I'm Mentally Ill

Afternoon sunlight spilled across the asphalt street, bathing an old roadside shop in a warm orange-yellow glow. A black-haired young man lay in a pine rocking chair, relaxed and content as he swayed gently to the slow music playing from an old stereo.

"Phew—"

A breath brushed past his cheek. The young man in the rocking chair opened his eyes and turned his head slightly to look at the person behind him, who wore a cyan half mask. "Why did you come out looking like that again?"

He closed his eyes again and resumed rocking lazily to the music, a hint of a smile on his lips. "If someone sees me, they'll think I'm mentally ill."

The Masked Youth lowered his gaze. His dark red eyes were like congealed blood, with a touch of bloodlust. "Lazybones."

The young man in the rocking chair chuckled without arguing and continued rocking slowly to the rhythm of the music with his eyes closed.

The masked young man rose to his feet, the longer strands of hair on his forehead hiding his eyes and obscuring his expression. The visible corners of his lips curved sharply upward.

Suddenly, the music on the radio skipped. The button bounced up and down, and the station changed on its own.

"Click—"

"Bzz—this is the Jiang City News official channel. We now bring you an urgent announcement."

"The anomaly in the eastern district has expanded. The former Sushui residential area has been invaded by the anomaly and is now designated the Sushui Class C Danger Zone. Residents of other areas, please stay away from the danger zone and relocate as soon as possible. In addition, we are recruiting purgers to clear the anomaly. Interested parties, please contact the Jiang City authorities by phone. Thank you very much."

The announcement played three times before the original music returned, but even its gentle melody couldn't smooth the worry that had settled on the face of the young man in the chair.

"Sushui District... is still some distance from us."

The masked young man asked, "Are you scared?"

The young man in the rocking chair said nothing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw several teenagers approaching from a short distance away, chatting and laughing.

The youthful, energetic group made a beautiful picture beneath the gorgeous sunset.

"Manager Lin, no business today? You're all alone in the shop."

As the teenagers passed his little shop, a boy with short brown hair waved and teased him. He had a sharpened broadsword on his back and specks of blood on his pant legs. His smile was so bright that, despite his sharp tongue, he was hard to dislike.

Lin Nieran waved lazily, and the Masked Youth behind him followed his gaze outside the shop. "Yeah. Remember to stop by whenever you need weapons."

"We will! We really like your weapons, boss! Right?" Grinning, the brown-haired boy bumped the pink-haired girl beside him with his shoulder, making her stumble as she counted and checked their haul.

A bright smile appeared on the pink-haired girl's face. She had just raised her hand to give him a big loving slap when the white-haired boy beside her reached out first, picked up the brown-haired boy and the broadsword on his back together, and tossed them backward.

"Ow!"

The pink-haired girl regretfully lowered her hand, not forgetting to call out to the young manager, "Manager Lin, remember to give us a discount next time we come by!"

"Sure, sure."

Lin Nieran watched the group chat and laugh their way into a nearby building bearing the national emblem. Only then did he tilt his head and remark to the young man in front of him, "It's nice to be young."

"...How much older than them are you?"

"Ah, my heart's grown old."

"You could try changing your heart. The one in the fridge would be just right." The young man smiled. "Or if there's someone else's you like, I can go dig it out for you."

"...Why are you saying such creepy things again?"

[...Host, may I ask who exactly you're talking to?]

An electronic voice abruptly rang out in his mind. It was a rhythmic metallic sound that belonged to no kind of intelligent life.

Lin Nieran shook his head to make sure he was awake, then asked the young man beside him, "Did you hear that?"

The blood-red color in the Masked Youth's eyes deepened. "I didn't hear anything. Is it back?"

System: ...

It really was a little scared. The host it had chosen seemed a bit off.

Ever since it appeared that morning, finished its scan, and bound itself to this human, it had been trying to talk to him. But this host completely ignored it!

At first, it had thought the host was deliberately stringing it along to make demands, or was a coward who didn't dare face reality.

But after watching him for so long, the system had discovered that his mental state wasn't quite right. All day, aside from the normal conversation he'd just had with the customers outside, he had been talking to himself and conversing with thin air. It was really frightening for a system.

It had gone through a very rigorous selection process to find such a compatible human. Surely he wasn't...

[Mr. Lin Nieran, do you have a mental illness?]

This time, Lin Nieran finally deigned to respond. The corners of his mouth rose in a fake smile. "Whatever you are, human or ghost, you started off by saying I'm sick. Although I really am—but where are your manners?"

[...Sir, please allow me to introduce myself again. I am System 007. I bound you as my host at 0:00 this morning. The binding cannot be revoked. If you die, I will also suffer severe damage.]

[We have detected that this world is on the verge of destruction for unknown reasons. Without intervention, you have only five years left to live, Host.]

At that, Lin Nieran stopped rocking his chair. "Go on."

[That's all.]

"That's all?"

[The rest can only be disclosed after you sign a confidentiality agreement. Rest assured, Host, I am a legitimate system. I only assist and won't cause trouble. I am only responsible for issuing tasks and giving rewards. I also have hosts in ten other worlds. I have worked in this field for many years without a single bad review.]

"What if I don't sign?"

[Then I will disappear, and in five years, you will be destroyed along with your world.]

What... Five years? That's far too short, isn't it?

Lin Nieran frowned, and the young man beside him frowned too. They had worked very hard to survive until now.

They had killed so many ghastly things and struggled their way up from the bottom. Life had only just started to improve, and now he was being told that the world was going to be destroyed?

He looked at the dusky yellow sunset outside. The strange system's claim that the world would be destroyed didn't come as much of a surprise. After all, the world had already been riddled with holes by anomalies ten years ago and was on the verge of collapse. He just hadn't expected the day to come so soon.

Because as things stood, although the fight against the anomalies around the world hadn't improved, it hadn't reached the point of collapse either.

"According to you, the world will be destroyed—why do you think I can save it?"

[This is the result of the system's big-data analysis. You are the best candidate.]

As it finished speaking, a white point of light suddenly appeared in front of Lin Nieran. It slowly spread out before him, eventually forming a translucent white screen.

Displayed on the screen was none other than a [Cooperation Agreement].

Lin Nieran read it carefully. There were no one-sided terms, and all the clauses had a distinctly businesslike feel. The first two concerned him most:

[1. After signing with the system, the host must complete tasks issued by the system. Successful completion earns a reward; failure carries no penalty. If the host dies, the system will also die.

2. After successfully saving the world, the system will grant the host one wish unconditionally.]

A wish granted...

Lin Nieran stared at the agreement for a long time, and the Masked Youth beside him looked at it for a long time as well. At last, Lin Nieran pressed his handprint onto it.

Since there was no punishment for failing a task, he might as well give it a try.

[Beep! Agreement signed!]

[System 007 at your service.]

[Generating the optimal auxiliary system for the host... Beginning physical scan...]

The moment the agreement was signed, a little white electronic sphere suddenly flew out of it and projected a beam of light at him. It scanned him thoroughly from head to toe, then produced an extremely long "medical examination report."

[Character status:

Name: Lin Nieran

Age: 22

Sex: male

Race: human

System: 007

Mental state: insane, highly dangerous! (Currently diagnosed: schizophrenia, psychotic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, antisocial personality disorder, bipolar disorder.)

Evaluation: madman, madman!]

He stared at the pile of diagnoses with the expression of an old man squinting at his phone on the subway. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought the system was reciting a menu.

How long had it been? Why had bipolar disorder been added to his medical record? Had his mental state gotten worse? Or did he have a new friend in his head?