Chapter 98.2 Crimson Sunset Expedition
As the chain bound his arms, Wen Shi probably understood why Yu Xingzhou’s skill couldn’t work. The system’s cold announcement came, “You are bound by an infernal iron chain, with less than forty-eight hours of remaining HP.”
Time freeze probably had no effect on such infernal things.
Wen Shi’s attitude was cooperative as he surrendered. Surrendering had its advantages—less suffering. The other end of the iron chain swung towards the defiant teenager and flung him into a corner. Next, the chain struck Yu Xingzhou’s shoulder.
Wen Shi instinctively looked for Song Yan. He finally noticed that Song Yan had been kneeling against the wall from the start, staying close to it. He hadn’t been attacked by the chain.
“……”
The iron chain detached from their bodies and extended infinitely, swinging towards them once again.
“You are bound by an infernal iron chain, with less than twenty-four hours of remaining HP.”
Every time the iron chain made contact, the feeling of numbness in their limbs was similar to being anesthetized.
The group’s expressions changed. If this continued, their remaining survival time would quickly be depleted.
Just as the iron chain was about to strike again, Wen Shi tried a desperate gambit, “I’m from Frank Hospital. They are my temporary assistants.”
The iron chain, like a striking serpent, paused in an attacking stance in front of Wen Shi’s face. The cold and eerie aura almost felt as if it was freezing his eyes.
The goat-headed security guard finally reacted. He was quite tall, and his imposing presence was palpable as he looked down at them. “Intruders from the main hospital.”
Wen Shi’s expression darkened. He could sense from the system prompt that the guard harbored a strong hatred for thieves. Once labeled as a thief, there would be no escaping the fate of death.
The goat-headed guard suddenly saw something through the flashlight’s beam. He pointed at the teenager, “You, you—” He gestured all around and settled on Yu Xingzhou, “The three of you can go.”
Wen Shi: “……”
Why not just call me out directly?
He immediately understood. The patient wristband could provide immunity once. He had already used up his chance.
Wen Shi looked at Yu Xingzhou and the teenager, puzzled. So, you both just ran for no reason?
Yu Xingzhou’s gaze fixated on the wristband for a moment, seemingly just realizing the situation. From this, Wen Shi deduced that Yu Xingzhou had chosen the first main quest—only the burglar quest would involve guard-related prompts. As for his own shadow, Wen Shi looked at the teenager, who sighed with exasperation, “When I fought with the patient earlier, it attracted the night shift security guard. But when I rushed downstairs, he didn’t chase after me.”
The teenager had assumed it was due to the wristband’s influence, but now it seemed that the goat-headed guard was only responsible for this floor.
Before the guard could further confront them, Wen Shi seized the opportunity to speak first. He pointed at the innermost room and asked, “Is that an operating room?”
The operating rooms on the first floor were all occupied by tourists experiencing cosmetic surgeries. Freshly severed heads must have been taken to other operation rooms or labs. The flashlight on his phone remained on, and the bloodstains on the pale floor tiles at the end of the corridor were quite conspicuous.
“Everyone must die,” Wen Shi spoke passionately, “If I must die, I’m willing to contribute to medical research. Please take me to that operating room. Let me see your achievements and then I’ll sacrifice myself.”
His teammates nearby couldn’t stand the nonsense, but his words carried some convincing power when aligned with his identity as a doctor from the main hospital.
Wen Shi looked at the stationary goat-headed guard with a sincere expression, “My name is Aaron. You can check the system. My photo is on the official website.”
Sanatorium staff could find themselves through the network system. He believed the same could be done here.
The goat-headed guard didn’t waste time verifying. He asked a single question, “Who is the director of Frank Hospital?”
The name “A’Ao” almost slipped out, but just as the words reached his lips, Wen Shi changed his answer, “Of course, it’s the person who established the hospital rules.”
The terrifying rectangular pupils remained unmoving, barely revealing any focus. Yet, Wen Shi had an odd sensation that the goat-headed guard was scrutinizing him.
He wasn’t sure why he said that, but he had an instinctive feeling. A’Ao wasn’t suitable to be the hospital director. Even though his foster father had been absent for so long, the rules he established for the hospital were still the rules that the monsters within the instance couldn’t violate. That was the kind of authority a director should have.
Put simply, his father was more well-known. As for A’Ao, who knew if anyone even recognized him.
The chill subsided, and the iron chain was secured back to the goat-headed guard’s waist, causing Wen Shi to breathe a sigh of relief.
The goat-headed guard began to walk in silence, heading towards the innermost room. Wen Shi, who had previously insisted on going there, had no choice but to follow.
Yu Xingzhou chose to walk along without saying a word. It wasn’t a matter of chivalry. It was the only chance they had if they wanted to enter the locked room.
The harder it was to gain entry to a place, the higher the likelihood of finding information associated with the key.
The teenager turned to leave.
They were all adults, and in the face of the unknown, any one of them, even Wen Shi, wouldn’t recklessly rush in.
However, Wen Shi acted out of character, grabbing the teenager and giving off an air of “everyone can leave, except you.”
“Not born on the same day, month, or year, but hoping to die on the same day, month, and year.”
“……” The teenager really wanted to give him a piece of his mind.
However, Wen Shi persisted, his intentions unclear. He wore a slightly eerie smile and emphasized just three words: “You must go.”
Wen Shi never made others work for nothing. After a pause, he continued, “Grandma and Little Octopus are exploring the second underground floor. It’ll benefit us if we steal the Divine Evolution Potion from there later.”
The implication was that as long as the teenager cooperated, he’d be willing to share the information about the second underground floor for free.
Employing both persuasion and insistence, and considering the quest, the teenager eventually didn’t turn away. He chose to enter the mysterious room alongside the others.
The goat-headed guard continued walking normally towards the end of the corridor, paying no attention to the miscellaneous people following along.
The two ahead each had their own objectives to fulfill. Only Song Yan quietly stayed by Wen Shi’s side. Wen Shi was moved. “At times like these, you don’t have to worry about me.”
Song Yan forced a somewhat unappealing smile. “Boss, my survival rate would be even lower if I went solo.”
He knew his own weight very well.
Wen Shi sighed deeply. This was indeed the most practical approach.
The uniquely bonded four-person team finally arrived at the mysterious room at the end.
The tall goat-headed guard stood in front. With a sound of “drip,” the white card in his hand stuck to the magnetic strip, and the door opened.
Wen Shi couldn’t help but think that the night-shift security guards of this hospital, excluding the chameleon guard, wielded unimaginable power. It was clearly not on the same level as the goat-headed one.
As the door opened, an almost blinding light spilled out, making the room seem as bright as day compared to the dim corridor. The room was of a reasonable size, not too large, yet not small either, similar to a regular operating room.
The surgeon currently performing surgery inside looked up displeased when he saw the guard, but held back his outburst when he realized it was a guard.
The goat-headed guard entered, and with his bulky form gone, the others behind him were exposed.
“New arrivals,” the goat-headed guard said two words and then turned to leave.
Wen Shi couldn’t tell if it was his imagination, but he had a feeling the goat-headed security guard gave him an extra look before leaving.
Was it due to his identity as a representative of their main hospital? Just as he began to ponder, the metallic door of the operating room behind him closed automatically.
A system prompt tone as unforgiving as the closing door followed:
“You have entered one of the secret research rooms of the Crimson Sunset Cosmetic Surgery Clinic.”
“A thief never leaves empty-handed. You’ve set your sights on stealing two bottles of tranquilizers.”
“The tranquilizers are in the cabinet behind the surgeon. Try to steal them if you’ve come to steal the key.”
Wen Shi’s pupils contracted. This was the first time he had heard the game mention the word ‘key’ so directly.
Everyone who entered heard the prompt sound, and their gazes subconsciously turned towards the direction the game indicated. The cabinet was close to the surgeon, which meant they had to commit the theft right under his nose.
Some were pondering how to steal, while others instinctively planned their escape routes. Wen Shi scanned the room: there was one head surgeon and six nurses. After seeing the four living individuals enter, a greedy glint shone in their eyes.
The air was filled with a nauseating stench.
On the operating table, a man in patient clothing struggled desperately. There was a large needle mark on his wrist, resembling a bloody hole. After being injected with a drug, each of the man’s struggles became futile. Eventually, he could only beg in despair, “I’ll pay the surgery fee as soon as possible, in three days, just give me three days…”
A plump nurse interrupted him coldly, announcing the terms of the contract: “You relied on undergoing the full-body cosmetic procedure as part of our hospital’s live experience loan program. You’ve now exceeded three months overdue in paying the fees. According to the contract, you’re required to cooperate with our experiments.”
“No, no, I have the money, you have to believe me…” The man’s face turned ashen, speaking words he didn’t even believe himself, his forehead dripping with sweat born out of fear.
Wen Shi understood the situation roughly. By providing a fresh corpse, one could qualify for a full-body cosmetic procedure, even with outstanding debts. The cost was that if the debt wasn’t repaid within a specified time, the person would become an experimental subject in the hospital.
“Tsk…” No wonder the tour guide was so desperate to make money.
Song Yan: “It can’t be the kind of experiment I’m thinking of, right?”
Wen Shi: “Be confident in your thinking skills.”
Inside the cold storage chamber right in front of them was the severed head of the tour guide’s shadow. Just thinking that not long ago, he had carried this corpse over on his own back, made Song Yan’s skin crawl with goosebumps.
Freshly deceased bodies were a rare resource at the Crimson Sunset Cosmetic Surgery Clinic. The head surgeon took out surgical tools and skillfully opened the skull of the tour guide’s shadow. The room instantly filled with the scent of blood. The head surgeon’s movements were precise, and in no time, a complete brain was extracted from the skull.
Brain transplant.
Song Yan was left baffled, initially thinking of cursing them as perverts. Then he realized that similar research hadn’t stopped in the real world either. The difference lay only between ongoing and successful attempts.
The sequence of the ongoing surgery was the opposite of reality. They were for some unknown purpose replacing a dead person’s brain with a living person’s. Once the shadow’s brain was removed, without a moment’s rest, the surgeon began to perform a cranial operation on the man on the operating table. The agonizing screams threatened to pierce through anyone’s eardrums.
The man had already given up. His pleas for mercy had transformed into malicious curses, which Song Yan couldn’t bear to witness, so he turned his face away. Wen Shi, aside from a slight frown due to the brutality of the scene, remained relatively unaffected emotionally.
Sharing the same outward appearance didn’t necessarily make them kin. The man undergoing surgery was a beastkin NPC. He had provided living bodies for the full-body procedures. Everything before them was merely the result of cause and effect.
Wen Shi was only interested in the tranquilizers. He glanced at Yu Xingzhou, knowing he felt the same.
Yu Xingzhou stated a fact plainly, “After being touched by the security guard’s iron chain, my skill remains locked for half an hour.”
His tone was calm, indicating that even if the iron chain hadn’t touched him, when it came to key-related elements, the game wouldn’t allow players to easily use time manipulation to take the tranquilizer. If such a situation arose, it would likely be another trap.
The scent of blood grew heavier in the air, and in the prolonged silence, Song Yan turned his head back. Seeing the extracted brain still dripping with blood, he fought the urge to gag. “How do we escape?”
He had surveyed the surroundings and found no pressure sensors underfoot. Beastkin had superior physical traits compared to humans. This hospital didn’t seem to maintain stringent sterile conditions.
Wen Shi moved slightly to the side, catching sight of a red button near the inner wall cabinet, partially obscured by the cabinet itself.
A plump nurse seemed to notice his inquisitive gaze. Handing a scalpel to the surgeon while revealing a chilling smile that could be sensed even through her mask, she taunted, “Don’t worry, you’ll be next in line very soon.”
Her question dripped with sadistic amusement, “You have three minutes left to make a choice: who will be the first to cooperate with the upcoming experiment?”
The man on the operating table let out a final shriek as the surgeon, disregarding everything else, used instruments to temporarily prolong his last breath while simultaneously inserting the brain of the tour guide’s shadow into his skull.”
Wen Shi’s tone turned icy. “He’s close to death.”
It was easy to guess the outcome. Research conducted in secrecy was usually in its developmental stage and far from success.
Wen Shi looked at the teenager and whispered, “After they replace the ‘new specimen’ on the operating table for the experiment, the restraints on the deceased will be removed. Seize the opportunity to use your skill【Feigned Corpse】. With the man’s final grudge, he will undoubtedly attack the head surgeon relentlessly.”
Those unfortunate souls who experienced waking up from anesthesia downstairs went insane, attacking indiscriminately after coming out, let alone those whose brains were extracted while still alive.
The curses spat by the man on the operating table before he died would be their best reassurance.
Once chaos ensued, they would have a chance to take the tranquilizers.
The teenager’s eyelid twitched, understanding why Wen Shi insisted he come along—to take advantage of his【Feigned Corpse】skill for free.
Didn’t this imply that his original self had already anticipated everything? Furthermore, when considering Wen Shi’s absurd claim of sacrificing himself for medical research, it was clear that he was testing the waters with the security guard, in order to ascertain the ongoing illegal experiments inside and to prepare an exit strategy ahead of time.
“What if the【Feigned Corpse】skill only creates a thirty-second window of revival? What if it fails?” he asked.
Wen Shi didn’t answer, and the teenager seemed to realize something. They both turned to look at Yu Xingzhou simultaneously.
With a heavy sigh, Wen Shi said, “Guild Leader, it looks like you’ll have to undergo the surgery.”
Yu Xingzhou almost burst into laughter.
Wen Shi’s reasoning was quite convincing, “Because you’re the strongest among us.”
For the others, even if they had thirty seconds of revival, it wouldn’t make much difference.
The teenager nodded emphatically to show his agreement.
Having experienced numerous games before, Yu Xingzhou had seen players sacrifice the weakest team members to buy time in dangerous situations. Such scenes played out in instances daily. Sacrificing the strongest member, however, was a first for him.
What a weird team this was.
The teenager comforted with rare words, “The success rate for the first plan is ninety percent. You’re just a contingency plan.”
Song Yan, who had worried about being pushed to undergo the surgery first, sincerely exclaimed, “I love this team.”
Equality among all lives exuded from within.
Yu Xingzhou: “……”
Speaking of which, Wen Shi calmly gazed at the corner of the red button, pondering other ways to resolve the situation.
Each person was lost in their own thoughts.
Right at that moment, the door opened again.
The goat-headed security guard brought in another person, coldly repeating the same two words: “New arrival.”
It was Li Nan who entered. He had his hands in his pockets and wore his usual gentle smile, showing no signs of panic as he walked toward the four-person team.
“Guild Leader Yu, is it not a bit impolite to start exploring without waiting for me?”
Yu Xingzhou remained silent.
Li Nan raised an eyebrow. “Curious how I found my way here?”
This silence persisted for about half a minute before Yu Xingzhou replied evasively, suddenly turning to the group. “You all know I’m just the leader of the second largest guild in the virtual world. He’s the no.1, right?”
Wen Shi and the others nodded in agreement.
It was decided then. Li Nan!
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