My left and right hemispheres fight each other.

Chen Kingdom, Qing City, suburbs.

Xinxi Mental Rehabilitation Center.

The crowds are busy, and the world goes on as usual.

But the thick, dense clouds that covered the sky quietly burst open above this place, and in that instant, the changing clouds seemed to be depicting the outline of a person's eyes.

The sky was overcast, yet a vast gaze, familiar to all, pierced through this insignificant crack, like a dazzling golden eye, casting its fixed gaze.

That gaze happened to fall on the face of a person behind a window in this mental hospital.

"Tap...tap...tap..."

"Relax, take a deep breath."

"Yes, Director Li." Chen Xin replied, focusing her attention on the old pocket watch that was constantly swaying in the hand of the person in front of her.

"I'm not your director now, I'm a God who doesn't exist in this world. Oh no, I mean don't take me too seriously, don't make me too conspicuous. You can treat me as a narrator, you can treat me as background, the less you pay attention to me, the better." The middle-aged, balding man in a white coat and black-rimmed glasses corrected him softly.

"Yes, Director Li," Chen Xin replied obediently.

"..."

"Okay, shit?" Chen Xin asked tentatively, changing his tune when he saw Director Li fall silent.

"There's no need to be so dismissive..." Director Li's face darkened, but he was helpless and didn't say anything more.

Having frequently dealt with mentally ill individuals (the little cuties), he had long since learned to internalize his complaints without expressing them aloud, lest it cause a chain of trouble.

"Now, you feel peaceful and serene, because you are walking on a sunny beach..."

Chen Xin's gaze wavered slightly. Upon hearing this guiding word, he tried his best to shift his gaze back to the pocket watch rather than looking at the seaside scenery above the other person's head.

He found it hard to believe that this Mediterranean uncle could speak so gently and tenderly; the children who had been coaxed by him were truly blessed.

The other party clearly noticed the change in Chen Xin's eyes, but he did not react, because Chen Xin quickly got into the zone after a short adjustment.

"No wonder he was once a renowned psychologist," Director Li sighed, feeling a mix of regret and unease.

Throughout his interactions with Chen Xin, he was always a very gentle and kind man. Although he was only in his early twenties, he seemed to have experienced a lot in life, yet he remained as pure as ever, choosing to greet the world with an optimistic smile.

Chen Xin was very capable, far surpassing him, and quickly rose to fame, saving many patients with extreme psychological problems.

Aside from his parents' divorce, there has never been any known cause of his mental illness.

How could someone like that suddenly develop a split personality?

Director Li suppressed his chaotic thoughts, stared at Chen Xin's gradually unfocused eyes, and said in a highly infectious yet caring tone:

You're enjoying the morning sunlight, strolling leisurely along the beach. Suddenly... you step on something unexpectedly. You look down—what is it?

Chen Xin smiled with satisfaction, but as Director Li guided him, he lowered his head slightly and his expression changed quickly.

Seeing that things were finally making progress, Director Li's heart leaped with excitement. He quickly got off his chair, almost pressing his body against the table, his face full of inquiry, but his voice remained gentle: "So what exactly is it?"

Chen Xin straightened his head, and only then did Director Li notice that his expression was one of disgust, as if he were vomiting: "I saw a pile of dog poop."

Director Li's mood took a sharp turn for the worse. He slumped back down, chuckling to himself, "Looks like you don't dare to disregard dog shit after all, haha."

However, he did not give up and chose to continue to coax her, even though his voice was a little off-key: "You ignored that spoilsport, you composed yourself and kept walking."

Suddenly, you hear a noise overhead. Is it a bird flying by? Or something else? Unable to contain your curiosity, you want to look up. Tell me, what do you see?

Chen Xin raised his head as instructed, revealing his refined chin, which made Director Li glance at him with envy: "Youth is wonderful, what a handsome young man."

He quickly came to his senses, and upon closer inspection, what he saw immediately sent chills down his spine.

Chen Xingao held his head high, and a ray of sunlight shone down, illuminating his expression clearly, allowing Director Li to see everything.

He opened his mouth as if to shout, but instead let out a silent scream. His facial muscles twitched, and his features were filled with a distorted, trembling expression.

That was clearly panic, fear, and extreme terror.

Although the room was filled with warm light, it inexplicably chilled Director Li to the bone. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave and gasped for breath for a long time.

That expression was so glaring, and because Chen Xin's head was held so high, he completely overlooked the most important factor in judging a person's expression.

eye.

Chen Xin's eyes were completely different from his expression. His eyes were filled with anger and resentment, which, combined with his disproportionate face, resembled a roar, making him appear particularly ferocious.

Director Li calmed himself down. He felt goosebumps all over his body. He looked at Chen Xin again and was stunned once more.

Chen Xin's expression was calm. She tilted her head slightly and looked at him with a puzzled expression: "Director?"

"Tap...tap...tap..."

Director Li was incredulous. He repeatedly checked the scene before him and kept observing Chen Xin's micro-expressions.

But the answer was beyond question, and Chen Xin felt a sense of peace in her heart.

His eyes were so clear that Director Li even saw his own reflection in the bottom of those pure lakes of his eyes.

In the interplay of light and shadow, there is his still-straight arm and the pocket watch that keeps swaying on it.

Director Li couldn't help but begin to doubt himself: "Was I really hallucinating just now?"

He hesitated for a long while before asking, "Chen Xin... what did you see just now?"

A strange look appeared on Chen Xin's face: "Director Li, you've already asked me that once, and I've already answered you once. You... don't you believe me?"

"I already asked once?" Director Li was startled. He hurriedly withdrew his arm, which had been held out until it was stiff and numb. "I'm sorry, I just didn't hear you clearly. Could you please repeat it?"

Chen Xin smiled helplessly: "I said, I just saw a pile of bird droppings falling from the sky."

That's all.

……

"Bird poop? You're obsessed with poop, aren't you!" Director Li thought to himself, until he heard Chen Xin gently close the door.

He adjusted his posture, flipped through Chen Xin's medical report again, rested his chin on one hand, and played with his pocket watch in the other.

"Is he trying to fool me? How could that be? Could it be that something is wrong with me too?" He couldn't calm down at all; his mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts.

"If he really lied to me, then I'll have some clue about his condition."

"His dissociative identity disorder (schizophrenia) stemmed from something he saw when he looked up that day. That thing shocked him beyond measure, and even his worldview collapsed."

"This kind of mind-blowing terror was unbearable for him. In order to prevent his liver and gallbladder from rupturing and dying, his brain, under extreme stimulation and the instinct for survival, created a separate personality to take on everything that he could not bear."

"That's right, that's exactly it. Chen Xin is the most cooperative patient among this group of mental patients. His deception may not be deception at all, but rather his personality has stolen that memory from the past and filled it with a more reasonable and acceptable scenario."

Thinking about how to figure it out, Director Li couldn't help but recall that incredibly impactful expression.

"What...what did he see? What could have shocked a young, successful, and well-regarded psychologist to such an extent?"

As the end of the workday approached, the tension finally eased, and Director Li relaxed, no longer wanting to worry about it. He sighed, "Such a promising young life, wasted in the hospital. How pitiful."

Opening his pocket watch and seeing that the time was perfect, Director Li jumped up with joy, casually tossed the watch into the drawer, quickly packed his things, and hurriedly prepared to leave his office.

But just as he stepped out of the room, he suddenly turned back and looked at the half-open drawer with a deep sense of doubt: "That pocket watch... I remember it should be bronze, it's been passed down from the hospital for a long time."

"But why does its color seem to have faded a lot?"

"Pshaw! I'm such a busybody. Whatever, maybe it's just faded paint."

Director Li wanted to slap himself. He slammed the door shut and walked toward his car.

But he clearly sensed that he was not at peace, and a nameless unease gradually enveloped his mind and body.

The seeds of doubt have been sown, and what they will blossom into will not be sweet dew, but only decay. They will either be a persistent, lingering poison, or simply a withered, black flower of decay.

Soon after, he will surely wake up in a fright, recalling the problems he had inadvertently overlooked or deliberately ignored.

If Chen Xin didn't lie to him, what should he do?

……

With a warm smile, Chen Xin walked down the pristine white corridor, nodding to every caregiver, fellow patient, and stranger. She would also greet familiar staff members, her politeness belying that of a mental patient.

In a mental hospital, such a person is undoubtedly the most dangerous.

It's unclear where this saying originated, but people have been following it verbatim and keeping their distance from him.

"Am I that scary?" Chen Xin touched his nose, ignoring people's attitudes towards him, and turned into the restroom as usual.

He scooped up a handful of water and splashed it forcefully on his face.

When he looked up again, he saw the glass splattered with water.

There stood a person, whose movements were exactly the same as his, but whose appearance was completely different from his.

Chen Xin's expression suddenly turned gloomy, and he stared directly at the man who had a half-smile.

The man had slightly messy black hair, and his presence even dimmed the bright lights.

This made his skin appear even whiter, almost like that of a woman.

"What did you do to Director Li?" Chen Xin straightened up and questioned him seriously.

"Nothing." The man scrutinized Chen Xin with a critical eye. He noticed that Chen Xin's expression remained serious after hearing his casual reply, and couldn't help but chuckle self-deprecatingly, spreading his hands as he said:

"A bird dropping the size of dog poop fell from the sky. If the person looking up could react in time, anyone would show a look of panic and fear."

"Chen Jing, I'm warning you, I'm not unaware of your intentions, so don't try any more dirty tricks on unrelated people." Chen Xin's anger was still there, but he appeared weak inside.

"Heh." The man called Chen Jing chuckled coldly, his expression turning serious as he stared at Chen Xin: "The one you're warning is yourself. A life-threatening situation can't be avoided by simply running away."

Chen Xin gave the other person a deep look, wiped her face, and turned to leave.

Before leaving, he turned back and said, "I will never forget everything that happened that day."

"That would be best." Chen Jing's expression was indifferent, a barely perceptible glint of silver light subtly appearing in his deep, dark eyes. He also respectfully advised Chen Xin:

"No one in this world is unrelated."

Chen Xin snorted coldly and stopped replying.

He walked back to his ward alone, and even though he was surrounded by people, he still felt chilled to the bone.

Everything that happened that day made him acutely aware of a terrible truth.

This world is a game for some people.

This is neither an abstruse philosophical statement nor a hollow, empty riddle.

It is a terrifying fact.

Of course, the word "game" is not an accurate description, but it is generally accurate.

There is a group of people in the world whom we can tentatively call players.

They were brought together by something that might be called a supreme god, a paradise, or a system—things that only appear in infinite flow novels and TV dramas—and embarked on missions and adventures in various worlds.

What terrified him most was that the vast majority of people in this world were referred to by the "players" as... NPCs.

And this world is merely one of the places they wander through.

They bring all sorts of strange and terrifying powers from various worlds. They crush humanity as easily as weeds.

Faced with immense pressure regarding life and death, they resorted to any means necessary to complete their so-called mission.

Most of them lack sufficient compassion for humans, who are called NPCs. They also lack any sense of awe or reverence for life.

How can it not cause panic when the safety of the world, society, country, city, or even an individual rests on their every thought?

Along with this came questions about their own existence.

"Am I... an NPC?" Chen Xin was somewhat confused. He wanted to ask himself this question, but there was no path for him to follow.

Before he could understand these trivial questions about metaphysics or the origins of life, he first had to resolve the crisis involving his personal safety.

Fortunately, and perhaps tragically for Chen Xin, those players don't seem to intend to challenge the laws of society, or perhaps they are not yet capable of resisting the violence of the state.

And on that day, he happened to stumble upon something that would have been enough for them to kill him to silence him...

"Even if I'm an NPC, I'm not willing to die like this," Chen Xin thought through gritted teeth.

"I finally earned my previous position, and my life was just about to get better. Why did it have to be like this...?"

"For the sake of survival and the infinite possibilities ahead, I almost gave up everything. I'm sure I can hold out until they leave."

"Such people wouldn't abandon their mission to cause trouble for someone as insignificant as me, would they?"

"I absolutely will not betray you before you leave. A living person can keep a secret, believe me!"

He prayed and hoped, but a knock on the door startled him from his reverie.

With a bad feeling, he tentatively asked, "Who?"

"Chen Xin, these are the parents of one of your former patients. They are very grateful to you and came to visit you after hearing that you were hospitalized here." It was the familiar voice of the nurse, which eased his tension slightly.

Quite a few people actually came to visit him out of gratitude, perhaps because he often treated troubled teenagers with mental illnesses.

But he still dared not be careless and asked again, "Which of my patients?"

"I think her name is... Su Ruier." The nurse's clear voice made Chen Xin's body tremble violently.

"They're here!" His pupils contracted sharply.

Because Su Ruier's parents... are clearly dead!