Wen Shi’s heart sank.
“Strange, it won’t open.” Xu Jie stood before the pure white door, his slender fingers tracing the peculiarly shaped keyhole. His pupils contracted sharply.
The shape of the keyhole was a perfect match for the Key he kept at home!
Previously, Xu Jie had tried that Key on all the S+ grade and higher Instances he controlled at home, but none of the doors fit.
He had no memory of the Key’s origin either.
He had assumed it was loot from some Instance.
Never did he expect to find the corresponding door in an unremarkable F Rank Instance.
Snapping back to reality, Xu Jie tried to kick the door open, only to find it had transformed into a white wall.
“The Dungeon Boss of this Instance has indeed developed self-awareness.”
Xu Jie recalled the eight Players.
He needed time to determine whether the Dungeon Boss was hiding among the Players or disguised as an NPC.
After several attempts failed to shatter the white wall, Xu Jie leisurely left the restricted area.
Meanwhile, Wen Shi was relieved he had discovered it early.
Every time Wen Shi approached the third-floor restricted area, he would suffer splitting headaches, experience hallucinations, and be unable to investigate further.
By the time Wen Shi regained his composure, the Players had already begun introducing themselves.
“Gu Hua, veteran player, cleared twenty Instances.” Gu Hua, with a pen stuck in his eye socket, declared:
“Follow Brother Hua, eat nine meals a day. Listen to my arrangements, and I guarantee everyone clears safely.”
Except for that pretty boy Wen Shi.
“Thank you, Brother Hua! You’re so kind!” the college student said, then pointed at Wen Shi. “I’ll stick with him.”
Gu Hua: “…”
If you’re not following me, why even bother talking?
Determined to outdo Wen Shi, Gu Hua spat out two words: “Idiot.”
What’s so great about that pretty boy besides his looks?
Just as Wen Shi was about to speak, he heard the teenager say, “My name isn’t important. I’m from Anhui, grew up in Guiyang, so I’m a Guangui person.”
“I often order takeout, so I guess I’m an American.” This came from Little Red Riding Hood.
The blond youth scrambled up. “I often order from Ele.me, so I’m an E-guo person.”
The little rabbit hopped onto the table, its white ears bouncing springily:
“My background is a bit complicated. I was born in Hunan, but I had Xinjiang fried rice noodles for lunch… so I guess I’m a hybrid?”
Wen Shi’s gaze fell on a cold-faced young man dressed as a Taoist priest.
The young man had been gesturing in sign language for a while, but no one understood.
He rummaged through his canvas bag for paper and a pen.
Before he could write,
Wen Shi said, “No need to introduce yourself. You’re deaf and mute.”
The young Taoist fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
Everyone was cautious; aside from Gu Hua, no one gave their real name.
Gu Hua looked at Wen Shi. “Your turn.”
Many Players and neighbors had died in the clinic.
Yet not one had mentioned their real-life origins.
If he made something up and ran into someone who actually knew the place, wouldn’t he be exposed?
Wen Shi was pretending to be a Player to gain Xu Jie’s trust.
Players were easy to find, but Divine Officials were not.
He had to leave the clinic.
“Where are you from? Can’t you say?” Gu Hua’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
This Instance was filled with Anomalies everywhere.
Wen Shi: “I am the successor to socialism.”
Everyone: “…”
“There are patients in the clinic. Please keep quiet, everyone.”
A gentle voice sounded.
A nurse with a gentle expression pushed a treatment cart forward. Her deathly pale face looked as if it had been coated with white paint, devoid of any living aura.
Following behind the nurse was Xu Jie, holding a hammer.
The noisy clinic instantly fell into complete silence.
“No way, you’re scared of an NPC from an F-grade, the lowest-level instance?”
The little punk yelled loudly: “I could take on ten thousand of these dumb NPCs by myself!”
He refused to believe it.
What could an NPC possibly do to him?
That earlier incident was just a fluke.
Everyone knew NPCs in F-grade instances were harmless.
“Keep it down, you just got hit.” Sensing that a patient had been disturbed, Wen Shi frowned.
The lesson of the past was still fresh, but the little punk refused to believe in evil, determined to become the next casualty.
“Pretty boy, shut your mouth!” The little punk grew angrier thinking about what had just happened: “Who do you think you are, trying to lecture me?”
Kind words are wasted on those determined to court death.
Wen Shi glanced at his nurse.
“Shut up, shut up, shut the hell up! If you love making noise so much, go to hell and chant rebirth mantras for your mother!” The gentle, soft-spoken nurse suddenly erupted in rage.
She snatched the iron hammer from Xu Jie’s hands and swung it at the little punk.
The first blow weighed eighty pounds, the second one hundred sixty pounds, the third three hundred twenty pounds…
In just ten seconds, the little punk was pounded into a bloody pulp, flesh and blood splattering everywhere.
“Anyone else want to run their mouth?” The nurse tossed the hammer onto the ground, asking casually.
“He’s… he’s dead.” A Player stared at the little punk lying in a pool of blood and screamed.
The nurse wanted to hurl the seven-hundred-twenty-pound hammer at the clueless Player.
But she noticed the Player had hidden behind Wen Shi in fear.
Catching sight of Wen Shi out of the corner of her eye, the nurse shuddered and silently withdrew the hammer.
“There seems to be something inside.” Wen Shi reminded his employee that the patients were awake and it was time to get to work.
The nurse hoisted the several-hundred-pound hammer and charged into the patient rest area, smashing everything in sight: “Stop your damn screaming, or I’ll sew your mouths shut with a needle!”
After the earth-shaking commotion, the nurse returned to the consultation room, dragging the hammer now coated in flesh and blood.
“May I ask who the patient is?” The nurse inquired in a gentle voice, a stark contrast to her earlier murderous rage.
Everyone exchanged glances, keeping their mouths shut.
Wasn’t this supposed to be a casual, fun instance?
This nurse was clearly an NPC.
Experienced Players realized the nurse might be S-Class.
Only S-Class NPCs would actively attack Players.
That’s why, when they were matched into an S-grade instance, they had to tread carefully with every step and word.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t even know how they died.
An F-grade instance had given the Players quite a shock.
The little punk’s death made them realize this instance was dangerous.
“I—said—”
Seeing no one respond, the nurse’s delicate face gradually twisted into a hideous grimace, her nails elongating until they nearly touched a Player’s face: “Who is the patient?”
The little punk’s death was still fresh in their minds.
No one dared make a move.
“My sister is asking you a question.” Xu Jie drawled lazily:
“Did you come to the clinic not to see a doctor, but to play? Then my sister will play with you.”
Everyone’s hearts tightened. No one dared step forward—who knew what the nurse intended to do?
Xu Jie’s gloating expression filled everyone with a strong sense of crisis.
What if the doctor didn’t follow the usual rules and decided to kill them?
“You go!”
Gu Hua suddenly shoved Wen Shi forward.
He still resented Wen Shi for nearly getting him killed in the ward earlier and pushed him out as a scapegoat.
The nurse was asking so seriously.
If there were no patients and her patience ran out, she would definitely attack all the Players.
With an NPC this strong, who knew how many more were in this instance?
Forget about earning Points.
Whether everyone working together can survive until the seventh day remains unknown.