Miao Feichi's twin blades, reversed in his grip, cast shadows on the wall like a mantis poised to strike. He gazed coldly at the patient on the bed, let out a derisive laugh, and, without hesitation, slashed toward the player lying on the outer bed.
The razor-sharp tip of his blade sliced through the white mist, tracing a smooth, deadly arc that halted just at the tip of Bai Liu's nose, whose eyes remained closed.
Mu Ke nearly screamed, desperate to throw himself forward and stop Miao Feichi at any cost.
Bai Liu's panel was only F-rank, and his health was already perilously low. A mere graze from Miao Feichi's weapon could spell his end—especially since Bai Liu had nothing capable of withstanding such a blow, and Miao Feichi's weapon was of S-level potential.
Mu Ke's eyes reddened with helpless fury—why couldn't he be Mu Sicheng? Mu Sicheng could have blocked this! All he could do was watch, powerless.
At that moment, Bai Liu slowly opened his eyes. The blade, descending at breakneck speed, became a glinting point in the darkness above him. Simultaneously, the system's prompt echoed in Bai Liu's mind.
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu uses Mu Sicheng's Soul Coin to access the opponent's system panel… Access complete. Player Bai Liu may now operate Mu Sicheng's system panel.]
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu uses Mu Sicheng's personal skill (Monkey Thief).]
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu equips five (Thief's Black Fingers) items to enhance his personal skill… Equipping…]
[(Thief's Black Fingers) equipped. (Monkey Thief) skill enhanced from A to A+, potential increased to S-. Success rate for stealing from S- players rises to 50%. Block rate for A+ and below attack skills is 100%.]
Bai Liu's hand, dangling over the edge of the bed, transformed into a charred, simian branch. He flexed his fingers, adapting to the strange sensation, and looked up just as the blade pierced the mist, stopping less than ten centimeters from his brow.
With a subtle tilt of his head, Bai Liu calmly pinched the blade's tip between his fingers.
"Damn, this patient blocked my blade!" Miao Feichi reacted instantly, eyes narrowing as he made his judgment. "He's not Bai Liu! Bai Liu doesn't have an A+ skill to block my blade—this is the other patient, the monster!"
He whipped his head toward the inner bed. "That one's Bai Liu!"
A faint smile played at the corner of Bai Liu's lips. Miao Feichi swept his blades upward, the cold steel grazing Bai Liu's cheek. Though he realized this was not Bai Liu, it did not stop him from attempting to reap this patient's life. Bai Liu parried with his monkey's claw, the clash of blade and nail producing a shrill, metallic screech and even a spark in the dim room.
Had the light been better, and the mist less dense, Miao Feichi might have noticed the patient's hand had become the black monkey's paw of Mu Sicheng. But in the gloom, and with the Black Fingers equipped, the difference was subtle, and Miao Feichi remained misled.
After two failed strikes, Miao Feichi's expression darkened. "Something's wrong. This monster's level is high—at least A+ to block me twice."
Without hesitation, he flipped off the wall with his blades and lunged at the patient on the inner bed. His methods were simple: "If the outer one isn't, the inner one must be! If I can't kill the outer, I'll kill the inner—Bai Liu!"
If the monster patient inside could not withstand Miao Feichi's assault, Bai Liu's plan would be ruined.
Mu Ke's heart pounded as he glanced at the towering bookshelf behind Miao Feichi.
Suddenly, the bookshelf toppled without warning, crashing down toward the unmoving patient and Miao Feichi, who was about to strike.
Mu Ke had hooked the shelf with his foot, sending it tumbling forward. He stood in the dim corner, shouting with all his might, "The patient inside just attacked me!"
As the bookshelf crashed down, Bai Liu slid across the floor, swiftly switching places with the patient inside.
His gaze was icy, utterly devoid of emotion. With surgical precision, he kicked the patient onto the outer bed. The long-limbed, spectral figure finally awoke, baring a mouthful of viscous, razor-sharp teeth. Its tongue, grotesquely long and studded with nodules, licked its lips as it emitted a high-pitched, inhuman screech, exuding a stench of rotting vegetation.
At that moment, everyone's system panel flashed with the monster book interface:
[System prompt: Congratulations, players Mu Ke, Miao Feichi, and Miao Gaojiang, for triggering the Monster Book.]
["Monster Book of the Loving Welfare Home" updated—Plant Patient (2/3)]
[Monster Name: Plant Patient]
[Traits: Movement speed 1500–2000, requires copious water to grow, prefers humid environments]
[Weakness: ??? (to be discovered)]
[Attack: Drains bodily fluids—if a player is bitten, their blood will be sucked (A-level attack skill); toxic mist—players in the same room will see their health steadily decline and become plant patients themselves (A-level skill)]
"Damn, so the outer one really was the patient?" Even Miao Feichi was momentarily disoriented in the darkness, but he quickly realized something was amiss—he couldn't kill the inner patient either.
"What the hell is going on?! Why can't I kill either of these patients?!" Miao Feichi cursed, his face growing ever darker.
Miao Gaojiang, locked in combat with the awakened patient, replied, "Bai Liu was likely mutated to the extreme by this patient, his sanity plummeting, so his skills surged enough to block you. There's little difference between him and the monster now."
"With his health drastically reduced and after so long in the same room as a sanity-polluting monster…" Miao Gaojiang's tone was grave. "I suspect he's already dead, or become a monster himself. We're facing two A+ monsters, and we won't finish in fifteen minutes."
"Feichi, only a few minutes remain. If both are this strong, we can only kill one. Which? I lean toward the outer bed—probably Bai Liu—but they're moving too fast, and I can't tell which is which. Can you sense it when you attack?"
Miao Feichi said nothing, his face thunderous.
Blades and monkey claws clashed in the gloom, sparks flying with every strike. Miao Feichi, trying to keep quiet and not alert the nurses, still could not suppress the rapid, metallic rhythm of battle.
Dodging another swipe from the black hand, Miao Feichi's patience snapped. He gripped his blades and unleashed a horizontal slash, aiming to cleave Bai Liu in two. Mu Ke, crouched on the floor, shoved the bed forward at the last second, blocking Miao Feichi's knee just as the blades were about to strike Bai Liu's chest.
Bai Liu stifled his urge to gasp for breath as the blades sliced through his hair, which drifted to the damp floor.
"Damn it, Mu Ke, what are you doing?!" Miao Feichi roared, turning on Mu Ke with fury, his energy wasted on a high-damage attack.
Mu Ke, clutching a book, stammered from the floor, "I—I was looking for a book. The shelf fell, and the books scattered under the bed!"
Miao Feichi, choking on his rage, kicked Mu Ke in the chest. "Get out of the way!"
Mu Ke's face turned purple, breath knocked from his lungs. He braced for pain, but instead, a withered monkey's paw caught him, sliding him gently under the bed. Mu Ke blinked, tears welling up—it was Bai Liu's hand.
Gritting his teeth, Mu Ke hid beneath the bed, counting down—eight minutes left.
Bai Liu must hold out against these two S- players for eight more minutes, while Mu Ke could do nothing but watch.
"Feichi," Miao Gaojiang's voice was low, his upper body already half-zombified, tusks jutting from his mouth like ivory, his face ghastly in the night.
He dodged the monster's bite, his face a corpse-like purple. "Half the time is gone. We can only kill one monster. You're the main attacker—can you tell which is Bai Liu?"
"Damn!" Miao Feichi spat, "If you can't, how the hell should I? Who can tell them apart? They're like they were cast from the same mold!"
He slashed again, this time severing two of Bai Liu's black fingers—Thief's Black Fingers, cut clean by the twin blades.
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu's item (Thief's Black Fingers) lost two. (Monkey Thief) skill enhancement reduced to three-fifths.]
"No need to choose," Miao Feichi said, a note of satisfaction in his voice. "This monster can't hold out. I'll finish in five minutes."
"If you finish quickly, come help me, and I'll be done soon too," Miao Gaojiang replied, his expression easing.
Mu Ke, fists clenched beneath the bed, lips pale and trembling, chest still aching from the kick, prayed desperately—five minutes, just five more minutes!
Miao Feichi's twin blades moved like mantis arms, an extension of his will, flowing with lethal grace.
After the initial chaos, he found his rhythm, launching a relentless assault on Bai Liu—horizontal slashes, diagonal cuts, upward thrusts. The only sound was the whisper of blades slicing the air, a deadly cadence.
Black fingers fell one by one before Mu Ke's hiding place, and he bit his lip until it bled.
Three minutes left.
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu's item (Thief's Black Fingers) lost one. (Monkey Thief) skill enhancement reduced to two-fifths.]
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu's item (Thief's Black Fingers) lost one. (Monkey Thief) skill enhancement reduced to one-fifth.]
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu's item (Thief's Black Fingers) lost one. All items lost. (Monkey Thief) skill enhancement lost, downgraded from A+ to A. Block rate for A+ skills reduced to 50%.]
Miao Feichi's blades swept down, Bai Liu dodged, parried with his monkey's claw. Miao Feichi sneered, twisted his wrists, and changed his grip, launching a horizontal slash with critical force. Bai Liu was cornered, nowhere left to run.
The blades, cold and gleaming, were about to slice open Bai Liu's throat. Miao Feichi, sensing victory, even turned to sneer at Miao Gaojiang. "I'm about to fin—"
Before he could finish, the bed behind him crashed into his waist, throwing him off balance. His blades missed, striking the wall instead, their mirrored surface reflecting Bai Liu's blood-streaked face.
Mu Ke, breathless, stood behind the bed, hands gripping the rail, heart pounding as he watched Bai Liu narrowly escape death.
One minute remained.
Bai Liu suddenly smiled.
Miao Feichi, finally enraged by Mu Ke's repeated interference, spotted him under the bed and cursed, "Are you insane?!"
He kicked the bed aside, dragged Mu Ke out, and slapped him hard, snarling, "Every time I'm about to win, you interfere! You—" His eyes glinted with murderous intent, blades raised as if to kill Mu Ke on the spot.
Mu Ke wiped the blood from his mouth, cowering in the corner, clutching a book. "Sorry, sorry! I was just looking for a book under the bed—I found a crucial one! The system says I found the 'Elixir of Life'!"
Miao Feichi's rage faltered. "You found it that quickly?" He narrowed his eyes, scoffing, "You'd better have found it, or I'll—"
Miao Gaojiang, retreating from the monster, called out, "Feichi, stop! See what he's found!"
Miao Feichi swallowed his curses, lowered his blades, and tried to pull Mu Ke up, but Mu Ke, seemingly terrified, retreated toward the wall, unwittingly drawing close to Bai Liu. Miao Feichi, exasperated, drew his blade to rescue him.
But the motion only "frightened" Mu Ke further, and he scrambled toward Bai Liu in panic.
Miao Feichi was driven mad—he'd never met such a foolish player, one who would throw himself at a monster. "Idiot! That's the monster! Get over here!"
Mu Ke, feigning terror, quietly grasped Bai Liu's wrist, swallowing nervously and silently chanting—Stay clear-headed, Mu Ke, no matter how low your sanity drops, you must stay clear-headed! Don't let go of Bai Liu's hand!
Bai Liu leaned forward, glanced at the trembling Mu Ke, and whispered, "Are you holding on tight?"
Mu Ke nodded slightly.
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu uses Mu Sicheng's skill—(Thief's Stealth). Due to low stamina, skill duration is one minute, cannot use full speed. Final speed +4900. Confirm use?]
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu confirms. Movement speed +4900. Stamina rapidly depleting…]
Miao Feichi watched as the monster before him suddenly dropped to the ground, dragging Mu Ke in a blur across the slick floor, weaving between the ICU beds like a fish.
Three nearly identical monsters darted about the room at dizzying speed. Miao Feichi, unable to distinguish Bai Liu from Mu Ke, grew increasingly frustrated by Mu Ke's cries for help.
"Shut up!" he roared, flinging his blades in a blind attack.
Miao Gaojiang's shout stopped him. "Mu Ke's in there! He has the Elixir! Don't attack blindly—make sure before you strike!"
"Make sure my ass!" Miao Feichi fumed. "They look exactly the same! Even with all this crying, I can't tell who's who!"
Miao Gaojiang reminded him, "Mu Ke's less mutated—he's shorter, no spots. Look carefully!"
No sooner had he spoken than two shadows shot out from under the bed. Miao Gaojiang, wary of hitting Mu Ke, withdrew his punch and retreated.
Bai Liu, dragging Mu Ke, shielded the true monster patient, his bloodied face calm and cold, the gambler's madness in his eyes.
The plant patient, scenting blood, lunged at Bai Liu, its ten slender, sharp fingers reaching for the weaker prey.
Without hesitation, Bai Liu shoved Mu Ke toward the monster. The creature's jaws clamped onto Mu Ke's pale neck, greedily drinking his blood.
Mu Ke, wracked with pain, trembled violently, his face draining of color. He clung to the patient, but cried out, "The monster's biting me! It's draining my blood! My sanity is plummeting!"
[System prompt: Player Mu Ke's sanity drops to 67, health to 31 (mainline total 50). Escape the plant patient's range or both will continue to fall!]
Mu Ke's limbs grew thin, his pupils lost focus, his breath slowed, his body stretching unnaturally like a plant.
Miao Gaojiang's face darkened. "Mu Ke's mutated too. Now all three look the same—we can't tell Bai Liu from the monster or Mu Ke."
Bai Liu, dragging Mu Ke, and the plant patient darted around the room at breakneck speed, all three now nearly indistinguishable.
Even with their high stats, Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang struggled to attack, unable to risk harming Mu Ke. Miao Feichi's patience snapped.
"Damn it, were these monsters raised on Mu Sicheng? Why are they so fast?" he cursed, a glint of bloodlust in his eyes. "If I can't tell, I'll just kill them all. We'll figure out the Elixir later—kill Bai Liu first."
"One minute left, Feichi," Miao Gaojiang warned. "We can't kill all three in time…"
"I'll use S. Ten seconds is enough," Miao Feichi replied, licking Bai Liu's blood from his lips.
"S is a waste of stamina here…" Miao Gaojiang hesitated, but relented. "Fine, it's just a level two game. Do as you wish."
[System prompt: Player Miao Feichi uses personal S- skill (Wraith Blades). Usable for one minute, after which stamina is depleted and cannot be restored for a day. Confirm use?]
[System prompt: Player Miao Feichi confirms. Blades possessed by slain wraiths, attack +8001, stamina rapidly depleting…]
Expressionless, Miao Feichi tapped his blades to the ground, cracking the floor. A strange white mist coiled around the blades, thick with the scent of blood, forming ghostly faces that wailed in silence.
The wraiths, bound to their killer, could only sharpen his blades, perhaps hoping to help him slay more souls to join them.
Miao Feichi struck, the wraiths howling.
White specters surged from the blades, swirling with the room's vapor, hurtling toward the three monsters. In a flash, Miao Feichi pierced the mist, anchoring himself to the wall with one blade, the other slashing horizontally at Bai Liu's throat.
This blow was on a different level—Bai Liu could feel the heat of the blade's wind.
He dodged with his high speed, but the blade still grazed his face. Miao Feichi, cold-eyed, spun and drew his blade back, aiming for Bai Liu's nape. Bai Liu, unable to dodge, caught the blade with his monkey's claw, but this time, the blade pierced his palm and stabbed into his neck.
Blood welled from Bai Liu's lips.
[System prompt: Bai Liu's (Monkey Claw) skill blocks 50% of the damage.]
[System prompt: Bai Liu's item (Siren's Scale) blocks 49.7% of the damage, item slightly cracked (10% damaged), please repair promptly.]
[System warning: Bai Liu's health drops to 7! Sanity to 27!]
Even with 99% of the damage blocked, the remaining 1% was enough to nearly finish Bai Liu. But the coin wrapped in scales had shifted to his back, just in time to block the blade.
Bai Liu glanced at the nearly unconscious Mu Ke, then, after a quick calculation, released Mu Ke's hand.
Mu Ke's eyes fluttered open, his hand falling limply.
The force of Miao Feichi's blow sent Bai Liu stumbling forward. As Miao Feichi prepared to finish him, Bai Liu suddenly whispered, "I'm… cough… Mu Ke."
Miao Feichi hesitated, withdrew his blade, cursed his luck, and kicked Bai Liu aside, turning his attention to the remaining monsters.
Bai Liu slumped against the wall, growing weaker, watching as Miao Feichi advanced on the dazed Mu Ke. In the shadows, Bai Liu drew a soul coin and pressed it to his panel.
[System prompt: Bai Liu uses Mu Ke's soul coin to access his system panel. Access complete. Bai Liu may now use Mu Ke's panel.]
Mu Ke tried to dodge, but Miao Feichi's blades grazed him, sending him sprawling.
[System warning: Mu Ke's health drops to 6! Sanity to 26!]
Sensing something was off, Miao Feichi did not strike to kill, but slammed Mu Ke's back with his blade, pinning him to the ground. He pressed his foot to Mu Ke's neck, peering down. "This reaction—no resistance at all. You're nothing like the monster or Bai Liu. Are you Mu Ke?"
He tapped Mu Ke's face with his blades, eyes flickering dangerously between Bai Liu and Mu Ke. "Hey, are you conscious? If you are, tell me who you are."
Suddenly, Mu Ke bit down on Miao Feichi's ankle, eyes bloodshot, mimicking the monster's bloodlust, gnawing desperately at his flesh.
He was playing the monster, as Bai Liu had instructed—if the monster acted a certain way, so must Mu Ke, to keep Bai Liu safe.
Mu Ke clung to Miao Feichi's leg, jaw locked, oblivious to the wraith blades descending on him.
Bai Liu glanced at the time—ten seconds left. Almost there.
[System prompt: Use (Mermaid's Statue) to boost Mu Ke's resistance?]
Bai Liu's gaze was cold: [No. Use it on the plant patient.]
[System prompt: Calculating… Since the plant patient has absorbed 35% of Mu Ke's blood, it has inherited his attributes. Bai Liu, confirm use of Mu Ke's item on the plant patient instead of the endangered Mu Ke?]
Miao Feichi's wraith blades fell toward the limp, hollow-eyed Mu Ke.
Bai Liu's eyes flickered, then lowered: [Confirm. Do not use on Mu Ke.]
Author's note:
Have you been human today?
Mu Ke: Bai (Dad) Liu (Dad) has abandoned me.