Jiang Yan was taken aback. So this “59” refers to him??
That old man who shouted “59” at his room door on the first day, and the old man who shouted “9” in the corridor while he was returning from dinner with Li Yun, along with that group of mentally ill patients who gestured “5” and “9” toward him—were they all referring to him?
Did they know him?
Or rather, did they know “Jiang Yan”?
Jiang Yan felt that his drug-free mind seemed to be missing some details.
Suddenly, he remembered from the system script that “Jiang Yan” had only married the director’s son four years ago, meaning he had only arrived at the hospital four years ago. However, that monster had just told him they had known each other for 80 years.
1942.
Jiang Yan took out a photograph from his pocket. In the black-and-white photo, he was smiling faintly at the camera, with the date “1942” written below.
So, they recognized the “Jiang Yan” from 1942? Did they mistakenly identify the director’s son’s young wife as the “Jiang Yan” of that time?
He thought of something else and hurriedly asked the woman lying on the ground, “Can I ask you a few questions?”
The woman, with only two bloody eye sockets where her eyes had been, looked at him and nodded.
“What are the hospital regulations? When did they start? Was it four years ago?” Jiang Yan asked seriously.
The woman nodded.
Just as he thought!!
Counting was not allowed. The person who died at his door on the first day was counting, but the old man who was dragged away in front of him and Li Yun was not counting; he was just repeating the number “59”!
If one wasn’t allowed to say a single number, then saying “8 a.m.” or “8 p.m.” or mentioning any of the ten windows in the cafeteria was allowed.
This suggested that it wasn’t that counting was forbidden, but rather that certain specific numbers, like “59,” were not allowed to be spoken.
Jiang Yan also recalled the uniqueness of the number “59”—5 and 9 were the numbers corresponding to his name on a T9 keyboard!
So, the regulations in this hospital were actually aimed at protecting “Jiang Yan”?
Why? Jiang Yan noticed something odd. How could the “Jiang Yan” from 1942 know that the pinyin for his name corresponded to the numbers 5 and 9 on the T9 keyboard?
“Do you think this is a coincidence? 59 is the number for ‘Jiang Yan’ on the T9 keyboard,” Jiang Yan asked 663. “So the hospital is trying to guard against me?”
“The hospital is guarding against you, yet you married the director’s son and became a mental patient,” 663 found it hard to make sense of.
The system on the other end paused for a moment, thought for a while, and said, “Did you accidentally become a mental patient after marrying the director’s son, or is it because you married the director’s son that you had to become a mental patient?”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan’s tone turned cold. “Or perhaps I must marry the director’s son and must also become a mental patient.”
If that were the case, then from the very beginning, this absurd marriage was a conspiracy.
“But why? Why are they trying to guard against me?” Jiang Yan didn’t understand.
What had the “Jiang Yan” from 80 years ago done to be imprisoned and guarded against by the entire hospital?
Jiang Yan began to recall his dream, where a group of people was performing a ritual and a group of soldiers was firing at civilians.
The clothing of those people looked very much like Japanese soldiers from the materials he had studied.
1942, World War II??
What connection could this have?
Jiang Yan’s mind was now chaotic, with countless pieces of information exploding in his brain from both the dream and reality. He felt he might really need to take his medication.
At that moment, the woman lying on the ground tugged at his pant leg.
Jiang Yan shifted his gaze back to the woman in front of him.
The woman pointed at the wall beside them, seemingly inviting Jiang Yan to follow her.
Jiang Yan remembered that when the monster had spoken earlier, the woman had screamed and fled into the wall.
The woman in front of him began to crawl toward the wall, and her body instantly disappeared into it. She turned around and waved at Jiang Yan, who was still standing there.
Jiang Yan placed his hand on the wall, feeling its cold and hard texture; it was clear he couldn’t get in.
Seeing this, the woman’s eyes widened in disappointment, and Jiang Yan frowned in response.
He was sure something was on the other side of the wall!
At that moment, he suddenly heard a sinister voice whispering in his ear, “Are you really on a date with this female ghost?”
Jiang Yan jumped in shock and turned around to see Tao Shi, arms crossed and smiling at him, while beside him stood Cao Youfeng, who was wrapped in bandages.
However, the bandages on Cao Youfeng were now not only wrapped around himself; several other people behind him were also wrapped up like mummies, leaving only their angry, crimson eyes exposed.
“Ah! This is an attempt to attack our medical staff,” Cao Youfeng explained calmly. “Ding Wanyu and Shen Hua diverted another group of our medical staff who were following us. We originally wanted to find you in your ward but ended up running into you here—what a coincidence.”
“I think you have a point. Since following the rules might lead to death, it’s better to simply break the rules,” Tao Shi said with a smile.
Then he looked around Jiang Yan curiously and asked, “By the way, aren’t there any medical staff with you? I remember you’re from both the psychiatry and infectious disease departments; isn’t it not their activity time right now?”
“Oh, they were eaten by my husband,” Jiang Yan said expressionlessly.
[That’s bullshit! You were clearly killed somehow!]
[I still can’t understand why those medical staff suddenly didn’t attack him.]
[It must be a prop, right?]
[But isn’t there supposed to be an announcement for prop usage? I didn’t hear any announcement just now.]
“Your luck is indeed better than the average person!” Tao Shi said enviously.
“Not really,” Jiang Yan replied humbly.
After all, if he really had good luck, he wouldn't have been inexplicably dragged into this game, nor would he have to communicate with the ghost in front of him, whose jaw had fallen off.
For the first time in his life, Jiang Yan felt that his life was quite miserable.
Tao Shi focused on the woman whose half-body was stuck in the wall. At the moment their eyes met, the woman didn't show any signs of aggression. Instead, she shrank back in fear.
Seeing that she didn't intend to attack, Tao Shi turned to Jiang Yan and asked, "Have you become friends with her? Do you want to go in?"
Jiang Yan nodded. "Things are a bit complicated... But right now, the urgent matter is to follow her. She must know something. There's definitely something on the other side of the wall..."
"But I can't get in right now," Jiang Yan said, frowning in distress.
"Just go through the wall; it’s easy," Tao Shi said lightly.
Then Jiang Yan watched as Tao Shi drew a circle on the wall. In an instant, Tao Shi's legs slipped through the circle.
Jiang Yan widened his eyes in disbelief. "This…"
"My tool!" Tao Shi exclaimed. "Come on in."
Seeing this, the woman slipped into the wall, and Tao Shi, Jiang Yan, and Cao Youfeng followed her in.
Just as Cao Youfeng entered the wall, a few "medical staff" wrapped in bandages behind him were suddenly thrown to the ground with a loud bang.
They struggled to get up and tore off the bandages, angrily banging on the hard wall.
"They've escaped!" a nurse with blood-soaked skin and a bluish hue said.
"Go! Notify the director!"
【Main System Announcement:】
【Instance: 'Private Hospital on JianShe Road', Progress: 30%】
【NPC Jiang Yan, Player Tao Shi, Player Cao Youfeng: Escape Progress 30%】
---
The moment the three of them passed through the wall, they found themselves back in the hospital, still in the same corridor, but everything around them looked completely new.
The cement floor beneath their feet was dry and clean, and the surrounding white walls were spotless, devoid of any messy paint or graffiti, as if the hospital had just been built.
Not only that, but the corridor was no longer silent and gloomy; within a short time, several groups of people passed by them.
Some were patients, while others were "medical staff." Everyone was chatting normally, as if there were no strange rules at play.
"Jiang Yan?" a little nurse in a pink uniform with two shiny braids stopped in front of them, holding a clipboard. "Dr. Lu went to check your ward and found you missing. Have you taken your medicine today?"
Jiang Yan was taken aback and instinctively nodded. He started looking for the figure of the woman in red, but she seemed to have vanished.
"As long as you've taken your medicine, that's good," the little nurse said, jotting down notes quickly. "Dr. Lu said your condition isn't serious. Just keep taking your medicine, and you can be discharged in two months."
"Ah! I hope the fighting in the east doesn't come here," the little nurse grumbled, finishing her notes before smiling at Jiang Yan.
Then she turned to Tao Shi, her smile shifting to annoyance. "Out again? Are you planning to take Jiang Yan with you this time?"
Tao Shi responded gracefully, forcing a warm smile. "No, we were just too bored in the ward, so we came out for a stroll!"
"That's fine, then." The little nurse continued her notes. "You didn't forget to take your medicine, right?"
Tao Shi raised an eyebrow at her unusual phrasing. "Am I supposed to take medicine?"
"Of course not!" the little nurse exclaimed, her eyes widening. "It's fine to have a little spat with your dad, but don't take medicine that would make you crazy."
"Just keep living! Your mom was planning to find you a girlfriend when she brought you in!" After that, the little nurse smiled and went back to her work.
Perhaps it was because he had spent several days in the dark hospital, but Jiang Yan felt that the sunlight now seemed a bit blinding.
"So... I'm not a mental patient?" Tao Shi said in realization. "I thought I didn't feel anything this morning because my mental strength was strong enough!"
"She didn't ask me," Cao Youfeng remarked. "Why?"
"You're from the infectious disease department," Tao Shi explained. "That nurse just now was clearly from the psychiatric department; she probably didn't recognize you."
"What time are we in now?" Tao Shi asked. "Is it 1942?"
The clues they had gathered, including a photograph of Jiang Yan in front of the director's office marked "1942," the nurse's attire, and her mention of "fighting," suggested it was indeed that era.
1942, still during World War II.
But why were they appearing in 1942?
"Do you know anything?" Tao Shi asked Jiang Yan, who looked indifferent.
Jiang Yan surveyed the hospital's layout and said, "How about we go back to the ward first and talk as we walk? I think the location of my ward hasn't changed."
Tao Shi and Cao Youfeng nodded in agreement, and the three of them headed towards Jiang Yan's ward.
Along the way, Jiang Yan shared his dream and her speculations about the hospital's rules with Tao Shi and Cao Youfeng, though she omitted anything about Yu Xiu.
Jiang Yan's ward remained unchanged, but the only difference was that the room was no longer dark and filthy; the walls were clean, and a large glass window was on one side.
Although the window had iron bars installed to prevent mental patients from harming themselves, the glass was incredibly clear, allowing them to see the distant, crystal blue sea.
"You had such a dream?" Tao Shi asked, sitting by the window and soaking up the rare sunlight. He hadn't seen sunlight in days, and it felt refreshing.
"Was there any trigger?" Tao Shi asked curiously. "Could it be that you're the main NPC, so you triggered the game’s storyline?"
“Could it be?” Jiang Yan said uncertainly, “My ‘husband’ is the son of the hospital director.”
“That makes sense.” Tao Shi pulled out a photo from his pocket and said, “So do you think the person next to you in this photo is your husband?”
Jiang Yan clearly remembered seeing in his dream the person standing beside him in the photo, it was indeed Yu Xiu.
However, he still replied, “I don’t know. I didn’t see that photo in my dream.”
“At that time, you saw the ceremony and the slaughter happening in the room of you and your husband. Doesn’t that prove you were already together then?” Cao Youfeng speculated.
Jiang Yan replied, “It’s possible! Today it told me I’ve been with it for over eighty years!”
“Factually speaking, a person who lives for eighty years will grow old.” Tao Shi said, as he basked in the sunlight, looking at Jiang Yan, who was sitting on the bed in a patient’s outfit but still looked delicate and beautiful. “Even though you look like a fairy, you can’t really be an immortal.”
“So, Jiang Yan actually died eighty years ago, but the director’s son thought he was still alive.” Jiang Yan analyzed. “Later, four years ago, someone with the same name and face as ‘Jiang Yan’ came to this hospital and was detained, marrying the director’s son and forced to become mentally ill?”
“That can be understood that way.” Tao Shi said, “However, it can be confirmed that these two ‘Jiang Yan’ are actually you...”
“Hmm?” Jiang Yan looked at him, confused.
“Look, it’s the three of us sitting here now.” Tao Shi spread his hands. “The little nurse just recorded our situation.”
“So, it’s not about figuring out what the ‘Jiang Yan’ from eighty years ago did, but what we are going to do now, or rather you, Jiang Yan, what are you going to do?”
“I’m very curious now, what could you have done that the hospital would guard against you for eighty years, and in the end, they even had to force a child who might not even be you, just someone with the same name and face, into a mental illness and confine them in the hospital?” Cao Youfeng said, stroking his chin, curiously sizing up Jiang Yan.
“Don’t say it; I’m also very curious.” Jiang Yan said.
He believed he was not a person with extreme emotional fluctuations, nor was he a troublesome person. What could he possibly have done to make a hospital guard against him for eighty years?
“I remember there was a rebellion in the hospital?” Cao Youfeng suddenly said.
He and Tao Shi’s gaze instantly focused on Jiang Yan.
“A rebellion? Me?” Jiang Yan said incredulously, “I’ve never even participated in class committee elections since I was a kid, let alone a rebellion!”
It was absolutely absurd!
He had always been the most obedient one in the eyes of his parents and teachers. After graduation, he was the one his friends described as gentle and easy to get along with. While he might respond to something like a rebellion, he could never participate in one.
At that moment, the door to Jiang Yan’s room swung open.
The three turned to see the little nurse from earlier.
The little nurse held a small oil paper bag, and it was evident that it contained a few candied hawthorns.
“Here you all are!” the little nurse said with a smile.
“Doctor Lu bought these. His son was clamoring for candied hawthorns, so he bought some for all the colleagues in our department and also got you two some individually. I mentioned that you had a friend, so he bought two more.” The little nurse came over and distributed the candied hawthorns among the three of them.
“Did you sneak one for yourself?” Tao Shi teased the little nurse.
“Bah! You’re the one who sneaks food!” The little nurse huffed, playfully scolding him, then swayed her two oiled braids and left.
“So nice!” Tao Shi said, watching the little nurse’s lovely figure, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen a normal nurse.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen the sun.” Jiang Yan lazily stretched in the sunlight.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had candied hawthorns.” Cao Youfeng bit into the candied hawthorn in his hand, “It’s been nothing but boiled cabbage in plain water every day, and it even has a smell of disinfectant! Doctor Lu is a good person!”
The three of them sat in the sunlight, comfortably enjoying this stolen warmth.
Who would have thought that their moment of comfort would be interrupted when a high-pitched and sharp air raid siren suddenly blared overhead!
Outside, the sounds of panicked screams erupted, accompanied by hurried and chaotic footsteps.
“Quick! All patients! Please follow the medical staff's guidance and quickly gather at the hospital’s external square to enter the underground air raid shelter!”
“All patients! Please gather under the guidance of medical staff and enter the underground air raid shelter! Evacuate in an orderly manner! Do not panic!”
“They’re coming?” Cao Youfeng exclaimed in surprise.
At that moment, the door to their hospital room was slammed open by the little nurse who had just brought them the candied hawthorns.
“What are you three doing standing there? Hurry and evacuate! The Japanese are coming!” The little nurse’s small face turned pale with fear.
“Quick!”
Only then did the three realize and quickly followed the little nurse out.
In the corridor...
There were cries and screams echoing everywhere, mixed with angry curses from people with accents.
Many patients were struggling to get out of bed despite their illnesses, while those unable to walk were being carried on the backs of their family members, various medical devices hanging from them.
Some medical staff were moving against the tide of people. The little nurse grabbed a middle-aged doctor in a white coat who was approaching them: “Doctor Lu, where are you going?”
“Going to get guns from the storage room! You all stay in the air raid shelter; we’ll guard the outside with guns.” Doctor Lu’s forehead was already dripping with sweat, revealing that he was also anxious and scared.
“But! Didn’t they say it was just a bombing?” The little nurse’s voice began to tremble.
“Who can make sense of the Japanese?” Doctor Lu pushed them to hurry, “Earlier in the East, they said it was just a bombing, and in the end, they killed even a dog when they entered the city!”
“Then why don’t we run?” Cao Youfeng said, still holding the candied hawthorn Doctor Lu bought, “If we hide in the air raid shelter, won’t we be trapped and killed?”
“It’s already bombed!” Doctor Lu’s lips were trembling as he spoke, “Going out means being blown up! Besides, not everyone in the hospital is as able-bodied as you; many are missing arms and legs. How can they run?”
“You all go hide downstairs; we’ll guard outside. Even if the Japanese come, we can lead them away. Perhaps they won’t realize there are people in the air raid shelter.” Doctor Lu said.
“But…” Jiang Yan wanted to say something but was pushed by Doctor Lu.
“Hurry up! No ‘buts’!” He glanced at Jiang Yan and instructed, “Once you go down, follow the ladies and put some ash on your face!”
Jiang Yan didn’t understand what Doctor Lu meant and was pushed by the crowd into the air raid shelter.
Though it was called an air raid shelter, it was actually the hospital’s basement filled with specimens and miscellaneous items. The basement connected to the morgue to accommodate everyone from the hospital.
Everyone was crammed together, the rare sunlight vanished once more, and they were once again squeezed into a dim and damp space.
Before long, sounds of explosions echoed from outside, and the entire basement began to shake.
The young girls screamed in fright, and the nurses and doctors who remained in the air raid shelter constantly comforted and reassured the patients.
Around them were cries, screams, and curses, and the air was thick with the smells of formaldehyde, disinfectant, and decaying bodies.
The three of them hadn’t recovered from this sudden turn of events and sat in stunned silence.
They didn’t know how much time had passed when the bombing sounds outside ceased.
The people in the basement instinctively fell silent, and the surroundings plunged into an eerie quiet, as if the entire world had suddenly gone still.
Then, the first gunshot shattered the world’s silence.
With the first gunshot came the sound of a barrage of gunfire from outside.
The people in the basement screamed again, many embracing each other and crying.
In a corner, a man knelt in front of an elderly woman, crying and banging his head, while the doctors and nurses quietly stood by bowing their heads.
Someone sighed and discussed how she had died from illness. In this situation, it was hard to tell whether it was good or bad.
The little nurse who had brought them in sat in front of them, hugging her knees and crying uncontrollably, “Are we going to die? They say the Japanese will dig out people's hearts… Will we have our hearts dug out while still alive?”
“Not just the heart!” An old man sitting in front of them turned his head, “They’re coming to bomb this hospital; they probably want to use us for experiments.”
“Cut off people’s heads and put them on their bellies, drain their blood, and then transfuse horse blood into them…”
“I’m scared—!” The little girl cried, burying her face in Tao Shi’s shoulder, “The ocean is out there. If a tsunami happened right now, it would drown us all! Drown them all! Drown that bunch of bastards!”
“Experiment?” Jiang Yan looked up, bewildered.
His mind was a mess from the surrounding sights and sounds. He felt too overwhelmed to think clearly, perhaps his illness was acting up again.
“Experiment.” The old man sighed. “So pray, pray that the gods will help us.”
As he spoke, he took Jiang Yan's hand and began drawing unknown symbols on it. “Join us? Worship our god!”
“God?”
A vision flashed in Jiang Yan’s mind of everyone gathered under the lighthouse, performing a ritual.
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed at the basement door.
People screamed and cried, rushing inside.
They’re coming!
The little nurse shrieked, and Tao Shi kept trying to calm her.
At that moment, the man who had been kneeling and crying for his mother suddenly stood up: “Damn it! I’ll fight you!”
He started to walk outside!
A doctor stopped him, saying, “There are guns! In that box over there!”
He then dragged the man to a pile of junk, opening a wooden box in the corner. They each grabbed a gun and loaded it before charging out.
Gradually, more people stood up, grabbed guns, and rushed outside.
Jiang Yan and the others exchanged glances and moved toward the box.
The gunfire outside grew more intense, the sound of bullets tearing through flesh almost audible.
Jiang Yan held the gun, following the crowd out of the shelter. It was the first time he had held a gun; he never thought he would have one in his life.
As they ran out, they noticed people around them disappearing one by one.
“Hey!” They tried to grab hold of those nearby, but no one could be caught.
One by one, they vanished, their expressions pained and heroic in their last moments.
Ultimately, only the three of them made it out of the shelter.
They stood outside, facing a dark sky littered with bodies, recognizing many of the dead as people who had just been with them.
All dead. Everyone.
Jiang Yan looked at the candied hawthorn in his hand, which had melted, the red syrup clinging to his fingers like blood.
Then, a faint voice emerged from the pile of bodies, someone was calling out, “God…”
They hurriedly pushed through the corpses, finally uncovering the old man who had spoken to them earlier.
His chest had a large hole, blood long ceased to flow. His murky gaze stared blankly at the dim sky:
“God… why don’t you punish them…”
Following his gaze, the three looked up. Amid the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, a colossal creature seemed to drift across the dark sky, its presence more immense than the ocean itself, emitting a mournful cry.
Under the boundless dark sky, they stood among the dead, gazing up at the giant beast merging with the heavens.
Jiang Yan felt he might truly be losing his mind...
People, he was beginning to hallucinate. He thought he saw a giant hand stretching out from the sky.
The hand gently tapped his head, its cotton-like softness providing a strange comfort.
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