Tang Yu seemed genuinely upset with Qi Yu. Fortunately, the rough-haired youth Huang Mao had stepped in just in time, managing to soothe him back to calm.
Qi Yu, who had been the one to irritate Tang Yu in the first place, watched the scene with quiet amusement, thinking that the pair looked a little like a mother taking care of a small child.
He hadn’t expected someone like Huang Mao, rough, a troublemaker who only got into the game through gang fights, to show such gentleness. It was clear that even the roughest people could have a delicate side, a soft spot hidden beneath a seemingly coarse exterior.
But what surprised Qi Yu even more was Tang Yu’s determination! Despite being angry, he insisted on teaming up with Huang Mao, sticking close by his side. Curious, Qi Yu asked, “Why?”
Tang Yu’s eyes sparkled with determination, “I want to show you what I can do!”
Qi Yu blinked. Tang Yu was both apprehensive and strangely excited. He had already given his advice; if Tang Yu was determined to follow, there was no stopping him.
Thinking of Song Qing’s personality, Qi Yu guessed that even without tangling with him directly, Song Qing would inevitably drag along the rest of the players.
With that thought, the little pang of guilt he had felt dissolved entirely.
Just then, a familiar screen flickered to life before them.
[Welcome to the dungeon.]
[Current Dungeon: Abandoned Hospital]
[Objective: Uncover the buried truth within the hospital.]
[Time Limit: 72 hours. Exceeding this will result in failure.]
[Enjoy your game.]
The dense fog around them thinned slightly, revealing the dilapidated building ahead. Its shadowy, cold exterior radiated a sense of foreboding, as though it carried some unseen, sinister energy.
Wang Yicheng had finished his briefing long ago, successfully winning over most of the players. Those who remained indifferent did not seem intent on challenging his leadership.
At a signal, everyone assembled and began to follow him inside.
For a moment, Qi Yu relished the chaos, slipping through the crowd while someone else cleared the way. But the moment his hand touched the iron door, the screen flickered again.
[Special Notice Received.]
[Legend has it that a murderous doctor’s ghost wanders this hospital endlessly. Everyone inside, including those who accidentally enter, will become his victims.]
[Players are advised to remain vigilant and ensure their safety.]
A murderous doctor? Qi Yu’s brow twitched.
Beside him, Tang Yu whispered softly, “That’s probably information about the dungeon boss. The fact that it’s revealed right away means he’s likely very dangerous. Don’t separate from the group, stay cautious.”
Qi Yu nodded silently. He didn’t tell Tang Yu that he had already gleaned this information himself. One, there were others touching the iron door, and he couldn’t be certain who else had seen it; two, it wasn’t something worth boasting about.
It was better to keep quiet and keep fishing around.
“We’re heading in now,” Wang Yicheng announced, slightly raising his voice.
“You can team up freely, but it’s best not to stray too far from the main group. New players, your experience is limited, so don’t touch things recklessly. If you notice anything unusual, report it immediately.”
“And the veterans,” he added, “keep an eye on the newcomers. We’re all here to survive together. None of this is easy.”
With that, Wang Yicheng pushed the door open and strode inside, the others following without objection.
His words were reasonable: caring for newcomers shouldn’t put anyone’s life at risk. The newbies understood that perfectly, they simply looked at him with gratitude, and there was no dramatic conflict between veterans and rookies.
The iron door creaked open to reveal a dusty, broken security room pressed against the side. Inside, there were only a few dilapidated chairs, a battered desk, and a stack of yellowed newspapers with barely any useful information.
A set of keys hung on the wall, and a few tattered security uniforms lay about. On the desk, a brittle notebook lay open, its pages barely intact, and a dusty ceramic cup sat nearby.
It seemed whoever had been here left in a hurry, taking almost nothing with them, as if they would return any second but they never did.
The players rummaged through the room, methodically searching, but found nothing of value. Giving up on the useless room, they pressed deeper into the hospital.
A few steps in, a previously loud middle-aged man suddenly shouted in panic. “I just saw someone outside the security room window, watching us!”
He had been pushed to the back of the group due to his earlier outburst. Stepping out of the security room, he glanced back instinctively and caught a fleeting glimpse of a pale, ghostly face through the glass. Terrified, he let out a shrill cry.
Qi Yu turned back. The door to the security room was wide open, the scattered objects still lying in disarray. The window, marked with handprints from their earlier search, revealed nothing. No one else had seen anything.
Tang Yu lifted his eyes. “Relax, sir. We’ve torn the place apart, and he didn’t even come after us. Just a glance from behind isn’t worth being scared of.”
The middle-aged man was speechless, but Tang Yu had a point. A calm mindset was the key to surviving a dungeon, panicking over every shadow would only make things worse.
Wang Yicheng nodded. “He’s right. Whether there’s a ghost or not, don’t provoke it. In this game, no one dies for no reason. Only by touching or disturbing certain things will the monsters act.”
Calm returned, and the group moved toward the hospital lobby, entering through a shattered glass door. The scene inside was chaotic: the reception desk, registration counters, and even the pharmacy area were all in ruins.
Shattered glass and debris littered the floor, a constant hazard underfoot. It was as if a riot had swept through here, leaving nothing untouched.
The players spread out slightly, searching for clues.
Unseen by the group, a ghost quietly emerged from the security room restroom. Stooped with white hair, the figure would have been instantly recognizable to Qi Yu, it was the elderly man who had once taken Song Qing away under his watch.
Despite his age, his movements were agile. He pulled an old cellphone from his pocket and dialed.
After three rings, a clear, slightly husky voice answered. “Hello?”
“Doctor Xie, they’ve entered,” the old man reported.
“Mm.” A pause, then hesitation crept into his voice. “I saw him with two other blond-haired people. They seem… close.”
“I see.”
In the monitoring room, a figure in a white coat sat in front of a long-dead surveillance system, yet Qi Yu’s movements in the lobby were projected across multiple screens, live: picking up trash, rifling through the reception, whispering to Tang Yu.
“Hmph,” Xie Shao snorted, eyes fixed on the screens. “In such a short time, he’s already caused trouble again. Qi Yu, you heartbreaker!”
Qi Yu shivered, suddenly feeling a chill, as if someone were scheming against him. Looking around, he saw no one. Blaming it on the draft from the shattered windows, he tried to reassure himself.
He picked up a small whiteboard from the floor, previously hung on the wall, and read the large, fading letters: “XXXXX Hospital Outstanding Doctors.” Most of the portraits were blacked out, but one name stood out at the top: Xie Shao.
Qi Yu froze. Memories of the last dungeon, where Xie Shao had singled him out, resurfaced. That creeping sense of being watched returned.
From the moment he entered the lobby, he had felt it, was Xie Shao lurking in a corner, observing him? Could it be that terrifying?
He forced himself to calm down. It was just an adult being careless after a nap, surely not following him into the next dungeon. In the last one, Xie Shao’s attention had been focused on him because no one else was particularly attractive.
Qi Yu had been the green sprout among a garden of flowers. But this time, the players were different, among them, Tang Yu was a sunny, handsome youth, fresh and vibrant.
Qi Yu smeared some dust across his face and tried to make himself look more impressive by standing next to Tang Yu. But the closer he got, the sharper the sense of observation seemed. Something was off.
And then he realized something astonishing. This guy, Tang Yu was incredibly lucky.
While Qi Yu sifted through broken glass for scraps, he found some trash and a whiteboard labeled with Xie Shao’s name.
Tang Yu, meanwhile, discovered a stethoscope that could pick up heartbeats from the next room, a packet of red dates left by a nurse to restore blood, and a whistle that could be heard for hundreds of meters.
All of these were dungeon items. Normally, finding even one item would be considered a stroke of luck. Tang Yu had found three in a short time, while others hadn’t even uncovered useful information. Qi Yu felt a twinge of jealousy.
Huang Mao, stunned, whispered, “Qi-ge, get used to it. Tang-ge is always like this… incredibly lucky.”
Qi Yu could only stare. This wasn’t just luck, it was like he was a living magnet for treasures. The kind of luck that could make anyone want to trap him. And he was standing right there, in front of Qi Yu.
Tang Yu smiled shyly, tiny teeth showing in a mischievous grin. “I told you already, I’m pretty famous.”
Qi Yu, thoroughly defeated, trudged away to the desk, opening the drawers to search for any leftover snacks or dungeon items. As he yanked one drawer open, he exposed a space where a bloodied female ghost crouched.
She looked up at him, offering a small, almost friendly smile and handed him a tiny, fake rose.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The translator has been bribed with exactly zero coffees so far. Fix this. 😭
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Enter the GameChapter 2 · Pick a roomChapter 3 · DeadChapter 4 · AtticChapter 5 · ResponsibleChapter 6 · A bamboo BasketChapter 7 · DiaryChapter 8 · Song QingChapter 9 · Sent to HospitalChapter 10 · Second CopyChapter 11 · Leaking InformationChapter 12 · Special Prop!Chapter 13 · Doctor GhostChapter 14 · Store RoomChapter 15 · Psychiatry HospitalChapter 16 · Things of PastChapter 17 · Second FloorChapter 18 · He’s adorableChapter 19 · You Like Him?Chapter 20 · Kiss meChapter 21 · Group women’s clothing PlayChapter 22 · Where’s my Skirt?Chapter 23 · Wife of Murder Doctor….Chapter 24 · Go to Third floorChapter 25 · You must find me!Chapter 26 · See you in the next dungeonChapter 27 · VideoChapter 28 · Player ForumChapter 29 · Two women vying for one manChapter 30 · The Giant WolfChapter 31 · A Kind and Benevolent FatherChapter 32 · Preparing the change clothesChapter 33 · Red Heart FruitChapter 34 · In what ways do I fall short of him?Chapter 35 · KissChapter 36 · Bald performanceChapter 37 · The Prince Has ArrivedChapter 38 · Prince Song QingChapter 39 · Should we…Chapter 40 · A Kiss of True LoveChapter 41 · BanquetChapter 42 · Snow White KingChapter 43 · KingChapter 44 · I miss you so much!Chapter 45 · LeavingChapter 46 · Wanting to See HimChapter 47 · Resource Type InstanceChapter 48 · The Banquet BeginsChapter 49 · KissChapter 50 · Full-Dive Virtual RealityChapter 51 · Everyone Is a LiarChapter 52 · MegaphoneChapter 53 · Dragon???Chapter 54 · Fire DragonChapter 55 · A powerful Fire DragonChapter 56 · Want Some Barbecue?Chapter 57 · The Characteristics of the GameChapter 58 · A little DragonChapter 59 · Searching for her sonChapter 60 · We’re Going to Tear Up the HostageChapter 61 · Mountain CollapseChapter 62 · DiscussionChapter 63 · Digging for Crystals?Chapter 64 · Making Money Selling LiquorChapter 65 · A KissChapter 66 · I’m the Best LookingChapter 67 · Ghost Ship 101Chapter 68 · Has the Competition Begun Yet?Chapter 69 · LotteryChapter 70 · First PlaceChapter 71 · The Sea Monster ArrivesChapter 72 · CooperationChapter 73 · The Man in the MaskChapter 74 · WarChapter 75 · The Players’ RevengeChapter 76 · ReturningChapter 77 · The End