Puzzle Madness

Chapter 49 Questionnaire
The mathematician listened for a long time, his face wrinkled; he seemed to feel a phantom pain in his neck and shoulders:
"Um, latex pillows are really popular in Southeast Asia. Every student in my department used to have cervical spondylosis. I thought it was just because everyone studied too hard."

"Thinking about it now, it feels like a ghost story. Could this person you're talking about have ever been to Singapore?"

Richard's smile became more mischievous, and his eyes were cunning:

"How could I not have been? Of course I wouldn't miss any of the major cities in Southeast Asia, not to mention a large city like Singapore. This is all about business, and it all costs money. The regular funding required for the Southeast Asia branch alone is an astronomical figure."

Bang bang bang--
Doudou placed his hands on his chest and clapped cautiously. He still had a smile on his face that made it hard to tell whether it was real or fake:

"Oh my! This is much better than the tearful guy above. This is more fun! Great job, Lao Li!"

"But—I'm more curious about one thing: this guy riding on my neck doesn't even know he has superpowers or this obsession, right?"

"Then how did your company determine that it was him who had this superpower? This must be very troublesome!"

Richard gave an exaggerated thumbs-up sign; it seemed that the storytelling aroused his desire to perform:
"Doudou, you're more perceptive. Much more perceptive than the Doctor—you immediately spotted the key here."

"I don't know the exact steps involved, but it likely involves elimination and screening. It takes a lot of time to identify specific targets from a long list of suspects. Asia-Europe Post has ample human and material resources, so it's not surprising they were able to accomplish this."

"But I know how to discover whether I, or a person, has [symptoms]—whether I have [ecstasy]."

"Our company has a self-diagnosis method that uses a few questions to determine if we're experiencing symptoms. As far as I know, there's currently no equipment or instrument that can effectively identify these symptoms. So everyone's still using home remedies."

His transition was natural; it was as if he had wanted to lead the topic here from the beginning. Although Richard said that the mathematician was not sharp enough, the mathematician had discovered this; he just chose to remain silent.

Richard didn't take the initiative to explain these questions. But Doudou, who was very interested, was intrigued:

"Oh! Now that you say that, I definitely have to give it a try. Come on, tell me about it!"

It seems that so far, Doudou is quite satisfied with the "fun" provided by Richard - at least, that vague sense of horror has disappeared at some point.

Richard pushed the dishes in front of him slightly aside, clearing a space on the table. His hands gestured as if he were giving a speech in a meeting:

"Normally, this process would require filling out a questionnaire consisting of three-digit questions to identify patterns and commonalities. Audio and video recordings would also be required for later analysis. But given the current situation, we probably don't have time to prepare these, right?"

The mathematician snorted. His thin face revealed even more harshness:

"For a field agent like you, you know a lot. I thought field agents literally meant running errands? Working outside?"

Richard shrugged—it seemed he had learned to accept the mathematician's hostility:

"It's just basic skills. Our training period is two and a half years."

Here he goes again, acting all authoritative and sacrificial. He shouldn't have been given this opportunity.

No one in the room could hear the mathematician's voice; only Richard kept talking:

"Would you like to give it a try? Going through them all would take too long, but I can give you a few simplified versions to give you a feel for them. There are only three, so it's quick."

Richard pointed his finger and started asking questions without waiting for Doudou's answer:

"First: Have you engaged in any destructive or unethical behavior within the past eighteen months? This morality or ethics can be a private understanding formed in your upbringing, or it can be traditional cultural or religious rules that you endorse: whether a religion is registered with the local authorities is irrelevant, as long as it applies to you personally." DouDou was somewhat bewildered by this series of questions—he pressed his fist against his chin, and after careful consideration, he gave his answer:

"Ah. Huh? No. Does failing a test count? I botched last semester's final."

Ping Pong Pong!

A drinker at the next table knocked over a beer bottle, which rolled on the ground and scared the mathematician.

But Richard didn't even blink, staring at Doudou's face:

"If you fail the test, it might count. Are you feeling any pain? Sadness? Depression or anything like that?"

Doudou pinched his brows with his hands, thinking hard - when he was thinking, he looked more like a teenager of his age:

"Oh! Not really! I feel like as long as I study hard, it's okay. If I don't do well on the test, it's not my fault. If you want to be happy, it's best not to put pressure on yourself."

"What's this called? Oh, it means don't waste time on your own. Hahahaha, just have a good attitude."

His mouth widened, his eyes narrowed—the smile couldn't be more genuine.

As if infected by the joyful atmosphere, even the mathematicians became bolder:
"Is that so? Doudou, aren't you worried about not finishing your summer homework?"

Doudou continued to smile and replied, not taking any offense at the mathematician's words:
"Of course it's different from taking an exam! If you don't finish your homework, you'll feel like something's hanging in your heart. I see my classmates all feel that way, so I do the same."

[imitate].

The mathematician and Richard looked at each other, which was rare; this word came to their minds.

Richard withdrew his gaze and examined his fingers with interest.
"Then let's ignore this for now."

"Okay. Let's move on to the next question."

Doudou seems like a studious student in class—except when school actually starts, he's not like that:

"Wait a minute, you're being so vague, Lao Li. Are you saying that as long as there's pain, sadness, or depression, then there's going to be this kind of madness?"

Richard made a circle with his hands:
"It's hard to say—this question is only part of the entire questionnaire. Only after we ask all the questions as a whole can we get a rough idea of ​​the result."

"But I saw case studies during my training. Shame is the most common negative emotion associated with ecstasy. Some people develop very obvious symptoms after farting in public, while others are convicted of serial murders and yet appear to be no different from ordinary people."

He paused for a moment, but there was no laughter from Doudou or the mathematician. So Richard continued:
"So we still need to look at this more holistically. No rush, let's continue."

"For young people, especially those who grew up in a relatively normal environment, this question is not particularly relevant."

"We can skip this one and ask the next one."

(End of this chapter)