Chapter 97: Li Doctor

Li Huowang looked at his attending physician, pondering the question he had just been asked: "Which world is illogical?"

His right hand, cuffed, pointed to the hospital floor. "This world is illogical. This world is fake!"

Dr. Li showed no surprise at Li Huowang's words. He simply pushed up his glasses with his index finger and continued, "Alright, why do you think this world is illogical? There must be a reason, right?"

Li Huowang didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stared blankly at the white ceiling above. "Earlier, when I abducted that child, the police shot me in the head, didn't they? So why am I not dead? Am I indestructible? Doesn't this prove that this world is all fake?"Li Huowang suddenly felt that discussing this with people in this hallucination was utterly meaningless.

"Li," Dr. Li said, "that was just good luck. They missed. After all, who says everyone has to hit their target every time they shoot?""Hmph, good luck? Do you believe something so illogical?" Li Huowang sneered.

"Some people are struck by lightning, others win the lottery. Some have good luck, others have bad. Why do you assume the real world is fair and logical?""This world has never been logical. But why don't others, who encounter illogical things, doubt this world as a hallucination, like you do? Because you're sick."

As he spoke, the doctor pulled out his phone from his white coat pocket and started playing a video for Li Huowang. "Why are you so sure that *that* side isn't a hallucination? Frankly, the things you encountered there should be even more illogical, shouldn't they?"

"Danyangzi is dead! Danyangzi is dead! You are free! Come out, everyone!" On the phone screen, Li Huowang, strapped in a straitjacket, yelled loudly into an empty room.Seeing that Li Huowang's attention was caught, the doctor swiped his finger across the screen again, and a new video clip began to play. It also showed Li Huowang in a straitjacket.

"Fake! All fake! Whether it's those statues or the Great Buddha, they're all fake! These are just tricks, they can't fool me!""How about you talk to my master?" "Heh heh... Didn't you hear me? I said I want you to talk to my master personally."

Segment after segment of video showed words Li Huowang had previously spoken.When the last video clip played, Li Huowang's pupils contracted slightly. He saw himself, dressed in a patient gown, with a frantic expression, holding a wrench. He was yelling maniacally while charging towards a bustling shopping mall.

"Danyangzi! Don't kill the children! Children cannot be killed!"There was still a significant portion of the video remaining on the progress bar, but the doctor didn't play it. He put his phone back into his pocket.

"See? Compared to all the things you encountered on *that* side, not getting shot in the head is completely insignificant, isn't it?"Li Huowang's mind became unsettled again. His breathing grew rapid, but he didn't want to explain anything. He closed his eyes once more. "Fake... it's all fake..."

"Alright then, since you believe this side is fake, why did you hesitate when faced with your mother's pleas? If it's all fake, why not just stab yourself with the glass you were holding?"Dr. Li's tone gradually intensified.

"If it's all fake, why do you care if Yang Na has a new boyfriend?"He poked Li Huowang's chest repeatedly with his finger.

"If you keep going insane like this, how much longer can she endure? Even if she doesn't change her mind, can you really bear to watch her silently wait like that? Can you give her happiness? Are you fit to be her boyfriend like this?"

Li Huowang's eyes snapped open, glaring intensely at the doctor. "They're fake! But my feelings for them are real! Even if I know they're all illusions, I just can't abandon my feelings for them!""Do you think I don't want to go back to them?! I can't go back! I traveled through time! I traveled a long time ago!"

"You say this world is real? Fine, I ask you then, why does a mental hospital have stomach pumping machines?"Dr. Li heard this and spread his hands with a hint of helplessness. "What's there to be confused about? Patients like you often accidentally swallow things. These machines are standard equipment in almost every mental hospital. Last time, if it weren't for this machine, the disgusting things you swallowed would have killed you all."

Li Huowang's expression hardened, and he immediately threw out the most crucial piece of evidence. "Alright! Let's say you're right. Then tell me, why can I bring things from that side to this side? How do you explain that?""Oh? New symptom? Tell me how you did it, I'm very curious."

Li Huowang was about to explain how he had given the jade pendant to Yang Na but suddenly stopped. "No, I can't involve Yang Na. I can't see her, not even her hallucination."Li Huowang was afraid of falling back into his delusions if he encountered a hallucination of Yang Na.

"Just you wait. Next time I come back, I'll show you things from that world. I'll see how you try to explain it away then, you hallucination!"Hearing the young man's ramblings, Dr. Li sighed softly with a hint of helplessness.

"Li," Dr. Li said, "I'm afraid there won't be a next time. You've caused trouble several times, and our hospital has also borne joint responsibility, facing many lawsuits. The director himself ordered your transfer.""Transfer? Transfer where?" Li Huowang asked, startled.

Dr. Li patted Li Huowang's shoulder. "Since you believe this side is a hallucination, why does it matter where you're transferred? I can only say that because of your situation, your family's financial situation is very bleak."

"This is my last consultation with you. I had hoped to make one final effort, but it seems it was destined to be futile. To be honest, being your attending physician has been incredibly frustrating, haha."

Dr. Li reached up, took off his glasses, and carefully observed the young man in front of him. He extended his right hand and gently patted Li Huowang's head, his facial features softening considerably.

In that moment, they were no longer just doctor and patient. "Li," Dr. Li said, "you are a good kid, even though your condition is very volatile. I hope that whatever you encounter in your future hallucinations, you don't easily give up on yourself, especially not like you did before, by disemboweling yourself."

"You almost died. Some of your intestines were cut, and you needed a colostomy for six months to recover.""If there's anything more unacceptable to the people who care about you than your going insane, it's your death. As long as you're alive, they have hope, understand?"