?! Were all Mitas this strange? Not even allowing compliments?
"I… what did I just say?"
"P-please, r-repeat it. Is that okay?"
"I said you're very cute," Alain said seriously.
Alain suddenly saw her body twitch strangely twice, rippling with a black aura. Several spider-shaped glitches scurried out from under her skirt, disappearing into the corners of the room.
[40%→50%][You have successfully gained a virus scan usage opportunity in this mission]
Was she so angry that she dropped equipment? And it directly added 10% to the progress bar.
Alright, no need to talk anymore. He probably just made another enemy.
Alain, adhering to the belief that fleeing is shameful but useful, closed the door without hesitation. With a "thump," holding Misha's hand, everything returned to silence.
Although he didn't know why it connected to such strange places, this trouble… he'd leave it for his future self to bear.
"Hoo, hoo… that scared me to death!"
Misha patted her chest.
In an emergency, Alain still knew how to prioritize, temporarily ignoring it. He asked, "Do you know the exact information about that Mita just now? Why did she look… a bit strange?"
She was quite cute, Alain thought.
"Ugly Mita is the earliest version, and also the individual closest to version 0."
Misha rubbed her temples. "And precisely because of this, she's connected to all the important code in the game world. Any action could potentially cause unexpected bugs."
"In real-world terms: she's very strong, excessively so. She's overwhelmingly stronger than ordinary Mitas."
Hearing this, Alain pondered. He didn't know what he was thinking about, but his shoulders stiffened like Ugly Mita's.
"Wait a minute. Are you saying she's the Mita closest to version zero?"
"That's right," Misha nodded.
"Then, the core's location is…"
"Version zero… ah!" Misha clapped her hands, understanding what Alain meant.
"You have so many clever ideas. But my dear, I advise you to give up on that thought."
The girl directly and seriously rejected the idea. "Indeed, Ugly Mita's room is very close to the core. But precisely because her version is so early, it's… extremely unstable. Very dangerous! I absolutely won't let anything happen to you."
She added another sentence, "With Hat having the teleportation device now, that's an inferior option."
Misha's tone was very firm and serious, making Alain want to kiss her.
But excluding the option of "using Ugly Mita's room to get to the core"… Alain considered what to do next.
First, Cappie's room was definitely a must-go.
And the two doors at the front and back of the gray and white checkered room led to the corridor towards their target room and Ugly Mita's location, respectively.
"Wait a minute, my dear."
"What's wrong, my dear?" Misha tilted her head.
"You said Ugly Mita is very strong, right?"
"Then, can we use Ugly Mita to get rid of those worms over there? Not by negotiating, but by luring her to the corridor."
Misha considered the possibility. "Theoretically, Ugly Mita's power is tier 1 in the game world. I think she could defeat them. But the danger involved…"
"Don't worry. Haven't we overcome all the difficulties along the way?"
Alain smiled wryly. He knew, and Misha knew, that they had to go through the corridor to reach Cappie.
Misha's tone softened. "But you have to promise me that even if it means abandoning me, you will escape the game world."
"No way. We go together."
Alain still kissed her, forcing Misha back into a rational state, so that she could think about the most efficient and feasible plan.
During this time, the progress bar unexpectedly reached 55%. Alain guessed that the initial increase in the progress bar when they entered the basement was because of the Misha who was being… intimate with him.
Afterward, the two of them reached a conclusion: Alain would stand by the first door, which led to the corridor.
Misha would stand by the second door—the door leading to Ugly Mita.
They would open the doors simultaneously, using Ugly Mita's hatred for Alain to lure her to the first door—towards the corridor.
"Then, my dear. I'll count down from three, and we'll open the doors together." Worry was evident on Misha's face. "You must… prioritize your own safety. If I notice anything wrong, I'll close the door immediately."
Alain's expression was relaxed. He mused that the previous flag had indeed been answered.
Leaving the matter of Ugly Mita to his future self. Little did he know that his so-called "future self" was now, just five minutes later.
The two of them simultaneously opened their respective doors. Alain was fully alert, looking at the scene inside the first door.
The corridor was still a corridor, and the worms were still enjoying their feast. The worm that had attacked them earlier was gone.
At the same time, an exclamation of surprise came from Misha's side.
"What's wrong?" Alain thought they had been attacked in some way and turned back to look. He found Misha looking at the scene inside the second door.
"Something's a bit strange, Alain."
Alain frowned, closed his door, went to the girl's side, and looked at the view inside the second door.
What met his eyes was also the view from the entrance, their gazes sweeping across the living room.
Compared to Ugly Mita's dim room, this room was so bright… it was normal. Remarkably normal.
It was just an ordinary Mita's room, everything was pink.
Alain glanced sideways, noticing a few photos hanging on the wall. It was a cute girl wearing glasses.
His gaze moved downwards. It was also the door frame, and also… some slight black spots.
"Let's close it first."
With a "thud," the door closed, and Alain had a certain guess.
Just in case, he had Misha stand behind him and opened the door again.
This time, it should have been the bedroom. The still-bright light revealed the photos on the wall. It was a Mita with braids, her smile lovely.
Alain tried a few more times. Apart from the first encounter with Ugly Mita, he hadn't encountered her again.
The version distance being too close also wouldn't work: he still hadn't opened Cappie's room.
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