Chapter 146

Chapter 146

At least Liǔ Bùhuā was peculiar-looking; a sight that could make one uneasy if stared at for too long. However, the simultaneous outbreak of Lǚ Shuò and Sū Xúnlan's "mental illness" nearly drove the previously sane nursing participants mad.

Even Xiè Yìnxuě, who considered himself seasoned, struggled to witness the horrifying scene of Lǚ Shuò eating the vomit.

Determined to prevent this from happening again, everyone heeded Xiāo Sīyǔ's advice, maintaining a careful balance.

Ten minutes later, the patients' collective outbreak finally ceased.

"We need to rearrange our formation," said Cuī Rújié, sweat forming on her brow. To Liǔ Bùhuā, she added, "You have to stay beside Lǚ Shuò. If he acts up again, restrain him."

Liǔ Bùhuā stood firm as a rock, immovable by others. He was the ideal choice to hold back Lǚ Shuò.

She then looked at Sū Xúnlan, kneeling amidst the vomit, and said, "You walk at the front, the further from the group, the better."

"I... hurl!"

Just when Sū Xúnlan seemed done, the smell of her own vomit triggered her gag reflex. The others quickly stepped back, eyes wide with horror, dreading another wave of her vomiting.

With a face reddened in embarrassment, Su Xunlan, who had never before been in such a disheveled and foul state, clenched her jaw tight and stiffly uttered, "...Fine."

On the other side, having just endured a mortifying experience, Lv Shuo was filled with regret, slapping himself and muttering, "Damn this mouth of mine! Why did I say I had binge-eating disorder? Couldn't I have picked another ailment?"

The patient guidelines advised them to be cautious about conversing with roommates after dark. But now, having shared a room with Su Xunlan, Lv Shuo was even afraid to be close to her, wishing he could change rooms, let alone converse with her. What if she suddenly had another episode?

Chen Yun, who hadn’t witnessed the earlier scene because she was immobilized, had heard enough to grasp the horror. She cautioned Lv Shuo, "We're currently in the basement. Although the morgue is void of bodies and is relatively safe, you might not feel the urge to consume them. But when we move to the first floor, you'll need to be careful."

Lv Shuo paused from slapping himself, "What's on the first floor?"

Chen Yun hesitated, "The public restroom."

Lv Shuo: "..."

His first entrance to the survival game had been through a toilet, even being sucked in with the toilet bowl. Who else in this survival scenario had experienced such a ludicrous beginning? Having undergone the humiliation of defecating publicly, he believed he had hit rock bottom. But now he faced something even worse.

Like eating excrement publicly.

Rubbing his face in agony, Lv Shuo lamented, "I guess I'm cursed when it comes to toilets in this life, huh?"

Liu Buhua, patting him on the shoulder with a gruesome grin due to his disfigured face, comforted, "It's okay. Walk beside me, and I'll hold onto you."

"...Thank you." Lv Shuo felt that Liu Buhua was a genuinely good person, despite his current appearance not being suitable for smiling. He then inquired of Chen Yun, "By the way, why were you suddenly immobile?"

The asylum’s patient guidelines indicated that their behaviors were influenced by their ailments. For instance, Lv Shuo might collapse from hunger or be uncontrollably drawn to food; Thirteen would avoid crowded places due to his autism; and Bian Yuchen had to clean his path before stepping on it. But with Chen Yun's unusual eating disorder, why was she immobilized?

Chen Yun sighed, "I suddenly felt numb, as if stung by a scorpion and paralyzed by its venom."

"It makes sense. You have a penchant for eating scorpions. Getting paralyzed by a sting during consumption is logical," Xiao Siyu commented, rubbing his chin with one of his many hands. "But I sprouted extra limbs without any limitation. I can't even retract them. Now I'm like a spider. Peculiar."

"Exactly," Lv Shuo agreed, "And why these limbs for your phantom limb delusion?"

Xiao Siyu hesitated, "Actually, I had other phantom limbs just now."

Lv Shuo: "?"

Changing to a lighter topic, Xiao Siyu continued, "Seeing you all panicking, I thought, 'If only I had more arms to help.' And then, these arms just sprouted."

"You wanted to help me?"

Xie Yinxue suddenly spoke up.

When Xiao Siyu's gaze met his, Xie Yinxue delicately unfastened the safety belt on the wheelchair with his fingertips and whispered, "There's a safety belt on the wheelchair. I specifically released it to float up, as you saw."

Otherwise, how could he have flown to the ceiling?

"Right..." Xiao Siyu paused, slowly realizing after the young man's reminder, "I clearly saw you undo the belt yourself. Why then did I feel the need to help and pull you back?"

While he might have indeed assisted Lu Shuo, to Xie Yinxue, his actions were nothing but unwarranted interference.

"You once mentioned that you grew extra hands to help others," Chen Yun pondered for a moment, then added, "Could it be that when you have an episode, the reason you're restrained is that you want to assist other patients in their afflictions? I might not be articulating it perfectly, but that's the gist."

"I think you described it quite accurately," Lu Shuo agreed with Chen Yun. "If Mr. Xie really wanted to stay seated and not float up, it's easy, right? He wouldn't need Xiao Siyu's help. But Xiao Siyu believed he 'needed' assistance and went ahead to 'help' Mr. Xie. To put it bluntly, if Bian Yuchen was the only one around when Xiao Siyu had an episode, he might end up helping Bian Yuchen scrub the floor."

Xiao Siyu nodded, "Exactly."

At this point, Liu Buhua's expression turned complicated, "So, if you were only with Su Xunlan, would you try to stuff back whatever she vomits?"

Su Xunlan: "..."

Cui Rujie covered her mouth, suppressing her nausea, and pleaded, "Can we please change the topic?"

Bian Yuchen also looked distressed, "We still have to circle the hospital ten times. Can you all leave and discuss this while walking?"

He was afraid he'd have another episode, compelled by his obsessive cleanliness to clean up whatever Su Xunlan vomited.

"Yes, let's move quickly!" Xiang Fei and Song Qingyun both stepped forward, helping Lu Shuo up with Jie Qingmei and Lang Qi. "All four of us will support you. Let's not waste any more time."

Patient participants must adhere to the prescribed treatment plan, and the nurse participants need to assist patients with their "treatment" during the day. Thus, completing the treatment is everyone's shared goal. Moreover, no one knows when a patient might have another episode, so it's best to quickly complete the ten laps around the hospital while they're still in their right mind.

Yet, when they returned to their room after completing the ten laps, they didn't encounter a single patient participant having another episode.

Hu Li wondered, "Is it possible that our condition only manifests once a day?"

Bian Yuchen shook his head, "It's unlikely."

"I think it's just a way to get us accustomed to the state we're in during an episode." Saying this, Chen Yun looked up, gazing through the window at the darkening sky outside the hospital, "After all, night hasn't fallen yet."

As night approaches, they'll experience the "hallucinations" caused by their condition.

What kind of hallucinations are so terrifying that they'd leave their room in search of a nurse's company?

Xie Yinxue was very curious.

For it's inherently a fallacious proposition.

When you're forewarned that what you see are mere "illusions", there should be no fear, unless these "illusions" are manifestations of reality.

"Once night falls, stay in your room and sleep. No matter who comes seeking you, or speaks to you, do not acknowledge or respond," he advised.

Although confident in Liǔ Bùhuā's obedience, Xiè Yìnxuě emphasized, "That includes me."

True to his word, even before night fully descended, Liǔ Bùhuā ceased conversing with Xiè Yìnxuě, merely signaling an "OK" gesture and nodding in understanding.

As Xiè Yìnxuě smiled softly, about to return to his room, Liǔ Bùhuā tugged his sleeve, pointing towards the elevator.

Xiè Yìnxuě simply replied, "There's nothing."

The transparent rooms of Qīngshān Psychiatric Hospital, besides lacking privacy, were also not soundproof. Every conversation inside and outside could be clearly heard. Yet, even if they caught every word exchanged between Xiè Yìnxuě and Liǔ Bùhuā, it would still seem as if they were speaking in riddles.

Only Xiè Yìnxuě and Liǔ Bùhuā truly understood each other's intentions.

Earlier in the day, after changing into their patient uniforms and descending to rendezvous with the nurses, they had taken the elevator. However, Biàn Yǔchén, who previously ascended with them, opted for the stairs.

The reason being, the elevator immediately registered an overload upon entry, as if an additional passenger had boarded, even though there were still only three occupants.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, with no third party present, Xiè Yìnxuě activated his spiritual vision to survey the surroundings.

Yet, he discerned nothing.

The elevator space was unoccupied and expansive, devoid of anyone apart from Xiè Yìnxuě and Liǔ Bùhuā.

Thus, Liǔ Bùhuā pointed at the elevator, questioning Xiè Yìnxuě if there was a ghost inside. If not, why did the elevator register an overload? Could it be that the real "entity" wasn't inside the elevator but perhaps... above it from the outside?

At this moment, such thoughts weighed heavily on Xiè Yìnxuě's mind.

He stood outside Room 1's corridor, eyes fixed on the elevator.

As if to confirm his suspicion, the elevator, previously stationed inertly at the basement, as though sensing Xiè Yìnxuě's gaze, unexpectedly began to operate.

Rising gradually from the basement, it carried an oppressive, chilly air akin to an impending storm. The ever-changing bright red numbers on its display felt like a countdown to impending darkness, heralding—

The advent of night.

"Ding—"

The elevator doors opened in response.

This time, the elevator was crammed with "people" in tattered hospital gowns.