Chapter 110 Utter Darkness "Is it...haunted?"...
The "Never Die" group chat was as quiet as a stagnant pool.
15:18.
Geng Qing arrived before his teammates, pushing open the door directly.
She was still wearing those black patent leather high heels with red soles, seemingly already used to the feeling, walking quickly and steadily, making one wonder if they were modified versions of sneakers.
"It came earlier than I expected."
Geng Qing raised his wrist, glanced at the still-running, exquisite watch face, and waved to everyone with a nonchalant air, "Let's go, we'll be back sooner rather than later."
Liang Jun gave Qi Zhixia and Gu Keke a look, signaling them to follow first. She then picked up her phone, silenced it, and made sure it was in her pocket before jogging to catch up with the group.
Ward 602 was spacious and well-equipped, so during the rest period, almost no one stepped out of the room.
Therefore, the dimly lit corridor and the overly strong scent of air freshener seemed extremely jarring. Apart from Geng Qing, the other three all slowed their pace.
Liang Xun barely covered her mouth and nose with her hand, coughing twice. "Director Geng, where are we going?"
Geng Qing, who was walking at the very front, felt no discomfort whatsoever; the crisp sound of her high heels clicking was particularly noticeable.
“To the emergency department,” the inpatient corridor was empty, and the words seemed to be tinged with reverberation. “The hospital warehouse is near the emergency department on the basement level. We need to get out of the inpatient department first.”
Ward 602 is located at the very end of the corridor. To reach the elevator, you have to walk through this long passageway.
Not only Liang Jun, but even Gu Keke and Qi Zhixia couldn't stand the strong smell. Everyone's brows were furrowed, as if they were about to be marinated in the flavor at any moment.
I thought that entering the elevator car would bring me temporary relief. But to my surprise, the odor composition in the enclosed environment was even more complex.
Liang Xuan's vision blurred from the fumes, as if the feeling of being in a dungeon had returned.
It wasn't until they stepped out of the inpatient building and were enveloped by the outside air that they truly felt alive again.
Gu Keke took several deep breaths, afraid that she would run out of breath at any moment.
"They've sprayed way too much air freshener..." She fanned her face with her hand, "Thank goodness we're outside the instance, or I'd start to wonder if someone's dead..."
She was just making a casual comment and didn't expect Geng Qing to agree with her.
"Someone died."
Geng Qing didn't stop walking, her voice light and airy, as if she were talking about something so ordinary, "It was probably the day before yesterday, in the ward next to yours."
Gu Keke was speechless for a long time after her words came true.
She suddenly felt like she was having trouble breathing again.
In contrast to her, Qi Zhixia, who was following behind Geng Qing, immediately asked, "How did he die? Suicide or murder?"
Perhaps he had heard something funny, because Geng Qing stopped and turned around, a smile still lingering on his lips.
They were standing in front of the hospital fountain, the howling wind carrying the spray from the fountain, which covered them completely.
"Suicide? Homicide? Little sister, do you think this is like a police investigation?"
Geng Qing adjusted his white coat and crossed his arms over his chest. "If you insist on classifying it this way, then it's barely considered homicide—killed by other players."
What does "barely" mean?
Liang Jun, who was at the back of the line and hadn't spoken, noticed Geng Qing's careful choice of words, and her eyes couldn't help but look more inquisitive. "Director Geng's choice of words is very clever."
Geng Qing knew she couldn't fool Liang Xun, and besides, she had no intention of hiding anything, so she simply explained, "'Barely' means that the deceased's fatal wound was indeed caused by a sharp object from another player, but whether the other party committed the murder or the deceased deliberately sought death is still unknown."
Perhaps it was because she was enveloped in the cold mist, but Gu Keke felt a chill all over her body.
"Why would someone actively seek death?" She clearly didn't believe it. "At this stage, why would someone have suicidal thoughts during a rest period?"
Geng Qing turned slightly to the side, his aggressive phoenix eyes flashing for a moment behind his glasses, "You've never left the ward, so naturally you don't know how serious his injuries are."
Without embellishment, she recounted in the most straightforward language: "According to the patient's own account, he was run over by a train at the very last moment of the dungeon, his legs were mangled beyond recognition, and he only managed to crawl out of the dungeon through sheer willpower. But upon returning to reality, his symptoms worsened; both his legs below the patella were completely gone, and his femurs suffered extensive comminuted fractures. We were powerless to help him and could only perform a hip disarticulation—"
She paused, then said, "That means amputation of the entire limb below the pelvis."
The crowd stared in astonishment, and for a moment, all was silent.
Just then, a few withered, yellow leaves were blown by the wind to my feet, rustling as they rubbed against the ground, making the scene even more desolate.
Geng Qing continued walking forward, his extremely thin black heels crushing several withered leaves.
“He couldn’t accept the outcome and expressed his pessimistic feelings to me several times during rounds.” She remained extremely calm, without any subjective feelings involved. “So, when I think of him being stabbed to death in front of his ward, I feel that it was his way of ending his own life.”
The topic was so heavy that after Geng Qing finished speaking, no one continued to pick up where she left off.
The scene of walking silently towards the emergency room, a symbol of saving lives, seems to be the most fitting for the current situation.
Liang Jun remained at the very back of the group, lost in thought.
She had never met the player who lived in the next ward. If it weren't for Geng Qing's introduction, Liang Jun would never have imagined that in the dead of night while she was sound asleep, another tragic life would come to an end just a wall away.
She couldn't imagine the pain of being run over by a train, yet the other person escaped the situation thanks to an iron will to survive. But why, after having been given a second chance at life, would they so easily throw it away?
Liang Jun was not that player; she had not experienced everything he had gone through, so she naturally could not empathize with the pain he had suffered.
She walked along, following the group in a daze.
For a moment, I couldn't figure out whether this was "misfortune" or "fortune"—
Unfortunately, he may have given up his own life, cutting off all possible opportunities for a new life.
Fortunately, he took control of his life and escaped this cannibalistic game before everyone else.
A thought flashed through Liang Jun's mind.
She wanted to stop this game filled with evil—
What are you thinking about?
Geng Qing suddenly snapped his fingers in front of Liang Xun, startling her so much that she shrank back. "Standing here motionless, are you trying to attract attention?"
Liang Jun then noticed that they had already reached the main building of the hospital.
With a smile on her face, she said that she had only been distracted for a moment, and that was how she managed to appease Geng Qing.
Stepping inside the hospital building, the familiar, strong smell of disinfectant hits you once again.
This time, however, everyone had experienced the stronger smell in the inpatient department first, and with the two clashing together, Liang Jun didn't find it so pungent after all.
She rubbed her nose, her voice slightly nasal, "Director Geng, shall we go downstairs directly?"
Geng Qing glanced at his watch again. "Time is running out, we can't delay any longer."
Hearing her say that, Liang Jun and Gu Keke prepared to walk towards the stairs.
When they first arrived at the hospital, they took the stairs directly to the emergency department on the basement level, which was very close.
Geng Qing glanced at them and knew what they were up to. He quickly grabbed the back of their collars and pulled them back like he was scooping up chicks.
“We won’t take the stairs, we’ll take the elevator.” Geng Qing raised an eyebrow at the elevator entrance not far away. “The elevator on the basement level faces the hospital warehouse entrance, which is very convenient for our movement.”
Just as the group arrived at the elevator, it happened to be coming down from the top floor.
Everything is just right.
Without wasting any time, they quickly entered the elevator car and proceeded to the basement level.
The moment the elevator doors opened, the biting cold made Liang Jun shiver involuntarily.
Apart from the freezing low temperature, the entire emergency department was largely the same as it had been ten days ago.
Under the flickering lights, Liang Xun tried to step out of the sedan chair. "Director Geng, why is it suddenly so cold in here?"
The sound of high heels echoed even more clearly on the ground.
Geng Qing stepped in front of them and led the group toward the hospital warehouse.
"The air conditioning system in the emergency department malfunctioned a while ago."
After confirming that no one was around, Geng Qing finally put down his tiptoes, which he had been standing on. "If we can't find anyone to fix it, we'll just have to leave it like this."
Qi Zhixia shivered as well, "It's like a freezer now, aren't you afraid of causing problems for the patients from the cold..."
"That's why the emergency department is basically closed now, and patients have been dispersed to various consultation rooms."
Geng Qing stopped in front of a thick wall that gleamed with silver light. "These days, nine out of ten people who can endure this temperature to go down to the basement are coming for the warehouse."
Liang Jun followed closely behind and discovered that it was not a thick wall, but a security door specially made for the hospital warehouse.
The basement level is nearly five meters high, and this solid metal door connects seamlessly to the ceiling, creating a distinct sense of oppression even before anyone gets close.
Liang Jun unconsciously moved closer to Geng Qing.
Despite the poor lighting, she noticed that the other person took a magnetic card out of the pocket where the pen was inserted, then pushed open the identification barrier on the security door and swiped the card in the sensor area.
With a "beep," a faint mechanical sound came from behind the heavy metal security door.
The door, which clearly could not be pushed open by manpower alone, slowly opened before everyone's eyes.
The temperature inside the warehouse was significantly higher than the outside temperature.
Before Liang Jun even stepped inside, she could already feel a warm current of air.
Geng Qing put the magnetic card back into his pocket and urged softly, "Hurry up and go in."
"But the lights aren't on inside yet..."
Before Gu Keke could finish reciting, she was pushed into a pitch-black space.
She moved with extreme speed; before anyone could even instinctively try to dodge, they were all scrambled into the sealed warehouse by Geng Qing.
The metal security door slowly closed behind them, sealing the door tightly.
A completely dark environment can trigger the most primal fears in humans.
But at this moment, the "fear" in the hearts of the three of them was far less than the "betrayal".
Liang Xun instinctively shielded Qi Zhixia and Gu Keke behind her, asking, "Director Geng, what are you doing?"
Her tone was cold and indifferent, devoid of any emotion.
The sound was ethereal; the space must be even higher and larger than I had imagined.
"Staying outside the warehouse carries the risk of being discovered at any time."
Geng Qing, unconcerned about arousing suspicion from her teammates, skillfully made her way to the corner of the warehouse. After a crisp "click" sound, a small area of the warehouse was illuminated by the light of a flashlight.
"It's okay if you don't believe me, it's not the first time anyway."
Seeing that their excessive vigilance had led to the misunderstanding, the group felt relieved but also somewhat embarrassed.
Liang Jun coughed twice, the echoes in the warehouse growing louder. "I'm sorry, Director Geng."
Geng Qing ignored her directly, and instead took out several more flashlights and put them into the hands of each person.
Sensing the familiar touch, Qi Zhixia was startled. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but Geng Qing knew what she was about to say.
“I know what you’re trying to say,” she said, pulling her loose white coat tighter again. “These are just flashlights provided by the hospital for lighting purposes—I’m not generous enough to give you system-generated items.”
Qi Zhixia visibly relaxed, and then manipulated the flashlight in her hand, shining the light into the space not far in front of her.
Neat and orderly stainless steel medical shelves are arranged here, extending into the depths of the warehouse.
Just as Liang Jun had imagined, the interior of the warehouse was much taller than the entire basement. The shelves, without exception, stretched all the way to the ceiling, displaying neatly arranged items categorized by type – a truly magnificent sight.
They were all stunned, forgetting that they were only standing at the doorway.
"Before the accident, this was a warehouse for the hospital to store medicines."
With one hand in his pocket and the other manipulating the flashlight, Geng Qing said, “Each shelf has a specially designed conveyor belt that can transport specific medicines to a small elevator in the center of the warehouse, which then takes them to the pharmacy on the first floor.”
"But after arriving in this absurd world, we quickly realized that the precious medicines that could cure diseases and save lives had become worthless—on the contrary, it was these various items that could be exchanged with cold points that were effective."
At this point, Geng Qing raised his hand and touched the stainless steel shelf, "So, we emptied the medicine overnight and turned it into the prop warehouse you see in front of you now."
Gu Keke glanced at the shelf next to Geng Qing and was so shocked her jaw almost dropped. "This is a whole shelf full of multi-functional gold locks..."
She thought she might be hallucinating, and after rubbing her eyes in disbelief, she was even more astonished. "Good heavens... this is all real..."
"Of course it's true."
A high-heeled voice rang out elegantly, "When we're storing the props, the system will be activated. If it's discovered to be a counterfeit or substandard product, it will be returned."
Gu Keke felt as if her legs were filled with lead, and she couldn't lift her feet at all.
"How many points would that be...?"
She started counting on her fingers, quietly calculating the total points for these props.
Suppressing her shock, Liang Xun asked Geng Qing the crucial question, "Director Geng, do you have enough props stored in the warehouse to use them all?"
Geng Qing paused, then slowly turned around and looked back.
"Why must it all be spent?" She raised her hand to adjust her glasses, the light reflecting off the gold-rimmed frames in a blinding flash. "Is a billionaire destined to spend all his savings?"
"That's not the same principle."
Liang Jun saw through her sophistry in no time. "When a billionaire dies, his savings can be left as an inheritance for the next generation; but when we players die, our points are wiped out. In rule-based worlds, 'points' are real hard currency. Isn't it a waste to just let these priceless items pile up here year after year?"
Liang Jun pressed down on her wrist, and the flashlight beam changed direction—illuminating her worn-out sneakers and the other person's sleek black patent leather high heels.
She tiptoed slightly, leaned close to Geng Qing's ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Or is it for some other purpose?"
Although the light wasn't shining directly on them, Liang Jun still noticed the other person's unnatural expression even in the dim light.
Only one second.
Her slightly furrowed brows and slightly twitched nose lasted only a second before she quickly erased the traces.
Geng Qing took a few steps back without showing any emotion, "Don't..."
"Bang!"
Before Liang Xuan could hear the rest of the story, a loud thud came from deep inside the warehouse.
The sounds of falling objects and metal clashing followed one after another, like dominoes, before an eerie silence descended after a sudden explosion of volume.
The alert level in their hearts immediately rose to the highest.
Liang Jun pulled Qi Zhixia and Gu Keke to her side, while Geng Qing stood still next to the three girls, his eyes fixed on the source of the sound.
"Is it...is it haunted?" Gu Keke asked, trembling.
In the past, Liang Jun might have replied, "We must adhere to materialism."
But now, it's really hard to say...
"Should we go take a look?" she asked in a low voice, seeking Geng Qing's opinion.
But Geng Qing reached out and stopped them.
"Shh, I'll go alone," she patted Liang Jun's hand that was holding the white coat, signaling the other to let go. "You guys just stand there, turn off your flashlights, and don't make any noise. Wait for me to come back."
Two clicks rang out in the silence, and they both noticed the flashing signal in the darkness.
"When I come back, I will be walking with a flashing light. If you find that the light pointing towards you is not flashing, don't worry about me, just press the door open button on the wall and run out quickly."
Hearing her arrangements, Qi Zhixia was clearly even more worried.
"It's so dangerous, and you're all alone..."
"I am the best on my own."
Geng Qing said coldly, "If you follow me, you will only delay me."
Taking rash action in an unfamiliar environment is hardly a smart move.
Handing the battlefield over to Geng Qing, who has the home advantage, might yield better results.
Seeing this, Liang Jun had no choice but to take a deep breath, press the switch on the flashlight, and turn off the light in front of her.
Qi Zhixia and Gu Keke had no choice but to follow closely behind.
My vision was gradually swallowed up, and the familiar sound of high heels grew fainter and fainter.
Utter darkness.
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Author's Note: There will be a few more chapters of transitional content, please be patient, everyone! ToT
Although I was debating whether to shorten the transition chapters and quickly unlock new dungeons, I ultimately decided to write all of this content in its entirety.
You might think the progress is a bit slow, but Mint is working hard to adjust it (bows).
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
