When
"You've been there?" This time it was the Wang brothers' turn to be surprised.
"I just got back from there the other night." Chen Ge hadn't expected such a coincidence.
"Since you know the way, that works out perfectly. My brother and I are heading there tonight. My dad's got a stubborn temper — let's meet downstairs first, then go up together once everyone's arrived."
After sorting out the plan, the Wang brothers took their leave.
"Wang Shenglong's hometown is right next to the Third Ward. Could the monster he saw the night he had his accident have escaped from the mental hospital? And after he later entered the Third Ward, things seemed to get even worse — it's like everything is connected to the Third Ward." Chen Ge watched as the Wang brothers walked off into the distance.
"Wang Haiming has a monster that came out of the Third Ward. Wang Shenglong seems to have a monster too. And they both chose to live in Heming Apartment…" Chen Ge suddenly recalled something the young man in Room 302 had said — he had heard two voices arguing inside Wang Haiming, and one of them had cursed that if it weren't afraid of being caught by the Red-clothed, it would have long since torn off the mask and killed the other one.
"Could it be that the monster on Wang Haiming has been wary of the monster on Wang Shenglong this whole time? If that's true, then wouldn't it mean the monster on Wang Shenglong is a Red-clothed on the same level as
The question was somewhat complicated. Chen Ge forgot all about his meal and sat down on the steps outside the haunted house entrance, carefully working through the logic.
The monster on Wang Haiming didn't want to fall out with Wang Haiming — it must have sensed something. They had the young man in Room 302 catch living creatures for them, starting from sparrows and stray dogs, then escalating to living people, their targets growing bit by bit, as though carefully probing the limits of some existence.
Both were Mirror Ghosts, but the one in Chen Ge's haunted house was brazen and unscrupulous — it would strike the moment it found a lone living person. Compared to that, the monster on Wang Haiming in Heming Apartment was far too restrained.
Obviously, the monster on Wang Hailong was afraid. If that was the case, then even if the monster on Wang Shenglong wasn't a Red-clothed, it had to be far more powerful than an ordinary Mirror Ghost.
"How terrifying was the Third Ward, really? It was bad enough that there were things more frightening than Mirror Ghosts, but based on the current situation, these two had only managed to escape — who knew how many more monsters were hidden inside the sealed ward?"
Chen Ge pressed hard against his temples. "A three-star horror scenario is already like this. How terrifying is the four-star Spirit School going to be?"
Standing up, Chen Ge called Dr. Gao again. He wasn't sure whether the doctor had time — if Dr. Gao was busy, he had decided he would go alone.
The phone rang twice before being picked up. Dr. Gao's voice came through: "Chen Ge? Is something wrong?"
"Nothing major. I just wanted to ask how
"After a day of IV drips, his mind has finally cleared up, but his condition is still far from optimistic. You could even say it's much more serious than I initially anticipated." Dr. Gao's tone was grave.
"That shouldn't be the case," Chen Ge said, genuinely puzzled. He had already helped Men Nan resolve the knot in his heart, and the trial mission on the black phone had been completed — so why was Men Nan's condition actually getting worse?
"Listen to me. After Men Nan regained consciousness, I administered another psychiatric evaluation, and the results revealed something astonishing."
Dr. Gao paused, apparently walking to a less crowded area before continuing: "Men Nan's body harbors three distinct personalities. One is the developing self-personality — the normal Men Nan we see. Another is the personality that has adopted the identity of his deceased mother; this personality believes it is Men Nan's mother. I suspect this personality was generated as a self-healing mechanism when Men Nan witnessed his mother's murder as a young child, and his brain, under extreme psychological trauma, produced it to protect the body."
"And the third?"
"The third personality appears the least frequently, so I can't yet do a full analysis. I can only confirm that it definitely exists. This personality is very special — it doesn't grow or develop. It remains frozen at the age of Men Nan's early childhood. I can't communicate with it. It only appears briefly each time, but whenever this personality takes control of the body, Men Nan's gift for personality psychology is expressed at two hundred percent!"
"So you're saying Men Nan's talent is connected to the third personality?"
"Yes. I've never seen anyone possess a talent like that." Dr. Gao's assessment of Men Nan was extremely high. "However, in order to protect his talent from being destroyed, treatment becomes much more difficult. Standard medication would strengthen his primary personality and fade the others. In doing so, his gift would be affected. So I'm currently consulting with other specialists to develop a personalized treatment plan for Men Nan."
If the illness was cured, that rare talent would vanish as well. It was impossible to say whether this was a good thing or a bad thing for Men Nan.
Chen Ge saw that Dr. Gao was busy, so he didn't bring up Wang Shenglong's situation — after all, he couldn't keep imposing on the man. "Alright then, I hope Men Nan makes a swift recovery. I won't keep you."
He was about to hang up when Dr. Gao replied: "You were calling because you had something to tell me, weren't you? Men Nan is still far too weak, and psychological treatment needs to wait until his body recovers. I'm not too busy during this period — if you have any questions about psychological disorders, feel free to consult me anytime."
Hearing Dr. Gao say that, Chen Ge didn't stand on ceremony. He laid out Wang Shenglong's entire situation in full detail.
After listening, Dr. Gao was silent for quite a while. "Fine, I'll come with you tonight. I still need to pick up Men Nan's belongings from Heming Apartment anyway — I was planning to make time for it."
"Thank you, Dr. Gao."
"Why are you thanking me? I've heard all about what you've been doing from Gao Ruxue. As an amateur psychologist, the fact that you're so dedicated, volunteering your time for patients to this extent — honestly, I can't compare." There was a note of genuine shame in Dr. Gao's voice.
"Amateur psychologist? What did Gao Ruxue tell you?" Chen Ge didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had the nagging feeling that something had been misunderstood.
"Your haunted house incorporates a great many psychological techniques. It's clear you've read up on the subject and studied the literature. I'll have to come visit sometime." Dr. Gao laughed on the other end of the line.
"You flatter me." Chen Ge wiped the sweat from his forehead. He could just imagine putting the suit-and-tie Dr. Gao through half an hour of chaos inside his haunted house — the man's entire composed persona would probably collapse on the way out.
Dr. Gao laughed for a moment, then his voice returned to calm. "There are plenty of people who study psychology on their own, but someone like you, who genuinely and practically works for patients — that's one in ten thousand. When you called me begging for help with Wang Xin, it really moved me. The suffering of mental illness is something only those who've lived through it can understand. Most people have never walked their road, so they have no idea how harrowing it is. I've actually wanted to thank you on behalf of Wang Xin and Men Nan for a while now. It was your unwavering determination that let them break free of their chains and finally breathe a little fresh air."
Chen Ge didn't realize when the call had ended. He was feeling a bit dazed from Dr. Gao's praise — after all, this was the first time anyone had told him that Chen Ge was actually a man of exceptional moral character.