Chapter 29: Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital (Part 29)

Chapter 29: Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital (Twenty-Nine)

This wasn't exactly a "person."

If Xie Fangcheng opened his eyes, he would see that this "person" had the head of patient number one, arms that were long and thin belonging to patient number six, but the hands were those of patient number nine.

Its upper body was conspicuously small, evidently that of a child — belonging to patient number four.

Apparently, arriving in a rush, this "person" had four legs from different individuals. Because of the mismatched lengths, it swayed unsteadily as it walked, each step seeming particularly laborious.

It reached Liu Hanxi's side and extended a hand.

The hand, originating from patient number nine, unhurriedly untied the rope binding Liu Hanxi.

Freed from his restraints, Liu Hanxi immediately turned towards the person lying on the bed, signaling to his rescuer: kill him first to prevent him from ruining our plans!

The patient number one nodded vehemently in agreement, yet his hands involuntarily lifted, gesturing towards Liu Hanxi.

—No killing.

Liu Hanxi furious: After all, he hasn't taken a single pill! He's bound to die anyway!

—Not possible.

Liu Hanxi gestured frantically: Are you insane? He's already on the brink of death, what difference does it make if he dies now or later?

—No killing.

The two stood face to face, engaging in a fierce battle of gestures that resembled the sealing of spells. Liu Hanxi gestured fast, even managing to weave complex patterns in the air, resembling a composition of text. However, the other party seemed to have an upper hand, repeatedly signaling "no."

He was furious to the point of feeling faint, but time was of the essence. Ultimately, he could only turn away resentfully, casting one last glance at the person lying in the adjacent hospital bed, before stealthily exiting with the collective entity.

The door closed gently.

Lying on the bed, Jie Fangcheng suddenly opened his eyes.

.

The corridor during the lunch break was eerily quiet.

This time was the only safe period in the hospital, as the doctors needed to dine on the third floor... Though it seemed that something had occurred recently on that floor, causing their food supply to diminish drastically, to the extent that Han Qi had been drooling for two days straight. Nonetheless, compared to the night time when the director was active, this period was naturally safer.

Liu Hanxi arrived at the elevator, the “person” beside him skillfully extended its arm, flattening its hand to a two-finger width to reach the top of the elevator. Then, the hand flattened further, slipping into the elevator shaft.

Soon, the display light that initially indicated “1” on the elevator panel extinguished.

The “person” beside Liu Hanxi exerted force, amalgamating eight NPCs into one, barely managing to pry open the elevator doors.

Inside the elevator was pitch black, yet something seemed to be placed on top of it.

Liu Hanxi cautiously jumped onto the top of the elevator, reaching down with his hand that appeared to sink into a mass of sludge. He stirred inside for a moment before withdrawing his hand.

Upon withdrawal, only the skeletal structure remained in his hand, yet flesh buds were squirming, rapidly encasing the bones anew, swiftly regrowing into a new hand.

The sludge emitted a foul smell, yet Liu Hanxi cradled it like a cherished pet, rubbing it affectionately against his cheek.

Numerous diminutive canine teeth rolled out from the sludge, immediately gnawing upon contact with his skin, filling the silent elevator shaft with the sounds of canine feasting.

Shortly after, Liu Hanxi reluctantly tore it back into his hand.

"Good doggy, I'm counting on you tonight."

With that, he hurled the mass of sludge violently against the wall.

On the pitch-black wall, countless clusters of sludge dispersed and then converged again, eventually forming multiple bulges on the surface.

Having completed all these actions, Liu Hanxi finally stood up, spreading his arms wide, silently waiting to be pulled up.

He waited for a few seconds, but there was no response from above.

Slowly, Liu Hanxi raised his head.

At the elevator entrance, a face that was almost ghastly pale leaned over his head, a pair of pitch-black eyes fixed on him, unknown for how long they had been observing him from above.

Jie Fangcheng's lips, a vivid crimson, curved slightly: "What are you up to?"

Liu Hanxi: "..."

Jie Fangcheng propped up his chin, looking down where the group of eight NPCs had gathered, now scattered across the ground. Apart from number one, who had been knocked unconscious, the rest were lined up obediently, with number nine's hands crossed, presenting a sense of tranquillity and obedience.

Liu Hanxi looked at him, then suddenly bent sharply at the waist, plunging directly through the crevice beside the elevator.

Oh my God!

Jie Fangcheng stood there, flabbergasted.

However, the one-floor height obviously wouldn't kill Liu Hanxi, who was a patient NPC. Only a "thud" of landing could be heard, then Jie Fangcheng refocused, only to find that the elevator shaft was empty, with no indication of where Liu Hanxi had gone.

Jie Fangcheng leaned in to peer down the elevator shaft, scrutinizing it for a while but unable to discern any clues.

He knew it, understanding this kind of affair was beyond his capabilities.

Sighing, Jie Fangcheng walked to the door of room number one and knocked.

"Xiao Yang, I've found a clue."

There was no response from inside the room.

Jie Fangcheng knocked again, but still, there was no answer.

Qi Chanyang was a very meticulous person; even in sleep, the slightest noise could awaken him.

What was going on?

Without further ado, Jie Fangcheng opened the door.

The instant the door opened, Qi Chanyang, who was lying on the hospital bed, abruptly opened his eyes and scrambled up, "The Gift of the Whale Fall" in hand, warily eyeing the doorway.

By the time Jie Fangcheng managed to ask "What's wrong?" Qi Chanyang seemed momentarily stunned: "Brother Jie?"

Jie Fangcheng was puzzled: "Yeah, can't you see me?"

Qi Chanyang eyed the figure at the doorway.

In his vision, there stood a creature at the entrance donning an orange-red coat, masked with a peculiar facade.

The creature was tall, its orange-red coat speckled with spots of moisture.

Yet, the creature spoke with Jie Fangcheng's voice when it opened its mouth.

To be honest, Qi Chanyang was initially skeptical, considering that number nine had previously been able to mimic Jie Fangcheng's voice.

But the next moment, the creature nonchalantly shouldered a gleaming, pristine rod it held in its hand, maintaining that irksome, casual tone of voice that seemed to be asking for a punch.

"What's with that expression? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Qi Chanyang gave a wry smile: "Indeed, it's quite like seeing a ghost."

After narrating the scene he was witnessing at that moment, even Jie Fangcheng was at a loss for words: "Is your hysteria also involving a costume change for me?"

By the time they reached the elevator, Qi Chanyang, observing the fragments of NPCs scattered near the elevator shaft and hearing about all that had transpired, couldn't help but furrow his brows.

"What on earth is Liu Hanxi trying to do?"

"I have no idea."

Qi Chanyang decisively leaped onto the top of the elevator, pausing for a moment once he landed.

"It's soft."

The top of the elevator felt as if it was covered with a thick layer of mud. As Qi Chanyang felt the sensation under his feet, he crouched and reached down to touch it.

It wasn't an illusion; it indeed was soft, and touching it gave a sticky sensation, as if a membrane was enveloping wet soil.

Qi Chanyang lifted his head to survey the surroundings.

Inside the elevator shaft, mass after mass of undulating sludge clung to the walls, making the already decrepit shaft appear even more terrifying and bizarre.

Qi Chanyang's nostrils flared as he furrowed his brows: "Brother Jie, can you smell a burnt odor?"

Jie Fangcheng took a couple of breaths before shaking his head: "No."

Qi Chanyang sniffed carefully, but the burnt smell seemed to have vanished.

The pitch-black elevator shaft inexplicably gave rise to a feeling of being watched.

Despite "The Mudman's Self-Cultivation" not giving any forewarning, Qi Chanyang instinctively felt discomfort.

"Brother Jie, please pull me up first."

If there was one thing Jie Fangcheng had in abundance, it was ropes; he quickly lowered one.

Qi Chanyang grabbed the rope and swiftly climbed out of the elevator shaft.

Jie Fangcheng inquired: "Did you find anything?"

Qi Chanyang couldn't help but take a step back.

It's honestly a bit sanity-draining to chat with Jie Fangcheng while he's wearing the guise of this monster.

Qi Chanyang turned his face to one side, and only after losing sight of him, he spoke, "The stuff clinging to the walls is akin to what we saw in the dean's office, all resembling some sort of sludge. The top of the elevator feels very soft to the touch."

"Oh."

Qi Chanyang looked at him and sighed.

"Never mind, I'm going to find Shan Shan."

Gu Shanshan was having trouble sleeping in room number four; she kept feeling that there were many oddities in this instance.

The condition to clear this instance is to survive for three days. If it were an experienced player entering the game, like Qi Chanyang, he could easily not take the medicine daily if not for aiding the newcomers; he could beat the level one NPC.

But for the newcomers, facing the NPCs seems to be a certain death.

According to Qi Chanyang, the system grants each player an equal chance of survival.

Yet, this instance is pure hell for newcomers.

Take the medicine, and die after three days.

Forego the medicine, and die on the first day.

So, what exactly should a team of rookie players do to successfully clear the instance?

Are their current speculations and plans accurate?

Seeing Jie Fangcheng and the other at this time, and after checking beside the elevator shaft again, Gu Shanshan's strange sensation grew even more intense.

"Qi-ge, your hysteria is escalating. Now you can't hear Brother Jie knocking on the door, perhaps in a few hours, even if he stands in front of you, you might not recognize him."

Qi Chanyang nodded solemnly, "Yes."

"Liu Hanxi seems to have been up to something with this group of patient NPCs last night... but as of now, we don't know what it is." Gu Shanshan furrowed her brows, "Qi-ge, don't you feel... like a critical clue has been deliberately removed from this instance, rendering us especially passive?"

Gu Shanshan stared into the pitch-black elevator shaft, "According to the usual logic of clearing levels, a weak team of players wouldn't be able to stand against the NPCs. Thus, once inside the instance, weaker players should have some NPC assistance. Clearly, the patient NPCs were supposed to be our allies, and Liu Hanxi should have become closely related to us due to a certain clue. But that's not the case."

"In the current instance, the clues we can find are like pieces of flesh. Even if we find them all, without the skeleton and the tendons, we still can't grasp the full picture of what transpired."

This peculiar sensation wasn't exclusive to Gu Shanshan.

Qi Chanyang also nodded in agreement, "Yes, based on my experience with clearing instances, players, being the weaker party, are generally provided with some assistance to avoid a large disparity in power. But it seems like this instance doesn't..."

As he spoke, Qi Chanyang's gaze inadvertently shifted to Jie Fangcheng.

In his line of sight, the man was still clad in an orange-red outfit, idly standing aside at the moment, occasionally peeking into the elevator shaft.

Even to Qi Chanyang, this person appeared monstrous in appearance.

But even as a monster, that infuriatingly leisurely demeanor of his couldn't be concealed.

Seemingly weary of the wait, he leaned towards the elevator entrance, dismantling the stick in his hand into two pieces and connecting them back, fashioning one end into a hook to scrape the muck off the wall.

Eventually, he managed to scrape off a chunk, and Jie Fangcheng prodded it curiously with the stick.

"Hmm? Isn't this Liu Hanxi's eye?"