Blue Mountain Psychiatric Hospital 23

Fuck!

Even though he had seen this scene more than once, Qi Chanyang still couldn't help being stunned by it.

The NPCs in game instances were absurdly powerful. What player entered an instance without treating NPCs with utmost respect? Everyone did whatever they could to get on the NPCs' good side, just praying it might save their lives at a critical moment.

This was the first time he'd ever seen a player this arrogant.

At that moment, the wildly arrogant Manager Jie boredly shifted positions, slung his club over his shoulder again, and shouted across the hall, "Quit dawdling, Han Qi, He Xin! I can see you both!"

Qi Chanyang was astonished.

The lights were on in their half of the corridor but off in the other. Against that contrast of light and dark, it was hard to make out what was over there. Even Qi Chanyang, whose body had been enhanced by the system six times, could only vaguely see outlines. How the hell could the person beside him see them so clearly?

Just then, footsteps and the rattle of a cart finally came from the opposite half of the corridor.

Slowly, Han Qi and He Xin, pushing a cart between them, appeared before everyone.

Qi Chanyang heard Jie Fangcheng mutter under his breath, "It really is them."

Qi Chanyang: "..."

So you didn't know either!!

When they had come to deliver medicine yesterday, Han Qi had walked in front while He Xin pushed the cart behind him.

Today, He Xin was pushing the cart in front. His expression was ugly, and from time to time, he shot venomous looks behind him.

Han Qi showed only half his body behind him, his eyes fixed on the people standing in front of Room One.

Jie Fangcheng looked back at him and asked pleasantly, "What are you staring at?"

Han Qi immediately withdrew his gaze.

The rattle of the cart mixed with their footsteps, slow and heavy.

From the expressions on those two NPCs' faces, Qi Chanyang could tell they weren't here to deliver medicine. They were here to pay tribute.

The cart stopped at the stairwell and refused to go any farther. Han Qi frowned and abruptly shoved He Xin. "Keep moving. The work isn't finished yet!"

He Xin turned to look at him. "You keep pushing me. Why don't you walk in front?"

Han Qi flared up. "How dare you talk to me like that? He Xin! You've been getting bolder and bolder lately! Are you trying to rebel?"

Before He Xin could speak, Jie Fangcheng, standing nearby, made a disapproving sound. "What's all this about rebelling? You're doctors at a hospital, not an emperor and his eunuch. What can you do if someone won't listen to you? That's workplace bullying, you know that? Just because someone's lower-ranking than you, they have to put up with your crap? I wouldn't stand for it."

He Xin's eyes shifted. He hadn't expected this person to speak up for him.

The players secretly watching the show from behind the doorframe also turned to look.

Then Jie Fangcheng grandly beckoned to the two of them. "Hurry up. Once we're done with your procedure, we'll fight whoever needs fighting and kill whoever needs killing. It's getting late."

After saying that, he rolled his neck and loosened up, looking very much as though he was eagerly anticipating the killing part.

He Xin: "..."

He stood there for two seconds, then suddenly turned and ran.

Han Qi hadn't expected him to dare flee at the last minute without completing his work. By the time he came to his senses, he was the only one left by the cart.

All the teeth on his body clenched shut. One or two of them even knocked together in fear.

Han Qi gritted his teeth and reached out to push the cart.

This was his job. If he didn't finish it, the Director would be angry.

At the thought of the Director, Han Qi couldn't help shuddering. For the moment, it helped him overcome his other fear.

He slowly pushed the cart up to Jie Fangcheng.

Jie Fangcheng was standing in front of Room One. There was barely a meter between them. Han Qi felt that one swing of that club could hit him.

It's fine. So what if he gets hit once? It won't kill him. He can get up and run... Besides, as long as he watches the club closely, the instant the man moves, he'll turn and run.

This guy wasn't fast. He couldn't catch him.

This position was a little tiring for Jie Fangcheng, so he planted the club back on the floor.

The moment he moved, Han Qi twisted like he'd been electrocuted and bolted to the stairwell in an instant.

Jie Fangcheng: "..."

Half amused and half exasperated, he said, "I just changed positions. Why are you reacting so strongly??"

Han Qi stared at him without speaking.

After thinking for a moment, Jie Fangcheng set the club aside, looking helpless. "There, all right? Can you hurry up? Do you know what time it is?"

Han Qi steadied himself, then hesitantly pushed his cart closer again.

Jie Fangcheng even thoughtfully took several steps back.

Only then did Han Qi successfully enter Room One.

In Room One, Patient No. 1 was tied up tight on his bed, while Qi Chanyang sat on his own.

Han Qi couldn't help glancing back. Jie Fangcheng was leaning idly against the door of Room Two across the hall, chatting with someone.

"What did you do before? A programmer? Impressive!"

He didn't look like he had any intention of coming this way at all.

Finish the job first. Then leave immediately.

With that in mind, Han Qi finally returned to his usual routine.

As usual, he first asked Patient No. 1 whether he'd seen anything strange today, then took out the medicine for Patient No. 1 from the cart.

Then he turned to Qi Chanyang.

"You didn't take your medicine properly yesterday or this morning. Your condition has already worsened." With that, Han Qi took a pink medicine bottle from the second shelf and poured out two pills.

After Qi Chanyang accepted them, Han Qi looked at him meaningfully. "If you still don't take your medicine, you'll be different from everyone else."

Just then, Han Qi heard a question from behind him. "Different how?"

Click.

Jie Fangcheng entered carrying his club and shut the door behind him.

Han Qi: "..."

"Come on, tell us. Don't talk in riddles." Jie Fangcheng smiled at him. "Cooperate. I don't like that torture-and-confession stuff."

Nothing remained of Han Qi's feigned calm. He stumbled back two steps in terror. "Don't do anything crazy!"

Jie Fangcheng said, "Crazy? Don't talk nonsense when you don't know what you're talking about! I have a plan here, okay??"

This was such a perfect trap!

Qi Chanyang pressed himself against the wall to make room for the imminent battle, thoughtfully dragging the trembling Patient No. 1 into the corner with him.

The next second, Jie Fangcheng charged forward in two strides, raising his club high.

With a boom, Han Qi didn't even dare turn his head. He slammed decisively into the wall, smashing through the wall between Room One and Room Three.

Gu Shanshan and Lu Xiaoqin were in Room Three. Lu Xiaoqin couldn't help letting out a scream, drawing Han Qi's attention.

Han Qi reached out, trying to grab her as a hostage, but Gu Shanshan reacted quickly and yanked her over. The two girls rolled aside together.

Too late!

Han Qi roared, smashed through Room Three's door, and charged off like a crazed bull. He even abandoned the cart, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Everyone stared in dumbfounded disbelief. "Holy shit!"

Jie Fangcheng opened Room One's door with a dark expression. Only Han Qi's retreating back could still be seen in the corridor.

Jie Fangcheng was frustrated. "This NPC's way too strong. How does he run that fast?"

Everyone looked at him.

Xue Kai, who always spoke his mind, blurted out, "Bro, aren't you stronger??"

Jie Fangcheng sighed, utterly desolate. "What's the point of being strong?"

Everyone: "..."

Qi Chanyang took a deep breath. "Fine. At least now we know which two bottles contain today's medicine."

There were plenty of things on the cart, bottles and jars of all kinds. Without an NPC telling them, they really couldn't distinguish them.

Patient No. 1 had already been confirmed not to be a normal person, so Qi Chanyang gave him his medicine first.

The patient NPC still tried to struggle a little. "If you don't take medicine, I can't take mine. The Director will hit me if he finds out."

Jie Fangcheng stood beside him with his club. "But if you don't take it, I'll hit you right now."

Tears welled in Patient No. 1's eyes as he accepted the medicine and swallowed it.

No. 4 and No. 9 could also be ruled out. Jie Fangcheng took the medicine to feed the ones in the corridor, No. 4 and No. 9.

Lu Xiaoqin said softly from the side, "Then if that's the case, couldn't we have just not tied up No. 1, No. 4, and No. 9 from the beginning?"

Jie Fangcheng shook his head. "That won't do."

Qi Chanyang pondered. "Why not?"

Was there some logical detail here? Should he be learning from it?

Jie Fangcheng answered, "All the other NPCs are tied up. If we don't tie up those three, won't they feel left out? What if the three of them get ostracized because of it?"

Qi Chanyang: "..."

He shouldn't have asked!!

The meticulous Manager Jie hadn't only considered that. He even brought Patient No. 1 back with him.

The nine bizarrely shaped patient NPCs lay side by side on the corridor floor, arranged neatly in order.

Jie Fangcheng fed medicine to No. 4 and No. 9. Those two also had excellent NPC work ethics and made the same "The Director will hit me if I take it" sound as No. 1.

Jie Fangcheng simply kicked the wall. The entire building seemed to shudder, and the wall broke apart on impact with an even louder sound than when Han Qi had crashed through it.

"Don't take it, and you'll get hit now."

He was concise and clear.

No. 4 and No. 9 obediently swallowed the medicine. The remaining patient NPCs all stared wide-eyed at him, their faces full of fear.

Except for Qi Chanyang, the players had all been somewhat afraid while dealing with these patient NPCs since entering the game. Yet now, looking at their tearful faces, they actually felt a trace of sympathy.

Everyone whispered among themselves.

"What did Brother Jie even do before? How is he so practiced at this?"

"Manager of the Finance Department? Sun Miao, aren't you an accountant too? Are all accountants this scary?"

"No! At most we cook the books!"

"Sun Miao, go talk to Brother Jie. Maybe you two have a lot in common!"

Sun Miao had been an accountant for nearly ten years. He'd met countless people in the profession, but he had never seen one like this.

After hesitating, he couldn't help quietly striking up a conversation with Jie Fangcheng, who had boredly begun wiping his club again, under everyone's watchful eyes. "Brother Jie... are you an accountant too?"

"Uh... I guess you could say that."

"I'm an accountant too! My company is pretty well-known. Big companies are exhausting; I died suddenly from overtime! Brother Jie, what company do you work for?"

"The Underworld. Didn't I say so?"

Everyone looked at one another.

Sun Miao assumed the company was small and that Jie Fangcheng didn't want to name it, so he changed the subject. "What position do you hold, Brother Jie? What do you usually do?"

Everyone else perked up their ears too.

Jie Fangcheng was vague. "Nothing much. I do some accounts and collect debts."

"Oh, accounts receivable?"

Jie Fangcheng looked blank. "What?"

Sun Miao was equally blank. "Aren't you in accounting? You review the books, then chase down payments and stuff..."

"No." Jie Fangcheng was honest. "We don't really do accounting."

"??? Then how do you collect money? If you don't do the accounting, how do you know how much to collect???"

Jie Fangcheng gave a faint smile. "Where I work, however much I say it is, that's how much it is."

Everyone: "..."

Fuck! What kind of company was this??

Just then, the first mutation among the patient NPCs began.

It was No. 8.

His limbs had originally been like those of a boneless creature; even while eating, his legs flailed about. Now, although he was tied up tight, the ropes clearly held his limbs in place, yet his body continued to twist and grow as if something were melting it. Before long, he had grown into one long shape, writhing on the floor.

After the mutation, his eyes locked onto Jie Fangcheng in front of him, and drool began to run from the corner of his mouth.

Jie Fangcheng crouched in front of him, picked up some medicine, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The mutated NPC had lost the ability to think like a human. His tongue pushed the pills straight back out. Then he continued staring at Jie Fangcheng, writhing as he opened his mouth as if to bite him.

"Meat... meat..."

The next second, Jie Fangcheng took out another pill and stuffed it into his mouth. Then he reached behind him and grabbed the commemorative banner he had been using as a rag.

Jie Fangcheng shoved the banner into No. 8's mouth to keep him from spitting the pill out again.

No. 8 could only make muffled noises through the stuffing. The medicine worked quickly. Soon, he closed his eyes, and his body slowly returned to normal.

Jie Fangcheng used two fingers to pull out the commemorative banner covered in No. 8's saliva. Under the patient NPCs' burning stares, he smiled awkwardly. "We're a little short on cloth, so everyone will have to make do for a while."

At that moment, NPC No. 7 spoke up of his own accord. "I... I'm about to start. How about... while I'm still conscious, you give me the medicine first..."

"Good idea!" Jie Fangcheng crouched beside him.

Seeing that No. 7 was indeed starting to show signs of mutation, Jie Fangcheng immediately fed him the medicine.

The patient NPCs all cooperated very proactively, and Jie Fangcheng praised them repeatedly. "Everyone's got a great attitude! Thanks for being so cooperative. Tomorrow, we'll have Little Qi add an extra dish for everyone!"

It took Qi Chanyang a moment to realize who "Little Qi" was.

This man! He'd beaten him into that state, yet he could still call him so affectionately??

Before long, all the NPCs who were about to mutate had taken their medicine and fallen asleep.

Only one remained.

Lu Xiaoqin's face went pale. "No. 3? How can it be No. 3??"

No. 3 was a roughly thirteen- or fourteen-year-old brat. He often dug out his eyeballs to play with them and frequently swept the players with a gaze that made them intensely uncomfortable. No matter how one looked at him, he didn't seem like a normal person!

Now, No. 3, tied up tight, stared at Jie Fangcheng before him. Even the child who usually loved frightening people had been intimidated by sheer force, and he obediently asked, "Uncle, should I take medicine too?"

Jie Fangcheng asked, "What happens if you don't take it?"

The child's pitch-black eyes looked at him. "If I don't take medicine, my eyeballs will fall out. The Director will be angry."

Qi Chanyang frowned as he listened.

If No. 3 was the normal person, what clues could there possibly be on a child like this?

At that moment, the more carefully Gu Shanshan looked at No. 3, the more vaguely familiar he seemed. She suddenly asked, "Little one, what's your name?"

The child's eyeballs moved as he looked at Gu Shanshan. "Auntie, my name is Liu Hanxi."