Chapter 1404: The Extra People
The number of people who entered the instance was greater than Xu Huo had anticipated, and some of them were completely unexpected individuals.
However, since they were already inside, the instance holder also had to abide by the instance rules. Xu Huo could not use his spiritual power to interfere with the hospital's basic facilities, so it was impossible to take people away without alerting so many players. He had to follow the hospital's procedures.
The "Dean" should not appear before the "patients" at this time.
Xu Huo turned and left.
The gentleman player's verbal provocation received no response. Seeing him turn and walk away only made him angrier. He was about to give chase when he suddenly found himself standing in the hospital lobby. Colorful confetti drifted down from above, and a gentle female voice announced, "Today, the Dean has invited a famous magician to perform for everyone. Let's give him a round of applause!"
"Bang! Bang!"
The confetti cannons exploded. A man in a performance suit and a moth mask stood before the crowd, his lips shimmering with starlight as he said, "Welcome to my performance stage. Next, I will invite a lucky audience member to assist me. Everyone, check the numbers on your hospital gowns..."
At this moment, the players standing in the lobby were all wearing numbered hospital gowns. There were dozens of players from the district government, and besides them, there were twelve young children. Compared to the robust government players, these twelve children, all wearing metal collars, were thin and frail, their veins visible on their limbs. They huddled together, their distinct facial features clearly different from the government players, their faces full of fear.
No one paid them any attention. After all, entering a random instance meant death sooner or later. This instance was the most important matter.
Although it was a D-level instance, the lobby's information about the hospital, including the detailed rules on medication, meals, rest, and bedtime, clearly indicated that this mental hospital would not be easy to clear. Moreover, mental-type instances were rare. Even large-scale player training programs would not choose mental-type instances for clearance. Unlike ordinary fixed instances, mental-type instances were often unpredictable and would change depending on the people who entered. Farming such instances collectively was meaningless, so they naturally became a type unfamiliar to most players.
The district government had sent in a few B-level players and several Mental Super Evolvers. Although they had strength, they restrained themselves and did nothing rash, because the B-level player mixed among them could be the one who attacked the new city, and the magician performing on stage as an NPC was also a B-level player.
The magician had already drawn a slip of paper from the box. He announced with a beaming smile, "Congratulations, number 19! Please come up on stage, friend number 19."
The gentleman player slowly walked out from the crowd and stood beside the magician with a strange grin.
"Friend number 19, please grab my magic wand. Next, I will use this wand to cast a spell on him and make him disappear on the spot!" the magician said with a smile to the crowd. Then, with a wave of his hand, a large amount of confetti fell, and both he and the gentleman player vanished.
The players in the audience stood up. A B-level player lowered his voice and said, "Find them quickly!"
A group of people immediately began searching the hospital. Even the nurses and security guards who came to stop them were pushed aside. Under the command of several B-level players, they quickly entered different buildings of the hospital, including the sealed third building.
The Seventeenth Hospital had been upgraded after admitting Yu Guo's bacteria. After the upgrade, the bacteria in the hospital were not completely cleaned out but were compressed into the third building at the back. The first building was mainly for patient residence, the second building contained pathology rooms, observation rooms, and sample storage, as well as some sealed rooms. Under normal circumstances, the "nurses" and "security guards" in the hospital could stop the "patients," but the people who entered today were at least C-level players or above, making it difficult to stop them...
So, after the nurses issued a warning, they allowed them to move freely through the hospital.
The longer one stayed in the instance, the greater the mental impact. Players without training in this area would be affected to some extent and would need to wait and see.
However, Xu Huo's main purpose in opening the instance was the gentleman player. The others were not important.
"Children, be good and follow the nurse sister to the ward, okay?" The "injured" nurse stubbornly got up to arrange for the twelve children.
The oldest of the children forced himself to stay calm and asked, "Is this a new laboratory?"
"It's not a laboratory, it's a hospital," the nurse said, crouching down. "But you won't have to stay long-term. You're just here for a transfer. Once the Dean issues your discharge papers, you can leave... Don't be like those adults. They are very sick and don't listen to the doctors. The bugs in the hospital will gnaw through their stomachs."
Although the last sentence was spoken in a low voice, it was clearly meant for the district government players to hear.
"W-what bugs?" the older child asked fearfully. "Will the bugs gnaw through our stomachs?"
"This kind of bug only grows in the stomachs of people with bad hearts," the nurse said vividly. "They usually hide in the cracks of the hospital walls, under the bed legs, and in the drawers. At first, they are very, very small, so small you can't see them with your eyes. And if you can't see them, you don't know if you might inhale them into your stomach."
"Once they get into your stomach, they will slowly grow bigger by eating the bad heart. The worse the heart, the bigger they grow, until they've eaten it all."
The children were all startled. "If the stomach is eaten empty, will you die?"
"Of course," the nurse said with a smile, patting the older child's head. "But you don't have to worry. You are all good children. The bugs won't bother you. Come with me, wash your hands, and get some food."
The children had been conditioned since birth. Without any resistance, they lined up behind the nurse, followed her upstairs, and disappeared into the darkness at the corner.
The sky outside the hospital seemed to darken instantly.
Some of the players who heard the nurse's words couldn't help touching their noses. "Are there really bugs in the hospital that eat internal organs?"
"Are you stupid?" his companion shot him a sideways glance. "That nurse was talking to you. Haven't you done enough instances to have experience? Don't let your imagination run wild."
"The building in the back is sealed. Do we have to go in? It says 'Danger, No Entry.' It might actually contain dangerous items. We need to be careful of toxic substances and bacteria..."
"Just put on your protective suit and stop talking nonsense!"
The companion walked away in annoyance. The player who had shown concern looked back. The entire building behind him seemed to be swallowed by shadows, and the blurry areas appeared to be teeming with countless things lying in wait.
(Chapter End)