Facing Doctor Li's explanation, Jiang Lin felt her conviction wavering internally.
"What exactly is going on..."
But after only a moment of hesitation, Jiang Lin's resolve solidified once more.
The other party's explanation still contained far too many loopholes!
The special ink couldn't possibly explain why that notebook had appeared at such a perfectly opportune moment.
Most importantly...
This hospital was missing far too many details!
The more she thought about it, Jiang Lin couldn't even recall how she had been admitted—this was the biggest flaw of all.
This was a game, and though it felt incredibly realistic, it still wasn't...
The more she pondered, the more the missing details convinced Jiang Lin that this place was absolutely a game rather than reality.
If this were truly a hospital, where was it located?
What medication was she taking?
Why hadn't any family members come to visit her?
All of this was completely unreasonable!
But just as these thoughts flooded Jiang Lin's mind...
"You must be thinking that if this were reality, there are far too many unreasonable details, correct?"
Doctor Li spoke again.
Jiang Lin raised her eyes, calmly watching Doctor Li as if trying to discern what other tricks he had up his sleeve.
But Doctor Li continued speaking unhurriedly.
"This is the Jiangcheng Mental Health Center. You're suffering from schizophrenia accompanied by memory loss and somatic symptoms, along with depressive tendencies... That's why your parents admitted you to this mental health facility for inpatient treatment."
Before Jiang Lin could process this, Doctor Li continued.
"Strange how I know the questions in your heart, isn't it? Because as I mentioned earlier... this isn't the first time you've exhibited these symptoms."
"These are all questions you've raised before during your previous episodes—they're all recorded in your medical file. You can see for yourself."
Doctor Li approached, untied Jiang Lin's restraints, and placed a medical file in her hands.
Jiang Lin took the file in stunned silence as Doctor Li continued, "I can even proactively tell you about your supposed role in that game... In that game, you're supposedly a skilled player named 'Robin,' a core member of an organization called the 'Night Watchmen.'"
As Doctor Li spoke, Jiang Lin felt that his words vaguely aligned with certain memories she herself had forgotten.
But...
Were those just hallucinations and delusions?
No...
No, no, no.
Jiang Lin felt her head throbbing with unbearable pain.
"Medical Record 1: Patient's parents reported patient exhibiting symptoms of talking to herself and self-harm at home. Admitted to hospital following diagnosis for treatment."
"Medical Record 2: Patient attempted suicide during hospitalization, discovered by staff. Patient stated reason was needing to use suicide to enter some kind of game."
"Medical Record 3..."
She flipped through the medical records, her thoughts growing increasingly chaotic the more she read.
Doctor Li's voice sounded again.
"You've been living here since high school... It's been five years now, Jiang Lin."
"Do you know how much your parents have sacrificed for you?"
Doctor Li sighed as he spoke.
He took a phone from his pocket.
"If you still don't believe it, if you still think this 'world' isn't real enough, then look at this."
Doctor Li played a video from his phone.
In the video, a plainly dressed middle-aged couple sat on a sofa. The middle-aged woman spoke with some unease.
"Xiao Lin, the doctor says your condition has been very unstable recently. Mom and Dad can't come visit you."
"But Mom and Dad believe in you—we know you can do this!"
The middle-aged man nodded as well, rubbing his hands together as he said, "Cooperate actively with the treatment and get discharged soon!"
Jiang Lin watched the concerned couple in the video, rubbing her forehead.
Were these her parents?
They seemed familiar.
What was real, and what was false?
Was she Jiang Lin, a patient at Jiangcheng Mental Health Center, an ordinary student who loved painting, a patient who had been isolated from society after five years in a hospital?
No...
Wasn't she instead the code name Robin, a high-level player in the 'Death Game,' a pillar of the 'Night Watchmen'?
Or was she both?
No...
These two identities didn't seem compatible.
More and more memories surfaced—everything about 'Robin' flooded her mind.
If she were truly 'Robin,' she absolutely couldn't have spent five years in this hospital, and her relationship with her parents definitely wouldn't have been that close.
She should have run away from home to rent a small apartment, surviving by taking painting commissions online...
And precisely because of that, she would have encountered an accidental death that brought her into the Death Game.
But...
Just like when she had tried to find flaws in the hospital earlier.
This memory also had too few "details."
Jiang Lin couldn't imagine at all how she had actually made a living through painting.
Even the rental apartment in her memories seemed blurry.
The arrangement of items, the direction the door faced... she couldn't recall any of those details.
In contrast, the "mental patient" identity, though the memories were vague... that video was clearly visible.
Could she really just be mentally ill?
Jiang Lin slumped despondently into the chair.
She took out that "word notebook" once again.
Doctor Li pressed his advantage, saying, "If you truly believe you're a 'player'... according to what you've said, you should have abilities like 'materializing objects from thin air' or summoning [items]!"
"So where is this ability of yours?"
By now, Jiang Lin had fallen into endless self-doubt.
Hearing Doctor Li's words, she spoke with a bitter smile.
"I... I've forgotten how to use it."
"But according to what this notebook says... that handwriting mentions backup measures I left on the 'fifth floor.'"
"If I can't retrieve [items], I should go check the fifth floor."
As Jiang Lin spoke, Doctor Li laughed.
"Fine, since you insist on believing this... there's no harm in going."
"To be honest, this forged notebook repeatedly mentions the fifth floor because that's the intensive care unit where dangerous patients are confined... Perhaps this notebook is trying to guide you to the fifth floor to create some chaos."
"But I can accompany you to see for myself."
Doctor Li's voice grew serious as he spoke.
"Whatever is on the fifth floor, I believe in facts and science... Perhaps once you're completely disillusioned, you'll finally accept treatment properly!"
"Let's go!"
He clapped his hands as he spoke.
Two security personnel entered and removed the last two restraints from Jiang Lin.
Then Doctor Li collected the medical file and notebook, escorting Jiang Lin out of the isolation room in what felt like a prisoner transport formation, entering the Unsafe Passage once again and ascending the stairs to the fifth floor.