Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 394 Using yourself as bait
Not long after Doris left, Jeremiah called her back, and this time he also brought Zheng Fan along.

“He was just here!” Jermelo pointed to the location of the painting.

Doris stepped forward and looked at the painting, her meaning unclear: "So after we parted, you sat here for a while and then met that 'insect eater'?"

“Yes.” Jeremiah nodded firmly.

"Did the other person come to you on their own initiative and do anything to you?" Doris asked.

“He didn’t do anything specific, just said a few things. It was very strange.” Jeremiah said, and then began to repeat what the other person had said. He did not hide anything and relayed it to Doris in detail.

After listening, Doris turned to look at Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan looked at the painting and pondered for a moment.

“There is no lingering trace of hallucination, which means it did not break through the limitations of the White World, but rather accepted its limitations and ensured its ability to move around here through other means,” Zheng Fan said. “A hallucination with a high degree of anthropomorphism.”

He had discussed with Lin Yilin whether anthropomorphic hallucinations could break through the limitations of the white world.

Because anthropomorphic hallucinations are rare, there seems to be little research on them, and the results are varied.

In conclusion, the final answer is that anthropomorphic hallucinations have the opportunity to break through the limitations of the White World and enter it. For example, anthropomorphic hallucinations possessing animals can impersonate the spiritual animals of the White World and carry out their activities.

The downside is that their worldview will rapidly decline to the level of that of ordinary spiritual animals.

Yes, spiritual animals are not unintelligent, but their worldview is unlikely to surpass that of smaller animals. Therefore, if an anthropomorphic animal-type hallucination were to wander into a white world, there is a high chance that it would completely forget what it is and where it came from, genuinely believing itself to be a small animal and thus assimilating into that world.

As for the anthropomorphic hallucinations that have already replaced humans, the specifics are somewhat complicated.

However, Lin Yilin and Zheng Fan believe that as long as it is well concealed, it may not be a problem.

According to Jermelo's description, the only way to achieve the classic, cool move of the other party leaving after uttering those harsh words was to run a short distance to the grey neighborhood.

It's a bit comical, but it shows that the other party can't easily let the power of illusion break through the white world; it's just that they can enter the white world.

“And judging from the description, the hallucination is now a cartoonist, a middle-aged cartoonist of forty-nine years old? Is it that person named Haverne?” Zheng Fan “bought” a photo and handed it to Doris, who then confirmed it with Jeromelo and received an affirmative answer.

The mastermind behind the large-scale crimes committed by connecting various gangs underground in Xixi Keke and using the Zero Subway as a front for a ghost train scam.

It was previously mentioned that he did indeed run to Nolan Street.

Zheng Fan had no intention of specifically investigating his intentions; he was just there to put on a performance.

Unexpectedly, the other party ran to Nolan Street not because he was in a panic, but because he probably had made arrangements there in advance, and it was also for that big performance.

They still ran into Zheng Fan by some twist of fate.

Haven is a Super-Spiritual Being, and his true identity is "Insect Eater"? It's uncertain, as Insect Eater has changed its identity too many times in the current information, making it impossible to determine which layer is its true form.

This time, they are facing a highly advanced anthropomorphic illusion with very little information available.

If you tell Lin Yilin, Binary Girl will definitely be very interested.

Assuming that neither Katerina nor Haven are the true form of the Worm Eater, then the Worm Eater operates as a Super-Spirit, and is known to have taken the lives of three Super-Spirits.

Based on what Jermaine relayed about the insect-eating creature's words, these things may all be related to its growth, and to what extent the three super-sensors could help it reach.

So far, the supernatural inspirations Zheng Fan has encountered vary in strength, but without exception, they are all very magical. Their unique ability to break down barriers between worlds, combined with their talent, makes them even more dazzling.

Can insectivores acquire this talent?

“Why did it come looking for you? From attacking you during the earthquake to killing your sister, it should have already known you weren't a psychic,” Doris asked Jermelo. Jermelo was equally bewildered: “I don’t know.”

“It could also be just revenge. It’s instinctive to seek advantage and avoid harm, but once you reach a certain level, even if it’s just an illusion, you’ll start to pursue a way of life that better suits your own desires,” Zheng Fan said.

“But he probably has some ulterior motives toward Mr. Jemello.” Doris did not deny Zheng Fan’s conjecture, but she was even more certain of it.

“It came specifically to find Mr. Jemerlo, which means that Mr. Jemerlo’s schedule and activities are probably transparent to it. It can come to you whenever it wants. If it wanted to kill you directly, it would have had plenty of opportunities to do so when you were active in the Gray District as a chivalrous hero. But it chose to come to you in the White World.” Doris pointed out the suspicious points in the insect-eating operation.

Jeremiah was also puzzled: "Why is this? A demonstration? Or intimidation?"

Zheng Fan nodded slightly upon hearing this: "It's more like pretending to be harmless."

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that Jeromelo couldn't hear him. Looking around, he saw that there were quite a few people around, and putting on the Eggshell robot shell would be too conspicuous.

Then, something moved under Doris's coat.

Jermaine was startled, while Doris noticed her clothes bulging, her pretty face flushed red, and she reached out to press down on her clothes before pulling out the black sparrow hand puppet.

She always carries this with her; she puts it by her bedside when she sleeps and next to the sink when she showers.

It could indeed be used as a medium for Zheng Fan to speak.

"Hmph, it's just pretending to be harmless." The black sparrow puppet was held in Doris's hands, its little wings crossed in front of its chest, looking incredibly arrogant.

Jeremiah and Doris looked at the black sparrow puppet and felt that it seemed more like it was "pretending to be harmless".

"Show weakness?"

“It’s true that it had designs on Jemello. Even now, it’s hard to be sure whether it targeted Jemello for his inspiration or some other quality of his,” the black sparrow puppet continued. “This time, it’s probably to lay the groundwork, and in the process of laying the groundwork, it would be best to leave one of Jemello behind, giving the illusion that they only said a few words and that it couldn’t possibly do anything.”

"So what has it actually done?" Doris looked at Jermelo with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

Jermelo, somewhat frightened, crossed his arms over his chest: "I don't feel anything..."

"That's how it should be, based on normal reasoning. But I don't know exactly what I did; I'm not a personified illusion." The black sparrow puppet smacked its beak.

Should I withdraw from the performance?

"No." ×2
The black sparrow puppet and Doris spoke in unison.

Jerome was stunned and stood there in place.

“You have to come. How can it come if you don’t? It’s very likely that it has spies in your company. If it knows you’re not coming, it won’t come either. Wouldn’t that mean we’re missing a big fish… a big worm?” the black sparrow puppet said.

Doris didn't say much, but just stared at Jeremiah silently. Her clear blue eyes made Jeremiah feel a chill in his heart, and he couldn't help but squeeze the sheet music in his pocket.

"Besides, now that you know it's targeting you, you can't escape forever, even if you escape once. This time it's pretending to be harmless in the white world, but that doesn't mean it will always be harmless. You know, the white world isn't absolute." Zheng Fan's words stirred up unpleasant memories for Jerome.

At this point, Doris chimed in, directly provoking, "You had your sister taken away by that worm, and now you're going to let it make you lose your chance to catch and destroy it, and then miss the best stage to showcase that piece of music?"

That’s all for the sake of talking about it.

“I understand,” Jermel said, his voice slightly hoarse. “I will continue to participate.”

Compared to his initial confusion, he was now much more determined.

At least he knew that this performance could be an opportunity for revenge, even if it meant using himself as bait.

(End of this chapter)