Chapter 1 Fantasy Syndrome

Qingshan, Abnormal Human Research Center.

After the taxi came to a stop, the driver hesitated, unable to hide his reluctance as he watched the passenger getting out. Just as she was about to leave, he finally couldn't help but ask.

"Excuse me, are you Liu Yifei?"

Bai Xiuchu stopped, turned around, and politely took off her sunglasses to reply, "No, I'm not."

The driver, having seen Bai Xiuchu's true face and certain she was not Liu Yifei, thought she was too young—no matter how naturally beautiful or well-maintained, it was impossible for a 46-year-old to look like they were in their twenties.

However, he wasn't disappointed; in fact, he was even happier.

Because she was truly beautiful.

"Do you still need the ride? I can wait for you here."

"No thank you, that won't be necessary."

Bai Xiuchu put her sunglasses back on and turned to walk inside, but then she stopped—she had seen this kind of thing many times before and knew the driver wouldn't leave easily.

So she turned back with slight resignation and said, "I'm here to seek treatment, to be hospitalized."

"Ah?"

While the driver stood, looking stunned, Bai Xiuchu, with somewhat heavy steps, walked towards the building formally known as the 'Abnormal Human Research Center,' colloquially called the 'Psychiatric Hospital.'

She wasn't sick; she was there to work, but she felt she would soon become ill—'You are the company you keep.'

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"Hello."

"Hi, who are you?"

"My name is Bai Xiuchu. I've been transferred from the Security Administration Bureau; here are my documents and identification."

"Oh, it's you. No need to look at the documents."

"Huh?"

The other person looked at her face and said with a smile, "With a face as pretty as yours, anything you say is right."

"...Thank you."

"Come with me. I'll take you through the 'Guardian' onboarding process and arrange your accommodation."

"Okay, thank you."

The related procedures were quickly completed. Bai Xiuchu, who had a day off, declined it and requested to start work immediately.

Her direct supervisor, Sister Chen, was very supportive of this.

"True to the Security Administration Bureau staff, your professional dedication and discipline are high."

After Sister Chen had shown Bai Xiuchu around the research center, she brought her to the inpatient department.

This was one of the highest security level areas in the entire center; a six-story building that looked more like a prison from the outside because it had no windows.

Outside the building was a small, open square with armed security personnel patrolling in formation alongside several machines that resembled small diggers.

But instead of shovels and cockpits, these machines had ferocious-looking machine gun mounts.

Bai Xiuchu could tell at a glance that these were autonomous combat robots developed three years ago by a research institution in Dragon Country, codenamed 'Sky Soldier 2023.'

In regular circumstances, the machine gun's bullet caliber was 12.7 millimeters, and the ammunition chamber could hold up to 1600 bullets.

Combined with the world's most advanced automatic aiming and shooting systems, these autonomous combat robots could even use their machine guns like sniper rifles.

"Don't be afraid."

Sister Chen, noticing Bai Xiuchu's gaze, started to reassure her with a smile.

"Although our security forces are strong, there have been no accidents for several years now.

All the abnormal humans here are under the control of the third-generation Genetic Lock.

Their superpowers are all sealed away."

Bai Xiuchu nodded and said, "The third-generation Genetic Lock is indeed very effective. Our safety... At my previous job, there were no accidents after we started using them."

"The first and second generations weren't reliable. There were occasional malfunctions; we've had several accidents here in the past due to the Genetic Lock's failure."

"I've also experienced it once, with a second-generation Genetic Lock. That superpower user criminal injured more than a dozen of my colleagues."

Sister Chen heard Bai Xiuchu mention the Security Administration Bureau and was curious as to why she would come to work here.

But in the adult world, questions couldn't be that direct, so she held back and continued to discuss work-related matters.

"The abnormal humans we detain here, the superpower users, mainly have some mental issues. So, in your later work, you should pay attention to that. Hmm..."

Sister Chen pondered for a moment, then said earnestly, "Don't be deceived by their normal behavior and words. You must believe that each of them is mentally ill."

"Alright." Bai Xiuchu responded, then curiously asked, "Do mental patients also have normal behaviors and speech?"

"Haha."

Sister Chen chuckled and said, "Certainly, contrary to what many people stereotype, they can seem even more normal than normal people at times."

"I see, I watched a few movies before coming here, and the mentally ill seemed crazy."

"Film and TV dramas have to exaggerate for effect; otherwise, it's hard to let viewers recognize a character as mentally ill right away."

"That makes sense."

As they talked, the two crossed the square and entered the building under the watchful eyes of the security personnel.

Facial recognition, fingerprints, iris scans, and work ID all served as a quadruple check, once again highlighting the dangerous nature of Bai Xiuchu's new job.

"Since you're new, I've arranged for you to take care of a patient who's easier to manage. Remember, even though your job is still to be a Guardian for superpower users, here...

The primary task of the Guardian is to supervise, not to guard."

As Sister Chen took Bai Xiuchu up the stairs, thanking her, she began to give a detailed introduction.

"Ji Tianqi, male, thirty-three years old, Single Soldier Level superpower user.

He has two superpowers, one is physical enhancement and the other is Energy Release."