Chapter 16 True and False

As the sky darkened, we finally arrived at the sanatorium before nightfall. Unlike the information building, the sanatorium was a complex of buildings, looking quite dilapidated. I couldn't help but wonder if such a place could really be called a safe zone.

"Let's go."

Song Nanxing took the lead and walked towards the gate of the sanatorium. I hesitated for a while, but decided to go in and take a look. Night was about to fall. Given the current situation, I might not be able to survive long if I stayed outside. If there was really a trap inside, the worst case scenario would be death.

Well, I'm afraid in my heart, but I need to be brave. I'm going to die anyway, so I might as well take a gamble.

I let out a sigh and stepped into the sanatorium.

After a simple inspection, Song Nanxing and I had a smooth journey to the interior.

Although it is an abandoned sanatorium, I was surprised that the facilities here are very complete. The inside and outside are completely different. The staff have an orderly division of labor, and the survivors seem to have their own things to do.

Song Nanxing took me all the way to the outside of a building.

"This is the former accommodation area of ​​the sanatorium. You'll stay here temporarily. You don't need to wear a gas mask at night. The entire sanatorium is covered with a protective and filtration system. It's very safe."

As he spoke, Song Nanxing took off his gas mask, revealing a pair of slender eyes, and the corners of his lips were slightly raised, giving people a feeling of smiling but not smiling. In addition, I couldn't help but notice that there was a small piece of strange black pattern exposed on his neck. This black pattern was twisted and complex, with no regular pattern, a bit like blood vessels. Most of the pattern was blocked by the collar of his clothes, and the exposed part spread from the side of the neck to behind the ear.

As if noticing my scrutiny, Song Nanxing smiled and pointed to his neck.

"Tattoo."

"It's so ugly." I complained mercilessly.

"If you can't speak, you don't have to speak. It's tasteless." Song Nanxing steadily displayed his sharp tongue skills.

"Aren't you a survivor like me?" I didn't want to waste any more time with him on this kind of thing, so I changed the subject.

"The survivors staying here are also staff members. To be precise, everyone has his own responsibilities. Otherwise, do you want others to serve you?" Song Nanxing raised his eyebrows and said with his hands folded in front of his chest.

…

It's really infuriating.

Not willing to be outdone, I retorted:

"Mr. Doctor, is this how you treat guests? Not very good."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Song Nanxing curled his lips and didn't care.

I didn't waste any more time talking to him and turned to walk into the accommodation area.

After entering the dormitory, I almost thought I was on vacation. It was a double room! It reminded me of the big bunk beds in the Information Building. What a difference...

Song Nanxing took me to the dormitory and left. I quickly packed my supplies and gear and made my bed. After a long day of trekking and several escapes, I was completely exhausted and collapsed on the bed.

I glanced at the bed next to me and wondered who my roommate was.

At this time, the door opened and a girl walked in. It was An Xiaowei.

"Ji Ling! That's great! You're still alive!" The moment she saw me, An Xiaowei hugged me excitedly.

I was also very happy, patted her on the back and said jokingly:

"What do you mean by 'I'm still alive'? You wish me well."

After a few brief greetings, An Xiaowei took me to meet Jiang Wang and Mo Junfan. They lived on the other side of the corridor, not far from where An Xiaowei and I lived.

Seeing that I was still safe, Jiang Wang and Mo Junfan also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why did you suddenly run away with that man in the raincoat? Is something wrong?" An Xiaowei asked me with her head tilted to the side.

"That person is not simple." I didn't want to tell the truth, so I had to pretend to be profound and frowned.

Jiang Wang glanced at me, smiled and patted my shoulder: "I'm glad you're okay."

As soon as the words fell, An Xiaowei's expression suddenly became alert, staring straight behind me. At the same time, Song Nanxing's voice sounded behind me.

"Curfew is about to start, what are you still doing here?"

I turned around and saw that he had put on his gas mask again. I couldn't help but ask suspiciously, "Didn't you say that you don't need to wear a gas mask in the safe zone?"

Song Nanxing pointed at the other people wearing gas masks, spread his hands helplessly and said, "You don't need to wear them in the room, just lock the door, but I'm a medical worker, and it happens to be my night watch today. I say you're quite suspicious. If you don't believe me, why don't you help me watch the night?"

"No. I'd love to get some sleep," I replied immediately.

After returning to the room, An Xiaowei and I did not take off our gas masks immediately. To be honest, I didn't trust this person.

We sent messages to Jiang Wang and Mo Junfan via mobile phones, reminding them to be careful at night.

Time passed minute by minute. We waited for a long time but there was nothing unusual. I opened the window and looked out. Just as Song Nanxing said, there was a person in protective clothing patrolling back and forth at intervals outside.

I looked back at An Xiaowei. She was sitting on the bed, a little irritable, sometimes holding her hands to her chest, sometimes looking out the window.

Indeed, given our previous experience, we were all quite uneasy. Thinking back, ever since the incident, I've been running away, constantly running away. Running away isn't my style, but in this situation, it felt like I had no choice but to flee.

It's not just me, all ordinary people in the doomsday have no choice.

Just for that little chance of survival, everyone is trying their best.

Suddenly, an idea formed in my mind.

"Xiaowei, please watch me carefully. If I have any problems, come over and cover my mouth and nose immediately." As I said that, I took off my gas mask.

"What are you doing?" An Xiaowei stood up from the bed in shock.

"If I sleepwalk like those people that day, you block my mouth and nose immediately, and there is a chance that I will wake up. If you can't tell, control my movements and come over to block my mouth and nose every five minutes. If I don't fall into the illusion, it means that Song Nanxing is right, at least we are safe here for the time being." I told her my thoughts.

This idea is not risky and is completely feasible. An Xiaowei nodded and agreed to cooperate with my practice.

I sniffed the air carefully, but didn't smell the strange fragrance I remembered. An Xiaowei looked at me nervously and asked:

"How about it?"

I shook my head: "I'm not in a fantasy world."

Although I said this, I was actually not sure. The previous two times I fell into the illusion, there was no sign. Maybe I was still in the illusion this time, but I didn’t know it.

But soon, An Xiaowei broke my thoughts. She looked at her mobile phone, confirmed the time, stepped forward and covered my mouth and nose with her hands. She was so strong that I couldn't break free.

A feeling of suffocation came over me, but my consciousness was still clear. This was not an illusion at all!

I couldn't help but struggle, but the hand covering my mouth and nose became stronger and stronger, as if it would not stop until it suffocated me to death.

"install……"

I opened my mouth with difficulty, but couldn't utter a single word. The feeling of impending death came over me with great fear. I didn't want to die, I couldn't die!

Perhaps because it was a life-threatening situation, I tried hard to open my eyes and pinched my fingers hard. The pain from my fingertips made my mind clearer and made me more certain that this was not an illusion.

I quickly pulled out the dagger from my waist and stabbed it back hard. An Xiaowei reacted quickly and dodged quickly, but was forced to let go.

I staggered and fell to the ground, breathing in the fresh air deeply while staring at An Xiaowei vigilantly.

She still had the same concerned expression as always, and quickly stepped forward to help me up.

"Ji Ling, are you okay?"

“Bang!”

I opened her hand and looked at her helpless look.

"You want to kill me?" I spoke with some difficulty, not knowing whether it was because of suffocation or something else.

Even after what just happened, I still can't believe she would do this to me.

"I didn't... You were acting strangely just now, and I was a little worried." An Xiaowei looked very aggrieved, but her eyes were still calm and clear, and she didn't seem to be lying at all.

Looking into her eyes, I was stunned for a moment. I don’t know why I subconsciously wanted to believe her.

Could it be… that I'm really hallucinating and unaware of it? Or is this all just an illusion? I'm a little confused.

I tried to catch my breath, smiled and said, "You scared me to death. I thought you were going to kill me."

I am not sure what state I am in now. If I am really in an illusion, it must be because something went wrong in the plan. But if everything that happened just now is real, how should I face it?

Growing up, I didn't have parents around, and because I was a bit of a loner, I didn't have many friends. It wasn't until disaster struck and I escaped to the Information Building that I met them. It was only for a few days, but it felt like I had truly made friends.

I couldn't help but think of the time when I was framed, An Xiaowei stood beside me without hesitation and said that she believed me. Every time I was distracted, she would always ask me what was wrong with concern. When she saw me again, she excitedly hugged me and said I was still alive.

I can't tell the difference between true and false, and I don't want to tell the difference.