"Ding--!
【Instance: 《Jianshe Road Private Hospital》, Progress: 45%】
【Game Rules: Survive in the hospital for 7 days】
【Total Players: 14, Remaining Players: 9】
【Real NPC Count: 3, Currently Uncorrupted: 3】
"Sacrifice." Cao Youfeng suddenly understood. "So, the statue outside really is a result of them misbelieving?"
"It's obvious they believed in a cult," Tao Shi said, tapping the table lightly.
He felt like something was off.
The story of this instance was just too cliché, too normal.
Not only that, but Jiang Yan’s husband’s story was also too typical—no different from the usual NPC background stories in horror games.
And yet, this seemingly ordinary system NPC had a power level that even the "Data Hidden Card" couldn't measure?
Was the main system malfunctioning?!
The side mission identified the instance boss, but now that the progress was over halfway and three days had passed out of the seven, there was still no sign of the boss!
Based on the story progression so far, the most likely candidates for the boss were two system NPCs.
One was Jiang Yan's "husband," whose data couldn't be read by the card, and the other was the director who had sacrificed his own son to create a monster.
He immediately ruled out Yu Xiu because that grotesque black entity had shown no hostility toward their group of players from beginning to end. The only time it reacted was during the dining hall incident when they were about to interrogate Jiang Yan.
It seemed like the only thing in its mind was its "wife"!
As for the director... But this director had yet to make an appearance, and they hadn’t heard even a whisper of information about him.
The only person connected to the director was Jiang Yan, his daughter-in-law.
At that moment, Jiang Yan was staring at the basic description of Yu Xiu's identity and sneering.
Should he compliment the system for being considerate? It had conveniently assigned his ex-husband as his current "husband."
663's earlier words had made him wonder if Yu Xiu had entered the game with the sole purpose of causing him trouble.
He didn’t believe Yu Xiu would stay in this game world as a subordinate to the "main god," becoming either a system NPC or a minion.
Based on his understanding of that person, Yu Xiu was undoubtedly a player who found the game endlessly fascinating.
To that person, this game was probably just an advanced VR experience.
Tao Shi mulled it over but couldn’t make sense of it. He exhaled and muttered, "Sacrificed and lingering in the mortal world because of love, eventually influencing and driving everyone in the hospital mad? What a stereotypical story."
"Why does it have to be sacrifice?" Jiang Yan asked.
[The files literally say so. Does this little ancestor even read the files?]
[It looks exhausting for the pros to babysit him.]
[Please, Jiang Yan, take this seriously. He’s been so laid-back since we entered the warehouse.]
"The files said so," Cao Youfeng reminded.
"In my memory, my husband died in a car accident," Jiang Yan explained.
"I even remember the accident, him being rushed into surgery, the operation failing, and his death being announced."
"And I wasn’t mentally ill before his death. I lost my mind because I couldn’t cope with losing him."
Clearly, Yu Xiu’s character story conflicted with Jiang Yan’s.
"But you are a psychiatric patient, Jiang Yan," Tao Shi said.
"Your memories… might not be reliable."
"My memories might not be reliable, but the things we’ve seen are accurate, aren’t they?" Jiang Yan countered.
Tao Shi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"Do the two monsters we encountered earlier have anything in common with my husband?" Jiang Yan asked.
"They’re both massive and terrifying, with bizarre bodily structures beyond human comprehension. On top of that, the warehouse is filled with human body parts—it’s obvious they were conducting human experiments."
"What kind of experiments? The result is obvious: the two monsters we just saw."
Tao Shi raised an eyebrow again, gesturing for Jiang Yan to continue.
Jiang Yan shuffled forward in his dirty white slippers, lazily collapsing into the chair in front of the desk.
He’d overexerted himself today, and his legs were starting to give out.
[Why does he sit so naturally? There’s only one chair, and none of the pros even sat down!]
[Why can't he sit? Just because the pros didn't sit, Jiang Yan isn't allowed to? What kind of logic is that?]
[Honestly, the fact that he hasn't spent the entire instance lying down is already a big favor to everyone.]
[Exactly! Didn't you notice Jiang Yan explaining his thoughts?]
[What kind of nonsensical thoughts are these? His current character setting is a mental patient, meaning his mind is influenced by the instance's narrative. Can you even trust a lunatic's words?]
Jiang Yan had no idea about the discussions on the game forums. He was lounging in the chair, rubbing his ankle, and lazily said, "So, here's the question: why did they create those two monsters? Was it to sacrifice them to the god?"
Following Jiang Yan's train of thought, Tao Shi responded, "Normal sacrifices require acceptance by the god. Historically, all forms of sacrifice involved restraining the offering—be it by burning, drowning, or binding it for the deity to claim."
"I remember on the first day, your husband caused a commotion in the cafeteria for you. During that, he created smoke—the kind only a fire could produce," Cao Youfeng added.
Then, turning to Jiang Yan, Cao Youfeng asked, "Could that be proof that he was burned as a sacrifice to the god?"
"He was likely burned, but I don't think it was a sacrifice," Jiang Yan replied.
"Look at the two monsters we encountered afterward. Did they show any signs of being burned, drowned, or restrained? Clearly, they didn't."
"They appeared to move freely. At this point, I’m starting to suspect that the hospital’s restrictions on patient movements and its strange rules are designed to ensure the patients avoid those two monsters."
"So, what’s your point?" Tao Shi asked.
"My point is, judging by the decapitated crucifix on the door, the human remains in the warehouse, and the patchwork monsters, is it possible that the director wasn’t performing sacrifices…
"But instead—trying to create a god."
Hearing this, Tao Shi’s pupils contracted sharply!
Jiang Yan remained in the chair, his black hair obediently falling over his forehead. Under the faint green glow, his watery blue eyes took on a jade-like hue, softening his cold demeanor and making him appear more docile.
His gaze darkened slightly, and the corners of his mouth curled upward in a lazy, indifferent manner. "Humans are the most self-abasing yet arrogant creatures in the world.
"Self-abasing in believing they are no different from ants before heaven and earth, yet arrogant in thinking they can create a ruler of the heavens."
"Jesus, Pangu, Zeus—are these powerful, almighty creator gods not all figments of humanity’s imagination?"
"And throughout history, have there been few instances of challenging the divine?"
"When people discover that prayers to gods are futile, they often destroy statues and demolish temples."
He glanced at the medical staff nearby, their eyes shut in devout prayer, holding strange, frog-like postures. "So… they crucified their god and decided to recreate one through science—a god entirely obedient to their prayers, a pure and controllable deity."
The three fell silent, none of them speaking. The only sound in the lab was the gentle flow of running water.
"Ha—pfft!"
Suddenly, Tao Shi burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
"Ha… hahaha…"
[Hahaha… No idea what the pro is laughing about, but laugh along!]
[The pros probably thinks Jiang Yan’s idea is adorable, yet ridiculous.]
[But… I think Jiang Yan makes a lot of sense.]
[Wait, what?? This analysis came from Jiang Yan? Forget whether it's correct! Jiang Yan came up with this analysis?!]
[No way, did Jiang Yan get taken over by someone else? How could his brain think of something this complex?]
[Is Yan Yan traumatized by the "nested storyline" of The Sheep's Forest because he made the wrong choice at the end? Hahaha!]
Facing Tao Shi's sudden and uncontrollable laughter, Jiang Yan didn’t react much. He simply yawned lazily.
"This kid also from psychiatry?" Jiang Yan asked 663.
663: “…Why don’t you respect high-ranking veteran players at all?”
Jiang Yan found this strange. "He’s a high-ranking veteran player, so does that mean he’s not a kid? If he’s ranked so high and has been here for so long yet hasn’t earned enough points, doesn’t that show he’s not much of a big deal?”
Though they hadn't spent much time together, to Jiang Yan, both Cao Youfeng and Tao Shi were just two overly dramatic kids.
663, exasperated: “You’re so impressive! So superior! Why don’t you climb from the bottom to the top for once?!”
“What’s the reward for that?” Jiang Yan asked lazily.
“You can ask the Lord God for anything, and the Lord God will grant your wish.” 663’s tone was dripping with temptation.
At that moment, he was like the serpent in Eden, trying to lure God's favored child to take a bite of the forbidden fruit.
However, Jiang Yan was clearly no “holy son.”
He softly said, "Oh," his gentle tone carrying a hint of coldness. “Then can I understand it this way? If someone wished to bring me into this game, the Lord God would grant that wish too?”
663: “Theoretically, yes, but no one would do that.”
“Why not?”
“If the person had a good relationship with the person they were wishing for, why would they drag them into this killing game?
"Conversely, if they didn’t have a good relationship, they could simply wish for that person to die in the most painful way possible. There’s no need to bring them into this world.” 663 explained.
“That’s because you don’t understand how bored people can get. To the person making the wish, this might just be a prank,” Jiang Yan countered.
“Who would pull such a prank??” 663 was confused.
Jiang Yan replied in a low tone: “You’d be surprised what people do when they’re bored.”
He chuckled lightly. “That said, I now have a wish I’d like to fulfill.”
“To find your ex-husband Yu Xiu in the game? But… what if he’s not in the game? What if he doesn’t belong to this world?” 663 asked.
“My wish isn’t to find him,” Jiang Yan replied.
663: “Then what is it…?”
Jiang Yan smiled. “To have Yu Xiu, as a system NPC, go through every dungeon I’ve been through.”
“…”
663 was silent for a moment before saying, “...It seems like your divorce wasn’t very amicable.”
The silence stretched before 663 repeated, “...It really seems like your divorce didn’t go smoothly.”
Would that person die? No, he wouldn’t.
Would he become a servant of the Lord God? Even less likely.
So why disappear without a word? Why was the whole world unable to find him?
If he was alive, did he not know Jiang Yan was looking for him? Even the screens in Times Square in New York had been rented to broadcast missing person ads!
So, was wandering the mortal world that fun?!
From initial shock, worry, and guilt, Jiang Yan’s heart had now settled on teaching this guy a proper lesson!
He was seriously beginning to suspect that his inexplicable entry into this game was Yu Xiu’s doing.
663 claimed no one would be so bored, but Jiang Yan, based on his failed marriage, believed—Yu Xiu absolutely would!
Suddenly, he felt a faint trace of anticipation toward this game… but, wow, he was really tired.
Jiang Yan curled up on the chair, looking at Tao Shi, who was still laughing uncontrollably. He yawned lazily once again.
"Have you laughed enough?"
He tilted his head and looked at the suddenly overdramatic, anime-villain-like teenager in front of him, his eyes full of fatigue. "Once you're done laughing, can we go? My husband is waiting for me to come home for dinner."
Today was the third day, with four more to go. There was no rush.
Tao Shi gazed at Jiang Yan in front of him, his eyes obscure. "Madam, you really surprise me."
It seemed like the big shot really liked Jiang Yan.
[But… I think Jiang Yan’s point is another perspective worth considering.]
[Of course, Jiang Yan’s analysis theoretically makes sense, but after all, Jiang Yan is a "mental patient." Can his views really be trusted?]
[You don’t get it. When Jiang Yan’s brain is functioning normally, has he ever used his brain before? In this dungeon, he’s a "mental patient," and look how active his mind is!]
Tao Shi looked at the lazy, indifferent, beautiful man who was curled up in front of him.
So... how could a useless person survive in this game?
Li Yun said that this person was lazy and lacked focus, but despite his lack of ambition, he had survived several dungeons—doesn't that prove he’s definitely not useless?
As for the special treatment the main system gives him... even if it's luck, the main system never gave that much benefit to anyone as favored as Black Spade.
He looked at Jiang Yan’s eyes, which were as clear as jewels, and smiled brightly.
Jiang Yan, you’re really interesting.
"Your idea is interesting! If this hospital is indeed using human organs for making gods, then why not just kill us and soak us in formalin?" Tao Shi asked with a smile.
Jiang Yan replied indifferently, “Before killing pigs, they still have to rinse them with water, don’t they? Since we’re materials for creating gods, isn’t it normal for us to be kept for a few days?"
"‘We,’ not including you. You’re the wife of the director's son, the future mistress of this hospital."
Cao Youfeng rummaged through the cabinets as he spoke.
Just because the boss agreed with Jiang Yan’s perspective didn’t mean he agreed with it himself.
Indeed, Jiang Yan’s idea was interesting, but he was someone who relied on "data" and "traces." Any statement without evidence was merely "speculation."
And all "speculation" equaled nonsense.
Jiang Yan had failed to make the right judgment even when his mental state was good in the previous dungeon.
What’s more, the Jiang Yan in this dungeon... was a madman!
Cao Youfeng glanced at Jiang Yan, who was sitting in the swivel chair, hugging his knees and spinning around.
His eyes darkened. He only trusted data and didn’t believe the ramblings of a lunatic.
He recalled the guild leader's attitude towards Jiang Yan during the meeting and furrowed his brows slightly: Is Jiang Yan really that special?
Jiang Yan rested his chin on his knees and lazily said, “The director can use his son for experiments. Does he still care about his daughter-in-law?"
Bang!
A loud sound rang out, and something fell straight down from the ceiling.
Jiang Yan raised his head to look up. The ceiling was covered with numerous broken pipes conveying fluids during the night, with no cracks in sight.
"Big shot, save me!"
A shrill, desperate cry for help rang out.
Jiang Yan looked back. Two men had fallen from above, their patient uniforms torn and covered in dirt and blood.
One was lying motionless on the ground in an extremely twisted posture, while the other, blood dripping from his head, was reaching out with a hand to the three people standing under the glass container.
The fingers of the outstretched hand had been cut off, leaving five circular holes with blood oozing out, the bones and tendons removed, leaving only a limp, mangled hand.
The brutal scene made Tao Shi take a step back in shock.
He looked uncertainly at the man, who was barely recognizable from the torture and covered in blood, and called out, “Shi Yin?”
663: "Shi Yin is a new player who’s been gaining a lot of momentum. He scored the highest in the last A-level dungeon, Doll Island, and the four major guilds are interested in him."
"So, what happened outside? How did he end up like this?" Jiang Yan tilted his head, looking at the man on the floor, still struggling.
"Big... Big shot! Save me... Outside... this hospital...!" Shi Yin’s voice was sharp and weak, filled with fear and excruciating pain.
His lips were cracked and trembling, his eyes shifting toward Jiang Yan, who was spinning in the chair behind Tao Shi.
With great effort, he managed to utter his final words: "God... making gods..."
“What...?”
Cao Youfeng’s pupils shrank! He quickly looked at Jiang Yan.
The pale, bright-eyed youth was sitting calmly in the chair, spinning around as though nothing concerned him.
[What?!?!]
[What the heck?! Jiang Yan guessed it right?!]
[Unbelievable?!]
[No way, he really got it right?!]