Chapter 162.1 Frank Hospital
The plump nurse stood close. Her bones and flesh appeared distinct, with fat clearly separated and heaped up like a mound, pressing towards Yu Xingzhou.
The ice in the nearby buckets melted slowly, mixing with the smell of formaldehyde and disinfectant, which heightened people’s senses.
“Why do you keep wearing that mask?” The plump nurse reached out to take it off.
Yu Xingzhou coldly avoided her. “I had been disfigured. I’m afraid of startling others.”
The plump nurse wanted to question the truth of this matter but there was noise from outside the door as two more nurses entered, carrying a stretcher. They had been on the third floor earlier and were now sweating heavily. After placing the stretcher down, one of the nurses went to cool off by the ice bucket. She noticed that a player was staring at her and spoke rudely, “From now on, these things are all your responsibility. I hope you can handle it without burdening the hospital.”
The plump nurse clapped her hands and said, “Come with me to burn these things.”
The newly brought-in body was a player with long hair. Now, only Ji Yuanzhi remained missing.
The plump nurse walked ahead. Behind her, Wen Shi held a white cloth between two fingers, carefully examining each deceased person. The players had met various fates, with some having their bodies opened up, their organs spilling onto the stretcher. In contrast, the corpse carried by Li Nan and Song Yan appeared less gruesome, with wide-open eyes and stiff limbs, as if they had been frightened to death.
A burning pit had been prepared behind the main building, dug deep by the gatekeeper. The lifeless bodies were carelessly thrown into the pit, while the plump nurse, devoid of emotion, stood by its edge, pouring an unknown solution.
When the flames met the solution, the temperature shot up quickly, forcing the players to step back. The smell of burnt flesh was extremely foul, but the nurse seemed to enjoy it. Sweat dripped down her chubby face, murky like wax.
The players covered their noses and mouths, losing their usual ability to control their expressions.
Among the five deceased, the most powerful was ranked eleventh on the leaderboard, but his body had almost no good flesh left. It wasn’t hard to guess that he had encountered an extreme situation, with no chance to resist.
After burning the bodies, the plump nurse’s appetite surged. She led everyone to get their meals.
The last time Wen Shi came to Frank Hospital, they didn’t offer meals. Perhaps due to the arrival of the interns, free boxed meals were now provided. The hospital didn’t have a dedicated cafeteria, so they had to eat in the intern dormitory.
Cramped cubicles with the smell of unpleasant food and poor ventilation made the air quality unbearable. Wen Shi called Li Nan and the others into his office.
However, none of the four had an appetite to eat now. Song Yan was the first to speak, “This whole thing doesn’t make sense.”
Ji Yuanzhi and Yu Xingzhou were doing the same quest together. There was no reason for only one of them to be taken.
Li Nan sπhook his head. “All the deaths have conditions. We just haven’t discovered the pattern yet.”
Dirt that hadn’t been cleaned off was visible on the edges of the knife and fork. Wen Shi stared at the gleaming blade for a moment and then said, “Tell me about your quests.”
The Kingdom function became apparent as Song Yan, as an apostle, could directly share his attribute interface.
【Quest: Administer Medication
Quest Details: Administer medication to patients in the south wing before 1 AM.
Note: Frank Hospital is a compassionate institution. A qualified doctor should have a deep understanding of the patients’ mental states. They should genuinely care for the patients and refrain from intentionally causing harm or injury to them.】
It fit the game’s usual quirkiness, talking about compassion in a place devoid of daylight.
Yu Xingzhou stood to the side and mentioned about the conditions of two of the deceased whom he knew better. “Zhao Mao had a top-tier charm skill and wielded the weapon【Soul-Eradicating Arrow】, a type of concealed weapon. Chen Miao’s skill was relatively rare, called【Death Blast】. It can rupture organs from a distance. With their individual abilities, escaping from ordinary NPCs would have been no problem.
“…When Ji Yuanzhi was called away, it seemed like he realized something and pointed towards his left eye.”
There was no time for more words as the two plump nurses ushered him away.
Song Yan’s mind wasn’t as sharp as advanced players, but when it came to a certain someone, his reaction was quick. “He should have been pointing at a single-lens eyeglass.”
The only person here wearing a single-lens eyeglass was Wen Shi.
Upon hearing this, Wen Shi fell into contemplation. He had no direct involvement with the quest, but Ji Yuanzhi seemed to be hinting that he knew something.
While Song Yan detailed his experiences with medication administration, the food on the table had gone cold. Suddenly, Wen Shi’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant. “It’s the symptoms.”
Two days before the instance started, he had shared the information he obtained in the Golden City with the others, including a clue extracted from the live stream.
The patients’ strength and abilities at Frank Hospital were not directly tied to their numbers. It was based on their symptoms.
For example, a monster patient who had been tortured to death and suffered from delusions might develop unique abilities like creating illusions or turning the unreal into reality.
“Did Ji Yuanzhi use a skill while administering the medication?”
Yu Xingzhou also realized it and nodded. The medication quest had a tight time limit, so Ji Yuanzhi had employed his【Hallucination】skill.
Wen Shi’s complexion was grim as he summarized a death rule, “If the skill we use bears a high resemblance to the ability of a patient in the hospital, we’ll be deemed assimilated, transformed from doctors into patients.”
Song Yan had always believed his unique philosophy was unruly enough, but he didn’t expect such an extreme way of impersonating others.
“But for genuine patients, can’t they spot their own kind at a glance? Once a doctor is treated as a patient and sent to the deep zone…”
Wen Shi didn’t have to finish the rest of his sentence. A chill ran through everyone’s hearts.
To draw an inappropriate but fitting analogy, this was similar to an innocent police officer being thrown into a prison full of criminals. The only thing awaiting him was death.
Even Wen Shi himself felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.
The note in the quest’s instructions contained unnecessary words, specifically, the part about “a qualified doctor should have a deep understanding of the patients’ mental states.” It was essentially hinting at players to pay attention to the patients’ symptoms.
Song Yan swallowed hard. “But if we take time to study the patient records, it won’t leave us enough time for the quest.”
“Exactly, so the best way is to give up. A’Ao talked about punishment in a casual tone, and only got excited when mentioning assimilation. The punishment inflicted on patients should not lead to death.”
The primary purpose of the first quest was to inform players about the importance of understanding the patients, increasing their chances of survival in subsequent quests.
The players taken last night had clashes between their skills and the patients’ abilities. Those who were left behind were either very lucky to avoid the clash or chose not to use their skills last night, relying on items or other means to get through the night shift.
The office was now filled with silence.
According to the instance mechanics, the restraints on the midnight patients would weaken. Patients on the first floor could break free from their restraints and self-destruct, while certain patients on the second floor might even escape. This was even more apparent to patients on the third floor and beyond.
They dared not imagine what the players who were sent there had encountered.
“The last body brought down was from the player who just finished the 6 AM night shift.” Yu Xingzhou narrowed his eyes. “Ji Yuanzhi should still be alive. Once it’s daylight, the rules will restrict the patients again.”
【You have realized the importance of paying attention to the patients’ mental states. You’re getting closer to becoming a qualified doctor.】
【Competing with your peers is the most deadly. Strive to become an official doctor.】
A unified game notification sounded in their minds. The part about peer competition left everyone exchanging looks.
Save for Wen Shi, they hadn’t seen any other doctors since entering the hospital. The hospital’s operating model could be summarized as a conveyor belt of interns and unwavering plump nurses. The game notification further confirmed this, encouraging competition within this instance.
Wen Shi received one more notification than the others:
【Because you were the first to realize the importance of` symptoms, you receive a Telephone Receiver*1.】
【Telephone Receiver: You have the opportunity to receive calls from patients on the third floor and above, provided the patient finds another telephone receiver in the deep zones.】
Wen Shi directly mentioned the telephone receiver.
“The term ‘deep zones’ refers to the third floor and above. There should be detailed subdivisions within these deep zones.”
There might be a telephone receiver on each floor, and patients with similar symptoms might be gathered in the same zone.
Of course, the above included his personal speculations.
The immediate concern was to rescue Ji Yuanzhi. After pondering, Wen Shi said, “The risk will be much lower during the day, but we still can’t rush to the higher floors.”
Unless the game assigned a side quest, as long as the main quest existed, there was a glimmer of hope, no matter how challenging it may be. According to the game’s arrangement, he couldn’t venture into the deep zones for another day.
“We’ll have to rely on luck.”
Song Yan looked at him with admiration, finding it hard to imagine how he could come up with a solution in this situation.
Knowing what was on his mind, Wen Shi sighed, “I don’t have a direct solution, but I have connections.”
“……”
As soon as he identified the pitfalls associated with their skills, Wen Shi immediately used the【Mailbox】to contact the host. Ji Yuanzhi had participated in the host’s dating reality show, making it easy for the host to recognize him.
However, there had been no response so far.
Suddenly, Li Nan looked at Wen Shi. “While saving people, don’t forget to save yourself as well.”
“Huh?”
Li Nan continued, “Seventh Commandment Guild Leader targeted you yesterday, but it wasn’t because of the insignificant grudges between you two.”
The game encouraged transitioning to official positions, and currently, there was only one official position. The process of transitioning was thought-provoking.
“Peer competition?” Wen Shi realized he might become a target.
He didn’t have time to dwell on it. The notification chimed again, revealing his daily quest.
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