Chapter 156: Crown of Victory
“?! “
Hearing this, the group of people, including Luce, were taken aback. They turned their heads in surprise toward Wen Jianyan, asking with a hint of disbelief:
“Huh? What did you say?”
Although they had never really come into contact with a doctor before, based on Wen Jianyan’s previous descriptions, even if it was a simplified version, the doctor was definitely a tricky character. Actively going to the other party’s treatment room was like willingly walking into a tiger’s den!
Hearing this, the expressions of all the anchors involuntarily became serious.
“No way…” Su Cheng widened his eyes, took a sharp breath, and lowered his voice, saying, “Are we really going to the treatment room next?”
“Of course.”
Wen Jianyan glanced at Su Cheng, the tone of his words lightly floating, saying, “But, to be accurate, only I am going.”
“Huh?” Su Cheng was stunned for a moment, having some difficulty understanding. “Wait, what do you mean?”
“You should have looked at the map of Ping An Asylum, right?” Wen Jianyan blinked at Su Cheng, effortlessly reciting the contents of the map. “Two buildings, east and west, with two floors above and two below ground each. The treatment room is on the fourth floor of the east building, while the clinic and file room are on the fourth floor of the west building. Am I right?”
“Probably?”
Su Cheng hesitated and nodded.
Although he had seen the map, the specific details were not deeply impressed in his mind. He could only vaguely outline the contours in his mind.
“Ping An Asylum’s east and west buildings are perfectly symmetrical, with roughly the same area on both sides,” Wen Jianyan mused, looking down and saying, “But the east side only has one treatment room, and it’s not particularly large.”
The west side has a clinic and a file room, but the east side only has a treatment room. If the treatment room was large enough, it might make sense, but according to Wen Jianyan’s personal experience—
The size of the treatment room was far from occupying the entire floor.
“Your point is… there are other rooms on the fourth floor of the east building besides the treatment room?” Luce, understanding Wen Jianyan’s implication, raised his eyebrows and asked, “Just not marked on the map?”
“Perhaps,” Wen Jianyan shrugged, giving an ambiguous answer.
He looked at Luce and said, “If you continue to act with us, during the time we enter the treatment room, you can take the opportunity to explore the remaining areas on the fourth floor of the east building. Maybe there will be unexpected discoveries.”
Of course, if there was a choice, Wen Jianyan actually preferred someone else to act as bait while he explored the fourth floor.
But the problem was…
Dr. Reese was indeed troublesome, and moreover, the guy subtly hinted that he was closely related to the abnormalities on the second underground floor. His interest in Wen Jianyan was also palpable, forcing Wen Jianyan to reluctantly take on the role of the “bait” and contact him.
“…”
Luce and his teammates exchanged glances.
After a brief consideration, Luce nodded. “We’ll join.”
The group entered the elevator.
Accompanied by the mechanical humming roar, the ground slowly ascended, leaving the second underground floor behind.
Soon, the elevator reached the fourth floor.
Between the east and west buildings of Ping An Asylum, there was no complete separation. Instead, they were connected by a hollow corridor in the middle, allowing a direct view of the main hall below the railing.
Wen Jianyan had been here once before and had carefully studied the map. He was quite familiar with the layout.
To the left was the treatment room, and to the right were the clinic and file room.
The left path had no obstacles, but the right side was blocked by a thick iron door, not opened with a key but with a magnetic card, temporarily inaccessible.
Su Cheng looked at Wen Jianyan with some concern.
“You alone with that doctor; will everything be okay?”
It would’ve been okay if it were someone else…
But it was the NPC who came directly to the hydrotherapy room with a group of people, taking only Wen Jianyan. Moreover, Wen Jianyan was being targeted by the instance, and no one knew what might happen.
“Don’t worry,” Wen Jianyan glanced at him and said nonchalantly, “Our identity cards have changed, right? It means the instance acknowledges the change in our identity. Even if that doctor is dangerous, in the end, he’s still an NPC within the instance. There shouldn’t be any major mistakes.”
Although he said so, Wen Jianyan actually had little confidence.
Involuntarily, the image of the moment when he was grabbed and taken away in a meal cart before entering the second underground floor flashed through his mind…
Thinking about it, Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.
He could only hope that the judgment of the identity card still had some use.
Regardless of whether the other party harbored suspicions, at least on the surface, he was still an attendant within Ping An Asylum.
Watching his companions disappear from his line of sight, Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, curled his fingers, and lightly knocked on the door of the treatment room.
“Knock, knock.”
The knocking sound echoed in the silent corridor.
Wen Jianyan could almost hear the sound of his own heartbeat.
After a few seconds, a familiar and gentle voice came from inside the door: “Come in; the door is open.”
Wen Jianyan hadn’t forgotten that not even an hour ago, the other party used the exact same gentle tone to carefully introduce various therapeutic methods for sexual deviations and was preparing to administer electroshock therapy to him.
“…”
Wen Jianyan steadied himself, lifted his hand, and slowly pushed open the door in front of him.
There was a blinding witness before him, and the smell of disinfectant filled the air.
The chaos from his previous departure had been tidied up without a trace. Everything appeared clean and orderly. Except for a few missing items from the desktop, it was almost impossible to tell that this room had once been the scene of a rampage.
A man in a white coat sat at the table, seemingly inspecting something.
Hearing the sound of the door being pushed, he raised his green eyes and looked over the thin lenses perched on his nose. His expression was calm, and a gentle smile graced his lips.
Dr. Reese’s gaze fell on Wen Jianyan’s figure, and his voice, deep and soft, spoke:
“Ah, it’s you.”
“I’m glad you could accept the suggestion to come to the examination room.”
He put down what he was holding and stood up leisurely.
The legs of the chair slid on the floor, emitting an unsettling and ear-piercing friction sound.
“Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?” Through the lenses, those green, snake-like cold eyes were coated with a layer of deceitful gentleness, appearing almost considerate:
“Do you need a full-body examination?”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[?]
[?]
[I don’t know if the instance has changed or if my thoughts are a bit problematic… but why does a full-body examination sound so strange?!]
Feeling the gaze of the other person on him, Wen Jianyan’s nerves tighten involuntarily.
He curled his lips, revealing an undetectable friendly smile, raised his eyes, and locked eyes with Dr. Reese. “Thank you for your concern, but a full-body examination is unnecessary.”
“I was attacked by a patient on the second underground floor earlier, and I was instructed to come to the treatment room for a checkup.”
The youth tilted his head, lifted his hand, and peeled open the collar soaked in fresh blood, revealing his pale neck and collarbone and exposing the bite mark on his collarbone.
Dr. Reese lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on Wen Jianyan’s neck and his emerald eyes slightly deepening.
Wen Jianyan stared closely at the man not far away, not missing any subtle changes in the other’s facial expression. In a casual tone, he said, “Just superficial wounds. A little treatment and I can go back to work, right, doctor?”
After a brief silence, Dr. Reese slightly lifted the corner of his lips and nodded:
“Yes.”
He regained his composure, opened a cabinet, took out emergency supplies such as alcohol swabs, and then turned around, placing them on a nearby metal tray.
“Come over and sit.”
Dr. Reese pointed to the iron bed in front of him.
Wen Jianyan’s gaze followed the direction of the other’s finger.
It was an iron bed that could manually adjust its height, with leather restraints on the hands and feet.
“…”
Memories of the terrible experience of being tied up flooded his mind.
“I’m very sorry,” Dr. Reese apologized. “There was a patient who caused a disturbance in the treatment room earlier, not only damaging a lot of medical equipment but also smashing the only chair inside. I’m afraid I have to trouble you to sit on the bed now. Is that okay with you?”
“…Of course.”
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth and smiled, took a step forward, and sat on the iron bed.
“Undress, please.”
Dr. Reese picked up the alcohol, speaking calmly as he did.
Wen Jianyan had no objections.
He lowered his eyes and skillfully unbuttoned his shirt, one after another. The collar followed his movements, revealing large areas of pale skin and well-defined muscle contours.
Under the lenses, the snake-like gaze was cold and sticky. It meandered like a snake’s tongue, licking every inch of skin exposed under the light.
Soon, Wen Jianyan had unbuttoned half of his shirt, exposing his injured shoulder.
The bite mark was deep, but it was no longer bleeding externally. The half-dried blood formed a stark contrast with the pale skin, creating a vivid display of bright red against white.
The flesh around the wound rolled and undulated, rising and falling with each breath, creating a disturbing sight.
“Anyway, thank you for anticipating the chaos on the second underground floor. Other staff members arrived promptly, saving my companions and me.”
Wen Jianyan tilted his head slightly, allowing the other party to inspect his wound.
He lifted his eyes, and through the narrow gap of his amber-colored eyes, he asked the doctor sincerely and seemingly innocently, “How did you guess that something would happen on the second underground floor?”
“A high-risk patient escaped after the attack. I just speculated that he might return to the location of his ward.” Dr. Reese used forceps to dip cotton into alcohol, his expression unchanged.
He lifted his eyes, staring fixedly at the young man in front of him. “So, which patient attacked you?”
Wen Jianyan opened his mouth, but before he could answer, at the next moment, a sharp, excruciating pain shot from the wound. Caught off guard, accompanied by rapid breaths, a hoarse cry escaped from deep within his throat.
He almost jumped out of the chair, a bead of cold sweat forming on his forehead and physiological tears welling up, moistening his eyelashes.
Dr. Reese gazed at the young man in front of him, the forceps in his hand pinching cotton soaked in fresh blood and alcohol. A faint smile played on his lips as he spoke nonchalantly, “It might hurt a bit.”
“…”
A bit?
A bit?!
Wen Jianyan clenched his teeth.
And isn’t this reminder a bit too late?
The cold alcohol touched the wound, and the sharp pain struck again. However, this time, Wen Jianyan was mentally prepared. Silently enduring the poison cleansing his wound, he frowned deeply. The entire area of his skin, from the neck to the shoulder, tightened intensively.
The treatment room was filled with a palpable and imminent silence.
Regardless of Dr. Reese’s intentions, he was still a qualified doctor. After the initial irritating pain, his techniques were skilled, and he worked quickly.
Finally, the cotton, soaked in fresh blood, left the skin.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, and his body finally relaxed. The whole process took only a short ten seconds, but he was now covered in a thin layer of sweat.
He released his grip on his clothes and turned to face Dr. Reese.
The doctor was turning away, throwing the soiled cotton into the iron tray.
“It’s… 01.” Wen Jianyan answered the doctor’s previous question. His voice trembled slightly, as if he hadn’t fully recovered from the pain just now.
Dr. Reese nodded, speaking calmly, “Patient in Ward 01 on the second underground floor is suffering from severe paranoia and schizophrenia, with a pronounced tendency towards violence.”
He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the wound on Wen Jianyan’s collarbone.
—The blood had been wiped clean, and the marks from the human teeth were clearly visible.
His lips curled slightly, and his tone seemed to carry a peculiar hint of amusement. “He bit you.”
“Yeah.”
Wen Jianyan stared closely at the man in front of him, responding promptly.
“Well then, what about the others?” Dr. Reese smiled gently; his green eyes sparkled beneath the lenses as he softly inquired, “Did they not do anything to you?”
“They—” Wen Jianyan had just uttered those two words when he suddenly realized something and abruptly fell silent.
Except for the patient in Ward 01, all the other patients were safely in their rooms, and there was no way they could have done anything to him—unless… the questioner knew, and he would be drawn into their world where all culprits were referred to as hunters.
Although he had already had a premonition that the other party might have guessed his identity, after the revelation, Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but be slightly surprised—apparently, the other party could indeed break through the restrictions of the instance and was not bound by the identity card recognized by the instance.
Could ordinary NPCs really do that?
If so, it explained all the previous actions of the other party, including this meeting, which was obviously anticipated by the doctor.
Dr. Reese turned around, holding a piece of gauze, and met the wary gaze of the young man. Unfazed, he calmly placed his hand on Wen Jianyan’s shoulder. “Don’t be so tense; lift your arm.”
“…”
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and lifted his arm as instructed.
Dr. Reese unfolded his arms, leaning down to wrap layers of gauze around the young man’s shoulder and neck.
The posture almost resembled a light embrace.
Wen Jianyan kept his body straight, feeling the warm and moist breath of the other party on his ear and neck. The cold fingers occasionally brushed over his shoulder, causing reflexive tension.
“…”
Even after the bandaging was complete, the other party did not withdraw.
Dr. Reese turned his head, gazing at the young man’s profile with those jade-green eyes. He gently asked, “So, among all of them, which one do you like the most?”
Wen Jianyan was startled.
He turned his head, almost bringing his face close to the man’s, but abruptly stopped halfway through the turn.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re so clever; you should have figured it out, right?”
Unconsciously, Dr. Reese’s figure had already approached, and he pressed his icy palm against the young man’s flexible waist, intimately caressing the warm and firm skin. His voice carried a hint of an elusive smile. “They all like you, don’t they?”
“Including me.”
Wen Jianyan: “…”
He gritted his teeth and remained silent.
“Some may not have realized it yet, but clearly, some have already become aware.”
Dr. Reese lowered his gaze, and the scorching stare wandered over the wound that he himself had just bandaged. It was as if he intended to burn through the thin layer of gauze, delicately licking and kissing it. The longer he lingered, the clearer the sensation became.
The more people were contaminated and assimilated, the more vivid the feeling.
As a part of “It,” Dr. Reese no longer needed to actively create more of “It.”
“It” was creating itself.
However, not everybody was valuable for contamination and assimilation. Not everybody possessed the ability to bear the will of “It.”
Like invisible tendrils stretching out, dark and formless, they delved into every crevice, expanding the boundaries of perception.
Dr. Reese was the most aware among all these “shells.”
Perhaps because he was contaminated at the earliest and had not lost his mind like that mad dog.
The network of consciousness was expanding.
The perception of belonging to a colossal existence became increasingly distinct.
Several times, Dr. Reese was just sitting in the treatment room, and he could even experience some fragmented scenes, feeling fleeting touches of reality.
The soft, unfolding skirts and flowing fabrics wind around slender, pale legs.
The front bones were rigid, while the skin in the back of the knee was soft and warm, tender as if it would melt.
Accompanied by an embrace, false lies poured into the ears, bringing a slight intoxication as if drunk—forever together.
Fiery words of love, rough kneading, and large hands tracing over kicking legs.
The sensation of teeth sinking into tender skin, accompanied by the rust scent emanating from the lips and teeth.
Dr. Reese sniffed Wen Jianyan’s bare neck.
There, warmth and the fragrance belonging to the skin wafted.
A strange hunger surged in his throat, and a glint of gold flashed rapidly in his green eyes.
So, based on the difference in assimilation depth, some of his “brothers” should now be able to feel something to some extent.
Dr. Reese felt extremely pleased.
He could even sense the emotional changes of the shadows, all belonging to the same source, within those empty shells.
The young man’s tense body was gently held in his arms, not struggling, not escaping. Enveloped by his breath, he was like a docile lamb, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, only obediently restrained by him.
“Tell me, among us, which one do you prefer?”
Dr. Reese whispered softly, his lips touching Wen Jianyan’s earlobe, and golden light shimmered in his green eyes.
The one chosen.
Would devour all the others.
Like the brutal gladiatorial fights in the ancient Roman arenas, beneath a noblewoman’s veil, her lips were softly curled, and her delicate thumbs were giving orders that were cruel and alluring at the same time.
Whoever was most favored, whoever had the qualifications to survive.
Wearing the laurels of victory and enjoying the spoils alone.
“Of course, if you like everyone, it’s fine.” Dr. Reese chuckled softly, his chest vibrating. “No need to choose.”
After all, they were all “It.”
Just some parts had not realized it yet… Give them some time; they will figure it out.
It didn’t matter who they were.
They were one.
Chapter 156: Crown of Victory
“?! “
Hearing this, the group of people, including Luce, were taken aback. They turned their heads in surprise toward Wen Jianyan, asking with a hint of disbelief:
“Huh? What did you say?”
Although they had never really come into contact with a doctor before, based on Wen Jianyan’s previous descriptions, even if it was a simplified version, the doctor was definitely a tricky character. Actively going to the other party’s treatment room was like willingly walking into a tiger’s den!
Hearing this, the expressions of all the anchors involuntarily became serious.
“No way…” Su Cheng widened his eyes, took a sharp breath, and lowered his voice, saying, “Are we really going to the treatment room next?”
“Of course.”
Wen Jianyan glanced at Su Cheng, the tone of his words lightly floating, saying, “But, to be accurate, only I am going.”
“Huh?” Su Cheng was stunned for a moment, having some difficulty understanding. “Wait, what do you mean?”
“You should have looked at the map of Ping An Asylum, right?” Wen Jianyan blinked at Su Cheng, effortlessly reciting the contents of the map. “Two buildings, east and west, with two floors above and two below ground each. The treatment room is on the fourth floor of the east building, while the clinic and file room are on the fourth floor of the west building. Am I right?”
“Probably?”
Su Cheng hesitated and nodded.
Although he had seen the map, the specific details were not deeply impressed in his mind. He could only vaguely outline the contours in his mind.
“Ping An Asylum’s east and west buildings are perfectly symmetrical, with roughly the same area on both sides,” Wen Jianyan mused, looking down and saying, “But the east side only has one treatment room, and it’s not particularly large.”
The west side has a clinic and a file room, but the east side only has a treatment room. If the treatment room was large enough, it might make sense, but according to Wen Jianyan’s personal experience—
The size of the treatment room was far from occupying the entire floor.
“Your point is… there are other rooms on the fourth floor of the east building besides the treatment room?” Luce, understanding Wen Jianyan’s implication, raised his eyebrows and asked, “Just not marked on the map?”
“Perhaps,” Wen Jianyan shrugged, giving an ambiguous answer.
He looked at Luce and said, “If you continue to act with us, during the time we enter the treatment room, you can take the opportunity to explore the remaining areas on the fourth floor of the east building. Maybe there will be unexpected discoveries.”
Of course, if there was a choice, Wen Jianyan actually preferred someone else to act as bait while he explored the fourth floor.
But the problem was…
Dr. Reese was indeed troublesome, and moreover, the guy subtly hinted that he was closely related to the abnormalities on the second underground floor. His interest in Wen Jianyan was also palpable, forcing Wen Jianyan to reluctantly take on the role of the “bait” and contact him.
“…”
Luce and his teammates exchanged glances.
After a brief consideration, Luce nodded. “We’ll join.”
The group entered the elevator.
Accompanied by the mechanical humming roar, the ground slowly ascended, leaving the second underground floor behind.
Soon, the elevator reached the fourth floor.
Between the east and west buildings of Ping An Asylum, there was no complete separation. Instead, they were connected by a hollow corridor in the middle, allowing a direct view of the main hall below the railing.
Wen Jianyan had been here once before and had carefully studied the map. He was quite familiar with the layout.
To the left was the treatment room, and to the right were the clinic and file room.
The left path had no obstacles, but the right side was blocked by a thick iron door, not opened with a key but with a magnetic card, temporarily inaccessible.
Su Cheng looked at Wen Jianyan with some concern.
“You alone with that doctor; will everything be okay?”
It would’ve been okay if it were someone else…
But it was the NPC who came directly to the hydrotherapy room with a group of people, taking only Wen Jianyan. Moreover, Wen Jianyan was being targeted by the instance, and no one knew what might happen.
“Don’t worry,” Wen Jianyan glanced at him and said nonchalantly, “Our identity cards have changed, right? It means the instance acknowledges the change in our identity. Even if that doctor is dangerous, in the end, he’s still an NPC within the instance. There shouldn’t be any major mistakes.”
Although he said so, Wen Jianyan actually had little confidence.
Involuntarily, the image of the moment when he was grabbed and taken away in a meal cart before entering the second underground floor flashed through his mind…
Thinking about it, Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.
He could only hope that the judgment of the identity card still had some use.
Regardless of whether the other party harbored suspicions, at least on the surface, he was still an attendant within Ping An Asylum.
Watching his companions disappear from his line of sight, Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, curled his fingers, and lightly knocked on the door of the treatment room.
“Knock, knock.”
The knocking sound echoed in the silent corridor.
Wen Jianyan could almost hear the sound of his own heartbeat.
After a few seconds, a familiar and gentle voice came from inside the door: “Come in; the door is open.”
Wen Jianyan hadn’t forgotten that not even an hour ago, the other party used the exact same gentle tone to carefully introduce various therapeutic methods for sexual deviations and was preparing to administer electroshock therapy to him.
“…”
Wen Jianyan steadied himself, lifted his hand, and slowly pushed open the door in front of him.
There was a blinding witness before him, and the smell of disinfectant filled the air.
The chaos from his previous departure had been tidied up without a trace. Everything appeared clean and orderly. Except for a few missing items from the desktop, it was almost impossible to tell that this room had once been the scene of a rampage.
A man in a white coat sat at the table, seemingly inspecting something.
Hearing the sound of the door being pushed, he raised his green eyes and looked over the thin lenses perched on his nose. His expression was calm, and a gentle smile graced his lips.
Dr. Reese’s gaze fell on Wen Jianyan’s figure, and his voice, deep and soft, spoke:
“Ah, it’s you.”
“I’m glad you could accept the suggestion to come to the examination room.”
He put down what he was holding and stood up leisurely.
The legs of the chair slid on the floor, emitting an unsettling and ear-piercing friction sound.
“Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?” Through the lenses, those green, snake-like cold eyes were coated with a layer of deceitful gentleness, appearing almost considerate:
“Do you need a full-body examination?”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[?]
[?]
[I don’t know if the instance has changed or if my thoughts are a bit problematic… but why does a full-body examination sound so strange?!]
Feeling the gaze of the other person on him, Wen Jianyan’s nerves tighten involuntarily.
He curled his lips, revealing an undetectable friendly smile, raised his eyes, and locked eyes with Dr. Reese. “Thank you for your concern, but a full-body examination is unnecessary.”
“I was attacked by a patient on the second underground floor earlier, and I was instructed to come to the treatment room for a checkup.”
The youth tilted his head, lifted his hand, and peeled open the collar soaked in fresh blood, revealing his pale neck and collarbone and exposing the bite mark on his collarbone.
Dr. Reese lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on Wen Jianyan’s neck and his emerald eyes slightly deepening.
Wen Jianyan stared closely at the man not far away, not missing any subtle changes in the other’s facial expression. In a casual tone, he said, “Just superficial wounds. A little treatment and I can go back to work, right, doctor?”
After a brief silence, Dr. Reese slightly lifted the corner of his lips and nodded:
“Yes.”
He regained his composure, opened a cabinet, took out emergency supplies such as alcohol swabs, and then turned around, placing them on a nearby metal tray.
“Come over and sit.”
Dr. Reese pointed to the iron bed in front of him.
Wen Jianyan’s gaze followed the direction of the other’s finger.
It was an iron bed that could manually adjust its height, with leather restraints on the hands and feet.
“…”
Memories of the terrible experience of being tied up flooded his mind.
“I’m very sorry,” Dr. Reese apologized. “There was a patient who caused a disturbance in the treatment room earlier, not only damaging a lot of medical equipment but also smashing the only chair inside. I’m afraid I have to trouble you to sit on the bed now. Is that okay with you?”
“…Of course.”
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth and smiled, took a step forward, and sat on the iron bed.
“Undress, please.”
Dr. Reese picked up the alcohol, speaking calmly as he did.
Wen Jianyan had no objections.
He lowered his eyes and skillfully unbuttoned his shirt, one after another. The collar followed his movements, revealing large areas of pale skin and well-defined muscle contours.
Under the lenses, the snake-like gaze was cold and sticky. It meandered like a snake’s tongue, licking every inch of skin exposed under the light.
Soon, Wen Jianyan had unbuttoned half of his shirt, exposing his injured shoulder.
The bite mark was deep, but it was no longer bleeding externally. The half-dried blood formed a stark contrast with the pale skin, creating a vivid display of bright red against white.
The flesh around the wound rolled and undulated, rising and falling with each breath, creating a disturbing sight.
“Anyway, thank you for anticipating the chaos on the second underground floor. Other staff members arrived promptly, saving my companions and me.”
Wen Jianyan tilted his head slightly, allowing the other party to inspect his wound.
He lifted his eyes, and through the narrow gap of his amber-colored eyes, he asked the doctor sincerely and seemingly innocently, “How did you guess that something would happen on the second underground floor?”
“A high-risk patient escaped after the attack. I just speculated that he might return to the location of his ward.” Dr. Reese used forceps to dip cotton into alcohol, his expression unchanged.
He lifted his eyes, staring fixedly at the young man in front of him. “So, which patient attacked you?”
Wen Jianyan opened his mouth, but before he could answer, at the next moment, a sharp, excruciating pain shot from the wound. Caught off guard, accompanied by rapid breaths, a hoarse cry escaped from deep within his throat.
He almost jumped out of the chair, a bead of cold sweat forming on his forehead and physiological tears welling up, moistening his eyelashes.
Dr. Reese gazed at the young man in front of him, the forceps in his hand pinching cotton soaked in fresh blood and alcohol. A faint smile played on his lips as he spoke nonchalantly, “It might hurt a bit.”
“…”
A bit?
A bit?!
Wen Jianyan clenched his teeth.
And isn’t this reminder a bit too late?
The cold alcohol touched the wound, and the sharp pain struck again. However, this time, Wen Jianyan was mentally prepared. Silently enduring the poison cleansing his wound, he frowned deeply. The entire area of his skin, from the neck to the shoulder, tightened intensively.
The treatment room was filled with a palpable and imminent silence.
Regardless of Dr. Reese’s intentions, he was still a qualified doctor. After the initial irritating pain, his techniques were skilled, and he worked quickly.
Finally, the cotton, soaked in fresh blood, left the skin.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, and his body finally relaxed. The whole process took only a short ten seconds, but he was now covered in a thin layer of sweat.
He released his grip on his clothes and turned to face Dr. Reese.
The doctor was turning away, throwing the soiled cotton into the iron tray.
“It’s… 01.” Wen Jianyan answered the doctor’s previous question. His voice trembled slightly, as if he hadn’t fully recovered from the pain just now.
Dr. Reese nodded, speaking calmly, “Patient in Ward 01 on the second underground floor is suffering from severe paranoia and schizophrenia, with a pronounced tendency towards violence.”
He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the wound on Wen Jianyan’s collarbone.
—The blood had been wiped clean, and the marks from the human teeth were clearly visible.
His lips curled slightly, and his tone seemed to carry a peculiar hint of amusement. “He bit you.”
“Yeah.”
Wen Jianyan stared closely at the man in front of him, responding promptly.
“Well then, what about the others?” Dr. Reese smiled gently; his green eyes sparkled beneath the lenses as he softly inquired, “Did they not do anything to you?”
“They—” Wen Jianyan had just uttered those two words when he suddenly realized something and abruptly fell silent.
Except for the patient in Ward 01, all the other patients were safely in their rooms, and there was no way they could have done anything to him—unless… the questioner knew, and he would be drawn into their world where all culprits were referred to as hunters.
Although he had already had a premonition that the other party might have guessed his identity, after the revelation, Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but be slightly surprised—apparently, the other party could indeed break through the restrictions of the instance and was not bound by the identity card recognized by the instance.
Could ordinary NPCs really do that?
If so, it explained all the previous actions of the other party, including this meeting, which was obviously anticipated by the doctor.
Dr. Reese turned around, holding a piece of gauze, and met the wary gaze of the young man. Unfazed, he calmly placed his hand on Wen Jianyan’s shoulder. “Don’t be so tense; lift your arm.”
“…”
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and lifted his arm as instructed.
Dr. Reese unfolded his arms, leaning down to wrap layers of gauze around the young man’s shoulder and neck.
The posture almost resembled a light embrace.
Wen Jianyan kept his body straight, feeling the warm and moist breath of the other party on his ear and neck. The cold fingers occasionally brushed over his shoulder, causing reflexive tension.
“…”
Even after the bandaging was complete, the other party did not withdraw.
Dr. Reese turned his head, gazing at the young man’s profile with those jade-green eyes. He gently asked, “So, among all of them, which one do you like the most?”
Wen Jianyan was startled.
He turned his head, almost bringing his face close to the man’s, but abruptly stopped halfway through the turn.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re so clever; you should have figured it out, right?”
Unconsciously, Dr. Reese’s figure had already approached, and he pressed his icy palm against the young man’s flexible waist, intimately caressing the warm and firm skin. His voice carried a hint of an elusive smile. “They all like you, don’t they?”
“Including me.”
Wen Jianyan: “…”
He gritted his teeth and remained silent.
“Some may not have realized it yet, but clearly, some have already become aware.”
Dr. Reese lowered his gaze, and the scorching stare wandered over the wound that he himself had just bandaged. It was as if he intended to burn through the thin layer of gauze, delicately licking and kissing it. The longer he lingered, the clearer the sensation became.
The more people were contaminated and assimilated, the more vivid the feeling.
As a part of “It,” Dr. Reese no longer needed to actively create more of “It.”
“It” was creating itself.
However, not everybody was valuable for contamination and assimilation. Not everybody possessed the ability to bear the will of “It.”
Like invisible tendrils stretching out, dark and formless, they delved into every crevice, expanding the boundaries of perception.
Dr. Reese was the most aware among all these “shells.”
Perhaps because he was contaminated at the earliest and had not lost his mind like that mad dog.
The network of consciousness was expanding.
The perception of belonging to a colossal existence became increasingly distinct.
Several times, Dr. Reese was just sitting in the treatment room, and he could even experience some fragmented scenes, feeling fleeting touches of reality.
The soft, unfolding skirts and flowing fabrics wind around slender, pale legs.
The front bones were rigid, while the skin in the back of the knee was soft and warm, tender as if it would melt.
Accompanied by an embrace, false lies poured into the ears, bringing a slight intoxication as if drunk—forever together.
Fiery words of love, rough kneading, and large hands tracing over kicking legs.
The sensation of teeth sinking into tender skin, accompanied by the rust scent emanating from the lips and teeth.
Dr. Reese sniffed Wen Jianyan’s bare neck.
There, warmth and the fragrance belonging to the skin wafted.
A strange hunger surged in his throat, and a glint of gold flashed rapidly in his green eyes.
So, based on the difference in assimilation depth, some of his “brothers” should now be able to feel something to some extent.
Dr. Reese felt extremely pleased.
He could even sense the emotional changes of the shadows, all belonging to the same source, within those empty shells.
The young man’s tense body was gently held in his arms, not struggling, not escaping. Enveloped by his breath, he was like a docile lamb, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, only obediently restrained by him.
“Tell me, among us, which one do you prefer?”
Dr. Reese whispered softly, his lips touching Wen Jianyan’s earlobe, and golden light shimmered in his green eyes.
The one chosen.
Would devour all the others.
Like the brutal gladiatorial fights in the ancient Roman arenas, beneath a noblewoman’s veil, her lips were softly curled, and her delicate thumbs were giving orders that were cruel and alluring at the same time.
Whoever was most favored, whoever had the qualifications to survive.
Wearing the laurels of victory and enjoying the spoils alone.
“Of course, if you like everyone, it’s fine.” Dr. Reese chuckled softly, his chest vibrating. “No need to choose.”
After all, they were all “It.”
Just some parts had not realized it yet… Give them some time; they will figure it out.
It didn’t matter who they were.
They were one.
