Chapter 1: Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital (Part 1)

Chapter 1: Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital (Part 1)

[Player [Jie Fangcheng], welcome to the infinite game "Do Not Respond." Your personal attributes interface is being generated, please wait a moment.]

[......]

[Generating personal attributes interface.]

[......]

[Generating personal attributes interface.]

[Personal attributes interface generation failed.]

[Failure Reason: Player [Jie Fangcheng] confirmed as deceased.]

System

[Disconnecting link...]

[?]

[Player [Jie Fangcheng] detected [Current Status: Alive and Well]. The system will reconnect shortly.]

[Connection Successful.]

[Player [Jie Fangcheng], welcome back to the infinite game.]

[Generating your personal attributes interface, please wait a moment.]

"...I need to emphasize this once again, the NPCs in this game are completely beyond the capabilities of you newcomers!! I have encountered many newbies who have just entered the game before, initiating reckless maneuvers, assuming they are the protagonists of this game, and without exception, they all died! If you don't want to die, then behave yourself!"

After finishing his words with a stern face and tone, Qi Chanyang looked at the group of newcomers who dared not breathe heavily before him, finally feeling satisfied.

It wasn't his intention to frighten them deliberately.

The survival rate in the infinite game "Do Not Respond" is less than thirty percent, and even more, ninety percent of newcomers die in the first instance.

It was the first time for Qi Chanyang to encounter a situation where other players were all newcomers, apart from him, resulting in a sharp increase in the mortality rate.

However, this group of newcomers seemed quite obedient at first glance, and the difficulty level of this instance was only level 1, perhaps a few more could survive this time.

Realizing he had this thought again, Qi Chanyang was stunned for a moment, a bitter smile appearing in his heart.

Having already cleared six instances, he knew very well how naive this thought was, but well, being human...

Qi Chanyang withdrew his thoughts, speaking, "I have finished introducing the basic conditions of the game. In just over a minute, we will officially start the game. Let's take a moment to introduce ourselves."

Inside the old elevator, several individuals exchanged glances with each other.

Quickly, a middle-aged man dressed in a suit raised his hand first.

"Allow me to go first then. My name is Sun Miao. I was previously a corporate accountant, died due to overwork. I don't have any particular skills, and as you can tell by my physique, I'm not great at sports. Please be kind to me."

"Next."

"I-I'm Lu Xiaoqin, a sophomore in college. I died in a car accident. I can play the piano, dance, and swim. I'm a bit timid, so please, be kind to me as well."

"Next."

……

Swiftly, the phrase "please be kind to me" was repeated by seven individuals in the elevator.

Qi Chanyang furrowed his brows.

The instance panel indicates a total of nine participants, so why are there only eight people in the elevator? Where is the other one...?

Just then, a voice emanated from behind Qi Chanyang, "Eh? Are you all introducing yourselves?"

Qi Chanyang turned his head, pausing momentarily in surprise.

Damn! Such a handsome guy!

In a corner stood a man who appeared out of nowhere, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, his appearance resembling that of a high schooler. His semi-long hair was tied into a small bun at the back, revealing a complexion of pale, seldom-seen daylight, yet complemented by strikingly red lips. His dark pupils added a certain ethereal allure to his already beautiful face.

Had the instance not started yet, Qi Chanyang might have mistaken him for a ghostly NPC from the instance.

Recollecting the man's words from moments ago, Qi Chanyang frowned, “What do you mean by ‘are you all introducing yourselves?’ Did you not hear everything I said earlier?”

“I didn't, I just arrived.”

“How is that possible?” Qi Chanyang uttered, then realizing it might indeed be possible — with this man's distinct appearance, if he had been in the elevator earlier, Qi Chanyang couldn't have missed him.

But isn't it that all players enter the instance at the same time?

As Qi Chanyang was about to speak, the once stationary elevator suddenly descended.

A system notification rang out.

[The instance has commenced, please prepare yourselves, players.]

The number on the elevator panel quickly changed from 3 to 2. Seeing it about to change to 1, Qi Chanyang could only quickly repeat his instructions one more time.

"For the details of the instance, refer to the system interface yourself. You should be aware by now that you have died in the real world and entered this game post-mortem. As long as you continuously clear instances and accumulate points, you'll have the chance to return to the real world. Anyway, we're short on time... just remember, on the first day of the game, generally you won't die as long as you heed the words of the NPCs and avoid reckless actions."

Ding— The elevator doors swung open, and Qi Chanyang gave him a glance.

"What is your name?"

The excessively handsome man flashed a polite smile, revealing a set of brilliant white teeth.

"Jie Fangcheng."

【Instance: Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital (Level 1)】

【Introduction: Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital is now admitting patients! If you are experiencing bizarre behaviors, heightened paranoia, anxiety or any similar symptoms, don't hesitate! Check in immediately for treatment! The highly-rated Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital is your second home! What are you waiting for? Call now for exclusive offers!】

【Content: For some reason, there's always a strange odor lingering in the Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital. Could it be the smell of burning corpses?】

【Clearance Condition: Survive for three days.】

【This instance has a historical survival rate higher than 20%, indicating a relatively low difficulty level. Hint feature not enabled.】

【Wishing you the best of luck.】

As the elevator doors opened, a doctor clad in a white lab coat and a mask stood at the entrance, frowning impatiently.

"Why are you so late?" Having said that, the doctor didn't seem interested in knowing the reason for their tardiness, and turned to lead the way.

It was an aged psychiatric hospital with peeling walls and visible wear, resembling a common county hospital. However, distinguishing it from a regular hospital were the locked iron gates encountered every few steps.

As dusk settled, the doctor grumbled while fishing for keys to unlock one of the iron gates in the hallway.

"Considering it's your first day of admission, the cafeteria has reserved meals for you. If you are late again in the future, you will have to fend for yourselves."

Qi Chanyang quickly responded, "Ah, alright, thank you for your efforts."

The doctor turned his gaze towards him, and only then did Qi Chanyang notice the extraordinarily large eyes of the doctor, where the white space was minimal, and the black pupils nearly filled the entire eye socket.

Someone among the players couldn't help but gasp in the chilling atmosphere.

The doctor's eyeballs flicked towards the player who gasped, and for some unknown reason, he sighed with an air of disappointment.

"Walk properly."

As the group passed through two iron gates, Qi Chanyang silently observed the surrounding environment.

At the easternmost end of the hallway was the elevator they had arrived in, and as they moved westward, they passed several doors labeled as "Chess and Card Room", "Badminton Court" and the likes.

Proceeding further, the view suddenly widened. Passing the security room to the left led to the main lobby on the first floor. The lobby was separated from the hallway by another iron gate. Qi Chanyang glanced left, catching sight of pictures of "Outstanding Doctors" displayed in the lobby's showcase, beside which was a glaring red slogan: I love the hospital, the hospital loves me.

The last character for "me" looked as if it was excessively dipped in paint, with the ink dripping down like blood, leaving several horrifying streaks on the wall.

As Qi Chanyang continued looking, his heart gave a sudden jolt. Shifting his gaze, he found himself locking eyes with the security guard inside the security room.

The security guard appeared to be a man in his late sixties or seventies, with silver-streaked hair and a face mapped with age spots.

However, his eyes were disproportionately large, giving an eerie illusion that his eye sockets were only filled with eyeballs, devoid of eyelids. At this moment, this terrifying face was pressed against the window, intently scrutinizing the group of newly admitted “patients.”

Catching sight of Qi Chanyang's gaze on him, the security guard gradually stretched into a smile, revealing a mouth full of teeth.

Qi Chanyang diverted his gaze.

Proceeding further, past the lobby was the dining hall, and deeper within, a locked door with no discernible markings hinted at an unknown purpose.

Pushing open the grand doors of the dining hall, Qi Chanyang paused momentarily.

Within the decrepit hospital lay a surprisingly vast and immaculate dining hall, so expansive that it begged the question of its actual purpose.

The dining area was stark, featuring only a large circular stainless steel table in the center. Flanking the table were nine individuals dressed in patient gowns, each sitting with an empty stool beside them.

Upon hearing the door open, the nine patients turned in unison, fixing their gazes on the players entering the hall.

As expected, the patients exhibited unnervingly large eyes. Lu Xiaoqin, the faintest-hearted among them, couldn't restrain her tears, sobbing as a fellow female player held her tightly.

Several players stood rooted to the spot, unwilling to move forward, murmuring amongst themselves in hushed tones.

“What kind of hellish place is this? Are they all ghosts?”

“Are we really expected to eat what they serve us? What will they give us? Human flesh?”

“Do you see that one, the one wearing patient number nine's gown... Why has he been smiling at me incessantly? What is he smiling at?”

The doctor expressed his discontent by rapping sharply on the table, “Stop dawdling and sit down to eat!”

Qi Chanyang spoke in a low voice, “If you don't wish to die on your first day, do as he says.”

With that, he was the first to approach the dining table, taking a seat beside the NPC wearing the number one patient gown.

As he settled down, Qi Chanyang caught a glimpse of another figure sitting down almost simultaneously from the corner of his eye.

Lifting his head, he saw across from him, separated by a patient, was the player named Jie Fangcheng. Not only had he comfortably settled in, but he was also greeting the patient beside him.

“Hello, what's on the menu for tonight?”

The patient beside him was the ever-smiling individual in gown number nine. Hearing the question, he tilted his head quizzically, his neck swaying loosely as if threatening to sever from his body at any moment.

"Eating meatballs and sipping tomato soup."

"Is that it?"

Qi Chanyang: "..."

Number Nine continued to tilt his head with a smile, almost reaching a grotesque 180-degree angle, viewing him nearly upside down. This eerie sight was enough to make one's skin crawl. Yet, he continued to speak, saying, "Meatballs, delicious, all meat."

"Wouldn't a meat-only diet be nutritionally imbalanced?"

Qi Chanyang: "..."

Number Nine responded sincerely, "We have vegetables during the day, four dishes at noon."

"Oh, I see. Hey, what about our staple food? Do we have rice? Can we get more if we want? Where do we get it? Are we having rice tomorrow as well? Do they have steamed buns?"

Qi Chanyang: "..."

Sensing that Qi Chanyang was continually watching him while he was engaged in an enthusiastic conversation with Number Nine, Jie Fangcheng glanced at him and explained, "I was hungry, didn't get to eat before I died."

Observing him holding chopsticks, Qi Chanyang thought that he didn't seem to be in a horror game scenario at all.

It seemed more like he was waiting to feast.