Chapter 100: Madman and Livestock |
At the moment Xiang Wen turned his head, Guan Shan used [Secret Behind the Door].
His position was definitely "behind the door," and once the item took effect, no one could observe him in any way.
In fact, Guan Shan had already used this item once when Xiang Wen entered the room.
Otherwise, Xiang Wen would have noticed him when he closed the door.
Xu Rong's reaction to seeing this was naturally one of extreme shock and even fear. However, in Xiang Wen's eyes, he likely thought these emotions were directed at him and didn't pay much attention.
Using this item was actually an experiment.
Guan Shan had been thinking that he might have misunderstood the simulator.
The items he obtained should be considered extra rewards from the virtual scenarios. Each time the simulator settled, it mentioned "retaining all rewards."
This implied that some usable items were retained from the virtual simulations.
So, when he couldn't kill all the monsters, the simulator couldn't retain all the items.
Guan Shan thought his logic was sound and suspected that since these items had been materialized, they could also affect reality.
So he decided to give it a try.
If discovered, he would simply knock the person out.
Two plans, no risk at all! As it turned out, Guan Shan's guess was correct.
[Secret Behind the Door] took effect, making him unobservable to others for three minutes.
So at this moment, Xiang Wen just paused briefly before turning back, thinking Xu Rong was trying to create a distraction to escape.
He shook his head, grabbed Xu Rong's hair, and sneered, "You didn't think such a trick would work, did you?"
Xiang Wen patted the nearby medical kit, "Besides giving you a powerful healing ability, this drug has some side effects, like muscle softening and slow reactions... Initially, I was trying to eliminate these side effects, but now, they've saved me a lot of trouble."
When he let go, Xu Rong's head slammed into the bed, hitting the spot where the needle had pierced. His face twisted in pain, but he couldn't curl up due to the restraints, making his suffering even more intense.
Xiang Wen looked down at him and said, "If you don't behave, you'll end up like a paralyzed patient, incontinent and helpless."
He showed a malicious smile, "Don't worry, I'll tell your parents it's just your way of acting to stay at Sacred Heart. They'll see you in a whole new light."
Xiang Wen chuckled softly, then waited for a long time, occasionally pinching Xu Rong.
Guan Shan watched for about half an hour, thinking, "He's really patient... if he repeats this for three hours every day."
What happened next was hard to watch.
To test the drug's effects, Xiang Wen cut various parts of Xu Rong's body, timing the healing and recording the data.
Each part was tested three times to ensure accuracy.
Guan Shan could understand why Xu Rong looked so lifeless during his "outdoor time" earlier.
Being treated like this every day, one would go mad even if they weren't already mentally ill.
Three hours later, Xiang Wen cleaned up, packed his medical kit, and left.
No one knew his kit was full of blood-soaked gauze and pieces of flesh.
Xiang Wen even managed to smile and greet passing nurses...
In the room, Xu Rong, seemingly unharmed, remained trapped in his straitjacket. The layers of restraints covered all his not-yet-healed wounds.
By the time the caregivers arrived, those wounds would have completely healed.
"So that's it... The 'bruises' mentioned in the records were probably because Xiang Wen hadn't perfected the drug's effects, leaving marks that the caregivers noticed."
"He then had to alter the medical records."
Thinking this, Guan Shan silently emerged from behind the door, and [Secret Behind the Door] deactivated.
Xu Rong's eyes rolled to look at him, showing no emotion, perfectly embodying despair.
Guan Shan walked over and untied the part of the straitjacket covering Xu Rong's mouth.
Xu Rong coughed and took several deep breaths. After what felt like ages, he finally tasted a bit of freedom, tears welling up in his eyes.
He looked at Guan Shan in a daze, his voice hoarse, "Are you... the Grim Reaper? Can I finally be freed?"
He had seen Guan Shan disappear and reappear, and in his extreme pain, he could only think of one possibility: the Grim Reaper had come for him.
His tone even carried a hint of anticipation.
"Sorry, I'm not."
Guan Shan sighed, "I'm just a journalist seeking the truth."
Xu Rong was stunned. A journalist? What kind of journalist could disappear at will? And earlier, he had seen this man pry open the iron security bars with his bare hands!
He asked in confusion, "Then why are you here?"
"I recorded everything Xiang Wen said." Guan Shan shook the recorder in his hand, "Now you can tell me everything you know. I'll find the evidence to prove you're not mentally ill and get Xiang Wen arrested."
Xu Rong, hearing this, gritted his teeth and whispered, "He's a madman! A true lunatic!"
Cursing, Xu Rong recounted his experience since arriving.
Initially, he did intend to fake mental illness to escape the murder charges. His parents somehow contacted Xiang Wen, who claimed he could keep Xu Rong safe at Sacred Heart Hospital. But that was the beginning of the nightmare.
Xu Rong followed Xiang Wen's instructions to fake illness. Gradually, other doctors started to doubt his condition.
In fear, Xu Rong followed Xiang Wen's lead, becoming a severe mental patient.
According to Xu Rong, at least seven others had died.
During this process, Xiang Wen began administering the drug, which had the effects Guan Shan had just witnessed.
Guan Shan then asked, "Do you know anything about the 'basement' he mentioned?"
Xu Rong nodded, shivering, "Of those seven, three are listed in the hospital records as inpatients... but you won't find them in the hospital."
"These people were abandoned by their families, not visited for over three years, with only the hospital fees being paid."
"And these people became Xiang Wen's easiest targets!"
Xu Rong's eyes were filled with terror, whispering, "At the end of the corridor in Building Four, in the storage room, there's an entrance to the basement. The patients disfigured by his experiments are kept there like livestock."