Chapter 11: No Visiting Between Different Floors; Broad Thinking of a Mental Patient
The statement from Rong Yi was neither loud nor soft, yet it was enough to make Zhang Haiyang blush. Luo Huayue couldn’t help but cover her mouth and burst into laughter.
Raymond’s face changed from deep affection to varying expressions as he watched Rong Yi withdraw her hand and politely smile at him.
On the floating screen beside them, the barrage in Raymond’s livestream room exploded:
“Unbelievable! Got rejected!”
“Huh, isn’t this sister a bit familiar… Have I seen her in T God’s livestream?”
“Right, right, right! Remember now! It’s her! Oh my, she’s the jinx of streamers. Both of my only two favorite streamers had accidents on her stream.”
“Husband, be careful! T God is done for, you…”
“As a man, I’m melting from Raymond’s charm all over, and she’s actually not interested? I suspect she’s a lesbian.”
“Oh, then I might have a chance, hehe, sister, look at me!”
Suddenly, Zhang Haiyang slapped his thigh and whispered to Luo Huayue, “I remember who he is now!”
“He, in a certain sense, is similar to me.”
“Is he also a lover of marine life?” Luo Huayue asked.
“No,” Zhang Haiyang said with a serious expression. “We are both sea kings.”
Luo Huayue: … What kind of sea king are you? The master of oceanic knowledge?!
Raymond was a somewhat famous streamer in the Lucky Carnival, specializing in “splendor.” His appearance was splendid, his moves were splendid, every action he took was splendid. In the eerie and terrifying games, he seemed like an elegant and composed vampire count, capturing the hearts of many admirers.
He had a distinctive trait: in each game level, he would find a player he found pleasing to the eye, regardless of gender, and act as a “limited lover” for that co-op session. Hardly anyone could escape his personal charm and skilled tactics. From pursuit, to love, and then to the breakup at the end of the game, watching his livestream meant witnessing not only splendid gameplay, but also a concentrated portrayal of love.
“It seems this time he has chosen Rong Jie,” Luo Huayue shook her head. “While Rong Jie and I met by chance as well, I believe she’s not a woman he can easily conquer.”
Zhang Haiyang had a different thought. Raymond had gained so many followers not just because of his looks; he was also genuinely skilled. If this impromptu team had him on board, the chances of surviving would increase even more!
Raymond’s response to Rong Yi’s actions wasn’t one of anger. He curved his lips into a smile, displaying a kind of debonair meaning that said, “Woman, you’ve successfully piqued my interest,” which led to a chorus of excited comments from the barrage fans.
With their various thoughts, the four of them continued to move forward in the dimly lit corridor. Just as Rong Yi was about to change back into her clothes once the water dried, a warm breeze suddenly brushed over her, transforming her damp hair into dry, voluminous locks. The chilly sensation of the swimsuit against her skin vanished, replaced by the comforting touch of soft cotton fabric against her skin.
She looked down and saw herself clean and dry, now wearing a fresh set of neatly arranged clothes. However, the style of the clothing was far too classic, so classic that anyone could tell at a glance. This blue and white striped outfit was the uniform of a mental institution.
The other three individuals also had their moisture completely evaporated, appearing refreshed. The four freshly “baked” mental patients stood in a row behind a yellow line on the ground.
“Welcome, the four patients from the first floor, welcome,” two nurses who looked identical to the ones from the previous level blocked their path, speaking in unison as they lightly clapped and smiled.
Luo Huayue exclaimed, “So we’re becoming patients now?”
“Please refrain from moving between different floors,” the nurse on the left said with a smile.
“If you must move, please follow the rules of this institution,” the nurse on the right said with a smile.
“If caught by a nurse on the staircase, you will be forcibly taken to the ward for rest,” the nurse on the left said with a smile.
“On the staircase, all speed-boosting skills/items will become ineffective,” the nurse on the right said with a smile.
“Well then, we wish you a speedy recovery,” the two nurses said in unison, stepping aside simultaneously.
Rong Yi lifted her gaze and looked towards the staircase leading to the second floor—it was long, extremely long, to the point where its end was nearly imperceptible. The steps were painted in a checkerboard pattern of alternating black and white squares, with each square’s side matching the width of a step.
On either side of the staircase lay an abyss-like darkness.
Around thirty patients dressed in blue and white striped hospital gowns were present, including players who had arrived ahead of them, as well as NPCs resembling scarecrows with burlap sacks over their heads and crude facial features sewn on with coarse thread. These “patients,” along with a dozen or so nurses interspersed among them, stood at various heights on the staircase.
Their movements were quite peculiar, as if they were in a turn-based game. The nurses and patients could only take actions alternately. When the patients moved, the nurses remained in place, staring fixedly at a particular patient. Conversely, when the nurses moved, the player-patients, no matter how frightened, were immobilized. If they happened to be in an unfortunate spot, they could only scream as the nurses dragged them into the unknown darkness on the sides of the staircase.
Both the patients and nurses had a number floating above their heads, matching the color of their attire.
Zhang Haiyang shuddered and said, “T-that must be their health bars, right?”
Raymond chuckled softly and glanced at Rong Yi.
Rong Yi absentmindedly touched her lips and whispered, “Speed.”
She pointed to the number above the scarecrow NPC’s head, saying softly, “The numbers above the NPCs’ heads are constant, always 2. They can only move two steps horizontally or go up and down two steps of the staircase each turn.”
“However, the numbers above the players’ heads increase.”
As she spoke, a female player sliced off the burlap sack from the scarecrow NPC beside her. Simultaneously, the “4” above her head turned into a “5.” In the next turn, she swiftly ascended five steps, already taking a commanding lead among the players.
Rong Yi pointed again, this time to the numbers above the nurses’ heads, saying, “Only the numbers above the nurses’ heads change frequently. And they only change between two numbers: 2 and 6.”
Luo Huayue looked intently and exclaimed in surprise, “Really! And the numbers only change when the nurse is looking away from the player!”
As a player turned to move forward, the nurse that was closely following suddenly sped up, ascending six steps within a single action time, and ended up right behind the player in an instant. Her beautiful face instantly twisted grotesquely, her eyes completely blackened, her red lips splitting open to the back of her head, her head nearly splitting in half to reveal a wet and slender tongue, along with sharp teeth covered in slime!
A shiver ran down Rong Yi’s spine. Zhang Haiyang shuddered as well, then suddenly slapped his thigh, “Weeping Angel!”
Everyone looked at him with question marks over their heads, “What?”
He scratched his head sheepishly, “Ah, you guys haven’t—.”
“I’ve watched ‘Doctor Who’,” there’s a classic monster in it called the Weeping Angel. When it’s being observed, it freezes and doesn’t move, but when no one is looking, it moves quickly and gets closer to people.”
“I think these nurses are a bit like Weeping Angels.”
Raymond chuckled disdainfully, murmuring, “This is probably why some people are single.”
Zhang Haiyang grew even more embarrassed.
However, Rong Yi was quite interested. “About this Weeping Angel you mentioned, was it eventually defeated?”
“Absolutely!” Zhang Haiyang became animated as he spoke, “It used the fact that they freeze when they’re looked at. The protagonist cleverly made them stare at each other, locking each other in place. Quite brilliant, isn’t it?”
Rong Yi nodded, “Indeed, it’s brilliant. But after being locked in, the Weeping Angels won’t move, whereas the nurses maintain their speed when being looked at.”
“Then, like other players, let’s go for the scarecrow’s speed!” Luo Huayue said, “That scarecrow doesn’t have any weapons, and it looks pretty killable…”
She wasn’t the only one with this idea. Although the scarecrow NPCs were slow, most of them carried weapons, making them difficult opponents. Many players with lower combat stats, corresponding to fewer steps climbed, targeted an unarmed NPC situated on the lower steps.
Two players sandwiched the scarecrow NPC with crude stitched-up smiling faces between them after a single turn. One player raised a heavy hammer, intending to deliver a powerful blow to the scarecrow.
Suddenly, he seemed to see the most horrifying thing in his life. His eyes widened, his lips trembled, and he dropped the hammer, which landed heavily on the ground. He wanted to step back, but he was restricted by the fact that it wasn’t his turn to move. His trembling legs were firmly pinned to the steps.
Another player’s gaze turned bewildered and fearful, his face suddenly turning pale as he yelled, “Don’t come near!” before fainting outright.
Luo Huayue pointed at the NPC whose hand was slowly lowering and awkwardly laughed, “Uh, well, it’s probably a hidden boss or something…”
Just as she was saying that, a nurse with a speed of 6 from below charged like a raging bull. The “hidden boss” happened to be in her path, and she ruthlessly crashed into it, turning it into a pile of scattered scarecrow body parts. Arms and legs were pitifully strewn all over the ground, while the burlap head rolled down the steps, tumbling to the feet of the four.
Luo Huayue: …
Raymond curiously rubbed his chin, “So, if I understand correctly, we have to walk backward to prevent the nurses from speeding up. And we have to kill at least four NPCs or more to progress upward with our attention focused. Killing NPCs isn’t easy, and especially not while moving backward on the stairs.” As he spoke, a player walking backward stumbled and fell on the steps. Getting up from the same spot would cost a turn’s action opportunity, leaving him helplessly watching as the nurse, who had initially been five positions away, now approached him with a grotesque, mutated ghostly face!
Upon hearing this, Zhang Haiyang’s expression became even more distressed, “NPCs are tough to beat, and the nurses are even stronger. I’m just a student of marine biology, how am I supposed to walk backward and kill NPCs? Why did they let me enter this instance?! I’m done for, ahh!”
Luo Huayue, on the other hand, remained much calmer than during the first level. She pulled out an oil-based pen and drew a long spear on the ground, using the “Da Vinci’s Egg Painting” ability to materialize it in her hand. In this situation, a ranged weapon should be an inch long and strong.
“Charge!” She wielded the makeshift spear rather unskillfully, showing signs of deliberate self-improvement over the past week, “If the escape route is truly inadequate, and if we don’t catch up and surpass it, we’re heading down a dead-end!”
Zhang Haiyang still hesitated, “Charge my foot! Other than Raymond, do you think any of us look like we can rush ahead and take on the NPCs?”
“If,” Rong Yi suddenly spoke up, “we could see both ahead and behind us at the same time, this level would be much easier.”
Raymond chuckled softly, sidling up to Rong Yi’s side, running his fingers through his blonde hair and shaking his head with a sigh, “Oh, my little rose, your idea is both naive and adorable. How can we see both ahead and behind? Should we grow a face on the back of our heads or erect a giant mirror at the end of the staircase?”
“Oh, my little idiot,” Rong Yi said expressionlessly, “Back-to-back, isn’t that a way to see both ahead and behind?”
