# 284
Chapter 284 – Purification Chamber
Lin Qiye followed the orderly through a winding corridor and stopped in front of a transparent door several centimeters thick.
He couldn’t tell what material the door was made of. When he reached its side and tentatively stretched out his mental power, he discovered that even the Mortal Divine Realm couldn’t penetrate it. The thing was a spiritual insulator, blocking every Forbidden Ruins probe.
The orderly raised his ID toward the overhead camera, apparently waiting for verification. A deep male voice soon crackled from a tiny speaker.
“Employee 39180, state today’s code phrase.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“What does the Lantern-Bearer most want to eat today?”
“Yummy taro-milk boba that makes you go baa-baa.”
“Code correct. Pass.”
The reader beside the glass flashed green. A soft click, and the spirit-proof door slid open, revealing a large outdoor yard.
Lin Qiye: …
What kind of code check is this?
From the metal cube to the institute gate, a mere five-minute walk, they had passed nine checkpoints—passwords, fingerprints, irises, voiceprints, badge scans—none of which had troubled him. But this final code phrase left him stunned.
What era are we in? A verbal password? And “yummy taro-milk boba that makes you go baa-baa”—could any sane human invent that?
The orderly stepped aside behind the transparent door and gestured for Lin Qiye to proceed.
Lin Qiye walked forward, puzzled. “I go alone? You’re not watching me?”
“I’m an orderly of Sunshine Psychiatric Hospital; I can’t leave my post. The yard is covered by cameras—every word and move is recorded. Doctor Li says only when a patient is alone can we observe him properly.”
“But you must return here before two p.m., or a retrieval team will drag you back. If you want your observation period shortened, be punctual.”
Lin Qiye nodded, stepped outside, then turned back.
“This yard is shared with the prisoners, right? How’s the security?”
The orderly hesitated, then offered a kindly warning: “Not great.”
“Everyone in Purification Chamber is a vicious super. Roughly three kinds:
One—those who abused their Forbidden Ruins and were caught; most numerous, most troublesome.
Two—terrorists like the Believers, once organized. Forbidden Ruins sealed, but they’re trained; bare-handed they can still murder a crowd.
Three—ex-Night Watch, locked up for various reasons. Not necessarily good men, but ex-soldiers, usually low-key. Few in number.
“In short, most are lawless. Anything can happen. You’re a patient, not a convict, so they normally won’t provoke you—still, keep your distance.”
Lin Qiye absorbed the advice and walked into the yard.
The exercise ground was larger than he’d expected: towering steel walls enclosing an area twice the size of a gymnasium. Every hundred meters atop the wall stood a black watch-tower, the glint of rifle scopes flashing within.
Lin Qiye stopped at the wall and tapped it with a finger—smooth, cold, unbelievably hard. Cannon point-blank might not dent it.
Twenty meters up, electrified wire and razor ribbon crisscrossed; the wall itself rose fifty meters. Without Forbidden Ruins, escape was impossible, and with snipers overhead, any attempt would earn a bullet lesson.
He followed the path. On nearby basketball courts a dozen brutes played a savage, skill-free game, grinning happily.
Beyond the court lay an old rubber track and a calisthenics area—horizontal bars, parallel bars, spin wheels—crowded with laughing prisoners.
The moment Lin Qiye appeared, every convict froze, eyes locking on him, whispering to neighbors.
Among stripes of black-and-white, his blue-and-white hospital garb shone like a star in night.
“Boss Han, where’d another nutcase come from?” A scar-faced man nudged the hulking leader on the court.
Boss Han stared, eyes gleaming. “Another one… and quite the looker—top grade.”
Scarface chuckled lewdly. “A pretty boy like that’s rare in Purification Chamber. We should grab him before the other animals do.”
“No rush.” Boss Han narrowed his eyes. “These psychos are freaks. Let someone else test the waters first.”
“He’s just a mental case—what’s to fear? Look at Wu ‘Old Dog’—a useless loon, Forbidden Ruins sealed. Why worry?”
Boss Han glanced sideways. “You forget how Fourth Brother died?”
Scarface’s face darkened.
“Back then Fourth Brother ruled this yard. Who’d guess that little madman surnamed Cao would gut him with a dinner knife?”
Boss Han turned, hurled the basketball—
BOOM!
The backboard exploded; shards rang on the concrete like icy chimes.
“If he’s soft meat, he’ll be my toy sooner or later.” A cold smile curled his lips.