Chapter 85 Listening

Chapter 85: Listening

The next day, Lin Jianyuan arrived at the Management Bureau as usual.

Yesterday, Xie Yu and Shi Shaoning had contained Delirium together. Although Lin Jianyuan hadn't participated, he was still a bit curious.

Lin Jianyuan had previously helped Shi Shaoning write containment records, so he knew the method for capturing Delirium was extremely simple—so simple it was almost idiotic.

All they had to do was spray Delirium with a firehose filled with mosquito repellent.

But yesterday, Xie Yu and the others were gone a really long time.

Xie Yu said, "Delirium has gotten stronger."

Lin Jianyuan thought it was weird. Wasn't Delirium an idiot?

An idiot that got stronger... was it still an idiot?

Had Delirium become smarter?

No.

Something just didn't feel right.

So Lin Jianyuan made his way to the deepest part of the inverted spire.

S-class entities were rare. When the Management Bureau designed the Containment Department, they intentionally shaped it like an inverted spire.

The top of the spire was the most heavily guarded area.

Since it was uncertain how many S-class entities there were, the Management Bureau reserved several containment cells.

At the moment, three cells were in use.

Cell 1 was "Delirium," Cell 2 was "Hesitation," and Cell 3 was "Regret."

Lin Jianyuan headed straight for Cell 1.

Before he even got close to Cell 1, the air was already thick with the smell of mosquito repellent.

Logically speaking, even for an S-class, a mere Sobering Potion shouldn’t be able to cause much harm.

His roommate even used Sobering Potion as perfume.

But Delirium was different.

Sobering Potion would cause Delirium to fall into a brief... well, how to put it.

Daze?

Although he was usually in a mentally dazed state, the repellent made him even more dazed than usual...

So they could use a pool of mosquito repellent to trap him inside.

"But didn’t you say he got stronger?"

Lin Jianyuan asked as he walked toward the cell.

Shi Shaoning said, "Yes. His mental contamination has intensified. Yesterday, even Evil Domain was affected by him and showed brief symptoms of Delirium."

Lin Jianyuan paused mid-step.

Before entering the S-class area, Lin Jianyuan had stored all his gadgets at the entrance.

Because none of the gadgets could withstand the mental contamination of S-class entities.

This was also recorded in the "Regret" containment logs.

But Xie Yu?

Even Xie Yu was affected now?

Why?

Logically, they were both S-class. And he remembered his roommate completely overpowered Delirium before.

Delirium was like an ordinary idiot in front of his roommate, utterly incapable of fighting back.

What exactly made Delirium stronger, to the point where even Xie Yu could be contaminated by him?

No wonder when asked "A or B," he answered "yes."

...They really couldn’t let Xie Yu casually interact with those messy S-class entities anymore.

After all, work belongs to the unit.

But the wife is his own!!!

Lin Jianyuan frowned and entered the final door of Cell 1 with Shi Shaoning.

Then—

He was nearly choked unconscious by the smell of mosquito repellent.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough!"

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t stop coughing.

"Damn, this is... cough, cough, cough... this is too much... cough, cough, cough, cough!" Lin Jianyuan’s eyes were watering from the coughing, and he couldn’t speak properly.

He felt like he’d been hit by a mosquito repellent bomb—his eyes were stung shut, his nose completely lost its sense of smell.

His throat and mouth were stinging painfully.

Help. Is this mosquito repellent or a biochemical weapon???

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t handle the coughing.

Shi Shaoning seemed a bit more accustomed to it, but his eyes were also red from the fumes: "You... bear with it. There’s no other way."

Shi Shaoning said hoarsely, "We must... we must also fully, cough, fully expose ourselves to the mosquito repellent. Otherwise, he’ll, cough, cough, find every, cough, every opening..."

Tears streaming down his face, Lin Jianyuan said, "Can’t we just use, cough, cough, cough, transparent glass or, cough, a monitor or something! I don’t necessarily have to see him in person!"

"No." Shi Shaoning coughed and sniffled, somehow still maintaining his cool guy demeanor. The red-eyed cool guy said ruthlessly, "Glass can’t block contamination, and monitors, after being contaminated, will, cough, become vectors for contamination. So it’s not, cough... not possible!"

Lin Jianyuan was genuinely surprised this time.

Even monitors could spread contamination?

Even just filming "Delirium" could become a vector for Delirium's spread?

You call this "getting stronger"?

This is clearly an epic buff!!!

Lin Jianyuan felt a very strange sensation.

He sniffed the air, mentally prepared himself, and said, "Open the lid."

The mosquito repellent pool was sealed with an additional layer of reinforced concrete.

Mental contamination is somewhat similar to radiation.

Common radiation-blocking materials like reinforced concrete can also, to some extent, block psychic contamination.

Thus, ultra-thick reinforced concrete walls are standard for S-Class containment cells.

At that moment, the heavy reinforced concrete pool lid was slowly opened by a geared mechanism.

Revealing the enormous mosquito repellent pool, empty...

Empty—

An empty pool?!

Where is Delirium?!

Where did Delirium go?!

Lin Jianyuan was jolted in alarm.

Shi Shaoning’s expression also changed drastically. Just as he was about to turn and call for help, Lin Jianyuan suddenly grabbed him.

"Wait. He’s still here."

Lin Jianyuan pointed toward the mosquito repellent pool.

Shi Shaoning frowned and only then noticed that Delirium, for some reason, had swum to the side of the pool wall closest to them.

Due to the obstructed view from the concrete, they hadn’t seen Delirium at first glance.

They nearly had a heart attack.

To observe more easily, the two maintained some distance from the pool and walked toward the other side.

"Delirium’s movement is completely erratic," Shi Shaoning said as they walked. "There was a time when we suspected he moved according to some pattern, but after rigorous monitoring, we found it was just a coincidence."

Lin Jianyuan nodded, watching Delirium.

Delirium in the mosquito repellent pool seemed to sense something and slowly turned around in the water.

Lin Jianyuan finally got a clear look at his face.

It was a rather handsome face. Handsome, yet unremarkable. It was instantly forgettable, leaving only an impression of "good-looking" in one’s mind.

This was probably also a form of psychic effect.

Delirium’s skin was unusually pale. Whether from lack of sunlight or being marinated in mosquito repellent was unclear.

That cold, pale texture appeared very sickly.

Coupled with his constantly vacant, drifting stare.

No matter how Lin Jianyuan looked at him, he seemed like someone who had just attended an orgy and been fucked stupid...

"Is the Bronze Tier-2 Lock installed?" Lin Jianyuan asked.

Shi Shaoning said, "Yes. It was installed yesterday, right after he was captured. Otherwise, he might have escaped by now."

Lin Jianyuan nodded.

A simple mosquito repellent pool could no longer contain Delirium, no matter how high the concentration.

He hoped the Bronze Tier-2 Lock would be more effective.

So his wife wouldn’t have to be pulled into overtime again.

Delirium sloshed around in the pool.

Lin Jianyuan stood on the shore watching him.

Delirium had long limbs and a balanced physique.

His naked form resembled a sculpture—pale, icy, and artificial, yet possessing a strange beauty.

Like a god's magnum opus.

Yet this perfect body was entirely immersed in the mosquito repellent pool.

The water covered his head, his black hair drifting like seaweed.

High-pressure water jets were installed inside the pool. Once any movement from Delirium was detected, they would spray water in the opposite direction to push him back.

Now that Delirium had powered up, simple water jets could no longer keep him trapped in the center of the pool.

But an amped-up moron was still a moron.

Even though Delirium had grown stronger, he could only wade clumsily through the mosquito repellent pool.

He couldn’t climb out.

Lin Jianyuan stared at Delirium in the pool.

Delirium’s vacant, drifting eyes were like those of a blind man unable to see.

He was pinned under the weight of the water.

His lips moved as if he were saying something.

But not a single bubble escaped from his nose or mouth.

The scene was downright creepy because it was clear he wasn’t human.

He looked too much like an exquisite but inert statue.

Yet he was walking, tottering and wobbling.

Like a toddler learning to walk.

Or like someone who has been humiliated, trampled into the mud.

Forcibly stripped of all reason...

A person.

Lin Jianyuan felt inexplicably sad.

He realized that every time he saw Delirium, a very complicated feeling would stir within him.

Dr. Cen once said it was a sense of fellow feeling. Lin Jianyuan thought that made perfect sense.

But why would he share suffering with a heretic?

Aren't heretics humanity's enemies?

Lin Jianyuan watched for a while, then couldn't help but sigh: "How pitiful. Why are you bullying someone with mental disabilities?"

Shi Shaoning was about 10% into an eye-roll.

Shi Shaoning said, "You won't say that after he's deliriumed you once."

Lin Jianyuan suddenly remembered something and said, "Speaking of which, I’ve encountered Delirium more than once before, but it seems like I’ve never... never been deliriumed?"

Shi Shaoning was taken aback.

Only then did he realize that Lin Jianyuan had already had unshielded exposure to Delirium several times.

"Your mental resistance is this strong?!" Shi Shaoning exclaimed in shock. "Why?"

"I don’t know why either," Lin Jianyuan said. "Could it be because I’ve taken too many psych meds?"

Shi Shaoning: "..."

Shi Shaoning wore a thoughtful expression.

Lin Jianyuan laughed, "Hey, you’re not planning to drag me to the lab for experiments, are you?"

"I’d love to. But would your wife agree?" Shi Shaoning said. "Still, you’re probably curious yourself. How about this: I happen to have a colleague working on foundational research in this area. He’s at... well, you’ve been there before."

Lin Jianyuan’s heart skipped a beat: "What?"

Shi Shaoning: "He’s at 700 North Jiangchuan Road, A City Mental Health Center. Didn’t you stay there for treatment before? You might have already met him."

The highly concentrated repellent pool was not exactly the best spot for conversation.

Lin Jianyuan said, "Let’s talk outside... *cough, cough, cough*..."

The two then backtracked, keeping a distance from the pool as they walked along the edge toward the entrance.

Splash, splash.

The water rippled.

Delirium, submerged in the dense liquid, struggled frantically, thrashing his limbs.

His long limbs swayed like sea anemones in the water.

They were weak and pale.

Lin Jianyuan suddenly halted, unable to help but turn back to glance at Delirium.

At that moment, Delirium also happened to tilt his head up slightly.

His head remained submerged beneath the water.

His eyes were still vacant, his gaze unfocused.

But his lips parted, as if he were saying something.

What was he saying?

What did he want to say?

Lin Jianyuan edged closer on instinct, wanting to catch what he was saying.

Delirium’s gaze flickered uncontrollably, never truly landing on Lin Jianyuan.

Like a ping-pong ball unable to control itself.

But he—it seemed—

It seemed like—

He was—

Speaking to—

Me.

He was, speaking to, me.

Listen.

Listen.

Hear.

Hear. Listen. Listen.

Hear. The world.

The—world—

"Pop!"

Like a fragile soap bubble popping right by his ear.

The pale man, trapped in the thick fluid, slightly raised his head in the deep pool and reached out.

His lips parted.

In the water, he mouthed silently—

Lin Jianyuan didn’t think twice and lunged forward.

"Lin Jianyuan!" Shi Shaoning bellowed, "What are you doing! Come back!—"

Shi Shaoning made a grab for him, but it was already too late!

Splash!

Lin Jianyuan leaped into the pool!

The moment he entered the water, a rush of liquid poured in.

His ear canals were instantly filled, and a heavy, muffled sound echoed in his ears.

Lin Jianyuan heard it.

The moment he was submerged by the heavy water, Lin Jianyuan heard the murmured delirium of the man, pale as paper—

"You."

Delirium swam toward him relentlessly, in a daze, empty-eyed.

His open lips were continuously gulping liquid, clogging his throat.

The sound that couldn't be made.

The delirious words no one could comprehend.

It was just one word.

"You."