Chapter 146: Patient No. 3
Above the wall, the word “Ward 03” was so clear that it was almost glaring.
Wen Jianyan stopped in his tracks and turned to look behind him.
The corridor was pitch black, like a hollow, icy eye socket, devoid of footsteps, and there was no sign of the man with the beast-like figure.
Edward didn’t chase after them.
Or, perhaps, he hadn’t chased after them for the moment.
At this moment, Wen Jianyan suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Luce, asking, “Hey, you’ve encountered a critically ill patient, right?”
Luce was momentarily startled and nodded.
“I remember you saying that the patient was invincible in the other world, so how did you manage to escape from there?”
A look of confusion appeared on Luce’s face. Although he didn’t understand why Wen Jianyan was suddenly asking this question, he answered honestly:
“We used props to hold the patient back and then ran in the opposite direction with all our strength…”
“And then? Did you manage to escape that twisted space?” Wen Jianyan asked.
Luce nodded.
“So, when you were being chased by that mad dog earlier, after we separated and ran, did you manage to get out of that chaotic corridor?”
Lus hesitated for a moment and then shook his head, saying, “No.”
Although the madman with the axe hadn’t caught up with them, they had been running through that chaotic and bloody corridor the whole time—until the bell rang.
It seemed that this was the difference between high-risk and medium-risk.
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes slightly, looking thoughtful.
He had noticed earlier, when he was in the confinement room, that although it was just a straight corridor that led to the end, he had never walked a circular path. Yet Edward had still appeared in front of him.
It wasn’t because the map was circular; it was simply because he couldn’t leave.
The mental world of medium-risk patients could be escaped, but if you fell into the mental world of a high-risk patient, the only thing you could do was wait until the bell rang and the other world ended.
“In a sense, it’s a good thing.”
Wen Jianyan said, raising his head and looking at the sign for Ward 03 on the wall, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Eh?” Blond, who was panting nearby, looked up with a puzzled expression. “How is it a good thing that we can’t escape?”
Luce paused for a moment but quickly realized why Wen Jianyan had asked this question. “Wait, so you mean…”
“Yes.”
Wen Jianyan nodded.
The difficulty of the instance might be high, but it certainly wouldn’t completely deny the anchors a chance at survival.
These bosses were almost invincible in the other world, which was already quite unusual. If these other worlds could also overlap, then the anchors might find themselves in an unwinnable situation facing multiple monsters…
Since the mental world of high-risk patients formed separate worlds, the possibility of these other worlds overlapping was low, and they might even be mutually exclusive.
This was likely the instance’s way of preventing the anchors from being caught in a situation where they were surrounded by multiple bosses.
“So, are you saying that we’ve now managed to escape from the patient in Ward 01?” After listening to the explanation, Blond’s face showed a relieved expression.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and cast a nervous glance down the corridor in the distance, lowering his voice unconsciously. “And we haven’t had time to enter the mental world of Ward 04’s patient, right?”
“That’s right,” Wen Jianyan confirmed.
After learning this, everyone couldn’t help but feel a little more at ease.
The sense of danger and oppression in Ward 04 was just too strong, making them not want to be involved with him in any way.
“That’s a relief,” Su Cheng sighed. “That guy really gave me the creeps.”
As the protagonist of the other’s artwork, no one was more reluctant to meet Ward 04 than Wen Jianyan.
But…
He lowered his gaze, and a flicker of concern crossed his eyes.
Wen Jianyan didn’t believe that this mutually exclusive state couldn’t be broken—otherwise, Dr. Reese wouldn’t have known what he did in Edward’s mental world.
But this must come with conditions or limitations.
After all, even though Dr. Reese had witnessed him trying to persuade Edward to take his own life, he had never shown himself.
The development of this instance so far has been too strange, leaving Wen Jianyan with a lingering sense of unease.
“Regardless, we shouldn’t let our guard down too early,” Luce said.
He turned his head, scanning the area carefully, and said in a low voice, “The fact that Ward 03 is being kept on the underground floor indicates that the danger level won’t be lower than Ward 04.”
What’s worse, when they had delivered the meal earlier, the lights in the room were off, and the food tray hadn’t been taken away until they left…
In other words, Ward 03 was a complete unknown to them.
Gender, race, age, appearance—everything was a blank slate.
And the corridor, a manifestation of Ward 03’s mental world, was eerily empty. It wasn’t as straightforwardly violent and bloody as Edward’s world, nor as bizarre as the medium-risk patient Luce had encountered.
This immeasurable unknown was particularly frightening.
Wen Jianyan raised his eyes and scanned the task list; the tasks on it had refreshed at some point.
【Elementry Task Released: Find ???’s Ward】
【Intermediate Task Released: Discover ????’s True Name】
These were the familiar two tasks, and now they were the only leads they had.
“Let’s go; let’s move forward and see if we can find anything.”
Wen Jianyan suggested.
Rather than standing in the dark, waiting for danger to find them, they should take advantage of not having been discovered by the patient in Ward 03 to explore and try to complete the tasks. It might even increase their chances of survival.
He turned on his flashlight, cautiously moving forward under the faint beam of light.
The corridor was long, narrow, and pitch-black, with no windows or doors, just an endless passage. Footsteps echoed through the empty corridor, each step feeling like a weight on the heart.
The distortion in this mental world was even more severe than Edward’s, making it nearly impossible to see the original blueprint of Ping An Asylum.
“This is so oppressive; it’s suffocating.”
Blond, who was following closely behind Wen Jianyan, murmured softly.
In the previous instance, he had considered Wen Jianyan a formidable adversary, but in this instance, Wen Jianyan had become his primary source of security.
Su Cheng looked at Wen Jianyan and asked, “Do you want me to draw a card?”
Wen Jianyan shook his head and said, “Not for now.”
It wasn’t yet necessary to resort to divination; they couldn’t afford to waste their precious ability uses.
In the darkness, Blond suddenly halted his steps. He reached out and grabbed Wen Jianyan’s sleeve, his voice trembling as he said, “There’s something up ahead.”
The others were startled.
An eerie silence surrounded them.
Wen Jianyan instinctively held his breath, turning his wrist slightly to manipulate the flashlight to shine ahead.
There, they saw a pitch-black stuffed rabbit doll sitting quietly in the middle of the corridor. Its eyes were a dim brown, and a small piece of paper was tucked beneath its body, on which was written something in messy crimson handwriting.
“Come, let’s play hide and seek.”
Blond looked terrified as he stared at the paper, and he softly read the words in a hushed voice.
“…”
The group exchanged uncertain glances.
They hadn’t seen any enemies, nor had they heard any pursuit. However, for some reason, an unsettling chill began to crawl up from beneath their feet, sending shivers down their spines and raising their hairs.
“Keep moving.”
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth and said.
Taking a deep breath and regaining their composure, the group carefully maneuvered around the pitch-black rabbit that sat in the middle of the corridor. They subconsciously quickened their pace and continued forward.
“Th-there, it happened again.”
Blond said in terror as he clung to Wen Jianyan’s sleeve.
In the faintly swaying light of the flashlight, a second pitch-black rabbit doll appeared before them, with another piece of paper tucked beneath its body.
“I’ll be the ghost.”
Blond read in a trembling voice.
“…”
After carefully bypassing the second rabbit, everyone couldn’t help but quicken their pace once more.
Their hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor, frantic and rushed, as if they were trying to escape from some invisible shadows.
The corridor was dark and deep, seemingly never-ending, with cold, solid walls on either side, like a passage leading straight to hell.
Soon, a fork in the corridor appeared before them.
It was branching out like veins radiating into the distance, beyond their sight.
The third pitch-black rabbit doll sat upright at the entrance to the forked corridor, with a small piece of paper beneath its body.
Blond’s face had lost all color, turning as pale as paper. His shoulders trembled slightly, like autumn leaves in the breeze, as he read in a choked voice:
“100.”
In that moment, Wen Jianyan saw a new task pop up in the task list.
【Elementary time-limited task released: Find a hiding place within 100 seconds】
【Intermediate time-limited task released: Avoid being found in the hiding place】
“Damn it.”
Wen Jianyan cursed under his breath, his voice urgent. “Split up and hide!”
The deathly silence was shattered completely.
The chaotic footsteps echoed from all directions as the six of them dispersed as quickly as possible, running into different corridors, attempting to find a hiding place before the countdown expired.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Ahhh, ahhh, so nervous, help!]
[Quick, quick! Anchor, run for your life!]
[99, 98, 97…]
Wen Jianyan clenched his teeth and sprinted down the corridor he had chosen.
The massive labyrinth seemed to have no way out, with different branches leading in various directions, making him dizzy and disoriented, unsure of his whereabouts.
Hide and seek.
Where to hide?
As he ran, he scanned the corridor with his eyes.
[71, 70, 69…]
Time continued to pass, and the countdown slowly approached its end.
The walls were cold and smooth, stretching straight into the darkness with no doors, no rooms, no exits, and no entrances.
—There was no place to hide at all.
What was going on?
Wen Jianyan furrowed his brow in confusion.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[?]
[??]
[What the heck? He has been running for quite a while, and there’s not a single door!]
[Is it the same for other anchors?]
[I just came from the adjacent anchor’s room… It seems like someone already found a hiding place…]
[Yes, some corridors have rooms, and some don’t…]
[No way, right? Can someone really perfectly avoid every corridor with a room?]
[Aaaaah, this is my first time watching the Ping An Asylum instance! Can someone tell me what happens if you don’t find a hiding place before the countdown ends? Huh!]
[You die.]
[…]
[…]
[50, 49, 48…]
The 100-second countdown was still halfway through.
But all the way…
There was no place to hide.
No rooms, no corners, only straight corridors, and seamless walls all the way.
As time ticked away, Wen Jianyan’s heart began to race uncontrollably. Every part of his body was painfully tense, and his stomach churned.
Darn it.
This was incredibly unlucky.
Suddenly, Wen Jianyan came to a sudden stop.
The irregular sounds of breathing echoed in the corridor, and the rapid heartbeat sounded like a drumbeat pounding on his eardrums. Wen Jianyan stood still, holding his flashlight.
With the narrow beam of light, he could see a small white rabbit not far from the fork in the path, with another piece of paper beneath it.
It was scribbled with two words:
[Follow me]
And below was a small arrow pointing to the right corridor.
“…”
Wen Jianyan subconsciously clenched his teeth, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
There was no time to hesitate.
He quickly made a decision, spun around, and ran in the direction indicated by the arrow!
The second intersection.
The white rabbit appeared again.
[This way]
And the arrow pointed to the left.
[29, 28, 27…]
The countdown in the upper right corner of his vision continued to decrease steadily, with less than half a minute remaining.
Hurry up, quick.
Sweat beads formed on Wen Jianyan’s forehead, and his chest rose and fell rapidly.
The white rabbit sat quietly at the third intersection, waiting for Wen Jianyan to arrive.
[Continue]
The arrow pointed forward.
In the pitch-black corridor, chaotic footsteps and rapid gasps echoed. Wen Jianyan ran as fast as he could through the passage. The wind whistled in his ears, and the sounds of blood striking his eardrums were thunderous. He clenched his teeth, feeling his adrenaline surge.
[10, 9, 8…]
The final ten seconds.
Tense muscles sent painful signals, and the joints of Wen Jianyan’s body creaked.
Wen Jianyan didn’t slow down.
His internal organs twitched under the tension, fear, and high pressure as if they were gripped tightly by a hand, causing excruciating pain.
Under the wavering light of the flashlight, a door appeared in the darkness.
[5, 4, 3…]
The tightly closed door was within arm’s reach.
Wen Jianyan’s mind went blank. He had almost lost the ability to think, with only his body acting instinctively.
“Click.”
The door handle was turned.
[2]
Wen Jianyan stumbled and rushed inside—
[1]
The door was closed behind him.
The countdown was over.
【Ding! Congratulations to the anchor for completing the task: Find a hiding place within 100 seconds.
Reward Points: 200】
The familiar mechanical voice echoed in his ears. Wen Jianyan sat on the ground, his vision darkening in waves. He gasped for breath, his body still burning from the intense exertion. His back was drenched in sweat, and the thin attendant’s uniform clung uncomfortably to his skin.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Aaaaaah, he made it, he made it, he made it!]
[Damn, he scared the hell out of me. Help!]
[F*ck, this is too close for comfort! I can’t catch my breath!]
Before Wen Jianyan could relax, the system notification sounded again: cold, rational, without any emotional fluctuations, just doing its duty.
【Ding! Congratulations to the anchor for completing the task: Find ???’s ward
Reward: 200 points】
“…”
The darkness enveloped his body like a swamp, and a chilling coldness seeped into his skin.
The “Integrity First” live broadcast room fell into a brief silence.
[…]
[Wait, wait, is this Ward 03 of the hospital?]
[Aaaaaah, help, help, help!!!!]
[Aaaah, isn’t this like a sheep entering a tiger’s den? Aaaaaaah, I’m so nervous I could puke!]
Wen Jianyan panted rapidly in the darkness.
A profound silence surrounded him.
He raised the hand holding the flashlight and slowly turned his head to look behind him.
The dim, swaying light from the flashlight barely dispelled the darkness, revealing a familiar iron bed not far away.
A sign hung on the foot of the iron bed.
At that moment, footsteps from outside the door approached steadily, step by step, gradually getting closer.
Wen Jianyan was startled and instinctively turned around, his head swiveling toward the door—
The next moment, a hand reached out from the darkness, firmly covering Wen Jianyan’s mouth!
“!!!”
Wen Jianyan’s eyes widened, and all his cries were stifled in his throat.
“Pa—.”
The flashlight slipped from his hand, rolling on the ground with a soft sound, flickering twice before going dark.
Under the pitch-black bed.
Wen Jianyan felt his limbs held firmly, his back against another cold body.
The other person’s arm was wrapped around him, their palm still covering his mouth. A soft, low voice whispered close to his ear, “Shh.”
“…” The young man’s body tensed, like a bowstring pulled to its limit. He lay motionless under the narrow bed, with the contents he had just seen on the iron plate flashing through his mind.
[Patient Name: ■■■■]
[Gender: Male]
[Disease: Multiple personality, violent tendencies]
[Danger Level: High Risk]
“Creak…”
The room door was pushed open from the outside.
At some point, the corridor had lit up with crimson lights, and the blood-red hue seeped in through the slowly opening door.
“Tap, tap, tap.”
The calm and steady footsteps drew nearer.
Wen Jianyan held his breath, cold sweat trickling from his palms.
In the narrow view under the bed, he could see a pair of feet approaching the bed.
The other person seemed to be humming something softly, an out-of-tune nursery rhyme, intermittently, sending shivers down Wen Jianyan’s spine.
One step at a time, approaching.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Damn, they’re coming, they’re coming!]
[Ahhh, I can’t take it anymore; I need a breath. Sorry, brothers, I’ll be back in a bit!]
The footsteps stopped.
The person seemed to have seen something; the off-key nursery rhyme disappeared, leaving only a chilling silence.
Rustling.
The sound of fabric friction filled the air.
“…” Wen Jianyan’s eyes flickered, and his gaze fell on the flashlight not far from the feet. His pupils involuntarily contracted.
Then he saw a slender, pale hand slowly picking up the flashlight.
“Ah… are you here, my little rabbit?”
The voice sounded cheerful.
“Tap, tap, tap.”
The footsteps drew closer to the bed.
With every step closer, Wen Jianyan’s body tensed further.
Rustling.
The sound of fabric friction sounded again.
The fabric along the edge of the bed was lifted, and the person leaned closer, looking under the bed.
In the blood-red light, Wen Jianyan saw the other person’s face—a tall young boy with black hair, dark eyes, a smile on his lips, and a handsome face. However, he exuded a disturbing aura of madness and neuroticism.
He held a pitch-black rabbit in one hand, and droplets of fresh blood dripped from it.
In that cruel gaze, Wen Jianyan almost forgot how to breathe.
“…” The other person’s gaze carefully swept under the bed, but it seemed to penetrate directly through him, finding nothing.
A look of disappointment crossed the face of the black-haired youth.
“Not here.”
He let go, and the fabric from the edge of the bed fell back, blocking the outside light.
As the footsteps moved away, Wen Jianyan’s body slowly relaxed.
“Click.”
The door closed.
The blood-like light disappeared, leaving only darkness.
【Congratulations, the anchor has completed the task: Avoide being found in hiding. Reward points: 500】
…It was over.
Wen Jianyan breathed a long sigh of relief.
As the system sound disappeared, the hand that had been covering his mouth was retracted and gently released.
He crawled out from under the bed, shook the dust off his hair, and looked at the other person in the room.
The youth had snowy-white hair, light blue eyes, a gentle expression, and shyly pursed lips. He appeared as if he were carved from ice and snow—pure and transparent.
He held a white rabbit in one hand, the same one that had guided Wen Jianyan earlier.
Although he had the same face as the previous lunatic, his demeanor was completely different.
“Are you okay?” The youth asked.
Wen Jianyan, still catching his breath, shook his head slowly.
“I’m sorry, my brother…” The youth wore a difficult expression on his face.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he sighed and clutched the rabbit doll tightly in his hand.
“I… I’m a coward. I’m sorry.”
“No, you don’t need to apologize,” Wen Jianyan replied, shaking his head. He looked at the youth with a gentle gaze. “If it weren’t for you, I might have already been found by him.”
Upon hearing the gratitude, a faint blush appeared on the youth’s snowy-white face.
He shyly pursed his lips and mumbled:
“No, there’s no need to thank me.”
“What’s your name?” Wen Jianyan extended his hand and ruffled the soft, furry hair on the youth’s head, gently asking.
“Niel.”
The youth said, looking up with affectionate, dewy eyes, staring at the young man in front of him.
“When… he appears, I always hide.” Niel shuffled toward him, gently grabbing his sleeve. “Do you… want to hide with me?”
“You and your friends can come in. I’ll protect you.” The timid persona said.
The young man’s face brightened, “Really?”
“I’ll do my best.”
The youth nodded earnestly.
Holding the snow-white rabbit plush toy, he walked up to the closed cabinet and raised his hand to open it.
A secret passage appeared inside the cabinet.
Beyond the passage was a pure white world with the same layout as this side.
“This is it—”
The youth said, turning his head and looking at the young man who had unconsciously moved to the door, a look of puzzlement on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Darling, you acted really convincingly.”
Wen Jianyan grinned playfully, his gaze shifting downward. “Of course, if the eyes in your rabbit weren’t of human’s, it would be even more perfect.”
The next moment, the prepared props were immediately activated!
The youth’s feet were stuck firmly to the floor.
“Anyway, thank you for letting me hide for a while.”
Wen Jianyan winked mischievously at him, smoothly opened the door, and escaped, like a rabbit regaining its freedom:
“Goodbye.”
The room returned to a deathly silence.
The youth with white hair lowered his eyes and stared at the rabbit in his arms.
That once innocent, pure as a blank sheet face lost its smile, leaving only a cold emptiness.
He reached out, poking his delicate fingertips into the rabbit’s eye sockets. With a sticky, wet sound, he slowly pulled out the two blood-soaked eyeballs.
“It’s all your fault.”
He complained.
“My little rabbit ran away.”
Squelch. The two eyeballs were crushed mercilessly into a pulp and fell to the ground.
“Sigh, why is it like that?”
No. 03 raised his eyes, and the kind of almost neurotic madness in his gaze was no different from his other persona. He gently hugged the rabbit in his arms, burying his face in its fur, and said with sorrow:
“The two of us brothers always have the same taste.”
The young man with white hair curled his lips, revealing an angelic and pure smile as he nuzzled the rabbit plush with his cheek.
“But this time, he’ll definitely like me more.”
He licked his bloodstained fingers with a look of ecstasy in his eyes and chuckled softly.
“He called me ‘darling,’ after all.”
Chapter 146: Patient No. 3
Above the wall, the word “Ward 03” was so clear that it was almost glaring.
Wen Jianyan stopped in his tracks and turned to look behind him.
The corridor was pitch black, like a hollow, icy eye socket, devoid of footsteps, and there was no sign of the man with the beast-like figure.
Edward didn’t chase after them.
Or, perhaps, he hadn’t chased after them for the moment.
At this moment, Wen Jianyan suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Luce, asking, “Hey, you’ve encountered a critically ill patient, right?”
Luce was momentarily startled and nodded.
“I remember you saying that the patient was invincible in the other world, so how did you manage to escape from there?”
A look of confusion appeared on Luce’s face. Although he didn’t understand why Wen Jianyan was suddenly asking this question, he answered honestly:
“We used props to hold the patient back and then ran in the opposite direction with all our strength…”
“And then? Did you manage to escape that twisted space?” Wen Jianyan asked.
Luce nodded.
“So, when you were being chased by that mad dog earlier, after we separated and ran, did you manage to get out of that chaotic corridor?”
Lus hesitated for a moment and then shook his head, saying, “No.”
Although the madman with the axe hadn’t caught up with them, they had been running through that chaotic and bloody corridor the whole time—until the bell rang.
It seemed that this was the difference between high-risk and medium-risk.
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes slightly, looking thoughtful.
He had noticed earlier, when he was in the confinement room, that although it was just a straight corridor that led to the end, he had never walked a circular path. Yet Edward had still appeared in front of him.
It wasn’t because the map was circular; it was simply because he couldn’t leave.
The mental world of medium-risk patients could be escaped, but if you fell into the mental world of a high-risk patient, the only thing you could do was wait until the bell rang and the other world ended.
“In a sense, it’s a good thing.”
Wen Jianyan said, raising his head and looking at the sign for Ward 03 on the wall, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Eh?” Blond, who was panting nearby, looked up with a puzzled expression. “How is it a good thing that we can’t escape?”
Luce paused for a moment but quickly realized why Wen Jianyan had asked this question. “Wait, so you mean…”
“Yes.”
Wen Jianyan nodded.
The difficulty of the instance might be high, but it certainly wouldn’t completely deny the anchors a chance at survival.
These bosses were almost invincible in the other world, which was already quite unusual. If these other worlds could also overlap, then the anchors might find themselves in an unwinnable situation facing multiple monsters…
Since the mental world of high-risk patients formed separate worlds, the possibility of these other worlds overlapping was low, and they might even be mutually exclusive.
This was likely the instance’s way of preventing the anchors from being caught in a situation where they were surrounded by multiple bosses.
“So, are you saying that we’ve now managed to escape from the patient in Ward 01?” After listening to the explanation, Blond’s face showed a relieved expression.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and cast a nervous glance down the corridor in the distance, lowering his voice unconsciously. “And we haven’t had time to enter the mental world of Ward 04’s patient, right?”
“That’s right,” Wen Jianyan confirmed.
After learning this, everyone couldn’t help but feel a little more at ease.
The sense of danger and oppression in Ward 04 was just too strong, making them not want to be involved with him in any way.
“That’s a relief,” Su Cheng sighed. “That guy really gave me the creeps.”
As the protagonist of the other’s artwork, no one was more reluctant to meet Ward 04 than Wen Jianyan.
But…
He lowered his gaze, and a flicker of concern crossed his eyes.
Wen Jianyan didn’t believe that this mutually exclusive state couldn’t be broken—otherwise, Dr. Reese wouldn’t have known what he did in Edward’s mental world.
But this must come with conditions or limitations.
After all, even though Dr. Reese had witnessed him trying to persuade Edward to take his own life, he had never shown himself.
The development of this instance so far has been too strange, leaving Wen Jianyan with a lingering sense of unease.
“Regardless, we shouldn’t let our guard down too early,” Luce said.
He turned his head, scanning the area carefully, and said in a low voice, “The fact that Ward 03 is being kept on the underground floor indicates that the danger level won’t be lower than Ward 04.”
What’s worse, when they had delivered the meal earlier, the lights in the room were off, and the food tray hadn’t been taken away until they left…
In other words, Ward 03 was a complete unknown to them.
Gender, race, age, appearance—everything was a blank slate.
And the corridor, a manifestation of Ward 03’s mental world, was eerily empty. It wasn’t as straightforwardly violent and bloody as Edward’s world, nor as bizarre as the medium-risk patient Luce had encountered.
This immeasurable unknown was particularly frightening.
Wen Jianyan raised his eyes and scanned the task list; the tasks on it had refreshed at some point.
【Elementry Task Released: Find ???’s Ward】
【Intermediate Task Released: Discover ????’s True Name】
These were the familiar two tasks, and now they were the only leads they had.
“Let’s go; let’s move forward and see if we can find anything.”
Wen Jianyan suggested.
Rather than standing in the dark, waiting for danger to find them, they should take advantage of not having been discovered by the patient in Ward 03 to explore and try to complete the tasks. It might even increase their chances of survival.
He turned on his flashlight, cautiously moving forward under the faint beam of light.
The corridor was long, narrow, and pitch-black, with no windows or doors, just an endless passage. Footsteps echoed through the empty corridor, each step feeling like a weight on the heart.
The distortion in this mental world was even more severe than Edward’s, making it nearly impossible to see the original blueprint of Ping An Asylum.
“This is so oppressive; it’s suffocating.”
Blond, who was following closely behind Wen Jianyan, murmured softly.
In the previous instance, he had considered Wen Jianyan a formidable adversary, but in this instance, Wen Jianyan had become his primary source of security.
Su Cheng looked at Wen Jianyan and asked, “Do you want me to draw a card?”
Wen Jianyan shook his head and said, “Not for now.”
It wasn’t yet necessary to resort to divination; they couldn’t afford to waste their precious ability uses.
In the darkness, Blond suddenly halted his steps. He reached out and grabbed Wen Jianyan’s sleeve, his voice trembling as he said, “There’s something up ahead.”
The others were startled.
An eerie silence surrounded them.
Wen Jianyan instinctively held his breath, turning his wrist slightly to manipulate the flashlight to shine ahead.
There, they saw a pitch-black stuffed rabbit doll sitting quietly in the middle of the corridor. Its eyes were a dim brown, and a small piece of paper was tucked beneath its body, on which was written something in messy crimson handwriting.
“Come, let’s play hide and seek.”
Blond looked terrified as he stared at the paper, and he softly read the words in a hushed voice.
“…”
The group exchanged uncertain glances.
They hadn’t seen any enemies, nor had they heard any pursuit. However, for some reason, an unsettling chill began to crawl up from beneath their feet, sending shivers down their spines and raising their hairs.
“Keep moving.”
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth and said.
Taking a deep breath and regaining their composure, the group carefully maneuvered around the pitch-black rabbit that sat in the middle of the corridor. They subconsciously quickened their pace and continued forward.
“Th-there, it happened again.”
Blond said in terror as he clung to Wen Jianyan’s sleeve.
In the faintly swaying light of the flashlight, a second pitch-black rabbit doll appeared before them, with another piece of paper tucked beneath its body.
“I’ll be the ghost.”
Blond read in a trembling voice.
“…”
After carefully bypassing the second rabbit, everyone couldn’t help but quicken their pace once more.
Their hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor, frantic and rushed, as if they were trying to escape from some invisible shadows.
The corridor was dark and deep, seemingly never-ending, with cold, solid walls on either side, like a passage leading straight to hell.
Soon, a fork in the corridor appeared before them.
It was branching out like veins radiating into the distance, beyond their sight.
The third pitch-black rabbit doll sat upright at the entrance to the forked corridor, with a small piece of paper beneath its body.
Blond’s face had lost all color, turning as pale as paper. His shoulders trembled slightly, like autumn leaves in the breeze, as he read in a choked voice:
“100.”
In that moment, Wen Jianyan saw a new task pop up in the task list.
【Elementary time-limited task released: Find a hiding place within 100 seconds】
【Intermediate time-limited task released: Avoid being found in the hiding place】
“Damn it.”
Wen Jianyan cursed under his breath, his voice urgent. “Split up and hide!”
The deathly silence was shattered completely.
The chaotic footsteps echoed from all directions as the six of them dispersed as quickly as possible, running into different corridors, attempting to find a hiding place before the countdown expired.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Ahhh, ahhh, so nervous, help!]
[Quick, quick! Anchor, run for your life!]
[99, 98, 97…]
Wen Jianyan clenched his teeth and sprinted down the corridor he had chosen.
The massive labyrinth seemed to have no way out, with different branches leading in various directions, making him dizzy and disoriented, unsure of his whereabouts.
Hide and seek.
Where to hide?
As he ran, he scanned the corridor with his eyes.
[71, 70, 69…]
Time continued to pass, and the countdown slowly approached its end.
The walls were cold and smooth, stretching straight into the darkness with no doors, no rooms, no exits, and no entrances.
—There was no place to hide at all.
What was going on?
Wen Jianyan furrowed his brow in confusion.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[?]
[??]
[What the heck? He has been running for quite a while, and there’s not a single door!]
[Is it the same for other anchors?]
[I just came from the adjacent anchor’s room… It seems like someone already found a hiding place…]
[Yes, some corridors have rooms, and some don’t…]
[No way, right? Can someone really perfectly avoid every corridor with a room?]
[Aaaaah, this is my first time watching the Ping An Asylum instance! Can someone tell me what happens if you don’t find a hiding place before the countdown ends? Huh!]
[You die.]
[…]
[…]
[50, 49, 48…]
The 100-second countdown was still halfway through.
But all the way…
There was no place to hide.
No rooms, no corners, only straight corridors, and seamless walls all the way.
As time ticked away, Wen Jianyan’s heart began to race uncontrollably. Every part of his body was painfully tense, and his stomach churned.
Darn it.
This was incredibly unlucky.
Suddenly, Wen Jianyan came to a sudden stop.
The irregular sounds of breathing echoed in the corridor, and the rapid heartbeat sounded like a drumbeat pounding on his eardrums. Wen Jianyan stood still, holding his flashlight.
With the narrow beam of light, he could see a small white rabbit not far from the fork in the path, with another piece of paper beneath it.
It was scribbled with two words:
[Follow me]
And below was a small arrow pointing to the right corridor.
“…”
Wen Jianyan subconsciously clenched his teeth, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
There was no time to hesitate.
He quickly made a decision, spun around, and ran in the direction indicated by the arrow!
The second intersection.
The white rabbit appeared again.
[This way]
And the arrow pointed to the left.
[29, 28, 27…]
The countdown in the upper right corner of his vision continued to decrease steadily, with less than half a minute remaining.
Hurry up, quick.
Sweat beads formed on Wen Jianyan’s forehead, and his chest rose and fell rapidly.
The white rabbit sat quietly at the third intersection, waiting for Wen Jianyan to arrive.
[Continue]
The arrow pointed forward.
In the pitch-black corridor, chaotic footsteps and rapid gasps echoed. Wen Jianyan ran as fast as he could through the passage. The wind whistled in his ears, and the sounds of blood striking his eardrums were thunderous. He clenched his teeth, feeling his adrenaline surge.
[10, 9, 8…]
The final ten seconds.
Tense muscles sent painful signals, and the joints of Wen Jianyan’s body creaked.
Wen Jianyan didn’t slow down.
His internal organs twitched under the tension, fear, and high pressure as if they were gripped tightly by a hand, causing excruciating pain.
Under the wavering light of the flashlight, a door appeared in the darkness.
[5, 4, 3…]
The tightly closed door was within arm’s reach.
Wen Jianyan’s mind went blank. He had almost lost the ability to think, with only his body acting instinctively.
“Click.”
The door handle was turned.
[2]
Wen Jianyan stumbled and rushed inside—
[1]
The door was closed behind him.
The countdown was over.
【Ding! Congratulations to the anchor for completing the task: Find a hiding place within 100 seconds.
Reward Points: 200】
The familiar mechanical voice echoed in his ears. Wen Jianyan sat on the ground, his vision darkening in waves. He gasped for breath, his body still burning from the intense exertion. His back was drenched in sweat, and the thin attendant’s uniform clung uncomfortably to his skin.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Aaaaaah, he made it, he made it, he made it!]
[Damn, he scared the hell out of me. Help!]
[F*ck, this is too close for comfort! I can’t catch my breath!]
Before Wen Jianyan could relax, the system notification sounded again: cold, rational, without any emotional fluctuations, just doing its duty.
【Ding! Congratulations to the anchor for completing the task: Find ???’s ward
Reward: 200 points】
“…”
The darkness enveloped his body like a swamp, and a chilling coldness seeped into his skin.
The “Integrity First” live broadcast room fell into a brief silence.
[…]
[Wait, wait, is this Ward 03 of the hospital?]
[Aaaaaah, help, help, help!!!!]
[Aaaah, isn’t this like a sheep entering a tiger’s den? Aaaaaaah, I’m so nervous I could puke!]
Wen Jianyan panted rapidly in the darkness.
A profound silence surrounded him.
He raised the hand holding the flashlight and slowly turned his head to look behind him.
The dim, swaying light from the flashlight barely dispelled the darkness, revealing a familiar iron bed not far away.
A sign hung on the foot of the iron bed.
At that moment, footsteps from outside the door approached steadily, step by step, gradually getting closer.
Wen Jianyan was startled and instinctively turned around, his head swiveling toward the door—
The next moment, a hand reached out from the darkness, firmly covering Wen Jianyan’s mouth!
“!!!”
Wen Jianyan’s eyes widened, and all his cries were stifled in his throat.
“Pa—.”
The flashlight slipped from his hand, rolling on the ground with a soft sound, flickering twice before going dark.
Under the pitch-black bed.
Wen Jianyan felt his limbs held firmly, his back against another cold body.
The other person’s arm was wrapped around him, their palm still covering his mouth. A soft, low voice whispered close to his ear, “Shh.”
“…” The young man’s body tensed, like a bowstring pulled to its limit. He lay motionless under the narrow bed, with the contents he had just seen on the iron plate flashing through his mind.
[Patient Name: ■■■■]
[Gender: Male]
[Disease: Multiple personality, violent tendencies]
[Danger Level: High Risk]
“Creak…”
The room door was pushed open from the outside.
At some point, the corridor had lit up with crimson lights, and the blood-red hue seeped in through the slowly opening door.
“Tap, tap, tap.”
The calm and steady footsteps drew nearer.
Wen Jianyan held his breath, cold sweat trickling from his palms.
In the narrow view under the bed, he could see a pair of feet approaching the bed.
The other person seemed to be humming something softly, an out-of-tune nursery rhyme, intermittently, sending shivers down Wen Jianyan’s spine.
One step at a time, approaching.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Damn, they’re coming, they’re coming!]
[Ahhh, I can’t take it anymore; I need a breath. Sorry, brothers, I’ll be back in a bit!]
The footsteps stopped.
The person seemed to have seen something; the off-key nursery rhyme disappeared, leaving only a chilling silence.
Rustling.
The sound of fabric friction filled the air.
“…” Wen Jianyan’s eyes flickered, and his gaze fell on the flashlight not far from the feet. His pupils involuntarily contracted.
Then he saw a slender, pale hand slowly picking up the flashlight.
“Ah… are you here, my little rabbit?”
The voice sounded cheerful.
“Tap, tap, tap.”
The footsteps drew closer to the bed.
With every step closer, Wen Jianyan’s body tensed further.
Rustling.
The sound of fabric friction sounded again.
The fabric along the edge of the bed was lifted, and the person leaned closer, looking under the bed.
In the blood-red light, Wen Jianyan saw the other person’s face—a tall young boy with black hair, dark eyes, a smile on his lips, and a handsome face. However, he exuded a disturbing aura of madness and neuroticism.
He held a pitch-black rabbit in one hand, and droplets of fresh blood dripped from it.
In that cruel gaze, Wen Jianyan almost forgot how to breathe.
“…” The other person’s gaze carefully swept under the bed, but it seemed to penetrate directly through him, finding nothing.
A look of disappointment crossed the face of the black-haired youth.
“Not here.”
He let go, and the fabric from the edge of the bed fell back, blocking the outside light.
As the footsteps moved away, Wen Jianyan’s body slowly relaxed.
“Click.”
The door closed.
The blood-like light disappeared, leaving only darkness.
【Congratulations, the anchor has completed the task: Avoide being found in hiding. Reward points: 500】
…It was over.
Wen Jianyan breathed a long sigh of relief.
As the system sound disappeared, the hand that had been covering his mouth was retracted and gently released.
He crawled out from under the bed, shook the dust off his hair, and looked at the other person in the room.
The youth had snowy-white hair, light blue eyes, a gentle expression, and shyly pursed lips. He appeared as if he were carved from ice and snow—pure and transparent.
He held a white rabbit in one hand, the same one that had guided Wen Jianyan earlier.
Although he had the same face as the previous lunatic, his demeanor was completely different.
“Are you okay?” The youth asked.
Wen Jianyan, still catching his breath, shook his head slowly.
“I’m sorry, my brother…” The youth wore a difficult expression on his face.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he sighed and clutched the rabbit doll tightly in his hand.
“I… I’m a coward. I’m sorry.”
“No, you don’t need to apologize,” Wen Jianyan replied, shaking his head. He looked at the youth with a gentle gaze. “If it weren’t for you, I might have already been found by him.”
Upon hearing the gratitude, a faint blush appeared on the youth’s snowy-white face.
He shyly pursed his lips and mumbled:
“No, there’s no need to thank me.”
“What’s your name?” Wen Jianyan extended his hand and ruffled the soft, furry hair on the youth’s head, gently asking.
“Niel.”
The youth said, looking up with affectionate, dewy eyes, staring at the young man in front of him.
“When… he appears, I always hide.” Niel shuffled toward him, gently grabbing his sleeve. “Do you… want to hide with me?”
“You and your friends can come in. I’ll protect you.” The timid persona said.
The young man’s face brightened, “Really?”
“I’ll do my best.”
The youth nodded earnestly.
Holding the snow-white rabbit plush toy, he walked up to the closed cabinet and raised his hand to open it.
A secret passage appeared inside the cabinet.
Beyond the passage was a pure white world with the same layout as this side.
“This is it—”
The youth said, turning his head and looking at the young man who had unconsciously moved to the door, a look of puzzlement on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Darling, you acted really convincingly.”
Wen Jianyan grinned playfully, his gaze shifting downward. “Of course, if the eyes in your rabbit weren’t of human’s, it would be even more perfect.”
The next moment, the prepared props were immediately activated!
The youth’s feet were stuck firmly to the floor.
“Anyway, thank you for letting me hide for a while.”
Wen Jianyan winked mischievously at him, smoothly opened the door, and escaped, like a rabbit regaining its freedom:
“Goodbye.”
The room returned to a deathly silence.
The youth with white hair lowered his eyes and stared at the rabbit in his arms.
That once innocent, pure as a blank sheet face lost its smile, leaving only a cold emptiness.
He reached out, poking his delicate fingertips into the rabbit’s eye sockets. With a sticky, wet sound, he slowly pulled out the two blood-soaked eyeballs.
“It’s all your fault.”
He complained.
“My little rabbit ran away.”
Squelch. The two eyeballs were crushed mercilessly into a pulp and fell to the ground.
“Sigh, why is it like that?”
No. 03 raised his eyes, and the kind of almost neurotic madness in his gaze was no different from his other persona. He gently hugged the rabbit in his arms, burying his face in its fur, and said with sorrow:
“The two of us brothers always have the same taste.”
The young man with white hair curled his lips, revealing an angelic and pure smile as he nuzzled the rabbit plush with his cheek.
“But this time, he’ll definitely like me more.”
He licked his bloodstained fingers with a look of ecstasy in his eyes and chuckled softly.
“He called me ‘darling,’ after all.”
