Mu Ke's memory was not so extraordinary as to be exaggerated. To expect him to read an entire bookshelf's worth of books within fifteen minutes and recall every detail without error was beyond even the capabilities of a photographic memory—no one could turn pages that quickly, and Mu Ke certainly could not memorize at such a pace.
With so many books to search for notes and clues, even someone like Mu Ke, whose memory was already exceptional among ordinary people, confessed to Bai Liu that he would need at least an entire night.
But how could Mu Ke be kept safe in the ICU for an entire night?
Recalling the plan Bai Liu had shared, Mu Ke looked at Miao Feichi with a sincere and pleading gaze. "I can't break into the ICU alone, but I can memorize its contents in a short time. You, however, can get inside. Wouldn't it be perfect if you brought me along? You provide the force, I provide the memory—there could be no better partnership."
Miao Feichi regarded Mu Ke for a moment, his expression unreadable, then suddenly let out a short laugh. "Is this why you came to join us?"
Mu Ke lowered his head, fiddling nervously with his fingers, tacitly admitting it in a timid silence.
"You say you have a photographic memory, and we're just supposed to believe you?" Miao Feichi exchanged a glance with Miao Gaojiang, his tone tinged with subtle displeasure. "A regular player, daring to use us for his own ends… Whatever. Dad, test his memory. If he passes, we'll take him with us when we break into the ICU at nine."
Miao Gaojiang glanced at Mu Ke and nodded. "Come with me."
Mu Ke took a deep breath and followed.
——
8:30 p.m., first floor of the hospital.
Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang's confinement had only lasted until six in the evening. After that, the nurses allowed them to move about freely.
Mu Ke passed Miao Gaojiang's memory test; he could even recall the page numbers and footnotes of every book he had read. This feat left Miao Gaojiang somewhat shaken—he had never encountered such a natural-born genius. After all, Miao Feichi had been a poor student as a child, unable to get into high school without his father's money. Miao Gaojiang had never imagined there could be a child like Mu Ke in the world.
At 7:30, the two men came down for dinner and discussed their plan to attack the ICU. The discussion was brief.
Miao Feichi: "I'll go A."
Miao Gaojiang: "You'll take point?"
Miao Feichi: "Same as always. How many phases will you open?"
Miao Gaojiang: "Same as you. With Bai Liu and that ICU monster, it should be over in about three minutes if we're quick."
Their long history of cooperation meant they needed few words to coordinate, and with their experience in this level of dungeon, a few simple phrases sufficed to establish their positions.
Mu Ke, straining to listen, could not make sense of their cryptic exchange. He was so frustrated he nearly ground his teeth to dust, inwardly cursing them for not speaking in a language he could understand.
He thought of Bai Liu, who, even when gravely injured, had to remain rational and issue him instructions with keyboard caps. Amid his anger, Mu Ke felt a pang of envy for the tacit understanding between the Miao father and son.
If only he and Bai Liu shared such a bond… Mu Ke thought wistfully.
8:55 p.m.
Nurses on the first floor began to leave the wards and corridors, heading to the nurse's office for their fifteen-minute shift handover. Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang exchanged a knowing glance, picked up their weapons, and began to move quietly toward the ICU. Inside, a nurse was checking the patients' ventilators. After taking the final temperature readings for Bai Liu and another patient, she too was urged away by her colleagues.
She closed the ICU door behind her.
8:57 p.m.
The nurse entered the office and shut the door. The moment it clicked shut, Miao Feichi flicked out his twin blades, his voice low and commanding: "I'll pick the lock. Follow me in."
Miao Feichi's twin blades were long and curved, shaped almost like a crescent moon, and bore the elegant name "Crescent Sabers." But Bai Liu, who had grown up in an orphanage and sometimes helped with farm work, saw them differently. To him, they were simply "grass-cutting knives"—tools for cutting pigweed.
When discussing the plan, Bai Liu had referred to Miao Feichi's weapons as "grass-cutting knives" with such matter-of-factness that Mu Ke had assumed that was their true name.
So, when Mu Ke saw Miao Feichi crouch and carefully insert the tip of his blade into the lock, he couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Why are you using a grass-cutting knife to pick a lock? Can't you just find a lock-picking tool in the system?"
At this, both Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang's faces twisted. Miao Feichi, always proud of his blades' power, was so incensed by the term "grass-cutting knife" that he could barely speak. "Who the hell told you these are grass-cutting knives?!"
Mu Ke, shocked, replied, "You can use these knives on pigs too?"
What do you people do to pigs on a daily basis?
Mu Ke, a true young master, knew nothing of farm work. He would believe anything about the uses of farm tools and knives, and genuinely thought Miao Feichi might use his blades on pigs—after all, this was a man who ate human flesh; what depravity was beyond him?
Seeing Miao Feichi about to explode, Miao Gaojiang restrained him. Having done farm work himself, he realized the blade did resemble a grass-cutting knife, but now was not the time to say so—his son could only accept the name "Crescent Sabers."
Miao Gaojiang patted his trembling son's back and shot Mu Ke a stern warning look, though he too couldn't help but think the blade looked like a grass-cutting knife. So what came out was, "These aren't grass-cutting knives. They're… pig-slaying sabers."
Realizing his slip, Miao Gaojiang fell silent.
"You use them on two pigs at once?!" Mu Ke's eyes widened in shock, his mind conjuring vivid images.
Miao Feichi's hand shook with rage, and the blade in the lock forced the door open. He hissed, "They're not grass-cutting knives! They're my Crescent—my pig-slaying—my Crescent Sabers! These blades are powerful, my skill-derived weapons, rated A+, and at full power can reach S-. Killing you would take only seconds. They're far better for picking locks than any tool you could buy, idiot!"
He shot Mu Ke a venomous glare, grinding out, "Grass-cutting knives? You dare call them that? There are few in the entire game who could withstand a blow from these weapons. Among you newcomers, only Mu Sicheng's skill could block a strike from my blade."
With a cold laugh, Miao Feichi pushed open the ICU door and flashed Mu Ke a middle finger. "Your brain had better be as useful as you claim, or I'll kill you myself."
Mu Ke wisely fell silent, provoking Miao Feichi no further.
The ICU door opened slowly, shrouded in the hospital's mist and darkness.
Inside, the humidifiers were more numerous than in the regular wards, filling the room with thick white fog, reducing visibility to less than a meter. Two beds loomed in the mist, their occupants shrouded in white sheets, their breathing barely perceptible, emaciated limbs dangling over the sides.
Two identical faces lay quietly on the beds, their pallid cheeks drawn, dark circles sagging to their cheekbones, and mushroom-like spots blooming on their skin, as lifeless as corpses in a morgue.
The ICU's soundproofing was excellent. Miao Feichi closed the door to prevent any noise from escaping, then kicked Mu Ke toward the bookshelf with arrogant command. "Go read."
Mu Ke lowered his head and obeyed, teeth clenched, and began frantically searching through the books in the dim light, his heart trembling.
The plan was about to begin.
Mu Ke's gaze flickered briefly to the hands of the two patients, one of whom seemed to be clutching something between his fingers. Mu Ke quickly looked away—there was the Enter keycap. In a flash, he deduced that the patient on the outer bed was Bai Liu.
But he remembered Bai Liu had been brought in on the inner bed. Had he done something while alone in the ICU?
Miao Gaojiang quietly peered at the two patients and frowned. "The monster hasn't been triggered, so there's no need to fight."
"No need to fight, but Bai Liu still has to die." Miao Feichi's eyes narrowed, his gaze sweeping the beds with ill intent, but soon he frowned. "Which one is Bai Liu? They look identical. I remember Bai Liu was shorter than the other patient when he was brought in."
"And Bai Liu didn't have those spots on his skin before," Miao Gaojiang added after a moment's observation. But soon, the experienced player reached a conclusion. "Bai Liu must have been mutated, probably from spending a day in the ICU with that monster. After losing so much blood, his health and sanity dropped, and he was likely transformed by the patient-monster."
"Even like this, you still want to eat Bai Liu's flesh?" Miao Gaojiang gestured at the two skeletal figures on the beds.
Miao Feichi grimaced in disgust. "Forget it. I'll eat the smaller one, Bai Liu. This is too revolting—it reminds me of the woman who gave birth to me, another terminal patient. Disgusting."
Miao Gaojiang was silent for a moment, then asked, "Which patient do we kill?"
"Both." Miao Feichi's eyes darkened, his blades gleaming. He weighed them in his hands and grinned wickedly. "Killing one more won't take much extra effort. Better to err on the side of ruthlessness than let one slip away."
[System prompt: Player Miao Feichi has used his personal skill weapon (Crescent Sabers)]
[Rating: A+ potential, S-level skill weapon. Normal attack: 3100. Instantly lethal to any player below B-rank.]