Chapter 306: The Art of Mind Control

“Ah?”

Fang Shuoxin stared at Xiao Yu in front of him, his face filled with shock.

Suddenly, his expression changed. A strange smile appeared on his face as he said, “Why don’t you guess?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Shuoxin seemed to regain his clarity. He began trembling uncontrollably. He was visibly terrified.

Wang Dong and Shen Zhengyang burst into the room. They froze in shock, staring at Fang Shuoxin as if they had seen a ghost.

“Don’t panic,” Xiao Yu’s eyes were fixed on Fang Shuoxin, his expression grim. “This isn’t a possession. It’s not a ghost. He’s only capable of saying that one sentence.”

Wang Dong, “???”

Shen Zhengyang, “???”

“I… I… why did I say that just now?!” Fang Shuoxin stammered, shaking like a leaf.

“What’s going on?” Wang Dong swallowed hard, his voice unsteady.

Fang Shuoxin’s behavior was unsettling, almost supernatural.

Shen Zhengyang’s face also darkened, his expression full of uncertainty.

“I already said it’s not possession,” Xiao Yu replied, his tone complex. “But we are indeed facing a serious problem this time.”

What did that mean?

Both leaders looked confused.

“It’s an ability similar to hypnosis, but fundamentally different,” Xiao Yu explained, struggling to articulate. “This ability allows for the control of a person.”

Control? Like hypnosis?

Everyone looked puzzled.

“What exactly is it?”

“I should have realized it earlier,” Xiao Yu said, frowning deeply. “At first, I suspected brainwashing or hypnosis. But something didn’t add up. With hypnosis or brainwashing, once the individual is removed from the influencing state, they gradually return to normal.

“When I ruled out both hypnosis and brainwashing, I started entertaining wild possibilities, even telepathy. But that seemed too supernatural. So, I went to the crime scene, hoping to understand what kind of entity we were dealing with. In the end, I concluded that he was slightly stronger than an ordinary person, but to call him a spy? Does he even qualify?”

Wang Dong sneered. “The guy doesn’t even know what skills a real spy has. And Dark Dragon? That’s such a cringe-worthy name.”

“Exactly,” Shen Zhengyang chuckled. “In our country, so-called spies are just special agents. Modern intelligence operatives don’t use codenames anymore. They have identification codes that change every month, week, day, or even hour. How brain-dead do you have to be to think up a codename?”

“This shows he’s been misleading Fang Shuoxin to misdirect us all along,” Xiao Yu added. “But I still don’t know what his ultimate goal is.”

“What’s the key point here?” Wang Dong pressed.

“The key point…” Xiao Yu’s tone turned mocking. “Everything he’s done stems from his arrogance, for example getting Fang Shuoxin to write a pseudo-autobiographical chapter about love. That’s how I discovered how he’s controlling Fang Shuoxin.”

“Is that what we were asking about?” Shen Zhengyang nearly rolled his eyes. “What exactly is this so-called ability you’re talking about?”

“Mind control.” Xiao Yu’s expression turned icy.

What was mind control?

It was a method of controlling a person’s psyche—essentially their thoughts and behaviors. It was a form of gradual, forced influence, akin to behavioral conditioning.

When first developed, its purpose was to solve everyday problems: learning relaxation techniques, treating insomnia or headache, overcoming tasks that require immense willpower, like quitting smoking, losing weight, improving sleep, or enhancing learning efficiency.

Mind control was similar to hypnosis. It was like a double-edged sword.

Used properly, it was a powerful tool. Used poorly, it was a dangerous weapon.

“What can this ability do?” Wang Dong asked, completely lost.

Xiao Yu could see the confusion in their faces. “Do you understand the timed reminder function on a smartphone’s notes app?”

Both leaders nodded.

“When the time comes, the note pops up, displaying its content. Mind control is like combining hypnosis and brainwashing to implant commands in someone’s mind, except it can influence their psyche, memories, and even physical actions. Unlike hypnosis, it can remain dormant for long periods, only activating at a specific time or under specific conditions.”

Xiao Yu continued, “Think of mind control as adding a mental reminder to a person’s mind. For example, if you’re trying to quit smoking, the moment you see a cigarette, the implanted memory triggers thoughts like smoking causes cancer or smoking damages your lungs. Mind control amplifies this memory, forcing your mind and body to reject cigarettes.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Shen Zhengyang asked, puzzled. “Doesn’t that mean this technique can be helpful?”

“Yes, when it was first developed, it was intended to be beneficial,” Xiao Yu agreed. “But have you considered the reverse? What if someone implants a memory in your brain without your knowledge? A memory that activates under specific conditions, at a particular time or after encountering certain triggers?

“Suddenly, these implanted memories take over your mental database, flooding it with thoughts and commands you don’t understand, compelling you to act in ways you can’t explain. How would you feel?”

Gasp!

Both leaders sucked in a sharp breath, their expressions turning grim.

They finally understood.

Someone had implanted memories in Fang Shuoxin’s brain through a brainwashing-like method. Under certain conditions or at specific times, these implanted memories were triggered.

This meant the novel Fang Shuoxin was writing had already been “programmed” by someone.

When that person saw Fang Shuoxin’s novel uploaded online, they knew their programming had begun. All they had to do was commit crimes that matched the novel’s plot.

It was all designed to create the illusion that Fang Shuoxin’s novel was manifesting into reality.

This was why the seven-day cycle existed.

Every seven days, Fang Shuoxin’s implanted memories were triggered, and the criminal could follow the novel’s plot to execute their plans.

“This also explains why his behavior when writing seemed so strange,” Xiao Yu said, glancing at the pale-faced Fang Shuoxin. “Because during those moments, he wasn’t himself, he was driven by memories he didn’t even know existed.”