"So, the first stage—host addiction and spore parasitism—has already appeared," Gao Liangwei said during a Strategy Research Room meeting, questioning the analyst who had come to report the data.
"Yes," the analyst said. "According to reports from various regions, a large number of people began to exhibit cognitive changes starting this afternoon. The most significant trait is that they've become extremely protective of their own lives, refusing to remain in any dangerous environment or engage in any risky behavior."
"Furthermore, without exception, all these individuals have adopted an optimistic and open attitude toward the spores. We can determine that they abandoned all caution the moment the rules were announced, completely accepting the spores' modifications to their bodies."
Someone in the conference room asked curiously, "Why is being so protective of one's life the universal sign of the first stage of parasitism?"
