Matryoshka Off-Limits Chapter 179

Chapter 179 Frank Hospital

Three words made the corner of his mouth droop instantly.

What a pity. Wen Shi sighed inwardly. The game had a mouth but couldn’t speak human language, let alone say anything nice.

Where was he unworthy?

Yu Xingzhou removed the anti-eavesdropping barrier and said, “Let’s go. Seventh Commandment Guild Leader is fighting valiantly for us up ahead. Don’t waste his hard work.”

Right now, no one bothered about why Seventh Commandment Guild Leader was being attacked. Taking advantage of the situation, without needing Yu Xingzhou’s reminder, the players had already begun trying to break out of this encirclement.

Seeing someone descend, Seventh Commandment Guild Leader, in the midst of fighting monsters, briefly had hope in his eyes, but it was immediately dashed by reality.

Having previously used the【Great Sealing Art】, Wen Shi, with his aura completely sealed away, placed his hands on the handrail and simply broke free from the narrow staircase, and swung down to the next level.

“Bye~”

He greeted with a touch of elegance, and as his words dissipated into the air, he securely gripped the handrail of the staircase below.

Other players were even less eager to intervene and assist. Their priority was escaping.

Focusing on one person didn’t mean the patients would spare the passing players entirely.

Li Nan brought out a syringe and injected a rushing patient in the neck. Seventh Commandment Guild Leader tried to use the momentum to rush forward, but as soon as he took a step, his ankle was caught by a thin, soft spider silk. As Yu Xingzhou passed by him, he quietly asked, “Whenever Ji Yuanzhi used skills, did it seem like he’d never avoided showing them to you?”

Seventh Commandment Guild Leader immediately recalled that when they were searching for piano clues, Ji Yuanzhi had displayed his skills without reservation.

Only the dead keep secrets.

Without giving him another glance, Yu Xingzhou dashed downstairs.

The patients hadn’t all poured out yet, and the other party might not confess in the dim hallway. However, it didn’t matter if he did. Unless Seventh Commandment Guild Leader went to kill Black Market Player, he would be at the forefront of the patient riots for the next few days.

By now, Wen Shi had reached the first floor.

On both sides of the corridor, plump nurses were twisting patients’ arms, forcibly locking them in the treatment room. The patients on the first floor were much weaker in terms of strength, but when they all rioted, it would be equally troublesome.

Outside Wen Shi’s office, someone had splattered blood, whether from a patient or a nurse, painting the wall red.

There were no other patients around the office. It seemed like everyone had avoided this place. Wen Shi instinctively slowed his pace, looking around warily.

Yu Xingzhou and the others who arrived later also slowed their footsteps.

Wen Shi now had only one primary attack skill left,【Shell Breaker】, which involved smashing monsters’ heads. Its attack power was limited, so he didn’t take the lead. He adjusted his position and walked behind Yu Xingzhou.

There was a large hole on the outer wall of the secret room, and the floor was littered with the wreckage of books. The light in the corridor was too limited, and looking through the hole, only the fragmented remnants of the piano could be faintly seen.

Wen Shi easily deduced what had happened in this ruin. After Ji Yuanzhi finished playing the piano, he snatched the sheet music, and then used【Little Steel Ball】. The secret room, without the protection of the sheet music, had turned into ruins under the explosive force.

“Golden Daddy died so tragically.” Wen Shi shuddered.

The scapegoat item could save a life, but the shadow left by death was difficult for most people to dispel. The only consolation was that Ji Yuanzhi hadn’t left empty-handed. He had at least taken the sheet music with him.

Yu Xingzhou suddenly halted, looking at a particular area ahead.

In a corner where the light couldn’t reach, there was a blurry silhouette.

With no obstacles between the two sides and no risk of suddenly becoming targets, Wen Shi decided to use an illumination item. Under the lantern’s light, the person standing in the dark corner was finally completely exposed. It was A’Ao.

A’Ao hung his head, standing in the corner, with half of his shoulder a gruesome mess. It was hard to imagine how thick his health bar was. Not only was he alive, but he could also stand there steadily.

Li Nan: “His condition seems a bit off.”

The players who had followed from behind also noticed this and chose not to risk attacking him for the time being.

Creak.

The tips of the cheap rain boots were damaged in the explosion, creating an even more unpleasant sound.

A’Ao took a step forward on his own, maintaining the same posture as when he was in the corner. He slightly lowered his head, his usually malicious little eyes now lifeless, even a bit vacant.

A’Ao moved like a puppet, with eerie black energy lingering around the transplanted wrist.

Wen Shi had a vague idea of what was happening and stopped Yu Xingzhou, who was about to finish off their opponent, “Wait.”

A’Ao finally reached Wen Shi’s side, showing no signs of aggression. Only occasionally did his gaze reveal signs of struggle, quickly returning to emptiness.

Yu Xingzhou figured out the issue. “Controlled?”

A’Ao’s behavior exhibited no trace of acting skills. The fact that he hadn’t even launched a close-range attack on Pei Wenwei left only one plausible explanation: he was under someone’s control.

Wen Shi not only confirmed that A’Ao was being controlled but also knew who the puppeteer was.

He tested it lightly, clapping his hands toward A’Ao. “Lower your head.”

A’Ao sluggishly buried his head even lower. Wen Shi raised an eyebrow. “Quite obedient.”

Earlier, the players had acted too quickly, launching a group attack within thirty seconds. When the piano music had just begun, the contaminant’s intrusion was limited, so Jian Qingrong couldn’t interfere much with A’Ao’s will using the hands formed by the black mist. But after A’Ao was severely injured, it became much easier to control his damaged body.

Wen Shi looked at the players behind him, itching to take action. “If the Director lives a little longer, the patients are likely to behave a bit more obediently. Let’s see how much trouble the patients will cause tonight before we decide.”

Of course, this statement couldn’t convince everyone. The tangible benefits gained from killing the Director were what they cared about.

Faced with these restless individuals, Wen Shi tilted his head and assumed an air of authority. “For those who want to cleverly become the next Seventh Commandment Guild Leader, you can give it a try.”

Currently, no one knew that the Seventh Commandment Guild Leader became the focus of aggression due to Black Market Player pulling the strings from behind. When Wen Shi spoke up, it inevitably sowed some unease in their hearts.

Engaging in covert actions was more unsettling than overt displays of power.

Even someone as cautious as Seventh Commandment Guild Leader had fallen victim to a scheme. No one dared to claim they could completely escape the hidden hands behind them before the internship period ended.

Most importantly…

Their gaze settled on Yu Xingzhou and Li Nan, who seemed to agree with temporarily not dealing with the Director.

Wen Shi breathed a slight sigh of relief. He only needed to kill A’Ao before the quest ended tomorrow. Until then, he could use A’Ao to somewhat mitigate the chaos caused by some patients.

The rules were flexible. Patients could indiscriminately kill nurses and interns, but they hadn’t loosened the restrictions to the point of targeting the Director all at once.

Yu Xingzhou noticed that Wen Shi had been moving his wrist.

Sensing his gaze, Wen Shi explained, “I’ve been cursed on the fifth floor, and I have two days to resolve it.”

After being cursed, he experienced the same condition as the host, with his body gradually stiffening.

“Two days?” A’Ao’s curse took three days to result in death.

Wen Shi nodded calmly. “I like to stay one step ahead in everything I do.”

Including racing to the brink of death.

Yu Xingzhou: “……”

While he might act pretentious at times, Wen Shi wasn’t as composed as he appeared on the surface. He decided to return to the deep zones to assess the situation.

First, he would look for Patient 233, use A’Ao one more time, and see if he could gather more information.

If he couldn’t gather any more useful information from Patient 233, and Jian Qingrong hadn’t informed him of any hidden clues on the fifth floor, Wen Shi narrowed his eyes… then he’d have to go meet the underworld patients.

After finally coming down from upstairs, not many players were willing to go back up.

Wen Shi waited in the office for a while, timing it so that Seventh Commandment Guild Leader had probably cleared a wave of monsters. Then he took a few steps and looked back at Yu Xingzhou and Li Nan, using his eyes to ask why no one was coming.

Yu Xingzhou: “Don’t you enjoy racing on the brink of death?”

Wen Shi cleared his throat. “I might need a bodyguard.”

On the other side, Li Nan pragmatically reminded him, “You’re already a 3S-tier bodyguard yourself.”

“……” Wen Shi, who had just finished acting, forced a smile, waved awkwardly, and hinted for someone to come quickly.

In case the patients truly lost control, relying solely on A’Ao wouldn’t be enough.

In the end, Li Nan accompanied him upstairs because Yu Xingzhou’s skill cooldown hadn’t elapsed yet.

In just a short while, the corridor was filled with the smell of blood. On the second floor, a patient’s head had been cut off and hung on the door frame by a nurse in an attempt to deter other unruly patients.

Wen Shi whispered, “It might just backfire.”

The main quest had a specific time limit. Considering the current situation, more and more patients would break free from control each day. Initially, the unrest was limited to the first two floors, with fewer disturbances in the deep zones. But by the final day, if they didn’t exit the instance in time, they might have to face patients from the entire hospital building.

Wen Shi suddenly felt a strong desire to take over the hospital, not for anything else, but because since the hospital had been transformed into an instance, various monsters and NPCs worse than monsters were in constant conflict. The place had lost its original purpose.

The earlier he took control of the hospital, the sooner he could put an end to all of this.

Up ahead, someone was breathing heavily. When Seventh Commandment Guild Leader heard approaching footsteps, he immediately picked up his weapon. Seeing Wen Shi returning, shock mixed with undeniable hostility filled his eyes.

Heavily wounded, he planned to take a moment to hide in the Director’s office, hoping to avoid the monsters there.

If Black Market Player had his own slacking off buff, Wen Shi seemed to have a knack for taking the blame.

Seventh Commandment Guild Leader still couldn’t figure out how he had been affected. It all started with a simple “bye” from the other party as they were descending. He had an instinctive suspicion that Wen Shi and the Second Commandment Guild were working together, plotting against him from the very beginning. Now both sides had severed all pretenses. Seventh Commandment Guild Leader watched them closely, concerned that they might intentionally attract monsters.

“Wishing you good luck.”

Wen Shi continued walking upstairs without taunting or deliberately attracting patients, just offering a simple blessing.

He didn’t need to do anything more. Just the matter of trading hair was enough for Yu Xingzhou not to let him off the hook.

As he passed through the Fantasy Zone, facing the wandering patients, A’Ao’s intimidation still held, albeit barely.

They smoothly reached the XX Zone, where patients on both sides cast skeptical glances. When Wen Shi had publicly stated in front of Patient 233 that he intended to kill the director, the news had spread widely in this area. Now, seeing A’Ao trailing behind him like a servant, their expressions were quite intrigued.

When the piano music had started earlier, they had sensed that something was amiss. The hospital had never played such discomforting music before.

“Patient 233.” Not many patients from the XX Zone ventured into other areas. They preferred to sleep.

Patient 233 was standing near the door, pondering whether to continue his sweet dreams or go outside for a change.

When he heard a very familiar voice calling his name, Patient 233 raised his head and saw Wen Shi and the burly Ao, who was obediently following the former.

Since Li Nan was further back, and A’Ao’s sturdy frame blocked part of the view, Patient 233 subconsciously overlooked him.

He instinctively straightened his posture, becoming somewhat wary of Wen Shi, realizing that the status of the director and the doctor had changed.

“Stand here. I’ll go have a few words,” Wen Shi commanded, and A’Ao stayed in place.

The expressions of nearby patients changed as they made various speculations.

Whenever Wen Shi approached Patient 233, he would put on a small show and then extract information. This approach had been consistent.

“Can you tell me about the matters on the fifth floor now?” he asked with a friendly smile.

With the power to control the director, he most likely had the power to harm patients as well. Patient 233 fell silent for a moment and then spoke, “The matters of the fifth floor are known only to the underworld patients.”

“……” The worst-case scenario had unfolded.

Patient 233 didn’t want to get too entangled with Wen Shi. An eccentric doctor could be a source of amusement to spice up their lives, but if he went too far beyond their control, it was best to stay away.

“You can ask one question,” he said, “but I may not answer.”

Did this mean he only had one chance to ask a question? After thinking it over, Wen Shi spoke again, “Among these underworld patients, which one is the most lenient?”

Asking about specific abilities and circumstances posed too much risk for Patient 233 to offend the boss, so he chose a relatively mild question.

In Patient 233’s view, this was a question of little value.

“…If I must say, the one from the Split Zone, Patient 51, might have a slightly better disposition.”

After hearing this, Wen Shi turned crisply and walked toward the Split Zone.

Patients in the area near the south were more melancholic and violent. A’Ao’s intimidation effect was only moderate here. Wen Shi looked ahead at the menacing monster with a malicious smile and said, “I’d like to meet Patient 51. Could you please show me the way?”

This sentence left the other party completely bewildered.

Are you tired of living? What kind of bizarre suicide attempt is this?

Wen Shi repeated for the second time, confirming that this guy was indeed seeking a dead end. The patient was about to say something out of curiosity when suddenly, a figure appeared in the corridor ahead, causing the patient to take a few steps back.

Wen Shi looked over and immediately noticed that the newcomer had a bracelet on his wrist that other patients didn’t have, with the number 51 engraved on it.

His eyes lit up, thinking it was an easy gain. However, the next moment, he realized that the figure of Patient 51 in front of him seemed rather elusive, with blurry facial features.

Patient 51 halted and stared at Wen Shi.

As if understanding something, Wen Shi took a step forward. Patient 51 turned around, leading him towards a ward in the Split Zone.

Patients in the Split Zone had varying degrees of splitting abilities. Patient 51 could turn his consciousness into a phantom, temporarily separating it from his body, like an out-of-body experience. The difference was that his phantom had combat capabilities similar to his physical form.

With a slow creaking sound, a door ahead opened automatically.

As the phantom disappeared, a chilling breeze swept through the corridor. Wen Shi stood near the door frame, cautiously surveying the room.

Inside, the patient had gray hair and pale eyes. His hospital gown differed from the traditional blue and white stripes. It was crescent-colored and exuded an eerie sense of purity. Patient 51 had been looking out the window from the side of his face all along. This ward surprisingly lacked security electric grids, allowing the night wind to freely usher in the rain.

As Wen Shi contemplated his approach to gain the upper hand, Patient 51 spoke first.

His voice was slightly hoarse, devoid of emotion. “You want to inherit this hospital, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Wen Shi replied without any pretense, his voice clear and gentle, without a hint of ambition in his expression.

The air fell silent for several seconds.

Before the atmosphere could become more oppressive, the lips of Patient 51 finally moved again.

“Then let’s play a little game,” Patient 51 suggested. Beneath Patient 51’s seemingly holy exterior, a strange undercurrent was churning.

An invisible darkness enveloped the room and its surroundings, obscuring the light from the corridor lamps. Wen Shi’s vigilance reached its peak.

He steadied himself and asked, “What kind of game?”

“Doctor-patient relationship,” Patient 51 replied, turning his face to look at the young man, as if watching a moth drawn to a flame. Finally, he smiled slightly and said, “Your final game.”

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