Chapter 2 Contract

"The first question, you are faced with someone tormented by an illness, incurable and only waiting to die in pain. If you have a gun in your hand, at this moment, you would..."

A: Try to communicate with him and help him regain the will to live

B: Call the police and let others handle this matter

C: Use the gun to end his suffering, and then turn yourself in

D: End his suffering and cover up the crime"

Clearly, this was the kind of psychological test that couldn't be more common, and there would be a series of similar questions to follow, with each choice corresponding to a score. After some additions and subtractions, you get a rough estimate of someone's psychological state.

But such tests are too general and extremely inaccurate, impossible to be used as a psychological assessment for a mental patient...

"So, this isn't the test that will decide whether I'm discharged or not," Chen Xiao thought.

While reaching this conclusion, he also pondered the question posed by Mrs. Liu, as if he could think about many things at the same time without interfering with each other.

Firstly, he was of course aware of what each of the four answers indicated. So, setting aside the options, what would the real him do? Would he kill the man? Try to save him? Or call the police? Maybe he would watch the man suffer and then mock him, maybe whisper in his ear about how dreadful the disease was and see how long it would take to drive him insane. Or perhaps...

For a moment, countless possibilities flashed through his mind, but to Chen Xiao's surprise, he found he didn't know what he would actually do.

It was a strange feeling; everyone should have a subconscious projection of themselves, like knowing you are afraid of spiders, knowing you would feel pain when scalded by boiling water, knowing you would be furious if your wife was slept with by someone else—these are similar to instinctual self-reflection.

But it seemed like Chen Xiao lacked this ability, countless possibilities spinning around like a roulette wheel, he couldn't know what he would do until it stopped turning.

This odd sensation made Chen Xiao feel... quite amused! He even felt a bit like laughing!

Of course, he wouldn't actually laugh out loud. This kind of loss of self-control could be categorized as madness, but not stupidity. Chen Xiao was very clear about his situation.

So it probably took him less than one-tenth of a second to think through all the above questions and nine-tenths of a second to glance at the window on the right side of the room, smell the scent in the room, and blink. Then, with a confident yet unpretentious tone, he said, "B!"

Mrs. Liu made a few notes on the file and continued to the next question.

...

The questions were all quite similar, involving sympathy, values, respect for life, and so forth. And most were very easy, transparent enough that one knew immediately what to answer, to the point where Chen Xiao found it somewhat boring.

So he began multitasking again, answering questions while observing his surroundings.

Hmm... The walls had been painted recently, the decor was not bad, there was a water dispenser, air conditioning, even though there were many books on the bookshelf, it was clear they were not necessary for office work, so she might not have much work to deal with. Even if there were work, it wasn't related to patients. The chairs, although not large, were obviously comfortable, the type you could lie down and sleep in without discomfort. A hospital wouldn't give such a room to an ordinary doctor, which meant this woman must be a high-ranking official of the hospital, explaining why she didn't wear a badge. Yet, from her behavior and demeanor, she seemed like someone who often works on the front lines.

At that moment, Chen Xiao's gaze was attracted to some items on the top of the bookshelf. These included pens, some notebooks, a large, transparent thermos without handle through which you could see it was half-filled with tea, and a photo frame, although the photo inside was not visible.

Chen Xiao then shifted his gaze to the desk, and soon he reached a conclusion.

That is, this office was not Mrs. Liu's, she was just borrowing it temporarily. It wasn't just because Chen Xiao didn't find an ashtray, but also because from that large thermos, he could guess its owner was likely a man who respected or feared Mrs. Liu greatly, so much that he kept the desk spotless, and this wasn't just out of courtesy. While not entirely certain, this reasoning could temporarily explain some of the previous doubts.

So, another question arose. Mrs. Liu probably wasn't from this hospital? Otherwise, she wouldn't need to borrow this office temporarily, nor would she likely be conducting such simple and meaningless psychological tests. Was she an employee of another unit or organization? Even if so, she must be from the lower ranks, or else she wouldn't be sent to such a place late at night.

Oh, right, Chen Xiao certainly knew it was night, after all, he had just glanced outside the window. Also, in the second between Mrs. Liu asking the first question and Chen Xiao giving his answer, he noticed there were no lights outside, the room was not cold, and although he couldn't tell the season from the temperature, he was sure there was no artificial heating like a heating system. There was no frost on the mirror, so it wasn't late autumn or winter, and of course, it's possible he wasn't in a tropical area. Not feeling sleepy, maybe he was a night owl? More likely, it wasn't too late if it was spring, so the time was probably between 8 and 12 at night. It was quiet outside, no cars, no water, no wind, very remote.

Then, what kind of low-ranking employee from where could make a high-ranking official of such a large psychiatric hospital show so much respect? And even allow me, who should be considered quite dangerous, to be discharged. What if I go out and harm society? A place with such power seems unlikely to exist.

As Chen Xiao reflected in this way, Mrs. Liu's test appeared to be nearing its end.

"The last question... Are you an anti-socialist? Yes or no!"

Chen Xiao furrowed his brows. Judging from the previous tests, this question seemed to be quite irresponsible. He glanced at Mrs. Liu's expression, which betrayed a faint impatience... At that moment, Chen Xiao had a guess and immediately decided to confirm it.

"Uh..." He hummed softly through his nose, a very, very subtle sound. It was brief and so quiet that it was almost inaudible, yet one could generally discern it was a syllable, resembling a "hmm." If this sound was an answer to the question, it would probably mean "yes." However, since it was so vague, most people would be uncertain and feel compelled to confirm. And at that moment, Chen Xiao could easily switch his answer to "no!"

So why would Chen Xiao do such a thing? Because he wanted to see Mrs. Liu's reaction.

Sure enough, she didn't confirm Chen Xiao's answer but released a long sigh as if she had finally completed a tedious interlude. She seemed much more relaxed afterward and casually made a mark in the file.

At that moment, Chen Xiao could confirm that this test was actually insignificant.

"Then the main event must be coming up," he thought.

Just as he suspected, Mrs. Liu turned around, tossed the file folder onto the desk carelessly, picked up something resembling a contract, and grabbed something else before returning to Chen Xiao.

"Congratulations, you've passed the psychological test, and you're immensely fortunate to have obtained an opportunity to collaborate with us," she said, speaking slightly faster—a sign she often recited this speech.

"Our company is developing some new products. For the time being, you don't need to know what they are. All you need to know is you've been selected as a volunteer to test some of their features. There could be danger during the test period, but as you know, there's even a risk of choking when drinking water. In any case, once you have completed these feature tests, you will be released, and all your past crimes, danger records, disease certifications, and anything else that adversely affects you will be erased, and you can start a new life in society," Mrs. Liu continued in an orderly manner, then she picked up the document in her hand and flipped directly to the last page.

"All you need to do is put your thumbprint here!" she said, "Now you have 20 seconds to decide whether to seize the chance at freedom or spend the rest of your life back in that ward. Oh, 10 seconds left, 9, 8..."

This was a simple conversational tactic, presenting two highly contrasting options in front of you and then using time pressure to rush your decision. Almost everyone would hurriedly choose the one that seemed incredibly attractive, leaving them no time to ponder what might be lurking behind it.

But Chen Xiao was different. He knew precisely what both options entailed. Signing this contract would definitely lead to an enormous trap that would cause immense regret when the truth was revealed.

Therefore, he needed almost no time to ponder before he said, "I agree!"

Uh... Yes, he agreed.

The alternative was something he couldn't accept. Chen Xiao couldn't bear being pushed back into the ward; facing whatever terrifying things might come after signing the contract was acceptable, at least that might be more interesting.

Interesting!... Chen Xiao suddenly thought of this word and seemed to have found something supremely important, something worth pursuing at all costs.

"Life must be interesting!" he mused, involuntarily cracking a smile, feeling the urge to laugh!

"Oh! This is really..." Mrs. Liu muttered something under her breath; Chen Xiao knew the words she left unsaid were "disgusting."

Am I that nauseating just because I smile?

Mrs. Liu, frowning, held up a block of ink next to Chen Xiao's right hand and said, "Press down."

Because his wrists were tied so firmly, it was a struggle for Chen Xiao even to reach the ink, sticky and uncomfortable.

Mrs. Liu promptly passed the document over to him.

"Press!" she said briskly.

Chen Xiao likewise exerted himself and pressed his thumbprint onto the contract.

Mrs. Liu picked up the contract, examined it briefly with a slight nod of her head, then turned and gathered the files from the table into her arms.

Then she walked out the door.

Chen Xiao heard her tell the attendant with the cart still standing at the doorway, "Someone will come to pick him up tomorrow morning..."

"Yes, Miss Liu!" the man replied.

Afterward, the sound of high-heels grew fainter...