Chapter 619: Reading the Rules Is Not Recommended
Facing the wide-open door, a player said with a dark expression, "Of all the instance dungeons, the ones I hate most are hospitals. And on top of that, the mission involves stealing a bacteria sample, which means we're definitely going to run into an infectious disease. That kind of thing isn't even cured after clearing the game."
Most of them had been lured here by Gu Yu and the others. For a moment, the group's murderous gazes were fixed on them, as if they were being flayed alive.
Zheng Liang let out a cold laugh. "That's your own damn fault. Didn't you chase us here? If anyone's been dragged into this, it's us!"
The other players had eyes. Now, under the light, Zheng Liang's makeup had some subtle changes, making him look slightly different from Xu Huo in the photos and videos. A cannibal player charged forward and slammed him into the outpatient building, while two other players simultaneously attacked Gu Yu and Wen Xuelin.
Brother Liang and Guan Zuhong, who were nearby, made their move. The former threw something that looked like a bar of soap onto the ground. The two charging cannibal players suddenly twisted into a strange posture, stepping on the soap and sliding forward.
Brother Liang and his group of four took the chance to enter the hospital. Together, they forced back the cannibal player attacking Zheng Liang. The five of them retreated behind the consultation desk and faced off against the players flooding in.
"You deliberately disguised yourselves as Xu Huo to lure us here! Looks like you knew about this instance dungeon all along. You're lackeys of the Special Defense Department!" The cannibal player who had struck first glared fiercely at them. He didn't hide his identity at all. His torn clothes revealed the red number on his back, and he simply tore off the sleeve, exposing a large scar on his arm.
"You're the idiot," Zheng Liang said. "I set this up to bait the real Xu Huo. Who knew Xu Huo wouldn't come, but you guys would show up instead!"
Gu Yu quietly tugged at his sleeve from below, signaling him to stop provoking the group. But Zheng Liang kept running his mouth. "Oh, come on, don't tell me you're so embarrassed you want to kill people. If you kill us, are you going to kill everyone who saw you fall for the trick?"
Although they knew he was sowing discord, the indifferent attitudes of some onlookers shifted. In an instance dungeon, anything could happen. Letting the cannibal player kill Zheng Liang and the others now would effectively reduce their own leverage, which wasn't good for the other players.
"The worst thing in an instance dungeon is infighting. I think we should leave each other alone and just clear the dungeon first," a refined-looking woman said, stepping forward.
"Who are you to speak, just a woman?" The scarred player turned toward her. But then the two players behind the woman stepped forward, and the three of them faced off.
"Everyone, calm down. We can't leave the instance dungeon now," a middle-aged man with blue eyes said in a gentle, soothing tone. "Let's get familiar with the hospital first."
"Who asked some foreigner to talk?" Zheng Liang said irritably. "Coming to our turf to play peacemaker—do you think you're that important?"
The middle-aged man's face darkened as he was shut down. He held back the people behind him and said, "Friend, we've lived here for many years. We've even changed our nationality. You should at least show basic manners."
"I saw a video online earlier. The reason the Special Defense Department incident blew up so big was because foreign forces got involved," the female player said, scrutinizing the group of ten. "Xu Huo hasn't shown his face, and the Special Defense Department has already started fighting. This isn't just a personal grudge between a player and a player organization anymore—it's a struggle between nations."
"I've been sick of these guys for a long time," a player immediately said. "We might as well do our part for the country and take them out first!"
At that moment, the situation shifted again. But everyone was still on guard, and no side was confident enough to make a move. Just then, a scolding voice interrupted them. "What are you all crowding here for? Fighting means you'll be locked in a single room for special treatment!"
The one shouting was a head nurse. She led two female nurses over, holding wristbands in her hands, and said loudly, "Line up properly! If the wards aren't assigned before dinner, none of you eat..."
Before she could finish, a knife flew from someone's hand and severed her neck.
Blood sprayed, and the head nurse's head dangled from her neck.
The two nurses beside her showed no expression and didn't react at all. A second later, the head nurse, half her clothes soaked in blood, reached up and put her head back in place. She stared coldly at a certain player in the crowd. "Congratulations. Upon admission, you've earned a three-day special treatment package. Security, take him to the seventh floor."
From the depths of the corridor, several burly uniformed personnel emerged. Like wolves pouncing on prey, they pinned that player to the ground, put a special muzzle over his head, and twisted him up the stairs.
During the process, the player struggled constantly and even pulled out two items, but they seemed to have no effect. They all fell to the ground. A nurse walked over, picked up the toy-like items, and said sternly, "Toys can hurt people too. If any of you are carrying toys, hand them all over. Otherwise, you'll all be locked in single rooms!"
The group watched the player being forcibly taken upstairs, all of them shocked and uncertain. The items hadn't worked?
Some players didn't believe it and secretly tried using their own items. The next second, the head nurse spotted them. Two nurses went over to search them. The players tried to put the items away but found they couldn't. In the end, they were forcibly stripped of their items and then taken upstairs by the arriving security.
"What's going on?" The players were stunned. They hadn't seen the security personnel do anything special. "Can this hospital interfere with the game's personal panel?"
"How is that possible?" the refined female player said. "Didn't you see the game background when you came in? The hospital doesn't welcome patients with overactive imaginations. This instance dungeon might be related to mental control."
Under the head nurse's shouts and the security's surveillance, the players began lining up to receive wristbands. At that moment, some players noticed a hospital rule posted on the wall.
"First, this rule is not recommended for patient reading." Someone read the first line aloud and scoffed. "If we're not supposed to read it, why post it here?"
Many thought the same way, so they continued reading. The rules detailed the medical staff's and patients' schedules—exact times for taking medicine, getting injections, and resting, down to the minute. It also specified visiting hours for family members, the number of visits allowed per patient, and reward measures for increasing visit frequency.
Patients had time for recreational activities, could submit requests to the hospital for purchasing items, and were encouraged to love labor and maintain hygiene. There was a weekly cultural performance.
"This hospital is no different from prison," Zheng Liang said.
Brother Liang glanced over the rules briefly, then focused on the first line. He subtly signaled Gu Yu and Wen Xuelin not to keep reading.
(Chapter End)