Chapter 8 - 8

Yes, a wine cellar."

Seeing the scene behind this door, he finally remembered where he had seen that wave-like patterned symbol on the door before.

Lin Yu took out a bottle of wine from his item space—the Kirishima Vineyard · Mourning Special Reserve that Li Nian had brought out from the last dungeon and distributed to him during the loot division.

During the Mad Banquet Beyond Heaven, Ka had also taken out similar wine as an aperitif.

And whether it was the bottle in Lin Yu's hand or the one Ka had taken out back then, both had packaging paper on the bottles printed with embossed decorations similar to the background pattern.

Lin Yu had originally thought this was just ordinary decoration, but now comparing it with the symbol on the door...

This might be some kind of "Misty Islands" LOGO.

"So, this is some wine cellar of the Misty Islands Winery?"

Lin Yu pondered thoughtfully.

Considering that the wines produced by "Kirishima Vineyard" all had special effects on "memory," Lin Yu couldn't help but suspect the true purpose behind building this asylum.

Special wines that could evoke people's deepest memories and this "asylum" that could influence people's memories appearing simultaneously...

There must be some causal relationship between the two!

So...

Which was the cause?

And which was the effect?

When "Freud" made that deal with the "Misty Islands Master" back then, the Psychological Society got what they wanted, but what benefit did the "Misty Islands Master" obtain?

Could it be these wines?

Various possibilities flooded his mind.

But then, a strange shadow interrupted Lin Yu's thoughts.

Under a wine barrel not far ahead, there was a shadow that defied light and shadow logic—it was clearly between the wine barrel and candlestick, yet formed a puddle-like shadow.

Lin Yu furrowed his brows and quickly walked over, trying to poke the shadow with the end of his torch.

Then... he felt like he had poked something soft.

There was some entity here concealed by the shadow.

Lin Yu already had a guess in mind, then reached out directly to grab that abnormal shadow.

"It's fake indeed."

"Hey, it's Teacher Robin!"

Max had been startled by Lin Yu's actions just now, but after clearly seeing it was Robin, she optimistically breathed a sigh of relief.

But Lin Yu couldn't feel happy at all upon seeing it was Robin.

Because...

Third Tier Robin was hiding here in "concealment" posture, and now had lost consciousness for unknown reasons.

This meant...

"This wine cellar is quite problematic."

Max's dolls weren't completely reliable.

Something that had forced Robin into such a disheveled state was lurking here.

"Go!"

He said to Max in a low voice, turning to run toward the wine cellar entrance.

Max froze for a moment, then immediately understood the unusual aspect from her optimistic mood.

She also quickly picked up her dolls and turned to run back.

But the two had only run two steps after turning around when they felt waves of coldness coming from behind their backs.

"Heh..."

A chilling light laugh sounded in the wine cellar.

The laughter from behind made Lin Yu feel even more creeped out.

A chilling cold sensation crawled up his spine—not just because of inner fear, but because there was genuinely something approaching him that could actually lower the surrounding temperature.

Carrying Robin on his shoulder, he couldn't help but quicken his pace.

He didn't dare look back to see what exactly was chasing them, since who knew if this thing had some instant-kill mechanic triggered by turning around.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Lin Yu urged Max beside him, running at full speed while carrying Robin on his shoulder.

He stopped conserving all buffs and applied them fully to himself, gulping down every potion he had.

Max was also pale with fear, sprinting with her head down.

Although this 'Thief' lacked offensive methods, her speed was not inferior to Lin Yu's!

Of course, one important reason was that Lin Yu was carrying Robin—while Robin wasn't particularly heavy, she still added significant extra weight.

The two hadn't ventured too deep into the wine cellar, so they quickly escaped through the door.

But even after escaping outside, they didn't dare relax.

Because the sound from behind sounded again.

"Ah..."

A sigh-like voice drifted and landed on the exposed skin of their napes, bringing with it an icy sensation like fine needle pricks.

Lin Yu and Max, who originally thought they had reached their speed limits, unexpectedly both sped up a bit more without prior agreement.

Carrying Robin, Lin Yu quickly found the staircase they came from, crouching low as he charged up, with Max closely following.

The two continued their frantic dash up the stairs, not daring to pause for even a moment!

Gradually, even with all the enhancements, Lin Yu felt his stamina beginning to fail.

Carrying weight while climbing this spiral staircase at sprinting speed placed too great a burden on the body.

Max beside him was also breathing heavily from exhaustion.

"Damn it all, we've run so far, why is this damned monster still chasing us?!"

Hearing Max's words, Lin Yu suddenly realized something and looked up.

Looking at the upward-extending staircase, Lin Yu suddenly noticed something wrong.

They had indeed "run too far."

So far that this distance should have ended long ago!

"Something's wrong, this staircase... it's too long!"

Lin Yu voiced his warning, and Max also looked up, seeing the seemingly endless upward-climbing stairs.

She instantly understood: "This monster might have triggered some mechanism, we can't go back!"

"Continuing to run like this isn't a solution!"

Lin Yu gritted his teeth: "At best, we'll exhaust ourselves to death."

"Do you have any items that can break this situation?"

Lin Yu asked while running.

Max shook her head with a bitter smile: "I don't even know what's chasing us."

"True, without even seeing this thing, discussing countermeasures is impossible," Lin Yu exhaled, "Since we can't escape, we can only try!"

"Take Robin!"

As he spoke, Lin Yu swung the Robin on his shoulder forward, then half-turned and shoved her into Max's arms.

Lin Yu's movements were so fast that they startled Max.

But she still reacted, her body twisting in an unnatural posture, her joints bending at angles that would definitely break a normal person's bones as she caught Robin.

"Whoa... what are you doing, Seer!"

Lin Yu exhaled.

"Facing fear."

He turned around and pulled out his torch.

At this moment, Lin Yu had completely calmed down.

This dungeon had a "reincarnation cycles" mechanism, so instant-death mechanics were probably rare.

Therefore...

Although his first instinct was to run, and now he was forced to confront the enemy because he couldn't escape anymore.

But... was running really necessary from the beginning?

Even though Robin fell, it might not necessarily have been this monster's doing.

Lin Yu exhaled and lit the torch.

"Whether it's a spirit or energy entity, the [Fear Torch] should be able to handle it!"

He said as the flame illuminated the spiral staircase below.

The staircase seemed to extend infinitely downward as well.

The chilling sensation and faint female voice sounded again.

"Heh..."

Lin Yu saw gray gradually spreading upward from below on the walls and steps.

This gray wasn't "physical," but rather some kind of withering phenomenon—like something was climbing and spreading from below, accompanied by this phenomenon.

Wall brick fragments peeled off, steps developed cracks.

The intangible gray and coldness seemed to be eroding everywhere they touched.

The more intense such moments became, the calmer Lin Yu grew instead.

He protected himself with the torch, staring intently at the farthest point visible from his angle of vision.

But just as he was staring there, Max suddenly shouted loudly.

"Watch out!"

Max's voice was extremely urgent, almost cracking.

Watch out for what?

Lin Yu felt stunned for a moment, then suddenly...

"Whoosh—"

The [Fear Torch] in his hand extinguished.

This was the first time Lin Yu had witnessed the [Fear Torch] failing!

Simultaneously, the chilling sensation instantly enveloped his entire body—most intensely from behind!

Wrong...

His initial decision to run immediately was correct! This was not something he could contend against at all!

The thought "this is bad" flashed through Lin Yu's mind.

Someone seemed to have patted his shoulder.

He had overplayed his hand...

This dungeon, this very dungeon where even the head of the 'Psychological Society' had died mysteriously, was truly too dangerous.

No, every 'Death Game' dungeon he had experienced was dangerous...

Still wrong!

Every dungeon in the 'Death Game' was dangerous.

Had he become somewhat arrogant because even though the previous dungeons were perilous and abnormal, he had managed to overcome them all?

Ever since becoming 'First-Tier' and battling numerous experts, he had become like this...

Lin Yu exhaled.

He turned his head and saw an extremely terrifying sight—

Extremely close to his shoulder, pressed against it was a grayish-white, ferocious face!

The facial features somewhat resembled his own, but it had pitch-black eyes and a mouth stretched wide with interlocking sharp teeth.

"Damn, that's terrifying!"

Lin Yu said through gritted teeth.

He knew he couldn't escape...

But at least... at least he could let the two 'Night Watchmen' above get away.

Robin had survived this monster, only falling unconscious.

So, he needed to stall it.

And hand over the [key item] to them.

Thinking this, Lin Yu had already abandoned any thought of his own escape.

He took out the three [Exit Permits] from his pants pocket, crumpled them into a ball, and threw them toward Max.

His limbs felt heavy.

"Take this, run!"

"Don't look up anymore... use your compass for direction!"

Lin Yu roared, then watched as Max, who had caught the paper ball, clumsily dragged Robin out while taking out her compass.

"Sorry for deceiving you, I'm not a 'Seer,' I'm a member of 'Order'... 'May May'!"

"I'll take this monster down with me!" Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs Nove1Fire.net

Lin Yu said, then pulled out the [Counterfeit]—he transformed the [Counterfeit] into something resembling a bomb.

"The bomb in my hand will explode in ten seconds, run quickly!"

'Belief' surged forth, and the [Bomb] became real.

Then, Lin Yu looked at the monster with its mouth stretched to the extreme on his shoulder, and began walking in the opposite direction down the stairs.

Since his steps were too heavy, he simply started rolling down.

"Come to hell with me, you bastard!"

Boom!"

Max dragged Robin through the hole in the floor back into the Director's Office, then heard an explosion from below.

The floor trembled slightly. Max, still shaken, crawled under the desk and forcefully pressed the button, causing the floor to close again.

She collapsed on the floor, her fear gradually transforming into sorrow.

"The Seer... he..."

Max clenched her fists, her body trembling uncontrollably.

No matter how optimistic she tried to be, witnessing a teammate who had just been chatting and laughing suddenly die before her eyes filled Max with resentment and grief.

To be able to join the Night Watchmen, Max naturally had fairly upright values.

She understood that Lin Yu had sacrificed himself for her and Robin.

This was the Death Game... no matter how many times she experienced scenes like this, she could never get used to it.

"Damn it... damn it!"

Max cursed, pounding the floor with her fists.

But no matter how unaccustomed she felt, she had no choice but to accept it.

While Max was venting her emotions, Robin on the floor slowly regained consciousness.

"Ah!"

She jolted awake from the floor, trembling as she pulled out her paintbrush from her chest.

Discovering they had returned to the Director's Office, she looked at Max in confusion.

"You saved me? You actually weren't affected by that 'wraith'?!"

Max shook her head, smiling bitterly. "No... it wasn't me."

Robin's expression shifted slightly as she understood what had happened.

"He... how is he?"

Max pressed her lips together, her eyes slightly reddened. "The odds are against him."

Robin also fell silent.

After a long while, the young girl hugged her knees and buried her head in them. "What kind of Night Watchman am I..."

Watching Robin's state, Max opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing.

She simply remained silent with Robin, only speaking again after a long time.

"That... at the last moment, he told me he's actually May May from Order. What's that about?"

Robin lifted her head again, looked at Max, and let out a deep sigh.

"Alright, I think you have the right to know everything about this dungeon..."

Next, Robin briefly explained the matter of the "reincarnation cycles" to Max.

She also told Max the reason why Lin Yu had claimed to be the "Seer."

Upon hearing about the "reincarnation cycles," Max's eyes widened.

"No wonder some of those monsters had wounds... Wait, does that mean he might still be saved?!"

Max stood up, speaking excitedly. "As long as we trigger the 'reincarnation cycle' again, will he..."

"He won't."

Robin calmly interrupted Max.

"Although I wish that were true too... that wraith in the wine cellar absolutely will not be affected by the 'reincarnation cycle' mechanism."

"I've faced her before... she's likely an existence above the cause of this place's 'reincarnation cycle' mechanism."

Max was stunned. "What exactly is that wraith's background?"

"She's the previous Director—she originally guarded this place for the Misty Islands Master, extracting patients' souls and emotions to brew wine."

"But... she was betrayed by her former superior, the Misty Islands Master."

"The Misty Islands Master promised this asylum to someone and permitted that person to kill her and imprison her soul in the basement."

While explaining the reincarnation mechanism, Robin concealed the part about having been here before and didn't mention that the Psychological Society might be the cause of the reincarnation cycles.

Even so, Max understood.

"So that means..."

"Yes, he's beyond saving."

Robin lowered her head, her nails digging into her palms.

"This is my fault, but what's more important now is... leaving this place."

"We can't let his sacrifice be in vain."

She exhaled and took out a seal from her chest.

"This seal belongs to the previous Director... the current Director's whereabouts are unknown, so this might serve as our proof to leave."

Max took out the crumpled paper ball that Lin Yu had thrown to them.

"This is what he gave us... the permit for leaving."

Robin looked at the wrinkled paper ball, then slowly smoothed it out.

She slowly wrote her code name "Robin" on it, then filled in "Max" on another sheet.

Then, she stamped the Director's seal on them.

For the final sheet, Robin hesitated for a moment but ultimately wrote "May May" and stamped the seal.

Although she knew he couldn't make it out, Robin couldn't help but do this.

It felt like some kind of memorial.

"Let's go... let's leave."

Robin said, and she and Max walked toward the door carrying the completed "Outgoing Approval Slips."

Although based on their current memories alone, it seemed like they had just entered this dungeon not long ago.

But...

Both Robin and Max knew very well.

They had experienced many, many such reincarnation cycles already.

And in what might be the final cycle, even a teammate traveling with them had sacrificed his life.

Even if they were about to clear the dungeon, it brought no sense of relief.

It only made them feel...

Exhausted.

They carried the "Outgoing Approval Slips" to the asylum's exit, then stepped outside. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novel✦fire.net

And the moment the two of them exited...

White light cascaded down like a waterfall!

In the next instant, before Robin and Max could react, they completely lost consciousness.

...

Jiang Lin opened her eyes in the hospital ward, sitting up in panic.

"Hah!"

She gasped for breath in large gulps.

Looking at the spacious, bright single-patient ward, a thought surfaced in Jiang Lin's mind.

"Did I still fail?"

But soon, she felt confused by her own thought.

What failed?

What... was she thinking about?

At that moment, the ward door was pushed open.

"Oh, you're awake just in time... time for your medicine."

The tall Doctor walked in smiling, holding a tray.

"Judging by your appearance, had another nightmare?"

"The adaptation to this new medicine still isn't going well enough."

Hearing the Doctor's words, Jiang Lin gradually came to her senses.

Oh right, she had just had a nightmare... in the dream, it seemed like she was playing some kind of game, which was why she had the thought of "failing" when she woke up.

She was completely awake now.

She was a patient currently hospitalized in this mental institution...

Because she had recently switched to a new type of medication, she often had strange dreams.

"Although it's related to the medicine, it might also be too depressing," Jiang Lin said quietly. "Living in the hospital, I can't even paint..."

As she murmured this, the Doctor smiled.

"There's no helping it. We need to wait until you're more stable before we can let you paint."

"After all, we can't be sure whether the act of painting might cause your condition to worsen... it could very well be a source of your stress."

"But it's alright, if you feel depressed, you can go out for walks. You can still participate in other normal activities!"

Following the doctor's suggestion, Jiang Lin stepped out of her hospital room.

The corridor was typically spacious and bright, with sunlight streaming through the windows, making the entire hallway appear warm and comfortable.

Compared to an asylum, this place felt more like some kind of high-end sanatorium.

Many other patients wearing hospital gowns were moving about in the corridor, though patients rarely interacted with each other. For more chapters visıt n0velfire.net

Everyone in the hallway was occupied with their own activities—dancing, reading, talking to themselves, or staring blankly at the wall.

Jiang Lin surveyed her surroundings, feeling everything was very familiar.

That's right, she had been staying at this hospital for a long time—she was a patient here.

This thought surfaced in Jiang Lin's mind once again—yes, why should she doubt it?

However, the patients on this floor were somewhat boring...

"Let me check out the floors below," Jiang Lin could see through the windows that this building had five floors, and she was on the fourth floor. "But can I leave my current floor?"

Although Jiang Lin had some doubts and concerns, she quickly convinced herself.

It should be fine—no doctor or anyone had ever told her she couldn't leave this floor...

She also didn't remember any similar restrictions in the hospital's rules... In fact, Jiang Lin vaguely recalled having visited the lower floors before.

She couldn't remember exactly when she had gone... but that was understandable, given she was undergoing treatment.

With all the psychiatric medications she had taken, memory issues weren't surprising.

Having reached this conclusion, Jiang Lin made her decision.

She would go downstairs—not for any particular reason, just because the urge was growing stronger.

Subsequently, Jiang Lin began searching around her floor.

She didn't waste much time before finding the staircase leading downward from this level.

The sign at the staircase entrance read "Emergency Exit."

Jiang Lin pulled open the door to find cleaning staff tidying up in the stairwell, along with several patients drawing on the walls.

Seeing Jiang Lin, those patients didn't react particularly, merely nodding slightly in greeting.

Jiang Lin sighed, looking enviously at the brushes in their hands—these people were allowed to paint, following doctors' recommendations.

Unlike her, who wasn't permitted to draw.

But Jiang Lin quickly adjusted her mindset and continued descending, soon reaching the third floor.

Should she go to the third floor?

Jiang Lin hesitated briefly before deciding to continue downward.

She descended another floor, arriving at the entrance to the second level.

Behind the second-floor stairwell door crouched a security guard uncle smoking a cigarette. Seeing Jiang Lin, he hurriedly stood up, somewhat embarrassed as he extinguished his cigarette.

"Oh dear... could you not tell the doctors or the director?"

The security guard uncle said with an apologetic smile.

Jiang Lin nodded slightly, speaking quietly, "Of course I won't."

She wasn't the type to tattle on people.

Although the hospital had rules against smoking, the security guard uncle was already hiding in the stairwell and wasn't bothering anyone...

Hearing Jiang Lin's words, the guard relaxed with relief, hurriedly opening the door for her in an attempt to please.

"You're heading to the second floor, right? Go ahead!"

As the security guard uncle spoke, Jiang Lin politely thanked him and walked through.

Upon reaching the second floor, Jiang Lin found it wasn't much different from the fourth floor.

Similarly filled with patients occupied with their own activities.

But this time, one particular patient caught her attention.

A woman also wearing a hospital gown but sporting gold-rimmed glasses, who appeared quite amiable.

She was crouched by a corridor window, carefully yet furtively peering outside.

Jiang Lin couldn't help but approach and ask.

"Hello, what are you doing?"

As Jiang Lin asked, the other woman jumped in surprise before turning around.

"Whoa, who are you?!"

After looking Jiang Lin up and down, the woman frowned and spoke in heavily accented Hunan Mandarin.

"Wait, you're not from this floor... You're a patient from upstairs?!"

Jiang Lin nodded, "Yes, I'm from the fourth floor... Is something wrong?"

The gold-rimmed glasses girl grew more alert, "Fourth floor? What are you doing on our second floor... gathering intelligence?"

"Are you planning to declare war on us?"

The gold-rimmed glasses girl clenched her fists, treating the situation like a grave threat.

Jiang Lin was momentarily stunned, finding the other's thought process quite peculiar.

But upon reflection...

This was a mental hospital.

The other's strange logic was actually normal here.

After all, if she were mentally sound, why would she be in this hospital?

Maintaining emotional stability, Jiang Lin calmly explained to the other woman.

"We're all patients in this hospital... why would we wage war by floor units? What benefit would that bring?"

"We don't have any conflicting interests... Moreover, shared floor identity isn't enough to unite sufficient people or serve as justification for war."

The gold-rimmed glasses woman across from her showed a contemplative expression.

"Right... that makes sense."

"So you're not here to declare war?"

Jiang Lin nodded.

The gold-rimmed glasses woman rubbed her chin, "Then why did you come all the way to the second floor?"

"Because... I was bored, I suppose, and it's not that far—just down two flights of stairs."

Jiang Lin said softly, though she herself didn't really know why.

Initially, she just found the people on the fourth floor uninteresting, then suddenly felt this impulse to come here.

But this reason was enough to convince the gold-rimmed glasses woman, "I see... you're quite decisive!"

"I admire that—let's be friends. What should I call you?"

Just as Jiang Lin was about to give her real name, the other woman interrupted her.

"Wait... don't tell me your actual name! That's not safe!"

Watching the gold-rimmed glasses woman speak so seriously, Jiang Lin was taken aback, "Not safe? What do you mean?"

"I suggest we use code names," the gold-rimmed glasses woman said solemnly, "After all, we've just met, and this environment is quite special!"

"Names are just for convenient addressing—we can share our more commonly used names when we become closer!"

Hearing the other's words, Jiang Lin found them quite persuasive.

"That... that makes sense," she said quietly, then continued, "Then you can call me... um, call me Robin!"

In Jiang Lin's memory, she seemed to have used this name for a long time—probably a nickname from before she came here?

Who knew!

Jiang Lin looked at the other woman.

"And what should I call you?"

The gold-rimmed glasses woman looked quite proud, "Heh, I prepared a 'code name' long ago for situations like this... Listen carefully, I am..."

Just as she said this, she suddenly froze.

"Eh? Who am I again?"

position

"I think I know why I'm staying in this hospital... I might have something like amnesia..."

Sitting by the window, the woman with gold-rimmed glasses wore a troubled expression.

"I can't remember my own identity, nicknames, or anything like that at all. I can't even recall my name," she rubbed her head, "but my short-term memory is quite clear. Could it be amnesia rather than forgetfulness?"

Seeing how concerned the other seemed, Jiang Lin quickly comforted her.

"Don't worry too much. As long as you take your medicine on time and seriously accept treatment, you'll eventually get better... This is a very good hospital."

As she spoke, the woman with gold-rimmed glasses nodded and immediately became more optimistic.

"That's true too. No matter what, I'm already receiving treatment now!"

"And no matter what, I'm still better off than those who are truly severe cases. At least I'm still conscious."

The woman spoke while her gaze drifted toward a young man sitting in a chair on the other side.

The youth was quite handsome with delicate features, but unfortunately his eyes were vacant and his gaze dull, making him look like a statue.

"Who is he?"

Jiang Lin was somewhat curious.

"A patient, in the room next to mine," the woman with gold-rimmed glasses said with certainty. "This guy is mentally impaired, seems like dementia or something, as if he's lost his soul."

"He doesn't react when you talk to him. He can only perform some basic movements, like walking, blinking, and such."

Hearing the description from the woman with gold-rimmed glasses, Jiang Lin felt somewhat moved.

"That sounds so pitiful..."

"Yeah, and nobody knows his name," the woman with gold-rimmed glasses scratched her head. "Unlike me who can't remember, he seems to genuinely have no name... I don't know more than that."

"Anyway, from my vague impressions, there seems to be some saying that it's caused by him being brain dead... who knows."

The more Jiang Lin listened, the more she felt a growing sense of compassion and pity in her heart.

"So young, what a shame."

"Did he suffer some kind of accident?"

She couldn't help but walk closer.

Upon closer inspection, the youth's appearance wasn't as handsome as from a distance—his facial features seemed somewhat ordinary.

But this made him appear more righteous.

"If he still had consciousness, he'd probably be a very just and brave person, right?"

For no particular reason, Jiang Lin thought this.

And just as she was staring at this young man...

He suddenly moved—his right hand that had been resting on his knee suddenly lifted up.

This startled Jiang Lin.

"Whoa!"

She instinctively stepped back, then realized this guy wasn't actually dead or a complete vegetable, so moving wasn't that strange.

And...

Jiang Lin looked at his movement.

His right hand reached toward her with a half-clenched fist, as if intending to hand her something.

Jiang Lin hesitated.

But looking at his face, she somehow felt this guy was trustworthy, so she reached out and touched the young man's hand.

Then...

Jiang Lin felt something small inside, like a vocabulary notebook.

"Huh?"

She pulled out the vocabulary notebook, and after just one glance, immediately hurriedly stuffed it into her sleeve to hide it.

Even with that fleeting glimpse, Jiang Lin recognized it...

On the "cover" of that vocabulary notebook was drawn her own doodle.

Although Jiang Lin didn't remember drawing those doodles, or even owning this notebook...

She was absolutely certain that it was definitely her own handiwork.

Doodled drawings are actually even harder to imitate than handwriting—those little habits in her brushstrokes that ordinary people wouldn't notice, she could recognize at a glance.

And these were all recently drawn by her.

But precisely because of this, Jiang Lin felt even more flustered and uneasy.

When did she get this notebook? When did she draw these?

Why was this thing in the hands of this young man on the second floor... and why did he give it to her now? Content orıginally comes from novel⟡fire.net

Doctors didn't allow her to draw—Robin knew this very well. That's exactly why she had immediately instinctively hidden the notebook just now.

So...

Could this be her means of secretly drawing to relieve her depression and boredom?

Then what did returning it to her now mean?

Just as Jiang Lin was preparing to try again to get some clues from the young man before her, or communicate with him...

The young man who had just handed her the vocabulary notebook suddenly stood up and walked straight toward a hospital room.

His demeanor of ignoring everyone around him made it seem like he wouldn't be disturbed by anyone or anything. After returning to his room, he very decisively closed the door.

"Bang."

With the sound of the closing door, the young man's figure disappeared.

Completely bewildered, Jiang Lin looked back at the woman with gold-rimmed glasses. "Is he always like this?"

The woman with gold-rimmed glasses said curiously, "No... it doesn't seem so."

"Quite unusual actually—he actually responded to you! Did you say something to him?"

Jiang Lin pursed her lips.

"No, I didn't say anything."

She tightened her grip on the vocabulary notebook in her sleeve and was just about to find a place to secretly look at it when the woman with gold-rimmed glasses spoke again.

"Um... if you want to look at that thing in your sleeve, I can keep watch for you."

She leaned closer to Jiang Lin and whispered in a sneaky, lowered voice.

Jiang Lin was somewhat surprised. "You... you saw?"

"Of course I saw," the woman said helplessly. "When you walked over, I naturally watched you... and you and him weren't that far from me."

"Don't worry, I respect privacy—I only saw you take something out of his hand. I didn't see clearly what it was!"

"If you don't want me to look, I won't."

Jiang Lin looked at the woman with gold-rimmed glasses, feeling quite surprised.

"You're pretty sharp..."

"No big deal. But I actually think you don't need to be so nervous. We're in a mental hospital, not a school. It's not like anything will happen if you're in a relationship."

The woman with gold-rimmed glasses waved her hand.

Jiang Lin quickly denied it. "I just met him too... This is actually my first time seeing him, probably."

"I get it, love at first sight."

The woman with gold-rimmed glasses said with an air of importance.

Hearing the other's "misinterpreted response," Jiang Lin couldn't help but facepalm.

"That's completely not what's happening..."

"Anyway, I'd really appreciate it if you could keep watch for me."

As Jiang Lin spoke, the woman with gold-rimmed glasses nodded.

"No problem, friend!"

Having received the other's response, Jiang Lin quietly crouched by the wall, using the woman with gold-rimmed glasses' body as cover, and secretly took out the small mini notebook hidden in her sleeve.

Then, Jiang Lin opened to the first page.

On the blank paper, a sentence appeared.

"You are not in reality. This is a game!"

Game?"

Looking at the words appearing on the paper, Jiang Lin froze for a moment.

This was her handwriting again.

But Jiang Lin still had no memory of when she had written this sentence.

Did she write it during a period of mental confusion or memory loss?

No...

The moment this thought emerged, Jiang Lin immediately rejected it in her heart.

Because these words had "appeared" out of nowhere!

If this had happened on an electronic screen, it would be quite normal.

But the problem was...

What she held in her hand was a paper notebook—so small it could fit in her palm.

For words to magically appear on this kind of paper was like some supernatural force at work.

Of course, there was also a more reasonable explanation...

"I might really be in a 'game'."

And just as Jiang Lin had this thought, she quickly felt strong doubt and uncertainty rising within her.

No...

Everything feels so real, how could it be a game?

Jiang Lin felt slightly dizzy.

A new thought emerged uncontrollably.

What if...

It's "surreal" plus "game"?

She suddenly had this idea.

Then, the moment this thought appeared, Jiang Lin knew...

"Could this actually be true?"

If this wasn't true, why would she have such a thought?

She calmly flipped to the next page of the vocabulary notebook in her hand.

"The game's objective is to escape the asylum, but it seems we've already failed..."

Jiang Lin continued flipping through.

"You are not a patient, remember this—because you may lose your memory over and over again."

"This isn't my first attempt."

"This asylum not only modifies your memories but also constantly 'resets,' trapping you in reincarnation cycles."

"I am your past self, the version with complete memories."

"Make good use of [items]."

"You have two teammates, Max and May."

"Max is a woman with gold-rimmed glasses who talks a lot and is quite lively and outgoing, located in the second-floor ward; May may have already sacrificed himself in the wine cellar on the asylum's basement level."

"Beware of fog and seawater."

"If you forget how to retrieve items, I've left one final backup stored on the fifth floor."

"Other patients are dangerous, medical staff cannot be trusted."

Jiang Lin reached the end, all the hints had finished appearing.

She had to admit...

These chaotic hints scattered all over the place really did seem like her own handwriting.

Jiang Lin could almost imagine her past self hurriedly writing these things down.

"So I'm really in a game after all..."

She carefully put away the notebook, then stood up.

At that moment, the woman with gold-rimmed glasses also looked at Jiang Lin.

"Eh? You're finished?"

"Yeah... I've read it all," Jiang Lin nodded, "Anyway, I know your name now... or rather, your code name."

The woman with gold-rimmed glasses was excited, yet also somewhat surprised: "What is it? How do you know?"

"The thing that young man just gave me recorded your name," Jiang Lin said, "You should be called Max."

The gold-rimmed glasses woman fell into thought after hearing this: "Hmm... Max? I'm quite sure this definitely isn't my real name, but rather a code name."

Jiang Lin also thought this was likely a code name, but she couldn't help asking.

"How are you so certain?"

"Because it sounds like a foreign name. Although my memories about my parents are a bit fuzzy, I'm quite sure they wouldn't have given me such a strange foreign name."

Max said seriously.

Jiang Lin also nodded.

Listening to Max's accent, she was also certain this person's real name definitely wasn't this.

"Anyway, that notebook also said," she hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "You and I should both be 'players'?"

"Players?"

Max was very curious.

"Yes, the world we're in, this asylum, is a game," Jiang Lin said quietly, "This isn't the real world, but a game world, and we're players whose memories have been tampered with, making us mistakenly believe this is the real world."

"Oh, you mean like The Matrix?"

Max suddenly understood.

Jiang Lin felt something wasn't quite right, but still nodded: "You could say that... but I vaguely feel it shouldn't be that technological kind of feeling, more like something mystical, supernatural..."

She muttered, while Max stroked her chin and spoke.

"I understand what you mean... these details aren't important. So anyway, you sought me out because we're both players?"

"Right."

Seeing Max catch on so quickly, Jiang Lin breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought convincing this person would take some time.

Now it seemed...

Max, like herself, had subconsciously already sensed something was wrong.

That's why she understood immediately. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

Thinking this, Jiang Lin decided to go further.

"Anyway, our goal seems to be escaping this asylum..."

"And this isn't our first attempt—this place goes through cycle after cycle of reincarnation."

Jiang Lin lowered her voice as she spoke, then shook the vocabulary notebook in her hand.

"Although I don't know who that young man was, the notebook he gave me contains information left by my past self."

"So... we need to work together!"

Hearing this, Max nodded seriously.

"I completely understand now, but if we're going to escape, where should we go next?"

"The fifth floor!"

Jiang Lin said with absolute determination.

The vocabulary notebook mentioned using [items], but Jiang Lin simply couldn't remember what [items] were or how to use them.

Fortunately, her past self seemed to have anticipated this situation—"If you forget how to retrieve items, I've left one final backup stored on the fifth floor."

So Jiang Lin now planned to immediately head to the fifth floor.

That was the area for examinations and critically ill patients. Normally, ordinary patients like them weren't allowed up there.

But Jiang Lin knew...

She wasn't a real patient.

She was a player!

With this as the premise, the deeply implanted notion in her mind that "the fifth floor is off-limits" might even be this game's method of preventing her from recognizing the truth.

So...

Jiang Lin was determined to go check out the fifth floor.

"Let's go, Max, we'll quietly go upstairs now."

Just as she was about to lead Max upstairs, she suddenly discovered...

The woman with gold-rimmed glasses beside her had disappeared.

Just as Jiang Lin was looking around in confusion, she suddenly noticed Max around the corner approaching with two tall doctors.

"Yes, doctor, it's her."

"This patient from the fourth floor seems to have had an episode, saying something about escaping the asylum and trying to drag me along with her!"

Jiang Lin saw that Max had called the doctors, and her first instinct was naturally to flee subconsciously.

Facing the two tall doctors, Jiang Lin was subdued almost without any ability to fight back.

How could a delicate young girl who loved painting possibly stand against the robust medical staff of the asylum?

In the fourth-floor isolation room, securely tied to a chair with restraints, Jiang Lin couldn't help but sigh.

"I was careless. It seems that 'Max's' lost memories and the cognitive interference she's suffering run deeper than I imagined..."

"And I was foolish too. If I hadn't run and tried to explain myself, there might have been a chance for a turnaround. Running away basically confirmed that I wanted to 'escape,' didn't it?"

Jiang Lin lamented, gazing up at the soft light on the ceiling. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel✦fire.net

"But now, how do I break this situation..."

"Not only am I tied up here completely immobile, but even if they release me later, because of Max's report, I'll probably be under close surveillance by the medical staff."

As Jiang Lin pondered, she only felt a headache coming on.

She was really not good at dealing with situations like this.

The only fortunate thing... was that although Max had reported her, the word booklet hadn't been confiscated.

If that word booklet had been taken away and the words she wrote on it were exposed to the medical staff...

Whether those guys were genuinely dedicated doctors treating her as a patient, or had ulterior motives imprisoning her while knowing her "Player" identity, Jiang Lin felt her confinement level would likely be escalated further.

If it were the former, those doctors seeing her notes would definitely think her delusional symptoms were severe, requiring strict supervision and treatment.

If it were the latter...

Then they would certainly be even less tolerant of Jiang Lin discovering the "truth."

"Anyway, there's still a chance to turn things around..."

As Jiang Lin was thinking, the isolation room door suddenly swung open.

A middle-aged doctor of normal build, holding a notebook, quickly walked in, with a folding chair tucked under his arm.

He walked up to Jiang Lin, and under her curious gaze, unfolded the folding chair and sat directly in front of her.

"Oh dear, a patient on the fourth floor showing worsening symptoms..."

"With the Director absent, this is truly a big problem."

Watching the seated doctor and hearing his complaining tone, Jiang Lin understood clearly in her heart.

He was here for her.

Moreover, judging from this doctor's slightly different uniform style compared to the doctors from her previous room, his more complex chest ID badge, and his somewhat older age, he should be a higher-ranking doctor.

Sure enough, after sitting down, he pulled a pen from his breast pocket, opened the notebook on his knee, cleared his throat, and spoke with a cough.

"Ahem... cough!"

"Hello, fourth-floor single-patient ward... Jiang Lin, correct?"

"I am a specialist doctor at this hospital. You can call me Old Li or Doctor Li."

The doctor, who carried an authoritative specialist presence, spoke very persuasively.

Jiang Lin nodded slightly.

"Yes, I'm Jiang Lin," she replied cautiously. "Are you here to treat me?"

"Treatment? No, no, no, it's assessment and examination," Doctor Li shook his head. "You went to the second floor trying to pull another patient into escaping with you... According to the second-floor patient's account, you seem to have severe delusional symptoms."

"You seem to believe the real world is a game, and the goal of this game is to escape the asylum?"

Doctor Li said this casually while writing in his notebook with his head lowered.

"Oh that, I was just joking," Jiang Lin began trying to rationalize her behavior with a belated excuse. "Honestly, I just made a friend, and she seems very outgoing..."

"So I casually tried to make a joke, but didn't expect that because this is a mental hospital and I'm a mental patient, she overreacted a bit."

Jiang Lin earnestly tried to explain the excuse she had concocted just before the doctors arrived.

Although clumsy, it was indeed an explanation.

But...

Unfortunately, such an explanation couldn't fool anyone.

"Then why did you run?"

Doctor Li went straight to the crucial point, asking directly.

Jiang Lin was immediately at a loss for words.

She stammered for a long time before saying, "I... I was a bit scared."

This, of course, was even less likely to convince the doctor.

Doctor Li shook his head, sighed, and wrote some more.

"Jiang Lin, Jiang Lin... You still believe this is all a game, so you're trying to deceive me, this NPC, right?"

Jiang Lin lowered her head and said nothing.

That was indeed what she thought, but even though he had called her out...

"You also think I'm just a very clever NPC right now, or that the game's mechanics are making me say this, right?"

Doctor Li continued.

Only then did Jiang Lin feel somewhat incredulous. She looked up at Doctor Li in surprise.

Doctor Li put down his pen and showed her the notebook, flipping to earlier pages.

"Miss Jiang, this isn't the first time I've come to assess this symptom of yours... Although most hospital specialists disagree, as the doctor who knows you best, my current judgment is that I can negotiate with you now."

"You have exhibited this symptom of believing 'reality' is a game multiple times before."

As Doctor Li spoke, Jiang Lin looked at him, feeling only confusion in her mind.

"What do you mean?"

She asked instinctively, as if it didn't feel real.

"You have always had this delusional symptom and have attempted to escape the hospital more than once."

Jiang Lin's mind was in turmoil as she spoke, "But... but I really..."

"You want to say you really saw supernatural phenomena? That booklet where your own handwriting appears?"

Doctor Li said coldly, and Jiang Lin looked at him in astonishment.

"How do you know that?"

"That was given to you by the patient on the second floor—your delusional symptoms are extremely similar, so you influenced each other during communication," Doctor Li continued. "That booklet was made by him... he imitated your handwriting."

"As for appearing automatically... it's because of temperature."

"That booklet is very small; held in your palm, it changes color automatically—special ink that changes color to reveal handwriting has been something you can buy at any stationery store in this era for a long time."

Jiang Lin was stunned, "What..."

But she still found a flaw, "No, that's wrong! But he lives in a mental hospital; where would he have the opportunity to get that special ink?!"

"You're still lying to me!"

Doctor Li sighed.

"This is a mental hospital, not a prison... As long as they're not dangerous items like blades, family members can send things in."

"That kid's family sent him the ink. At the time, we didn't check if it was special; we just thought he wanted to write something."

"It wasn't until the first item he made for you was discovered..."

"And we don't even know how many such word booklets he has hidden!"

Facing Doctor Li's explanation, Jiang Lin felt her conviction wavering internally.

"What exactly is going on..."

But after only a moment of hesitation, Jiang Lin's resolve solidified once more.

The other party's explanation still contained far too many loopholes!

The special ink couldn't possibly explain why that notebook had appeared at such a perfectly opportune moment.

Most importantly...

This hospital was missing far too many details!

The more she thought about it, Jiang Lin couldn't even recall how she had been admitted—this was the biggest flaw of all.

This was a game, and though it felt incredibly realistic, it still wasn't...

Plausible.

The more she pondered, the more the missing details convinced Jiang Lin that this place was absolutely a game rather than reality.

If this were truly a hospital, where was it located?

What medication was she taking?

Why hadn't any family members come to visit her?

All of this was completely unreasonable!

But just as these thoughts flooded Jiang Lin's mind...

"You must be thinking that if this were reality, there are far too many unreasonable details, correct?"

Doctor Li spoke again.

Jiang Lin raised her eyes, calmly watching Doctor Li as if trying to discern what other tricks he had up his sleeve.

But Doctor Li continued speaking unhurriedly.

"This is the Jiangcheng Mental Health Center. You're suffering from schizophrenia accompanied by memory loss and somatic symptoms, along with depressive tendencies... That's why your parents admitted you to this mental health facility for inpatient treatment."

Before Jiang Lin could process this, Doctor Li continued.

"Strange how I know the questions in your heart, isn't it? Because as I mentioned earlier... this isn't the first time you've exhibited these symptoms."

"These are all questions you've raised before during your previous episodes—they're all recorded in your medical file. You can see for yourself."

Doctor Li approached, untied Jiang Lin's restraints, and placed a medical file in her hands.

Jiang Lin took the file in stunned silence as Doctor Li continued, "I can even proactively tell you about your supposed role in that game... In that game, you're supposedly a skilled player named 'Robin,' a core member of an organization called the 'Night Watchmen.'"

As Doctor Li spoke, Jiang Lin felt that his words vaguely aligned with certain memories she herself had forgotten.

But...

Were those just hallucinations and delusions?

No...

No, no, no.

Jiang Lin felt her head throbbing with unbearable pain.

"Medical Record 1: Patient's parents reported patient exhibiting symptoms of talking to herself and self-harm at home. Admitted to hospital following diagnosis for treatment."

"Medical Record 2: Patient attempted suicide during hospitalization, discovered by staff. Patient stated reason was needing to use suicide to enter some kind of game."

"Medical Record 3..."

She flipped through the medical records, her thoughts growing increasingly chaotic the more she read.

Doctor Li's voice sounded again.

"You've been living here since high school... It's been five years now, Jiang Lin."

"Do you know how much your parents have sacrificed for you?"

Doctor Li sighed as he spoke.

He took a phone from his pocket.

"If you still don't believe it, if you still think this 'world' isn't real enough, then look at this."

Doctor Li played a video from his phone.

In the video, a plainly dressed middle-aged couple sat on a sofa. The middle-aged woman spoke with some unease.

"Xiao Lin, the doctor says your condition has been very unstable recently. Mom and Dad can't come visit you."

"But Mom and Dad believe in you—we know you can do this!" Get full chapters from ɴovelfire.net

The middle-aged man nodded as well, rubbing his hands together as he said, "Cooperate actively with the treatment and get discharged soon!"

Jiang Lin watched the concerned couple in the video, rubbing her forehead.

Were these her parents?

They seemed familiar.

What was real, and what was false?

Was she Jiang Lin, a patient at Jiangcheng Mental Health Center, an ordinary student who loved painting, a patient who had been isolated from society after five years in a hospital?

No...

Wasn't she instead the code name Robin, a high-level player in the 'Death Game,' a pillar of the 'Night Watchmen'?

Or was she both?

No...

These two identities didn't seem compatible.

More and more memories surfaced—everything about 'Robin' flooded her mind.

If she were truly 'Robin,' she absolutely couldn't have spent five years in this hospital, and her relationship with her parents definitely wouldn't have been that close.

She should have run away from home to rent a small apartment, surviving by taking painting commissions online...

And precisely because of that, she would have encountered an accidental death that brought her into the Death Game.

But...

Just like when she had tried to find flaws in the hospital earlier.

This memory also had too few "details."

Jiang Lin couldn't imagine at all how she had actually made a living through painting.

Even the rental apartment in her memories seemed blurry.

The arrangement of items, the direction the door faced... she couldn't recall any of those details.

In contrast, the "mental patient" identity, though the memories were vague... that video was clearly visible.

Could she really just be mentally ill?

Jiang Lin slumped despondently into the chair.

She took out that "word notebook" once again.

Doctor Li pressed his advantage, saying, "If you truly believe you're a 'player'... according to what you've said, you should have abilities like 'materializing objects from thin air' or summoning [items]!"

"So where is this ability of yours?"

By now, Jiang Lin had fallen into endless self-doubt.

Hearing Doctor Li's words, she spoke with a bitter smile.

"I... I've forgotten how to use it."

"But according to what this notebook says... that handwriting mentions backup measures I left on the 'fifth floor.'"

"If I can't retrieve [items], I should go check the fifth floor."

As Jiang Lin spoke, Doctor Li laughed.

"Fine, since you insist on believing this... there's no harm in going."

"To be honest, this forged notebook repeatedly mentions the fifth floor because that's the intensive care unit where dangerous patients are confined... Perhaps this notebook is trying to guide you to the fifth floor to create some chaos."

"But I can accompany you to see for myself."

Doctor Li's voice grew serious as he spoke.

"Whatever is on the fifth floor, I believe in facts and science... Perhaps once you're completely disillusioned, you'll finally accept treatment properly!"

"Let's go!"

He clapped his hands as he spoke.

Two security personnel entered and removed the last two restraints from Jiang Lin.

Then Doctor Li collected the medical file and notebook, escorting Jiang Lin out of the isolation room in what felt like a prisoner transport formation, entering the Unsafe Passage once again and ascending the stairs to the fifth floor.

Fifth floor.

After Doctor Li opened the password-protected door, he led Jiang Lin inside.

Protected by security personnel, the more spacious, brighter, and even somewhat brand-new corridor was completely empty, with almost nothing there.

Doctor Li confidently took Jiang Lin around several times, yet still nothing happened.

"Is this what you called your backup plan?"

"Now you should believe it, right? That thing was completely talking nonsense!"

As Doctor Li spoke, he stopped walking.

Jiang Lin gripped the vocabulary notebook in her hand so tightly her knuckles turned white.

After a long while, Jiang Lin finally released her grip as if accepting her fate.

"So... was everything just my imagination?"

"Of course," Doctor Li said solemnly, "There's still hope if you properly accept treatment now."

Jiang Lin still refused to give up.

"But even if everything is fake, and that guy went so far as to forge handwriting with special ink to deceive me, there must be something on the fifth floor, right?"

Doctor Li sighed and lowered his gaze: "You need to understand, that guy fundamentally cannot come up to the fifth floor."

Jiang Lin bit her lower lip, staring directly at Doctor Li's face: "You're lying to me. Your expression just now precisely indicated that guy has been to the fifth floor before."

Doctor Li looked at Jiang Lin.

After a long pause, he spoke again: "Fine, he did sneak up here once... but it was only for a moment before security dragged him out!"

"Then if you want to completely convince me—prove it to me, show me the place he reached back then."

Doctor Li clearly couldn't stop Jiang Lin, so he could only sigh and lead her to a door for critically ill patients.

"Right here—but opening the door is impossible. There's a very dangerous critically ill patient inside."

Doctor Li said. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ noᴠelfire.net

But as Jiang Lin stood there, she suddenly spoke unconsciously.

"No... no need to open the door."

She saw a crude drawing-like mark floating before the door.

It looked like...

a gray crow.

And the moment Jiang Lin saw this gray crow, she felt her consciousness, her soul, as if struck by a heavy hammer!

"Bang!"

Jiang Lin staggered dizzily, clutching her head as she crouched down.

"Urgh..."

In her mind, she seemed to see the scene from when this mark was imprinted.

"You made it here? Congratulations!"

"Behind this door lies the secret of this dungeon's core trick and design. Your arrival here precisely conceals my true purpose—because they'll pin their hopes on the self-correction mechanism after the door opens, they'll instead overlook this backup plan I left on the door."

"The one who designed this dungeon is strong, but... as I understand, in the Misty Islands, nothing can surpass that crow."

"So, cognitive interference methods cannot blaspheme marks related to the true god of this realm—along with the memories this mark can bring."

"Now, you should remember everything, right?"

"It's fine if you can't take out [items], don't forget... you already have an [item] that belongs to you in your hand."

"Use it as an anchor point to reclaim the privileges that belong to you."

"Then... their deception will appear to you like a true farce."

The memories almost instilled into her mind gradually became clear with each stroke of the crow mark.

Finally, Jiang Lin exhaled and looked at Doctor Li.

"I saw it. You're lying to me."

"This place is indeed fake. This isn't some mental hospital at all—it's just a game dungeon!"

"You cannot alter memories directly related to 'gods'."

Hearing Jiang Lin's words, Doctor Li looked somewhat stunned.

But then his expression turned serious: "It seems your illness cannot be cured so simply after all."

"Then what about your parents, Miss Jiang..."

"Do you think they're fake too?"

Jiang Lin didn't answer.

She raised the vocabulary notebook in her hand and said: "You want evidence of [item] privileges related to 『Players』, right? This is the evidence!"

"This thing... was originally my [item]!"

Hearing Jiang Lin say this, Doctor Li instead seemed relieved as he confidently spoke.

"Then put it away—according to what you said, shouldn't you be able to store it in your item space?"

"I don't need you to take out new [items], you just need to put this away, and I'll acknowledge what you said."

Jiang Lin laughed.

"Ahaha," she shook the notebook in her hand, laughing with unprecedented happiness, "I don't know what exactly you are, Doctor Li... whether you're the residual consciousness of 『Freud』 or a subordinate of the Misty Islands Master, as the true controller of this asylum, you're somewhat too eager for success."

"But I can't blame you, it's just... this 'entrapment' scheme, using me as bait, is really beautifully executed."

"Anyway—sealing [item] privileges is indeed quite an impressive trump card, although you used some clever method... probably by separating our souls and bodies, making us unable to use our full privileges."

"So I'm more inclined to believe you're that First Generation 『Freud』... because you understand 『Players』 too well!"

"But unfortunately, I don't need to use [item] privileges themselves to confirm that this thing is my [item]."

As Jiang Lin spoke, Doctor Li's expression grew more grave.

"Your episode this time is really severe. I'm afraid I'll have to adopt more radical treatment methods..."

"But I still hope you can come to your senses yourself—everything you just said cannot be proven, but I do have concrete evidence that you've lived in our hospital for five years, Jiang Lin."

Hearing Doctor Li's almost final attempt at persuasion, Jiang Lin smiled and shook her head.

"I really overestimated you... to be foolish to this extent."

"Everything I just said, of course, has a way to be verified."

"To be honest... your tactics using parents and familial bonds are indeed very effective and targeted. I can see you've put a lot of design into this, but unfortunately..."

As she spoke, Jiang Lin raised the notebook in her hand.

That notebook twisted and transformed, turning into a flowing black substance in Jiang Lin's hand.

"Let me introduce you—this isn't an item called [Portable Notebook], but [Counterfeit]."

"Just like how I'm not actually Jiang Lin or 『Robin』 either."

The young woman exhaled, her facial features shifting to reveal a young man's delicate face.

"You can call me 『May May』—or 『Director』 is fine too, respected First Generation 『Freud』."

After seeing the crow's mark and recalling all his memories, Lin Yu now felt that all those movies and dramas he had watched hadn't been in vain.

Although he wasn't a genius himself, after encountering and impersonating so many geniuses, he could accomplish things that seemed like they should only be possible for geniuses.

For example...

Coming up with a method to "break the game" within this dungeon mechanism that featured "reincarnation cycles."

Even though he had received hints from gods and an unknown demigod, the method he ultimately devised made Lin Yu want to praise himself a little.

"I'm actually pretty impressive."

Of course, the most crucial factor for successfully executing this plan was his superb acting skills—when Lin Yu fully immersed himself in the role of "Jiang Lin," even the master of this asylum couldn't detect any flaws.

And at this very moment...

Lin Yu voluntarily ended his deception and stood before the master manipulator, possibly even the creator, of this dungeon...

This was precisely the outcome Lin Yu had envisioned from the beginning.

Standing at the entrance of the intensive care unit, "Doctor Li" looked at Lin Yu's transformed appearance and let out a long sigh.

"You're much more clever than I imagined. If I were in charge of the 'Psychological Society,' I would definitely put you on the key watchlist."

As he spoke, he snapped his fingers.

Two wheeled swivel office chairs came rolling out from the end of the corridor, stopping beside the two of them.

"Have a seat... 'Director'."

He sat down in one of the chairs himself and made a "please" gesture toward Lin Yu.

"Doctor Li's" statement essentially confirmed all of Lin Yu's analysis.

He was indeed the first generation 'Freud.'

Therefore, Lin Yu also sat down without ceremony, crossing his hands on his lap.

"I'm glad you're willing to talk with me."

Freud smiled, shaking his head as he spoke: "My willingness to talk with you—wasn't that within your expectations?"

"Of course," Lin Yu said, crossing his legs and adjusting his sitting posture. "You're curious about how I did it... just like I'm curious about how you did it."

"Mind explaining the principles behind this intricate asylum?"

Freud nodded.

"As you said, and as you previously received hints... my core technique involves separating soul and body."

"This was also my method back when I was a 'Player.'"

Lin Yu nodded: "Three intensive care rooms, corresponding exactly to our three players, right?... Each reincarnation cycle essentially fulfills certain conditions that allow you to activate your ability, transferring part of our souls, cognition, and memories into the hospital rooms."

"Extremely clever."

Freud marveled: "Such promising material... no wonder the gods value you."

Lin Yu looked at Freud, ignoring his praise.

"So, why?"

"What do you want from us... or rather, what exactly are you trying to accomplish by operating here?"

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As Lin Yu spoke, Freud laughed.

"Because I died as a 'Player.'"

Although it was just a brief statement, it was enough for Lin Yu to understand Freud's purpose.

"So it's such a simple reason."

Freud had emphasized his identity as a 'Player' and his current state of being "dead" in a certain sense.

Only people with a strong desire to live would enter the game and become Players.

So...

Everything he was doing was obviously to escape this lingering state and "revive" properly.

"So that means players' corpses and souls are very useful to you?"

Thinking this, Lin Yu suddenly frowned: "Oh, wait... that's not right... probably only souls are useful, and only parts of souls at that."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't have left the bodies of previous players here, having them act out roles."

"Even leaving part of their souls remaining in their bodies—that's also your method of controlling them."

As Lin Yu spoke, Freud sighed.

"You're almost too perceptive—indeed, the setup here was too rushed. Once promising players like you recover their memories, they can even discern my needs."

"However... I'm still very curious about how you did it—I'm not referring to you disguising yourself as this girl."

"After all, I've been trapped in the Misty Islands for quite some time, so I'm not surprised that you have identity-changing methods. What surprises me is... how you came up with the idea."

Lin Yu pointed at the intensive care unit door beside them: "The first time I saw the soul you separated from 'Robin,' I was certain that you relied on this method, and only this method."

All the reincarnation cycles essentially involved him tampering with memories and souls.

The medical staff and other patients' bodies and souls had been completely assimilated by him, which even allowed things like resurrection from death—because they were essentially animated corpses, existence like marionettes.

But players who had just entered, even if their souls were temporarily stripped away bit by bit like peeling fruit during repeated "reincarnation cycles," still maintained autonomous consciousness.

"Your methods are too 'logical'—just like when you called those two chairs earlier."

"Those chairs were 'called' from the nearby office... not generated from nothing, nor appearing out of thin air."

Lin Yu sighed: "You have control over this place, but it's incomplete—I could confirm this through too many aspects."

"The god who could boldly send an incarnation directly inside, that mysterious self-proclaimed demigod who gave me hints."

"You can modify memories and cognition, but you can't see through the disguise on me, lacking any direct method to identify people through souls..."

"You mostly rely on those 'NPCs' perspectives to monitor our actions. Even during 'reincarnation cycles,' you can only read part of our memories rather than our souls, so I simply stopped using [Closed Mind], voluntarily let my memories be lost and suggested to myself not to think about my arrangements."

"This was the plan I devised targeting your weaknesses."

"Remember the octopus and ninja who were with me at the beginning? Those two used complete invisibility to thoroughly explore this hospital along routes even I didn't know about."

"So, I found the 'wine cellar' outside your control..."

"Using the completely insane 'former director' there, I accomplished the substitution of 'Robin'—the Robin there was just an illusion disguised by 'Hannah.'"

"Then, 'I' died there... If I could deceive you, of course I could deceive that crazy person too. Although she's dangerous, she's not clever enough."

"And then, when another 'reset' occurred—it happened exactly as I expected."

"The moment memories were lost, I activated [Closed Mind], and afterwards firmly believed I was Robin," Lin Yu took out an "Exit Permit" with "Jiang Lin" written on it, "this hospital that you don't completely control but operates according to your will would truly treat me as Robin."

"Your methods all revolve around cognition and memory, so of course I could exploit that."

"As for Stiller... after all, he was trained by 'Truth Corporation.' Although he couldn't immerse himself like I did, he could still manage to empty his mind completely."

Lin Yu spread his hands: "And then... you couldn't help but appear personally."

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"It was truly brilliant. Because I excel at modifying cognition and memory, you instead targeted my strongest area and toyed with me..."

Freud wasn't angry, but rather quite admiring.

"Excellent, you bring me such delight!"

Lin Yu laughed: "Alright, since both sides have shown our cards... now it's time to discuss interests."

"You want resurrection, correct?"

Freud nodded: "Of course... your tier isn't high enough to understand the principles behind my arrangements."

"But you only need to know that with sufficient souls, I can 'revive', no longer trapped in this small Misty Islands asylum... and I'll also obtain an extremely high tier."

Lin Yu shrugged: "I have no issue with that, as long as you keep operating, players will always enter eventually—I promise not to write any guides after I get out."

"Just let me clear the stage."

Freud looked at Lin Yu and slightly shook his head: "But I'm reluctant to let you go—your earlier statement was incorrect, I don't actually need souls."

"Player bodies retaining fragments of souls... can also provide me significant value." Thıs content belongs to novel※fire.net

Lin Yu spoke up: "You can't do it—the manipulations you can perform on souls and cognition require us to fulfill certain behaviors."

"Leaving the hospital, exploring restricted areas... in other words, you can only wait for passive triggers."

"If I do nothing, you can't touch my soul again."

"Conversely... because I'm trapped here, neither dead nor cleared, this [dungeon] hasn't ended—do you think new 『players』 will enter here?"

Lin Yu said coldly.

"And... the avatar of the god coming here probably isn't just to watch the excitement."

"Based on the hints they gave me, while you covet player souls, there are others coveting you."

Freud said: "That's true, but if we stalemate, would that really be more beneficial for you?"

"I can't interfere with you through souls and cognition, but ah..."

As Freud spoke, the stairwell door opened.

Outside stood crowded expressionless individuals, some wearing medical staff uniforms, others wearing patient gowns.

They spoke almost in unison.

"What if I try to kill you on the 'physical' level?"

Lin Yu watched this eerie scene but remained calm.

"So this is your confidence for negotiating with me this long? Gathering these guys to block me here?"

"But you also said I'm quite clever... so is it possible that I've been stalling for time too?"

Freud laughed: "You're trying to have your two 'summons' go to the wine cellar, right—I anticipated that."

"Although the wine cellar is outside my control range, but ah..."

Freud snapped his fingers.

The crowd in the stairwell parted, and some battered medical staff escorted Stiller, who was tied up securely.

Beside him were Hannah trapped in a glass box and Max, also tied up.

"I could deal with that madwoman in the wine cellar once, I can deal with her a second time."

Stiller exhaled.

"Sorry, Director—there were too many of them."

Lin Yu looked at Stiller: "It's fine, I expected it."

Over there, Max was completely confused: "What exactly is going on?! Am I having an episode? Wait, do I have schizophrenia? Is the doctor here! Can you increase my medication? I'm hallucinating!"

Ignoring the noisy Max.

Freud spoke again: "You seem to still have cards to play?"

"Of course, they're just bait," Lin Yu sighed, "Haven't you realized that if I'm pretending to be Robin, and my summons are pretending to be me... you actually don't know Robin's real location?"

Freud narrowed his eyes: "So what? Even if she's good at hiding and avoided one 'cognitive modification', half her soul has already fallen into my hands."

"What can she possibly do?"

Lin Yu curled his lip.

"Why don't you check the patient rooms then."

Freud's face darkened: "What trick are you playing now?"

"Nothing much, just... gave her some alcohol—although she was swapped in the wine cellar, but ah," Lin Yu laughed, "she's not in the wine cellar now."

"Stiller really worked hard, carrying an extra person when he went out, having to pretend it was just himself..."

"Clearly having an item that modifies cognition, yet the mechanism through which that item works is rather crude..."

Lin Yu said calmly.

He had already figured out Freud's memory purge method through repeated reincarnation cycles.

It was the Misty Islands' "mist".

Fog formed from vaporized alcohol.

This wasn't hard to understand, since most of Freud's current methods relied on the asylum's own mechanisms.

And its primary function had always been extracting souls to brew alcohol.

The disruptions in "memory" and "cognition" were essentially a controllable form of "drunkenness" for Freud!

Therefore, even without using [Closed Mind], there were still methods to resist the modifications temporarily.

Such as covering the nose and mouth.

Or for example...

Making the target drunk with higher concentration "alcohol".

"This dungeon's clear condition is leaving the island rather than the asylum, which confirms there are other explorable active areas on this island besides the asylum."

"And someone as clever and cautious as you, your 'true body' or 'core' certainly wouldn't be inside this asylum."

Lin Yu said, calmly stroking his chin.

"Although I never told her my plan, reaching the Third Tier shouldn't make her too stupid, plus she's been to this dungeon before, so she probably isn't completely ignorant of your methods... calculating the time, she should be close to finding your hiding place."

As Lin Yu spoke, Freud's expression changed dramatically.

"You... you never intended to negotiate with me, you plan to kill me?!"

"Aren't you afraid I'll fight to the death with you?"

Lin Yu smiled and shook his head.

"No—what I just said wasn't even meant for you."

"You know, when fishing in a river, using loaches or insect bait is enough."

"But when deep-sea fishing in the open ocean, if you don't have good bait prepared, after fishing with insect bait, you can completely use the small fish you catch as bait to catch bigger fish."

Lin Yu exhaled and looked at Max.

"Alright, sir—what's your story?"

"Coming to this dungeon watching me busy working... what advantage are you planning to reap from our conflict?"

position

It took Max a full five seconds after hearing Lin Yu's words to realize he was talking about her.

"Eh? Me?"

"Yes, you," Lin Yu sighed. "Just who are you?"

He knew very clearly that the woman before him was absolutely not the Night Watchmen's Wild Boar.

This was a false identity—whether it was fabricated or stolen, Lin Yu didn't know.

But he was quite certain that Max was absolutely not normal.

Because right after retrieving all his memories and reviewing all of Max's behaviors, Lin Yu suddenly realized something.

On that Director's list, only Robin's real name "Jiang Lin" was recorded.

His own name and Max's name were one garbled code and one blank space respectively.

In other words...

In a certain sense, both he and Max were more difficult to control for this "asylum" dungeon and for Freud than the Third-Tier Robin.

Of course, he himself was indeed a bit special—Lin Yu didn't deny this. He wasn't an ordinary player—plus, even the God of Change had a small account in this dungeon, so it wasn't impossible for him to casually cover himself up.

But what about Max?

According to the three hints given by that self-proclaimed "half immortal" Fur Ball, Robin corresponded to the second segment—"Mountains differ but resemble, revisiting old haunts thoughts remain; entering this game yet not a piece, standing outside the board yet not moving chess."

Based on this, Lin Yu had already completed his arrangements for Robin.

Although her name was indeed on the list, as someone "revisiting old haunts," sending her outside the asylum was most appropriate.

But the third segment corresponding to Max...

"Clouds mountains mist water heart is illusion, obsessed with old appearances unable to free oneself; body already trapped in countless layers of games, where could a death trap imprison the heart!"

Lin Yu still couldn't figure out what it meant.

However, after negotiating with Freud and learning about his ability to manipulate puppets, Lin Yu suddenly realized something.

What if...

Max actually corresponded to the first segment?

"False temple housing true Laozi, unaware one's body is wood and stone; ascending mountain entering game not true intent, true form not revealed disaster won't emerge."

Although this segment seemed to be about himself, upon careful thought, it didn't match at all!

First of all, he was just a First-Tier. Although his exterior was fake, saying he had a "true Laozi" inside wasn't quite right!

Moreover, Lin Yu didn't feel he was "unaware of his own body" either!

"Ascending mountain entering game not true intent" could be stretched to apply to him, but it still felt somewhat forced!

Who entered the Death Game voluntarily?

But if applied to Max, assuming some higher existence had altered Max's cognition and manipulated her into entering, everything made perfect sense.

Yet even so...

Max still showed no unusual movements.

"What are you talking about? I... am I not just a mental patient?"

But at this moment, Freud had already reacted. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel-fire.net

"Damn it... she's also smuggled in!"

"Your tier shouldn't be able to enter here," he said through gritted teeth. "Damn it... wearing the skin of a First-Tier, just who are you?"

As he spoke, Freud's figure suddenly became "blurry" and "distorted."

"Bzzzt—"

Like a broken electronic screen, sharp, regular colors flashed across his body, and his entire being showed a panicked expression.

"No... goddammit, this can't happen!"

"Make that little girl stop!"

Freud's voice was also mixed with buzzing static, as if he might disappear at any moment.

"You also know this person is abnormal," Freud pointed at the still confused Max. "If I die and the 'restrictions' here disappear... you won't survive!"

The surrounding environment also began to blur, the originally spacious, bright hospital turning into a dilapidated, desolate scene... the situation kept changing.

Finally, large areas of distortion appeared, the surrounding walls and ceiling flickering.

Lin Yu exhaled, gently rubbing his temples. The environment before him and Freud's voice were making his ears ring and vision blur.

"You make a good point."

"Then save me quickly!"

Freud growled.

The patients he controlled began falling down one by one, turning into swollen, rotting corpses.

"Unfortunately," Lin Yu sighed, "I'm just a nobody playing small tricks. I'm neither clever nor powerful..."

"Breaking your design already exhausted all my strength—this situation isn't something I can just hit the brakes on."

Lin Yu was telling the truth.

He only knew that releasing Robin would likely break the situation from the outside, but how far Robin could go, Lin Yu didn't know either.

He didn't even know how Robin was currently dealing with Freud's main body, let alone stopping her!

As Freud's condition worsened, the flickering around them accelerated—finally, the "true" appearance of the asylum appeared before Lin Yu.

This place was simply ruins and debris.

The five-story building was crumbling, the so-called "intensive care unit" had no door at all, with even the walls and roof broken, revealing huge holes directly showing the outside.

Mist drifted, sparse and cold.

Looking through the holes in the walls, black cliffs and churning seawater appeared deep and icy.

Also in this instant, Lin Yu felt his mind clear considerably.

The Freud before him—that is, Doctor Li—had also turned into a highly decomposed corpse—this probably wasn't his original "corpse."

Stiller spoke with emotion: "So that's it, those lost souls and memories... were used for 'construction.'"

"Constructing an illusory scene through the collective cognition of hundreds of souls, even including powerful ones—the world here in the Misty Islands is truly marvelous."

Hearing Stiller's words, Lin Yu stroked his chin.

"I'm just curious, how was this guy planning to 'resurrect'? Just creating illusions here... shouldn't have anything to do with resurrection, right?"

"Quantitative change leads to qualitative change... this guy wanted enough souls to achieve sufficiently intense 'cognition,' and through that seize a 'god's' tier, authority, and domain—once he became a god, the 'illusion' he constructed, while still impossible to make real, could expand this 'fiction' infinitely. At that point, even though he'd still be 'falsely alive,' what difference would there be from being truly alive?"

The explanatory voice sounded beside Lin Yu.

He looked beside him—Max was sitting cross-legged on the ground, having taken out her compass, speaking softly.

She kept talking to herself, and Lin Yu only felt the aura around her growing increasingly terrifying.

"You..."

Lin Yu tried to communicate with her.

But she ignored him, continuing to mutter incantations.

"This is why the God of Change and the fragments of destiny came here... this is also why I came here, truly marvelous to the extreme!"

As she spoke, Max manipulated the compass, which emitted a "buzzing" sound and radiated golden light.

She looked at Lin Yu.

"Kid, you're not bad either... even though you're from Order and killed quite a few of my people, I've always been clear about gratitude and grudges!"

Max said, lightly tapping the compass with her finger.

"Gen above Xun below, Mountain Wind Gu—go!"

Lin Yu suddenly felt his body become light.

And in that instant, he found himself already in the sky!

"What the hell? How did I fly up!"