"I’m not ntally ill! I’m not crazy! I saw a deity in my dream, with white long hair and white eyes, telling we will all vanish! It said we are all apples, and we can’t beco pears! Ugh ah ah ah—" The patient staggered away, looking up and laughing, with a laugh filled with despair:
"Everything is causality, everything is destiny, too divine, too divine. Humans will only understand this grand sche at the mont of extinction, ah ha ha ha—"
Su Ming’an endured the bombardnt of noise from these patients. The things they shouted were bizarre and incomprehensible.
A large group of crazy patients were running wildly in the courtyard, and so were talking to the air, not knowing what hallucinations they were seeing.
Su Ming’an carefully avoided these patients who resembled go-karts. In the psychological consultation room sat a black-haired woman, presumably the head of the psychological counseling center in Su Wensheng’s phone contacts — Ms. Lin Yunting.
Su Ming’an saw Lin Yunting counseling a mother and child and decided to wait at the door for a while.
"What ntal issue are you experiencing? Or what is troubling you?" Lin Yunting’s voice was soft and pleasant.
The mother held Lin Yunting’s hand anxiously: "Doctor, doctor, please talk to my child, my child has recently been lacking spirit in studies."
"Ah... so it’s your child’s ntal issue?" Lin Yunting looked down.
The boy, around thirteen or fourteen, hadn’t spoken yet, but the mother shook her head first: "At his age, what problem could there be? He just doesn’t want to study anymore and begged to bring him to a psychologist. I think there’s nothing wrong with him at all, doctor, you must help talk to him."
Lin Yunting smiled: "Could you tell about your child’s recent experiences? I can make a preliminary judgnt on his psychological state."
The mother imdiately said: "Oh dear, my child’s grades are excellent, he’s been learning Olympiad math since elentary school..."
Lin Yunting patiently listened to the mother boast about her child’s grades for over ten minutes, without ntioning a word about the child’s emotional state.
"Madam, can you talk about your child’s recent emotional state?" Lin Yunting couldn’t stand it anymore and asked.
The mother replied impatiently: "I think he’s just fine every day, always giving attitude, and constantly saying he’s tired. He can’t even finish his howork by two in the morning, and his grades are slipping badly..."
The mother continued to ramble, full of criticisms.
Lin Yunting couldn’t help but press her chest. She practiced the talisman path, and one talisman could perceive others’ emotional states. She had sensed that the child’s negative emotions were growing stronger, yet the mother kept criticizing him relentlessly.
"Haven’t you spent more ti with your child, caring for his emotions?" Lin Yunting tried to change the topic.
"? When do I have ti to spend with him? His tutoring classes are expensive, and I’m up early and working hard for him, and he only scores this much..." The topic was quickly diverted, but the mother brought it back.
Lin Yunting considered her words carefully: "Madam, your child may indeed have so ntal..."
She hadn’t finished speaking when the mother sprang up like a fighting cock, pointing at Lin Yunting, saying that she looked so young and was insulting people by saying the child had ntal problems.
Feeling sowhat weary, Lin Yunting raised her head and saw Su Ming’an standing outside the glass door.
"Dr. Su!" Lin Yunting stood up with joy.
"Dr. Su? The famous Dr. Su from the newspapers?" The mother also turned around: "The one who can communicate with ’exotic species’ at such a young age and even affect them? Dr. Lin, is he actually in your psychological counseling departnt? I thought such people would be enshrined in so capital of a kingdom."
Su Ming’an was sowhat surprised; he hadn’t expected that Su Wensheng could do that, even affect the dangerous and brutal ’exotic species’?
Lin Yunting left the psychological consultation room and walked toward Su Ming’an.
The two stood in the corridor, and Lin Yunting faced Su Ming’an. She looked to be under thirty, with black hair braided and draped over one shoulder, the ends falling over her chest. She wore silver-frad glasses, appearing gentle and cultured.
"The situation of a psychological counselor... is tough." Su Ming’an said.
Lin Yunting said: "You saw it... right. Even when people realize they have negative emotions, it’s difficult for us to diate. So people even project their negative emotions onto others, preferring to be unwell rather than let others feel good... Like that mother, she called ntally ill..."
"..." Su Ming’an was silent.
Noticing his expression, Lin Yunting comforted him: "Dr. Su, I rember a long ti ago you told — ’If a Dream Patrol entertainer is to dissolve the negative emotions of thousands, it’s a range-sharing. A psychological counselor dissolves the negative emotions of individuals, it’s targeted healing.’ Our intention is to save, not to harm, so I will not let myself feel sad, please don’t feel sad for either."
Listening to Lin Yunting, Su Ming’an gradually realized — the system in this world is truly well-developed.
Human negative emotions would strengthen exotic species, Dream Patrol would empower humans to fight against exotic species and liberate the Black Mist, it’s a tug of war — whether Dream Patrol families breakthrough stronger than exotic species or if the negative emotions of the lower classes strengthen exotic species enough to destroy civilization?
As for the role of live broadcasts, it’s to maintain ordinary people at the minimum living standards and minimize negative emotions, maintaining a dynamic balance.
It’s a complex yet reasonable system. Whether it be humans and exotic species, Dream Patrol families, and ordinary people, or adventuring Dream Patrol families and entertaining Dream Patrol families, it’s an inseparable dynamic balance relationship.
"By the way, Dr. Su, I almost forgot, please follow ." Lin Yunting said.
She walked quickly, and Su Ming’an imdiately followed.
Passing through layers of guards, Lin Yunting led Su Ming’an deeper and deeper in. The surroundings gradually grew quiet, and patients were no longer visible.
The air was filled with a sense of danger. The increasingly fortified defense system, ever-complex password doors, and Lin Yunting’s solemn expression all indicated — they were headed towards a dangerous area.
"Dr. Su, Dr. Lin, you’ve arrived." Before a heavy iron door, a soldier bowed to the two.
Su Ming’an’s eyes moved slightly; he hadn’t expected to see fully ard soldiers here when this wasn’t the frontline.
"Yes, Dr. Su is here to interrogate the exotic species, open the door." Lin Yunting said.
— Interrogate the "exotic species."
Su Ming’an turned his head.
"You look confused..." Lin Yunting said: "Have you lost your mory again recently?"
It seed that Lin Yunting, like Xin Yue from the Human Self-Rescue Alliance, knew that Su Wensheng often lost his mory.
"Yes." Su Ming’an said.
"Then let tell you..." Lin Yunting said.
In Lin Yunting’s words, Su Ming’an gradually grasped the gravity of the matter.
It turns out that this seemingly ordinary Psychological Counseling Departnt houses the most feared and brutal race of humanity—"Exotic Species."
These doctors, outwardly are psychologists, but secretly they are akin to "Soul Guards." They engage in the most dangerous work—probing the information held by "Exotic Species" through communication.
For long, humanity has known almost nothing about "Exotic Species" and "Abnormalities," treating them like natural disasters to stay away from. If escape is impossible, death is the only path. Humanity has no thod to eliminate them.
In such tis, soone must undertake the most perilous task.
——When everyone is extrely fearful of "Exotic Species," so must confront them directly.
——When everyone dreads and avoids "Exotic Species," so must approach them.
This Psychological Counseling Departnt is just one of humanity’s outposts, and there are thousands like it—whenever humanity captures an "Exotic Species," soone must confront it and extract information, with the surface-level psychological counseling center being an ancillary service.
"But... this way, many will die..." Su Ming’an thought to himself. He had heard before that as long as humans co even slightly closer to "Exotic Species," there’s a risk of ntal collapse, let alone facing them day after day...
Everyone working here is truly a Dead Warrior for humanity.
"Speaking of which, my three doctor colleagues have faced ntal collapse due to brain damage from encountering ’Exotic Species,’" Lin Yunting said as she opened the door, chuckling self-deprecatingly, "Dr. Su now serves as my anchor; only when looking at you can I unwaveringly rember who I am, instead of a madman."
Her eyelids slightly drooped, her smile sowhat bitter, "If you were to leave, I would eventually go mad, it’s just a matter of ti——aren’t we all just trying to contribute a little more, strive a bit harder before our inevitable collapse?"
Su Ming’an watched her bitter smile.
"Your doctor colleagues, where are they now?" Su Ming’an asked.
"Hmm?" Lin Yunting paused, then responded with a bitter smile: "Didn’t you just see them? Those wearing blue and white dical uniforms."
"..."
Hearing this, Su Ming’an’s mood instantly grew very complex, his heart feeling as if sothing had harshly collided against it.
The feeling of bitterness and sorrow emanated from Lin Yunting. Her gaze seed to say—humanity is unable to escape the madness, and can only put forth their utmost efforts before succumbing to it.
His only thought now is—the world is truly too heavy.
Humans vie for survival space against terrifying races, waging a life-threatening tug-of-war with unknown Black Mist, and burning their Rationality to learn just a bit of talismanry, even if it’s only a slight advancent.
Countless others willingly risk ntal collapse to beco communicators with "Exotic Species."
In just four days, Su Ming’an has witnessed the efforts of countless individuals.
——Even amidst countless malicious words, Su Luoluo the dream patrol host maintains a smile to heal others.
——Even though higher-talismans beco increasingly dangerous, Bishop Li Mingyue still chooses to use Sixth Level talismans.
——Even with her Spirit nearing collapse, Doctor Lin Yunting persists in facing "Exotic Species" directly.
——And... Su Wensheng continually provides blood for seventy-two sleepers, hoping they’ll one day provide information on "Exotic Species."
Until the end of the world’s Destiny, such individuals will only grow more nurous and heavier.
"Creak——" The iron door sounded as it opened.
An "Exotic Species" was wretchedly bound to an iron chair, hearing the noise, it lifted its head, gazing at Su Ming’an who entered through the door.
"Dr. Su..." it ground its teeth, uttering softly.
...
The ocean.
A small boat approached the world’s boundary.
On the boat, a young man wearing a bamboo hat, none other than Su Rin.
Su Rin still hasn’t given up on crossing the world’s boundary. After safely returning the sailors to the port, he piloted a small boat across the ocean. This ti, there was only him at sea; no tentacled monster could threaten him with sailors’ lives.
As long as he shatters the iceberg, he could traverse the world boundary and reach territories never seen by humans.
This ti, Su Rin deliberately changed directions, choosing an opposite route to the squid-like monster’s territory so it could hardly catch up.
——And at this mont.
Waves surged on the ocean. A knight clad in full armor rode the tides and blocked Su Rin’s path.
"——I am Ferguson Kyle, a guardian of the world boundary. Trespasser, please retreat, or I will take your life."
"What?" Su Rin thought another tentacled monster would be sent by a deity to stop him, but instead, this ti it’s a human? Su Rin probed with a small attack, finding the knight’s power weak.
Just as Su Rin was about to kill the knight, a blood-red array suddenly appeared under the knight’s feet. The appearance of this array was without warning, even Su Rin didn’t know where it ca from, no one seed to have drawn it here.
In that instant, Su Rin sensed the knight, whose strength was far inferior to his own, suddenly becoming extrely powerful—as if the array brought a magical enhancent to the knight.
"This is..." Su Rin glanced at the array’s pattern: "It seems like an array that assists Talent Awakening? There’s no one around here, who drew this?"
Su Rin exerted force, quickly killing the knight. He was, however, tricked by the knight’s Teleportation Spell and transported back to the port.
Returning to the port, Su Rin remains unperturbed. He still has plenty of ti and can set out for the iceberg once again.
"I want to see how many tis you, deity, can stop ." Su Rin bought another small boat and set off again.
To him, the Tenth World, opposed to lofty nas like "The World of Old Days," feels more like a "boating simulator." Once he crosses the world’s edge, he’ll go chat with the deity, maybe give it a few slaps with his big palm.
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