Cognitive Contamination

Her gaze was fixed firmly on the book. Slowly, Carolina realized that the letters had become unfamiliar. She could no longer tell what the words formed by those letters meant.

Within this utterly ordinary textbook, the most ordinary letters became increasingly unknown in Carolina’s eyes. They seemed like nonexistent writing, recording nonexistent knowledge, yet those words drew Carolina’s consciousness in like a black hole, immersing her within them.

Just then, Carolina suddenly felt someone come to her side.

There was no sound, nor was there any movement. It was merely a feeling, the most basic instinct in her mind, like unconsciously turning around after noticing someone’s gaze. This thought abruptly appeared in Carolina’s mind.

Even though she could not turn around, Carolina could still sense the other person’s presence. Someone was standing beside her at this very moment, yet she knew nothing about it. She did not even know when they had arrived.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Carolina’s mind. She wondered whether a new illusion had appeared, whether it was the culprit behind all this, or perhaps a ghost trapped here just like her.

But she could not turn around. Forget moving a finger, she could not even shift her gaze.

She could only silently read the incomprehensible text as countless taboo and unknown fragments of knowledge gradually invaded her mind, until she lost consciousness without even the strength to resist.

"An interesting world."

A murmur rang out in the silent space. The instant Carolina heard it, her mind felt as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer. Intense dizziness washed over her, nearly making her vomit.

"This reminds me of the Tower of Babel."

The voice sounded again. Listening to its calm words, Carolina felt an inexplicable, uncontrollable fear rise within her, like the terror of a creature encountering its natural predator, or an ordinary person being hunted down by a vicious ghost.

Then, a hand appeared in Carolina’s field of vision. It was an exceptionally beautiful hand, with long fingers and distinct knuckles. Its palm was broad, clearly belonging to a man.

The hand slowly moved to the edge of the book. At that moment, Carolina suddenly noticed the words in the textbook trembling. Those neatly printed letters were writhing like maggots, as though silently resisting that hand.

The next moment.

Smack—

Without meeting any resistance, the hand lightly closed the textbook, producing a crisp sound.

"Are you all right, Carolina?" The voice spoke for the third time, carrying a trace of concern.

At that moment, Carolina finally felt control return to her body. She staggered several steps back, then looked warily at the owner of the voice.

It was a strange figure wearing a Bird-Beak Mask. The entire body was covered by a black hooded robe, and its silent pressure made Carolina’s thoughts freeze for an instant. Yet when she looked again, she found that this ghostlike being seemed utterly out of place amid everything around it.

"Are you all right?" the shadow asked again. He remained unusually calm despite Carolina’s vigilance.

"Who are you?" Carolina took another step back and asked in return.

"I am Witch Raven. You probably have not heard my name, but that does not matter. I came to take you out of here before you are completely contaminated," Zhang Ye said calmly.

"Contaminated? What does that mean?" Carolina instinctively felt that something was wrong.

"Thought invasion. Cognitive Contamination. It is difficult to explain, and I do not know much about it myself." Zhang Ye casually tossed the textbook beside him away. "But I hope you will trust me. Your body is already safe, but if you want to recover properly, you must wake up first."

"Did you save me?" Carolina asked again.

Hearing that question, Zhang Ye chuckled softly. "A linguistic trap. You are very cautious. That is good. I was not the one who saved you. It was my friend. She found you after you escaped from Deadpool, and she was the one who made me realize just how terrifying the danger facing this world was."

Carolina’s tense heart relaxed slightly. The blonde, blue-eyed girl with the ‘S’ emblem on her chest appeared in her mind again. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Kara," Zhang Ye answered.

"Kara." Carolina froze slightly upon hearing that name.

Then, in her mind, the woman’s long golden hair gradually shortened, while its color shifted to black.

This incomprehensible scene made Carolina’s heart skip a beat. Because the change had occurred within her memories, she could not describe how she felt at that moment.

"What is wrong?" Zhang Ye asked, seemingly noticing that something was off about Carolina.

"No, I’m fine. It’s just… I think I might understand what you meant by thought invasion and Cognitive Contamination." Carolina clutched her head, her eyes filled with nothing but boundless terror.

Only then did she truly understand what real horror was. When one’s perceptions were altered, everything familiar became strange. When even one’s own memories changed, the indescribable terror left Carolina unable to speak for a moment.

Just imagine: when your perception was altered by some indescribable existence, when you denied all the experiences you had accumulated over the years and came to believe that you were actually a border collie, when you lost the concept of speaking and your language ability became barking.

Were you still yourself?

A chill instantly enveloped Carolina’s entire body. She abruptly raised her head, stared deeply at the incomparably strange figure before her, and spoke.

"How can I be sure you are real? How can I know you are not part of those illusions? If my perception has truly been changed, then you could also be part of my imagination. I simply have not realized it yet."

"You do not need to be sure, because I am real." Zhang Ye raised his hand and waved it through the air. "Proving that is easy, because from beginning to end, I have been having a rational conversation with you."

"Those illusions simulated my memories. They could talk too," Carolina said.

"No, no, no. I mean a rational conversation."

Zhang Ye looked directly at Carolina and spoke seriously.

"Why did a squad of Hydra soldiers suddenly appear on the street just now? Why were you able to defeat beings like Hulk and even Thanos? Why did this world of interwoven light and shadow bring you danger again and again? None of that is rational!

You cannot die in this world, because it is a Dream World woven from your own mind. Every escape and death here merely sends you into another layer of dreams, while those illusions you faced are also products of your dreams.

But if you think killing all of them will solve everything once and for all, then you are gravely mistaken. The more people you kill here, the deeper you sink. Those things are constantly trying to occupy your mind and influence your sanity.

However, those ‘things’ use simple and crude methods. They possess almost no logical thinking. In other words, when you reach the boundary of the dream and encounter something that does not conform to logic, they will alter your perception and forcibly make it all seem ‘reasonable.’

And the fact that I can explain all this to you here is proof in itself."