don't open your eyes [unlimited]

Ling Su still couldn't recover, and instinctively pushed himself up and wanted to sit up immediately.

His movements were a bit abrupt, and the shoulders that hadn't moved for a long time returned a strong numbness, which made him almost fall under the bed.

Zhuang Die hugged him just in time.

Ling Su was dragged back cleanly, and quickly sneaked back into the bed.

Teacher Xiao Zhuang, who just claimed that his hands were numb, was doing a multi-pronged approach to him, concentrating on snoring his back and hair, and by the way, he gave a free shoulder massage service that was a bit too hard.

"Little Curly." It took Ling Su a while to grab the hand, "Don't worry, don't worry—I'm fine."

He stroked those soft curly hair, and once again confirmed that he was awake: "We stayed in bed before, and before someone came, I hid you under the quilt?"

No matter how this description sounds a bit strange, Ling Su overturned this possibility after thinking for a while: "No."

Even in the actual mental illness research center, Ling Su had never heard of the rule that patients treated here are allowed to stay in their own wards in the middle of the night and visit other wards.

This dream is even less likely to give him any preferential treatment, considering the structure of the ward, and developing some weirder uses for the chainsaw—such as growing directly on the hand like Wolverine and popping it out when needed— Before, it was impossible for Zhuang Die to turn over the window or climb the stairs with his bare hands to come to this ward.

And...Before this, Ling Su clearly felt that he was bound by a restraint belt.

Meng Cocoon is learning how to deal with them.

The last time Ling Su easily cut off the straps on the chair with a scalpel, this time he was directly fixed together with his limbs and waist, making it impossible for him to get out of it even if he dislocated his thumb.

Considering the method of fixing his hands, Ling Su even suspected that during the time when his memory was blank, he might have tried to ignite and burn off the restraint belt by snapping his fingers.

If he can't even tell the difference between being tied up and being hugged by the little curly hair, it's really like what the hypnotist said, he should find a quiet place to recuperate for three to five days, clear his mind and bask in the sun.

"That's the problem." Zhuang Die's hand circled in his palm, and he held his tightly, "Captain, where is your memory interrupted?"

Ling Su didn't answer right away.

He rearranged his memory, and then he held the little curly hair and wrapped him in his arms.

"We decided to split up with Liu Yu to collect some useful information."

Ling Su gently rubbed Zhuang Die's hair, and he moved his fingers, allowing the little wool curls to move around between his fingers, and quickly regained the flexibility of his hands: "I can only think of these."

"As soon as we discussed it, the time for free activities is over."

Zhuang Die picked up his words: "People dressed as doctors asked us to go back. On the way back to the ward, I took the opportunity to describe what I found to you."

While Ling Su was talking with the hypnotist, Zhuang Die did a simple survey on the "patients" who had been released.

What made him particularly concerned was that these people all had a certain degree of objectification tendency, except that they had their own explanations for "why they appeared in a mental hospital" and did not feel any doubts.

Not from a psychological point of view, the kind of objectification that treats people as objects and only considers the available value...but in the literal sense.

"The guy sitting still thinks he's a fence gate. The guy circling the lawn thinks he's a medical trolley."

Zhuang Die recalled for a while, and continued: "Those who caught the ball thought they were needles and syringes. This kind of leisure activity is to exercise accuracy and agility..."

Ling Su slightly raised his eyebrows.

An idea vaguely popped up in his mind, but some key conditions were still missing, so he couldn't make a clear guess and judgment for the time being.

But no matter what, he already understood Zhuang Die's meaning: "So Liu Yu hung on the tree for an hour and didn't realize what's wrong."

Zhuang Die nodded.

Under normal circumstances, even if the hypnotist's character is easygoing, it is impossible to calmly poke on the branch of a tree for a full hour without feeling anything wrong.

Ling Su originally thought it was some kind of sequelae left by that room... Now it seems that the hypnotist and Yan Xun who were trapped in the dream cocoon a day earlier than they were probably already received some "treatment" here.

These people were gradually implanted with some kind of more explicit hints, and began to believe that they were part of this mental illness research center, and then completely gave up the idea of ​​leaving.

Not only that, but they will also become helpers in this dream.

People who see themselves as fence gates stop patients who want to walk around, run away, or have aggressive intentions.Think of yourself as a wheelbarrow, and will take the initiative to collect and organize items.Thinking of himself as a syringe... It shouldn't be so strange. If Ling Su remembered correctly, those people were all well-known psychological counselors recognized by Zhuang Die.

Their knowledge reserves, school views and consulting experience are the most suitable "potion" that can be injected into patients who need treatment at any time.

Thinking of this, Ling Su suddenly realized something, and his brows furrowed: "Just now—"

"I'm fine, Captain." Zhuang Die quickly gave the answer he was most concerned about, "I don't remember what happened afterwards, but I was not hypnotized or hinted at."

Unlike most people, Zhuang Di has always kept the habit of sorting out the memories in his mind at any time.

If there are any foreign intrusive ideas or cognitions in the conscious or subconscious world, even if he can't clearly distinguish it immediately, he will definitely feel something is wrong.

But now, all the abnormalities that Zhuang Die found after inspection were those locked memory boxes.

"If I'm not mistaken, we should have been taken for the same treatment."

Zhuang Die speculated: "From here, there are two possible branches-first, each 'patient' is treated independently."

"Under such circumstances, it is difficult for us to find any suitable opportunities. We can only temporarily stand still, pretend to cooperate with the treatment, and then use the time joint of free activities to secretly find a way to get out."

"But that's unlikely."

Ling Su had already understood what he meant, and nodded after a moment of pondering: "There are many patients here... If everyone accepts hints independently, there is not enough time, and there is no need for it at all."

To achieve the purpose of negating human subjectivity, stripping away clear self-awareness, materializing and instrumentalizing individual consciousness, and transforming people into useful tools, group suggestion is always easier than individually transforming individuals. The effect is also more obvious.

To put it in the simplest terms... Most people will start to convince themselves when they are in that environment, find a suitable position, and turn themselves into a valuable enough handy tool to put there.

This is not necessarily a bad thing - in many cases, only this model can ensure a high degree of order, so that everything can run in an orderly manner with sufficient efficiency.

In some more extreme environments, in order to survive a certain group catastrophe, people will voluntarily abandon their personal will and condense the spiritual fire into a collective torch.This dehumanization is an extremely great sacrifice forced by the situation.To get through the darkness, some would rather be that stepping stone so others could go on.

……

However, in this crazy hospital created by Dream Cocoon, the nature of this method is quite another matter.

Zhuang Die nodded, and he also agreed with Ling Su: "The second possibility is that all of us have been taken somewhere."

"Under this assumption, as long as you can blend in with the crowd, you will have room to maneuver and operate..."

Zhuang Die collected his thoughts for a few seconds, and was about to continue talking, when the next memory box that was lifted suddenly opened with a bang in his hand.

He couldn't see anything in there.

In other words, there was a mass of dark shadows that seemed to be piercingly chilled.Even though there is no entity, it still occupies all of his consciousness for an instant.

Zhuang Die suddenly stopped talking and closed his eyes unexpectedly.

He instinctively clenched Ling Su's arm: "Captain."

Hiding in the quilt, holding Ling Su in the first few seconds after waking up, he briefly experienced a strong suffocation that seemed to hold his soul, and that feeling came without warning after the memory box was opened. It's making a comeback.

Zhuang Die suddenly realized more clearly than before why Ling Su hugged him so tightly when he came out of that room.

"Captain." Zhuang Die said in a low voice, grabbing the clothes on Ling Su's body, "Captain."

——It was an extremely strong uneasiness, as if he would step into the air and fall down at any moment.

All rational and emotional means are useless, and the only way to resolve this unease is to actually touch and hug.

At the same time, Ling Su's arms were quickly closed.

"Little Curly, take a deep breath."

Ling Su protected him tightly and hid him in his arms: "No matter what you see, it's all fake."

"We are in the subconscious world, remember? We are in a dream, and everything that happens in the dream is not reality, maybe in reality we just blackmailed Ouyang Huan into a super luxurious double sleeping cabin."

Ling Su pressed close to Zhuang Die's ear, and patiently told him over and over again: "In the double sleeping cabin, maybe we both slept hugging each other like this, and nothing happened when we woke up."

Zhuang Die pressed his forehead against his shoulder, adjusted his breath a few times, and repeated obediently in a low voice: "Nothing happened."

"Yes." Ling Su nodded, "Don't you remember? As long as the captain is here, there will be no problems."

"So everything can be solved."

Ling Su rubbed Zhuang Die's hair.

He patiently waited for Zhuang Die to raise his face, lowered his head, and promised into those eyes: "As long as you are here, the captain will always be here."

……

Ling Su could probably guess what Zhuang Die saw.

Even if everyone is taken to group therapy, Meng Cocoon will not let him go easily, let him hypnotize himself into a colorful bed sheet or a singing electric fan, and easily pass this level.

During that time, Ling Su would be faced with nothing more than two possibilities—either he would be locked up and "open a small fire" alone, or he would be taken to make an example of others and be punished as a negative example.

Based on Ling Su's understanding of Chairman Yan, the possibility of the latter obviously exceeds the possibility of the former.

He lowered his gaze, and patted Zhuang Die's back slowly, one after another.

... For the first time after entering this dream, Ling Su couldn't help feeling a strong desire to destroy.

If you let him know what his "teacher" did outrageously in front of Zhuang Die.For example, let Zhuang Die watch him being tied up on the operating table for an autopsy, or undergo some embarrassing treatments that have long been abolished... Ling Su is not sure what he will do.

Ling Su didn't let any of these thoughts come out.

He just talked softly and continuously about all the topics about reality that he could think of.

They put everything behind them for a while, reminiscing about popcorn and candied haws, discussing renovations and holidays, and the rattan rocking chairs look good, perfect for basking in the sun on idle afternoons.

It wasn't until the body in his arms relaxed little by little that Ling Su heaved a sigh of relief.

He hugged Zhuang Die and shook it back and forth twice: "I guess... what happened then? As soon as Teacher Xiao Zhuang found out that I was in trouble, he immediately hinted that he was a bondage belt wittily and bravely?"

Zhuang Die blushed a little at what he said, and buried himself in the material of Ling Su's shoulders, the corners of his pale mouth curled up: "It's not difficult, as long as your thoughts are firm enough."

He circumvented that memory cautiously, and opened the next memory box: "I saw them go to get the trolley, so I tried to hint myself...it was very successful."

Zhuang Die added: "Mr. Liu did me a favor."

After Zhuang Die made a hint to himself, the hypnotist took advantage of no one's attention and quickly dropped the two rolls of bondage.

He was successfully wrapped around the captain's body, tied Ling Su tightly, and went back to the ward together.

A real roll of bondage tape was sent to Zhuang Die's room, where he is now sleeping on a hospital bed.

……

"Smart and brave."

Ling Su listened with admiration physically and mentally, couldn't help but picked up the little curly hair, and praised it earnestly.

Referring to this unexpected method, he quickly had a new idea: "According to this, we can actually find a way to meet at night..."

"There is a way."

Only then did Zhuang Die remember, patted his head, quickly jumped out of bed, came to the window, and opened the curtain: "Mr. Liu is here."

Ling Su was stunned: "Huh?"

He had some doubts about this positioning location, propped himself up, moved his joints a few times, and walked over: "Ah..."

The previous outrageous height was also a hinted illusion. In order to prevent some extreme situations for patients, the height of the ward was not high, and there happened to be a very lush tree outside the window.

The hypnotist was still sitting on the tree branch, and waved to them optimistically.

"The result Mr. Liu hinted at is the street lamp, and Dr. Yan..."

Zhuang Die took out a handful of scraps of paper from the trousers pocket of the hospital gown, let go of his hand, and let them fall to the ground one after another.

Half a minute later, a broom flew over aggressively from the spare room.

Zhuang Die had already set up his posture in advance, and it was too late to speak, and he grabbed the broomstick.

Ling Su: "..."

"Everyone is here, Captain."

Zhuang Die opened the window, and just poked the brand new broom on the guardrail outside the window: "We can have the meeting now."