113 Sacrificial Corridor 27 || Fear of Frost

"I can't rely on external force to pass out, but when I'm awake I will think about it unconsciously," said Xiao Zhu.

"In psychology, there's a kind of absurdity therapy that can actually tame fear. The core idea is to break the inherent thinking pattern by actively embracing, amplifying, or creating a sense of absurdity and humor."

"Doctor Lin, please translate it into Chinese and speak in plain language that can be understood." Ye Jing'an scratched his messy hair.

"Humor is about looking at fear with a joking attitude, thus changing your relationship with the problem. You go from being afraid of something to being able to see it as ridiculous. For example, if you're currently thinking that a ghost appearing in the room is the end, using humor to make it look like, 'Great! I'm going to challenge human limits and slip away from it.'"

“Accept the absurd, rather than pursuing absolute rationality.”

Lin Haichen frowned and considered his words carefully. "I'm not a psychiatrist, so my words may not be accurate, but the meaning is similar."

"Perhaps we should reflect on ourselves and think about what we fear most in our hearts. What will make you lose control and lose your mind? Only by facing your fears and restraining yourself over and over again can you avoid being dragged into the illusion." Jing Ning suggested.

"If you are really afraid of entering an illusion without knowing it and losing control of your behavior, you can also find a marker to remind yourself and carry it with you in a conspicuous place. Of course, this marker must be closely related to you, so that you can wake up the moment you see it." Yan Shuang added.

As soon as the words fell, everyone fell silent and began to reflect on their inner fears.

"Then I have too many... Isn't this purely targeting me?" Ye Jing'an's face froze. "I'm afraid of death, ghosts, and poverty..."

Yan Shuang mercilessly hit him on the head.

In this way, everyone selected important items in case they were selected at night and could not wake up in time.

There was basically nothing to do during the day, so Ye Jing'an was taken away for individual training. In Lin Haichen's own words, if you are afraid of ghosts so many times, you will become immune to them.

People never feel tired when doing bad things, even in the hottest weather. At first, only Yan Shuang hid in the dark to scare him, but later Zhou Xia and Lin Haichen joined in.

"I don't want to play anymore. I can't run anymore." Ye Jing'an sat down on the ground in a very unpresentable manner. He just wanted to lie on the bed and have a good sleep. "Don't worry, even if the sky falls tonight, it won't be a big deal for me."

It’s not that I’m not afraid anymore, it’s that I’m tired and numb.

"I really didn't expect that you are afraid of people." Zhou Xia snorted with a sarcastic look on his face.

"I don't know who came up with this idea. Can we ask the person involved for their opinion?"

Yan Shuang looked down at the fat man's exhausted appearance and said, "It seems that this method is quite effective."

The rest of the day was spent waiting for nightfall. After dinner, everyone seemed somewhat listless and quiet. Everyone consciously returned to their rooms early, closed the door, and enjoyed the quiet moment.

This is the norm in the final days of every game, when the team dwindles in numbers and those who remain begin to feel exhausted, both physically and mentally. The prolonged tension and pressure gradually drains the spirit and weighs the body down.

Tian Yiyi leaned quietly against the wall in the corridor, a cigarette trembling in her hand, smoke rising slowly. She looked a little lonely, her eyes staring blankly into the distance.

The disguise that I forced myself to maintain during the day slowly fades away with the sunset, and I become my true self again.

When she finished her last puff of the cigarette, she wanted to take out the second one from her pocket and continue to use nicotine to numb her nerves.

But the moment her hand touched the cigarette box, she seemed to come to her senses and put the cigarette back. She slowly raised her hand and gently wiped away the tears hanging from the corners of her eyes, leaving a faint mark on her pale cheek.

Yan Shuang and the other person next door did not go out to disturb her. They only looked away after Tian Yiyi returned to the room.

"She's not a fragile person and will figure it out," Jing Ning said.

Yan Shuang also thought so. Tian Yiyi was decisive and calm in her actions. How could she not have thought of the current outcome?

In fact, everyone here is the same. You never know which will come first, tomorrow or an accident. Being together for a while is already a blessing. Treat each other sincerely when you are together, and accept it calmly after leaving. It is a consensual thing, so there is no regret.

The Tao is vague and indistinct.

Even the great way is vague, but now too many people are pursuing a certain life to the extreme. Unfortunately, the more they think so, the more painful they will be, because impermanence will appear every day. In fact, vagueness and uncertainty are the norm of things. It would be an accident if everything was certain.

Illusions aren't scary; what's scary is not wanting to face the emotions deep within or choosing to keep things buried. It's like a knot; if you untie it, even if you fall into an illusion, you'll be able to experience it like an outsider watching a movie, without the feeling of being there.

Until night falls.

Perhaps because he slept too well the previous two nights, Yan Shuang suffered from insomnia tonight, which was a rare occurrence. Jing Ning's steady breathing was heard beside him. The moment darkness invaded, the hand that was originally around his waist lost its presence.

The darkness flashed before his eyes and then became bright, almost as fast as the blink of an eye. A car horn sounded outside the window, and Yan Shuang's heart suddenly shrank, because the scene he saw next made it impossible for him to escape.

"Xiao Shuang." There was a knock on the door. It was the sound he had been thinking about day and night. "Breakfast is on the table. Your father and I are going to work. Remember to eat when you get up."

His body was shaking violently, he knew that as long as he opened the bedroom door, he would see the woman's face.

Even though I knew it was an illusion, could I let go of my obsession just because it was an illusion? The person I wanted to see all the time was right behind this door, and even seeing them once was a luxury.

"Okay, the child is sleeping. Let him sleep after a long vacation." Another very familiar voice appeared.

"You're the one who spoiled me. I've always said skipping breakfast is bad for your stomach."

"Okay, okay, it's me. I haven't seen you care so much about me." His father complained outside the door.

Yan Shuang opened her mouth, her throat was dry and sore, and she couldn't make a sound. She felt bitter and madly missed her.

It had all happened so strangely, on a seemingly ordinary morning. His parents had saved him dinner, and then they'd bickered before heading off to work. He'd always reluctantly agreed to their conversations, always irritated by the noise, but now, God knows how much he longed to hear them.

"You're such a grown-up, yet you still need my care? No one in your Yan family is reliable." Mom's voice continued to ring out, and Yan Shuang could even imagine what she looked like at this moment.

"Strange? This kid slept so soundly today?"

"You keep nagging all day long. Let's go. You'll be late for work. He'll know when he wakes up." My father's voice was getting farther and farther away from the door, urging me.