The corridor was long and oppressively dark.
Old-fashioned light bulbs hung weakly from the walls on either side, casting dim yellow light that barely illuminated the path ahead. Visibility was terrible.
The trainees who had taken the medicine split themselves into two groups, each led by a veteran C-rank.
Everyone forced themselves to stay alert as they entered their rooms in small groups and dragged mattresses and blankets into the designated wards, creating makeshift communal sleeping areas.
The man with glasses ended up in the second group.
He quietly followed the others and helped move bedding from room to room.
Looking at the pile of blankets spread across the cramped floor, he smiled bitterly.
“Looks like we’ll have to squeeze together tonight.”
The single-patient room was already tiny to begin with.
Even after covering every inch of floor space with blankets, there was barely enough room for two or three people to lie down comfortably.
But their group had nine people.
The atmosphere immediately became crowded and suffocating.
“…Honestly, this still feels safer.”
Sheng Yu sat beside him and tried to sound optimistic.
“At least if something happens, everyone can react immediately.”
The others silently agreed.
None of the newcomers dared return to sleep alone in their own rooms anymore.
Compared to that, cramming together in this tiny ward felt infinitely safer.
The man with glasses nodded absentmindedly and wrapped himself tightly in his blanket before retreating into a corner.
Unfortunately, because he had drunk too much soup earlier, he desperately needed to use the bathroom.
He curled his legs tightly together, trying to endure it.
Among the nine people here, only three were fellow F-ranks.
The others were mostly D- and E-ranks.
Naturally, the group leader paid far more attention to the higher-ranked newcomers, openly chatting with them and trying to pull them into his circle.
The man with glasses had spent most of his life as an invisible office worker.
He knew how hierarchy worked.
Years of dealing with supervisors had taught him exactly how difficult it was to insert himself into higher social circles.
So tonight, he lacked the courage to approach anyone important.
Instead, he quietly chatted with Sheng Yu, another low-ranked trainee sitting beside him.
Although both wore identical hospital gowns, Sheng Yu still looked far younger and healthier.
His youthful face still carried traces of childish innocence.
“You’re still pretty young, huh?” the man with glasses asked softly.
“I just started my final year of high school.”
Sheng Yu pulled the blanket tighter around himself.
“I accidentally fell asleep in class one morning… and when I woke up, I was here.”
The man with glasses forced a weak laugh.
“Well… at least you escaped the college entrance exams.”
Sheng Yu smiled awkwardly.
Then both fell silent.
Compared to this nightmare, even preparing for university entrance exams suddenly sounded preferable.
The medicine gradually dragged at their consciousness.
Although everyone had been struggling to stay awake earlier, now that they were lying down, sleep strangely refused to come.
Especially for the man with glasses.
No matter how tightly he shut his eyes, the pressure in his bladder only grew worse and worse.
He stared blankly at the scribbled marks covering the wall, trying desperately to suppress the urge.
For safety reasons, nobody even dared turn off the lights.
The crowded room amplified every distant conversation nearby.
“The high-rankers are still upstairs investigating…”
“Do you think they’ll hide information from us?”
“Relax. The Holy Son organized everything personally.”
“Nothing will happen.”
Then the group leader suddenly changed the subject.
“That white-haired E-rank… does anyone know his background?”
Nobody answered.
The group leader snorted while staring at the ceiling.
“What unbelievable luck.”
“An E-rank actually managed to latch onto the Holy Son.”
To the newcomers, a C-rank already seemed impressive.
But the group leader himself understood perfectly—
Compared to S-ranks and A-ranks, a mere C-rank was worthless.
Even surviving this instance was uncertain.
Meanwhile, that beautiful E-rank newcomer somehow ended up beside Messiah himself.
Naturally, jealousy brewed.
One person laughed obscenely.
“Come on, didn’t you see that face? He probably climbed into someone’s bed already.”
Another immediately chimed in enthusiastically.
“Seriously though, he’s even prettier than women…”
Sheng Yu suddenly clenched his fists beneath the blanket.
“What bullshit are you saying?!”
His voice instantly turned cold.
The others were briefly stunned.
Then someone sneered mockingly.
“What? You got a crush on him already?”
Sheng Yu’s expression darkened.
“Zong-ge saved my life.”
“If he hadn’t warned me earlier, I would already be dead.”
The room quieted slightly.
The Infinite Loop evaluated contestants comprehensively.
Physical ability was only one factor.
Mental strength, judgment, intelligence, and adaptability all mattered equally.
Even newcomers could obtain E-rank if they possessed decent instincts or experience.
Compared to Sheng Yu—
The man with glasses truly was ordinary.
An unremarkable office worker.
A nobody.
Even here, he still remained at the bottom.
Unable to argue, unable to refute anything.
Eventually, he awkwardly patted Sheng Yu’s shoulder.
“Forget it… don’t fight with them.”
After calming Sheng Yu down, the man with glasses finally spoke hesitantly.
“I really need to use the bathroom…”
“Do you want to come with me?”
At this point, he genuinely couldn’t hold it anymore.
But going alone terrified him.
At the same time, wetting the bed in front of everyone would probably get him beaten to death.
The higher-ranked trainees clearly looked down on F-ranks.
So the only person he could ask was Sheng Yu.
Fortunately, Sheng Yu agreed immediately.
“Let’s go.”
The man with glasses sighed in relief and hurriedly got up.
As they left, the others behind them burst into crude laughter.
“Look at those two F-ranks.”
“It’s so dark outside—don’t piss yourselves from fear!”
Bang!
Sheng Yu slammed the iron door shut behind them.
The loud noise echoed through the endless corridor.
Dust and rust drifted down from the ceiling.
The man with glasses sighed helplessly.
“Don’t bother arguing with them.”
The corridor outside was pitch-black.
The two walked quietly side by side, carefully watching their surroundings.
Basement One didn’t only contain patient rooms.
There were also communal showers, storage rooms, and the bathroom itself—all located at the far left end of the corridor.
Meanwhile, the infamous solitary confinement room sat at the opposite end.
Earlier, the trainees had specifically gone to check on the newcomer locked inside.
The heavy iron door remained firmly shut.
One veteran had even used a special prop to confirm there was still a living person inside.
But no matter how loudly they shouted, the person never responded.
At least he wasn’t dead.
That was the only comforting part.
“This damn hospital doesn’t even have clocks…”
The man with glasses walked awkwardly while clutching his stomach.
“I wonder what time room inspections start.”
“Probably around ten,” Sheng Yu guessed.
“Dinner ended around seven. We spent a while moving bedding around afterward.”
Then he hesitated.
“…Actually, did you notice something weird?”
“We haven’t seen a single normal patient this whole time.”
The more Sheng Yu thought about it, the more uneasy he became.
“Also… everyone at the broadcast hall earlier was male.”
“This asylum too.”
“Do you think Thriller Trainee might actually be an all-male survival show?”
The man with glasses laughed weakly.
“At a time like this, who even cares?”
“We’ll be lucky if we survive.”
Then he lowered his voice uneasily.
“Let’s hurry.”
“These black floor tiles seriously creep me out.”
Under the weak lights, their shadows stretched unnaturally long behind them.
Only their footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Eventually, they reached the bathroom.
The man with glasses finally relaxed slightly.
The bathroom was communal, containing four stalls.
Compared to the corridor outside, it was much brighter.
“Do you need to use it too?” he asked.
Sheng Yu shook his head.
“I’ll stand outside.”
The man with glasses didn’t insist.
He chose the outermost stall and deliberately left the door half-open.
At this point, nobody cared about privacy anymore.
After all, lives were at stake.
Because he had held it for so long, he ended up urinating for an unusually long time.
Cold air drifted through the stall opening, chilling the exposed skin on the back of his legs.
Then suddenly—
A wave of dizziness struck him hard.
His vision blurred.
Crap.
The medicine’s effects had fully kicked in.
Earlier, fear and adrenaline had suppressed the drowsiness temporarily.
But now that his bladder was empty, exhaustion crashed down all at once.
Messiah hadn’t been exaggerating.
At this dosage, the sedative could easily knock someone unconscious on their feet.
The man with glasses nearly collapsed.
Then—
A cold hand landed lightly on his shoulder.
“Th-Thanks…”
Using that support, he barely steadied himself.
He hurriedly zipped up his pants.
“Seriously, thanks. I almost fell over…”
Then—
As he reached to flush the toilet—
Something felt wrong.
The hand gripping his shoulder tightened slowly.
Too tight.
Sharp fingernails dug through the thin hospital gown like needles piercing flesh.
Ice-cold pain spread through his skin.
The man with glasses froze.
“…Sheng?”
His voice trembled violently.
He didn’t dare turn around.
Every hair on his body stood upright.
“D-Don’t scare me…”
His knees nearly buckled.
“You… you…”
“Say something…”
“Please…”
Outside the bathroom, Sheng Yu leaned against the wall sleepily.
The medicine’s effects were overwhelming.
His eyelids drooped repeatedly as he fought to stay awake.
Then suddenly—
A voice spoke nearby.
“Why are you standing here alone?”
Sheng Yu jolted awake immediately.
The moment he recognized the newcomer in front of him, relief flooded his face.
“Jiu-ge!”
Zong Jiu frowned slightly.
“Why are you alone outside the bathroom?”
“I came with Glasses-ge.”
“I’m waiting for him.”
Zong Jiu lifted his gaze toward the bathroom behind him.
The fluorescent lighting illuminated everything clearly.
Half-open stall doors.
A filthy mop tossed into a stained sink.
Absolute silence.
“How long has he been inside?”
“…I’m not sure.”
Sheng Yu scratched his head nervously.
“He’s been in there a while already. Maybe he’s taking a dump.”
Then he turned and shouted toward the bathroom.
“Glasses-ge! Are you done yet?!”
No response.
Sheng Yu’s expression immediately changed.
“I-I’ve been standing here the whole time…”
“There’s no way he could’ve walked out without me noticing…”
Without another word, Zong Jiu walked directly into the bathroom.
Bang!
He kicked the first stall door open.
Empty.
Bang!
Second stall.
Empty.
Third.
Fourth.
All empty.
Not a single person inside.
The bathroom itself was tiny.
There was nowhere for anyone to hide.
Sheng Yu stared blankly.
“…What the hell?”
“I watched him go in myself!”
The livestream comments exploded in panic.
[HOLY SHIT.]
[Did anyone watch the glasses guy’s stream earlier?!]
[I told you! First blood always happens to isolated people.]
[No response? Yeah, he’s definitely dead.]
Zong Jiu calmly examined the surroundings.
His eyes briefly stopped on the filthy sink nearby.
A massive black spider sat motionless beneath the faucet inside a thick web.
“Tell me everything carefully.”
Sheng Yu forced himself to recall every detail.
“We came together.”
“He entered the bathroom.”
“I stayed outside.”
“I definitely wasn’t asleep.”
“If he came out, I would’ve noticed.”
“I could even hear him peeing earlier…”
Which meant—
The situation was serious.
Zong Jiu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Inside his sleeve, his fingers slowly tightened around the ballpoint pen he had brought with him.
Then suddenly—
RUMBLE—
The outermost toilet flushed violently on its own.
The sound echoed through the corridor.
Both Sheng Yu and Zong Jiu turned simultaneously.
And then they saw it.
Dark red liquid poured endlessly from the squat toilet.
Thick.
Sticky.
Bright scarlet.
Blood.
An endless stream of blood.
Zong Jiu’s expression remained calm.
“Let’s head back first.”
“If I’m not mistaken…”
He glanced toward the overflowing blood silently.
“Something already happened to him.”