Lu Qingjia knew that the size of the water well was far beyond the conventional dimensions, and he even suspected that there might be a layer underground specifically used as an operating platform, which would mean that the actual area of the well was comparable to that of a pond.
However, seeing the scene before him, Lu Qingjia still felt that his estimation was too conservative.
The entrance to the restricted area was on the first floor. After entering the secret operating room at the innermost part, he found himself on a high platform, needing to take an elevator down.
But this did not hinder his clear view of the landscape before him.
Below the high platform, on the negative first floor, there was a glass wall several meters long, and through the glass wall, he could clearly see the truth inside the well that was not visible from the wellhead.
Countless strange bugs, the kind Lu Qingjia had caught before, filled the entire pool, densely packed, writhing and swimming around. The scene was akin to being in an eel farming tank; anyone with even a slight fear of crowds would feel their scalp tingle just standing there.
These strange bugs varied in size, some as thick as a pinky finger, while others had a diameter that even exceeded an adult man’s waist.
At both ends of the wall, there were pipes connected; one injected food into the well at regular intervals, looking like the stinking entrails of animals.
Every time food was thrown in, the scene of the bugs fighting for it was enough to make one feel physically uncomfortable.
However, to be fair, these animal entrails were cheap, and judging by the size of the injection pipe, even if they were fed three meals a day, the feeding cost was not too high.
The other pipe was relatively smaller and was used to extract some of the strange bugs. The quantity was not large at a time because the bugs were aggressive; the pipe could extract dozens at most, and once they entered a certain liquid, the bugs would lose their aggressiveness.
A few people in protective suits dissected the now non-aggressive bugs one by one, taking out the eggs inside and tossing them into a glass container.
There was no hygiene to speak of here; the stench of animal entrails and the accumulation of bug corpses over the years made even the presence of a ventilation system insufficient to prevent the nauseating smell upon entering.
However, the airtightness was well done, and it did not affect the hospital.
With the advanced anti-intrusion system outside and the bodyguards on guard, it was hard to believe that such a filthy and crude place existed inside.
Lu Qingjia felt a bit disappointed; he had expected to see a more sophisticated research lab.
At that moment, someone noticed him and called out, “Hey, come here, we just dissected a jar, you can help with it.”
Lu Qingjia walked over, expressionless, and picked up a jar of bug eggs with his gloved hand, mixing it generously with the fat he had brought.
The bug dissection worker beside him exclaimed, “Hey!! Why are you mixing so much? We’re not tired from the dissection, are we? That’s more than half the amount!”
Lu Qingjia quickly apologized, “Sorry, my hand slipped; I didn’t sleep well last night.”
The other person didn’t mind, “Hey, just be careful; if you make a mistake, getting scolded is the least of your worries. If—”
He shuddered, as if in fear.
Lu Qingjia poured the excess fat into the mixture to balance the ratio and casually asked, “How many bugs do you have to dissect today?”
The man shook his head, “Today we might have to work overtime; it’s the weekend and the end of the month, and there are many clients, mostly for full-body treatments.”
“Ugh! The profits are so good, but our salaries are still so low.”
“Forget it, be content,” another person said, “The fishmongers outside stand all day, and their pay is only a third of ours, plus they get five insurances and one fund. We should be grateful for this good fortune. Just keep your mouth shut; it doesn’t require much skill.”
The complaining man replied awkwardly, “But the fishmongers don’t have risks; last month, a dead eel bit off the fourth brother’s finger because it wasn’t fully anesthetized. How do you explain that?”
“Hey, I say your salary and benefits are more than enough to support a family for a year. Why are you so chatty today? Did you go gambling again?”
“Ugh, bad luck; I lost a few thousand last night.”
The conversation drifted into trivialities, and while Lu Qingjia mixed the bug eggs, he analyzed clues from their chatter.
Based on their efficiency, excluding meal and rest times, as well as the ratio of bug eggs to fat, and the amount used for Mrs. Lan’s treatments, he could roughly estimate that the number of clients receiving treatments today was between eighteen and twenty-five. These clients were wealthy and powerful elites, the protectors of this hospital.
To be honest, while the hospital’s shady dealings were not hard to uncover, this level of corruption clearly did not meet Lu Qingjia’s ambitions.
After mixing the bug eggs and fat, Lu Qingjia pushed the cart toward another door.
That door led directly to the VVIP area. When no one was paying attention, he took out a bottle of unknown liquid from his pocket and, under the cover of his sleeve, poured it into the beauty liquid.
The elevator ascended, reaching the sixth floor, where the decor was noticeably more exquisite and expensive than in the ordinary areas. Even the paintings in the corridor looked valuable, not like the common decorations found everywhere.
Based on the overall layout and the area of the open space, Lu Qingjia had mentally sketched out the area and structure of the VVIP section. The hospital was this big, so it wouldn’t be too complicated.
Thus, even though he had never been here before, Lu Qingjia hesitated for a moment but still successfully found the storage room for the beauty liquid.
Inside, a beautician was taking beauty liquid from the shelves, and those bottles and jars were quite heavy.
Lu Qingjia quickly went to help, and the beautician smiled, “You’re quite enthusiastic today! Usually, you just stand by and don’t lend a hand.”
Lu Qingjia casually mumbled a few words, and once the beautician left the room, he continued to pour the liquid he had brought into the stored beauty liquid.
These items seemed to have a short storage time, with a shelf life of about three days at most.
Lu Qingjia noticed that the bottles marked for immediate use had dates from two days ago, leading him to deduce that if the bug eggs were not used within three days, they would lose their viability or even die. This also explained why the bug dissection workers’ workload was based on the clients of the day.
After adding to the beauty salon’s supplies, Lu Qingjia thought the timing was about right.
Sure enough, within two minutes, the VVIP area’s alarm went off, and several beauticians poked their heads out of the rooms.
Several security personnel in black uniforms rushed down the corridor toward the area where Lu Qingjia was.
Lu Qingjia encountered them in the corridor and, without thinking, pushed open the door to a beauty room.
Inside, a client was undergoing a full-body treatment, and both the beautician and the client screamed upon noticing the intrusion.
Lu Qingjia quickly covered the beautician’s mouth, placing a finger to his lips, and calmly said, “Don’t scream; your emotions will influence the client’s judgment of the situation. She can’t move right now, so please don’t create extra panic for her, okay?”
He then covered the client’s eyes, speaking gently, “Don’t panic, I’m just borrowing a way out.”
“Your figure is beautiful, but the treatment process isn’t pretty. Just focus on enjoying it; don’t open your eyes and ruin this day.”
Saying this, he opened the window and jumped down from the sixth floor.
When the security personnel rushed in, they found the window wide open but did not hesitate to head downstairs to catch him.
The beautician was still in shock, while the client had a dreamy expression on her face, asking, “Who was that? His voice was quite nice; he sounded like an elegant handsome guy.”
The beautician: “…”
No, he was just an ordinary transport worker from their hospital, with a sharp face and a taciturn demeanor that wasn’t appealing.
But what had that guy done? Why were so many people after him? And that voice didn’t even sound like his; his demeanor was completely different, giving off a surprisingly charming vibe. No wonder the client was moved just by his voice and tone.
But this was the sixth floor.
The beautician hurried to the window to look down, but there was no sign of anyone on the ground, unsure if he had already been dragged away.
Lu Qingjia jumped into the courtyard and saw a security guard from the first floor running over, clearly having received the message through the intercom.
He nimbly opened a first-floor window and flipped inside.
Inside was a reception room where a beauty consultant was enthusiastically pitching projects to a client.
Seeing someone jump in, the consultant gasped, but Lu Qingjia didn’t stop; he opened the door and stepped into the corridor.
Then he cast a hallucination spell on himself, transforming into the appearance of the client from earlier.
Continuing down the corridor to the lobby, he saw Brother Liu bringing in another batch of clients. Lu Qingjia blended into the crowd, following them to the corner of the staircase, and changed his appearance again.
After several rounds, whether it was the security in the lobby or those coming out of the VVIP area, even with the cooperation of the monitoring room and intercom, they could not confirm the target in the lobby for a while.
Unless they wanted to throw the entire hospital into chaos.
Lu Qingjia discarded the clothes he had taken from the transport worker in the restroom, returning to his original appearance before the illusion spell wore off, and staggered to the floor where he had knocked out the transport worker.
He found a crowd gathered at the door, mostly hospital staff discussing the incident.
Lu Qingjia pretended to join the crowd, and a nurse said, “I don’t know; I was reminded by someone. When I came to check, sure enough, someone was knocked out and stuffed in a cabinet.”
“Who told me? I forgot, but it was a hospital employee.”
Lu Qingjia didn’t linger, intending to leave when he noticed a cleaning lady holding the uniform he had discarded, pointing in this direction.
Several security guards approached, “Sir, we’d like to ask you a few questions.”
A glint of interest flashed in Lu Qingjia’s eyes; he had thrown away enough items and paper towels as cover when he discarded the clothes.
At that time, the trash can was only a third full, hardly time to change the garbage, and even if they did, few would specifically rummage through restroom trash.
And the timing—
Lu Qingjia nodded, putting on a cooperative demeanor for questioning.
At that moment, a nurse player emerged from a nearby elevator, pulling Lu Qingjia into the elevator to hide.
Several security guards quickly followed, but the elevator doors had already closed.
The nurse said, “I just heard from the nearby security’s intercom that a thief has invaded the VVIP area. I suspect it’s you.”
Before Lu Qingjia could respond, she continued, “Did you think you were disguising yourself perfectly? Even if the security comes to ask questions, you could fool them?”
“Let me tell you, you’re mistaken. Do you think the person hiding in the cabinet was discovered for no reason? Who goes into that storage room? Who opens that cabinet?”
“The doctors have already decided to take action, just to use the hospital’s resources to eliminate you, or at least drive you out to disrupt your movements.”
Lu Qingjia smiled, “Oh really? Then why are you helping me?”
The nurse smiled back. Although her looks were only cute and pretty, not as exquisite as Yang Qian, she easily stirred a man’s affection.
She said, “Because I think you have a better chance of winning.”
“The doctor pretends to be all high and mighty in front of us, but last night, he was trembling in front of you, which was really disappointing.”
“I have limited abilities, but my eyesight is pretty good, so naturally, I want to follow the strongest.”
She flashed a bright smile, “Anything I can do, just ask. Can I join you?”
Lu Qingjia smiled, “But I’m in a tough spot right now. The hospital is this big; no matter how I hide, I’ll eventually be found.”
“Even if I can’t be found, I can’t just show up openly. How do you plan to help me get out of this crisis?”
The nurse smiled mysteriously, “I have my ways; just follow me.”
Saying this, she pulled Lu Qingjia into the changing room, which was familiar since he had been there the night before.
She rummaged through a cabinet and threw some items to Lu Qingjia, “There aren’t many cameras in this area of the changing room. Change your appearance; I have a prop from a world that can change your appearance and body, but it can’t do anything about your hair and clothes.”
“Put this on first, pretend to be a nurse, and we’ll talk about the rest later.”
Lu Qingjia glanced at the wig and nurse’s outfit in his hands, looking up at her, “Are you serious?”
The nurse blinked her big eyes, “What else do you expect? Do you have any other way to avoid the security search and stay in the hospital?”
Lu Qingjia chuckled, setting the clothes aside, “But even if I can change my appearance, players can still recognize each other. As long as the doctors want to eliminate me, no matter how I disguise myself, I’ll have to avoid them, which doesn’t hold much significance, does it?”
The nurse’s expression stiffened, and just as she was about to explain and rationalize the situation, Lu Qingjia suddenly produced a paper talisman from who knows where.
He smiled at himself, and the talisman fell onto the pile of clothes, causing a scream to come from inside the wig.
Even the nurse in front of him seemed to feel the pain, letting out a cry of distress.
Lu Qingjia quickly used Soul Shackles to pull out something from inside, a long bug attached to the wig, resembling those creatures in the well, but it was longer and thinner, not quite the size of an earthworm, about twice the length of chopsticks, and entirely dark red.
If he hastily put the wig on his head, it would be a disaster.
Lu Qingjia stuffed the long bug into a sealed small bottle and placed it in his system backpack.
He stepped in front of the nurse, placing a foot on her chest, and sighed helplessly, “Miss, you’re putting me in a difficult position.”
“The setup wasn’t originally aimed at you; why did you have to throw yourself into the knife’s edge?”
The nurse finally managed to calm her twisted expression, glaring at Lu Qingjia with hatred, “So you did it on purpose.”
Lu Qingjia nodded, “Yeah! Otherwise, why would I specifically tell Yang Qian about such a private matter as breaking into a restricted area?”
“It was to let her inform you all.”
“Just think about it; clearly, I had already eliminated you from suspicion last night. Why not patiently wait for the right moment to strike instead of jumping in?”
The Female Ghost finally realized that her elaborate act had turned her into cannon fodder for these cunning and treacherous people.
A malicious smile appeared on her face, and suddenly her chest began to ooze pus. Lu Qingjia felt his foot give way, as if he had stepped on a boiled potato.
Taking advantage of Lu Qingjia’s moment of distraction, the nurse quickly twisted her body like a snake, escaping his range, and was about to attack when the door to the changing room swung open, revealing a figure.
It was Ji Yu, whom he had met that morning, still wearing that charmingly sinister demeanor.
Seeing the two confronting each other in the room, he smiled, “Could you two step out? You’re causing quite a mess in the hospital, which makes things difficult for me.”
Under normal circumstances, two players wouldn’t care about mere hospital security, as they could easily take on dozens of them in a physical confrontation.
But at that moment, the two bodyguards behind Ji Yu were firmly holding silenced shotguns, and their stance and aura were extraordinary, their sharp gazes fixed on the people in the room, ready to fire at any moment.
The two had no choice; it wasn’t yet time for a life-and-death struggle, so they could only follow Ji Yu as he walked out.
As Lu Qingjia passed by, Ji Yu glanced at the fallen wig and female outfit on the ground, a look of regret on his face, “I was actually looking forward to it.”
He had deliberately waited until now to enter; Lu Qingjia didn’t believe his perception was so dull that he wouldn’t notice someone standing outside for so long. Even if Ji Yu was cunning, the two bodyguards’ movements were not so easily fooled.
So there was only one possibility: this fitting room only appeared safe on the surface, but in reality, it had no privacy at all.
The two were taken to a room, Ji Yu’s office, which was decorated simply in black and white, with various honor certificates and awards featuring his photo hanging on the walls, along with an office desk and a set of black sofas and a coffee table for guests.
By the time Lu Qingjia and the others entered, there were already quite a few people in the room.
All the players had gathered here, with bodyguards pointing guns at them from behind.
Seeing Lu Qingjia and the others come in, the expressions on Doctor and the others’ faces darkened.
Ji Yu walked to his office chair and sat down, his gaze sweeping over the players, filled with a playful and inexplicable pressure.
To be honest, even though the players were being held at gunpoint, if it came to a life-and-death struggle, they had a high chance of winning, as they all had hidden trump cards to some extent.
They could even capture Ji Yu first; no matter how inscrutable his thoughts were, he was just an ordinary human in the world of the instance, and his inherent threat level was not high.
But being taken down like this, with the opponent’s motives completely unclear, whether it was luck or a genuine grasp of the connections between players, was what made the players feel uneasy.
Moreover, the progress of the instance was still low; unless necessary, it wouldn’t be worth it to tear their faces and lose the convenience of their identities.
With their thoughts diverging, Ji Yu’s gaze swept over the crowd, lingering on Lu Qingjia’s face for a moment before he chuckled, “You guys are quite good; you can see the situation clearly and remain calm.”
“You didn’t rush to resist or even attempt to control me to resolve your crisis,” he said, as if recalling a foolish image, helplessly adding, “Dealing with energetic fools is simple, but it’s truly unappealing, lacking any aesthetic value.”
“Aesthetic?” Lu Qingjia chuckled, “Are you referring to those creatures raised in the well? I thought someone who could tolerate such grotesque things would have a strong aesthetic tolerance.”
Ji Yu looked at him, tilting his head slightly, revealing an unusually tolerant attitude towards beauty, “That’s why those things are buried deep underground, never allowed to appear before me. Otherwise, do you think the restricted area is just to prevent those with ulterior motives from probing into business secrets?”
Hearing this was simply hypocritical enough to make one nauseous; engaging in such a depraved business while being disgusted by dirty hands.
Seeing Ji Yu’s gaze glued to Lu Qingjia like a pervert, Doctor didn’t mind Lu Qingjia attracting all the firepower.
This NPC, who looked like a big boss, was now going head-to-head; unless they wanted to fail the mission, they hadn’t even exorcised a single ghost yet.
So the Doctor player played dumb, “Uh, Director Ji, we don’t understand what you’re saying. I’m just at work; you called us here for something?”
Ji Yu glanced at him, his gaze seemingly lacking even a second of patience.
He couldn’t bear to watch his poor performance, his voice flat, “I just praised you for being smart; don’t disappoint me so quickly.”
“I thought by this point, you should know better and wouldn’t choose such a clumsy and useless effort.”
“Let’s not mention this beautiful lady,” he looked at Lu Qingjia, “You’ve been causing such a ruckus in the nearby residential area, funding people unrelated to you with millions, even staying in the hospital with them, inspecting whether the environment is worthy of such spending.”
“Not to mention today, you’ve also caused a disturbance by breaking into the material processing room and the VVIP client area, exhausting the entire hospital’s security personnel.”
“And you guys, since the day before yesterday, haven’t been working properly.”
