Psychological Issues

Under the steel bridge, clear river water flows slowly.

Lu Bai walked leisurely across the bridge.

Anyway, it's still early, so he's not in a hurry to get to school.

Ignoring the oppressive feeling caused by its unreality, this artificial scenery isn't so bad.

Ultimately, these landscapes don't actually have a large audience.

High-class people have their own places to relax and have no reason to wander around the vicinity of Livability City.

People at the bottom of society are busy making a living, and instead of coming to see this fake nature, they would rather use this time to carry a few more bags of cement.

If you want to experience the real nature, there are plenty of options in the Deathmatch Arena.

Perhaps this explains why Xiao Xueyin and Liu Yue took a retaliatory trip to enjoy nature in the latter half of their Deathmatch Showdown.

We traveled along the way, stopping and starting frequently.

What should have been a 30-minute journey took Lu Bai almost an hour.

Walking on the road, you can see the outline of the campus from a great distance.

The lush greenery and wide avenues throughout the campus are a stark contrast to the concrete jungle of the Livability City, creating a completely different atmosphere.

It's hard to believe that these two places are only one kilometer apart.

This most basic comparison reveals just how high the social status of deathmatch fighters really is.

It's important to understand that students, as reserve personnel, are not truly combatants.

Standing in front of the school's main gate, Lu Bai sighed inwardly, recalling the cramped conditions of his lodgings.

Whether he accepts it or not, he has already come into this world.

"Let's start by improving our quality of life."

Having said that, he started walking towards the school, pondering how to present his changes in a reasonable way.

It was not long before eight o'clock, and the students on the roadside were all walking hurriedly, some even running.

But,

"You're Lu Bai?" A student with a crew cut who had been squatting by the flower bed suddenly stood up.

Lu Bai asked in surprise, "Who is Lu Bai?"

The student with the crew cut was taken aback, scratched the back of his head, and said, "I made a mistake, sorry."

Lu Bai smiled back at the student with the crew cut, then walked away as if nothing had happened.

He could clearly tell that this crew-cut student had never seen him before. In that case, he guessed that Fan Ding and the others were still not convinced and were actually calling for reinforcements.

In the tidy Psychological Counseling Room, a woman in her thirties, wearing a white coat, sat down opposite Lu Bai and adjusted the square-framed glasses on her nose.

"Hello, Lu Bai. Don't be nervous. I'm just asking you a few simple questions as usual."

Lu Bai nodded, appearing quite relaxed.

It wasn't that I was particularly concerned about him.

In fact, after each round of Deathmatch Showdown, the school arranges for a psychologist to provide one-on-one counseling to each student.

An objective assessment was conducted to Deathmatch Showdown had any impact on the students' mental health.

Actually, the psychological counseling session should have taken place yesterday.

At the time, Liang Fuzhong believed that Lu Bai was still in a dazed and confused state, and that psychological counseling would be completely meaningless in that state, so he simply exempted him from this part.

Unexpectedly, this morning, Liang Fuzhong somehow learned from Fan Ding that Lu Bai had already recovered to normal in the Deathmatch Arena. Since that's the case, it's only right and proper that this procedure be completed.

Are you satisfied with your current life?

"Satisfy."

"Pfft~ Little brother Lu Bai, is it alright if I call you that? Just treat it like you're chatting with your older sister, you don't have to be so formal in your replies."

"OK."

"Okay, let's move on to the next question: When you're eliminated in the Deathmatch Arena, do you develop a psychological fear of death?"

"No."

Lu Bai sat upright with his hands on his knees, giving off a very well-behaved impression.

These mental health assessments are conducted periodically, and any changes in students need to be taken seriously to rule out any unstable factors.

The psychologist crossed out "sincere in dealing with people" in a notebook and wrote down "unwilling to express true thoughts" instead.

After a moment of silence, the psychologist decided to first catch up with Lu Bai, attempting to break down Lu Bai's psychological defenses from the sidelines.

She pulled a Medical Record from the file folder and handed it to Lu Bai: "Do you remember Fu Chun? I heard he used to be your deskmate."

"I remember."

Lu Bai took the Medical Record and glanced at the photo on it. Hmm, he didn't recognize it after all.

"Why didn't I give him antidepressants before he was expelled from school?"

"The maximum therapeutic dose of Escitalopram is 20mg. Long-term use of antidepressants is not recommended for patients with Bipolar Disorder, and the simultaneous use of two or more antidepressants is not advised."

The psychologist's lips twitched, and he snatched the Medical Record back from Lu Bai's hand.

She took a deep breath and said solemnly, "I'm here to help you, but first you have to cooperate with me. Don't be like Fu, don't resist, just trust me."

"Okay." A kind smile appeared on Lu Bai.

"One last question: Would you give up being a Deathmatcher?"

"Won't."

Upon seeing Lu Bai, the psychologist remained concise and to the point, looking somewhat embarrassed at the small notebook in his hand.

After half an hour of questioning, she was unsure whether she should submit the new assessment report.

Admittedly, judging solely from the results of this evaluation, he is a very promising potential deathmatch fighter.

The problem is, Lu Bai's previous mental health assessment didn't look like this at all.

It's like he's become a completely different person.

As the saying goes, "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature." How could a ten-day-long Deathmatch Showdown cause such a drastic change?

Thinking of this, the psychologist quickly jotted down a note in his notebook. "The possibility of multiple personality disorder cannot be ruled out; close observation is recommended."

Click~

As soon as Lu Bai opened the door, he saw a figure standing Psychological Counseling Room.

"Instructor Liang?"

"I prefer to hear you call me teacher."

Liang Fuzhong made a joke, then asked, "What did the psychologist say?"

As he spoke, he also made a gesture as if he were walking with him.

Lu Bai did not refuse and followed Liang Fuzhong down the winding corridor. "The doctor said there's nothing wrong."

Liang Fuzhong neither agreed nor disagreed, and changed the subject.

"Fan Ding said you regained consciousness quite early, is that true?"

That's right.

Seeing that Lu Bai readily admitted it, Liang Fuzhong was somewhat puzzled. "Then why did you pretend to be... when the Deathmatch Showdown ended?"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly frowned almost imperceptibly.

He realized that perhaps Lu Bai would regain consciousness even sooner.

In his memory, Lu Bai was an honest boy who didn't even know how to swear.

What is the reason for doing this?

"Wasn't your drowning the day before an accident? Tell me honestly, are you on guard against someone?"