Chapter 389: The Crazy Programmer

Chen Shi said, “Looks like we have to start investigating from Shida Company.”

Gu You said, “I want to try hypnotizing Xiao Chong (Sun Zhen) to see if we can override the brainwashing.”

“How likely is it to succeed?”

“Let’s give it a shot!”

Gu You had Sun Zhen lie down. Trusting her completely, he quickly entered a hypnotic state under her guidance. Gu You spoke softly in his ear, “Try saying the word ‘Zhou.'”

In his trance, Sun Zhen shook his head vigorously. “I can’t! I can’t!”

“When you think of this word, how do you feel? Fear? Anxiety?”

“Fear. It’s fear!”

“It seems that person really tormented you. Don’t worry, you’re safe here with us. Try saying the word in your mind. You might feel scared, but it’s okay. I’m right here.”

Gu You held Sun Zhen’s hand. He was sweating profusely, struggling to say the word, “Zhou… Zhou… Zhou…”

Encouraged by Gu You, Sun Zhen finally managed to say, “Zhou! Zhou! Zhou!”

“That’s amazing! You did it!” KK cheered.

“It’s just a small step,” said Chen Shi. “The brainwashing has deeply linked this information with extreme fear. Gu You is using systematic desensitization to gradually reduce his fear.”

Gu You continued, “Now, try saying ‘Zhou Tiannan.'”

“Zhou… Zhou…” Suddenly, Sun Zhen sat up, eyes wide open and drenched in sweat. “No, I can’t say it!”

“Is he awake?” KK asked in surprise.

Gu You shook her head. “The brainwashing is too deep. It might take long-term treatment to fully remove this ‘patch.'”

Chen Shi said, “I have an idea. If he sees Zhou Tiannan in person, maybe it will trigger his memories all at once.”

“Too much stimulation could also cause him to break down,” Gu You warned.

Sun Zhen said, “I want to try. I hope I can do something to help you catch him.”

Chen Shi said, “Now that we have a name, I’ll go to the police station to find his photo. You guys wait for me.”

An hour later, Chen Shi returned. “I found dozens of Zhou Tiannan in the household registry. Let’s go through them one by one.”

“Wait!” Gu You looked at Sun Zhen. “Let’s put him back under hypnosis. This time, I’ll induce a deep trance so his mind can handle it.”

“I’ll do whatever Gu You says,” Sun Zhen agreed.

Gu You gave him a glass of water. After drinking it, Sun Zhen lay down again. Under Gu You’s guidance, he quickly entered a deep hypnotic state, responding only to her voice.

Gu You said, “Open your eyes.”

Sun Zhen opened his eyes. KK commented, “This is freaky, like a zombie.”

Gu You explained, “His consciousness is deeply hypnotized. Even with his eyes open, it’s like he’s seeing through a fog… Chen Shi, let’s begin.”

Chen Shi showed him photos, asking after each one, “Is this him?”

Sun Zhen shook his head, visibly tense, like someone playing Russian roulette with one bullet in the chamber.

When they reached a certain photo, Sun Zhen suddenly started convulsing. Gu You tried to calm him down, but it wasn’t working. KK ran over and kissed Sun Zhen on the forehead.

Sun Zhen immediately relaxed, a smile spreading across his face, looking peaceful and content.

Gu You looked at KK in surprise. “What did you do?”

“How’s that for a trick, huh?” KK grinned.

“No comment!” Gu You smiled. “Xiao Chong, I’ll count to three and you’ll wake up. One, two, three!”

Sun Zhen sat up, gasping for air. Still blushing, he looked at Gu You. “Did you just…?”

“Yes, it was Gu You who kissed you,” KK teased.

Gu You, unsure how to respond, decided to let it slide, considering Sun Zhen’s fragile state.

Chen Shi held up the photo. “Xiao Chong, do you still feel afraid when you see this face?”

Sun Zhen looked at it for a few seconds, then shook his head and smiled shyly. “No, I just feel happy thinking about Gu You’s kiss.”

“Pavlov’s dog,” KK quipped.

“Shut up!” Sun Zhen threw a shoe at him.

Chen Shi said, “Who is this?”

“Zhou Tiannan!” Sun Zhen said firmly. “He was my colleague.”

“What happened in 2007? What’s the connection to Shida Company?”

“Let me have another drink.” After drinking, Sun Zhen continued, “We met online and became good friends. I was still in school, but he was already working at an IT company, earning 10K a month. To me, he was a big deal. I called him ‘big brother.’ We often played together. Once, we hacked the Japanese embassy’s website.

“In 2007, he took on a project to create a virtual engine for a game. This was equivalent to creating the physical laws of a virtual world. He was excited by the challenge and took it on, with the company giving him a year’s salary in advance. He recruited me to help and even paid me. We worked tirelessly, but it was incredibly difficult. Debugging felt endless, and the more patches we applied, the more errors we found. It was exhausting.

“To cope, he started using hallucinogens, which I suspected was affecting his mental state. He once asked me if our world might also be a virtual game. He found theories and studies about holographic projection and multiple dimensions, convinced that our material world was just a virtual projection. I thought he was going crazy and advised him to stop, but he was too deep into it. You can’t understand the stress unless you’ve been there. Writing code is not like writing a novel where you can fix plot holes easily. One bug can crash the entire program, wasting weeks or months of effort. It’s no wonder some programmers commit suicide.”

Sun Zhen continued to recount the events leading to Zhou Tiannan’s madness, detailing how Zhou had pushed himself to the brink and beyond, culminating in his dangerous beliefs and actions.

Chen Shi, reflecting on the story, said, “Let’s focus on finding Zhou Tiannan. We can investigate the other cases later. KK, Sun Zhen, help with the search. It won’t be easy to find concrete evidence, but let’s start by locating him.”

Looking at Gu You, Chen Shi added, “Now that we know who he is, don’t do anything rash. Using violence to seek revenge will make you no different from him.”

Gu You sighed, “I understand.”