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

"I'll say what I want, wherever I want, and who can stop me?! Just say what you're told, why all this nonsense?"

Zhou Ke'er grabbed Ying Kuo's hair, lifting his head slightly so he looked up at her. A splatter of blood, accidentally splashing onto Zhou Ke'er's face, seemed to transform into a faint, alluring blush, adding to her seductive charm. Combined with her current expression, she possessed a unique allure. This close proximity caused Ying Kuo to feel dizzy for a moment.

"The cause... was the turmoil in the capital sixteen years ago. It was rumored that an envoy sent by the Great Qin Empire suddenly broke into the palace and started the chaos... By the time His Highness Prince Yan... that is, the current emperor, rushed to the palace, no one had survived."

Ying Kuo swallowed hard and answered as briefly as possible: "And since then, His Highness the Prince of Yan... no, it should be His Majesty. His Majesty seems to have suffered some kind of shock and occasionally exhibits symptoms of madness. But since the other royal children either died in that upheaval or are too young or unfit for the task, His Majesty is the most qualified to inherit the throne."

"But after that, the atmosphere in the capital gradually began to change. It was as if some dark cloud was hanging over the capital. At first, it was just that the crime rate started to rise, and we thought it was just a normal reaction after the turmoil in the capital, so we didn't pay much attention to it... But unexpectedly, very strange things started to happen later... I sensed something was wrong from then on, so I made a request to my superiors and escaped the capital in time under the pretext of an overseas assignment..."

When Ying Kuo spoke of this matter, he still had the look of someone who had survived a disaster, which seemed to have brought him great fear: "Although we still rely on informants and people in the capital to maintain contact, gradually, even the informants began to become strange - for a while I couldn't say exactly what was wrong, but it did give people a creepy feeling."

“That’s true. Several times I was planning to go to the capital to show off my skills, but each time I got close, I had a sense of unease that arose from the bottom of my heart—and in the end I had to give up. The capital is really strange!”

Wei Yang, who was behind him, couldn't help but interject, "Recently, it seems that we've entered a state of complete martial law. People outside can't get in, and people inside can't get out... It's like a prison. Something big is definitely going to happen."

“That’s right… During this period, even my informants from higher up haven’t contacted me. They simply can’t leave the capital—if it weren’t for the local officials and princes keeping things under control, who knows what might have happened. And what I find most strange is…”

Ying Kuo continued, "I can't even fathom... why none of those regional officials and vassal kings harbored any rebellious thoughts under these circumstances. Logically speaking, some vassal kings who wanted to declare themselves kings should have already led their troops into the capital. But no one did... This is truly illogical..."

Zhou Ke'er pursed her lips. This description gave her a strange sense of déjà vu. Could it be another sequel to a module she'd experienced before?

Especially the description of "Great Qin"...

## Chapter 493-488. The Chapter of Stealing Heaven (Part 7)

"Then what does this have to do with me? Why am I the key to breaking this deadlock?"

Zhou Ke'er shook her head, casually wiping away the bloodstains that had splattered on her face and were almost dried. A few faint blushes remained on her face, which, combined with the slight red marks that were already present at the corners of her eyes, made her look even more charming.

Ying Kuo, who was staring directly at Zhou Ke'er, couldn't help but shudder involuntarily. He had just had a sudden illusion that he saw some words appearing in the double pupil of her right eye, but upon closer inspection, it seemed that there were none.

However, before he could say anything, a series of chaotic noises came from not far away. Everyone turned their heads and saw a patch of scattered firelight approaching.

It was a group of jailers and constables who finally arrived late. They searched for a while with torches in their hands before finally discovering the anomaly on the roof and hurriedly came here.

"I thought you would manage your men well, at least not let them bother you. It seems your sincerity isn't enough?"

Zhou Ke'er parted her red lips slightly and whispered in Ying Kuo's ear, but there was not a trace of doubt in her tone. The chilling aura in her voice made Ying Kuo shiver involuntarily.

"That's not how it works. If we announced this publicly, someone would definitely leak it, and once the higher-ups found out, our situation would become even more difficult. So... I didn't inform them; I just came secretly..."

Ying Kuo quickly explained in a soft voice.

"What a load of crap you've done in secret! If we run away now, won't your secret plans be discovered immediately?"

Wei Yang, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but complain.

"Don't say that. Look... isn't this exactly why we need to step in?"

Zhou Ke'er's lips curled into a captivating smile, her sweet tone concealing a chilling malice.

Before the other two could react, Zhou Ke'er suddenly stood up, still tightly gripping Ying Kuo's hair, and pulled him up as well.

Then, Zhou Ke'er addressed the jailers and constables who were gradually gathering around the area under the house, saying, "Come on, I've been waiting for you all for quite some time. Now that you've finally arrived, please take a look... do you recognize this person?"

As she spoke, Zhou Ke'er grabbed Ying Kuo's hair and yanked him forward, dragging him a short distance so that the people below could barely see his face.

Although this guy's face was covered in blood, and frankly, even his father probably wouldn't recognize him, Zhou Ke'er couldn't understand why he was still worried about being exposed in this state. He could have just slipped away. But since her "comrade" had made this request, Zhou Ke'er, being the kind-hearted person she was, naturally had to do her best to help.

Seeing Zhou Ke'er's confident demeanor and unable to clearly discern the appearance of the person in her arms, the jailers and constables below whispered amongst themselves. Finally, one of the constables, who usually had a favorable impression of Zhou Ke'er, tried to speak up and asked, "That...that could it be that legendary thief?! Constable Zhou, is your imprisonment a cover-up? Is it a ruse to lure the legendary thief into a trap? Apparently, you've been arrested, but in reality, you're waiting for him to come to you so you can capture him?"

"Hey, hey, hey! What do you mean?! I'm the master thief, I'm the master thief! Do you think I'm some third-rate thief who can be easily tricked and caught?!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Yang, who had somehow put on a half-face mask, couldn't help but speak up in rebuttal.

Zhou Ke'er glanced at Wei Yang, her eyes filled with "Aren't you like this too?"

Upon hearing Wei Yang's words, the jailers and constables below were all shocked and immediately drew their weapons. "What?! The Thief Saint? How could Constable Zhou be with the Thief Saint? Could it be that the higher-ups really didn't arrest the wrong person?!"

"Ahem, there have been rumors lately that I, Zhou Ke'er, am colluding with the Thief Saint and that we're in cahoots. I'm here to clarify this."

Zhou Ke'er coughed twice, then put on a serious expression. "This is not a rumor at all. This gossip is absolutely true. I am in cahoots with the Thief Saint! Take a closer look at this thing in my hand... Hey, can't recognize it? Look, this is the world-famous God of Catching. Waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump is true, but we're not waiting for the Thief Saint, but for the God of Catching."

Upon hearing Zhou Ke'er's words, everyone below erupted in uproar, especially the constable who had just spoken up for Zhou Ke'er, who showed an expression of disbelief and shattered worldview.

Ying Kuo was quite the actor; seeing the situation, he quickly said in a weak voice, "The thief... the thief Zhou Ke'er is highly skilled in martial arts; you are no match for her! Run! You must report this to your superiors and capture this fiend! Otherwise, the consequences will be..."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Ke'er released her grip on Ying Kuo's hair, then kicked him in the back. As he fell forward, she stomped on the back of his head, making his face come into close contact with the roof tiles once again.

"Oh dear, that's no fun at all. I was just wondering if some hothead would come and try to stop me from rescuing you. Who told you to be so talkative?"

Zhou Ke'er's teasing voice, coupled with her expression and actions, caused a number of the less resolute jailers and constables below to instinctively tremble and take a few steps back, causing a slight disturbance in the crowd.

"pat"

With a soft thud, Zhou Ke'er lightly touched the ground with her toes, grabbed Ying Kuo by the back of his collar, and gracefully leaped down from the roof, landing steadily on the ground. Without turning her head, she said to Wei Yang, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and follow! Let's go."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yang nodded repeatedly, casually tossing aside the unconscious substitute Ying Kuo that he was carrying, and then immediately flashed behind Zhou Ke'er, following her step by step—it wasn't that he was cowardly, he was just... easy to talk to! Yes, easy to talk to.

Seeing Zhou Ke'er's fearless demeanor, and with the unknown and blood-dripping Bo Shen in her hand, the jailers and constables in front of her instinctively stepped aside, making way for Zhou Ke'er.

"Hey, don't be so polite. There's no need for such a grand gesture. Please, no need for us to see you off."

Zhou Ke'er smiled sweetly and waved to the others surrounding her with her other hand, as if they were seeing her off.

Meanwhile, the jailers and constables on the side seemed to have witnessed an extremely terrifying scene. They all felt a sense of oppression that arose from their hearts, cold sweat kept seeping from their foreheads, their hands and feet were numb and cold, and they dared not move.

They could only watch helplessly as Zhou Ke'er, carrying the God of Catcher in her arms, her fate unknown, and the Thief Saint following closely behind her, slowly walked away, leaving the place and disappearing from their sight.

## Chapter 494, Section 489: The Chapter of Stealing Heaven (Part 8)

They walked out of the prison openly and ran quite a distance until they reached a deserted path. Once they were sure no one would follow, Zhou Ke'er glanced at Wei Yang behind her and asked, "Where are we going now? What's the plan?"

"Huh? Oh...you scared me...I thought you'd have a plan..."

Wei Yang, who was lost in thought, was startled when Zhou Ke'er suddenly called him. He then scratched the back of his head and said, "After all... it seems like you have everything under control. I thought you had also planned where you were going and what you were going to do."

"That's interesting. Do you really think I'd tell you my plan so easily?"

Zhou Ke'er glanced at Wei Yang sideways, inadvertently revealing a captivating charm. Coupled with her soft and coquettish tone, which sounded almost like a coquettish complaint, Wei Yang couldn't help but lose his composure for a moment.

"Ahem... I think we're in a cooperative relationship now, right? So, could you put me down for now?"

Ying Kuo's weak voice came through; he was still being held by Zhou Ke'er, "I did have a plan in advance about where to lay low now..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ke'er casually tossed Ying Kuo aside and pondered for a moment: when she came out, she had already completed the first main quest. And judging from the looks of it, completing the second main quest would be a piece of cake, since she already knew that whichever "Thief Saint" it was, it was either Wei Yang standing nearby or on Wei Yang's person. She could investigate anytime, plus Ying Kuo, who knew the inside story, was there with her.

If Zhou Ke'er wanted to speedrun, she figured she could finish this module quickly by talking a bit more – but how boring! It's completely unchallenging, and even the background information Ying Kuo revealed about the module earlier is useless.

Objectively speaking, if we consider the skill level of players at the start of the game, completing two main quests in this situation would be extremely difficult for an average person—a nightmare difficulty level. But for Zhou Ke'er now... it's no problem at all.

As expected, these "mod"-style quests are just like tutorials, only a bit longer. The game truly begins only after reaching the main world.

But...who says Zhou Ke'er has to follow the module's quest instructions exactly? If the main quest fails, it fails; if it's postponed, it's postponed. Anyway, these days, high-quality items are just consumables for Zhou Ke'er, so she might as well play around more; who knows, she might even trigger a hidden quest.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ke'er immediately turned to Ying Kuo and said, "Forget about plans... I've thought about it, let's just go directly to the capital."

Ying Kuo was taken aback at first, then his expression turned to one of disbelief mixed with terror. He reacted violently, saying, "What are you talking about! Are you kidding me? I barely managed to escape from the capital before, how could I possibly send myself back now? Didn't you hear what I just said? There's no going in or out of the capital now, nobody knows what's going on inside..."

"No, it's you who doesn't understand."

Zhou Ke'er's lips curled into a captivating smile as she pointed at Ying Kuo, "Judging from the fact that you stayed in the capital for such a long time after the upheaval... you've been subtly influenced, and I don't believe you didn't notice. When you tested me just now, didn't you sense anything in the power that erupted from you?"

As she spoke, Zhou Ke'er beckoned with her finger, and the barely perceptible evil energy within Ying Kuo's body immediately stirred, asserting its presence.

"!!"

Ying Kuo's expression changed drastically in an instant, cold sweat pouring from his forehead: "How could you know this... no, that's not right... this energy should have been decreasing day by day after I left the capital, I shouldn't have been able to sense it anymore... how could it still be there?!"

"This means that once the people from the capital come out, they can drive you mad if they want to, and they can kill you if they want to. What do you think you've escaped?"

Zhou Ke'er patted Ying Kuo's shoulder, leaned close to his ear, and breathed softly, "You haven't escaped anything. Once the unpredictable events in the capital are over, your death is imminent. So... the only way to resolve this is to join in. Helping me is the only way to save yourself, understand?"

"Huh? What about me? What about me? This shouldn't concern me, right? Should I just slip away?"

Hearing Zhou Ke'er and Ying Kuo's conversation, Wei Yang, trembling with fear, couldn't help but point at himself.

Before Zhou Ke'er could speak, Ying Kuo looked up at Wei Yang with a hint of gritted teeth: "You really are forgetful. Have you already forgotten what you just discovered? There's more to your body than just yourself... and this isn't something I can control. Of course, it's a secret technique I obtained from the capital... Do you think it has nothing to do with you?"

"No, no, no, look! Then I can't go to the capital even more! There's a monster from the capital inside me. If I go, it will definitely take over my body and then go and betray me! Wouldn't that mean your plan will definitely be discovered?"

Wei Yang waved his hands repeatedly, declining, "So, for the sake of your plans, I'd better not go..."

"Who are you calling a monster! Can't you speak properly?!"

Just then, Wei Yang, who was halfway through his sentence, suddenly changed his mind and said indignantly, "I'm a victim too, okay? Do you think I wanted to become this grotesque, forced to be stuffed into the body of a petty thief like you, and have to help you achieve the reputation of a master thief?"

After saying this, Wei Yang, who had returned to normal, first showed a look of shock, and then looked at Ying Kuo, who looked very disheveled, as if seeking confirmation.

"...That's right. The reason your lightness skill has suddenly improved so dramatically, and your thieving techniques have advanced by leaps and bounds, is clearly due to his influence. You may have heard of his name..."

Ying Kuo shook his head, seemingly about to reveal the man's identity—but Zhou Ke'er immediately interrupted, "Alright, alright, none of this matters. If you want to build rapport, do it privately. Don't waste time here. Ying Kuo, just one question... How long would it take to get from here to the capital by the fastest carriage?"

Just kidding, if he were to say that in front of Zhou Ke'er, the main quest would be over immediately.

"Even the fastest carriage will take three or four days. But..."

Ying Kuo shook his head. "I—no, all the minor officials dispatched from the capital—know about a direct route to the capital... This is a teleportation channel that took three whole years to secretly establish after the upheaval in the capital. I don't know the exact principle behind it, but we can use it to get directly to the city gates of the capital."

"I went back once before, but I didn't enter the city. There used to be a clerk waiting at the teleportation point outside the city gate, but this time it was deserted. I sensed danger and fled back without a second thought."

## Chapter 495-490. The Chapter of Stealing Heaven (Nine)

Wow, good heavens... a teleportation array has appeared! No matter how you look at it, this is so un-wuxia-like! It sounds so out of place.

Wait a minute...

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Zhou Ke'er's mind. She stroked her chin and pondered, "Wait, instead of heading straight to the capital, I want to see those high-ranking officials and princes you mentioned first... The fact that they were able to refrain from rebelling and cover it up so well makes anyone think there's definitely something fishy going on."

Upon hearing Zhou Ke'er's words, Ying Kuo fell silent for some reason, a hesitant expression appearing on his face.

Upon seeing this, Wei Yang immediately asked, "Why are you silent? Is there some hidden story here? Or are there some difficulties? But I remember that the nearest Prince Wu'an's residence is in this city, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this title, Zhou Ke'er couldn't help but narrow his eyes—he suddenly felt that the names of the NPCs in this module were somewhat worth investigating. "Prince of Wu'an, indeed!" Who wouldn't immediately think of Bai Qi, the Lord of Wu'an from the old Celestial Dynasty?

No wonder Ying Kuo's face changed drastically at the thought of this. It's obvious, isn't Ying Kuo Zhao Kuo? He was brutally murdered by Bai Qi in the old era. It's only natural that he would turn pale at the mere mention of his name.

Although the names of the NPCs in this module don't seem to have much in common with their personalities or strengths, Zhou Ke'er still makes this connection—maybe the Prince of Wu'an is also a character with explosive combat power, just like the butcher Bai Qi.

"...It is true that the Prince of Wu'an is here, but I do not recommend that you encounter him. Even before the turmoil in the capital, he was a very dangerous person... let alone now."

Ying Kuo came to his senses, a hint of fear still lingering in his eyes. "I once served as a minor official under him for a period of time. Although I wasn't a confidant, I could say I knew him somewhat. Judging from his past personality, if this kind of turmoil had occurred in the capital, he would have already been unable to restrain himself and started a rebellion. But now he is unusually dutiful, which obviously has a more bizarre and dangerous reason behind it."