Fukang Hospital

"Zzz…Zzzz…"

The light overhead made an unstable buzzing sound.

Because of being old and unrepaired, the elevator door was a little stuck when it was opened. The space inside was much larger than an ordinary elevator. The iron grey walls were densely covered with reddish-brown rust, which almost looked like dried blood in dim light.

Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth and forced himself to walk in.

He didn't know if it was a psychological effect, but with the strong smell of disinfectant, there was still a faint stinky smell in the elevator, which made people feel uneasy.

On the button panel in the elevator, there were only two buttons: the first floor and the underground floor.

The "-1" button lit up.

With the buzzing sound of machinery, the elevator fell slightly and then began to move down slowly.

The phone in Wen Jianyan's pocket vibrated twice.

He paused, reached out, and took the phone out of his pocket.

Although there was still no signal, two lines of words popped up on the screen:

[Due to a large number of NPCs in this instance, in order to ensure the quality of your live broadcast, the Nightmare background app service will be opened for you.]

[Please continue to work hard to create a more exciting and innovative viewing experience for the audience!]

The text disappeared.

Wen Jianyan saw that an app with a dark icon appeared on the screen at some point.

There was only one word written below: Nightmare.

He clicked on the icon and found that there was everything in it except for the barrage. It was simply a miniature version of the entire live broadcast interface. Not only did it have ID card information, but you could also check your points and backpacks, and even shop in the system store.

The current main task had been updated on the taskbar:

[Complete the patrolling task on the first underground floor within two hours.]

[Degree of Completion: 0%]

[High-difficulty side quest refreshed: Protect NPC Qi Shen on the first underground floor.]

Wen Jianyan turned his head thoughtfully and looked at Su Cheng.

Su Cheng cast a meaningful glance at Qi Shen who was in front, and Wen Jianyan immediately understood.

It seemed that the other party's task should be the same as his own. The main task was to complete the patrol, and the side quest was to protect the NPC. In this case…

Wen Jianyan stepped forward, put his hand on Qi Shen's shoulder, and let out a long sigh.

"Hey, I really don't know what's there to patrol on the underground floor. Isn't it just the mortuary? Could it be that the corpses inside can still come back to life?"

Qi Shen clearly felt the same way, he nodded:

"Yes… and it's also a night patrol, which is really weird."

After a short back-and-forth conversation, Wen Jianyan had easily become acquainted with the other party.

At this moment, his words suddenly changed.

"Speaking of which, do you know? There seem to be some strange rumors about Fukang Hospital…"

Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes slightly. His amber eyes shimmered slyly under his long and dense eyelashes, and his casual voice was slightly depressed.

Qi Shen was startled: "What, what rumors?"

"Didn't you notice that the speed of the elevator is too slow?" Wen Jianyan's voice didn't fluctuate, and it looked particularly gloomy in this special elevator used to transport corpses: "It is said that ah…"

In the following time, Su Cheng witnessed how this dog liar made up all kinds of bizarre, scalp-numbing morgue ghost stories without changing his face.

The added emotions were rich and vivid, and the sense of substitution was very strong.

Soon, the elevator made a "ding" sound, and the old elevator door slowly opened.

Outside was a bottomless bluish-white corridor leading to several halls in the distance. The temperature here was much colder than that on the first floor. Even with a layer of long-sleeved shirt and trousers, you can still get goosebumps.

"Crack!"

The sound sensory light overhead lit up.

Even though he knew that 80% of the stories that Wen Jianyan told were made up, under the atmosphere of the mortuary, Su Cheng couldn't help feeling a little uneasy, and he almost didn't dare to move forward.

Not to mention Qi Shen.

With a pale face, he subconsciously moved closer to Wen Jianyan's side, and said in a pretentiously calm tone, "Zhao, Brother Zhao, why don't we act together, anyway, it won't be long before the inspection is over."

Wen Jianyan turned his head and blinked at Su Cheng, indicating that he was done.

Su Cheng's face was expressionless: "..."

You're a d@mn liar who scares innocent NPCs and also frightens his teammates by the way!

Although the other party's method was indeed rogue, it also fully ensured that the NPC would stick to their side along the way, and the success rate of the side quest became much higher.

Wen Jianyan stopped in front of the map next to the elevator, and secretly remembered the layout of the mortuary.

The area here was much larger than he imagined, consisting of three main halls, all of which were connected by narrow corridors.

These morgues here were independently powered, and the main electric switch was near the elevator.

The one closest to them was used to temporarily store the patient's body, which would be taken to the crematorium by the patient's relatives in a few days at most. The other one not far away was responsible for the storage of the body of the deceased who donated their bodies voluntarily. These bodies will be transported to the medical school to contribute to the training of the next generation of medical students.

The innermost morgue was also the smallest on the entire floor.

Most of the corpses stored there have a strange death. They needed to be sent to the police's medical appraisal center for autopsy and tests, and they couldn't be buried until the cause of death was determined.

According to Xue Mingyan's account before leaving, they need to count the number of bodies within two hours and send them to a freezer to be locked.

Wen Jianyan turned his head to look at the deep corridor not far away, the three inner halls that had been connected by the corridor.

"..."

It's over, the after-effect of the ghost stories I just told is coming up.

Now he himself was a little frightened.

Wen Jianyan maintained a calm expression, and said to the other two bravely, "Let's go and start. The sooner we finish the task, the earlier we can leave."

Su Cheng and Qi Shen nodded and followed behind him.

They first came to the temporary storage room for the patients' bodies.

The area here was the largest among the three halls. The iron platforms connected to the refrigerated cabinets were neatly arranged in the empty morgue. The blue light above the head was buzzing, becoming the only sound in the entire hall.

The corpse lay motionless on the platform, covered with white cloth from head to toe, and the undulating human figure could be vaguely seen.

The three people had a clear division of labor. Wen Jianyan was responsible for matching the list with the corpse one by one and ticking it off, and the other two were responsible for pushing the corpse into the freezer after he was finished taking notes.

The tip of the pen slid across the paper, making a rustling sound.

After making the mark, Wen Jianyan nodded to the two of them.

The metal pulleys under the iron bed made a sliding sound, and the body covered with a white cloth was pushed into the refrigerator cabinet with force.

"Jingle", "Jingle" ——

All of a sudden, the crisp bell sounded in the empty morgue, sounding extraordinarily strange.

The two who pushed the iron platform were startled, they subconsciously released their hands and took a step back.

The white cloth covering the corpse was pulled down slightly, revealing the bluish-purple, half-stiff toes. In addition to the labels tied to the toes, there was also a small bell tied around the ankle.

"Ah…"

Qi Shen seemed to have thought of something. His eyes widened slightly, and he said, "I didn't expect Fukang Hospital to keep this tradition."

Su Cheng was startled: "What do you mean?"

"In the past, many old morgues used to tie a bell around the feet of the dead body. As a semi-professional who was relatively familiar with this, Qi Shen talked about it: "Because the technology was not developed enough in the past, it was sometimes difficult to judge whether the corpse was dead or alive, so a bell was tied on the foot to prevent misjudgment."

He lowered his head and looked at the bell tied to the corpse's ankle with some strangeness.

"But later, this method became more symbolic than practical. I didn't expect that Fukang Hospital was still using it."

While these few people were talking, suddenly, a faint voice sounded from the depths of the morgue.

"…Jingle Jingle. "

The voice was very small, separated by the deep corridor and the huge open space. It was almost suspected to be auditory hallucinations, but it was inexplicably deafening, causing the three of them to subconsciously suck in a breath of cold air. They abruptly stopped the conversation and turned toward the voice, looking in the direction from which the voice came.

The air was dead silent.

"..."

Su Cheng swallowed a mouthful of saliva with difficulty, and his face became pale: "That, did you also hear it…"

The expression on Qi Sen's face was stiff and panicked and he seemed to be trying to convince himself:

"No, it's impossible. It should be because we are too tired and have hallucinations, right?

Wen Jianyan felt his stomach tighten again.

The symptoms of fear manifested themselves physiologically, and his body's instinct urged him to escape from this ominous place. But his reason was very clear: if he did not complete the main task, he would die even If he went upstairs.

Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and said hurriedly, "Let's speed up, finish the task and leave quickly. "

Su Cheng's face was pale, and he nodded vigorously.

The movements of the three people accelerated significantly.

In the first morgue, there were a total of twenty-five corpses, twenty males and five females.

In the second morgue, there were a total of nine corpses, six males and three females.

At the very end of the corridor, the overhead sensor light came on, illuminating the narrow room not far away — the third morgue was in front of them. It was only ten steps wide, had no windows, and the walls were compacted, making it seem particularly claustrophobic and narrow.

There were only four iron beds inside, and only a solitary corpse lay inside.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Su Cheng's hair couldn't help but stand on end.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at Wen Jianyan, who was standing beside him. Under the dim light, the young man's face profile was clear and neat, and his eyes were bright and focused, looking fixedly into the third morgue.

For some reason, seeing the calm and composed eyes of the other party, Su Cheng suddenly felt a lot more at ease.

He took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and took the lead to step forward: "Let's go, it's the last one."

Wen Jianyan's pupils suddenly trembled, and he turned his head to look at Su Cheng in disbelief: ??

Brother, why are you in such a hurry?

I'm still doing mental construction, and you've already stepped forward.

He sighed, raised his hand to wipe his face, and followed reluctantly.

Three people were squeezed into the narrow room, and it suddenly seemed a little crowded. The air in the room was turbid and cold and was very difficult to circulate. They don't know if it was an illusion, but the temperature here seemed to be even lower than the outside, almost bone-chilling.

Wen Jian looked down at the screen of the mobile phone without leaving a trace.

[Complete the patrol mission on the first underground floor within two hours.]

[Degree of Completion: 92%]

Just hold on, it will be over soon!

Wen Jianyan lowered his head and made a tick on the booklet: "Zhang Hua, 24 years old—"

The voice got stuck in his throat, and it couldn't go up or down.

He stared at the booklet in his hand, his lips were a little white, and his expression was stern and serious.

Su Cheng noticed something was wrong: "What's wrong?"

Wen Jianyan slowly raised his head, opened his mouth, and only after two seconds did he make a sound:

"Here… There should be two corpses here."

This time, both Su Cheng and Qi Shen's faces also turned pale.

Qi Shen stammered: "No, no, no, no, no? Is it possible that there is an error in the record?"

He shook his head in disbelief: "Or someone has already—"

Suddenly, a soft sound came from outside the door.

"Jingle".

...…

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh F**k your stupid uncle, grandfather, father, your ancestor aaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!

Wen Jianyan's pupils shrunk, and he was so frightened that he almost lost his soul.

The next second, a familiar voice sounded in both Su Cheng and Wen Jianyan's ears at the same time.

[Congratulations to the anchor for triggering the scene: Hide-and-seek

Count: three times

Countdowns to hide: 01:00]

[Don't stay in one place for too long.]

"Jingle."

The voice became clear, and it seemed to be slowly approaching in this direction.

Wen Jianyan had triggered a similar scene before, so he immediately reacted and began to draw the route in his mind.

The third morgue is the innermost one. If they want to go to other morgues, they have to go through the narrow corridor on the outside, and It's very likely that they will collide with the sound that was slowly approaching. Then, the most suitable place for hiding is here—

Wen Jianyan jumped up and opened the door of the refrigerator:

"Quick, go in!"

There were four refrigerator cabinets in this morgue, and there just happened to be three empty for them to hide.

Qi Shen's face was as pale as paper: "You, are you kidding me?"

The corpse freezer, which can only accommodate one person, was opened, revealing a dark hole as if it was watching them silently.

Wen Jianyan's voice was hurried: "Do you have any other way?"

[Countdown to hide: 00:42]

"Jingle".

The sound of the bells outside was getting closer.

Crawling into the corpse freezer alone has become a more acceptable option than being caught by an unknown corpse outside.

Su Cheng faced death calmly and bent down to get into the freezer.

Wen Jianyan turned to look at Qi Shen: "Quick!"

"..."

Qi Shen swallowed hard as if he had finally made up his mind, and crawled in with trembling hands and feet.

[Countdown to hide: 00:06]

Wen Jianyan closed the door of the freezer for the two of them as quickly as possible. At this time, the sound of bells was already close at hand outside the door, and the thin layer of walls only made people panic.

He gritted his teeth and moved quickly to hide inward. His palm stuck on the door of the freezer, cleverly taking advantage of the inertia to move it in!

"Crack."

The freezer was closed.

[Countdown to hide: 00:00]

It was pitch black in front of him.

The temperature in the freezer was extremely low. The cold was teeth chattering, and a strong smell of formalin was lingering in the nose. The iron walls on all sides press against the chest cavity and limbs, and only heavy and disordered breathing can be heard in the ears.

Other than that, there was only a panic-stricken silence.

Wen Jianyan held his breath and listened to the movements outside with trepidation.

[Countdown to find: 01:00]

"Jingle", "Jingle".

The sound of footsteps against the ground rang outside the cabinet door, accompanied by bursts of crisp bells, making people extremely terrified.

Time passed minute by minute, and the long time made them almost desperate. The black and heavy air was pressing against their bodies, almost suffocating them in such a narrow space.

After an unknown amount of time.

The sound of bells and footsteps fade away.

[Countdown to find: 00:00]

[Countdown to hide: 03:00]

This time, there were three minutes of hiding time.

Almost in the next second after the sound fell, Wen Jianyan pushed open the door of the freezer and jumped out. On the other side, although Su Cheng was a little slower, he also climbed out.

The third morgue was empty.

Including…

On the iron platform where the corpse was lying just now, there was only a white cloth left. Its one end was hanging to the ground, still shaking slightly.

Wen Jianyan felt a chill rush to the top of his head.

He stepped forward quickly and dragged the NPC Qi Shen out of another freezer: "You can only hide in a place once, or you will be discovered next time."

Qi Shen was so frightened that his face was dull, and he seemed to have lost his ability to struggle and speak.

Wen Jianyan didn't care either. He and Su Cheng dragged Qi Shen, whose legs were weak, from both sides. They walked out quickly, hurried through the corridor, and ran into the second morgue.

Just like before, they did the same this time.

After stuffing Qi Shen into a freezer, they each found a cabinet to hide in it.

[Countdown to find: 03:00]

This time, the sound of bells wandering outside the cabinet door turned into two, echoing in the huge space.

[Countdown to find: 00:00]

[Countdown to hide: 10:00]

The third time, the hiding time increased to ten minutes.

Wen Jianyan left his hiding place. He looked up at the second morgue in front of him, his scalp tingling suddenly.

All the refrigerated cabinet doors in front of them were opened, revealing a pitch-black interior.

Each one was empty.

They had just pushed them in earlier, and now all the locked corpses have disappeared.

Su Cheng's face was as pale as paper, but after all, he had already experienced the baptism of an instance, so his mood was stable for the time being. But Qi Shen, who was on the side, was on the verge of collapse. He held his head with his hand, buried his head deeply, and muttered something in a low voice.

Wen Jianyan didn't have so much time to talk nonsense with him.

He grabbed Qi Shen: "Let's go, go to the next room."

The first morgue was the same as the second one, all the freezer doors were wide open, and the cold blue-white light was pouring down from overhead like an invisible rope hanging around a person's neck.

After stuffing Qi Shen into a refrigerator together, Su Cheng hid in a cabinet near the corridor.

Taking advantage of the fact that there was still some time left, Wen Jianyan took a few steps forward——

The elevator and stairs were not far away, looking like shining gates beckoning to him.

He sighed, withdrew his gaze, and was about to walk toward an outside hallway cabinet.

But when he passed by the freezer where Qi Shen was hiding, Wen Jianyan paused involuntarily. He was stunned and turned his head to look in the direction from which the voice came.

There was dead silence in the morgue.

Separated by the thick iron cabinet door, he could vaguely hear the other party's absent-minded muttering:

"Big sister, big sister, big sister…"

[Countdown to find: 10:00]

Wen Jianyan was lying in the freezer. He turned on his phone and stared thoughtfully at the screen that lit up in front of him.

Big sister?

Was it the third corpse that disappeared in the morgue? If so, does Qi Shen, as the younger brother, know something? This difficult task released by the system — saving NPC Qi Shen, was it just to increase the difficulty, or was there any other consideration?

Outside the freezer, the sound of bells and footsteps came and went. Wen Jianyan could almost clearly imagine the horror scene of countless pale corpses wandering in the morgue in his mind.

At this moment, a screaming sound came from the outside:

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh——"

…the sound was penetrating.

Wen Jianyan was slightly startled.

Based on the direction and distance, the sound probably came from the third morgue.

Across the iron door, he heard the sound of bells and footsteps. Then, all the footsteps began to move again, chasing in the direction of the sound, and gradually moved away from the first morgue.

——At the same time, the system prompt sounded in his ears: [Ding! The high-difficulty side quest is about to fail!]

In the "Integrity First" live broadcast room:

[Alas, it really failed.]

[So far, it seems that no anchor in Fukang Hospital has successfully completed this task. It really deserves to be the only high-difficulty side quest in this C-level instance…]

[D@mn, the main thing is that there is really no way to do it. They have already stuffed him into a safe place. If Qi Shen, the NPC, is going to run out and die, which anchor can stop it.]

[But the anchor is already very strong. I remember that the survival rate in the underground morgue of Fukang hospital was extremely low, right?]

[Yes, in the situation just now, the anchor can react immediately and hide in the freezer. This response speed is really awesome.]

[Although he hasn't completed the high-difficulty side quest, it is good to survive. Although the morgue is difficult, I remember that the reward was extremely good…]

When the audience was discussing in the live broadcast room, suddenly, a soft "Bang" was heard, and the freezer where Wen Jianyan was located was pushed open from the inside.

Immediately afterward, the young man cautiously stuck his head out.

"..."

The live broadcast room fell into a dead silence.

[???]

[??? Time hasn't come yet, right?]

[No!]

[What's the anchor doing at this time? Courting death?!]

After confirming that there were no corpses guarding outside the cabinet, Wen Jianyan nimbly slipped out of the cabinet and ran toward the elevator.

The audience was even more puzzled:

[Ah? What does the anchor want to do?]

[I can't understand anymore…]

[The third round of hide-and-seek is about to end, does he suddenly want to run at this time or something?]

Then they saw that Wen Jianyan rushed to the elevator with a clear goal in mind——

It was because of the independent main switch next to it.

Hearing a "click" sound, the power supply in the entire morgue was cut off, and the surroundings suddenly plunged into darkness.

[No, it can't be, right? Does the anchor think this is the last instance?]

[I think so. There are all corpses in this instance, they don't rely on light sources to move.]

[Is this anchor okay…]

After cutting off the power supply, Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and pulled out his mobile phone from his pocket.

He opened the phone's voice memo.

And clicked the play button.

The next second, the familiar "Jingle" "Jingle" sound came from the mobile phone.

The barrage was silent for a moment: "..."

After a few seconds, the barrage area finally came alive again.

[Fvck (50 reward points)]

[D@mn (100 reward points)]

[…I finally know what the anchor is trying to do. (100 reward points)]

[??? What? Am I alone in the fog? Can a kind-hearted person come and explain it?]

[Come, come, kind-hearted person, please come. Now the anchor doesn't want to give up the high-difficulty side quest, so he's ready to save the NPC.]

[The corpses in the morgue are not ghosts. They are dead people, so their way of judging friends and enemies is still the same as when they were alive, either listening or watching. Now because the anchor has cut off the power supply, they are only left with one way—]

[Understood! Thank you, kind-hearted person!]

[!!! I also understood!]

[So, this dog liar didn't have enough fun pretending to be an NPC to deceive the living in the last instance, so he's now going to pretend to be a corpse to deceive the dead this time?]