Chapter 450 - 393: Brianna: Threading the Needle, Birth, Going Home

Chapter 450: Chapter 393: Brianna: Threading the Needle, Birth, Going Home

Brianna put the sopping wet phone back into her drenched bag.

Even after finishing the notification, she couldn’t fully digest its meaning for a long moment.

"No... that’s not right. It can’t be just a few sentences."

Her low voice was like a paper towel in a downpour, quickly beaten and dissolved by the rain—but the Host could surely still hear her.

"Something that can shatter the boundary between illusion and reality, inject doubt, and blur the lines... It’s all too vague. What does that even mean? What can it do, and what can’t it do? It can’t possibly turn everything into modeling clay, to be molded however one pleases, right?"

The Host laughed, his voice suddenly laced with new, sharp splinters. "Why are you asking me?"

Brianna froze.

’Shouldn’t I be asking you?’

"The emergence of the final target Illusion is merely a natural consequence of its conditions being met. It’s like airflow within a storm cloud causing charge separation, eventually creating lightning... a simple phenomenon of nature. As for what the ??? can and cannot do, how would I know? It isn’t in my possession. I am merely the Franklin who discovered electricity. Its applications should be determined by the player who eventually masters it."

’The ??? isn’t in the Host’s hands?’

’It makes sense that he wouldn’t have it... The notification said the Illusion would emerge in the human world.’

’The Host is only broadcasting his voice into the human world; his actual self isn’t here. So, of course, he couldn’t have obtained the ???.’

’So it’s perfectly reasonable that he doesn’t know its exact uses or appearance.’

Brianna felt that her reasoning wasn’t sound, that she was missing something crucial.

But at this moment, not only was her body being battered by the downpour, but her mind was also shattered by confusion. She couldn’t even decide on her next move. Logically, she should be looking for the target Illusion, but in her current state, how was she supposed to navigate the human world?

’No, that’s not right. It’s not time to think about that yet...’

’What did the Host say just now?’

’...Franklin?’

"You—you’re very pleased."

Brianna abruptly lifted her head and stared at the car. "You said everything is going smoothly, that the target Illusion has finally emerged... You’re clearly very pleased that things have developed to this point. Which is strange... What does the emergence of the ??? have to do with you? What’s in it for you?"

"Who said I was pleased?" the Host asked lightly.

"You did," Brianna sneered. "The Franklin who finally discovered electricity must have been very pleased. Don’t try to brush me off with some foolish excuse. You’re not a bystander; you guided the situation to this point yourself, just like Franklin flew his kite into the sky. You aren’t one of the ruling players, so what’s in it for you?"

The Host was silent for a few seconds. "I’m not telling you."

Brianna paused, then laughed out of sheer anger. "Are you a child?"

The Host said nothing—but somehow, in the silence, Brianna could almost picture him shrugging.

"Brianna, you don’t understand," he said, his voice soft. "You are so precious to me... I may be the only one in this world who wants you to be safe and sound, completely unharmed. We’re on the same side."

Brianna almost laughed.

"Stop talking," she said, panting. "In this... in this world, no one is on my side."

"You’re wrong. You see," the Host said, his voice almost gentle, "I led you into the human world, didn’t I? I’ve even considered things very thoroughly from your perspective. For example... what were you to do after arriving here?"

"What do you mean?" Brianna raised her head.

From the dim interior of the car, the Host’s voice drifted out. "Are you going to crawl, inch by inch, to the other ruling players in that body of yours?"

He seemed to have anticipated her speechlessness. "That’s why I prepared this car for you."

"...For me?"

"The key’s in the ignition. It’s self-driving, so you won’t have to operate it," the Host’s voice grew calm. "Just climb in through the window, get to a seat, and steady yourself. That’s all. This car will take you anywhere you want to go."

’Those words sounded like a beautiful dream.’

Sitting in the car, letting the wind whip through her hair.

She would watch the road roll on like a black river; the world was vast, and she could go anywhere she pleased.

How wonderful.

As long as she didn’t think about the long, trailing half of her body still hanging from the car window, stretching out endlessly as the car drove on...

Brianna let out a near self-deprecating laugh. ’Fine.’

"I do need a ride,"

she said, crawling to the side of the car. She grabbed a handle for support, hoisted her impossibly long upper body, and slithered through the window like a snake. "But don’t expect me to thank you."

’I’m so horrifying, so disgusting... even nightmares are gentler than my current appearance.’

’When I was hiding in the Nest, the other inhabitants weren’t much prettier to look at, so it was bearable. I could bury my head in the sand and pretend I didn’t know.’

’But now, I have to parade through Blackmoor City in this nauseating form—to be seen by who knows how many normal, healthy, upright humans, to be constantly wounded by their screams.’

Brianna didn’t even know who she was supposed to hate.

"...Where to?" she asked, her voice hoarse. "I’m not going to the docks. If this car even passes the docks from a distance... if there’s even the slightest chance she might see me... I will kill you. I’ll find a way, and I will kill you."