Chapter 109 Guangming Sanatorium: Ji Yang, taking advantage of the situation, placed his chin on...

The moment the steamed bun was handed over, Hoshino's gaze was fixed on the arm that was sticking out of the window. His Adam's apple bobbed, and a low, hoarse hum escaped his throat. Then the arm froze in mid-air.

His pale gray skin gleamed with a cold, stagnant light. Ji Yang's eyes narrowed, and he raised the sword of justice he had been gripping once more, bringing it down with a sharp, tearing sound.

The hiss of the sword cutting through the air mingled with Hoshino's low growl, and his arm twisted strangely as if sensing a threat.

The longsword struck its forearm precisely, cutting a smooth cross-section.

In an instant, the bulging veins on his skin burst open, and black liquid, carrying a strong, pungent stench, splashed everywhere.

Jiang Yang's pupils contracted, and he hurriedly dodged backward, barely avoiding the black liquid that splashed onto him. He saw that at the cut of the severed arm, countless nematodes, each half of its body severed, were writhing inside, some even crawling frantically outward.

The image was sticky and grotesque, making one's stomach churn. Hoshino clicked his tongue in disgust and said, "How disgusting."

Jiang Yang stepped over the severed arm on the ground and carefully avoided the spilled black liquid. The nematodes in the black liquid made a soft "sizzling" sound, and the gray-black mist slowly rose with the sound, and in the blink of an eye, it condensed into a thick black fog.

The black mist precisely locked onto Ji Yang's figure, and the mist, carrying a bone-chilling cold, rushed swiftly towards Ji Yang.

"Holy crap, what the hell is this?!" Hoshino exclaimed.

As soon as the voice fell, the mist seemed to hear it, and it trembled violently in mid-air. The one that was originally rushing towards Ji Yang split into two, one turning in direction and chasing after Xing Ye, while the other chased after Jiang Yang, with even more ferocity than before.

Jiang Yang gritted her teeth, "Run!"

The black mist relentlessly pursued the three, leaving behind visible charred marks wherever it passed.

Ji Yang turned around from time to time, raised his hand, and the silvery sword energy forced back the mist that almost caught up with the three of them. However, the mist only hovered in mid-air for a moment before turning into countless twisted tentacles, which pounced on the people with bared teeth and claws.

"You guys go first."

The sword of justice flew from Ji Yang's hand and spun once in the air.

Three wisps of mist clung to the sword. Ji Yang remained in place for a brief standoff, while Jiang Yang and Xing Ye took the opportunity to run out of the restaurant.

"No, we can't get out."

Hoshino rushed to the restaurant's sliding glass door, but the automatic door, which should have opened automatically, remained motionless.

Jiang Yang tentatively leaned forward, her fingertips touching the cold glass, but there was no reaction.

Just then, other players in the restaurant noticed what had happened and rushed to the door.

Someone raised their hand and gave Jiang Yang, who was blocking the door, a hard shove.

Jiang Yang was pushed and staggered. Xingye's demonic aura leaked out, and without saying a word, he reached out and wrapped his hand around the hand that touched Jiang Yang.

As a result, the door that wasn't open to them suddenly opened smoothly to both sides as others approached.

The demon missed its target. The glass door slammed shut as it sensed the impact, and the demonic energy exploded in front of Hoshino. The backlash struck his chest hard, causing him to cough up blood.

Including them, there were seven people in the restaurant.

Two of them managed to escape, but as the fog spread, each of the remaining five was enveloped by a layer of black mist resembling a tail, which they could not shake off or leave the restaurant.

"What do we do! What do we do!" A player's talent was passively activated.

Jiang Yang and Xingye's black mist were still being intercepted and resisted by Ji Yang together.

However, the prolonged attrition gradually forced Ji Yang back to a position close to them.

Jiang Yang took a breath and, after forcing himself to calm down, began to observe each wisp of black mist.

The dispersed black mist floated in the air and did not disappear. The skin that was stuck to the black mist was like an arm sticking out of a window. The surface turned bluish-gray, and the color spread along the blood vessels to the whole body at a speed visible to the naked eye. Jiang Yang watched as a person was entangled by the black mist. Before long, even the exposed neck changed color.

The man scratched himself in agony, his sharp fingernails tearing at his skin, from which black blood gushed out.

Upon seeing this, the other person was filled with terror, and even forgot to dodge the black mist that rushed towards him.

Jiang Yang reacted quickly, kicking the person away and taking out a short spear from his backpack to thrust upwards with a backhand motion.

I thought the attack would be ineffective, but the mist seemed to have a physical form, and its tip was cut off by the knife.

"It's not fog, it's insects!"

The severed mist, no longer supported by nematodes, fell to the ground, mixed with what turned out to be nematodes from the bluish-gray arms.

Nematodes surged in the fog, and the broken parts gradually healed under the black mist, showing a faint tendency to return to their original state.

"Hoshino!" Jiang Yang called out, pointing urgently at the player he had rescued. "See if he can get out."

As he spoke, he held the short spear horizontally in front of him, his eyes fixed on the black mist with a do-or-die spirit.

Hoshino reluctantly proceeded, pulling the terrified player towards the door with one hand, and after a moment shouted back, "We can't get out."

Jiang Yang rolled her eyes. If that's the case, then they were trapped not because of fighting, so what could it be?

The young man avoided the black fog by standing on tiptoe, and later simply stood on the chair in front of the dining table.

After scanning the room, he looked down at the person and asked, "Where did you eat just now?"

A person points in a certain direction.

On the other side of the table, there was still half-eaten food left on the plate.

Besides that, there were a few green vegetables left on Hoshino's plate.

Finally, his gaze fell on the food serving window, where the meals he and Hoshino had ordered were still sitting quietly.

The young man felt a lump in his throat, helpless: "Go eat! We should be able to leave after we eat!"

Jiang Yang followed Ji Yang back the way he came, cutting through the black mist along the way. He wielded the short spear with increasing skill and his eyes became more determined. However, as they scattered, the black mist wove a messy net as they converged, making it difficult to find a direct path to the window.

Ji Yang also overheard the discussion among the group at the restaurant entrance.

Jiang Yang's appearance relieved the pressure of fighting alone, and he took the opportunity to put away the Sword of Justice and take out a few cards.

The metal plaque was thrown overhead, and the black mist rushed towards them. Ji Yang grabbed Jiang Yang's waist, lifted him up, and spun him around halfway to avoid it. Then, justice was activated, and under the rational judgment of justice, the black mist was frozen in place, creating a path.

Ji Yang groaned, and Jiang Yang looked worried, but was urged, "Go quickly, I can still hold on."

With Ji Yang's assistance, Jiang Yang made his way smoothly. He took long strides and rushed to the glass window in just a few steps.

With his left hand, he first picked up the fried noodles that Hoshino had casually placed on the table, and with his right hand, he grabbed the steamed buns from the plate. Fortunately, the food was not contaminated by the black mist. Without hesitation, he took one in his mouth and turned to walk back.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Yang was suddenly drawn to the inside of the window and stopped in his tracks.

Fog seeped out continuously from the severed arm, drifting through the air, gradually revealing the "creature" that was originally shrouded in fog.

There are people inside!

Jiang Yang pursed her lips.

"What are you standing there for? Let's go!"

After struggling to finish the vegetables, Hoshino was with Ji Yang and others. He used his demonic power to reinforce his justice and intercept the black mist's attack. Jiang Yang, who was standing there stunned, rushed over, unable to bear it any longer.

Black mist seeped outwards along the gaps in the metal sign. Jiang Yang gritted his teeth and, struggling, reluctantly followed Hoshino.

The two ate as they ran, wolfing down their food, and managed to finish the last bite just as they reached the door.

The next second, the automatic doors on both sides slid open, and the two of them lost their footing and stumbled out of the door in a flustered and disheveled state.

Ji Yang followed closely behind, not forgetting the other two players.

He grabbed one person from each arm, and with a sudden burst of strength, flung them out of the door.

The one who was seriously injured had scratches all over his skin and lay on the ground with his eyes closed after leaving the restaurant.

Jiang Yang stepped forward and placed his index and middle fingers together on the person's neck to check for a pulse.

The pulse under the finger is weak, and nematodes are crawling on the surface of the skin. If intervention is not carried out as soon as possible, the entire body will probably be completely occupied by nematodes in just a few minutes.

Jiang Yang didn't want to implicate anyone.

Ji Yang took a breath, took out a golden pill from his backpack, squatted down, and put it into the person's mouth.

Ji Yang said, "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

His tone carried a reassuring composure.

Ji Yang moved to Jiang Yang's side, casually placing his arm on Jiang Yang's shoulder. He leaned slightly forward, bending his right leg and tiptoeing, crossing it over his left calf, with almost half of his body weight resting on Jiang Yang.

Jiang Yang glanced at the person, letting Ji Yang do as he pleased.

Hoshino opened his mouth, but before he could finish speaking, Ji Yang gave him a slight nod.

Jiang Yang didn't notice, but then, everyone received a notification from the system at the same time.

[Due to the closure of the restaurant area, all players can choose to unlock a new scene.]

[A: Water Room / B: Garden]

[After all players have participated in the selection process, the option with the most selections will be unlocked immediately.]

The group exchanged glances.

Hoshino muttered to herself, "Something feels a little strange."

Ji Yang didn't react much, his eyelashes trembling as he lowered his eyelids and took small breaths to adjust his breathing.

Jiang Yang also found it strange. In this trial, yesterday everyone's behavior was still limited by the rules of the sanatorium itself, but today it seemed to be moving towards the rhythm and pattern of no man's land.

Just like when they caused a scene at the restaurant, the caregivers who should have appeared immediately to stop them were nowhere to be seen.

It's unclear whether the restaurant's closure is a good thing or a bad thing for them.

Hoshino pursed her lips at their actions, "Which one should we choose?"

Taking advantage of the situation, Ji Yang rested his chin on Jiang Yang's shoulder and asked casually, "What did you see at the window just now?"

He was referring to the moment when Jiang Yang stood there, stunned, as he went to get the tray.

"There seems to be someone inside..." Jiang Yang wasn't quite sure.

Suddenly, Jiang Yang seemed to remember something and quickly raised his hand, his bent elbow pressing against Ji Yang's stomach.

Ji Yang's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the pain that almost escaped his lips, feigning nonchalance.

[Memory retrieval complete]

As Jiang Yang was being called away by Xingye, he tentatively tossed a white rose into the room.

The system notification on the panel was buried in the news of the restaurant's closure, and he hadn't noticed it at first, but now he was certain.

"There is someone inside," but it's impossible to identify who it is.

Hoshino tilted her head and suddenly asked, "Is the water room closer to the dining room, or the garden closer to the kitchen?"

Jiang Yang recalled the sanatorium in the real world, "the water room."

"You can choose the water room," said Ji Yang.

Cough...cough...cough...

After Ji Yang finished speaking, he could no longer hold back and covered his mouth, coughing violently.

Ji Yang tilted his head back and fell straight to the ground.