Chapter 37
Xue Jin'an skipped over all the web pages that diagnosed him with terminal illnesses and clicked on the one that said he had hysteria, scanning the complete answer from "Dr. Chang of the Northwest Army Medical Department" into his mind.
Hysteria, a mental illness, manifests as unpredictable mood swings, incoherent speech, nerve paralysis and spasms, blindness and aphasia, etc.
Xue Jin'an was certain that he did not experience any of the aforementioned symptoms, either in his soul or body. He felt that his mental state was very stable and completely without any problems—if he really had such a thing as a mind.
Xue Jin'an decided to open the health app and perform a full-body scan, also monitoring her brainwaves.
The medical examination report showed that his physical data had improved significantly compared to the last test, reaching the passing level for people of his age, and there were no abnormal electrical discharges in his brain.
The data told him that although his body was in a sub-healthy state, his mind was absolutely healthy.
"As expected." How could a cell phone get mentally ill? That's a human privilege.
Xue Jin'an was about to close the browser when a chat box automatically popped up on the current page.
[Dr. Chang, Medical Department of the Northwest Army]: You can describe your symptoms in detail.
Xue Jin'an replied immediately: You misdiagnosed me, I don't have hysteria.
...
In the Northwest Army camp, heavy snow fell in less than half a day, covering the earth in a silver blanket. Training was canceled, and all the soldiers except those on duty hibernated in their tents. The only ones in the camp were the quartermasters, who were extremely busy delivering winter supplies to each tent.
Doctor Chang, a former imperial physician and now the most skilled doctor in the camp, was among the first to receive supplies. He had already lit a charcoal brazier to warm himself while examining his only patient of the day.
This was a very strange patient who suddenly appeared outside the tent and rattled off some seemingly plausible symptoms. When asked what illness he had, Doctor Chang, who was bent over searching for a charcoal brazier under the bed, was startled by the sudden question and slammed the back of his head against the bed board.
He snapped at her impatiently, "Are you delirious?"
Dr. Chang's words weren't just pure insults; he overheard a few of the other person's earlier remarks, and coupled with his current inexplicable behavior, it really did seem like hysteria.
Afterwards, Dr. Chang raised his voice to explain to the other person what hysteria was. The person outside the tent remained silent for a long time, and he thought the other person had already left, so he continued with what he was doing.
When he finished setting up the charcoal brazier and came up, he found a... boy? No, he looked no more than twelve years old. His build was also far below the military recruitment standard.
I haven't heard of any officer bringing any younger family members into the camp today. Doctor Chang thought to himself, but he still straightened his posture and listened attentively to the patient's description of his condition: once someone enters his tent, they are his patient, and as long as they are his patients, regardless of their status or how rude they may be, he will treat them seriously.
Let's just say he's being overly kind. These days, which doctor, especially one who gives up their position as a royal physician to become a doctor in the military, doesn't have the idea of saving lives? He can't save everyone in the world, but he can save as many as he can.
However, after waiting for a while, the boy who had been eagerly calling out from outside the tent suddenly fell into deep thought and remained silent for a long time. In the end, he suddenly turned around and was about to leave.
The person Dr. Chang saw was Xue Jin'an.
In reality, no one actually saw it. Xue Jin'an's men were still in the palace. There was only Doctor Chang in the tent from beginning to end. It was just that Xue Jin'an's magic power, following the lines of the world network, successfully acted on Doctor Chang, making him think that there was someone in front of him.
Xue Jin'an browsed the links that appeared in the search results, which, in Dr. Chang's view, was simply standing in a staking position outside the tent.
Xue Jin'an clicked on the webpage to view the answer details, which, in Doctor Chang's eyes, meant he had walked into the tent.
Xue Jin'an was about to exit the browser, which Dr. Chang interpreted as him intending to leave.
Dr. Chang finally couldn't help but call out to the young man, asking him to describe his symptoms in detail. However, the young man made a wild claim that he had been misdiagnosed!
What's the difference between this and directly denying his medical skills and accusing him of seeking fame and fortune?!
Can Dr. Chang tolerate this?
Dr. Chang smiled and said, "I see. You don't mind if I take a look at you, do you?"
A pop-up notification immediately appeared in Xue Jin'an's eyes: [X Degree Health requests access to your health and fitness permissions. Allow only during use/Always allow/Disallow]
The health and fitness app is linked to his health data, which contains only his physical data. Xue Jin'an directly granted access permission. He wasn't worried about the data being leaked. Not only did he not care, but even if it were leaked, it wouldn't matter. He had data protection and anti-tracking enabled in his browser. If used properly, he could directly steal the other party's data.
In Doctor Chang's eyes, Xue Jin'an's actions were simply the boy nodding in agreement, then sitting down at his signal and placing his hands on the table.
Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. While observing his complexion, Doctor Chang placed his fingers on the boy's wrist. As soon as he felt the pulse, the boy's brows furrowed involuntarily, and he looked at Xue Jin'an with a surprised expression.
He moved his fingers slightly, applying different pressures to take your pulse for a while, making sure he wasn't mistaken. Then he took a deep breath and spoke, his voice slightly deep: "Your internal organs are all deficient, a sign of long-term depletion. You've been eating alright lately, but your qi and blood are already depleted and difficult to replenish... I'll prescribe a formula for you, and it should take about six months to recover."
The boy's body was severely depleted, and he had problems in various parts of his body. It would be difficult to diagnose whether he had hysteria just by taking his pulse, since his mind was already impaired.
However, at least there's still the questioning part in the four diagnostic methods: observation, listening, questioning, and palpation.
Dr. Chang asked, "Have you seen or heard anything unusual lately? Please tell me in detail."
"No, there's nothing wrong with my speakers and video module," the boy denied without hesitation.
Dr. Chang: "...Wait, what instrument and what group? What are you talking about?" Even though the other party's Mandarin pronunciation was so accurate that it could be used as a direct example, he still felt like he was listening to gibberish. Simply put, he didn't understand anything at all.
【Long Aotian】: The speaker is the sound, and the image module is the eyes.
Xue Jin'an then used concrete data to demonstrate that his hardware configuration was flawless: "The sound of air vibrations and heartbeats can be successfully recorded. With the lens zoomed to its maximum, everything two miles away is clearly visible."
The symptoms of incoherent rambling appeared. Dr. Chang picked up the charcoal pencil prepared beside him and wrote it down on paper, struggling to process his jumbled words and extract the usable information. Even though he was prepared, when he heard "ears can detect the sound of air vibrations and eyes can see two miles (kilometers) away," he couldn't help but twitch his lips at the absurdity of the statement.
It's not that there aren't people with keen hearing who can meet the conditions he described, especially those with profound internal strength who can even hear sounds from several miles away. But as for having eyesight that allows one to see clearly two miles away, currently no one can do that.
First, if we rule out the possibility that the boy is not human, then the only explanation is that the ability is something the boy has imagined.
The hallucinations were extremely severe, causing the patient to mistake imagined events for reality. Dr. Chang then wrote them down with charcoal and asked a second question: "Do you occasionally have any uncontrollable thoughts?"
"No, the CPU is running stably, and no programs have started abnormally." The boy's denial was still very firm. "I've also cleaned up all the emotional garbage that I couldn't understand."
Having learned from the previous question, Dr. Chang had already learned to skip over the unfamiliar words he didn't understand and extract the information about the patient's condition that he wanted.
[Dr. Chang, Medical Department of the Northwest Army]: You mean you're experiencing uncontrollable and unstable emotions, right? I understand.
【Long Aotian】: It's just that I don't understand, not that I'm unstable.
[Dr. Chang, Medical Officer of the Northwest Army]: Okay, I understand. Let's move on to the next question. You…
After a few more questions, Dr. Chang's paper was full. His expression was solemn, and his hand holding the charcoal pencil was a little numb.
Looking again at the patient sitting opposite him, who had remained obedient throughout, a deep sorrow appeared in his eyes, and his heart was exceptionally heavy. He finally asked, "How long have you had these symptoms?"
“It has always been there,” the boy answered truthfully, then thought for a moment and said, “The initial configuration wasn’t that powerful, but it was gradually upgraded and perfected into what it is now… However, this body’s performance is very poor. I usually keep the resolution at the lowest setting, and it would break down if I turned on all the functions.”
Xue Jin'an was also a little frustrated when he talked about this, but there was nothing he could do. His soul had already merged with this body, and this body had become his new identity. He had to take good care of it... At worst, he could just replace a few parts.
He had already reserved the batteries for the Fourth Prince and the arm for the Fifth Prince. Hmm, the Third Prince's bones were also quite good... Xue Jin'an was selecting his favorite accessories in his mind. His hand, which was pressing down on the lotus sword, was itching to go and exchange for two right now.
Completely unaware of the vicious thoughts running through his mind, Doctor Chang finally couldn't hold back his tears. He quickly turned his head away and wiped his eyes with his sleeve, feeling sorrow in his heart: What a good child! Even in his madness, he tried his best to control himself. His survival instinct was so strong... He is just as strong a child as that young General Long, who was still thinking about protecting his country even after he died!
"The rope always breaks at its thinnest point, and misfortune always finds its way to the unfortunate! Damn you, God!" Doctor Chang cursed inwardly, feeling a bitter taste in his throat, completely unable to tell the child the cruel answer.
However, Dr. Chang knew that since the child had come specifically to see him, he must have already noticed something strange about him. Rather than hiding it, it was better to tell him. It's right to get treatment when you're sick and not avoid seeking medical help.
Dr. Chang took a deep breath and first apologized to the boy seriously, "You're right, I did make a mistake in my judgment."
"You don't have hysteria, you have insanity."
Xue Jin'an slowly typed out a question mark: "...?"
The boy looked up at him with a puzzled and bewildered expression, sitting there for a long time without saying a word, seemingly completely devastated by the answer.
Despite his deep sorrow, Dr. Chang still reached out and patted the boy's arm.
[Dr. Chang from the Northwest Army Medical Department] patted your coffin lid and said to you: It can be cured.
Xue Jin'an glanced at the "tap" feature set by the otaku and fell silent: "..."
The claim that he "can be cured" seems completely unconvincing, and it even gives the impression that he is about to be buried.
Looking at the blinking cursor in the text input box, Xue Jin'an felt a mix of emotions for the first time, and understood what the otaku meant by "a flurry of actions as fierce as a tiger, but a zero-to-five score."
Through his efforts, he successfully transformed himself from a mentally ill person into a madman, making his condition even more severe.
On the other side, Doctor Chang looked at the boy with gentle and tolerant eyes, wanting to give him more strength. However, the boy remained silent for a long time, but still could not accept the fact that he had lost his mind, and turned to leave the tent.
Dr. Chang watched the boy's figure disappear, then sighed deeply. He knew that healing couldn't be forced; patients needed time to process it. Of course, he wasn't afraid the boy wouldn't return, as he had already memorized the boy's name.
"Long Aotian, what an imposing name—wait, Long Aotian?!" Doctor Chang's praise abruptly stopped, then he jumped up from his seat, accidentally knocking the table apart with his excessive force, leaving a bruise on his waist. But he had no time to pay attention to it.
He stared intently at the name on the paper, biting his fingernails in shock and panic. "Long Aotian?! Is that the Long Aotian who, even as a ghost, still thinks about protecting his country?!"
Once Doctor Chang realized what was happening, he disregarded everything else and, with all his might, dashed out of the tent like a gust of wind, rushing towards the main camp, shouting, "Helian Cheng!!!"
On that day, the entire Northwest Army heard Doctor Chang's heart-wrenching roar.
*
Xue Jin'an is a code being, and his trust in data far exceeds that of humans. So, although Dr. Chang diagnosed him with insanity, Xue Jin'an was actually just speechless and didn't take it to heart.
The reason he didn't reply wasn't because he couldn't accept his condition, as Dr. Chang thought, but simply because he was distracted by a sudden scream.
Xue Jin'an closed the browser and listened intently. The Imperial Stables was eerily quiet. The sound of whips cutting through the air, carrying a faint smell of blood, came from afar, mixed with suppressed and painful groans from humans.
Xue Jin'an pinpointed the direction of the sound and strode over.
Even the usually oblivious Fourth Prince sensed something was wrong and jogged to catch up. He asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
The two were walking quickly when the Fourth Prince heard the sound of a whip cracking. His expression changed instantly, and he stopped, stammering, "This... could it be Third Brother hitting someone? His expression was a bit off earlier..."
The Fourth Prince took the opportunity to call Xue Jin'an out to talk, not only because he genuinely wanted to speak with him, but also because he noticed that the Third Prince's expression was not good, and he looked like he was about to get angry.
No matter how stubborn or arrogant the Fourth Prince usually is, he is actually quite timid. When the Third Prince is not angry, he can still argue with him for a bit because of his unwillingness to admit defeat. But once the Third Prince's expression changes, the Fourth Prince doesn't dare to approach him at all.
The Fourth Prince steeled himself and followed Xue Jin'an a few more steps forward. As the sounds grew clearer and the stench of blood filled his nostrils, his legs trembled slightly. He reached out to grab Xue Jin'an's clothes, "Seventh...Seventh Brother..."
Xue Jin'an didn't let him touch even a corner of his clothes, and simply said, "If you're scared, stay here."
"Who, who's scared! I just don't like bloody scenes, fine, let's go!" The fourth prince, still stubborn even after the man died, forced himself to drag his heavy legs to catch up with Xue Jin'an again, but this time he walked slower and slower and was soon left far behind.
Xue Jin'an crossed half of the horse farm, and the frantic heartbeats of many people gradually became clear. They were jumping erratically, shouting in a voice that was hard for humans to hear, composing a symphony called fear, with the background sound being the heartbeats that were about to lead to death.
After turning the corner, Xue Jin'an's high-definition camera successfully captured a clear view of the scene in the distance.
The first thing Xue Jin'an noticed was not the trembling eunuchs around him, nor the Fifth Prince's disgusted expression, nor the Third Prince's furious figure wielding his whip.
The first thing Xue Jin'an saw was the little eunuch on the ground, the same little eunuch who had greeted them at the door and taken good care of the horses. His heart health was declining at an unusually rapid rate.
Snap! The sharp whip lashed through the air again, striking his body. He rolled a long way, struggled to his feet, crawled back to his original position, and knelt down, waiting for the next lash to land on his back.
Xue Jin'an ignored all of this; he only saw that the value representing the battery health on the other person's chest on the data panel had dropped by an astonishing 9%.
Xue Jin'an: "..."
Xue Jin'an walked over there expressionlessly, the emotional garbage that needed to be cleared up was piling up rapidly, and in the blink of an eye it exceeded 1g.
Xue Jin'an didn't know what kind of emotion it was, nor did he know how to describe the feeling. The battery health of this body was barely 50%. Although he had found his most beloved battery and was just waiting to replace it after it was properly maintained, it didn't mean that he would no longer pay attention to the batteries of other humans.
On the contrary, Xue Jin'an treats every battery with respect. In his eyes, every human with 80% battery health is a walking human accessory library. Although he will not be lenient with someone just because their battery is healthy, or want to collect their battery, he will appreciate it like he is looking at an art exhibition.
And now, someone is scrapping a good battery that was originally 87% healthy.
As a battery enthusiast, Xue Jin'an could not remain indifferent.
If I had to describe his feelings, it would probably be like the feeling some island nations have when they see watermelons being fed to pigs. — Xue Jin'an's computer was already making wild comparisons.
Before the Third Prince could fling his hand out again, Xue Jin'an grabbed the whip that was waving in the air like a snake.
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