"Whoa... Black Cocoon, what a fitting name," Ji Minghuan quipped, grinning, "It suits that weirdo's eerie image perfectly, like a giant moth."
"When I saw his photo, I immediately thought of you," the Mentor suddenly said.
A light remark dropped, yet the air in the confinement room suddenly quieted for a moment.
What a joke... Did I just get seen through? Is it time to fast forward to the dismemberment part?
Ji Minghuan was secretly shocked inside but showed no sign outwardly, maintaining a face caught between confusion and annoyance.
He asked, "Why, do I look even a bit like that ugly thing?"
"You..."
Ji Minghuan propped his chin, lethargically interrupting the Mentor's words, "Mentor, if you want to call me ugly, just say it. No need to beat around the bush; I can take that kind of personal attack."
"I also mentioned your childhood incident yesterday. Back then, you wrapped yourself tightly with toilet paper in the bathroom, and a nurse from the Welfare Institute took a photo as a record."
While speaking, the Mentor took a photo out of the white coat pocket and placed it on top of the "Black Cocoon" photo.
Ji Minghuan silently looked down.
In the photo, young he was hiding in the bathroom, wrapping himself with roll after roll of toilet paper, like a white mummy, vaguely resembling the shape in the previous photo of the black cocoon, only in its embryonic form.
The two photos were stacked together, with the Mentor intentionally revealing a corner of the photo below, the cocoon formed by toilet paper on the left and the one formed by a restraint belt on the right, forming a sharp contrast in color.
Ji Minghuan stared at it for a while, then clicked his tongue to argue, "Come on... I've explained before, it really was just a stupid thing I did out of youthful ignorance."
Recalling casually, he said, "At least I never had the habit of dressing up like a moth in public and scaring people... Even during Halloween at the Welfare Institute, the scariest thing I dressed up as was a ghost dog that went 'woof woof woof, trick or treat,' which was quite harmless."
"Actually, I just wanted to say... maybe once your superpower awakens, you'll end up exhibiting similar traits," the Mentor chuckled.
"That would be too bizarre. What normal person would enjoy wrapping themselves like a mummy?" Ji Minghuan sighed, "I suggest you take that Superpower User to the neurologist to check if there's anything wrong with their brain first."
The Mentor retrieved the photos, smiling, "So, are you interested in superpowers now?"
"I know myself too well. A muggle is a muggle; interest won't do anything," Ji Minghuan paused, "besides, even if I were as powerful as you claim, I'd have already figured out a way to escape this dump, rather than suffer your guys' crap here."
"But if you really were just an ordinary person, it wouldn't have been necessary for us to go through all this trouble to lock you up here," the Mentor didn't take his words seriously.
"I still don't get it. Why did you catch me in the first place? Doesn't this month prove I'm an ordinary person?"
"Someone predicted you would destroy the world."
"Ha, ha." Ji Minghuan laughed dryly twice, then asked, "Did that person watch too many American blockbusters?" He sighed, "World destruction so easily? If the world were that easy to destroy... besides, dude, I can't even destroy myself; I get tasered if I try to self-harm."
"Who knows."
"So who exactly is spreading rumors about me?" Ji Minghuan probed, "Can't you bring him to meet me face-to-face for a confrontation?"
"No," the Mentor interjected, "To be precise, it's beyond our capability."
"Why? Is he in outer space?"
"No, we've never met him, not even know his identity."
"Huh?" Ji Minghuan raised his eyebrows, stunned for a moment, then asked, "So, you guys locked me up for over a month because of the nonsense from someone you've never met?"
"He's predicted numerous events with significant impacts on the world, and each time the developments have aligned with his predictions," the Mentor said slowly, "but... while he's helped us avoid several major disasters, we've never had direct contact with him, rather, he's never given us the chance."
He paused, "And ever since he informed us about you, he vanished into thin air."
"You don't have to concoct such an unconvincing story."
The Mentor chuckled indifferently, "In any case, we've never seen him to this day. Nobody knows his details, as if he's a ghost just observing the world from afar. Even though the predicted events were serious, including a country being wiped out, the tone in his letters has always been so bland, like he's recounting something trivial."
He paused, "But..."
"But?"
"But he was quite serious when mentioning you, saying we must control you, or the consequences would be severe."
Ji Minghuan's eyes darkened, dropping his head in despair and said, "I get it, this guy must hold a grudge against me... could he be the principal of our Welfare Institute? I've been a troublemaker since childhood, personally witnessing the principal's hairline recede from the forehead to the top of the head—oh, no, he already has no hairline now, just a shiny bald head."
"Unfortunately, your principal is just an ordinary person."
"If this Prophet you mentioned resurfaces, can you tell me?"
"Sure, if he ever shows up again, maybe I'll inform you."
"Alright," Ji Minghuan remained silent for a while, then suddenly brought up, "By the way, didn't you mention yesterday..." knowing well that the Mentor might flake again.
"Yes, I came for this matter today," the Mentor having learned from yesterday's lesson, mentioned the name this time, "In five minutes, Kong Youling will come here to see you. I'll step out, so the two of you will be alone, and you can talk about whatever you like without worrying about anyone."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true." The Mentor smiled calmly, "I'll leave now, you wait here."
Having said that, he got up from his chair and walked out of the surveillance room. His figure swallowed by the dropping isolation door, rows of cold fluorescent tubes dimmed, plunging the entire world into darkness.