“The director of Ward 1024 is named Zheng Heping. He received a city-level contribution award for the hospital and graduated from a famous medical school abroad, specializing in psychiatry. Anyway, he’s very capable, with real talent. You get the idea,” KP said. “Now that you have the chance to meet the director, what’s the plan?”
“Then I’ll go touch up my makeup first,” Han Qianqiu said.
Shen Lin: “???”
Han Qianqiu grinned, feeling pleased with himself.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Lin said, “Let’s go find Xia He and the others to regroup.” He asked Han Qianqiu, “Did she say where they’re gathering?”
“On the first floor, she’s having breakfast,” Han Qianqiu replied.
The group headed to the first-floor lounge. Ward 1024 offered excellent dining options, and breakfast was a self-service buffet. Xia He waved at them when she saw them, with several dishes on her tray. She was holding a piece of cupcake and said, “Have you eaten? As someone who enjoys life’s pleasures, enjoying life in the game room is essential.”
Shen Lin: “Is going insane also part of the enjoyment?”
Xia He: “…”
Xia He hesitated for a moment and then said, “Sit down first. Let me tell you about my experience.”
“I’ll figure out where to start.” She quickly finished her food and continued, “That night, after I entered the hospital’s ‘inner world,’ the investigation was a great success. Seeing the whole picture of that thing made me go crazy. During the madness, my rationality was still intact, but I couldn’t control the madness itself. During my time in the hospital, I saw some magazines and murals, which gave me some inspiration and information.”
Xia He wasn’t just a pleasure-seeking gamer. The games she had played before had made her adept at presenting clues logically. “Firstly, something significant happened at this psychiatric hospital five years ago. A psychiatric patient suddenly went insane and set fire to his room, burning himself and nearly destroying half of the hospital. After that incident, the hospital was rebuilt, and a twin building was constructed, the one we’re in right now. The opposite building underwent renovations. Initially, there were patients there, but over time, as more patients were discharged and fewer were admitted, they consolidated all patients into one building, and the other became the administrative building. The director’s office is on the sixth floor over there.”
“Now, here’s the key point! Do you remember the nurse mentioning the incident of a patient going insane and killing medical staff in an empty room on the third floor?”
The others nodded.
Xia He said mysteriously, “The patient who set fire to himself over there and the patient who went insane and killed people in this building were both in the same room, at the innermost position on the third floor. If there’s a mirror separating them, then both sides are completely symmetrical.”
The others were puzzled by Xia He’s information. Instead of clarifying things, it made them even more confused. Han Qianqiu’s brain went blank, and Shen Lin looked around for help.
Shen Lin said, “The outer world and the inner world, twin buildings, mirror-symmetric positions—everything comes in pairs. This proves that this game room must be playing a twin game. If we find one, there must be another. Catching one of them should lead us to the other. Behind the twins, there must be a lot of common points supporting them.”
Zheng De asked Shen Lin, “So how do we find this one?”
“We have one here. Han Qianqiu is one,” Han Qianqiu said.
Everyone: “…”
Han Qianqiu suddenly realized, “We also have zero here. Lin Mei is zero!”
Shen Lin ruthlessly slapped the back of Han Qianqiu’s head. “I’ll sew your mouth shut sooner or later.”
Han Qianqiu: “…Waaah.”
After exchanging clues, they unanimously decided to go find the director.
Zheng De said, “I won’t go. I want to check some things here.”
Xia He said, “I also want to look up some information. I think past events must have some implications for the current situation. There must be a database and archives in the administrative building, right? After we go to the opposite building, let’s split up. You guys go to the director’s office, and I’ll go to the database.”
Zheng De changed his mind and said, “I’ll go with Xia He. I’m interested in the library. I can help find some information.”
Xia He nodded. “That would be convenient!”
They split up, each searching for clues.
“So you’re just going straight to see the director?” KP guided them. “The director’s office is in the opposite building. It’s usually locked, but now that the director is here, that area is open. Shen Lin and Xia He are medical staff. Yan Xiu has a security universal card, so he can go. Zheng De is the director’s son, Han Qianqiu, you’re fine too. There’s no reason for you not to go to the administrative building.”
Han Qianqiu hadn’t planned to play the role of the director’s wife. After all, the man was quite old and appeared to be a cultured and gentle person. He wasn’t that audacious.
But when he heard that everyone was going, he suddenly felt rebellious. Stubbornly, he said, “Why should I go? I am the future director’s wife!”
KP said disdainfully, “That’s still a long way off.”
Zheng De chuckled, “You have to meet first before arranging a marriage.”
Han Qianqiu: “…”
Feeling wronged, Han Qianqiu said, “Then what should I do? Are you all going in while I stand outside like a fool? If you go in, should I climb up using a curtain thrown down from upstairs? But I have no climbing skills, I’ll die.”
KP said, “Then you’ll have a stroke of luck.”
Han Qianqiu saw that KP was lenient, so he went along and rolled the dice.
He successfully passed the stroke of luck.
Then, suddenly, a surprised voice came from behind, “Qianqiu!”
Han Qianqiu: “…………”
Han Qianqiu stiffened and turned around. His face clearly showed ‘wtf’. Zhao Li excitedly ran over, glasses hanging on his nose, “Qianqiu, long time no see! What are you doing here?”
Han Qianqiu immediately understood that this was his chance and hastily said, “I have something to discuss with your director, but I have no way in. Can you help me with that…”
“This…” Zhao Li hesitated.
Han Qianqiu deeply realized the approach he should take and said to Zhao Li, “What theme of livestream would you like to see? Next time, I’ll organize one specifically for you. Whether it’s about remote mountain cottages or abandoned subway tunnels from years past, just let me know your preferences, and I can accommodate.”
Then, he said to KP, “I want to attempt a charm.”
Shen Lin reassuredly said, “My apprentice is about to debut.”
KP: “…You roll, and Zhao Li will engage in a rational confrontation with you.”
Han Qianqiu successfully rolled for a difficult charm, while KP only achieved a normal success. Zhao Li was once again charmed.
The second charm pushed Zhao Li’s fanaticism for Han Qianqiu to its peak. For Han Qianqiu’s sake, Zhao Li was willing to do anything. So when Han Qianqiu proposed entering the administrative building again, Zhao Li readily agreed without hesitation. He even walked ahead enthusiastically, acting as a guide for Han Qianqiu.
Shen Lin: “…”
This is outrageous.
The group entered the building, the layout of which was identical to Building A, with its walls freshly painted white, indicating the fire that almost destroyed the entire building five years ago.
It looked nothing like what Shen Lin had seen in the inner world.
On the first floor, there was a floor navigation board, clearly indicating: first floor data room, offices; second to fifth floors, wards, medical staff restrooms, and family rest areas; the fifth floor, the director’s office.
“Then, let’s go to the data room first, and we’ll meet back here in the lobby at noon,” she glanced at the clock in the lobby, “around twelve?”
Everyone nodded, “Okay.”
Shen Lin and the others took the elevator directly to the sixth floor. This was their first time on the sixth floor, which didn’t differ much from the other floors.
The corridor was deep, adorned with awards, trophies, and medals the hospital had won, making one marvel at the achievements.
Zhao Li politely explained the origins of each award.
“Director is an outstanding graduate of XX Medical College. He has devoted his life to the study of mental illness. He specialized in schizophrenia during his studies, a difficult path to tread, but the director persevered.”
As they continued down the corridor towards the director’s office, apart from the hospital’s awards, there were also some group photos of the director. Shen Lin suddenly stopped and looked at one of the photos hanging there.
The director looked much younger in the photo, probably in his forties, wearing somewhat stiff black-framed glasses, standing beside a slightly yellowed lake.
In the center of the lake stood a huge stone statue, with some pattern seemingly carved on it, but it was too vague to make out.
Zhao Li explained, “This photo was taken before the director returned to the country. I remember it was in… the Hassanke Town of Country A. There’s a fragment of a meteorite there, which is that stone statue. After the meteorite fell, the entire town suffered from a special form of schizophrenia. When the director heard about it, he went there for over a decade of research. He made great progress and came back to establish this psychiatric hospital.”
“Why is it named 1024? Is there any special meaning?” Shen Lin asked.
“I’m not sure about that,” Zhao Li said. “I heard it’s the director’s lucky number.”
Shen Lin said, “Conduct an investigation on this photo.”
They investigated, and soon Shen Lin noticed a brooch on the director’s chest, with a yellow gem embedded in it, just like the one in the photo.
The color of the yellow gem wasn’t particularly bright, more like an ordinary stone from the desert, but it had an unusually deep color, giving people a dizzying and peculiar feeling if looked at for too long.
Shen Lin shifted her gaze away and said to the director, “Actually, I want to know more about the hospital’s development process. These days, I’ve heard some rumors, and instead of speculating, I thought it would be better to come directly to you for clarification.”
The director paused at these words, then nodded, saying, “Dr. Shen, if you have any doubts, feel free to speak up.”
Shen Lin asked, “I heard that five years ago, the patient’s arson incident was due to institutional problems, and the patients felt they were being mistreated here. Is that true?” This was completely fabricated by Shen Lin, as she wanted to test the director’s attitude.
The director pondered for a moment and then replied, “Nonsense. Our hospital adheres to a humane treatment philosophy. That patient was simply experiencing a mental breakdown.”
“Wouldn’t that be considered a medical accident in our case? After all, what we’re supposed to do here is to suppress their condition and try to cure them.”
This statement was too straightforward, causing everyone in the room to change their expressions. Han Qianqiu was worried that Shen Lin might have touched a sore spot with the director, trembling with fear on the side. But unexpectedly, the director didn’t get angry at this, but rather appreciated Shen Lin’s straightforwardness.
He showed a regretful expression, like a flawless yet cunning fox, sighing, “Yes, it’s regrettable. At that time, this hospital had just been established, and I lacked a scientific management philosophy, which led to such a significant impact. I have paid a huge price for this, both financially and in terms of reputation. I have learned my lesson, which is why I opened the second psychiatric hospital. And this hospital will serve as a mirror, reflecting my shortcomings, reminding me to be cautious at all times.”
Shen Lin said, “But not long ago, there was still a patient going berserk.”
The director calmly asked in response, “Are you talking about the incident where a patient harmed medical staff? That was the fault of the attending physician, and I have already punished him.”
Shen Lin was momentarily speechless. The director’s words were watertight, making it difficult to find any loopholes. However, Shen Lin was keenly aware of the treatment methods of this hospital, and as the founder of this psychiatric hospital, this person was definitely not as simple as he appeared on the surface.
He said to KP, “Psychology.”
KP secretly cast the dice, and soon Shen Lin noticed a smile in the man’s eyes, but his gaze was icy cold, indicating that what he said was not heartfelt lies.
So, he must know something.
How can he extract clues from him?
He looked at Han Qianqiu, giving him a look that said, “Now it’s your turn.”
