Chapter 65: Hypnosis?
Fang Xiaocao felt like she was in a dream—everything before her seemed unreal.
Which was the dream? Which was the illusion?
“Xiaocao, what’s wrong?”
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Zhi Qi asked with concern.
“I… I’m fine. Just a headache.”
Fang Xiaocao rasped.
“Then rest for a bit. We’ll set up camp.”
Zhi Qi said gently.
Fang Xiaocao nodded wearily.
“If you feel unwell, call me.”
Zhi Qi reminded her before walking away.
As she watched Zhi Qi’s retreating figure, the image of the Scarface Monster surfaced in Fang Xiaocao’s mind.
It was too real!
She had lived through it—how could that be just a dream?
[Ribbit, ribbit!]
Just then, the croaking of frogs reached her ears.
Fang Xiaocao froze, then hurriedly reached for her phone.
It was a WeChat message.
Unlocking her screen, she checked the message.
[Hot Noodles: Are you awake?]
Seeing the message, Fang Xiaocao felt like she had just awoken from a different lifetime.
“What happened? Was it a dream, or did it really happen?”
She quickly typed and sent her question.
She knew—Hot Noodles must know something.
[Hot Noodles: You could call it a dream, or you could call it reality.]
The ambiguous answer made Fang Xiaocao frown.
“What do you mean?”
She pressed for clarification.
[Hot Noodles: It was a future event that is about to happen.]
Fang Xiaocao felt like she had been struck by lightning.
“A future event…?”
She murmured.
“Did I… foresee the future?”
She asked.
[Hot Noodles: You could say that.]
[Hot Noodles: Because of overlapping timelines, time itself became chaotic. Your consciousness was pulled into my present—meaning you experienced, firsthand, an event from your future timeline.]
Fang Xiaocao was stunned.
“So… everything I just went through… is about to happen?”
Her face turned pale.
[Hot Noodles: That’s right. If your consciousness hadn’t been pulled into the future, it would have already happened by now.]
Fang Xiaocao fell silent.
It wasn’t a dream…
It was the future!
She would really die.
She would really face that eerie, terrifying Scarface Monster.
[Hot Noodles: Don’t be afraid. You can still change the future.]
[Hot Noodles: You’ve already lived through it once. You know everything about them. What is there to fear?]
Fang Xiaocao’s eyes lit up.
Yes!
She had already experienced it.
What was there to be afraid of?
She just needed to handle it carefully.
…No, something wasn’t right.
That Scarface Monster was too strange.
She had no way to guard against him.
“How did he make me suddenly pass out?”
“And how did he move like a ghost?”
She quickly sent another message.
[Hot Noodles: Hypnosis!]
[Hot Noodles: He used hypnosis to control our subconscious. He implanted psychological suggestions into our minds using various sounds.]
“Hypnosis!”
Fang Xiaocao’s heart trembled.
He could hypnotize people from that far away?!
That was terrifying!
“How do I defend against it?”
She asked.
“Even if I know the future, won’t I still end up controlled by his hypnosis?”
She added.
[Hot Noodles: Learn hypnosis yourself!]
“How is that even possible?”
Fang Xiaocao thought the suggestion was ridiculous.
[Hot Noodles: Nothing is impossible.]
[Scalding Noodles: If foreseeing the future is possible, why wouldn’t learning hypnosis be?]
“But I don’t know anything about hypnosis!”
She sighed.
[Scalding Noodles: But I do.]
[Scalding Noodles: The chaos in the timelines may have shaken your mind, but it also sharpened your mental strength. What you lack is only technique.]
[Scalding Noodles: After going through this in my timeline, memories of hypnosis techniques appeared in my mind.]
[Scalding Noodles: My memories tell me that in your timeline, because of this experience, your mental strength will far surpass ordinary people. You will master advanced hypnosis in just half an hour.]
[Scalding Noodles: I’m already a hypnosis master. Soon, you will be too.]
Fang Xiaocao was speechless.
Half an hour?
To master hypnosis?!
And become a top-tier hypnotist?!
That sounded absurd.
[Scalding Noodles: Don’t doubt it. Memorize everything I’m about to tell you and take it seriously.]
Scalding Noodles then sent a series of messages—along with a video.
In the video, Fang Xiaocao saw herself—
Or rather, her future self, Scalding Noodles.
The woman in the video had weary eyes—yet her familiar features were still recognizable.
By estimating her appearance, Fang Xiaocao guessed that this future version of her was somewhere between 30 and 40 years old—meaning at least 10 to 20 years had passed.
After all…
As a woman, Fang Xiaocao knew how hard it was to pinpoint a woman’s exact age.
She could only make an educated guess based on her own familiarity with herself.
[Scalding Noodles: Alright, past me—congratulations, you’ve learned it.]
“What do you mean, I learned it?”
“I don’t even realize…”
Fang Xiaocao felt confused.
[Scalding Noodles: Don’t forget, I am your future self. Whether you’ve learned it or not—I already know.]
Fang Xiaocao: …
“6!”
She had nothing to say—so she just sent a “6” as a response.
[Scalding Noodles: You’re still unfamiliar with hypnosis. Keep practicing.]
“Got it.”
Fang Xiaocao nodded.
[Scalding Noodles: Ah, the future is changing again. I have to go through it all over again…
[Scalding Noodles: Past me, try not to mess things up too much. Just follow my instructions, or I’ll end up developing split personalities because of you.]
[Scalding Noodles: Oh, and don’t misuse hypnosis. It has serious side effects for both the hypnotist and the subject. The stronger the subject’s mental strength, the greater the burden on the hypnotist’s body and mind.]
“I’ll try my best!”
Fang Xiaocao replied.
[Contact does not exist!]
Seeing the notification, she rolled her eyes.
Putting away her phone, her expression became firm and confident.
“Come on!”
“This time, I’m not afraid of you.”
She murmured to herself.
Thinking about the Scarface Monster again—
That deep, soul-crushing fear was gone.
In its place—
An eager determination to face him head-on.
(End of Chapter 65)
This chapter is a bit long-winded—it mainly serves to explain the heroine’s past experiences and introduce hypnosis as a self-defense skill. After all, relying on physical training alone wouldn’t be enough for survival. However, to maintain the story’s tension, I’ve added limitations to its use.
