Jiang Lin saw that Max had called the doctors, and her first instinct was naturally to flee subconsciously.

Facing the two tall doctors, Jiang Lin was subdued almost without any ability to fight back.

How could a delicate young girl who loved painting possibly stand against the robust medical staff of the asylum?

In the fourth-floor isolation room, securely tied to a chair with restraints, Jiang Lin couldn't help but sigh.

"I was careless. It seems that 'Max's' lost memories and the cognitive interference she's suffering run deeper than I imagined..."

"And I was foolish too. If I hadn't run and tried to explain myself, there might have been a chance for a turnaround. Running away basically confirmed that I wanted to 'escape,' didn't it?"

Jiang Lin lamented, gazing up at the soft light on the ceiling.

"But now, how do I break this situation..."

"Not only am I tied up here completely immobile, but even if they release me later, because of Max's report, I'll probably be under close surveillance by the medical staff."

As Jiang Lin pondered, she only felt a headache coming on.

She was really not good at dealing with situations like this.

The only fortunate thing... was that although Max had reported her, the word booklet hadn't been confiscated.

If that word booklet had been taken away and the words she wrote on it were exposed to the medical staff...

Whether those guys were genuinely dedicated doctors treating her as a patient, or had ulterior motives imprisoning her while knowing her "Player" identity, Jiang Lin felt her confinement level would likely be escalated further.

If it were the former, those doctors seeing her notes would definitely think her delusional symptoms were severe, requiring strict supervision and treatment.

If it were the latter...

Then they would certainly be even less tolerant of Jiang Lin discovering the "truth."

"Anyway, there's still a chance to turn things around..."

As Jiang Lin was thinking, the isolation room door suddenly swung open.

A middle-aged doctor of normal build, holding a notebook, quickly walked in, with a folding chair tucked under his arm.

He walked up to Jiang Lin, and under her curious gaze, unfolded the folding chair and sat directly in front of her.

"Oh dear, a patient on the fourth floor showing worsening symptoms..."

"With the Director absent, this is truly a big problem."

Watching the seated doctor and hearing his complaining tone, Jiang Lin understood clearly in her heart.

He was here for her.

Moreover, judging from this doctor's slightly different uniform style compared to the doctors from her previous room, his more complex chest ID badge, and his somewhat older age, he should be a higher-ranking doctor.

Sure enough, after sitting down, he pulled a pen from his breast pocket, opened the notebook on his knee, cleared his throat, and spoke with a cough.

"Ahem... cough!"

"Hello, fourth-floor single-patient ward... Jiang Lin, correct?"

"I am a specialist doctor at this hospital. You can call me Old Li or Doctor Li."

The doctor, who carried an authoritative specialist presence, spoke very persuasively.

Jiang Lin nodded slightly.

"Yes, I'm Jiang Lin," she replied cautiously. "Are you here to treat me?"

"Treatment? No, no, no, it's assessment and examination," Doctor Li shook his head. "You went to the second floor trying to pull another patient into escaping with you... According to the second-floor patient's account, you seem to have severe delusional symptoms."

"You seem to believe the real world is a game, and the goal of this game is to escape the asylum?"

Doctor Li said this casually while writing in his notebook with his head lowered.

"Oh that, I was just joking," Jiang Lin began trying to rationalize her behavior with a belated excuse. "Honestly, I just made a friend, and she seems very outgoing..."

"So I casually tried to make a joke, but didn't expect that because this is a mental hospital and I'm a mental patient, she overreacted a bit."

Jiang Lin earnestly tried to explain the excuse she had concocted just before the doctors arrived.

Although clumsy, it was indeed an explanation.

But...

Unfortunately, such an explanation couldn't fool anyone.

"Then why did you run?"

Doctor Li went straight to the crucial point, asking directly.

Jiang Lin was immediately at a loss for words.

She stammered for a long time before saying, "I... I was a bit scared."

This, of course, was even less likely to convince the doctor.

Doctor Li shook his head, sighed, and wrote some more.

"Jiang Lin, Jiang Lin... You still believe this is all a game, so you're trying to deceive me, this NPC, right?"

Jiang Lin lowered her head and said nothing.

That was indeed what she thought, but even though he had called her out...

"You also think I'm just a very clever NPC right now, or that the game's mechanics are making me say this, right?"

Doctor Li continued.

Only then did Jiang Lin feel somewhat incredulous. She looked up at Doctor Li in surprise.

Doctor Li put down his pen and showed her the notebook, flipping to earlier pages.

"Miss Jiang, this isn't the first time I've come to assess this symptom of yours... Although most hospital specialists disagree, as the doctor who knows you best, my current judgment is that I can negotiate with you now."

"You have exhibited this symptom of believing 'reality' is a game multiple times before."

As Doctor Li spoke, Jiang Lin looked at him, feeling only confusion in her mind.

"What do you mean?"

She asked instinctively, as if it didn't feel real.

"You have always had this delusional symptom and have attempted to escape the hospital more than once."

Jiang Lin's mind was in turmoil as she spoke, "But... but I really..."

"You want to say you really saw supernatural phenomena? That booklet where your own handwriting appears?"

Doctor Li said coldly, and Jiang Lin looked at him in astonishment.

"How do you know that?"

"That was given to you by the patient on the second floor—your delusional symptoms are extremely similar, so you influenced each other during communication," Doctor Li continued. "That booklet was made by him... he imitated your handwriting."

"As for appearing automatically... it's because of temperature."

"That booklet is very small;held in your palm, it changes color automatically—special ink that changes color to reveal handwriting has been something you can buy at any stationery store in this era for a long time."

Jiang Lin was stunned, "What..."

But she still found a flaw, "No, that's wrong! But he lives in a mental hospital;where would he have the opportunity to get that special ink?!"

"You're still lying to me!"

Doctor Li sighed.

"This is a mental hospital, not a prison... As long as they're not dangerous items like blades, family members can send things in."

"That kid's family sent him the ink. At the time, we didn't check if it was special;we just thought he wanted to write something."

"It wasn't until the first item he made for you was discovered..."

"And we don't even know how many such word booklets he has hidden!"