Latent Syndrome

Chapter 6 6. Testing

Industrial décor, exposed exhaust ducts and vintage masonry give this pub a somewhat rough feel.

What surprised Colin was that Gray still chose to meet in this pub this time.

It's just that the atmosphere is extremely wrong, because there is no customer at all in the tavern, and the only waiter is a big man with a beard. The small shirt and vest don't match his physique at all, and the strong man will burst the waiter's uniform.

Colin remembered that the previous waiter was not this tall and round man, so he couldn't help but become suspicious and began to speculate.

Because she didn't answer the phone, Gray became vigilant, evacuated the guests in advance, and assigned a combatant to prevent accidents.

But she didn't kill herself directly, presumably because she didn't withdraw the money and took the initiative to invest.

Maybe this is the so-called butterfly effect. Some inconspicuous actions or a slight delay in opportunities will lead to a very different situation.

There are boring sports channels and replays of football matches on the TV to prevent the atmosphere from becoming too depressing.

But whether it was Gray's cold gaze or the big man who glanced this way from time to time, Colin was on pins and needles.

"You haven't answered the phone for about an hour. What's the reason?"

A glass of juice was placed in front of Gray, but she had no intention of drinking it.

"I'm having a massage, and the signal in the club is not good."

As a stockbroker, Colin could tell lies easily without even moving his eyes. His left hand had deformed and torn his clothes. On the way here, he specially bought an inconspicuous white T-shirt to wear.

"You are very calm. It doesn't look like you have encountered that kind of scary incident. If a scary female corpse stared at me through the hole for three days and three nights, I would definitely wet my pants."

Gray was so scared that she wet her pants as she spoke, but her tone was extremely cold. Judging from her hideous scars and the shape of the pirate hood covering her one eye, it was the female corpse that could wet her pants with such a terrifying aura.

"Ask me if you have any questions. You are calling to harass my social circle, making me think that I have committed something. I hope you can clarify it later."

It doesn't matter to anyone else, the key is that Colin doesn't want his ex-wife to know.

"Pay attention to your attitude. As a citizen of Los Angeles, you have an obligation to cooperate with our work."

Gray still had a paralyzed face that was not shocked by the collapse, and then repeated Jacques Lacan's story.

The imaginary world, the symbolic world, the real world.

And it was directly pointed out that Colin infected the fugitive female neighbor. He suffered from quite serious latent syndrome, and he would be tested for controllability next.

Perhaps because of the ambush and arrangement, Gray did not point the gun at Colin's head this time. However, the big man at the bar no longer acted as a drink server. He kept staring here and put his hands under the bar. I couldn't see what he was doing, he was probably tinkering with weapons.

"Test? Let's start."

Colin spoke very calmly, but in fact his heartbeat had already accelerated. I wonder if the special training just now had any effect. If the test failed, should these two people be killed?

"Very well, I'm going to ask you some questions next."

"First, will you answer all the following questions truthfully?"

Gray took out a bound information sheet and began to read from the book.

Colin was ashamed. Was it so difficult at the beginning?

"Don't be nervous. This may include very private questions, including whether you like mature women or young people. There is no right answer. You only need to answer yes or no."

Gray noticed Colin's confusion and said.

"I will answer truthfully."

Colin is of course inclined to choose positive feedback answers, even if they are lies.

"As for the first question, do you have any reservations?"

"No."

“Are you passionate about novelty or mastering new concepts?”

"no."

"You would question the wisdom of those who came before you?"

"no."

"How often do you think about humanity and destiny?"

"No, I'm not bored to that point."

"You don't need to add anything, you just need to answer yes or no. Are you considered a humorous person?"

"No."

“You put yourself in other people’s shoes and blur your own position.”

"right."

“You can easily see the general principles behind specific events.”

"When they were simpler."

“Lean towards logic and you’ll choose decisions that are more in line with your heart.”

"no……"

…

After about a hundred questions, the question-and-answer test finally ended, and Gray drank two glasses of juice in a row.

Colin felt extremely irritable and had a nervous breakdown. Some of these questions were more difficult to understand than math problems. He ordered a glass of bourbon and drank it all in one gulp.

"Is the test over?"

Colin endured the spiciness of the whiskey and cursed that this bitch was not ordinary cruel, and this kind of thing could also be suffocating.

Gray looked at the information expressionlessly, pondered for a while, and then spoke after about half a minute, with an even colder tone.

"It seems you are far more dangerous than I thought. You are a gambler."

"This test was also treated as a game by you. Your answer was mixed with hostility, and it was a strategic raise, as if you were worried about the result of failure."

"It's like..."

"You already know your dire situation."

Gray's vision was as cold as winter. Through those eyes, it was as if she could see a person she had killed, and their desperate confessions before they died.

"is there a problem?"

Colin was shocked. This woman was too sharp. With her sharp gaze, it was as if all the secrets were hidden under her gaze.

If he can't pass the test this time, he will have no chance next time. What awaits him is complete sudden death or having to make the craziest decision. He will find some hostages, although he will not hurt them.

"Nothing so far."

Click.

The crisp sound of the gun bolt being pulled apart.

"However, most of the time written tests are meaningless. Its real function is not whether the answers are correct or not, but that some of the contradictory questions can cause patients with latent disorder with low control to go crazy."

Gray aimed her high-caliber pistol at Colin's head.

"Damn it."

Colin's eyelids twitched wildly, knowing that it would not be that simple. In this case, there was only a showdown.

On!

It's about to happen!

Gray pulled the trigger at the same time.

Click, click, click...

Colin's left hand turned into a bone knife in an instant. After previous training, this transformation was very smooth. Almost instantly, his flesh and blood reorganized and turned into a sharp sickle, which he blocked in front of him.

He believed in the hardness of the bone knife. This enamel-like structure could easily cut off even concrete stone pillars.

But after all, it was a modern thermal weapon with a large caliber, so Colin wasn't entirely sure he could block it.

It was too late, but it was too soon. Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

He was so tense and focused that time seemed to slow down.

But three full seconds passed.

There was still no pain or splatter of blood as he had imagined. Colin was breathing heavily and didn't understand what was happening. It must have been too long.

"Captain! He is an infected person who can skillfully control visions!"

The big guy dressed as a waiter couldn't wait for Gray's order. Now Gray was in a very dangerous situation. It was not the time to play an intimidation game. When Colin reacted, he might commit murder. He set up a large firearm and aimed at Colin. Prepare to give him a fatal blow.

Colin's scalp was numb and he had murderous intentions. This gun was like his nightmare. He had been hit twice. He never wanted to experience the flames produced by the special bullet again.

"Wait a minute, this level is still stable. According to the regulations, he passed the test."

Gray put his finger on his chin. There is an urgent shortage of combat personnel, and there are very few infected people with relatively high controllability. Colin is the best candidate based on his resume and background investigation.

Colin looked confused and put down the bone knife, only to realize that Gray had not loaded the gun at all, but only pulled the trigger to intimidate him.

"I bet you were just trying to scare me."

Colin gave a false alarm. He was already able to skillfully control the deformation of his body, but he himself could not explain this matter. It was just that his body seemed to be connected to a strange space, and he could be withdrawn from that space by just giving a natural command. Power, use it for yourself.

At Gray's command, the big guy calmed down and lowered his gun.

"Now that I'm qualified, should I let me go?"

Colin was extremely unhappy, but it was not easy to attack. He let his left hand return to a normal arm. Because he was wearing a T-shirt, the clothes were not damaged. It may be an illusion. His cold resistance seemed to be stronger. The weather was only about ten degrees Celsius. Luo Cheng doesn’t feel cold either.

Having said that, Colin believed that Gray would not simply let him go. It was not the official style to let a monster wander outside. He was just testing Gray's tone.

This thought surprised Colin himself. Did he actually accept the identity of a monster?

Also, what is the vision that the big guy is talking about?

"In fact, as a citizen of Los Angeles, you have an obligation to contribute to public security."

Gray spoke in an official tone, and while she was talking to Colin, she secretly took out a metallic syringe, which contained a silver liquid like mercury. She pressed the piston handle of the syringe to expel the air inside.

"Excuse me, public order?"

Colin didn't know what kind of airplane Gray was doing, and didn't notice Gray's little moves.

"I have said that patients with latent abyss syndrome are very dangerous existences. Most of them will choose to commit crimes after gaining extraordinary powers, and some of these large infected organizations can be said to be cancers for the world. No, this This description is not enough, they are a cancer of civilization."

After saying that, Gray took advantage of Colin's attention to be distracted, pierced Colin's arm with a syringe, and pressed down the entire piston handle.

"What the hell..."

Colin was furious.

"This is a new type of locator. I can know where you are at any time."

Gray ignored Colin's breath, pulled out the syringe, and put it in a storage bag to prevent contamination.

Colin felt that a cold liquid entered the heart along the blood circulation, and then spread to the whole body through the blood pump of the heart, and then integrated into the body. The other party's purpose was to completely control himself.

This style made Colin hate Gray even more.

"Let's get to know each other again. I am the head of Section 11 of the Countermeasures Bureau, Gray."

"You understand in your heart, I can't just let you go like this. People infected with Latent Abyssal Syndrome are extremely dangerous. Most of them will kill people unconsciously, and deviate from the symbolic world, making them even more uncontrollable. You are like this is an exception."

"My approach may be a bit direct. I hope you can forgive me. There will be relevant compensation in the future. You should be under great financial pressure."

"Now, on behalf of the 11th Section of the Countermeasures Bureau, I announce that you have been incorporated into the special operations team. The world is in desperate need of people like you."

Gray's tone was as cold as winter.

"What if I refuse?"

Colin considers himself not a heroic man who cares about the country and the people.

"There is no rejection of this option. In Eastern terms, when the nest is overturned, there are no eggs left intact. You don't know other patients with latent abyss syndrome."

"Even radical anarchism is just...rational compared to them."

"They will only deliberately turn the world into hell."

Speaking of this, Gray's poker face also changed a little, and his brows furrowed a little.

"Wow, you scared me."

Colin didn't quite believe it, and now he had reservations about everything Gray said.

Gray took out a photo from the pocket of the jacket and placed it on the table. This made Colin a little moved. Something that she could carry close to her body must be quite important.

"This is a key member of the infected organization SCT and has a profound influence in the underground world."

"I received a tip that he had received orders from the organization to carry out criminal activities in Los Angeles."

"The 11th Section was established to deal with this person. He is now somewhere in the city."

"The recent bombings that shocked Los Angeles have a lot to do with him."

"And he himself is always ready to occupy the headlines and create panic anytime, anywhere."

Gray moved the photo in front of Colin.

Colin was stunned for a while. He was deeply impressed by the explosion because he had heard the convenience store cashier broadcast the news three times.

When he took the photo and looked at it, he opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but he couldn't say anything, as if something was stuck in his throat. Is it really such a coincidence?

Sensing something was wrong with Colin's expression.

"Do you know this guy?"

There was a hint of urgency in Gray's tone.

Colin didn't know how to describe this feeling. Not only did he know his mother, he could recognize him even if he turned into ashes. This guy made such a deep impression on others.

The photo showed a very handsome man. The shooting angle was probably a candid shot. Only a side face and a tall back wearing a khaki windbreaker were captured. His cold, emerald green eyes were as chilling as those of poisonous snakes.

"Two hours ago, I met him at a convenience store. At that time, he... was stealing things."

Colin told the truth that there was nothing to hold back. Now he was in a passive situation. He didn't know what would happen if he used time retrieval again. Even if he didn't die, he would be weaker every time and might not be able to stand up next time. Even though you don’t know what tricks the other party is trying to play, it’s better to cooperate first and then find another way when the time is right.

Gray and the big guy at the bar were both dumbfounded.

"Tell me all the details."

Gray was finally completely moved, and her breathing became a little heavier. Even she did not expect that while integrating combat forces, she could actually obtain clues to breakthrough progress.

Colin was speechless, unable to connect the funny-minded freak with the dangerous person in the underground world.