Lin Ze is an alien.
The sound of the system’s alarm still ringing in his ears, Shen Jie calmly handed back the pen, not even his heart rate increased.
…He just couldn’t help but want to take out the alcohol gel from his pocket and wipe the fingers that Lin Ze had just touched.
Lin Ze quickly glanced over the test questions, a look of pleasant surprise appearing on his face. He said, “Congratulations, Mr. Shen, your test score is close to perfect. It seems that encountering the mist on the subway didn’t have much effect on your psychology.”
Shen Jie replied, “That’s fortunate.”
“However,” Lin Ze paused for a moment, pushing up the black-framed glasses on his face, “I heard that this mist was very dangerous this time, with a very low survival rate. Survivors more or less have developed some psychological shadows. It’s rare to see someone as calm as Mr. Shen answering the questions.”
[It’s suspecting that you cheated on the psychological test questions.]
[These days, aliens can even be psychologists, and they’re doing it with such professionalism. It’s really unbelievable. How did it even pass the physical examination? Could there be a mole even in the city hospital now?]
The system had calmed down from its panic state and couldn’t help but make sarcastic remarks.
Shen Jie’s composure infected it, making it feel somewhat incredulous.
[However, facing an advanced alien with such composure, it’s the first time I’ve seen it. Host, are you really not some kind of living being turned into a robot or something?]
Shen Jie replied, “You can think of me that way.”
It was just a momentary joke for the system. Being inside Shen Jie’s body, of course, it knew its host was just a regular person. After a moment’s thought, it said:
[Host, Lin Ze is currently in a covert state and probably doesn’t want to reveal its identity. I suggest you pretend not to have noticed that it’s an alien, and as soon as you’re out, immediately find your partner and deal with it. That should take care of it.]
Shen Jie’s tone was icy as he said, “I remember yesterday your suggestion was for me to deal with Zong Lin first.”
The system felt a bit awkward and said, […Actually, my current suggestion is still the same. If Zong Lin knew he couldn’t escape the fate of eventual corruption, which would lead to the collapse of the entire city, he would definitely choose to enter the nitrogen chamber early.]
Shen Jie asked, “You know his fate?”
His tone remained calm, but the system couldn’t help but tremble.
[Because these are all plotlines that have happened in books… Oh, host, Lin Ze is still watching you.]
Shen Jie looked at Lin Ze.
Lin Ze maintained a gentle smile and sincerely said, “Mr. Shen, your test score is very good, but it’s too good, which makes me somewhat suspicious. It doesn’t quite match the state of an ordinary person after encountering danger. Could you tell me what you were thinking at the time?”
…Tsk, he should have deliberately answered a few questions wrong just now.
Shen Jie relaxed his body and leaned back in the chair, saying, “I work at the research institute and have encountered many aliens and dangers. I’ve gotten used to it.”
Lin Ze replied, “I see.” He didn’t ask any further questions, but instead, he scored and commented on the test paper with the pen, “It seems that your psychological state is very healthy and doesn’t require much psychological guidance or relaxation.”
“However, I have one last question.”
Lin Ze put down the pen and said, “Do you usually take your medication on time?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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With a long spear in hand, he fought against aliens, engaged in battles, listened to the angry roars of aliens, and felt the sizzling sound of blood splattering on him. This was the environment and life he was accustomed to.
Nine years ago, the super S-level catastrophe, the “Nest Egg,” moved to the edge of the city and hid itself. When it suddenly erupted, it borrowed the outer layer of D-level mist to conceal itself. Caught off guard, almost all members of the City Defense Bureau was destroyed, and more than half of the squads in the Mist Cleaning Center were injured during the mist cleansing.
At that time, the strongest human being with superpowers at that time rushed back from the wild and forcibly catalyzed superpowers at the cost of burning his life. He forcibly ascended to Rank Two of the “Space” category, and entered the Nest Egg. Using himself as a focal point, he implemented “Eternal Exile” on the yet-to-hatch eggs, preventing a major disaster for the city.
The city fell into a weakened state, with aliens lurking outside the walls.
This giant city, with a population of tens of millions, had always been the most desirable target for aliens. Countless aliens were constantly watching, eagerly waiting for the opportunity to seize a piece of it.
In such a perilous situation, the Research Institute implemented the “Dawn Plan.”
He was one of the chosen candidates. And also one of the ultimate successful ones.
In order to evolve from Rank Three, “Soul Devour,” to Rank Two, “Pale Spear,” as quickly as possible, he devoured too many alien souls and underwent numerous forced evolution experiments.
Drain the pond to catch the fish. But it seemed like humanity had no other choice at that time.
Rapid advancement came at a price.
Before the plan even began, the people at the research institute had told him that there would be no room for regret or turning back.
As candidates died off one by one, new ones joined intermittently.
Those who survived formed the Cleansing Team “Dawn,” while those who perished became mere marks on the monument of human history.
But those who survived didn’t live much like humans either.
His mind was always noisy.
Even noisier than the current rain pattering around him.
Strangely, whenever he held Shen Jie, all those clamorous noises would fade away from him.
His beloved was the only haven of tranquility he could seize from this world.
So, even though he wasn’t very good at waiting and wasn’t accustomed to silence, Zong Lin still sat quietly in the car, waiting.
He took out the exquisite and beautiful pocket watch from the pocket close to his chest, pressed it against his forehead, and bowed his head to listen to the sound of the stopwatch inside ticking.
The sound was very faint, overshadowing the rain, and even drowning out some of the noise in his mind.
It had been 1202 seconds since Shen Jie entered the Psychological Treatment Center.
—-
Treatment room.
“I’ve already taken them.”
Facing Lin Ze’s question, Shen Jie calmly replied, showing no sign of lying in his expression.
According to the city management regulations, in order to ensure the stability and safety of the city, residents had to take infection prevention and treatment pills daily at the prescribed time, and they were not allowed to store, sell, or smuggle them illegally.
Monthly hospital check-ups also included testing the drug levels in residents’ blood. If they didn’t meet the standards, they had to be taken back to the Public Security Bureau for questioning.
Lin Ze took out a box of infection prevention and treatment pills from the drawer and handed him two pills. “Take two more. These are a special edition, more effective for infection prevention and treatment after encountering the mist.”
“Dr. Lin, my infection levels are quite stable, so I probably don’t need to increase the dosage,” Shen Jie glanced at the two special pills and said.
Lin Ze smiled. “These pills are good for your health. They are specifically distributed to residents who have encountered the mist by the city. Ordinary people wouldn’t even have the chance to take them. Once you’ve taken the medicine, you can go back. Wasn’t it your partner who brought you here today? I saw him downstairs. You probably don’t want him to wait too long, do you?”
Behind Lin Ze was an open window, with heavy rain pouring outside. Perhaps it had just been standing here, watching him get out of Zong Lin’s car and enter the Psychological Treatment Center.
Shen Jie didn’t move.
With emphasis, Lin Ze pushed the pills forward and said, “Mr. Shen, you still need to take your medicine. Here, your pills.”
[I can’t help but feel like it’s saying, “Come on, buddy, it’s time to take your meds.”]
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, accompanied by a deep rumble of thunder.
Lin Ze’s gaze remained gentle, but through the flickering of the lightning, there was a hint of coldness and cruelty.
This was definitely the demeanor of an alien. It was completely different from Lin Ze when he was a human.
Shen Jie took the pills.
The pills were white with red granules inside the aluminum foil packaging, with the letters S.C. imprinted on the surface, appearing no different from the infection prevention and treatment pills usually distributed in the city.
[Hey hey, you’re not really going to take those, are you?]
The system reminded: [You can’t just casually consume what the aliens give you. Who knows what they might have put inside.]
Shen Jie twirled the two pills in his hand.
Lin Ze’s gaze followed his fingertips closely.
Shen Jie suddenly spoke, as if chatting casually, “Dr. Lin, it’s been ten years since we’ve known each other. Ten years ago, you mentioned that your younger brother went missing, but then you found him again. Now, considering his age, he should be graduating from university soon, right? Has he found a job?”
Lin Ze was taken aback, as if he hadn’t expected him to bring this up suddenly.
Shen Jie seemed to see through his inner doubts and smiled faintly, “Just a bit of concern as a friend of ten years. We rarely meet offline, and the last time we met, Dr. Lin, you helped me a lot. I’ve always remembered that.”
Seven years ago, when he first arrived in this world.
The first thing he did was to extend a helping hand to Zong Lin, and thereafter, he did some things he had to do.
As a result, his infection value soared from 7 to 77.
He was notified to go to the Psychological Treatment Center for examination.
Although he thought he had a fairly good understanding of humans at the time, when the exam paper was spread out in front of him, facing the simplest question inside, which was a multiple-choice question of “which track should the tram hit,” he realized that the problems in the human world were still too complex.
Human society itself was a very complex aggregate. The knowledge and moral system obtained in one social system might not be applicable in another social system.
Even within the same social system, answers might vary in different eras.
He had no qualifications to judge right from wrong, so he could only observe and learn.
At that time, with the same tram problem, he couldn’t choose an answer, so he didn’t even pick up the pen.
He completed the exam based on his intuition, barely passing.
Perhaps he didn’t even pass.
At that time, Lin Ze was still young, with no strands of white hair mixed in his hair. Looking at his exam paper, he could crush a fly with his frown.
Then Lin Ze turned off the camera, sighed, and spoke up.
“Mr. Shen, are you not even bothering to pretend this time?” he said, then sighed again. “I know you’ve never agreed with the rules and educational methods of the city, but often, these rules do protect us. They encourage capable people to bravely step forward to protect, and they also encourage the weak to sacrifice for the greater good. We may not agree, but… there is a reason why rules exist.”
Lin Ze collected the exam paper and waved his hand at him.
“Alright, your test score is satisfactory, you can go back now.”
That was actually his first conversation with Lin Ze.
In the residual memories of this body, although his monthly online psychological test scores were never high, they at least hovered around 70.
When he first arrived, this body had just finished his internship and moved into a single dormitory in the research institute. Upon opening the door, he found the place extremely messy yet surprisingly simple. Besides boxes upon boxes of white research materials spilling all over the floor, there was also a tall stack of purple reference books hidden under the bed, titled “Five Years of Tests, Three Years of Simulations”.
After returning from the Psychological Treatment Center, Shen Jie retrieved this set of books from under the bed and redid the exercises.
Thanks to this reference material, Shen Jie passed the online psychological test the following month, and Lin Ze on the communication channel breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, the online tests were auto-graded and couldn’t be tampered with.
Now, seven years had passed, and Lin Ze had become an alien.
The high-level mist invaded ordinary people silently. Shen Jie looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar human before him, speculating about the cause of his corruption.
Based on his experience, Lin Ze did not originally have the conditions to become a host.
Why?
Kkkkkk if I gave my opinion, I would be detained for attempt against humanity!
tsk, tsk, tsk Stinky Lord God you still have to make someone suffer after he was lifted from the mud!!😤 but really the plot magic is quite powerful since after one hole is fixed it can poke another hole to create the final destination!
Because being alien is fun.. as long as they don’t get caught..
This medicine the alien doctor wants him to take… It’s probably the same “alternative pill” the office worker that mutated was taking, right? The one that might have triggered said office worker to become a mist host
Maybe because they had contact with you? And aliens went after him because they felt their king?