Excessive ferocity due to caution

As soon as Zhao finished speaking, Cherry's expression underwent a subtle change.

His eyes showed a great deal of curiosity.

"You're such a strange guy..."

"Over the years, I've dealt with countless criminals here, so many that I can hardly remember their faces or voices, and I no longer feel any enthusiasm for them..."

"In the past five years, you are the only person who can pique my interest the moment we meet."

"Unfortunately... even so, I will absolutely not give you any special treatment."

"You'll either die here, or you'll go out insane, just like everyone else."

Zhao Yi glanced at his chest pocket, where a corner of a photo was visible, but she couldn't see what was inside. So Zhao Yi then focused her gaze on his fingers.

A moment later, he shifted his body to a more comfortable sitting position and said seriously to Cherry, who was holding the stun gun switch and grinning maliciously:

You are very ill.

Seeing Zhao Yi's serious diagnostic expression, Cherry couldn't help but burst into laughter:

"I didn't know you liked role-playing!"

"But I'm the doctor, you bastard!"

"However... since I've finally met an interesting guy, I'm willing to give you some more time and patience."

"Well then, Dr. Zhao, since you say I'm very ill, why don't you tell me... how did you figure that out?"

Zhao looked calmly at the cherries, blinked, and said:

"Could I have a cigarette?"

Cherry squinted, her eyes already gleaming with a dangerous light:

"No 'patient' is allowed to smoke in my house."

Zhao Yi smiled noncommittally:

"Change is not always a bad thing."

"Besides... if I don't get out of here alive, how will anyone know I smoked here?"

The two stood facing off for a long time. Cherry handed Zhao Yi a cigarette with great disdain. Zhao Yi smelled it and lit it with a lighter.

The sparks and smoke added a touch of humanity to the cold torture chamber.

"Alright, let me tell you about your illness..."

Zhao Yi stared at the scattered cigarette ash and said:

"Your illness is a mental one."

"The cause of the illness stems from... your work and family."

Cherry scoffed:

"I thought you were an interesting person, but now it seems I misjudged you..."

"You're nothing but a con artist."

"What an old-fashioned scam."

"Whose troubles don't stem from work and family?"

Zhao Yi took a puff of his cigarette with a satisfied expression and smiled slightly.

"Mr. Che... allow me to address you as 'sir'."

"On the surface, the officials in Z City invited you to 'treat' these patients, but actually... their real purpose is to imprison you, isn't it?"

Cherry's expression stiffened slightly.

Zhao Yi continued:

"Although you have acted as horribly and pervertedly as possible, that is merely a symptom of your illness. You are not a born pervert, and you have little enthusiasm for 'treatment,' even feeling a deep aversion to it..."

In other words, you don't like your job.

The mockery and disdain on Cherry's face disappeared.

Zhao Yibing didn't stop, continuing to speak to himself:

"You love your wife and daughter very much, but you haven't seen them for many years. I'll venture a guess—to better control you, the lords of Z City have imprisoned your wife and daughter...is that right?"

As he finished speaking, cold sweat began to seep from Cherry's temples.

"you……"

Zhao Yi smiled and said:

"Are you wondering how I know these things?"

Cherry's eyes were vacant, and the hand holding the remote control for the stun gun on Zhao Yi's head was trembling slightly...

Zhao Yi stared at the embers behind the cigarette between his fingers and said slowly:

"I entered your office before I lost consciousness."

"There's dust and plastic debris everywhere. It's obvious you're not a clean person."

"Even so, the family photo on your desk is still polished to a shine, which alone is enough to show that you are a man who cares a lot about your family."

"Your wife looks very young in the photo... but because of the angle, I couldn't see your face clearly, so I'm not sure if you were young at the time."

"However, your conversation just now has revealed that you have been here for many years. I suppose you have not been able to go home or see your wife and daughter all these years, and at most you have only video chatted with them on the phone."

"And there's a clear ring mark on your left ring finger."

"With your unkempt appearance and lack of attention to personal grooming, wearing a ring must be quite a hassle for you. The only explanation is... that ring must have a special meaning for you."

"It's so important that you'll carefully remove it when 'treating' criminals to avoid soiling it with their blood and grime..."

"Mr. Che... if I'm not mistaken, that's your wedding ring, isn't it?"

"The photo in your breast pocket... is it your wife, or your daughter?"

As Zhao Yi finished speaking calmly, Cherry was drenched in sweat, his eyes bloodshot. His mind became unstable. Suddenly, he stood up abruptly, grabbed Zhao Yi by the collar, and screamed hoarsely:

"You're just a damned prisoner!"

"You're nothing but a disgrace to society, a piece of scum!!"

"You dare talk to me about family?!"

"You dare talk to me about freedom?!"

Zhao Yi stared into his eyes and said earnestly:

"I can cure your illness."

"And it's... a complete cure."

Zla—

A powerful electric pulse pierced Zhao Yi's head, and excruciating pain spread throughout his body, even reaching the cherry he had been in close physical contact with.

Cherry burst into laughter, hysterical, like a scream.

This electrical pulse does not harm the body, but rather specifically creates intense muscle spasms, thereby transmitting extreme pain at the peripheral level to the brain!

Looking at Cherry, who was laughing bitterly and crying uncontrollably, Zhao Yi's muscles twitched in response to the electric shock device, but he did not make a sound.

The cigarette between his fingers fell to the ground as his muscles twitched.

I've only smoked half of it.

The current pulse ended after about half a minute.

Cherry knelt on the ground, panting heavily, her whole body covered in sweat.

Zhao Yi's lips twitched unnaturally as he smiled:

"Physical pain can only temporarily help you relieve your mental numbness and despair. I believe you have personally experienced the many methods that those criminals used on you. Whether they were effective or not, you know better than I do."

The cherry raised its head and roared:

"Shut up!!!"

He pressed the switch again, and Zhao Yi's body convulsed violently from the electric current...

Cherry set the electrical stimulation to ten minutes.

In the past, no criminal could last more than 3 minutes.

Either you'll die from the excruciating pain, or you'll suffer a complete mental breakdown under such stimulation...

Seeing Zhao Yi convulsing in the chair, Cherry stood up and roared loudly in the room, venting her anger by smashing things and kicking the walls...

After an unknown amount of time, he slumped to the ground and covered his face with his hands.

Despair seeped through my fingers.

Lost in his own thoughts, he struggled to his feet, looked at Zhao Yi who remained motionless on the chair, and prepared to go and collect Zhao Yi's body.

Standing before Zhao Yi, whose head was bowed and who was devoid of any life, Cherry's gaze was incredibly complex.

After a long silence, he sighed.

You're right.

"I am indeed imprisoned here, just like you social parasites."

He paused, then laughed self-deprecatingly:

"Do you know... I was originally a great contributor to Z City."

"But it ended up like this..."

He removed Zhao Yi's shackles, dragged Zhao Yi by one foot, and was about to throw him into the crematorium when, as he opened the door, a sound that made Cherry shudder suddenly came from behind him.

"Mr. Che, please believe me."

"I can heal your heartache."

Cherry slowly turned her stiff head, looked at Zhao Yi lying on the ground, picked up the half cigarette that had fallen to the ground, lit it again, and took another puff.

"You...you're not dead?"

Cherry was deeply shocked.

That level of pain... even he could only endure it for four and a half minutes!

Zhao Yi had just endured this kind of pain for a full ten minutes!

How did he manage to endure it?

Zhao Yi smiled and said:

"The dead can't speak."

"Mr. Che..."

"You need me, and I need you."

"Shall we... cooperate?"

PS: Chapter 3, 2500.

I've already written almost 7000 words today. If I write another 3000 or so in the next chapter, I'll complete the 10,000-word update!

Rush! ! !