The White Olive Tree

Chapter 65

In August, Liangcheng experienced the hottest season of the year. The sunlight blankets the earth, shining brightly and dazzling the eyes.

Song Ran parked the car in the open space in front of the cadre's family quarters' building. As she got out of the car, a wave of heat hit her, causing her to break out in a thin layer of sweat. She grabbed several large bags from the trunk and went up to the second floor.

Upon entering the house, it was peaceful and quiet. Half of the curtains on the balcony were drawn. The living room was half-lit and half-shaded.

Song Ran changed into slippers and tiptoed inside. The door to the master bedroom was closed. Three hours had passed, but there was still no movement inside.

She placed fruits, vegetables, and fish in the refrigerator, and oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar in the kitchen. She took away the expired takeout and threw it into the downstairs trash bin.

When she came back again, a military doctor came out of the bedroom. Song Ran approached him, glanced through the closed door crack, and saw Li Zan lying on the bed, eyes closed.

The military doctor gestured to her, and the two went to the guest room.

Song Ran gently closed the door of the guest room and turned back. "Doctor Lin, how is he?"

"Not very optimistic," sighed the military doctor responsible for Li Zan's psychological issues. "I suggest sending him to a psychiatric hospital."

Song Ran's heart sank, and she stood there at a loss for a moment. She turned on the air conditioner with the remote control, grasped the remote control for a while, and then asked, "Is it that serious?"

"Very serious. I've dealt with countless cases of soldiers with PTSD, and he falls into the most severe category. In the future, he'll either kill someone or commit suicide," the doctor explained. "But very few actually resort to killing others; most end up taking their own lives."

The air conditioner's wind blew, causing Song Ran's exposed arms to break out in goosebumps. "But... I brought him back from Dongguo, and he was very well-behaved all the way, didn't do anything out of line."

The military doctor asked, "Is that so?"

Song Ran remained silent.

All the way back, she stayed by his side. At the airport, they were granted special permission by the Dongguo government, bypassing security. There were no other passengers in the first-class cabin on the return flight.

"That's because you could calm him down, and also because he didn't encounter any triggers. But once he encounters a trigger, his world will immediately turn into a battlefield. Buildings in his eyes are burning ruins, cars are tanks, noises are gunshots, strangers are enemy soldiers, and even an umbrella could be mistaken for a rifle. What do you think he would do in such a situation? I think you can guess, perhaps you've even seen it before. I've seen too many soldiers like this. The war may have ended, but they can't come back," he said. "Because war not only takes away the lives of the dead, but also sucks out the souls of the survivors."

Song Ran moved her lips slightly, "Sending him to a mental hospital... will that cure him?"

The military doctor remained silent for a moment, only saying, "Sending him to a mental hospital, using medication and control to suppress his mind, reduce his cognitive activity, he may not engage in extreme behavior."

Song Ran was stunned, "So it can't be cured? He'll have to be locked up in a mental hospital... for life?"

The military doctor didn't directly answer, "When I studied in the United States years ago, I met many soldiers who had returned from the battlefield. Everyone had varying degrees of mental issues. But soldiers like Li Zan, they're basically unlikely to return to normal life. You need to be mentally prepared."