A Psychiatrist's Bizarre Game Journey / Dream of the Mist

"To be precise, they came to the mental hospital for treatment, not because they were arrested."

Chen Tian retorted with dissatisfaction, "Besides, I can't do anything about it. The original owner of this body still has consciousness. If she suddenly finds that there is someone else in her body, she has to ask, right? It's not like there's a stray cat in the parking shed or a nun on the balcony railing!"

She was so careless and told everyone! What could I do?

"Save your breath... Do you know why we didn't send you to a psychologist for counseling, but instead sent you here?"

Zhou Ke'er's lips curled into a standard, greasy, wicked, and arrogant smile. "Do you know the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?"

Without waiting for Chen Tian's reply, Zhou Ke'er picked up a piano metronome from the side, turned it on, and a rhythmic "click-clack" sound gradually echoed. Then, she said to herself:

"That's because a psychiatrist can only provide counseling, but we psychiatrists can prescribe medication. Do you understand now? We didn't send you to a psychiatrist first, but directly to me."

So, in other words, compared to slow and not always effective psychotherapy, the person who brought you in is more inclined to just give you some medication regardless of whether you're actually sick or how serious your illness is. Does that mean that person is impatient, has a strong desire for control, is quite stubborn, and hates trouble?

"No! My mom cares about me a lot! It's not like that at all!"

Chen Tian's expression suddenly changed, and she defended herself in a tone more in line with a young girl's.

However, after saying that, she returned to her previous demeanor and looked apologetically at Zhou Ke'er, who was somewhat stunned by the shout, and said, "I'm sorry... we had agreed that she shouldn't come out, but after hearing what you said, she really couldn't help but come out to explain herself."

"Ah...it's nothing."

Zhou Ke'er waved her hand, her eyes somewhat serious. Although he usually seemed carefree and irresponsible, he would take things seriously in formal occasions like this.

Her performance didn't seem fake; if it was acting, her acting skills were quite terrifying. But if it wasn't acting... then this schizophrenia is rather serious.

"By the way, just one more thing, I actually think your analysis just now was absolutely right, I really can't stand that guy."

Chen Tian thought for a moment and then added.

She had barely finished saying that when her expression changed, and she muttered in a low voice, "Don't talk about my mom like that!"

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more."

Chen Tian sighed and quietly comforted herself.

"Um..."

Looking at Chen Tian, ​​who was talking to herself, Zhou Ke'er frowned, unable to think of a good solution for a moment. "Please tell me what happened when you discovered your own consciousness, and what your memories were before your so-called 'time travel'. The more detailed the better."

"Well, let's go."

Chen Tian stopped arguing with herself, nodded, and after recalling for a while, she slowly said, as if organizing her thoughts:

"That's right. According to her, while playing a game called 'Misty Dream,' she ran out of sanity points in the mist after leaving her initial hut and fell into an indescribable hallucination."

When she came to her senses, she was back in the cabin with all her items and equipment gone, and that's when I appeared in her consciousness.

"Dream of the Mist"! Isn't this the game Zhou Ke'er just played? According to the official website, you have to complete the "Dense Fog" difficulty dungeon before you can leave the initial hut.

The difficulty of the dungeons is divided into "Easy", "Normal", "Hard", "Nightmare" and "Dense Fog" from low to high. Keep in mind that "Dense Fog" is the highest difficulty level.

Although the server has been open for four or five days, I didn't expect that someone would complete the highest difficulty dungeon so quickly.

Zhou Ke'er almost couldn't resist rushing over to hug his leg, but his integrity as a doctor ultimately stopped him.

"As a result, I was discovered by accident today and then brought here."

Chen Tian sighed, and continued as if she had given up entirely, "As for me... there's nothing to hide, I'm just afraid of being caught and dissected for research."

“You said that as a doctor with medical ethics, protecting patient privacy is my duty.”

Zhou Ke'er quickly said.

"Okay. My name is Chen Tian. I was originally male and live in Kyoto, China. I am a professional gamer."

Chen Tian rested her chin on her hand, looking listless, and said, "I was originally playing a game similar to 'Dream of the Mist,' but... I inexplicably ended up here, without any warning."

The Celestial Empire... Kyoto... I've never heard of this place name before... No, wait... Isn't this a place name from the Old Era? As a master's student majoring in the history of the Old Era, Zhou Ke'er knew a little bit about this.

Zhou Ke'er frowned and thought for a moment, then began to ask Chen Tian some details about his world.

To be honest, Zhou Ke'er didn't believe what Chen Tian had just said. After all, there are countless time travelers in the world. They are either cunning and shrewd or they are blessed with good fortune and just recklessly travel through time. She had never seen anyone arrested and treated as a mental patient.

Zhou Ke'er should have firmly believed this, but... he was horrified to discover that the more he questioned, the more he felt that the world Chen Tian described was actually... quite in line with the history of the old era.

Because she could not only give a rough account of the history of her world from ancient times to the present, but could even give a general description of some literary and artistic works that did not exist in this world but were of great achievement.

Some of these findings, even those from recent research, have not yet been proven to actually exist. After all, researching the pre-apocalyptic era before the world's destruction is indeed a difficult task.

These are things that only those who constantly follow the latest news could deduce based on their own assumptions.

Moreover, some of these arguments are quite novel, and their perspectives certainly warrant in-depth study...

Is there some mistake that this person isn't in a history department but in a mental hospital? She doesn't even look old enough to be pursuing a master's or doctoral degree! Are amateur researchers these days going to such extremes?!

He was so engrossed in studying the history of the Old Era that he developed a split personality! He even fantasized about a time traveler from the Old Era possessing his body... Looks like Chen Tian has been reading quite a few Old Era novels...

Zhou Ke'er closed her eyes and gently rubbed her brows. This was too much of a shock to his worldview; he couldn't accept it in a short time.

That's too much! He's a history buff who's studied for so many years, and even though he's become a psychiatrist, just randomly picking someone with such high historical knowledge... that's a huge blow to him.

The scene suddenly became a little awkward and silent, so quiet that only the metronome was still clicking away.

"Phew... whatever."

Zhou Ke'er never intended to bother forcing herself to think about things she couldn't understand.

"Snapped."

So he sighed and snapped his fingers at Chen Tian.

Chen Tian's eyes suddenly dimmed, but quickly brightened again. She stared blankly for two seconds, then looked at Zhou Ke'er in surprise and asked, "What happened? Where did you take him?"

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12. Isn't it commonplace for psychiatrists to deceive patients' families?

"It didn't get too bad, it just gave him a short nap."

Zhou Ke'er shook her head, then reached out and turned off the metronome that was making noise. "There are some things that are better discussed with you alone."

"Wha...what's wrong?"

Chen Tian shrank her neck, and a soft voice squeezed out from between her lips, making her seem somewhat timid.

"Let's set aside for now whether that so-called time traveler 'Chen Tian' is real or fake. Although I almost believed it for a moment, it doesn't matter. After all, I don't plan to send you for dissection and research."

Zhou Ke'er took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, and didn't want to get involved in other people's business. Besides, for his own selfish reasons, the personality splitting that the history buff was quite interesting. "Now, what's more important is your own choice. Do you want his consciousness to continue, or do you want to get rid of him?"

"What do you mean?"

Chen Tian didn't react immediately.

“If it were any other doctor, they would probably just decide to help you ‘return to normal,’ but I’m different.”

A hint of deeply hidden memories and regret flickered in Zhou Ke'er's eyes, but she quickly closed them and continued:

"I'm putting the choice in your own hands. You decide whether to return to your normal life or hide this secret and live with your second personality, or rather, that time traveler?"

Of course, if you choose the second option, you'll have to bear the consequences yourself. If you regret it and come looking for me, I won't be responsible.

"If I choose the first option, then he will..."

Chen Tian clutched the hem of her skirt, looking somewhat nervous and conflicted.

"Of course it will disappear, but it depends on the treatment's effectiveness. It might not be very effective, and some of your second personality's fabricated and imagined memories might remain... or rather, the memories of that 'transmigrator,' who 'truly existed.'"

Zhou Ke'er shrugged and explained, "However, in most cases, it can be resolved successfully without leaving a trace."

Chen Tian's delicate face scrunched up in a furrowed brow, looking just like a meme. It proves that even the most beautiful person can't maintain composure when making exaggerated facial expressions.

Chen Tian thought for a while, and Zhou Ke'er even started taking apart a ballpoint pen out of boredom. Finally, she made up her mind and said, "I choose the second option."

"Okay. Then you'll have to rely on yourself from now on. I can offer some more help, but I can't take care of everything for you."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ke'er nodded quickly and slowly put the ballpoint pen that had been disassembled back together. "Next, I'll help you think of a more convincing, but potentially flawed, reason to cover up for the person who brought you here... Your mother, right? You'd better make this lie believable and not give yourself away."

"Yeah, please don't let things like arguing with yourself and getting caught by others happen again. That would be really stupid. Can't you guys just communicate with your minds? If that's not possible, you can write on paper or type on a computer, right?"

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Ke'er added a reminder.

While it's true that a normal schizophrenic patient's main personality and other personalities can't achieve such advanced and fantastical things as conscious communication, but... this is still a transmigrator (tentative title) after all... this is just too miserable.

"oh.."

Chen Tian nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice.

"Oh, right! There's one more thing!"

Just then, Zhou Ke'er's expression suddenly changed, and she said in a drawn-out tone with a serious face.

"Wha...what is it!"

Chen Tian was startled and asked with a hint of panic.

"Can we be friends? I need help from the pros!"

After the mission was over, Zhou Ke'er, who had no sense of propriety as a doctor, immediately rushed over and hugged his leg.

..............................

"Ahem, ma'am, I have a pretty good understanding of your child's situation."

With a small, faint red mark on her face, shaped like a palm, still visible, Zhou Ke'er sat upright and spoke earnestly to the middle-aged woman in front of Chen Tian who bore a resemblance to her.

As for the red mark, it was obviously from when he grabbed her leg and, caught off guard, Chen Tian instinctively slapped him. Fortunately, Chen Tian didn't scream, otherwise Zhou Ke'er would probably have been arrested.

"Doctor, what's wrong with my child? How serious is this? Is it schizophrenia? Does he need medication? Will medication cause significant harm to his body?"

As soon as Zhou Ke'er finished speaking, the middle-aged woman couldn't help but blurt out a long string of words.

"Uh... ma'am, please be patient and listen to me first."

Zhou Ke'er quickly interrupted her, "Your child doesn't have a mental illness..."

Before he could finish speaking, the woman exclaimed, "How could that be? I heard Xiaotian talking to herself with my own ears! Are you trying to lie to me because you can't see the illness? What a quack! You're unreliable! I knew it! What does a young man like you know? You made me wait so long! I'm going to file a complaint against you!"

"Madam, don't worry, I am a professional psychiatrist with a medical license, and I would never lie to you."

Zhou Ke'er sighed. This type of person is really hard to communicate with. You can imagine what kind of environment Chen Tian has lived in since she was a child. It's amazing that her personality hasn't become irritable and easily angered. "As for what exactly happened, let Chen Tian tell you herself. It's your family matter, and I shouldn't interfere."

"What do you mean?"

The woman looked at Zhou Ke'er with a puzzled expression, then asked Chen Tian.

Chen Tian glanced at Zhou Ke'er. She had just said that she was going to tell her mother, but now she had changed her mind at the last minute!