Chapter 101: The First Meeting

Night fell.

Inside the room, Ding Mo pulled the curtains, blocking out the last trace of light.

Returning to the mirror, Ding Mo lit the candle on the table.

In the quietly burning firelight, Ding Mo began to apply his makeup.

He unscrewed the box of cheap rouge, dipped his fingers in, and slowly traced upward along his honest cheekbones.

The few lines he drew were exceptionally sharp, possessing a kind of decisive beauty that only a boy could have!

He dipped a powder puff into the lead-white rouge powder and pressed it onto his face, one tap at a time.

The dry powder made him choke, causing him to subconsciously squint his eyes.

A strange face gradually emerged in the mirror:

The eyebrows were drawn long with an eyebrow pencil, the lips were painted to look like raw meat, and two patches of pink rouge were smeared under the eyes, looking exactly like the congealed blood of someone who had been beaten severely.

The final stroke extended to the temples. As his fingers brushed past his temples, a soft "click" of a chuckle suddenly came from the mirror.

The candlelight flickered violently.

At this moment, the "Ding Mo" in the mirror had completely changed, becoming unlike himself.

The person in the mirror had "come to life"!

"Still punctual," Fei Xue's voice came. After she muttered this, she waved her hand.

Then, in a moment of dizziness, Ding Mo was once again pulled into the Jing Zhong Shi Jie.

In the boundless darkness, before a table of unknown material.

Twelve white candle flames supported twelve blurred figures, and whispers vibrated secretly in the air.

Ding Mo glanced at the 13th candle in front of his own table, just about to speak.

He heard Fei Xue say: "Everyone, we have a new member joining—Ding Mo!"

Clap, clap, clap!

The figures went silent for an instant, then began to applaud—they were actually applauding in earnest!

Among them, a certain petite figure seemed particularly enthusiastic?

Clap, clap, clap!

"Uh..." Ding Mo coughed, and only after it quieted down did he say:

"Listen, I have a problem that needs you, or one of you, to help with."

The figures shifted, and a scoffing sound came from one of them:

"It's rare for a newcomer to be so proactive, very good."

"Fei Xue, it seems we don't need to waste words."

At the head of the table, Fei Xue seemed to be silent for a second before saying to Ding Mo:

"According to custom, this is your first meeting, and it may also be your last."

"We will test you and provide you with corresponding compensation."

"But since you asked for it yourself, that compensation can be replaced by your request—provided the request is reasonable."

A test? Compensation? Ding Mo's eyes darted around as he listened.

It sounded like this organization was not as loose and casual as it appeared on the surface.

"Lord Ding Mo, I have detected that your mental state has been somewhat unstable recently," the Guardian was also there, and he spoke politely:

"You just came out of a dungeon; have you encountered any difficulties?"

"I..." Ding Mo was about to speak, then paused.

How did this guy know he had just come out of a dungeon?

Seeming to sense Ding Mo's thoughts, the 'Guardian' chuckled:

"Apologies, Lord, I have installed some little gadgets on you—please understand, this is a necessary measure."

"I presume you know that even though our organization follows the principle of mutual aid, which is almost entirely beneficial to Polluters, there are more lunatics in the Isolation Zone than normal people."

"Conclusion: their logical decision-making does not align with normal people, so a safety mechanism must be established."

"..." Ding Mo hadn't even noticed when this happened.

No, even now, he still couldn't find anything wrong with himself!

"I'm curious, is this how you treat all new members?" Ding Mo had to temporarily set aside his own question and said coldly.

No one likes being monitored, especially since there were secrets about himself that could not be known to others.

However, when the "Curtain" was pulled down, time was in a state of suspension; even on Ding Mo himself, his watch could not function.

So, no matter what this guy had installed on him, he shouldn't know his biggest secret yet!

Thinking of this, Ding Mo felt a slight relief in his heart, but on the surface, he still kept a cold expression.

After a long while,

Fei Xue spoke: "You don't need to be like this; it is precisely because you have gained our initial trust that we told you about this."

"Otherwise, with the 'Guardian's' ability, if we hadn't said anything, you probably would never have discovered it in your entire life."

"Furthermore," the Guardian took over, saying humbly:

"As long as you pass the initiation test, I guarantee with my reputation that there will be no more monitoring on you."

Ding Mo, after looking at the few of them for a moment, said slowly:

"Fine!"

"Then, since it's a test, what do I need to do?"

"There's no need to rush that; we still have other topics to discuss at this meeting, you can state your request first, perhaps..." Fei Xue said in one breath:

"Perhaps the two things are one and the same, who knows."

Are they one and the same? As Ding Mo's thoughts raced, he finally stated his purpose:

"I... I have actually suffered some memory loss, or rather, my memory has developed problems in certain areas."

There was a silence of several seconds at the meeting, then suddenly, a voice containing rationality spoke up:

"Hello, Mr. Ding Mo, I am quite skilled in this area."

The voice was as calm as water, or rather, as cold as iron, without a trace of fluctuation.

"Actually, many people in the Isolation Zone have similar memory problems. If it is because of this, you do not need to be too anxious."

"No, this is very important." Ding Mo shook his head:

"Because I seem to have forgotten some important things, and I must remember them!"

As long as one has stayed in a world, the "World Noise" of that world will definitely be branded into one's memory; this has been proven by several Tasks!

If he really is a transmigrator, then he must have this memory, only he has forgotten it...

"... Since that is the case, then leave it to me." The man said, looking toward Fei Xue in the main seat.

"Very well, it is quite convenient anyway." Fei Xue nodded, then said to Ding Mo:

"Wait a moment, we will deal with your problem last."

Having said that, she waved both hands, and Ding Mo suddenly felt as if he were separated by a thick layer of gauze, unable to hear the voices of the others clearly.

Vaguely, Ding Mo only heard them seemingly discussing terms like "HCSD-990", "search", and "location".

What are they looking for?

Ding Mo pondered.

HCSD-990? This sounds like an anomalous item from the Processing Bureau.

To think they have already started setting their sights on the Processing Bureau's anomalous items; could these people really be capable of causing some trouble...

After about half an hour, when Ding Mo was even starting to feel drowsy, he was finally woken up by Fei Xue:

"Alright, it is your turn."

Ding Mo lifted his head, which had just been bobbing like a fishing rod, and discovered that only she, him, and that figure with the calm, unruffled voice remained in the seats.

The figure spoke, smiling: "Let us have a formal introduction. My surname is Yuan, and I am called Yuan Zi'ang. You can call me Doctor Yuan."

Doctor... Ding Mo nodded at him: "Ding Mo, former human university student."

At the same time, he mocked himself inwardly: Current human prisoner of the Isolation Zone!

"Very well, Mr. Ding, can you tell me in detail about your condition? Apologies,"

"I mean, your 'situation'. After all, this does not count as a disease to us."

Hearing this phrasing, Ding Mo thought for a moment and said: "Why does it not count?"

Upon hearing this, Doctor Yuan chuckled:

"I will give you an example."

"For instance, there is a person whose legs are naturally longer and more powerful than others, repeatedly defeating opponents in sprints."

"There is another person who is naturally born without little fingers; a pair of hands with only eight fingers. Although this makes life a little inconvenient, they have a structural advantage compared to others when playing the piano."

Having said this, he paused,

"The former is pursued and envied by people, while the latter, although able to play beautiful music, is called a natural cripple, a kind of 'disease', and is spurned."

"...... So?" Ding Mo looked at him.

"So! Only with enough cases and a high enough status is it enough to prove! To prove that some 'defects' are not diseases, but a gift from the heavens!"

Yuan Zi'ang suddenly became somewhat fanatical! Like a zealot, he loudly praised:

"When a defect is pursued, when the patient is held high by the masses, a 'disease' can also become a gift! The world will discover that certain patients are the truly genetically superior evolvers!"

The voice fell.

At the meeting table, a few minutes of silence ensued.

...... My brain must be broken to have thought there were no lunatics in this organization! Ding Mo's expression twitched.

With so many lunatics in the Isolation Zone, could there really be none in this so-called "Mirror Organization"?