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

and many more!

A sudden realization flashed through his mind, and Hashimoto Toru subconsciously wanted to turn around and look back, but at that moment, a nimble figure swept past him in an instant.

The woman, dragging her exhausted and severely injured body, suddenly charged at the ghost.

The monster's covered head emitted a sharp, piercing sound. Then, the creature-like mass suddenly split open from the central hole, as if a "flower" had bloomed. The disgusting petals, filled with thorns and slime, waved wildly and slammed towards the woman.

At this moment, Zhang Si and Hashimoto Toru stood there helplessly, as if witnessing something beyond reason—a being that could fight ghosts and monsters, and could actually be injured by them… then it really couldn’t be human.

Perhaps he should go and help? But now that his legs are injured and his sidearm has been taken away, what can he do against the ghosts on his own? Apart from relying on the fact that he won't be harmed by the ghosts to protect himself, there seems to be nothing else he can do.

Or perhaps he should turn around and leave immediately? But...

The sharp thorns on the "petal" pierced the woman's left arm, but she only frowned slightly and did not care about her injured and bleeding left arm. Instead, she used her left hand to clench the "petal" tightly, while her right hand wielded a cross-shaped short sword and stabbed it hard, cutting and slicing it open.

With her precise and powerful movements, the "petal" was quickly cut off and casually thrown to the ground like rotten flesh.

The new wound on her left arm was oozing a little blood, but it didn't seem to affect her mobility much.

The monster let out an even sharper and more painful roar, and immediately swung all the remaining "petals" at the woman.

The woman didn't have three heads and six arms, and given her already serious injuries, she was unable to dodge. After barely managing to dodge a few attacks, she was struck hard and slammed against the street wall, creating a small, slightly dented crater.

"Cough..."

The woman coughed up blood, but quickly struggled to her feet, narrowly avoiding the attack that followed.

However, even after dodging that wave, she was still met with an almost overwhelming barrage of attacks.

Soon, as if she had made up her mind, the woman's eyes became more and more determined, and she murmured some words that Hashimoto Tetsu couldn't understand at all. Then, the cross-shaped short sword in her hand began to emit a bright white light.

Even Hashimoto Tetsu seemed to vaguely see some kind of phantom descending from the sky and attaching itself to the woman's back, appearing even more sacred under the white light.

The ghost was only exposed to that white light, and its body began to feel burned, causing it to scream in pain.

Hashimoto Tetsu squinted, blinded by the white light, a hint of doubt creeping into his mind. First, while the place was indeed somewhat remote, it was unusual that after such a loud noise and this strange occurrence, no one had yet arrived. Second… if this woman possessed such an ability to instantly kill ghosts, why did she take two attacks just now? Wasn't that superfluous, only causing her injury?

Soon, as the light shone, the cross-shaped short sword in the woman's hand was covered with a layer of constantly pulsating light, like lightning and thunder, and it continued to expand until it reached the length of a person, as if the woman really held lightning in her hand.

Then, with a simple throw, he gently tossed the "lightning" in his hand, and the monster, unable to dodge, was pierced through the body, turned into dust and scattered with the wind, disappearing without a trace.

"Hiss..."

The light gradually faded.

The woman, now back to normal, was completely exhausted and collapsed to the ground, seemingly falling into a deep coma.

Hashimoto Toru held his breath and waited for a long time, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he realized there was no further news.

Such a scene was still too stimulating for him. Was this really something an ordinary person like him could watch? It felt like he was at the point where anyone who knew about it would be killed to silence them!

He had indeed intended to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible, but for some reason, he finally stepped forward, helped the unconscious woman up, picked up the short sword she had dropped, and limped home, dragging his injured leg.

Control the powerful and the ruthless. ——————

Obviously, all of this was just a performance for Hashimoto Toru—of course, it wasn't just for him, otherwise it would have been too much trouble, there are cameras even in this remote place—and the special effects like ghosts and holy light were all created by Zhou Ke'er herself, otherwise how could she possibly encounter a ghost in a ghost city that just happened to wander in and happen to attack humans?

Thus, the layout here gradually began to unfold.

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822. A sudden disaster

"boom!"

Without warning, a huge noise rang out not far outside, accompanied by a cracking sound and increasingly loud screams.

Zhou Ke'er and the others, who had just logged off, had only been sitting in the living room for a short while when they heard such a noise. They couldn't help but look at each other in surprise—what was going on? Could it be that some terrorists had attacked this place? Or had they actually not logged off at all?

The sounds outside were as if some natural disaster had occurred.

A sense of foreboding washed over Zhou Ke'er, and she quickly stood up, ran to the window, and looked outside.

Even though it was already late at night, the distant sky was a dark red, as if it were illuminated by a huge light. It seemed that most of the surrounding residents had suffered a major fire, with flames spreading and leaping rapidly, as if they were alive.

Residents fled in panic, screaming in agony, while those trapped inside the fire let out desperate cries.

All of this happened so suddenly. Not long ago, this place was a peaceful place. I never expected that after just one short game, it would turn into this.

Fortunately, Zhou Ke'er's house was located in a relatively remote area, one of the few villa-style residences in the community. So it was separated from the other houses by a distance that was neither too close nor too far, and it was barely spared from being affected immediately.

"Are you crazy?! What is this...? Has the whole neighborhood caught fire?"

Finger Sand, who was also leaning close to the window, rubbed his eyes in disbelief and exclaimed in surprise.

Honghe frowned almost imperceptibly: "I think it seems that the fire didn't just happen in this neighborhood. You'll see if you look over there."

Following the direction Honghe pointed, everyone saw that they were already outside the residential area. The surrounding streets and nearby commercial districts were in similar condition.

Zhou Ke'er quickly activated her communication bracelet and sent text messages to Ming Qingfeng, Lin Wen, and Hu Tao to inquire about the situation.

Fortunately, communication hadn't been cut off, and the people quickly replied. Lin Wen and Hu Tao lived nearby, and luckily, they had been on high alert recently due to some unexpected events. As soon as the fire started, they noticed something was wrong and immediately began to take action.

Moreover, the two of them sent messages to Zhou Ke'er right away, but unfortunately Zhou Ke'er was still in the game at the time and didn't notice them at all.

When the two of them arrived at Zhou Ke'er's residence, they happened to run into the fire. According to them, in addition to the fire, there were also black shadows like mud moving through the flames. Many residents who were rushing in that direction were caught off guard and dragged into the fire. Obviously, the road was blocked.

They had no choice but to drive away from the area. Fortunately, Zhou Ke'er sent them a message confirming that he was safe, otherwise they would have been worried for a long time.

As for Ming Qingfeng, he did not live in this area, but according to him, a catastrophic event had just occurred there, as if a zombie crisis had broken out. Suddenly, many ferocious, blood-red humanoid monsters sprang out and frantically bit unsuspecting passersby. Fortunately, because he had been training with the exorcist organization during this period, he quickly reacted and got rid of the monsters. Now he is resting in a temporarily safe place.

Zhou Ke'er immediately told the people around her about these things.

"It's not just here, it's happening in other places too..."

Sand between her fingers frowned and muttered, "What on earth is going on? Everything has suddenly changed. Is this the end of the world?!"

Clang!

Just then, Qiao Yixia, who had been sitting still, suddenly opened her eyes, and her rapier instantly drew: "There's an eerie aura! It's heading this way, everyone on alert!"

Before anyone could reply, a voice came from outside the door: "Why be so formal? Weren't we comrades who fought side by side? Just because time has passed, must we now become enemies facing each other?"

With a sickeningly corrosive sound, the door to Zhou Ke'er's residence was quickly and precisely eroded away, revealing the figure behind it.

He was a robust man with a resolute appearance. At first glance, he could easily be mistaken for a soldier or warrior. However, it was soon discovered that he was shrouded in a tangible black mist. His usually resolute expression appeared unpredictable under the shadow of the mist, and his once deep and steady voice now sounded sinister and unbelievable.

Qiao Yixia's eyes narrowed, and she couldn't help but clench her grip on the rapier. She said coldly, "If it were just the passage of time, of course it wouldn't make us turn against each other—but what is this disgusting state you're in now, abandoning your human identity and trampling all our honor under your feet?!"

"If we have other better ways, if we can achieve our goals using our own strength, if we can do it in a dignified way, why wouldn't anyone do it that way?"

The man, however, was not angry. He simply replied calmly, as if he had expected Qiao Yixia's reaction: "I admire your willingness to risk your life and be sealed away until now, but too much time has passed, and many things change. What you thought was a relatively good situation in the past is actually extremely dire. In the past, you thought we could choose to live standing up, but now you will find that even kneeling down might lead to death."

There is only one thing: our goal has never changed from beginning to end. So please come with me. We need your strength; at this critical juncture, every bit of effort, however small, is crucial.

The man only looked at Qiao Yixia, seemingly uninterested in anyone else and paying no attention to them. Except for the occasional covert gaze that Zhou Ke'er and Honghe felt, he didn't seem to have any intention of talking to them.

Qiao Yixia seemed somewhat convinced, but still pressed on, "So why now? Why at this time? Why did this happen out of the blue? Or is it that what happened out there was your doing?"

Unexpectedly, the man nodded and readily admitted, "That's right, we did it. And not just here, we caused chaos in every area. This is the first step in our cleansing plan to lure out those evil gods."

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823. But I refuse!

"..."

Although Qiao Yixia had already expected this, seeing that the other party admitted it so easily and without any concealment, even with a hint of pride, her eyes couldn't help but become complicated: "Do you really think what you're doing is right? Is this what you're insisting on now?"

"No, nobody knows whether what we did was 'right,' nobody can be sure."

The man calmly explained, "After all, for us now, whether something is 'right' or not is not important; what matters is achieving our goal. The current situation leaves us no room to pursue 'rightness'."

Qiao Yixia gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, but ultimately made no further moves. "I'm sorry, perhaps I've been sealed away for too long, so I can't understand what you've done. If I had struggled alongside you until now, perhaps I would agree, but at least, I absolutely cannot agree now."

The man remained silent for a moment. The howling wind, screams, and the sounds of burning flames mingled together in the darkness, becoming all the more pronounced in the otherwise quiet place.

Contrary to what the others in the room had guessed, the man didn't attack without warning. He simply shook his head and said, "Is that so? I understand. Then let's part ways for now. Perhaps we'll meet again in the distant future, or perhaps this is the last time we'll see each other..."

As he spoke, the man's figure gradually melted into the darkness and slowly disappeared.

Qiao Yixia breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a little lost: "I was worried that you would threaten me with the safety of other people, or even take action against me directly—if it came to that, it would really hurt me."

The man's leisurely voice drifted from the darkness, eventually fading into the gloom: "This has always been how we treat our comrades. Even if someone chooses to oppose us, we will not kill our own brothers—unless someone joins those evil gods."

Everyone was silent for a while, then Zhijiansha couldn't help but speak up: "I knew at first glance that guy was definitely a bad person, but somehow, after hearing what he said, my opinion changed... Could it be that my mind was influenced without me realizing it?"

Zhou Ke'er casually replied, "Whether he's a good person or a bad person has nothing to do with us, and it won't affect us at all. The problem now is how we deal with what those guys are doing—should we stay here, or go find a safe place somewhere we don't know?"

As she spoke, Zhou Ke'er glanced at everyone in the room—Qiao Yixia, Honghe, Zhijiansha, and Mingmengjing and Bolius, who hadn't spoken a word since the beginning and were basically invisible.

Upon hearing this, Ming Mengjing raised her hand and said, "The Exorcist Organization is gathering all its members. Although I have now seen through the true nature of this organization, I am still essentially a member of it. I may not be able to act with you; I need to go there."

Zhijiansha quickly looked at Mingmengjing, seemingly wanting to ask something, but Mingmengjing immediately saw through Zhijiansha's question and replied, "Although we don't yet know what kind of trouble they're causing at their gathering place, it's definitely not a safe place. I know a thing or two about that organization's temperament, but... what are you worried about? With Zhou Ke'er here, what danger could possibly harm you?"

After saying that, without waiting for anyone else to ask any further questions, she shook her head with a slightly puzzled look on her face and disappeared from the spot.

Immediately, everyone's gaze turned to Zhou Ke'er, who shook her head and said, "Don't look at me. Judging from the reaction of the man who just appeared here, their assessment of my strength is still based on the previous version. Otherwise, according to their standards, they should have killed me on the spot. I don't want to expose myself before they find out. So it's obviously impossible for me to lead you all through here. Let's think of a way that works like ordinary people."

Qiao Yixia replied, "If you're unwilling to do it, then you want me to. I have no problem with that, but where are we going, and what are we going to do?"

Zhou Ke'er was puzzled and looked at Qiao Yixia: "I was actually going to ask you that. Weren't you one of them before? You're obviously more familiar with their style of doing things than we are. I was counting on you to take charge."

“Even a long time ago, when I was working with them, I was only good at taking action, not at strategizing. That was never my strong suit.”

Qiao Yixia answered without any hesitation: "If you want me to take command, let alone you guys, even I wouldn't trust you."

Zhou Ke'er sighed helplessly and turned to look out the window. The fire had spread throughout the residential area and had almost merged into one, as if it were alive, forming a slightly bloated humanoid shape without a lower body, swinging its fists and constantly smashing down buildings, making a series of cracking sounds.

"Forget it, there's no need to confront that thing head-on. Let's leave here first and then make plans."

Zhou Ke'er shook her head. "Come on, follow me to the underground parking garage, we'll drive away."

Finger Sand hurriedly asked, "Drive? There are so many of us here, will the car fit everyone?"

Zhou Ke'er didn't even turn her head: "I never said I only have one car in my garage. If there's not enough room, we can just split it into two. Choose whichever one you want to drive." At this moment, Zhang Si...

Honghe, unusually, said, "There are only five people. Three people can squeeze into the back seat, which is more than enough. There's no need to drive another car."

However, just as everyone drove their cars out of the garage and before they had even truly set off, a strange light suddenly began to flicker across the sky, as if strings of light were being transmitted from one side of the sky to the other, instantly covering the entire sky.

Immediately, beams of light, like those of a scanner, shone down from the sky, gradually sweeping across the entire land, as if data was being entered.

The man's words flashed through Zhou Ke'er's mind. She released her grip on the steering wheel and stopped the car. "So that's how it is... So that's what they were planning. They figured those guys would take this opportunity to do it, speeding up the process... But what good does that do them?"