Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 406 The Wisdom of Insects

The insectivorous process continues to filter, with residual inspiration and anthropomorphic hallucinations playing a role on both the mental and emotional levels and the supernatural and hallucinatory levels.

These are extremely rare examples, and the extent to which they can be developed depends entirely on the performance of both parties.

Anthropomorphic hallucinations are already extremely rare, as are supernatural beings, who are equally rare and difficult to identify, and also difficult to systematically study.

After the anthropomorphic illusion takes over, its own power will also undergo a dramatic change while inheriting the host's traits.

This level of perception is rarely seen in the typical, simple, interactive hallucinations.

The combination of anthropomorphic hallucinations and supernatural beings is no less than various derivative works of alien parasitic objects; it is not impossible and is full of whimsy and infinite possibilities.

Of course, this change is not necessarily good. In order to synchronize with the replacement, the anthropomorphic illusion must give up most of the things before the replacement in exchange for this opportunity.

It's like a gamble where there's no turning back.

But without a doubt, as the second body that the insectivorous creature has encountered so far with extremely high compatibility, Haven's performance is flawless.

The two, thinking together, could easily outwit the people in two blocks and use their ingenious abilities to deceive everyone.

It can accomplish many things that were impossible in the past. It no longer has to search for a host so inefficiently, spending a long time finding a perfect opportunity to target a super-intuitive person, only to discover that the life winner's synchronization rate with itself is ridiculously low, and in the end, it can only serve as an external shell.

And now.

They were so close to victory.

There was plenty of time—no, not just plenty, but just as they had anticipated.

Jerome is about to take the stage!
The Insect Eater itself didn't want to accommodate Haven's ideas by so rudely undermining him, because the illusion that could manipulate the vast illusion wasn't necessarily easy to deal with, and it also had a basic understanding of the abilities of the Monastery Orchestra members.

At least with Gundam and Doris, it's hard to guarantee it can take them down. If it runs into them, it might just end up as a slightly bizarre backup dancer on stage.

But it is Haven now, and Haven is it. Going along with Haven's mindset and retaliating by sabotaging the show is necessary.

Given their strength, it would be unwise to charge straight in; it would be better to focus on dealing with an illusion.

So, in order for both to be satisfied, they need some time.

Yes, their favorite time.

But this time, what's needed isn't a time difference, but precise timing.

Choosing to enter early rather than taking the more cautious approach of waiting until later allows sufficient time to create a target illusion and process it, ensuring that Jeremiah appears in the later part of the performance within a certain margin of error.

At that moment, the illusion was shattered.

The moment the performance is disrupted, the insects that were planted in Jeremiah beforehand will explode.

Haven will fulfill his wish, and so will the insectivores!
Perfect! All correct!
As for where that illusion actually took place, it was in a really inconspicuous location, one that was easy to overlook!

One has to admire the ingenuity of the arrangements made by the Bureau.

In a modern pop performance, the spotlight is on the performers on stage. Although the audience is numerous and individual numbers are insignificant, the presence of the "audience" group in the performance is no less than that of the performers on stage.

The number of backstage staff is even more limited compared to the audience. If you are careful to screen them, you can tell at a glance. It is indeed easy to overlook them, but the risk is extremely high and they are not a good choice. Insect Eater had indeed used its own methods to confirm the backstage staff from the very beginning.

The answer has already been revealed.

It's a spotlight!

In this splendid performance, the lighting effects themselves are the answer.

Many of those special effects were indeed done by that seemingly hallucinatory Gundam, but besides that, he also collaborated with another hallucination!

Despite having confirmed from the beginning that the backstage staff did not have hallucinogenic insects or Haverne, they still found the target after three hours of large-scale exhaustive screening, realizing that they had fallen into a misconception.

There was no lighting technician for this show!
They've already checked and confirmed there's no problem, so naturally they wouldn't bother to dig out the job titles of the back-end staff.

But the light itself is the answer.

Why weren't the equally obvious stage equipment considered suspects?
Nonsense! It's one thing for anthropomorphic hallucinations to use small animals as substitutes, but what kind of hallucination uses something that isn't even a living creature?!

Or perhaps the Gundam is the same? It's just that they subconsciously think that the Gundam is just a person inside wearing a layer of iron.

But what if there's nothing under that sheet metal at all? After all, they already suspected that Gundam was an illusion, didn't they? If they had realized this misconception earlier, they probably would have had more initiative.

However, it's too difficult to realize the misunderstanding on the spot. The Monastery band's previous actions of tormenting the "backup dancers" were too oppressive for them, leading them to choose to follow the established routine.

But there's no problem.

There's still time. This band's performance ends, and Jermel's next act is next. There's no need to play the guessing game; in this respect, I think they're better than the others, arriving early to allow ample time to improvise.
The best way to deal with clever tricks is to be down-to-earth!

The person who set this up is still too inexperienced!
Victory is in our hands; the insect-eating creature can already see those wings before its eyes!

……

As the singer left the stage, the audience, who had just finished listening to a song and were still recovering, were given a break.

Halfway through the monastery band's performance, many people fainted from the high energy of the crowd. Fortunately, the medical facilities on site were top-notch, and they were immediately revived and kept partying.

However, rest time is still necessary.

Then, there was no pre-existing mystery or any special lighting effects.

Jerome was ready backstage when he calmly walked onto the stage.

If the director hadn't focused on Jerome, the viewers who were still resting wouldn't have realized the appearance of the contemporary king of singers, and a large number of loyal female fans immediately screamed.

Even after the monastery band's bombardment, Jermelo still had such appeal.

"I'm sorry to all my fans, due to some personal reasons, I can only sing one song tonight. After this song, I may also take a break from activities for a while, but this song is my way of leaving an explanation to everyone, to this city, and to myself."

Right from the start, before the song even began, there was an opening thunderbolt.

Many people in the audience hadn't even reacted yet.

This time, some fans let out wailing screams.

However, although it wasn't said directly, rumors had already been circulating that Jerome's sister had died in the earthquake.

Many people had already anticipated this.

There was no time for the fans to grieve and empathize.

Jeremiah slowly lowered his head.

The next moment, a huge worm tore through the stage, which was illuminated by deep blue light. The audience gasped, but thought it was some kind of special effect. Because the stage lighting was dim, many people could only vaguely realize that something seemed to have appeared on the stage, apart from the outline.

The insect predator clearly aimed for the lights at the very top of the stage.

With the added speed boost from numerous comic book-style lines, it took less than a second from its appearance to biting the hidden light.

Then, the light shattered.

All the broadcasting equipment on site, and even the drones from the processing bureau observing the scene, experienced a brief blurring of the images.

It's done! The performance is going to be ruined!
Heartbreaking moments in the capital!
Gray neighborhoods don't need fairy tales, and neither does the metropolis!
Just as the insect prey was filled with joy, it saw the broken lamp in front of it, which swirled dramatically on the lamp stand, outlining an unpleasant human face.

"While I'm quite annoyed by your offense, I have to admit you're unique. It would be troublesome to really go head-to-head with you; those people didn't tell me about that risk. Anyway, this is one of the few times I get some rest tonight, so what happens next is none of my business. That's what he promised me. I just need to cooperate well with his crazy performances..."

what are you saying?
Eating insects feels ominous.

The sound of a violin pierced the night sky.

The entire stage has been transformed, from an ordinary pop performance venue into a black and gold classical hall.

Even when all the broadcasting equipment and surveillance cameras were back to normal, that's what they saw.

This is not an illusion, but reality.

The monastery band appeared behind Jeremiah.

But Mr. Gundam is not here.

As the prelude played, Doris's makeup looked as if she had been crying, leaving two dark tear tracks. When she slowly opened her eyes, she revealed a pair of grayish-white eyes.

(End of this chapter)