Jock never expected that he would receive bad news on this seemingly ordinary night, so much so that after a long silence on the other end of the phone, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure you're not mistaken, that Hogg guy wants to kill himself?" ”

"I'm sure."

Lucy was convinced, "When he was in the coffee shop just now, he was going to shoot himself in the head in front of me. ”

"But why? What's wrong with him lately? ”

Jock was puzzled.

It stands to reason that Hogg became a member of the Fishing Boat Club, and that he would soon be able to take the position of Secretary General and become a member of the High Council, which meant that his life would be back to the top, even in the Foster family's heyday, they had not been able to wield such power.

He couldn't figure out what reason Hogg would think of suicide.

"Mr. Hogg's case is the opposite, his mental state seems to be positive, not the same as the usual depression sufferer, just ......"

"Just what?"

"It's just that he firmly believes that he is a stand-in messenger, and he thinks that he can stop the time of the whole world for 2 seconds, and when he shoots at himself, his double will activate the ability to allow him to avoid bullets."

After a long period of communication, Lucy has roughly figured out Hogg's stand-in and ability, according to the other party's description, his stand-in image is a person wearing a trench coat and a mask, but he is still in the beginner stage, and he is not yet proficient in using his stand-in.

"What the hell is that?"

Jock was suddenly angry, he had heard by chance when he was drunk that Hogg's dream as a child was actually to become a psychic person, because he thought that the rescuers on TV were very popular, and they could cause people to chase and scream wherever they went, but when he grew up, he realized that for the Foster family, rescuers were not a big deal.

He could see any helpers other than the Six Stars and the Alternates whenever he wanted to, and he also learned that most of those people were just glamorous looking and had done a lot of dirty things behind their backs.

Could it be that Hogg was sick enough to fulfill his childhood dreams?

"I don't know, but his description sounds a little similar to that of a psychic person, except that an image similar to an 'evil spirit' will appear around him."

When these words came out of the mouth of Foster's current ruler, Lucy understood that the other party was terminally ill.

In particular, she observed that when Hogg talked about this, his expression was as usual, and his emotions did not fluctuate, as if he were talking about a very ordinary matter, which reflected his deep belief in the fact that he was a stand-in.

"There have been similar cases before, and I met a patient who imagined that he had the ability to fly, and he was an employee of Uni-Tech Technology."

"Lucy, you know I'm not interested in any of this, you just need to tell me how long it will take to cure him, we can't recommend a crazy person to become a member of the High Council."

"I mean, you need to prepare for the worst."

"In the case I just mentioned, the company employee climbed to the top of the company building one night and jumped off it. ”

The patient subjectively did not have suicidal thoughts, but he was suppressed for too long, and on a whim, he climbed to the rooftop, wanting to use his ability to hover in the night sky like a bird, and then return to his post to continue working.

However, he did not make it back after all, and when Lucy arrived, the law enforcers had already cordoned off the scene, and because the scene was so terrible, they had already covered the scattered parts of the body with a cloth.

"Generally speaking, the more capable they fantasize, the more likely they are to self-destruct, and worse, they often don't even realize it's suicidal."

The mere concept of "stopping the time of the entire world for 2 seconds" is enough to remind Lucy of dozens of dangerous behaviors, which are far more terrifying than flying.

"You mean I need to send someone to keep an eye on him 24 hours a day?"

"I'll take him to my hospital first to make sure it's safe, but it's an opportunity for us to get to know what he's really thinking."

During the conversation, she also realized that after learning that she was also a stand-in messenger, Hogg had become much more talkative, and if you put aside the fact that he had tried to kill himself with a pistol, it should be considered a harmonious exchange.

"Then I'm sorry for you, Lucy, I've already transferred the money to your account."

"Got it."

Lucy paused and said, "I owe you a favor, so I'll try to heal him." ”

Hanging up the phone, she stopped in front of the mirror in the bathroom for a long time, took out a simple makeup bag and touched up her makeup, from now on, she must also become a stand-in messenger, this is the only way to get close to Hogg, if there is a lack of information about the double-in messenger on the Internet, then it is up to her to fill these gaps.

"You're back."

Seeing her come out of the bathroom, Hogg spoke enthusiastically again, "Speaking of which, I don't know what your stand-in is, what is your stand-in like, and what are your abilities?" ”

"...... on this point"

Lucy deliberately lowered her voice and whispered, "My stand-in ability is to fly in the sky, but this city is full of people from psychic research institutes, do you want to go back with me, I can demonstrate it to you there." ”

She had already thought of her rhetoric and planned accordingly.

When Hogg arrived at her, she used the drugged water to let Hogg sleep well, and when he woke up, she used a sedative to make him slowly accept the truth.

It's a painful process.

The vast majority of patients are unable to accept their transformation from an omnipotent person back to an ordinary person, so they are still unwilling to accept it, even if they are already vaguely aware of which side is the reality.

But Hogg's decision to pull out a gun and kill herself at the slightest disagreement forced her to speed up the entire treatment process.

"No problem, I'm free in the evening."

Hogg agreed, it was the first time he had communicated with someone outside of his real identity, it was strange and pleasant, and he just wanted to learn more about the stand-in messenger from the other party.

For example, there are no other stand-ins in the city.

Or maybe it's a trick to manipulating a stand-in.

"That couldn't be better."

Lucy straightened her clothes, "I'm calling a taxi?" ”

"No, I still have a hovercar in my garage that I don't usually use."

"Then I'm bothering you."

Lucy nodded.

In about ten minutes, the hovercar stopped at the downstairs of the hospital, which is a hospital specializing in mental illness, and there is no prosthetic repair or implant department in it, in order not to put pressure on the patient, the decoration style of the building is closer to that of an ordinary office, at least from the outside, this is not a hospital.

With her excellent professional ability, Lucy earned her first pot of gold in District 1.

The first arrondissement is probably the city with the highest incidence of mental illness in the coalition government, and according to incomplete research reports, about two-thirds of the company's employees have more or less anxiety and depression tendencies, and they are overwhelmed by excessive work and fierce competition.

But she doesn't hate the First District lifestyle.

It is this stress-pervasive life that provides them with plenty of opportunities to make money.

She is well aware that the city is not as peaceful as people think, just like now, sirens are ringing in the neighborhood near the hospital, and it seems that more and more criminals have dared to challenge the terrorist mobile team recently.

"Dr. Lucy!"

As soon as she got out of the car, a familiar figure sat up from the chair in the waiting area on the first floor of the hospital, and he greeted the two of them excitedly, "I've been waiting for a long time. ”

The man was still wearing a suit from work, which looked like he had been boiled out during work.

"Mr. Allman, if I'm not mistaken, you didn't have an appointment today."

As the most famous psychiatrist in the hospital, Lucy naturally does not make her patients wait for a long time, and she will confirm the time with the patient in advance for each psychological consultation.

She doesn't like patients coming uninvited, especially at times like these.

And, if she remembers correctly, the patient, called Allman, had been cured a week earlier.

His symptoms were similar to those of the company man who fancied he could fly, and when they first met, Mr. Allman had firmly believed that his hands could turn into pieces of iron, and even various tools and weapons at any time, and she spent most of the three hours listening to the abilities that Allman had set for himself, and the true thoughts that lurked in his heart.

During the ensuing month-long treatment, she helped Allman return to reality and help him accept himself as he really is.

In fact, they are all ordinary people.

Despite his fantasies, it's impossible to turn your hand into a gun out of thin air and blow the head of an annoying boss out of the air in the real world.

Lucy has to lament that there have been more and more such patients recently, even big names like Hogg Foster.

"I know, but this time it's a bit urgent."

Allman seemed to be in a state of extreme anxiety, much more emaciated than he had last seen him, his hair was disheveled, and his beard looked like he hadn't shaved in a long time.

"I still have some things to take care of, and I'll talk about it later when I have time."

"But Dr. Lucy, as you said, these are my fantasies, and my hands can't really conjure a gun." Seeing that Lucy was leaving, Allman suddenly raised his voice excitedly, "You also said that if I hate my boss, I can kill him with my imaginary ability!" ”

Lucy does not deny this.

Patients always need a way to vent, and if they can release their stress by killing someone in their imaginary world, that's a solution.

"But, he was really killed."

Allman suddenly laughed, his smile a little scary, "His head exploded, and white flowers were scattered everywhere. ”

And Lucy finally saw the right hand that had been hidden in his sleeve.

Allman's palm was missing, and a silenced pistol was strangely attached to the tip of his forearm.

The sirens outside were getting closer and closer to them.

There was also the roar of armored hovercars, which came to the neighborhood and stopped above the hospital.