Chapter 124: Catching Jellyfish

Under Merlin's relentless mind-warping, both Lin QiYe and Li Yifei were left standing in place, stunned.

"You're saying… this world we're in isn't real?" Lin QiYe asked, his expression a bit strange.

"Yes," Merlin replied calmly.

"Do you have any proof?" Lin QiYe raised an eyebrow.

"Our sudden appearance in your world is proof enough, isn't it?" Merlin said, as if it were obvious.

"…" Lin QiYe rubbed his temples, feeling like Merlin might have a point.

"But if the world we live in is fake, does that mean we ourselves are fake too?" Li Yifei couldn't help but speak up.

"Exactly." Merlin nodded as if this were common knowledge.

"Then if you're a fake existence, how can you question the reality of this world?" Li Yifei paused for a moment, "Just like you said, fish don't question the life forms outside the ocean, and 2D creatures don't question the world outside the plane…"

"So, when you start questioning if this world is fake, does that mean your own existence is also fake?" Li Yifei finished, his words hanging in the air.

Merlin froze as if struck by lightning, his body completely petrified in place.

Lin QiYe turned to look at Li Yifei with an entirely different expression.

"You understand philosophy?" Lin QiYe leaned in and whispered in Li Yifei's ear.

"No… I just didn't get it before," Li Yifei scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.

Lin QiYe gave him a meaningful look, then turned back to Merlin. "You said you're a scholar searching for the real world, have you found it?"

Merlin's eyes sparkled with renewed excitement.

"I found it!" he declared confidently. "Some time ago, I used magic to communicate with a mysterious dimension. I'm not sure where it is, but I can vaguely sense that's the real world!"

"What's that world like?" Lin QiYe asked, intrigued.

"It seems to be underwater. There are all sorts of small houses—some shaped like pineapples, some like heads, and there are shops selling strange foods. I think I even saw a weird yellow block…" Merlin began to recall what he had seen, his eyes widening as he spoke, and his body began to twitch uncontrollably.

Lin QiYe frowned, sensing something wasn't right. He subtly took a step back, signaling Li Yifei to do the same.

"The real world… I saw the real world!!" Merlin's excitement grew uncontrollable as his calm and wise demeanor shattered, replaced by an odd, crazed expression. His body twisted violently, and in moments, he turned into a pink starfish.

He reached out, grabbing the chair beside him, and his staff transformed into a fishing net. Merlin then dashed over to Lin QiYe, waving his net wildly.

"SpongeBob!! Let's catch some jellyfish!"

Merlin, now in his Starfish form, spun around Lin QiYe, then raced out of the patient building and into the courtyard. He jumped up and down, swinging the net as though he were catching something invisible.

Suddenly, he spotted Nyx, still sitting in her rocking chair, staring blankly.

"Boss Pi!! Boss Pi!! You're here too?!" The starfish Merlin excitedly approached Nyx.

Nyx was taken aback, gazing at the strange pink creature in confusion, lost in thought…

After a brief moment, she shakily reached out and pulled the starfish Merlin into her arms, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Y-You… are you my grandson too?!"

"Boss Pi!!"

"Grandson!!"

"Boss Pi!!"

"Grandson, Grandma's here!"

"…"

The two on the second floor witnessed the entire scene in silence.

Lin QiYe: (?????)

Li Yifei: (?????)

"I think… I might know what's wrong with him now…" Lin QiYe muttered, watching the bizarre spectacle.

"How do you figure?" Li Yifei scratched his head, looking slightly perplexed.

"Well, it looks a bit… strangely touching?" Li Yifei offered.

Lin QiYe adjusted his glasses and spoke in a tone more befitting a doctor.

"Through his long search, the real world has become Merlin's obsession. He used countless prophecies and magic to try and find it. Eventually, he must have created some strange magical array that connected him to what he believes is the real world, and he sent his consciousness there…"

"But whether that world is truly the real world, I can't say for sure. But without a doubt, it's had a strange effect on his mental state, which ultimately led to his insanity."

"So what do we do now?" Li Yifei asked, feeling a headache coming on.

"… I don't know." Lin QiYe shook his head. He wasn't really a mental health professional. While he could deduce what happened, as for how to treat it… he was completely clueless.

"Should we go back to the Sunshine Mental Hospital and try the same method? But it's the holidays, the psychiatrists there are probably on break…" Lin QiYe mused.

"Before he brought up the real world, he seemed relatively normal. This is probably just a short-term symptom… Anyway, let's give him some sedatives first and see if he returns to his usual state. This is too much of a hassle."

"Who's going to do that?"

"Who do you think?"

"…"

The overworked little caregiver sighed as he headed toward the pharmacy.

Some time later, Li Yifei, with a large syringe in hand, chased the starfish Merlin around the courtyard. Nyx, meanwhile, was hot on their heels, shouting, "Xiao Fei! That's your brother! Don't be too harsh on him!"

The three of them ran around the courtyard for a while. In the end, Li Yifei managed to inject the sedative into Merlin. The latter immediately quieted down, his body returning to its human form before collapsing to the ground.

Li Yifei sat down beside him, panting heavily.

"This job… is way too exhausting!" he groaned.

Lin QiYe walked over to check on Merlin. He found that Merlin's consciousness was a bit fuzzy, likely from the disorientation he experienced earlier, but there didn't appear to be any serious harm.

Merlin's condition, though severe, wouldn't last long. As long as they avoided mentioning the "real world," he could still communicate normally. The main issue now was figuring out how to treat him.

He patted Li Yifei's shoulder. "Take care of them. I'm leaving."

With that, Lin QiYe disappeared through the gates of the hospital, leaving behind a somewhat forlorn Li Yifei.

…

Morning.

Lin QiYe awoke from his bed, stretching as he glanced out the window. The world outside was blanketed in snow.

"The snow fell this heavily last night?" Lin QiYe murmured, walking over to the window and gazing out.

The streets were covered in a thick layer of white, with large snowflakes slowly falling from the sky and collecting on the window.

It was rare to see snow this heavy in Cangnan.

As he prepared to go wash up, Lin QiYe suddenly paused, his gaze shifting to the corner of the room. He let out a quiet "Hmm?"

There, in the corner, a small grey mouse lay still, unmoving.