Psychological auscultation
That evening, Xiao Fu returned to her apartment carrying an iron bucket. According to the plastic markings on the handle, it was clearly a souvenir she had obtained from Senhu No. 1 Middle School.
“Let’s congratulate Miss Golson on finding a safe place to return to.” She said this, ignoring the homeowner’s gaze on the sofa, and walked to the kitchen, going straight to the refrigerator. She stopped, opened the door, and sighed in one breath at the memory card that was completely empty.
“…Five-spice.” She turned around. “Which part of this is for our dinner?”
"No," Cheng Xiangwu said, squatting down beside the bucket.
A thin layer of gelatinous liquid clung to the slightly rusted iron sheet, its color indistinguishable, slightly reflective but lacking fluidity, and refusing to leave its mark on the iron-blue inner wall.
“This person needs some time to cool off,” Xiao Fu explained, staring at the refrigerator's internal storage. “The person in charge at No. 1 Middle School refused to allow it in the cafeteria's cold storage room, what a pity.”
"What is this?" Cheng Xiang asked five times, though she also wanted to refuse.
"Simply put, it's a liquid version of that special metal and gallium-based alloy, synthesized in a solution environment provided by my family's metallurgical technology, all for the sake of purity. This material is usually used by you to make electronic components such as chips or for imaging, but based on some of its interesting reactions and Miss Bai Yunxian's testimony, I now speculate that it is one of the raw materials for that wax."
Similarly, I speculate that the reason why the camera can transcrib unconventional electromagnetic waves is because the light disturbance generated by the special magnetic field of the special metal, that is, the material of the cloak on the UFO, is absorbed by the sensor, communicated, and then propagated. This is intuitive, but we cannot observe the electromagnetic field of the UFO that is not in accordance with existing common sense; we can only observe the effect to remedy the situation.” Xiao Fu said while rummaging through the contents of the refrigerator.
"...I didn't understand anything about magnetic fields." Cheng Xiangwu looked up and spoke honestly. "But you said the camera could record it, so why couldn't the other cameras capture it before?"
“Thank you for your honesty, which makes me honest too. I have no clue about that right now,” said Xiao Fu. “But I guess the problem lies with the photographer and the subject.”
After saying that, Xiao Fu took out a square cake box. It was a purple sweet potato, taro, and pumpkin mille-feuille cake. It was thick in color and quite heavy. If you removed the last four words, it would be a nerve-soothing treat that no one would care about.
“Miss Bai Yunxian even chooses coffee with whole milk and five parts syrup. I dare say that this kind of low-sugar product is not a sweet treat for her, but a meaningless psychological comfort.” Her tone was quite self-righteous. “So we’ll eat this tonight and bring her something else on our way there tomorrow.”
As an alternative, the bucket will soon be placed in the refrigerator.
"At least put it in a bag." Cheng Xiangwu was speechless, only feeling that the thing was poisonous.
“If you need some comfort too,” said Xiao Fu, tearing off a trash bag and putting it over the bin.
The teapot for dinner was filled with jasmine tea, and under the lamplight, the dining table, without Gorson, lacked a sense of ceremony.
“I don’t think you really need anyone to run around for you. Isn’t it fine as it is now?” Cheng Xiangwu sat at the simple table that she missed and handed over Gorsen’s camera. “Sensen said to give this to you.”
"Because you humans need weight to live." Little F took the camera, looked at it for a moment, and put it aside.
"Don't you need inspiration anymore?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.
“Once it loses its collectible value, this camera isn’t worth using for me,” Xiao Fu said, picking up the teacup that didn’t match the style of the plates and taking a sip.
“…I see.” Cheng Xiangwu looked up from the strangely textured mixed food and looked at the person opposite her. “You’re going to help her cremate the wronged soul in that memory card, then I’ll thank you on her behalf, kind foreign big sister.”
"Cough cough—" Little F choked, then sneered and raised his head and fork tip. "My God, Five Spices, this is the first time I've ever received such praise, but I won't write this generic title into my autobiography."
"Alright." Cheng Xiangwu wasn't too disappointed.
After dinner, Cheng Xiangwu also received background information about the person she was supposed to talk to the next day, which she had asked her colleague to investigate. Xiao Fu expressed her disdain for this behavior, but she also wanted to see it.
Lin Che'an was born in the southern residential area of Senhu City's old town. His parents were migrant workers who came to the city in the last century following the mining boom, but they were not miners under Bai Bai Co., Ltd., but rather two businessmen. Their main business was to take over various rare minerals from local residents in the north, or simply mountain people, and resell them, without asking where they came from.
At the end of the last century, the environmental protection regulations did not yet cover that mountain area, and many such unscrupulous merchants came, making a fortune along the way. Records show that they did not purchase any property locally, clearly intending to take the money and leave this uninteresting place. However, when Lin Che'an was about five years old, just as they were about to move their address and household registration with their child, a series of unexpected events struck the family.
First, Lin Che'an's father became addicted to gambling.
The idea that "a little gambling is harmless fun" began to circulate among the residents of Senhu, who, despite having some financial means, had very limited entertainment options. Once they started gambling, they didn't care about the stakes or whether it was for fun, and they might not stop until they were seriously injured. However, this phenomenon wasn't strictly prohibited at the time. Firstly, gambling did alleviate some of the workers' psychological pressure, and secondly, the debt spawned a series of related industries. Lin Che'an's father, born of the times, became part of this industry chain, but it didn't alleviate his psychological pressure much. He owed so much that he couldn't go home and could only send back boxes of stones.
Secondly, Lin Che'an's mother committed suicide suddenly for unknown reasons.
"Suicide?" Cheng Xiangwu was taken aback. She didn't think she was making a fuss; in her current situation, even seeing the word "suicide" would make her pause. But this incident happened thirty years ago.
This person's suicide lingered in the news for a while, not because of the death itself, but because the case was used to criticize the phenomenon of gambling destroying families; the death itself was nowhere to be found. The young Lin Che'an's face in the newspaper was blurred due to the presence of mosaics, his expression and words were indistinct, at least not much was published in the newspaper.
Quoting a newspaper reporter: "If sighs and cries are not enough to bring back those who have fallen into the abyss, then the weight of life should make the crazed gamblers realize the burden they still carry, whether it is the life that has already passed or the life that is still fragile. People should not, and cannot, ignore their problems and the serious consequences that those problems may cause."
Small print below: For urgent loan approval, please contact us——.
“…According to previous investigation records, the earthquake had not yet occurred at that time.” Little Fu said thoughtfully, “However, this address doesn’t seem to be far from the Bai family’s address.”
Yes, separated by a highway, the Bai Mansion is nestled in the mountains that Lin Che'an could see from his old residence.
Aside from criticizing the original text, this case served no other purpose, and therefore no other relevant information was available. However, Lin Che'an's father later seemed to have reformed, selling everything and taking her to another city. The elementary school student, whose household registration hadn't yet been transferred, thus hastily went elsewhere, grew up, became an adult, entered the psychology department of that city university, pursued a doctoral degree, returned to her hometown, took the civil service exam, and has been working there ever since.
“This person’s graduate studies focused on social and clinical psychology, but their undergraduate internship emphasized the importance of promoting mental health education among teenagers.” Xiao Fu paused, then asked doubtfully, “I don’t know much about psychology, but is this kind of cross-disciplinary internship acceptable in this field?”
Cheng Xiangwu didn't know either, but she guessed it was possible, since the person had already graduated with a doctorate and was working.
The project will be implemented at Moriko City Hospital.
"So she came back to work after graduating from university." Cheng Xiangwu calculated the dates on her file, "That was thirteen years ago—"
Yes.
“…Okay.” She sighed, then looked at Little F. “That’s all the information I have. Why do you think she would contact those union members? As a HR person, not a psychologist?”
Judging from the timeline, the union's formal separation from the Bai family coincided with the period when Lin Che'an was in Senhu City. She didn't return for nearly twenty years afterward, until her internship program. And that internship program probably wasn't very successful in spreading; the municipal hospital still didn't have a mental health specialty, and she herself didn't seem to care about it anymore, turning to work in the public security department.
Both logically and emotionally, Lin Che'an had no reason or opportunity to contact the labor union.
"I recommend you ask her that question directly tomorrow," Xiao Fu suggested with a smile.
"...Are you serious?" Cheng Xiangwu asked doubtfully. "What's the difference between this and making her confess?"
“The difference lies in your status. Wu Xiang, you are the one seeking help, not the law enforcer. You are free to express your needs.” Xiao Fu blinked. “So-called coffee chats don’t really mean just having a cup of coffee and chatting.”
“You want me to apply for a job,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
“Yes,” Little Franz nodded. “Do you need me to prepare your resume?”
“…No.” Cheng Xiangwu waved her hand and then brought up the last question, “Lin Che’an has cardiovascular problems.”
"Who said that?" Xiao Fu flipped through Xiang Wu's phone screen but didn't see that part.
“Xiaobai,” Cheng Xiangwu said, “she also said that your dilated pupils are a vision disorder.”
"...Both of these diagnoses lack test reports, so I cannot accept them." Xiao Fu's tone was quite dissatisfied. "Wu Xiang, you should be critical of the information you hear, even if you lack professional knowledge, you know? Think about what I said before, you can't accept apples from unknown sources."
"What else can I criticize? If you believe the doctor's orders, they might be somewhat useful, but what's the point if you don't?" Cheng Xiangwu said dismissively.
"So you believe her when she says I have a vision problem?" Little F's eyes narrowed.
"Isn't that why I came to ask you?" Cheng Xiangwu shrugged.
"Are you asking?" Little Franz questioned.
"Okay." Cheng Xiangwu cleared her throat, held up her phone as a microphone, and asked, "Why do your eyes glow?"
“…Because I’m an alien,” Little Ferguson replied.
"Okay." Cheng Xiang nodded.
"What about critical thinking?" Little Franz questioned.
"Okay." Cheng Xiangwu found this person really troublesome, and raised her phone again to ask, "So, which planet are you from?"
The conversation was abruptly interrupted due to its lack of quality and efficiency, and Cheng Xiangwu had no choice but to go prepare for the interview the next day. Fortunately, Lin Che'an had emphasized that they should "chat," so she didn't need to ask Xiao Fu to borrow her pajamas anymore.
The next morning arrived.
At the crossroads, Cheng Xiangwu saw Lin Che'an, who had been waiting on the street. She wasn't wearing formal attire, but rather a comfortable early summer outfit that looked similar to the student-like young man they had first met.
"Hello," Cheng Xiangwu greeted.
"Hello..." Lin Che'an turned around quickly, but she was stunned when she saw who it was. She adjusted her glasses, sighed for no reason, and then showed her usual gentle smile. "It's you, Ms. Cheng."
“It’s me.” Cheng Xiangwu didn’t seem surprised. He nodded and said, “Let’s go, let’s sit down and talk.”
The chat location was a rather random coffee shop; the takeout window was busy on a weekday morning, but the dining area was not crowded.
“People who usually contact me prefer to communicate in a private setting,” Lin Che’an sighed, looking at the pedestrians outside the window. “Although I did take time off to come out, I really feel like I’m taking a break now.”
The reason for choosing a public place was, of course, because Little Franz wanted to eavesdrop.
"Hmm." Cheng Xiangwu simply nodded. "Thank you for coming to find me."
“Ms. Cheng, you can’t be lenient with the psychologist on this point, can you?” Lin Che’an withdrew her gaze and turned her worried look to the person opposite her. “You must be having a tough time lately. How are you feeling?”
“…It’s alright,” Cheng Xiangwu said. She didn’t know what to say to this person. She had never considered seeing a psychologist or changing jobs. Now she just needed a suitable opportunity to ask a question, but the question she wanted to ask would be abrupt no matter the occasion.
"Is that so?" Lin Che'an didn't seem dissatisfied with the perfunctory answer. Instead, he smiled as if he really believed it. "Nothing could be better than this. Compared to extreme joy or sorrow, tranquility is the mental state that everyone desires most."
Cheng Xiang was at a loss for words.
“But, based on what I learned yesterday, Ms. Cheng seems troubled by her calm state, right?” Lin Che’an asked softly, her voice almost drowned out by the traffic flowing in outside the window, yet carrying an undeniable power and vibration.
“…Yes.” Cheng Xiangwu nodded with a forced smile.
"Can you tell me why you have this idea?" Lin Che'an asked. "Although it's not working hours now, you've asked me for help, so you're my patient. I assure you, I will never reveal any of your information to anyone without my permission."
Cheng Xiangwu didn't comment on the credibility of the story. She thought about what she could say, but found that she really couldn't. Could such a thing be made up? Could a psychologist tell that it was made up?
The silence lasted for a long time. Lin Che'an did not urge her. She picked up her teacup and took a sip. The burn on her palm seemed to be more serious. Several red scars were still fresh.
"Actually," Cheng Xiangwu finally spoke, "I don't have a reason to tell you."
"...Is it because you're worried I'll tell others?" Lin Che'an frowned.
“…No.” Cheng Xiangwu shook her head. “There just isn’t one.”
Lin Che settled down.
“Because of my physical condition, I can only experience a limited number of sensations, whether active or passive,” Cheng Xiangwu said slowly, looking at the teacup on the table. “I didn’t become like this because of any one person or event. On the contrary, the extent to which external things can move me is also very limited.”
“…I see,” Lin Che’an replied.
“Yes, so I…” Cheng Xiangwu said, raising her head. This time, she was the one who was stunned.
Lin Che'an shed tears.
“…So that’s how it is.” She let her tears flow like a stream, sliding from her eyelids onto the table and even into the teacup, creating ripples that diluted the color. But her eyes remained fixed on Cheng Xiangwu, and even through her glasses, the look of “sympathy” was still clearly visible.
The person being pitied didn't know what to say, so she took a tissue from the table and placed it in front of the person who was crying.
“…I’m sorry.” Lin Che’an finally lowered his eyes and took off his glasses to wipe away his tears.
"It's nothing." Cheng Xiangwu knew that the other person was a very empathetic person, but she didn't expect that the other person, who was such a grown-up, could cry so easily.
"...No, I must apologize, this is not alright." Lin Che'an cared a lot about this. She put her glasses back on and looked at the person opposite her. "Perhaps you are thinking, how could this person shed tears because of sympathy for me? But Ms. Cheng, I must emphasize that I am not pitying your weak senses, I do not sympathize with you for that."
As she spoke, she placed her right hand on her heart and clenched it tightly, causing the fabric to wrinkle under her pressure. "I sympathize with you because I can empathize with you; I am the same as you."
"...The same?" Cheng Xiangwu repeated.
“Yes.” Lin Che’an nodded solemnly. “I am like you, unable to actively feel the world, unable to be moved by the world. I am not so insensitive because of any external factors.”
She rolled up her sleeves, covering most of the burn scars with her fingers, leaving only her arm exposed, and stretched it out to the other person, indicating that they should place their hand on her pulse. Cheng Xiangwu complied, placing her hand on the vein, pressing down with her index fingertip, and feeling the vibration of blood rushing to the artery through the warm skin.
What it conveyed to her was a heartbeat far slower and more exaggerated than that of ordinary people, telling a true story of bodily feelings completely opposite to its owner's face; in words, it was calm.
Cheng Xiangwu withdrew her hand.
“I noticed this gradually from a very young age.” Lin Che’an did not retract his arm, but left the throbbing motion exposed to the air. “No matter the circumstances, my emotions are very stable.”
She lit up her phone screen, which showed a blurry family photo. The three of them were huddled together, with the four- or five-year-old child in the middle smiling gently.
She moved her finger to the adult man with a subtle smile, “Whether it was when my father, due to his alcoholism, smashed everything in the house with stones.”
He then moved toward a smiling adult woman wearing glasses, "It was when my mother got angry with me for various reasons and said she was going to throw me away."
Finally, his fingers touched the exposed pulse, "or like this, when I was telling my story, my heart rate didn't change even slightly."
“…I see,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
“I can understand how you feel when you see others sympathizing with you,” Lin Che’an said, keeping his eyes fixed on the person he was speaking to. “You don’t know what to say, right?”
Yes, but Cheng Xiangwu didn't know what to say.
“Every time I answered like that, my mother would stop getting angry, or look at me with a strange look, or hug me, or even apologize to me. Later I realized that she was just sympathizing with me.” Lin Che’an lowered his eyes slightly and said, “But when I was young, I was just curious, curious about how this change happened.”
She frowned and looked to the side, then smiled slightly. She brought her hands back to cover the table, lowered her head, and said as if helplessly, "You can understand, right? Those little, precious feelings, just being there is enough for people like us to do something."
“…Indeed.” Cheng Xiangwu said softly, but she still couldn’t understand why the other person would be so honest with her. Putting herself in the other person’s shoes, if she encountered another version of herself, she would either run away or pretend not to see them.
She knew that no matter what her upbringing was like, someone like her could never become a "normal" person that society could accept.
"So, that was when I first came into contact with psychology." Lin Che'an said nostalgically, still looking out the window. "Some very crude and naive theories helped me understand some things. For example, why my mother would get angry even when I did nothing wrong, and why my father would scold me after smashing things. It was all because they were afraid to face their own mistakes. After understanding these things, I thought, I shouldn't have learned these things. Adults should have learned these things. They don't even understand their own hearts."
She looked at Cheng Xiangwu, her voice slightly hoarse, as if she were sighing, "So pitiful."
After speaking, she lowered her gaze again, picked up her cup, and took a sip of tea.
“Ms. Cheng, our circumstances are different, but I know that, at least in some ways, our similarities allow me to apply some of my own thoughts to you,” Lin Che’an said softly, her tone gentle, as if she were comforting him. “After the passing of a loved one, what troubles us is not the death itself, but the influence of those who are busybodies on them, and their speculations about us. Whether it’s out of kindness or malice, or just unintentional curiosity, what they do and say cannot change us. But living in this world inevitably involves being asked to do things by others, and we need to learn to become the kind of people they change us to.”
She touched her chest. "No matter which path we take, it will be difficult, and absolutely no one can accompany us. So when you said that, and then actually came to see me, sat across from me, and told me the truth about yourself, I felt a long-lost, subtle joy. This joy couldn't shake my heartbeat, but that doesn't matter. I want to help you, and that's what I truly believe."
As she spoke, she reached out and slowly but firmly grasped Cheng Xiangwu's hand, which was resting on the table. The scars rubbed against the back of her fingers as she carefully tightened her grip on his hands. She said solemnly, "So please ask me for help. As long as you ask me for help, I will help you."
Lin Che'an was serious, and Cheng Xiangwu did indeed have something to ask. Even though she still didn't understand why this person was willing to open up to her like this, she realized that this was an opportunity.
"It's like this." She withdrew her hand, took out her phone, and showed the photo of the business card she had received from Xu Chunfen. "I wanted to ask, is this Dr. Lin you?"
The coffee shop is left empty for three seconds with white noise.
“…Oh dear.” Lin Che’an smiled sheepishly, “Being called by this name by others feels like being called by my online nickname.”
That meant he admitted it. Cheng Xiangwu then asked, "Is this your part-time job?"
“Well… judging from the start date, this is my main position, but the salary is too low, so I can only…” Lin Che’an sighed about his career choice, and then said, “But luckily you didn’t call directly.”
"...What would happen if I hit him?" Cheng Xiangwu thought of the other side.
“This call is to the HR department’s office landline. In terms of position, I’m only responsible for the final interview, while those responsible for the initial screening, well…” Lin Che’an tilted his head and smiled, “are quite strict.”
"That's all I could say," Cheng Xiangwu replied, hoping that those who made the phone call would return alive.
"But Ms. Cheng asked me about this because she wants to join us?" Lin Che'an frowned.
"You don't recommend it?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.
"...To be honest, I wouldn't really recommend it," Lin Che'an said tactfully. "Frankly, I don't think the person who joined before and after is the same person."
These words make that place sound like a ruthless brainwashing company, which is probably true. If HR says something like that, then stopping there is the best option for the interviewee. But Cheng Xiangwu's identity at this moment is, frankly speaking, that of a spy, and the kind who is planning to bring down the entire industry.
"Can you tell me?" the spy asked blatantly, "Why did you join us, what is your job scope, and so on."
"...Do you really want to know?" Lin Che'an asked with a smile, "or are you asking on behalf of someone else?"
Cheng Xiangwu blinked and looked directly at the other person, saying, "Please tell me, Dr. Lin."
"Eh, eh..." Lin Che'an was clearly in a difficult position, but in the end he sighed and said with a smile, "Alright, since you've put it that way."
The story goes back thirteen years. Lin Che'an came to Senhu City Hospital for an internship project. Although she was a local, she didn't have a local address and had to rent an apartment at her own expense. Apart from internship expenses and assignments, most of the problems she encountered actually came from other members of the project team, that is, her colleagues.
According to the ethical guidelines and professional standards for mental health counselors, not disclosing or discussing any information about patients is the most basic requirement, but some people are unwilling to abide by these guidelines.
“Those are people who compare their patients’ conditions and enjoy it.” Lin Che’an’s expression was unusually serious when he talked about this, and he even seemed reluctant to continue. “Later on, other staff members in the hospital also joined in those topics, and fewer and fewer patients came to us for help. But the project had targets, so we could only rely on visiting schools to give lectures and provide guidance to advance the progress.”
This was not the phenomenon Lin Che'an wanted to see, nor was it her behavior. She didn't participate in those topics, and as a result, she was ostracized by them. Her colleagues also began to ostracize her, calling her stupid. She only had one or two sentences to speak at most lectures, and was often just responsible for collecting Q&A materials after the lectures—no different from a menial worker.
This is not what Lin Che'an wants to do.
She did indeed join the union thirteen years ago.
"The place I rented was in a residential area in the north of the city, which seems to be quite close to your house," Lin Che'an said, laughing.
That night, Lin Che'an encountered someone on her way home. On the dimly lit streets of Senhu City, she saw a person wearing a charred cloak, running with faltering steps, holding a small candle flame in her hands. It was a very weak flame, and she was a very weak person with scarred hands. In the dim light, she collapsed to the roadside like a fallen tree trunk, the wax in her hands almost overflowing, but she struggled to hold it up again with reverence.
The faint light failed to illuminate the person's face, but within its limited range, it revealed a frail figure.
"At that moment, I felt sorry for that person, that ball of fire, and that thing floating in mid-air," Lin Che'an said, propping his head up as he looked towards the street.
“…something floating in mid-air,” Cheng Xiangwu repeated.
“Hmm.” Lin Che’an nodded, smiling as he turned to look at her. “You must have seen it before. It’s huge now. Thirteen years ago, it looked like the Slender Man from a horror movie, almost as if it could be blown away by the wind.”
People came and went outside the window, and occasionally someone got up and sat down in the coffee shop. A waiter came to ask if they wanted more hot water, but Lin Che'an politely declined.
“It seems you weren’t too surprised at the time,” Cheng Xiangwu said, looking at her.
“Because I’ve seen it since I was a child.” Lin Che’an nodded and said matter-of-factly, “You know, this is a small place. When I was a child, I would often look up and see an upside-down shadow flying in the sky in the distance. The people moving stones in the yard said that it was the Bai family, the big landlords, and that it was their helicopter. Later, after I actually saw a helicopter, I realized that it wasn’t. But I didn’t care that much anymore.”
Lin Che'an wasn't surprised when she was in kindergarten, and she certainly wasn't surprised now that she'd graduated from university. She didn't seem to feel she should be surprised at all as she spoke these words, as if neither the helicopter nor the shadows floating in the air mattered to her.
Just like Cheng Xiangwu, the weak person also assumed that most people shouldn't see the UFO, so she was surprised when she found that Lin Che'an could see it and remained calm.
"...That person crawled up to me, kneeling and begging me to take the fire." Lin Che'an covered his face with his hands, and a smile that gradually spread across his face—smile that went far beyond the scope of the word "gentle." "I knew it would be very troublesome, but she begged me like that..."
This is the crucial part.
The weak woman said she was the head of the local union and hoped Lin Che'an would bring the fire to meet her companions. She didn't say what the union was or where her companions were before she fainted. Seeing that she was no longer alive, Lin Che'an carried the fire and the thing that almost replaced her shadow along the road for a while. They encountered some people dressed similarly and who were clearly mentally unstable. When they saw the fire, they knelt down in great excitement, facing Lin Che'an, but they were actually worshipping her shadow.
“Those people can’t see it, that’s why they kneel before me.” Lin Che’an sighed sarcastically, lowering his eyes as he said, “I feel so sorry for them.”
So Lin Che'an left with them, and the fire was carefully stored away, leaving her with only the smell of candles and burns on her palms.
The union members claimed that a fire that night destroyed the cage that imprisoned their god in the mountains, freeing it. They regarded the UFO as an omnipotent and absolutely correct deity because they had been inspired and given gifts by it, had seen each other's figures in dreams, and even shared each other's memories, thus believing it to be almost omniscient and omnipotent. Like many religions, they firmly believed that what they saw in their dreams was the kingdom of God, and their ultimate goal was to be completely taken to God's kingdom to enjoy eternal peace.
But their divine feedback was much faster, and they were much more loyal. All it took was a touch of a divine hand on their heads for their thoughts to be unified; all they had to do next was wait in line to enter—or at least, that's what they believed.
"The so-called entry into the divine kingdom is actually suicide, just an extra procedure. But the fire seems to have damaged part of it, and apart from being attracted by the firelight, it can hardly do anything anymore." Lin Che'an said, waving his hand somewhat embarrassedly, "Actually, those waxes and kingdoms are outside my knowledge base. I don't understand much about this, and those descriptions obviously have a lot of artistic embellishment in them. To this day, I still can't quite understand what they mean."
"So you don't believe me," Cheng Xiangwu said. The person in front of him looked far inferior to Xu Lidong.
“Of course.” Lin Che’an adjusted his glasses. “Who would believe that the helicopters I saw as a child were gods? Hahaha.”
She cleared her throat as she spoke, "In short, those people were quite panicked, saying that the gods would starve to death if things continued like this, and begging me to think of a solution. Honestly, if they could starve to death, they wouldn't be gods anymore..."
Then she frowned and smiled, "But they all begged me like that."
Later, Lin Che'an and the believers thought about it, and thanks to that vast knowledge base, they actually came up with a way to feed the gods.
The being that loses the ability to hunt directly in reality after being burned by a fire can still enter a person's consciousness when neuronal activity in the brain is low and follows certain patterns. It can then interfere with the person's perception, disregarding the laws of reality. Simply put, when the brainwave frequency is within a certain range, it can enter a person's dreams and wreak havoc. Although it is in a dream, in the end, the hunting behavior is indeed no different from before.
That pattern can be reproduced in reality in the form of vibrating sound, combined with a special metal transmission device. Under certain conditions, playing the device can even directly summon a person into a dream.
For some reason, this pattern was the same as Lin Che'an's heartbeat rhythm.
Assisting with the hunt wasn't something Lin Che'an wanted to do, since the god hadn't asked her to help feed the animals. What she did was, as she herself said, managing human resources—recruiting members. The guild only accepted believers, and believers needed to witness miracles to develop faith; what she did was simply lend a hand, in the literal sense.
“So that Zhang was just doing preliminary work in the neighborhood,” Cheng Xiangwu said thoughtfully. “He was originally planning to turn the area into the next Senhu No. 2 Middle School, not specifically to kill Qin Zixi.”
“You could say that,” Lin Che’an nodded. “However, their group started the plan ahead of time, and not only did it not work, but most of the nails they had prepared to achieve the conditions by sheer quantity also broke.”
"He even got himself involved." Cheng Xiangwu thought of the person lying in the hospital and asked, "Is there any chance he'll wake up?"
"...People in the guild regularly use a special drug in order to be ready to welcome the descent of God." Lin Che'an frowned and said, "I don't know about that part, but once people who use that drug for a long time lose control of their bodies, they will never wake up again."
“…I see.” Cheng Xiang nodded.
“Those are just ordinary people, trapped in reality, struggling, unable to even have their own dreams, let alone freedom. Those who genuinely seek help will be brought to me, and I will light a candle, let it descend, and take its hand to place on the head of the beggar.” Lin Che’an sighed as he said this, “But when those people actually become part of the union, they no longer have their own dreams. Everyone’s dreams belong to everyone, and everyone’s dreams belong to everyone.”
They would no longer be pitiful, and would no longer need Lin Che'an.
"...Why did those people go to such great lengths to kill me?" Cheng Xiang asked five times.
“Actually, I don’t know either, but now that I think about it, the day I met the former president, your hometown caught fire. I guess that fire burned it like that. They were probably worried that something like that would happen again.” Lin Che’an swirled his teacup, speaking casually. “Besides, they are very xenophobic.”
However, given the current situation, this request will not be accepted.
"I see." Cheng Xiang nodded and asked, "Who is the current guild leader?"
"...You want to see it?" Lin Che'an frowned. "After hearing what I said, do you still want to join the guild?"
So the union president is that UFO, mindless, enormous, hungry, multifaceted hunter.
Cheng Xiangwu understood. "Will they still cause me trouble after I join the guild?"
“…No, I don’t think so.” Lin Che paused for a moment, then smiled and advised, “But you’ve met Ms. Xu Lidong. Do you really want to become like that? And to be honest, the economic situation there isn’t very good. Not only are the expenses single and huge, but the income has also decreased significantly recently… Ms. Cheng, if you are worried about something like this happening, you can try to ask me for help.”
She crossed her arms to support her chin and said with concern, "Whether it's about the inner self or about reality."
"Then do you know how to deal with your association president?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.
"...I really don't know," Lin Che'an said, pondering with a troubled expression. "Wait for it to starve to death?"
“Solving all the union members’ problems is fine too,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “Could you tell me the personal addresses of all of them?”
“…I’m not too sure about that either,” Lin Che’an said tactfully. “Their place of residence is not fixed, and Ms. Cheng, you are quite the focus of attention now.”
“Then the union needs a meeting place, right?” Cheng Xiangwu said.
"...Well," Lin Che'an said hesitantly, "it seems they communicate directly through dreams, but if you want to know what they're discussing—"
“Dr. Lin,” Cheng Xiangwu said with a sigh, “should I just call your office directly?”
"Hey, hey." Lin Che'an quickly waved his hand, "Let's talk about it some more. If you need a job, I can recommend one..."
She paused, lowered her head slightly, and said, "I don't deny that your recent danger was indeed because I leaked your privacy. Those actions were extreme, weren't they? You've suffered a lot, and I want to make it up to you for that. And now that you're my patient, I will never do anything like that again..."
She kept trying to persuade him, as if she really felt immense guilt for what she had done, but because of the previous events, Cheng Xiangwu knew without touching him that the man was very calm inside.
A text message came through on his phone, saying that it was almost done.
"Thank you for your suggestion." Cheng Xiangwu stood up. "But it's not necessary. I will find a way to solve these problems myself."
"...Including that part of yourself?" Lin Che'an asked, her smile fading slightly, but without a follow-up expression. Cheng Xiangwu thought that when her face was blank, she looked like a villain that Diana would like.
“Yes, because after listening to what you said, I now have some new ideas about my condition.” Cheng Xiang nodded.
"What is it?" Lin Che'an asked.
“It’s fine as it is,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “I’m not getting treatment anymore.”
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