Chapter 55: Please, you must believe that this hospital truly exists!

“This is our operating room. The patients are very cooperative; look how happily they smile.”

The Director led the way, introducing the hospital's facilities with small, silent, shuffling steps.

He maintained a constant smile; no matter what happened, the grin never seemed to leave his face.

This was the surgical wing, and the group was currently touring the operating rooms.

A surgery was underway in one of the rooms, and Zhang Yangqing’s group could see the scene through the glass window.

The patient appeared to be tied down tightly to the operating table, his expression incredibly distorted, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.

Several doctors beside him were pinning him down firmly, while a lead surgeon approached him with a scalpel.

Despite this, the patient was still struggling.

There wasn't a single sign of cooperation.

Most incomprehensibly, the operating room seemed to be equipped with sound-activated lights.

If no sufficient noise was made, the lights would seemingly go out.

The primary focus appeared to be energy conservation.

They truly didn't seem to care if a patient was accidentally killed simply because they couldn't see.

Seeing this, Zhang Yangqing seemed to understand the meaning of "cooperative."

After all, if the patient didn't scream and shout, the sound-activated lights wouldn't turn on, and the surgery could not proceed normally.

Was this what the Director meant by "cooperation"?

It sounded somewhat absurd, yet it seemed logical in its own twisted way.

Thus, when the Director spoke, Zhang Yangqing did not argue; he even ignored the desperate, pleading looks in the patient's eyes.

After the doctor delivered several sudden, sharp cuts, the patient seemed to give up struggling, and a grotesque smile appeared on his distorted face.

The moment the patient stopped making noise, the sound-activated lights went out, plunging the operating room into pitch darkness.

Before the lights died, one could see the smile on the doctor's face; he was smiling happily, seemingly enjoying himself.

As if he had accomplished something truly magnificent.

Observing this scene of splashing blood, Zhang Yangqing noticed that the onlookers were not afraid; instead, they were constantly swallowing hard.

It didn't feel like they were watching their own kind, but rather a different species.

"I can see that your hospital's medical standards are very high, and the patients are quite cooperative."

"Of course. Our hospital gathers elites from many prestigious universities. If you wish, I can arrange a free surgical experience for you."

"Thank you, but I'm not sick at the moment."

After saying this, Zhang Yangqing looked back at the 'sightseeing group' and asked, "Does anyone have time to go in and have a play?"

The thirty-odd members of the tour group looked stunned. *Big brother, you're joking, right? Do you think this is a game of house? Is this a place meant for playing?*

*You're not sick, but neither are we!*

Every traveler offered a polite refusal.

Seeing this, the Director sighed, "Hahaha, what a pity."

Zhang Yangqing continued to chat with the Director in casual, non-committal sentences. He couldn't afford to offend him yet, as the man still held some utility for him.

This eerie atmosphere and absurd dialogue terrified the people watching him on the large screen.

[Good grief, a surgical experience? Is that something you do just because you're bored?]

[Even for energy saving, this is too much. I have no idea what the hospital leadership is thinking.]

[This is terrifying. I wouldn't want to stay in this hospital for a single second.]

[I've been a doctor for decades, and this is the first time I've seen surgery performed without any anesthesia.]

[It's weird. I think it's very weird. The doctor's movements are strange, but I can't quite put my finger on why.]

[But the patient really is cooperative, not making a sound. It's truly rare.]

[Are you just talking nonsense here? Even if he speaks, you can't hear him through the glass.]

[I really admire Master Zhang's courage; he isn't afraid at all.]

[Come to think of it, I see other Chosen ones carefully avoiding these dangerous places, yet Master Zhang is touring like he's on a legitimate sightseeing tour. Is he really not afraid of something going wrong?]

[What is there to fear? When you have Master Zhang's strength, you aren't the one who should be afraid.]

While the audience was debating, the expert group from the Dragon Kingdom was also perplexed.

They didn't understand why Zhang Yangqing was wasting time here. Other Chosen ones had already gathered a lot of intelligence.

Even if you have strength, you still need to know how to clear the stage.

In the last dungeon, Zhang Yangqing was the one who collected the most information.

In this dungeon, he had collected very little.

Was there some other benefit to sightseeing?

Not only the other members of the expert group, but even Hu Liqi, acting as a fellow player, was puzzled.

Time was precious in this dungeon; Chosen ones only had two hours of free movement.

Zhang Yangqing had been touring for over ten minutes without gathering a single piece of useful information.

If this continued, he might be dragged to death by that eerie Director.

However, Hu Liqi noticed one thing: Zhang Yangqing could enter places that other Chosen ones could not.

It wasn't that he possessed some extraordinary ability, but rather that this Director held significant authority.

"Could Master Zhang be trying to induce him to lead him somewhere?"

Hu Liqi thought of this, but he wasn't certain.

After all, this man was a Transcendent; one couldn't simply apply ordinary logic to him.

Thus, everyone began to overthink it, with some experts even suspecting that Master Zhang might be laying a trap.

In reality, they were overthinking. Zhang Yangqing had no idea about all that when he first arrived.

The reason he wanted this eerie Director to lead the way was to confirm the friendliness of the [Director] identity toward [Outsiders].

The Director wasn't wearing a mask, the doctors weren't wearing masks, and they were all hospital staff, so it could be judged that they belonged to the same faction.

From his attitude, he could judge the attitude of other staff members toward outsiders.

Along the way, Zhang Yangqing observed that the doctors seemed uninterested in his group, showing interest only in the [Patients].

Even when he stood right next to a doctor, the man didn't seem to spare him a single glance.

Next was the Director's behavior. Although the places the Director took them to looked dangerous, no accidents actually occurred.

Zhang Yangqing deduced one thing: the doctors' faction might be neutral.

So-called neutrality meant they could turn into either enemies or allies under certain conditions.

Once he confirmed the identities of the patients and nurses, clearing this dungeon would become much simpler.

Because only by confirming their identities could he directly judge the accuracy of the information they provided.

This would be much easier than obtaining information and then having to search for clues to verify it.

After touring for a while, Zhang Yangqing bid farewell to the eerily smiling Director and led his team to the nurse station.

The Director's disappearance gave off the impression that "he would never return."

As soon as Zhang Yangqing arrived at the nurse station, he noticed several rules written on the wall.

[Rule 8: The hospital does not keep dogs. If you hear a dog barking, please do not make any noise, otherwise, you will be in great danger.]

[Rule 9: Please do not stay in a patient room for more than 3 minutes, otherwise, you will contract a disease.]

[Rule 10: Those in gray clothing are psychiatric patients; please ignore what they say. Those in white clothing are ordinary patients; please try your best to satisfy their requests.]

[Rule 11: If coughing up blood, fractures, stomach pain, burns, or similar symptoms occur during your tour, please go to the corresponding clinic for medical treatment as soon as possible. If you do not, you bear the consequences.]

[Rule 12: Note: Please show sufficient respect to the doctors. Only doctors in this hospital can treat patients. If you find that the person treating you is not a doctor, run!]

[Rule 13: The Director's office is on the 18th floor of the hospital's comprehensive building and can only be reached by elevator. If you wish to visit the Director, please bring the fruit the Director likes to eat.]

[Rule 14: If someone tells you that this hospital does not exist, you must believe them: this hospital truly exists!]

Seeing these rules, many Chosen ones swallowed hard, feeling a chill run down their spines.

The last rule, in particular, felt somewhat unsettling.

Was this also an implication of something?

(End of Chapter)