Chapter 161 Frank Hospital
The commotion was so loud that everyone, unless they were deaf, could hear it. A’Ao knew that even the interns in the prayer room saw it crystal clear.
However, only one person stared blankly at him.
Seventh Commandment Guild Leader quickly looked away, but it was too late. A’Ao’s eyes held a chilling intent to kill.
A’Ao stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his eye, the smeared dark red making him look like a strange clown. “Where are the others?”
A player replied, “They went out to the restroom.”
Taking a bathroom break was always a reliable excuse.
“Go get them and bring them back.”
Blood dripped from the spot where A’Ao’s wrist met the iron hook. The wound was infested with maggots. He appeared to be devoid of pain, his astonishment rooted in one startling fact: the Earl had grown immensely powerful!
Mind racing, A’Ao’s resentful gaze quickly glanced up at the ceiling. If the patients on the upper floors were willing to help, he wouldn’t be in such a sorry state tonight.
A’Ao tightly clenched his remaining intact hand, enduring it for a little while longer. Once he found what he needed, the entire hospital would have to follow his command.
Wen Shi and the others returned quickly.
Pretending not to be familiar with Li Nan and the rest, Wen Shi entered the room ahead. The moment he saw the wound on A’Ao’s face, he became furious. “Hospital disruption, an absolute hospital disruption! The Earl has become too audacious. I suggest you report him to the sheriff.”
Although he appeared angry, when scolding the castle master, Wen Shi leisurely pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, clearly gloating.
Their gazes met in mid-air, but Wen Shi didn’t flinch. He displayed two faces at once, projecting an air of confidence to make A’Ao wary.
After a pause, he hinted, “Within the hospital’s jurisdiction, you can make arrangements as you please. Outside of it…”
If the enemy did not casually use the hook to dig into people’s flesh, he would not employ the Earl.
As he spoke, he glanced out the window. The corner of the carriage that had been faintly visible before had disappeared, indicating that the Earl had left.
The Earl was very wary of Frank Hospital, and unless there were special circumstances, he had a habit of going to sleep before midnight.
Wen Shi remained composed. If a thorough beating, with the Earl’s backing, didn’t bring A’Ao to his senses, he didn’t mind giving him another lesson with a sword. With the Earl as a backup, it was bound to work eventually.
A pool of blood had gathered beneath A’Ao’s rain boots. Surprisingly, he remained calm at this moment, ignoring Wen Shi’s remark and instead continuing his earlier unfinished instructions.
“Interns have night shifts too.” After emphasizing a bunch of work-related notes and accommodations, a malicious grin returned to A’Ao’s face. He pointed his rusty iron hook at Song Yan and Li Nan, “Both of you are responsible for administering medication to the patients on the first floor’s south wing. Make sure they swallow the pills, and thoroughly check their mouths afterward.”
A’Ao also assigned Ji Yuanzhi and Yu Xingzhou to administer medication to the patients in the north wing and issued a demand, “It’s not healthy for patients to take medication too late. Medication rounds must be completed before one o’clock.”
Some people wished they had left immediately earlier. Staying in the prayer room proved to be a bad choice. Usually, patients on the first floor were relatively safer.
Afterwards, A’Ao assigned ten players to administer injections on the second floor, both north and south wings, with the same requirement of finishing before one o’clock.
Those who didn’t get assigned immediately grew nervous, fearing they’d be sent to the third floor.
But the situation was better than they had feared. A’Ao divided the six doctors into two shifts, also assigning them on the second floor. “One group works from two to four in the morning, and the other takes over from four-thirty to six. Be vigilant to prevent any runaway patient.
“…As for Dr. Aaron, you’ve returned from a long journey. Tonight, rest in the office.”
This arrangement genuinely surprised everyone as it was evident that A’Ao was not pleased with Wen Shi. However, upon reflection, it became clear that it wasn’t a matter of not wanting to assign him but that the instance triggerer had inherent advantages.
If only A’Ao had his way, he would have sent him to the highest floor.
“There are two more things you need to take note of. Unless a patient escapes, deaths on the night shift will be subject to disciplinary action. Most importantly, don’t let the patients assimilate you and turn you into a lunatic like them!”
When mentioning disciplinary action, A’Ao’s tone remained flat, but when he emphasized the importance of not succumbing to the patients’ assimilation, his expression carried a strange sense of anticipation.
After organizing the tasks, A’Ao left with heavy steps. His rain boots treaded through the blood on the floor, leaving behind bloody footprints. As he passed by Wen Shi, he paused for a moment and whispered in a low voice, “It’s best to sleep with your eyes open tonight.”
Ignoring the threats to his safety, Wen Shi left after A’Ao, heading straight back to his office.
The door was broken, and the office was a mess, perfectly preserving its appearance from before he left.
Wen Shi quickly tidied up the sofa. It felt odd to be the only one not on a quest while others were occupied. After taking out the trash and returning, he stared at the rules posted on the wall, momentarily unable to move his feet.
“Friendship Day.”
As he looked at those two words mentioned in the rules, a mix of emotions filled Wen Shi’s heart. To see Frank’s reputation brought to such a state left him contemplating what his late father would think if he were looking down from above.
【Main Quest Generated】
The sudden system notification caused his eyeglass to slip down slightly. The game rarely generated main quests so quickly on the first day of an instance.
The mechanical voice had a subtle difference from usual, carrying a hint of indescribable eeriness.
【Main Quest: Survive for Seven Days】
Quest Details: On the first day, you returned;
On the second day, you need to save an innocent victim;
On the third day, you venture into the deep zones;
On the fourth day, you decide to kill the Director;
On the fifth day, you start searching for an important item in the hospital;
On the sixth day, you gain the trust of the patients and are awarded the title of Outstanding Doctor of the Year;
On the seventh day, you successfully inherit the hospital.】
【Note: If you fail to complete the required tasks within any given day, the game will commemorate your seventh-day memorial.】
Wen Shi chuckled.
The Earl was also awaiting his seventh-day memorial, even planning to publish it in the newspaper. Thanks a lot, really.
“Seven days…” He sat down on the sofa. The game had essentially given him a to-do list, with some items being rather vague. However, just killing the hospital director was already a monumental challenge.
The game wouldn’t allow him to exploit the Earl to kill the director. He probably wouldn’t be able to leave the hospital for the next few days.
“In the end, it seems that I can only rely on myself.” Wen Shi forced a bitter smile and, for a moment, frowned as he gazed at the moon on the horizon. “Why hasn’t Jian Qingrong appeared yet?”
The purifying power of the Lord of Terror should be able to help him deal with A’Ao.
•
While Wen Shi was proudly raising the banner of self-reliance under the moonlight, he was actually testing the waters, attempting to freeload while pretending otherwise. Meanwhile, Song Yan and Li Nan were diligently focused on completing their tasks.
Frank Hospital made a good amount of money, but A’Ao was extremely stingy, refusing even to replace the cracked floor tiles. The blood and mud in the gaps easily stuck to the soles of shoes, creating an unpleasant odor that irritated the patients. The throaty, beast-like roars that emanated from them through the gaps were quite unsettling to hear.
The south wing housed only male patients. In the empty corridor, Song Yan glanced at Li Nan, and after a nod from him, Song Yan pushed open the door to the first ward.
The moment he entered, Song Yan felt like he was in an aquarium, not a hospital ward.
Like a depressed goldfish frantically banging against the glass, the patient’s violently shaking body caused the iron bed to creak. The hemp rope, used as a restraint, rubbed harshly against his skin. His mouth was stuffed, preventing him from uttering complete sentences.
Seeing someone enter, the patient’s eyes shimmered with a pleading light, as if he wanted to say something.
Their initial purpose was to administer medication. Song Yan removed the mouthpiece from the patient. This device, cleverly designed to prevent patients from shouting loudly, was much smaller than the standard type. It ensured that the patients, unable to scream, could still emit painful, hoarse cries.
Given a momentary reprieve, the patient looked sorrowful as he said, “This hospital…”
However, at that moment, Li Nan moved so swiftly that he seemed to leave a lingering afterimage. He firmly gripped the patient’s face and, with a skillful twist, dislocated the patient’s lower jaw joint on the spot.
“He wanted to lower your guard and bite his tongue to commit suicide.” The mouthpiece also served to prevent self-harm.
Li Nan took the medicine from Song Yan’s hand and forcefully poured it down the patient’s barely open mouth. “Once he dies, we trigger the punishment rule.”
The patient’s eyes were practically shooting flames at them.
Song Yan stood by, discovering that he had a knack for a certain type of memory. Upon learning the patient had ulterior motives, that painful yet deliberately pitiful calculating expression immediately generated a template in his mind. From this, he evolved more than ten variations of expressions.
This was just the first ward. When they reached the second one, a patient had already managed to free one arm from the hemp rope restraints and was attempting to undo the other, bending over to reach the broken tiles on the floor.
While Li Nan went to stop him, Song Yan sensed something was wrong.
It seemed that at regular intervals, the patients gained a certain degree of mobility. If they didn’t administer the medication to all the patients in the shortest possible time, casualties were inevitable. Yet, there were only two of them responsible for the entire south ward.
On the north wing.
Yu Xingzhou and Ji Yuanzhi were in charge of female patients.
Having long recognized the urgency of the medication quest and relying on Ji Yuanzhi’s【Hallucination】skill, they managed the situation with ease.
“Something doesn’t feel quite right,” Yu Xingzhou said, his gaze dark as they smoothly exited the second-to-last ward.
Administering medication as an opening side quest for an S+ instance was manageable. It was even bearable for a 2S instance. However, placed in a 3S-level instance, the initial difficulty felt a bit off.
Ji Yuanzhi also sensed something unusual. “Do you want me to analyze the information?”
Yu Xingzhou shook his head. “We’ve completed most of the quest. Further analysis won’t be meaningful.”
The most troublesome scenario would be an unsolvable death rule, but they were still alive, eliminating that possibility.
“Let’s continue.” He glanced at the nurse’s station clock. They had ample time, with half an hour remaining.
Tonight, the players’ quests were progressing quite smoothly.
Before one o’clock in the morning, all the patients on the first floor had been successfully administered their medication. Simultaneously, players responsible for injections on the second floor also completed their quests.
Designated as an A-level danger zone, the patients on the second floor were highly aggressive. Most players here barely managed to complete the injection quest without getting injured. Fortunately, they manage to handle these situations with a fair share of close calls.
At two o’clock, the first group of players on duty began their work, patrolling to prevent any runaway patient. During their shifts, players were required to fill out night shift forms, recording the events and outcomes.
Since there was no specific format, the form was filled out somewhat hastily:
【At three-thirty in the morning, we discovered a runaway patient in the restroom. We engaged in a fierce battle and successfully escorted the patient back to their room.
At three fifty in the morning, medical intern Liu Chen discovered a patient hidden in a trash can and successfully apprehended them. Ten minutes later, the shift changed.
At five thirty in the morning, a patient attempted to disguise themselves as a nurse but was exposed and put up a fierce resistance. Due to the patient’s extreme aggression, five medical interns, including Qian Yue and Hu Bumeng, joined forces to subdue them.
At six in the morning, the night shift ended.】
All the players finishing their night shifts were collectively assigned to the intern dormitory to rest.
The intern dormitory was conveniently located near the prayer room. The interior was rather inhumane, with small, narrow cubicles crammed with beds, offering little ventilation and resulting in an extremely poor environment.
In comparison, Wen Shi’s office could already be considered a well-maintained environment.
With the help of a teddy bear keeping watch, Wen Shi slept relatively soundly on the sofa during the latter half of the night. At dawn, the sound of the plump nurse’s impatient urging echoed in the corridor, “Prayer Room, everyone gather in the Prayer Room!”
Awakened by the noise, Wen Shi rubbed his temples, and headed towards the prayer room.
The iron railing outside the window had been repaired. Today, the prayer room felt more spacious, mainly because there were fewer people.
As the plump nurse went to pray in front of the crucifix, Wen Shi scanned the room and asked Yu Xingzhou, “Where’s Ji Yuanzhi?”
Yu Xingzhou replied in a grave tone, “He was called out by a nurse in the middle of the night and hasn’t returned since.”
It wasn’t just Ji Yuanzhi. Five players were also missing. One of them had just finished the night shift at 6 AM and hadn’t even entered the dormitory before being taken away by a nurse.
After the plump nurse finished her prayers, she barked, “Follow me!”
Patients on the first and second floors were much easier to manage during the day, as suicide tendencies were rare in daylight. As they passed by the torture chamber, they heard the agonizing screams of patients, causing dust and small insects to fall from the ceiling.
“Hurry up, what are you dilly-dallying for?” The plump nurse noticed a player swatting spiders off their body and urged them loudly.
This was Wen Shi’s first time setting foot in the second-floor area. Unlike before, the game didn’t warn him that it was a danger zone.
The layouts of the first two floors were similar, with the nurse’s station closest to the staircase. Starting from about one-third of the corridor, the area was plunged into darkness, making it impossible to see further.
The plump nurse led them into that dimly lit area, where an indescribable odor was lingering in the corridor. Wen Shi found it somewhat familiar and then realized it was similar to the smell of the mortuary from his previous instance.
At the end of the corridor was an “ice chamber,” with numerous buckets of ice piled up in a corner. Four stretchers covered in white cloth were lined up on the concrete floor.
The plump nurse emphasized, “In the event of unexpected patient deaths, they must be cremated within a day to prevent the spread of disease and disaster.”
Wen Shi wasn’t aware of what happened last night and asked quietly, “Were there any patient deaths last night?”
Song Yan shook his head. “Not while I was administering medication.”
Wen Shi suddenly felt an ominous premonition.
Some quick-witted players eagerly paired up to carry the stretchers, earning praise from the plump nurse.
Unfortunately, their eagerness didn’t pay off. The stretchers were crudely constructed with bamboo poles and hemp ropes, showing signs of deformation from long-term use. The two players couldn’t steady it, causing the body to tumble to the ground.
After hearing the loud thud, the plump nurse pointed her finger directly at them and scolded them harshly, “You can’t even handle such a simple task? How were you taught by your instructor…”
She used a string of different insults, but the scolded players couldn’t absorb a single word. They stared fixedly at the body that had rolled to their feet.
The corpse had its mouth wide open, with vomit all over its chest and damp, blood-soaked hair sticking to its forehead. Its eyes remained open in death, and its bloodshot pupils met those of the players, causing one of them to involuntarily step back.
“Zhao…” His chest heaved violently, almost uttering the deceased’s real name.
It wasn’t a patient who had died. It was one of the players, and a player who ranked in the top fifty at that.
Yu Xingzhou’s expression changed suddenly. He went ahead to unveil the white sheets covering the other bodies.
Each face was eerily familiar. When he didn’t see Ji Yuanzhi among them, Yu Xingzhou’s shoulders slumped slightly, but the relief was short-lived. Six players had been called away last night. Four were now dead in a gruesome way. One of them had even suffered severe facial injuries.
The plump nurse, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, stood behind Yu Xingzhou and gazed at the lifted white sheets. Her cold and damp breath brushed against his cheek as she asked, “What are you looking for?”
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