Free Web NovelChapter 112: Chapter 112: Clues, Gray Tide
The Erickson School, also known as the cooperative approach, is the third major school of thought in the field of hypnosis, alongside the classical and standard schools.
Its primary founder was Milton H. Erickson, M.D., who believed that hypnosis should be, first and foremost, a result of context—the constructive development of interpersonal and internal relationships within a given situation.
Compared to the classical and standard schools, the hypnotic methods of the Erickson School emphasize cooperation and flexibility, giving them a broader range of applications.
Gu Yun’s own hypnotic methods also leaned toward the Erickson School.
As for this "Purification Society," Shen Feng hadn’t paid it any mind before.
Hearing Gu Yun’s words, he and Jingwei immediately began a deep search on the internet.
They soon found some clues.
It was a society of hypnotists originating in Eagle Country. Its founder, a man named Cthulhu, had once studied as a disciple of Milton H. Erickson.
However, he later parted ways with Erickson due to a conflict in philosophies, returning to the midwestern region of Eagle Country to establish his own research society.
His Purification Society advocated for a so-called "search for inner truth through spiritual union" to purify the soul and was even said to have incorporated some spiritual channeling methods from the Ancient Indians.
But hypnosis itself is a form of psychotherapy that relies on psychological suggestion. Coupled with Cthulhu’s own considerable talent for hypnosis, he did manage to treat many people with psychological illnesses, and for a time, he became somewhat famous in Eagle Country.
He also established a sanatorium in a small town in the sparsely populated Central Plains District—the Purification Society Sanatorium.
Up to this point, everything seemed relatively normal.
But later, people who checked into the sanatorium began to refuse to leave. Many came to see Cthulhu as a spiritual idol, donating their entire fortunes to the Purification Society to follow him.
By then, the Purification Society had become quite similar to the various cults, large and small, found throughout Eagle Country.
One day in 1999, Cthulhu suddenly gathered everyone in the Purification Society, including patients and staff, and announced that he would perform an ultimate spiritual purification, allowing them all to spiritually erase their sins and enter Heaven.
After a two-hour-long hypnosis session, more than one hundred of the over one thousand people present chose to commit suicide on the spot. The rest returned to their homes in a state of extreme terror.
The Purification Society’s sanatorium was burned to the ground in a massive fire.
The incident caused a huge uproar in Eagle Country. The FBI, CIA, and other agencies all got involved, seeking to arrest Cthulhu.
But Cthulhu simply vanished as if he had evaporated into thin air. No one ever saw him again.
It was the end of the century, a time when doomsday legends were circulating worldwide, and mass suicide events were not unheard of. Because the Purification Society’s incident occurred in a remote area and was deliberately covered up by high-ranking officials in Eagle Country, it was gradually forgotten.
However, within the field of hypnotism, the Purification Society’s existence became an absolute taboo.
After all, most hypnotists are also psychotherapists. To these doctors dedicated to healing and saving lives, Cthulhu’s actions were a complete violation of medical ethics, utterly abhorrent, and disgusting to even mention.
And after this incident, the Purification Society was considered completely destroyed.
However, after a deeper search, Shen Feng gradually discovered some interesting things.
Among the more than one thousand people who were mass-hypnotized, although over a hundred committed suicide, the majority of the survivors were young people, many from wealthy families.
After leaving the Purification Society and returning home, these people seemed to become completely different individuals. They began to work diligently with clear goals, and most of them achieved great success, entering the worlds of politics and business. After all these years, many had become elites in their respective fields.
Furthermore, Cthulhu’s patients and followers were far more numerous than just those one thousand-plus people. At the time, many members of Eagle Country’s elite had sought the help of the Purification Society, undergoing hypnosis to relieve their stress.
And when the Purification Society was burned to ashes in the fire, many of the patient files from that time went up in flames with it.
Aside from a few figures mentioned in news reports, no one knew exactly how many people had sought Cthulhu’s hypnotic therapy.
’Cthulhu’s Purification Society, huh...’
’Interesting...’
Shen Feng chuckled, suddenly feeling as if the clouds were parting to reveal the sun.
The existence of the "Whisperer" had always been shrouded in fog, but now, he had finally found a possibly related clue!
Of course, he didn’t think that Cthulhu, an ordinary person, was the Whisperer, but Cthulhu himself was likely connected to the "Whisperer"...
He couldn’t help but smack his lips and say:
"Jingwei, your suggestion to see a psychiatrist was a good one."
Jingwei’s voice emanated from his chest:
"Of course. And this psychiatrist is quite pretty. She’s completely hypnotized by you now. Feel like having your way with her?"
Shen Feng couldn’t help but roll his eyes and retort self-righteously:
"Pfft! Do I really look like a villain to you?"
As the man and the bird were bantering, Shen Feng’s hypnosis of Gu Yun abruptly ended. The doctor woke from the trance, dazed for a moment before instantly realizing she had been hypnotized. She asked in shock:
"What... What did you do to me!?"
She then hurriedly checked the time.
About ten minutes had passed.
Shen Feng chuckled. "Relax, Dr. Gu. I just asked you a few general knowledge questions. Sorry for the scare."
Gu Yun quickly recovered from her shock, displaying the composure expected of a renowned psychiatrist. She shook her head with a wry smile and said:
"To think that after hunting geese all day, I’d get my eye pecked out by one. I never thought you’d be a hypnotist yourself..."
Shen Feng shook his head and said:
"No, I was just inspired by you, Dr. Gu, and tried a little reverse hypnosis. I’m surprised it worked. It was just a coincidence, though. I couldn’t do it again if you asked me to, so please don’t worry about it."
Saying this, he stretched, stood up, put his sunglasses back on, and said with a smile:
"Thank you for the hypnosis, Dr. Gu. I’m feeling much better now. Goodbye. I’ll have the fee for the session transferred to your account."
Gu Yun said, somewhat dejectedly:
"Whatever your purpose was, my hypnosis had no effect. You can waive the fee for this session..."
Then she asked, a little teasingly:
"So, are you off to save the world now?"
"That won’t do. A fee is a fee," Shen Feng laughed. "But yes. I’ve been resting for many days. It’s about time I did a little something to save this disaster-ridden world."
With that, he waved and walked out of the consultation room.
Watching his departing figure, Gu Yun couldn’t help but furrow her brows. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
’What a strange person...’
In all her years of practice, she had never encountered a patient who could reverse-hypnotize her. It was simply incredible.
At this thought, Gu Yun immediately returned to her desk and tried to pull up the security footage from the session, wanting to see what had just happened and what questions the young man had asked her.
But when she found the footage from that time, she discovered only a blank screen. It seemed the camera had coincidentally malfunctioned during that period, or perhaps the data had been completely erased...
Meanwhile, Shen Feng had already walked out of the office building and was standing by the roadside.
His expression had turned cold and stern, devoid of its earlier playfulness.
Just then, his "True Apocalypse Game" bracelet suddenly vibrated.
’Is it here...?’
Shen Feng’s eyes narrowed as he lifted the bracelet to look.
"The next phase of the game is about to begin. Player has unlocked a new world: Gray Tide Apocalypse."
