Chapter 844: Young Xu Huo
"Why?" Xu Huo overlapped with his younger self, asking this question.
"A person's thoughts are the most dangerous thing. Once an idea arises, it will at least influence a person's behavior for a long period of time. In special circumstances, that time can extend to a lifetime." The doctor's voice was very calm, neither as gentle as when facing a child's coaxing, nor as cold as when judging someone unqualified. He was simply stating a fact.
"Showing weakness to achieve one's goals is acceptable, but meaningless concern is unnecessary."
"Especially pity for what's right in front of you."
This was not an adult or an elder's admonition to a child, but a conversation built on equal footing between both parties.
"Why is it unnecessary?" Xu Huo said. "I think you need my concern."
"Only the weak need the concern of others." The doctor's tone became gentle again. "Comparing you and me, who do you think is the weak one?"
Xu Huo was silent for a long while before reluctantly admitting, "Me."
"So your concern for me is false. It can neither change my current situation nor resolve the source of my problems." The doctor continued, "But this wound also has its meaning."
"Showing weakness?" Xu Huo asked.
The doctor smiled. "I'll mark you as unqualified."
After a moment, Xu Huo said, "I saw Xiao Liang yesterday. He didn't show you concern, and you scolded him."
"His situation is different from yours," the doctor said. "He's too mischievous and doesn't listen well, so he needed to be taught a lesson. He still hasn't learned to control himself, which puts him far behind you in that regard."
Xu Huo didn't speak anymore. The doctor took another injection from his leather case. "You need one more shot today."
The young child calmly accepted this reality, and then a wave of intense pain struck. He clutched his head, his vision went black, and then the scene shifted. He was sitting in a sealed room, along with several other children.
Several children in hospital gowns sat on fixed stools, none of them moving or speaking. Xu Huo couldn't see their faces, but he recognized one of them as Chang Bei from their physical characteristics.
After growing up, Xu Huo had almost no memory of this period. He only knew that there were several children undergoing treatment at the same hospital, but he hadn't had much contact with them. He could recognize Chang Bei because he had checked Chang Bei's records. Before being admitted, Chang Bei had injured his hand, and there was a hook-shaped scar on the back of it.
"What did the doctor say to you?" Another child walked over, holding a lollipop. "Tell me, and I'll give you the candy."
"The doctor said you don't listen," Xu Huo found himself speaking uncontrollably.
The child let out a strange laugh and immediately raised his hand to press the lollipop stick into Xu Huo's eye. Xu Huo dodged, but the child tripped him, sending him to the ground. Instinct made him roll over after falling, but when he looked back, he saw the child pull a spoon from his pants. The handle had already been sharpened to a fine edge.
Xu Huo scrambled up to run, but two other children grabbed his arms and pinned him in place.
Chang Bei quietly crept toward the door, while the remaining child who hadn't participated still sat motionless.
Xu Huo reached into his pocket, found a small stone, and hurled it hard against the door.
"This room is farthest from the stairs. Even if a nurse hears the noise and runs over, it'll take at least five seconds. Before they arrive, they'll have to judge the cause, location, and severity of the incident, which will delay them by at least fifteen seconds." The child who had questioned him walked toward Xu Huo. "That's plenty of time to blind you."
"When you see the doctor, tell him I did it."
Xu Huo's struggles gradually ceased. He said, "The doctor doesn't like you. He said you're not as smart as me, that you still haven't learned to control yourself, that you're like a pig."
"Chang Bei and I both saw you steal the medicine. You're really stupid."
The child opposite him trembled all over, but after the initial rage, he steadied himself. "If you're gone, that'll be fine."
"You're like a pig because you yourself are like a pig, not because I make you look like one," Xu Huo said directly.
The child was enraged and grabbed the spoon, thrusting it toward Xu Huo's eye. Xu Huo stared wide-eyed as the spoon stopped a finger's width from his eye, no matter how hard the other child tried, it wouldn't go any further.
Then the doctor opened the door and walked in. The child immediately dropped the spoon, the two children holding Xu Huo let go, and Chang Bei and the indifferent child both stood up straight.
"What are you smiling about?" the doctor asked Xu Huo.
"The doctor is just like Xiao Liang. He's also like a pig," Xu Huo replied with a grin.
The scene gradually blurred again, but he could sense that the doctor was very pleased after hearing this.
The young Xu Huo might not have understood, but the current Xu Huo knew why the doctor was so happy.
He had provoked Xiao Liang. If the doctor's training had been effective, Xiao Liang might have actually stopped. If he hadn't stopped, it didn't matter—the doctor would definitely have intervened.
He had used a small trick, thinking that the doctor, like Xiao Liang, was predictable in his behavior.
The doctor was happy because he understood that Xu Huo had clearly estimated his own value, which was why he dared to play this little trick.
At least in that environment at the time, Xiao Liang wasn't worth the doctor sacrificing one of Xu Huo's eyes for him.
After the scene faded into darkness, Xu Huo took a moment before opening his eyes. He was still sitting at the desk, maintaining a reading posture, not having slumped over to sleep.
Pushing aside the materials in front of him, he walked to the balcony and said to the neighbor, "More effective than the Dream-Come-True Potion. Works well. Next time you have something like this, just come and tell me directly. No need to sneak around probing."
He had been sitting there and fallen into the trap. He couldn't think of anyone other than Bai Kou next door. Both of them had undergone mental evolution, and he was familiar with this trick.
But Bai Kou showed no guilt and didn't tease him. Instead, she looked at him with a strange expression. "I didn't expect your experiences to be so rich."
Mental induction could only show the behavior of the induced person. The images seen by the induced person themselves could not be observed by outsiders, unless in an environment like the Seventeenth Hospital. In reality, imagined products could not be projected out for others to witness.
"My memories have been altered," Xu Huo said, making a rare joke. "And I've taken quite a few drugs."
Bai Kou smiled. "I can see that. But if what you saw wasn't fictional people or events, then it's probably not an illusion—it's your memories being unsealed."
"Your memories were sealed during childhood, right? Now that you've become a player and your brain has evolved again, the old seal is no longer effective."
"Perhaps your rapid super evolution is also related to the medication."
Xu Huo had thought about this issue. He turned and asked, "What method can be used to alter a person's memories and also erase any records in reality all at once?"
Happy New Year, everyone! (〃'▽'〃)
(Chapter End)