Puzzle Madness

Chapter 202 The First Dream War (Part 8)
The bright red completely obscured the mirror surface.
So DouDou turned her head, wanting to see "Mango Dou" on the other side: but met her own gaze; in the mirror, DouDou also raised her hand, with an unfinished watermelon between her fingers.

The so-called "mango bag" has disappeared.

【Huh? It's back to normal here.】

When he hurriedly turned around, the bloodstains that had covered the entire mirror had disappeared; it was as clean as if it had just come out of the factory and had been wiped clean, and his reflection in the mirror was full of doubt.

The strange man in the mirror whose brain had just been crushed, along with "Gluttonous Pocket," had vanished without a trace; only Pocket's reflection remained in the mirror.

Everything came quickly and went quickly. No more strange images were reflected in the two mirrors.

【Humph】

Needless to say, this is definitely related to the [two-way mirror network] mentioned in the briefing; but whether the bloody scene just now was real or an illusion remains to be seen.

Firstly, the timing was too coincidental, and the warning message seemed to be more than just a simple matter.

The Asia-Europe Post's briefing had barely finished mentioning the so-called "double-sided mirror network" when strange things began to happen in the mirror, as if it were specifically paving the way for this concept; as if afraid that DouDou wouldn't understand.

Since the briefing said it had been "resolved," it's not surprising that the [two-way mirror network] ended up in the hands of Asia-Europe Post. Perhaps it's a case of reverse thinking, using DouDou's suspicions about Asia-Europe Post to strengthen the credibility of the warning.

Another key element is the phrase, "[The Asia-Europe Post will turn you into an atomic bomb]"—consistently, this is the ultimate message being conveyed. Even the strange things reflected in the mirror seem to reinforce the persuasiveness of this statement.

Why is an atomic bomb an atomic bomb?

The same phrase was also circulated about the Yacht Boy 400 in my pocket: however, it was actually pulled out of DouDou's head, and the reason was the Human Cataloging Center, which had little to do with the Asia-Europe Post.

At least when DouDou last heard about it, the two sides were still hostile.

[Was what I just experienced a hallucination? Like hypnosis or something?]

Do we believe that a "reverse world" is hidden in the mirror, or do we believe that someone from Asia-Europe Post can briefly create illusions to convey misleading information?
DouDou would definitely believe the latter without hesitation, although he would prefer the former to happen: especially considering that he could enhance the characteristics of madness, the Eurasian Post Office probably wouldn't risk transporting any [Matrix] from North Africa to Mong Cai at the moment.

But when these speculations converge, "atomic bomb" seems to remain the only key term.
There must be some connection between the atomic bomb and DouDou himself: this is the only core element in that lighthearted pantomime.

[Could that sentence mean I'm incredibly powerful, capable of causing widespread destruction, like an atomic bomb? Is the Asia-Europe Post Office trying to get me to go on a killing spree? Is the atomic bomb a metaphor?]

Considering the predicament of that strange man, the accuracy of the information transmission must be very important: because he was about to be grabbed and beheaded by "Gluttonous Pocket," so this act of sending the message must have been "life-threatening."

[Impossible! That's too vague. You could use other words, like "bomb." Why not just say that Asia-Europe Post is trying to use me to kill people indiscriminately? Besides, Asia-Europe Post doesn't have the means to control me, does they? If they had that kind of method, there would be no need for this dragging on.]

The term "atomic bomb" should have a clearer meaning, referring to something.
The television was still nagging on and on, reciting a briefing like a mantra:
"During these challenging times, when petty people are rising up everywhere, it is even more important for all colleagues to adhere to the company's employee handbook."

DouDou sprang up from the sofa and tapped the television, his movements incredibly gentle. The dent in his eyeball from before had already taught him how fragile this machine was.

"Alright, alright, stop showing this 'briefing' thing. And you over there—uh, ma'am? Tell your boss to stop the recording."

Marie Inoue was still dutifully plugging her ears, it was hard to tell if her legs had gone numb from kneeling. DouDou thought her fingers weren't actually plugged in tightly; she was just pretending.
But the supervisor could definitely hear DouDou's words, because he appeared on the screen again, rubbing his hands together.

"Oh? Mr. DouDou, the briefing isn't over yet. You're already tired of it so quickly—"

Before the smiling middle-aged man could finish speaking, DouDou interrupted him:
"I'll just ask directly, and you give me the answer directly. Okay?" "Where is your Southeast Asia branch located?"

The supervisor raised an eyebrow, but the rest of his face remained filled with a fake smile.

"Looking for the seventh floor of Building 15, Bang Phu Industrial Park, Samut Prakan Province, Thailand—"

The same lines as Marie Inoue, the same unwavering resolve. Skipping over this defensive, feigned response:

"Does Asia-Europe Post have atomic bombs? Do they have nuclear weapons?"

The supervisor raised his eyebrows even higher. His face was masked by a thick layer of grievance, as if this were some kind of vicious insult.

"Our company never engages in this kind of business. Based on my understanding from my last visit to headquarters, Asia-Europe Post does not—"

The response was as expected. So DouDou interrupted her supervisor again:
"--Are you planning to use me as an atomic bomb?"

"."

Upon hearing this, the supervisor froze, his rubbing hands stopping; the obsequiousness lingered in his eyes, but his expression froze.
"Why would I think that? I have no intention of using you as a weapon of mass destruction. At most, I would like you to help me demolish a few buildings; let alone an atomic bomb—an atomic bomb?"

The supervisor spoke slower and slower, his voice growing softer and softer; until he seemed lost in thought, as if pondering something.

Based on his previous behavior, the level of surprise itself is a message:
[Oh, what's this old man thinking of? That's interesting.]

DouDou stared wide-eyed, pointing a finger at his mouth:
"You are not allowed to think about the next question. Answer it immediately!"

Since the so-called "atomic bomb" is really something strange, then every word that Yacht Kid 400 "said" before is worth taking into consideration.

DouDou frantically searched through its memory, only to find that the only phrase it had ever repeated was "[gun-shaped device]":

"What is [the gun-type device]? One, two, three, answer!"

"Who told you that word?"

The supervisor kept his head down, but his eyes darted upwards, glancing at DouDou; his gaze was like that of a wolf.

Even through the noise and the screen, DouDou could tell that the supervisor was different from before, and the reason was these four words, words that she couldn't understand.

The [gun-like device] acted like a key, first surprising the supervisor, then revealing his flamboyant disguise. Beneath the disguise lay something sharp.

But he still gave an answer:
"Based on your previous confusion, you're probably referring to a [gun-type detonator]. This is a method of detonating an atomic bomb, and it seems you don't know its principles and structure."

The supervisor straightened up with a forceful movement, the previous obsequious hunchback and hunchback completely gone; now his bloated, drooping face, like that of a Shar-Pei, was filled with an inexplicable rage.

The middle-aged man had triangular eyes that slanted upwards, his gaze cold and sharp, like a blade gleaming. He continued speaking with a menacing air that seemed to radiate in all directions:
"Two subcritical fissile materials are combined into a supercritical mass through high-speed collision. Simply put, use a piece of highly enriched uranium as a bullet, and propel it at high speed onto another piece of highly enriched uranium as a target, causing them to merge. Then—"

The overweight middle-aged man clasped his hands together and then opened them:
"Boom! Explosive chain reaction."

(End of this chapter)