“I want to control the ‘subconscious,'” Qi Xia murmured softly. “I need to prevent Han Yimo from thinking about certain things.”
Lin Qin pondered briefly before saying, “Qi Xia, close your eyes. Let me run a little experiment with you.”
“Alright,” Qi Xia nodded and shut his eyes.
“Qi Xia, please do *not* imagine a black cat,” Lin Qin instructed.
Upon hearing this, Qi Xia frowned slightly, his eyes still closed.
“Now, do *not* imagine that black cat staring at you.”
“And do *not* picture its beautiful brown pupils.”
Qi Xia remained silent.
“Now, please do *not* imagine that black cat slowly walking toward you.”
“I…” Qi Xia’s frown gradually eased as he listened quietly.
“And absolutely do *not* imagine the black cat rubbing against your leg, as if it’s hungry.”
“You don’t even realize how soft its fur is.”
“You also don’t know that it actually likes you.”
Seeing Qi Xia’s expression had completely relaxed, Lin Qin finally asked in a gentle tone:
“Qi Xia… take a look around. Where are you standing right now?”
Qi Xia frowned slightly and glanced around—only to realize he was standing in his own home.
“If you’re tired, you can rest on the bed for a while,” Lin Qin suggested.
Qi Xia slowly turned and saw a bed behind him.
Yet he never slept in beds.
He froze for a moment before abruptly opening his eyes.
The calm expression on his face vanished, replaced by icy despair.
“Lin Qin, were you hypnotizing me?”
“Not exactly. Just a mental relaxation exercise,” Lin Qin replied with a smile. “Qi Xia, you seem exhausted—both physically and mentally. If you keep pushing like this, you’ll break.”
“Unnecessary.” Qi Xia shook his head. “Let’s focus on more important matters.”
“Alright.” Lin Qin nodded. “Actually, I just gave you an example.”
“An example…?”
Lin Qin nodded again. “Did you notice? The human mind doesn’t process ‘negations’ well.”
As she had pointed out, the more she urged him *not* to think about something, the more vividly his mind conjured it.
“It’s a classic psychological phenomenon. People often use phrases like ‘Don’t do this’ or ‘Don’t worry about that’ to advise others. But in reality, what the listener hears is ‘You *are* doing this’ or ‘You *are* worrying about that.’ The effect is the opposite of what was intended.”
Qi Xia sighed and asked with a troubled expression, “So… we can’t influence others’ thoughts?”
“Honestly, we can’t even control our own thoughts—how could we interfere with someone else’s?”
The problem was indeed thorny. Han Yimo’s case seemed difficult to crack, and the key might still lie with Officer Li.
Qi Xia pressed on: “Then, if I wanted someone’s subconscious to believe something impossible, could that be done?”
Lin Qin blinked and asked, “Do you know this ‘Resonator’ the old woman mentioned?”
“Yes,” Qi Xia nodded. “Officer Li.”
“The one who can pull out banknotes?” Lin Qin clarified.
“Essentially.”
“That’s tricky…” Lin Qin mused. “Humans are called ‘humans’ precisely because we have basic cognitive abilities. Most people, when unsure if they have cash in their pocket, think, ‘I *might* have money,’ not ‘I *definitely* have a wad of cash.’ According to the old woman’s explanation, the former mindset would fail.”
Qi Xia nodded. “So there’s no way to influence him?”
“There are two methods worth trying,” Lin Qin said. “First, long-term brainwashing—similar to hypnosis. It would take a lot of time, but it could make him permanently believe his pockets always contain money. The downside? It might distort his normal reasoning. He’d assume his pockets could *only* hold money, nothing else.”
Qi Xia nodded again. “And the second?”
“The second…” Lin Qin hesitated before continuing, “is to completely disrupt his cognitive abilities—push him into a state of delirium or mental confusion. That way, he’d believe anything unconditionally.”
“You mean turn him into a madman?” Qi Xia asked.
“Exactly.” Lin Qin nodded. “You’ll notice that people labeled ‘insane’ or ‘mentally ill’ often possess extreme conviction. They believe in bizarre things with absolute certainty.”
If that were the case, weren’t the “Extremists” just a group of lunatics?
Their high success rate in triggering “Resonance” was precisely because their madness was pure.
And Aunt Tong, who fervently believed in the “Mother Goddess,” didn’t seem entirely stable either.
But why did Lin Qin know so much about this?
“Lin Qin, you…”
Qi Xia had more to say, but after a moment’s thought, he held back.
Some things weren’t meant to be discussed openly. Perhaps it was better to speak privately later.
By the time the group refocused, Aunt Tong had already finished explaining the concept of “Resonance” and moved on to its triggering conditions.
According to her, “Resonance” typically required a catalyst only in its “initial stage.” Once someone experienced it multiple times, it meant they had fully earned the “Mother Goddess’s” favor, allowing them to activate “Resonance” at will and gain extraordinary abilities. However, some people’s “Resonance” was so unique that they always needed a catalyst.
“So how do you *stop* ‘Resonance’?” Qi Xia raised his hand and asked.
“Stop it?” Aunt Tong stared at him. “Why would anyone want to? Who would willingly reject the ‘Mother Goddess’s’ gift?”
“Maybe your ‘Mother Goddess’ isn’t giving gifts—but curses,” Qi Xia countered. “Some people *would* want to shut it off.”
“Child, think of ‘Resonance’ as a soundwave. You can only hear it when it reaches you, but soundwaves fade naturally.”
Qi Xia paused. “You’re saying ‘Resonance’ is temporary?”
“Exactly.” Aunt Tong nodded. “We never need to forcibly end it. Just wait for it to dissipate.”
Qi Xia glanced absently at Han Yimo.
He had been in “Resonance” for an entire day.
So… how long would his last?
Ten days, perhaps?
Aunt Tong then resumed preaching about the “Mother Goddess’s” greatness.
Given how bizarre her demonstration of “Resonance” had been, several more people were swayed by her words.
For some reason, Qi Xia felt an even deeper despair listening to her.
When a world’s only hope is praying for divine intervention, it means the people living in it have utterly run out of solutions.
Could they really escape this place?
Could he truly demand Yu Nian’an back from the “gods” here and hold her in his arms again?
“I was *just* about to give her a better life…”
Qi Xia’s eyes dimmed, his heart aching unbearably.
Aunt Tong continued addressing the crowd: “Once we rid ourselves of ‘lingering attachments,’ we will surely earn the ‘Mother Goddess’s’ favor and obtain her divine power!”
Qi Xia frowned, discomfort gnawing at him, and couldn’t help but ask, “Auntie, people usually say ‘rid yourself of distractions.’ Why do you keep saying ‘rid yourself of *lingering attachments*’?”
“Child, don’t you understand?” Aunt Tong replied slowly. “‘Lingering attachments’ *are* distractions.”
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