The grudge on Wolf was hidden very well; Wu Chang didn't notice it when he first entered the office. It was only when the two entered the pharmacy cave and Wolf revealed his true form that the grudge could be observed.
The existence of that grudge was very subtle, situated between light red and deep red, indicating that the Master of Resentment had an obsession, but not a strong one.
The Bloody Last Words within the grudge flickered in and out of sight; Wu Chang spent considerable effort to clearly see the contents within.
The master of the grudge on Wolf was a Stalker, who not only found the Pharmacy but also used some kind of Skill to pass directly through the door into it.
Perhaps because the step of "opening the door" was missing, the crisis sensed by the Veteran Doctor did not materialize.
The Stalker hid in the shadows, quietly observing Wolf.
After witnessing Wolf finish processing all the medical records in the office and sending them to the ground via the underground attending Doctor, he saw Wolf change into a special long robe and enter the Secret Door in the office.
Inside the Secret Door was an altar, upon which was enshrined a stone statue of a symbol: an eye shaped like a crescent moon, identical to the Pattern carved on the Walker's Amulet.
Wolf prostrated himself, devoutly worshipping the symbol.
The Stalker, having discovered all this, excitedly broke out of stealth, intending to say something, but before he could open his mouth, Wolf, sensing his secret had been discovered, transformed into a Monster and thrust a sharp insect limb into the Stalker's mouth.
A one-hit kill.
Wu Chang replayed this segment many times.
He placed himself in the Stalker's position and found that even knowing when Wolf was about to attack, he still couldn't see clearly or dodge it.
Damn it, within seven steps this time, his fist was indeed too fast.
Looking at Wolf's figure after transforming, one could tell his health bar wouldn't be short.
High attack and high health; with his current Attributes, even with Silver Dawn, relying on martial Strength to deal with Wolf was unrealistic.
He had to find another way.
While he was thinking, the Bloody Last Words in the grudge stabilized.
【The Prophet has received the Divine Decree: the Cursed Gold is in the Second Underground Level of the Moonlight Sanatorium! For the Lord's return, it must be found.】
A Player actually worships the same God as the Villain in the Instance; the situation is getting more and more interesting.
Wu Chang didn't know what the so-called Cursed Gold was, so he didn't rush to complete the Bloody Last Words, hiding this piece of Intelligence instead.
Wolf noticed Wu Chang's distraction and didn't engage in much conversation, only offering a few suggestions before letting Wu Chang leave.
After Wu Chang left the Pharmacy, Wolf reverted to his Human Body, returned to the office, and opened the Secret Door the Stalker had previously discovered.
He knelt before the altar and devoutly recited:
"The Sacrifice is about to begin; the God is destined to Incarnate. This is the Heavenly Mandate, unstoppable."
Wu Chang left the Pharmacy without continuing to explore the Sanatorium, choosing instead to return to his room.
He lay on the bed, organizing the Clues discovered tonight.
The highest level of a lie is nine truths mixed with one falsehood—selectively expressing certain truths and inserting a lie at the most crucial juncture.
The story Wolf told about White Stone Town was likely not false, and the Mastermind being the Tranquility Sect was also probably true.
But the truth about Delusion Syndrome, and Wolf asking him to "awaken" Dean Randy, must have another motive.
He suspected Wolf not only because of the Stalker's grudge but also because at the end of the story, Wolf used the action of scratching to "accidentally" tear his White Coat.
The Admission Notice mentioned that medical personnel in the Sanatorium could be trusted, but only those wearing a White uniform were medical personnel.
Assuming that medical personnel are bound by a Rule that prevents them from saying things that harm or deceive patients, Wolf tearing his White Coat was a Signal that he intended to lie.
By reverse deduction, he should not "awaken" Dean Randy, or at least not easily.
However, one thing he couldn't figure out was that patients in the Sanatorium disappeared every few days, the underground ward held a group of mutated, rotting humanoid creatures, and taking a walk outside the room at night could turn one into Meat Paste.
With the Sanatorium in such a state, hasn't our Dean discovered the existence of supernatural Strength? Is his belief in materialism perhaps a bit too firm?
Looking at the half-lit sky outside the window, he yawned. He had done enough for today; everything could wait until he woke up.
Wu Chang opened his eyes again, awakened by a knocking sound.
He stretched, feeling refreshed.
Thanks to his Physical Fitness, nearly double that of an Ordinary Person, his sleep quality was ridiculously good; he only needed one or two hours of sleep to relieve the fatigue of an entire day.
A good day started by opening the door and seeing Nurse Julie.
"Good morning, Miss Julie."
Julie walked into the room, looking around, surprise and strangeness appearing in her eyes, as if she had discovered something.
"What's wrong?" Wu Chang probed. When it came to mysteries, this beautiful "friendly NPC" was second to none.
"Nothing, let's go quickly; you're going to be late for your consultation." Julie hesitated for a moment, ultimately saying nothing.
As per routine, patients needed to go to the Consultation Room for an Examination of their condition and to receive today's Special medicine before any activities.
Doctor Charles, responsible for the mild cases, looked even more haggard than last night.
His eye sockets were sunken, his dark circles deeper, his eyeballs covered in bloodshot veins, and there were blotchy blood spots near his pupils, as if he, not Wu Chang, had stayed up investigating all night.
Mentally exhausted, Doctor Charles was exceptionally irritable. He grabbed a packet of Special medicine and slapped it in front of Wu Chang. As Wu Chang reached for the medicine, Charles grabbed the collar of Wu Chang's shirt, looked at the radiant face before him, and said with Envy:
"Did you sleep well last night?"
When his neck was grabbed, Wu Chang pretended to panic, bracing his hands on the desk and slapping the surface to create a distinct noise.
"Thanks to the Special medicine, I had a good dream."
"A good dream?" Charles repeated the word strangely, then asked, "What did you dream about?"
"Huh?" Wu Chang pretended not to understand.
"I asked, what did you..." Doctor Charles was about to press further, but Julie, having heard the noise, had already walked into the Consultation Room.
Charles seemed wary of Julie's presence, releasing his grip on Wu Chang's collar, grunting, and saying, "Get out!"
Wu Chang straightened his collar and left the Consultation Room with Julie.
Standing at the door of the Consultation Room, Julie asked pointedly, "Do you still remember the Admission Notice?"
Wu Chang: "Of course, I remember."
"Then is there anything you want to tell me?"
"Not yet."
"Oh."
Due to Jinton's disappearance, Wu Chang was temporarily safe from danger and could move freely in the Activity Room.
As the Meritorious Official who exposed Jinton's cheating and stood up for everyone, he was welcomed by the other patients.
With an emotional foundation established, he quickly integrated among his fellow patients.
Integrating was easy, but extracting Intelligence was not.
Under the influence of Delusion Syndrome, every patient was abnormally agitated, as if hiding from something. They would often stop mid-sentence, suddenly tremble and hide under a table, or hug their heads and cry, or even look for sharp objects to self-mutilate.
Only the Special medicine could alleviate their symptoms.
But after taking the medicine, they would turn into high addicts, their eyes becoming unfocused, their speech incoherent, occasionally talking to themselves while staring into space.
After a full day, he gained few pieces of Intelligence and was almost driven Crazy himself by the experience.
He didn't know if the Delusion Syndrome was truly contagious, or if he had inhaled powder from the Special medicine of other patients, but at a certain moment near dusk, he turned his head to look at the setting sun, and a Phantom of a White Angel flashed past the corner of his eye.
No, he must speed up the Strategy for clearing the Dungeon.
That night, carrying the Walker's Amulet, he headed toward the fourth floor of the Sanatorium.
His actions during the day were not entirely fruitless. Based on the fragmented descriptions from the patients, combined with Wolf's story, he had roughly outlined the plot of White Stone Town.
The Vinuo Family and the Church of Serenity, who came to invest in White Stone Town, truly existed. The Church of Serenity was indeed recognized by the Kingdom as dangerous elements, and many Townspeople had indeed joined the Tranquility Sect.
In the Activity Room with fewer than twenty people, seven fellow patients, after getting high, would throw their arms around his shoulders and loudly Preach:
"Brother Sean, don't worry about Delusion Syndrome. As long as you join the Church, the God will grant us eternal Tranquility. If you are interested, find me tomorrow, and I will take you to see the Priest."
After every session of Preaching, the patients would not forget to emphasize loudly:
"We are a Secret Church; don't tell anyone. If the Kingdom finds out, we will be subjected to Burning at the stake!"
With such high-intensity infiltration by the Church of Serenity, just as Wolf said, the entire Sanatorium had fallen under the control of the Church of Serenity.
Therefore, Wu Chang must confirm the Dean's situation now. Whatever Wolf's objective, the Dean is the key to Clearing the Dungeon.
He stealthily made his way to the fourth floor and used the red key to open the heavy Iron door leading to the Four Layers. As soon as he entered the fourth-floor corridor, the scene before him made his brow furrow deeply.
The medical personnel, unlike the patients, were not staying quietly in their rooms. Eight or nine medical personnel wearing White uniforms were wandering the corridor as if sleepwalking.
In their sleepwalking state, they were frantically tearing at the White uniform on their Bodies, trying to shed it, while the White uniform seemed to come alive, tightening and coiling like a python, resisting the Struggle of the medical personnel.
Just as Wu Chang was wondering what play this was, a sinister voice sounded behind him.
"Sean, tell me, what are you dreaming about now?"