Chapter 143

Chapter 143

"..." An awkward silence filled the air.

Dr. Wang looked at Chen Ji, who appeared utterly honest and guileless, with "I'm just a simple lunatic" written all over his face. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Confess and be treated leniently—and Chen Ji had certainly confessed.

What else could he do?

He'd already admitted to having schizophrenia. Not only that, but he'd also inexplicably obtained Zhang Liqiang's personal information and even verified it. Had he known Zhang Liqiang before?

Even if he had... no, even if he knew Zhang Liqiang, the problem remained: the internal code for the Sword 23 hadn't even been released over a year ago. How could he have known about it?

Unless Zhang Liqiang had been there all along.

And Zhang Liqiang had indeed been there all along.

He looked at Chen Ji with remorse: [Oh dear... I'm so sorry, I didn't expect things to turn out this way... Maybe we should just drop it.]

Chen Ji looked up, his gaze chilling: Why say it now, not earlier? He'd already admitted to being a lunatic, and now Zhang Liqiang wanted to drop it?

"No, we can't drop it!" Chen Ji declared, "I've already helped you ask, and now you're regretting it? Then haven't I been locked up here for nothing?!"

The three old men paused, then all looked at Chen Ji, who in turn looked back at them.

Dr. Wang: "Who are you talking to?"

Chen Ji replied without hesitation: "Zhang Liqiang... he's right here, can't you see him?"

He paused, then showed a dejected expression: "I'm sorry, it seems my illness has flared up again..."

Dr. Wang: "..."

He had thought Chen Ji was deliberately using mental illness to rationalize the situation, but now Chen Ji seemed genuinely mentally ill.

Chen Ji lowered his head—he had said everything he needed to say and laid all the groundwork; now it was up to them to react.

Dr. Wang nodded: "In that case, a psychiatrist will come to diagnose you shortly."

Chen Ji also nodded: "Alright, alright, thank you, leader!"

Dr. Wang choked. Leader? He should call him comrade!

The three old men left, and the small dark room fell silent again. Chen Ji turned his head and said, "This is really difficult. We might be able to arrange a visit to the exterior, but you said you want to fly that thing... How would you fly it? My friend, I respect you as a man, but if you push it to the limit again, and you die, then I'm truly dead."

Zhang Liqiang's wish was to possess Chen Ji's body and fly a Sword 23.

That's why Chen Ji called him delusional.

Zhang Liqiang squatted down, clutching his head and shrinking into a corner. Chen Ji said, "Playing the victim won't work. How about a compromise? I'll burn you a paper model test plane, how about that?"

Zhang Liqiang said weakly: [...Wouldn't that be fake?]

Chen Ji: "I saw you get a penta-kill with a fake phone yesterday, weren't you happy then?"

***

Dr. Liu, the psychiatrist, was already sitting behind the monitor, his expression inscrutable: "Beyond help."

Monitoring personnel: "...Dr. Liu, we still need to conduct a face-to-face consultation. We can't skip the procedure."

Dr. Liu: "So you're locking a mentally ill person in a dark room? Even if they weren't sick, you'd scare them into becoming sick."

Most people actually had a rough idea of what was going on. After all, Comrade Xiao Zhang often lingered in the inpatient department after receiving his first-class merit, and many had been woken up by him.

It was somewhat amusing that such a place was haunted—then again, many of their bases were built in remote mountains, often on former mass graves or burial grounds.

Usually, when something unsettling happened, a burst of bullets would bring peace. If it didn't, a few grenades would be used. If it still didn't, then dozens of grenades, and after that, peace would reign.

The explanation was always that socialist fighters didn't engage in feudal superstition.

But this time was different. Comrade Xiao Zhang was one of their own, a hero who had sacrificed gloriously. They couldn't just open fire on one of their own, could they? Someone had somehow discreetly found out about Chen Ji, intending to contact him later, but unexpectedly, the opportunity arose, and he was brought back.

Mainly, it was better to be safe than sorry.

—But that didn't stop everyone from now thinking he genuinely had some mental issues.

Chen Ji closed his eyes. This small dark room was actually quite relaxing for him; he didn't feel stifled at all. How many times in one's life does one get the chance to openly declare oneself a lunatic?

Watching the other party repeatedly oscillate between "he's faking it" and "no, he's really sick" was simply too entertaining.

Soon after, a doctor indeed arrived. Not only did he come, but he also brought a small piece of cake and a glass of sparkling fruit juice. Dr. Liu introduced himself and handed Chen Ji a form. Chen Ji's hands were unbound, and he meticulously filled it out with a pen.

After all, it was free, and who wouldn't want it? To get an appointment with someone of his caliber outside would mean waiting at least half a year.

About twenty minutes later, Chen Ji finished filling out the form. Dr. Liu collected it and left. Chen Ji then took a sip of the sweet fruit juice. Holding the plastic fork from the cake, he suddenly felt an urge to dig out his eyeballs with it to scare them.

Chen Ji: "...?"

System Cat: [...?]

Chen Ji chuckled softly: [You know, the human brain is always a strange thing.]

System Cat: [...Whatever makes you happy.]

The restraints on Chen Ji's chair were unlocked, and he smoothly crossed his legs. Zhang Liqiang anxiously asked from the side: [What if they really diagnose you as mentally ill?]

"Nothing." Chen Ji propped his chin with one hand: "Young people these days are under so much stress; it's perfectly normal to have some mental issues."

Zhang Liqiang immediately denied: [I don't.]

Chen Ji glanced at him. Right, right, he didn't. He didn't, but he stubbornly refused to reincarnate. Even though he knew his wish was completely unreasonable and would get Chen Ji into trouble, he still insisted on fulfilling it.

But then again, it was the last time, and those who knew, knew.

About an hour later, neither Dr. Liu nor Dr. Wang came. Instead, one of the old men who had come with Dr. Wang earlier appeared. He held Chen Ji's report and said, "Comrade Xiao Chen, you can leave now."

Chen Ji nodded, first saying "thank you," then immediately turned to Zhang Liqiang and said, "There's a chance."

The old man smiled, as if he could truly see someone standing beside Chen Ji.

It wasn't until Chen Ji walked up to him that he led Chen Ji out, saying as they walked, "Comrade Xiao Chen, don't take it to heart. After all, this place of ours is quite important, so the scrutiny is a bit stricter."

Chen Ji nodded obediently: "Understood, understood, leader, rest assured! I won't say a word!"

The old man's expression remained unchanged as he smiled and continued, "No need to call me leader. My surname is Zhao, just call me Uncle Zhao."

"Uncle Zhao." Chen Ji readily changed his address: "Uncle Zhao can just call me Xiao Chen."

Uncle Zhao said, "Here's the situation, Xiao Chen. We definitely can't let you fly the Sword 23, but you can take a look from a distance. Would you like to see it?"

Chen Ji turned his head and said to Zhang Liqiang with a serious expression, "What do you say?"

Zhang Liqiang nodded vigorously: [Yes, yes, yes! I can look from a distance!]

Uncle Zhao slowly said, "However, you'll still need to sign a non-disclosure agreement. If you leak anything, it's illegal and punishable by law."

Chen Ji also nodded and smiled: "What do I know about those things? Even if you took me to see a model airplane, I wouldn't be able to tell if it was real or fake."

Uncle Zhao stopped, giving him a meaningful look. Two young men approached, holding a familiar blindfold. After helping Chen Ji put it on, the two men flanked him and led him away.

After what felt like a long detour, Chen Ji clearly sensed he had entered an enormous space, likely indoors rather than outdoors. It felt cold and sharp, not something found in nature.

Although he couldn't see anything, that's what he believed.

Chen Ji thought to himself, "Don't tell me I've been in the mountains for so long that I've really become a great druid."

[Wow wow wow wow—! Sword 23! I finally see it!] Zhang Liqiang's shriek echoed in Chen Ji's ear.

The two men flanking him released their grip. Chen Ji quickly pressed down on his blindfold, preventing them from removing it, then swiftly turned his back.

He said, "Look quickly, don't make a fuss, and don't touch anything."

The chilling sensation belonging to Zhang Liqiang quickly moved away from Chen Ji. He figured Zhang Liqiang had probably pressed his face against the plane. [Wow, wow, it's really amazing! Just as beautiful as I imagined!]

Uncle Zhao looked at Chen Ji: "Aren't you going to take a look?"

Chen Ji replied, "I'll pass. I don't understand these things anyway. It'll be the same if I see it on National Day someday."

Uncle Zhao smiled and nodded, signaling the two young men to keep an eye on Chen Ji.

Chen Ji had just passed through five security gates, ensuring he had no cameras or recording devices on him.

Zhang Liqiang was still screaming, and Chen Ji was getting a bit fed up. He whispered, "Is it really necessary to be this excited? That's enough."

[What do you know?] Zhang Liqiang spread his arms, pressing himself tightly against the plane, his voice growing softer: [Actually, if I hadn't had that accident, the next one they'd have me test would have been this one... We had already agreed, I was going to be the pilot for the 23... Just a little bit... just this much...]

[I'm really not reconciled... I'm truly not reconciled... just by this much...]

Suddenly, a familiar figure stepped forward. He wore a uniform that Zhang Liqiang recognized. He approached, the cockpit slowly opened, and he lifted his visor.

Zhang Liqiang blurted out: [Brother Li!]

The pilot brushed the badges on his arm. One was his own, stating his ID and unit, and the other was a different ID.

This ID was extremely familiar to Zhang Liqiang... it was his ID.

The pilot murmured, "Qiangzi, brother will take you for a spin."

Zhang Liqiang was practically dragged, floating beside him. He leaned against the pilot's arm, looking at the precise instrument panel. The wall ahead, gleaming with cold steel, slowly opened, revealing a curved runway stretching towards the sky.

A roar erupted, and pale blue flames shot from the tail, forming nine fiery rings. Staff waved flags, and the plane suddenly surged forward, soaring into the clouds.

Chen Ji lowered his hands from his ears, changing his stance with a hint of boredom.

Uncle Zhao withdrew his gaze from the sky: "Xiao Chen, you can also take a look."

Chen Ji whispered, "No, I won't... My illness is flaring up again, Uncle Zhao. I swear I'm not a spy."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm having an episode. I saw someone named Wu Zhiyuan, and he said he accidentally died suddenly and couldn't see the answer to that question... Can you open the design blueprint?"

"Just open it, I won't look."

Uncle Zhao: "..."