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

122. My Cause of Death (Part Three)

Zhou Ke'er twisted her wrist, preparing to unleash a flurry of attacks.

He wanted to see just how far he had to go before these people would react.

However, he had only taken one step when he suddenly lost his footing and fell to the ground without warning.

It's all flat ground! There are no obstacles, and no manhole covers have been stolen!

and...

Why is it described as falling?

Even manholes aren't deep enough to cause someone to "fall in," are they?

There was darkness in front of him.

A moment of disorientation.

It's like accidentally taking a nap.

Open your eyes again.

Zhou Ke'er found herself in a different place again.

Now this is...

Subconsciously glancing around, Zhou Ke'er saw that it was a small room. She was sitting on a soft sofa with a table in front of her. Some documents were neatly arranged on the table, but they were covered by opaque folder covers, so it was impossible to see what was written on them.

Behind the table, in a chair, sat a man in a white coat with an indistinct face, holding a ballpoint pen in his hand, his thumb constantly pressing the keys, making a "click-click" sound.

This is a psychological counseling room.

Zhou Ke'er made this deduction almost immediately.

As a psychiatrist, I naturally have some knowledge of information related to psychiatrists, and with the help of some distinctive landmarks in the surrounding area, I can basically make a judgment.

Moreover... Zhou Ke'er herself has a habit of constantly pressing the ballpoint pen when diagnosing patients—or rather, most psychologists or psychiatrists probably have this habit.

The "pattering" sound can give people a feeling of...anxiety, and the more anxious a person is, the more likely they are to reveal their true psychological state. This is an unconscious and unintentional "reaction".

However... it's a bit strange that the other person is wearing a white coat. It's rare to see a psychiatrist wearing a white coat...

After all, the profession of psychologist, though called "doctor," should really be called "psychological counselor."

Oh, I've gone off on a tangent...

Zhou Ke'er tends to overthink things that are related to her daily life. After a while, she finally came to her senses and began to seriously analyze the current situation.

As for that psychologist... I won't move unless he moves; if he doesn't speak, Zhou Ke'er will ignore him.

By the way, the plot of this module is a bit wild. It changes locations at the drop of a hat. Zhou Ke'er hadn't even found out any clues there yet, and now she's here...

However, if you connect the three scenarios you experienced...

The first is Zhou Ke'er's own memory of how the people who asked her for help refused to help her when she was in distress, and the second is seeing the unusual indifference of "others" - coupled with the gloomy color scheme.

Is your psychological problem stemming from guilt? Do you find the indifference of others strange and frightening, which then triggers your own feelings of failing to help others in distress? Is that why you're seeking psychological treatment?

Wow, that's way too sensitive!

Zhou Ke'er naturally reached out to the stack of documents on the table, trying to take a look at one of them.

"pat"

Just then, the doctor finally made a move.

He set aside the documents he had been looking at, closed the folder, stopped pressing the pen, and stared at Zhou Ke'er—though her face was blurred. "I've looked at all the documents related to you... um... although it's a bit strange to ask..."

The other person hesitated for a moment, then leaned forward and asked Zhou Ke'er, word by word, "Are you... really feeling guilty? No offense, but... how should I put it, it feels a bit strange. Your situation... well, it doesn't seem like someone who is truly guilty."

"what?"

Zhou Ke'er quietly and subtly withdrew her outstretched hand, coughed twice in a mocking manner, and said with an expressionless face, "Yes, you're absolutely right. I don't feel guilty at all. Even though I don't know what happened, what's there to feel guilty about?"

Wow, another new clue—no, it can't even be called a clue, but rather... another way of saying it?

The initial "Zhou Ke'er" told him "not to feel guilty," but this guy then said Zhou Ke'er didn't truly feel guilty...

Isn't that a contradiction?

Which statement is wrong?

Or rather... was it... misleading?

However, if Zhou Ke'er doesn't feel guilty, then why did she come here for psychological counseling?

It can't be that Zhou Ke'er herself didn't actually feel guilty, but felt guilty, and therefore her indifference and complicated emotions were mixed together, causing him to become mentally unstable?

Um...

This is ridiculous.

That's another possibility.

Zhou Ke'er didn't come on her own initiative; she was sent by others.

Is it because you think Zhou Ke'er will be overwhelmed by guilt after experiencing this, so you're asking her to come for psychological counseling?

This is a possible scenario...you can try to verify it.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ke'er raised an eyebrow at the psychologist, looking defiant. "Oh, by the way... could you tell me why I feel guilty? Sorry, I didn't feel anything at all, so I forgot about it. Anyway, it's not something important, is it?"

"..."

The other person was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed—yes! He laughed! Although his face was blurry, Zhou Ke'er could feel that he had suddenly started laughing!

"Good! Very good! Look at yourself... Don't care about other people's feelings, don't pay attention to what others say... Stick to your own feelings, don't think it's strange, everyone is a different individual..."

The other person was rambling incoherently, spouting nonsensical words: "You know what? Not feeling guilty is the real you... Don't force yourself! Only then can you accept all of this! I think... now, you should be mentally prepared to accept all of this..."

"Gan!"

Zhou Ke'er cursed under her breath and jumped up from the sofa on the spot—this jerk said exactly the same thing as the original "Zhou Ke'er" when she was about to change locations. It seemed like they were about to change the map!

He hasn't found any information yet!

Why are you in such a hurry to change locations!

Zhou Ke'er is completely confused.

But there was no time to worry about that, and he couldn't stop the other party, so he could only grab a bunch of documents and folders on the table—I can't get anything out of you, so I'll just take the documents with me!

But... his wish was not fulfilled.

blank.

Blank.

They were all blank sheets of paper, with nothing written on them.

"!"

Zhou Ke'er stared at the other person in bewilderment.

The other person just stared at Zhou Ke'er silently, without saying or doing anything.

What's going on?

Zhou Ke'er reached out and grabbed the stack of documents that the other person had just placed aside—it was still blank! There wasn't a single word on it!

"What's going on?!"

Zhou Ke'er slammed the stack of documents onto the table in front of the other person. "There's not a single word on them, just a blank page... So what did you just say about looking at my documents? A blank page?!"

"..."

The other person glanced at the blank paper in Zhou Ke'er's hand, looked up at her, and smiled slightly: "That's right. Because... this is your information. You... are a blank slate."

"What do you mean? What do you mean I'm just a blank slate?"

Zhou Ke'er blurted out the question, but before the other party could answer anything—though the other party didn't seem like they would answer anything either.

"boom!"

A sudden, loud bang was heard.

Zhou Ke'er subconsciously turned her head to look.

Where there had been a wall, a door had appeared. Then, the door was flung open and slammed against the wall.

A tall, indistinct-faced man walked in. Although his face was also indistinct, he gave off a very serious feeling. In addition, he gave Zhou Ke'er a strange, as if imposed emotion in her heart—fear and disgust.

"Time is up."

The therapist nodded to the man.

“I know, that’s why I’m here to take him back. Everything must proceed exactly as planned, without a single second of error!”

The man said in a rigid and arrogant manner, "So I just came in. I'm sure you won't mind, right? So I'm taking him away now. We're running out of time."

"No, of course I mind. Because you're trash."

The therapist smiled and said, "It's up to you, take him with you."

"Huh? What's going on now?"

Zhou Ke'er was genuinely bewildered.

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123. My Cause of Death (Part Four)

"Huh? This...uncle? So who are you, Ning? Judging from your tone, you're going to take me away?"

Faced with this inexplicable situation, Zhou Ke'er immediately perked up, plopped down on the sofa, crossed her legs casually, picked her ear with her little finger while doing so, and asked in an extremely sarcastic tone without even looking at the other person.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Is this the time for you to play these ridiculous 'I don't know you' games? Time is running out, everything needs to be done on schedule!"

The man seemed a little angry, and he coldly rebuked her, then lifted his leg and walked towards Zhou Ke'er, reaching out as if to pull her up.

"Oh...it seems that it's you, sir, who needs psychological treatment, not him..."

The therapist sat in the chair, shrugged, and casually said, "Of course, I don't decide who gets therapy, so there's nothing I can do about it..."

If we doctors could decide who needs treatment, how could there be so many people with mental illnesses left in the world? Don't you think so?

Zhou Ke'er did not get up to make way, but instead looked at the two people with great interest.