Chapter 1: I am Not Mentally-Ill

[Please collect your newbie pack.]

This sentence popped up before Ling Ran’s eyes again at noon. At the same time, an icon shaped like a parcel kept flashing at the top right of his field of vision like a broken ambulance beacon.

Ling Ran quietly took out his notebook and made a note of it, but he did not give any response.

As a medical student, Ling Ran had a considerable amount of curiosity, but he could also exercise a sufficient amount of caution and self-control.

After obtaining this system in a baffling and confusing manner, Ling Ran immediately started making all sorts of records and tests on it.

…Because he first had to make sure that he was not crazy. And to avoid losing the graduation certificate he was about to receive, Ling Ran had to conduct the tests himself.

Ling Ran first chose the Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale. It was used to assess the cognitive biases of schizophrenics, especially those with delusional disorder. Moreover, it was a self-assessment.

There were a total of forty-two clauses and they all described the different attitudes and beliefs people held. The questions were asked in first person point of view, with one point to ‘strongly disagree’, and seven points to ‘strongly agree’.

It was very easy to complete the whole form and some of the clauses were also easily understandable.

For example, the first clause: I am on the lookout for danger.

The ninth clause: I am often not sure what people mean.

The twentieth clause: I make sure that all windows are locked.

The twenty-fifth clause: The first thoughts are the right ones.

The twenty-seventh clause: I do not go out after dark.

However, even though it was easy to complete the self-assessment form, it was rather troublesome to process it. It usually needed to be calculated with many types of formulae before the final tally could be obtained.

Besides, other than the assessment of cognitive biases scale, Ling Ran also did the Chinese version of the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia Consensus Cognitive Battery, Peters et al.’s version of the Delusions Inventory, Haddock’s version of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale which was used to determine whether psychosis was present, and how severe it was.

In short, Ling Ran needed a computer that was equipped with the relevant softwares to use data to determine his mental state.

Ling Ran quietly walked to the second floor of the school laboratory. When he knocked on the door, he heard the sound of someone walking inside. All of a sudden, the person stopped for a few seconds in front of the door before suddenly opening it.

“Junior Ling Ran, you’re here.” His senior sister wore a thin layer of lipstick and seemed to have applied blush on her face. Illuminated by the dim lighting, it was easy for others to recall the wolf impersonating the grandmother in Little Red Riding Hood when they saw her.

“Senior sister, sorry to trouble you again.” Ling Ran smiled calmly.

“It’s okay, no big deal.” The sight of him made his senior sister feel good. There was a miniature version of herself howling furiously in her mind. ‘The school hunk is so handsome, the school hunk looks so charming when he smiles…’

Ling Ran continued smiling.

The senior suddenly came to her senses, and immediately shifted her body away from the door. She spoke with a beaming face, “Come on in, I made you tea… No, I’ll make you tea. Oh yeah, how have you been?”

“Hmm? Quite healthy, why do you ask?” Ling Ran took note of this, but only paid a little attention to it.

“I heard that you did a CT scan and an MRI scan that day… Um, I just accidentally heard about it,” his senior sister said while preparing a tea bag.

A CT scan cost a few hundred RMB, while an MRI scan cost around two thousand RMB. As Ling Ran wanted to scan multiple parts of himself in one go, he naturally utilized the resources available to him and asked for the help of a female senior on the third floor. His aim was to make sure that there were no organic changes to his brain.

Ling Ran had also prepared an excuse long beforehand for this. He said calmly, “I wanted to write something, so I asked for Senior Lee’s help. You saw it? How was it?”

“It looks pretty good.” When she said that, his senior sister immediately corrected herself, “It is pretty good, you’re young and lively. There’s no problem.”

But his senior sister kept chastising herself internally, ‘Why did I casually talk like this?! Calling the MRI scan of someone’s brain good-looking? This makes it easier for him to think of you as a pervert! You are fated to be single forever!!’

“It’s good that there’s no problem. Hmm, senior sister, is this the machine?” Ling Ran pretended not to catch the nuances in her words and shifted his attention to the computer in the laboratory.

“Yes, it has the SPSS 20.0 statistical analysis software installed. As long as there’re enough data, we can make a diagnosis on schizophrenia based on the DSM-IV. The CQB, BDI, PDI and PSYRATS evaluations that you want are all not a problem…” When it came to her specialty, the senior could not stop talking. Immediately after that, his senior sister taught Ling Ran to use the software hands-on.

Every year, there would be undergraduates who came here to borrow machines and softwares, but Ling Ran was the only one who got to receive such careful guidance.

His senior sister was also very happy. She earnestly taught the school hunk how to use the software before reluctantly saying, “Then, please operate it by yourself. I’ll go outside first.”

It would not be nice for her to stay and look at the patient’s data.

“Alright, sorry to trouble you.” Ling Ran took it upon himself to sit down and focused his attention on the computer screen.

The senior left the laboratory, but she turned to look at him repeatedly at every step she took to leave the place. When the door was completely closed, Ling Ran got up and locked it before quietly taking out a thick stack of questionnaires from his backpack.

He completed these just recently. To prevent the effects of delusions or schizophrenia, Ling Ran even took videos and let his schoolmates check some of them.

It was not rare for medical students to conduct experiments on themselves, especially when it came to psychiatric assessments. Because no operation or injection was required, everyone liked to use themselves as their own guinea pigs.

Ling Ran entered the numbers and letters into the corresponding extensions according to what his senior sister taught him. He then checked them twice and clicked on the ‘run’ button.

The computer started running, making quiet whirrs. Even though there was only single digits in the table, after adding in the formulae and coefficients, the operand was quite large.

The creaking sound of the printer only came after a long time had passed. Ling Ran grabbed the piece of paper that came out of the printer. He looked first at the end result.

“Well… the standard value of the Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale should be 128.05±26.5. Mine is… 154. Phew, fortunately, I am still 0.55 points away from being mentally ill.”

Ling Ran happily stood up and decided to click on the newbie pack… but he stopped.

‘I probably need to find a secluded and safe place before doing something like this. What if there’s a Transformer in the pack? It would bring trouble to the country.’