I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 252 - 252 251. He is so normal there must be something

Chapter 252: 251. He is so normal, there must be something wrong_1 Chapter 252: 251. He is so normal, there must be something wrong_1 Jiang Weicai was a bit confused.

As a common journalist, he had only sneaked into the mental hospital to find information about Lu Ban, so why did he become a person of interest?

Seizing the opportunity during lunch, Jiang Weicai found Lu Ban. He wanted to ask some questions, but whether Lu Ban had become aware of something or not, he kept his mouth shut and only said a few words to brush him off.

Was this how he treated his own fans?

Feeling rejected, Jiang Weicai had planned to look for another opportunity to seek information but unexpectedly, a doctor approached him.

In the consultation room, Jiang Weicai sat at the table, a mirror on the adjacent wall reflecting his face.

The room’s door opened, and Jiang Weicai saw a person in a white lab coat walk in.

It was actually Lu Ban.

He looked exactly like a psychologist, sitting across from Jiang Weicai.

“Name.”

“Didn’t you just…”

“Name.”

“Jiang Weicai.”

Jiang Weicai honestly answered, this Lu Ban had an aura like a police interrogating a criminal, commanding respect without anger.

“Your condition is…delusional disorder?”

Lu Ban glanced at the other side.

“Yes, I often fantasize about things.”

Jiang Weicai felt he couldn’t expose himself, otherwise, he might encounter some unpleasant things, so he hurriedly explained.

“How long has this symptom been occurring?”

“For, for several months now, doctor, can you help me?”

Jiang Weicai thought his acting was too good, even considering for three seconds whether to debut in the entertainment industry.

“Your condition… there’s still hope.”

Lu Ban said seriously.

“But you have to cooperate with the treatment.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Weicai straightened up and pricked up his ears.

“I’m going to show you a few pictures now, tell me what you see.”

Lu Ban seemingly pulled out several images from nowhere, handing the top one to Jiang Weicai.

Jiang Weicai had heard before that this was a kind of psychological test which analyzed the psyche of patients based on their interpretation of ambiguous images. He figured he just had to say whatever came to mind to pass, especially since Lu Ban surely wasn’t a real psychologist.

Talk about being smart, If it had been anyone else, they might have been deceived.

He took the picture handed to him by Lu Ban, and when he saw what was on it, he was taken aback.

It was a cat.

It wasn’t a metaphor, it was literally a photograph of a cat.

This wasn’t right.

Aren’t these tests supposed to be ambiguous images that let patients use their imagination? What’s the deal with this cat?

Though the cat was cute, if he directly said it was a cat, wouldn’t that mean there was something wrong with my test result?

Under these circumstances, I definitely couldn’t say it was a cat, right?

But on the other hand, perhaps I should think differently. It’s obviously a cat, but if I say it’s something else, wouldn’t that be too obvious and give myself away?

Amidst these thoughts, Jiang Weicai felt as if he had already engaged in a dozen or so rounds of strategic moves with Lu Ban.

In the end, he looked up at Lu Ban.

“This is a dog.”

Lu Ban said nothing, simply taking back the picture and handing the second one to Jiang Weicai.

“Who knows what he’s thinking.”

As Jiang Weicai was pondering internally, he saw the second image.

It was a set of mahjong tiles, Big Three Dragons Pung Pung Win, a winning hand that made you itch to play the game.

“?”

Jiang Weicai could not be helped anymore.

What should be said at a time like this?

Call out the hand?

Or pretend to not even recognize the mahjong tiles?

He was conflicted for a while but eventually replied.

“These are ants.”

Lu Ban retracted the picture, without saying anything.

After a few more tests, Lu Ban collected all the images and then looked seriously at Jiang Weicai.

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

He then left the consultation room, leaving Jiang Weicai alone in the room, in disarray.

Next door.

In the room adjacent to the consultation room, separated by only a wall, there were no mirrors, only a pane of glass.

On the other side of the glass sat Jiang Weicai.

This room setup, similar to how police interrogate criminals, was used for some doctors to consult with patients, as certain patients might feel uneasy in the presence of many people. Such a setup could allow several doctors to closely observe the patient’s behavior without alarming them.

Lu Ban walked into this room, where a nurse and Dr. Hao were already present, having just observed the conversation between Lu Ban and Jiang Weicai.

“Dr. Hao, you saw the examination just now. I think this patient’s condition is very severe,” said Lu Ban earnestly.

“…Indeed,” Dr. Hao replied, uncertain if letting a mentally ill patient diagnose another was reliable.

“But could a kindred spirit accurately identify their own kind?”

“His initial demeanor was very normal. He responded to my questions just like a common person would. In such cases, I believe it is an indication that the symptoms are extremely severe. He has gone from mild, where he would reveal his mental issues, to learning to conceal his aberrant state,” Lu Ban pointed at Jiang Weicai through the glass.

“However, he might have realized that he was behaving too normally, so during the Rorschach test I administered, he deliberately misidentified the objects in the pictures. These were all very common images that shouldn’t cause misidentification. If his previous normality had been genuine, then he certainly wouldn’t be making such absurd mistakes now. Therefore, we can conclude that his prior normality was feigned.”

Dr. Hao, listening to Lu Ban, was caught off guard.

How could this mental patient seem to be more eloquent than him, the doctor?

Could there be a notion of the ‘practiced patient becoming the doctor’ in the field of mental illness?

Dr. Hao glanced at the nurse, who was also confused.

“I looked at the medical records. This patient was previously mild and was hospitalized for just a short time. I think it’s the result of him pretending. He must be a severe case of delusional disorder, and he also exhibits symptoms of persecution delusion and schizophrenia. If left unchecked, it could become extremely dangerous!” Lu Ban warned.

“Such a patient must be urgently transferred to the intensive care unit and closely monitored. If necessary, his movements should be restricted to prevent him from harming himself or others.”

After giving it some thought, Dr. Hao felt that Lu Ban’s advice made sense.

A lunatic who goes berserk upon seeing people is not frightening. What’s truly terrifying is a lunatic who can hide his condition and act like a normal person. Such individuals suppress too much, usually, and once they have an episode, it might be irreversible.

He hurried to contact the orderlies, and then witnessed several burly orderlies enter the room, restrain a bewildered Jiang Weicai, and attempt to inject him with a sedative.

“No, no, wait, wait, you guys, I am actually not sick, I was faking it, I forged the hospital admission, I am actually a journalist, I came here to interview Lu Ban,” Jiang Weicai immediately cried out.

“Don’t believe me? Go check, I am a journalist, I am not insane! I am not ill!”

Witnessing this scene, Lu Ban shook his head and sighed deeply.

“Look, he has already constructed a fully consistent worldview and self-identity, such a patient is extremely dangerous and needs to be handled with caution,” he said.

After saying that, Lu Ban changed his tone and continued speaking seriously.

“Besides, there isn’t a single mental patient who admits to being ill. When a mental patient claims he isn’t sick, that’s when it’s certain he has a significant illness.”

“…”

Dr. Hao, who was witnessing the scene, didn’t know what to say.

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