Chapter 74

Chapter 74

In the Kunshan Sanatorium dungeon, the demands of the NCs are absolutely irresistible, because even someone like Xiyu and Luo Xi, with their strength, were both forcefully taken away by the caregivers. It’s safe to assume that the other streamers have no way to resist the harsh demands for "treatment."

The waiting room outside the treatment room was in a state of disarray. The captured streamers were all locked in here, and they entered the treatment area in batches, one after the other, through two separate partitions.

They were already uneasy about both each other and the situation, and with the people who were taken inside screaming in agony, it only heightened their sense of dread.

Xiyu sat next to Luo Xi, holding his mask, feeling worried.

Of course, it wasn’t the fear of enduring pain that bothered him, but rather the fear of his symptoms becoming more obvious and revealing his true condition.

"Hey, what’s wrong with your face?" Zhou Rong asked from across the room, with her legs crossed.

Xiyu raised his clear eyes. "It’s nothing, I just can’t breathe the air in here."

Zhou Rong obviously didn’t believe him and seemed almost eager to investigate.

But even if she were strong, she couldn’t possibly defeat both Xiyu and Luo Xi, two big men. Acting rashly would only make things worse, so she just snorted in response.

Xiyu was feeling tense, and at that moment, Nurse Chun suddenly came out of the treatment room. She released Sun Xin, who was walking unsteadily, and coldly called out, "Next, Xiyu."

Luo Xi instantly grabbed Xiyu’s arm. "Be careful."

Xiyu smiled to reassure him, and calmly followed Nurse Chun into the treatment room.

The so-called treatment room was just as old and filthy as expected, with a leather examination table in the center, surrounded by shelves filled with various medicines and equipment, creating a rather terrifying sight.

Besides Nurse Chun and the caregiver Winter, there was a man standing next to the examination table whom Xiyu had never seen before. His eyes, small and lifeless under the mask, glared sharply. His voice was harsh: "Hurry up, what are you waiting for?"

Xiyu heard the door click shut tightly and then cautiously asked, "Doctor Fan?"

The man snorted. "Yes, hurry up."

Having been dragged here forcefully, Xiyu understood that resistance was useless and could only obediently lie down as Winter pressed him down, restraining his limbs.

Doctor Fan roughly yanked off Xiyu's mask, observing his face for a moment before speaking coldly: "Porphyria, it's already manifested, not bad."

If Xiyu didn’t know the background of this hospital, he might not understand what the "not bad" meant, but hearing it now, he found it incredibly terrifying.

Doctor Fan waved his hand. "Bring the light and shine it on him."Nurse Chun obediently took a strange lamp and, after rolling up Xiyu’s sleeve, directed the light onto his skin.

What does it feel like when your skin rots at a visible speed?

Xiyu only felt a buzzing sound in his brain, and then all his willpower was focused on not screaming out loud. Cold sweat immediately started to bead on his forehead.

Dr. Fan, looking bored, waited while checking his watch. About thirty seconds later, he said, "Turn it off, try the medicine."

Nurse Chun immediately took the lamp away.

Winter, the caregiver who was standing by, moved a row of medicine bottles and handed them to the doctor.

Dr. Fan held Xiyu’s completely rotting arm and, using a dropper, applied the medicine to the rotten spots, as if he were meticulously documenting the treatment results.

The pain from these different medicinal solutions nearly drove Xiyu crazy, shaking him to the point where he could no longer tolerate it.

Nurse Chun silently wiped the sweat from Xiyu’s forehead.

After observing, Dr. Fan said, "The newly mixed TU-191 is working, look, the injured area has already started healing."

Xiyu could no longer hold on. He saw the medicine bottle with the most effective solution and suddenly, with a great force, jerked his arm, pulling the restraints off his wrists and grabbing the treatment liquid!

Nurse Chun, most likely on purpose, screamed in shock and backed up, accidentally knocking over the medicine trolley!

The precious medicines spilled everywhere, and Dr. Fan turned pale with distress, angrily shouting, "What are you doing! Are you rebelling?!"

Nurse Chun started crying in distress, "Sorry, I’ve never seen someone with such strength!"

During the commotion, Xiyu had already poured the medicine onto his face and arm, deliberately shouting, "Are you treating me or torturing me? I’m not getting treated anymore!"

Winter, the caregiver, slammed a fist into Xiyu’s face with surprising speed and force, his attitude still harsh, "You don’t get to decide whether you’re treated or not! Give it back to me!"

He forcefully snatched the empty bottle from Xiyu’s hands.

Dr. Fan, having calmed down, narrowed his eyes and said, "What are you waiting for? Go get the new medicine, fix the restraints, and finish today’s work."

Winter asked, "What about this patient? Should I teach him a lesson?"

"Forget it, I’ve already gotten my conclusion," Dr. Fan said with a cruel smile, "Anyway, he won’t be alive much longer."Xiyu pretended to be both shocked and scared.

Dr. Fan waved his hand impatiently, "Let him go, next!"

"Consider yourself lucky," Winter caregiver glared, unbuckling the straps on Xiyu's feet and roughly pulling him down, "Get out!"

Although the things these people were doing were despicable, the medicine they developed really worked well. In a short amount of time, Xiyu’s wounds had mostly healed. He pressed his lips together and left the treatment room, naturally attracting many curious glances.

As soon as an impatient Luo Xi stood up, he touched Xiyu's swollen face, "Are you okay?"

Xiyu shook his head, "I’m fine, just had a little conflict with the NC."

"Stay quiet and behave!" Winter caregiver harshly knocked on the door, "Luo Xi, it's your turn!"

Luo Xi’s only virtue was his ability to endure, so he wasn’t afraid of their "torture." He just rubbed Xiyu’s head and said, "Wait for me."

Xiyu watched him disappear into the room, feeling a complicated mix of emotions. It seemed that players could figure out their condition through the so-called treatments. But Luo Xi still hadn’t shown any symptoms. Could his illness suddenly break out? That would be even more dangerous…

Although they could survive by getting the nutrient solution every day, he hoped that the disease wouldn’t ruin his mobility. Otherwise, the other seemingly fine broadcasters would immediately pounce on him like wolves and tear him to pieces.

Unlike the other broadcasters who suffered different injuries, Luo Xi came out still unscathed, and there was no significant information visible on the NC's face.

Xiyu, waiting anxiously outside, quickly moved closer and supported his arm.

Luo Xi smiled, pulling his hand away and blocking Xiyu’s shoulder, "Let’s find a place to rest."

Xiyu didn’t look at the other broadcasters' gazes, obediently following Luo Xi out the door.

Only when they were in an empty corridor did Xiyu look at him with a curious expression, "So, how was it?"

"It’s troublesome..." Luo Xi showed a slight frown.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, a female broadcaster followed them. Xiyu quickly gestured for Luo Xi to be quiet.

It was Qi Juexiao, the only one who hadn’t won against the Survival Grid in last night’s dark moment. In addition to the wounds left by the Monopoly player, she also had various small cuts on her body, which looked quite strange.

Luo Xi, lacking patience, asked, "Is there something you need?"

"Xi Ge, please help me, I haven’t had any nutrient solution yet," Qi Juexiao showed a pitiful look, trying to grab Luo Xi's wrist.Xiyu unhappily blocked the way, "We don’t have any extra, please don’t do this."

Qi Juexiao’s tears came instantly, "It’s impossible... you’re so strong, you must be able to find a lot of nutrient solution, please, I beg you."

Luo Xi was never one to pretend to be kind, especially since she was as annoying as chewing gum. He quickly set the boundary, "This competition isn’t about being weak and right, sorry to be blunt, but sooner or later, you’ll be reset."

"But I want to live a little longer!" Qi Juexiao said, feeling wronged.

Luo Xi turned his head, "If you want to live longer, you shouldn’t have signed up for this competition."

Qi Juexiao finally blurted out, "But I’m Ling Xue’s friend, can’t you help me for her sake? If it wasn’t for you, she wouldn’t have been reset!"

Originally, Xiyu hadn’t paid much attention to this woman, but hearing the name Ling Xue again caused him to change expression instantly. He looked at Luo Xi suspiciously.

"..." Luo Xi’s expression stiffened, "If she knew you were still like this, she would be ashamed of you."

With that, Luo Xi tried to grab Xiyu’s hand, "Let’s go."

Xiyu angrily moved his arm away and walked off alone.

Luo Xi, feeling a headache, followed behind him, no longer caring about the woman trying to cling to him.

Qi Juexiao stood there, frustrated, but she had no other choice. She eventually turned and walked away.

Most of the medical staff in the nursing home were in the treatment rooms, and the corridors were empty. The only sounds were the occasional pained sobs. Xiyu, walking in the shadowy, moldy-smelling hallways to protect himself, couldn’t shake the ominous atmosphere surrounding him, even in broad daylight.

It wasn’t long before Luo Xi caught up with him, stopping him, "Hey, haven’t I already explained that? Why are you angry again?"

Xiyu stopped and said, "If that woman can use this to threaten you, it means her sacrifice is important to you!"

Luo Xi hesitated, then laughed, "Actually, I think it’s kind of funny that you’re jealous, but I’m worried you’ll make yourself sick from anger."

Xiyu held back the word "roll" in his mouth and immediately tried to shake him off.

Luo Xi hurriedly said, "Don’t you want to know my symptoms? It was all made clear during the treatment."

Xiyu, of course, wanted to sulk and let things be, but this game wasn’t a joke. If Luo Xi really had a past different from the other broadcasters, the more resets he went through, the greater the damage to his brain. It was possible that he might never be able to recover from it!

Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and walked back, "What symptoms?"Luo Xi finally grabbed Xiyu's hand and made him reach inside his patient outfit to feel his abdominal muscles.

Xiyu was about to pull away, but as his hand touched the warm muscles, he also felt an unusual hardness...

Luo Xi gave a wry smile, "It's ossification disease. Over time, the soft tissues and muscles will ossify, causing scoliosis and difficulty moving. In the end, the condition will likely be quite tragic."

The news immediately made Xiyu throw his jealousy aside. He was genuinely concerned for several seconds, then said, "...It’s fine, it’s just a game. The symptoms may not be entirely realistic; it's probably just trying to scare us. Besides, the system clearly states that as long as we find nutrient solution every day, we’ll survive!"

Luo Xi stared at him, "Aren’t you angry?"

Xiyu didn’t know what to say and could only angrily turn his head, "I don’t have time to argue with you, let’s go find the nutrient solution!"

With that, he grabbed Luo Xi’s arm and hurriedly walked toward the unexplored area ahead.

Luo Xi suddenly smiled faintly, as if he wasn’t worried at all about his condition. In fact, he seemed to enjoy Xiyu’s fluctuating emotions.

Searching the map was a tedious task. In order to find the nutrient solution, Luo Xi and Xiyu almost searched through every room in the nursing home. Finally, they found a bottle in the sink of a restroom.

Luo Xi handed it to Xiyu, "You hold onto it, you're in charge of keeping our stuff."

"..." Xiyu took it, "It looks like it’s getting dark. Let’s check the cafeteria. I feel like we’ve seen enough of the nurses; maybe Summer Nurse will also be there for dinner."

Luo Xi nodded, "Then you’ll rest and conserve energy for the evening."

Xiyu gradually realized that Luo Xi liked to observe everyone from strange corners alone. He didn’t mention it and just smiled.

Unexpectedly, as they just walked out of the restroom, they bumped into a beautiful round-faced nurse who was holding something in her arms. She got startled and took two steps back, "Watch out!"

With that, she quickly entered the women’s restroom.

Xiyu raised an eyebrow, "Speak of the devil."

"This Summer Nurse is acting suspiciously," Luo Xi said. "The AI in the game wouldn't do anything useless. Some hints might be quite obvious. Keep an eye on her."

Xiyu hummed, "Let’s move on. Right now, we know nothing about the others' conditions, which puts us at a disadvantage. If we stick together, we’ll probably figure something out."

Luo Xi was self-aware, "It's up to you. I don’t think I’ll get any inducement agents."

Xiyu chuckled, "But you can just take them by force, before you get paralyzed."Luo Xi, who had never felt so frustrated: "..."

By evening, the nursing home’s cafeteria finally had the smell of warm food in the air. Although it was just plain, simple food with nothing special to eat, at least it was clean enough and could replenish some energy.

The streamers all sat down, mostly without exchanging words.

It was the most beautiful doctor and Director Hao Zhong who were in deep conversation, with the doctor feeding him vegetables and calling him "teacher" every now and then, as if trying to make sure everyone knew about their affair. On the other hand, Doctor Fan had a stiff face, saying nothing and just focusing on eating.

Xiyu glanced over a couple of times before silently starting to eat his steamed bread.

Just as the entire restaurant was filled with the sound of the doctor’s laughter, Nurse Lin suddenly walked in, taking large steps with her hefty frame.

The doctor immediately stopped laughing, gathered her chopsticks, and prepared to leave.

Nurse Lin didn’t eat either. She stood with her hands on her hips, blocking the doctor, "Oh, what secret do you have? Why are you hiding from me?"

The doctor cleared her throat and put on a serious face, "Good evening, Nurse Lin, I still have a paper to write. I’m in a hurry."

"What paper? That PhD was bought for you by Hao Zhong! And now you’re pretending to be all virtuous!" Nurse Lin suddenly threw a tantrum and slapped the doctor so hard that she almost fell out of her seat.

Although the other streamers were already on edge, they couldn’t help but feel a jolt.

The doctor covered her swollen face and began to cry loudly, "Why are you hitting me? Teacher, the teacher’s wife hit me!"

Hao Zhong awkwardly stood up, "Feng Yang, what are you doing?!"

"What am I doing? Stop pretending!" Nurse Lin rolled up her sleeves and went to hit her husband, "Don’t think I don’t know about your little affairs! Shameless!"

Hao Zhong looked completely weak in front of her, crawling around helplessly on the floor as she beat him.

The nurses rushed up to stop the fight, and the scene turned chaotic. It took a while before they all left, leaving a mess behind.

The streamers watched in shock, even forgetting to eat their food.

Yao Shengming took the initiative to speak and started a conversation with everyone: "How strange. In the past, we had to explore the plot slowly to learn the details, but this time, they’re showing everything to us so quickly."

Zhou Rong snorted, "Anyway, as long as we understand that the system won’t treat us kindly, that’s enough."

Sun Xin chuckled, "Actually, the reason is simple. Things that are shown to us easily aren’t important at all.""If I guess correctly, it should be that the tendencies of these NCs can be influenced," Yuan Wei put down her spoon after finishing her porridge and said lightly, "They have both loyalty and hostility towards the nursing home—though it has nothing to do with me. I just want to survive."

Qi Juexiao, not sure whether it was sincere or just flattery, said, "Yes, yes! You're so smart!"

"Save it," Zhang Hua suddenly said coldly, "No one will give you any nutrient liquid!"

Qi Juexiao was stunned for a moment, "I didn't mean that."

Zhang Hua said, "Parasite, you’re the one who’ll be eliminated!"

After saying that, she immediately turned pale with anger, threw down her utensils, and stormed out of the cafeteria.

Yuan Wei hurriedly followed, "Hey, wait for me!"

"Zhang Hua actually has pretty high emotional intelligence, and her temper isn’t that bad. What's going on with her?" Sun Xin leaned back in his chair and laughed lightly.

"She's sick," Zhou Rong said, showing her small white teeth, "Of course, we all have our issues!"

At night, Xiyu lay on the bed in his room, barely managing to sleep for a short while, before waking up due to the cold and the pain in his internal organs. It seemed the symptoms would worsen with time, and he needed to gain an advantage in the early stages. Otherwise, by the time it got worse, he wouldn't have any strength left to fight back.

Determined, he suddenly jumped up.

Just as he opened the door, he saw someone crouching in the hallway at the door—it was Luo Xi.

Xiyu was surprised, "Why aren't you sleeping? Lack of sleep will greatly affect your mental energy."

Luo Xi opened his eyes and smiled, "I napped for a bit. I wanted to come find you, but this door wouldn’t let me in. Seems like the private room is also a safe house."

Xiyu crouched down and gently massaged his shoulder, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No feeling," Luo Xi pulled him up, "Let's go. The nutrient liquid refreshes at midnight. Those people will definitely rush to grab it first."

Xiyu, of course, didn’t mention the burning sensation in his internal organs, but calmly grasped Luo Xi’s hand in return and walked with him into the darkness.