Chapter 8 Night of the Ancient Castle
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Castrated kittens and puppies sometimes resented their owners, even more so for an Earl.
Bushy Beard had an unpleasant appearance.
Nevertheless, the moment he identified with the system, he couldn’t perform those horrifying aggressive acts anymore. Locking eyes, Wen Shi managed a smile. “Tomorrow morning, let’s meet there.”
Bushy Beard glared angrily, then walked away reluctantly.
Wen Shi completely lost interest in reading.
The office was a mess. After cleaning the debris from the desk, he searched the corridor for a long time but couldn’t find a trash bin. Along the way, he passed by the pharmacy, resting room, and surprisingly, even a prayer room. In this era, many mentally ill patients were believed to be possessed by demons, and their treatment was no different from punishment.
Just as Wen Shi was about to give up and go back, he noticed that the nurse’s station ahead was empty.
The whole hospital was in disorder, with dirty needles lying around as if they were prepared for reuse. Wen Shi returned to his office, took out the camera he found while cleaning the cabinet, and quickly took a few photos as evidence.
The director’s office was also nearby.
The door was unlocked. Wen Shi pushed open the partially closed door and found a spacious and luxurious room with chairs made of genuine leather. There was a portrait of a bearded man on the wall, exuding an air of importance.
“Much more extravagant than my office.”
There were some scraps in the trash bin. Wen Shi picked them up and pieced together a sentence. “Director A’Ao, the money will arrive tomorrow as usual. My brother must remain insane all the time.”
He aimed the camera at the evidence and took a few clicks.
【You have discovered the dirty dealings inside Frank Hospital.】
Click, click.
Footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Wen Shi haphazardly threw the pieces of paper back to their original place, but he couldn’t hide the camera.
The plump nurse’s weight didn’t affect her speed. She floated over like a strong gust of wind, wearing a fierce expression. “Doctor Aaron, what are you doing here?”
“The Earl is dissatisfied with the treatment results and asked me to bring Director A’Ao with me tomorrow.” Wen Shi casually explained, “The castle’s tradition is for each attending doctor to leave behind a photo and information. Since I couldn’t find the director, I came here to take a self-portrait.”
The plump nurse was half doubtful. “The director went to the second floor.”
Wen Shi responded with an “Oh” and naturally headed upstairs. But just as he took a step, a frantic alert sound rang out.
“Warning! A-grade danger zone not related to the current instance. Proceed with caution.”
Wen Shi halted in his tracks.
The plump nurse coldly smiled from behind, “Why not go up?”
Wen Shi awkwardly retreated, “Tomorrow’s treatment is crucial. I’ll go first and write a comprehensive treatment plan.”
With a lingering fear in his heart, Wen Shi returned to his office with a frown. “It seems there are many points worth exploring in this world.”
There was no time to develop the photos.
He took out the film directly and then started writing a letter.
Doing good deeds daily was a promise Wen Shi made to someone.
A’Ao seemed nervous when mentioning being caught and imprisoned. It indicated that he was very afraid to go in, and having fear represented something that could be dealt with.
The content of the letter exposed the irregularities in the psychiatric hospital, bribery, and inhumane abusive behaviors. Wen Shi also recorded all the scarce knowledge about mental treatments on paper, hoping to gain attention.
His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of intense running.
Wen Shi looked up and met the gaze of a patient outside.
The patient had long black hair and a very slender figure. Their throat was wrapped in bandages, making it hard to tell if they were male or female.
Besides the throat, almost a third of the patient’s body was covered in bandages, yellowed and seeping blood. Covering a regular wound like this would definitely cause an infection.
Wen Shi’s office door was broken by Bushy Beard, giving the patient an opportunity to pounce in like a wild beast.
At that moment, the plump nurse also rushed over.
In this hospital, they didn’t use restraints but instead used primitive hemp ropes. The patient’s wrists, which were rubbed raw by the ropes, held a broken one, threateningly strangling Wen Shi’s neck, silently conveying a message: take another step, and he would be killed!
The patient had an unnerving strength like that of a bull. Wen Shi couldn’t break free. He looked towards the plump nurse outside and subtly used his elbow to push the paper on the desk into a pile of messy files, making it less noticeable.
The patient noticed his subtle action and tightened the rope, leaving marks on Wen Shi’s neck.
It seemed like they were ready to die together until their peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the contents of the letter, causing their movements to falter.
Wen Shi lowered his voice, “The nurse and the director are in cahoots. They won’t care if I live or die. Holding me hostage won’t help you.”
The brief encounter earlier made Wen Shi feel the nurse’s contempt towards him.
As expected, the plump nurse wasn’t hesitating over Wen Shi’s safety but rather waiting for the head nurse. In no time, the head nurse walked in holding a syringe.
Wen Shi calmly continued, “If you kill me, you’ll only be helping them.”
Faced with the approaching nurse, the patient was swayed by his words.
Wen Shi: “Only I can help you.”
It wasn’t that he could, but that he would. Besides him, there wouldn’t be anyone else in this hospital who would write a report.
The report was indeed persuasive. A flicker of struggle appeared in the patient’s ferocious eyes.
“Delete File No. 82.”
The patient finally made up their mind and quickly whispered something in Wen Shi’s ear. At the same time, they loosened the grip on his neck, and one hand subtly reached toward his waist.
Sharp pain shot through his back. Wen Shi winced, feeling something piercing into him.
【You have accepted a special task: Delete File No. 82.】
【Player obtained World Shard X1! Note: This shard is crucial, possessing it makes you one of the true candidates for the director position.】
【Current hospital exploration progress increased to 5%.】
【You are one step closer to becoming the ditector.】
*
The virtual world.
In an instant, all the characters on the public rankings disappeared. Whether it was players just exiting the instance, those checking the leaderboard, or passersby, everyone stopped in their tracks, looking on in awe.
“Player 460872 triggered a special SSS-grade instance!”
“This instance will officially go live soon.”
“Attention, all players! This instance is super-graded. The difficulty may surpass SSS at any moment!”
“Attention, all players! The first player to crack the hidden side quest inside the instance will receive a super-godly item!”
A super-godly item?!
The highest-grade items currently available in the shop were only god-grade. They were mostly unique, available only while supplies last. The ten major guilds held a tight grip on all god-grade items. A super-godly item could completely change the existing dynamics.
“Look, people from the Tenth Commandment has arrived!” People gasped in astonishment at how quickly a major guild came.
“It’s my first time seeing members of the Tenth Commandment Guild.”
“Members of the Seventh Commandment Guild have also arrived.”
The names of the Ten Major Guilds were derived from the Ten Commandments in the Bible. The originator of this idea remained unknown, but the most powerful guild was undoubtedly the First Commandment guild.
Super-godly items were of extraordinary significance, and no guild could afford to ignore them.
Ignoring the excited players around them, the members of these major guilds, who usually held themselves high, all paid attention to the number below.
Player 460872.
*
As the first newbie to attract the attention of all Ten Major Guilds in history, Wen Shi had no idea how much commotion he had caused. Anyone who saw the announcement in the virtual world was filled with great curiosity about him.
With an elbow strike and a swift shoulder throw, Wen Shi smoothly flung the patient away when they loosened their hold. He couldn’t let the plump nurse notice the report on the desk, so the farther the patient was from the desk, the better.
Fortunately, the patient didn’t resist too much and cooperated in being thrown out by Wen Shi.
The plump nurse immediately administered an electric shock to the patient, while the head nurse skillfully inserted a needle into their vein.
The slender body trembled violently, like a fish struggling in its last moments after being pulled out of water.
Wen Shi had experienced the strength of the patient before, but now they were easily subdued by the nurse. He was puzzled, thinking that if the nurses were this skilled, Bushy Beard should be even more powerful. Why then did he act like a reckless brute, wildly swinging an iron hook?
After the nurse left, Wen Shi reached back.
“Hiss…”
He winced in pain as he slowly pulled out a blood-stained diamond-shaped shard from his skin.
【World Shard】 These two words automatically appeared in his mind.
“With this, I’ll have the qualification to compete for the director position. It’s a big step on my entrepreneurial path.”
Wen Shi opened the panel, stored it in his backpack, and rummaged through boxes to find clean gauze to dress his wound.
Unfortunately, being new here, Wen Shi didn’t know where to send the report letter. Non-special items couldn’t be stored in the backpack, so he temporarily hid it on a bookshelf, planning to inquire about it later.
Throughout the night, Wen Shi hardly closed his eyes.
The office door was broken, and no matter how courageous he was, he didn’t dare to easily fall asleep in such an environment.
The next day, the coachman was waiting outside the gate early on. Wen Shi quickly had a simple breakfast and went out. The coachman wore an impatient expression, constantly giving him glances, until Bushy Beard walked out. Immediately, he smiled and invited Wen Shi into the carriage.
Once again, Wen Shi was certain of his position at the bottom of the food chain.
For social status, he had to strive for the position of director!
The space inside the carriage instantly became smaller with the entry of the bearded giant.
Wen Shi tightly pressed his body against the wooden board. He actually dreaded those nauseating scenes more than the unknown fear. The maggots squirming on Bushy Beard’s wrist seemed denser than yesterday, occasionally dropping a few due to the jolting of the carriage.
Trying not to look at the insects, Wen Shi said, “You’ll have a hard time with the surgery later.”
Bushy Beard glared at him fiercely.
Pretending not to notice, Wen Shi complimented, “After all, you’re the director, and I’m just an amateur.”
Then he quickly added in his mind: Just die quickly so I can ascend to the position properly.
Wen Shi noticed an interesting phenomenon. Players couldn’t violate the game rules, and these NPCs were also bound by certain constraints. Just like a character couldn’t go out of character, as long as their actions were justified and aligned with their personality, NPCs couldn’t act on their whims.
For instance, at this moment, both of them were being roasted on the fire to undergo a suicidal treatment.
The carriage continued its fast pace as usual.
The man’s tone was unpleasant, “Did the Earl agree to this treatment plan?”
Wen Shi: “Has any patient in our hospital ever agreed to our treatment plan?”
“……”
The game wouldn’t lead to a dead end, which was why Wen Shi wasn’t overly anxious. There must be a way to complete this task line. Bushy Beard obediently followed along. It should be the game’s lifeline left for him.
As they were nearing the castle, Wen Shi suddenly turned his head, attentively focusing on the scenery outside, especially the puddle under the streetlight. He kept his gaze fixed until the carriage moved farther away.
A few minutes later, both of them reluctantly stood in front of the ancient castle as planned.
Strangely, the castle was locked today.
Wen Shi knocked on the door.
The butler came to open the door, surprised, and said, “Dr. Aaron, why are you here so early today?”
Wen Shi: “I was worried about repeating what happened last time.”
As soon as he entered, Wen Shi sensed something was wrong. The only lively potted plant in the hall was shattered on the ground, and cracks appeared on the walls. The chandelier was left hanging precariously with only half of it intact.
The entire castle looked as if it had been ransacked by robbers.
Before Wen Shi could inquire further, the butler went upstairs and returned after a moment. “The master requests both of you to come over.”
The butler led the way, and they met the castle master in the safe room.
The safe room was on the fourth floor, with only one hidden door and no windows.
It was evident that the castle master was in a very foul mood, his pale cheeks looking eerie in the dimly lit room. Wen Shi had prepared a well-crafted explanation for bringing Bushy Beard here, but neither the butler nor the castle master seemed interested.
As soon as the castle master saw Wen Shi, a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes. He suddenly stood up from his seat and walked towards Wen Shi.
“Your scent,” his narrow eyes squinted, “has become alluring.”
What kind of statement was that?
The castle master came closer and continued sniffing in a bizarre manner.
Wen Shi had a feeling that this compliment was not a good thing. They were in close proximity, and when avoiding eye contact, he noticed that the man’s pants had been scratched by something.
Wen Shi felt puzzled. Wearing torn clothes didn’t fit the elegant image of the castle master.
He became even more curious about what had happened before he arrived. However, facing the castle master licking his lips, Wen Shi immediately said, “If you’re ready, let’s begin today’s treatment.”
Then he looked at Bushy Beard and said, “Director, it’s up to you.”
Bushy Beard took out several medicine bottles and an unopened syringe from the inner pocket of his white coat.
With one hand, he mixed the medications, then instructed Wen Shi, “My hand is not convenient, you handle the injection.”
“……”
His reason was logical, as the man’s right hand was completely severed.
The castle master on the seat didn’t have his hair meticulously combed today. A strand fell, casting a shadow on his profile. Faced with the confrontation between the two, he said nothing, just silently giving a deathly gaze.
Faced with dangers from both sides, Wen Shi’s expression changed slightly. It was impossible to have a chemical castration formula in this era. However, Bushy Beard had achieved it and impatiently urged Wen Shi not to delay the patient’s treatment.
“I…” Wen Shi tried to find a reason to retreat.
Bushy Beard grinned menacingly, “My medicine works well.”
“Please complete the castration treatment as soon as possible.”
The countdown sound started incessantly, like a death knell, pounding and smashing repeatedly.
“Countdown 30 s.”
“29 s, 28 s…”
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