“When a person falls into the water, they can hold their breath for 3 minutes.”
“From the moment breathing stops to losing consciousness, there’s 1 minute.”
“After losing consciousness, the heart can keep beating for up to 3 minutes.”
“Even after the heart stops, the brain will continue functioning for 5 minutes before irreversible death.”
“As long as they are rescued within this timeframe, there is still hope.”
“Humans are extraordinarily resilient.”
A gentle and calm voice played from the phone, narrating an essay.
Li Guanqi sat upright in a white lab coat in front of his computer, listening to the audiobook while working.
He had loved reading since childhood and was always an excellent student———– one of those so-called “model children” the neighbors’ parents admired.
And he had been like this for 20 years.
Now in his third year of university, he was interning at Xunyang University Affiliated Hospital.
Due to limited spots in General Surgery Department, he was reassigned to the Psychiatry Department.
Fortunately, the work was relatively simple———— ward rounds, collecting medical histories, following doctors for examinations, and attending meetings.
In his free time, he enjoyed listening to audiobooks, making for a rather relaxed routine.
Suddenly————
Knock, knock, knock!
A series of rapid knocks shattered the peaceful atmosphere in the room.
Before Li Guanqi could respond, his colleague Xu Fei burst through the door, gasping for breath.
Suppressing his laughter, Xu Fei stammered, “There’s a patient…”
“That’s kinda…
Pfft——— kinda like you.”
” ?
?
?
”
Li Guanqi’s face darkened.
“Wow, way to sugarcoat it.”
“What do you mean a patient that’s “kinda like” me?”
Low EQ: Crazy.
High EQ: There’s a patient in the psych ward who’s kinda like you.
After catching his breath, Xu Fei urged excitedly, “Come quick!
Room 505, several doctors can’t handle her…”
“She’s a total beauty!
And completely nuts…”
“Even sedatives aren’t working, hahaha…”
As he spoke, he couldn’t suppress his laughter, his shoulders trembling.
“505?” Li Guanqi frowned.
Room 505 was a special containment room, unused for years.
Its windows and doors were severely damaged and had never been replaced.
He couldn’t understand why anyone would be assigned there.
“If several doctors can’t handle her, how the heck am I, an intern, supposed to help…?”
Despite his grumbling, he straightened his white coat, adjusted his intern ID badge, and followed Xu Fei to Room 505.
The dimly lit hallway made the “505” plaque look eerie.
The rusted iron door was half-open, creaking ominously.
Noise spilled from within, carrying an air of unrest.
Cautiously, Li Guanqi pushed the door open just enough to slip inside.
Bright lights illuminated the room.
Several doctors and nurses surrounded a hospital bed, their expressions tense as they discussed something in hushed voices.
“Miss, please calm down!”
“Sedative, we need a sedative!”
“Her condition is unstable…”
“Whose daughter is she…?”
The nurses busied themselves, trying to soothe the patient but hesitant to get too close.
Were they…
afraid?
Curious, Li Guanqi stepped forward, tilting his head to get a glimpse of the troublesome patient.
And in that instant, he was utterly stunned.
He had expected someone disheveled, with tangled hair, a weary face, and vacant eyes.
Reality was the complete opposite.
She had long, sleek black hair cascading down her shoulders, making her fair skin appear even more delicate.
She wore a crimson tube-top dress———–
Simple yet elegant, perfectly accentuating her graceful figure.
The exposed collarbone and slender neckline exuded an air of sophistication, like fine red wine———- rich, alluring.
There are two kinds of good women in the world:
One requires time to know, her warmth and kindness revealed through familiarity.
The other…
needs no introduction.
Just like the woman in red before him.
Her charm lay in her figure, her face, and the faint floral scent mixed with disinfectant.
A goddess.
The word popped into Li Guanqi’s mind, almost blasphemous in its simplicity.
But what was this goddess doing?
She stood by the window, arms crossed, adjusting her stance with utmost seriousness———–
As if…
preparing for some kind of transformation sequence.
Suddenly————
Her sharp eyes gleamed as she declared in a deep, commanding voice:
“The cold flame envelops the entire world.”
“Black flower———-”
She swung her arm in a dramatic arc, her voice laced with an undeniable power.
Something about her tone stirred him.
His breathing quickened.
His gaze glazed over.
His blood burned.
“Bloom!” (x2)
Before he knew it———- his voice followed hers in a fervent chant.
“Synchro Summon!”
Their voices synchronized, colliding, amplifying———-
“<Black Rose Dragon>!”
Li Guanqi roared, his heart surging with exhilaration.
“<Black Rose Dragon>!”
The woman’s crisp, unwavering voice carried an unstoppable force.
At that very moment, a howling gust of wind crashed through the broken window.
The old panes creaked ominously.
Curtains whipped wildly like ghosts in a frantic dance.
Nurses screamed and scattered.
Doctors shielded themselves.
Chaos erupted.
Yet, through the turmoil, one phrase echoed: “Black Rose Dragon!”
The storm lasted only a few breaths.
Then, silence.
The nurses and doctors exchanged bewildered looks.
The <Black Rose Dragon> that Li Guanqi and the woman in red had summoned together did not appear.
Dead silence filled the air.
The awkward kind.
“Uh———–”
Reality hit Li Guanqi like a truck.
His face flushed red, toes curling against the floor.
“I’m doomed.
I can’t stay in this hospital anymore.”
Xu Fei was right.
He and this patient shared the same aura.
But he couldn’t help it!
The moment she had chanted “The cold flame envelops the entire world”———– It sounded exactly like Akiza Izinski had stepped out of the anime into reality.
Unlike voice actors who always sounded slightly hesitant, she was completely, utterly serious.
She believed she could summon <Black Rose Dragon>.
Her pure conviction infected him, awakening his long-dormant inner chuuni, and made him shout along.
And it felt amazing.
But now———– he wanted to die from embarrassment.
The goddess title had never been so disgraced.
This is not a goddess, but a lunatic!
A full-on Yu-Gi-Oh card addict!
He had never expected the special case patient to be a duelist.
Had she gone too deep and ended up in the psych ward?
Around him, doctors and nurses turned their puzzled gazes his way.
“What kind of code is this <Black Rose Dragon>?”
“And what does “The cold flame envelops the entire world” mean?”
“Does the patient have violent tendencies?” An older doctor asked in a serious tone, his gaze shifting back and forth between Li Guanqi and the girl.
By 2026, Yu-Gi-Oh was still a niche IP.
Most hospital staff had no clue what these phrases meant.
“Uh…
” Li Guanqi forced a smile, his mind was a complete mess.
“It’s a line from some anime…”
“She might not actually be sick…”
“Just…
played too much Yu-Gi-Oh!…”
He added, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness and self-mockery.
The doctors and nurses frowned in confusion.
This explanation didn’t quite make sense.
The woman in the red dress silently observed the scene, pinching her chin as she scrutinized Li Guanqi with a probing gaze.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
“D- Dr.
Li?!” she suddenly shouted, her voice filled with disbelief.
As her words fell, the entire room fell into a sudden silence.