https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-505-The-Cursed-Hospital-Part-Three-/13548411/
Chapter 504: The Cursed Hospital (Part 2)
Chapter 504: The Cursed Hospital (Part 2)
Whether the monologue was a player's soliloquy from the Npc in this scenario or merely the system voice's opening narration, no one could say for certain.
As that voice narrated, Feng Bu Jue's touchscreen flickered with terrifying images.
The images were blurry, interspersed with black-and-white static, most disappearing in an instant.
What was captured on film was disturbing – strange shadows lying on the floor, limbs stuck to walls, terrified human faces, palm prints, children's back views, writhing internal organs, and tangled masses of long hair.
Finally, when the "introduction" ended, a splash of vivid red appeared in the black-and-white footage.
A pair of blood-red eyes suddenly appeared on the screen and froze there.
"Fashionable atmosphere building", Feng Bu Jue yawned casually.
For anyone else, just watching this introduction might have been enough to provoke terror. But Feng Bu Jue remained relaxed enough to make sarcastic comments.
"If these images are a glimpse into that 'Lester's' workplace", Feng Bu Jue chuckled, "then his tardiness and napping habits are quite understandable."
As he spoke, the elevator stopped.
The doors... slowly opened.
Outside stretched a corridor of considerable width. The walls were white, the floor tiled. Artificial light came from overhead, but the illumination was dim, and the light source seemed to contain strange shadows.
"Hmm... Don't tell me there's something like 'doorway kills' around here?" Thinking this, Feng Bu Jue cautiously stepped forward half a pace, supporting himself against the elevator doorframe as he slowly peeked outside.
The corridor was empty on both sides. At regular intervals, rows of plastic chairs appeared, each generally adjacent to a door. On each door hung a horizontal sign, clearly marked. Besides floor numbers and room numbers, the signs read "Internal Medicine", "Pediatrics", and similar designations.
"Ah... So it really is a hospital", Feng Bu Jue muttered.
From the "nurses and female doctors" mentioned in the plot summary, it could be inferred that Lester's workplace was indeed this hospital. As the elevator doors opened, Feng Bu Jue naturally became more convinced. Whether it was the corridor's width or the disinfectant scent in the air, everything was characteristic of a hospital.
However, the air here seemed to contain more than just disinfectant. Feng Bu Jue vaguely felt he could detect another smell, though it was faint and difficult to identify.
"Well then, I guess I've officially started work", Feng Bu Jue said, stepping forward out of the elevator.
Shriek... Boom!
Almost the moment he stepped out, the elevator doors began moving, slamming shut within half a second.
When Feng Bu Jue looked back, the elevator doors had instantly changed. Their height had increased slightly, and the width had expanded significantly. Hospital elevators were often like this – given emergency situations might require moving hospital beds inside, their load capacity and door size approached that of freight elevators.
"Well then... The official start, huh?" As Feng Bu Jue muttered this, he suddenly noticed something. When he looked at his reflection in the elevator doors, he saw someone else entirely.
It was a Caucasian male wearing a security guard's uniform, of similar height to Feng Bu Jue, with genuinely handsome features.
"This must be Lester", Feng Bu Jue murmured to himself. "So... when others in the scenario look at me, this is how they'll see me."
[Important Notice: Your equipment effects have been reset to zero; your skills and item slots have been locked; items in your Attire pocket have been shielded, with some new items added.] The system prompt sounded appropriately.
"Heh... Hehehe..." Feng Bu Jue let out a dry chuckle. "Of course... Here comes this trick again."
Having played through many nightmares, he was already accustomed to this situation.
There had long been player statistics and summaries on forums: the Nightmare Difficulty Singleplayer Survival Mode (Common) was unquestionably the most likely to trigger "restrictions." When players experienced these scenarios, there was nearly a 50% chance they'd face various limitations. In other words... no matter how strong you were, the system would always find a way to let you experience what "Nightmare" truly meant.
"Fine... Let me see what I can actually use." Feng Bu Jue immediately reached into his coat and pants pockets.
After patting himself down, he found the following items: an opened pack of chewing gum (with three pieces remaining), a plastic-handled folding knife (commonly used for apple peeling), a pair of sunglasses, a small can of spray hair wax (mini pack), a single white smelly sock (yes, just one), a small comb, half a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter.
"No cell phone on me..." Feng Bu Jue rubbed his chin. "Is this a scenario restriction... or does it indicate I'm in an era before cell phones became widespread?"
As he pondered, the system prompt sounded again: [Main Quest Triggered]
Almost instinctively, Feng Bu Jue opened the game menu, bringing up the task bar. It displayed a message full of malice: [Hold Your Post Until Dawn]
"Even working a night shift at a hospital carries life-threatening risks... This world really is getting harder to survive in." Feng Bu Jue made a sarcastic remark, then turned and walked toward his left.
"At any rate... First, I should look for something like a map to confirm the scenario's layout." His watchful gaze swept around, not missing even the cracks in the walls, as if fearing he might overlook any possible clue.
"Hmm... The consultation room doors are all closed, and no artificial light spills from within... So this must be the outpatient department. Since no one comes at night, these rooms are probably locked."
As he walked a distance without finding a map on the walls, he couldn't help glancing back.
Then he saw something very strange...
The moment he looked back, the artificial lights along the entire corridor flickered twice. In the brief instant the lights extinguished, within the pitch-black corridor, something resembling a faintly glowing white figure seemed to appear.
"IT" was relatively far from Feng Bu Jue, appearing about thumb-sized. Whether it was a retinal afterimage or an actual presence couldn't be determined. In any case... once the artificial lights returned, the white figure was gone.
A normal person witnessing this would likely have their terror level spike dramatically, immediately turning to flee.
But Feng Bu Jue narrowed his eyes, adopting the posture of someone straining to observe the smallest details on an eye chart, intently staring down the corridor...
"Tch... Trying to scare me?" he said arrogantly, pulling out his sunglasses and putting them on.
Whether to celebrate or lament... Feng Bu Jue's action indeed produced immediate results.
As he put on the sunglasses, the "white figure" reappeared. This time, it stood barely a meter from Feng Bu Jue.
It was a person completely wrapped in bandages, judging by the figure appearing male. Except for the eyes and nostrils, the figure was wrapped from head to toe. Upon closer observation, one could see tiny streaks of blood seeping from the gaps in the bandages...
"Huh..." Feng Bu Jue stared at the figure for several seconds, then pushed his sunglasses up, making himself unable to see the bandaged figure again. Then he pulled the sunglasses down, and the figure reappeared...
"Huohuohuohuo~" He made a repetitive "huo" sound with his voice, repeatedly moving his sunglasses up and down as if looking at invisible ink drawings.
The bandaged figure stood before him, making no aggressive moves. However... from the bandaged man's gaze, it was clear he found Feng Bu Jue's reaction unexpected... and this surprise quickly turned to frustration.
"Ah..." The bandaged man finally couldn't contain himself. The security guard before him seemingly felt no fear at all, which greatly wounded the ghost's self-esteem. He raised both hands, groaned, and slowly advanced toward Feng Bu Jue.
"Hmm? Wanting to fight?" Feng Bu Jue used his middle finger to push his sunglasses up more securely onto his nose, then leapt back a large step, striking the signature stance of Wong Fei Hung, as if ready to confront this bandaged figure head-on.
"You... fear me?" The bandaged man actually stopped, asking with a muffled voice from beneath his bandages.
"Am I afraid of you?" Feng Bu Jue shot back with a contemptuous gaze. "You've already been beaten to this state. Why should I be scared of you?"
"I'm a ghost... Do you understand what that means?" The bandaged man lowered his voice, attempting his most terrifying tone.
"I don't know", Feng Bu Jue replied truthfully. Each scenario's ghost mechanics varied, so how could he possibly know? "But do you know..." Feng Bu Jue suddenly countered, "what 'huohuohuo~huohuohuo' means?"
"Uh..." The bandaged man was taken aback.
"What 'huohuohuo~huohuohuo' means is..." Feng Bu Jue suddenly answered in a high-pitched voice, "In a small town, time flows by, clear courage... washing away memories, I remember you, living proudly..."
"Ahh!" The bandaged man screamed and ran away... Whether from shock or fear, no one could say.
"Tch... Combat power too weak", Feng Bu Jue spat, removing his sunglasses and shrugging as he turned to continue forward. "Looks like the ghosts in this scenario basically rely on instant teleportation, circuit interference, and appearing and disappearing tricks to scare people. Without telekinesis or physical contact abilities... to me they're just as harmless as flatulence..."
After another few dozen seconds of walking, Feng Bu Jue reached a T-junction ahead. On the wall at the intersection, he finally found a hospital floor plan blueprint.
"But I still can't be careless..." Feng Bu Jue muttered as he walked. "The Nightmare Difficulty won't be that easy. In a restricted scenario like this, besides the terror level test... there must be various extremely difficult puzzles..."
(End of Chapter)
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