A thick, foul stench accompanied by hot steam blew on her face and neck, causing Mika's consciousness to slowly stir in the darkness. In an extremely distant place, she could faintly hear the sound of someone talking.
In her daze, she recalled a boy who lived next door to her when she was young. He was already seventeen or eighteen years old at the time, and he rarely went out. Apart from working a few hours at night, he would stay at home and draw all day long. Later, Mika entered elementary school and was overwhelmed by her new life. She didn't know when it started, but she didn't see the big brother next door anymore. Perhaps he moved away.
… Strange, why did she suddenly recall something from so long ago?
Mika was only six or seven years old at the time, but she was already quite sensible.
People in the mushroom society didn't try their best to achieve outstanding achievements or obtain great status. As long as they could find something that interested them or that could help them realize their personal value, no matter what they did, they would become a respected member of society. After all, most of their basic material needs were met by the mushrooms' by-products. They learned Maslow's pyramid of needs when they were in first grade, and they understood that their society had already broken away from the bottom four levels of needs and entered the highest level of "self-actualization needs" … Ah, perhaps apart from that one.
Her consciousness was drifting and drifting. The occasional thought that crossed her mind was like a fish swimming in a deep pond. She could only catch half of its shadow.
In conclusion, the reason why Mika still remembered that big brother after so many years was because his situation seemed to be slightly different.
As for his interest, it was doubtless that he was interested in drawing. Although she occasionally saw him drawing outdoors, she found that the scenery on the canvas was really childish, almost the same level as her classmates … That's right, liking something didn't mean that he would definitely be able to do it well. Fortunately, he didn't need to rely on drawing for a living, or else it would be really worrying.
However, every time she saw that big brother drawing, his expression would always be dark, and the veins on his forehead would bulge. In the eyes of the young Mika, the way he clenched his teeth was really scary.
If she grew up and could see chocolate frogs every day, Mika felt that she definitely wouldn't have such an expression on her face. Ah, what a pity that her childhood dream faded as she grew up. Otherwise, if she could enter a snack company that produced chocolate frogs, her mother would definitely be very happy … Sigh, what should she do next …
Even though she was unconscious, the burning sense of anxiety was more distinct than the turbid stench, completely waking her up.
When she first opened her eyes, she was at a loss. It took her quite a while to slowly understand where she was.
The cave was supposed to be pitch-black, but under the illumination of the swaying light source, it looked like an illusion. The faint smell of the soil was also very strange. Below him, above him, around him, everywhere he looked, there was only mud. In her usual living environment, the floor was always covered with a layer of mushroom skin, which not only prevented dust from accumulating, but was also very elastic. The smell was also very fresh. She had never been wrapped in soil like this before, nor had she ever smelled something like this...
Only then did she realize that there was something behind her that was breathing dirty and hot air at her.
Even if she didn't turn around, she knew what was behind her. Mika couldn't help but tremble, and her stomach tightened. She knew that she could vomit at any moment.
"She's awake." A man's voice came from afar and broke through her hazy consciousness. It was clear, but it didn't seem like he was talking to her. "Can we begin?"
No wonder she dreamed of the big brother who lived next door when she was young...
Mika resisted the urge to vomit and slowly turned her head. Her hands were tied behind her back, so it was difficult for her to turn around.
Although almost ten years had passed, she could still vaguely recognize his face as a teenager. However, his forehead was slightly shorter, his chin was slightly longer, and his right eye seemed to be closer to the temple than the left. If a person was opened like a sack and then sewn back together, such slight dislocations would inevitably occur.
What was his name again? Mika couldn't remember at all.
No matter how much she begged, cried, or begged him to let her go, he probably wouldn't be moved at all, would he? That was because he had already become a completely different creature from her. He had disappeared without a trace all those years ago because he had been attacked and kidnapped by that creature, just like she was now.
Wait a minute... did that mean that the current him was her future?
Mika suddenly felt a bone-chilling fear when she imagined that her own face would be twisted in such a manner. From her angle, even if she turned her head, she wouldn't be able to see the creature breathing hot air at her neck, which made her even more confused and afraid.
"It's me." Even though she knew it was useless, she couldn't help but cry and beg, "I'm Mika, do you still remember me? The one who used to live in the Lion's Mane mushroom area... please, don't come looking for me, let me go home! "
"Mika?" The man who used to live next door and was terrible at drawing came up and looked at her for a while. The cave was about 1.8 meters high, and he didn't need to look down as he walked. "... Oh, I remember now. You're the child who used to live next door, right? What a coincidence, I didn't expect to meet you in such a situation. "
What meeting? This was obviously kidnapping!
Mika was both afraid and angry, so of course she didn't dare to say this out loud. The back of her head was still throbbing with pain.
"You're already sixteen years old, right? You're still on your way to school. "The man's first words hit her where it hurt." What, do you feel like you're being ostracized as well? "
Too?
"A place like this where everyone has a peaceful and happy expression on their faces, isn't it scary when you think about it?" The man seemed to be quite interested, perhaps because he hadn't met an old acquaintance for a long time. Seiji waved his hand at the thing that was spewing steam behind Mika, as if telling it to wait for a moment. He then sat down cross-legged in front of her. "I feel that humans are filled with darkness, chaos, and screaming in pain … That's what a true human should be like. Haven't you ever thought of it like that? "
Mika noticed. He said "this" place... In other words, they were still within the boundaries of the mushroom society, weren't they?
When she thought about how she could possibly be saved as long as she crawled out of this cave, she felt a surge of energy in her body.
"Everyone is peaceful and happy?" She retorted. "That's because everyone has worked hard for this peaceful and happy life! What's wrong with being rewarded for their hard work? For example, even though I'm anxious every day and don't know what to do in the future, but... "
She originally wanted to say that as long as she worked hard to get through this stage, she would have a fulfilling life in the future, but the man suddenly interrupted her with an excited expression.
"You're anxious? Ah, I've had similar feelings in the past, although it wasn't exactly the same. " He raised his head and smiled at the creature behind Mika. "Hey, I think we should go catch someone else later. I think this one has the potential to be modified."
The creature behind her let out a puff of foul air, causing Mika's entire body to tense up.
"I say, you're still too naive. You don't realize that your thoughts have long been controlled." The man waved his hand. "I've lived under the mushroom's control for nearly twenty years, so I'm more experienced than you. Let me tell you, if your negative emotions continue like this, in just a few years, the mushroom will take action. "
Mika looked at him blankly.
"In school, they only use education to control you. After you leave school, if education isn't effective, they'll release spores to change your thoughts, brainwash you, and make you believe some stupid things that you never believed before. "The man snorted, and a cruel smile appeared on his lips. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that the right side of his face was slightly facing up, probably because the stitches weren't aligned properly. "For example, they'll lie to you and make you think that you're passionate about something and that you've found something meaningful in your life... But in reality, just a few years ago, you weren't interested in that at all."
Mika suddenly recalled the endless supply of paints and paints sent to his home.
"Could it be..." she asked tentatively, "that you didn't like painting at all back then?"
"That's right, not at all." The man gritted his teeth and smiled. "I was tricked into thinking that my interest was in painting. If I didn't pick up a paintbrush for a day, it would feel like there was a hole in my heart, and I was eager to do something to satisfy myself. But after I actually started painting, that feeling of satisfaction was fleeting... It was like eating a fake candy with zero calories. After I was fooled, it left behind an even larger and emptier black hole. In order to fill this black hole, I had to pick up a paintbrush again... it was a vicious cycle. For the sake of a little artificial sweetness, it was as if I was suffering from OCD. I could paint from morning to night, painting until my wrists were so sore and swollen that I couldn't lift them up. Only then would I reluctantly go to bed with a feeling of emptiness. "
Mika shuddered. The man's tone was strong, and she didn't think that he was lying.
"I only found out why later." At this point, his eyes lit up in the dark cave. "Because my true personality, my true desires, were all hidden by the mushroom's spores! They tried to change me, to make me become one of those honest people who worked for them! What truth, they're all brainwashing scammers! Only I can control my own thoughts! "
Mika was silent for a while.
"What's the matter?" The man placed his hand on her shoulder, and his fingers slowly traced across her shoulder through the fabric. "You don't believe me?"
"No, I believe you." Mika's back was facing that thing, and this man was right in front of her. The situation was quite disadvantageous for her. But she needed to think of a solution — "You've been away from us for far too long... there are some things that you don't know yet."
"What things?"
"In the past, schools would hide this from minors because they were afraid of discriminating against certain members of society. However, a few years ago, a new law was passed, so every child who goes to school knows about it … We all know that other than foreigners, the mushrooms will also release spores to some of the natives, changing their mindset … "
She raised her head and looked at the man before her. The cave appeared to be newly dug, and she didn't know where the light came from.
"Don't tell anyone else about your motivational speech in the future." She forced herself to calm down and said, "It exposed something."
"What?" The man abruptly straightened up.
"You believe that the mushrooms brainwashed you because they wanted more servants, hiding your true desires, and making you believe that drawing is your hobby. But if you think about it carefully, this argument doesn't hold water. " Mika discreetly moved her hands and said, "For example, if your true desire was architectural design or computer programming, but the mushrooms purposely hid it and lied to you that your life's mission was to draw... what meaning is there in doing this? It's not like they've turned your interest into a mushroom. "
Actually, the mushrooms didn't lack people who were willing to take care of them.
She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but the man's face seemed to become even more twisted — was it because of his anger at being exposed?
"We learned this in school," Mika said softly. "When the mushrooms do this to the natives, there's usually only one reason. That is, your true desire is harmful to society, harmful to humanity... the mushrooms have no choice but to replace it with a harmless hobby. "
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