Common Sense Hijack System-Chapter 83

Valencia rose from her seat with an eerie calm. She walked slowly toward Karl, who was sprawled on the floor, her eyes blazing with a confident aura. With a gentle yet firm movement, she knelt beside him as he writhed in pain, placing her hand on his forehead.

"Relax, Karl. This is the effect of the tea you drank last night," Valencia said, her voice soothing yet authoritative.

Karl cracked his eyes open, staring at her with confusion and pain. "What... did you do to us?" he asked haltingly.

Valencia gave a faint smile, gently stroking his hair like a mother comforting her child. "That tea wasn’t poison, Karl. On the contrary, it’s the key to awakening the noctis blood dormant within you. The tea stimulates cell regeneration in your body, including the long-damaged parts of your brain—specifically the prefrontal cortex, the center of moral decisions and emotional control."

Karl groaned, struggling to process her words amidst the searing pain. In the corner of the room, Layla began to recover as well, sitting up while panting, her face drenched in sweat. She glared at Valencia sharply.

"You knew this would happen," Layla hissed. "Why didn’t you warn us?"

Valencia shrugged, her gaze shifting from Karl to Layla. "Because you needed to experience this yourself. The noctis blood isn’t something you can ignore. The power within it is part of you, but you’ve been suppressing it—consciously or not. This regeneration restores what should have been yours: power, heightened awareness, and untapped potential."

Karl gritted his teeth, trying to get up, but his body still felt heavy. "Why... are you doing this to us?"

Valencia stood, looking down at them with intense eyes. "Because it will entertain me more. Hahaha!"

Layla finally managed to stand, albeit shakily, glaring at Valencia with suspicion. "And what guarantee do we have that this won’t kill us? You said this noctis blood awakens our potential, but you never told us the price we’d pay."

Valencia smiled slightly, her expression serene. "You won’t die... as long as you learn to control this power. But if you fail—well, your bodies might collapse from the excessive regeneration."

"You’re insane," Layla muttered, though her voice faltered as the realization sank in that she had no other choice. She glanced at Karl, still gasping on the floor, and guilt flashed across her face. "Karl... are you okay?"

Karl nodded weakly, finally managing to sit up despite the lingering heaviness in his body. "I don’t know what’s happening... but I feel... different."

"Different how?" Layla asked, crouching beside him.

Karl shook his head, searching for the right words. "I feel sharper. More aware. But also angrier."

"That’s a side effect," Valencia explained, crossing her arms. "This neural regeneration strengthens not only your body but also your mind and emotions. Anger, ambition, even pain—they’ll all intensify. But if you master them, you’ll be far stronger than ever before."

Karl closed his eyes, trying to sense the changes within himself. Something indeed felt different—like a roaring power waiting to be unleashed. He turned to Valencia, doubt still evident in his expression.

As his mind calmed, Karl began to remember something strange. Julia’s video had spread, Elena’s video had spread, Jane’s video had spread—Karl frowned.

He tried to steady his racing thoughts. Memories he had buried started resurfacing, like shards of glass gradually forming a clear picture. He turned to Valencia with a sharp gaze, slowly rising despite his trembling knees.

"Something doesn’t add up," Karl said, his voice steadier than before. "Julia’s video was leaked. Elena’s video was leaked. Jane’s video too... But there’s one video that never got leaked."

Valencia looked at him with curiosity, while Layla seemed puzzled by his sudden shift in focus. "What do you mean, Karl?" Layla asked.

Karl averted his gaze, staring at the floor as though piecing his thoughts together. "The video of me and Zoey never surfaced," he said quietly, but his tone was full of conviction. "All the other videos were leaked by that streamer. But that one... never appeared."

Valencia raised an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued by the puzzle Karl presented. "And why do you think that is?"

Karl clenched his teeth, his anger rising. "I don’t know. Could it be that Zoey knows the streamer?"

Layla fell silent, her expression turning serious. "Instead of guessing, we should just talk to Zoey," she suggested.

"Zoey is probably still working at the convenience store. I don’t know her shift since Jane is no longer her manager," Karl replied.

"Then we’ll visit her tonight. For now, both of you should rest," Valencia said.

---

Night slowly blanketed the city, clouds overhead casting a somber glow as streetlights reflected off the damp asphalt. Karl, Layla, and Valencia walked together, each with a different demeanor. Karl appeared restless, Layla maintained a calm yet watchful composure, while Valencia moved with elegant confidence. Karl wore a mask, his face now widely recognized.

They stopped in front of a convenience store where Karl used to work. The automatic glass doors slid open, casting white light onto the pavement. Inside, the faint chime of an electronic bell mingled with the familiar scent of freshly cleaned floors.

"She’s here," Karl muttered, peeking inside and spotting Zoey behind the cash register. She looked tired, her once-neat hair slightly disheveled, but her face still carried a fragile elegance.

Layla touched Karl’s shoulder. "Zoey hasn’t changed much," Layla said.

Karl exhaled heavily.

They entered slowly. Zoey, who was organizing sales records, looked up and froze as her eyes met Karl’s. The pen in her hand dropped, and she stood rigid like a statue.

"Karl," she whispered, fear evident in her voice. She could never forget Karl’s eyes.

Karl raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "Zoey, I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to talk."

Zoey stepped back, her back hitting the shelf behind her. "Talk? After everything you did to me? Do you think I want to hear a single word from you?" Zoey still hid the part of herself that once enjoyed Karl’s torment.

Zoey glanced at Layla. "Wh-why are you here?" she asked, still recognizing her face.

Layla stepped forward, trying to mediate. "Zoey, we know you have every reason to hate Karl. But this isn’t about your past with him. This is about something bigger. Something that puts you in danger too."

Zoey turned her eyes to Layla, her expression shifting to confusion and suspicion. "What are you talking about?"

Valencia leaned casually against a shelf near the entrance, her sharp eyes observing the interaction. She said nothing, but her presence alone heightened the tension.

Karl took half a step forward, speaking calmly but not threateningly. "The video, Zoey. Our video. It’s the only one that was never leaked."

Zoey’s eyes widened, her face paling. "What do you mean?"

Karl took a deep breath. "The other videos—Julia, Elena, Jane—all of their videos with me were leaked. But ours? I remember storing it on my computer, but why wasn’t it leaked?"

The room fell silent as everyone waited for Zoey’s response.

Zoey swallowed hard, her face pale but her voice steady. "What you’re saying is... true. That video, it never got out." Her hands trembled as she gripped the edge of the counter. "But there’s something you don’t know. After everything with the other videos, I started noticing things that didn’t make sense. It wasn’t just about you, Karl."

Karl’s confusion deepened, his eyes narrowing as he stepped closer. "What do you mean?"

Zoey hesitated, clearly struggling with her next words. "Alex... he came to me after your videos went viral, saying he had found a way to uncover some ’big proof’ about you. He was so confident. But it didn’t make sense. He wasn’t acting like himself. And those two men—those guys in suits—they came with him. They didn’t look like normal people. They were always watching him, whispering in his ear. Like they had some kind of control over him."

Layla’s brows furrowed. "Two men in suits?" she asked, trying to process the information. "Are you sure, Zoey?"

Zoey nodded, her eyes darting nervously toward the door as if expecting someone to appear. "Yes, I’m sure. And I saw how they were pulling the strings behind everything. Alex wasn’t the one in charge. Those two men—one of them, he always stood next to Alex, watching everything. It felt like they were manipulating him."

Karl’s fists clenched, his mind racing. "So Alex was being controlled by these people? And he... he had a hand in spreading those videos?"

"Yes," Zoey said, her voice shaky. "But it wasn’t just the videos of you. They were after something bigger. After everything started, I tried talking to Alex, tried to warn him. But those men, they wouldn’t let him go. They threatened him, said they were going to do something worse if he didn’t comply."

"And the video of us?" Karl asked, his tone growing sharper. "What happened to that one?"

Zoey looked down at the floor, her voice barely a whisper. "I don’t know. I begged Alex to delete it, and he promised he would. But I saw one of the men, the one with the cold eyes... he said, ’We can’t let this one go. This isn’t just about Karl. This is part of the mission.’"

A chill ran through the room. Valencia, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, her voice cold and measured. "Mission?" she murmured, a small smile curling at the corners of her lips. "Now this is getting interesting. So, it wasn’t just about humiliating Karl, was it?"

Zoey recoiled slightly at Valencia’s presence, uncomfortable under her gaze. "I don’t know the details," she said quickly. "But after the videos were released, Alex disappeared. I haven’t heard from him since. And those two men—they just vanished too."

Layla stepped forward, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You’re sure you don’t know anything else, Zoey? If these men were so dangerous, why didn’t they go after you as well?"

Zoey hesitated, her gaze flickering to the floor. "I don’t know. Maybe I wasn’t important to them. Or maybe they thought I wouldn’t interfere. But there was one thing that seemed off."

Karl leaned in, his anger and curiosity mixing. "What thing?"

Zoey swallowed hard before speaking again. "The last time I saw Alex, one of those men—he was talking about someone else. He kept saying a name. Valencia."

The room froze. The name hung in the air like a heavy weight. All eyes turned toward Valencia, who stood with a faint, knowing smile. Her calm demeanor did not waver.

"Ah," Valencia said, as if she had been expecting this moment all along. "So, you’ve finally figured it out."

Karl’s eyes burned with fury as he took a step toward Valencia. "Valencia, do you have a connection with them? Are you involved in this—"

Valencia raised a hand, cutting him off. "Calm down, Karl. You’re jumping to conclusions. I never said I didn’t know anything, but I also didn’t say I was part of their group." She flashed a mischievous smile. "After all, isn’t it more fun if I let you figure it out for yourselves?"