How to Stop the Villain from Going Crazy
Translator: Fuyu
Chapter 24 - She had to establish a correct reward mechanism (2)
A voice sounded by her ear. "What story?"
Bo Li was startled. This was the third time she heard him speak.
Perhaps, it was because he was sitting next to her. She heard his voice clearly.
It felt as if a cold yet smooth and refreshing thing burrowed into her ear, permeated her nerves, and created a strange resonance in her brain. It was hard to describe the feeling. It felt like a compulsion, like hypnosis, like entering a dream-like state.
Bo Li's heart and breathing sped up. She felt like she had fallen into a trance.
So lovely. So lovely that she felt… horror.
She shuddered and came back to her senses. Too scary.
She had actually lost sense of herself from hearing his voice. This wasn't a sound that a human could make. It felt more like bait used to trick people to their deaths.
Previously, she had wished he would speak more. After all, his voice in the original work was so beautiful. She had been too nervous the previous times and felt regretful that she didn't hear him clearly.
Who could have thought his real voice would be like this? It made her think of those wicked, repugnant, ominous myths.
It would be better for her if he spoke less.
After a long time, Bo Li finally found her voice.
"Of course it's to exaggerate her pregnancy. In many religions, the sanctity of pregnancy and birth is inviolable. If she's really a freak, how could God allow her to get pregnant?"
No response again.
Bo Li continued to say, "The place where I'm from, people will pay to hear all sorts of stories. For example, a rich kid losing his family fortune because of gambling. Different people will get different feelings from that story. The rich will use this as a warning to themselves and feel lucky that they haven't gone bankrupt. The poor will feel comforted and feel a sense of equality. Even if someone is born into a superior family, he can lose everything because of his stupidity. A lucky gambler will think the kid is a fool. Unlucky gamblers will rely on this story to persuade themselves to not gamble again."
She softly said, "There isn't a special meaning to Emily's pregnancy. She's a person that happened to get pregnant, that's all. It's that complexity of human nature that gives her pregnancy a complex meaning."
Still no response.
"I wonder where Emily went," Bo Li muttered.
The one-sided conversation ended here.
Bo Li yawned. She wanted to go to sleep.
Erik was still eating. He had an unusually large appetite. After finishing the canned hot pot, he ate the rabbit.
That made sense. If he didn't eat a lot, how could he have the energy to support his high-intensity hunting behavior?
Bo Li said good night to him, turned around, and walked into the tent.
She covered herself with the blanket. Just as she was about to close her eyes, she thought it over, sat up, and said to Erik, "The blanket is big. If you're sleepy, you can sleep with me."
In case he wanted to sleep with her in the middle of the night, she would say this now to avoid him waking her up with a dagger.
She didn't want to be startled and lose her clean pants.
Erik didn't answer.
Bo Li was worried, so she repeated her words before lying down and closing her eyes. She had done what she should, and the rest was up to fate.
—
In the middle of the night, Bo Li felt coldness on her face. Something was gently sliding across her cheek.
She was too tired. It took her a long time to raise her eyelids and look with sleepy eyes.
The first thing she saw was a white mask. She saw a figure as empty and emotionless as a wax figure.
Erik was half-kneeling beside her and intently staring at her. He was holding a dagger.
The blade was cold and touching her face. He moved it up and down her cheek.
Bo Li almost died on the spot.
She had clearly already given him permission. Why was this still happening?!
She was frozen in place. Her heart was pounding, and blood was beating in her ears. Was he finally going to make his move, or was he teasing her out of boredom?
… Probably the latter.
She hadn't said anything wrong before going to bed. She had spoken sincerely. She really did think that Emily wasn't any different from an ordinary person. It was other people's perspective that gave a different meaning to the four-legged woman.
She didn't just say all that casually though. With every word that she said, she was assessing his reaction. Was he angry, surprised, or approving? Did he think she was self-righteous and presumptuously judging other people's feelings?
She used her lifelong acting skills just to convey a message; you don't need the sympathy of others, feeling sympathy was merely another form of privilege.
If he was offended by those words, he should have killed her on the spot. There was no need to wait until she fell asleep, wake her up with a dagger, and judge her for what she said before she went to sleep.
So then, what did he mean by this?
Bo Li thought hard. Her brain went into overdrive. Her rapidly heart felt like it was about to explode. Her adrenaline reached its peak.
Testing her reaction? Was he checking if she was worthy of cooperating with by testing if she was a resilient prey?
Or, he wanted something from her?
A light bulb lit up in her mind. She figured it out. She reached out to hug him and buried her head in his chest.
Sure enough, the moment she hugged him, he put away his dagger.
A drop of cold sweat slipped out.
Every time she hugged him, it was because of his approaching dagger that was threatening her life. This probably gave him the wrong message that he had to threaten her if he wanted a hug.
No, she couldn't let this become a habit. She had to establish a correct reward mechanism.
Even though she thought this, she hugged him even tighter. She was almost hanging off his body.
Erik lied down while she hugged him.
Not only had he learned the wrong reward mechanism, she had also formed the wrong conditioned reflex. She always felt safety in his arms.
This was messed up.
But, it seemed necessary at the moment. She needed the sense of security he gave her.
He needed…
What did he need? She didn't know.
Bo Li wanted to continue thinking, but the narrow space and the hot flames outside along with the fatigue that came after the fear were like an impenetrable net that enveloped her.
Erik's body temperature was high. Perhaps, it was because of his intense exercise and that he had replenished his body with a large amount of high-calorie food. He was like a powerful machine that squandered energy by continuously radiating heat.
Hot, safe.
The feeling of safety was a misperception. She reminded herself that even if his body temperature ran extremely hot, he was still a killing machine.
But, she was too sleepy to think any further.
Bo Li closed her eyes. Her breathing gradually slowed down and became weaker, and she fell asleep.