After the verification of the roles of individuals with kp 75, kp asked, “Are you all sure there won’t be any changes? Once you confirm, we’ll officially begin.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Alright,” the figure of kp 75 faded away before them, “Good luck, everyone.”
Suddenly, a sharp horn sounded from the bus, startling them. Looking to the side, they saw the unchanging scenery transform as a road appeared to the right. The previously straight path now turned winding, with larger trees on both sides, their lush foliage almost blocking out the sky, creating a dark and mysterious passage.
Gradually, two buildings standing side by side came into view.
Most psychiatric hospitals are located in remote areas, and this newly awarded one was no exception. Surrounded by tall cement walls with diligently arranged barbed wire on top, an electronic gate stood firm at the entrance, presenting a defensive stance.
The individuals transformed into characters consistent with their roles, descending from the bus one after another.
Shen Lin’s appearance hadn’t changed much; he had shed some youthful innocence, and his facial features were sharper, appearing five years older. He now wore gold-rimmed glasses, giving him a scholarly look. He had also grown taller, stepping down from the bus with a lowered head.
Kp’s voice echoed, “Start with an investigation.”
Several individuals threw their dice. As Zheng De rolled with Yanxiu, Shen Lin threw a critical success.
Kp sighed, “…”
They noticed that the wall had been recently whitewashed, resembling a thick layer of plaster. Shen Lin walked to the corner of the wall where the whitewash wasn’t uniform, revealing a small section of cement wall. Faintly visible was a red mark, like a character drawn with blood. However, the character was incomplete and challenging to identify.
Kp remarked, “You’ve encountered something fortunate.”
Shen Lin rolled the dice: 85/32, success.
Carefully observing the character, he suddenly recognized it as the word “文” (wén).
Xia He asked in confusion, “…Wen what? Did they paint words on the walls outside the psychiatric hospital?”
“Article? Advertisement? Literature? Civilization? Wen Tianxiang?” Han Qianqiu was puzzled.
“No need to rush; let’s save this information for now. We’ll discuss it inside,” Zheng, clearly an experienced player, led the way without panic.
Beside the gate was a smaller electronic side door, approximately two meters tall. After facial recognition, Shen Lin and Yanxiu could enter directly, while the other three were left outside.
Three people: “…”
Zheng De: “Didn’t I use the back door?”
Kp: “The back door is at the back. You go around; this is the front door.”
Zheng De: “My dad’s secretary came to pick me up.”
Han Qianqiu: “And to pick up his stepmother.”
Kp: “Then, Zheng, try your luck. The stepmother won’t work for you; you’re not her stepmother.”
Zheng De rolled the dice but didn’t pass. “Damn, is there something wrong with these dice?”
He could only go around.
Xia He said, “I’m here for an interview. Can I register at the entrance? I’ll register and then go in with them.”
Xia He went to the security room, looked up, and saw Yanxiu standing there. Suddenly remembering that he was now a security guard at this psychiatric hospital, he had a cold expression on his face. With a clear and clean face, it seemed that this psychiatric hospital was undoubtedly secure, and no one dared to cause trouble.
Yanxiu pointed to the notebook on the table, and Xia He took it over to register. She also threw a flirtatious look at him, “Thanks, handsome, we’ll be colleagues in the future. I look forward to working with you.”
Yanxiu said coldly, “It’s too early. Go through the interview first.”
Xia He: “…”
Han Qianqiu said, “I bribed the security guard.”
Kp: “The security guard is off duty now. The one on duty is Yanxiu. You two have a confrontation. You use agility, and he uses investigation. See if you can smoothly slip in under his nose. Oh, you’re a novice; let me explain the rules of the confrontation. Both of you roll the dice for the respective checks. The winner will be determined based on the results. Roll them, and I’ll tell you the outcome.”
Han Qianqiu, confident, rolled the dice: 60/62. Failed.
Han Qianqiu: “What the hell?”
Shen Lin asked Yanxiu, “What’s your investigation?”
Yanxiu: “75.”
Han Qianqiu: “I forgot that he pointed out the investigation! Damn, I’m done!”
Yanxiu rolled the dice: 75/82. Failed.
Shen Lin: “Impressive, evenly matched opponents.”
Silence fell upon the group.
Han Qianqiu nervously asked, “What happens if both fail?”
Before he could finish speaking, Han Qianqiu’s body moved on its own. He tried to quickly slip in while Yanxiu wasn’t paying attention. However, he accidentally stumbled on a stone at the roadside, tripped forward, and banged his head against the electronic door. Despite this, Yanxiu, with a vision of 2.0, didn’t seem to notice, sitting solemnly in the security room like a millennium-old stone statue.
Xia He: “…” She was wrong; the security guard they hired was both deaf and blind.
Shen Lin couldn’t bear to watch. He knocked on the window of Yanxiu’s security room and said, “He’s my friend, give him a break.”
Yanxiu nodded, “Okay.”
The electronic door in front opened, and Han Qianqiu felt that this game room was challenging from the beginning, with his hair falling all over the place. But in Shen Lin’s hands, why was it so simple?!
After stumbling for a while, they finally entered the gate of the mental hospital.
The mental hospital was quite large, consisting of two connected twin buildings, a total of 6 floors. The top floor was connected by a fully enclosed passage.
The environment inside was clean, with good landscaping, indicating efforts put into winning awards.
After walking for a while, a young-looking woman approached from the front. She was dressed in a women’s suit, her hair meticulously arranged, and she greeted them warmly, “Dr. Shen, hello! Are you here to work?”
Shen Lin recalled some impressions of her, “Hello, Secretary Zhao.”
Zhao Xin smiled and looked at Xia He’s face, “Miss Xia, here for an interview, right? Let me take you to register. And who is this?” She asked about Han Qianqiu.
Shen Lin said, “He’s my friend, just here to pick something up.”
Understanding, Zhao Xin said, “Just visiting? No problem. Normally, we don’t allow visits here to protect the privacy of patients. Even journalists need to make appointments. But since it’s Dr. Shen’s friend, we can make an exception.”
Shen Lin smiled, “Thank you, I’ll treat you to dinner sometime.”
“That would be an honor!” Zhao Xin happily clapped her hands and took Xia He to register.
The rest of them wandered around the hospital. Only the A building of the twin towers was open, while B had a seal and was not accessible. So, they had to turn back to A.
The automatic door opened, and they walked in.
There weren’t many people inside, a clean area with reception, registration, waiting area, etc. The basic facilities were no different from a regular mental hospital. On the first floor, there were information boards about several attending doctors on the wall. Next to it was a half-height electronic navigation board with a white plastic shell bearing the words “Wish you a speedy recovery” in blue.
Everything seemed normal, with no signs of trouble.
“Fortunately, it didn’t delay anything,” Zheng’s voice rang from behind, “I just came from the back door. Damn, it’s a big garden over there, said to be a reconstructed area, but… I did some investigation, and those trees over there are planted very chaotically, without any gardening planning, and there are a lot of weeds. It seems like it hasn’t been used for a long time, just for show.”
While speaking, Secretary Zhao Xin also brought Xia He over. She looked at the group curiously.
Shen Lin then remembered that, according to the setup, they were supposed to be strangers to each other. Before Zhao Xin could ask a question, he said, “Secretary Zhao, you’re familiar with the hospital structure. Could you please introduce my friend to it?”
“Sure, I have time now. A building has a total of 6 floors, each with 6-8 independent treatment rooms, a doctor’s rest area, and two rentable accompanying rest rooms. Patients stay in the treatment rooms, and doctors and companions can stay overnight in the rest rooms. If needed, you can register at the front desk with simple procedures.”
She slid her fingers skillfully on the electronic screen of the navigation board, introducing floor by floor, “The floor level is related to the level of danger for the patients. The lowest level is 1, with minimal danger, and the highest is 6, with potential societal harm. In the past, the patients on the 6th floor were quite dangerous, but our hospital has advanced treatment methods, and most patients have recovered.” She looked at Shen Lin while saying this, her eyes teasing, “Dr. Shen is our hospital’s golden signboard, handsome and skilled.”
…Something about that statement sounded off.
Han Qianqiu whispered, “This secretary seems to have some meaning for you.”
Shen Lin didn’t respond and politely thanked Zhao Xin.
Zhao Xin blushed instantly.
Zheng sighed, “This is the benefit of having a high appearance score.”
Zhao Xin said, “Now the classification of the wards is not so strict because the patients’ conditions are getting better. Those with aggressive tendencies are in the minority. Only a few patients on the 6th floor are still temporarily in the category of societal danger. But you can’t go to the 6th floor; you need a permission card to enter.”
Shen Lin asked, “Do I have the permission?”
“Dr. Shen has had it since he became a deputy director, and the position is still vacant. They say it will definitely be yours this year. You should work hard.” Zhao Xin said ambiguously, “Good luck.”
Xia He said, “A woman’s intuition makes me dislike this woman very much.”
Han Qianqiu said, “It’s hard for male compatriots not to agree.”
At that moment, a phone rang. Zhao Xin answered it and spoke briefly before saying to Shen Lin’s group, “The director has something for me. You guys can explore, just try not to disturb the patients too much.”
She hurriedly walked towards the elevator, remembering something halfway and said to Shen Lin’s group, “Oh, by the way, at the end of the corridor on the third floor is an empty room. I suggest you not go near there. Although this is a psychiatric ward emphasizing science, some things are traditional experiences passed down from our ancestors.”
Han Qianqiu suddenly became nervous, “What does that mean?”
She smiled mysteriously, “In any case, you must not go there. There’s a cordon outside the door, you can tell at a glance.”
After saying this, without waiting for Shen Lin’s group to ask more, she turned and left.
Left with five people gathered together, carefully savoring Zhao Xin’s words, they fell silent for a moment, reading the same information from each other’s eyes.
Han Qianqiu tentatively sought a unanimous conclusion, “Shall we go and see the empty room on the third floor?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the system’s voice came, “Hold on, let me conduct an investigation.”
