MS CHapter 35

Ji Yu walked over to Lu Qingjia while loosening his tie.

His neck was long, and his posture elegant; the way he performed this action had an indescribable allure, a meticulous gentleman with a hint of disarray.

To be honest, Lu Qingjia was already fond of men, and he was not dead, so he could naturally feel the impact of this approach.

As the distance between them closed, the oppressive aura from Ji Yu enveloped Lu Qingjia. Suddenly, a cluster of fire appeared in Lu Qingjia’s hand, igniting the tie on Ji Yu’s left hand.

The tie caught fire, and just as it was about to burn to the end, Ji Yu leisurely let go, watching the flames fall to the ground.

He shook his head helplessly and said, “I actually quite like the color of this tie, so Mr. Lu, are you trying to freeload?”

Lu Qingjia smiled slightly, “Not really, I just felt a bit startled by your previous method of trapping ghosts. I can play, but I don’t particularly enjoy binding.”

Ji Yu’s breath tightened as he watched Lu Qingjia’s lips move while he spoke; certain words coming from his mouth made one’s breath unstable.

Lu Qingjia continued, “Didn’t you say you wanted to see me in a doctor’s white coat? Sure, but the only one available in this room is the one you’re wearing.”

Leaning close to Ji Yu’s ear, Lu Qingjia whispered, “How about you take it off for me?”

Upon hearing the word “take off,” Ji Yu almost stripped himself right there, but fortunately, he retained a shred of rationality, though his reaction was noticeably dulled.

Seeing him like this, Lu Qingjia asked in confusion, “Didn’t you say you could leave only after receiving compensation? Are you just toying with me? If that’s the case, it would be quite disappointing.”

“Doctor Ji, if that’s the case, then you’ve let me down. I originally thought you were the charming man I saw, composed and graceful, with everything under control. Is it just talk?”

Ji Yu’s throat moved imperceptibly, and he used all his willpower to regain his composure.

He locked eyes with Lu Qingjia, his gaze filled with amusement and interest: “When the beauty you admire says this much, if you still don’t recognize the charm, wouldn’t that be denying your own allure?”

As he spoke, he pulled open the white coat, his eyes deep and smiling as he watched Lu Qingjia slowly take it off: “What’s the harm?”

His movements were slow, as if intentionally showcasing his charm. If this scene were a movie, every frame would be a captivating poster.

Finally, Ji Yu handed the somewhat suggestive white coat to Lu Qingjia. Although it was merely a piece of clothing, the atmosphere in the room conveyed a silent invitation and implication.

Lu Qingjia took the coat, smiled, and put it on.

His outfit today was in light colors; although not formal like a suit, it was well-tailored, simple, and elegant.

With his tall stature and gentle, graceful demeanor, wearing the doctor’s white coat made him exude a healing warmth. A faint smile graced his handsome face, making him look pure like an angel.

Ji Yu’s breath lightened, but he saw Lu Qingjia reach out and remove the gold-rimmed glasses from his nose, putting them on himself.

Then he stepped back a few paces, leaning against the window, looking back at him: “How do I look now?”

At that moment, Ji Yu only wanted to respond with his body, but not wanting to scare the other away, he could only hoarsely say, “Not bad, it suits you.”

“What a pity, you can’t stay here for long. Otherwise, I’d really want to keep you forever.”

Lu Qingjia moved closer, smiling, “What’s so regrettable about that?”

“You don’t seem like the type to seek stability and worry about distant matters. I thought you would indulge in the pleasures of the moment and quickly grow bored, then discard it like a worn-out shoe.”

He added, “Just like me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Qingjia’s hand was grabbed, and Ji Yu’s expression was far from pleasant.

It was as if years of resentment and grievance, along with the cruel reality of shattered beautiful expectations, surfaced. He forced a smile that was anything but pretty: “Then you’ve misjudged me. On the contrary, I’m quite a sentimental person. Mr. Lu, how long do you think my novelty period will last in your eyes?”

Lu Qingjia didn’t answer his question but instead looked at the hand he was holding, a cryptic smile appearing on his face.

Suddenly, he remarked, “Nice watch.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Yu’s wristwatch slipped off and fell into Lu Qingjia’s hand, and then he flipped his body outward.

With the weight and inertia of an adult man, if an ordinary person were to grab his wrist, it would be impossible to hold on.

Ji Yu hesitated for a moment before reluctantly letting go.

He then saw Lu Qingjia, who had landed, looking up at him and saying, “Thanks, your gift is appreciated.”

After saying that, he dashed out of the hospital with inhuman speed.

Zhong Liyu watched his figure disappear from sight, and after a long while, he silently turned back and sat down in his office chair.

Game noticed his expression was off and guessed he must have been hurt by the earlier words.

Although Lu Qingjia was a seed player this round, in terms of time and friendship, he naturally couldn’t compare to Zhong Liyu.

Game sighed and comforted him, “Hey, think positively. The world is like this; a sincere heart doesn’t always get rewarded. It could also lead to a beating or cruel manipulation.”

“I’ve long seen that kid isn’t a person with a conscience. Just think about how many copies he’s been through? How many people have already devoted themselves to him? It’s time to face reality.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw that pervert had several photos in hand, all of which were of Lu Qingjia in the white coat, looking elegant and alluring, both chaste and full of uniform temptation.

Game: “…This idiot is hopeless.”

“Hey! So you were serious just now to extract impressions and print them using your ability?”

Zhong Liyu had once obtained a useless ability in Intermediate Level Game, which was a human body camera that could print out deeply impressed scenes he saw.

But then again, blurry photos were also vague, and even without photos, deeply impressed memories would remain in one’s mind without the risk of exposure.

So he had left it in the corner and hardly used it, except occasionally for entertainment when there was no camera handy.

It seemed that the other party was quite glad to have this ability.

He saw that guy holding the photos, his expression was that of a lovesick fool, even scarier than when he was sucking on a handkerchief.

Game suspected that if he hadn’t been online all this time, that guy would have done something to the photos.

He couldn’t take it anymore and said, “Hey, do you really have a short memory? Didn’t he just say something? That’s a character who discards things once the novelty wears off.”

“With your experience, you’d probably be chewed up and spat out like flavorless gum left on the roadside for three years, and you’re still happy?”

Zhong Liyu’s face stiffened, “It’s really not a good time to be happy.”

“Exactly, look at you—”

“I might have already exposed myself.”

“Eh?” Game exclaimed, “Then why did you let him take your watch? I warn you not to help the Player clear the game.”

Zhong Liyu smiled coldly, “Ask yourself, if it were the original vice president, would he still be played around like this? I’ve already forced them out of the hospital; how is that helping?”

“Since I’m replacing this NPC, I can only act within his limits. Within this range, I can’t stop him from taking the watch.”

He sighed, “I reacted a beat too slowly earlier. Now that I think about it, the knives he’s thrown are too many and too precise; he’s clearly testing my reactions.”

“I’m telling you, that person is stubborn to a fault and quite arrogant in certain aspects. Even though I’ve modified reality to perfectly replace the NPC, and even if he can’t find any clues from the traces of reality, as long as he harbors doubts, he will never yield to the illusion of reality.”

“Otherwise, do you think that Game’s existence would have been discovered by him? Normally, even if someone realizes something is off, they would logically reconcile it, but he won’t.”

Game shivered, recalling how that con artist had gone to great lengths to investigate everything about Game; it was truly unprecedented and insane.

Zhong Liyu touched the face of the person in the photo, his expression falling into endless fantasies.

“You see, I told you, no matter what I become, he can recognize me. This isn’t called true love; let me ask you, what is true love?”

Game had just gotten goosebumps, and now he felt like a leopard about to go numb—

“Don’t give me that. When he was seducing you just now, you were so lost in your feelings that you didn’t even realize it, right? You looked quite happy then.”

“By your logic, you’ve successfully put on a green hat for yourself; congratulations, Zhong Lu, for achieving this unheard-of feat.”

Zhong Liyu: “You flatter me; you should put in more effort too.”

Game: “I’m mocking you.”

Zhong Liyu: “Why are you shouting so loudly? I’m admiring the photos; can’t you take a hint and back off?”

Game trembled as he reached for the pressure-relief medication beside him.

When Lu Qingjia arrived at the meeting point, his mood was genuinely terrible.

However, after confirming that the other party had entered the copy, he had to abide by the rules and not use excessive power, maintaining his abilities within the limits of replacing the NPC. For instance, when he jumped down using inertia, the other party couldn’t catch him.

As long as he followed this rule, it would be manageable, but Lu Qingjia was still in awe of that perverted idiot’s actions.

Yang Qian and the others breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Lu Qingjia. Since the outside wasn’t a place for conversation, Lu Qingjia led them to a residential building.

“This is a place I had Brother Liu help rent. It’s a three-bedroom apartment, and food and water are prepared. This area is an urban village; the conditions aren’t great, but there are no surveillance cameras. If we’re found, we can use our physical advantages to escape.”

Everyone marveled at how far Lu Qingjia had thought ahead and how well-prepared he was. The rented place was also clean, and as soon as they entered, everyone relaxed.

Although today had been thrilling, it was relatively safe, and the latter half was well-organized under Lu Qingjia’s arrangements.

In other copies, avoiding ghostly pursuits for a night would be much easier.

After a while, everyone laid out the items they had gathered on the coffee table.

The equipment Brother Liu prepared was quite sufficient, and once they regained their composure, everyone began to work.

Lu Qingjia was responsible for decrypting the hard drive, while Yang Qian and the others figured out how to open the safe.

He also handed over a watch, which had a slot inside that contained a memory card, and they managed to extract it.

The three were surprised: “This watch—doesn’t it belong to the vice president? It looks quite expensive; I have an impression of it.”

“How did you guess there was something inside? Wait, how did you get such a personal item?”

Knowing that Doctor Ji was not easy to deal with, although the Player’s physical abilities far exceeded those of ordinary people, that guy’s posture when dealing with ambushes didn’t seem like an amateur. Moreover, the other party had that strange hair that could be controlled.

The three recalled how the person with the surname Ji had repeatedly shown interest in Lu Qingjia, and their gazes turned strange: “You’ve worked hard.”

“You’ve really gone all out for Game.”

“The one with the surname Ji isn’t bad-looking; we’re not at a loss. Think of it that way.”

Lu Qingjia couldn’t be bothered with these guys, his hands moving continuously until he quickly decrypted the items.

However, there were several hard drives, and the more tedious task was filtering out the useful clues.

Lu Qingjia handed this work over to Doctor and the others because they had found an old notebook from the safe, which piqued Lu Qingjia’s interest even more.

To be honest, this copy was fraught with difficulties, and there were even traps and Hidden Quests set by Game based on positions. Therefore, relatively speaking, unraveling the truth of the entire hospital was not particularly challenging.

Based on the data obtained from the core figures of the hospital, after the group integrated and filtered it, they finally distilled the truth of the matter.

The information obtained from other high-level personnel was optional and sufficient as evidence, but the explanation was still somewhat loose.

Only the notebook and memory card obtained from Ji Yu—

The memory card recorded the history of the hospital’s predecessor, the club, the information of the wronged souls during their lifetimes, the names of the people in charge of the club at that time, and all the staff.

With this information, it was entirely possible to restore what happened inside the club at that time.

As Lu Qingjia had suspected, each ghost on every floor was a specific person chosen based on certain projects, with premeditated accidents and concentrated surgery times.

It also recorded how the club used huge compensation to buy off the families of the victims, minimizing the impact of the incident.

Thus, Players couldn’t find any news about the previous club in social news, but some old residents around had some impressions, knowing that people had died while doing business here, but they didn’t know much more.

In other words, the club didn’t close due to operational pressure; they chose to shut down themselves, enduring for a few years before making a comeback.

Because now, several names on the hospital’s high-level list corresponded to those from the club back then.

Especially the director, who was the personal secretary of the club’s owner at that time, while the owner of the club was not on the hospital’s list.

Yang Qian asked, “Did he climb higher?”

“Also, this hospital isn’t without risks. Until stability is achieved, the real person in control doesn’t need to come to the forefront.”

Lu Qingjia shrugged, “Who knows?”

He pointed to a file bag containing the victims’ information: “Although the information on the wronged souls from the first to fifth floors is complete, the sixth floor, or rather the one in the well, has no records at all.”

Yang Qian looked over: “There are detailed surgical processes, but the information on this victim is missing.”

Then she exclaimed, “What does this line mean? ‘Using child Gu as nourishing essence with soil, implanting into the scalp—’”

“Those hairs were cultivated?”

Lu Qingjia took the old notebook: “You’ll have to ask it.”

The sentences inside were somewhat obscure, but after spending some time, the group roughly understood.

“This notebook is the design principle of the entire hospital’s predicament; it was a conspiracy designed long before the club opened.”

The notebook also unveiled the true nature of the black worms in the well; that thing was a type of Gu.

Belonging to child Gu, which was mentioned in the hair transplant files, it seemed that the hair in the well was still growing by absorbing the nutrients from the black worms.

No wonder those black worms could reproduce so well; they hadn’t yet filled the well.

The Gu was divided into mother and child; child Gu was the black worm, and mother Gu, as described in the notebook, was red, slender, and good at hiding. It was the one Lu Qingjia had thrown into the well.

Mother Gu controlled child Gu, while child Gu fed on the filth of organs, drawing the essence and lifespan of living beings to supply mother Gu, benefiting the holder of mother Gu.

It could also invade the human body, connecting with flesh and blood, turning people into obedient zombies.

If regularly fed with fat, replacing dead worms with new ones, the essence contained within child Gu would leak some to the parasite.

This was the secret behind those VVIP clients maintaining their youthful beauty.

If there was no fat feeding, child Gu would shrink and lose its vitality, and the flesh already occupied by them would naturally collapse and wither, aging rapidly, like Mrs. Lan, who appeared to be a seventy-year-old woman despite being under forty.

The information recorded on the memory card indicated that mother Gu was lost and still searching, but unexpectedly fell into the hands of the woman with the split chest.

The other party clearly didn’t know the true use of mother Gu and only regarded it as a useful weapon against Lu Qingjia.

By chance, Lu Qingjia obtained it and coincidentally threw it away.

But even if mother Gu was lost, the people in the hospital still used other methods to replace it, enjoying the essence and vitality drawn from countless ordinary people through child Gu.

These small accumulations were all things that prolonged life and maintained youth.

Originally, if mother Gu hadn’t been lost, they wouldn’t have had to wait so many years to have this hospital; in just a few years, their research would have succeeded.

That was to use hair as a substitute; since those special hairs could absorb the vitality of child Gu and grow strong with it as soil, it indicated that they had already barely possessed half of mother Gu’s functions.

Next was how to deliver the vitality to themselves.

After long-term cultivation experiments, they finally obtained a type of red silk, a mutated form of hair. This red silk, when implanted into the body, could replace mother Gu to share what child Gu had plundered.

Not only that, but the implanting person could also control the hair based on quantity and quality.

This was the secret behind why the hair could be used by them, but no one could control the hair in the well; they could only manipulate a little bit based on their own abilities.

But even just that was already hard to guard against; the previous batches of Players probably fell victim to this.

After all, these NPCs seemed to pose no threat; the ghosts were so vicious, and it was a low-level copy, so there was no reason for NPCs to be enhanced.

“What’s the purpose of setting up such a pattern for those few wronged souls?” Doctor asked while flipping through the notebook.

“It’s written here.” Lu Qingjia pointed to one section: “Child Gu is nourished by resentment, so it can cover up the karmic retribution of absorbing human lifespans, and when it feeds back to mother Gu, it doesn’t lose its cause and effect.”

“Also, those black worms are too numerous; once scattered, the karmic retribution they bear is smaller, and with the strong resentment of the wronged souls covering it, they can almost deceive the heavens.”

“Look at the description above.” Lu Qingjia pointed to the printed surgical files of the wronged souls: “It describes that anesthesia was not used, meaning these people were almost deliberately tortured to death, naturally filled with resentment.”

Doctor and the others couldn’t help but shiver: “Too cruel.”

“The hair was originally cultivated to bind the wronged souls; as long as the leader—the one who performed the hair transplant on the sixth floor—is thrown into the well, the situation would trap the ghosts of an entire building.”

After saying that, he congratulated the three: “Very good, your task thinking has completely emerged.”

Yang Qian also showed excitement: “Right, to exorcise, it’s just about lifting the restrictions and offsetting the cause and effect.”

“As long as we resolve the hair and throw the people who performed the surgeries and the participants to the wronged souls, they will naturally leave after avenging themselves.”

He pointed to the names on the files: “Who did which surgery is clearly written here.”

Doctor sighed in relief but suddenly became alert: “Wait, our tasks should conflict; has your clearing thought emerged?”

“Your perfect formula wouldn’t need to maintain the state of the wronged souls, would it?”

Lu Qingjia shook his head: “It shouldn’t; that doesn’t align with Game’s tone. Game strongly encourages Players to break the copy and help the wronged souls achieve rebirth.”

“At most, it’s a matter of sequence. My task thinking has roughly emerged.”