Chapter 32: Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital (Part 32)

Chapter 32: Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital (Thirty-Two)

The third floor.

By the time Xie Fangcheng rushed up, Qi Chanyang's figure was nowhere to be seen, leaving only the eerie red light illuminating the space.

The entire third floor held a frightful silence, as if Xie Fangcheng was ensnared within some entity. Not only was he unable to hear any other sounds, even his footsteps echoed faintly as if distant while he traversed the corridor.

Xie Fangcheng cupped his hands around his mouth, creating an improvised megaphone.

"Hello! Is anyone there!!"

Even the shouted words seemed muffled and stifled.

Xie Fangcheng scratched his head, advancing to the first room before kicking the door open with a resonant "bang".

On his first day, he had charged up the staircase, ransacking every room on the third floor. Now revisiting this familiar place, Xie Fangcheng uttered a surprised "Oh".

He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but the room seemed somewhat fresher compared to his first visit.

Back then, Xie Fangcheng had left the entire room smeared with blood, resembling a murder scene... not just resembling, it was one, indeed.

However, at this moment, the traces of blood had vanished, even the operating table seemed to have reverted to its original state.

That table back then, Xie Fangcheng had utilized it as a grenade, compressing it into a mangled heap; it hardly seemed possible for it to have reverted to its current form.

Had the table been replaced?

Xie Fangcheng couldn't grasp it.

But it didn't matter, the mysteries he couldn't unravel could be delegated to others to ponder upon!

He briskly exited the room, leaving the door wide open behind him.

The walls of the third floor, at some point, had adopted the nighttime rules seen in room four, and not just that, the phrase "Please close the door and maintain a state of no ventilation" seemed to have been emphasized even more.

Xie Fangcheng glanced at it, continuing to forge ahead as if he hadn't noticed.

Quickly, he flung open every door on the third floor, yet there was still no sign of Qi Chanyang.

But one thing was confirmed.

The rooms on the third floor were indeed a tad fresher than when he first visited.

Did the director really have such leisure time to refurbish the rooms amidst the chaos?

With this thought, Xie Fangcheng hurried towards the staircase.

Just as he was about to descend to the second floor to rendezvous with Gu Shanshan, a flicker of a shadow caught his eye, darting across the first floor.

At this time, the only person wandering outside had to be Qi Chanyang.

With the blistering speed of Qi Chanyang, if Xie Fangcheng were to amble down the stairs, Qi Chanyang would probably be long gone by the time he reached.

Without a second thought,

Xie Fangcheng stomped forcefully on the floor, causing a thunderous noise that reverberated through the entire hospital. Amidst the cacophony, the floor cracked open with steel and concrete debris scattering, forming a gaping hole.

Without hesitation, Xie Fangcheng leaped down through the opening.

Conveniently, the space below was a consultation room. Xie Fangcheng landed amidst a heap of debris on the beds, which according to Gu Shanshan were Han Qi and He Xin's. With no hesitation, he pressed on with fervent determination.

Perhaps due to the support of the beds above, half of the consultation room collapsed along with Xie Fangcheng's descent.

“Cough, cough, cough…” Xie Fangcheng, amidst the rubble, hastened towards the fleeting shadow he had spotted earlier, all the while coughing out the dust and debris.

But the first floor was eerily quiet, devoid of any sounds of a skirmish.

Xie Fangcheng couldn't help but mutter, "Where is he? He couldn't possibly be dead, could he?"

He meticulously checked, opening the doors to all the rooms along the left corridor of the first floor, but there was still no sign of Qi Chanyang.

Where could he have gone?

Xie Fangcheng was perplexed.

As he passed by the security room, Xie Fangcheng stepped in and noticed that tomorrow's evening paper had already been delivered.

He tucked the newspaper directly into his clothing and walked a few steps to the adjacent badminton court. As he opened the door, something hurled out from inside.

Xie Fangcheng focused his gaze and exclaimed both in joy and horror, "How are you here? What happened to you?!"

The person before him was unrecognizable. Qi Chanyang's hair draped over him like seaweed, his body resembling a centipede, sprouting several legs from his waist, and scuttling along the ground.

However, the newly grown legs seemed to have a mind of their own, dragging him backward as if something was chasing him, while he strenuously attempted to move forward.

Suddenly, a sound of bones breaking echoed as Qi Chanyang was slammed into the wall by some unseen force.

Xie Fangcheng couldn't see the assailant, he could only grab a stick and swing it at the air beside Qi Chanyang while approaching him.

"Don't you have that shadow? Bring it out, I..."

Before he could finish, Xie Fangcheng flexed his waist forcefully, bending his body at a ninety-degree angle.

The "Gift of the Whale Fall" from Qi Chanyang narrowly whooshed over him, following with a downward slash onto Xie Fangcheng's stick.

Xie Fangcheng maintained a sideways stance, with his right hand holding up the stick.

He yelled at Qi Chanyang, "Hey! Wake up!"

Qi Chanyang slightly withdrew the bone spur in his hand, bypassing Xie Fangcheng's stick and slashing horizontally once again. Xie Fangcheng pivoted on one foot, flipping over and dodging the spur with a furrowed brow.

Qi Chanyang seemed to have fully transformed into something else.

As for Gu Shanshan on the second floor...

Before he could ponder further, Qi Chanyang was once again sent flying by the invisible head of the institution.

There was no other choice.

Xie Fangcheng sprinted with all his might, reaching Qi Chanyang.

Just as Qi Chanyang raised his weapon again, Xie Fangcheng landed a direct blow to his head with the stick.

Since this person had been enhanced by the system six times, Xie Fangcheng had to strike with enough force to knock him out but not kill him, a delicate balance.

Qi Chanyang's head violently collided with the wall, creating a hole, then rebounded like a spring. His neck went limp, and he collapsed, unconscious.

His original limbs had already drooped, but the newly sprouted legs thrashed wildly. Xie Fangcheng swung his stick, breaking them one after another before tucking the person under his arm. Swinging the iron rod back and forth with his right hand, he felt that if he swung a bit faster, he could practically turn into a helicopter rotor. With this pace, he quickly ascended to the second floor.

The second floor.

Gu Shanshan lay on the ground clutching her abdomen. In front of her, a hunched "creature" with elongated arms drooping to the ground guarded her, its back bulging enormously, facing away from her.

Not far away, patient number six lay smashed to the ground, wounds everted but without a single drop of blood spilled, while Sun Miao's fate remained uncertain in a corner.

All the work of the “creature” standing before them.

Right after Xie Fangcheng left, Sun Miao charged forward first, his long nails instantaneously slicing open Gu Shanshan's abdomen.

But upon seeing the blood, Sun Miao hesitated, a pained expression crossing his face.

“Cannot...kill...”

Since the last update of the night-time rules: sometimes, the patients in the mental hospital are more terrifying than the doctors.

From that rule onwards, Gu Shanshan had some foresight about the current situation.

She rolled out of the room and rushed towards the stairs, shouting as she ran.

But this time, her screams seemed to be engulfed by something, unable to reach beyond her vicinity.

This is bad!

Thinking this, the responsive patient number six also emerged from the open door, moving faster than Sun Miao, and without hesitation, brought down a massive palm towards Gu Shanshan.

Gu Shanshan rolled on the spot, her arm grazed and instantly fractured.

The more dire the situation, the calmer she became.

"Wang He!" Gu Shanshan shouted the sixth patient's name. The palm hesitated momentarily, showing a faint response to the name.

But it was just a slight reaction. Seeing the palm raised again, Gu Shanshan hurriedly continued, “Do you remember Han Fangfang?”

"Fangfang..." A glimmer of clarity sparked in patient number six's otherwise chaotic eyes, "Go home... Fangfang..."

It’s working!

Gu Shanshan clutched her bleeding abdomen, attempting to awaken him.

“Yes, you promised Han Fangfang that you would return home after recovering from your illness. She is still waiting for you at home.”

“Yes... I need to go home...”

Wang He’s hand slowly lowered.

Gu Shanshan took a deep breath, suppressing the severe nausea brought about by the pain.

She cast a glance at the second floor's wall.

The original nighttime rules posted on the second-floor corridor had now morphed into new nighttime rules, displaying a countdown of 26.

She had no idea what this countdown meant, but evidently, in half an hour, they would either be walking into a death trap or the instance would conclude.

With time pressing, fully aware that she might provoke Wang He, Gu Shanshan still spoke up, “Why didn't you go back then? Is your illness not cured yet?”

Mention of this triggered an immediate surge of anger from Wang He.

“They lied to me! They said they were going to cure me! They just wanted to use me for experiments!! That young guy also deceived me! He said it! Today was the last day!!”

“What do you mean by the last day?” Gu Shanshan hurriedly inquired.

“The last day of being a monster... he mentioned it! He said he would persuade Dr. Ge... he couldn’t!! He said he would make the dean die! He couldn't either!! He said he would set us free!!!”

Wang He clenched his fists in rage, smashing them against the wall.

“He couldn't do anything!! Yet he had to give us hope!!!”

“He said he would convince Ge Juan? Would Ge Juan agree to release you?”

Recollecting something, Wang He's angry expression substantially softened.

“Dr. Ge used to be... a good person.”

Suddenly, Gu Shanshan remembered the introduction under Ge Juan's picture in the hospital brochure, which noted her as the most popular with patients for three consecutive years.

“I understand now...” Gu Shanshan realized instantly, “There's something wrong with this instance! It lacks Ge Juan!!”

All the inconsistencies swiftly connected in her mind.

According to Qi Chenyang, the instance would offer every player a way to survive.

However, if all the players entering this instance were novices, it would be impossible for them to withstand the patient NPCs without medication, even a veteran player like Qi Chenyang struggled against patient number one.

Back then, Gu Shanshan had mentioned that according to the normal strategies to clear the game, there should be NPCs on their side providing support.

But the patient NPCs would mutate if not medicated, and would fall into a deep sleep if they took medicine, clearly lacking the potential to be of assistance.

Liu Hanxi... he must be the dean’s son. Ordinary patient NPCs, including Liu Hanyue, showed no signs of any connection with the sludge, yet both he and the dean could control it.

Taking into consideration that Ge Juan had been divorced before, it was highly probable... that Liu Hanyue was Ge Juan's child with her ex-husband, and Liu Hanxi was the child of Ge Juan and the dean.

Although Liu Hanyue was willing to help the players, the assistance she could offer was too minimal.

Liu Hanxi fundamentally didn't trust them.

Throughout this period, the players had been diligently seeking clues. If the clues weren't all destroyed together, which is why they found the lead involving Wang He and Han Fangfang like finding fish that slipped through the net, then there was another possibility.

The clue from Wang He was insignificant in the chain of clues.

More significant, instance-critical clues reside within the instance itself.

If this clue turns out to be the real Ge Juan herself, everything would make sense.

Supposing a team of novice players enters, the genuine, conscientious Ge Juan would become a person they could try to win over.

She is a doctor; she knows how to prevent the NPCs from mutating without inducing sleep, perhaps she even has a way to retain the sanity of the NPCs post-mutation.

Consequently, players can refrain from taking the medicine at night and work towards gaining the trust and support of the patient NPCs.

Additionally, she is Liu Hanxi's mother, and it's evident that Liu Hanxi harbors affection towards her.

Liu Hanyue despises her — this further substantiates that the real Ge Juan ought to be in this instance.

If the real Ge Juan is in the instance, the focal difficulty of the instance should be resolving the "misunderstanding" between Ge Juan and Liu Hanyue.

The real Ge Juan adores her daughter; even if she wished for her son to regain his sight and see the light once more, why would she want her daughter to sacrifice her own eyes?

Consider the other doctors in this instance; Han Qi had a bunch of teeth planted on him, He Xin could have his broken leg reattached, even the security personnel in the security room could have non-human lower bodies attached.

Their transplantation technology is already quite advanced; there is no absolute necessity for a relative to donate an eye.

There must be a compelling reason forcing her to do this... could she be coerced by the dean?

Think about it more carefully: the skeleton on the reading room's bookshelf, the ring engraved with the dean's name, including the normal people among the pivotal patient NPCs... this instance seems to be constructed around Ge Juan.

But now, this most critical NPC is a fake, an inferior copy that dares not face Liu Hanyue.

Could this be possible?

How did the players who managed to clear the game without this key NPC do it? Since some could clear it with a high survival rate, why is the clearance rate of the subsequent players terrifyingly low?

Or perhaps, precisely because one team of players cleared this instance, it rendered it impossible for subsequent players to do the same.

Someone took Ge Juan out of the instance!

This instance cannot be cleared using conventional methods of finding clues! They won't find any!!

"Jie Ge..."

Perhaps Xie Fangcheng's approach is the most correct one!

Dismantle it! Tear everything down!!

Countdown: 20.

At that moment, Number Six, who had just regained a slight lucidity triggered by a name, slipped back into chaos again.

He raised his hand, wavering unsteadily.

"Liberation... liberation!"

Saying this, Six's hand descended once more.

Gu Shanshan gritted her teeth, trying to roll away once more.

But she couldn't.

The wound in her abdomen had completely robbed her of the strength to resist.

No... I must notify Jie Ge... I must get him to bring out all the information about the instance...

But the palm, large as a cattail leaf fan, had already smashed down.

Gu Shanshan tried to shift forward a little.

But... it was futile.

Gu Shanshan was acutely aware that she couldn't evade this slap.

What to do?

In front of her, the wind stirred up by the palm already reached her, and just from the wind alone, blood started seeping from Gu Shanshan's nostrils.

It's over...

Just then, from behind Six, a long, thick, and bloated arm suddenly lunged forward, landing a punch on Six.

Gu Shanshan was stunned: "Xiao Qin..."

Both the patient NPCs and the players who had taken the medicine had mutated. Sun Miao had only taken two and already couldn't distinguish friend from foe; Lu Xiaoqin had taken two and a half, so why...

Six roared in fury, grappling with Lu Xiaoqin who was behind him.

Lu Xiaoqin's mutation was even more advanced, her strength surpassed that of Six, she barely resembled a human anymore, looking more like a gorilla.

But she had only just learned to control her body to fight with others, and originally she was already injured; now, after receiving several slaps from Six and bleeding profusely, she managed to hurl Six aside.

Before she could catch her breath, a hand with elongated nails pierced through her chest.

Lu Xiaoqin let out a piercing scream; Gu Shanshan, who was very close, felt as if the sound came from a great distance.

It seemed as if a divide had been created between her and Lu Xiaoqin, separating them into two different worlds.

Lu Xiaoqin, roaring, pounced onto Sun Miao, who was also experiencing his first time controlling such a monstrous body to attack others, quickly getting slapped into a corner by Lu Xiaoqin.

Finally having dealt with both, Lu Xiaoqin collapsed to the ground, her back facing Gu Shanshan.

"Xiaoqin... haven't you mutated?"

Lu Xiaoqin shook her head: "I have mutated, I took half a pill that Jie Ge gave me."

What she didn't voice was that she could have chosen not to take it initially.

Lu Xiaoqin was sharing a room with patient number one in the infirmary, and once mutated, the patient did not attack her, who was also in a mutated state.

Every person wishes to survive, and naturally, Lu Xiaoqin was no exception.

But she heard the roaring cries from number six outside.

Lu Xiaoqin was timid, but not stupid.

She strained her rather sluggish brain, pondering slowly until she finally understood.

Brother Qi, like them, had also consumed two pills and was about to undergo mutation, and mutated NPCs do not attack each other.

Brother Jie wouldn't mutate, but he had a swift hand when it came to fighting; a single strike from him could almost kill, and he wouldn't emit such furious, full-bodied roars.

Only left with... Shanshan.

Something must have happened, leaving Shanshan isolated.

Lu Xiaoqin immediately intended to open the door and step out.

The mutated patient number one entwined its hair around the door, staring intently at her.

"You can't... the Dean will be angry."

"I can't..."

Lu Xiaoqin reached out, but her mind was a turmoil of chaos. Unlike Qi Chanyang, whose body had developed a combat consciousness, the moment number one's hair slightly entwined around her, she found herself completely powerless to resist.

Must have the strength... to save Shanshan!

Lu Xiaoqin pulled out that half piece of medicine.

Gu Shanshan was clever; upon hearing her, she immediately realized that Lu Xiaoqin had taken that half piece of medicine for her sake.

A player would be led into a particularly perilous side quest if they consumed three pills, a situation that almost invariably resulted in death.

"Xiaoqin!"

Lu Xiaoqin gave a small smile: "I've already received the notification, only five minutes left."

[Regrettably informing you that you have overdosed on the medicine, your body is on the verge of collapse.]

[Please accept our condolences.]

[Countdown: 4:49]

Gu Shanshan's lips moved slightly.

Since entering the instance, the previously frightened Lu Xiaoqin now found herself immensely empowered due to the ingestion of the pills. Not only that, she felt herself merging with the instance, where once terrifying entities now seemed trivial and familiar, as though she had resided in this place for a long time.

Lu Xiaoqin rapidly relayed the current intelligence to Gu Shanshan.

"I feel now that these patient NPCs are my kin. When I look at them, it's like looking at fellow human beings. However, even though I have my back turned to you, I can still sense you because you and I are not of the same kind. Shanshan sis, I don't know how to describe this to you..."

"I understand," Gu Shanshan responded promptly, "It's like a river, and we are on opposite banks now."

"Yes," Lu Xiaoqin said with a smile, her voice had turned hoarse and parched, with intermittent pauses making her sound strikingly similar to the patient NPCs, "This medicine, when taken once or twice, induces a desire to sleep. But upon taking the third one, my mind has become exceptionally clear."

Like a brief resurgence of vitality before the end.

Lu Xiaoqin's nostrils twitched: "Sis Shanshan, can you smell that?... There's a scent of something burning."

Gu Shanshan inhaled deeply, her nostrils filled with the scent of blood, but she could not detect any smell of something being burnt.

Lu Xiaoqin spoke again, "It might be hysteria. I look around and feel as if everything is distorted... It's like viewing through flames."

Having said this, without waiting for Gu Shanshan to respond, Lu Xiaoqin suddenly stood up.

"Something is approaching."

She whispered, her face filled with caution.

In the next second, Gu Shanshan also saw what Lu Xiaoqin had spotted.