Chapter 1: Ill

Chapter 1: Ill

Name?

Lu Yibei.

How old are you?

All eighteen.

All eighteen? Interesting, the doctor who was writing the case file thought. He raised his head, looking at the young man before him with a strange gaze. He suppressed his curiosity and nodded.

Care to tell me about yourself?

Alright, Yibei nodded. Something is wrong with my vision. Im starting to see a lot of strange things.

Does it hurt? the doctor asked.

Nope.

Symptoms like itching or tearing?

Nope.

The doctor frowned upon seeing his past medical history and asked again, You had a corneal transplant from a car accident? This might be the sequelae from the transplant. Have you been checked yet?

Yes. Here is the report, Yibei said as he handed the certificate to the doctor.

The doctor furrowed his brows while reading the report. Judging from the laboratory test sheet, not only did his eyes show no sign of disease, but he also recovered fully. Compared to most corneal transplant patients, he could be considered a patient with the best recovery scenario.

This is strange! Your report shows that you are completely normal. Tell me, what strange things are you seeing?

Do I have to? he gulped, his eyes wandering as he spoke. He felt a little nervous.

The doctor smiled and comforted him: Young man, dont be afraid. I have no other intentions; this is the basic process of seeing a doctor. I need to know what youre going through to help you.

Im not scared. Im just worried that youll be the scared one, Yibei thought.

You asked for it, Yibei sighed. Its strange, but sometimes I can see faint shadows appearing in the corner of my eyes, and occasionally, I can hear strange sounds as well.

What kind of shadows and sounds? the doctor asked.

Hmm they are blurry shadows, most often at night. When I tried to turn to look at the shadows, they disappeared in an instant. As for the voices

W-wait! The doctor interrupted, feeling that something was amiss. Are you being haunted?

Yibei couldnt help but chuckle: Doctor, I came to you looking for a scientific explanation, not for you to engage in superstition.

Could you have seen it wrong?

Maybe, but the police dont think so. They think that something is wrong with me and suggested that I come to the hospital.

For the last one, Yibei continued. I was entering the hospital, and I saw someone muttering something to themselves like they were being watched. They spoke about him having lung cancer, and suddenly a huge, black tumour grew on his body, and

W-wait! the doctor interrupted. This is a hospital, my friend. Be serious; dont joke around.

This patient is so f*cking scary, the doctor thought.

Does it look like Im joking, doctor? Yibei asked with a serious face.

R-right. Arent you afraid of those things?

Of course, I am! What do you think?

Indeed, he was frightened when he first saw the shadows but was surprised that he hadnt shown signs of mental illness.

At most, he would see strange shadows by the street, glass balls clanging above him at night, the sound of water dripping in the toilet, or someone sighing beside him when he was sleeping

Yibei rolled up his sleeves and said, Look at my goosebumps!

Are the shadows the cause of your goosebumps?

This is a disease, no? Yibei asked. My eyes were injured in a car accident, so naturally, wouldnt I have other complications?

The doctor thought for a moment about facial paralysis.

Right, his facial expressions didnt change at all.

Doctor, its facial paralysis. Isnt it? I can get over it, but I want to stop seeing these strange things.

The doctors eye twitched at this request, but he remained calm.

Haha, the doctor chuckled. My friend, dont worry about it. I understand your situation; since you have no physical symptoms, you have to consider the psychological aspects of it. How about I help you take a look?

The doctor planned to pass this patient on to another department.

Youre taking me to a psychiatrist?

Uh yes, but dont worry! Mental illness is not incurable as long as there is proper treatment.

No need, Yibei stopped the doctor. I just escaped from there.

So, youre a mental patient after all?!