Chapter 92 - Better Behave Yourself

The sights of the mental institution were the same as Liu Xiaodan's memory. However, he somewhat felt a little embarrassed as he spotted Director Sun among the people who would greet them. He didn't know how to face him now that he was back in Cherry Medical… not as a researcher but a patient.

Director Sun was actually there because he heard Liu Xiaodan had come. This child had always piqued his interest when Liu Xiaodan somewhat understood their studies. He had always known that something was strange with Liu Xiaodan, and he intended to find out.

However, he was being watched by Li Heilong so Director Sun couldn't even lay a finger on him. Now that Song Qixi had delivered the mass murderer to him, Director Sun was excited to begin.

Liu Xiaodan was trying to hide himself so Director Sun didn't do anything to make the child uncomfortable. He only briefed the wardens where they would leave the patients and how the transfer would be completed.

After a long walk, Liu Xiaodan and the other patients had been kept in a room under the supervision of another set of Mr. Strongmans. The father only sat on the chair quietly while the other patients were starting to try and… get away from him. The nurses realized that the patients were scared to get too near to the only rational patient in the room.

Soon, a female doctor walked in with two Mr. Strongmans. She eyed the other patients before settling her gaze at Liu Xiaodan who looked up at her as well. The doctor then smiled. "Liu Xiaodan, please?"

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself first?" Liu Xiaodan got up and followed the three out of the room. Along the hallway, he realized that almost no nurses would walk with them.

"Right, I'm Fan Meiling, head of the research and development lab." She smiled at him, walking next to him from then on.

"Eh? Dr. Fan? Like the same one who led the stimulus study?"

Liu Xiaodan was shocked. He had gathered materials from this place before, but he never thought he'd meet the person who made them. For her to speak with him directly… it was a little suspicious.

She only chuckled. "Yes, yes, I was first told that my study was rather lifeless and too highly intellectual to make sense. However, thanks to you, everyone started greeting me rather warmly. Who knew that it would take a Film and TV Production student to break it down for my colleagues?"

It took Liu Xiaodan a few seconds to process what she said before he reacted with shock. "Eh?! What… what do you mean by that, Dr. Fan?! I… didn't..."

"Oh? You didn't know? The science channel of Breakthrough, a popular website among creators and scientists, featured your doc.u.mentary 'The Stimulus of Fear' among others they got from your school. If I remember it right, it even caused Ting University to take some hit since they were not crediting their students properly.

"Though it only got opened up again when the names Li Feng and Liu Xiaodan hit the news. Apparently, a lot of creators remember your names from the excellent works posted on Breakthrough. It's a little sad that Ms. Jiang didn't give a follow-up statement aside from the website wanting to separate itself from the issues of the creators whose works were posted.

"I remember them saying that your individual actions shouldn't outshine the genius contributions you gave to the community."

Liu Xiaodan murmured to himself as he lowered his head. Ms. Jiang? Was it Chuan Nayi's mother? He did hear that some people from a science website had asked for the doc.u.mentaries created by the students of Film and TV Prod, but he didn't think they would know that he was the director. The school decided to award that film to Chuan Nayi after all.

Just by thinking about it, an image of a beautiful girl surfaced in his mind. However, he could never see her again.

"I see… thank you for the compliments, then, Dr. Fan." Liu Xiaodan only nodded and thanked her.

Contented by the way he acted, Fan Meiling only accepted his humble gratitude. She then continued walking and led him to a place that seemed to be a cafeteria. The people inside were either a patient or a nurse. Some patients were already exhibiting deranged behavior while the others seemed to be sane enough to look in his direction with pain in their eyes.

Fan Meiling then led him to a table where a nurse was feeding a wide-eyed woman. "Nurse Yun, this is Xiaodan. You'll be in charge of him, too. Xiaodan, this is Nurse Yun. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to talk to him."

"Okay." Liu Xiaodan answered even if Nurse Yun only looked past his shoulder to glance at the young man behind him.

"Please sit down. You'll be taken to your cell later at night." Fan Meiling then left with the security.

Liu Xiaodan frowned as he found it odd. Then again, seeing that everyone else didn't seem to be in a uniform, he figured he didn't have to change out of his red hoodie.

He wanted to sit down at the vacant seat next to him. However, he realized that legs were at the edge of the seat. There was no upper part, but there were legs that faded around the t.h.i.g.hs.

The wide-eyed woman then growled. "How dare you sit on her..."

"I haven't sat down yet," Liu Xiaodan answered.

"You were thinking about it..."

The young man then circled the table before standing where he started. "The whole table is occupied. Do you have an extra chair?"

Nurse Yun then looked at the newbie… before looking at the table again. Aside from the wide-eyed woman, he couldn't see anyone else. However… the newbie had said that the seats were full. Wasn't that the same thing the wide-eyed woman kept on telling him or anyone who wanted to sit down at their table?

"Hang on, I'll get one." Nurse Yun brought down the spoon and the bowl before getting up to find a chair to borrow. "Sit down here for now."

"Okay," Liu Xiaodan said as the nurse passed him by. He then sat down and stared at the wide-eyed woman who only stared back at him. He noticed that her arms were wrapped before her like she was cradling a baby. Even if everyone else would say that she was crazy for doing so, Liu Xiaodan could see her carrying a swaddled thing.

However, it didn't really feel remotely human at all.

"Do you need to eat?" He gestured to the food. The woman looked down at her baby and then at the man. "If I bring my hands down… she will wake up. You don't want her to be woken up..."

"Here. I'll help." Liu Xiaodan picked up the spoon and scooped a spoonful to feed the woman. However, he intentionally dripped some on the baby even before the woman could open her mouth. "Aw, my hand slipped."

The figure inside the swaddle began to move, making the wide-eyed woman scream in terror. The people at the table had also started to make noises as if they were struggling to get away… same with the woman who couldn't leave.

The cloths moved, and a horrible face peeked from the hole it made in the swaddle. Liu Xiaodan couldn't describe it fully… as it looked like a child but also an animal at the same time. The eyes were hollowed out, but it was on the sides of the head. They even moved individually.

The mouth was more or less plagued with uneven teeth. It opened and tried to bite the woman's arm. However, Liu Xiaodan reached out and blocked the mouth with his fist. The teeth dug through his flesh effortlessly, but it stopped biting halfway. The unfocused eyes finally looked at him.

"You better behave yourself. I don't care what you are, but if you continue tormenting humans—alive or not, I will find a way to get rid of you."

"...King..." A word slipped out of its mouth before it disappeared.

As if breaking out the time freeze, the chairs at their table all scattered violently like people had jumped off of it.

The wide-eyed woman finally got to close her eyes after days of being cursed by the swaddled monster. It was the same for her arms that she was too scared to uncurl. However, she was caught crawling away from Liu Xiaodan.

Nurse Yun and the other nurses were shocked by the sudden development. Even Liu Xiaodan was shocked so he leaned back against his chair.

"What did you do?" Nurse Yun ran past him and tried to get the woman to her feet. "Anna, Anna, stop..."

"No, no, no..." Anna, the wide-eyed woman, was forced to her feet by Nurse Yun and another nurse. She was then sat down on her previous chair while the others pushed the chairs back in their places. "I don't want to be here! I wanna go home!"

Liu Xiaodan only flattened his back against the seat as if trying not to gain the attention of the nurses. However, he wasn't safe from the glare Nurse Yun was giving him.

In the end, Anna was taken back to her room.

Liu Xiaodan was given food while Nurse Yun sat across him. The nurse seemed to be furious, but Liu Xiaodan could feel more curiosity than fury. Nurse Yun then started, "What happened after I left?"

"I tried helping her eat, but she screamed and fell off."

"The chairs?"

"...She probably kicked them..."

Nurse Yun frowned at Liu Xiaodan, but the passive look on the patient's face made it hard for him. Nurse Yun only sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Forget it. Just continue eating. You're Xiaodan, right? What's your story?"

Liu Xiaodan opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't find a good way to begin. He then only hummed before he got to decide that it wouldn't hurt to tell Nurse Yun the truth. "The ghost I brought home killed someone, and it escalated to a series of murders.

"I ended up having to kill someone for things to actually stop. I was sent to prison, but the judge said that I am basically innocent… but my mindset is dangerous. I had to be sent here for recovery… or just to keep me off of the streets."

Nurse Yun stared at him in disbelief. He then scratched his head. "...okay..."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, I normally watch the patients who keep on saying they see ghosts, but I never saw any of those dirty things." Nurse Yun supported his head with a palm, his elbow on the table. "Moreover, their visions are the reason why they ended up becoming deranged or dangerous members of society.

"It's my mission to help those who see ghosts get by their experience. If you have any trouble, just let me know."

Before Liu Xiaodan could answer, Guangru popped out like a child seated on their parent's l.a.p. "Wow, you're so nice like Baba..."

Nurse Yun frowned. "What the? A child?"

Liu Xiaodan then gestured at the nurse. "Shhh, we're the only ones who can see him, Nurse Yun."