Since all these rules and superstitions are outdated, what's wrong with me indulging in some me

Meanwhile, within the Chinese countermeasures team.

Yan Xiangming looked at the live streaming system representing Qingzhi. The live stream screen was still a gray blur. He remained calm, his knuckles tapping silently on the table.

"This has happened before; there have been two cases in total."

The assistant beside him quickly retrieved the information.

"One time it was because we and the player were not on the same plane, and the other time it was because a player's environment contained crucial information."

"Should we send the information to Lu Changsheng?"

Yan Xiangming shook his head.

"Postponed."

Each hint given to the player costs precious national points: 5 points for the first hint and 50 points for the second. Every point is earned through hardship and danger, and cannot be wasted on a vague piece of information.

"How was the expert panel's analysis of facial micro-expressions?"

"The analysis is complete. Currently, it appears that Zhang Ping may have neurotic tendencies, but based on the analysis of facial muscle movement and blood flow, there are no signs of deception in her statements. Furthermore, the expert team just analyzed the pupil focus of Zhang Ping while she was speaking, and it is highly likely that she really did see something."

Yan Xiangming nodded, which meant that "it" in the copy was very likely to actually exist, but this completely conflicted with the rules for psychologists that Lu Changsheng had seen.

Because Rule 2 has already clearly stated that—

[Rule 2. If a patient claims to perceive "another being" and refers to it as "it," firmly deny its existence and do not claim to see or hear it.]

But he believes that Lu Changsheng has a clear understanding of this.

Yan Xiangming stood up and suddenly asked his assistant:

"How is Anzhiyu doing?"

"She just came out of the dungeon yesterday and is still unconscious. The medical team has been watching over her all day. Experts suspect that a force is being processed in her body."

"Digesting energy?"

"Yes," the assistant said. "The joint analysis by the medical team and the expert team suggests that An Zhiyu's final reward in this S-level dungeon might be a gift of some kind of 'high-level' power. This power is currently merging with her."

Yan Xiangming's eyes were as solemn as iron.

An Zhiyu is currently the only confirmed official member of the Rules Management Bureau in China, and also a symbol of China's highest-level combat power in the Rules of the Uncanny game. Every high-difficulty instance she encounters puts the entire Countermeasures Center on edge.

"Okay, we'll keep a close eye on it."

Yan Xiangming nodded, his gaze returning to Lu Changsheng's live stream.

-

Although this body is largely similar to Lu Changsheng himself, he has vague memories left by the original body in his mind.

At this moment, Lu Changsheng, based on his vague memories, left the counseling room and walked for more than ten minutes back to his rented room.

The city here isn't too different from real cities, but it's much greener, and the air is filled with the fresh scent of plants. Pedestrians stroll leisurely on the streets, their expressions relaxed, a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle often seen in urban areas.

Arriving at the rented room from his memory, he took out his key from his pocket and opened the door.

It's just a small house of about fifty square meters, with one bedroom and one living room, and it's fairly clean and simple.

Lu Changsheng wandered around for a while and finally came to the bedroom.

The bedroom was clean and tidy, and the blankets had a fresh, sun-dried scent, making it very comfortable to look at.

However, when his gaze fell on the windowsill, his pupils suddenly contracted—

There was a small medicine bottle there, exactly the same as the one his assistant had given him today!

Lu Changsheng quickly stepped forward, unscrewed the bottle cap, and found a small blue pill lying quietly inside.

A bad feeling arose.

He quickly searched every trash can in the house and found several identical blue medicine bottles, but when he opened them, they were all empty.

I didn't take the blue pills this morning!

All the clues point to this fact.

He then took out the blue pills his assistant had given him. Comparing the two pills, they were identical in color, texture, and taste.

Lu Changsheng became even more certain of his thoughts.

The blue pill was clearly one that his assistant would personally bring to him every time he left work, but the most reasonable explanation for the extra pill at home is that he didn't take the blue pill today!

Lacking more details of the original owner's memories, Lu Changsheng was unable to compare the differences between "himself" who took the medication and "himself" who did not.

I broke the rules... but nothing happened?

Lu Changsheng sat on the bed, his mind replaying the events that had occurred in the counseling room that morning.

He suddenly stood up, walked to the mirror, unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his slightly thin chest.

He looked down at his chest.

In the center of his chest, there was a faint red mark the size of a bowl.

[Holy crap! Could this mark be the hole Zhang Ping mentioned?]

The rules state that you shouldn't listen to patients' judgments about doctors, but how do you explain the circle surrounding Lu Shen?

Could it be related to that blue pill? When Zhang Ping left, she seemed to say that Zhou Ming's chest hole was smaller than Lu Shen's.

I have a bad feeling; could this hole be getting smaller and smaller?

I can't take it anymore! I guess I'm just not cut out for these kinds of mystery novels! My head's going to go bald!

Lu Changsheng gently stroked the red mark with his fingers. The touch was no different from the surrounding area; it didn't hurt or itch, but rather felt like a piece of new, tender skin. He pressed his fingertip to the center of the red mark.

"Thump—thump—thump—"

He heard his own heartbeat.

The steady beating of the heart came through the bones and flesh, clear and powerful.

Lu Changsheng frowned and tied his clothes back on.

"Bang bang bang—"

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door, the rhythm slow yet clear.

"Dr. Lu? Are you home? It's me, Aunt Chen."

A gentle female voice came from outside the door.

Lu Changsheng's hazy memories were instantly triggered; the voice belonged to his landlady, Aunt Chen.

Lu Changsheng quickly buttoned up his shirt and stuffed the medicine bottle and other items into the drawer.

He opened the door, and standing outside was a woman who looked to be in her fifties. She was dressed simply and neatly, her hair was combed meticulously, she was carrying a thermal bag, and she had a kind smile on her face.

"Aunt Chen," Lu Changsheng nodded in greeting.

"Hey, did I disturb your rest?"

Aunt Chen spoke softly, handing over the insulated bag: "I made chicken soup today. I was thinking that since you live alone, it might be inconvenient for you to cook, so I brought you a bowl. It's still warm, so drink it while it's hot for your health."

"Aunt Chen, this is too much trouble for you..."

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all."

Aunt Chen looked up at Lu Changsheng with a smile.

"You young people are so busy with work, you don't know how to take care of yourselves! Look at your face, it's so pale!"

Aunt Chen glanced at his face and continued talking.

"And your hospital, it's really just too..."

Her words suddenly stopped without warning.

It felt like someone had suddenly grabbed my throat.