Chapter 158.

Chapter 158.

When faced with imminent danger, outward appearances and cleanliness often become the least of our concerns. On the brink of death, why should one care about their looks?

That's why no one could fathom why Liu Buhua's suitcase would contain such items.

Even Lv Shuo, who had witnessed Xie Yinxue's luxurious habits during the Gluttonous Feast and thought himself worldly, couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Liu... what are you doing?"

Liu Buhua, not facing Lv Shuo, only twisted his eyes, which were connected by blood vessels to the center of his head, in Lv Shuo's direction and replied, "Applying a whitening lotion."

Lv Shuo: "..."

He genuinely felt that Liu Buhua was the most bizarre and terrifying individual he had ever met in the Qing Shan Mental Hospital.

Xiao Siyu also couldn't help but ask, "You brought this into 'Lock Life'?"

"And a hydrating mist," Liu Buhua turned around, offering the blue spray bottle he had just used, "Would you like some?"

Xiao Siyu: "...No thanks."

However, recalling how Liu Buhua and Xie Yinxue had helped his sister, Xiao Siyu hesitated for a moment before asking, "What about food? Didn't you bring any?"

Liu Buhua replied, "Only my godfather brought his... not his life-extending drink, but bubble tea."

"We have lots of compressed biscuits. I bought them; they taste pretty good." Xiao Siyu, coming from a wealthy family, had bought high-quality biscuits that perfectly balanced taste and nutritional value. He generously offered a few packs, "Here, take some."

"It's okay; keep them for yourselves. My godfather doesn't like these biscuits," Liu Buhua declined with a wave and added nostalgically, "I'll eat at the cafeteria. But thank you for the offer."

"But the cafeteria..."

Xiao Siyu began, intending to remind Liu Buhua about the possible drugged meals from the day before. However, he suddenly realized that while others might dread those meals, for Liu Buhua, they might be a feast.

Xie Yinxue also came to this realization. The game didn't restrict their food intake; even if they didn't eat for seven days, they wouldn't starve. She might not have an appetite, but Liu Buhua did.

Judging by Liu Buhua's enthusiastic tone when mentioning the cafeteria, he probably hoped the meals served would still be those medicinal ones, didn't he?

Xie Yinxue was not going to let Liu Buhua's condition worsen. She promptly took the compressed biscuits offered by Xiao Siyu, thanked him, and firmly told Liu Buhua, "Buhua, eat the biscuits."

"Ah... alright then."

Liu Buhua sighed deeply. Even without a face, it was evident to Lv Shuo, Xiao Siyu, and the others that he felt very disappointed.

Xie Yinxue's heart was cold as stone, ignoring everything around and continued to gulp down his milk tea.

As dusk approached, everyone gathered in the patient's room.

The patient participants lay in bed while the nurse participants stood by their assigned patients, ensuring they took their medicine.

Xie Yinxue was paired with Zheng Shu again, but he hesitated to take his medicine.

Seeing the other patients drifting into sleep one after another, with only Xie Yinxue remaining awake, Zheng Shu urged, "Take it already. I want to head back to my dormitory to sleep."

The young man leaned against the bed's headboard. His long, raven hair was unrestrained, cascading over his shoulders, and his eyes drooped, revealing an uncharacteristic vulnerability in the dim light. Even the delicate fingers holding the pill seemed fragile.

Such a beautiful figure, yet the words from his lips nearly made Zheng Shu choke: "I'm not in the mood to take it."

The few remaining nurse participants cast sympathetic glances at Zheng Shu upon hearing Xie Yinxue's words.

"Come on, Master Xie, don't play with me like this," Zheng Shu, while admiring Xie Yinxue's appearance, pleaded, "Please, for the love of everything, just take the medicine."

Xie Yinxue quirked an eyebrow and retorted, "I haven't aged to that point yet. Why does everyone lately want to treat me as their grandfather?"

Zheng Shu pressed his palms together in a pleading gesture, empathizing with real-life medical workers dealing with difficult patients, "Just take the medicine, and I'll be whatever you want."

"I will," replied Xie Yinxue, "I just need to take a walk outside. I'll have it when I return. Go to sleep."

Zheng Shu stared at him, "How can I sleep knowing this?"

"I won't share my hallucinations with you," Xie Yinxue smirked, "Besides, even if I did take it, you wouldn't be able to sleep."

The young man was right.

Zheng Shu had sensed it for a while.

Looking around, he signaled Mu Yujing to distract the remaining nurses. Once sure no one nearby was listening, he whispered, "Do you have any clues?"

Without missing a beat, Xie Yinxue asked, "Share your 'Staff Guidelines' with me."

Zheng Shu hesitated for only a few seconds before reciting the entire "Qingshan Mental Hospital Staff Guidelines" to Xie Yinxue.

Upon hearing it, everything clicked for Xie Yinxue, "So that's why you all went into hiding."

Article IV of the "Inpatient Code of Conduct" states: [If you're too frightened to sleep alone at night, you may seek out a nurse, explain your hallucinations, and request their company. The nurse cannot refuse and is duty-bound to protect you.]

As for the term "protect" in the last sentence, Xie Yin Xue initially thought it meant: Only after the patient has relayed their hallucinations, and the nurse can see them too, is there a need to protect the patient.

However, Article IV of the "Staff Code of Conduct" dictates: [If you are inadvertently found, an inpatient may ask for your company. You cannot decline. Should the patient describe their hallucinations to you during this time, do not believe them. Since you're not a patient, ensure the patient is safeguarded from the harm of these visions—it's your sworn duty.]

This rule implies that, as the scenario progresses, there's a high likelihood of patients getting harmed by hallucinations.

Hence, there exists a possibility: When a nurse encounters a patient, and the patient is under attack from a hallucination and can't or is too severely hurt to speak of it—this situation contradicts Xie Yin Xue's initial understanding.

Thus, concerning these two rules, the accurate interpretation should be: Regardless of whether the nurse can see the patient's hallucinations, if they come across a patient suffering from them, they must protect the patient.

—Being able to perceive the hallucinations is a prerequisite for the nurse to shield the patient.

Without this ability, the nurse wouldn't know what is attacking the patient or how, let alone how to protect them by aiding in their escape or hiding.

If a patient were to die before they could describe their hallucinations upon encountering a nurse, that nurse would be failing their fundamental duty of protection.

To avoid such extreme scenarios, the best course of action for the nurses is to hide and remain undiscovered by the patients. In this manner, even if all patients perish, the nurses would not be held accountable.

"You're hiding not from the hallucinations of the patients, but from the patients themselves."

The relationship between nurses and patients is truly perplexing; it took Xie Yin Xue a moment to grasp.

"Correct." Zheng Shu nodded, hinting to Xie Yin Xue, "I've betrayed our nurse organization by revealing this grand secret to you. You ought to provide me with some useful clues, right?"

"If you want to sleep, it's simple," Xie Yin Xue, knowing what Zheng Shu wanted to ask, didn't beat around the bush, "I believe your sister already guessed how nurses can sleep. She doesn't need my advice."

Zheng Shu was slightly resentful, "Why do you assume she figured it out and not me?"

"You're not as attentive as her," Xie Yin Xue replied with a gentle smile, looking towards the patient named Liu Bu Hua in room two, who was sleeping soundly. Before leaving the room, Mu Yu Ji had tucked him in, "Men tend to lag in this respect."

Just like Chen Yun.

With just a single glance from him during the day, she could immediately detect hidden meanings in his words, then deduce the truth by piecing together what others said.

Even Zheng Shu had to admit that Xie Yin Xue was right.

Earlier, when they left the recreational room, he mentioned to Mu Yu Ji, "We should think tonight about why we can't sleep." However, his sister immediately responded, "Stop wondering. We can never sleep. The diary was right; no one can clear this scenario."

"Damn it, sis, don't tell me you've been affected by those ridiculous diaries?" Were it not for the people around, Zheng Shu would have shaken Mu Yujing's shoulder, urging her to snap out of such pessimism.

"Shu, don't you get it?" Mu Yujing countered, "Here, whether you're a nurse or a patient, there's only one way to sleep: by taking sleeping pills."

"…I know." Zheng Shu remained silent for a long while before speaking, "But we can't take them."

[Always remember, you are a nurse, not a patient.]

The last rule of the "Staff Code" made it abundantly clear.

Those medicines are prescribed for patients with illnesses. What does it mean when nurses steal and consume a patient's medication? Have the nurses lost their minds too?

Zheng Shu had an inkling about some truths, like regarding Bian Yuchen.

There were many oddities about him: Auntie Mary addressed him as "Chenchen", and he knew about the existence of the patient's diary earlier than anyone. His identity was quite apparent by then.

Yet, it was only when Mu Yujing pierced through the paper-thin veil hiding the truth that Zheng Shu began to feel an undeniable panic rising.

Because Bian Yuchen had once cleared the level as a "nurse" and now returned in the role of a "patient".

Logically speaking, having endured the cruel challenges of the entire scenario, Bian Yuchen should be well-acquainted with every rule of both the "Inpatient Code" and "Staff Code". He should know the Qing Shan Psychiatric Hospital better than any of them. While he didn't directly reveal his identity, he gave away clues hinting that Xie Yinxue was the deranged nurse.

If he genuinely wanted to hide his identity, he wouldn't have gone to the patient's recreation room the previous night to show Xie Yinxue the diary.

Why then this contradictory behavior?

This is what Mu Yujing said at the time: "If he revealed his identity, everyone would plunge into despair."

As written in the diary, no one can complete this scenario successfully.

Even Bian Yuchen, who might have been the only survivor from the previous round, didn't know.