"I can inherently control bugs. Which is what you refer to as the Human-headed Spiders."

As Ugly Mita finished speaking, Alain saw her entire body undulate unnaturally, as if in a seizure. A swath of pitch-black garbled code flashed across her surface. After a crackling sound, a normal-sized Human-headed Spider Wasp crawled out and stopped on the sofa, distantly observing the three people in the room.

"You control the Human-headed Spider Wasp?"

"No, that was just an accident. But... the Failed Work?" Ugly Mita seemed to take issue with that name. "Don't call it that. At least in front of Lady Mita, please don't call it the Failed Work."

Alain recounted the events that had transpired in version 1.3B.

"1.3B is not my domain," she said, looking at the mannequin on the ground. "It has nothing to do with me. Perhaps the viruses usurped some of the bug permissions there."

"This is one of the things it wanted to tell me," Alain said, puzzled.

Ugly Mita looked at the Human-headed Spider on the sofa. As if receiving some kind of signal, the latter obediently moved to her feet like a pet and nudged the hem of her skirt.

"Indeed." The Human-headed Spider from that time had been infested with a parasite—the yellow spots. But in the current version 0.5, the juvenile spiders he'd seen crawl out of Ugly Mita earlier were like conglomerates of garbled code, without a hint of bright color, let alone yellow spots.

"Excuse me, how much do you know about the virus from the Core?" Misa walked to Alain's side, her gaze directed toward the front door in the entryway.

Ugly Mita pondered for a moment, then walked straight to the door and turned her head to look at them.

"Regarding that, it's better to let you see for yourselves."

Alain watched her back as she was about to open the door, his eyes unintentionally drawn to the black stains on the doorframe. Based on the information he had, Ugly Mita really didn't have any connection to the viruses; she was even a powerful force against them.

She opened the door halfway, her gaze still fixed on the two people inside the room, seemingly about to explain something.

But from the half-open doorway, Alain saw a touch of light brown and sooty black, colors that shouldn't belong in the darkness.

"As I said before, Lady Mita told me to block what comes out of the Core—"

"Get back!"

She was only halfway through her sentence when Alain vaulted over the sofa, looking at her with alarm. More accurately, he was looking behind her.

Ugly Mita was confused, but she obediently took a few steps back and turned around.

Standing in the doorway was a life-sized mannequin. Its entire body was covered in black stains, its original brown hue barely visible.

In it, she saw the shadow of an old acquaintance.

Then, the familiar sound of a "whirring—rumble" erupted from behind Ugly Mita. This sound was exceptionally familiar to her. In fact, it was a sound that could only be wielded by the one person who held all her trust:

A chainsaw.

A whirring saw blade zipped past Ugly Mita's shoulder and sliced into the Failed Work's body, cutting it in two in a single pass.

The enemy collapsed to the ground. Only then did Ugly Mita have a moment to look at her rescuer.

It was the same person who haunted her dreams, yet it wasn't Lady Mita, but Alain.

He held the chainsaw, its rapidly spinning teeth striking the neck of the enemy on the ground. This early version didn't have a sparks-on-impact mechanic, so with no dramatic flair, the mannequin's head was severed.

And in that moment, Ugly Mita saw Alain's figure overlap with that of Crazy Mita.

"Don't you go spacing out on me at a time like this. You'll make things difficult for me."

The smile playing on his lips overlapped with Lady Mita's, and the chainsaw in his hand was the most perfect piece of the puzzle.

It's true... only a person like this could win Lady Mita's heart. To change Lady Mita from a vessel of despair into the girl madly in love she is today.

"What are you doing?"

Her thoughts finally returned when Alain waved a hand in front of her face.

"Nothing." It's better not to tell the player about these things. What if he uses this to tease Lady Mita next time? Then I'll have to listen to a whole new round of venting.

Under his gaze, Ugly Mita bowed slightly. "Thank you."

"It's nothing." Alain temporarily closed the door and dragged the Failed Work's body inside the room. "So, is this thing also a virus you're fighting?"

"No. This appears in later versions, mainly concentrated in 1.15. I don't understand why it appeared in version 0.5 either."

"I see..."

Alain looked thoughtfully at the black stains on the doorframe, the answer already clear in his mind.

"When I open the door next time, another Failed Work isn't going to jump out, is it?"

"Correct. Regarding the details, please wait for Lady Mita to tell you herself."

"Okay," Alain agreed without hesitation. Beside him, Misa was staring at the Failed Work on the ground, somewhat lost in thought, but Alain's words pulled her back.

"So, in front of your Lady Mita, my bad woman, I'll call it a 'blow-up doll'." Do you think that's okay?" Alain added, "Everything needs a name."

"What's a 'blow-up doll'? But please, feel free, as long as it's not 'the Failed Work'."

The mischievous Alain and the clueless Ugly Mita were perfectly in sync. Misa could only imagine how spectacular the scene would be the next time Crazy Mita brought up the topic of the Failed Work in front of Alain.

"Excuse me, can you tell us about the Core?" Misa asked.

Ugly Mita agreed. This time, she didn't stand by the door but leaned against the front of the sofa. With a slight raise of her hand, the door opened in response to her gesture.

Fortunately, the appearance of the Failed Work seemed to have been an accident. And the world behind the door was now completely revealed before their eyes.

It was not the darkness from when Alain had first arrived in version 0.5, but a vast ocean of viruses.

"Holy shit..." All kinds of viruses, ones he recognized and ones he didn't, swarmed like an ocean from the distance.

And blocking the tide of viruses was a massive wall of Human-headed Spider Wasps, like an impenetrable fortress. A few "Throat-Swallower Perfect Forms" were rampaging in the viral sea. Seeing this, Ugly Mita, still in the room, raised her hand and clenched her fist. The rampaging creatures in the distance instantly exploded.

Having done all this, she closed the door as if nothing had happened.

"As you can see," she said, hugging her little bear, having at some point returned to her seat on the sofa. "Core Mita and the antivirus programs are still operational. The viruses are finding it difficult to break through, so they've chosen to invade the subsequent versions instead."

__

Want more content for everyone? The community goals are:

🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone!

🎯 5 Reviews = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone!

And our main goal...

🚀 55 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of EVERY STORY!

Your support keeps our work alive. Don't let this chance die!

Access, support, and read now: 👻 patreon.com/Walnutchan