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

"See? I told you this thing would never exist."

Zhou Ke'er shrugged helplessly.

Along the way, his own injuries weren't serious, so his stamina hadn't decreased any further. However... it was a different story for Red Crane and Sandfingers; their stamina was probably already at a dangerous level.

Main Quest I Completed

[Subsequent quest being generated: Main Quest II]

Main Mission II: You finally found the emergency phone, only to discover it was just an empty shell; the phone inside had vanished. Trapped in this desperate situation, you rack your brains for a way to save yourselves.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through your minds. You remembered that when you went up the mountain, you saw a simple wooden cabin at the foot of the mountain, which should be inhabited, and it seemed that you could stay overnight.

There is a small hotel at the foot of the mountain, but it is quite far from here. You have to walk a bit further after you go down the mountain to get there.

You now face these two choices.

[Note: Your route choice will directly affect the subsequent storyline of the module, so please choose carefully.]

"Wow, not bad..."

Zhou Ke'er pondered for a moment.

Logically, the best option would be to go to a hotel. After all, in this kind of scenario resembling a horror movie, going to a small cabin in the mountains would be tantamount to suicide.

The problem is that, given the current physical condition of Honghe and Zhijiansha, it's clear they can't possibly make it to the hotel. And even if they grit their teeth and go, with three out of the four having broken legs, who knows how long it would take?

It would be great if there was a player who knew first aid or had a healing title, but unfortunately there isn't.

"Hmm... what do you guys think?"

Fran asked the rosy cranes and the others timidly.

"Hotel".

"Of course, it's a hotel."

Honghe and Zhijiansha said in unison.

"Although that's what I think too...but..."

Fran was taken aback by what he heard, hesitated for a moment, and glanced at the flamingo and the sand between his fingers.

"Do you really want to commit suicide? With the stamina you have left and the debuffs you're under, going to the inn is suicide."

Zhou Ke'er frowned. Although he had not learned emergency treatment or hemostasis techniques—after all, he was just a psychiatrist who had switched from archaeology—he knew that emergency measures were not as simple as they seemed.

Bandaging to stop bleeding may sound easy, but if done by a novice, there is a high chance of causing secondary damage to the wound. It is also possible that the bandage or other materials used for bandaging will stick to the wound, causing infection. Furthermore, when removing the bandage later, the wound may be torn open again.

The same principle applies to bone setting and similar procedures. This is why Zhou Ke'er didn't suggest that Honghe and Zhijiansha treat their wounds from the beginning, because that would be tantamount to... uh, slow suicide? Something like that.

Moreover, even if you're lucky and the technique works perfectly, treating a wound in this kind of environment... well, anyone with common sense knows that's the dumbest thing to do.

Therefore, their only option now is to go to that cabin first, where it will be relatively "safer" and less cold, and then proceed with the treatment.

Unless... Zhou Ke'er abandons everyone else and goes to the hotel by herself? Then forget it... Acting alone is just asking for trouble.

------------

90. Who Died? (Part 4) (Suggested title: "King of Kings")

The atmosphere was somewhat silent. Since Zhijiansha and Honghe did not object, everyone knew where they should go.

Once all the streetlights on the highway are lit, there's no need to keep your phone's flash on.

Zhou Ke'er stuffed her phone into her pocket and sighed, "Alright, let's go then. The mission says it's at the foot of the mountain, so we should be there soon."

"Well!"

Just then, Finger Sand, who had been causing trouble from the very beginning, leaned against the red box again, clutching his head and letting out a soft cry of pain.

Seriously, how could a mere mild concussion have such severe aftereffects? How many times has this happened already?

Zhou Ke'er pondered these questions.

"I heard... what was that sound? An ambulance? Or... a white light, lots of figures... is someone calling me?"

With her eyes tightly closed, she mumbled incoherently between her fingers.

Hmm? Wait... something's not right...

Zhou Ke'er suddenly realized that there seemed to be something he had subconsciously overlooked, as if some force was inexplicably preventing him from thinking in that direction.

But...something's not right! This kind of clue shouldn't be ignored; it's extremely important...what is it...?

The character of Zhijiansha wasn't created solely to create a terrifying atmosphere; her cryptic pronouncements must be a reflection of some kind of situation...

What she mentioned at the beginning... white light? Yes, the operating room lights, and now the sound of the ambulance...

These two factors combined mean that many people are still calling out to her...

Zhou Ke'er frowned and began to think quickly. A sharp pain also began to spread rapidly in his mind. Moreover... for some reason, as he pondered, the conclusion he had just reached seemed to be forcibly erased and was slowly being forgotten by him!

Sure enough, the key to this module lies here! Zhou Ke'er didn't have time to tell anyone else about this idea, because he was afraid that if he got distracted, he would forget the brilliant idea that had just flashed into his mind.

That's terrifying. He hadn't paid any attention to such obvious clues before, and even took it for granted, thinking it was just a side effect of a concussion.

Is this mod designed to directly target the player's mindset? Is this some kind of advanced technology?

That's right! All the clues have been connected! That's it. Before, Zhijiansha had a question: why was everyone thrown out of the car? Everyone was wearing seat belts, the car doors weren't forced open, and the half-open windows weren't enough to make people fall out of the car.

At first, Zhou Ke'er didn't seem to realize there was anything wrong with the situation, but now it seems...

Sure enough, the car falling from such a height in the opening cutscene wasn't a bug in the design, but rather... a hint to the players that they were really dead!

As for the illusions that Finger Sand heard and saw, it was probably because... she wasn't quite dead yet! So she could still vaguely sense the situation in the real world.

The group's physical bodies are currently being transported to ambulances and receiving emergency treatment, but their souls are no longer attached to their bodies. This is probably because, apart from Finger Sand, the other three are already dead.

So that's how it is... So this place is probably something like the afterlife? In that case, the strange phenomena of the streetlights suddenly turning bright and the muddy ground turning into a road make sense.

So that's how it is! So I was already dead!

Zhou Ke'er suddenly realized what was happening and quickly opened her eyes, ready to tell the others the good news, and also to tell Zhijiansha, "Oh, what a pity, we regret to inform you that you are not quite dead yet."

As soon as Zhou Ke'er opened her eyes, she said to Zhijiansha, who was still covering her head, "I know, actually we've already..."

Before she could finish speaking, the three of them—except for Zhijiansha, who still had a headache—were shocked to find that Zhou Ke'er had vanished into thin air.

Hey! Where's our Zhou Ke'er?! Where's our big Zhou Ke'er?!

As for Zhou Ke'er... before he could finish speaking, he found himself teleported to the spot in the blink of an eye.

The surrounding scene instantly shifted to a gloomy, dilapidated little house, with candles lit everywhere, filling the entire room with a dark red hue, and an inexplicable heat emanating from it.

Bloodstains were everywhere, some dried, some still flowing, emitting a rusty smell, but mixed with the scent of candles of unknown origin, it inexplicably gave off a strange stench... or rather, although that sounds odd, it was also a kind of eerie, very fragrant smell.

An old man with gray hair, his face covered with age spots, wrinkles and furrows, and his mouth stretched open at a strangely sultry angle, looked like a villainous old man standing in the middle of the room.

He looked at Zhou Ke'er, grinning, as if he wanted to say something.

But how could Zhou Ke'er let this guy get his way?!

"Hmph, a mere country bumpkin, ignorant of the Two Elements, Three Pure Ones, Four Symbols, Five Elements, and Six Paths, yet he dares to harm seven, eight, or nine people—how audacious!"

Zhou Ke'er shouted "Hey!" and pointed at the old man, angrily rebuking him with a righteous expression.

The old man's smile froze, and he paused for two seconds, still not understanding Zhou Ke'er's train of thought. He then asked in a slightly puzzled, hoarse, and eerie voice, "But you don't have seven, eight, or nine people."

"..."

Zhou Ke'er choked.

Damn, this guy is just nitpicking! This makes the conversation pointless!

"Hmph... Hey! Nine out of ten of your stories are lies. You don't even know the Eight Trigrams, the Seven Stars, the Six Qi, or the Five Classics. You still try to fool a few people. You're utterly despicable!"

Zhou Ke'er's mind raced, and she immediately retorted with another retort.

Hey, they even made a couplet!

"..."

Just as the old man thought he had stumped Zhou Ke'er, the sinister smile that had been on his face froze again. He struggled to suppress it, and his hoarse voice rang out once more: "In a coffin, if a person doesn't howl, even a ghost won't cry. How laughable, how laughable, you mere mortal!"

"In the leaky house, the lamp is not lit and the window is not opened; how pathetic is this clown!"

When Zhou Ke'er heard that this guy actually dared to challenge her to a couplet, she immediately became interested and returned the match without hesitation.

"...Hmph, knowing you're dead, yet still so full of life, your soul must be..."

The old man was rebuffed by Zhou Ke'er and couldn't think of any other couplets for a moment, so he could only forcibly change the subject.

"tasty?"

Zhou Ke'er subconsciously replied.

"???"

The old man was stunned. He truly couldn't understand this guy's thought process. What normal person, knowing they'd died and suddenly found themselves in such a bizarre place, wouldn't be afraid at all, and would even inexplicably start reciting couplets? The worst part was, this guy even stole his lines!

The dialogue was even wrong! How did such a perfectly good, eerie and terrifying line become so ridiculous?!

Zhou Ke'er tried to move him, only to find that apart from being able to move his mouth, he couldn't move any part of his body.

Hey, this is... bondage and imprisonment play? Hazikashi!

I never expected that this old man, who looked so treacherous and cunning, would actually like to play this trick.

Looking at her hands and feet, which were inexplicably and unknowingly bound tightly to the chair with thick hemp rope, Zhou Ke'er couldn't help but admire... no, marvel in her heart.

However... even if you lose the argument, you can't back down from a verbal duel.

"That's it? You teleported me here just to play bondage? That's really hilarious! I suggest you learn more from the teachers and expand your professional knowledge."

Zhou Ke'er looked at the old man with disdain, her expression conveying a tangible "That's all?" which was quite sarcastic.

"you..."

The old man didn't understand what Zhou Ke'er was talking about.

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Ke'er interrupted, "Oh, sorry, I almost forgot. Ning is getting on in years, can't he get it up anymore? Oh dear, how pitiful. If Ning were to follow the example of all the teachers, how uncomfortable would he be? It's the same whether he has it or not, so why not just castrate himself? That would be the end of it all."

"??"

Now the old man understood what Zhou Ke'er was talking about. He was so angry that his already pale face turned ashen. He couldn't say a word. He flung his sleeve, glared at Zhou Ke'er, and hurriedly pushed open the door and left.

As he left, Zhou Ke'er kindly reminded him, "You're in a hurry! You're in a hurry! You're in a hurry! You're in a hurry!"