Chapter 9: Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital (Part 9)

Chapter 9: Blue Mountain Mental Hospital (Part Nine)

In the pitch-black reading room, the door opened soundlessly, only to close again quickly.

Qi Chanyang leaned against a bookshelf near the door, gasping for breath in silence.

Hiding inside was certainly not a great option. Just moments ago, as Qi Chanyang fled from the cafeteria, he narrowly avoided being caught by the NPC, Ge Juan.

But he had no choice, Qi Chanyang couldn't run anymore.

After he sprinted from the cafeteria to the second floor, the NPC followed him there.

When Qi Chanyang ran down from the second floor, despite being in her blind spot, she managed to track him accurately.

He had been marked.

Fortunately, his speed exceeded that of the NPC, allowing him to continuously evade capture through relentless running.

However, the "Leg-Kicking Rabbit" skill significantly drained his stamina, and there seemed to be no end in sight to this relentless chase.

Grasping the "Gift of the Falling Whale" in his hand, he exchanged it for a bottle of stamina potion from the system's marketplace.

It's now or never!

He knew all too well that he was no match for this NPC, but Qi Chanyang had no intentions of meeting his end so easily.

He uncapped the bottle of stamina potion, tilted his head back to drink every last drop, then settled down beside the furthest bookshelf, silently waiting for the potion to take effect.

Soon, that spine-chilling sensation approached once more.

Thud, thud, thud.

A knocking sound emanates from the door.

"Hello, do you require cleaning services?"

Qi Chanyang remains silent, feeling his energy gradually restoring.

The patience of the NPC at the doorway is depleted. After knocking once more, it raises a chainsaw.

The buzzing sound of the chainsaw resonates, and swiftly, the reading room's door is sawn open.

Ge Juan's voice seems to reverberate clearly as if she were right beside him.

"Hello. Where are you? Do you need cleaning services?"

As she spoke, she stepped in, rigidly turning her head with her half-disfigured face, scarred by sulfuric acid, pointing directly towards where Qi Chanyang was hiding. Slowly she approached, carrying a chainsaw and her red plastic bucket.

Now's the time!

Qi Chanyang presses himself against the wall, pushing off forcefully.

The "Leg-Kicking Rabbit" skill activates, propelling him upwards like a rabbit sprung from the ground. Using the wall for leverage, he shoots straight up towards the ceiling, gliding like a shadow over Ge Juan's head and swiftly exiting the reading room.

First floor.

Second floor.

...Third floor.

Qi Chanyang stands at the entrance of the third-floor staircase, pausing for only a moment before gritting his teeth and dashing upwards.

Earlier, while evading Ge Juan's pursuit, he passed by the third-floor staircase numerous times, catching glimpses of eerie red lights pouring out from there, accompanied by thudding footsteps pacing back and forth above.

There were no other options left. Continuously dodging between the first and second floors would eventually exhaust him, leading to his capture.

It might be worth taking a gamble on the third floor.

If Gu Shanshan, a newcomer, dared to bet on NPCs fighting each other, he certainly also...

The corner of Qi Chanyang's eye first catches the room at the entrance of the staircase.

The room's door is ajar... of course, it probably couldn't be closed to begin with. Despite being made of steel, it now bore dents and craters as if struck by some force, the lock nowhere to be found.

Through the corridor's exceptionally ominous red lighting, Qi Chanyang's system-enhanced eyes could clearly discern the room's interior.

Initially, it must have been an operating room, but now, the surgical bed was twisted and discarded in a corner like scrap metal, with adjacent beds flattened onto the ground... but these were not the focal points.

The entire room seemed to have undergone a bloodbath, from ceiling to walls, even reaching the windows, all covered in coagulated blood, as if it had been freshly painted with blood.

Only the cabinet in the corner remains intact.

There must be something inside...

Qi Chanyang instinctively thinks to look for clues, but suddenly shudders violently.

Ge Juan is catching up!

He has no choice but to quickly move along the corridor, his peripheral vision scanning the rooms he passes, growing more and more fearful with each glance.

The third floor seems to be where the NPCs frequent, housing operating rooms and conference rooms; Qi Chanyang even spotted a "Director's Office".

Qi Chanyang hasn't experienced the power of these NPCs firsthand, but he could vaguely sense that the Ge Juan chasing him is the strongest, followed by Han Qi. He Xin possesses a strength comparable to an unmedicated Number One.

Contending with a Number One already nearly cost him his life; what kind of terrifying creature could dominate the third floor with such tyranny?

As he approaches the nearby room where noises are emanating, Qi Chanyang quickly passes by, sensing no dangerous NPCs inside.

Is it like the bats in the cafeteria? Individually weak but gregarious?

With these thoughts, Qi Chanyang twists the knob of the neighboring room emitting sounds and slips inside.

It appears to be a room resembling a storage area, filled with stacks of boxes covered with red velvet cloths.

Sensing the presence of a living being entering, the entities within the boxes emit continuous "heh heh" sounds, akin to famished canines eager to feast upon the flesh before them.

Facing the room full of boxes, a chill runs down Qi Chanyang's spine as he presses himself against the wall.

Just then, the muffled noises from the next room cease.

Simultaneously, Qi Chanyang perceives a dangerous presence approaching, with clear footsteps resonating through the corridor.

It's Ge Juan.

Qi Chanyang clenches his teeth, silently praying that the monstrous entity capable of sweeping the third floor would encounter Ge Juan. Only with both NPCs sustaining damage would he have a chance to escape.

It seems his prayers might be answered, as the sound of a door creaking open echoes through the silent corridor.

It must be the room next door, right?

But immediately after, Qi Chanyang hears a familiar voice.

"Huh? So you're here?"

...Jie Fangcheng?!

No, that can't be. How could Jie Fangcheng remain so composed when facing an NPC???

Could it be Number Nine?

That shouldn't be the case, the nonchalant and infuriating tone is unmistakably unique to Jie Fangcheng, a tone that could vex someone to death even with just a brief exposure.

Number Nine really doesn't seem to have learned.

What's going on?

The corridor is engulfed in silence.

Qi Chanyang leans against the door, straining to hear the movements outside, his mind a jumbled mess.

It should... be Number Nine, right?

If it were Jie Fangcheng, the NPC would have attacked him by now.

But has Number Nine evolved to the point of mimicking even the tone of voice? Isn't this too much like Jie Fangcheng?

Why is there no sound in the corridor? Why have the always-chatterbox NPCs fallen silent??

If it really is Jie Fangcheng... could it be that Ge Juan's killing rule is that she must kill the targeted player before she can kill another player? So, she refrained from attacking upon seeing Jie Fangcheng?

Otherwise, how could this situation be explained?

In the next second, Qi Chanyang confirmed the identity of the person outside the door.

He heard the person at the door, "Jie Fangcheng," asking: "Hey, do you have a mop in your bucket? Lend it to me."

Damn!

This train of thought, it's Jie Fangcheng!!

I can't wait any longer!

Qi Chanyang abruptly flings open the door.

At the doorway, Jie Fangcheng casually holds a stick, seemingly uninvited yet making his way towards Ge Juan, his hand almost reaching into the bucket.

What on earth is going on with this newcomer?!!!

Even if Ge Juan's killing rules are unusual, how can this person dare to interact so openly with an NPC???

Qi Chanyang grabs him by the arm, his heart pounding in the glare of Ge Juan, summoning the greatest strength he has ever mustered in his life, practically flying to the stairwell entrance, dragging the person down along.

Jie Fangcheng watches as the NPC he yearned for gets further and further away: "Hey! ...Sigh."

Qi Chanyang rushes back to the first floor, panting heavily, unable to restrain himself from roaring in the corridor.

"What on earth are you doing? Do you have a death wish??"