Chapter 136 The Asylum 6 You are me
The toilet door was locked.
"They're here," the nurse whispered in your ear, leaning closer. Her voice held a hint of excitement, like a little pet eager to please.
You nodded without saying anything more.
Half an hour ago, you asked the nurse to find a way to take Xiao Ai and Xiao Yu to a secluded place, because you had something to say to them.
Taking advantage of their position, the nurses easily accomplished this. You were placed in the women's restroom, which was reserved for hospital staff.
You looked in the mirror and carefully examined the line on your forehead. Your hair was messy, and during the day, the line wasn't really that noticeable.
You turn on the tap, splash cold water on your face, and try to remain as calm as possible in the face of the situation that is about to unfold.
"Could you please go to the door and keep watch for us so that no one else gets close?" you asked the nurse.
Xiao Ai looked at you as if you were a monster, ordering the nurse around, and the nurse actually obeyed your orders.
You signaled to Xiao Ai not to panic, and followed her all the way to the door, confirming that the nurse was standing guard quietly.
However, you don't want your precious items to stay in someone else's "head" for too long.
You immediately returned to the sink, leaned against the wall, and recounted what had happened last night.
You recounted how you retrieved those yellowed pages of "nursing guidelines" from the nurse's head, and how you pulled that disgusting doll statue from the male caregiver's head.
You mentioned those monsters that patrol the wards at night, how focused they looked and how professional their movements seemed when they "pretended" to perform surgery, clearly retaining the professional instincts of a "doctor".
“These people look like doctors during the day, but they are actually just puppets controlled by something implanted in their brains,” you shrug. “Whatever is put into their heads, they will behave the way they want, without any other consciousness at all.”
You paused, looked at Xiao Ai and Xiao Yu, and said seriously, "So we need to confirm with each other what's hidden in each other's heads."
Xiao Ai's lips twitched: "You mean...you want to open our heads?"
“I’ll let you open mine too,” you shrug. “Fair trade. I’ve been honest with you about what I saw, and I expect the same honesty in return. Besides, you don’t want to live in a state of not knowing what you really are, do you?”
Xiaoyu remained as clueless as ever, while Xiao Ai didn't retort.
You think it's normal to find this hard to accept at first, but it's a necessary condition for cooperating with you.
By demonstrating your ability to control nurses in front of them, you are essentially telling them that you can completely mess things up by yourself.
They need you more than you need them.
"What kind of living person could survive having their head opened and then closed like that?" Xiao Ai said, striking a defiant pose. "We don't need to test each other's trust like that first. Let's unite and work together to deal with the medical staff here..."
You look at Xiao Ai and feel that something is not right.
If you don't want to waste time, then let Xiao Ai think about it carefully first. Turning to Xiao Yu, you gently say, "Xiao Yu, perhaps you don't quite understand what I'm saying yet, but I will explain it to you properly..."
Before you could finish speaking, a powerful blow came crashing down from behind!
You stumbled and almost bumped into the sink.
Before I could turn around, I saw out of the corner of my eye that Xiao Ai pounced forward, carrying a mop handle that had been lying in the toilet stall.
You dodge to the side, and with just a glance, you see her eyes are filled with madness; it seems she began plotting as soon as you recounted what happened last night.
"Xiaoyu! Hold her down!" Xiao Ai shouted.
You simply can't believe that Xiaoyu, who always had a dull and smirking expression, actually obediently pounced on you!
She was incredibly strong, gripping your arms tightly with both hands like vises.
You were pinned against the wall, and behind Xiaoyu, Xiao Ai raised her hand to pry open your skull.
You gritted your teeth and exerted your strength, suddenly raising your knee to strike Xiaoyu's abdomen, finally creating a little space, and using the force of that kick to knock Xiaoai over again.
She fell to the ground, her head hitting the wall, and she groaned.
You, panting, pounced on her and grabbed Xiao Ai's shoulder.
She struggled on the ground, trying to call Xiaoyu for help, but you reached out your other hand and covered her mouth.
She glared at you through gritted teeth, but you ignored her and swiftly and precisely pried open the outer shell of her skull.
Click.
--this…
You froze.
Inside her head was a complete brain.
It was a surprisingly "vibrant" brain—a clean skull cavity, without any implants, and clearly not like a normal brain... containing only a clean brain.
As for Xiao Ai herself, like all the other nurses and doctors, she was stunned the moment you opened her skull.
You looked back at Xiaoyu again, but she was completely unaware.
You feel like your computer is about to crash.
What's going on?
The scenario you're imagining: craniotomy, doing something to the brain, might be a "tradition" at this rehabilitation center. The current medical staff have inherited this method from the monsters of the night and are using it on you again.
This is the simplest form of "brainwashing," and you, or other patients, have probably all experienced it.
But how could Xiao Ai's brain be... eh?
You sense something's not right.
You coax yourself into reaching out to touch this brain, and at its edge, your fingertips seem to touch a strange groove.
Take a deep breath and carefully lift the thin membrane covering the cerebral cortex.
Under the light, you can finally see that this brain has been cut in half. And not with a clean lab cut, but rather... it was forcibly ripped apart and then roughly pieced back together.
This is not a person's brain.
If that's the case, then at least it matches your guess.
But whose other half is it?
You turn your head and look at Xiaoyu again.
Without Xiao Ai's guidance, she just squatted in the corner, hugging her knees, muttering something to herself, no one knew what she was saying.
You slowly walked over, gently comforted her, and opened her head.
There was nothing inside.
An empty skull, with only a clean, hollow bone cavity.
The truth is obvious.
Xiao Ai and the others already knew that the brains had been tampered with, but she didn't realize that the medical staff did the same.
Close your eyes and force yourself to process this truth.
Is Xiao Ai's other half Xiao Yu's?
Is her protection of Xiaoyu influenced by the other half of Xiaoyu's self?
You squat in front of Xiaoyu, looking at her empty head, while holding in your hand the half of Xiao Ai's brain that had been cut open.
It's like some kind of used biological prop, covered in dried liquid, yet exuding a strange "vitality".
You hesitated for a moment, and even had the thought of putting it back into Xiaoyu's head.
Perhaps she will regain consciousness? Regardless of whether this half belongs to Xiaoyu or not, this half should still have an effect on Xiaoyu…
But as soon as you raise your hand, your fingertips touching the cold edge of the skull, your heart sinks.
If the "brain," rather than other distinctive "dead objects," could be so arbitrarily taken out, cut apart, pieced together, and replaced—
Then what makes you believe that the "you" you are now is the same as the original you?
A sudden chill runs down your spine from the back of your neck.
You subconsciously touch your head.
You rush to the sink, look at yourself in the mirror, and for some reason, you feel that the person in the mirror seems a little... unfamiliar.
You moved your hand, and the black hair placed in the nurse's head was guided, controlling the nurse to walk to your side.
"What's wrong, my good friend?"
Take a deep breath.
It seems you are still you, and the fact that your tools can still be used by you is irrefutable proof.
But that unease lingers in your heart, like a voice softly asking, "Who are you?" "Are you whole?" "How much of what you have left is real?"
No, not now.
You shake your head, forcing yourself to pull your attention away from these philosophical questions.
Now is not the time to wallow in self-doubt.
But you need to be more aware of the crisis than before. You must act quickly, make things even more chaotic, and then use the chaos to your advantage.
You choose to carefully place that half of the brain back into Xiao Ai's cranial cavity and cover her skull.
Click.
Her eyes suddenly focused, and her blank expression began to return to a "normal" look.
Just as she was about to do something else to you, you called for a nurse: "Please take them both home."
The nurse nodded, her smile even carrying a hint of pride, as if she had just assisted in the successful completion of an experiment.
You followed her away, and after Xiao Ai and Xiao Yu were handed over to the nurse in charge of them, you returned to the ward and, without hesitation, quickly opened the nurse's head again and pulled back your black hair.
Now, you must take charge yourself.
You take off your hospital gown, put on the suit worn by the unconscious nurse, turn on the front camera on her phone, tidy up your messy hair a bit, and put on your nurse's cap—you now look almost indistinguishable from a real nurse.
The door opened, and you walked into the hospital corridor, your steps neither hurried nor slow.
Several patients and other nurses brushed past you along the way, but you didn't make eye contact with any of them.
You're writing something that doesn't exist in your notebook, head down, with a pen tucked between your fingers, creating the illusion of being "busy" under the corridor lights.
No one is stopping you.
The more natural and confident you are, the less likely anyone will think something is wrong with you.
The glass sign for the nurses' station is right in front of you.
You slowly pushed open the door and went inside.
Head Nurse Sandra was sitting behind the desk flipping through some reports, her laptop on. She was focused and didn't notice you approaching.
Without warning, you reached out from behind and grabbed the back of her neck.
She let out a soft cry of surprise, but didn't have time to struggle.
Your other hand was already at her head, and with practiced skill, you opened her skull in no time.
They threw away the silver thermometer and implanted the black hair.
When you close her skull, her spine straightens abruptly, then slowly relaxes.
She turned her head to look at you, a familiar, calm, and obedient smile playing on her lips.
“My dear friend,” she whispered, “what do you need?”
You blinked, not even having time to adjust your mood.
“Listen,” you quickly get into character, leaning close to her ear and whispering, “I need you to start working with me on two plans.”
"First, arrange a 'mental abnormality test' for me. I need to see a doctor."
"Second, in the afternoon, arrange for everyone to come to the activity room. Everyone, we're going to go all out and make a mess of everything."
Sandra listened quietly without any further reaction.
"Okay, I understand."
She picked up the phone, dialed a three-digit extension number, and spoke in a lighthearted tone, as if she were ordering lunch: "Mental state reassessment, yes, that one... um, the assessment will be conducted in the doctor's office."
“She’s available,” Sandra said with a smile. She took your hand and led you to the doctor’s office.
The same office as yesterday, with the same doctors sitting inside.
Only you know that you didn't see her among the group of drowsy "medical staff" last night.
You should engage in a debate with her and see what suggestions she has.
"Did you sleep well last night? Let's talk about your 'condition'," she said in a light tone.
You smiled and sat up straight: "Of course, I'm looking forward to this conversation."
She crossed her hands, her fingers tapping lightly between them. Her voice was soft, but incredibly penetrating: "Are you hallucinating?"
"If the hallucinations you're referring to are those monsters at night who don't have doctor's licenses but perform surgery right in front of you—then yes."
She nodded, completely unconcerned about what you said, and simply recorded your answer in a businesslike manner without asking any further questions.
"Have you attacked other patients? Even in…" she smiled, "in private places."
Looking into her eyes, you know there's no need to lie, so you casually reply, "No, I was just defending myself."
She changed her sitting posture.
"Do you feel like you don't fit into the rules of this world?" she asked.
"That depends on who sets the rules of this world."
The air paused for two seconds.
"What do you mean by that?" you asked aloud.
You just want to give it a try.
The truth is, you guessed right.
This universal rule applies to almost anyone, except for the rule-makers in the scenario—they have the final say in the scenario, and even if they are subject to the universal rule, they will not be easily challenged by "outsiders".
The doctor looks at you, but smiles without saying a word.
Her fingers tapped lightly on the table.
“Do you know,” she finally spoke, “that people who go to rehabilitation centers aren’t always the ones with problems?”
“There are more disobedient people. And there are people who are expected to be pried open,” she said.
You raised an eyebrow and gave a sarcastic smile. "Well, you did a good job." You tapped your forehead. "Didn't you already do some completely illegal things to me while I knew nothing about it?"
"But what exactly do you want from me? I'm just an innocent student," you ask, truly.
You do have doubts.
You've been caught up in a bizarre case, but frankly, you're just a nobody. Even if you're drawn into a scenario that follows the events, there's no need to go to such lengths to destroy you.
The doctor leaned towards you, and for a moment, her face remained unchanged, but her eyes sent a chill down your spine.
It was a familiar, déjà vu chill.
"I want you to keep proving yourself."
She slowly stood up, walked to your side, as if admiring a work of art, scrutinizing every inch of your skin to see if some kind of danger was lurking beneath.
Your throat moved.
"Prove what?"
“Prove that you are ‘worth it’. Worthy of being released, worthy of returning to ‘human’ society, worthy of retaining consciousness.”
You feel uneasy under her gaze, and you involuntarily blink. The next second, when you look at her again, she is no longer so intimidating.
Is it just my imagination?
The doctor nowadays still speaks in a riddle-like manner, but the eccentricity of the previous statement has been gone. She simply smiled and said, "Do you know where all the people in the hospital come from?"
You did not respond.
She seemed to enjoy this unilateral power and continued, "Some people are criminals, some are informants, and some have deep secrets hidden inside."
“All of you who are not allowed to go out are like that.”
"This is the trial court, where we help find fairness and justice."
You then noticed that the nameplate on her chest was mostly covered by the collar of her white coat.
You leaned slightly forward, and in the instant she turned to pour water, you saw another line of text on the back of the nameplate—
Dean.
Your heart skipped a beat.
She is the dean.
If that's the case, then it makes sense.
"I don't care about all your fuss, and you don't need to make your Alpha statements here." You frowned and waved your hand.
"How can I leave here?" you said, emphasizing each word.
“I told you, you have to prove yourself,” the doctor laughed. “Are you guilty or innocent? Are you sane or insane? Are you sick? Do you deserve to leave here?”
She spoke very slowly, word by word.
"I decide these things."
“And all you have to do is prove to me that you can be released,” she said.
"I'll sign the form for you, saying you need to stay in the hospital for further observation. Good luck!" she said with a smile.
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