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

Qiao Yixia looked puzzled, even a little offended: "What do you mean?"

Zhou Ke'er's lips curled up slightly: "You should know Chen Tian, ​​right? He was there when we rescued you. Did you recognize which one of them was him?"

He was there and saw everything clearly. Chen Tian recognized Qiao Yixia's identity at a glance and seemed to want to say something to her, but Qiao Yixia completely ignored him. She was only focused on the red crane that seemed to be from the underworld and Zhou Ke'er, whose life form was rather strange. She obviously didn't notice that Chen Tian was there and clearly didn't recognize him at all.

"What?! You're telling the truth?"

Qiao Yixia was stunned for a moment at first, but quickly showed a shocked expression. She stood up abruptly and looked at Zhou Ke'er in disbelief: "Chen Tian was there too? You're not lying to me, are you?! If he really was there, how could I not have sensed it at all?"

"Doesn't this just prove that your eyesight is actually... not very good? You couldn't even recognize Chen Tian, ​​who was there at the time and has a complete memory, but you still wouldn't let go of our Red Crane, which only had a little bit of the aura of the Yellow Springs. This just doesn't make sense, does it?"

Zhou Ke'er shrugged. Although he wasn't sure if Honghe was the so-called Huangquan, it didn't matter, and Zhou Ke'er didn't care. Since Honghe didn't want her to be, then Zhou Ke'er would accept that she wasn't. "How about I contact Chen Tian for you and let you talk to him quickly to see what's going on?"

Qiao Yixia hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Then I'll leave it to you."

Zhou Ke'er waved her hand, sending a message to Chen Tian via her communication bracelet to explain the situation, while casually asking, "But why are you following Honghe? After you escaped, didn't Renault and the others come looking for you?"

Qiao Yixia shook her head: "No, I have tried to contact him during this time, but I can't get in touch with him at all. Maybe it's because too much time has passed, so the original way of contacting him is outdated. But I don't know why Renault hasn't come to find me. Maybe he has encountered some trouble."

"I see... This is indeed a strange thing."

Zhou Ke'er narrowed her eyes imperceptibly: What exactly is Renault trying to do? Come to think of it, he's no wonder he's been hiding in the shadows, maneuvering against such a powerful being for so long. While the powerful being might not have been serious, it doesn't diminish Renault's abilities. However, once he's placed in a semi-opposing position that requires vigilance, he'll truly be a troublesome opponent.

It's hard to say that guy isn't secretly plotting something. Rescuing Qiao Yixia was clearly his plan, but now that she's been rescued, he hasn't uttered a word or even shown his face. It's unclear what he's up to.

While pondering, Zhou Ke'er glanced at the reply Chen Tian sent on her communication bracelet, then looked up at Qiao Yixia: "Okay, I've already contacted him for you. He'll be here in a little while. You two can argue about it then."

Honghe glanced at Zhou Ke'er, her eyes clearly saying, "This trick... is it to shift the blame? You're something else."

Zhou Ke'er immediately understood what Honghe meant, rolled her eyes, and gave him a similar look, saying, "Wasn't that all to help you!"

Sitting between the two, Zhijiansha felt their flirtatious glances and immediately became extremely uncomfortable, wishing she could just disappear on the spot.

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712. First Exploration of the Ruins

After settling Honghe and the others in, Zhou Ke'er set off for the newly discovered Old Era Ruins before Chen Tian even arrived.

After all, with Chen Tian's arrival, the negotiations no longer had much to do with Zhou Ke'er, so there was no need for her to get involved. Moreover... there seemed to be something like "gravity" subtly drawing Zhou Ke'er to that side.

Driving as fast as she could, Zhou Ke'er soon arrived at the location of the so-called ruins.

Although Ming Mengjing had already explained the general situation to him before they set off, Zhou Ke'er still couldn't figure out the principle after seeing it with his own eyes—this so-called ruin wasn't even a remote suburb, and although it wasn't a bustling city center, it was... a school!

However, this school is not a ruin. Rather than saying that the ruin suddenly appeared, it is more accurate to say that the space where the ruin is located somehow overlaps with this place. According to Mingmengjing, the ruin here is actually in a different space that overlaps with the entire school.

It's that alternate dimension that can be opened by both the ghost and the exorcist.

At this time, there were no students in class at the school. Although the ruins were in another dimension and wouldn't have a significant impact on the present world, there were still ghosts following their auras towards the school. Allowing ordinary people to remain here would be too dangerous. Therefore, the exorcist organization used the excuse of "epidemic prevention and control" to temporarily close the school, and there were also specialists patrolling and guarding the school gate and various parts of the campus.

Zhou Ke'er was still nominally a member of the exorcists, so she parked her car directly in the parking space at the school gate, walked into the school gate openly under the gaze of those exorcists, and tore open a spatial rift in the alternate dimension to go inside.

There were other exorcists who seemed to want to stop it, but before they could speak or make a move, they were stopped by the leader of the exorcists—it seems that the slightly higher-level exorcists all know at least some information about Zhou Ke'er.

After entering the alternate dimension, the scene here is completely different from the real world. Originally, everything in the alternate dimension should be the same as in the real world, but this place has undergone tremendous changes due to the appearance of the ruins.

From the outside, this ruin looks like a combination of some kind of "training base" or "martial arts arena," but upon closer inspection, it inexplicably has a strong sense of déjà vu, resembling a school—even the facilities at the entrance of the ruin are almost identical to the school gate that Zhou Ke'er entered earlier—no wonder the space overlaps with this place.

The moment Zhou Ke'er arrived, she unleashed a massive amount of malevolent energy, scanning the entire ruins with it—but apart from the exorcists who filled almost the entire ruins, Zhou Ke'er couldn't sense anything amiss.

In other words, there were no noticeable sinister fluctuations, nor were any objects found that might be hiding secrets.

This is understandable, since these exorcists entered this place much earlier than Zhou Ke'er, and they should have already found and brought back anything to their organization.

Zhou Ke'er concealed his presence and was not discovered by any of the exorcists—although he might gain nothing, he still intended to go in and check the situation.

However, to his surprise, the moment he stepped into the entrance of the ruins, the divine spark of the Time and Space within him suddenly resonated, sensing a deeper level of spatial rupture. At the same time, something on Zhou Ke'er's body seemed to be constantly issuing prompts.

Zhou Ke'er raised her eyebrows, and her right hand immediately transformed into a wisp of black mist. A small object then floated out from it. This was a new way of storing small items that Zhou Ke'er had developed. It was convenient and not easy to lose, but unfortunately it couldn't hold too much. It was something like a plug-in that Zhou Ke'er had obtained by chance when she was rescuing Hu Tao not long ago.

He couldn't say for sure whether this thing had a physical form or not, since it looked like a bunch of data strings combined into a module-like shape.

At this moment, the data stream flowing on the module was flashing rapidly, as if it had sensed something. Soon, it emitted a faint light, casting a projection in the air in front of Zhou Ke'er.

A projection of a spatial rift.

Zhou Ke'er reached out and tried it, and to her surprise, she was actually able to pass through it!

With her eyes slightly narrowed, Zhou Ke'er stepped inside without hesitation.

Sure enough, these suddenly appearing so-called ruins are inextricably linked to the game that invaded the real world.

After entering the spatial rift, the surrounding environment changed once again.

A feeling of being bound emanated from all parts of her body, as if restricted by some kind of "rule" of this place. Although Zhou Ke'er could still exert her abilities to a certain extent, they were suppressed to a large extent. But strangely, Zhou Ke'er did not sense the source of this suppression, meaning it was not released by some being or monster.

Zhou Ke'er was not panicked. She simply adjusted her composure and observed her surroundings.

Although most of the facilities remained the same, the sky had turned a murky blackish-red, and the air was thick with a nauseating, viscous stench. Moreover, everything outside the ruins was an illusion.

Just like Zhou Ke'er standing at the entrance of the ruins, there was nothingness behind her.

The gate was closed. Although Zhou Ke'er could easily climb over the fence, there was no need for it; it would look rather disheveled.

Zhou Ke'er turned and walked towards the security room next to the gate, and pushed the door open.

The door wasn't locked; he pushed it open easily. Zhou Ke'er had initially thought he was going to break down the door.

Before even entering, one could smell the pervasive stench of blood. Pushing open the door, Zhou Ke'er saw a still-intact corpse sitting in a chair, slumped over a table. The bloodstains on the floor and table had long since dried.

Judging from his attire, he seemed to be a security guard, but there was a big difference—who would wear tactical gear and carry a knife and a gun? But he did have a small badge on his arm with the word "Security" clearly printed on it, and it was genuine Old Era Celestial Empire script.

Zhou Ke'er couldn't tell how long this guy had been dead. Judging from the degree of congealing of the blood, at least one or two weeks had passed—and at least—but the corpse was strangely not rotting.

However, there was indeed no trace of life in him; he was clearly dead.

Zhou Ke'er frowned slightly and reached out—the corpse was tightly clutching a small booklet soaked in blood in its hand. Its hand was already stiff, and Zhou Ke'er had to break off its thumb at the root to take it out without damaging the booklet.

The booklet was soaked in blood, most of the words were blurred, and many pages were even stuck together. Because the paper had become brittle from being soaked in blood, forcibly tearing it apart would likely cause the entire booklet to shatter.

Zhou Ke'er carefully examined the booklet, and saw several words on its cover that were blurred and stained with blood:

"Safety Handbook for Base/Institute"

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713. Work Manual?

"What is this... an employee handbook? Why was he still holding this thing in his hand when he died... Was he that dedicated?"

Zhou Ke'er secretly wondered to herself, then carefully opened the booklet and, trying her best not to break it, examined the words that were not completely covered by bloodstains and were still barely legible.

First, there's the work instructions on the first page. The handwriting on this page is relatively well-preserved, not obscured by too much blood.

Congratulations on joining the security department of the Jianghuai branch of the Kyushu Base Academy. We also congratulate you on gaining a trustworthy partner.

Since the natural disaster struck, humanity has faced annihilation. Warriors on the front lines have selflessly sacrificed their lives, but against those seemingly endless and tireless beings, such attrition is unsustainable—this is why we established the Base Academy: for every fallen hero, countless new warriors will rise. As long as the flame of humanity remains, those beings will never allow us to perish!

However, all of this could not proceed smoothly and without obstacles. Yes, the base academy only enjoyed a period of peace in its early days, but it quickly attracted the attention of those beings… They began to attempt to attack, entice, and corrupt our precious cadets, which is why we established a security department: at this point, we have no way out; we either let those beings crush us, or we crush them to pieces! We all firmly believe in the latter.

You may be reserve soldiers who failed to enlist and go to the front lines, or you may be warriors who retired due to serious injuries, or you may have volunteered to join this cause... Please believe that the importance of this job is beyond question, and you are all worthy of respect.

For the future of humanity, we stand guard here, we defend. To maintain an unwavering spirit is one of humanity's noblest virtues. We must protect the students here until they grow up and can take their place on the battlefield. For this, we will not hesitate to sacrifice ourselves—once again, we offer you our highest respect!

Here are some things to keep in mind and your obligations in your daily work:

Zhou Ke'er stroked her chin, nodding silently as she read—it seemed that this place, which looked like some kind of training base, was a training academy established before the final battle of the old era to fight against those beings.

However, since it is a relic, and one that appears in a spatial overlapping manner, it seems that the probability of anyone still surviving in this place is almost zero.

Looking at the impassioned words stained with blood on the work instructions, Zhou Ke'er lowered her eyes slightly and slowly turned to the next page. Unfortunately, the later pages weren't as clear as the first; only a few lines could be barely discerned, or rather, half-read and half-guessed, from the mottled or heavily bloodstained cover:

[4: Patrol. Patrol means your presence, your attention. While you are on patrol, some will be wary, while others will turn their attention to you—you should be prepared to be attacked at any time.]

11: To prevent high-level personnel from being compromised and causing serious damage, we will ensure that everything you do is what security personnel should and must do. When receiving any instructions or requests from higher-ups, in any form, to change duty operations while on duty, you can only trust the security captain and [redacted]. However, remember that your communication method is exclusively through the telepathic jade disc. Ignore any instructions from these two individuals that violate this rule and activate the secret alarm system.

26: No matter what, please firmly believe: Students are students, not monsters. Teachers are teachers, not monsters. School staff are school staff, not monsters. You are you, not a monster.

Zhou Ke'er frowned deeply. Of the three she could barely make out, the first two were understandable, but the last one seemed very inexplicable and couldn't be connected to the context. She had no idea what it was trying to express.

Putting the booklet in her pocket, Zhou Ke'er strolled over while scanning the situation inside the security booth, and pushed open the door leading into the school.

"Bang!"

For some reason, there was something that looked like a notice board standing outside the door that was pushed open. However, the location was obviously poorly designed. The door hadn't even been fully pushed open when it hit the notice board with a dull thud.

A piece of paper that looked like a notice floated down to the ground. Zhou Ke'er waved her hand, and the paper floated up from the ground and landed in her hand.

The words on it were much clearer than those on the blood-stained booklet, written in neat handwriting:

This notice is only for students who are "suddenly" eager to return home but whose leave applications are consistently rejected. Please do not leave the school without permission, as this is unsafe. Also, do not climb the fences, as that is also unsafe... Please trust this notice; it is safe, very safe, absolutely safe.

1. Please do not climb over the wall or fence without permission. Please enter the security booth as soon as possible.

2. If the school bell hasn't rung yet, please check if there are security personnel in the guard booth. If so, please enter. Security personnel have a tough job, so it's normal for them to sometimes doze off; there's nothing wrong with that. Don't disturb their rest. You can sign your name in the register—please use a black pen. Then you can leave! Enjoy your time with your family!

3. If there are no security personnel in the guard booth, please still enter. Security personnel need to be on patrol at all times, so it's normal for them not to be in the guard booth. However, if you cannot sign the register at this time, please bite your fingertip and write your name on the table with your blood—it's an emergency, and they will understand. Then, you can leave the school! Enjoy your forever happy time!

4: If the school bell has already rung and security personnel are guarding the security booth—oh no! Quickly hide! Be careful not to be spotted, be careful not to look in the mirror, be careful not to see your own reflection, be careful not to get caught, be careful not to get your feet entangled by your own tentacles, be careful not to be attacked, be careful not to run back in a panic, be careful, be careful, be careful, be careful, be careful!

5: If the school bell has already rung and there are no security personnel in the guard booth...

You're a monster, go back now.

You're a monster, go back now.

You're a monster, go back now.

As he read the last few lines, a powerful, eerie mental suggestion suddenly assaulted Zhou Ke'er—unfortunately, it attacked the wrong person. This level of evil posed no threat to him whatsoever. Perhaps its true form might be of some use, but to think that a mental suggestion left behind for who knows how long could have any effect on Zhou Ke'er... that was impossible.

However, this notice, which carries such sinister spiritual connotations and is clearly problematic at first glance, is actually displayed so openly on the notice board... It seems that this base academy was already in some kind of predicament before suffering its final disaster.

"Hey, wait a minute..."

Zhou Ke'er suddenly remembered the paper covered with writing hanging on the wall when he was scanning the security booth earlier. He had only caught a glimpse of the word "Stop" in huge characters before the door hit the notice board and his attention was drawn to it. But now that he thought about it, it seemed that there was a connection between the two.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ke'er immediately turned back to check.

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714. Ruins Exploration (Part 1)