On the other end of the call, a lingering silence filled the space as George abruptly ended the conversation.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen and Zhao Lan stared at her, curiosity evident on their faces. “Well, spill it,” Zhou Xiao Zhen urged.

    “He’s on board,” Yu Xiao excitedly messaged George, sharing the information about the Tie Niu.

    “Tsk,” Zhou Xiao Zhen shook her head, a complex expression playing across her features. “George, he’s oddly endearing.”

    Zhao Lan couldn’t quite understand the peculiar thoughts of these young people. “You can’t find endearment in a ghost, can you?”

    “You’re missing the point, Misty,” Zhou Xiao Zhen squinted, playfully raising her index finger. “Sometimes, the more endearing someone is, the more you want to tease them, to ruffle their feathers, relish in their moments of distress.”

    “…” Zhao Lan gaped, feeling as if a cog in her brain had gotten stuck, refusing to move.

    She turned to Yu Xiao. “Are you on the same wavelength?”

    “How could I?” Yu Xiao vehemently disagreed. “Am I the kind of person with twisted principles?”

    (三观: Refers to one’s outlook on values, worldview, and life philosophy.)

    Zhou Xiao Zhen let out an exasperated pout, her lips twisted in frustration. “Misty Misty, Smiley Sister, says my values are all twisted…”

    Yu Xiao carefully arranged the talismans she had previously sketched, creating a sizable stack. As she held the assortment of charms in her hand, she felt a surge of confidence and an added layer of security. The sudden influx of wealth practically begged for a bit of flaunting.

    “A talisman in the mall sells for ten points. If I sell these charms for just five bucks each…” Yu Xiao contemplated a strategy to accumulate points without resorting to treatment instances. “Wouldn’t I be swimming in cash?”

    “Yeah!” Zhou Xiao Zhen’s excitement resurfaced. “Smiley, your success rate in drawing talismans is almost one hundred percent, and the cost is practically nothing. Sell twenty in a day, and that’s 100 points. One hundred points! How many rounds of instances would we had to tackle to get so many points?”

    Both Zhou Xiao Zhen and Yu Xiao found themselves catching their breath.

    “Ah…” Yu Xiao felt her cheeks flush as heat surged within her. “I’m going to live forever!”

    Hand in hand, Zhou Xiao Zhen and Yu Xiao savoured the moment. “Smiley, you’re truly going to live forever!”

    “Haha…” Yu Xiao revelled in ecstasy. “The three of us will be bound together eternally!”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen happily leaped around. “Ah ah ah… Mom, Dad, I don’t have to die!”

    “Cough!” Zhao Lan, who had been observing with a cold gaze, finally interrupted. “While you all revel in joy, there are a few things I need to point out. Our mall is the Sixth Hospital Mall, exclusively for Sixth Hospital patients. In other words, Smiley, your customers are limited to Sixth Hospital patients.”

    “So what?” Zhou Xiao Zhen was confused. “There’s still a decent number of patients at the Sixth Hospital, at least a couple of hundred.”

    “Yes, that’s true.” Zhao Lan sighed, rubbing her temples. “But even if you sell a talisman for a mere five points each, they can’t afford it. Think about it carefully. Since the establishment of the Sixth Hospital until now, how many people have completed the initial treatment? Even if they have finished the first treatment, how many points do they have? Titles and reward points are still out of reach for them.”

    “…”

    The sweet reverie shattered like glass, leaving Yu Xiao devoid of enthusiasm. She slumped against the bed, her spirits deflated, murmuring, “Let’s figure out when we can dive back into the instance.”

    The group decided to sign up for a treatment that night and venture into the treatment instance at dawn. Lingering in the hospital room seemed pointless.

    Having gone through numerous posts on the Fourth Hospital forum, Zhao Lan summarised her findings, saying, “The experiences shared are helpful, but there aren’t many contributors. Our chances of making it into these instances aren’t great.”

    “Wmmhy?” Zhou Xiao Zhen asked, munching on a spicy strip. “Why aren’t more people sharing their experiences? We’re all patients, shouldn’t we help each other out?”

    “Usually, yes,” Zhao Lan explained. “But here, patients don’t cooperate; it’s more of a cutthroat competition.”

    “Muchh?”

    Zhao Lan opened the leaderboard, clarifying, “The top ten receive functional cards as rewards. These cards can be exchanged for item cards, fitness boosts, luck charms – things that actually matter and could save you. Imagine this: you go through an instance and then share your experience in a post. The readers not only breeze through the instance but also earn titles, gain more points, outrank you, and might even obtain functional cards. Would you willingly throw yourself into that pit?”

    “Ah…” Zhou Xiao Zhen struggled to find words.

    Yu Xiao also fell into thoughtful silence. She wondered if she would be willing to take a similar path.

    People are naturally selfish, especially when their lives are at stake.

    “Hey, why the gloomy faces?” Zhao Lan reassured with a grin, patting the shoulders of the two sisters. “We’re not at the stage of considering such things yet. Our forum rank hasn’t even reached three; we can’t even post there.”

    True enough.

    Yu Xiao smiled as well. “Let’s save the deep thoughts for tomorrow’s instance. I wonder how it compares to Saint Elizabeth. Will the difficulty level increase?”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen defiantly clenched her fist, her confidence unwavering. “Even if they turn it up, I’m not scared. We’re not the same as we used to be!”

    Zhao Lan clicked through the backstage of the forum, a smirk playing on her lips. “Pretty brave, huh? Go ahead, sign up for the next round.”

    The familiar little skeleton flashed a grin, tossing a kiss with sharp-toothed charm.【 Thank you for your positive cooperation, chirp~.】

    “It’s about time. Let’s get ready for dinner. Rest early tonight. Who knows if we’ll be able to sleep tomorrow night?” Zhao Lan’s voice dripped with seasoned wisdom.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen nodded in agreement. “Yeah.”

    Yu Xiao scratched her head, puzzled. “Why won’t we be able to sleep?”

    “…” Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen exchanged glances, both remembering Yu Xiao’s extraordinary talent for dozing off anytime, anywhere.

    *

    *

    Zhou Xiao Zhen leaned against the door, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the delivery person. Sear?h the N??elFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yu Xiao suddenly remembered and pulled out the sunglasses the delivery person had sweet-talked her into taking.

    Zhao Lan eyed them with a spark of excitement. “Curious to see what’s beyond those walls?”

    “Yeah.” Yu Xiao nodded. Since getting entangled in this damn game, Yu Xiao hadn’t caught a glimpse of what lay outside. She wondered if it remained unchanged or had completely transformed, like the view beyond the window.

    The ward lights burned brightly, and Yu Xiao, wearing the sunglasses, observed everything draped in a grey haze.

    She waited, biding her time for the delivery person to arrive so she could catch a glimpse.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen by the door announced, “They’re here. I heard a sound.”

    Yu Xiao briefly closed her eyes, then opened them, witnessing a complete transformation of the scene before her.

    On the first day, she and Zhou Xiao Zhen had swung the ward door wide open, greeted by impenetrable darkness. But this time, it was different. She saw.

    Although a faint layer of black mist still hung in the air, it didn’t hinder Yu Xiao’s vision. Intrigued, she approached the door and revealed a corridor that exuded decay – peeling paint on dilapidated walls exposing a tangle of wires.

    The architectural remnants hinted at a hospital, although not the original one she had entered. As Yu Xiao neared the door, a peculiar sight unfolded before her.

    To the left of the door, there was a large pile of something moving.

    Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was several entwined humanoids in unimaginable positions, writhing.

    Two individuals with long hair, who seemed to have just been in a fight, sniffled as they rolled a cart away. The only figure left, a skeleton chef, got up, put on a chef’s hat, adjusted his attire, and then wheeled a cart full of food.

    Approaching the door, the skeleton politely knocked and asked in a magnetic voice, “Hungry?”

    Yu Xiao blinked in surprise.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen asked, “Do you know who lives in our ward?”

    The skeleton nodded respectfully, “Yes, Her Excellency, the great Dean of Elizabeth, resides here.”

    “Hmph.” Zhou Xiao Zhen arrogantly raised her eyebrows and declared, “Good. Tonight, we’d like to have…”

    As she listed the dishes, the skeleton bent down and retrieved meals from the lower layer of the cart. Yu Xiao noticed that the bottom held regular food, while unmistakably, a human thigh lay on top.

    Essentially, there were no impostors – each delivery person presented two meal options, allowing for a seamless switch between real and fake.

    With the food packed, the skeleton knocked again. Zhou Xiao Zhen opened the door, and Yu Xiao said, “Tell Tie Niu that he can prepare to switch jobs.”

    “Huh?” Zhou Xiao Zhen was puzzled. “Is the one outside really Tie Niu? Why is it always him? Does the Sixth Hospital only have one delivery person?”

    Yu Xiao thought that there were likely others, but Tie Niu scared them off.

    Tie Niu, with his eerie white bones on display, handed over the bag.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen took it and added, “Tie Niu, ah, Her Excellency the Dean said that you can prepare to change jobs.”

    “Dong!”

    “Gulu gulu…”

    “?” Zhou Xiao Zhen raised an eyebrow. “What’s that sound?”

    Yu Xiao’s mouth twitched. “Grab the food and shut the damn door. Brother Tie Niu is so excited his head is about to fall off.”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen: “…” Closed the door.

    Tie Niu hurriedly knelt on the ground to pick up his head, tremblingly placed the skull on his spine, then pushed the dining cart, swaying happily, and disappeared at the end of the corridor.

    Zhao Lan curiously asked, “What does it look like outside?”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen inquired, “What does Tie Niu look like?”

    “Outside is very dilapidated, like a corridor in an abandoned hospital, with black mist pervading. Nothing else.” Yu Xiao looked at Zhou Xiao Zhen again. “Tie Niu is very skinny, bone-thin from head to toe.”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen: “…”

    Armed with last night’s knowledge, the trio took it easy this night. They snoozed soundly and woke up the next morning feeling refreshed.

    Zhao Lan splashed her face, perched on the bed in a patient’s robe, and took a sip of water.

    Last time, before entering the instance, she deliberately changed into an outing outfit, but after entering the instance, it automatically changed into a striped patient gown. So this time, she didn’t bother.

    Yu Xiao brewed a cup of milk, and Zhou Xiao Zhen munched on spicy strips. The three awaited the appointed hour.

    “Ding dong!”

    Sharp at eight o’clock.

    Yu Xiao disappeared into the shadows, and when her eyes reopened, she stood in the wilderness.

    Can’t exactly call it wilderness, because not far ahead, squat houses dotted the landscape. Yu Xiao glanced at herself – dressed in a blue cloth gown from the 50s or 60s, wearing dusty shoes on a dirt road.

    Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen stood beside her, dressed similarly. Alongside them, six others, four guys, and two girls.

    All youngsters, dressed almost the same, scanning the surroundings just like them.