Plague Doctor

Chapter 59: Mental and Psychological State Assessment

When Gu Jun woke from his nightmare, one sentence lingered in his mind. He had only remembered the meaning of the sentence, not the exact language that the mysterious whisper used.

Was that just a bad dream?

Gu Jun would not believe it. Ever since the nightmare of the barren ancient tree, Gu Jun had never considered the possibility of it being simple dreams.

A person’s dreamscape had been a target of scientific research. Duke of Zhou of Ancient China had believed that a person reflected his luck and fate, while Sigmund Freud had a differing viewpoint. The founder of psychoanalysis had a different theory. He thought that the subconsciousness of a person could be understood with dream interpretation. For Gu Jun, he believed that both arguments were logical. This year, his fate had been horrible, and he believed that his subconscious was definitely abnormal.

Then, the question returned.

Who was it that was whispering to him? “Son of Misfortune”? Who is Ye?

“Could it be... the banyan tree is calling itself the “Son of Misfortune and speaking to me?” the inconceivable hypothesis popped up in Gu Jun’s mind. It was far fetched but possible. After all, the voice came from the banyan tree’s direction.

With several questions tormenting him, Gu Jun headed to the training center the next day to complete his training.

***

Days passed, and soon 2 weeks were over. The Medical Department never received another batch of Banyan Malformation Disease patients during this period, helping to stabilize the situation. Soon, it was a month since the elite medical students had started their training at Phecda, marking the end of their month-long quarantine training.

“Well done, everyone. You all have done your best during this month!” excitedly, Zhou Jiaqiang announced the training results. “Owing to your spectacular performance, the board of directors has made the decision to promote everyone to G-class members of Phecda! Before that, there is still a last assessment of your mental states. Just a procedure, it will be fine.”

Of course, Cai Zixuan and the rest had no qualms about sitting for another interview. Still, they were curious about the reason behind it.

On the other hand, anxiety stirred within Gu Jun. An assessment would definitely include testing the subconscious. The previous time, he drew the sentence of foreign words. What would happen this time? To be frank, he was not clear about the happenings within his subconscious.

Would it trigger an illusion? Probably not. He had tried multiple times over the past 2 weeks to no avail. He did not even feel a hint of the vision related to the monochrome photograph. Perhaps, he had to travel to the beachside with actual banyan trees.

As they walked towards the assessment venue, Brother Qiang fervently explained the details. This test was not about their personality as before. It was to understand more about their mental and psychological states.

“Well, the older members of the Phecda Department call this test the S-assessment, since it tests our spirits and it starts with the letter S. When I first came here, the name had already been used. No one knows who coined this term. I think it should be named after mentality though.”

Zhou Jiaqiang chatted with the students casually, livening and lightening their moods. This information was not restricted, and they should be allowed to learn of them with their current ranks. As Gu Jun listened, he smirked.

S probably stood for sanity. They wanted to find out if we are still sane or already walking the tightropes of mania.

“Brother Qiang, would the results of the S-assessment be a numerical value?” Sun Yuheng asked the question that was swirling on everyone’s mind.

“Yep it is.” As he walked, Zhou Jiaqiang explained further, “It is a combined value. The work in the Phecda Department placed a huge risk on our mental wellbeing daily. Very often, we would be facing the possibility of a mental breakdown. This would require time to heal, restore, and recover. Otherwise, the consequences were dire.”

As he spoke, they entered the concierge of the interview and assessment block. Brother Qiang led the group onto the 2nd floor after greeting the security officer. In the lift, he continued.

“The S value indicated your rationality, perseverance, spirituality, etc. It is based on 100 points. Naturally, the higher, the better. Should you fall below 70, you will need to receive treatment and will receive a reduced workload. If it’s below 50, they will send you on a mandatory holiday. If you’re under 70 this time, then you will not be accepted.”

Despite his cheerfulness, everyone could tell that Brother Qiang was making it sound easy. Quietly, they looked at each other. Does the so-called “mandatory holiday” mean an immediate dismissal?

This S value was rigorous.

“You don’t have to pretend. If you are in good condition, that’s good for you.”

A more solemn tone intertwined Zhou Jiaqiang’s words as he repeatedly emphasized, “Even if you fool the reviewers, it will be you that will be hurt in the end. You don’t need to pretend. Don’t hide, don’t act. Just show your real states. If you are really facing an issue, you can quickly get the best treatment. We are all studying medicine, we all understand the reason why we need immediate treatment.”

“Yeah.” Cai Zixuan nodded in agreement. Brother Qiang was right, timely treatment was of utmost importance.

“Ah Jun, Ruoxiang, Yuheng,” Zhou Jiaqiang said again, “especially the three of you. You have been involved in actual surgery. It is normal to be distressed after the first few surgeries. You don’t have to hold it in your heart, you can say it later. ”

“No problem.” Wang Ruoxiang smiled nonchalantly. “There is no stress as of now. It’s already been more than half a month. Even a knife wound would be healed by now.”

Hearing the “Iron Lady” speak, everyone sniggered which mutually warmed their hearts.

“What knife did you use? A nail clipper?” Gu Jun threw in the final punchline drawing a peal of uncontrollable laughter from everyone.

Seeing their excellent state of mind, Zhou Jiaqiang could really be at ease. As he brought them out of the lift, he snaked through a few corridors and stopped in front of the waiting area before the interview rooms. The first to be assessed was Wang Ruoxiang, Sun Yuheng, and Cai Zixuan. Accordingly, the trio entered their individual rooms.

Gu Jun, Jiang Banxia, and the others sat on the chairs outside and chatted with Zhou Jiaqiang as they waited.

Naturally, Gu Jun wished that he would pass the test without a hitch. Not only because it would be definite progress in his search for the truth, but also his heart had finally found a home here. Perhaps, the warmth that Brother Qiang, Surgeon Zhu Ruiwen, and his team had shown him had won his heart. Maybe he saw the long-lost sense of belonging amongst the students that trained with him.

Ever since the day when his family broke apart when he was 10, he never felt the sense of home ever again. Yet, it was coming back to him right now.

After approximately half an hour, Cai Zixuan came out of the room. The moment he came out, he lamented, “Right now, my heart is in an inexplicable bliss and ease.”

Huh? Isn’t this the S-assessment? What did he go for? A spa?

However, Gu Jun was not surprised. If Zixuan couldn’t get through, then surely everyone could not get through.

After he came out, Cai Zixuan couldn’t say more and was whisked away by Brother Qiang. After more than ten minutes, Sun Yuheng and Wang Ruoxiang also finished the tests one after another. As they walked out, they all seemed quite comfortable, highly likely passed without difficulty.

At this time, a staff member asked Gu Jun to enter the inspection room where Wang Ruoxiang had just come out from.

Gu Jun stood up and strode into the open door.

The test room is entirely different from the previous interview room. It was more spacious and elegant with a dimmer lighting with warmer tones. In the middle of the room was a test recliner with many instruments and equipment. The previous three judges were not present. There was only a middle-aged woman, who was smiling amicably, sitting on a chair next to the recliner.

Seeing the young man walk in, she got up and warmly introduced herself, “Gu Jun, have a seat here. I am the assessor, Liang Jiahui. You can call me Sister Liang.”

“Nice to meet you, Sister Liang.” Gu Jun nodded. In his heart, vigilance surged.

Oh? How friendly. Is this the treatment method by Carl Ransom Rogers, the American psychologist? The one with the “Patient as the epicentre of treatment”?

Either way, the arrangement for Brother Qiang to lead the way and explain or the friendly persona of Liang Jiahui was intentional. Undoubtedly, the aim was to put them in a state of relaxation and trust.

However, Gu Jun knew that there must be a more dangerous purpose behind this farce. Otherwise, this would not be any form of assessment. What’s more, the assessments for him, Wang Ruoxiang, and Sun Yuheng were definitely more thorough, especially for him.

“Come sit or lie down. Just be comfortable.” Sister Liang smiled. “I will be putting some more instruments on you, okay?”

“Okay.” said Gu Jun as he walked over. He sat down on the deck chair and then proceeded to lie down flat.

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