Online Game: I Started with Max Charisma and Caught the Goddess's Eye-Chapter 380: Reverse Manipulation of Consciousness

The one-hour break passed quickly, and Dr. Smith once again personally resumed the interrogation of Luca.

He asked numerous questions related to the Eternal World.

However, Luca didn't provide any useful information in response.

Instead, he answered with a series of bizarre and seemingly nonsensical pieces of intelligence, all delivered in his own peculiar way.

This strategy served two purposes:

On one hand, it helped dispel Dr. Smith's suspicions; on the other hand, it subtly redirected the doctor's train of thought in a direction favorable to Luca.

Throughout his responses, Luca deliberately and casually leaked a considerable amount of intelligence concerning the Via Empire.

If Dr. Smith at the Daskhollow Laboratory truly had some form of cooperation with members of the Via Empire, then the moment Luca fed him relevant information, his reaction would surely give something away.

About halfway through the interrogation, Dr. Smith's expression grew extremely grim.

He refrained from continuing with his line of questioning—his inquiries had clearly begun to involve members of the Via Empire's parliament.

After a moment of hesitation, he turned around and looked toward the others present in the interrogation room.

"The next question I'm about to ask is highly classified. I want all of you to leave, now."

The others exchanged uncertain glances.

They believed that since they were permitted inside the interrogation room in the first place, they should be privy to all the information.

Their hesitation visibly irritated Dr. Smith.

"What are you still standing there for?" he barked coldly. "Get out and lock the door behind you!"

Ultimately, no one in the room could withstand the pressure from Dr. Smith. One by one, they exited the interrogation room.

Liam was the last to leave.

Before stepping out, he cast a reluctant glance at Dr. Smith's seat.

That seat should have been his!

Once everyone had left, Dr. Smith went so far as to double-check that the interrogation room door was firmly secured.

Then, he returned to his chair and finally asked the question that had been weighing most heavily on his mind.

"How much of the artificial monster technology do the Via Empire's parliament members actually control? And… is it truly possible for them to infuse multiple types of elemental power into the same monster body?"

The moment Luca—still in his dream-state consciousness—heard this question, he immediately snapped to full attention.

He knew without a doubt: this was the critical turning point of the entire interrogation.

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"The council members have control over at least four distinct factions of artificial monster technology. They're attempting to infuse different elemental powers into a single monster's body. But as for whether they've succeeded... that, I don't know."

Luca's answer left Dr. Smith visibly satisfied.

It was perfectly reasonable that Luca wouldn't know the outcome of such classified experiments. After all, artificial monster technology was considered cutting-edge—both in the Eternal World and in the real world. A technology of that level would, of course, be guarded under strict secrecy.

Dr. Smith's heart was pounding faster than before.

He took a few deep breaths, trying to suppress the surge of excitement coursing through him.

"List all four factions of artificial monster technology that you just mentioned," Dr. Smith demanded, his tone heavy with urgency.

Naturally, Luca had no intention of giving him any real answers—because he himself didn't actually know any.

The so-called four distinct factions of artificial monster technology were entirely fabricated.

Luca went quiet for a moment, then began making a series of strange gurgling sounds: hurrrrr... hurrrrr...

"What are you saying? I can't understand you! Speak clearly!"

Dr. Smith was clearly agitated now, leaning forward in frustration as the gurgling sounds continued.

He was desperate for the intelligence surrounding artificial monster research.

Yet Luca gave no coherent reply—only more guttural, garbled noises.

This, of course, was intentional. Luca's aim was to stir Smith's anxiety and sense of urgency.

Dr. Smith began frantically adjusting the parameters of the dream invasion device, tweaking its settings again and again. But no matter what changes he made, Luca's vocalizations remained exactly the same.

Because Luca had already turned the tables.

He was no longer just the subject of the dream interrogation—he had become the master of the entire dream world.

Dr. Smith slammed his fist down on the console in frustration.

"Damn it! This is ridiculous. Looks like I'll have to personally master all dream and consciousness-related technologies."

Irritated and flustered, Dr. Smith stormed toward the door and threw it open.

His eyes locked onto Liam.

"I've run into some technical issues. Get in here and help me recalibrate the dream infiltration system."

Liam nodded silently and stepped into the interrogation room.

Though he was deeply resentful, he knew better than to show it.

Even if he was the most talented among them, he still had to stay in Dr. Smith's good graces.

Only by doing so could he gain access to the most critical scientific resources—and get closer to the most advanced technologies.

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After adjusting the dream infiltration device for a while, Liam wore a deeply puzzled expression.

"What's going on? What unexpected situation has occurred?"

Smith, slightly displeased, asked with an impatient tone.

"The device parameters are all normal. The issue might lie within Luca's dream itself."

"Do you have a solution? Just tell me the solution! I don't care to hear about what caused the problem."

Liam didn't respond immediately; instead, he adjusted the dream infiltration device's parameters again.

"The problem lies within the dream itself. There's no way to solve it from the outside. Perhaps the only way is to project our own consciousness into Luca's dream."

Liam's words caused Dr. Smith to look visibly troubled.

"Isn't the risk of doing that extremely high? If the dream is unstable and we project our consciousness into it, our own minds could be in serious danger as well."

Dr. Smith frowned and asked cautiously.

Liam nodded.

"You're absolutely right in your assessment, but aside from this method, I can't think of any other solution."

The room fell silent.

Liam lowered his head, waiting for Dr. Smith's decision, while Dr. Smith continued to frown, staring ahead.

The dream world, too, was eerily silent.

Luca felt a growing sense of unease.

"Are they going to figure it out? Have they already realized that I set a trap for them within the dream?"

He muttered to himself.

If Dr. Smith truly saw through the trap, his plan would be a complete failure.

"Don't doubt yourself! Even if he has some suspicions, he can't resist the temptation of artificial monster technology!"

Luca steadied his resolve in his mind.

He stopped overthinking and calmed himself.

After settling down, he began to weave the Dreamweaving Mist more densely within the dream.

Only if the Dreamweaving Mist was thick enough could he control their consciousness the moment they entered the dream.

Time passed, second by second.

Fifteen minutes later, Dr. Smith in the interrogation room slowly spoke.

"Although projecting our consciousness into an unstable dream comes with significant risk, as researchers, we must be prepared to take on that risk. Adjust the device. I need my consciousness to enter the dream immediately."

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Liam received the clear instruction and immediately began setting the parameters for the dream infiltration device.

During the process, he also made sure to mention his additional preparations.

"To ensure your safety, I'll provide you with a weapon in the dream that will help protect your consciousness. If you see any floating white orbs within the dream, consume them directly. This will reinforce your consciousness!"

Dr. Smith nodded silently in acknowledgment.

After everything was set, with Liam's assistance, Dr. Smith projected his own consciousness into Luca's dream.

The moment Dr. Smith entered Luca's dream, he found himself in the middle of an ocean.

"Luca, where are you? I need you to appear before me, right now!"

Dr. Smith's voice trembled slightly, betraying a hint of nervousness.

He was speaking to Luca, giving orders as the controller of the dream.

Under normal circumstances, Luca would have immediately appeared.

After all, the dream controller, in theory, had the power to dictate everything within the dream.

However, the entire dream was now under Luca's control, and Dr. Smith's commands were powerless to affect it.

As he waited for Luca to appear, Dr. Smith began to hear faint whispers at the edges of his perception.

This only made him more anxious.

In his growing panic, he began to look around frantically.

He was searching for the protective weapon that Liam had mentioned.

But despite his efforts, he couldn't find any of the white orbs.

"What is happening here?! Did Liam betray me?!"

Dr. Smith's mind began to spiral into doubt, suspecting that this entire situation was a trap set by both Liam and Luca.

He looked up toward the sky and shouted, "Liam, can you hear me? Pull my consciousness out of this dream, now!"

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"It's a bit too late. He can't hear you anymore."

The moment Dr. Smith's shout ended, Luca appeared not far from him.

"The Liam you mentioned, he must be the one who created this, right?"

Luca smiled as he raised the white orb he was holding. "He did indeed provide you with some help. But you still underestimated my control over dreams."

Luca's sudden appearance sent Dr. Smith into a panic.

He realized that his consciousness was likely about to be completely taken over by Luca.

In a frantic response, Dr. Smith began flailing his limbs, trying to escape from Luca.

"Stop struggling in vain! The dream is under my complete control! My consciousness will completely replace yours, and I will turn you into a puppet!"

Luca said these words with an impassive expression, and during this process, he had already gained full control over Dr. Smith's consciousness.

He intended to use Dr. Smith's identity to carry out his plans at the Daskhollow Laboratory!