Treatment Room

Lin Ye didn't elaborate on the details of the escape plan, and Jessica and Caroline didn't press for more information.

"Earlier I tested both colored powders separately. A small amount of blue powder briefly induces that dazed state, while a small amount of red powder makes people see things that don't exist, like another version of themselves. But probably because the dosage was too small, that person only appeared for a moment before disappearing."

While Lin Ye was out, Caroline hadn't been idle either. She wanted to gain more information about the medication by consuming different dosages.

"The orderlies' condition is quite abnormal. Their memories seem incomplete, and they're not sensitive to things outside their work duties."

Jessica had been secretly observing the orderlies. She'd considered knocking out all the door guards and forcing her way out, but these orderlies gave her a very bad feeling. Combined with those disgusting monsters over there, she didn't know what would happen if she took action.

"If the secret passage hasn't been discovered, I'll go in again this afternoon. Do you remember how you were brought in?"

Before entering the asylum, Lin Ye had been injected with some kind of drug that caused unconsciousness. When he woke up, he was already inside the mental hospital.

"I don't remember clearly. There aren't even any windows here. I'm not even sure if this building is above ground."

Jessica had entered this place in the same way as Lin Ye.

"...I vaguely remember coming down from above. This might be underground in some building."

Caroline said while rubbing her head.

Lin Ye and Jessica both glanced at Caroline, then subtly exchanged looks with each other, but neither asked Caroline why she remembered this information.

The three chatted for a while before being led by orderlies to the cafeteria for lunch. Those patients who had explored the secret passage hadn't caused any trouble, as they didn't dare venture recklessly into the complex ventilation duct system.

After lunch, Lin Ye climbed back into the ventilation ducts. This time he planned to search other areas for ways to leave this building. If Caroline remembered correctly, he needed to find elevators or emergency stairwells leading upward.

This wasn't difficult. Based on the terrain structure of various areas, Lin Ye quickly found several elevators going upward.

These elevators were neatly arranged on one side of the building. The elevator spaces were large, each capable of accommodating a jeep.

But there were no buttons outside the elevators, only card slots for inserting corresponding cards.

Lin Ye hadn't yet discovered personnel carrying cards, nor had he found emergency stairwells leading upward.

Just as Lin Ye was lying by the ventilation opening thinking about how to obtain elevator cards, he suddenly saw several orderlies pushing some kind of instrument through the corridor below.

'What kind of instrument is this? Wait, that's the testing area over there. Their purpose in pushing this instrument out from the testing area is...'

The only ones who could be tested by such instruments here were probably the patients serving as experimental materials. Thinking of this, Lin Ye hurriedly crawled toward the activity room.

If his guess was correct, he needed to return to the activity room as quickly as possible. After all, the testing location probably wasn't in the activity room, so they should currently be registering patient numbers over there.

And Lin Ye was Patient No. 4.

Lin Ye returned to the activity room's secret passage at his fastest speed, but he was still too late. The orderlies had already called number 31.

'Should I go out? Or should I find a place to hide?'

Listening to the orderly's calm voice outside, Lin Ye decided to go out and take a look. Even if no one had registered for him earlier, he could emerge from a corner and pretend he'd been spacing out there.

When Lin Ye crawled out of the secret passage into the activity room, he found several patients using their bodies to block the secret passage exit.

"You're number 43 now. Those orderlies don't seem to care about whether the numbers are correct, but you'd better find an opportunity to swap positions with number 43."

One of the patients whispered to Lin Ye.

"Thanks."

Lin Ye decided to slightly adjust these patients' positions in the escape plan.

"No need to thank me. Actually, I don't really want to leave this place that much. For me, outside and here aren't that different, but I hope those of you who want to escape can get out."

Hearing the orderly's voice, Patient No. 42 left the activity room and entered the corridor to line up.

Next it would be Lin Ye's turn.

The lined-up patients were brought outside the treatment room.

Lin Ye and Patient No. 43 swapped positions during the movement.

Because he was number 4, Lin Ye was among the first batch of patients to enter the treatment room... The first batch only had two patients: No. 1 and No. 4.

The treatment room was similar to an operating room, with the complex instrument Lin Ye had seen earlier placed beside the operating table.

"Patient No. 1, lie down."

The speaker was a male doctor wearing a white coat and medical mask. This doctor looked tall and muscular, his white coat seemingly about to burst at the seams.

Patient No. 1 was strapped onto the operating table. He nervously watched the tall doctor and the complex instrument beside him, completely unaware of what would happen next.

"Don't be nervous, it'll be over soon."

The doctor attached some electrode-like patches to Patient No. 1's head, then turned on the instrument.

At first, Patient No. 1 showed no change, but soon he stared at the treatment room entrance with a terrified expression, as if something horrifying had entered the treatment room.

"Don't come over! Damn it! Let me go! That monster is coming!"

Patient No. 1 let out hysterical screams, violently pulling at the restraints binding him. But this was meaningless—those restraints were exceptionally tough, showing no slight deformation no matter how hard he pulled.

"No! Don't look at me! Aaaaaah!"

Bang!

The screaming stopped abruptly. Patient No. 1's head exploded, fresh blood spraying everywhere.

Some red-and-white mixed liquid splattered near Lin Ye's feet, the intense smell of blood rushing into his nostrils.

Lin Ye expressionlessly swallowed the red-blue capsule he'd just put in his mouth.

Before the plan had even started, he'd lost another card from his hand.

"Patient No. 4, lie down."

After the nearby orderlies wiped clean the operating table, the doctor turned to look at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye glanced at Little Ye standing beside the doctor, and only after seeing her nod did he lie down on the operating table.

After fastening the restraints, the doctor attached electrode patches to Lin Ye and activated the instrument.

Pale gray, jellyfish-like creatures floated into the treatment room. Inside those jellyfish grew some brain-like tissue structures.

The jellyfish drifted around the operating table, their bodies quivering as they released pale gray mist into the surroundings.

"Don't worry. You've only taken the blue powder twice, so your drug resistance isn't high yet. They can't see you."

Little Ye placed her hand on Lin Ye's head, comforting him.

"I'm not worried. I just don't like operating rooms, and I especially don't like lying on operating tables."

This was Lin Ye's first time being in this position.