Even You Can Find a Way Out of This!

"I don't know," Jiang Xiaoci said, shaking her head, delivering the answer that Mike dreaded to hear. "At least, it's impossible to accurately determine at this point. The effects of the Soul Plague seem nearly unsolvable."

"Although we could try targeting the sub-bodies, doing so would undoubtedly alert the mastermind."

"As soon as we draw their attention, they'll likely counter our moves, and we'd lose everything."

"After all, they hold absolute control over the mother body, and with its terrifying spread and resurrection abilities, it's almost impossible to stop."

"The Soul Plague is just as terrifying as a true pestilence."

Jiang Xiaoci's words left Mike with a deep frown. "If even you can't find a way... does that mean the rescue teams we sent to Xinchang are as good as dead?"

Mike had placed great importance on the rescue mission. His mentality had been one of rapid action, sending out his elite forces. The entire Xinchang rescue team, from top to bottom, represented at least two-thirds of his power.

If two-thirds of his strength were out there, only to be infected and controlled by someone else… Mike couldn't even bear to think about it.

It would be a massive loss.

"Sir, I'm not omnipotent. There are times when I'm powerless…" Jiang Xiaoci sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in her voice. "But we aren't at the end of the road yet. So far, we haven't had any direct confrontation with the enemy."

"Even if they might suspect something, we're still in the stage of testing and learning about each other."

"The situation still has room to maneuver. We have time to prepare."

She paused, then spoke in a low voice, "Sir, while I don't have a perfect solution for now, I've noticed some details that are worth thinking over."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "What details?"

"Sir, among the hidden information on Chen Xun, there's a mention of 'The Ancient God's Attention,' which refers to mental corrosion."

Jiang Xiaoci began speaking more slowly. "Based on Liu Wenbo's fits of madness, it's clear that the mental corrosion is the source of his violent outbursts. The mother body's mental corrosion is far stronger, while the sub-body's is weaker."

"Even so, I imagine it's a kind of torment that normal people can hardly withstand."

"Chen Xun resisted it, which drew the Ancient God's attention... but there's an easy-to-miss detail. Why don't the other infected have this attention?"

Jiang Xiaoci narrowed her eyes. "If Chen Dafeng and the others were recently infected and haven't yet undergone mental corrosion, what about the others? The local survivors who've been infected for a while?"

"Have they endured mental corrosion?"

"Since they don't have the Ancient God's attention, does that mean they didn't resist the mental corrosion, or perhaps... they never experienced it?"

"After all, if so many people had gone mad or suffered a similar mental breakdown, it would be hard to keep that hidden."

Jiang Xiaoci suddenly smiled. "It's hard to believe that all the infected in the city are so good at hiding it, working together to conceal such a big secret."

Mike's eyes lit up. "That makes sense..." he murmured, but then his tone shifted to something darker. "Xiaoci... you said we shouldn't underestimate the enemy. What if the entire city is in on hiding the mental corrosion secret together?"

"Huh?"

Jiang Xiaoci froze for a moment, taken aback by the suggestion. She thought for a while before speaking. "If that were the case..."

"Then, sir, we should surrender."

She took a deep breath, her voice tinged with a mix of disbelief and laughter. "There are definitely no fewer than a hundred thousand survivors left in Xinchang. A hundred thousand people resisting mental torment together, all coordinating seamlessly to put on a show for outsiders..."

"Sir, how likely do you think that is?"

Jiang Xiaoci shook her head. Her superior intellect was a blessing, but sometimes Mike's far-reaching ideas were a bit too much.

"Seems like the odds are pretty low…" Mike muttered, suddenly realizing the almost impossible nature of such a scenario. He scratched his head and chuckled. "Okay, forget that. Continue. If they couldn't have all worked together, what does that mean?"

"It means that the mental corrosion isn't quite what we thought it was," Jiang Xiaoci sighed.

"It's impossible for a hundred thousand people to endure mental torment like that, but the entire city has shown no signs of collective madness. That means the madness caused by mental corrosion isn't what we believed it to be."

"Because, according to the foundational logic of the system, the information we found about the hidden effects mentioned 'sub-bodies can also be mentally corroded.'"

"So, when the reality contradicts the system's information, it must mean we misunderstood or misinterpreted the real situation."

Mike nodded with understanding. "You're right, that's a detail we missed. The system is too powerful to lie to us."

"If reality and the system clash, it means we misunderstood it. But… even if mental corrosion doesn't lead to madness, does that change anything for us?"

Mike frowned, uncertain. "Does it mean that Liu Wenbo's madness has another cause? Should we focus on investigating the true reason for his breakdown?"

"No," Jiang Xiaoci shook her head. "The core issue still lies with Chen Xun."

"What you said is true, but you can't afford to take risks investigating Liu Wenbo. You should start with the relatively safe option—Chen Xun."

"Here's what we know: Chen Xun resisted the mental corrosion, so he must know what it is."

"Based on the hidden information you've uncovered, it's clear that mental corrosion is either a key method for 'transforming the mother body' or 'controlling the mother body.'"

"Whatever it represents, we know that mental corrosion is crucial."

Jiang Xiaoci narrowed her eyes, her voice steady and calm. "And the way Chen Xun resisted it? That's the key to breaking this."

"Damn!" Mike's eyes lit up, as if a fog had been lifted from his mind. "Xiaoci! You're amazing! Just because of one detail, you've unraveled the thread to finding a way out!"

"It may not work," Jiang Xiaoci warned, her voice tinged with caution.

"There's still plenty of unknown information. A lot of key intel is yet to be confirmed. We'll have to start from this point, for now."

"After all, no matter how important Chen Xun is, he's not more crucial than the mother body."

"And the mother body is no more important than the mastermind."

Jiang Xiaoci remained careful and collected, but the more she spoke, the more Mike felt a sense of relief.

Look at that! His strategist was unbeatable. Even the hardest paths could be navigated with her insight!

Now, there was just one last issue: How to get Chen Xun to reveal the secret of the mental corrosion without alerting the mastermind.