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

Although the therapist responded to the man who suddenly walked in with sarcasm and harsh words, she didn't take any concrete action—was it because she didn't want to, couldn't, or felt it was unnecessary?

Although this situation came as a bit of a surprise, it's not so absurd if you calm down and think about it carefully.

First of all, the man who suddenly entered gave Zhou Ke'er a feeling of "fear" and "disgust", and he kept arranging Zhou Ke'er's time. No matter how you look at it, he is the dominant party in the relationship with "Zhou Ke'er", that is, the kind of person that Zhou Ke'er hates but has to obey.

Furthermore, the fact that they were able to "take Zhou Ke'er away from the counseling room" clearly illustrates...

The other party is definitely someone like Zhou Ke'er's guardian.

As for appearing in this place—Zhou Ke'er doesn't believe it's a replay of fragments of "Zhou Ke'er's" own memories. While that possibility exists, if we accept that explanation, then the previous scenes cannot be explained in the same way.

Therefore, Zhou Ke'er believes that this is a kind of... abstract combination of corresponding memory fragments to form such a location. So, neither this person nor that psychologist may be a real person, but rather a collection of consciousness.

That is, Zhou Ke'er internally identifies a certain type of person and integrates their characteristics into one "existing individual." This is what makes the two people in front of Zhou Ke'er now.

This explanation is the most reasonable at present.

The guy in front of me... represents patriarchy... well, parental authority, or more broadly, the collective of "authoritarian consciousness" that includes teachers, parents, elders, and everyone else.

So this therapist, who seems somewhat confrontational with the other party, is also a subset of a certain type of person...

Hmm... Think about it, although it wasn't as obvious as this guy's behavior, we can still make some inferences—first, he could see that "Zhou Ke'er" was acting strangely and felt a certain amount of pity for him; second, he felt a sense of resistance and disgust towards the "collective of authoritarian consciousness" that was oppressing (suspected) Zhou Ke'er, but apart from making sarcastic remarks, he did nothing else.

Well, someone who knows a bit about Zhou Ke'er, a rational... stranger?

That should be about right.

Since this type of character is ultimately portrayed as a psychological counselor, it means that Zhou Ke'er did indeed receive psychological counseling, and the experience left a deep impression...

Haha, that's interesting.

Although Zhou Ke'er isn't particularly good at reasoning, it's still quite rewarding to figure something out.

What matters is not the result, but the process of thinking—the kind of mental exertion, whether it's urgent thinking under pressure or long deliberation with ample time, truly brings Zhou Ke'er a sense of pleasure—well, the means to achieve this include, but are not limited to, reasoning.

Ah, I've gone off on a tangent.

In short, while Zhou Ke'er was still deep in thought, the person opposite her had already walked up to her and reached out to grab her.

Zhou Ke'er casually lifted her crossed leg—though it was casual, she actually did it with considerable effort.

This move is called the "Groin-Striking Kick," which increases damage against male creatures by 500%. (Zhou Ke'er made this up.)

But Zhou Ke'er's upturned lips quickly froze.

Damn it, the other party didn't react at all!

Hey! Even if players and NPCs can't show that thing in the game, you can't just set it to not exist!

This is absolutely outrageous!

The man looked at Zhou Ke'er, seemingly not quite understanding what she was doing, but he didn't hesitate for long before reaching out his hand to her again.

"Ugh..."

Zhou Ke'er couldn't help but sigh and activated the second effect of [The Conman's Little Tricks].

no way...

His legs are trapped between the other person's legs, he can't move...

This can be considered a form of reaping what you sow.

The next second, Zhou Ke'er and the other person switched positions.

"Ok?"

The psychologist, who was watching the scene unfold, uttered a questioning sound, but did nothing.

There's no way around it; for complete strangers who have absolutely no connection to this matter, showing even a little sympathy and indignation is already an expensive luxury, let alone helping others. That would be a losing proposition.

The man confronting Zhou Ke'er noticed his position had changed. He hesitated for a few seconds, seemingly not quite understanding what was happening. After a while, he came to his senses. Although he didn't know how Zhou Ke'er had done it, he didn't ask. Instead, he continued to reach out to Zhou Ke'er, saying in a reprimanding, commanding tone, "Stop fooling around! There's really no time! Do you know what the consequences will be if we don't follow the timetable? I'm doing this for your own good!"

Ah, it's here.

"I'm doing this for your own good."

If Zhou Ke'er was just guessing before, now... after hearing those words, it's undeniable that it's true.

"Sigh... Did you know? Back in the old days, a great man named Einstein once gave this definition of 'mental illness'..."

Zhou Ke'er sighed, took two steps back, looked at the other person and said, "Repeating the same thing over and over again, hoping to get different results."

And you're even worse... You know perfectly well I won't obey your orders, and you've already made that clear, yet you still repeatedly emphasize and insist on it, hoping to get a result that suits your wishes...

In a sense, the therapist was right. You're the one who should be receiving counseling more than I am!

"What nonsense are you talking about..."

The man seemed to want to say something, but was quickly interrupted by Zhou Ke'er.

“I don’t care what you’re thinking, I don’t want to know what you’re going to do with me, and of course I’m not going to listen to you or follow you to do anything... You should just stay here and receive psychological treatment.”

Zhou Ke'er gave the other person a disgusted look and said, "You know what? This psychologist just said that I am a blank... What kind of person is a blank? I can tell by looking at you."

Do you know? Only someone like you, so filthy and mixed that your original colors are completely indistinguishable, yet still going to great lengths to paint others the colors you desire... Only trash like you could create a blank space, create... "me."

"You're the one who's truly sick, pretending to be doing what's best for others while actually destroying them."

Zhou Ke'er stepped forward and grabbed the other person's collar, "You're the one who should be receiving psychological treatment here, so..."

With that, Zhou Ke'er grabbed the man's collar with both hands and threw him towards the psychologist: "I'm handing you over to the psychologist now! I hope he won't mind treating someone as pathological as you~"

"Hey... I'll mind..."

The therapist sighed, but finally smiled at Zhou Ke'er—his face finally came into focus—it was Zhou Ke'er herself: "Well done! If only... that would be so nice..."

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124. My Cause of Death (Part 5)

"Wow, no way? My deduction was wrong again? This is too unbelievable..."

Zhou Ke'er pouted unhappily. Just moments ago, he was absolutely certain that this psychologist was some kind of person or a collection of consciousnesses, but in the end, it turned out to be himself?

So, could it be that the guy he just grabbed by the collar and threw out was actually him?

Schizophrenia... He was directing and acting all by himself from beginning to end? That doesn't make sense, does it? If so, what roles did Fingertip Sand and Flamingo play in this module?

It can't be that it's a multiplayer mod on the surface, but actually a single-player mod based on other players' game records.

This is absolutely ridiculous.

Zhou Ke'er thought to herself, staring intently at the psychologist, eager to see what he would do next.

To his surprise, the other party casually waved his hand, and the person that Zhou Ke'er had just thrown away disappeared into thin air.

Then, he looked at Zhou Ke'er, pointed to the door of the room, and said softly, "Go, all the truths you want to know, the feelings, including yourself... can be found there... As long as you stick to your principles and are not swayed by emotions, you can be redeemed, save yourself, and also save those who are in danger because of you, even though you may not care about them."

"Save myself? Wait, wait, wait..."

Zhou Ke'er frowned upon hearing this, and glanced at the task panel. Yes, it was indeed to investigate the cause of death.

What exactly is going on here? Before, when they kept using the word "redemption," it seemed a little strange, but nothing too serious. But now they've explicitly said "salvation," which is practically a blatant implication...

So... am I dead or not?

After hesitating for two seconds, Zhou Zhou Ke'er finally asked, raising an eyebrow at the other person, "Also, although you look like me, you're not actually me, right? No... to be precise, I am you, but you're not me... is that right?!"

"Ah... I'm truly surprised. No wonder you were able to get here. But with this level of thinking ability, you probably can't even call yourself 'me,' can you?"

The other party showed a hint of surprise, but did not deny it. Instead, he looked Zhou Ke'er up and down a few times before continuing to explain, "How should we explain the current situation? Let me put it this way."

You should have been dead, and would have existed as a dead person. But after you somehow swapped places with "me" in "that alley," leaving that place and coming to this floor, your original identity became meaningless.

In other words, simply put... you were supposed to die, but you're not dead now, and you won't die later.

You mean...this floor?

Zhou Ke'er keenly grasped the word, and her brows gradually relaxed. "Wow, Inception... Well, that's not quite accurate. To be precise... it should be the inner world of the mind? Or... the mental world?"

So, you're not the real "me" either? Our existence is just... something like... a figment of our imagination?

[Congratulations to player "Zhou Ke'er" for discovering the hidden world view, progress: 50%]

As soon as Zhou Ke'er finished speaking, the system notification sounded.

"Wow, it really is like that... That's interesting. If we divide the mental space into several dimensions from low to high, then Zhou Ke'er's previous location would have been the lower 'undelivered' dimension, roughly equivalent to some fleeting mental imagery... or—uh, a mini-drama in her mind?"

As for the scenes Zhou Ke'er experienced before arriving here, they must have served as "stepping stones" between the two levels, right?

No wonder it seems somewhat obscure and fragmented, but even so, it still reveals some information.

For example... on the one hand, it is related to the original delusion, and on the other hand, it can reveal the mental state and personality profile of the original person.

Indifferent, silent, and obscure... detached and repressed. The "blank" state mentioned by the therapist just now, the "Zhou Ke'er" sitting opposite me now, means that the person's spirit... or more accurately, the loss of "emotion"?

Because of behavioral control and emotional repression, long-term torment has led to mental illness, namely the inability to express or feel emotions normally in response to external stimuli or psychological factors.

Such cases have indeed existed under conditions of authoritarian oppression, but...

I never imagined that family factors could cause such a situation. No, how should I put it... well, perhaps the family that caused this situation is itself pathological?

A dysfunctional family breeds dysfunctional offspring... This is certainly not surprising.

Although it only appears in the game, and is only part of a module's storyline, it still has some research value, which is perfect for Zhou Ke'er's major. She'll have material for her next paper!

Zhou Ke'er nodded happily.

"What you said is generally correct. So... even if you know all this, what can you do? Oh... no, wrong question. I should ask... what do you want to do?"

The other "Zhou Ke'er" looked at Zhou Ke'er seriously, and only asked when he seemed to come out of his reverie.

"You just said that after opening that door, I will know everything I want to know?"

Zhou Ke'er pointed to the door of the consultation room and raised her eyebrows: "But, don't I already know everything now? Let me guess... is the floor behind that door where I 'should' have been?"

Everything you're doing now—no, everything you just did—is merely giving me a few "hints" within a limited scope, and then sending me back to my original level, in order to smoothly conclude this so-called "mental delusion"?

"...You're right."

The other person was silent for a few seconds, then finally shrugged and admitted, "You are indeed very smart, but you should know... I am also 'me,' and the level I am on is higher than yours, but that doesn't mean my level is the highest."

While your level may be lower, it doesn't mean it won't affect the main body... For example, if you kill the other two people on your level according to the original... uh, "plot," the main body might impulsively make the same decision...

"Then why are you letting me go back? If the original body dies, won't we disappear too?"

Zhou Ke'er narrowed her eyes at the other person. There was a contradiction in his words, "And if the original body killed someone, you know very well what the consequences would be. Even so... you still insist that I go back to continue the so-called 'plot'?"