Odd Containment Specialist.

Chapter 1178 A Certain... Dangerous Idea
China.

Jiangbo City Control Bureau.

Back in his dormitory, Xia Shou was still sorting through the clues that Shangguan Yan had told him not long ago.

Of course, it's not just those few clues; some scattered clues obtained earlier are also slowly being pieced together in Xia Shou's mind.

Although Xia Shou felt it was too hasty to attribute these inspirations to his time at the hotel with Xiao Yue, he had to admit that since returning from the Crazy Love Hotel, he felt his mind had become much sharper, and he was able to come up with ideas on many things.

Moreover, the phantom of the young Yan Jie has never appeared.

All these reactions demonstrate that proper relaxation does indeed help maintain daily life.

Just as Jin Fenglong said, people who like to eat steamed buns in their youth will become gourmets when they grow up, rather than eating a hundred steamed buns a day.

Xia Shou now felt that this example was extremely apt. After a short period of relaxation, he was now at peace, his work efficiency was extremely high, and his mood was very stable. All these signs of improvement indicated that enjoying the quality of the project was very important, sometimes much more important than the number of times.

As Xia Shou sighed, he quickly wrote down all the fragmented inspirations on the draft paper, and an invisible thread slowly formed in his mind, connecting them all together.

On the draft paper, short titles of the intelligence were written according to their serial numbers.

It's not just about the Wu Shuguo matter we just discussed tonight, but also about things that I've mentioned casually to other colleagues during our previous daily conversations.

For example, ... and Xiao Gao.

Xiao Gao is very special in the department. Although he cannot directly reveal any information, his opinions are beyond question and have great reference value. Xia Shou already knows the answer to the reason behind this from Xiao Gao ten years later.

Therefore, things that Xiao Gao once valued, regardless of their importance, should at least be taken seriously.

Just now, before Xia Shou returned from the teahouse, the behind-the-scenes boss of the "Custom Hero" agency, the one who boasted that he would replace him, Kiyoikawa Rei, called the department head.

Although they didn't seem to be talking about anything important, the phone call suddenly reminded Xia Shou of the days before he resolved the Heart of the Rending King, when Xiao Gao had paid special attention to Kiyogawa Rei and even asked the minister to go to the Japanese branch to exchange ideas and make contact with that person.

No matter how you look at it, Kiyokawa Rei is definitely a problematic person.

As for what kind of problem it is... we can subtly probe Xiao Gao about it later.

In addition, Xia Shou was also very concerned about another attitude that Xiao Gao had shown today.

Before going to An Gang's house, that kid had the attitude that if he didn't go, they would all be doomed. But after returning from An Gang's house, his attitude changed to "the world is about to be at peace, we should just do things as they come."

Even more absurdly, he seems to believe that the prerequisite for world peace is that the murderers in the book stop killing!
Until just now, Xia Shou hadn't thought things through very clearly, but after having a deep conversation with Shangguan Yan about "trading humanity's future for their own happiness," Xia Shou felt that he had grasped a crucial thread!
What are the direct consequences of refraining from killing in the book?
The first consequence is that the supernatural properties of the remains of the targets he killed will return to the present world, and the Van Cleef of the past may reappear.

The second consequence is that no one will be killed in a way that transcends the narrative layer anymore. In other words, the named beings and their agents of the divine kingdom, as well as the gods, will no longer die due to accidents that occur in the mortal world.

Following this line of thought, and considering the two choices Jin Fenglong proposed, could it be seen that—the future self traded the possibility of killing a god for a short but perfect future?

"It's not bad, but it feels a bit like deceiving myself," Xia Shou muttered to himself.

It's impossible not to want to live the wonderful life you dream of; nobody doesn't want that kind of life.

However, if this life is given to you by someone else, it's like playing house in someone else's bubble. Whether this family can survive depends entirely on whether the person blowing the bubble will burst it.

Wait a minute! Something seems... off.

Xia Shou's brows furrowed immediately.

Just then, Shangguan Yan's voice suddenly came from beside him; it was her voice from when she was young.

"Xiao Shou is still as careless as ever. You need to pay attention to the perspective from which others speak."

Xia Shou carefully moved his eyes, glancing to the side out of the corner of his eye.

Suddenly, Shangguan Yan, who was in high school, appeared there.

She took a pen and, just like in the book when she tutored him with his homework, approached him, put her arm over his shoulder, and wrote on the draft paper in front of him!

"Think about it, back then, Xiao Gao referred to you as 'the murderer in the book,' which means that Xiao Gao was observing you from your perspective in the game because a serial killer in the book stopped committing crimes, ultimately leading to the arrival of peace."

But now...aren't you already out of the book?

A tremendous shiver rose from the soles of Xia Shou's feet, shot through his spine like an electric current, and rushed straight to the top of his head. He felt a silent "boom!" and then a cool, icy sensation, as if cold air was constantly pouring in from the outside, as if a hole had opened up in his head.

A strange sense of terror and a chill seeped into Xia Shou's body from the top of his head.

Yes... Haven't I already completely come out of the book?

The game in Xiao Gao's dream observes the future, but having completely broken away from "The Season of Falling Stars," he can no longer interfere with the reality in the book, whether he likes it or not.

But Xiao Gao still predicted it!
“So there are only two possibilities,” Xia Shou said in a low, hoarse voice.

Beside Xia Shou, Shangguan Yan's illusion had disappeared, and there were no words written by the other party on the draft paper.

But the guidance provided by the hallucination actually opened up a dangerous line of thought for him.

Yes.

Two possibilities.

The first possibility is that the serial killer Xiao Gao is referring to is not himself, but someone else in the book.

The second possibility is that his own use of the name poses a hidden danger. He is not truly and completely detached from "Stellaris" at the moment, and he may return in the future!
Although Xia Shou considered two possibilities, the first one had a very small probability; it could only be said that such a possibility existed.

But the second one...

In fact, Xia Shou had felt awkward for a long time, but he thought his awkwardness came from that abnormal desire, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

But now he knows why he felt uncomfortable.

He nominally took on the title, but apart from Alice gaining a physical body and turning her self-destructive path into a power entirely his own, nothing else changed about him.

As a person who has borne the name, and as the head of the Jade Ink Division, is the power that I have retrieved through my own name too little?
My own naming ceremony...is there a problem?

(End of this chapter)