Chapter 172.2 Frank Hospital
The mini octopus’s movements were swift and coordinated. It directly crushed one end of the pendant and successfully poured its blood onto the patient.
Most of the blood, rich in abundant energy, automatically adhered to the skin. It was difficult for the blood from the pendant to be absorbed immediately. It slowly seeped into the skin bit by bit.
The patient covered in blood transformed into a sweet treat.
The other two patients in the room cast drooling glances, let alone Jian Guangsi, who had his intelligence diminished outside.
Smells heavenly!
Jian Guangsi entered the room and headed straight for the blood-covered patient. Before that, the two patients had already pounced on their roommate and became its primary targets to eliminate.
Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, the silent and invisible monster that floated in the air covered one of the patients’ heads. Jian Guangsi now only wanted a big meal and wasn’t interested in the other two patients. Its focus was on killing rather than capturing prey.
The patient’s body was still moving, but in less than half a minute, only a bloody head remained, with all the brainstem tissues and more fully absorbed.
The remaining patient quickly retreated.
The monsters housed in the Intellectual Disability Zone, aside from obscuring others’ mental perception, were generally weak in other aspects and were no match for Jian Guangsi.
With no more competitors, a peculiar shadow gradually appeared in the air and moved toward its prey.
The patient felt as if he were wrapped in a gelatinous membrane, the sense of suffocation overwhelming. Driven by the will to survive, he desperately used his ability to lower the intruder’s intelligence.
However, a decrease in the monster’s intelligence had only one outcome—following its instincts.
Its instinct was hunting.
“Now.” Wen Shi’s sharp peach blossom eyes narrowed, and for the second time, he raised his longsword.
During its feeding process, the monster would inevitably release a hint of its presence.
The terrifying sword aura transformed into a roaring dragon and charged toward Jian Guangsi.
Under the aura of the【Safety Helmet】, the initially unconcerned Jian Guangsi, affected by its diminished intellect, didn’t pay attention to Wen Shi’s approach at first. By the time it reacted, the cold sword light flashed, directly severing a part of its body.
A sharp and unpleasant animal cry rang out urgently.
Accompanied by painful howls, a black, sticky mass fell to the ground, turning into black liquid. The nauseating stench filled the ward in an instant, leaving Wen Shi dizzy and overwhelmed. The effect of this odor could rival that of the Wandering Corpse’s singing voice.
It didn’t die.
As a sword bearer, Wen Shi had an instinctive feeling that only a part of the monster’s body had fallen.
Jian Guangsi had a deceptive appearance. When it chose to hide, it escaped the residual sword energy.
“Run!” Wen Shi didn’t hesitate and turned to dash out of the ward.
The enraged Jian Guangsi would surely seek revenge on him. He couldn’t help but think it was a pity that the Wandering Corpse’s skill cooldown hadn’t passed yet. If only Yu Xingzhou were here. Even if time froze for just three seconds, it would be enough for him to deal with Jian Guangsi.
The mini octopus transformed into its mimetic form, clinging to the edge of his lab coat pocket, carefully monitoring the surroundings to prevent Wen Shi from being ambushed.
“Go find my main body,” the mini octopus said, “use him as bait.”
Ordinary patients were unlikely to hold the monster’s attention now. The intellect-reducing effect in the Intellectual Disability Zone had a time limit. It was best to find a bait that the monster couldn’t refuse before it regained its senses.
The mini octopus’s body had grown from Evolution Potion and lacked that deadly allure to monsters.
Wen Shi’s throat felt a bit congested from the intense movement. He raised an eyebrow and hoarsely said, “You guys really have quite the love-hate relationship.”
The eyeball and the main body were engaged in a backstabbing contest, a performance like no other in history.
But for now, this was the only way. If they didn’t resolve Jian Guangsi quickly, everyone would suffer in the later stages.
“How strong is Jian Qingrong now?”
Going to find Jian Qingrong would require crossing two zones, and the risks were considerable.
“If he’s still alive, he should have at least crossed one zone,” the mini octopus analyzed objectively. “He wouldn’t just stay in one place.”
After saying this, the mini octopus paused and asked, “Has he called you?”
Wen Shi shook his head.
“Hurry up and find him,” the mini octopus decisively said, “He is definitely coming out.”
Otherwise, Jian Qingrong would insist on calling.
Since treatment had been paused for a day, the fourth-floor nurse’s station was also empty. But unlike the eerie and empty corridors of the third floor, all the patients in the south wing of the fourth floor were gathered at their ward doors.
There had been a major disturbance in the north wing last night, so they were now idly sitting at the room entrances, gossiping.
Unless it was the necessary treatment time, nurses would not get involved in patient altercations, provided they didn’t run away from the building. If a situation became too severe, nurses didn’t need to intervene. Each zone had a supervisor with ties to the underworld, and while they were normally asleep, they would awaken when the basic order was disrupted.
“A fairly standard riot,” a patient from the Fantasy Zone commented. “Seems like a patient from the Split Zone broke through the blockade to cross zones.”
“Those idiots from the Phobia Zone are extremely jumpy and wouldn’t allow anyone to use their hallway, so, ha, let them fight.” They could always pick up a few bodies later.
While munching on their melon seeds, they saw a blurry figure appear at the other end of the corridor. Covered in bloodstains that might have been his own or from other patients, the man had a calm expression, his bloodied fingers gripping a telephone receiver, as if he was about to make a call.
Suddenly, a flurry of disordered footsteps echoed, making the man paused.
Downstairs, Wen Shi was running so fast he was almost leaving behind afterimages. Just as he was about to reach the fourth-floor stairwell, a sudden anomaly occurred.
The mini octopus suddenly grew larger and shoved him to the side. Wen Shi’s waist hit the railing, and he sucked in a painful breath.
What truly sent shivers down his spine was what lay behind him. When Wen Shi looked up again, he noticed peculiar black shadows behind the walls and doorway in front of him.
There were many such shadows — near the light bulbs, on the last step of the staircase. He remembered a chilling fact: the monster had the ability to split itself. Jian Guangsi had created numerous offsprings previously.
Wen Shi furrowed his brows. When Jian Guangsi was being slashed earlier, the brief animalistic cry it emitted wasn’t due to pain but rather a distress signal sent by the mother to its offspring.
Behind him was the approaching monster, and ahead was the split entities. The good news was that the split entities were weaker and discernible as dark shadows, but the bad news was they were densely packed.
Wen Shi’s breathing quickened. He had only one use left of【One Strike Flattens All】.
On the fourth floor, a patient from the Fantasy Zone heard footsteps and, out of curiosity, approached, exclaiming in amazement.
It seemed like quite an eventful day today. Even the annoying doctor was being chased.
The next moment, the expression of the patient who approached changed. The nauseating stench of blood was getting closer. He stared at the man approaching him. With a cautious expression, he slowly retreated into the Fantasy Zone.
As Jian Qingrong lightly raised an arm, the patient from the Fantasy Zone was ready to call in reinforcements.
However, that outstretched hand was aimed at the shadowy figure in the stairwell. Seeing food delivered in its doorstep, it instinctively covered the offered hand.
In the split-second they made contact, the mysterious black shadow inexplicably transformed into white light and disappeared, leaving the man’s hand just as smooth as before.
Forced purification was the deadliest.
This was the purification ability that Wen Shi had once criticized, but now it had taken a qualitative leap.
“Jian Qingrong?!”
When he saw that face clearly, Wen Shi was both shocked and delighted.
In the moment their eyes met during their stare-down, Jian Qingrong’s icy gaze softened at the corners.
With too many split entities and pursuers behind them, there was no time for a reunion. Wen Shi hurriedly ran upstairs.
Just as the surrounding shadows converged towards Wen Shi, Jian Qingrong stood in the stairwell and lightly ran his fingertip over his palm.
Every single blood molecule that burst forth was filled with deadly temptation.
Originally intent on surrounding Wen Shi, the split entities, upon catching a whiff of the intensely sweet aroma, immediately changed course and encircled Jian Qingrong. In the blink of an eye, Jian Qingrong appeared ensnared within a massive black beehive.
Wen Shi’s expression slightly changed.
No matter how potent his purification ability was, it had its limits. If he were to draw Jian Guangsi towards Jian Qingrong now, the latter might not be able to endure it.
Jian Guangsi could conceal its presence at any moment. Wen Shi wasn’t sure if the split entities could do the same, but he was prepared to use【One Strike Flattens All】 to try and deal with the split entities surrounding Jian Qingrong.
The enlarged mini octopus, with several tentacles flailing behind Wen Shi, guarded against potential sneak attacks from the monster.
“It’s coming,” it warned.
One of the octopus’s tentacles melted.
“Keep running,” the muffled voice came from the “black beehive.”
Wen Shi hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose to follow Jian Qingrong’s advice and continued heading upstairs.
He had never been to the fifth floor before. Unlike the natural chill on the third and fourth floors, the fifth floor was characterized by a deadly silence. Wen Shi felt uneasy as he stepped in. The corridor on the fifth floor wasn’t very long. Soon, he reached the end of one side.
His tense back pressed firmly against the wall, his throat constricted.
The sight of its prey cornered with no escape thrilled Jian Guangsi.
It vowed to consume the young man’s flesh and blood in the most brutal manner, bit by bit, from skin to bone, leaving no inch untouched.
At this moment, the mini octopus’ tentacles were no longer intact. It transformed once more into a mimetic octopus, looking pitiful as it clung to Wen Shi’s shoulder. Wen Shi’s pupils quivered, his cheeks pale.
His gaze seemed unfocused, as if he couldn’t lock onto the monster and drifted to a more distant spot.
The colorless and odorless Jian Guangsi splayed its body and closed in on its helpless prey.
I’ll peel your skin and bones, and swallow you!
If it had been a bit more cautious and looked back following Wen Shi’s gaze, it would have witnessed a horrifying sight.
Behind Jian Guangsi, a man dressed in a ridiculous pink suit had appeared out of nowhere. His hair was slightly disheveled, dark eyes set in excessively pale skin, like an eerie stone carving. The host held a pen-like object, seemingly able to pinpoint Jian Guangsi’s location, and expressionlessly thrust it downward.
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