Hospitalization

When he woke up again, the first thing he saw was a sterile white ceiling, and the air was thick with the faint scent of disinfectant.

He was in a hospital ward.

Yue Shi hadn't actually been unconscious; he had simply fallen asleep.

By now, bright daylight was streaming through the window.

Last night, Bai Wanyang had been at his wit's end, facing an absolutely dire situation.

It wasn't until dawn was breaking that the Investigation Bureau's search and rescue team found the wasteland outside the city, tracking the signal location from just before contact was lost.

Yue Shi had been pretending to be unconscious at first, but later, he felt truly exhausted and simply drifted off.

Of course, he hadn't lost his basic alertness. Throughout the process of being brought back by the Investigation Bureau, he remained conscious; it was only after he was tucked into the hospital bed that he fell into a deep sleep.

Bai Wanyang had already reported the previous night's events in full—

From the Rules Horror in the cold storage to the anomalies outside the car window on the way back, the sudden spatial shift, and the appearance of the Clown... Bai Wanyang only knew that much.

After encountering the Clown, Bai Wanyang had been contaminated and fell into a state of madness. He had no idea about the director's arrival, the fierce battle with the Clown, or anything regarding that armored transport vehicle.

After Yue Shi woke up, Ling Xun came to question him personally. The account Yue Shi gave was basically consistent with Bai Wanyang's description, with the details matching perfectly.

Yue Shi knew exactly when Bai Wanyang had lost consciousness, so he naturally knew where to stop his story. Like Bai Wanyang, he had also inexplicably "lost consciousness" after that point.

As for things like the director or the armored transport vehicle, he claimed to be completely ignorant.

He spoke the truth, but... he withheld the most critical information.

Ling Xun didn't suspect anything. After the questioning, he let Yue Shi rest in the ward.

Yue Shi was happy to have the peace and quiet, enjoying a "vacation" all to himself.

During this time, Yue Shi also gained a general understanding of the chaos that had gripped Amber City last night.

The earth-shattering chase between the Clown and the director had eventually spilled into the city.

The Clown had intentionally led the battlefield toward densely populated areas, causing destruction far beyond imagination.

Everywhere they passed was left with residual mental contamination and bizarre, arbitrary temporary rules.

A significant number of innocent citizens in Amber City were affected. Some had their faces frozen in the same exaggerated grin as the Clown, behaving erratically and speaking nonsense.

Others had inexplicably violated invisible "prohibitions" and suffered various bizarre punishments, resulting in death or injury.

Panic spread throughout the city. The internet was in an uproar, with various blurry videos, photos, and rumors spreading like wildfire.

But it only went that far.

The panic wouldn't last long.

Because the people living in this era had long since grown accustomed to all this.

Supernatural incidents happened from time to time, ordinary people died in large numbers at the drop of a hat, and disaster could strike at any moment.

Panic came quickly, left just as fast, and was forgotten even faster.

Just like before, when the teachers and students of Amber City First Middle School were almost completely slaughtered by the Bee Woman. At the time, every resident in the city felt they were in danger, but in less than a week, the storm had passed, and the people returned to their normal lives.

Wait...

Something felt slightly off.

Yue Shi's brow furrowed slightly as a flash of inspiration flickered in his mind. Unfortunately, he couldn't catch it, and it was completely ignored in the blink of an eye.

Additionally, Yue Shi learned from the medical staff that the only surviving ordinary scout from last night had already regained consciousness.

Miraculously, after a comprehensive physical examination, this man named Zhang Songyun hadn't suffered any physical harm at all!

According to his own description, after experiencing the terrifying Rules Horror and leaving the cold storage, he had been so scared or exhausted that he fell into a deep sleep in the car on the way back to the Investigation Bureau.

When he woke up, he was in the hospital and knew nothing else.

When the Clown launched his indiscriminate attacks, he was still asleep. This deep sleep, by a strange twist of fate, allowed him to avoid the Clown's mental contamination. Being quiet in his sleep, he also fortunately avoided violating any of the rules established by the director.

"He really is... ridiculously lucky," Yue Shi couldn't help but sigh.

What Yue Shi found suspicious was that there was absolutely no news regarding the armored transport vehicle he had robbed.

Ling Xun hadn't mentioned a word about it during the questioning, and there wasn't a single rumor or alert on the internet. It was as if that armored transport vehicle, accompanied by four transcendents, had never existed.

This lack of reaction actually made Yue Shi frown slightly.

It was too strange.

Either the transport mission itself was top-secret, and the parties involved chose to keep the loss quiet to cover it up...

Or a more powerful force had intervened and completely suppressed the matter, so much so that even the Investigation Bureau hadn't looked into it.

After spending less than half a day in the sterile hospital ward, Yue Shi felt bored; the smell of disinfectant was truly unpleasant.

In the afternoon, he decided to check himself out.

Just as he finished packing, a nurse happened to walk in with a professional smile on her face.

"Mr. Yue Shi, please wait. According to the Investigation Bureau's regulations, all field personnel who have experienced a major supernatural incident and lost consciousness must undergo a psychiatric evaluation to ensure there are no lingering issues. The examination room is ready for you."

Yue Shi's gaze swept over the nurse's name tag. His tone was flat as he replied, "Alright."

He followed the nurse through the quiet corridors. Along the way, he saw many people in white coats hurrying about—some carrying thick file bags, others carrying metal or plastic boxes marked with complex symbols. The atmosphere was completely different from a normal hospital.

Eventually, they stopped before a heavy metal door with a sign that read "Psychiatric Evaluation Room."

The nurse knocked. A few seconds later, the door was opened by a young man wearing a white coat but with a hairstyle that was far too fashionable and eye-catching.

"Mr. Yue Shi, please come in," the nurse said, gesturing with a smile.

Yue Shi nodded and walked inside.

A faint, peculiar sweet fragrance drifted into his nose. The smell wasn't unpleasant, but it immediately made Yue Shi feel a sense of wariness.

This was not a scent that should be present in a hospital.

The interior of the examination room was simply furnished. Most notably, a metal chair with a complex appearance sat in the center.

Connected to the back of the chair was a strange-looking device—an upright metal ring with many cables ending in electrode patches hanging from it.

"Yue Shi, right? Sit down." The doctor with the fashionable hair, who didn't look much like a doctor, greeted him casually without even looking up, his hands busy adjusting the instrument.

Yue Shi walked over in silence and sat on the metal chair as instructed.

The cold touch of the metal seeped through his clothes, causing him to involuntarily recall the restraint devices in Lab 0. A very faint shadow flickered in the depths of his eyes.