A coldness rose from Song Qingxiao's feet, and it spread quickly to her limbs. Her heart pumped blood rapidly through her body, spurred on by her extreme anxiety. Her scalp tingled. She clutched her body with one arm and held onto her dagger in the other. Her entire body trembled.
The doctor who stared at her from behind his desk was clearly the doctor she killed in the first trial!
She wondered if she only imagined it because of how terrified she was. She shut her eyes tightly. However, when she opened them, the doctor still sat there in his white coat. His expression was so peaceful that it appeared almost indifferent. There was a nametag on his white coat which displayed the word, 'Liu Yixun'.
The doctor rested his arms on the table as he held a form in one hand. His sleeves had crept up slightly, exposing part of his wrist and his wristwatch. The same watch that he had shown to everyone in the first trial. He indicated that the watch hands went wild because of the disruption of a magnetic field.
The table was neat and orderly. There was a computer on it. An uncapped fountain pen lay on top of a patient's chart. Song Qingxiao was extremely well-acquainted with that pen. Her cheek tingled slightly. The wound on her cheek where the doctor had scratched her with his pen had healed entirely a while ago. However, she felt a slight pain there at that moment.
What was going on?
Song Qingxiao was speechless. She wanted to take a few steps back away from the doctor, but she was frozen on the spot. Her body no longer responded to her orders and stood there unmovingly.
The environment around her was peaceful yet strange. The ticking noise could still be heard in her ears. It was like she had a bomb strapped to her, giving her a sense of urgency as though an explosion could destroy her at any moment.
The doctor's face looked a little pale. In Song Qingxiao's line of vision, the odd numbers were displayed on the top of his forehead, still in their countdown.
119: 58: 46.
"Are you alright?"
The doctor's gaze landed on Song Qingxiao. He frowned, and his voice sounded a little odd. It was monotonous and flat, devoid of emotion. It seemed stiff and unnatural, like a robot's voice.
Song Qingxiao still remembered their last fight. The pain of being suffocated came back to her mind, and her throat seemed to still be strangled tightly by the doctor with the mouse cord.
She did not need to look in a mirror to know that her complexion was ashen and unsightly. All the odd occurrences that came in quick succession wrought Song Qingxiao's nerves to their limits. Thankfully, the doctor did not pounce to attack Song Qingxiao as soon as she appeared. If that happened, she would have definitely broken down a long time ago.
The sound of her heart pounding rapidly in her chest and the ticking noise in her mind nearly drowned out the doctor's words. Song Qingxiao forced herself to keep a lid over her terror and once again calm herself down.
She had entered the test space. Everything that happened here would be beyond her understanding. Furthermore, the doctor was not that scary. Since she had managed to kill him once, she would definitely be able to kill him again.
She touched her arm. The feeling of the dagger there soothed the erratic pounding of her heart.
"Are you alright?"
The doctor repeated his question. His gaze landed on the arm that she was holding. Song Qingxiao's body stiffened. She swallowed her spit a couple of times and used her unyielding willpower to resist her instinct. She let go of the arm where the dagger was hidden and slowly nodded her head.
Her actions seemed to have used up all of the energy in her body. A frown appeared on the doctor's face. It appeared that he was suspicious of her answer and whether she was really 'alright'. However, he did not question her further. Instead, he moved his stiff lips to put on an awkward smile.
"It's good that you're alright. I've read your resume. Even though you lack experience, the hospital is understaffed right now."
He put down the file in his hand and stood up. "Song Qingxiao, welcome to our hospital. We're colleagues now."
His smile did not reach his eyes. Not only did it not make her feel more relaxed, but his face also caused Song Qingxiao to recall the picture on the card when it flipped, causing her to feel more terrified.
"Now, I'm going to get Nurse Zhang to bring you around the hospital to familiarize yourself with the environment and job role. You should also get changed."
So many things had happened in rapid succession over a short period of time. Song Qingxiao had become numb to all of it. She watched as the doctor called out loudly. The door opened, and someone walked in.
She thought that she would be unfazed even if the person that Liu Yixun called into the room was someone familiar. However, it did not happen as Song Qingxiao had imagined. The person who walked in was a young woman who looked about twenty-five years old. She wore a nurse's uniform, and her hair was neatly tucked under her nurse's cap. She had a hand on the door as she said, "Doctor Liu, did you call for me?"
Her voice was clear, and it seemed to breathe a little life into the eerily quiet office. The woman smiled brightly. Her lips were curved into a lovely smile as they revealed her prominent and adorable canines. Her smile was undoubtedly more genuine than Liu Yixun's smile that was so stiff it made her skin crawl. It allowed Song Qingxiao, who was in a state of extreme tension and anxiety, to relax slightly.
"Yes, I did."
The doctor nodded his head and introduced Song Qingxiao to her. He gave her instructions regarding the duties that he had assigned her. Nurse Zhang nodded her head in response.
When Song Qingxiao stepped out of the doctor's office, she was covered in cold sweat. She looked as drenched as if she had been fished out of water. She kept wiping her forehead with her hand.
Her legs were clenched tightly due to her nerves, and they felt uncomfortable since she had stopped clenching. Each step she took made her foot break out in pins and needles. It felt as if she walked on a path covered in thorns.
The ticking noise continued to ring out in her mind. The countdown continued as the numbers decreased rapidly.
"Our hospital is a psychiatric hospital for severe cases and is under a fully-closed management style," explained Nurse Zhang as she led Song Qingxiao down a long corridor, giving her an introduction to the hospital.
At that moment, Song Qingxiao noticed another problematic issue. The ticking noise in her mind was constant. She needed to pay utmost attention to hear what Nurse Zhang said. Otherwise, it would be easy for her to miss Nurse Zhang's words.
The environment in the trial was different from the previous one. The situation seemed to be more complicated than the one before. At that moment, Song Qingxiao understood very little about the situation, and she had many questions in her head. There were things that she would need to investigate. If she let the ticking sound in her head affect her, she might miss out on important clues.
In that situation, it would be advantageous for her to gather as much information as she could. She ignored the shock she felt when she saw the doctor, the ticking noise, and the countdown. From Nurse Zhang, she learned that she was in a psychiatric hospital that was managed as a fully-closed system. That meant that she would not be in contact with any outsiders.
Song Qingxiao forced herself to ignore the strange noise. However, her expression led Nurse Zhang to misunderstand her. She smiled and said, "We have special supplies delivered every five days."
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
The noise continued to disturb her. Song Qingxiao heard it, and her sharp senses picked up on the information and tried to find a connection. She thought that she was onto something, but the distracting messages in her head, the countdown, and the change in environment, not to mention the strange appearance of the doctor, messed with her thoughts. The clues seemed to dangle right before her. She was close, but she just could not get to it.
Song Qingxiao started to feel a little frustrated and uneasy in that situation. Nurse Zhang turned over to look at her, "There are a total of 27 patients in our hospital. There are 6 doctors and 11 nurses. However, now that you've joined, we have 12."
As soon as Nurse Zhang finished speaking, she paused and noticed that Song Qingxiao was extremely pale. She had been mopping the sweat off her forehead non-stop. Her figure was skinny and weak. After she had left Doctor Liu's office, she had not spoken. Nurse Zhang had been the only one who spoke the whole way.
She quickly stopped walking and asked apologetically, "Have I been speaking too much?"
"Not at all." Song Qingxiao quickly shook her head. In her mind, Song Qingxiao thought that she had shaken her head forcefully. However, it appeared to Nurse Zhang as though she had merely lightly swayed her head twice.
When Nurse Zhang saw her expression and heard her words, she assumed that her new colleague was just extremely introverted. She smiled again and said, "Are you a little nervous because you're starting a new job?"
After all, it was a psychiatric hospital, one that treated severe cases. The patients were mainly aggressive with violent tendencies. It was normal for new starters to be a little scared.
Song Qingxiao focused all attention on her words, worried that she would miss a single one. When she heard Nurse Zhang's words, she nodded in agreement and said, "Yes."
She was indeed highly nervous. It was not because she had entered a psychiatric hospital, but Nurse Zhang had helped her think of a reasonable excuse. Naturally, Song Qingxiao would go along and admit to that. As soon as she responded, Nurse Zhang spoke to reassure her just as Song Qingxiao had expected she would.
She smiled. "Truthfully, there is no need to be nervous. When we all arrived, we were all terrified. However, as time went by, everyone got used to it. They are all patients, so we shouldn't take things to heart."
Sunlight beamed into the corridor through the windows. Nurse Zhang's face looked warm and gentle under the sunlight at that moment. "Take it slow, and you'll be alright."
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick…
Song Qingxiao turned to look at her. The numbers above her cheeks had dropped.
119: 51: 23.
She blinked her eyes.
119: 51: 18.
Nurse Zhang continued to smile. Song Qingxiao could not help but think about her mission.
'Protect the people.'
She learned from Nurse Zhang that it was a mental hospital that treated severe cases. The patients might attack. Did the people in the task instructions refer to the doctors? Did she need to protect the doctors from being killed by the aggressive psychiatric patients?
She wanted to lift her hand to rub her aching head. However, she tried a few times but found that she could not move on her own volition. The day had been extremely traumatizing. She had not fully relaxed and recovered.
Nurse Zhang noticed her actions and reached out to take her hand. Her fingertips had barely brushed against Song Qingxiao's palm when Song Qingxiao felt an electric jolt. She subconsciously wanted to push her aside.
"Oh, your hands are so cold!"
Nurse Zhang held Song Qingxiao's hand tightly. She did not seem to mind her little struggle. In fact, she even smiled when she saw Song Qingxiao's defensive reaction and said, "Your expression now looks pretty similar to some of our patients."
She spoke casually, but it sounded like a warning bell to Song Qingxiao, making her hang her head. Nurse Zhang finished speaking and continued to tug Song Qingxiao along with her.
"Our work schedule is a five-day shift pattern. When we're on shift, we need to stay in the hospital. We eat and sleep here. Since you're new, you might not be used to it. Why don't you share a dorm with me?" She paused momentarily, then continued, "Come on. I'll show you to the dorms first and get you changed."
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
The ticking continued. The numbers in her head had dropped.
119: 46: 57.
Five days!
Song Qingxiao noticed that Nurse Zhang had already mentioned it twice. The deliveries happened every five days. The nurses change shifts every five days. She realized that the time was a key to the task. However, the irritating noise in her mind and the numbers before her eyes constantly distracted her. She could not ponder in peace. She felt a little restless and uneasy. What was the significance of those five days?
Nurse Zhang still spoke as she pointed out places in the building to Song Qingxiao. She nodded her head perfunctorily, slowing her breathing over and over again as she tried to not get overwhelmed by her emotions.
Five days. The sound of the grandfather clock ticking in her mind. The countdown before her eyes. The mission to protect the people.
When she put all the clues together, they formed a coherent pattern. Song Qingxiao figured out the key. It was time!
The period of five days and the ticking noise both pointed at time. The mission to protect the people might have a time limit. As for the odd numbers that appeared before her eyes, the number had dropped to 119: 44: 27. However, she clearly remembered that the initial number that first appeared was 119: 59: 59.
She was shocked by the unexpected situation when the prompt in her consciousness gave her a choice, leaving her no time to think. After she entered the scene and was confronted by the doctor she had killed, she ignored the number.
However, after careful consideration, the figures seemed to be a countdown for precisely five days! It meant that the row of numbers was likely to represent the amount of time she had left for the task. Her task was to protect the people in these five days!
As soon as she thought about it, Song Qingxiao did not know if she should let out a breath of relief because she had figured out the clues or if she should feel more anxious because of the time limit on her task...
After she had chosen her identity, Song Qingxiao had entered the trial as a nurse. According to the nurse, the place was managed as a fully-closed system. The doctors and nurses would change shifts every five days. The five-day period matched the numbers counting down in her mind perfectly.
However, the trial did not prepare a place for her to go to after she got off work. In other words, it meant that the trial mission would last for five days. If she could not complete her task within those five days, she would be at the end of the road.
She took another look at the instructions in her consciousness. 'Protect the people. Obliterate failure. Upon completion of task: 1000 credits.'
Song Qingxiao took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The numbers before her eyes had become 119: 41: 18.
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
The sound of the clock ticked away. It sounded like a death sentence that hung over her head. The scene was brightly lit by the sun. The environment was calm and peaceful, but Song Qingxiao felt inexplicably uneasy.
Since she was there, she had no other choice. There was no use in panicking, so she needed to calm down and try to make sense of everything. The sooner she figured out the whole story about the trial, the sooner she could leave.
"Look here, Xiao Yu planted these plants last year. They're growing pretty well."
Nurse Zhang was still giving Song Qingxiao a tour of the area enthusiastically. Song Qingxiao calmed her nerves and tried to ignore the noise in her mind and the numbers before her eyes that disrupted her focus. She was worried that she would miss even a single word that Nurse Zhang spoke.
The quarantined psychiatric hospital was not very large. It could be divided into two zones. The first was a five-storied building, and the second was a leisure center. The building was split into two sections; the medical staff's offices and dormitories were partitioned off, while the other half consisted of the patient wards and the treatment rooms.
There was no one in the leisure room downstairs. According to Nurse Zhang, there were 27 patients in the hospital, all in the same building. Despite that, Song Qingxiao felt as though her surroundings were very quiet.
Through the transparent full-length windows, she could see the tall walls around the leisure center. It nearly blocked off all of her line of sight to the outdoors, making the hospital seem like its own space.
"This place is straightforward to remember. The time here is also very regulated."
Nurse Zhang seemed to take Doctor Liu's words to heart and was focused on showing Song Qingxiao the ropes conscientiously. "The lights are switched on in the patient wards at six in the morning. The patients get up and wash up, brush their teeth, then we help them trim their nails and hair."
She explained the duties of a nurse and mentioned that the daily work schedule was split into two shifts—morning and night respectively.
"The morning shift starts at 8am to 6pm in the evening. The nurses may have to work the night shift because of staff shortages and the heavy workload. Hence, it can be quite tough."
As soon as Nurse Zhang said that, a complicated look flashed across her eyes. She looked a little guilt-ridden. Song Qingxiao did not come here to work for real. Her mission only lasted five days. If she could not complete the task within five days, she would not keep her life. With that on her mind, she did not have the headspace to worry about the job being tough.
In fact, she hoped that she would be able to master the job within the shortest time possible and figure out the details of the mission tasks.
Song Qingxiao did her best to ignore the disturbance of the ticking noise in her mind. She pursed her lips and put on a tiny smile. "It's okay. I'm hoping that I can learn my role well and familiarize myself with the job as soon as possible. If it's possible, put me on the next available night shift."
Her initiative to ask for the shift impressed Nurse Zhang. In an instance, Song Qingxiao could visibly sense that Nurse Zhang was looking at her more warmly. In a mysterious, blood-thirsty space like that where she could lose her life at any time, Song Qingxiao was stunned to have met someone like Nurse Zhang, who was such a kind and gentle soul.
Nurse Zhang took her hand and broke her out of her trance, forcing her to suppress her feelings of awkwardness.
"Qingxiao, you're the best. However, you've just arrived today. There's no rush. Why don't you join me this afternoon to familiarize yourself with the job duties? Get some good rest tonight, and we'll talk about you doing a night shift tomorrow."
The staff dormitories were not far from here. Two people shared a bunk bed in a room. Nurse Zhang led Song Qingxiao to collect her personal items before bringing her back to the dormitories.
The lower bunk belonged to Nurse Zhang, but since Song Qingxiao had arrived, the kind lady collected her stuff and moved it to the upper bunk without saying a word. Perhaps it was because she had been won over by Song Qingxiao earlier when she offered to take an extra shift.
Nurse Zhang considerately gave Song Qingxiao space to change. That brief moment was an opportunity for Song Qingxiao to be alone. The instructions in her consciousness had not changed. Since she had grown used to the ticking noise of the clock hands, she gradually learned to control her mind so that she could still function.
However, even though she had not figured out why the doctor was there, Song Qingxiao had a feeling that it was not a coincidence. She wondered where the people who entered the test space with her ended up since the trial had started. She wondered what roles they played.
She suppressed the thought in her mind and walked out of the room once she was done changing. Nurse Zhang waited outside. When she saw Song Qingxiao, she smiled as she handed her a lanyard.
"While you were changing, I went to grab your lanyard for you."
As Nurse Zhang spoke, Song Qingxiao noticed the name tag on her chest. The tag had Nurse Zhang's name on it.
'Zhang Xiaoyu'.
The lanyard in her hand had Song Qingxiao's name on it. Nurse Zhang explained, "You've just started, so we've not made your work pass yet. After a few days, you won't need to wear this anymore once your work pass is made. It'll be much more convenient then."
Song Qingxiao nodded her head and placed the lanyard around her neck. She walked with Nurse Zhang into the patient ward area.
"The hospital originally had two grades of care units—level one and level two."
As they walked towards the patient area, Nurse Zhang lowered her voice as though she was worried about startling something. The environment here was extremely quiet. She wore shoes with soft soles, so she made no sound when she walked, just like a ghost.
"However, we don't have many patients in this hospital. All of their conditions are quite severe, so we no longer have any divisions."
She could see the door leading into the patient area in the distance. A huge metal gate divided the patient area into two. There were three stages of security fences to get through. Through the slits of the security fence, the long corridor appeared deeply terrifying. It looked as though it was the throat of a huge beast that gaped wide open, preparing to swallow a person whole.
Nurse Zhang put the key into the keyhole. The door opened with a click. As she pushed the door open, an ear-piercing screech rang out. Song Qingxiao frowned in reaction.
A chilling breeze blew past. Song Qingxiao seemed to hear someone crying faintly. It was frigid and cold. She glanced at Nurse Zhang, but Nurse Zhang's expression did not change. She did not know if Nurse Zhang had not heard it or if she had grown accustomed to it.
Goosebumps appeared on her arms. Once the third security fence was opened, Song Qingxiao seemed to have entered a new scene. Even though they were still in the same building, the medical staff's offices and dormitories had been newly painted in a fresher white coat of paint. The glass windows let in a lot of light, and the facilities were not worn out.
The patient area was mainly painted in a light blue color. The windows were made out of a special material, and there was a corridor in the middle. The patient rooms were on one side of the corridor, while the on-duty doctor's office and other treatment rooms were on the other side. The nurses' station was next to the elevator in the middle. There were some windows at the end of the windows, but they had been sealed shut by metal bars. It felt as though even sunlight would not be able to stream through those bars.
Someone could be heard sobbing here. Nurse Zhang seemed to have heard it as she turned to Song Qingxiao and asked her, "Are you scared?"
Song Qingxiao shook her head. In her field of vision, she could see that the numbers counting down had become 119: 21: 36. At that moment, there was nothing else scarier than that.
She forced herself to ignore the existence of those numbers. She looked through the windows to see inside the patient rooms. The patient room to her left had two beds. There were two blank-looking patients seated on each bed. They fixed their eyes on Song Qingxiao, staring at her intently with unblinking eyes. Their movements were stiff, and their expressions were frozen.
Their faces were unfamiliar to Song Qingxiao. She returned her gaze and was about to speak when she felt someone approach her from behind. A huge force pushed against her. Someone caught the blue lanyard that she had just hung around her neck and pulled her backward with it, strangling her in an instant.
The force was so strong that her body began to move backward with it. In a moment of carelessness, Song Qingxiao's knees buckled, and she fell to the floor with a loud crash.
However, the person who dragged her did not let go. In fact, they continued to pull her backward. In the blink of an eye, they had managed to drag her more than a meter away from Nurse Zhang.
It seemed like Song Qingxiao could not escape her fate. She somehow always ended up with her neck being strangled!
Song Qingxiao repeatedly coughed as she struggled to breathe. Somehow, she ended up with someone strangling her neck in the trial when she had also been strangled by the doctor with the mouse cord in the previous trial.