The archive room was quiet.
In Wen Shi's life, which was full of ups and downs, he experienced a brief three seconds of impotent rage.
"Think about how to leave first." The president of the Seven Commandments was also secretly cursing his bad luck today. He was trapped in one place and who knew who would be the next to cause trouble.
He became interested in the third method Wen Shi had mentioned earlier, "What's the other way?"
"Solve the problem at its root." Wen Shi said bluntly, "The nurse pressed the switch to enter and exit right in front of us, and she didn't tie us up again before leaving. She wasn't afraid of us leaving this door at all."
There was clearly nothing outside the door.
Wen Shi's analysis was very detailed, so detailed that the President of the Seven Commandments believed that compared to being trapped in the archives room, the person in front of him was the real trouble.
Which normal player would provide such rich information?
But Wen Shi was still talking, and the president of the Seven Commandments couldn't stop it.
"When I brought up my identity as a doctor, the nurse swung the electric baton at me, proving that what I explained was completely unrelated to the reason she wanted to punish me."
Yes, that makes sense.
The president of the Seven Commandments even had a strong sense of foreboding.
"Based on this, we can explain a very contradictory thing." Wen Shi smiled: "A hospital that abuses patients and uses crosses as a mechanism, what exactly are they praying for?"
Song Yan mentioned that Ao had a slight liking for him, which stemmed from the misunderstanding that he was praying.
As soon as the last sentence was uttered, the pupils of the Seven Commandments president suddenly constricted. When the players were taken to the prayer room for lectures, the first thing the fat nurse did was to stand at the foot of the cross and pray. One player was even praised by the dean for this.
He carefully recalled the appearance of the cross and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with it. It was just that perhaps because it was too old, there were some black rust stains on it that looked like motor oil.
"The cross must be the parasite of some kind of consciousness. People in the temple often pray to it and are allowed to touch it. We just walked in without doing anything, which is extremely disrespectful."
If you leave directly, you will most likely be killed by this unknown existence.
Who could have thought that ignoring such a detail as the nurse's prayer would lead to subsequent misfortunes? The president of the Seven Commandments felt his temples throbbing. He still underestimated the cunningness of the 3S copy.
"There's only one way to leave here as quickly as possible," Wen Shi said seriously: "Apologize."
The Seven Commandments leader came to his senses and asked, "Apologize?"
"Yes, after you get out, apologize to the cross and pretend you also believe in it."
To describe this idea as outrageous would be an understatement. The Seven Commandments leader was well-informed and knew that if the blackened cross truly housed an unspeakable monster, it would be incredibly perverted, possessing blasphemous intent in its very bones.
If it is a demon, then they will have to offer a wisp of soul. If it is other monsters, it must be a main mental attack. The word "believer" is not just talk. Once the mind is invaded, the follow-up will be more troublesome.
As if knowing what he was thinking, Wen Shi not only analyzed the information but also further confessed his secret: "Ji Yuanzhi's code name is Apostle because he had the foresight to believe in me."
When Wen Shi's title of "King" was revealed in the rankings, it caused a lot of discussion in the virtual world. Now, the president of the Seven Commandments thought deeply about the meaning behind the title and frowned.
Wen Shi completely exposed his true face: "The King code can help me absorb faith. If you hypnotize yourself and believe in King Asa, you don't have to worry about the mental pollution caused by other dirty things."
"…"
The ominous premonition came true!
"We can sign a contract in advance. During this period, I, including those around me, will not maliciously let you die."
Wen Shi's lowered voice was credible. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded, silently waiting for the other party to make a decision.
The Seven Commandments Guild Leader was highly likely to agree. Hypnosis was time-sensitive and wouldn't have much of an impact. If the player was instructed to do something excessive, their subconscious would be awakened, causing them to exit the hypnotic state prematurely.
You can get some virtual faith for free without having to worry about spiritual pollution, so why not do it?
"What is your purpose in doing this?" The president of the Seven Commandments pondered while taking out the contract props and lie detector props at the same time.
Wen Shi actively cooperated with the polygraph test: "I need an errand boy."
Props show is 100% true.
"…"
High-level players wouldn't be killed in a short time, and the hypnosis item could give the Seven Commandments leader a couple of days of quiet, at least to keep his minions from targeting him. Afterward, he still had to rescue Ji Yuanzhi, and if he happened to be on a mission, he could have his errand boy do some of the work.
In short, the Seven Commandments President has a high reuse rate and can be temporarily recycled.
A transaction in which both parties get what they need and the transaction is completed as quickly as possible.
After everything was ready, Wen Shi walked to the switch and pressed the button directly.
The moment the dark room door opened, a cold wind blew in. Wen Shi and President Qi Commandments looked at each other, but did not walk out of the treatment room immediately. Instead, they stopped at the foot of the cross.
"Please forgive our offense." Wen Shi said piously, "As a member of Frank Hospital, we also believe in you."
The slightly tilted cross automatically straightened, and the slight deviation inexplicably gave people a feeling that they had been forgiven.
The entire hospital was facing a shady direction, with only daylight and little sunlight. However, a reflection suddenly appeared on the dark end of the cross, and Wen Shi was so blinded that he closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, there were two booklets on the ground. Wen Shi flipped through them casually and found that he was on the same page as the president of the Seven Commandments, which was full of prayers.
They understood the allusion of the cross and reluctantly began to recite. With faith already established in their minds, they experienced no significant side effects other than a slight dizziness during the recitation.
After reading an entire chapter, the president of the Seven Commandments winked and signaled them to leave quickly.
The two finally left the treatment room.
"Side quest - Escape from the archives room completed."
[Quest Reward: You have prayed under the cross and obtained believer status. You can use the cross for thirty minutes.]
Borrowing the road?
While Wen Shi was still analyzing the meaning of these two words, a protective iron door appeared in front of him to prevent patients from escaping at night. There were many such doors in the corridor. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that the President of the Seven Commandments slowed down his pace.
After leaving the treatment room, President Seven Commandments was always one step ahead of me, half a shoulder ahead.
Wen Shi narrowed his eyes. The beliefs in this dungeon didn't emphasize equality, but rather a relationship more akin to superiors and subordinates. After the Seven Commandments leader hypnotized himself, a temporary subordinate relationship had been established. Yet, walking ahead of him, and slowing down to wait for others to open the door when encountering obstacles, his body language suggested a superior mentality.
Something is wrong.
Wen Shi's throat moved, and he checked the status of the President of the Seven Commandments through the [Kingdom] interface. Only in the list of believers of Mingzhu College students, there was a believer whose real name was questionable. It was undoubtedly the President of the Seven Commandments.
The name did not turn gray, proving that the person was still alive. So when was the other person replaced?
Or perhaps, the problem is on our side.
Learning from the previous experience, if he had used the cloak and the [Great Sealing Technique] to completely lock his breath before entering the archives room, he would not have been discovered by the thin nurse. This time, Wen Shi did not skimp on points and the number of times he used skills.
"Do you want to spend 16,000 points to use [A Wise Man Doesn't Fall in Love]?"
The mechanical sound has a hint of brightness and lightness, and games have always been popular with big business.
"yes."
After activation, Wen Shi has the ability to break illusions.
"Why don't you leave?" asked the president of the Seven Commandments.
Wen Shi glanced at him, his expression unchanged, but the fingers that pushed the door curled up slightly.
This face was slowly changing under his gaze. The eyes became wider, the relatively handsome face transitioned to a feminine form, and the wheat-colored skin became as pale as paper.
The dilapidated corridor disappeared, and Wen Shi was not pushing a door, but a traffic light. The red light was made of a bloody human head. His hand was pressed against the swollen dead face, his palms covered in sticky blood.
Because the fingertip just poked the corpse's eye socket, the eyeball inside fell out and rolled down the back of the hand like a slide.
"!"
The scene changed so quickly that Wen Shi was so shocked that he almost gasped.
He quickly controlled his expression, pretended nothing had happened and walked forward, constantly looking around, trying to find a way to escape.
The drum-like heartbeat cannot be hidden.
After walking a few steps, Wen Shi found that the "President of the Seven Commandments" had not caught up. He turned around and the face behind him had completely changed.
The "President of the Seven Commandments" looked at him for a moment, and then said, "It seems you have discovered it."
Wen Shi's throat moved: "What did you find?"
The sound of a piano rang out as he finished speaking.
Wen Shi hadn't crossed the intersection yet. One path was incredibly bright, the other shrouded in darkness. From the bright path came the sound of a piano. When he looked in the direction of the sound, his expression changed slightly. The instrument playing the piano was a bloody, severed hand.
"Does it sound good?" The man who had returned to his true appearance was holding a philosophy book and appeared next to Wen Shi the next second: "This is one of my favorite collections."
Wen Shi shuddered and took a few steps back. He saw a fish tank on the nearby stone table, and a jellyfish without tentacles was swimming in it.
Based on his experience in the dungeon, Wen Shi determined that it was not a jellyfish, but a small piece of wrinkled skin.
The man took the initiative to introduce it: "I call it the human skin jellyfish. I have a collecting habit and like to collect perfect things."
Wen Shi stared at the fish tank, his mind racing with the hand. It felt increasingly familiar. The severed hand was much larger than an average adult man's, and maggots were crawling out of its veins. He suddenly blurted out, "Ao?"
One of Ao's hands was broken at the root and replaced with an iron hook.
"He was supposed to be a renowned pianist, but he later voluntarily became my disciple," the man said, enjoying the music. "Because I love this hand so much, I let him get his wish and become the interim dean."
Wen Shi's first reaction was that it was actually cheaper than the demon's charge.
"I'm not a demon." The man seemed to be able to see through his thoughts and said four words: "True spiritual power."
After saying this, he teleported to the center of the intersection, where there were stone tables and chairs with a fish tank placed on top. He opened the philosophy book in his hand and read very seriously.
Is it really spiritual?
Wen Shi stood quietly aside, staring at this true spirit who had no sense of dignity at all. He found that no matter how much he stared at the other person's appearance, he could not remember what this face looked like.
The only thing that left an impression was his mouth. The man's lips were very soft, like the limited tulips in spring.
After reading about one chapter, Zhen Ling's eyes became one black and one white, just like the black and white road.
"The Mirror Spirit once asked you to choose between the source of danger and the key. You chose the key, but you were smart enough to know that the source of danger came from the wandering corpse beside you."
He specifically emphasized: "Only the word 'you' can match him."
Wen Shi had long suspected that there was a connection between the wandering zombies and the game, but he just didn't understand why Zhen Ling deliberately brought it up.
"It's bad news. Two people you value very much will stay in the hospital forever because of it."
Zhen Ling changed the subject and said a few words lightly, which made Wen Shi's expression change.
"The wandering corpses will die, but the people you value will live." The True Spirit calmly turned the page and said, "I can also help you kill Ao."
It is easier for him to crush a believer to death than to crush an ant.
Before Wen Shi could raise any doubts, Zhen Ling calmly explained his reasoning: "The Supreme Will has a plan for letting the Wandering Corpse stay with you. Killing him will thwart that plan. I like to see the Supreme Will's joy go in vain."
"...It deceived us. The Supreme Will said it would let your adoptive father live, so we agreed to help manage the hospital, but not long after that, your adoptive father died."
A hint of anger flashed in the man's black eyes, but he quickly calmed down.
Wen Shi, as a listener, never expressed his opinion.
"I never lie," the True Spirit said slowly as the hostility dissipated. "This can be verified by the Supreme Will."
Wen Shi frowned: "You want to retaliate, and you want me to verify it?"
The True Spirit smiled and said, "The choice is yours. Even if it doesn't agree, it has to hold it in."
Wen Shi did not ask about the game. Since Zhen Ling said so, he would verify it and the result would definitely be consistent with what he said.
At this moment, he was deeply shocked.
How evil is the real spirit in front of me!
Wen Shi rarely lied, but when he had to, he would mix in a grain of truth. He knew that what was more terrifying than a lie was using the truth to deceive.
He knew it was unbelievable and shouldn't be believed, but strangely, Zhen Ling's words seemed to have magic, especially the sentence that the person you choose will stay in the hospital forever, which kept lingering in Wen Shi's mind.
"If you're going to rescue someone, you can take the detour and go straight to the Fantasy Zone. I suggest you hurry."
He is like Boss Mei, knowing everything that happened in the copy dimension, including Wen Shi's desire to rescue Ji Yuanzhi.
After Zhen Ling finished speaking, a small cross appeared after the word "borrowing a road" in the task reward. After clicking it, you can freely locate the starting point and the end point, but the entrances and exits are all located where there are crosses.
Wen Shi looked at the narrow and long road in front of him that seemed to have no end, and thought of the structure of the crossroads. He was afraid that he was now in the space of the cross, and the president of the Seven Commandments should still be in the treatment room.
"Thank you very much."
Wen Shi did not show any doubt. He simply turned around and headed straight to the fantasy area. On a dark path, there were a few words written by ghost lights: Fantasy Area.
This means he can reach the fourth floor by taking this route.
Under the illumination of the will-o'-the-wisp fire, Wen Shi seemed to be walking on a country road at midnight, and could vaguely see a blurred outline.
He walked forward alone, without considering calling Li Nan and Yu Xingzhou, and planned to go and check the situation first.
Sufficient consideration was given beforehand.
Firstly, he didn't want to spend too much time with the spirit, as it would affect his perception. Secondly, now was a good time for rescue. The patient was under greater regulatory constraints during the day. Most importantly, given the two previous alarms, a large number of nurses must have gathered in the deeper areas. The nurses could further restrain the patient. As long as they didn't abuse their skills, and with his medical credentials as a guarantee, it was reasonable for him to inspect the patients. Even if the rescue failed, Wen Shi had a reasonable chance of evacuating.
More importantly, practice is the only criterion for testing truth. Zhen Ling said, "I suggest you seize the time."
Wen Shi wants to verify the truth of this sentence.
Making the most of his time means he has no time to contact others and can only act on his own.
The further they went, the darker the environment became. The narrow road suddenly became wider at some point, and Wen Shi almost lost his sense of direction.
The light from the lantern would be absorbed by the ghost fire, and he was not sure whether the nurse would have any other reaction when seeing his transformed body. In order to avoid burning himself as a wizard, Wen Shi chose to walk in a straight line on the dark road like a blind man to be on the safe side.
…
The heart of the crossroads.
After Wen Shi left, the man continued to read in the semi-dark environment. A blurry reflection appeared in the reflection of the fish tank glass. As long as there is a mirror, the mirror spirit can automatically enter and exit.
The True Spirit said without even looking up: "It's not polite to trespass on someone else's territory."
"Is it fun to trick children?" The Mirror Spirit glanced disdainfully at the book in his hand . "And you're pretending to be a philosopher."
"I never lie."
He never tells the truth, but he never tells a lie.
The Mirror God paused for a second before speaking meaningfully, "A deceitful god who never lies?"
"Yes." The man licked his delicate lips. Not only was it the truth, but every word that came out of his mouth had the effect of a spirit. The more you care about something, the more it will take root in your mind.
The Mirror God could not refute this point. Looking back at what the man had said before, the wandering corpses were indeed a plan left by the Supreme Will. As long as Wen Shi nodded, the God of Fraud would fulfill his promise to help the other party kill Ao.
But once the zombie dies, Wen Shi will be trapped in the game forever, unable to escape. In a sense, his situation is even more miserable than that of his adoptive father trapped in an orphanage.
…
A faint light invaded the front, and the dark road was finally coming to an end.
When Wen Shi was about to speed up his pace, a prompt sound suddenly came.
"Side quest - Saving an innocent person completed."
"You are borrowing the space channel. The usage time is less than fifteen minutes."
Without giving a specific name, it was confirmed that the man was a real spirit. After the prompt sound appeared, Wen Shi could see the countdown for borrowing the road through the attribute interface.
[14:59]
In other words, it took him half the time just to walk here. Wen Shi had walked carefully before, and if he used body transformation on the way back, it would take much less time.
Even so, he didn't have much time left.
Wen Shi summoned the zombies back and quickly walked to the light source. In the dim light, he could see a cross-shaped door at the end.
The wandering corpse did not return immediately.
Wen Shi had a bad premonition, made a second summon, and tried to push the door at the same time.
The cross in the fantasy area does not rotate, but opens like a skylight with a push.
It didn't take much effort, and when the cross was propped up, only a small gap was left.
Unlike the plain, first-floor wards, this room was covered in a variety of colorful glass, which was opaque. Ji Yuanzhi lay in a modified steam box filled with water, his head protruding from a circular hole in the center. The opening was so limited that his neck could barely turn.
Ji Yuanzhi's glasses were taken off, his hair seemed to have grown a little longer, and there was blood at the corners of his mouth.
As if sensing something, he opened his eyes and looked into the eyes of the head that popped out from behind the cross.
Perhaps influenced by the bright colored glass, the usually light-colored eyes reflected a faint blue light deep in the pupils. Ji Yuanzhi, who was trapped in the box in a miserable state, inexplicably reminded Wen Shi of a species - mermaids.
Shaking his head to get rid of other thoughts, Wen Shi pointed in the direction of the door and asked with his mouth: "Where's the nurse?"
Now is the treatment period. After the previous round of treatment, Ji Yuanzhi will find it difficult to speak for the time being.
Unable to obtain useful information, Wen Shi was ready to complete the rescue plan in one go, when he suddenly noticed the treatment rules next to the steam box.
12:00-13:00: Hydrotherapy
The wall clock shows that there are still six minutes until the effect is complete.
Taking the patient away before the treatment is completed may trigger the rules, and the raised alarm on the steam box makes Wen Shi even more alert.
He glanced at the countdown:
[14:46]
If he waited until the treatment was completed before taking action, using the [Sprint] skill and a speed-up item, he would have nearly a 90% chance of carrying Ji Yuanzhi away before the passage of the cross closed.
The only problem was that, apart from the somewhat tight schedule, everything went too smoothly.
Now, by simply jumping off the wall, he could also complete the quest to the deeper area ahead of time. From discovering the True Spirit to borrowing the passage, Wen Shi wouldn't question it in a normal dungeon, but in a 3S dungeon, where he could simultaneously save people and complete the quest, he was afraid of burning his mouth.
The main quest of saving innocent people is too smooth.
He only has one thing to accomplish every day, and it shouldn't be that difficult.
"Forget it, let's take it one step at a time."
Wen Shi kept a close eye on the time and was ready to start the rescue plan as soon as the treatment time came.
Ding-ling-ling——
As he was concentrating, a sharp telephone ring suddenly rang in his mind. Wen Shi was startled and took out the receiver.
"Hello?"
The call came from the intensive care unit in the basement.
Not long ago, a brutal "water therapy" was taking place in the special treatment room. The metal door was tightly closed, the gap between it and the ground was sealed by an invisible barrier, and several holes were opened in the ceiling, through which black liquid was continuously poured into the room.
The entire treatment room has become a transformed steam box in an alternative sense.
The black liquid made the zombie disguised as a patient seem to be stuck in a quagmire. He didn't need to breathe, so the impact was not significant for the time being.
But the zombies have a strong sixth sense.
The solution seemed to be draining the strength from his body, and he felt a strong sense of crisis.
Bang!
The zombies tried to attack the metal door, but the door panel remained smooth, emitting a silent mockery.
Bang, bang, bang! The zombies attacked repeatedly, leaving only shallow dents. With his current strength, he couldn't break open the metal door, which was specially installed to prevent the monsters from escaping.
Wen Shi didn't know that the simplification of the task was pushing the wandering corpses onto the path of sacrifice.
The dungeon was full of checks and balances. If he hadn't taken any shortcuts and done the task himself, he could have broken the metal door with one sword.
But if Wen Shi pretended to be a bandaged patient instead of treating him, at least an hour would be wasted, and the Seven Commandments members who were stalking outside would wait until Ao came back and report him.
No matter which path you take, you will face the test of life and death.
Several attacks further depleted the zombie's strength. The zombie, who was still wasting his energy trying to break the door, suddenly stopped and looked towards the center of the room.
A slender figure appeared there at some point.
The bandaged patient who was knocked unconscious and hidden suddenly appeared. After suffering abuse for a long time, only the gloomy look in his eyes changed and became calm and composed.
This innocent man, positioned in the game, has a tragic life experience. He is not mentally ill, but because of a property dispute, he was sent to Frank by his family and tortured. However, all the darkness he experienced was driven by an invisible hand.
The Bandaged Patient is actually one of the incarnations of the God of Trickster.
He was not as lucky as Song Yan, and had to go through the same miserable life that all clones would experience. The resentment that had been nurtured for a long time was feeding back to his true spirit.
Now those resentments have briefly faded.
The will of the true spirit descended upon the body of the clone, the flesh and blood under the bandage stopped oozing pus, and a telephone receiver appeared out of thin air in the hand of the "bandaged patient."
The limits of strength and weakness were reversed. The zombie didn't even have the strength to lift a hand, staring coldly at the bandaged patient, considering how to kill him.
"There are six minutes left before the automatic electroshock treatment begins in the room at the hour. The current is combined with a special solution..."
Every word uttered by the patient was more potent than the brainwashing power of the host's pen. The combination of genuine words and the power of the words, combined with the power of the words, would cause even the most intelligent listeners to skip the process of thinking.
"Your flesh will be broken down first. The temperature of these solutions is so high that it could even replace an incinerator. The sparks of the current will further ignite them," the True Spirit described the scene in detail. "Just like the bodies the nurses cremated this morning, you will eventually be roasted into pieces of jerky flesh."
After saying this, the True Spirit considerately offered a way out.
"This phone can help you call for help." The 'Bandaged Patient' gave a sly smile. "If he comes, you can still live."
"...but minus the time it took to make the phone call, he should be here within five minutes."
It goes without saying who he is referring to.
In other words, Wen Shi not only had to give up the once-in-a-lifetime rescue opportunity, but also rushed over without thinking. With the previous prediction of the True Spirit about the future, there was a certain amount of consideration involved.
Under the magic of the Word Spirit, the death of an important person would cause him to become madly entangled at the critical moment.
It would be even more interesting if Wen Shi gave up on rescuing the zombie. At the exact moment, the other party would realize that the patient upstairs didn't need to be saved at all. At that time, the True Spirit would personally deliver the remains of the zombie to the other party, which would definitely be an interesting scene.
There is a choice, and there is no choice.
There are also some objective factors involved, such as the fact that the zombie is not very communicative and is currently very weak. By the time he finishes describing his current situation and calling for help, the time will be further reduced. Even if Wen Shi ultimately chooses to rescue him, the extra delay may leave him with nothing.
The God of Deception rarely uses bloody methods to cause trouble to others. He prefers to trap his prey in a cage with the truth.
"The power of words is great and irreplaceable." The "bandage patient" opened and closed his mouth, speaking eloquently as if the word was born naturally for him.
The concert tour hasn't even started yet, so of course a wandering zombie with average intelligence but a strong desire to survive wants to be rescued.
He gathered all his strength into one arm and barely managed to pick up the phone.
"Hello." A familiar voice came from the other side, very softly. Youshi had been following Wen Shi for a while, and the other party would only deliberately lower his voice when in a dangerous or busy environment.
He is very busy and he may not come to save me.
The wandering corpse has reached a preliminary conclusion.
But the zombie still seized the moment and struggled to squeeze out the words: "Underground..."
The Bandaged Patient counted down gracefully across from her and whispered, "Five minutes and twenty seconds left."
The black water had already reached above the calves. The zombies, which had long lost their breath, were soaked in the solution and felt the long-lost feeling of suffocation.
The exhaustion made him dizzy.
"Five minutes and fifteen seconds."
The zombie was silent for a moment, its sharp, poisonous nails digging into its flesh, using the pain to stay awake: "Underground, help quickly..."
With his other hand pressed on his belly, the zombie lied: "I'm about to give birth."
Without saying a single extra word, he ended the call.