Chapter-23

Please tell me more about them..." Alex stated his point emphatically.

"Okay." As Sophia recalled the conversation, she said, "Those conversations are like this."

"Please let me out."

"You want to get out of here? Are you afraid of dying, or do you not care?"

"If you can assist me, I will be able to adapt."

"All right, I'll do my best to assist you."

"There are only these four sentences in the transcript of the conversation," Sophia pointed out.

The ward was deafeningly quiet once more. Alex's expression changed as he entered a state of deep contemplation. Sophia looked at Alex with a little concern in her eyes, not understanding why these four short sentences had such a profound impact on Alex.

"Are you... certain? Doesn't it seem like there's nothing wrong with just one word?" Alex was the one who inquired.

"You're absolutely correct." Sophia nodded her head confidently: "My recall abilities have always been excellent. This incident has left a lasting impression on me. You know, my original goal was to visit my brother and a woman I was interested in at the time. Although the conversation was recorded, I was not expecting to witness such an inexplicable exchange. So I'm confident that I didn't misremember anything."

"Virat, please forward this conversation on to the psychological research team," says the supervisor. Alex pondered for a moment before saying something to Virat. Virat simply nodded and spit out the word "Okay," which was short and to the point.

Alex returned to his previous state of tranquility, his gaze fixed on the white ceiling, and he became lost in thought.

"What is the identity of the person who is speaking with Brad? As a result, Brad's behavior pattern has changed to the point where he is no longer like himself at all, and Brad has a lot of words but is unable to express them except through a sheet of white paper. I'd like to make a suggestion... Do any of these events have anything to do with this enigmatic individual? Is it possible that this enigmatic figure coerced Brad through some unknown means?"

"Allow me to consider this from the very beginning... As indicated by the dialogue, this mysterious man does not appear to be a typical person, and his perspectives on life and the environment are markedly different from those of the general public. He appears to be trapped somewhere and unable to escape; however, as long as he comes out, everything is fine. He will be "forced to death" by his captors. Brad, on the other hand, has a plan to assist him in adapting to the external environment so that he will not be put to death. Is it possible that he has finally come out?"

"Perhaps he has already emerged, and Brad's actions have been significantly hampered as a result of his presence... Brad is aware that the Sun Crisis is about to erupt, and he believes that there is a connection between this mysterious individual and the crisis. What difference does it make? Is it possible that Brad was aware of the Sun Crisis as a result of the existence of the mysterious person? What is the source of this mysterious person's knowledge? Because of the limitations of human technology, it is impossible to predict the onset of the Solar Crisis before it occurs. Is it possible that this enigmatic figure does not fall into the category of human beings? What exactly is he? Alien? Ghost? Traveler?"

"Is there a connection between the alien and the Dyson sphere-like object that appears on the sun, if it is an alien after all? In the alternate version of this story, they didn't make these things at all, and this alien is also part of a group, and on their journey they came across Brad on the surface of the planet for some reason?"

"If that is the case, why do they construct something similar to a Dyson sphere around the sun? Why did they choose the sun when there are so many other stars in the universe to look at?"

"Nothing makes sense, and nothing makes sense at all. The search for extraterrestrial civilizations has been a major focus of our human civilization's efforts. We haven't come across anything despite our extensive search. The likelihood of the solar system being invaded by extraterrestrials is far too remote. However, however..."

In Alex's mind, there are countless pieces of information that are entangled, almost causing Alex's brain to become a complete mess. Everything Alex saw: the white ceiling, the hanging bottle filled with transparent liquid, the worried Sophia next to him, and the Virat standing in front of the window... Everything. Alex's perception of the world was suddenly distorted at this point. At the same time, Alex experienced a sharp pain in his head, similar to that of a needle stick. Then Alex screamed, his eyes grew dark, and he lost consciousness for the second time.

When Alex awoke for the second time, it was already dark. After being turned on, the milky white chandelier casts a reflection of Virat's back, who is still standing in front of the window, as well as Sophia's concerned expression. In addition to Alex, there was a doctor in a white coat standing in front of him.

"It's not possible to continue in this manner, the doctor told Watson. You are already showing signs of neurasthenia due to the amount of time you spend thinking. If you continue to act in this manner, you may develop a mental illness." Sophia was depressed. "I'm sorry, if I had known you weren't feeling well, I wouldn't have told you these things," he said.

Alex had already regained consciousness, but he was still experiencing a throbbing pain in his head. This throbbing sensation is unlike anything I've ever experienced before. It is possible for Alex to eliminate the pain by clearing his mind and thinking about nothing but his surroundings. However, the tingling will continue to come like a tide as long as he continues to think about something.

As soon as the doctor saw Alex's suffering, he said: "This is the body's stress-response mechanism to protect itself. In order to prevent you from being hurt, your brain decides to use pain to prevent you from thinking about it any longer. If you continue thinking, your brain will suffer serious consequences."

"Although I am not aware of the nature of the responsibilities you bear..." The doctor paused for a moment before continuing: "However, I can see that you are burdened with a great deal of responsibility. Due to the fact that you have so many responsibilities, you are more concerned with protecting your body. If you go down, you'll find that there's nothing left."

'Are you his lover,' the doctor inquired as he turned his gaze to Sophia.

"No, I'm his friend," says the narrator. Sophia shared her thoughts.

The doctor smiled and said: "Take good care of him during this time, and don't allow him to come into contact with those items. If he gets enough rest, he should be back to normal in about a month."

"All right, doctor, thank you very much." Sophia quickly rose to her feet to express her gratitude.

With a sigh, the doctor left the ward, leaving Alex alone in his room with his thoughts.

Sophia assisted Alex in tucking the quilt and comforted him softly, saying: "During this time, you should get plenty of rest and avoid thinking about anything. Never fear, everything will be fine because the Scientific Research Department and the Psychological Research Team of the Crisis Coordination Center are keeping an eye on things. Cloth made of wool."