Psychics don't die from gunfire

Chapter 830 "Aphasia"

“You put it that way,” Song Shi said without hesitation, “If you still feel at a loss, there are too many difficulties.”

“Then I will come.”

“Understood,” said the spinning machine. “There’s one more thing I think you’ll be interested in.”

Song Shidao: "Oh?"

"Level 1 Incident, 'Aphasia'"

······
This is a shelter temporarily converted from a hospital.

The main targets of the containment are patients with "soul loss syndrome" and a small number of victims of "human dissolution" incidents.

Even with today's advanced and prosperous medical technology, diseases involving the brain, cognition, and mental models are still considered troublesome and difficult to handle, requiring utmost caution. This is why there are so many cyberpsychotic disorders today.

To be more precise, mental and psychological illnesses, including dissociative identity disorder, Alice syndrome, and cognitive impairment, are not technically difficult to treat; the problem lies in the exorbitant costs. How can someone who has to scrape together money for an old-fashioned prosthetic limb and take out a loan afford such exorbitant medical expenses?
The New Order Federation can afford it.

The only problem is that the point at which it can "afford" the issue will be delayed. Currently, the New Order Federation is operating on multiple fronts simultaneously: internally, it needs to suppress the remaining resistance forces and gradually infiltrate its influence; externally, it needs to fight against forces such as the Corporate Alliance and the Academic Council. It simply cannot spare any extra resources or manpower.

Therefore, the New Order Federation is currently adopting a strategy of centralized containment and conservative treatment for these victims, and will treat them one by one when there is time to spare.

Of course, this move also caused considerable panic and dissatisfaction. Most of the patients' relatives and friends felt that this was all too familiar. Under the guise of protection, they were conducting pure human experiments. The company had already exhausted this trick. Next time, remember to cite the source.

As a result, cases of people illegally raising funds and hiring mercenaries to storm shelters and rescue patients emerged in various places, but fortunately, most of them were successfully stopped.

“It’s normal that public trust is completely rotten.” Song Shi hummed in agreement and shook his head slightly. “It’s easy to destroy, but difficult to build. It seems that the ‘new order’ that Chaklo and his group want to create will have to endure a long time.”

As you walk down the corridor, you see that each room has been reinforced, but it still can't completely block out sound, and shouts can be heard from time to time.

"Lord Setsuna, where are you—"

A person knelt at the head of the bed with their hands clasped together, weeping bitterly, holding a prayer-like gesture.

"さあ,踊れ!Starlight Parade,Yazora dyed めるカラフルな——"

This is a repetitive singing of the Zen Ryuktsana Golden Song.

"woo woo woo woo."

This is because his brain was dissolved too severely, and he often tried to get himself released from the shelter by self-harming, so his body was tied up and his mouth was gagged.

Song Shi stopped and observed for a while before making a judgment in his mind.

It is indeed quite troublesome.

"Anatomical dissolution" affects their minds and alters their cognition. Because the mind and matter are interdependent and inseparable, some areas of their brains also become diseased. Conventional treatments require addressing both cognitive and physiological aspects, which is challenging and time-consuming.

As for involving the "Consensus" psychics, it can only be said that there are also concerns.

Those who are strong and highly skilled are either in high positions of power and have heavy responsibilities, and with the current situation so chaotic and anxious, they cannot devote their energy to treating people, or they are living in seclusion or are wanted by the police and dare not show their faces, and have no interest in becoming doctors.

As for those who are less skilled or weaker, they should know that consensus has always been considered a high-risk path. Its danger lies in its subtle, gradual influence, which goes unnoticed.

The victims' thought processes have changed, and their memories are filled with various meme remnants. Every contact between a "Consensus" psychic and them can be seen as a tightrope walk. There are many victims and few psychics; anyone who walks along the roadside is bound to get wet, and one wrong move can lead to their own demise. A typical case in the past involved a first-stage "Consensus" psychic who went to "empathize" with a heavy sugar addict, only to find himself developing a severe sugar addiction—even though he had never consumed sugar before.

If we consider the population as a human resource, then psionicists are undoubtedly a high-value asset within it.

Therefore, the New Order Federation currently prefers conventional, non-psychic methods to treat victims.

"They're still inside."

Following the guidance of the drone that took over the textile machine, Song Shi slowly raised an eyebrow. He noticed that the environment gradually changed as he walked further in.

The area housing victims of "human dementia" is clearly a hospital setting, with caregivers moving among white tiles and the smell of disinfectant. However, the further you go in, the fewer caregivers and doctors there are, and the more armed security personnel there are.

"Holy crap. Song Shi?" A burly man who was standing guard, bored out of his mind, was making his prosthetic fingers tangle when he suddenly looked up, startled. He quickly stood at attention, saluted, and shouted, "Private First Class Jill Kate greets you!"

"you know me?"

The burly man's glass beads darted around in his eye sockets, and he answered instantly, speaking in a genuine Eastern accent: "Who in the world doesn't know you?"

"Ah"

Song Shi smiled, glanced at it, and nodded: "His strength is worthy of his military rank."

The burly man was taken aback, still wondering whether it was a compliment or a criticism, when the other person had already walked away.

laugh.

Door after door slid open, and Song Shi stepped inside. This place, too, was divided into individual rooms. However, compared to the previous ones, the rooms here were much larger, and there was even a public square where several people were sitting.

Upon noticing the unfamiliar faces approaching, they immediately turned their attention to them. One of them, a young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties, put down her newspaper and stood up first.

It should be said that she felt very out of place to Song Shi.

The top of his head was shaved extremely short, revealing a bluish-gray scalp, while sharp, spiky, fluorescent green tufts of hair adorned the sides. Several tiny, silvery neural interface connectors ran downwards along the outer edge of the skull.

Her chin was pierced by a bright pink etched circuit, which looked extremely provocative.

But Song Shi had seen this kind of outfit enough. If you add a leather jacket, some colorful light strips, and a bunch of metal ornaments, this is the classic rock star outfit—nine out of ten resident singers in the underground bar of the corporate alliance dress like this.

—But the temperament is wrong.

Despite his rebellious appearance, he possessed an unusually composed demeanor, like a rock polished smooth by countless waves. His eyes, in particular, were calm and reserved—not the gaze of a street rock singer.

Is this what "loss of soul" means?
Then the other person spoke.

"Hello."

The woman extended her right hand, her tone steady.

"Eracia Kingdom, 'Shattered Oracle' Legion, Chief Knight Commander, Zenoya Edith."

"I extend my sincere greetings to you, strong one from afar."

(End of this chapter)