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

At that moment, the woman also clearly saw Zhou Ke'er's appearance.

Zhou Ke'er gave her an innocent, harmless smile: "Look, I don't have any weapons on me, so why would I want to hurt you? I just saw you run in looking panicked, and you seemed even more frightened after hearing the noise I made, so I just showed up to let you know I was there."

Looking at Zhou Ke'er's innocent expression, the woman was almost convinced—however, the blood-stained giant axe was still gleaming against the table behind Zhou Ke'er.

"Are you human or a monster?! What exactly do you want?"

The woman struggled to her feet and looked at Zhou Ke'er, who was about the same height as her. Although the tension and panic in her heart lessened slightly after seeing her true face, she still asked with a slight tremor.

"Of course I was lying when I said I wasn't human. I'm obviously human—to be honest, I'm quite troubled. Just now, some guy wearing a hood came at me with an axe without warning, and we couldn't communicate at all. Could that be the monster you were talking about?"

Zhou Ke'er nodded thoughtfully, as if she had just realized something.

Although the action was rather exaggerated.

"The way you're asking that question makes it sound like you know nothing! Is it really that fun to play games with me?"

The woman breathed a sigh of relief. Although the guy in front of her might be mentally ill, even if he was, he was at least better than a monster, right?

Of course, she would soon take back that feeling.

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774. The Strange Man in the Castle (Part 5)

"You're right. It is indeed quite interesting."

The woman never expected that Zhou Ke'er would agree so readily and shamelessly say those words.

At least put on an act, right?

Zhou Ke'er turned around, reached out and gripped the giant axe again, then strolled back, looking at the woman with a smile, as if very puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong? Isn't it interesting?"

The woman's eyes widened, her lips twitched stiffly twice, and she managed an awkward smile: "It's... interesting, very interesting."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ke'er's smile vanished instantly. With a change of expression faster than a student's upon the homeroom teacher entering the classroom, she revealed a dissatisfied and cold look: "No, I'm clearly not interesting to you at all, yet you dare to lie to me? You have no trust in me whatsoever, which makes me so sad and disappointed."

With a slight release of his grip, the axe blade slammed heavily onto the ground with a loud thud.

The woman was so frightened that she shuddered on the spot. Just moments before, she had been saying things like "Do whatever you want with me," and she immediately knelt down, becoming incredibly cowardly: "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Please don't kill me!"

"How could I kill you? You still treat me like a monster; you don't trust me at all!"

The woman lowered her head, so what she couldn't see was... Although she still spoke with a resentful tone, Zhou Ke'er's face now had a playful smile back on it.

Hmm... If you were to ask whether Zhou Ke'er's actions were meaningful, the answer would be clearly no.

But if you were to ask whether Zhou Ke'er's actions would make him happy, the answer would be yes.

Ah! This long-lost feeling! A slight blush appeared on Zhou Ke'er's cheeks.

How long has it been since Zhou Ke'er had to suppress her true nature and act like a normal person?

Although it was necessary to do this to ensure the safety of others around her, it did put a lot of pressure on Zhou Ke'er. This is why Zhou Ke'er chose to travel alone instead of inviting Honghe.

Only at times like these can Zhou Ke'er truly unleash her wicked personality.

This is the long-awaited "freedom"!

Hearing Zhou Ke'er's unreasonable words, the woman ultimately didn't dare to get up and resist. She just covered her head and lay on the ground, trembling, repeatedly saying, "I'm sorry! I believe you! Please let me go! I'm sorry!"

Meanwhile, Zhou Ke'er had already left the banquet hall with her axe and entered the porch through which the woman had come from.

As she walked, Zhou Ke'er couldn't help but smile, a genuine joy that came from the heart, unlike any fake grin.

First came soft chuckles, then grew louder and louder, until finally Zhou Ke'er walked along, laughing unrestrainedly: "Interesting, so very interesting! I love the design of this module! I've decided to play a little longer, so don't let me down!"

Only when the wild laughter came from afar did the still uneasy woman dare to raise her head slightly in confusion—she then realized that the madman who seemed to be mentally ill had long since disappeared.

The eerie and slightly manic laughter echoed in the area, sometimes near, sometimes far, sending chills down one's spine.

While there was still light, the woman, disregarding her trembling body, forced herself to stand up and search for a safe place again.

At this moment, Zhou Ke'er hadn't gone far when she bumped into an elderly man dressed in proper clothes who looked like a seasoned butler. Although the gruesome wounds surrounding his neck made him look anything but normal.

"My esteemed player, please allow me to interrupt your game for a moment—though it may be impolite, it seems you were completely unaware of what was going on from the start. This may be a mistake by our technical department, and I must offer my sincere apologies—of course, we will not pursue any of the game rules you just violated."

The butler bowed slightly and spoke to Zhou Ke'er in a serious tone: "In order to prevent you from doing more things that violate the rules and cause major problems in the game process, I think it is necessary for me to briefly explain the relevant rules to you."

Zhou Ke'er blinked—if he had teammates present, such as Red Crane and Finger Sand, he would definitely follow their lead without hesitation and try his best to understand the module's settings—but the problem was, he was all alone now! He didn't need to worry about anything at all!

rule?

Why should he follow this kind of thing?

Zhou Ke'er smiled, revealing a sunny and cheerful smile, and asked the butler, "If I know the rules and still break them, what will happen?"

The butler frowned slightly in confusion. Although he didn't know why Zhou Ke'er suddenly asked such a question, he still replied, "You will be warned or punished. The forms of punishment are varied and countless. I sincerely suggest that you do not break the rules."

"I see. Then please don't tell me the rules."

Zhou Ke'er, with an air of self-righteousness, bypassed the butler and continued walking forward: "Knowing the rules means breaking them, so if I don't know them—I won't break them."

"Understood. I respect your choice. However... according to the unexpected terms, any player who is unaware of the rules and refuses to learn them will be considered to be in a 'crazy' state. We will not disturb your game, but please put on this black neck ring."

Surprisingly, the butler did not show any surprise or anger upon hearing this, nor did he offer any words of dissuasion. He simply maintained a rigid expression and a black ring appeared in his hand.

"Huh? There's an unexpected clause? What if I refuse?"

Zhou Ke'er turned around, a deep grin spreading across her face, as if she knew the answer already.

"I'm very sorry, but according to the second clause of the extra-regulation, I can only take coercive measures against you as if you were a player who had truly 'gone mad'."

The butler reached out and took off his monocle, nodding formally at Zhou Ke'er: "Excuse me..."

Unfortunately, before he could finish speaking, Zhou Ke'er preemptively swung an axe at his neck: "Since you're going to attack me, then I have no choice but to defend myself, right?"

The axe blade cleaved through the air with a sharp whistling sound, and then—passed straight through the butler's neck without any obstruction.

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775. The Strange Man in the Castle (Part Six)

Suddenly, the crack on the steward's neck split open, and his head rose a distance into the air, causing Zhou Ke'er's axe to miss its mark.

However, this was part of Zhou Ke'er's plan. The axe chop was just a feint. Even though she already knew that the other party was a non-human monster and saw that there was a crack in its neck, she still attacked there, just to make it detach its head from its body on its own.

Just a second slower than the axe strike, Zhou Ke'er's foot landed heavily on the butler's body.

Caught off guard by the kick, the opponent staggered back a few steps, but his flying head remained in place.

The butler couldn't help but show a slight look of surprise on his face, as if he was about to say something, but Zhou Ke'er suddenly swung the axe in her hand diagonally upwards, striking its head hard with the back of the axe, like a baseball bat hitting a ball, making a crisp yet slightly muffled sound.

The butler's head was then violently ejected, slamming into the wall with a loud bang. The temple on the side that was hit was deeply sunken, and blood began to flow uncontrollably from all seven orifices.

But as expected of a monster, its vitality is tenacious. Even such injuries were not fatal. However, blood kept gushing from its eyes and mouth, and its mouth opened and closed, as if it was saying something.

Zhou Ke'er tilted her head, feigning deep thought. The butler, who had assumed she was about to press her advantage and kill him, saw her stop and say, "Fine, I've changed my mind. Since you've been so polite, I won't kill you. Being polite is a good virtue; the more polite people die, the more rude and barbaric the world becomes—so it's better for you to live. Don't you think so?"

The butler, with blood flowing from his mouth, struggled to his feet, his headless body seemingly trying to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

"I'll give you face this time and let you off the hook—but if you show up in front of me again next time and try to stop me, then there's nothing I can do about what happens, right?"

Zhou Ke'er raised an eyebrow, then turned around and slowly left, dragging her axe.

Unable to suppress a look of surprise and uncertainty, the butler ultimately said nothing more and made no move, simply watching Zhou Ke'er disappear from his sight.

"..."

Zhou Ke'er walked silently for a short distance, and after confirming that she would no longer be seen by the butler, she finally couldn't hold back her legs and knelt on the ground. She didn't care about the axe anymore, threw it aside, and covered her head with her hands, revealing a ferocious expression.

Obviously, if nothing unexpected had happened, how could Zhou Ke'er have let that guy go? Her excuse about letting him go because she was polite was just a lame excuse she came up with on the spot.

This time, he truly suffered a silent loss. Although the butler looked miserable after being hit, he unexpectedly possessed the ability to share or even transfer damage or sensation. The moment the axe struck the butler's head, Zhou Ke'er felt as if her own head had been struck by a rapidly swung club. Although there were no visible signs of injury.

Dizziness, excruciating pain, and the urge to vomit came in an instant. The fact that Zhou Ke'er managed to hold on and not collapse to the ground on the spot already showed that her willpower was beyond that of an ordinary person.

Although leaving with such a lame excuse would obviously arouse the other party's suspicion, if Zhou Ke'er continued to stay there, she would soon be unable to keep up the act, and if she were exposed then, the consequences would be even more dire.

After all, that was Zhou Ke'er's own attack. She wouldn't hold back at all against her enemies. Even for herself, taking a hit from her own attack wouldn't be easy.

Fortunately, the butler was temporarily fooled by Zhou Ke'er's seemingly calm and unperturbed demeanor, or perhaps he was also injured and hadn't recovered yet, so he could only watch helplessly as Zhou Ke'er left.

Just then, a soft creak was heard, and a door on the right side of the corridor not far away was slowly pushed open, revealing half a head peeking out, looking out with worry and vigilance.

Even though Zhou Ke'er was in a painful and embarrassing situation, she still reacted. Before even looking over to check the situation, she immediately grabbed the axe that was lying to the side and then looked over with a slightly ferocious expression.

Then he heard a small gasp: "Are you injured?"

A girl with a pure and innocent appearance peeked out from the room. Upon seeing Zhou Ke'er's current state, she showed a worried expression. After hesitating for a moment, she seemed to have made a decision through gritted teeth and said, "Please come in and rest quickly. It will be 'dark' soon, and it is very dangerous outside. If you stay outside in your condition... I am very safe here!"

Zhou Ke'er's nostrils twitched slightly, a strange look flashed in her eyes, and then she revealed a slightly sinister smile: "Then thank you very much, I will accept your offer."

As he spoke, he stood up unsteadily, picked up the axe, and walked towards the girl.

The girl's eyes flickered slightly, and she immediately said, "Um... could you please not bring the axe in? Don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to blackmail you into handing over the axe, I just want to ensure my safety. You can leave the axe outside and take it when you leave."

"boom!"

Zhou Ke'er immediately threw the axe on the ground with a thud: "Of course."

After saying that, he continued to stagger over and entered the room where the girl was.

Almost the instant Zhou Ke'er stepped into the room, a cold glint suddenly approached his neck from an extremely concealed angle.

Unexpectedly, the moment Zhou Ke'er stepped into the room, she immediately fell to the ground, thus narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Finally safe, I need to... get some rest."

Zhou Ke'er seemed completely oblivious to what had just happened. She offered a word of reminder and then closed her eyes.

The girl's eyes flickered. After hesitating for two seconds, seeing that Zhou Ke'er had already closed her eyes, she finally couldn't help but raise the dagger in her hand again...

"Oh, by the way, thank you so much... I still don't know your name."

Just then, Zhou Ke'er suddenly opened her eyes and looked at the girl.

The girl's hands were stiffly behind her back, and she gave a slightly embarrassed smile: "No... no need to thank me, helping each other is only right. As for my name... you can just call me Fei Ke."

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776. The Strange Man in the Castle (Part 7)

"Really? Really?... Um, my name is Cold-Eat Rabbit, nice to meet you."