Chapter 104 Bright Sanatorium Jiang Yang leaned down, half-forcing the person...

Jiang Yang opened the door a crack, and a faint light shone through. His gaze quickly swept across the outside of the door. In the corridor, some players seemed to have noticed their hiding and followed suit, hiding in other rooms. The originally noisy footsteps and exclamations of the players gradually subsided, replaced by an unsettling silence.

Before Jiang Yang could even see what was happening outside, Number 11 rushed forward and slammed the door shut without hesitation. The sound of the impact made everyone's eardrums vibrate slightly. Number 11 asked in a rapid, tense voice, "What are you doing!"

Jiang Yang frowned slightly, his mind racing as he tried to explain things to Number 11. His intuition told him that, at least for now, they couldn't let those shadowy figures kill the other players.

His fingers were still hovering in mid-air at the doorknob because of Number 11's movement. As he moved his gaze back, he suddenly noticed Number 11's hand gripping the doorknob to prevent him from opening the door again.

Jiang Yang's gaze sharpened, a hint of doubt rising in his heart. Number 11 had said that they were safe here, so theoretically there should be no need to be afraid. So why was Number 11 reacting now?

"What are you... afraid of?" Jiang Yang spoke slowly, his deep voice carrying an undeniable sense of pressure. His dark eyes casually met Number 11's gaze, a gaze that was aggressively fixed on him.

A glint flashed in Number 11's eyes, as if he was suppressing some indescribable excitement, but it was quickly covered by a thick layer of gloom.

Jiang Yang was puzzled and looked at the person questioningly. Number 11 lowered his head in fear and explained incoherently, "They...they're too powerful...I'm scared..."

The person No. 11 was referring to was a shadowy figure.

Outside, the smell of sulfur was overwhelming, seeping into the room without leaving a trace. Heavy footsteps passed by the door, each step feeling like it was trampling on one's nerves. Jiang Yang's pupils contracted, and without asking any further questions, she quickly whispered, "They can't die yet."

Number 11's body stiffened slightly; the "they" Jiang Yang was referring to were naturally not the shadowy figures.

Looking up at Jiang Yang, she was overwhelmed with complex emotions, as if she wanted to say something but was suppressed by her inner struggle.

Finally, he clenched his fist, his voice low and hoarse, tinged with barely concealed pain: "Saving them... isn't worth it..."

In an instant, Jiang Yang seemed to understand something. When he went downstairs disguised as a caregiver that morning, he happened to run into other players who were fleeing back from outside the building. As player number 11, who was taken away by the caregiver, he had obviously become a victim among them.

"us."

The young man reached out and placed his hand on number 11's shoulder, pressing firmly with his five fingers, "Trust me."

"I..." Shu Zhuo's words choked in his throat. He had heard too many such words and suffered too much betrayal. He thought of the rain-soaked ground outside the building and those pale hands.

There were red marks from fingertips on my ankles, and a cold sensation shot straight to my head.

Date: January 8th

Name: Shu Zhuo

Etiology: Stress-related disorders

Symptoms: easily startled, anxiety, hallucinations, delusions

Routine inspections: ...

Jiang Yang leaned down, forcing the other person to look into her eyes, "Trust me, okay?"

"What...are you going to do..." Shu Zhuo gave in.

Jiang Yang replied crisply, "Found Number One." He had already made plans in his mind when the shadowy figure appeared. He knew that Number One's power could turn back time, and the current situation could be put to use.

Just as they finished speaking, a soft knock came from the door. The two of them turned around abruptly, their eyes meeting, and the tension in the air rose to its peak.

"Who is it!" Shu Zhuo's mouth dropped open, his voice almost cracking with fear and alarm.

Jiang Yang put a finger to her lips to signal silence, and tilted her head so that her ear was half-pressed against the door frame.

The knocking sounded again, clearer and more distinct, its unhurried nature carrying an unsettling rhythm.

Jiang Yang took a deep breath, placed his long, pale hand on the doorknob, and asked calmly and firmly, "Who's outside?"

"It's me."

Unexpectedly, number one.

Shu Zhuo looked pleasantly surprised and almost instinctively took a step forward, reaching out to open the door.

However, Jiang Yang showed no sign of backing down, and his expression even held a hint of something intriguing. He turned his head and said, "Don't rush."

"What's wrong? Aren't we looking for Number One?"

"You were just about to look for him, and he showed up at your doorstep. Don't you find that strange?"

Their room was near the stairs, so it wasn't difficult for other players to find their location. The challenge was figuring out how to get around the pursuing shadowy figures, especially since the smell of sulfur outside was getting stronger.

Jiang Yang has always been sensitive to smells, and the pungent burning sensation in the air made him barely manage to suppress his cough.

"Then what should we do?"

"Open the door! Let me in, please!"

Number 1's pleading tone overlapped with Shu Zhuo's, and the almost desperate urging made Shu Zhuo subconsciously take a step back. His figure fell into the dressing mirror behind the door, and Jiang Yang noticed the bathroom opposite the dressing mirror.

Jiang Yang said, "You open the door."

"Huh? Me...me..."

"Believe me, and I believe you too."

Jiang Yang walked into the restroom and left the glass door slightly ajar. "Hide behind the door and let him in," he said, his gaze fixed on the outside through the crack in the door, his resolute expression like that of a cheetah poised to pounce.

Shu Zhuo tried to calm himself down, his hesitation turning into determination, and he turned to stand behind the door.

The door lock clicked softly, and the door was slowly pulled open, leaving a thin trail of light on the floor. As Shu Zhuo unconsciously held his breath, the figure of Number 1 walked into the room, revealing the inhuman face above his head.

His skin was so pale it was almost transparent, and the corners of his mouth stretched behind his ears, forming a strange and distorted smile.

Number 1 was the first to notice Shu Zhuo, and the curve of his lips seemed to widen. A chilling and eerie aura assaulted Shu Zhuo, causing every cell in his body to tremble silently.

Inside the restroom, Jiang Yang's mind raced as he assessed the situation.

The blade of the short spear gleamed with a chilling light under the lamplight as he considered whether to take direct action against Number 1.

Jiang Yang had no time to hesitate. Number 1 seemed to sense his ruthlessness and swayed as he turned to leave. Jiang Yang didn't stop, and the short spear flew out of his hand and pierced straight into Number 1's heart.

Number 1 instinctively dodged to the side. The short spear grazed his arm, cutting his skin, but what seeped out from under his skin was not blood, but wisps of mist like a dark shadow.

As the mist drifted outwards, Jiang Yang's mind stirred, and he focused his attention on the panel, summoning the Golden Crow.

Number 1, head held high in rage, let out a beast-like roar and pounced on Jiang Yang. At the same time, the shadowy figures outside were also drawn into the room.

Jinwu stared blankly at everything, not quite understanding what was happening. But when he saw the several cuts on Jiang Yang's body, he opened his mouth wide and burst into tears.

The piercing cry froze the shadowy figure in place. The brief restriction gave Jiang Yang the opportunity to stab Number 1 with his short spear again, but this time, his target was only Number 1's arm.

As the black mist swirled, Number 1 showed signs of loosening. Jiang Yang gave Jinwu a push, raised his chin and pointed it at Shu Zhuo. He instructed, "Leave this to me. You take him and chase after them."

Jinwu was still somewhat reluctant, but he wouldn't refuse Jiang Yang. He reluctantly bypassed the shadowy figure, pulled up the trembling Shuzhuo, and ran outside.

Ten minutes later.

Number 3 had just returned from Munashe's side, and Munashe turned over the cards that Number 3 had handed him.

A square 3.

Everyone seemed to shudder as if their souls were shaken.

"We! We escaped!" someone shouted.

Jiang Yang still held the short spear in his hand, his eyes lowered. His body was tattered and mangled from wave after wave of attacks from the shadowy figures. Jinwu returned to the panel and calmly scanned his surroundings. His gaze vaguely met the shadowy tree trunks through several people. They had succeeded.

It all started with number 1's wet pants.

Shu Zhuo's access card ensured their absolute safety inside the house, but Number 1 could still choose them as targets. It wasn't until he saw the pants and thought about the black mist that he suddenly realized that all of this was just Number 1's deliberate targeting of him because of his hurt pride.

That's why he had Jinwu take Shuzhuo and follow the black mist to find Number 1.

The result was obvious: Number 1 went back in time.

But...it's not over yet...

After flipping over the 3 of diamonds, Munashe revealed a 3 of hearts and a 9 of hearts. He said with a hint of regret, "It's a real shame that one of our patients has died unexpectedly. So, his cards will be invalid and you can't use them."

"Who! Who's dead!"

A wave of panic swept through the players.

Munashe clapped his hands, dispelling the shadow at position number 4, leaving the futon empty.

No, a shadow appeared above it, its eyes closed, and the mark on its forehead identified it as the 8 of Spades!

Player 2 exclaimed, "My 7 of Spades is gone too!"

One person responded, "If it's not there, it's not there. I don't want to experience that scene again."

Jiang Yang tilted his head, meaning that even if time were to rewind, the cards used would be invalidated, and dead players could not be resurrected. In that case, the number of cards would only decrease.

What are you going to do next?

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Author's Note: Back to work! Back to work! Updates every other day~