Chapter 133 The Asylum 3 Game

The so-called game was actually musical chairs.

Everyone stood up as instructed, and the caregivers gathered around, removing one chair and arranging the remaining chairs in a circle.

Why would you let a group of mentally ill people play this kind of game?

While you are not a professional and have no knowledge of this kind of place, it is obvious that a game like musical chairs, which is easy to get excited and may lead to physical collisions, is not suitable for mental patients.

This rehabilitation center practically has "ulterior motives" written all over its face.

Anyway, you have to be prepared for what's to come.

Sandra's voice came from the window beside her. She smiled and said, "My lovely friends, this isn't the first time you've played this game, so I'm sure you all know the rules. But I'd still like to introduce it to our new friends."

"Make sure you're seated when the music ends, or you'll be disqualified from the game."

She nodded at you: "Do you understand?"

"Is it okay as long as I sit in the chair?" you asked to confirm.

“Yes,” Sandra smiled.

Okay, you understand.

"Okay, now, please form a circle and walk around to the rhythm. When the music stops, you must sit down!" Sandra spoke as if she were coaxing a group of kindergarten children. Finally, she slammed the word "sit down" onto the microphone, and her voice boomed throughout the room.

Her words, "Stop," caused a commotion among the mentally unstable people in the room.

They started spinning, and you had no choice but to move along with them.

You maintain your own pace, close to a normal rhythm, neither too fast nor too slow, and are not affected by the occasional stumbles or pauses of others in this tightly connected circular formation, while your eyes subtly scan the others.

The first person to catch your attention is a man named Will.

He was diagonally across from you, seemingly still caught up in the previous conversation, muttering "I'm not dirty, I'm not dirty," his arms pressed tightly against his body as if afraid of being touched.

His steps were extremely light, but his body was constantly leaning forward towards the chair, as if he were ready to pounce on the nearest chair at any moment.

Several times, he tried to dart out to sit down, but before the music stopped, he would casually return to the line—of course, by cutting in line.

No one stopped them, which means they could run around like that.

Will set a good example, and soon others started cutting in line and running around. Karen, the nail-biting woman who was originally in front of you, also joined the line of people running around.

Perhaps because she can no longer keep making these small movements, she is clearly in a state of panic.

She had barely started, but she was already circling around in a half-running manner, muttering to herself and panting heavily, her shoes scraping against the floor with a harsh screech.

There aren't many people who are still trying their best to honestly maintain their original circles, so you turn your attention to those two girls from Yazhou—no, from Huaguo.

The short-haired girl, Xiaoyu, was spinning around and laughing out the window. Her laughter didn't seem to be directed at any one person; it seemed to be directed at the air itself.

She was still softly singing in the language of flowers, but it was a variation of the nursery rhyme in the background: "Sitting in the wrong chair..."

You admire her for being able to hum a different tune despite the loud music, and you can't help but realize that she must be very familiar with this game.

How many times have she and her companions participated in such games? Is her current appearance related to the games?

Thinking of her companion—the bespectacled Xiao Ai—made her even more alert.

You notice that her footsteps seem to be rhythmically controlling the distance between her and Xiaoyu.

Even when the other members were disrupting the formation, she still made sure that the two of them always stayed in a one-in-one position.

She would occasionally gently pat the other person's shoulder, as if adjusting their direction or giving a reminder.

Was she protecting Xiaoyu?

Make a mental note of this person.

The music stopped abruptly.

The movement was like a firecracker suddenly exploding.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Will suddenly take a step back—he snatched the chair in front of you.

You deftly turn and sit in the spot where another person was about to pounce.

The man missed his target and fell heavily to the floor.

He didn't cry, but instead let out a high-pitched screech like a rooster's crow.

Sandra smiled gently: "It's alright, dear Mike, it looks like it's your turn to relax today."

Two caregivers approached silently, like two walls. They lifted up the man named Mike, whom you remember as someone who just sat there blankly, one on each side, their movements practiced and efficient, without uttering a single word.

Mike struggled, but it didn't seem like real resistance; he just mumbled softly and haltingly, "No, it wasn't me... I clearly saw a chair... It wasn't me..."

Everyone sat in silence watching him being dragged toward the small door to the side.

The door was iron gray, with no handle, only a small scanning plate. The caregiver swiped his wristband, and the door popped open automatically.

She was led inside, and the door slammed shut, the resulting gust of wind seeming to sweep away all the air in the activity room.

“Friends, keep going!” Sandra laughed heartily.

You look at the group of people in front of you more calmly and start circling again.

The music started again, slightly slower than before, but louder.

This time, the melody changed too. It was still the same children's song, but the pitch was stretched out, making the cassette tape or any other music player sound like it was about to break.

Only one line of the lyrics remains echoing:

"Sit down quickly...sit down quickly...sit down quickly..."

You walk in the circle, and your ears are buzzing.

As the background music slows down, the rhythm becomes more pronounced, and most people, including you, can't help but follow its chaotic rhythm.

If you try to resist, it will feel like you have needles stuck in your brain.

You struggled to stagger your steps, trying your best not to show any discomfort.

Such strange music is really hard to understand.

Who knows, maybe this music is used to test some kind of "tolerance"? Perhaps whoever shows a real reaction to it will "need treatment".

If you don't know, then if others don't tell you, you shouldn't tell either.

Your gaze fell on the two girls again.

Xiaoyu was still smiling foolishly.

She seemed to be the only one who remained at her own pace, unaffected by the music. She walked slowly, completely oblivious—and seemingly unable to—when the music would stop, or which chair to grab.

—After playing one game, even a madman learned to lock onto the target seat first.

You notice that her steps are unsteady, as if she is about to fall.

Where is Xiao Ai?

She didn't know when, but she was pushed to the back—in this round, everyone became agitated, and even you, who was only thinking about yourself, were shoved several times and almost fell over.

But right at that moment, the music stopped!

In a flash, the first thought that popped into her mind was: if Xiao Ai doesn't help Xiao Yu, she will definitely be eliminated.

This wasn't a guess, but an almost predictable outcome. Without intervention, Xiaoyu couldn't walk fast or react in time, so the caregiver would drag her away just like they dragged Mike.

Should you do anything about her? Your heart is clenching.

Her face is so familiar to you that it's hard for you to just let her be taken away.

Who knows what's behind that door?!

You're ready to make your move, but you discover someone else has already done it faster—

Xiao Ai.

She abandoned the chair next to her, rushed out and grabbed Xiaoyu's arm from behind, pushing her towards the chair on the left.

You made a decision instantly.

—Anyway, everyone present, whether real or fake, is crazy.

You stumbled and managed to grab a seat, then cleverly tripped the person trying to take the chair in front of you.

The moment you raised your hand, Xiao Ai, who also had sharp eyes, saw everything and immediately pounced over to sit down.

She gave you a grateful look.

Unfortunately, Xiao Ai sat down, and the man missed his chance.

His face was expressionless; he just stood there blankly, as if he didn't understand what had happened.

Sandra sighed, "Unfortunately, it's not your turn today."

The two caregivers went forward again, one grabbing his hand and the other supporting his arm, pulling him away from the crowd.

The small gray door opened for a second, then closed.

The moment you opened the door, you heard a scream.

That should be Will's voice.

As the door closed, all sounds were blocked, and those who went in never came out again.

You absolutely cannot be thrown in there.

You can't help but clench your fist, then relax, then clench it again.

Your eyes darted around, and you glanced at the wall clock, but it remained still.

A lot of information gets into your head, but you don't have time to organize it logically.

You glanced at Xiao Ai again.

She was smoothing Xiaoyu's hair, whispering something. You couldn't hear what she was saying, but judging from the frequency of Xiaoyu's nods and her increasingly relaxed expression, Xiao Ai was trying to comfort her.

You're sure.

Regardless of whether Xiaoyu or Xiaoai are "outsiders"—after all, this is a "madhouse," and you can't judge whether someone is from the same background as you based on just a few feelings—you should try to form an alliance with them.

What you need most right now is someone like this who won't abandon or betray your friends.

If she chooses to continue helping friends who are clearly not in her best interest, then she is at least unlikely to betray you.

The air began to heat up.

You can't feel the wind outside the window. You can see the shadows of the trees in the yard swaying outside the activity room window, but there's not a breath of wind inside.

The chat window at the nurses' station was still open, and Sandra was wiping her headset with a tissue, her movements extremely slow, as if she were waiting for something.

You have a feeling that the third round will be a turning point.

Because the first two rounds were really, well, very routine.

What Sandra said next confirmed your feeling.

"The warm-up is over, now it's time for our good partners to get serious!"

She and the other nurses took out their notebooks, and several pairs of eyes stared at them like they were watching a fighting beast, clearly intending to record all their actions.

Music begins.

Unlike the previous two times, this time the music skipped a beat just a few seconds into the recording, as if someone had pressed the wrong key during recording.

For a moment, everyone hesitated, but quickly continued to move around as if nothing had happened, simply spinning around to join in with the music.

As you can easily guess, this isn't a "skipping note," but rather a deliberately placed distraction.

Rhythm. This will be an important reference point.

You begin to adjust your pace.

You need to completely free yourself from being controlled by the rhythm.

You quietly approach Xiao Ai and Xiao Yu, wanting to stick together with them, but you also can't let your actions attract attention.

You look down at the floor, judging the direction and path of each chair—the chairs are rearranged every round.

Generally, you can simply restore the chair to its original circular shape.

The caregivers arranged the items slightly differently each time.

They either move this chair further away or bring those two chairs closer together.

This round was even more obvious. Perhaps disapproving of Xiao Ai and Xiao Yu's close relationship, the caregiver, seemingly with malice, deliberately moved the chair Xiao Yu had just been sitting in to a more distant location.

This doesn't necessarily mean that Xiaoyu will lose the game...

A coldness appeared in your eyes.

Regardless of their purpose, when you walk up to that chair, pretend to accidentally "bump" it while turning around, gently nudge the back of the chair with your knee, and push it half a step towards other chairs, returning it to the circle.

Xiao Ai saw your action. She showed no expression, only nodded at you.

Perhaps, she shares the same thoughts as you.

The music stopped abruptly.

The next second, Xiao Ai "just happened" to sit down in that chair, her movements a little slow, but not too late. The moment she sat down, she laughed out loud as if she had breathed a sigh of relief.

Instead, you made a mistake and someone else took the spot that should have been yours.

You feign surprise and quickly retreat to the last chair directly opposite you. The movement looks like a hasty choice, but it's exactly where you planned it all along.

You sit down, leaning your back slightly against the chair back, and glance at the nurses' station out of the corner of your eye.

Sandra's expression remained smiling, but you could clearly see her push the record sheet on the table forward a little and write something down.

Could it be you? After all, you put on a rather clumsy performance while harboring many thoughts—pretending to want a certain chair when your real target was something else.

you do not know.

Let her record whatever she wants.

The woman eliminated this round was middle-aged. She stood frozen in place when the music stopped, as if she hadn't quite come to her senses. When the two caregivers lifted her up, she didn't struggle; she even asked, "Can I have some hot drinks?"

No one answered.

The door opened, and she was led inside.

The music started again.

This time, the music didn't start from the beginning, but rather abruptly began in the middle of a certain section, and the lyrics also became fragmented:

"Quick...sit...quick...chair...wrong..."

The audio is severely distorted, like a stuck cassette tape crying.

Shan Zhuo is no longer at the window.

The windowsill at the nurses' station was empty. They came out and came closer to watch, and the caregivers also moved from the corner to a position closer to you.

There are currently six chairs, leaving seven people.

You have a rather uneasy feeling: this group of hospital staff will get closer and closer, and even if you play the game to the end and only one person is left, there won't be a "happy ending".

Or, how about we try ending the game in this round?

How do we end this?

If someone is eliminated every time, the game will continue. But what if no one is eliminated?

You need to get all seven people "seat".

After all, the rules state that as long as you "sit in the chair," you're good and won't be eliminated.

You've thought this way from the beginning, but you have no way to verify it. Even Xiao Ai and Xiao Yu haven't established a real conversation or understanding with you yet.

Asking them to accompany you on something that might be a bit risky is obviously impossible.

You started to slow down and found the most suitable candidate.

You've brought yourself closer to Karen, who loves to bite her nails.

Her nerves were stretched to the limit, and she kept muttering, "I need to sit down properly—"

This is exactly what you need.

As the music entered its second half, the rhythm went off track once again. At that moment, you whispered to Karen, "Your shoelaces are untied."

She immediately lowered her head.

The music stopped.

You pretend to be startled, take a step back to the side, and bump into her, causing her to fall onto the nearest chair.

She sat down reflexively, the movement violent but precise, while you—with your legs bent and a gentle squeeze—shared a chair with the slender and fragile Karen.

She didn't seem to mind, because you grabbed her hand and put it in her mouth.

She felt at ease biting her nails.

All the chairs are now "occupied".

The entire room fell silent.

You can hear your own heartbeat.

The gray-clad caregivers were a beat slow. They glanced at each other, and one of them hesitated before taking a step forward, but didn't reach out.

No one fell down, no one stood still, and no one grabbed the wrong chair.

Seven people, six chairs.

Yet not a single person was left alone.

You asked Sandra, and you know you didn't commit a foul.

When you make eye contact with her, your gaze might even seem a little defiant—this is a natural expression of your emotions under pressure, not something intentional.

Sandra finally spoke slowly, her smile gone, her tone turning cold: "It seems everyone is... very enthusiastic today."

Her word was "positive," not "smart," not "cooperative," and not "qualified."

There were subtle emotional fluctuations flowing between the nurses and caregivers.

She did not identify who had violated the rules, nor did she announce the next round.

The caregivers stood still, as if waiting for some instruction that had not yet been given. Their bodies did not move, but their fingers were gently tapping their palms together.

You've observed this behavior enough in the last few tens of minutes—it's a precursor to anxiety.

"Well then, that concludes today's game time." Sandra finally announced your victory.

You couldn't help but smile.

For several minutes after the game ended, everything seemed to have never happened.

The chairs were quickly removed, the patients were led in different directions, and the "activity room" instantly transformed back into the white, glowing cube.

You wanted to find a chance to talk to Xiao Ai and the others, but your caregiver grabbed your arm and sternly led you back to your ward.

After that, everything was "normal".

You spend the evening in your room, lost in thought, until food arrives just when you're about to starve – a tasteless but nutritionally "balanced" dinner.

On the tray, there was also a pill and a glass of water.

You took the plate as usual and ate the meal, which was quite nutritious but lacked color, aroma, and flavor.

Then, he picked up the pill, pretended to swallow it in front of the nurse, and as soon as he finished swallowing, he quickly used the back of his tongue to push the pill down his throat.

You did it very skillfully.

The nurse suddenly laughed.

It was a laugh you'd never heard before, tinged with an incongruous sense of pleasure.

"What's wrong?" she asked with a smile. "Why aren't you taking your medicine properly?"

Your heart skipped a beat, and you looked up to see her staring at you, her eyes shining as if she had just wiped a knife.

Before you could even speak, she softly said, "Patients who don't take their medicine properly will be punished."

She knew! She knew from the very beginning!

Between the unknowns you might face after taking the medication and the "punishment" from the nurse, you choose to take the pill regardless, so that there's no way to prove what happened before, and now you've actually taken it.

But then, it felt like something was suddenly stuck in my throat.

You almost feel like your airway is being blocked, and something is rapidly expanding there.

You covered your mouth, your expression changing drastically.

You turn and run to the sink, bend over, and vomit.

The nurse just watched quietly from behind you.

"Uh—cough…uh…"

You vomited something white, which fell into the white porcelain sink with a "plop".

There was some water in the sink, and the thing floated up, wobbling, and even flipped over.

What you've hidden in your throat must be medicine, that's for sure.

But what you spit out is an eye.

The round, slippery eyeballs, still covered in mucus, lay quietly on the white porcelain surface.

As the floodwaters receded, it got stuck in the drain, its white sclera blending into the sink, while its dark pupils looked like a new drain opening, right in front of your eyes.

Your stomach churned again, but you forced it down.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

The nurse stands behind you, patting your back.

"Don't be nervous. Do you think you can keep playing your little tricks and no one will know what you're doing?" The nurse's voice was close to the back of your head.

You turn around, forcing yourself to remain calm: "I just haven't swallowed it yet."

"Is that so?" The nurse just looked at you and shook her head. "Miss, perhaps you shouldn't be making excuses at this point."

You gritted your teeth, meeting the nurse's gaze without backing down: "No matter what, you never said that I had to swallow the pill! This should be considered your dereliction of duty as a nurse."

You deliberately emphasized the word "dereliction of duty" and put the attitude of "reasonable argument" on the surface.

The nurse lowered her head, her voice so low it seemed as if she wanted to prevent a third party from hearing: "Whether I said it or not, it's not important."

She raised her head, her smile frozen in time like a freshly painted canvas, yet seemingly poised to burst forth with subtle brilliance: "I can punish you whenever I want, and let you go whenever I want. That is my right."

"And you, my child, have no right to question."

She straightened up, her tone returning to the crisp, professional delivery of a nurse's standard procedure video: "The patient is trying to avoid taking medication. Record one instance of abnormal behavior. We recommend a group meeting for a psychological assessment. Tonight, administer an extra dose."

You watch as she takes another pill from the tray, puts it in a small plastic cup, and pushes it towards you.

The color of the pill was different from before—this was a completely black pill.

Unlike regular large pills, which have a notch to control dosage, its surface is completely smooth, like a seed.

The nurse tilted her head and said gently, "You have to eat this one obediently. We're all watching."

You have no choice but to take this medicine.

"I shouldn't have missed taking the pill because it was too hard to swallow. Now I've taken the new pill, I'm sleepy and need to rest. Goodnight, goodbye." You said a string of words and made a move to lie back down on the hospital bed.

But the nurse stood in front of you.

“You just took the medicine, that’s what you were supposed to do, but that doesn’t offset your punishment,” the nurse said, her tone excited.