“Not just coffee, but also mint, fried foods, extremely spicy dishes, tobacco and alcohol, and so on—basically anything that strongly stimulates the stomach can, to some extent, cause the mechanical virus to detach from the stomach lining. Once it detaches, your body will naturally metabolize it very quickly.” Ethan Logan continued, “In short, if you’re really in a hurry, just eat barbecue and hotpot for half a month straight, and you’ll definitely get rid of it. You might even end up with gout.”

“You call this virus... a bit too casual, don’t you?” Grace Brooks replied.

“Because this time we’re using the ‘mass-produced model,’ so the effect is naturally a bit weaker.” Ethan Logan continued, “If we used a more advanced model, the implantation period would be much shorter, and it wouldn’t be affected by eating habits... Most importantly, the remote control range could be much longer.”

“It’s just that there are nearly two hundred people here. If we used advanced nanobots on all of them, the cost would be a bit uncontrollable.” As he spoke, he spread his hands and shrugged helplessly. “Fortunately... in a place like the ‘Sunshine Youth Behavior Correction Center,’ the mass-produced model is more than enough.”

He was right. This kind of method, which requires long-term accumulation and is affected by eating habits, could only be effectively implemented in this correction center. Even in a prison, it might not succeed.

In this little kingdom of Uncle Foster, many things that seem absurd and inhumane to outsiders are actually ironclad rules written in black and white.

For example: “sloppy in calisthenics,” “not serious about eating,” “hands not clasped tightly in line,” “eating chocolate,” “drinking beverages, tea, or coffee,” “listening to music without permission,” “touching computers or accessing the internet without permission,” “entering Uncle Foster’s or the doctor’s office without authorization,” “talking loudly, laughing, or horsing around in the hallway,” “talking loudly in the bathroom after lights out,” “touching RMB without permission,” and so on.

Things that seem like nothing to us would get you electroshocked if you broke the rules in the correction center.

And there are even more outrageous ones, like “being excited,” “being melodramatic,” “trying to trick your parents into letting you go home,” “discussing treatment,” “being vain,” “being clever,” “speaking without thinking,” “cognitive bias,” “not accepting treatment with peace of mind,” “lack of execution”—these things, which can’t even be objectively defined or simply threaten the institution’s interests, can also be used as reasons for electroshock.

In short, they try every possible way to keep patients here longer, to treat a disease they made up, and to keep the patients’ families paying exorbitant treatment fees.

The patients’ will to resist can be controlled with electric shocks, and as for the families... Uncle Foster will “brainwash” them during the weekly review class.

In a place like this, the “patients” can’t even get their hands on tobacco or alcohol, let alone chocolate or drinks; the food is as bland and cheap as possible, all in the name of cultivating a spirit of hardship and endurance.

With things like this, the implantation of the mechanical virus can naturally proceed smoothly.

“Although I don’t know what you’re up to, I don’t quite understand...” Grace Brooks could tell that Ethan Logan had already said everything he wanted to say and was just making small talk now; these words, which sounded half-truth, half-lie... might not be trustworthy. So, she took the initiative to change the subject, hoping to probe for more useful information. “...Since you have access to those kinds of resources, why not use a simpler, more direct method? Drugging, hiring mercenaries, or... just doing it yourself.” She looked at Ethan Logan, her expression shifting slightly. “You must be an ability user too, and... much stronger than me.”

At this point, she no longer doubted that, whether in terms of intelligence, combat power, or other resources, Ethan Logan was above her—and she couldn’t even imagine how big the gap between them was.

“You flatter me. I’m just a mere ‘paper-level’ rookie.” Ethan Logan lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes. “And... I think we’ve talked enough. As a lady, lingering too long in a man’s room is a bit improper.”

“Tch... what an act.” Seeing that he not only didn’t take the bait but also took the opportunity to ask her to leave, Grace Brooks immediately clicked her tongue, put on a disgruntled face, and said, “Fine, I’ll take your medicine, and I’ll take the person away tonight. After that, we’ll stay out of each other’s way.”

As she spoke, her whole body turned into a mass of shadow, gradually merging into the darkness under the bed, and disappeared...

Chapter 7: The Secret Room

November 27th, night, 10:39 PM, a hotel in Linyi.

Scram lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling; he had been lying like this for half an hour, still not the least bit sleepy.

The many clues about the case were tangled in his mind like a ball of thread, impossible to unravel and impossible to ignore.

Although his main task this time was not to solve the case, but to “investigate the identity of any ability users possibly involved in this incident, and, if possible, determine their abilities,” at this point, both his mission and the truth of the case itself seemed to be at a standstill.

“Sigh...”

With a long sigh, he finally got up.

He washed his face, put on a tracksuit, and left the hotel.