Chapter 12: Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital (Part 12)

Chapter 12: Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital (Part 12)

Qi Chanyang sighed and took out a notebook from his system backpack, handing it to him, "Here, go play with tearing the pages."

Jie Fangcheng couldn't help but smile wryly, "I really did kill him."

Qi Chanyang responded perfunctorily, "Mhm, mhm. Go play."

With that, he turned back to continue discussing clues with Gu Shanzhan.

Jie Fangcheng lamented internally, in this day and age, no one believes the truth anymore.

Meanwhile, after revisiting the documents, Gu Shanzhan and Qi Chanyang failed to find any more useful clues.

"At present, the only confirmed information is that the hospital is conducting human modification experiments," Qi Chanyang analyzed, "The difficulty of a level one dungeon isn't high, normally, my strength would be sufficient to handle most NPCs. However, as it stands, the abilities of NPCs Han Qi and Ge Juan far surpass mine, not to mention the yet unseen head of the hospital. Thus, clearing this level must hinge on acquiring clues."

Gu Shanzhan added, "Furthermore, there seems to be a balance of power among the NPCs. The NPC from the restroom didn't attack me upon emerging, instead targeting patient number four, who in turn abandoned attacking me to confront the restroom NPC."

Qi Chanyang agreed with this point.

Ge Juan's strength is definitely beyond what a normal level one dungeon NPC would possess. Although this game has a low survival rate, it wouldn't completely devoid players of any chances of survival.

Then there's that unknown NPC who killed the security guard...

Thinking of this, Qi Chanyang involuntarily turned to glance at Jie Fangcheng once more.

This person is genuinely amusing themselves by tearing a piece of paper and folding it over there.

A softness emerged again in Qi Chanyang's heart.

This youngster doesn't seem to be too old, probably college-aged. It's quite normal for a male college student to be a bit childish and somewhat neurotic.

Since entering the game, this individual hasn't been a burden at all. Though somewhat careless, aggravating, and annoying, he remains a rather well-behaved newcomer nonetheless.

Just look at him now; earlier when Qi Chanyang told him to tear paper as a game, he obediently sat there engaging in it, which is quite...

Qi Chanyang's gaze shifted to the trash bin.

He closed his eyes, then reopened them.

A few torn strips of paper lay inside the trash bin.

Qi Chanyang: "..."

Qi Chanyang roared in fury: "Jie Fangcheng!! What are you doing???"

Startled by the yell, Jie Fangcheng held up the neatly folded frog, finding Qi Chanyang's anger rather perplexing: "I'm folding paper."

Qi Chanyang's finger trembled as he pointed towards the trash bin, his voice tinged with exasperation: "You... threw away scraps??"

"Oh, the folding requires a square shape, so I cut off the unsuitable parts."

Damn it!!!

Qi Chanyang rushed to the trash bin in a single stride, retrieving the torn pieces of paper from within.

But it was already too late.

A familiar and dangerous presence gradually closed in.

Ge Juan!

Various strategies frantically flashed through Qi Chanyang's mind.

But even the best strategies require sufficient strength to implement.

Escaping from Ge Juan's clutches wasn't an issue for him, but it was utterly impossible to flee with two people in tow.

In a while, considering Jie Fangcheng's agility, there might be a chance for him to escape with his life.

But Gu Shanzhan...

Qi Chanyang pursed his lips, casting a glance at the still oblivious Gu Shanzhan.

Arrested by his serious expression, Gu Shanzhan couldn't help but sit up straighter.

"What's the matter, Brother Qi?"

Qi Chanyang opened his mouth, but no words came out.

This time, they were truly at a loss...

At the doorway, a dangerous aura slowly approached, step by step, finally halting right at the entrance.

"Thump, thump, thump."

The sound of knocking echoed.

Qi Chanyang took a deep breath, not having had the chance to strategize, when Jie Fangcheng, who was closest to the door, already stood up, took two strides and swiftly swung the door open.

Ge Juan stood at the threshold, holding her bucket, half of her face marred with flesh-red scars from a sulfuric acid attack, her eyes fixed intently on the person who opened the door, her expression gradually solidifying.

Ge Juan: "..."

Jie Fangcheng exclaimed with surprise, "Oh? What a coincidence!"

Before his words settled, Ge Juan turned and bolted, not even having the time to grab her bucket.

Qi Chanyang was startled, furious, and ecstatic all at once: "Damn!!"

Jie Fangcheng echoed: "Damn!"

Qi Chanyang, feeling like he just escaped death, patted his chest: "Why did she run so fast?!"

Jie Fangcheng stuck his head out, only to see that the corridor was already devoid of Ge Juan's figure.

He expressed regret: "She ran so quickly..."

The rapid twists and turns left Qi Chanyang too drained even to swear.

He slumped back onto the bed, gazing at Jie Fangcheng who still stood eagerly at the doorway.

A myriad of words reached the tip of his tongue, only to transform into an utterance laden with incredulity and bewilderment: "Are you bloody in cahoots with the NPC?"

This youngster has such a good relationship with number nine, even seeming closer to NPCs than to players.

Most importantly, being teammates with him is just like dealing with an NPC — utterly life-threatening!

Gu Shanzhan finally realized what had just transpired.

She heaved a sigh of relief, but then furrowed her brows: "But why did she run away?"

Seeing that Ge Juan wouldn't return, Jie Fangcheng sighed in confusion, "Yeah, why did she run away?"

It dawned on Qi Chanyang at this moment: "Ge Juan ran because she saw you, didn't she? Don't you know why?"

Jie Fangcheng was even more puzzled: "How would I know?"

He couldn't even remember when he had interacted with this NPC.

It might have happened, but these NPCs all run so fast that it's indeed not easy to recognize them if he had only encountered them once.

However, the bucket at the door remained.

Under the watchful eyes of the two behind him, Jie Fangcheng walked over and brought the bucket inside.

Qi Chanyang: "..."

Jie Fangcheng held the bucket, glanced down, and uttered a surprised "Oh".

Qi Chanyang thought there might be some vital clues in the bucket, and asked, "What is it? What's inside the bucket?"

Jie Fangcheng pulled a rag from the bucket, "There's actually a rag in here."

Then he pulled out another, "Two of them."

"..."

Qi Chanyang glanced at the time, "Alright, enough with the chatter, I'll continue looking for clues."

He took a deep breath, mustering great courage before speaking, "Jie Fangcheng, follow me."

Although Gu Shanzhan seemed not to trigger any murder rules staying in the sickroom, he had a perpetual sense that their presence, especially that of the young man, would attract NPCs at any moment.

Jie Fangcheng had no objections: "Sure."

The corridor remained enveloped in darkness, nearing midnight, an overwhelming silence pervaded.

Before leaving, Qi Chanyang turned to instruct Gu Shanzhan, "I will come up every fifteen minutes. If you encounter an NPC that you cannot handle, prioritize your safety and wait for my return. Don't worry, you shouldn't trigger any murder rules now, the NPCs won't..."

"Click."

Suddenly, a burst of light illuminated Qi Chanyang's back.

He turned around, expressionless, to find Jie Fangcheng leaning against the wall, having just turned on the corridor light.

"Can you stop causing trouble for a moment???" Qi Chanyang roared.

"Ah? I shouldn't press it?" Jie Fangcheng responded amiably, promptly turning the light off again.

Qi Chanyang: "..."

Gu Shanzhan cast a worried glance at him.

Qi Chanyang managed a smile, "It's okay."

Saying so, he closed the door and turned around.

The corridor echoed with Qi Chanyang's uncontrollable roar: "Can you please show some seriousness? Do you even realize the mortality rate for newcomers in this game is ninety percent? ... My inventory is meant for storing clues, not for you to stash rags in!"

The sound of the roaring and footsteps gradually faded away.

.

The first floor.

After descending the staircase, Qi Chanyang had once again resumed the persona of an experienced player, cautious and prudent, having completed the game six times already.

He first turned his head and asked, "Do you still have the 'Broken Shadow Man' item I gave you?"

"Yes." As he spoke, Jie Fangcheng reached into his pocket, fumbled for a moment, and then pulled out the item.

Qi Chanyang nodded in acknowledgment.

"I will escort you to the reading room. You wait for me there."

Although the youngster before him was quite infuriating, Qi Chanyang absolutely did not want to witness his demise.

The reading room should be empty. Qi Chanyang could go look for clues by himself first, entrusting Jie Fangcheng to the reading room and returning to fetch him later.

Like the room next to the cafeteria with no sign, where Qi Chanyang vaguely sensed something within but couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

In such circumstances, having Jie Fangcheng with him would easily put both of them in danger.

By leaving him in the reading room, if any problem arises, Jie Fangcheng could use the "Broken Shadow Man" to buy some time, allowing Qi Chanyang, also on the first floor, to rush to his aid.

This way, neither would be delayed.

Meanwhile, Jie Fangcheng was still asking, "Am I not accompanying you to look for clues?"

Qi Chanyang felt like a preschool teacher trying to pacify a student at this moment, finding a way to fool him: "You are proficient in English, you can go find clues in the reading room."

Jie Fangcheng frowned, sighed reluctantly, and said, "Ah, fine then."

Qi Chanyang had reached a weird state of calm, driven to it by his frustrations with Jie Fangcheng.

Upon reaching the reading room, Qi Chanyang first made a round to ensure that nothing was amiss before he left.

Jie Fangcheng stretched languidly and sat in a corner, casually picking up a book to read.

Unnoticed by Qi Chanyang, the window at the very top of the wall separating the reading room from the badminton court was open. Before long, a head protruded from the court side, greedily gazing down from its elevated position at the person sitting below, saliva dripping incessantly from its mouth.

"Flesh... Flesh..."

Jie Fangcheng, who was getting dizzy from reading, brightened up upon seeing it.

"I can't help it, can I? It's not that I'm not earnestly looking for clues; this is clearly an 'unexpected situation.'"

Saying so, Jie Fangcheng picked up his stick.

He greeted the head cheerfully, "Hi there, Little Nine!"

The highly mutated Number Nine had completely lost its sanity; its entire face now resembled a snake, incessantly flicking its tongue, with pupils morphed into vertical slits.

"Flesh... Need to eat flesh..."

Jie Fangcheng opened the door and stepped out.

.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Qi Chanyang unlocked the door next to the cafeteria with a master key.

Upon opening the door, he paused momentarily.

This was a room that seemed utterly out of place in this hospital.

The room was about twenty square meters, adorned with pink walls that featured cartoon drawings.

A bed leaned against the wall, with pillows and quilt covers in a delicate shade of pink.

A desk stood by the bedside, neatly arranged with several books and study materials.

A speculation began to form in Qi Chanyang's mind.

He approached the desk and picked up a book at random.

A familiar name was written on the book's cover.

Liu Hanyue.

This was the room of Ge Juan's daughter.

Qi Chanyang couldn't help but frown.

Judging from the usage of this room, it was evident that someone had lived here for at least a year.

Would a normal mother bring her daughter to live in a hospital, especially a psychiatric one?

What on earth had happened?

Qi Chanyang started to flip through the books and a few notebooks on the desk.

The books were textbooks—specifically, fifth-grade textbooks.

The child named Liu Hanyue still maintained excellent grades; Qi Chanyang found several nearly perfect score sheets on her bookshelf.

The young girl was indeed exceptional, not only showcasing stellar academic performance but Qi Chanyang also noticed musical scores on her bookshelf, along with several certificates indicating her championship titles in piano competitions.

As he rifled through, Qi Chanyang stumbled upon a language arts paper of hers.

Liu Hanyue, who consistently scored near perfect marks, had only managed a little over fifty points on this paper.

Qi Chanyang flipped to the last page of the test.

Essay: Your Mother.

In the black square designated for the essay, Liu Hanyue had penned in her childlike handwriting: I don't have a mother.

No mother?

Wasn't Ge Juan her mother?

Qi Chanyang furrowed his brows, swallowed the test paper into his bovine stomach, and continued his search for new clues.

Just then, he faintly heard a "ding" sound. Before he could react, he felt a sudden pain in his foot.

He looked down.

A pair of eyes were staring directly at him.