Psychiatric Hospital No. 4.
Rover looked at the signboard and the metal gate standing more than three meters tall. Although it was severely rusted, the surroundings were remarkably clean. There was even a flowerbed filled with vibrant colors in front of it.
He walked to the window of the guard room and saw an elderly guard yawning. Beside him was an old radio playing a song from the late 80s, making Rover frown.
Unlike other hospitals, the guard here seemed extremely relaxed.
"Excuse me, I…"
The moment Rover opened his mouth, the guard spoke first, cutting him off without even opening his eyes or looking at him: "You from the volunteer team? The key's in the usual place."
Rover: "…"
He frowned slightly and said softly: "Sorry, I'm not from the volunteer team. I'm here to visit a relative."
Hearing that, the old guard immediately straightened up, his eyes filled with disbelief as he scrutinized Rover.
"Who are you here to see?"
"Isabella."
"What?!" The old man's brows furrowed tightly. "What is your relationship with her?"
"We used to be in love, but…" Rover pretended to sound tired. "Her parents only tossed me a single sentence saying she'd been sent to Psychiatric Hospital No. 4, then never said anything again."
Relying on the information from the Character Prophecy Card he had seen, he repeated the lines calmly.
When the old guard heard this, he let out a long sigh and nodded: "That girl has lived a miserable life. Don't make her suffer more than she already has."
As he spoke, he took out a key and handed it to Rover. "Go on in, no time limit. Next time you come, buy some snacks and hand them out to everyone. Everyone here carries a painful past."
Rover gave a faint nod, immediately took out his phone, dialed a number, then stepped into the hospital grounds.
Although the iron gate was rusty, it still worked. Rover inserted the key into the lock, turned it, and pushed the door open.
Contrary to what he expected—a chaotic, filthy place filled with mad laughter—what appeared before him was a place of utter tranquility.
It was exceptionally clean and orderly. A stone path ran through the center, flanked by stone benches, and on both sides was a grove of trees casting soothing shadows that calmed the heart.
Some patients sat quietly on the benches, taking in their surroundings. Others lay on the grass, immersed in worlds of their own.
Rover glanced around and felt that this wasn't a psychiatric hospital at all. It felt more like a nursing home.
"Excuse me, who are you looking for?" At that moment, a doctor approached him and asked inquisitively.
Rover repeated the same explanation he had given the guard at the gate. The middle-aged doctor immediately led him to the visitation room.
He sat in the room alone while the doctor went to bring Isabella to him.
Inside, Rover recalled the information he had received. Though incomplete, it was enough for him to understand Isabella's circumstances.
She had been born into an ordinary family, but when she turned eight, her father took a mistress.
The woman repeatedly demanded that Isabella's father divorce his wife, but he refused. In the end, that woman sought out Isabella's mother and revealed the truth.
Unable to accept this betrayal, Isabella's mother demanded a divorce. But a divorce filed on grounds of infidelity meant Isabella's father would leave with nothing.
Because of that, his mistress decided to find a way to kill Isabella's mother, and the one who carried out the deed was Isabella's own father.
Isabella and her mother discovered the plan and narrowly escaped, but seven years later, when Isabella turned fifteen, she could no longer escape the filthy hands of her stepfather.
Yes, her mother had remarried another man. But he coveted Isabella's beauty, and so…
After being assaulted, Isabella reported him to the police. The evidence was irrefutable, and the man was arrested.
However, her mother spiraled into madness, accusing Isabella of stealing away the man she loved most.
Isabella's mother beat and tormented her relentlessly, as if punishing her for daring to take away her second husband.
Combined with the trauma of being assaulted, Isabella developed a personality disorder, and her mother threw her into this place.
By now, she was likely twenty-one years old, having lived here for nearly three years.
While Rover was lost in thought, a knocking sound echoed from the door.
Knock! Knock!
"I've brought her…" The door opened, and the middle-aged doctor entered with a gentle smile, guiding Isabella into the room.
A girl stood behind him, around 165 cm tall, her figure well-proportioned, her skin pale. Her tangled white hair could not hide her beauty no matter how messy it was.
But right now, she looked exactly like the image Rover had seen when she confronted Kaito. Yes, it was that same deranged gaze, as if she wanted to tear the world apart and drown it in flames.
"Isabella, go inside. This is…"
"Rover!" Rover cut off the doctor's words.
Hearing that, the doctor nodded gently, let Isabella enter, then stepped outside and closed the door.
Isabella was now wearing a patient uniform, the sleeves so long they covered her hands entirely.
Her beautiful face carried no emotion whatsoever. It was so empty it was hard to believe, and only her eyes struggled to restrain the madness within, as if a chained monster lurked inside her.
Isabella looked at Rover, examined him briefly, then spoke: "Do I know you?"
Rover shrugged with a smile: "You don't. But won't you sit down and listen to me for a moment?"
Isabella frowned, slowly taking the seat opposite Rover. "Did that woman send you here? Hahahaha… Tell her that if she isn't dead yet, then I won't die either."
"The world is about to end."
"What?!" Isabella jerked in shock, unable to understand what Rover was talking about.
She had prepared herself for Rover to scold her, beat her, or stab her already-dying heart with the sharpest words possible.
But what he said had nothing to do with anything she expected.
"You…"
Rover spoke seriously, cutting her off: "Do you want revenge? Your stepfather, your mother, or even your father's lover?"
Isabella stared at him for a moment, then suddenly screamed.
"AGH!!"
She lunged at him like a madwoman, her hands clawing wildly at his face. But Rover was no longer the same as before. His strength now far surpassed an ordinary human's. How could a fragile girl like Isabella possibly harm him?
He grabbed both her wrists, but she kicked at him wildly.
The room instantly descended into chaos. Chairs and tables toppled over. Isabella's clothes became disheveled, several buttons ripped off, revealing her body beneath.
But Rover had no mood to admire that beauty. He was focused solely on restraining her.
"Agh!"
Taking advantage of a moment of distraction, Isabella bit down on his wrist. She used every ounce of strength she had, yet her teeth—unclean and neglected for who knew how long—could not pierce his skin.
"Feeling better now?" Rover asked impatiently.
Isabella continued biting his wrist, tears streaming down like rain. Her already-dirty face grew even messier.
Rover let out a long sigh, his voice softening: "I came to give you freedom. If you want to keep living like a madwoman, then go ahead. I won't care about you anymore."
"But everything I said is the truth. You need me to free you from this suffering, and I need you to prepare for the collapse of the world."
"Isabella, choose."
Isabella shook her head violently. Her yellowed, chipped teeth—clearly damaged from biting something extremely hard—were fully exposed. She looked as if she were trying to suppress something ready to break free, but Rover understood well: it was another personality.
Emotional disorder. Bipolar disorder.
That was Isabella's current condition.
Her body trembled intensely for a long while before she finally stopped. She lay on the floor, no longer biting Rover. Instead, she looked at him with eyes so calm it was terrifying.
'Another personality?' Rover thought to himself.
Then suddenly, she spoke, her voice cold as ice: "If you get me out of here, I will become your dog."