Chapter 31: Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital (Part 31)

Chapter 31: Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital (Thirty-One)

On the first day of rounds, it commenced from room four, but this time, the small cart halted in front of room six.

Qi Chanyang leaned against the door, attuned to the sounds emanating from outside.

It was Han Qi's voice, but for some inexplicable reason... it sounded profoundly strange.

Squeak—

The eerie silence of the corridor was interrupted by the sound of a door swinging open.

Inside room six, Sun Miao and the patient labeled as 'six' each occupied a bed. Just two days ago, this space was inhabited by a grotesque, towering monster and a seemingly unremarkable accountant.

But now, anyone opening the door would believe that two monsters resided here.

Although Sun Miao had only consumed two pills, as time progressed, he felt his body elongating ceaselessly, akin to a rubber band being stretched endlessly.

In the afternoon, he had been somewhat entranced by his own hand, but by now, Sun Miao's mind had been wiped clean of any recollections.

Who was he?

No, he wasn't pondering this question; he was merely consumed by a voracious hunger gnawing at his stomach.

As the door opened, he observed the "doctor"—pushing the small cart into the room, assuming that figure could still be classified as human.

Han Qi was initially covered in mouths, but now, erupting from the exposed skin were a series of eyeballs, fingers, fingernails…

He resembled a plot of land overgrown with an array of bizarre flora, these entities overtaking his body, pushing the native components aside, to bask exuberantly in the daylight once again.

Sun Miao shouldn't have comprehended, but in this moment, he realized the cause of Han Qi's sudden grotesque transformation, just like an NPC who had resided in the instance for many years.

The towering figure labeled as 'six' swayed unsteadily.

"Director... did you consume a bit of the Director?"

One of Han Qi's eyes remained dutifully in its socket, while the other had slithered down to rest on his cheek.

The eyes on his body shifted in unison, focusing intently on number six.

"It's time to take your medication," Han Qi muttered, his movements faltering as he pushed the cart further inside, reaching for the medicine bottle atop it.

It was then that Sun Miao noticed an anomaly at the back of Han Qi's head; adorned with a peculiar cap resembling a chef's hat, it featured half a face embedded within.

It was He Xin.

"He Xin," situated at the back of the skull, had eyes widened in malice, glaring resentfully at the figures of Sun Miao and number six before him.

"Hungry! Hungry! Feast on them..."

"The newcomer, shut up!"

"I'm the director! Let me eat first!!"

"Nonsense! I am the director!!"

Han Qi moved bizarrely, his overstuffed arm swung involuntarily, being propelled by these excessive appendages against his will.

Han Qi remained utterly oblivious, merely extending his arm obstinately to hand over the medicine to number six.

Number six was already entering the initial stages of mutation.

Following the mutation, the patient NPCs had almost entirely lost their ability to think. At this point, number six also wobbled unstably, resembling a large inflatable doll.

Number six was using his eyes to search for any suspicious areas on Han Qi who stood before him: "Where... is the small one?"

He could no longer remember Liu Hanxi's name, yet he still recalled something Liu Hanxi had mentioned: today was to be the last day.

Why?

It was supposed to be a release for everyone...

Number Six shook his head furiously, exclaiming, "Where is he? Where is he?"

Han Qi had a large opening in his back, as if it were an abyss, with no flesh or bones visible. Only half of the body was pulled out of it.

Liu Hanxi, who only had left half body, was thrown on the ground like garbage, with blood splattering open.

"Ah, what a waste! Let me have it!"

"Back off! It's my turn now!"

"This is the Dean's son, the Dean has forbidden us to eat— "

Just at that moment, a clump of sludge dripped down from the ceiling with a pitter-patter sound.

The mud rolled on the floor, seemingly burying many canine teeth of different sizes inside. Finally, the canine teeth crowded and rolled out of the mud, biting into Liu Hanxi's body and quickly gnawing at it

"Aaaaaah—"

Every sound-producing organ on Han Qi was shrieking, his gaze rigid and frozen, seemingly unaware of the oddity unfolding before him.

He remained in the posture of extending his hand to offer the medicine, urging number six.

"Take the medicine. If you don't, you'll be misbehaving and the director will be angry."

Just at that moment, at the doorway, Qi Chanyang leaned against the door frame. Even though he couldn't remember who he was or what he was supposed to be doing now, the instincts of a seasoned player still lingered.

He opened his mouth to inquire, "Didn't the director already pass away?"

The multiple mouths on Han Qi's body grinned.

"Hee hee."

"Nope, the director won't die."

"As long as the hospital exists, the director will never die—"

As they engaged in conversation, the clumps of sludge on the unnoticed walls of the elevator shaft began to stir into activity.

That young man has died...

Serves him right!

Only in death can there be rotten flesh to feast upon, I've long wished for his demise!

Much like an ant colony, capable of sensing information through pheromones without the need for verbal communication, the sludge entities in the elevator shaft wriggled one after another, crawling out of their confinements.

Meanwhile, at the pitch-dark bottom of the elevator shaft, a layer of sludge that had remained silent - thicker and deeper - also perceived the joyous pheromones, commencing its own squirming motions.

But unlike the moist clumps of sludge on the shaft walls, this layer at the very bottom seemed to have been burnt numerous times, making it somewhat drier and more compact.

It trembled fervently, yet couldn't morph into a mud clump capable of climbing out of the elevator shaft with ease.

It manifested spikes pointing upwards in its anxious attempts to escape the bottom of the elevator shaft, but remained unable to make the ascent.

Just at that moment, the elevator doors at the first floor opened.

A bizarre figure slinked in.

It bore the semblance of a young boy on one half, its facial features marred and obliterated, as though it had forced its way through an extremely narrow space.

The other half mirrored the visage of a grown woman.

Half of "Ge Juan's" undamaged face melded with one half of Liu Hanxi's, forming a grotesque union. At this moment, the half that belonged to "Ge Juan" had its eyes closed, while Liu Hanxi's eyes were open, holding a rod firmly in his hand, exerting force fiercely.

The pipes in the reading room's restroom burst, and a slender stream of water started to seep from inside the elevator, injecting into the parched sludge below.

With his sudden exertion of force, the already rebellious half of "Ge Juan's" body threatened to tear away from him instantly.

Liu Hanxi hurriedly extended his hand, attempting to pull "Ge Juan" back.

Just then, the sludge at the bottom of the elevator, finally nurtured by the influx of water, rapidly coalesced, swiftly infiltrating the elevator from the bottom and subsequently engulfing Liu Hanxi.

Mouths within the sludge unanimously opened wide, eliciting a scream of agony from Liu Hanxi.

"Ge Juan" immediately attempted to flee, but Liu Hanxi stretched out his hand abruptly.

His eyes were filled with a fervent red hue.

"You deserve to die too! Die with me!!"

Soon, the sludge engulfed both individuals entirely.

After a moment of masticating sounds, the sludge, which hadn't tasted such fine flesh in a long while, began to extend upwards.

It detected it.

Upstairs, there lingered an exceedingly pleasant aroma,

.

Within Room number six.

The small mass of sludge clearly couldn't swallow the deceased Liu Hanxi in one go, it could only feed bit by bit from the wound.

Unable to contain himself, Sun Miao uttered a gag, drawing the attention of Han Qi, who had been solely focused on patient number six, urging him to ingest the medication. He finally looked up at Sun Miao.

"Mr. Sun, have you witnessed any bizarre scenes? If your hysteria worsens, you might need to increase your medication dose."

Sun Miao initially wanted to instinctively retreat a step, but as he fixed his gaze on Han Qi, he realized... this doctor wasn't that terrifying after all!

Slowly, Sun Miao's focus shifted towards Qi Chanyang, who was standing at the doorway.

He could still recognize that this individual had been kind to him. What was his name again...

Number six could no longer hold back.

His body expanded rapidly, soon reaching a height almost touching the ceiling.

"Lies! All lies!!"

In a fit of rage, number six stretched out his hand, delivering a forceful slap towards Han Qi.

Han Qi, who initially resembled a balloon overfilled with water, burst open upon the impact, the entity inhabiting his body slithered down his now completely mud-transformed body, forming another puddle of sludge, advancing towards Liu Hanxi's corpse.

Qi Chanyang observed the two pools of mud now on the floor.

Individually, it wasn't noticeable, but placed side by side, it was easy to discern that the sludge from the elevator shaft appeared drier and darker, bearing signs of having been scorched.

However, the mass that originated from Han Qi exhibited a reddish-brown hue, reminiscent of having absorbed a vast amount of fresh flesh and blood.

This pool of mud, upon making contact with Liu Hanxi's corpse, feasted while simultaneously assaulting the adjacent pool of sludge.

The two masses grappled, and the infuriated number six raised his hand high, unleashing another slap.

With a "splat", the mud splattered, scattering towards the surrounding walls.

"Hee hee."

Something within the mud emitted a strange laughter, the significance of which remained unclear.

Number six roared in fury.

"Deceiving me! All of you can die!!"

But as he lifted his hand once again, intending to strike, an oppressive aura emanated from far down the hallway, sending shivers down the spine.

Number six's hand remained rigidly suspended in mid-air.

Footsteps echoed gradually, drawing nearer from the end of the corridor.

Soon, the figure emerging from the darkness stepped into the illumination within the hospital room.

Corpulent.

Like Han Qi, this individual harbored an assortment of bizarre entities within him, but unlike Han Qi, who seemed on the brink of bursting under their weight, this entity managed a peculiar equilibrium.

It was different.

Its skin, akin to steel, firmly confined these entities within its body, occasionally manifesting as shallow protrusions on its surface, only to vanish swiftly.

However, a massive wound marred its sturdy skin on the right arm, as if acid had corroded it.

Whereas human wounds bleed, this entity only leaked a continuous stream of silt.

This reddish-brown sludge trailed from where he came, each droplet slowly inching towards its host in an attempt to reunify with the entity.

Meanwhile, the walls intermittently exuded similar sludge, merging onto the entity's form.

Its face bore a familiar visage.

It was the dean, Chen Xiangyuan.

In the doorway, an alarm blaring "Mud-Man's Self-Restoration" echoed ominously in Qi Chanyang's mind, more intense than any warning he had encountered before.

Run... but where to? Why should he flee?

Should he flee, those in room number six would be left to confront this horrifying monster directly.

Qi Chanyang weighed his options, his grip tightening on the weapon in his hand.

As "Chen Xiangyuan" approached him, his voice resounded, a parched and grating sound, "Excuse me."

"Please make way."

He was exceedingly polite - if one could overlook the fact that at this moment, countless teeth surged violently beneath his skin, seemingly eager to devour Qi Chanyang whole right there and then. These entities stretched Chen Xiangyuan's skin to a nearly translucent state, revealing not flesh and blood within, but a mass of reddish-brown mud.

Qi Chanyang inquired, "What are you intending to do?"

Chen Xiangyuan offered a courteous smile, "During meal times, there should be a proper order."

With that, he pointed at Qi Chanyang.

"The next one, will be you."

With those words, he advanced unwaveringly towards the interior of the room.

Qi Chanyang acted without hesitation, thrusting out the weapon he held instantly!

"The Whale's Offering" grazed across the acid-burnt right arm of Chen Xiangyuan, deepening the existing wound further and enlarging the gash.

A roar escaped Chen Xiangyuan as his arm elongated.

Qi Chanyang's combat instincts were fully awakened. Without missing a beat, he initiated "Kicking Rabbit," using the extended arm as a runway to make his escape.

Chen Xiangyuan had now been incensed to a fury, furiously pounding the ground which caused the entire hospital to quiver. With a savage roar, he pursued Qi Chanyang.

It was at this moment that the door to room number four finally opened.

Before the dean had arrived, changes were already occurring in the room where Xie Fangcheng and Gu Shanshan were.

A few lines of blood-red characters appeared on the wall.

【Nighttime Rules Have Been Updated:

1# If you hear strange noises, distance yourself promptly;

2# Close the door to maintain an airtight environment;

3# Bringing your companion is akin to bringing a reserve food supply for the dean;

4# Do not venture to the first floor!!

5# Countdown 30】

The countdown on the wall indeed fluctuated, changing to 29 a minute later.

"A half-hour countdown, could this signify our final half hour in this instance?"

Gu Shanshan inquired with a furrowed brow.

Xie Fangcheng was unsure.

Xie Fangcheng had already retrieved his staff.

"I'm going to check out the first floor."

Gu Shanshan hurriedly stopped him, "Haven't you noticed? These rules on the wall, rather than restricting our actions, seem more like warnings or guidance."

Much like before, when Ge Juan constituted the greatest threat, the majority of the rules served to advise players on how to avoid encounters with her.

Gu Shanshan was earnestly contemplating what issues these new rules were reflecting.

At that moment, both of them felt as if the hospital had been struck by a colossal fist, subtly swaying.

While Gu Shanshan remained bewildered, Xie Fangcheng, wielding his staff, took a couple of strides towards the door and swung it open assertively.

From earlier on, they could not hear a sound once the door was closed.

Now as the door opened, sounds from outside permeated into the room.

"Ah!" Qi Chanyang darted past him towards the distance. There, within the ajar door of room six, two clumps of mud were engaged in a fierce battle on the floor. The patient from room six hammered furiously at the mud masses, yet unable to prevent them from dispersing and re-congregating to continue their brawl.

Sun Miao appeared rather stupefied, yet upon spotting Xie Fangcheng, he unconsciously called out, "Brother Xie."

He remembered that this man was indeed formidable.

Xie Fangcheng hesitated for a moment.

Gu Shanshan broke the silence, "Considering the speed at which Brother Qi is running, I suspect he's being pursued by the invisible dean. Brother Xie, you should go assist him first."

Xie Fangcheng turned back.

Gu Shanshan offered a comforting smile, "Don't worry, I managed to fend off two NPCs all by myself on the first day here."

Xie Fangcheng regarded her and nodded affirmatively, "Rest assured, I can handle this quickly."

With those words, he darted forth like an arrow released from its bow, chasing after the fading silhouette of Qi Chanyang.

After his departure, the patient in room six ceased his frenzied pounding.

Sun Miao also reverted his attention back.

The two seemingly formidable "monsters" fixed their gaze upon Gu Shanshan.

On the wall, a sixth item appeared under the updated nighttime rules.

——【Within the psychiatric hospital, patients can sometimes be more terrifying than the doctors.】