Chapter 327: "Schizophrenia" - Kill or Be Killed
Li Mo stiffly turned his head, only to find that it wasn't just one "beast." Many heavily armored soldiers were fighting to the death, only managing to damage the "beast's" silicon-based armor before being pointlessly trampled to death.
Run. Li Mo remembered the captain's dying words and immediately turned to flee.
His teammates couldn't escape, but Li Mo discovered he was much faster than them. Perhaps that was why the captain had told him to run.
Li Mo didn't dare to look back, didn't dare to stop. He just ran forward blindly.
When he reached the rear and was about to report the information, he found several tall figures standing there. Some held dual blades, others scythes, and they were slaughtering people with medic symbols.
Only when they turned their heads did Li Mo see clearly that they weren't human at all.
What... was happening?!
Li Mo was still stunned when hundreds, thousands of Deadmen with dual blades teleported in front of him, raised their weapons high, and swung down viciously.
Acting on instinct, Li Mo raised his hands and grabbed the dual blades tightly.
The blades cut into the flesh of his palms, but Li Mo didn't dare let go.
His gaze fell on the hilts. He immediately let go with one hand. Unsurprisingly, one of the Deadman's blades sliced into his shoulder, getting stuck in the bone.
Fortunately, Li Mo managed to snatch the other blade. Before his shoulder was completely severed, he immediately swung horizontally, lopping off the enemy's head.
"Hah… hah…"
"Urgh!"
Li Mo clutched his shoulder, which was gushing blood. Before he could even catch his breath, a scythe pierced through his back, the tip slicing upwards through his chest, stopping just a fist's-width from his nose.
Am I going to die…?
"No! I can't die!"
Li Mo grabbed the scythe with his left hand and, with his other hand gripping the long blade, he severed the Deadman's head without any hesitation.
Then he ripped the scythe from his chest.
He knew this would accelerate the blood loss, but in this situation, dragging a heavy scythe around would only lead to a more miserable death.
Instead of dying in despair and pain, it was better to fight until the very last moment. Maybe he could still find a sliver of hope.
Facing hundreds of Deadmen and the "beasts" continuously approaching from the distance, Li Mo looked up. He remembered the ordinary days after being taken in by Bronya and smiled bleakly.
"So that was just a dream. Right, I have a physique that no normal person has. How could I be a normal person?"
"A peaceful life is a lie. Promises, too…"
"I want to live… No matter the cost, I have to live!"
Li Mo tightened his grip on the dual blades in his hands and charged forward, the blades glinting coldly in the faint light.
There was only one way to survive—to carve a bloody path out.
Once the "beasts" in front of him arrived, he would have no chance of escape.
But if he fought the Deadmen, he could easily kill them as long as he focused.
That was, assuming he could do it before he bled out, before his reactions dulled…
Li Mo's figure flashed, weaving through the Deadmen like a phantom. The dual blades became two silver streaks of lightning, each swing landing precisely on a Deadman's vital point.
His movements were swift and powerful, as if they had been honed through a thousand battles. Every strike was accompanied by the fall of a Deadman and a spray of filthy blood.
The Deadmen charged forward one after another, fearless of death.
Li Mo's stamina began to deplete. Sweat mixed with blood slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the cold ground.
He could feel the blood flowing faster from his body. Each heartbeat was like a heavy hammer pounding against his chest, reminding him of the urgency of time.
"Can't slow down. If I slow down, it's a dead end," Li Mo gritted his teeth, forcing himself to suppress his body's fatigue and the pain from the wound in his chest.
He didn't dodge, putting all his energy into breaking through.
The Deadmen couldn't stop him; they could only leave a few gruesome wounds on his body.
He ran for a long time. Looking back, he no longer saw any Deadmen, nor did he hear the stomping of the "beasts."
Just as Li Mo thought he had escaped and collapsed to the ground, a Deadman appeared in front of him again.
Strangely, this Deadman didn't charge at him. It approached slowly, step by step, blade in hand, as if wary of Li Mo's condition.
"Ugh!" Li Mo gasped, his breath coming out in bloody wisps. He had lost too much blood; he no longer had the strength to run.
Suddenly, Li Mo felt a faint touch on his cheek.
It was a cold, delicate, and strange sensation, a stark contrast to the exhaustion and bloodiness that currently covered him. He forced his eyes open and saw a fine, silky rain gently brushing against his face.
The cold curtain of rain grew heavier, pattering down and soaking Li Mo's clothes, washing away the surrounding blood and dust. The Deadman stood in the rain, water droplets sliding slowly down its blade and dripping onto the ground with a soft sound.
Seeing the Deadman getting closer, a look of resolve flashed in Li Mo's eyes. The moment it approached, he lunged forward, tackling it to the ground. Veins bulged on his trembling arms as he squeezed its neck with all his might.
"Urgh—ah!"
The Deadman's mouth opened, and a pained groan escaped. Li Mo no longer had the strength to think about the source of the sound.
He was using all his remaining strength, even though it was practically insignificant to the Deadman.
But he didn't dare to relax, because if he did, he would be the one to die.
"Li Mo! What are you doing?!"
A woman's heavy voice reached Li Mo's ears. It was the voice he had heard most often since waking up, the most familiar one.
Li Mo suddenly found he had strength again. He turned his head and saw Bronya standing in the rain, looking at him with a somewhat bewildered expression, her umbrella having fallen to the ground.
The rain soaked her hair, which trickled down her delicate cheeks.
Besides the sound of the rain, the only other sound was the endless, deafening wail of sirens.
"Let her go, or we'll shoot!" a stern, cold warning rang out.
Scanning his surroundings, he found himself surrounded by black and white vehicles. Countless dark muzzles were pointed at him. People cast fearful, hateful glances his way.
Li Mo was stunned. Wasn't he on a battlefield? How did he get back to… the streets of a normal city?
"I'll count to three! Let the girl go immediately, or we'll shoot!"
"Three!"
"Li Mo, let her go! Don't kill her!"
Seeing the girl he was strangling was already foaming at the mouth, Li Mo subconsciously let go.
"I didn't kill anyone! I didn't!" Li Mo raised his hands above his head and shouted.
His defense seemed incredibly pale to everyone. Objective fact was far more powerful than subjective explanation.
However, the moment Li Mo raised his hands, his left eyeball ruptured. A blade pierced through the back of his head, running through his left eye.
"Aaarghhhhh!!!" Li Mo's scream echoed through the rain, heart-wrenching.
Blood gushed out like a fountain, mixing with the rain…
Li Mo endured the pain and turned around, only to see the Deadman sporting a Bizarre smile, slowly raising another blade.
I can't die… I can't die…
An inexplicable obsession surfaced in his mind, branded there like a rule.
His already exhausted body forced itself to move again. His hands had no strength, so he used his head to ram it repeatedly.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Ignoring the pain, Li Mo repeatedly slammed his forehead against the Deadman's head. The blade piercing his eye now also pierced into the other's skull.
"Li Mo! Stop!" Bronya shouted from the rain, trying to pull Li Mo back to reality once more.
The warning was reaching its end.
"Final warning! If you don't move away, we will open fire immediately!"
"One!"
Li Mo looked at the woman beneath him, her head bloodied from his ramming, then at the black glint of the pistols. He felt a deep sense of powerlessness and fear.
He looked down. The Deadman with the Bizarre smile on its face gazed at him mockingly, waiting for the moment he stood up to pick up the other blade and plunge it into his head.
He looked up. Countless cold gun muzzles, warnings, sirens, passersby, and relevant personnel, their eyes filled with hatred and anger.
Li Mo bit his lip, his hands still strangling the Deadman's neck. His voice carried a sob as he said:
"I didn't kill anyone! I didn't kill anyone!"
"Look at your blood-soaked hands! How dare you say you're not killing someone!?"
"Li Mo, come back! Don't continue this! If there's something wrong, you can tell me! I can help you! Trust me!"
"I want to live! I didn't kill anyone, I want to live! If I let go, I'll die… I don't want to die! I don't want to die!!"
"A murderer has the nerve to say that!"
"I know you want to live! Let her go first, normal people are innocent! I will protect you!"
"You can't understand! You can't understand!"
The confrontation in the rain gradually grew louder than the downpour itself, with all three sides sticking to their own versions.
Li Mo's whole body was trembling. He didn't know how to explain. He couldn't explain.
If he let go, he would die. If he didn't let go, he would die soon anyway…
Why…
Why didn't anyone understand…
Why did it turn out like this…
Seeing that the people around were about to open fire, Bronya no longer hesitated. 0019 attached to her body, and in a flash, she dashed in front of Li Mo, knocked him unconscious, and took him away.
The moment Bronya approached, the Deadman's Bizarre smile vanished, its expression turning stiff and pale.
In a puddle formed by the rain, Bronya's body gradually disintegrated, her limbs replaced by blood-stained machinery.
In the best psychiatric hospital in the Far East, Bronya stood outside, waiting anxiously.
The girl had been treated. Like the other passersby, her constitution was good. She had only lost consciousness for a while and had a bruised forehead.
She had already left the Far East authorities for Theresa to handle. The biggest problem now was why Li Mo had become like that.
He was rational, at least 0019 hadn't detected any problems at the time. Li Mo's answers to questions were also logical; he hadn't given any nonsensical replies.
But why did he do it?
He rushed onto the street, beat a passerby who was in his way with a stick until their bones broke, and finally sat on top of another person, strangling them with both hands. From his expression, he really was planning to kill them…
Why?
When the doctor came out, Bronya immediately went up to him and asked worriedly, "Doctor, how is he?"
The doctor didn't answer, instead asking, "Are you his family or a friend?"
"I'm his superior. He works at my company. But… we're supposed to get married next year."
Bronya averted her gaze guiltily. Due to regulations, only family members, fiancés, or spouses could know the patient's true condition.
The hospital was protecting his privacy, and Bronya could understand that. Besides, Theresa was probably swamped dealing with the Far East officials and didn't have time to pull strings for her.
I'm sorry, Seele! Your big sister Bronya just wants to figure out what's going on…
The doctor looked at Bronya's concerned face, accepted her explanation, and handed her the file in his hands, saying seriously, "The data shows that he doesn't have any diseases known in human history. But based on your description, it's likely a condition similar to schizophrenia. Similar, but different. His condition is much, much more severe."
"He takes fantasy as reality and has difficulty distinguishing the line between them. This is a very serious mental illness. Patients may experience hallucinations, such as hearing non-existent voices or seeing non-existent things, have very real delusions, and even treat a fantasy world as reality."
"Beating people on the street with a stick was probably him treating passersby as enemies from his fantasy world and the stick as a weapon."
"As for being clearly aware of what he was doing, having clear logic in his speech, but still being unwilling to let go… I speculate, and of course, this is just speculation."
"He is clearly aware of what he is doing in reality, but if he lets go, he will suffer inhuman treatment and unbearable pain in his fantasy world. This pain will not dissipate even after he wakes up."
"Look at how severely these hormones in his brain have exceeded the normal range. In all my years of work, this is the first time I've seen such a stress reaction. There was once a psychiatric patient whose data was only half of his."
"And then?" Bronya asked.
The doctor replied, "He took a kitchen knife, chopped off his own arm piece by piece, and finally cut open his forehead, took out his brain, and died."
Hearing this, Bronya was stunned.
She seemed to understand why Li Mo's expression was so pained.
If Li Mo really knew what he was doing but was powerless to change it, repeatedly shouting "I don't want to die," "I don't want to die," while being held at gunpoint…
Even a mentally sound person would probably break down.
What did he see?
Could this be related to his lost memories?
"Tsk, what on earth happened? Li Mo was fine before. How did he become like this just because I went on a business trip?"
Bronya supported her forehead, having not felt this powerless in a long time.
"Doctor, please help me with the procedures. I'll cover the costs. I have to go back and deal with the mess from earlier."
Theresa would definitely demand to know what happened. Schicksal had direct jurisdiction over Europe. Although it didn't have jurisdiction over the Far East, the Far East still listened to Europe.
Luckily, this didn't happen in Shenzhou, or it would have been a lot more trouble.
Money was nothing to Bronya. Problems that could be solved with money weren't really problems. She would compensate the injured generously; they would surely understand.