The protagonist’s diary depicted a state of madness, with chaotic handwriting and ominous phrases, instilling an indescribable fear in Shen Lin as he read it.
KP: “San-check, success minus 1d6, failure minus 1d10. Shen Lin is currently in a state of madness, so no sanity loss, but an additional duration of madness needs to be added. Let’s roll… I’d say another 1d10, in hours.”
Shen Lin: “Don’t you think there are too many sanity checks in this room?”
KP: “It’s alright, just a little old trick.”
Shen Lin: “…”
The game master shrugged, with no other options.
Yan Xiu Yi rolled a check almost at the same time as Shen Lin. He rolled a failure, reducing his Intelligence by 5 points.
But then, he very reliably rolled a successful Intelligence check.
KP: “Alright, now roll for madness.”
Shen Lin: “Wait…”
He had a bad feeling about this.
Yan Xiu Yi flicked the dice, which were black and white, and they settled on the number 5.
Interdependence.
Shen Lin: “Did you give him the dice so he could roll this number?”
Yan Xiu Yi: “…”
KP: “Hahaha!!!”
Shen Lin gave him a deadpan look. “Do you know a theory?”
“What theory?”
“The Earth is round.”
The KP laughed heartily. “I guess karma really works wonders.”
Shen Lin waved dismissively at his shadow. “Get lost.”
Yan Xiu Yi’s gaze wandered for a moment, then in the next second, his body became heated, a wave of fervent emotion captured his mind, and he ardently desired Shen Lin, his gaze locked onto him.
Though this was the first time experiencing such a peculiar situation due to amnesia, with the contents of the diary as a basis, Shen Lin naturally accepted the substantive flirtation in Yan Xiu Yi’s eyes.
“I feel like it’s been ages since I last saw you,” Yan Xiu Yi suddenly said.
Thinking he was being delusional, Shen Lin replied casually, “Yeah, it feels like an eternity to blink.”
Yan Xiu Yi was momentarily stunned, his eyes softening. “I didn’t know you loved me so much.”
Shen Lin’s expression was indifferent. “I didn’t know either.”
Yan Xiu Yi took hold of Shen Lin’s hand. His fingertips were slightly cool, with calluses on his palms. As he gently caressed, a teasing itch arose.
He lightly tapped Shen Lin’s fingertips and kissed the protruding knuckle.
The kiss was delicate, like kissing the wind.
Yan Xiu Yi looked up at Shen Lin. “When I think of that girl, I wonder, if I gave a ring to someone, I’d never let them take it off.”
Shen Lin’s eyelashes trembled slightly, his indifferent expression stiffening. His chest suddenly tightened, his breathing unintentionally halted.
Yan Xiu Yi continued, his eyebrows still cold but his voice low and gentle, “Your fingers are slender and fair, suitable for any kind of ring. I’ve imagined it many times.”
Shen Lin: “…”
“But…” Yan Xiu Yi’s fingers intertwined with Shen Lin’s, palms pressed together, exchanging warmth. Shen Lin’s heartbeat uncontrollably sped up.
Yan Xiu Yi’s lowered gaze was like a calm sea, hiding profound waves. He said softly, “I don’t have a chance.”
Shen Lin: “…”
Yan Xiu Yi deeply gazed into Shen Lin’s eyes, slowly saying, “You never give me a chance.”
Before Shen Lin could speak, Yan Xiu Yi’s accusation followed, “Love me a little more, Shen Lin.”
Shen Lin: “…”
Just hearing his name made his scalp tingle, as if a strong current had surged through him. Shen Lin uncontrollably grasped Yan Xiu Yi’s hand.
“Love me a little more,” Yan Xiu Yi repeated in a low voice, tightly holding Shen Lin in his arms. “Please.”
Shen Lin leaned heavily against his shoulder, a storm of emotions raging in his heart, finally turning into a soft and helpless sigh. He patted Yan Xiu Yi’s head. “Okay, I love you, I love you.”
Based on Liu Xiaotao’s story, the protagonist of the diary recounted a deeper and more profound story. Shen Lin tried to incorporate the real situation into the story and came up with a terrifying conjecture.
The sanatorium was established here to gain profits, not the virtuous and profitable reputation they speculated. Perhaps he had already become a follower of the “Yellow-Clad King” they admired, praying to summon enlightenment through sacrifice.
He still didn’t know what the sacrificial segment was, but it must be related to the bizarre situation happening in this ward.
In the story, the wizard used a magic flute to manipulate monsters and absorb the protagonists’ inner demons, feeding those demons to the sacrifices; in reality, Zheng Yuan had used a magic flute to control monsters and absorb the madness of the patients… what was he feeding these insane emotions to? And where was that thing hidden?
Shen Lin couldn’t reach a conclusion yet.
He put away the diary, tucked it into the large pocket of his white coat, and headed towards Xu Lu’s room on the fourth floor.
Yan Xiu Yi followed closely behind him.
When Shen Lin arrived, Xu Lu’s room was surprisingly clean. All the traces of habitation had been coldly swept away, and the room was filled with the smell of disinfectant.
He paused for a moment, then turned to find a nurse and asked, “Where is Xu Lu?”
“She’s been discharged,” the nurse said.
“Discharged? With her condition?” Shen Lin asked.
“The hospital diagnosed her and said her condition had stabilized enough for her to be discharged and continue treatment at home,” the nurse said sincerely, “I didn’t expect that, after that excitement, her condition would unexpectedly improve. No wonder she’s been so stable these past few days and hasn’t mentioned her boyfriend again.”
Shen Lin asked again, “Who arranged her discharge continuation?”
“The hospital did,” the nurse said sympathetically, “She has no family left. It’s quite sad. I heard her family used to be quite well-off, but you know, life is unpredictable.”
Shen Lin returned to the ward, his heart pounding. He had a premonition that something bad was going to happen.
The KP said, “Roll for luck.”
Shen Lin rolled and succeeded.
“Dr. Shen,” a crisp female voice came from behind. Shen Lin turned around to see a familiar face. He felt like he should know this person, but temporary amnesia left his mind blank, and he couldn’t find a corresponding entry in his notes.
“This is the hospital’s secretary, Zhao Xin.” Yan Xiu Yi, with his strong observational skills, helped Shen Lin with his dilemma.
“Hello, Secretary Zhao,” Shen Lin greeted Zhao Xin naturally.
Zhao Xin smiled and said, “Are you looking for Xu Lu?”
“Yes.”
“That girl just got discharged,” Zhao Xin handed a form to Shen Lin, “You see, all her physical indicators are normal, and her psychological test results are within the normal range, so she’s fit for discharge. Don’t worry.”
Shen Lin passed a successful medical check and understood the contents of the report.
He nodded to Zhao Xin and said, “Let’s do a psychological test.”
Zhao Xin wore an almost perfect smile, the curvature of which had been carefully practiced in front of the mirror to hide all her true emotions and intentions underneath. This was the most flawless disguise.
Shen Lin nodded, saying calmly, “I’m just routine to understand the patient’s condition.”
Zhao Xin said, “Dr. Shen is very responsible. I heard you’ve been particularly concerned about Liu Xiaotao recently?”
Shen Lin replied lightly, “Not particularly.”
Zhao Xin said, “Liu Xiaotao has poor emotional perception, but he does have emotions. He knows who treats him well and who doesn’t. I heard he’s very close to Dr. Shen. Dr. Shen, would you consider becoming his attending physician?”
“Is that possible?” Shen Lin tentatively replied, “Dr. Wang has been treating him for so long, wouldn’t it be inappropriate for me to take over?”
“I can arrange it,” Zhao Xin’s perfect disguise cracked a little, “But I hope Dr. Shen can show more care for Liu Xiaotao, not just in terms of his condition, but also in his life. This child is too pitiful.”
Shen Lin stepped closer, his tall figure looming over Zhao Xin, “Why? What’s your relationship with Liu Xiaotao?”
“Nothing,” Zhao Xin said, “Ever since the hospital was built, I’ve looked after this child. He has no parents, no relatives, always alone. I’m also an orphan. I can understand his loneliness. When I was a child, I always thought if someone could be nice to me, willing to live with me, I would be very happy. Now, I have what I want, and I hope he can have it too. He’s too pitiful, Dr. Shen. If possible, please adopt him. Whatever you ask for, I’ll agree to it.”
“Psychological test.”
As he spoke, Zhao Xin’s words sounded very sincere, not like lies or artificially expressed emotions.
But she shouldn’t have a reason to do so… No matter how much she cared for Liu Xiaotao, she shouldn’t be able to go to such lengths for him. So, Zhao Xin must have another reason.
“I can adopt him,” Shen Lin looked at Zhao Xin calmly, “I can also take him away from here. But I want something in return: the key to the empty room on the third floor of Building A.”
“What do you want that key for?” Zhao Xin asked.
“I’m curious why the empty room on the third floor was sealed off. I want to see what’s inside. If you don’t want to give me the key, it’s okay. Just let me in to satisfy my curiosity.”
“Will you take Liu Xiaotao away if I give you this key? Is that all? No other requests?”
“Yes,” Shen Lin nodded.
Zhao Xin hesitated, then finally nodded, “Alright, I’ll take you there.” She looked at Yan Xiu Yi, “He can’t come.”
“Okay,” Shen Lin put his hand on Yan Xiu Yi’s shoulder, “Wait here for me. I’ll be back soon.”
Yan Xiu Yi reached out as if to grab Shen Lin’s hand, but he didn’t. Ultimately, he retracted his hand, still convincing himself that Shen Lin would indeed come back soon.
The empty room on the third floor.
This house, which had been central to most of the game, filled Shen Lin with curiosity. He believed he could find key clues here.
With the key in hand, Zhao Xin stood at the door, hesitating, and cautioned Shen Lin, “No matter what you see inside, don’t be surprised, and don’t have any hysterical behavior like screaming. Promise me first that whatever is inside might make you very uncomfortable.”
The door slowly opened, but what Shen Lin saw inside was completely different from what he had imagined.
He thought it would be silent inside, perhaps with eerie symbols and patterns on the walls.
But it was clean inside.
The room was draped with thick curtains. Zhao Xin turned on her flashlight, illuminating the entire room clearly for Shen Lin to see its outline.
Just then, the KP suddenly said, “Roll for investigation.”
Shen Lin rolled and failed.
Immediately, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, as if someone had struck him unconscious.
