Gao Wu: After transforming into a soft girl, I became a calamity?

"Thanks."

Jiang Mian didn't say much.

Despite the myriad thoughts swirling in her mind, she maintained an unchanged expression on her face.

Maintaining this mask has almost become her instinct.

She picked up her cup of milk tea and looked out at the desolate street.

The clouds in the sky grew even darker, but the rain lingered, as if gathering for a downpour.

Ye Chenyang's phone vibrated twice on the desktop. He glanced at it and then turned off the screen.

After a while, Jiang Mian spoke softly, as if casually:

"...Brother Ye, do you think...in the eyes of normal people, shouldn't all those with diseases be eliminated?"

She hesitated slightly, seemingly just puzzled by the situation.

At first, she wasn't very familiar with Ye Chenyang, so she usually called him by his full name or simply addressed him as "you".

However, given the "persona" she plays, calling her that after getting to know her feels a bit distant, since the other person's name isn't the same two characters as hers.

So after a few days of training, she naturally changed her way of addressing the child.

Asking this question wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a way to see what kind of answer Ye Chenyang, with his rationality, would give.

It's unlikely to be emotional hostility, but they will likely side with the majority.

Imagine if one day her identity were exposed, what would Ye Chenyang's attitude be?

Should we execute the cleanup without hesitation? Or might we hesitate even slightly?

If it's the former, I can also take action and kill the other party without hesitation.

As for [Radiance]'s advantage against Calamity... her level is currently higher than the opponent's, and she will soon reach Tier 3.

He's only at level one. Even if he's at the top of the sequence, he still needs time to develop, right?

Therefore, Jiang Mian felt that... the advantage lay with her!

But if it's the latter, while I wouldn't be able to act without any psychological burden, I could still take advantage of it.

With her current acting skills, as long as she keeps that obedient and gentle mask on and continues to act, she doesn't believe the other party can remain unmoved.

Jiang Mian's question was simple, but Ye Chenyang had much more to consider.

He looked at Jiang Mian's profile and recalled their first few meetings.

At first, he felt that Jiang Mian was a bit strange, but after getting to know her better, that feeling gradually faded, and [Eternal Day] did not give any more hints.

Ye Chenyang found it difficult to explain this, and could only temporarily conclude that Jiang Mian had been subjected to too much stimulation during his awakening, which led to a tendency towards illness, but he ultimately succeeded in awakening.

As for why she asked that question, that's even easier to explain.

Before Jiang Mian awakened, he worked as a temporary worker in the Special Affairs Bureau. He was temporarily transferred to a group when they delivered the wreckage last time.

Considering that groups three and four are mostly veteran employees, it's easy to guess what Jiang Mian was dealing with before.

Among those corpses, there may be those who tried to maintain their sanity, those who couldn't afford inhibitors and could only wait to die, and those who chose to end their own lives before going completely insane.

Jiang Mian had been in that kind of environment and had come into contact with the last traces they left in the world, and now, she was asking herself this question.

Following this line of thought, Ye Chenyang felt that he might be able to understand Jiang Mian's feelings.

Perhaps this incident triggered unpleasant memories, or perhaps she felt sympathy for those suffering from the disease.

Outside the window, the first drop of rain finally fell.

Ye Chenyang picked up his glass, took a small sip, and instead of answering Jiang Mian's question directly, he approached it from an angle that Jiang Mian had not expected.

"Do you know how much a single type I inhibitor costs?"

Jiang Mian paused for a moment, then shook her head.

She was clear about the basic classification of inhibitors. For example, the triglyceride inhibitor she bought before had a market price of 20,000 yuan, but if the channel was right, the price could be reduced by a lot.

This is also why she always tried to bargain.

The standard effective time for general inhibitors is based on sequence 100 and above. For example, a type III inhibitor has an effective period of about half a month and is not stable.

Type One... is half a year, ignoring the sequence.

For Jiang Mian now, it is an unattainable "miracle drug".

Ye Chenyang leaned forward slightly and raised his right hand.

"Five hundred thousand."

Jiang Mian was slightly taken aback. Five hundred thousand... With her current monthly salary of around thirty-six thousand, plus various subsidies, she could barely scrape together fifty thousand.

Even so, it would take ten months of work to afford one, not even counting other expenses.

For those with the disease who want to conceal their identity, going through underground channels will incur even greater costs.

Not to mention that their sources of income are limited, and they usually rely on mediocre three-type products to keep them afloat.

Ye Chenyang straightened up, looked at Jiang Mian's expression, and continued:

"From the moment the patient 'awakens,' they are standing on a sloping slide."

"In theory, their demand for inhibitors would increase with the level of the drug."

However, upon reaching the sixth rank, mental strength will be greatly enhanced, potentially offsetting the erosion and maintaining the mental state maintained until the moment of advancement.

Or... be assimilated into calamity.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mian was startled. The official data only gave a general statement about the diseased people becoming a calamity, and this was the first time she had heard specific figures.

Once we reach stage six, perhaps we can get rid of the inhibitors?

"But most patients with the disease don't make it to this point."

Ultimately, they were just a group of pitiful people who had no control over their own lives and suffered from an incurable disease.

The official stance, however, is to consider things from the perspective of the majority of "normal people."

There were still some things Ye Chenyang didn't finish saying.

Normally, when the stone tablet shows no abnormalities, the authorities turn a blind eye to the trade in inhibitors, and may even deliberately leave a way out.

In addition to the shelter, each city will also set up a special management area that is open to eligible patients with the disease.

The special management zone of Base City 144 is located in...

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mian unconsciously lowered his head, and the sweet taste on his tongue suddenly tasted bitter.

Whichever side you're on, consider things from that side's perspective.

only……

Was it really those out-of-control patients who made the authorities determined to take action?

not necessarily.

This cleanup appears to have been premeditated. From her initial investigation of the mobile black market when she first awakened to the recent riots and crackdowns, it was clearly premeditated.

In the long run, the number of patients with the disease is constantly accumulating, and even if the increase is not high, the number of people who survive will always be more than the number who die.

Therefore, they need a sufficient reason to initiate the cleanup and keep the number of "wild" infected individuals firmly within a controllable range.

"Alright, don't overthink it. You're an Awakened One now, and you have a long road ahead of you. Just focus on the present."

"Uh-huh."

Jiang Mian nodded and didn't ask anything more.

The two chatted for a while longer until it gradually got dark outside.

Ye Chenyang looked outside; the rain was quite heavy.

"Did you bring an umbrella? Do you want me to take you home?"

"No."

Jiang Mian shook her head and took a yellow raincoat out of her bag.

"I have to get up early for my shift tomorrow. Are you off?"

Ye Chenyang nodded and followed her to the shop entrance.

He watched the figure in the yellow raincoat disappear into the rain before opening his umbrella and walking toward a black car in the distance.