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

"Oh, now that you've found it, why not get rid of it?"

Upon hearing this, the girl glanced at Zhou Ke'er and casually asked.

Hey... this guy, is he really that bloodthirsty? Zhou Ke'er's face twitched involuntarily, but she managed to maintain a smile.

Ugh, I'm so annoyed! But I still have to keep smiling!

"The mission didn't say to kill the detective..."

Des explained hesitantly.

"I think we can join forces."

Zhou Ke'er suddenly said out of the blue.

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37. Shadowy Castle (Part 9)

"Join forces?"

Dais paused for a moment, then looked at Zhou Ke'er with a puzzled expression.

Not only Daisy, but even the Sand Between Fingers was surprised.

Although they're still on good terms and haven't made a move for some reason, no matter how you look at it... joining forces? That seems unlikely, doesn't it?

"Yes, let's join forces."

Zhou Ke'er, with an air of complete confidence and certainty, replied, "Ultimately, our goals don't conflict, do they? Although I don't know what your so-called 'mission' is, since you haven't been ordered to kill me, there's no need for us to be adversaries, is there?"

"The only potential point of contention is that, as a detective, I need to uncover the truth behind the disappearances that occurred in this manor. If you're willing to tell me, that would be great; even if you're not..."

"Fine, then it shouldn't hurt to tell me about Grassis's criminal history, right? As long as I have something concrete to report to the police station in the end."

"So, in the end, as long as you help me solve some small problems, I have every reason to assist you, don't I? It's always good to have one more person."

Zhou Ke'er gently stroked the ruby ​​at the top of her cane, smiling as she looked at the little girl next to Dai Si, "What do you think?"

"Oh? What you said seems to make sense... But who can guarantee that our mission won't conflict with those guys'?"

The little girl pointed to the Shi family and others standing to the side.

"Um...excuse my bluntness...what does that have to do with me?"

Zhou Ke'er looked at the little girl with a puzzled expression, then turned to look at Zhijiansha and the others, "I'm not with them, and... they might not be with me either."

"Huh? What's going on?"

The little girl frowned upon hearing this and looked at Daisy with a puzzled expression.

Dais glanced at Zhou Ke'er, then leaned close to the little girl's ear and whispered, "This guy... isn't a player, he's an NPC. I think it's probably related to the plot, and it wouldn't be a bad idea if we could win him over."

"An NPC? Really? Are you sure? Why would an NPC be mixed in with a bunch of players?"

The little girl looked incredulous and asked in return.

"How would I know... Isn't our butler an NPC too? If we have NPCs in our manor, isn't it normal for the people who come to the manor to be NPCs as well?"

Daisy tried to explain.

"If you insist on saying it that way... it's not entirely unreasonable..."

The little girl hesitated for a few seconds, then shrugged and accepted the explanation.

As for the Shi family and the Jinyi, they were both stunned. Zhou Ke'er betrayed her teammates without any remorse, and didn't even change her expression. That's just too despicable!

"Squeak..."

Just then, the manor gate was slowly pushed open.

Everyone instinctively looked in that direction.

"Why are there still people outside?"

The little girl asked in confusion.

Dais shook his head and replied, "I don't know...maybe it's the player who slipped out earlier?"

Zhou Ke'er stared intently at the doorway, a sudden sense of foreboding washing over her. When the person outside peeked in, Zhou Ke'er's eyes twitched uncontrollably, and she could no longer maintain her composure; her heart sank.

This timing...it's way too damn precise, damn it! They've already run into the time limit, and since Daisy and the others said they'd team up, as a guarantee of that partnership, they should have given Zhou Ke'er some information he wanted to know. But now...

You could have come a little later!

That's right... the guy who just walked in is the very same guy who was tricked and forced to leave by Zhou Ke'er at the beginning. This guy also knows Zhou Ke'er's player identity; if he just makes a sound later... all of Zhou Ke'er's efforts will be in vain!

"Sister, save me!"

Zhou Ke'er broke out in a cold sweat and quickly looked at the sand between her fingers, her eyes pleading for help.

Zhijiansha glanced at Zhou Ke'er, and then... decisively turned her head away.

Wow! This guy's going to betray his teammates too!

Zhou Ke'er subtly adjusted her hat, hiding her face in the shadows—otherwise, her drastic change in expression would be noticed by others!

"Damn it... what do I do now? What do I do, what do I do, what do I do!"

Zhou Ke'er's mind raced with thoughts, and then... he gave up trying to think.

"Hahahaha! It's all fake! Role-playing, player-NPC, it's all fake! Hahaha!"

A crazy smile crept onto Zhou Ke'er's lips as she turned to look at Dai Si and suddenly shouted, "Dai Si!"

"W-what's wrong?"

Dais was intently watching the doorway when he was startled by Zhou Ke'er's shout. The others also looked at Zhou Ke'er upon hearing this.

"Human abilities have limits! I've learned one thing from this short life... The more cunning and scheming a person is, the more unexpected things will happen, and the more likely they are to fail in unpredictable situations! The more they will realize... that human abilities have limits!"

Zhou Ke'er took off her top hat and threw it aside—it wouldn't get lost anyway, it would come back automatically after the module ended—and before anyone could react, she suddenly swung her cane and smashed it down on Dais's head.

Special missions, special rewards... it's all a lie! Are you kidding me? Why would Zhou Ke'er be so restrained in a game? Why go to such lengths to hide herself? What a joke!

"I'm not human anymore, Daisy!"

Dais was still immersed in Zhou Ke'er's long speech and had no time to react before Zhou Ke'er slammed her cane on her head.

"Huh? You thought I was going to team up with you? That's what I was thinking at first, even if it was a plan to team up first and then betray you... but now there's no need for that at all!"

Zhou Ke'er kicked the already swaying Dai Si to the ground, and then repeatedly swung her cane, smashing it against Dai Si's head, especially targeting vulnerable areas like his temples and eyes. "I thought my scheme was trustworthy, but I was wrong! So let me tell you the truth! I'm not an NPC! I'm a player too! You've been kept in the dark from the very beginning!"

"Ahhh!"

The little girl then realized what had happened and saw that Daisy's head had been beaten so badly that she couldn't help but scream.

"Um...did I come at a bad time?"

Seeing this, the guy at the door asked cautiously.

Jin Yi, Shi Shi, and Zhi Jian Sha only came to their senses upon hearing this, and subconsciously swallowed. They were also startled by Zhou Ke'er's sudden outburst.

"Not the right time? How could it not be the right time? It should be said that it is the perfect time!"

Zhou Ke'er turned to look at the man, his face still splattered with blood, looking truly terrifying. "Thank you for making me understand this principle, so... as a reward, the next one to end up like this guy is decided! How about it? Be grateful!"

"Sorry to bother you, goodbye!"

The man was completely bewildered and dared not stay any longer. As he ran towards the exit, he cried out in despair, "I only came back because I couldn't get out! What happened?! Where can I go now?!"

"Run...faster..."

A faint sound came from beneath Zhou Ke'er.

With blood streaming down his face, Des managed to squeeze out a few words, "Tasia, run!"

The little girl opened her mouth wide upon hearing this, unsure of how to respond.

"Hey! Did I give you permission to speak?!"

Zhou Ke'er slammed her stick down hard. "You idiot, don't you get the picture? Playing the hero and saving the damsel in distress? You're really in high spirits!"

"Hey...is it really okay if we don't pull him out? Is he having a relapse?"

Jin Yi couldn't help but tug at the sand between his fingers and asked in a low voice, afraid that Zhou Ke'er would hear him and beat him up as well.

"The problem is, isn't he a psychiatrist...?"

Sand between her fingers hesitated before answering.

"This is...."

Des continued to utter faint words.

Just as Zhou Ke'er was about to continue, she felt her movements falter, as if she were bound by something, and for a moment she was unable to control her actions.

Immediately, the shadow behind Zhou Ke'er trembled violently, even rising from the ground like a burning black flame.

"This is!"

Zhou Ke'er instantly realized that this was Dai Si's ability! He actually had a hidden trick up his sleeve... She had thought he could no longer use it.

Well... it doesn't really matter. Even if he could control Zhou Ke'er for a while, so what? With his current physical condition... his stamina is probably already at its limit, right? Trying to control his abilities while simultaneously defeating Zhou Ke'er... that's probably impossible.

However, to Zhou Ke'er's surprise, Dai Si didn't struggle. Instead, he used his last bit of strength to turn his head and shout at the little girl who was standing there, stunned:

"This is my last Shadow Control Technique! Run, Tasia!"

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38. Shadowy Castle (10)

"Huh...huh..."

Zhou Ke'er watched helplessly as Tasia turned and ran away, but she couldn't do anything about it.

However... thanks to her body being restrained, Zhou Ke'er's emotions gradually calmed down, and the thin black mist and bloodshot streaks that had quietly spread in her eyes slowly faded away.

After calming down a bit, Zhou Ke'er belatedly realized that something seemed off about her just now.

In that tense moment, a very strange feeling seemed to grow and spread rapidly in her mind. She couldn't quite describe what it was, but Zhou Ke'er's emotions seemed to be dominated and controlled by something, and she suddenly lost control.

From Zhou Ke'er's perspective now, he seemed like a sudden, violent episode of a psychotic disorder...

Although Zhou Ke'er sometimes acts like a mental patient, you have to understand... despite possibly having some mental issues, he is, after all, a psychiatrist. If he himself had such a severe mental illness, it would be impossible for him to continue working at a psychiatric hospital; he should be receiving treatment instead.

However... based on his many years of experience as a psychiatrist, although there was no evidence or academic research to support it, he could clearly perceive that the strange feeling that had just dominated his emotional outburst... did not originate from within himself, but rather seemed to be some kind of external factor.