"Psychological clinic"

In Rust City No. 03, within a second-floor apartment, a young man opened his eyes to the dawn breaking. "How can the sun be rising?" he wondered, surprised. Upon sitting up sharply, he saw a large hole in the wall through which the rising sun, like an orange gem, shone directly in, creating a feeling as if he was watching the sky from the bottom of a well.

He then looked up to see that only half of the hemp rope remained on the ceiling, and the large stone that had been suspended was nowhere to be found. He hadn't inspected closely the previous night; was there some sort of launching mechanism hidden in the contraption?

But the young man was used to it. In these days, many traps had sprung while he was sleeping, all ending in failure. He had always been a 'child of fortune', evading each perfectly, and this time was no exception. "The stone must have missed its mark," he mused, rubbing his slightly sore elbow, unsure of the cause.

Surveying the room, he was relieved to see the light was evenly spread. "Either pitch black or bright light!" he thought. He couldn't see the faint glow in the darkness, nor could he see colors; he feared the ambiguous the most because of the existence of "form collapse".

In darkness, the young man had to ensure he couldn't catch any 'anchor points' in his sight; otherwise, he might imagine any object as a demon. To counter this, Qin Yiguan's plan was to 'become blind'. "If your eyes don't catch any data, how can your brain function?" This was why his room was always pitch black when he slept.

Stretching on his bed, the young man's thoughts briefly revisited the terrifying experiences within the "Geometric Design Group". "It was indeed a dream," he concluded. "But..." Getting up, he pulled open the curtains, letting more sunlight flood the apartment. To think that "form collapse" could recur even in dreams was exasperating. Fortunately, "form collapse" was just a personal mental condition, harming no one. "So, I'm not sick after all."

He took out his tech wristwatch, and as he glanced at it, a holographic screen activated. ——Log: Visit Dr. Haus's clinic for the monthly check-up. With some resignation, the young man acknowledged this as a benefit matched by the Metaverse government, part of compulsory healthcare, given his classification within the system as a severe psychological disorder patient.

Walking through Iron Show City, he crossed the entire city to reach a relatively clean three-story building different from the rest of Rust City's architecture—Dr. Haus's temporary clinic. Dr. Haus, a well-known figure in psychology, had already earned qualifications from half of the populace. He could have lived continuously within the Metaverse, yet he chose to risk regular visits to Rust City to treat the 'abandoned'.

The so-called risk referred to a rumor within the Metaverse, particularly among those who had never left it. The rumor was that even a hundred years later, humanity had still not overcome that "coronavirus". Despite medical advancements, the virus continued to evolve, mutate, and adapt faster than ever.

Humanity's so-called 'contagion' is actually the continuation of their life.

These microorganisms have existed since the dawn of the Earth, and for 4.6 billion years, they have not perished, fully proving one thing—they have never failed.

In comparison, humans have only been born for a mere 5 million years, and compared to those microorganisms, they are like a spark in the stars, even fleeting.

Rumors also say that these viruses have now evolved to 'kill the host slower,' which is more conducive to their spread.

Therefore, people living in reality have a 60% chance of not living past 50 years old.

Qin Yiguan didn't know whether this was true or false.

Anyway, he had no choice.

The youth came to the second floor of the small building.

Through the small window, he saw a handsome man.

He was of mixed blood, with blond hair combed back, his upper body naked, and the muscle lines on his body were very obvious. His chest and abdominal muscles were as if carved by knives and axes. If he were to participate in a bodybuilding competition, he could easily rank in the top three.

He was doing push-ups, his body covered in sweat, reflecting the light.

If a woman saw this scene, she would pounce on him like a hungry tiger.

"1256...1257..."

The man was counting for himself.

Knock knock knock.

Qin Yiguan knocked on the wooden door.

Dr. Haus stood up, tidied his blond hair, and then took a shirt, buttoning it up one by one, "Please come in."

The blond man sat behind his desk, with a comfortable smile on his face.

He pushed a dish of candy towards Qin Yiguan, "Have a candy first."

Candy.

In this rust city, it is a rare item.

Dr. Haus always brings a lot of candy every time he comes, aiming to relax the patient's mind.

The youth sat down, waved his hand to decline, "Thank you, Dr. Haus, I don't like pure sugar."

"Regarding your regular psychological test, the main content is still those 34 questions."

"Let's get started right away."

Dr. Haus's voice was magnetic, reaching for the hourglass with a timing cycle of 1 hour, he gently flipped it, and the fine red sand in the hourglass slowly fell.

Then.

Dr. Haus looked at the youth with a smile, "First question, what do you think of this world?"

The youth sat up straight, seriously said: "I think this world is full of hope, everything is bright, this world is all good, should not be destroyed by anything."

Dr. Haus smiled, "Second question, what do you think of yourself."

The youth again seriously said: "I have no negative impulses, no irritable thoughts, I will not hurt anyone, never, I think my heart is full of love, uh..."

The youth suddenly choked, then spread his palms, glanced at the cheat sheet in his hand, and continued: "I love the morning mist, I love the wildflowers by the roadside, I also love this rust city, the sun here, like the glow of a kind mother, shining on me..."

Dr. Haus laughed back, "Yiguan, you really don't need to be so by-the-book, like reciting the Bible."

The youth pursed his lips, "I answer the questions well, so you can give me an excellent evaluation, and then I can apply for a nutrition pod."

Dr. Haus shook his head with a smile, "I'm just a psychologist, I must live up to my responsibility and report your information truthfully."

For some reason, the youth felt dizzy when he saw Dr. Haus's smiling face.

Suddenly, the youth felt a sensation, as if time had become thick.

In a daze, the youth heard Dr. Haus clap his hands loudly, which woke him up like from a dream.

But he saw Dr. Haus suddenly stand up, smiling: "Okay, the diagnosis is over, entering the chat time."

It's over?

What about the remaining 32 questions?

The youth was stunned, then suddenly noticed the hourglass by the desk, where the red sand had all flowed through.

The youth looked at his watch, then sighed deeply, "Dr. Haus, you hypnotized me again."

"Eh!"

"Don't wrongly accuse people, oh, performing hypnosis without the patient's consent is illegal!"

Then.

Dr. Haus glanced at the dish in front of the youth, the dozen or so candies had disappeared, and the dish was empty.

Dr. Haus tsk-tsked, "You really consume a lot of sugar."