Chapter 56: Pervert x Crazy x Stalker “End”

Chapter 56: Pervert x Crazy x Stalker "End"

When the police arrived, Chen Jiangkai was trying to snatch an elderly lady's shopping cart.

The old lady refused to let go, even at the cost of her life: "That shopping cart was given to me for free after I spent eighty yuan on milk at the supermarket! What will I do without it? I won't let you take it, no matter what!"

The elderly couple, who valued their lives, had already retreated to the last row, hiding behind the steel-like chairs and watching the tug-of-war over the shopping cart through the gaps.

The police had received a distress text from the bank teller and were quite surprised.

In this day and age, when drones can be used to eliminate suspects, someone would actually rob a bank with a kitchen knife?

And after robbing a bank, finding the bag too small, he decided to steal an old lady's shopping cart instead?!

A loudspeaker blared outside the bank as a group of well-trained armed personnel with riot shields surrounded the entrance.

"Please do not harm innocent people, state your demands directly!"

"If you surrender now, you can still receive lenient treatment!"

Chen Jiangkai had played his part long enough and let go of the cart with a swift motion, nearly causing the poor old lady to fall flat on her back with the cart.

The kitchen knife clattered to the ground, and he raised his hands high, shouting loudly, "I surrender!"

The security guard was bewildered throughout, not particularly frightened even when the knife blade was pressed against his neck.

He had heard from his colleagues... that the security business wasn't easy these days, with psychos everywhere, in property management, restaurants, office buildings, and more.

He never thought there would be one in a bank too! He had finally seen one!

As soon as Chen Jiangkai raised his hands and stepped out, he was immediately subdued by the police, handcuffed, searched, and confirmed to have no flammable or explosive items before being escorted to the police car.

Throughout this process, Chen Jiangkai knelt on the ground with an extremely calm expression, feeling the familiar scene around him.

He had already researched; without completing the crime, the sentence wouldn't be long, and he could get parole in prison.

After two or three years, Ye Yixi probably wouldn't remember who he was.

He could change his name and start anew, or even become a ride-hailing driver if necessary!

Just then, the sound of electronic firecrackers rang out, and a red banner was hung across the street from the bank.

It was a scene of drums and gongs, lanterns, and decorations, incredibly festive!

The police were busy verifying the losses with the bank and calming the crowd, organizing an evacuation, so they didn't have time to care whether a nearby shop was opening or someone was getting married.

A passerby nearby glanced over and muttered to himself.

They're robbing a bank right across the street, and you dare to get married now? You must be crazy.

At the same moment, Chen Jiangkai heard the sounds and felt an ominous premonition.

Maintaining his bound position like a crab, he turned his head stiffly and saw a group of cheerleaders dancing joyfully, with a tall red banner unfurled toward him.

"Darling! We will always be together forever and ever and ever and ever"

Ye Yixi was jumping around under the banner, happily shaking his pom-poms with the cheerleaders.

Chen Jiangkai's blood turned as cold as liquid nitrogen in an instant.

Cold sweat dripped down his body, and all he could see were those large words.

Forever and ever and ever and ever...

The repeated words, though sweet and passionate, only made him feel a chill down his spine.

Could it be that everything was part of Ye Yixi's plan?!

Did Ye Yixi predict that he would rob the bank, or was everything orchestrated step by step by him?!

No, that's impossible!!

Across the street, the young man said to the system with a hint of regret, "If I weren't so stingy with my points, I would have branded those words onto his retina."

"Wake up," the system replied, "that's from 'The Three-Body Problem,' he doesn't deserve that treatment."

"You're right!"

Chen Jiangkai, with a blank expression, was escorted into the police car, unable to imagine what he would face next.

He had originally thought that he could serve time to avoid trouble, endure a few years of monotonous labor, and then regain his freedom.

Why did that banner appear here so coincidentally? Does Ye Yixi have influence even in prison? Could the guards already be arranged?!

He was sweating profusely, and the little bit of security he had left was crumbling away.

Entering the interrogation room, the police turned on the recording and video equipment, and another machine.

"Let me introduce this. We are conducting the investigation according to the law, with full audio and video recording. This light is from a lie detector currently in trial operation, which will detect your micro-expressions, heart rate, brain waves, and other data. A red light indicates a problem, and we hope for your cooperation."

Eight large characters on the wall were also very prominent.

"Honesty leads to leniency; resistance leads to severity."

Since seeing that golden-red banner, Chen Jiangkai had been in a daze, and it took several seconds for him to nod stiffly.

"Why did you rob the bank?"

"To go to jail."

The lie detector flashed yellow.

Before any warning could be issued, Chen Jiangkai shouted loudly, "Because I don't want to listen to crosstalk! I don't want to take exams! I don't want to know if Yu Qian's father is really Old Wang!!!"

Just as the police were about to get angry, the lie detector turned green.

"…?"

At the same time, his multiple residences were forcibly entered, including the old house of Chen's parents and several apartments he had rented or bought over the years. All traces of his life were brought into the investigation, and his web browsing records were handed over to professionals for recovery and examination.

They didn't know what they would find until they started searching, and what they found was shocking.

Thousands of photos densely captured the daily lives of different men and women, containers with traces of controlled substances, ropes, handcuffs, knives, stun guns, and even more bizarre and indescribable tools… Every corner was a scene of horror.

After a long interrogation, Chen Jiangkai fell asleep in the detention room. When he was roughly awakened, he was still disoriented and was escorted onto another vehicle.

He tried to ask where they were going and whether he could contact a lawyer, but no one in the car responded.

The transport vehicle stopped at the entrance of a psychiatric hospital, and he was escorted into an examination room by a specialist.

When Chen Jiangkai saw the sign pointing to the psychiatric hospital, he began to tremble. He was crying and laughing uncontrollably as he was forced into a seat.

"Hello, I am the doctor who will conduct your psychiatric evaluation," the doctor said, wearing a mask. "I will ask you between eighty and one hundred sixty questions, some of which will be repeated. Please answer patiently and truthfully."

Chen Jiangkai stared blankly at her.

"What will happen if I am not diagnosed with a mental disorder?"

"You will continue through the investigation process and receive the appropriate outcome after a court trial," the doctor replied. "If you are diagnosed, you will need to stay here for treatment."

"How long will the treatment last?" Chen Jiangkai asked urgently.

"It could be several years, or it could be for life," the doctor said cautiously. "It depends on the condition."

"I'm not crazy, I'm very clear-headed. If you give me college entrance exam questions right now, I can solve them for you!" Chen Jiangkai reacted intensely. "I don't want to go to a psychiatric hospital; send me to prison, send me to prison!"

If he went to prison, there would still be a chance of release, even for a labor reform prisoner, there would be hope and human rights.

But if he was forcibly admitted to a psychiatric hospital—there was a possibility he would never leave!!

"Please control your emotions," the doctor looked at the burly male nurse and the restraints and sedatives in his hands. "Otherwise, you will have to answer the questions while wearing a restraint gown."

Chen Jiangkai struggled to calm himself down and tried to appear clear and rational during the lengthy and maddening questioning that followed.

I have to leave here, yes, I must leave here.

I need to show my high level of education and polite demeanor, making the doctor feel my charm and eloquence.

Chen Jiangkai almost instantly transformed, answering each question with perfect composure, even when they were repeated, which made him want to flip the table and scream.

The expressions of everyone else in the room were hidden behind masks, including the doctor who had reviewed the police interrogation videos.

After the investigation, Chen Jiangkai was left in the room, and the doctor provided the results in the office.

Severe personality disorder, antisocial tendencies, schizophrenia, and other conditions were all present.

His hypochondriasis index and hysteria levels were far above the average for normal people, with sexual confusion and delusional symptoms, requiring mandatory institutionalization and treatment.

To ensure the accuracy of the conclusion, Chen Jiangkai was forced to undergo mandatory questioning by different doctors.

Compared to the first round of Minnesota Personality Inventory, the subsequent questions became increasingly sharp, as if peeling away layer after layer of his most secret thoughts, reaching deep into his vulnerable core.

After five rounds, the last group of police officers left the hospital, handing over the relevant documents to Chen's parents.

The two elderly people were weeping and regretting their actions.

"He should have seen a psychologist when he was a child; it's our fault for not raising him properly!"

"We've caused trouble for the state, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

When Chen Jiangkai came to his senses again, he was already in a closed psychiatric ward.

Every night, a male nurse would come in to administer medication. When he asked what the pills were and what they did, the nurse remained silent but would force-feed him the medication and check his mouth to ensure he hadn't hidden any.

There were three other patients in the same ward: two were sent by court order, and one was brought in by a shelter.

One stood on his bed every night at four o'clock and recited poetry loudly, another was easily angered and would punch anyone around, and the third always laughed foolishly, looking at people as if they were animals.

Chen Jiangkai tried hard to convince the doctor on rounds that he was mentally sound and had only robbed the bank for money, hoping the nurse would at least stop forcing him to take the medication every day.

It had little effect.

The drugs made his head foggy, and he spent most of his days either sleeping or staring blankly. Sometimes the pills would change, causing headaches and dizziness.

He began to cry uncontrollably and tried to bang his head against the wall to harm himself, but the walls were made of special material that wouldn't injure him.

The lights stayed on all night to prevent patients from acting out, and nurses would patrol intermittently, shining flashlights in their faces.

The bathroom stank, and the food was worse than plain white rice every day.

—After all, this was mandatory institutionalization, not voluntary commercial medical care.

Finally, one day, the nurses began trying to inject the strange patient in Bed 1.

Then that person let out a piercing scream that nearly shattered Chen Jiangkai's eardrums.

Even more terrifying was that, regardless of whether the nurses were present, whenever someone passed by the door, the patient in Bed 1 would scream at the top of his lungs, causing the patient in Bed 2 to fly into a rage and attack anyone nearby, while the patient in Bed 3 would stand in the most visible spot and passionately recite poetry amidst the screams and punches.

Chen Jiangkai was in Bed 4, and Chen Jiangkai wanted to die.

As Keding pulled away, the system let out an extremely joyful exclamation.

"Congratulations, Chen Jiangkai has reached a new peak in your career!"

"In the end, his solo defense-breaking value was as high as four thousand one hundred and seventy-two!"

"Keding, you now have a total of five thousand six hundred and sixty-six points in your inventory, a very auspicious number indeed!"

Keding's eyes were also sparkling.

"I've grown taller!! And stronger!!"

-2-

When he returned to the dream space, Keding was using elementary math to calculate how tall he could grow this year.

One meter sixty-nine plus five centimeters... one meter seventy-four!

The system said that people shouldn't grow too tall at once, as it could lead to hormonal imbalances and osteoporosis.

So he decided to save more points and aim for one meter eighty next year!

While counting on his fingers, the system, having finished its query, spoke with a very light-hearted tone: "Babe, I'm here to tell you the follow-up."

"I'm a bit scared to hear it," Keding said, "After being betrayed once, I'm a bit afraid."

"Don't worry, don't worry," the system snapped its fingers, and a letter and a banner appeared out of nowhere: "Look! These are gifts from Ye Yixi!"

Keding's eyes lit up again, not as cautiously as before.

"This is—"

"A thank-you letter and a banner!" the system said happily. "The letter is written in his own hand, though materials from different worlds can't be exchanged casually, I've made a proportional scan and replica for you!"

It also breathed a long sigh of relief after reading through the story's continuation.

Chen Jiangkai lived to seventy-five in a mental institution, forced to adapt to the ever-changing fellow patients over the decades, eventually becoming nothing but skin and bones.

Ye Yixi didn't fall in love again; after returning to school, he made many friends and focused on scientific research, later pursuing a Ph.D. abroad, living a good life.

Since this incident involved several other victims, the system also checked their follow-ups.

The other five victims mostly saw the news about Chen Jiangkai's kitchen knife robbery at the bank.

The incident was so outrageous that when it trended, the whole country paid close attention, with endless speculations and rumors.

Later, the police released the investigation results and information about his confinement and lifelong treatment.

"Originally, two of the victims were abroad, but one finally dared to return to live in the country, and everyone's health improved significantly."

The system sighed, "I also saw that a boy set a screenshot of the news as his phone lock screen, using it to motivate himself, gradually daring to go shopping and slowly resuming social activities."

"Filthy scumbag! I wish he would live to two hundred in the mental institution, suffering every day until he dies!"

Keding still felt heartache: "If it weren't for Chen Jiangkai, they would have had such happy lives."

It was the first time he received a thank-you letter and a super-large banner over a meter tall, and he smiled while touching the envelope, reluctant to open it.

The banner was embroidered with words written by Ye Yixi.

Top line: [Skilled hands and benevolent heart, daily taming the madman until his legs give out]

Bottom line: [Compassionate healer, nightly sending nightmares without end]

Horizontal inscription: [Gifted and Unique]

Keding held the banner high with both hands, gesturing for the system to take a photo.

"My first banner in my life! And it has such beautiful golden tassels! Take a clear picture, okay?"

"Kid, you really need to grow taller." The system sighed, "This banner is one meter forty, almost covering your face."

Keding: "I'm trying, alright?!"

After taking photos from various angles, the system asked, "Do you want me to replicate this banner and send it to your home?"

"Let's keep it in the dream. It would be great if we could create a virtual display room."

"Of course, no problem, I'll put that giant banana someone gave you in there too!"

Keding: "My parents will think I've switched to some underground illegal veterinary job if they see that thing."

System: "Actually... cough, kind of!"

Opening the thank-you letter, the handwriting on the paper was neat and graceful, reflecting the writer's state of mind.

Keding:

Hello, I am so fortunate to have met you.

I have always seen your choices and responses, and marveled at each of your miraculous actions.

To be honest, before you took over my fate, I had completely given up.

Every resistance and escape from Chen Jiangkai only brought me even more painful retaliation.

I thought of ending my life countless times, but my parents cried and begged me not to, and everyone in the family became gaunt and haggard because of him.

My father once tried to kill him himself but was easily evaded, never finding the opportunity.

Fortunately, there’s still a chance to turn things around.

Living this life again, being able to breathe fresh air after the darkness has been completely overturned, I can’t help but shed tears.

I heard you’re a medical student with a sincere desire to heal and save lives. That’s wonderful.

I hope you can treat everyone you wish to care for and receive countless blessings and joys.

Thank you, really, thank you.

Sincerely, Ye Yixi. Written at the beginning of my second life.

Keding read the letter over and over, pressing the paper to his chest, unable to speak for a long time.

The system gently patted his head.

"Come on, wake up. It’s time to collect your salary."

When he woke up again, his phone already had a bank transfer notification.

"Construction Bank: Your savings card ending in 1551 has received 5000 yuan, balance 50138 yuan."

"Construction Bank: Your savings card ending in 1551 has received 217000 yuan, balance 267138 yuan."

Keding stared at the numbers for a long time, feeling as if he hadn’t woken up yet.

The system exclaimed, "The first one wasn’t from our company; it was a private transfer from your parents."

"The 200,000 plus is the net income from this job. By the way, remember to log into the National Personal Income Tax APP every March; Chinese citizens get tax refunds every year!"

"Eh?!"

Keding, too preoccupied to ask about the tax refund, rubbed his eyes and called his mother.

"Mom—"

"Ke Bao, you don’t need to come over tonight," Zhang Shuli said with a smile. "Your father is taking me to the movies! Really, what for, after all these years..."

Keding, still half-asleep, was fed a mouthful of dog food and said, "Did you transfer me 5000 yuan?"

"Yes, I did. Didn’t your mother tell you that the money for renting the shop for business was borrowed from your parents? We’ll pay it back to you bit by bit."

"Oh! Why?!" Keding was a bit anxious. "I don’t need living expenses!"

"It’s fine, Ke Bao. Keep it, dear." Zhang Shuli said, "Moving to a better location really makes a difference. Although the rent is several thousand yuan higher each month, the business is so much better."

"It’s all thanks to my son’s good judgment. Your father and I worked hard in that small alley for a whole year and didn’t earn as much as we do in two months now. The numbers don’t even add up!"

As she chattered on about how much the students ate now, Keding’s expression gradually changed from confusion to a smile, finally willing to accept the money.

"Why are you so formal with your own son..." he complained. "I was shocked when I saw so much money."

"That’s all the hard-earned money you’ve saved up, it belongs to you!" Zhang Shuli reminded him. "Keep it well, child. In the future, we’ll buy a bigger house together!"

"Don’t gamble, don’t compete with your classmates, but don’t starve yourself either. Eat what you want; you’re still growing!"

After the call, Lao Zhang glanced at him while playing a ranked match.

"Strange, you’ve grown taller."

Keding asked knowingly, "Have I?"

"Yes! You really have!" Er Gou came over and measured with his hand. "Look, look, you used to only reach my chin, and now you’ve shot up so much!"

"I want to grow taller too!" Lao Zhang chimed in. "Ke Bao, tell me your secret. What can I do to grow taller? Drink milk? Play basketball?"

"Go to bed on time! Learn from him!" Er Gou retorted. "Some people stay up until three in the morning every day and still want to grow taller. Dream on!"

"It’s not like I don’t want to sleep! Yes! I just don’t want to!"

Amidst the laughter and teasing, the system was full of anticipation. "Kid, we have money now. Want to go to KFC?"

"Or! Let’s go online and look at houses! I’m telling you, housing prices are falling everywhere in your world, except in the core areas of first and second-tier cities. There are plenty of good houses available!"

Keding set up a fixed deposit and thought, "I... want to get glasses!"

"Let’s go! Right now!"

Keding’s vision was in a somewhat awkward state.

He wasn’t severely nearsighted; sitting in the middle row, he could see pretty clearly.

But when it came to looking at distant views or neon signs on tall buildings, everything was a bit blurry and out of focus.

Back in his ophthalmology class, the teacher had earnestly lectured the students about eye health, and he had once considered getting glasses.

But with his low prescription and his parents’ constant worry over medicine costs, the idea was quickly dismissed.

Now— he could get glasses!

Keding prepared himself mentally for haggling and went to a store highly recommended by his classmates. He asked the owner with a serious expression, "Hello, I’d like to get glasses."

"Free eye exam, discounted glasses!"

Keding thought he shouldn’t seem too easy to fool, so he tried to appear aloof and authoritative.

So he lifted his chin and asked, "How much?"

"Starting at 100 yuan, all materials are above industry standards!"

Keding was taken aback.

How much? One hundred?

Are glasses this expensive now?

"You're awake," the system chuckled, "Think about it, how many iterations of technology have there been over the years? Costs have come down a lot, I'm not lying to you."

The entire process, from eye examination to trying on the glasses, took only twenty-five minutes.

Keding put on his glasses and pushed open the door, tilting his head back to look at the large sycamore tree at the school gate.

"Sis, my world has suddenly gone from 720P to 4K HD," he murmured. "Every leaf is so clear—"

The world was so bright! The lines of every car at the edge of his vision were so sharp! He could even read the sign for the braised chicken restaurant in the distance!

System: "Feels good, right!"

Keding: "It feels amazing! I feel like I'm flying!"