Psychological Clinic

Sector 03 Rust City, inside a second-floor apartment.

The boy opened his eyes.

Daybreak sunlight broke through.

"?"

How could it be daybreak sunlight?

The boy started, rising abruptly, only to see that a huge hole had appeared in the wall, with the morning sun in the distance, like an orange gemstone, having just 'risen' to the mouth of the hole, unexpectedly giving a sense of looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.

He immediately looked up, seeing only the lower half of a hemp rope remaining on the ceiling, while the boulder had disappeared without a trace.

He hadn't observed carefully last night; was there some sort of catapult mechanism hidden inside that trap?

Yet the boy was used to it.

Over these past days, many traps had appeared while he was sleeping, but in the end they all resulted in failure.

The boy had always been a 'child of fortune', dodging every single one perfectly, and this time was no exception.

"That stone missed, didn't it?"

The boy slowly rubbed his elbow, feeling a slight ache for reasons unknown.

He scanned the entire room.

Fortunately, the light was scattered evenly.

As the saying went: either pitch black, or bright!

The boy could neither see the faint glimmer in the darkness nor see colors; what he feared most was dimness!

Because of the existence of [Gestalt Collapse].

The boy had to ensure that when plunged into darkness, his sight could not catch onto any 'anchor point'.

Otherwise, he might imagine any ordinary object as a demon.

To address this situation, Qin Yiguan's plan was to pull the firewood from under the cauldron.

I'll just go blind myself.

With his eyes unable to catch any data, how could his brain even operate?

This was the reason why his room was always pitch black when he went to sleep.

On the bed.

The boy stretched, the terrifying encounter within the Geometry Design Group flashing through his mind.

"It really was a dream."

"It's just..."

The boy got up, pulled back the curtains, and more sunlight spilled into the apartment.

In a dream... a [Gestalt Collapse] could actually recur.

It was truly speechless.

Fortunately, [Gestalt Collapse] was merely a psychological affliction of his own mind and would not harm anyone else.

Therefore.

I was still fine.

The boy fished out his tech watch, and as his gaze swept across it, a void screen activated.

--Log: Head to Dr. House's clinic to complete the monthly follow-up examination.

The boy felt somewhat helpless.

This was a welfare benefit matched to him by the Metaverse government, compulsory medical care.

After all, within the system, Qin Yiguan was defined as a patient with severe mental illness.

The boy walked through Rust City.

Crossing the entire city, he arrived at a three-story pavilion that was relatively neat compared to the other buildings in Rust City.

Dr. House's temporary clinic.

He was a very well-known figure in the psychology field and had long since obtained the qualifications of the upper half.

He could have immersed himself in living within the Metaverse all along, but he was willing to take the risk of regularly coming to Rust City to treat the 'Castoffs'.

The so-called risk.

Stemmed from a rumor within the Metaverse.

Especially among those who had never stepped out of the Metaverse, this rumor was even more intense.

The rumor went.

Even today, 100 years later, humanity had still not conquered that 'corona' virus.

No matter how advanced human medical technology became, that virus would still undergo faster evolution, iteration, and even mutation.

What humans called 'infection' was actually just the continuation of their lives.

This microorganism had existed since the dawn of Earth's birth; for 4.6 billion years, they had not perished, fully proving one thing-they had never failed.

In comparison, humanity had only been born a mere 5 million years, like a spark of fire compared to those microorganisms, even fleeting.

The rumor also said.

These viruses had now evolved to 'kill their hosts more slowly', which was more advantageous for their propagation.

Therefore, people living in reality had a 60% probability of not living past the age of 50.

Qin Yiguan did not know whether this matter was true or false.

Anyway, he had no choice either way.

The boy arrived at the second floor of the small building.

Through the small window, he saw a drop-dead gorgeous man.

He was of mixed race, with a head of blonde hair combed back, bare-chested, and the muscle lines on his body extremely distinct, his pectoral muscles and abs carved like a knife, easily able to place in the top three if he went to a bodybuilding competition.

He was doing push-ups, his body covered in sweat that reflected the light.

If a woman saw this scene, she would pounce on him like a starving tiger on the spot.

"1256... 1257..."

The man was counting for himself.

Clatter, clatter, clatter.

Qin Yiguan knocked on the wooden door.

Dr. House got up, gathered his blonde hair, and then fetched a shirt, buttoning it up one by one. "Please come in."

The blonde man sat behind his desk, wearing a comfortable smile.

He reached out and pushed a dish of candies in front of Qin Yiguan. "Have a piece of candy first."

Candy.

Here in Rust City, it was a rare commodity.

Every time Dr. House came, he brought many candies, with the purpose of helping patients relax their minds.

The boy sat down and waved a hand in refusal. "Thanks, Dr. House, I don't care for pure sugar."

"Regarding your periodic psychological test, the main content is still those 34 questions."

"Let's seize the time and begin."

Dr. House's voice was full of magnetic resonance as he reached out to take the hourglass with a one-hour timing cycle, gently flipping it over so the fine red sand inside slowly fell.

Immediately.

Dr. House looked at the boy with a smile. "First question, how do you view this world?"

The boy straightened his posture and said earnestly, "I think this world is full of hope, everything is bright, everything in this world is beautiful, and it should not suffer any destruction."

Dr. House smiled. "Second question, how do you view yourself?"

The boy once again said earnestly, "I have no negative impulses, no irritable thoughts, I will not harm anyone, never ever, I believe my heart is filled with love, uh..."

The boy suddenly stalled, then opened his palms, glanced at the cheat sheet in them, and continued, "I love the morning mist, I love the wild flowers by the road, and I also love this Rust City, where the sun shines upon me like a loving mother's radiance..."

House leaned back, laughing heartily. "Yiguan... you really don't need to recite by the book like this, sounding just like reading the Bible."

The boy pursed his lips. "I'm answering the questions properly so you can give an excellent evaluation, and then I can apply for a Nutrient Pod."

Dr. House shook his head with a chuckle. "I'm just a psychologist, I must live up to my responsibility and report your information truthfully."

For some reason, looking at Dr. House's smiling face, the boy inexplicably felt his brain growing dizzy.

Immediately, a sensation welled up in the boy's heart, making time feel viscous.

In his grogginess, the boy heard Dr. House clap his hands together with a loud sound, and only then did he snap out of it like waking from a dream.

Yet he saw Dr. House suddenly stand up and laugh, "Alright, the condition diagnosis is over, time to enter the chatting session."

Over?

And the remaining 32 questions?

The boy was stunned, suddenly catching a glimpse of the hourglass by the desk, the red sand inside of which had all finished flowing down.

The boy raised a hand to glance at his electronic watch, then let out a lingering sigh. "Dr. House, you hypnotized me again."

"Oh!"

"Don't wrong an innocent person; performing hypnosis without the patient's consent is illegal!"

Immediately.

Dr. House glanced at the dish in front of the boy; the dozen or so candies had vanished, leaving the dish completely empty.

Dr. House clicked his tongue. "You really do consume sugar."