Ping An Asylum
Chapter 181: In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
As he saw the number on the nameplate, Wen Jianyan’s heart suddenly tightened for a moment.
05?!
The experience on the second underground floor flashed through his mind.
There were a total of five rooms on the second underground floor, numbered from 01 to 04. All the labels for the patients in the wards correspond one-to-one with the current layout in the laboratory. Following this logic, the patient in Room 05 should be the one in the last ward.
But the problem was… Wen Jianyan had never seen patient number 05 in Ping An Asylum.
In the meantime, he had always interpreted this as “luck.” After all, the map of Ping An Asylum was really large, and high-risk patients had many opportunities to go to different areas. However, the moment he suddenly saw 05, a fact that had been ignored for a long time but now became clear.
Wen Jianyan suddenly realized…
This was an existence he had never seen before, an existence he had never known anything about from beginning to end.
He subconsciously raised his eyes and looked at the faceless Dr. Reese in front of him.
At this moment, the other party was taking out the key card from his pocket and walking toward the door unhurriedly.
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes, recalling what the faceless person who had led him had said – according to the implication of the words, the existence of Room 05 seemed to be very special, perhaps related to the so-called “plan,” or even related to the entire framework of the instance in some inexplicable way.
The narrow card lightly swiped in front of the metal door, making a “beep” sound.
The doctor turned his “gaze” toward Wen Jianyan and courteously gestured, saying, “Father, please.”
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, subconsciously rubbing the leather cover of the Bible in his hand a few times with his fingertips, then stepped forward and walked toward the open door.
The first reaction was… darkness.
Thick darkness shrouded the path ahead, almost making it impossible to see anything.
Wen Jianyan blinked, feeling that whether his eyes were closed or open, there was no difference in what he saw.
Behind him came the clear sound of metal, as if the door were closing behind him, completely obscuring the brightness outside the laboratory, leaving only a thick, impenetrable darkness.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
The sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears, almost sounding somewhat cacophonous.
Suddenly, Dr. Reese’s voice came from the side:
“Father, are you alright?”
Wen Jianyan was taken aback.
What he didn’t expect was that Dr. Reese would actually follow him in, instead of staying outside like the others.
“This patient is very sensitive to light. For your safety, the exorcism ritual will be conducted with the lights off.”
The sound of fabric rubbing against itself echoed in the darkness, indicating that Dr. Reese was walking toward him.
Wen Jianyan slightly turned his head, looking toward the direction where the sound was coming from.
He only heard the other party say:
“Please hold onto my arm. I will guide you from here.”
…Guide.
Wen Jianyan keenly caught the keyword in Dr. Reese’s words.
In other words, this room was different from the other four rooms—quite the opposite, it might even be larger…
“I’ll trouble you then.”
Wen Jianyan reached out aimlessly in front of him.
As if able to see in the dark, Dr. Reese effortlessly caught the priest’s groping hand in midair, gently guiding it to grasp his own forearm.
Wen Jianyan held onto Dr. Reese’s arm, cautiously walking forward in the darkness.
One step, two steps, three steps…
Wen Jianyan counted his steps silently in his mind as he walked.
He controlled the distance of each step, trying to estimate the length of this journey.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[I’m starting to get nervous…]
[Come to think of it, did Room 05 ever appear in Ping An Asylum before?]
[Now that you mention it, thinking back, I really don’t remember ever seeing Room 05…!]
[Really! I always thought it was just bad luck that I never saw it. So none of us have seen it before?]
[Oh okay, now I’m really starting to get curious.]
Accompanied by the lively discussion in the live broadcast room about the identity of 05, related viewer reward tasks began to appear one after another on the task list.
There were tasks like “Get a clear look at 05’s true face,” “Find out 05’s real name,” or “Discover 05’s true identity.”
Wen Jianyan glanced at the task list but didn’t bother to look further.
After all, for him right now, survival was more important.
The darkness seemed endless.
Even though they were both in the darkness, Dr. Reese’s steps were unwavering, steadily leading Wen Jianyan in a certain direction. Underneath his palm was the doctor’s slender forearm, separated by thin fabric, able to feel the warmth and texture beneath.
The hollow sound of footsteps echoed in his ears, giving the illusion that they could walk endlessly without reaching anywhere.
Finally, after an unknown duration of walking, Dr. Reese suddenly stopped.
“Here we are,” he said.
At the moment Dr. Reese halted his steps, the adjacent task bar updated.
Obviously, this time the procedure omitted the step of using holy water, and the exorcism prayer was thoughtfully included in the taskbar, indicating a hope for the anchor to perform the exorcism in darkness—perhaps that’s why the progress here was only at 10%.
However, Wen Jianyan still attempted to struggle a bit.
Twisting his head in the darkness, he looked toward Dr. Reese and asked with feigned difficulty, “In that case, how am I supposed to use the holy water?”
Seeing 05 and finding out its identity was secondary…
The most important thing was that, based on his previous experiences with exorcism, the beginning of the ritual often heralded danger.
05 was a patient he had never encountered before, with whom he had no impressions or concepts. Wen Jianyan was unsure if he could evade the patient’s attacks in complete darkness.
“You can leave that to me.”
Dr. Reese said.
“If no light can be generated at all, then I’m afraid it will be difficult for me to read the prayer…”
Wen Jianyan maintained his priestly persona while deftly attempting to find some loopholes.
“Read?” Dr. Reese’s calm voice, tinged with amusement, came through. “I thought you had already memorized all the contents of the Bible.”
Although the doctor’s demeanor remained unchanged, the progress bar hovering above suddenly began to show signs of movement, as if trending downward.
Wen Jianyan’s heart tightened, and he naturally replied:
“Just to be more thorough.”
With that, he handed the bottle containing holy water to Dr. Reese.
In the darkness, the bottle in his palm was taken away.
Wen Jianyan glanced at the progress bar above again—it stabilized, no longer flickering.
He heard the sound of the doctor’s footsteps moving forward, not far, just a few short steps.
In the darkness, Wen Jianyan heard the sound of the bottle cap being removed, the sound of wet, flowing water, and then silence. He could only imagine the scene of the other party blessing the mysterious 05.
…Well, it seemed there was no hope of obtaining a light source now.
“…”
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, calming his mind and focusing on the text on the taskbar. He quickly scanned through it, preparing to recite the prayer as fast as possible when the time came, aiming to complete the exorcism in the shortest time possible to minimize the danger.
Soon enough, footsteps echoed again, and just a few seconds later, Wen Jianyan heard Dr. Reese’s voice beside him: “Father, you may begin.”
In the blink of an eye, it seemed like some fleeting and vague thoughts passed through Wen Jianyan’s mind, like lightning streaking across the dark night sky, bringing a faint glimmer of light before disappearing in the next instant, almost impossible to catch.
Almost instinctively, Wen Jianyan spoke up:
“You seem very familiar with this procedure.”
The words flowed out naturally, as if it were just a casual remark, lightly drifting away.
In the darkness, the other party chuckled softly and said, “Of course.”
Before Wen Jianyan could think anything further, he heard the voice of Dr. Reese again, with the same natural, even familiar tone:
“After all, I’ve experienced it firsthand more than once.”
“…?!”
Wen Jianyan’s breath hitched, and his mind briefly went blank.
What did that mean?
At that moment, many jumbled pieces of information flashed through his mind: Dr. Reese, despite being a doctor, held a position in the nightmare’s point task system that was very similar to high-risk patients and had a mechanism similar to “unlocking status” for points,” and he could also enter the inner world, unlike other nurses and attendants…
Wen Jianyan had realized a long time ago that, from a certain perspective, Dr. Reese’s position in the instance was closer to those high-risk patients than the other attendants.
Wait, he shouldn’t think too much.
There’s a lot of room for interpretation in that statement. After all, it’s not necessarily only patients who can have “firsthand experiences.” Dr. Reese might have just observed many times…
As Wen Jianyan was sorting through his jumbled thoughts, Dr. Reese’s voice sounded again:
“Father?”
The rising tone at the end seemed to indicate confusion about Wen Jianyan’s sudden silence.
The voice brought Wen Jianyan back to reality.
Yes, that’s right; there are more pressing matters now.
Wen Jianyan gathered himself, cleared his cluttered mind, and focused his gaze on the task list beside him, reciting calmly and steadily.
In the midst of utter silence, the young man’s voice echoed in the darkness, the intricate and profound words carrying a mysterious power, resonating throughout the vast space.
As Wen Jianyan recited the prayer, he subconsciously tensed his body.
With his vision restricted, all his other senses were heightened, becoming more acute than usual. He remained vigilant of everything around him, whether it was the slightest sound or the change in airflow, ready to detect any signs of impending danger.
But there was nothing.
The darkness enveloped him like an endless abyss, shrouding him in an all-encompassing silence, making him question whether he was still awake.
As time passed, the prayer quickly approached its conclusion.
The progress bar above his head had reached 97%, with only the final few paragraphs remaining before it would all be over.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[No way, it’s almost over?]
[Ah… I’m a bit disappointed. So, the last ten percent is this easy to breeze through?]
[Although I’m also a bit disappointed, logically, nothing should happen. After all, as everyone said earlier, 05 has never appeared in Ping An Asylum, and other anchors haven’t seen him either. Now, it’s pitch black. If something really did happen, wouldn’t the anchor who activated this side task be doomed without any surprise?]
[That’s true. Nightmares usually only increase in difficulty; they wouldn’t introduce a guaranteed death side task.]
[Sigh, it’s a pity. I’m really curious about this 05!]
Wen Jianyan glanced at the progress bar.
According to this progress, after he finished the final prayer, the progress bar for this side task would inevitably reach 100%. In other words, this scene would end, and he would be transported back to the initial confession room—Wen Jianyan wasn’t worried that the others would think he had failed and scattered away; after all, time outside didn’t pass while inside a scene.
Leaving the confession room would mean completing the final task, and the legendary-level item would naturally fall into his hands…
Everything was going smoothly.
But…
Wen Jianyan subtly slowed down his pronunciation, pondering rapidly in his mind as he continued to recite.
This also meant that in this scene of extreme difficulty and demanding requirements, he had only obtained a minimal amount of information—whether it was the “truth of the plan,” Reese’s true identity, or the unseen “05”—all would be sealed away as the scene ended.
According to the current map, returning to the main building of Ping An Asylum was no longer possible, and the central structure of the chapel was extremely dangerous, with almost no possibility of exploration. Both Luce and his teammate inside would likely disappear along with the end of the task.
The progress of the instance was also accelerating, and it wouldn’t be long before it ended.
…He had little time and space left to gather information.
“…”
Wen Jianyan absentmindedly recited the words from the Bible, his amber eyes lowered, hidden within the shadows, their depths inscrutable.
Only five sentences remained.
Even Wen Jianyan had to admit that his entry into this side task this time was an exceptionally rare stroke of luck.
Not only did he accidentally obtain two ordinary items from the directors’ rooms, but even if other anchors managed to enter this scene, they would face a relentless battle against several high-risk patients. Yet he happened to collect difficult items corresponding to each high-risk patient, greatly reducing the difficulty of clearing this map.
What was supposed to be a map of Hell difficulty was reduced to Normal by him.
Such a situation was rare indeed.
A certain intuition within him buzzed, as if speaking in a language only he could understand…
You are very close now.
The truth is just within reach.
Was he really going to give up the opportunity at hand for the sake of stability?
Only two sentences remained.
At the same time, the progress bar above reached 99%.
In that moment, Wen Jianyan’s mind flashed with a scene from when he was on the second underground floor.
At the end of the corridor was the empty 05, brightly lit from within.
If… the patient in 05 was indeed “sensitive to light” as Dr. Reese claimed, then his prison should be designed to block out light sources.
He caught a whiff of a familiar scent of deception.
“…”
It was like reaching out in the darkness and grasping a corner of the curtain, revealing the silent temptation hidden beneath.
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth.
Screw it.
He was going all in!
The higher the risk, the greater the reward!
Wen Jianyan raised his hand, swiftly opened the live broadcast interface, selected the item, and activated it.
The next second, a flashbang exploded before him, the intense light piercing through the thick darkness and illuminating the vast space as if it were daytime!
Although it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, Wen Jianyan had outlined a rough plan. While it might not be meticulously precise, it was definitely feasible.
During the exorcism ritual, the option to leave the room and venture into other realms was easily dismissed. Interrupting the ritual prematurely could potentially nullify all previous progress. Similarly, attempting to extract information from Dr. Reese was abandoned for the same reason.
So, the unknown 05 became the only option left in Wen Jianyan’s hands.
The brief burst of light, although limited in information, could potentially be a crucial breakthrough in this situation. It could serve as an important thread to connect the scattered pieces together. Moreover, he was just a step away from completing the task. Even if there were any dangers or obstacles, he could quickly recite the final two lines of the prayer to resolve them. Though the gains might be minimal, the risks were minimized.
Furthermore, there were so many viewers issuing related tasks. Even if he obtained nothing in the end, he could still earn points to balance things out.
Even a mosquito’s leg is meat.
The bright light flooded the vast space before him like warm water. Although not glaring, his eyes, accustomed to darkness, struggled to adjust.
Wen Jianyan resisted the urge to blink and quickly, urgently, looked in the direction Dr. Reese had just walked.
The next moment, he froze.
What appeared before him wasn’t a “person.”
It was a huge, towering, tank-like transparent container.
Just like the jars he had seen in the laboratory before, placed on shelves, this one was exactly the same, just scaled up hundreds of times.
Countless thin wires of different colors were connected to the cylinder, and inside, the liquid appeared as a clear, familiar light yellow fluid under the light.
Floating within the liquid was a huge brain.
With a diameter exceeding a meter, its convolutions were complex and presented a scarlet hue.
It hung quietly in the liquid, countless thin, neuron-like threads connecting it to the surroundings, looking very familiar…
Above the container, a small, translucent emblem could be faintly seen.
It was a thin, continuous serpent.
Without warning, a concept popped into Wen Jianyan’s mind.
[Brain in a Vat.]
The brief few seconds felt like a century, as Wen Jianyan stared fixedly at the extraordinary sight before him, almost forgetting how to breathe.
Under his horrified gaze, the scarlet threads suddenly began to appear in mid-air.
Thin, spider-web-like threads, woven by some invisible presence, slowly formed the shape of a human being, with neurons weaving together bones, blood vessels, nerves, and even skin and hair…
This was a true, nightmare-like scene.
Just then, a calm and cold voice sounded in his ears:
“I mentioned that the patient is extremely sensitive to light, Father.”
Dr. Reese’s voice seemed to suddenly pull Wen Jianyan back to the real world. He gasped sharply, and at the fastest speed he could muster, he loudly recited:
“Depart, evil spirit!”
“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!”
“In the name of the Lord, by the blood of the martyrs, I command you!”
“Depart!”
As the words fell, the progress bar above his head reached 100%.
Immediately, the familiar system announcement sounded in his ears: 【Ding! The special live scene has been cleared! Hidden side task completed!】
The mechanical voice of the system reported in a steady tone, seemingly completely unaware of the urgency of the situation before him. Along with each word of the announcement, the construct of flesh and blood showed no sign of slowing down.
Legs, arms, chest, and skull.
Muscles, skin.
A tall and incomplete male body slowly appeared, not far away.
Within the partially formed chest, crimson veins and nerves continued to weave and construct tirelessly.
He slowly turned his head, looking toward Wen Jianyan’s direction.
His eyes were a pure golden color.
His face was half divine, as beautiful as a deity, and half-cracked and void, like a demon.
The image before him was so familiar, almost etched into the depths of his mind, a face he could sketch out even with his eyes closed.
Everything happening before him was so sudden and shocking that Wen Jianyan was almost breathless with astonishment. He stood frozen in place, from head to toe, his palms sweaty and sticky. There was a primal urge within him to scream and flee.
But he couldn’t.
He could only stand there, staring wide-eyed at those crimson, intricate neurons, intertwining and growing as if alive. In front of him, not far away, they slowly wove together the semblance of that false deity.
…Wu Zhu.
Ping An Asylum
Chapter 181: In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
As he saw the number on the nameplate, Wen Jianyan’s heart suddenly tightened for a moment.
05?!
The experience on the second underground floor flashed through his mind.
There were a total of five rooms on the second underground floor, numbered from 01 to 04. All the labels for the patients in the wards correspond one-to-one with the current layout in the laboratory. Following this logic, the patient in Room 05 should be the one in the last ward.
But the problem was… Wen Jianyan had never seen patient number 05 in Ping An Asylum.
In the meantime, he had always interpreted this as “luck.” After all, the map of Ping An Asylum was really large, and high-risk patients had many opportunities to go to different areas. However, the moment he suddenly saw 05, a fact that had been ignored for a long time but now became clear.
Wen Jianyan suddenly realized…
This was an existence he had never seen before, an existence he had never known anything about from beginning to end.
He subconsciously raised his eyes and looked at the faceless Dr. Reese in front of him.
At this moment, the other party was taking out the key card from his pocket and walking toward the door unhurriedly.
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes, recalling what the faceless person who had led him had said – according to the implication of the words, the existence of Room 05 seemed to be very special, perhaps related to the so-called “plan,” or even related to the entire framework of the instance in some inexplicable way.
The narrow card lightly swiped in front of the metal door, making a “beep” sound.
The doctor turned his “gaze” toward Wen Jianyan and courteously gestured, saying, “Father, please.”
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, subconsciously rubbing the leather cover of the Bible in his hand a few times with his fingertips, then stepped forward and walked toward the open door.
The first reaction was… darkness.
Thick darkness shrouded the path ahead, almost making it impossible to see anything.
Wen Jianyan blinked, feeling that whether his eyes were closed or open, there was no difference in what he saw.
Behind him came the clear sound of metal, as if the door were closing behind him, completely obscuring the brightness outside the laboratory, leaving only a thick, impenetrable darkness.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
The sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears, almost sounding somewhat cacophonous.
Suddenly, Dr. Reese’s voice came from the side:
“Father, are you alright?”
Wen Jianyan was taken aback.
What he didn’t expect was that Dr. Reese would actually follow him in, instead of staying outside like the others.
“This patient is very sensitive to light. For your safety, the exorcism ritual will be conducted with the lights off.”
The sound of fabric rubbing against itself echoed in the darkness, indicating that Dr. Reese was walking toward him.
Wen Jianyan slightly turned his head, looking toward the direction where the sound was coming from.
He only heard the other party say:
“Please hold onto my arm. I will guide you from here.”
…Guide.
Wen Jianyan keenly caught the keyword in Dr. Reese’s words.
In other words, this room was different from the other four rooms—quite the opposite, it might even be larger…
“I’ll trouble you then.”
Wen Jianyan reached out aimlessly in front of him.
As if able to see in the dark, Dr. Reese effortlessly caught the priest’s groping hand in midair, gently guiding it to grasp his own forearm.
Wen Jianyan held onto Dr. Reese’s arm, cautiously walking forward in the darkness.
One step, two steps, three steps…
Wen Jianyan counted his steps silently in his mind as he walked.
He controlled the distance of each step, trying to estimate the length of this journey.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[I’m starting to get nervous…]
[Come to think of it, did Room 05 ever appear in Ping An Asylum before?]
[Now that you mention it, thinking back, I really don’t remember ever seeing Room 05…!]
[Really! I always thought it was just bad luck that I never saw it. So none of us have seen it before?]
[Oh okay, now I’m really starting to get curious.]
Accompanied by the lively discussion in the live broadcast room about the identity of 05, related viewer reward tasks began to appear one after another on the task list.
There were tasks like “Get a clear look at 05’s true face,” “Find out 05’s real name,” or “Discover 05’s true identity.”
Wen Jianyan glanced at the task list but didn’t bother to look further.
After all, for him right now, survival was more important.
The darkness seemed endless.
Even though they were both in the darkness, Dr. Reese’s steps were unwavering, steadily leading Wen Jianyan in a certain direction. Underneath his palm was the doctor’s slender forearm, separated by thin fabric, able to feel the warmth and texture beneath.
The hollow sound of footsteps echoed in his ears, giving the illusion that they could walk endlessly without reaching anywhere.
Finally, after an unknown duration of walking, Dr. Reese suddenly stopped.
“Here we are,” he said.
At the moment Dr. Reese halted his steps, the adjacent task bar updated.
Obviously, this time the procedure omitted the step of using holy water, and the exorcism prayer was thoughtfully included in the taskbar, indicating a hope for the anchor to perform the exorcism in darkness—perhaps that’s why the progress here was only at 10%.
However, Wen Jianyan still attempted to struggle a bit.
Twisting his head in the darkness, he looked toward Dr. Reese and asked with feigned difficulty, “In that case, how am I supposed to use the holy water?”
Seeing 05 and finding out its identity was secondary…
The most important thing was that, based on his previous experiences with exorcism, the beginning of the ritual often heralded danger.
05 was a patient he had never encountered before, with whom he had no impressions or concepts. Wen Jianyan was unsure if he could evade the patient’s attacks in complete darkness.
“You can leave that to me.”
Dr. Reese said.
“If no light can be generated at all, then I’m afraid it will be difficult for me to read the prayer…”
Wen Jianyan maintained his priestly persona while deftly attempting to find some loopholes.
“Read?” Dr. Reese’s calm voice, tinged with amusement, came through. “I thought you had already memorized all the contents of the Bible.”
Although the doctor’s demeanor remained unchanged, the progress bar hovering above suddenly began to show signs of movement, as if trending downward.
Wen Jianyan’s heart tightened, and he naturally replied:
“Just to be more thorough.”
With that, he handed the bottle containing holy water to Dr. Reese.
In the darkness, the bottle in his palm was taken away.
Wen Jianyan glanced at the progress bar above again—it stabilized, no longer flickering.
He heard the sound of the doctor’s footsteps moving forward, not far, just a few short steps.
In the darkness, Wen Jianyan heard the sound of the bottle cap being removed, the sound of wet, flowing water, and then silence. He could only imagine the scene of the other party blessing the mysterious 05.
…Well, it seemed there was no hope of obtaining a light source now.
“…”
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, calming his mind and focusing on the text on the taskbar. He quickly scanned through it, preparing to recite the prayer as fast as possible when the time came, aiming to complete the exorcism in the shortest time possible to minimize the danger.
Soon enough, footsteps echoed again, and just a few seconds later, Wen Jianyan heard Dr. Reese’s voice beside him: “Father, you may begin.”
In the blink of an eye, it seemed like some fleeting and vague thoughts passed through Wen Jianyan’s mind, like lightning streaking across the dark night sky, bringing a faint glimmer of light before disappearing in the next instant, almost impossible to catch.
Almost instinctively, Wen Jianyan spoke up:
“You seem very familiar with this procedure.”
The words flowed out naturally, as if it were just a casual remark, lightly drifting away.
In the darkness, the other party chuckled softly and said, “Of course.”
Before Wen Jianyan could think anything further, he heard the voice of Dr. Reese again, with the same natural, even familiar tone:
“After all, I’ve experienced it firsthand more than once.”
“…?!”
Wen Jianyan’s breath hitched, and his mind briefly went blank.
What did that mean?
At that moment, many jumbled pieces of information flashed through his mind: Dr. Reese, despite being a doctor, held a position in the nightmare’s point task system that was very similar to high-risk patients and had a mechanism similar to “unlocking status” for points,” and he could also enter the inner world, unlike other nurses and attendants…
Wen Jianyan had realized a long time ago that, from a certain perspective, Dr. Reese’s position in the instance was closer to those high-risk patients than the other attendants.
Wait, he shouldn’t think too much.
There’s a lot of room for interpretation in that statement. After all, it’s not necessarily only patients who can have “firsthand experiences.” Dr. Reese might have just observed many times…
As Wen Jianyan was sorting through his jumbled thoughts, Dr. Reese’s voice sounded again:
“Father?”
The rising tone at the end seemed to indicate confusion about Wen Jianyan’s sudden silence.
The voice brought Wen Jianyan back to reality.
Yes, that’s right; there are more pressing matters now.
Wen Jianyan gathered himself, cleared his cluttered mind, and focused his gaze on the task list beside him, reciting calmly and steadily.
In the midst of utter silence, the young man’s voice echoed in the darkness, the intricate and profound words carrying a mysterious power, resonating throughout the vast space.
As Wen Jianyan recited the prayer, he subconsciously tensed his body.
With his vision restricted, all his other senses were heightened, becoming more acute than usual. He remained vigilant of everything around him, whether it was the slightest sound or the change in airflow, ready to detect any signs of impending danger.
But there was nothing.
The darkness enveloped him like an endless abyss, shrouding him in an all-encompassing silence, making him question whether he was still awake.
As time passed, the prayer quickly approached its conclusion.
The progress bar above his head had reached 97%, with only the final few paragraphs remaining before it would all be over.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[No way, it’s almost over?]
[Ah… I’m a bit disappointed. So, the last ten percent is this easy to breeze through?]
[Although I’m also a bit disappointed, logically, nothing should happen. After all, as everyone said earlier, 05 has never appeared in Ping An Asylum, and other anchors haven’t seen him either. Now, it’s pitch black. If something really did happen, wouldn’t the anchor who activated this side task be doomed without any surprise?]
[That’s true. Nightmares usually only increase in difficulty; they wouldn’t introduce a guaranteed death side task.]
[Sigh, it’s a pity. I’m really curious about this 05!]
Wen Jianyan glanced at the progress bar.
According to this progress, after he finished the final prayer, the progress bar for this side task would inevitably reach 100%. In other words, this scene would end, and he would be transported back to the initial confession room—Wen Jianyan wasn’t worried that the others would think he had failed and scattered away; after all, time outside didn’t pass while inside a scene.
Leaving the confession room would mean completing the final task, and the legendary-level item would naturally fall into his hands…
Everything was going smoothly.
But…
Wen Jianyan subtly slowed down his pronunciation, pondering rapidly in his mind as he continued to recite.
This also meant that in this scene of extreme difficulty and demanding requirements, he had only obtained a minimal amount of information—whether it was the “truth of the plan,” Reese’s true identity, or the unseen “05”—all would be sealed away as the scene ended.
According to the current map, returning to the main building of Ping An Asylum was no longer possible, and the central structure of the chapel was extremely dangerous, with almost no possibility of exploration. Both Luce and his teammate inside would likely disappear along with the end of the task.
The progress of the instance was also accelerating, and it wouldn’t be long before it ended.
…He had little time and space left to gather information.
“…”
Wen Jianyan absentmindedly recited the words from the Bible, his amber eyes lowered, hidden within the shadows, their depths inscrutable.
Only five sentences remained.
Even Wen Jianyan had to admit that his entry into this side task this time was an exceptionally rare stroke of luck.
Not only did he accidentally obtain two ordinary items from the directors’ rooms, but even if other anchors managed to enter this scene, they would face a relentless battle against several high-risk patients. Yet he happened to collect difficult items corresponding to each high-risk patient, greatly reducing the difficulty of clearing this map.
What was supposed to be a map of Hell difficulty was reduced to Normal by him.
Such a situation was rare indeed.
A certain intuition within him buzzed, as if speaking in a language only he could understand…
You are very close now.
The truth is just within reach.
Was he really going to give up the opportunity at hand for the sake of stability?
Only two sentences remained.
At the same time, the progress bar above reached 99%.
In that moment, Wen Jianyan’s mind flashed with a scene from when he was on the second underground floor.
At the end of the corridor was the empty 05, brightly lit from within.
If… the patient in 05 was indeed “sensitive to light” as Dr. Reese claimed, then his prison should be designed to block out light sources.
He caught a whiff of a familiar scent of deception.
“…”
It was like reaching out in the darkness and grasping a corner of the curtain, revealing the silent temptation hidden beneath.
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth.
Screw it.
He was going all in!
The higher the risk, the greater the reward!
Wen Jianyan raised his hand, swiftly opened the live broadcast interface, selected the item, and activated it.
The next second, a flashbang exploded before him, the intense light piercing through the thick darkness and illuminating the vast space as if it were daytime!
Although it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, Wen Jianyan had outlined a rough plan. While it might not be meticulously precise, it was definitely feasible.
During the exorcism ritual, the option to leave the room and venture into other realms was easily dismissed. Interrupting the ritual prematurely could potentially nullify all previous progress. Similarly, attempting to extract information from Dr. Reese was abandoned for the same reason.
So, the unknown 05 became the only option left in Wen Jianyan’s hands.
The brief burst of light, although limited in information, could potentially be a crucial breakthrough in this situation. It could serve as an important thread to connect the scattered pieces together. Moreover, he was just a step away from completing the task. Even if there were any dangers or obstacles, he could quickly recite the final two lines of the prayer to resolve them. Though the gains might be minimal, the risks were minimized.
Furthermore, there were so many viewers issuing related tasks. Even if he obtained nothing in the end, he could still earn points to balance things out.
Even a mosquito’s leg is meat.
The bright light flooded the vast space before him like warm water. Although not glaring, his eyes, accustomed to darkness, struggled to adjust.
Wen Jianyan resisted the urge to blink and quickly, urgently, looked in the direction Dr. Reese had just walked.
The next moment, he froze.
What appeared before him wasn’t a “person.”
It was a huge, towering, tank-like transparent container.
Just like the jars he had seen in the laboratory before, placed on shelves, this one was exactly the same, just scaled up hundreds of times.
Countless thin wires of different colors were connected to the cylinder, and inside, the liquid appeared as a clear, familiar light yellow fluid under the light.
Floating within the liquid was a huge brain.
With a diameter exceeding a meter, its convolutions were complex and presented a scarlet hue.
It hung quietly in the liquid, countless thin, neuron-like threads connecting it to the surroundings, looking very familiar…
Above the container, a small, translucent emblem could be faintly seen.
It was a thin, continuous serpent.
Without warning, a concept popped into Wen Jianyan’s mind.
[Brain in a Vat.]
The brief few seconds felt like a century, as Wen Jianyan stared fixedly at the extraordinary sight before him, almost forgetting how to breathe.
Under his horrified gaze, the scarlet threads suddenly began to appear in mid-air.
Thin, spider-web-like threads, woven by some invisible presence, slowly formed the shape of a human being, with neurons weaving together bones, blood vessels, nerves, and even skin and hair…
This was a true, nightmare-like scene.
Just then, a calm and cold voice sounded in his ears:
“I mentioned that the patient is extremely sensitive to light, Father.”
Dr. Reese’s voice seemed to suddenly pull Wen Jianyan back to the real world. He gasped sharply, and at the fastest speed he could muster, he loudly recited:
“Depart, evil spirit!”
“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!”
“In the name of the Lord, by the blood of the martyrs, I command you!”
“Depart!”
As the words fell, the progress bar above his head reached 100%.
Immediately, the familiar system announcement sounded in his ears: 【Ding! The special live scene has been cleared! Hidden side task completed!】
The mechanical voice of the system reported in a steady tone, seemingly completely unaware of the urgency of the situation before him. Along with each word of the announcement, the construct of flesh and blood showed no sign of slowing down.
Legs, arms, chest, and skull.
Muscles, skin.
A tall and incomplete male body slowly appeared, not far away.
Within the partially formed chest, crimson veins and nerves continued to weave and construct tirelessly.
He slowly turned his head, looking toward Wen Jianyan’s direction.
His eyes were a pure golden color.
His face was half divine, as beautiful as a deity, and half-cracked and void, like a demon.
The image before him was so familiar, almost etched into the depths of his mind, a face he could sketch out even with his eyes closed.
Everything happening before him was so sudden and shocking that Wen Jianyan was almost breathless with astonishment. He stood frozen in place, from head to toe, his palms sweaty and sticky. There was a primal urge within him to scream and flee.
But he couldn’t.
He could only stand there, staring wide-eyed at those crimson, intricate neurons, intertwining and growing as if alive. In front of him, not far away, they slowly wove together the semblance of that false deity.
…Wu Zhu.
