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

Zhou Ke'er turned around and looked at the paper hanging on the wall inside the security booth. The writing on it did not seem to be simply written with a pen. Zhou Ke'er could feel that the ink used to write those words was mixed with cinnabar and a small amount of blood, and that spiritual power should have been attached to it when it was written. However, the spiritual power had now dissipated to almost nothing, and she could only barely sense the faint traces of its existence.

The notices on those papers read:

[Stop!!]

[You are human! You are human! You are human!]

[Please remember this, remember this firmly—you are human! You are an elite who joined the academy to fight against the cataclysm, about to step onto the battlefield! Please remember your loved ones, your brothers and sisters, the countless warriors on the front lines, and even the millions of people you don't yet know but are about to protect—their hopes are placed on you!]

[You, who have been given such high expectations, cannot be a monster! You are not a monster! You are not a monster! You are a genuine human being—humans cannot be monsters, at least not growing tentacles on their bodies, nor inexplicably growing strange organs in inexplicable places.]

If you regain your senses, please immediately follow these instructions:

1. If the school bell has not rung yet, please immediately recite the Golden Light Mantra or the Heart-Cleansing Mantra and try to get to the teacher's office for help within five minutes or even less.

2. If the school bell has already rung, please do not make any sudden movements or leave the security booth. Immediately press the alarm device on the right-hand table and patiently wait for security personnel to arrive. During this process—please firmly believe that you are a genuine human being!

3: If security personnel fail to arrive within the stipulated time after the alarm is activated—this means either they have encountered an insurmountable problem, or your perception has been severely distorted, rendering you unable to activate the dedicated alarm device. From this moment on, you will be permitted to ensure your survival by any means necessary—until security personnel or a teacher finds you.

4. Be prepared to sacrifice. The hymn of humanity is a hymn to courage; the greatness of humanity lies in the greatness of courage. Do not fear that death will take everything from you, for human courage cannot be ended by death. Always be proud to be human; always remember, you are human!

Zhou Ke'er stood silently for a short while, facing the slightly reddish handwriting with faint traces of blood, without saying a word or offering any comment. She simply stared at it silently for a moment, then turned and left the security booth without a word, heading towards the interior of the base academy.

Although it was not yet noon when we entered this ruin, the sky was already extremely gloomy, revealing a dark red color like congealed bloodstains that had remained unchanged for years.

Zhou Ke'er had a strange premonition; he seemed to foresee that he would witness something... about to happen. But he hoped his premonition was wrong; if he could only be a witness after the fact, then such witnessing was meaningless.

Passing by a dilapidated playground—no, it should be described as a training ground resembling a playground—it was deserted, with congealed bloodstains scattered on the ground. Even from this distance, the smell alone was enough to make one nauseous.

Several corpses hung from the tall weapons rack; they had not yet decomposed or been reduced to skeletons. They were clearly very young, mostly teenagers or young adults in their twenties.

Not a single corpse showed a look of terror; their eyes were all glaring, unclosed even in death, and the weapons they gripped remained firmly in their hands until their deaths, and with the stiffening of their bodies, they would never, ever let go.

The students were all wearing the same uniforms—somewhat similar to the tactical gear of security personnel, but lighter and more like pure black student uniforms, with the Student Council armband hanging on their right arms.

Zhou Ke'er didn't try to put their bodies down, or even approach them.

Perhaps the being who killed them and left them hanging here was meant to intimidate the others in the academy, or even to humiliate the fallen students. But he was completely wrong; doing so only served to highlight the students' heroism and nobility.

Being hung on the weapons rack by the enraged enemy was not an insult to them, but rather a medal for their bravery and sacrifice.

If they could still think after death, they would never want to be buried in the deep underground, their angry eyes covered by the gloomy soil—even in death, they would continue to guard in this manner.

Such intense emotions, even though they had been dead for countless years, Zhou Ke'er could still feel the moment she saw their corpses.

Zhou Ke'er unconsciously clenched her fists and continued to move forward with heavy steps.

Even someone like him couldn't help but feel admiration for these students.

This ruin, from the very beginning, slowly and completely unfolded a bloody corner of the disaster that led to the destruction of the old era, revealing it to Zhou Ke'er's eyes.

Just then, Zhou Ke'er suddenly noticed that in the far corner of the training ground, there was a young man dressed in what looked like a Taoist robe, sitting cross-legged on the ground, holding a pen and paper tightly in his hand, as if he was writing something down. But judging from the bloodstains spreading under him and his slightly drooping head, he was also already dead.

Zhou Ke'er walked quickly toward the corpse, squatted down, and tried to see what was written on the paper he was holding.

However, as Zhou Ke'er tried to take the paper from his hand, a booklet slipped from the corpse's wide sleeve and fell into the pool of congealed blood on the ground.

Unfortunately, although the bloodstains on the ground had already congealed and did not stain or cover the words on the booklet, it had already been partially soaked in blood when it was placed in the sleeve.

The booklet's cover reads: 【▓▓Base Academy Class Recorder Code of Conduct】

Recorder? What kind of job is that?

Zhou Ke'er changed her actions and subconsciously picked up the booklet. She slowly opened it and, based on her experience of looking at the security personnel's work manual, easily checked the clauses that she could still make out.

[1: Everything you do should be the recorder's duty and obligation. When your actions according to this manual conflict with instructions from others, you can only trust and consult your class monitor and advisor. However, all communication during your duty can only be conducted through the communication jade disc. Furthermore, please ignore any instructions issued by the aforementioned two individuals that directly violate the following regulations and seek help from nearby student council members as soon as possible.]

2………]

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715. Ruins Exploration (Part Two)

[………

4. The recorder is a class committee member responsible for evaluating and recording the training and mental state of each trainee during the training process in each class. If you find that one or more trainees have a negative change in their mental state, please immediately record the general change and the trainee's name, and contact the class teacher as soon as possible using the communication jade disc. They will come to resolve the issue.

7. If, after contacting your class advisor, the teacher who comes to take over is not your class advisor, or at least not in your knowledge, please ask them to immediately show their advisor's identification, a letter of authorization from your class advisor, and a consent document issued by the base college.

8. If the other party brings all the documents requested above, do not immediately agree to their request, and do not seek help from other class committee members, even the class monitor. They have no right or ability to interfere with your work. After confirming all the requested documents, proactively find the nearest student council member on duty, show them the documents, and ask them to sign them. They will carefully check and sign. Also, if they sign after confirming everything is correct, please verify that the name on their signature matches the name on their name tag.

17. When your class is training, please always be aware of the training area. At least one student council member or security personnel must be constantly checking and patrolling within your line of sight. If they are absent for more than three minutes, do not hesitate to immediately interrupt the class training and lead all students back to the dormitory, even if you have just started training.

32: When your class arrives at the training ground, please immediately check the signature on the "Training Ground Safety Registration Form" posted on the notice board at the entrance. Since each class has a fixed training ground, the registration form should only have the signature of your class monitor. If a signature is missing, please remind and urge the monitor to complete it as soon as possible, record the incident, and report it to the class advisor.

33: If you find the name of a student who is not the class monitor or is unfamiliar on the registration form, do not panic. Remain calm and immediately inform the class monitor, and also report to the instructor as soon as possible. Until then, the class monitor must lead the students in normal training outside the training area until an instructor or teacher arrives, crosses the name off, and the class monitor signs the name. The class monitor will handle the matter according to the "Code of Conduct for Class Monitors of the Base Academy".

Aside from the few lines that Zhou Ke'er could roughly guess their meaning by looking at them, the rest were covered in blood and difficult to decipher. But even from these few remaining lines, some problems could be discerned.

Clearly, since the position of "recorder" already exists, it is obvious that the number of trainees exhibiting abnormal mental states has exceeded the number that can be easily controlled, and may even be difficult to detect without continuous recording.

Moreover, judging from the subsequent statements, even the so-called instructors and teachers of this academy may not be able to maintain their rationality and normalcy. In other words, those who attempt to invade and erode this place can even openly disguise themselves as instructors and teachers to enter the school.

Under such an absolute disadvantage, why didn't they choose to immediately close the school and relocate, or strengthen defenses, but instead only used this passive approach to defense?

Zhou Ke'er frowned deeply, carefully took the paper that the student recorder was clutching tightly from his hand, and glanced at what was written on it.

However, no writing was visible at first glance, because the paper was under some kind of restriction, and the restriction contained the message: "Please deliver this letter to Mu Zi, a student in Class 2, Grade 3 - Recorder Jing Chen's last words."

It appears to be a letter that was never delivered, even though the recorder believed until his death that others had survived and hoped that someone would come to collect his body.

It's a rather profound and mysterious restriction, and Zhou Ke'er sensed it slightly; it seems that the restriction is designed so that only a specific person can break it using a specific method. It should be a specialized restriction that has been modified by an individual.

To be able to improve such a profound restriction, and at such a young age, even if not exceptionally talented, he was certainly quite gifted. Yet, he met such a tragic end in this place, his body left to rot in the wilderness.

Zhou Ke'er sighed silently, then incited the evil spirits to forcefully break through the restriction—after all, no matter how profound the skill, the person who inscribed this restriction was just a student at the last moment, and the purity and quality of the spiritual power were relatively low. In fact, the fact that the restriction could be maintained for so long with such spiritual power made this person a complete genius.

After breaking through the barrier, Zhou Ke'er began to read the text recorded on it.

At the top are some notes recording the unusual events of that day. It seems that this paper was originally just for recording things. It was probably used as his last letter when he realized he was about to die.

[To my dearest classmate Muzi, when you receive this letter, you might wonder why I'm communicating with you in this way. In fact, by the time you see this letter, I will have already resigned or even disappeared. You probably obtained this letter through security personnel or student council members.]

Please don't be sad, because we will meet again someday in the future. I've already had my fortune told; we are destined to be together, though not necessarily in this lifetime. You know, I'm a Taoist priest, and I'm always very accurate with my predictions.

Now, please don't dwell on the reasons for my resignation or disappearance; that's no longer important. The situation is becoming increasingly difficult and tense, and you will understand what really happened in your future work and studies. Most importantly, please remember all the regulations in the "Student Code of Conduct for Each Base College and Class" issued by your advisor, and please strictly abide by them.

Although I still have so much to say to you, it seems I don't have much time left, and there's not enough space on this paper to write anything more. Therefore, for your safety and well-being in the future, all I can leave you with are these few reminders:

First and foremost, always firmly believe in your identity as a human being, and never doubt it. You were born a human being, the one I love dearly, and no other being. You might think I'm talking nonsense, but please remember this.

Secondly, when you discover or notice anything unusual about a person, thing, or event, do not make a fuss, do not point it out, or tell others. You can memorize, you can record—remember, use ink mixed with cinnabar from an inkwell, imbued with spiritual power—and do not reveal the recorded words to anyone else.

As I write this, from here on out—the handwriting, which had been barely neat, begins to become messy and illegible, and the originally pure spiritual energy attached to the handwriting begins to reveal an ominous aura.

The text then continued...

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716. Ruins Exploration (Part 3)

[Third point...life, survival is more important than anything else. If you encounter Him, no, it...I should tell you, I should...if you observe...encounter Him, you should immediately contact a student council member, you should do so...but but but but!!! For your safety, if you encounter it...He! Take refuge in Him, He is eternal!]

(Up to this point, the third point mentioned above has been heavily marked with many crosses, and a simple sentence has been added at the end in even more messy handwriting.)

[Wrong! We absolutely cannot do that! We must... fight him to the very end!]

This short letter ended abruptly.

It is evident that in his final struggle to leave his words on the paper, his mind was severely corrupted and he even descended into madness as he lay dying.

But judging from the current state of his corpse, at least he held onto his human identity until the very end, and did not become a repulsive monster, but died as a human being.

Zhou Ke'er stood up, her eyes slightly lowered, carefully folded the letter, put it in her pocket, and whispered to the corpse, "If I encounter the student you mentioned in your letter, I will pass it on to her for you."

Even if it ultimately ends up in the hands of the other party's corpse.

Zhou Ke'er lowered her head slightly, seemingly to mourn the dead for a while, before turning around and leaving the blood-soaked training ground, heading towards several buildings that looked like school buildings.

The entire base academy seemed to be devoid of any living creature; the vast academy was deathly silent, without a single sound. Even the rustling sound that should have been made by the wind blowing through the leaves was absent, because there was simply no wind.

Zhou Ke'er suddenly seemed to realize something and subconsciously looked up at the rooftop of a certain building without hesitation.

In that instant, he saw a figure that was almost humanoid, but covered in black clothing that resembled some kind of armor. The head was also covered by a helmet, but it seemed to be full of defects and dents, and covered in bloodstains. For Zhou Ke'er, it was easy to see a tiny sesame seed on the opposite rooftop from such a distance, so it was impossible for her not to see such a large figure.

However, the creature's body seemed to be in some kind of chaos, barely able to maintain a human-like form, and its body under the armor was constantly writhing, expanding, and shrinking.

The guy and Zhou Ke'er stared at each other for a few seconds before slowly turning around and retreating.

Without hesitation, Zhou Ke'er spread her wings and flew towards the building where the other party was.

Soon, Zhou Ke'er landed on the rooftop of the building. There was no one on the rooftop anymore, only the door leading into the building was open, and behind the door was pitch black. No matter how you looked at it, it was a trap to lure people in.

A strong stench of blood wafted from behind the door. Thankfully, it wasn't mixed with the stench of decay, but it was still nauseating enough.

A long sword made of an evil structure appeared in Zhou Ke'er's hand, and then she stepped into the door.

No light is needed; even in the darkest night, when evil permeates the air, he can see as clearly as in daylight.

Go down the stairs and out of the stairwell.

Then a shocking scene unfolded before his eyes.

A massive amount of blood had almost completely stained the ceiling, floor, and walls of the entire floor a dark red. But this was merely an insignificant backdrop, because…

Countless corpses were piled up—no…they weren’t piled up here intentionally; they died here, in this state.

Most of the bodies were dressed in the same black uniforms, with "Student Council" armbands on their arms. A smaller number were dressed in security personnel uniforms, or looked like counselors or teachers.

But none of them showed any fear on their faces.

Judging from the overall situation, the corpses on the entire floor showed a relentless trend, starting from the stairwell leading downstairs and ending at the stairwell Zhou Ke'er had just walked out of. The corpses on the entire floor followed this trend, as if they had launched a final charge in that direction before they died.

Zhou Ke'er slowly walked forward amidst the corpses scattered everywhere, even floating slightly in the air to avoid stepping on them.

Soon we arrived at the end of the corridor, leading to the stairwell downstairs.

A figure stood tall and straight at the entrance to the stairwell, his hands gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, the blood-stained and battered blade resting on the ground. His head remained held high, the dark red bloodstains on it giving him an imposing and heroic appearance.

But he had already died long ago.

He was wearing a student council uniform, but a badge was hanging on his right chest with the word "President" engraved on it. Even though the badge was covered by bloodstains, it still couldn't completely hide its luster.

Zhou Ke'er saw a disc-shaped object on the ground behind him, which looked somewhat similar to the memory stone that Ming Qingfeng had shown her before.