Matryoshka Off-Limits Chapter 180

Chapter 180 Frank Hospital

Final game?

These words appeared to have a double meaning, as if suggesting that all danger would be ending at this point, while also hinting that he might die in the final game.

Carrying the fifth floor curse, Wen Shi had only less than forty-eight hours left. Trying to complete two quests at once might not be possible.

He thought for a moment and asked, “Is this game connected to the curse on the fifth floor?”

Patient 51 nodded and repeated his previous words.

Patient 51, as Patient 233 mentioned, proved relatively manageable. Rather than putting on a deliberate act, his demeanor was natural. Wen Shi, however, remained on edge. Compared to this person, A’Ao was easier to handle.

When facing an honest NPC, the best approach was to be direct. Wen Shi straightforwardly asked, “Do you think my chances of staying alive are high?’

“Very high. As long as you want it, your chances of survival are nearly one hundred percent.”

Wen Shi smiled. “That’s good, I have a strong will to survive.”

Patient 51 also smiled. “Is that so?”

“Seeing is believing,” Wen Shi remained confident, “So how do we play?”

Patient 51 got out of bed, put on slippers, released the phantom that had guided him earlier, and continued, “Patients in the Split Zone have varying degrees of splitting abilities, just like how my body and soul can separate at will. Isn’t it interesting?”

Wen Shi nodded in agreement.

Compared to the Lord of Terror, your level is like Tu Bianxi playing with dolls.

“In this mini game, you’ll also be in such a state.”

“?” The last time he heard such an explosive request was in the Merfolk Shore instance, where he was asked to act as a stone that splits on the spot.

Patient 51 was explaining the rules when a system prompt sounded.

The mechanical voice was as cold and steady as usual but with a slightly different feel.

【Inheritance Quest: Doctor-Patient Relationship

Quest Details: At midnight, your body will be going to a special place, while your soul will remain in the hospital.

The most crucial aspect in the doctor-patient relationship is trust. The hospital is very dangerous. Choose a patient you trust to safeguard your soul.

Remember! Whatever you do, don’t let Patient 51 find where your soul is hidden. He will destroy it!

Note: 1. You can attach your soul to an item for easy safekeeping by patients.

2. If Patient 51 fails to destroy your soul by midnight tomorrow, you win by default.

3. If your body successfully returns to the hospital before Patient 51 can finish you off, you win.】

【Please arrive on the fifth floor of the hospital by midnight.】

【Please decide on a soul guardian within one hour. Soul-binding ropes have been provided in your backpack.】

【Soul-binding Rope: When used, it helps attach your soul to a designated item.】

Patient 51: “I really enjoy playing hide and seek. After midnight, I’ll leave my room, search for your soul, and extinguish it. Be sure to hide it well.”

He gently advised with a smile.

There was a glint of unease in Wen Shi’s eyes. Without his soul, he’d be nothing more than an empty shell. What was the difference between that and being dead?

In a sense, this had a similar chilling effect to the curse on the fifth floor, both causing one to become rigid and frozen.

With only a few hours left until midnight and the quest prompt already given, Wen Shi didn’t want to delay any longer. He turned to leave.

Suddenly, the voice of Patient 51 sounded again from behind, “The last meal of death row inmates is never poisoned. It’s always exceptionally sumptuous and delicious.”

Wen Shi paused for a moment, then walked away without looking back.

Patient 51 was all but saying that the quest was not difficult, even implying that there was no need to be nervous and to simply enjoy the experience.

The corridor’s floor lamps flickered back to life.

Li Nan stood by the door with his arms crossed, his long legs quite noticeable. He had heard everything that transpired in the ward earlier, but only Wen Shi received the quest prompt. Li Nan wasn’t aware of Wen Shi’s specific task.

Although there were no other players around, Wen Shi still used an anti-eavesdropping item and proactively explained the upcoming quest.

He wanted to hear Li Nan’s opinion.

After about half a minute, Li Nan said, “The crucial part is the hiding process. The quest says your body will go somewhere else, so returning on foot is likely difficult. Judging from what the patient said, it likely involves a traditional test of human nature, but the uncertainty is too high, so don’t consider it before the quest starts. The immediate priority is finding a suitable soul guardian. As long as you make it past midnight, the quest will be completed successfully.”

Wen Shi nodded, agreeing with him.

“The rules dictate you must find a patient to safeguard your soul. There are three possible approaches: firstly, have a familiar player switch to a patient role and sign a contract, so you don’t have to worry about intentional betrayal. Secondly, find a patient from the deep zones who can match Patient 51’s abilities. This way, even if he discovers where your soul is, he might not be able to seize or destroy it. This option is a bit difficult, but you can settle for the next best thing…”

Wen Shi knew he was referring to Jian Qingrong.

“The last way is for you to switch to the patient role, try to exploit a bug, but I don’t think you’ll do that.”

Switching to the patient role meant losing his identity as a doctor. Whether he could easily switch back was uncertain, as it was the only official position.

Wen Shi wasn’t willing to risk his inheritance rights. He sighed softly, and for nearly ten minutes, he seemed almost motionless, like a statue, with only the slight rise and fall of his chest confirming he was still breathing.

When he looked ahead again, he whispered, “I will win.”

Li Nan raised an eyebrow.

Wen Shi, lost in thought, inexplicably said, “Patient 233 mentioned that Patient 51 is the nicest among all the underworld patients.”

Li Nan chuckled. “He doesn’t look like he has anything to do with kindness.”

It could only be said that the benchmark was already at the industry’s lowest level.

“That will do,” Wen Shi moved his slightly stiff body, “I’ll go prepare and take care of some chores.”

The two of them parted ways at the staircase. Li Nan watched him go up to the fifth floor, unable to fathom what this person was plotting.

However, one thing could be certain: unlike other players who see the dawn with ease, Pei Wenwei’s mood must be quite heavy at this moment, as if even breathing feels exhausting.

“Jian Qingrong—” The next second, along with the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs, Wen Shi’s voice rang out through gritted teeth. “Hand chopper, come out and take your beating!”

[T/N (cause it’s another slang): 剁手党 (lit. chop-hand party, fig. online shopaholic) refers to people who, after going on a shopping spree, vows to chop off their hands to prevent them from clicking the “buy” button]

Li Nan: “……”

He underestimated Pei Wenwei’s vitality.

In the pitch-black darkness, Wen Shi, striding forward, bumped headfirst into Jian Qingrong’s shoulder.

When he was called by his full name just now, Jian Qingrong’s entire expression changed. His initial reaction was to shift the blame onto the mini octopus, implying that it was the mini octopus’ suggestion. After all, they were in a unified state of will now, so it wasn’t really malicious passing the buck.

But upon hearing the last few words, Jian Qingrong’s attitude changed, adopting a posture of standing at attention to receive a scolding.

“Hiss…” Wen Shi rubbed his forehead. He thought the other person would at least flinch. Instead, Jian Qingrong not only didn’t retreat guiltily but even took two steps forward.

When they collided, Wen Shi, who was originally full of momentum, felt the slight trembling of the muscles beneath the fabric. It wasn’t fear but rather a concealed sense of anticipation. His temples throbbed.

He almost forgot that this was a boss whose favorability could increase just by seeing Wen Shi lift others’ chins with a sword.

“Not now. We’ll settle the score later.” After taking a few deep breaths, Wen Shi decided to focus on business first, “I need to go talk to the host now. I have something else to attend to tonight. If I haven’t returned by 6:00 PM tomorrow, please help me take care of A’Ao.”

The quest of killing the hospital director couldn’t be neglected.

“I need one more favor from you.” Wen Shi gently tugged at Jian Qingrong’s clothing. When the latter lowered his head, Wen Shi whispered a few instructions, “It might be a bit challenging, but…”

Worried that patients might eavesdrop in other ways, Wen Shi spoke in an extremely soft tone, every word uttered with utmost care.

As he continued to speak one sentence after another, warm breath brushed against his skin. Jian Qingrong felt a slight tremor run through him from head to toe. “Not difficult. I’ll handle it.”

His assurance brought a rare sense of relief.

After making some additional preparations, Wen Shi selected the soul guardian before the countdown ended. He opened his backpack, ready to use the item provided by the game.

“Do you want to use the【Soul-Binding Rope】?”

“Yes.”

“Please choose the vessel for the soul.”

Once Wen Shi made his choice, his brain momentarily felt like it was drained, leaving him with a bewildered expression.

However, that feeling quickly dissipated, as if nothing had happened. His thoughts continued to function normally, without any discomfort from his soul being detached.

Jian Qingrong: “Are you okay?”

Wen Shi: “At least my brainstem is intact.” That would do.

“……”

It was almost midnight now.

Patients were now roaming everywhere. Jian Qingrong had virtually no restrictions on his movement. To cooperate with Wen Shi’s plan, he went elsewhere around eleven o’clock.

Wen Shi stood alone against the wall, lost in thought, pondering where he would be taken later.

Could there be a secret room or hidden map on this floor?

Just as his thoughts were soaring freely, he suddenly felt a tingling itch on his back. Wen Shi jolted upright and swiftly retrieved his lantern.

From the dense cracks in the wall behind, something was slowly emerging. Instinctively, Wen Shi took a step back, briefly thinking of those red wireworms in the surgical light. When he focused and examined closely, he realized it was thin and dry straw.

From every crack, straw seemed to be squeezed out as if from a meat grinder. In the limited light of the lantern, they piled up and merged, eventually forming a straw demon.

Wen Shi blinked in surprise.

Frank Hospital was established in the past, and the straw demon possessed the ability to rewind time, so its appearance here wasn’t particularly surprising. However, traditional straw demons could only send people to their most painful moments and tempt them to offer their souls. Neither of these conditions applied anymore.

In the Golden City, he had once exploited a loophole in the scarecrow’s code, but the game wouldn’t provide a chance to do it again.

It was unclear what this particular straw demon could do, but the only thing Wen Shi was certain of was that its appearance always involved choices related to emotions and human nature.

Without a trace of regret, Wen Shi stared at the demon. The corner of his mouth seemed to carry a hint of anticipation.

He picked a phrase these creatures could understand, an old slang from ten years ago, “Inch resting.”

[T/N: 因吹斯汀 (yīn chuī sī tīng) is a phonetic translation of the English word “interesting”… it’s like the millennial expression “inch resting”]

•

Downstairs.

Li Nan, Yu Xingzhou, and Song Yan were waiting within the ruined area of the office.

Li Nan patiently recounted Wen Shi’s quest.

“According to what Patient 51 said, Pei Wenwei will face a difficult choice.”

After hearing this, Song Yan stood still for three seconds and paced around the office continuously, “This is bad, really bad…”

Li Nan: “Don’t worry too much for now.”

“No, I mean Patient 51 is in trouble,” Song Yan took a deep breath, “You don’t understand, our King never makes choices. Patient 51 will be played to death.”

“……”

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