Chapter 560 - Suicide Prevention Hotline Operator (2/2)

The man heard Chen Ge, and he pulled his gaze back. He was on the thin side, and his skin was pale. He looked gentle and weak, but half of his face was covered with the scary-looking blood tattoo, creating a strange contradiction. However, strangely enough, this contradiction felt fitting for the man. The man did not answer Chen Ge’s question. He stood on the other side of the track and looked down a different direction.

“Did you notice a similarity about these people?”

“Similarity?” Chen Ge thought about it. “Every one of them met something tragic when they were still alive. They could see no escape, so in the end, they chose to leave the world their own way.”

“Then do you know why they would call that number before they bade farewell to this world?” The man’s voice was emotionless. It was unclear whether the man was naturally devoid of emotion or had lost all hope. Chen Ge had come up with a lot of different theories since he obtained this number, but he had vetoed them all. The purpose of this number was merely to communicate with the victims, to hear their story.

It was not evil and did not mean the victims any harm. Shaking his head, Chen Ge had a guess in his heart, but he did not voice it.

The man seemed to expect that. He stood beside the track and went down memory lane. His face twitched with pain and self-recrimination, but the most powerful emotion was confusion. “When I was still a student, I saw a classmate commit suicide. At the time, I was standing at the window, and he was standing at the roof of the opposite building.

“I waved at him and smiled, but he did not reply—he looked like he was possessed. I felt that something bad was about to happen, so I called his name loudly. Yet, in the end, I failed to save him.

“That was my first encounter with death. It happened right before me, just less than ten meters away.

“People say that those who study psychiatry either want to treat themselves or they’re saints who want to treat other. I believe that I’m the former.”

Hearing that, Chen Ge blurted out, “So, you’re a psychiatrist?”

He actually did not want to interrupt the man, but he had seen so many doctors lately, like Doctor Gao and Doctor Chen. Both of them were top doctors of their field, but they had failed to cure themselves, instead dropping deeper and deeper into the abyss. This explained Chen Ge’s caution around this particular profession.

“I am in the counselling field, but I’m not an actual doctor. Have you heard of an occupation called suicide prevention hotline operator?”

“Suicide prevention hotline operator? Can you tell me the actual job scope?”

The man was a Red Specter, but he could communicate freely with Chen Ge. This type of Red Specter was often exceptionally brilliant but physically weak, like Men Nan.

Chen Ge had more experience dealing with such Red Specter. He needed to communicate with them using reason and empathy.

Chen Ge called Zhang Ya’s name silently. In front of an unknown Red Specter, he did not dare act too confidently. If the situation changed, then he would adopt a different strategy.