Chapter 159.3 Frank Hospital
After several days of poor sleep, Wen Shi immediately collapsed on the bed upon returning to his room. He woke up again the next day when the room’s doorbell interrupted his rest.
Wen Shi was brought to the Second Commandment Guild.
Inside the same building, occupied by the same group of people he had discussed matters with before entering the standalone instance, the only exception was the absence of the Vice Leader of the First Commandment Guild, Qi Qi. Xiao Hua sat in Qi Qi’s place, cheerfully waving to Wen Shi. “You’re quite generous.”
She was referring to Wen Shi’s decision to allocate additional points.
Wen Shi smiled without saying a word. Everyone had a rough idea of how many chips Bank President had put in. Since he had decided to contribute, it had to be done generously to gain true favors.
Yu Xingzhou switched to a lighter mask, as looking at it for too long could be dizzying, similar to the feeling of losing rationality. He got straight to the point, “Has Qi Qi’s divination revealed anything?”
Li Nan then turned to Wen Shi and said, “Bring Song Yan with us.”
His statement was essentially the divination’s outcome.
Wen Shi sighed with a slight headache. “I’ll ask him when I get back.”
He felt the need to consult Song Yan’s opinion first. Bringing someone into a 3S instance after only experiencing two instances seemed a bit unfair, no matter how he looked at it.
Yu Xingzhou: “In that case, there’s no need to invite anyone else. Even the most advanced team item has its effects halved in a super-tier instance. We’re limited to a maximum of five people in a team.”
The available slots were already filled.
As Wen Shi had estimated, Xiao Hua chose not to participate in this instance expedition.
“Boss, you absolutely must come back alive, or I’ll be heartbroken to death.” Xiao Hua had plenty of unfulfilled fantasies.
Yu Xingzhou replied calmly, “I will, I have to consider the guild’s future.”
If Xiao Hua were to lead the guild in the future, the ones who would be heartbroken to death would be the guild members.
The exact opening time of the instance was unknown, but Wen Shi, who possessed the World Shard, would certainly sense it when it was about to open. To facilitate immediate contact, Li Nan temporarily stayed in the hotel affiliated with the Second Commandment Guild. Yu Xingzhou and Ji Yuanzhi did the same. During this period, no one took the initiative to enter the instance or return to the real world.
Upon hearing that he would be joining Wen Shi for an instance, Song Yan, an absolute fanboy, displayed tremendous enthusiasm, completely disregarding the difficulty.
Wen Shi wanted to emphasize the danger of this instance to him, but before he could, some unexpected visitors arrived.
Liu Yuan and Liu Yun supported Zhou Xiaochun on either side, the latter weakly greeted him.
Wen Shi was taken aback. “You got beaten up?”
Zhou Xiaochun chuckled weakly. “Divination, 3S instance going live. I made a small investment, assuming the information I divined would be useful. Remember to share some rewards with me later.”
It was more of a friendship than an investment. Considering the player survival rate and the difficulty of divination, the risk of this investment was too high.
Wen Shi was surprised that Zhou Xiaochun dared to dabble in divining matters related to the 3S instance. The absence of Qi Qi today was most likely due to the backlash of the divination.
Knowing what Wen Shi was curious about, Zhou Xiaochun briefly explained, “Advanced divination can perform a second capture based on the information at hand of the player. You definitely hold something valuable.” Speaking was difficult for him in his current condition, so he didn’t want to say much. He only revealed the result, “Whole and part.”
Those vague words, however, made Wen Shi quite grateful.
Zhou Xiaochun didn’t stay long and had to go find Ji Yuanzhi. In a way, those who joined them on the previous instance owed him a favor. Zhou Xiaochun needed Ji Yuanzhi to ask for an item to delay an instance, as he couldn’t recover in less than half a month in his current state.
After Zhou Xiaochun left, Wen Shi sat alone on the edge of the bed, lost in thought.
The information provided by Boss Mei, Qi Qi, and Zhou Xiaochun should be related to the same thing. Zhou Xiaochun’s input, building upon the first two, had a more specific perspective. Song Yan could transform into the Philosophical Mirror, allowing one to view both the whole and the parts from a philosophical perspective.
After studying philosophy for two days, Wen Shi’s mind was filled with dialectics. On the third day, the World Shard started to emit a faint warmth, spreading from his backpack to his whole body. Wen Shi, who was reading, immediately tossed the book aside and called Ji Yuanzhi and the others.
They met in a hotel room, and by this time, the World Shard had emerged from the backpack and floated into Wen Shi’s hand.
“It looks like it’s time.” Yu Xingzhou squinted, taking out the team-up item.
【Full Team Formation Successful】
【Instance Matching in Progress…】
【Detection of a World Shard holder in the team. The instance is a targeted instance called “Frank Hospital.”】
【Instance Loading…】
【Loading Successful!】
As the world plunged into darkness, Wen Shi heard an introduction from the notification sound.
【Frank Hospital: Small to Medium-sized Instance
Difficulty: 3S
Initial Number of Players: 21
Plot Summary: In the forgotten days of yore, the first director established Frank Hospital as a symbol of freedom, candor, and generosity. After the mysterious disappearance of the first director, chaos reigned within the hospital, but it never ceased its operations and remained a renowned institution.
Frank Hospital confines bloodthirsty maniacs, terrifying mental patients, and innocent victims. They say the line between genius and madness is razor-thin. If you’re clever, you must be cautious here and guard against becoming one with this place!
Character Identity: Your name is Aaron. Months after your dispute with the director, you’ve finally decided to return. During your days of wandering, you discovered your true identity as an heir, made some good friends, and even struck a deal with a wicked monster. Now, you’re fully armed and ready.
This time, everything that belongs to you, you’re taking it all back!】
【Note: You cannot summon your parallel world self within the special instance.】
【Note: Homestead functions are temporarily disabled within the special instance.】
Wen Shi’s brow twitched. The introduction of this character identity left him somewhat speechless.
When he heard that he couldn’t summon his family, he surprisingly remained calm. Everything arranged by the game, all the protection he received from his family in previous instances, seemed to lead up to this moment.
“Try not to rely on others too much. Stay as steady as possible.”
When the world regained its light, Wen Shi silently recited these two sentences as a reminder to himself.
“It’s your privilege to start working at Frank Hospital right after graduation,” the instructor spoke loudly to the students. “You are simply the luckiest batch of students. Not only will you soon meet the Director in person, but you also encountered an official Doctor from Frank Hospital on the way.”
Standing in two rows, Wen Shi noticed that he was alone on one side. When he saw the speaking NPC, the system automatically popped up with an introduction.
【Instructor: A worker who specializes in training interns for advanced hospitals.】
【Just back in the familiar city, you unexpectedly met a group of young people about to start working at the hospital. During the conversation, the instructor learned that you are a doctor at Frank Hospital and became very excited. You all decided to travel together to Frank Hospital.】
Wen Shi’s entire face darkened.
No wonder the game considerately provided an introduction for the NPC. The instructor’s statement about seeing the director in person later was like a death sentence!
Having already come face-to-face with the NPC, he couldn’t alter his appearance again. Wen Shi originally thought the the game would handle things smoothly, perhaps by ensuring that both sides wouldn’t meet directly due to reasons like the director being on leave. He didn’t expect the game’s design would be a deadly encounter.
If A’Ao, who had been conned by him several times, met him in person, there was no doubt he would be torn to shreds.
“I suddenly remembered I have something to do.” Wen Shi directly pushed past the NPC and sprinted in the opposite direction.
The instructor was left utterly confused by his actions.
Players looked at each other in astonishment. Running away like this was something only newbies would do. What made it even more critical was that Wen Shi initiated the retreat himself. One of the players couldn’t help but ask Ji Yuanzhi, “I heard you two have a decent relationship. Why didn’t he take you with him?”
If he sensed danger, he should have at least called out to his companion before leaving.
The sky was now dark, making it difficult to see many people. The old buildings on both sides appeared even more weathered in the twilight. A mechanical voice delivered a chilling reminder.
【Please arrive at Frank Hospital before midnight.】
Wen Shi decisively jumped onto a carriage. When the coachman heard the destination, he was about to refuse, but a dagger was placed at his throat.
“Now, immediately, right away,” Wen Shi demanded through gritted teeth.
With his life hanging by a thread, the carriage practically smoked as it rushed along. After about half an hour, Wen Shi, who had just sworn to be steady and not rely on anyone, stood mournfully in front of a terrifying iron gate.
At the top of the sharp-edged castle, the moon appeared as though it might be pierced by the spires. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door, stepping inside.
Neither the outer nor inner doors were open. Following the route from his memory, Wen Shi went upstairs.
Behind a stone door at the end of the corridor.
The castle master was sitting on a luxurious sofa, reading a book. His scepter was almost always by his side. After turning a page, the Earl’s expression turned slightly cold. “Lately, these mice have become more audacious.”
A hand with prominent bones suddenly gripped the staff. The castle master stood up and walked toward the door.
As the door opened, the staff was about to strike at the intruder’s life. Wen Shi, who was prepared in advance, stood a few meters away, wearing an awkward smile.
The castle master showed a hint of surprise between his brows. “You?”
Wen Shi looked at the Earl, who was wearing a luxurious, almost floor-length robe. He thought to himself that the Earl’s routine was becoming more regular. Luckily, there weren’t too many noticeable wrinkles in the fabric, indicating that the Earl hadn’t gone to bed yet.
“I’ve come specifically to extend an invitation for afternoon tea in some time.” Wen Shi forced a natural smile. “But before that, could you give me a ride to my night shift?”
“……”
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