The shriek of the god seemed to echo from ancient times, as the ocean and sky stirred in eager excitement.
“Zzz… Zzz…”
“Please, all patients… please finish your meals…”
“Today’s breakfast time is extended… 15 more minutes…”
At the long table, the players sat, their heads drooping in exhaustion, their plates empty.
Suddenly, a deafening thunderclap shook the hospital, followed by a torrential downpour. The entire sea began to boil, as if signaling the end of the world.
Shi Yin, his mind in utter collapse, pressed his hands to the table and held his head, tears streaming down his face. He muttered, “It’s too late… too late…”
“Calm down.” Jiang Yan’s voice was as steady as ever.
“I can’t calm down!” Shi Yin screamed, his voice wild.
“None of us can escape! None of us! Do you think this… this unknown creature will allow you to escape unharmed?”
“Yes, this creature is the most powerful being the director created! But it’s not a god! It’s not the god of this world! The god… created this world… We are all creations of the god…”
“That doesn’t justify your killings.” Jiang Yan’s tone was cold.
“What do you know?!” Shi Yin’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Jiang Yan with ferocity. “People like you, cowards, are afraid of death!”
Jiang Yan smiled. “Coward? You think killing others to protect the ones you can’t protect makes you noble? You can’t even protect the ones you love, so you resort to killing to cover up your own incompetence. You’re a coward.”
Shi Yin was stunned.
“Boom—!”
Jiang Yan’s mocking smile took on a more chilling edge amidst the flashes of lightning and thunder, his water-blue eyes cold and distant.
Tears slipped down Shi Yin’s face as he spoke in a daze, “Now it’s going to destroy this world… The world is about to collapse! We’ll all be turned into monsters! Even your monster-husband will never stand a chance against the true god…”
At these words, Shi Yin once again laughed in a frenzied manner.
“Sir, maybe you should take your medication.” Jeff Hunter’s gaze was dark with concern.
At his signal, Cang Rou stepped forward, pulling out a syringe filled with a tranquilizer, and without hesitation, injected it into Shi Yin’s arm.
The cold medicine flowed into his veins, and Shi Yin’s head drooped.
As Shi Yin began to calm down, Jeff Hunter quietly said, “Although this man is mad, he’s right about one thing. This isn’t just a killing game—it’s a salvation game.”
Under the storm, the “god” outside the corridor seemed to grow more excited, waiting for the sacrifice.
“The god created this world, and now he’s going to destroy it. Everything the director has done was to create a new god. If we have a new god, the world won’t perish.”
“So, we’re not patients.” Tao Shi’s eyes were deep and calculating.
“Of course, you are. All of you are patients and chosen sacrifices, including me.” Jeff Hunter’s voice wavered between a laugh and a sob.
“We’re going to be sacrificed to the god, and through the ritual, a new god will be created. That way… everyone including you will survive.”
Tao Shi nodded, a touch of cynicism in his voice. “So, where is our esteemed creator god, the one who plans to destroy the world?”
He quietly opened his inventory, thinking that sometimes violence might be the only real solution.
This kind of bizarre instance story, bizarre god, it's faster to just break it through with force.
Jeff Hunter looked at him with a half-smile: "He... is the highest of god, naturally possessing the ability to hide himself among the crowd."
"Boom!"
【Ding!】
【Instance: "Jianshe Road Private Hospital", instance progress:
60%】
【Side quest: Find the instance BOSS.】
The atmosphere around the long table immediately froze.
Su An looked at the vigilant Tao Shi and Cao Youfeng, who were staring at him and Jiang Xiu and smiled slightly: "Looks like this instance is more fun than I imagined."
Cang Rou and Ding Wanyu exchanged a quiet glance.
At this point, the situation no longer had much to do with them as real NPCs. They only needed to find the right moment to reveal their remaining "key clue."
But...
Ding Wanyu looked at Jiang Yan, who was nestled in his husband's arms, his face cold.
Now, the instance was already 60% complete, and both he and Cang Rou had already revealed one of their key clues. Yet Jiang Yan hadn't revealed a single clue.
"Bang!"
A loud crash echoed at the dining hall door, and the entire dining hall began to shake.
"What... What's going on?" Li Yun asked.
Jeff Hunter returned to his previous manic state: "Before we find our great Creator God, we need to calm the god we've created."
"Before the ceremony starts, we need to offer a sacrifice to our god! So today... which patient is willing to sacrifice themselves first?"
The dining hall fell silent, everyone keeping quiet.
If the newcomers were "sacrificed," it would undoubtedly mean they became the "fodder" for the instance NPCs.
Meanwhile, the veteran players hesitated. It was too troublesome to go out and fight now. The BOSS had not been found yet, and wasting mental and physical energy on these system NPCs was simply not worth it.
Seeing no one volunteering, Jeff Hunter smiled and suggested, "Since no one wants to volunteer, let’s vote instead!"
Everyone's gaze turned toward him, and the players' expressions varied.
Jeff Hunter gestured dramatically, half-smiling, "Today's sacrifice will be decided by vote!"
"This is a grand event! What an honor to be part of the god! Feel free to recommend your beloved friends! Don’t be shy!"
Another strong flash of lightning cut across the sky, and everyone was handed a piece of white paper and a pen.
Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow as he looked at the paper and pen in his hand.
Jeff Hunter spread his arms wide, exaggeratedly, "Come on, gentlemen! Write down the name of the great and friendly person you admire!"
With a rumble, the lights in the dining hall flickered.
Jeff Hunter’s voice echoed, "To avoid anyone being shy, after you finish writing, raise your hand, and I’ll collect the names you’ve written."
This way, no one could see the expressions of the players around them, effectively reducing any psychological barriers when writing the names.
Thinking this, Jiang Yan nudged his husband, signaling him to put him down so he could write.
In the darkness, black tendrils grabbed his slender ankles, leaving a cold, damp kiss on them.
Just as Jiang Yan was about to explode, he quickly finished his greedy kiss, obediently withdrew the tendrils, and stretched them in front of his wife to serve as a desk.
Want him to let go of his wife?
Impossible!
After a few eerie sounds, the dining hall once again fell into silence.
Poof!
The lights came on.
The papers in front of everyone appeared in Jeff Hunter's hands, and he mischievously smiled as he flipped through them. All the players held their breath.
[The time has come to test luck!]
[At this moment, the advantage of having companions shows. Those without companions are doomed.]
[Exciting!]
[Let’s see who the unlucky soul with no friends is!]
After a moment, Jeff Hunter laughed manically, "Let us announce who will help us complete this great cause!"
"The overwhelming choice is..." Jeff Hunter’s smile grew wider, the corners of his mouth almost splitting to his ears.
Several new players had cold sweat beading on their foreheads, while veteran players cautiously observed the members of other guilds.
As for Jiang Yan, he was still struggling against his husband's greedy tendrils on his body.
Jeff Hunter paused for a second, then excitedly declared, "Our beloved madam!"
All the players simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, their eyes focusing on the "madam" held tightly by his husband, their expressions full of sympathy, relief, and schadenfreude.
At this moment, Jiang Yan, holding the tentacle he had just pulled out from his clothes, had an expression of indifference mixed with confusion.
[It’s him... What’s going on? I’m actually not surprised at all.]
[Jiang Yan’s popularity is actually this bad?]
[It’s obvious now! Everyone is a player, but he’s just an NPC.]
[He even directly ruined another player’s side quest, if it were me, I’d vote for him too!]
[What the hell is this? If Jiang Yan hadn’t reveal it Shi Yin would still be killing! Who knows, you might be next!]
"Shit! You got voted out!" 663 said anxiously.
"I know, no need for your live updates," Jiang Yan replied calmly.
"Jiang Yan, it's your bad reputation," Li Yun said, sweat beading on his forehead. It was clear he had just been nervous, but now he was in the mood to sarcastically mock Jiang Yan.
"Wait!" Cao Youfeng stood up excitedly.
"This is the game rule! Old man!" Su An smiled indifferently.
"You—!" Cao Youfeng didn’t know how to retort, confusedly looking at Su An, "Why?"
Their guild, the Dawn Guild, entered this instance for Jiang Yan, didn’t the Valen Church do the same?
It was fine if the regular players voted for Jiang Yan, but as long as their two major guilds didn’t vote for Jiang Yan, he wouldn’t get voted out!
Why?
Why would the people from the Valen Church choose to vote Jiang Yan out?
Su An and Jiang Xiu both smiled, one arrogantly and the other calmly, leaving others puzzled.
"Jiang Yan! You should leave now," Li Yun urged.
Bang! Bang!
Outside the door, the "god" were banging on it more urgently, and the old iron door was on the verge of collapse.
"Quick! Throw him out!" a new player shouted in fear.
Jeff Hunter left his seat and approached Jiang Yan. He danced a strange and awkward dance with his frail limbs, "Dear Madam! Let me send you..."
Jiang Yan opened his item menu, looked at the rose design on the card, and silently curled his lips into a smile.
Now was the time to test this item’s effect.
Jeff Hunter had already reached the black monster’s feet, reaching upward, trying to pull Jiang Yan, who was hiding in his husband’s arms.
Jiang Yan was a little excited to try his item.
However, the next second, an oil-like black tentacle wrapped around Jeff Hunter, and two others hooked onto the dining hall door, directly throwing Jeff Hunter out.
With a chilling scream, the door slammed shut with a loud bang.
The movement was seamless!
Everyone was stunned by the scene, the smell of the bloody wind still lingering, reminding them of what had just happened.
"Ah! No... Ah!"
Jeff Hunter’s heart-wrenching screams and the "god"’ excited shrieks snapped the players back to their senses.
Li Yun looked shocked: "He... He..."
Not only Li Yun, but several veteran players were also stunned.
"Boss, he... threw the npc out?" Cao Youfeng said in shock.
Tao Shi also found it hard to believe: "I saw it."
What’s going on?
Jiang Yan’s husband is a system NPC, and system NPCs follow the program set by the main system.
No matter how real they appear, they are part of the instance's storyline.
It’s clear that Jeff Hunter is the key figure in this instance, responsible for guiding the players through the storyline, while Jiang Yan’s husband seemed to be just an atmospheric supporting monster.
Now, this supporting monster suddenly destroyed the key figure?
This... this can’t be, could it be that the instance storyline needs it?
There’s no other possibility! But... why? Why would the instance storyline suddenly need to eliminate the key figure?
Tao Shi suddenly looked at Jiang Yan, who was carefully cradled in the monster’s arm.
At that moment, the monster was using its beast-like voice to warn everyone at the long table: "No one can take my wife."
And Jiang Yan was calmly nestled in his massive, black husband’s embrace, like a white pearl lying quietly in a black velvet box, completely relaxed.