The road that brought Fluoxetine to the present

On the vast, clear blue sea.

From the burning and collapsing Secret Base on the seabed, the only rudimentary submersible that successfully escaped broke through the surface and floated on the water.

The airtight hatch facing the sky opened, like a manned return capsule of a spacecraft landing on the sea—except that it came from almost the exact opposite direction to the return capsule.

Lin Yin climbed out of the cabin door, jumped onto a small, automatically inflated lifeboat, and began to slowly row the boat towards the distance, moving forward with the gentle waves.

This scene is indeed fitting as the ending of the "story"—an unknown, brand-new future awaits this girl who "escaped the underwater base".

It's just a pity...

This "story" is, in a sense, a "prequel".

Although Lin Yu was not very clear about the series of changes that followed, he was very clear about the girl's current situation.

The Psychology Society's "Fluoxetine".

At least for me, this can hardly be called a "wonderful development".

"Splash..."

The sound of waves reached Lin Yu, and he realized he was now at the stern of the small boat.

The young Lin Yin of trees in front was still swaying the boat, but at the stern, sitting opposite me...

It was Fluoxetine, a fifteen-year-old boy wearing a hospital gown.

Fluoxetine rested her chin on her hand, the sea breeze ruffling her hair that fell to her shoulders and billowing her large striped hospital gown.

Fluoxetine looked at Lin Yu and said softly, "This is pretty much the end of this story... However, since your purpose as a reader isn't just to read a story, but to glimpse the past of my charismatic character, there will still be some epilogue after the final act."

"It's like those movie credits that appear after the screen goes black, announcing that a villain has been caught and sentenced, a supporting character has opened a shop, or how long the protagonist has lived."

The tone of his voice when he mentioned Fluoxetine was somewhat disdainful.

Lin Yu completely understood the source of her dissatisfaction. "Well... generally speaking, these kinds of subtitles are terrible designs. Just showing the 'definite result' directly in the film or television work... even making it an Easter egg, using a few seconds of simple footage to explain, would be much better than this."

"I hate these end credits..."

Fluoxetine patted the side of the boat with his other hand, making a "thump thump" sound.

"That's great, we get along really well... So, can I skip the epilogue, about where I went afterward?"

Lin Yu shrugged. "This isn't a movie, it's a 'story'... I actually really enjoy reading the epilogue and afterword of a story."

Fluoxetine was somewhat disappointed. "Oh dear, you're really inquisitive, dear reader... Actually, this is enough for me, okay? A large part of my character's charm comes from my mystery!"

Lin Yu didn't respond, but just quietly looked at Fluoxetine, who was wearing a hospital gown.

Fluoxetine sighed and waved his hand, "Fine, fine, I can't do anything with you... Fine, I'll tell you then."

"Actually, my little boat was capsized by a huge wave, and I drowned. My body was soaked until it became a giant, and then it was eaten by the fish in the sea... Alas!"

As he spoke of Fluoxetine, Lin Yu laughed.

"Haha, that's a good joke."

"So you didn't believe me, huh?" Fluoxetine waved his hand and said, "Okay, actually I rowed in the direction of the course and was quickly rescued by a cruise ship."

"Because I only looked seven or eight years old, all I had to do was pretend to be stupid, pretend to be frightened, and pretend I didn't know anything. I was even successfully adopted by a kind couple... well, an American couple, two very nice and good people. I liked them very much—the man was a Doctor, and the woman was the director of a child welfare organization, but it's a pity."

Hearing the regret in Fluoxetine's voice, Lin Yu asked, "What a pity... what did you do to them afterwards?"

Fluoxetine tilted his head. "That's going too far. Why insist on assuming I did something? Couldn't it be that they encountered some Calamity like a tornado?"

Lin Yu spoke up, "So, I wronged you?"

Fluoxetine laughed. "No... I did kill them—because their lovey-dovey Game were just too boring, and I was also a little greedy for their inheritance."

"Furthermore, I really didn't want to lose my corneas and kidneys while I was still a minor... so I had no choice but to kill them."

Before Lin Yu could express any opinion on Fluoxetine's words, he heard Fluoxetine continue speaking.

"Of course, the bigger reason at that time was, as mentioned before, that I realized there was a huge 'blank' in my life, but I hadn't found a way to fill it yet... so I could only make some very extreme attempts."

"After killing those adoptive parents, I couldn't clear my name or escape capture this time... After all, I was still a minor at the time, so I chose to turn myself in and applied for a mental evaluation."

"Unsurprisingly, I won't go to jail, but I will need to be hospitalized in a mental hospital," Fluoxetine sighed. "Those were truly carefree and happy times... The more treatment and evaluation I received, the more restrictions I faced."

"At first, it was just a regular inpatient observation, then it was moved to a special observation room, then I was transferred to a higher-level hospital, and finally I got a private room... Oh, by the way, the Doctor who did my last mental evaluation and determined that I needed to be monitored 24 hours a day and preferably wear a straitjacket was an unlucky international student who filled in for his mentor, and also a guy I later had a lot of luck with."

Lin Yu was taken aback when he casually mentioned Fluoxetine, but then he realized what he meant.

"The First Generation 'Freud,' Zheng Jianshen?"

"Wow, you know quite a lot! It's him," Fluoxetine said with a smile. "Because of privacy, we didn't meet directly; we talked through an opaque glass partition, so he didn't know it was me."

"In short, while I could accept being confined to a private room, I simply couldn't stand the 24-hour surveillance and the straitjacket... So, I had no choice but to do what I do best again—murder and escape."

"What happened next... is what I've already told you."

"I eventually arrived in the country where I was born, and then, by a twist of fate, finally filled the void left by the 'Death game'..."

"Then, I met... the Deity I decided to follow and believe in, and I also met many geniuses who made my heart flutter."

"Dear reader, this is... everything I've experienced that has shaped me."

Fluoxetine said softly, standing up from the boat and putting his hands into the wide sleeves of his hospital gown.

She looked at Lin Yu by the boat and asked, "So... what shaped everything about you?"

Fluoxetine asked softly, her voice broken by the sea breeze.

On the distant sea, a black, mountain-like silhouette emitted a melodious "hum," drowning out the last syllable of Fluoxetine's words.

Fluoxetine didn't wait for Lin Yu's reply; everything...

It came to an abrupt end.

Lin Yu came to his senses and realized that he was not sitting on the edge of the lifeboat, but still sitting on the bed in the hotel.

The events I just experienced and witnessed seem like a dream.

But it wasn't a dream—on the Manuscript Paper in his hand, the ink marks that were originally incomprehensible were gradually fading and turning into a piece of "text" that could be read directly.

Lin Yu glanced at the text and immediately recognized it.

"These are short stories from Zuo Xi's Zuo Xi collection of short stories... Are these the original manuscript and handwritten copies?"

Lin Yu pondered for a moment, then carefully put the manuscript back into the folder and put it away.

Although Lin Yu knew that the strange power on the "Manuscript Paper" had probably dissipated, it didn't mean that it had lost its value.

Lin Yu knew very well...

Manuscripts by the well-known bestselling Writer, "Pen Name," can fetch a considerable price on the market.

Some collectors who love literature will surely appreciate this manuscript.

In particular, Zuo Xi is a "Player" in a "Death game." Although she is very strong, her personality has probably made many enemies, and it's anyone's guess which day she might die.

This "rare manuscript" will definitely appreciate in value again in the future.

After putting away the manuscript, Lin Yu didn't rest...

As he began to cultivate the Heart Sutra technique he had just obtained from the Prison Mountain Realm, he casually pulled Old Zheng out of the room.

This time, he unusually didn't grant Old Zheng the authority to shape a body, and once again pulled Old Zheng out of the [Item Space] in the form of a flashing brain.

"Huh? What's wrong, boss? I'm currently discussing something with Fu Luo in the [Ancient Notebook]."

Old Zheng looked bewildered and asked.

Lin Yu looked at the brain in front of him and spoke.

"Two things. First, I need you to teach all the other [Summoned Creature] the basics of using their Mental Power."

"My new [Item] allows you to share your abilities... Zhu Qiansi's Karma Threads Divine Ability and Hannah's Racial Talent are mostly things you can't teach others, and there's not much point in learning the remaining 'techniques.' Only your Mental Power is the one that most needs to be promoted."

Old Zheng was surprised, but still nodded. "Oh, boss, it seems you've come up with another really shady [Item]..."

After realizing what he had said, he paused for a few seconds before speaking again.

"So what do you mean you can make [Summoned Creature] share abilities? Are you even human?"

Lin Yu ignored Old Zheng and continued speaking.

"The second thing... I have some questions I'd like you to confirm regarding your experience studying in the United States."