The night before the promotion

Chapter 54: Final Madhouse

Director Xu nodded, completely unaware of Zhou Si's abnormality.

“Question: Regarding the relationship between self and body.

Is the image in the mirror just a reflection of your body, or does it contain a deeper meaning of yourself?"

“Answer: The image in the mirror is not only a reflection of my body, but also carries my experiences, emotions and wisdom, and is the embodiment of my self-meaning.”

The voice rose from Zhou Si's mind again, like an unstoppable spell.

[Voice of the Heart: To me, the image in the mirror is more like an empty symbol. It only represents the physical existence of the body, but does not contain any deeper self-meaning.]

The person in the mirror came behind Zhou Si and grabbed Zhou Si's throat with his bloody fingers from behind.

It was clearly just an illusion, but Zhou Si couldn't help but feel suffocated. But even so, his eyes were still fixed straight ahead.

Director Xu wrote and drew on his notes and continued to ask.

“Question: On self-perception and illusion.

When you see hallucinations, do you feel that they are part of your self-perception or are they completely separate from your self?”

“Answer: For me, hallucinations are not a phenomenon that is completely separate from the self. On the contrary, I think they are a special form of self-cognition. Their appearance often reflects some kind of need, fear or desire in my heart.”

[Voice from the Heart: For me, hallucinations are neither part of my self-cognition nor a phenomenon that is completely separate from my self. They are more like an inexplicable existence that transcends my self-cognition.]

The man in the mirror let out bursts of hoarse laughter, and a steady stream of blood flowed out from his palms like an endless stream, first dyeing Zhou Si's face red, then soaking his white coat, until it turned into a scarlet robe.

“Question: About self-perception and time.

Looking back, do you think your self-perception has changed? How does that change relate to the passage of time?

“Answer: I feel that my self-perception has changed significantly, and this change is closely related to the passage of time. It is a testimony to my growth and learning, and it has shaped my character, values ​​and world view.”

[Voice: Looking back, my self-perception seems like a blur. I cannot clearly recall what my self-perception was like, nor can I be sure whether it has changed. The passage of time is more like an insignificant background noise to me. It is simply there and cannot really connect with me.]

During the question and answer session with Director Xu, black tar flowed out from the broken frame. It gradually touched Zhou Si's ankles, then his knees, and filled the office little by little until it touched his chest.

Faint phantom pain came from all over the body, as if the tar was extremely corrosive and was gnawing at Zhou Si's flesh and blood bit by bit, biting off his nerves and pushing everything to the brink of destruction.

The problems continue.

“Question: On self-knowledge and freedom.

Do you feel that self-awareness limits your freedom or gives you more choices and possibilities? "

Facing Director Xu's question, Zhou Si straightened his back with a blank look in his eyes.

“Answer: Self-awareness does not limit my freedom. I think it gives me more possibilities by gaining a deeper understanding of my inner world, values ​​and abilities.”

[Voice from the Heart: Self-awareness does not give me more choices and possibilities. It is more like an invisible shackle that restricts my freedom and imprisons me in a narrow, inescapable self-awareness. It does not provide me with any real guidance or direction, but only passively accepts the arrangement of fate.]

Tar overflowed over Zhou Si's head, and the sticky, hot and foul-smelling liquid poured into his mouth and nose. His vision fell into endless darkness. Rustling sounds came from all directions, as if some abominable creature in the tar was approaching Zhou Si with ill intentions.

Zhou Si still forced himself to sit in his original seat and not make any extreme reactions.

jingle--

The sudden ringing of a bell woke Zhou Si from his hallucination. In an instant, the diffuse tar quickly poured back into the mirror, like a sealed evil creature, spinning and wailing, and disappearing into the darkness in the mirror.

Then, the flowing mercury solidified into broken mirrors again, which were pieced back into the frame one by one, reflecting Zhou Si's figure again.

"See you next time, Dr. Zhou."

A familiar voice passed by my ear, and the person in the mirror slowly walked into the frame. At the end of disappearing, he smiled at Zhou Si. The last piece of the fragment was put together, and the mirror surface was intact.

Consciousness returns to reality.

Zhou Si was stunned for a long time before he slowly exhaled the foul air that was trapped in his lungs. Dense cold sweat broke out on his forehead and back, and his muscles, which had been tense to the point of stiffness and even pain, finally felt relieved.

Director Xu did not notice Zhou Si's abnormalities, just as he could not imagine that Zhou Si had long been accustomed to facing confusing hallucinations. Between the real and the unreal, the tenacity of his spirit had reached an unimaginable level.

Likewise, such strong mental resilience also perfectly concealed the severity of Zhou Si’s illness and deceived everyone.

Director Xu turned around and put away his notes. While he was not looking at him, Zhou Si wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and tried to adjust himself and return to his normal state.

Zhou Si took a deep breath and said in a calm tone, "What are the results of the evaluation?"

"Yes, I thought that the Golden Dream incident would aggravate your condition, but now it seems that I was worrying too much."

Director Xu turned off the alarm clock and said with emotion, "It's been more than 20 minutes, and you still haven't had any hallucinations. This is a good sign, Zhou Si."

Zhou Si extinguished the incense.

Even though the person in the mirror disappeared, the rustling sound was still faintly lingering in my ears, as if a group of invisible insects were crawling around my feet.

Zhou Si walked to the door and asked Director Xu, "Can I leave now? I still have a lot of things to do."

"Okay, I'll contact you if I have any questions."

Zhou Si pushed open the door, and the breeze brushed across his cheeks. He felt relieved, as if all the heavy burdens on his shoulders had been thrown away.

Suddenly, Director Xu's voice sounded from behind, "By the way, Zhou Si, I want to ask you a question."

Zhou Si didn't look back, but waited quietly for Director Xu's questions.

"Zhou Si, how do you view this world?"

Zhou Si did not answer immediately, but stood in the corridor, looking out the distant window.

The first thing that caught the eye was the lush forest surrounding the sanatorium. Below it, rows of human-shaped avatars moved silently among the swaying shadows of the trees, moving in unison like puppets pulled by invisible threads, without even a trace of unnecessary movement.

Zhou Si secretly speculated that countless elderly and helpless souls must be imprisoned within those incarnations.

First, they were tightly bound by their aging bodies, and now, due to the greedy web of money, they are firmly imprisoned in this cold iron cage of technology, with no possibility of escape.

Rather than enjoying a peaceful old age, it is more like the last torturous journey of life, using their suffering to comfort the hypocritical guilt of their descendants.

Further away, the skyscrapers of Anyan City stood densely together, like a crazy growing nightmare, scrambling to pierce the sky, until the flat horizon was turned into jagged teeth, like the fangs of some huge monster.

In this era of great development brought about by the consciousness network and mechanical bodies, every day, countless high-rise buildings collapse with a roar, but in the blink of an eye, more reinforced concrete monsters break out of the ground, like spreading fungi, ruthlessly eroding every inch of untouched land, until the whole world is filled with this cold structure.

And beneath this steel jungle is the human body that is gradually being alienated by technology. Their minds and bodies are quietly becoming cancerous, but they are completely unaware.

A new, unknown era full of mysterious threats is quietly approaching. In the carnival on the eve of the event, everyone is dancing blindly, as if offering the final sacrifice to the upcoming unknown.

Zhou Si laughed faintly and answered without turning his head.

"The advancement of science and technology has brought about a qualitative change in life. The consciousness network, the incarnation body, the biological technology, the shepherd plan, the longevity plan...all the pedantry and obsolescence of the human world have disappeared under the glory of science and technology."

Zhou Si turned his head, his face against the light, becoming a dark silhouette.

“The world is a perfect playground.”

【The world is a huge madhouse.】

(End of this chapter)