Chapter 24: Outcast
“Heh heh…” Han Yimo gave a bitter smile. “Dr. Zhao, you're overthinking things. As a novelist, the last thing I want to talk about is my own work… If I have any free time, I want to temporarily forget everything in my stories and let myself relax properly.”
“Then let's talk about something else!” Dr. Zhao was slowly stitching the wound, but since it was circular, the suturing was more complicated than a typical wound. He steadied his nerves and asked again, “Tell me, aside from writing, how do you usually unwind?”
“I… play games.”
Dr. Zhao nodded: “That's great. I play games after work too. What games do you play?”
Due to excessive blood loss, Han Yimo's thoughts were very slow. It took him a long time to reply: “League of Legends… There's a female ninja named ‘Akali.’ I really like that character.”
“Oh?” Dr. Zhao smiled. “What a coincidence. I play League of Legends too, and I also like Akali.”
Although he spoke in a steady tone, everyone could see his hands trembling slightly. After all, in all his years as a doctor, this was the first time he had stitched a wound without anesthesia while the patient was conscious. At this point, no one knew if he genuinely liked the character or was just trying to keep the conversation going along Han Yimo's line.
“You like Akali too, Dr. Zhao?” Han Yimo nodded weakly. “I'm fascinated by everything about Akali… This female ninja called ‘Fist of Shadow’—I feel like her backstory also…”
Dr. Zhao paused in his work for a moment, then touched Han Yimo's face and asked, “Han Yimo, can you see me?”
“Huh?” Han Yimo didn't understand why Dr. Zhao suddenly asked this question. He could only answer, “I can see you…”
“Who am I?”
“You're Dr. Zhao…”
Dr. Zhao nodded again after hearing this, then said, “Han Yimo, you're already experiencing hallucinations. You need to stay conscious.”
“Hallucinations?” Han Yimo felt his current state was still fairly normal and didn't understand what Dr. Zhao meant. “Aren't we having a normal conversation right now? How could I be hallucinating…”
“It should be a symptom of excessive blood loss—insufficient blood flow to your brain. That title you mentioned for Akali is ‘Rogue Assassin,’ not ‘Fist of Shadow.’”
“Rogue Assassin?” Han Yimo squinted, feeling a bit uncertain. He had never heard that name before. Was this also because of the hallucinations?
Qiao Jiajin nudged Qi Xia from the side and asked, “Liar, what are they talking about?”
“I don't know.” Qi Xia shook his head. “I don't play games. I can't follow.”
“I've played arcade games before,” Qiao Jiajin said with a pout. “But I've never heard of this game they're talking about. Is this hero versus something more fun than ‘Fatal Fury’…”
Qi Xia didn't want to engage in this topic. He walked aside, found a clean stone, and sat down.
He was thinking about something else.
The conversation between Han Yimo and Dr. Zhao gradually fell silent. It was probably because Han Yimo's hallucinations were too frequent, making the conversation impossible to continue.
The atmosphere among the group slowly grew quiet.
Lin Qin realized she couldn't be of much help, so she sat down beside Qi Xia.
“What are you thinking about?” Lin Qin asked.
Qi Xia turned his head and glanced at Lin Qin, his expression cold.
“This is the second time you've asked me ‘what I'm thinking about,’” Qi Xia said. “Do you always ask patients so bluntly during psychological consultations?”
“But you're not my patient,” Lin Qin shook her head. “And we don't call those we counsel ‘patients’—that's very impolite. I'm just curious. With a clever person like you, what's going on inside that head of yours?”
“My wife,” Qi Xia said with a wistful look on his face.
“Your wife?” Lin Qin nodded quietly. “Earlier you said someone is waiting for you outside. Is that your wife?”
“Yes,” Qi Xia nodded.
Lin Qin gave a slight smile: “I didn't expect that answer. So you're married?”
“Why shouldn't I be married?” Qi Xia felt there was an implication in Lin Qin's words.
“I don't mean to offend you. But you're a liar. What kind of person is your wife?”
“You…” Qi Xia, for once, showed some anger. He slowly stood up, his eyes icy cold. “What do you mean? Because I'm a liar, the person who marries me must also be from the dregs of society, is that it?”
“Ah? I…” Lin Qin was startled by Qi Xia's intense reaction. “I really didn't mean any offense. I was just curious…”
“I suggest you stop being curious about me,” Qi Xia said, still cold. “I'm a liar. Nothing I say is the truth anyway.”
Their conversation ended on a sour note, but Lin Qin's expression didn't seem to care.
On Dr. Zhao's side, he finally finished suturing the wound.
“Almost done…” Dr. Zhao wiped the blood from his hands as he spoke. “We've done what we can for now. Next, we just have to hope the wound doesn't get infected.”
“Thank you…” Han Yimo's lips were pale as he spoke weakly to Dr. Zhao.
Seeing that everything had come to a pause, Qi Xia slowly stood up and said to the group, “Everyone, it's time to say goodbye.”
The other eight people showed confusion at his words.
Goodbye?
“Where are you going?” Qiao Jiajin asked.
“That's none of your concern,” Qi Xia said, looking thoughtfully at the restaurant across the street.
“You're not really going to look for the ‘Dao,’ are you?!” Officer Li was taken aback.
“What? Do you have any advice?” Qi Xia seemed to confirm the answer.
“With all due respect, you're walking to your death,” Officer Li shook his head helplessly. “Three thousand six hundred ‘Dao’! Three thousand six hundred Dao—do you have any idea what that means?! If you can get one Dao each time, then you'd have to clear three thousand six hundred games like the one we almost died in!”
“Yes,” Qi Xia nodded. “It sounds like an extremely slim chance. But there's still hope, isn't there?”
“Hope?” Officer Li sighed. “Ten days. Three thousand six hundred games. That's an average of three hundred and sixty games per day. Even if you did nothing else but clear games, that's not nearly enough time. Besides, you could die in a game at any moment. But if you do nothing, you'll die after ten days anyway.”
He paused, then added, “And that ‘death’ is based on the assumption that what ‘Human Dragon’ said is completely true. In other words, we might not die in ten days, and this place might not be destroyed either. Even if you collect all three thousand six hundred Dao, he might not let you leave.”
“I understand all that,” Qi Xia interrupted Officer Li. “But I'm not going to sit around and wait. Even if I just go out and wander around, it's better than staying here.”
“But you…” Officer Li wanted to argue further, but then the door to the staff break room creaked open again.
Everyone turned to look. The female shop assistant from earlier walked out.
She was completely naked, her mouth smeared with grease, and she clutched something in her hand. Her withered body looked like little more than a skeleton.
Zhang Chenze frowned slightly. She took off her blazer and walked over to drape it over the woman.
Zhang Chenze turned to look at the men, a hint of anger in her eyes: “You big men went into that room—what exactly did you do? Where did this girl's clothes go?”
Qiao Jiajin shook his head helplessly and said, “It's a long story. I suggest you just leave her alone.”
“You're a kind person,” the shop assistant said, staring blankly at the clothes draped over her, then at Zhang Chenze. “Too bad you're not a man. Otherwise, I'd definitely sleep with you.”
“Sleep with me?” Zhang Chenze was startled by the girl's words. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Since I can't sleep with you, then I'll give you this to eat…”
She opened her grimy hand, revealing a boiled infant's arm that had already been cooked to mush.