Chapter 509: The Hospital You Can't Leave
"I think it's an illusion," Xu Huo said. "If the Red Bracelets were alone, they probably wouldn't come to provoke so many of us."
The others exchanged glances. After a moment, the thin player rubbed his eyes vigorously and said, "It must be because we haven't rested for a long time."
Everyone tacitly accepted this explanation. Having been hunted by the Red and Black Bracelets for several hours, they finally had a moment to catch their breath.
"Then let's take the time to rest while the other players aren't around."
The White Bracelets assumed the Red Bracelets had simply been temporarily isolated in another part of the instance, and their absence happened to give them a chance to recuperate and restore their items. However, the Red Bracelets weren't having an easy time either.
On the Red Bracelet side, they also appeared in a proper outpatient hall, but they were already patients wearing wristbands, waiting for doctors to give them psychological treatment.
Some hot-tempered players tried to attack the hospital and nurses, but security guards would immediately swarm in, tie them up, and drag them into the wards.
Some players who realized the people in the hospital might be illusions began looking for ways to save themselves, such as loudly calling for help from Captain Matt or escaping through the windows. But after receiving no response and watching two players fall from the building and go completely silent, the others calmed down and started thinking about how to clear the instance and leave.
"You three, it's your turn." A nurse walked over, pointed at three Red Bracelets, and then left without looking back.
"Let's see what tricks this so-called psychologist can pull," said a noble player. "Isn't killing the doctor the way to clear the instance? Perfect timing!"
This person was Ellison, the same one who had watched the bloody "performance" with the now-dead Parada in the club.
"Ellison, don't act recklessly," someone beside him warned. "Haven't you learned? The more emotional players get in mental-type instances, the harder it is to clear them."
"No matter how hard, it's still just an E-rank instance." Ellison waved his hand. "As long as you don't believe it, you won't fall for it."
Most of the people present shared this view, mainly because this random instance was simply too low-level.
After Ellison and his group left, a man and a woman among the Red Bracelets separated from the main group. The woman said to the man, "Brainless fool. If this instance were really that simple, Ashis Werner would have shown up by now. It's not like an A-rank player would just clear it and leave directly."
"But didn't we already search this floor? The second floor was empty, and there was no one else anywhere."
"I understand Matt's items. The central elevator is the key. Even if the ship's hull is damaged, as long as it doesn't sink, the elevator can still be used."
The woman took out a detector and circled the building twice before finally locating the elevator's position. The only problem was that the spot corresponding to the elevator was a wall.
The man pulled out an explosive device.
While these two prepared to blast their way in, Ellison and his group entered different treatment rooms.
The nurse had simply told them to go in, but once inside, they didn't see any doctor. The empty office only contained a simple file with some information about them—their life stories, backgrounds, interests, things they had done, and evaluations of them.
The overly general evaluations could apply to many people, especially since Xu Huo had seen Ellison before and had a basic judgment of him. But Ellison was still provoked. He smashed the office and was about to leave when he noticed a small door hidden beside the cabinet. Without hesitation, he walked over and opened it.
One step inside, and it was still an office, not much different from the one outside, except it had an extra bed for resting. There was also another small door further inside.
"Playing tricks!" Ellison continued opening doors. Behind each door was another office, but this room was covered in photographs—some of him, some of his family members. When he saw one in the middle, his forehead veins suddenly bulged. He rushed over, tore the photo down, ripped it apart, and roared, "If you've got the guts, come out! Stop hiding and playing these petty tricks!"
The ticking sound of a clock echoed. The enraged Ellison soon realized he was being led by the nose. He immediately turned back, but as he touched the door, he heard a muffled sound from outside, like an explosion. It was too far away to hear clearly, but he quickened his pace and retraced his steps.
After passing through several offices, he finally reached the outermost door. But when he opened it, it wasn't a corridor—it was another office.
Someone was sitting behind the desk. Hearing the sound, they looked up. "You're here. Sit down."
"You?" Ellison frowned. "Aren't you that little player introduced by Duke Tal?"
Xu Huo was writing something on a file. "There's new content today. Can you describe what Duke Tal looks like?"
Ellison let out an absurd laugh. "Well, well! Coming into the instance to put on an act!"
As he finished speaking, he suddenly reached out toward Xu Huo, making a throwing motion. But nothing appeared.
Ellison was stunned. He repeated the motion several times, then said in shock, "How is that possible!"
"Sit down first." Xu Huo pointed to the chair beside him. "Calm down. I'm not your enemy. Didn't we get along well before?"
"Before?" Ellison sneered instinctively, but then he noticed several photos pressed under the desk. They were all group photos of Xu Huo in a white coat with other people. One of them included Ellison himself, the two of them holding a banner together that read "Skillful Hands and Benevolent Heart."
Ellison's pupils trembled slightly, as if recalling something.
"Your condition was improving before. You had met the discharge standards. I thought you would never come back." Xu Huo sighed and looked at him sincerely. "Have you started getting addicted to holographic games again recently?"
"What games?" Ellison asked reflexively.
"Dimensional Fissure," Xu Huo said.
"Right, Dimensional Fissure!" Ellison slammed the table. "This is an instance! Killing one doctor is enough to clear it!"
Xu Huo frowned and pressed something under the desk. Immediately, straps shot out from Ellison's chair, binding him tightly. Then he took a syringe from the drawer and walked over. "This is a sedative. It will be good for your condition."
Ellison watched the approaching figure and struggled wildly. "I don't want an injection! What kind of crap are you trying to inject me with! Let me go! This isn't real! It's an illusion!"
Xu Huo stopped and warned him, "Are you going to use the sleep potion again? Disobedient patients get solitary treatment for twenty-four hours. Look at how many needle marks you have on your arm."
Ellison couldn't help but look at his right arm, only to find a dozen or so needle marks, old and new.
Xu Huo observed his expression and added, "Using too much sleep potion will damage your brain. You don't want to stay in the hospital forever, do you?"
(Chapter End)