Chapter 476: Cursed Hospital (14)
The person’s face had to be described in three different levels… First the lowest level of his skin looked like granite, filled with craters and giving off faint light; and then over this layer of skin was a layer of faded green fur and they looked soft… lastly on the outer layer of his face was something that looked like a wire mesh that criss-crossed over his face, they looked like they were similar to the fingernail of a human being. When Feng Bujue saw his face, these three sentences burst out of his mind. [What is your purpose here on Earth? Is this some kind of walking art? Do they hurt?]
Of course, he did not say them out loud.
“Yes, it’s me.” Taking a quick glance at the man’s nametag Brother Jue added, “How’s the night going… Frank?”
“Same old, same old.” Frank replied. “For us who take 72 hours work roster (some monsters only sleep every few days), nothing change much.” He said as he lifted his head to look at Feng Bujue. “You came at the right time. Can you help me peel this apple?” He used his lips to point at an apple that sat on the table.
When Feng Bujue heard that request, he was confused. [Could the man do that himself? And… how did he know I have a folding knife?] As suspicious as he was, to not expose himself, Feng Bujue followed his instruction. He picked up the apple, leaned against the office table and started to peel the apple above a waste basket.
“Thank you, have to trouble you every time.” Frank said as he put down the magazine. Then he pulled out the doc.u.ment and pen from the drawer. “You’re here to get blood for the count, yes?”
[This thing can read people’s mind?] Feng Bujue was shocked. [Impossible… or he has seen through me somehow?]
“Ah… yes.” Brother Jue felt cold sweat flowing down his back but on the surface he tried to look normal and replied in an even tone.
“Okay, let me fill in some forms first.” As Frank said, he started to work. “Wait a minute.”
It was then that Feng Bujue realized Frank’s left hand appeared to be incapacitated. His left hand had no finger, only two stone stubs that were shorn very short (stone for Brother Jue, flesh for the man) that stuck out from his palm. Frank could barely use them to grip the paper so definitely he wouldn’t manage the apple or the knife.
…
“You are a good man, Leicester.” Frank sighed. “I wonder after you left, who would be kind enough to purposely come and help me with my apples.” He said as he shook his head and sighed.
“Ha…” Feng Bujue chuckled and answered. “Perhaps… others do not share your opinion. It appears like there are many who could not wait to see me leave.”
Brother Jue remembered very clearly the introductory CG…”No one likes you, Leicester” ; “the human resource has already decided to fire you. You will be replaced by a retired gentleman… everyone believe he will do a better job than you.”
“What are you talking about?” Frank lifted his head and his eyes were actually watering. “you’re the most popular employee here… Yes, there are some transgression that you’ve done but you are just helping around. Hearing the director’s insistence on firing you, there is no one that is not sad.”
“What?” Feng Bujue’s hand that peeled the apple stopped. His expression s.h.i.+fted and asked, “Wait… then… what about Chad? He should wish for me to leave, right?”
“What is wrong with you tonight? Such strange words you’re saying.” Frank looked at him with confusion. “You and Chad are best friend, you two have been thick as thieves since primary school.” He sighed softly. “I know Chad is still grieving from the death of his sister and even blames you for it but I believe eventually he will see the light…”
Hearing that Feng Bujue’s mind started to churn. [What’s going on… this is different from what the intro said…] Suddenly it hit him. [wait… if the person who said those thing was… the director himself…]
…
2 minutes later, Feng Bujue was done with the apple and placed it before Frank. He said with a smile. “Done, buddy.”
Frank answered. “Ah… I’m still occupied here.” He turned his head around. “The bags of B blood are kept at the usual place. Shelf 17, take any two bags you like.”
“okay.” Feng Bujue answered as he walked to the freezer and grabbed two bags. Then he turned to leave.
“Erm… Before I go, I have a question.” Feng Bujue stopped at the door and turned back to ask. “Frank, you should know the current time and date, right?” This was something obvious, as someone who took a 72 hours duty roll at the bas.e.m.e.nt, there had to be something that helped him keep track of time, or else… if the person from the next roster did not come to take his place, then he might wait forever…
“it is now…” Frank did not look at any clock or device but his gaze turned serious. “3.30 am of 6th December.” He paused and looked into Brother Jue’s eyes to say, “Leicester… you really do not have much time left.”
This was not the first person (or ghost) who reminded Leicester that he was running out of ‘time’… but the system had not said a word about it.
“I will work as fast as I can. Don’t worry.” Feng Bujue answered. After 2 seconds of silence, before he leave, he said, “Take care, buddy.”
At that moment, Brother Jue’s eyes were severe, he seemed to have realized something…
He hurried into the elevator and when he came to the second floor, he started to run on the corridor.
“I knew it…” Feng Bujue said as he ran. “When the ‘epiphany’ occurs, the biological response will follow…” He lowered his head to look at his hand and his palm had turned purplish black.
“Phew…” He blew out an air and he saw white fog.
“Time is indeed running out.” Feng Bujue thought. [Currently I still have items that are of unknown usage… they are a single white sock, a spare key that opens who knows what, and a small mirror…. Hopefully they will come in handy somehow.] He glanced at his palm again. “After finis.h.i.+ng this blood mission, I’ll have to get to the third floor… Based on this condition, at most in another hour… Leicester’s ‘body’ will die…”
…
Once Feng Bujue came out from the elevator, he started to run down the corridor, to his surprise… as he turned the corner, something unexpected happened. The corridor before him was filled with ghosts.
[Where did they come from…] Feng Bujue looked at these half-transparent shades and thought to himself [The lights are still on and I am not wearing the sungla.s.ses… so why can I see them…] Even with the suspicion in his heart, his legs never stopped moving. He no longer had any time to lose. No matter how strange things got, he had to power through. The ghosts naturally noticed Brother Jue’s appearance and they reacted accordingly. They turned their heads around and groaned incoherently at him. At the same time, their bodies moved forward in a very slow rhythm, extending their arms towards Brother Jue… like they were trying to drag him along with them.
[No way…] Feng Bujue only managed to run for a few steps when he noticed something was not right. [I am being affected already…] He used the term, ‘affected’ and not ‘touched’ because the ghosts temporarily still had not been able to break through the physical barrier, but… they still managed to hinder Brother Jue in some ways. When Feng Bujue ‘phased’ through the shades, he could feel his body slowing down. It felt like he was swimming on land and each ghost was like a ball of invisible yet extremely heavy fog of air. Once he touched their bodies, the player’s speed would slow down.
“Looks like time is really running out…” Feng Bujue tried his best to focus. As he resisted the chill that shot through his body, he slithered his way through the wall of ghosts while maintaining the fastest speed he could. “The closer Leicester’s ‘body’ is to death, the greater the influence the ghosts will have on me. Until… eventually I become one of them.”
Thankfully, not every corridor was filled with ghosts. After running through some paths, the situation around him became much better. Even though there were still one or two straggling ghost along the way but with such low number, Brother Jue could side step them quite easily. After running non stop for 10 minutes, Feng Bujue came to the door of Room 216. He pushed the door open and saw…
Victor and the Count had left their bed. They were both standing at the window, tussling with a strange monster who had poked its body in through the window.
“Ah! It’s you! Quick, come over and help!” When Victor heard the door open, he glanced at it from the corner of his eyes and then he shouted this order. The count added, “Do not forget to close the door behind you!”
Without saying a word, Feng Bujue slammed the door close and then darted forward. In these few seconds, Brother Jue kept his eyes on the strange creature that poked out from the window. It was a gory looking monster wearing a green rough cotton robe. Its head was like an open pocket, there was no hair, no nose and ears. The eyes and mouth were like three black holes.
“What should we do?” Even though Feng Bujue came as soon as he could but currently he had no skill and the only equipment he had was a pair of cleaver… And the monster only had his upper body through the window. And since it was tussling with the Count and Victor, even if he wanted to use the cleaver, he was afraid of hurting the two in accident.
“You idiot! Now is the time to use the thing you have scammed from me!” Victor shouted.
[Oh…] Feng Bujue thought to himself. [So this is what that is for…] With the hint from Victor, something dawned on Brother Jue.
Name: Moonlight Bomb
Item Type: Consumable
Quality: Excellent
Special Effect: Cause a ‘moonlight explosion’
Remark: An exquisite creation from the fairies. Through collision, the energy of the moon stored inside the bomb would be released.
Since this thing was categorized as consumable, and after reading the practically redundant remark and function… there was a 80 percent chance this item would be used in this scenario… but the question was where?
And thus, the question was answered…
As Victor finished, Feng Bujue put on the sungla.s.ses and then tossed out the bomb. With a bomb and a blast, then came a horrifying wailing that chilled one to the core. The blinding boom was strange in a way, it was a very blinding light but it put no pressure on the eyes. Both the count and Victor were not affected, they did not even close their eyes. They only took several steps back to get away from the monster that had started to ‘self immolate’ after it was blasted by the intense moonlight.
[Hmmm… Looks like I have messed the events somehow.] Feng Bujue a.s.sessed the situation and thought quietly to himself. Brother Jue went through the timeline in his mind and he soon realized that when he did not scam Victor when he handed over Victor’s Key and completed the mission like how it was supposed to; then when he returned to this room, the battle would be over already and his help would not have been needed. And now that he had messed with the sequence, things became much more complicated….
Moonlight Bomb was not an item that was easily obtained, only by fulfilling multiple conditions that one had the chance to use it. At least the player had to accomplish the following, “successfully scammed Victor”, “Completed both Victor and Harbert’s quest but have not been to the blood bank”, “have not been to the third flower and have finished the trade with the little girl”, only by fulfilling these conditions that one would reach this step… and from the NPCs killing the monster, it turned into the event where ‘the player had to killer the mirror monster himself’.
Feng Bujue used his own style of gaming and somehow accidentally reached this step, in a way, it was a proof of his ingenuity as a player…
“He is running away! Quick, get and mirror and such him in!” Suddenly another shout began, it was still Victor’s shrill voice. At the same time, one could see the mirror monster’s burning body slowly ‘retreating’ back into the window. It appeared like the monster still had some life left in him and he prepared to escape into the mirror.
“Let me!” Feng Bujue said as he took out the small mirror from his pocket and aimed it right at the monster. As he expected, once the monster was reflected on the surface of the mirror, the monster froze in its movement. It was stuck on the window and slowly dwindled into dust…
The wailing stopped and the room returned to silence. Both Victor and the count dragged their steps back to the bed and both of them sighed a long sigh in unison. Even Feng Bujue joined them. He said lamentedly, “It was him who smiled at me and created those b.l.o.o.d.y palmprints earlier… right…”
“Hey! Buddy, I smell blood.” The Count said, “You have brought the thing right, timing is perfect. I am thirsty for a drink at the moment.” Feng Bujue hurried over and handed the two bags of type B blood that he got from the blood bank to the count. The count was a fair traded. As if he knew Feng Bujue was on a timer, after accepting the blood bags, he swiftly took out the rewards from his patient’s garb pocket and gave them to Feng Bujue.
And the reward this was… a single white sock.
Yes, only one. This thing did not even have an item description, it felt more like trash…
But Feng Bujue knew what it was for. He took out the other white sock from his pocket and placed them together. As he expected… they were of the same pattern, same color and once they were placed next to each other, the item description window appeared.
Name: A pair of Warm Cotton Socks
Type: Plot Item
Quality: Normal
Function: Greatly reduce the effect of freezing influence on the body
Whether it can be taken out from the scenario: No
Remark: It is important to keep one’s feet warm. Of course, you are free not to wear them.
The remark was not wrong, one did not need to wear them technically because the moment the two socks were joined together, the chill that had been affecting Feng Bujue disappeared completely. Obviously, the pair of socks was only a symbolic presence in this ‘s.p.a.ce’. They could make Leicester ‘feel’ better but… it would not technically make Leicester’s ‘body’ last longer.
“Okay… Guys, I have something else to do. I have to take my leave.” After finis.h.i.+ng all the side quests, he took out the ‘teleport stone that will bring him to the third floor’, he was ready to end this madness.
“Good luck, buddy.”
“You have done well earlier but I will still file a complaint against you!”
“The beer was so good~”
The three strange creatures responded with their own unique lines. In a way, that was their way of bidding Feng Bujue farewell. Several seconds later, Feng Bujue activated the object in his hands. He felt the sight before him go white and in the blink of an eye, the environment around him changed completely. And the teleport stone that he was holding disintegrated into nothingness after it was used. This was not a good symbol…
The third floor of the hospital was clearly isolated from the rest of the hospital. There was no stairs that led from the second floor to this place and the elevator did not lead to this floor either. And the only teleport stone only worked one way. All these pointed to one thing… after one arrived at this floor, the boss fight would not be that far away.
“Alright then… Mr. Hospital Director.” Feng Bujue took out the cleaver and slowly moved forward. “I am coming to get you…”
The location where the teleport stone landed was undeniably fixed. Behind Brother Jue now was a wall. Before him there was no corners or split, it was just a long corridor that led strange down. The corridor’s walls were painted snow white. There was no other and other item of reference. Feng Bujue walked for about 100 metres when he finally came across a door on the right.
“it appears to be locked.” Once he grabbed the doork.n.o.b, the system said.
“Hmm… Could this be the director’s room?” Feng Bujue asked no one in particular. He took out Director’s Room Key and pushed it into the keyhole but it did not fit.
“I knew it… It was not it…” He switched for the other key, the one that Leicester had quietly copied on the side. And this time… he succeeded. After the door opened, Feng Bujue saw something that he did not expect… Behind the door was not another room but a very cramped s.p.a.ce about 3 metres big and at the opposite side of the door was… another door.
Feng Bujue slowly made his way towards it, being on guard the whole time. When his hand touched the doork.n.o.b of the second door, the system came out with the announcement, “You can leave the hospital directly through this exit, do you wish to leave now?”
“Oh… This is so convenient…” Feng Bujue naturally did not open the door. He pulled his hand back and said, “After I deal with the hospital director, this is how I leave this place is it…” He said as he turned around to head back to the corridor. But one second later, the system surprised him with another announcement, “You can only enter this room once. Once you leave this room, this room will disappear.”
“What!” Feng Bujue was shocked. “This is honestly just a scam through and through! Placing such a room on the way to the boss fight, a normal person will try to enter it, right? After only I enter it, you tell me it is one time use only? What even is the point then?”
Brother Jue stood alone inside that small s.p.a.ce, his hand was on his chin and he started to strategize. “The mission stated clearly that I have to kill the director before I leave the hospital… so if I leave from this door now, I will definitely fail the main quest… But if I leave this place and to go and find the director, this room will disappear…” After giving it some thought, he decided to leave the door alone. Because opening it would mean failure and not opening it… well, there was some hope. He could find other way to leave after killing the hospital director.
“Opening the door will give you a new life.” Suddenly the system announcement came out.
“hmm?” When Feng Bujue heard that, he was stunned for two seconds and then he laughed. It was not a warm laugh…
“He… ha ha ha ha ha ha!” The sinister laugh soon turned into a guffaw. “Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…” The guffaw turned into maddening howls of laugher. They were laced with an unbridled derision and sarcasm. While still laughing, Brother Jue walked out from the room and returned to the corridor. With a twist of his wrist, he slammed the door close.
“This is what they call sending coals to Newcastle… Mr. Director!” He shouted down the empty corridor and then started to run as fast as he could. Feng Bujue’s gaze turned sharp and determined. After 3 minutes of running, he saw the other end of the corridor. There… was a big door that was build from gold.
With the key in his left hand and the cleaver in his right hand, Feng Bujue stepped forward without hesitation. He pushed the key to the director’s room into the keyhole and then pushed the door open. The next second, he was blinded by the golden glow that poured out from the room. The room before Brother Jue was more s.p.a.cious than the first floor cafeteria. The tiles were made from pure gold, the four walls were hung with majestic paintings, the corners had famous sculptures and the middle of the ceiling hung a giant crystal chandelier. Near the window, there was an office table that faced south. Across from the table was a pair of windows. Even though at this moment outside the window was a chaotic darkness but the ‘person’ sitting on the chair was facing the window, puffing on a cigar with ease.
“You just won’t give you, would you… Traveller from another world?” The hospital director said as he turned the chair around. This hospital’s director basically looked like a human, he was about 1.7 metres tall, had a beer belly and was balding. He wore a gold-rimmed gla.s.ses. He was practically naked but… he was ‘wearing’ something else. Perhaps it was the scenario’s symbolic take on things, but such race did exist in the Monster Kingdom. In any case… the director’s skin surface was covered in a thick layer of ‘copper coins’, the circular ones with rectangular hole and had a heavy sheen to them.
“You are one sharp person…” Feng Bujue narrowed his eyes as he regarded the man. “I do know a few who… can intercept the ‘system notification’….” He seemed to be talking about Billy. “I’m surprised there are more than one of you who can do that…”
“Perhaps if I did not add that last sentence, I would have succeeded…” The hospital director said as he puffed out the smoke.
“Oh, do you mean the ‘Opening the door will give you a new life.’?” Feng Bujue replied, “Hah… Actually it would not have mattered. Before you said that, I have already decided to not open that door.” He paused and then shrugged. “But after you said that, it is not as meaningless as you think…” he laughed mockingly, “At least now I am sure of two things… One, you are afraid of me; two, you are an idiot.”
“Hmph… Afraid of you? Why would I be afraid of you?” The director countered. “Do you really think you can win me with that cleaver that you are holding?”
“It is too late to play any games now, idiot.” Feng Bujue said, “When I first arrived at this scenario, you have already shown you lack of confidence…” He laughed. “That introduction of yours was indeed quite misleading, I will give you that… You did not lie when it came to the description of Leicester’s personality and character. He is someone who has a rather open lifestyle. But… it is strange when you said, ‘No one likes you’.” He tilted his head. “If no one likes him, then you could have fired him based on the statement of ‘And whenever the chance presents itself, you will tease the nurse and female doctors on night duty’ couldn’t you? As long as someone filed a complaint towards him for s.e.xual hara.s.sment, you can easily get him out of here.”
Feng Bujue started to pace in the room like he was starting a detective show. “When I ran into Jenny, my suspicion was confirmed. There was no ‘teasing’, at least if there was, it was a reciprocal one.” The sarcastic smile on his face became more obvious. “And now looking back at your introductory monologue… I can see the ‘envy’ just leaking through. Things like, ‘Leicester’s good looks’, ‘lack of mannerism’… Ha ha…. Mr. Director, envy is not a good color on you.”
The director’s grimace turned ugly. The face that was covered under the layer of coins was twisted.
But Feng Bujue was far from done. He continued to push forward, giving the man no s.p.a.ce to breathe. “Indeed, Leicester has done many things that violate the rules but for the other employees and the patients at the hospital, they were harmless and good for them, or rather, you can say that is how Leicester shows his ‘concern’ for them. This is something someone like you will not understand.” He shook his head. “Since he was well loved by everyone, so you have a great difficulty in trying to fire him… Therefore, your resentment towards him only grew and grew.” He turned around and raised a finger. “But after all… you are the hospital director, after your insistent pressure, the human resource succ.u.mbed. Finally you get your chance to get rid of him.”
“Ha ha… Perhaps it is destiny. The last night of Leicester’s workday was the 5th of December.” Feng Bujue paused for a few seconds before he continued with a smirk. “Just like you said… he is a tardy fellow and like usual, today he came late to work again.” His gaze s.h.i.+fted to meet the hospital director in his eyes, “But this tardiness has saved him this day and allowed him to barely escape from death.”
The hospital director asked darkly with a horrible grin. “Hmph… are you sure about that?”
“Of course I am.” Before the man finished, Feng Bujue cut him off. “On the way coming here, I have understood everything…” He pointed behind him. “The room earlier, the door that supposedly ‘leads out from this hospital’, it is not there to help Leicester…” His gaze sharpened into a point. “It was a door that you have prepared for yourself to escape from this place…”