Chapter 44
Abandoned Hospital
Twenty candidates stood in the dilapidated hospital lobby, the air thick with the pungent odor of disinfectant mixed with some kind of putrid substance. The lights flickered on and off, and in the distance came intermittent groans and the sound of dripping water.
Everyone remained highly vigilant, but no one panicked; their sharp eyes scanned their surroundings.
A "head nurse," dressed in a white nurse's uniform stained with unidentified dirt, with a stiff, wax-like face and vacant eyes, appeared before the crowd with mechanical steps. She began to read aloud in a monotone voice:
"Welcome, temporary medical staff. To ensure hospital order and patient well-being, please strictly adhere to the following Temporary Code of Conduct for Medical Staff."
Rule 1: Each healthcare worker is responsible for caring for one designated patient and must ensure that the patient survives until the visiting day.
"Rule 2: Specific medications must be administered to patients at 6:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 6:00 PM daily. Medications can be obtained from the nurses' station as needed."
"Rule 3: The ward is absolutely safe. However, from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM the next day, please lock the ward door. No matter what noise you hear, do not open the door or leave the ward."
"Rule 4: At 00:00, you must go to the nurses' station to collect and administer the 'nighttime special nutrition' to the patients under your care."
Rule 5: The west corridor of the hospital is completely closed and entry is prohibited.
Rule Six: Patients may sometimes make unreasonable demands. Please be patient and try your best to meet their needs.
"Rule Seven: If you see a patient wandering around in a red hospital gown, move away immediately and notify the head nurse."
"Rule 8: From 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM every day is the patient activity time. Patients must be taken to the activity room for social interaction."
Rule Nine: The food and water in the hospital are absolutely safe and can be consumed without worry.
Rule 10: Trust your patients; they are the only ones here who won't hurt you.
After the rules were read aloud, the hall fell silent, save for the buzzing of the fluorescent lights.
Almost everyone immediately noticed the blatant contradiction between Rule 3 and Rule 4.
A man in camouflage with a scarred face was the first to mutter a curse: "Damn it! Rule three says to lock the door and not go out at night, but rule four requires us to be at the nurses' station by midnight? Isn't this sending us to our deaths?"
A woman next to him, wearing wire-rimmed glasses and looking like a scholar, adjusted her glasses and calmly analyzed: "The contradiction is obvious. Either one of them is false, or... both are true, but there exists some kind of 'safe path' or 'execution condition' that we do not yet know about."
Hong Yuan looked at You Ying and Shi Mo, her brows furrowed: "What do you think of Rule Three and Rule Four?"
Shadow licked his lips, his eyes sharp: "Extremely risky. Going out at midnight could very well lead us straight into the source of 'any sound' mentioned in Rule Three."
Shi Mo's gaze swept over the other rules, his tone calm: "Rule Ten states that the patient is the only one who won't harm us. Rule Four requires us to retrieve 'nutrients' for the patient. Perhaps the key lies with the 'patient' themselves? Or, does leaving at that specific time require fulfilling certain conditions?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the scholar-like woman nodded immediately: "That makes sense! There might be hidden priorities or triggering conditions in the rules. We need more information."
At this point, the head nurse began assigning patients and wards in her flat voice.
"Zhang San is in charge of ward 102, patient Wang Moumou."
"Li Si is in charge of ward 205, patient Zhao Moumou."
……
"Shi Mo is in charge of ward 301. The patient, Mr. Chen, suffers from a rare form of exhaustion."
Shi Mo noted down his task. An old man who was almost unable to move? This saved a lot of trouble; at least he wouldn't have to worry too much about "activity time" during the day.
After the assignments were completed, the head nurse turned stiffly and disappeared into the dimly lit corridor.
"Let's go to the wards first, settle in, and then figure out a way to exchange information," Hong Yuan whispered. She and You Ying were also assigned to different wards.
Filled with doubt and wariness, everyone headed towards their assigned wards. The corridor was even darker, the walls covered with mold and unidentified stains, and some ward doors were tightly closed, from which muffled coughs or sobs could be faintly heard.
Shi Mo followed the instructions and headed to the third floor. Just as he passed a fork in the road leading to the west corridor (which was explicitly prohibited by Rule Five), he seemed to catch a glimpse of a glaring red in the corner of his eye, flashing past in the shadows at the end of the corridor.
Red hospital gowns? Rule Seven!
The figure disappeared so quickly that it seemed like an illusion.
Shi Mo did not stop walking. His strange eyes narrowed slightly, but a subtle smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
The contradictory rules, the mysterious red patient, and the hospital filled with an atmosphere of death and eeriness... this B-level dungeon certainly did not disappoint him.