Matryoshka Off-Limits Chapter 166

Chapter 166 Frank Hospital

Wen Shi had always been curious about the image he held in others’ mind, but upon reflection, he decided to let it go.

The mini octopus and Jian Qingrong were in uncertain locations. The Intellectual Disability Zone sounded less upscale. It was probably on the third floor. Jian Qingrong might be on the fourth floor. Wen Shi thought the game must have limited Jian Qingrong, or he would have found a phone receiver by now.

The plump nurse finished her instructions and signaled that they could go.

None of the players wasted time. After leaving the prayer room, everyone went toward the staircase. Midnight was a crucial time, and they needed to reach the duty area before that to ensure their safety.

As Wen Shi’s foot touched the cold stairs, he heard a quest notification alert—

【Side Quest: Catch Runaway Patient*1

Quest Details: Just messing with you!】

In the dark stairwell, the strange mechanical voice gave the players goosebumps.

Seventh Commandment Guild Leader, this bully who enjoyed bossing around small teams, strangely became very useful at crucial times. “Patients on the upper and lower floors are not on the same level. Nurses are quite fearful of them. If they really want to run away off-schedule, it won’t turn into a nightly escape drama.”

The female player walking behind him asked, “So, is this just their way of having fun?”

Seventh Commandment Guild Leader nodded. “It’s somewhat a good news. The patients’ activity area won’t be too large.”

The patients’ goal was to mess with the on-duty doctors, not to actually run away, thereby avoiding the hassle of chasing them around. No need to worry about patients using their abilities to leave their assigned zones and venture outside during unguarded moments.

On the third floor, Seventh Commandment Guild Leader led the way, turning into the dark deep zone. The remaining players’ figures disappeared into the darkness one by one.

Wen Shi and the others continued to climb, their ascent marked by an unsettling silence. Before long, they arrived at the fourth floor. As they stood at the entrance, surveying their surroundings, they discovered that the interior was far dimmer than it had appeared from outside. The floor lights emitted feeble illumination, offering visibility spanning merely three to four meters. Beyond their limited sight, an endless expanse of inky black mist awaited.

The nurse’s station stood empty, and Wen Shi approached the 3D directional sign. The fourth floor had six zones, with the nurse’s station serving as the division. To their right were the Split Zone, Phobia Zone, and Autism-Depression Zone. To the left were the Fantasy Zone, XX Zone, and Manic Zone.

Wen Shi’s gaze lingered a few seconds longer on the Split Zone sign. Bluntly put, Jian Qingrong seemed like someone who could split.

“Lucky. To get to the XX Zone, we have to go through the Fantasy Zone first,” Wen Shi redirected his gaze, “It’ll make it easier for us to find Ji Yuanzhi.”

The Fantasy Zone was the closest. The group didn’t have to walk long in the dim light before they reached the first protective iron gate. Above it hung a sign: Fantasy Zone.

Their steps hesitated briefly, but without looking back, they stepped over the small patch of light cast by the sign.

Suddenly, the world became warm and bright.

The walls on both sides were vividly colored, and the sign above their heads disappeared. What met their eyes were fringed decorations. There was no breeze, but a faint floral scent drifted through the air. The beautiful surroundings matched the red slogan on the wall: Creating the best environment for patients.

Players appeared as doctors and nurses, not airdropped as patients into wards. It was a slight advantage.

Song Yan suddenly said, “Smells like blood.”

Soon, Wen Shi and the others also noticed it. The scent was so out of place. If the Fantasy Zone aimed to create a fairy-tale atmosphere, it shouldn’t have such an obvious, pungent smell.

Unless…

“A patient is carrying out a slaughter,” Yu Xingzhou’s tone grew slightly serious, “and they’re not far from us.”

They deliberately lightened their footsteps, gradually getting closer to the source of the bloody smell.

In the same building, the length of the corridors on each floor should be roughly the same. However, they had already walked more than half the length of a single corridor, yet the path ahead still seemed endless.

Strange sounds could be heard from behind the slightly opened second iron gate.

Yu Xingzhou led the way, ready to use his skill at any moment. Li Nan held a talisman in his hand, while Song Yan hid behind Wen Shi, who held the【Greenwood Sword】. He had only completed two instances before and lacked self-defense capabilities.

“Go ahead,” Li Nan said.

Yu Xingzhou straightforwardly pushed open the door.

Like a stream, dark red blood instantly flowed along the floor’s seams to their feet. Yu Xingzhou followed the direction of the blood flow and saw a man standing not far away, with skin excessively pale like snow. In front of him was a cocoon over a meter tall.

The source of the blood was this mysterious cocoon.

Over the next few seconds, the cocoon gradually faded until it vanished into thin air. From the blue and white striped patient gown, a shattered skeleton fell out. The man who had devoured the monster watched this scene indifferently, then suddenly turned his head.

Wen Shi and the others, on high alert, hesitated for a moment after seeing that face.

“Ji Yuanzhi?”

Hands covered in mottled bloodstains, Ji Yuanzhi nodded slightly toward them.

Meeting Ji Yuanzhi was hard-won, but they didn’t step forward. Instead, they became even more vigilant. After all, they were in the Fantasy Zone, and no one knew if the person ahead was real or an illusion.

Ji Yuanzhi’s lips moved but not in greeting. The next moment, disjointed, eerie tunes echoed in the empty corridor. The world before them changed. The vibrant wallpaper on the walls turned dirty and muddy, blood and brain matter mixed together. The decorative fringe on the ceiling turned into cobwebs.

When Ji Yuanzhi first entered the deep zone, he couldn’t break through the illusions cast by the patients in the rooms. However, the real environment in the corridor couldn’t deceive his eyes.

Wen Shi and the others didn’t use any special items, nor did they possess the【Hallucination】skill. So, when they first saw the corridor, it seemed like they had stumbled upon a paradise.

“You…” Wen Shi thought of a certain possibility, seeing how his singing could dispel illusions.

“I absorbed half of the Merfolk King’s heart.” Ji Yuanzhi picked up a patient gown from the floor and used the only clean piece of fabric to wipe his hands. “In the eyes of those patients, the species became indistinguishable.”

Behind him, there were several more identical skeletal remains. The reason Wen Shi and the others hadn’t encountered any danger was because Ji Yuanzhi had played the role of the “janitor” in advance.

“After your daytime visit, I guessed that you’d come prepared at night,” Ji Yuanzhi looked at Wen Shi. “So, I’m here to assist.”

Just as Wen Shi and the others had never hesitated to come to the deep zone to rescue Ji Yuanzhi, Ji Yuanzhi was equally certain that they would come.

The unpleasant air and harsh environment in the corridor had a lesser impact for the moment. Wen Shi and Yu Xingzhou looked at Ji Yuanzhi and nodded slightly, indicating that some things didn’t need to be spoken.

At this moment, Song Yan peeked out from behind Wen Shi. “Since the species are indistinguishable, all we need to do is catch him and send him back, then we can clock out.”

The others: “……”

“Just now, that elite player analyzed that the patients were escaping just for fun. So, if they get caught and sent back, they’ll at most face some punishment, not death. If I’m not mistaken, the punishment might even slow down the transformation into monsters.” Song Yan looked at Ji Yuanzhi, tentatively reaching out a hand and asking, “Shall we go catch you? Or maybe you want to run a few steps first.”

All eyes focused on Wen Shi once again.

Wen Shi’s forehead twitched. Why were they looking at him again? It wasn’t like he was the one who taught them everything.

Song Yan took the initiative. He was cautious but bold. He gently tugged at Ji Yuanzhi’s sleeve and said, “Catch.”

【You successfully rescued a fellow intern colleague】

【You’re one step closer to becoming a full-fledged doctor】

【The remaining rewards will be settled after the instance ends】

Song Yan blinked.

Was the game being unfair?

Wen Shi had already guessed the outcome and sighed. “What’s your main quest?”

Song Yan always had answers to Wen Shi’s questions. “Survive during the internship period and obtain the internship certificate.”

After saying this, he immediately realized that Ji Yuanzhi’s current identity was that of a patient, making it impossible to complete the main quest, so he had to switch his identity back.

One way to change professions was by making deals with the Deception God inside the crucifix. However, the game surely had other options, like the recent example where, after the rescue, one’s identity could be restored.

“The only way to become a full-fledged doctor and hospital director is if the previous character dies,” Wen Shi said calmly. “Becoming a nurse also comes with a cost, but the transition between being a patient and an intern is much more straightforward.”

Using blame-shifting skills, transforming directly into a monster, and waiting for someone to come and rescue, and so on.

Heading to the XX Zone was their destined fate.

Song Yan set aside his wishful thinking and hid behind Wen Shi again as they cautiously moved forward.

Everyone quickened their pace. The Fantasy Zone had been cleared of some monsters, significantly reducing the danger level. But Ji Yuanzhi warned them that around one o’clock, the truly formidable patients in the Fantasy Zone would start to become active. Occasionally, these powerful patients would move across zones, and if they didn’t leave the fourth floor before then, they might face a chaotic onslaught.

“Have you been to the XX Zone?” Wen Shi asked.

Ji Yuanzhi shook his head. After being classified as a patient, he could use the【Hallucination】skill without restraint, plus the Merfolk King’s singing made it easy for him to lure and devour monsters in the same zone. The abilities of the Fantasy Zone’s patients were quite fixed, so aside from a few truly formidable ones, he could easily counter them with the same abilities.

But it might not be the same for other zones.

After the illusion of brightness and warmth disappeared, the floor lights dimmed slightly. Everyone kept an eye on a specific direction to prevent sudden attacks.

The color of the sign for the XX Zone was unusual. The first two Xs changed color with each blink. The group exchanged glances before fully stepping out of the Fantasy Zone and into a brand-new area.

“Careful…”

Amidst the flickering light, Song Yan managed to make out a blurry set of letters.

The new area looked relatively normal, and it was quiet behind the doors of the patient rooms on both sides. They walked cautiously, holding their breath, but no crisis suddenly emerged.

The deadly quietness heightened the unease in everyone’s hearts. After easily passing through the Fantasy Zone, where Ji Yuanzhi had cleared the way in advance, this unusual calmness in the XX Zone was anything but normal.

Over ten minutes had passed, and they could now see a sign hanging ahead, indicating the “Manic Zone.”

“What’s going on?”

No monster attacks, no escaping patients. Everything was so harmonious that it made them wonder if they were still in the Fantasy Zone.

In this eerie situation, Song Yan suddenly grabbed Wen Shi’s clothes. “You’ve gotten smaller!”

Wen Shi’s tall figure shrank, leaving him at the height of a high school student. His cheeks were slightly plumper, reminiscent of his adolescence. But his narrowed eyes seemed to mimic the seriousness of adults, giving him a somewhat rare, adorable look.

It wasn’t just Wen Shi. Li Nan and Yu Xingzhou faced the same issue of shrinking. Their upper bodies were clad in loose-fitting clothing, as if they had sneaked into their father’s wardrobe.

Ji Yuanzhi’s condition was slightly better, perhaps due to his fusion with the Merfolk King’s heart.

If it weren’t for Song Yan suddenly mentioning it, everyone would have remained completely oblivious. It was as if a certain area of their brains had been blinded by some interfering element.

Looking at their smaller hands and feet now, Wen Shi and the others all felt a palpitation.

Qi Qi’s divination results were highly accurate. Bringing Song Yan along had an irreplaceable effect. The true spirit’s incarnation always had some unusual intuition.

A drop of water fell from the ceiling, accompanied by a chilling notification sound.

“Congratulations on successfully entering the XX Zone and promptly noticing the anomaly in your physical condition.”

“The content of the side quest has been updated. Please check it promptly.”

After opening the mission interface one by one, new content had been added.

Wen Shi raised an eyebrow. No wonder the previous quest only had four words. It wasn’t complete.

【Side Quest: Capture a Runaway Patient*1

Quest Details: Patients with hypersexuality are the most cooperative for treatment at Frank Hospital. To become more civilized, they dream of love during sleep and abstain when awake.

Let’s play a game of hide and seek with a runaway patient suffering from hypersexuality. Catch him, and he’ll make it worth your while!

Hint: After entering this area, you must quickly find the patient’s hiding place.

If you don’t find the patient within the first fifteen minutes, you’ll become 3-6 years younger. If you still haven’t found them within the next fifteen minutes, you’ll become 6-12 years younger, and so on. If you don’t find the patient quickly, you’ll eventually turn into cute little cells!

If you were never born, then there wouldn’t be any *, 100% perfect abstinence.】

“……” It was not shameful to be cute, but when the game tried to be cute, trouble usually followed.

After the prompt finished, Wen Shi’s skin became even smoothe. The process of getting younger continued with each passing moment.

Song Yan looked worried. “If you all turn into cells, will I become a shattered mirror fragment?”

Racing against time was always the toughest. With their bodies getting smaller and their physical endurance decreasing, they had to try to complete the quest within the first half-hour.

Half of that time had already passed.

Ji Yuanzhi put his glasses back on, returning to his polite demeanor. He analyzed, “Let’s start by finding the ward. There should be clues inside.”

For example, what the patients liked to eat or where they usually went could offer hints.

They had already passed by a total of eleven wardss earlier, and it wasn’t possible to revisit each one. Knowing that it was time to rely on luck, everyone’s gaze turned to Wen Shi for the third time.

“……” He understood. Whether it was for better or worse, it was always his responsibility.

Wen Shi, carrying the burden, raised his gaze and pointed casually. “Let’s go through that door.”

This time, he took the lead.

【One Strike Flattens All】had three uses in a single instance. With Wen Shi’s current points, he could afford all three.

The doors to the wards at night weren’t locked. Wen Shi held his sword in one hand and placed the other on the doorknob. After taking a deep breath, he pushed down heavily.

The door opened!

In the dark room, there were three iron beds with patients lying flat on them, not bound by ropes. They all had their hands crossed on their stomachs, peacefully asleep, even with the door open.

On the wall directly across from them hung a red certificate: Exemplary Group.

This certificate was awarded by the hospital to commend their voluntary abstinence campaign.

Before they could fully take in the room’s layout, a dampness carrying a strange scent enveloped everyone. In a daze, the world before their eyes began to blur.

“Stay alert! They’re trying to pull us into their dreams.” The fact that the sleeping patients were having erotic dreams was clearly another ability.

Wen Shi vaguely heard Li Nan’s warning, but his current state was terrible, with half of his foot already stepping into the dream.

Something seemed to have appeared in front of him. Wen Shi struggled to open his eyelids, trying to focus his vision. The air was filled with a sickly sweet scent, even more bizarre than the scent of mutant pomegranate flowers.

After a few seconds, the blurry figure in front suddenly became incredibly clear!

It was an enlarged face, every expression filled with lust. The patient was smiling at him, revealing chilling teeth.

Biting his lip hard, the taste of blood filled his mouth. Wen Shi refocused his mind, no longer hesitating, and reached for his sword.

But at that moment, the smile vanished from the patient’s face. He looked at Wen Shi as if he had seen a rotten apple, his expression shifting from anticipation to disgust. His flushed cheeks even twisted in a grotesque manner.

The moisture in the air dissipated, and the room returned to clarity.

The other two patients on the beds opened their eyes, looking at the patient by the side of the bed. One of them asked, “Why did you go limp?”

The patient didn’t answer but stared at Wen Shi and the sword in his hand, his face growing increasingly unpleasant.

The records in the archive room showed that the patient numbers and floor numbers weren’t strongly correlated. Wen Shi seemed to realize something. “Patient 233?”

Patient 233 from the live chat, the one with sexual addiction.

Having witnessed Wen Shi’s performance on the third underground floor of the casino, it was safe to say that even if 233 was a sexual addict, he would not be able to harbor any amorous thoughts.

Meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign place, Wen Shi’s eyes lit up. He excitedly approached with his sword in hand. “233, it’s me! Lin Hejing, but you can call me Aaron.”

Just a moment ago, Wen Shi was quite disheartened when he thought his luck had run out. However, seeing that all three beds in this room were occupied reassured him that there were no runaway patients here.

He hadn’t expected to run into Patient 233 so quickly.

Patient 233 didn’t immediately recognize Wen Shi. It was mostly because Wen Shi had become smaller, which made him joyfully pull the newcomer into his lustful dream.

Now, the thought of pulling something or someone into his dream made him somewhat nauseous.

Patient 233 returned to his bed, holding a trash can.

Wen Shi was still trying to jog his memory. “Patient 233, I…”

“Blech…”

Wen Shi: “……”

***
100% perfect abstinence ^o^

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