"This kid... confessed?" Qin Tianxiong was stunned. He had gone to great lengths just to implicate Gao Neng as an accomplice of Tang Weiwei and Ah Si, but he never imagined Gao Neng would actually confess voluntarily.
'Has he gone insane?'
A question inexplicably popped into Qin Tianxiong's mind.
It wasn't just him. The moment Zhang Dafan saw the scene, he immediately recalled Gao Neng doing calisthenics on the bus.
'The pressure must have been too much!'
'His fragile mind... finally cracked?'
'He's lost it, he's lost it, Gao Neng has really lost his mind!'
And in fact, Gao Neng was acting a little "crazy" right now. 'And the system calls this not loud enough? If I had a megaphone, the entire hotel would be able to hear me!'
'Can't be helped!'
'System, you're something else!'
Gao Neng took a deep breath, mustering his strength.
"Hahaha, I'm the one who took down Shen Ning'Er! What are you going to do about it? Hahaha... What are you going to do... Mmph!!!" Gao Neng couldn't shout the rest.
Because he had been tackled by Zhang Dafan.
As Gao Neng shouted and performed his calisthenics, his homeroom teacher, Zhang Dafan, was suddenly filled with incredible valor, as if divinely inspired.
He tackled Gao Neng, pinning him to the ground.
Gao Neng felt his entire body pinned firmly under Zhang Dafan, his mouth completely covered. He subconsciously wanted to use all his strength to throw Zhang Dafan off, but he felt that wouldn't be appropriate.
"Haha... Gao Neng's lost it! Hahaha... he's lost his mind!" Tang Weiwei finally reacted. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt something wasn't quite right.
'Wait a minute!'
'He's not crazy!'
'He's the one who did it! He's just telling the truth!'
"He confessed! Hurry up and arrest him! Let the two of us go!" Having come to his senses, Tang Weiwei started yelling too.
Gao Neng, however, paid him no mind.
A series of mechanical sounds was ringing in his mind.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing the side quest: 'Confront!'"
"Commencing random reward."
"Spinning, spinning, I'm spinning..."
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have randomly obtained 'Eye of Deprivation' (Trial Version: 5-day trial period)."
"The Eye of Deprivation can strip away one of the Four Great Ancient Evil Arts, the 'Makeup Technique,' as well as all other forms of disguise. Before you, the Makeup Technique and all disguises are rendered useless. You possess the power to see through the essence of all things."
'Isn't this supposed to be a Transformer? What the hell is an Eye of Deprivation?! And it's a damn trial version? What kind of random reward is this? Are you messing with me?' Gao Neng was stunned. He'd risked life and limb to complete this stupid side quest, only to get a trial version of the "Eye of Deprivation."
'I can't take this. I would've rather gotten a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill!'
"No mistake! Surprised? Bet you didn't expect that!" the mechanical voice replied.
"..." Gao Neng was speechless.
'I don't want to curse. I'm a man of culture. I just want to compose another poem.' But after a moment's thought, he realized he didn't have the poetic mood or inspiration right now.
Then, he asked a question he swore he would never ask again for the rest of his life.
"So... how do I upgrade this trial version to the full version?"
"Pay up! How do you expect to get the full version if you don't spend money?"
"..."
...
「Golden Grand Hotel, Surveillance Room」
"Has he lost his mind?" Dressed in a black military uniform, Shen Ning'Er sat quietly on the sofa, watching the surveillance feed. She tucked a stray strand of long hair behind her ear. "Lieutenant Chen."
"Ma'am!" The soldier standing beside Shen Ning'Er nodded immediately.
"We brought a field medic with us this time, didn't we?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Can he diagnose psychiatric issues?"
"Doctor Wang is a veteran medic with extensive experience. He previously worked in psychiatric rehabilitation at the Third Hospital. I believe he is more than qualified."
"Then have Doctor Wang pay them a visit. Make sure all three of them are evaluated. It will demonstrate the Military Department's impartiality." A faint, unreadable smile touched Shen Ning'Er's lips, as beautiful and sudden as a peach blossom blooming in March on her otherwise placid face.
"Understood." Lieutenant Chen nodded and turned to leave the room.
...
「In the conference room.」
Gao Neng was still pinned down by Zhang Dafan.
Meanwhile, Li Qingping and Qin Tianxiong were locked in a heated argument.
Li Qingping insisted on taking Gao Neng to the hospital to have his injuries treated first, but Qin Tianxiong refused, declaring that he hadn't laid a finger on the boy.
The two argued back and forth.
Tang Weiwei and Ah Si looked at Gao Neng, sneering inwardly.
'Crazy or not, you've already confessed. There's no escaping this time, hehe...' Tang Weiwei's head was still throbbing, but he wanted to laugh. It was just difficult to form a grin.
Ah Si stood behind Tang Weiwei. He could already sense Captain Qin's favoritism. 'It's true what they say,' he thought, 'it's good to have friends in high places.' That principle had held true throughout history.
Tang De had also entered the room by now.
However, he was far calmer than Li Qingping and Qin Tianxiong. Without even sparing Tang Weiwei a glance, he simply stood to the side, observing coolly.
"Qin Tianxiong, as a principal, I must be responsible for my student's safety!" Li Qingping was furious. He'd been gone for less than twenty minutes, and this had happened. Furthermore, Gao Neng was clearly not in a good state; it was highly likely he'd had a mental breakdown under the pressure.
"Principal Li, you are obstructing a Military Department investigation. I have already told you clearly that I did not lay a hand on Gao Neng. If you don't believe me, you can go to the surveillance room and check the footage yourself!"
"And if I go, you'll just take Gao Neng away, won't you?"
"Principal Li, have faith in the Military Department!"
"It's precisely because I trusted the Military Department too much that I allowed you to drive Gao Neng insane!"
"Principal Li, this behavior of yours..."
"..."
"Captain!" Just then, Lieutenant Chen walked in, dressed in his black military uniform. A slightly heavyset, middle-aged man followed behind him.
"Lieutenant Chen? Doctor Wang? You're here... to...?" Qin Tianxiong knew who Lieutenant Chen reported to. His appearance now meant he was surely carrying orders.
"To perform a psychiatric evaluation on Gao Neng," Lieutenant Chen said, gesturing to Doctor Wang behind him.
"Hello, Captain Qin," Doctor Wang said with a smile.
"Hello, Doctor Wang." Qin Tianxiong nodded, then his eyes lit with understanding. "I see. In that case, please conduct a thorough examination, Doctor Wang. Let's see if this kid has really lost his mind."
"Yes, and I'll ask you two to participate as well." Doctor Wang smiled again, his gaze shifting to Tang Weiwei and Ah Si.
"Why do we have to be examined too?" Tang Weiwei was baffled.
"That's right... We're not the crazy ones, Gao Neng is! Just examine him. What's the point of examining us?" Ah Si was equally perplexed.
Doctor Wang didn't reply, merely turning his head to look at Lieutenant Chen.
"Ahem. The thing is, both of you sustained head injuries yesterday. With injuries of that nature, it's possible to experience certain hallucinations. Therefore, to verify the credibility of your statements, we need you both to cooperate with a psychiatric evaluation," Lieutenant Chen explained, having understood the unspoken request.
"We refuse to be examined! There's nothing wrong with us! We saw everything clearly yesterday. Gao Neng did it, and he even confessed. There's no mistake!" Although his head had been smashed, Tang Weiwei wasn't a complete idiot. He had no desire to be labeled a lunatic like Gao Neng.
"Whether there's a problem with your mental state isn't for you to decide. It's for Doctor Wang to decide." Lieutenant Chen's gaze on Tang Weiwei grew cold. "This is a decision from the Military Department. Are you trying to defy it?"
"..." Tang Weiwei glanced at Ah Si, then over at Tang De, who stood motionless nearby. His lips parted as if to say something.
"Since it's the Military Department's decision, you will naturally cooperate." Tang De shot Tang Weiwei a meaningful look before turning to Doctor Wang with a smile. "Please, Doctor Wang, go ahead and examine all of them."
"Mm, rest assured, Principal Tang. And you too, Principal Li and Captain Qin. Since I, Wang ChaCha, began overseeing rehabilitation training in the psychiatric ward, I've seen at least eight hundred patients, if not a thousand. I've never misdiagnosed a single one. Countless people have claimed they had no psychiatric issues, but I, Wang ChaCha, saw right through them with a single glance. Not one has ever gotten away!" Doctor Wang ChaCha puffed out his chest, his face a mask of absolute confidence.