Types of Illness

On a lush, plant-covered mountain ridge.

There is a tombstone every meter, a total of 55.

One of the Core Aoke, whose arm had been modified into a machine, extended his rusty metal fingers and engraved one number after another on the tombstone.

No. 7, No. 25, No. 40...

Not far away, No. 172, who had become a composite monster, was bound with thick vines. Like a mad dog without reason, it kept struggling to break free, growling ferociously with a ferocious expression.

The First Generation found an ordinary tree trunk and used it as a walking stick.

He stood on the hillside, his back to the 55 tombstones, looking down at the foot of the mountain.

The three boys walked further and further away, exploring the dense forest in the distance.

"Well..."

The First Generation seemed to age ten years in an instant, letting out a deep sigh. "The truth, perhaps, is... we will never escape from here. No one will ever know of the existence of the Subquark Space. We are too insignificant, so insignificant that we are ignored and forgotten by everyone."

The First Generation turned back to look at the tombstones on the hillside. "There's really no need to meticulously carve serial numbers for them. Does anyone even think they'll come to pay their respects?"

now.

Another Core Aoke of the group whispered, "First Generation Master, don't be so pessimistic. Perhaps those three guys named Qin Yiguan really can find a breakthrough?"

"Hehe."

The First Generation slowly shook his head, a bitter smile and numbness in his eyes, and said, "When I was first imprisoned here, wasn't I just like them, determined to explore every inch of this land and not let go of any chance of escape?"

The First Generation's gaze slowly swept over the remaining hundred or so Aoke. "Aren't you the same? Didn't you also try your best to go out and explore?"

The First Generation pointed to the 55 tombstones with the tree trunk in his hand, "Aren't they the same?"

How are things now?

The First Generation figure slowly closed his eyes, trembling as he said, "We'll only end up trapped here, one by one, dying."

Swish.

The Underworld in the dense forest used his machete to cleave open a large banana leaf in front of him.

The perspective suddenly broadened.

More banana leaves were revealed.

The Underworld scratched his head. "They're all leaves!"

The three of them had been walking for a very, very long time.

They were groping their way forward through the dense forest, moving at a very slow pace.

This transformation of the Subquark Space turned the entire area into a ten-thousand-year-old tropical rainforest, with wildly lush vegetation and everything in a very primitive state, as if no human had ever set foot there.

Various amazing creatures also live here. Sometimes huge insects crawl around, and occasionally a huge dinosaur-like creature steps over the three of them.

Fortunately, these creatures were all in stable condition; they hurried on their way or foraged for food, and none of them paid any attention to Qin Yiguan and his companions.

Of course, Qin Yiguan and his two companions were not worthy of being food for these creatures, because in terms of their size, they were practically three aphids on a vegetable leaf.

"Biesan."

You are a thoughtful person.

Underworld pushed aside the vegetation, the gangster said, "Did you already discover any clues or special details? Is this expedition purposeful?"

Qin Yiguan paused for a moment, then said, "No."

"Holy crap."

The Underworld paused, his arm brushing aside the banana leaves in front of him.

He seemed to have countless complaints in his mind, but after glancing at the endless jungle ahead, he said nothing, continued to push aside the banana leaves, and kept moving forward.

After taking a few steps, the Underworld suddenly turned around, grinned, and said, "It's alright, we'll advance or retreat together."

Qin Yiguan smiled quietly, but the pressure in his heart was growing stronger.

While walking.

To ease his anxiety, Qin Yiguan casually asked, "The Underworld, why did you get involved in the Underworld?"

The Underworld was taken aback. "Brother, there's something wrong with what you're saying."

Qin Yiguan paused, then asked, "Why did you end up on the path of the Gang?"

The Underworld's expression subtly changed, and after a moment of silence, he said, "My plot is a bit cliché. A few years ago, I was just an ordinary, model student, but I fell in love with a woman, and she ended up being brutally murdered by a local Gang."

"Later, I joined Gang with the goal of finding the murderer and figuring out his background."

"I gradually discovered that he was the leader of a small gang in our Mirage City."

"That guy is very cautious and rarely shows his face. To get rid of him, you need to be on equal footing with him to have a chance to get close."

"Later, I just Hack Hack Hack until I became the leader of the Dog Gang gang."

At this point, the Underworld paused slightly, "And then I found out that guy got promoted and became the head of a large gang."

"So I kept Hack Hack Hack, and turned the Dog Gang into a large gang."

"And that guy got promoted again."

He became the third-ranking figure in the entire Mirage City Underworld.

"Then I kept Hack Hack Hack, and eventually became the fourth-ranking figure in the Mirage City Underworld."

"And that guy got promoted again."

He became the top Underworld boss in Mirage City.

At that moment, the Caregiver, not far away, lowered his hat brim. "Then you keep Hack Hack Hack, your status rises higher and higher, you finally get close to that guy, and then you chop him to death."

The Underworld sighed and shook his head, saying, "A year ago, that guy had a heart attack and died suddenly."

"..."

Qin Yiguan stretched out a finger and scratched his cheek, then fell silent with the Caregiver.

The Caregiver lowered her head, her face hidden by the brim of her baseball cap.

--I really messed up, I'm never talking to anyone again.

The Underworld shrugged. "I am indeed frustrated about this, but I've come to terms with it now. There's no regret or anything like that. It's not a big deal."

But the expressions on the Underworld of the two men beside him clearly conveyed two words: regret.

Driven by a desire for revenge for his beloved, he underwent a drastic personality change, abandoning his former self and carving a bloody path through the enemy ranks. Yet, despite all the sacrifices, he ultimately failed to avenge his enemy. Who wouldn't feel regret?

But then the Underworld looked at the Caregiver and asked, "Why are you willingly working as a babysitter for these children?"

I used to be sick.

"Severe mental illness."

The Caregiver kept her head down, her face hidden in the shadow of her hat. "The disease is called Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, or AIWS for short, also known as ' Micropsia.' While it appears to be a rare eye condition, it's actually a highly deceptive neurological phenomenon that affects human visual perception. And its causes are largely psychological."

The Caregiver, head bowed, scanned the surroundings. "When the illness strikes, the scenery in my eyes suddenly becomes like Alice in Wonderland; things around me suddenly get bigger or smaller. Sometimes there's a mosaic effect, and sometimes there's a sense of time and space distortion."

"But more often than not, I experience severe migraines, vomiting, and even seizures."

At this moment, Qin Yiguan slightly opened his eyes.

[Alice in Wonderland Syndrome]

The name sounds like a disease from a fairy tale, but it really exists. Dr. House also suspected that Qin Yiguan had this disease, but after a series of diagnoses, Dr. House did not give a clear answer.

The harm caused by mental illness can be broadly divided into two levels.

One type acts purely on the mind, while the other involves the mind influencing the body.

In other words, a healthy body can develop real illnesses due to psychological problems.

[Alice in Wonderland Syndrome] is a condition in which the patient's vision is affected by psychological problems.

From a certain perspective, the 'vision' defined by humans is actually inextricably linked to space.

Dr. House also made another classification.

It's about classifying the effects of mental illness within the Metaverse.

Delusions, delusions, and other delusions can create a kind of 'simulation' effect, which is deceptive and makes it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion.

Purely fantastical disorders, such as [Gestalt Collapse], have effects similar to 'creation'.

Time Perception Disorder, such as Time Lag Syndrome, involve a higher dimension—'time'.

A condition like [Alice in Wonderland Syndrome] is essentially a perceptual disorder. Once it enters the Metaverse, the patient's ability level will rise to another level—'space'.

Now that I think about it, the Caregiver's ability to manipulate space seems to have a basis in reality.

This is clearly a psychological disorder called "Alice in Wonderland Syndrome"!

Within the Metaverse.

Consciousness-driven.

People with mental illnesses are the same as people with superpowers!

The more severe the illness, the greater the ability!

The more incurable the condition, the more like a big shot!