The Psychiatrist in the Church

The outcome of this match was hardly unexpected—Guan Chuanjun had anticipated it himself. But even so, the crushing wave of disappointment that hit him the moment he was declared out was impossible to ignore.

In the final stretch, he had practically given up on winning. With no decapitation mechanism in play, he still led his people in a desperate attempt to reach Qingjun's command post, determined to drag Jia Xianglan out and punch him in the face.

Unfortunately, it never came to that.

"No matter what, Shaji has shown us their grit, their dignity, and their resolve. Where thorns grow, glory follows. The road to the finish is never smooth..."

The commentator was still lamenting Shaji's fate. Guan Chuanjun exited the arena, walked in a daze to the VIP section, and came face-to-face with Shen Shouli.

"What are you doing here?" Guan Chuanjun barely glanced at him before scanning the area around Shen Shouli. Xu Lingqu wasn't there. He breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help sighing aloud anyway.

At least she hadn't seen him in this sorry state. But come on—he was fighting Qingjun, the heavy favorites! How could Xu Lingqu not even bother to come watch?

"Here to mock you." Jin, seated beside Shen Shouli, leaned out and flashed Guan Chuanjun a provocative grin.

Jin didn't really want to twist the knife, but Shen Shouli had never forgiven Guan Chuanjun for his initial playboy behavior toward Xu Lingqu.

He'd fought with extra fire against Shaji, and he was even more eager to watch them lose.

"Tch, your mockery doesn't hurt me one bit." The one person who could actually wound him wasn't here, so Guan Chuanjun didn't care.

He sat down next to Jin and Shen Shouli, leaning back. "I'm free now. I can finally focus on my mech training. You two better make it to the finals."

"Thanks for the kind words." Shen Shouli was watching Jia Xianglan's deployment on the replay screen, already thinking about sending the footage to Xu Lingqu.

Guan Chuanjun turned to look at him. "I think I finally get why you're into her."

Shen Shouli glanced sideways at him, his gaze far from friendly. Guan Chuanjun just smiled.

He'd thought this cold fish didn't care about anything in the world.

Looking back, it was only natural that Shen Shouli had fallen for Xu Lingqu.

Guan Chuanjun had always measured people by their surface—looks, charm, the kind of shallow currency that fueled his playboy ways. His standard for whether a woman was worth loving was simple: was she attractive enough?

But Xu Lingqu existed entirely outside that framework.

The sharpness he'd felt when he met her was, at its core, strength. A person powerful enough didn't need to play by society's rules.

She was strong enough that just by standing there, minding her own business, she drew endless admirers like moths to a flame.

Guan Chuanjun covered his face and muttered to Shen Shouli, seemingly out of nowhere.

"It's all your fault. I'm screwed too."

-

The night before the quarterfinals, Xu Lingqu slept like a log. No dreams, no interruptions. She woke up in peak physical condition and headed to the arena.

The Moye Military Academy students were all in different states: some had clearly been up all night with nerves—dark circles under their eyes—others had gotten up early to practice, sweat still on their brows, and a few were huddled around the Dolanston roster desperately trying to memorize names.

In short, everyone took this match seriously, just in their own ways.

At the quarterfinal stage, the League Center had added a handshake ceremony between the two chief commanders. Its purpose was to emphasize friendship over victory—a little league like this certainly meant no harm between the Empire's military academies.

Jia Xiangying was nervous, but she hid it well in front of Xu Lingqu. As they shook hands, she said, "Whatever happens today, I won't fall for your taunts."

Xu Lingqu nodded. "We'll see."

They returned to their positions, and the students of Dolanston and Moye climbed into their pods.

[Sin City, loading]

[Pain adjustment: 50%]

This is a city steeped in sin: the slums are bloody and violent, the rich districts wallow in decadence. Each participant receives a unique identity and special skill. Find your opponents and wipe them out. Be warned—you may encounter hostile NPCs who are also capable of eliminating participants. Proceed with caution.]

Xu Lingqu opened her eyes to a sea of white.

She stood in a pure white church, its doors shut tight, windows locked. More than a dozen white drapes hung from the ceiling like the fringe of a white dress. She was in the center of the chapel, surrounded by dozens of believers dressed in pure white, seated on the floor in a circle around her.

She'd assumed she was one of the church's clergy, but looking down, she wore a white lab coat.

On the coat was a nameplate: [St. Love Hospital, Chief Psychiatrist: Xu Lingqu].

A psychiatrist, standing in a church.

She first checked the comms earpiece at her ear—the channel function was active.

Before she could even ask, a Moye student broke protocol and shouted over the channel: "Help! Help! Is anyone in the amusement park? This clown is a psycho killer! Save me! My skill won't activate! It says I have to kill the clown first, but how can I do that?!"

His voice was punctuated by the sounds of running and heavy breathing. It sounded serious. Xu Lingqu was about to speak when the system announced his elimination.

Less than a minute into the match, one of their students was out.

The clown he mentioned was probably an NPC, not one of Dolanston's people. No academy cadet would charge in with a weapon and chase someone down from the moment the match started. Everyone was trained to hide first, assess their surroundings, and then act.

The NPCs in Sin City were extremely dangerous and highly aggressive.

More cries for help and confused questions trickled in through the channel. Within two minutes, Xu Lingqu pieced it together: everyone entering the map faced an "NPC trial." Only by passing it could they unlock their special skill and begin the true battle against Dolanston.

Xu Lingqu tapped the "Skill" option on a small floating panel in the upper-left corner of her vision.

Her skill was "Diagnosis Certificate." Anyone or anything she issued a certificate to would fall into a temporary state of dysfunction.

The icon was grayed out—unusable.

Just then, a priest walked into the church from outside, flashing her a friendly smile.

"Doctor Xu, why haven't you issued our certificates of sound mental health yet?"