Chapter 57: Patients of the Sixth Hospital |
The Lolita Amusement Park thread went viral after Xie Meng Meng revealed their secrets. The forum was buzzing with comments from awestruck mates, who exclaimed, 【Bloody brilliant! Who would have thought of such a clever trick?】
They tried to guess the identity of the big shot behind the scheme, combing through the leaderboard for clues and making wild guesses.
But not everyone was fooled by the ruse. Some were sharp enough to see through it, like Luo Jin and Lu Xun.
Luo Jin rarely visited the forum, preferring to get his updates from Lu Xun. On that day, he was gazing out of the window, bored by the artificial scenery that pretended to be real. Lu Xun was munching on snacks and browsing the forum, when he suddenly let out a loud thud.
“Blast it! They’re up to their old tricks again!”
Luo Jin turned around calmly at the sound and walked over to the water cooler to fill his cup with hot water.
Lu Xun wished he had someone to share his excitement with, but fate had other plans. His roommate was a total bore.
“Don’t you want to know who I’m talking about?” he asked, hoping to spark some interest.
Luo Jin cradled his teacup to his chest, letting the steam veil his face as he drawled, “You’re talking about Yu Xiao, aren’t you?”
Luo Jin gave him a look that suggested he needed a brain scan, “She’s the only one among our acquaintances who’s been making waves on the forum, right?”
“…” Lu Xun countered, “Not quite. I’d say we’re pretty famous too.”
Luo Jin conceded with a nod, “True, but they always bring me up when they mention Yu Xiao. Most of them think I’m rubbish.”
Lu Xun felt a surge of relief at that point. Thank goodness he wasn’t the top scorer, or he would have been the one pitted against Yu Xiao.
He saw Luo Jin clutching the teacup with a placid expression and asked, “Don’t you wonder what they’ve been doing?”
“I’m a bit curious,” He admitted.
Lu Xun scoffed, “You’re curious but you never bother to look at your phone?”
Luo Jin lifted the teacup in his hand and said casually, “I’ve already brewed the tea and I’m all ears for your report.”
“…”
【…That was how me and the big shots stormed the haunted house together. It was a bloody massacre. I swear, I’ve never seen anything like it since I joined the Fourth Hospital. Even the attending doctor was reduced to a sobbing mess. I thought we were going to breeze through the whole thing, until we left the amusement park. That’s when disaster struck, and the big shot took a tumble from the carousel.】
The post went on: 【I didn’t think to ask then, so I’m still clueless about the carousel’s deal. All I know is that the bloke from Wu Hospital, after touching the carousel, lost his marbles and tried to bash his head against the wall. When we stopped him, he passed out, the kind that no amount of lifesaving talismans could fix.
We were at our wit’s end then. Without the big shot’s help, we had no chance of cracking the carousel’s mystery. One of the lads from Wu Hospital snapped; he gave up on finding clues and bolted on his own.】
【Blimey, even a big shot like that can cock it up?】
【I don’t know why, but this feels oddly familiar…】
【Come on! Come on! OP, spill the beans!】
【Then what? How did you lot get back?】
【The big shot’s friends weren’t ready to throw in the towel and kept at it. Meanwhile, the two who ran off came back, claiming they had found the exit, and the exit didn’t need any clues to locate. Except for the big shot and her friends, we all followed them. And guess what? We actually found the amusement park’s exit…】
【Do you think we’re daft? How could we mess up such a simple situation like this? If you do, then you’re mistaken. What I’m trying to say is, if you ever end up in the Lolita Amusement Park, remember this, never ever leave the amusement park! The outside is not a way out, the outside is a bigger nightmare than the amusement park!!】
【 … 】
“Ouch…” Lu Xun sucked in a sharp breath, “It seems like we’ve never encountered this kind of situation before. Is the world outside mentioned by this OP also part of the amusement park?”
Luo Jin frowned and shook his head, disbelief etched on his face. “This can’t be right. I’ve never seen an attending doctor’s territory this big before.”
Lu Xun shared his confusion. He had faced many treatment instances, but none like this. He scratched his chin and pondered for a moment. “Do you think it’s possible that two instances have somehow merged together?”
Luo Jin nodded slowly, considering the idea. “That could explain it, but…” He trailed off, his eyes distant and thoughtful.
Lu Xun leaned closer, curious. “But what?”
Luo Jin looked at him with a serious expression. “Have you ever wondered about this?” he asked. “What lies beyond the many instances we’ve experienced?”
Lu Xun blinked, taken aback by the question. He had never given it much thought. He had always assumed that the treatment instances were the whole game. What else could there be outside them?
Luo Jin seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, his mind wandering to places Lu Xun couldn’t follow. He wasn’t just curious about what lay beyond the instances. He was also questioning the nature of the hospital itself. How did it contain so many instances, and so many NPCs within those instances, including the dreaded attending doctors? Where did they all come from?
He remembered the morning news at the hospital, which often broadcasted reports of certain medical personnel being fired for violating the rules, followed by announcements of vacancies in certain positions. Humans couldn’t possibly apply for those jobs, so who was the target audience of the news?
He also recalled how terrifying the medical personnel were, but also how they were constantly being depleted by the players. Where did they get their replacements from?
He clenched his phone in his hand, his thumb rubbing it nervously. He wondered if he should call Yu Xiao and ask her about the world outside the instance.
He couldn’t shake off the nagging feeling that Yu Xiao might ask him for points in exchange for information. After all, he had a vague acquaintance with her, and she seemed to be the type who would do anything for a bargain.
**
Ever since Xie Meng Meng had blabbed about her incredible adventures in the instance, her post had remained at the top of the forum, refusing to budge.
The patients were losing their minds.
Some wondered if it was a hidden feature of the instance, some guessed it was a whole new instance, and some fantasised it was a different world. There were even those who had grown weary of the hospital routine and the endless challenges, longing to escape to that world and start over with a new identity…
And then there were those who were sceptical, demanding evidence.
【Is the big shot that OP mentioned lurking around? If you are, show yourself and tell us if what she said is true!】
【How come I’ve never heard of such a badass big shot at Fourth Hospital?】
【This has to be fake, right? If there really is such a badass big shot, why is Zhuge always topping the leaderboard?】
【If this is true, then it’s too freaking terrifying.】
【…】
Yu Xiao frowned as she read the comments. Some of the patients at Fourth Hospital had been here for years, yet they had never set foot in the theme park instance. It indicated that there were countless treatment instances, and maybe the number was not even fixed, but constantly increasing.
After a moment of hesitation, Yu Xiao closed the Fourth Hospital forum and switched to the Sixth Hospital one.
She wanted to post a thread about her experience, revealing the situation at the Lolita Amusement Park instance. She hoped to alert other patients and also encourage them to share their own stories on the forum if they ever faced something similar. She had a strong sense that this instance experience was extraordinary.
【Experience Post: Lolita Amusement Park.】
As soon as the post appeared, Zhao Lan spotted it right away. She instantly grasped Yu Xiao’s intention and smiled, saying, “This is good. I have a feeling we’re getting closer to the truth about the hospital.”
Zhou Xiao Zhen, who had just finished filling out all the delivery forms, rubbed her hands and said, “What truth? What truth?”
Zhao Lan said, “The truth about the hospital.”
“Oh~” Zhou Xiao Zhen giggled at that, “You lot, always making a fuss over nothing. Even if you discover the truth about the hospital, so what? Does that mean you’ll get to be the boss of the hospital?”
Yu Xiao was baffled, “Don’t you have any curiosity at all?”
“Eh, a bit.” Zhou Xiao Zhen answered, “But my curiosity has been drained by maths problems.”
“Ah, this…”
Zhou Xiao Zhen shrugged and gave a carefree smile. “What does it matter, what answers, what truths? For me, passing the grades is enough. That’s all I aim for, just to earn enough points.”
Zhao Lan looked at her with a mix of admiration and envy. “Precious, you’re so lucky. Sometimes, thinking too much only brings you sorrow, don’t you agree, Smiley?”
“Um…” Yu Xiao hesitated, feeling a twinge of alienation. “I don’t know, I find it quite fascinating to ponder over some things more.”
Zhou Xiao Zhen leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. “Like what, for example?”
“Like anything that’s not maths…”
Zhao Lan frowned, unable to comprehend. She liked maths, she really did. It was thrilling to solve problems, and satisfying to get the right answer. Why did they always sound so gloomy when they mentioned maths?
“But you know, you still have to face the college entrance examination after leaving the Sixth Hospital,” Yu Xiao reminded her.
“Ugh…” Zhou Xiao Zhen groaned, her face falling. “Why? Why is it that others feel liberated when they leave the hospital, but I feel like I’m plunging into another inferno?”
Zhao Lan saw Precious’s round little face crumple in anguish, and felt a surge of compassion. “Smiley, let’s not talk about studying and exams anymore, okay?”
“Oh, look, someone replied to my post!” Yu Xiao exclaimed, quickly changing the topic.
The commenter’s way of writing rang a bell in Yu Xiao’s mind. It was the same person who had asked about selling talismans on the forum before, with a username like “Give me your heart” or something equally dramatic.
Yu Xiao had omitted the details of her escape from the instance in her post, only giving a vague overview of the horrors that lurked within.
The first reply came swiftly:
【How did you survive such a high-difficulty instance? How did you find all the clues?】
Yu Xiao typed back.
【I have some special items, so my clue-finding method is not representative of the usual methods.】
As the days went by, the forum was flooded with more and more third-level members.
【That’s terrifying… No wonder you’re the top-ranked, you can actually pass such a nightmare instance.】
【What am I supposed to do? I’m running out of time, and I’m the only one left in my ward. I’m too scared to apply for another treatment…】
【Please share more of your experiences, pro. I’m begging you!】
【Does anyone know how to tell the real delivery person apart? I haven’t eaten anything for a whole day.】
【Are the ghosts still roaming the wards at night…】
The patients in the Sixth Hospital were not as desperate for truth as those in the Fourth Hospital yet. Some of them were still concerned about mundane things like food.
Yu Xiao lingered for a moment, then closed the forum tab.
Zhou Xiao Zhen was typing furiously in the forum, while Zhao Lan scrolled through the posts with a blank face. She felt Yu Xiao’s stare and lifted her head to meet her eyes.
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Zhao Lan said softly. “It won’t do you any good. You have to realise, this might not be the last time you see someone die. We’ve all been there. It’s part of living in this world. Precious is doing a good thing by sharing her experiences in the forum, maybe she can help some of them cope.”
“Eh? What are you on about?” Zhou Xiao Zhen looked up, puzzled. “I’m not sharing anything, I’m educating them on the three methods to tell the real delivery man from the fake one.”
Zhao Lan perked up. “Three methods?”
“That’s right, the top, middle, and bottom strategies,” Zhou Xiao Zhen said earnestly. “The top strategy is to charm the ghost into giving you free food, the middle strategy is to scare it off with talismans, and the bottom strategy is to quiz it until it slips up…”