CH 20

(You open your eyes again.)

(You realize you hadn't died.)

(The spider's fangs remain stuck at the tip of your nose, unable to descend.)

(You move along the wall.)

(Surprisingly, the small toad was biting the spider's thigh, slowly devouring it.)

(Boom!)

(The spider suddenly shrinks and was swallowed whole by the toad in an instant.)

(The toad eats the spider and remains motionless in the corner.)

(You breathe a sigh of relief.)

(You look up and see an entrance to a ventilation duct above.)

(There was a pile of debris in the corner of the room, resembling the spider's usual food.)

(You move the debris over and stack it beneath your feet, successfully climbing into the ventilation duct.)

(You crawl inside the ventilation duct.)

(You notice that there are roaming security personnel throughout Level -1 [basement].)

(They have dull expressions and didn't speak to each other.)

(Occasionally, a few people would suddenly disappear on the spot, probably off to attend to their tasks.)

(You crawl cautiously, being careful not to make any noise.)

(You find the so-called archive room, located behind the crematorium.)

(Seizing the opportunity when no one was around, you jump down from the ventilation duct and enter the archive room.)

(You first arrive at the patient file cabinet and find your own file.)

(The file was filled with garbled characters that you can't decipher.)

(You put on the bird beak mask.)

([Patient File])

([Number] ********)

([Name] Gu Yi)

([Gender] Male)

([Admission Date] Day X of the Year of Abundance)

([Participated Experiments] Socialization Transformation, Language Adaptation, Brain Modification.)

(This file confirms your speculation.)

(Chongshan Hospital was not a traditional hospital but a research institute, and this world was not a reflection of the real world but another parallel universe. The indigenous people here use a calendar completely different from the Blue Star.)

(Socialization Transformation, Language Adaptation, Brain Modification.)

(These three experimental projects seem ambiguous, and you have no idea what they actually mean.)

(Socialization Transformation and Language Adaptation can be roughly guessed.)

(Socialization Transformation should involve receiving prison-like management at Chongshan Hospital to adapt to the society here.)

(Language Adaptation is probably about being able to understand the language spoken by the indigenous people.)

(You noticed a detail early on: the patients here don't speak. You can only communicate with the medical staff.)

(Presumably, this is because you underwent the "Language Adaptation" experiment.)

(The idea of brain modification sounds terrifying, and you have no idea what they have done to your brain.)

(The only thing you can be certain of is that the role you currently play is that of a guinea pig in a research institute.)

(You search for clues in other file cabinets.)

(Finally, at the counter of the [Research Materials,] you find the videotape of "Monster Siege.")

(You search around and find a projector deep in the archives.)

(You decide to watch the videotape on the spot.)

(You put on the 3D glasses.)

("Monster Siege" tells a very cheesy science fiction plot about monsters invading the world and people rising up to resist.)

(The movie tells the story of the human world, with the protagonist being a person from the Dragon Country who also owns a very intelligent dog that plays a crucial role in the movie.)

(For now, you haven't found any useful information from the movie. It appears to be a very ordinary popcorn movie.)

(You think for a moment and decide to watch the movie wearing the bird beak mask.)

(Once the first frame of the movie starts, the entire visual style of the movie is off.)

(It's like a spilled paint palette, making it impossible to see the content clearly.)

(A monster covered in black fur reaches out from the screen.)

(You remember the instructions for the glasses.)

(You quickly take off the glasses.)

(You discover that the black-furred monster is still struggling to climb out of the screen.)

(You quickly take three steps back.)

(You feel the ground giving way beneath your feet, and you fall.)

(You climb up from the ground.)

(You look up and realize there is no hole above you. You must have passed through the wall and fallen.)

(Apparently, there is another basement, Level -2, in the hospital.)

(You feel somewhat puzzled.)

(To reach Level -2 [second basement], you must simultaneously have the bird mask and the 3D glasses, and encounter the appearance of the monster while watching the movie. You find these conditions too demanding, and there should be another way to reach Level -2.)

(You calm down and start thinking.)

(You realize that the method you used to reach Level -2 today cannot be replicated in reality. If someone discovers that the spider in Room 0 is dead, you will surely be caught by the hospital's security personnel.)

(You don't have time to daydream; you must explore as quickly as possible.)

(You take off the bird beak mask and continue walking along the corridor in front of you.)

(The further you walk, the more dilapidated the walls become.)

(You roughly determine your direction and believe that you are directly below the crematorium.)

(This is a huge boiler room with pipes everywhere. You notice a few people wearing elephant masks working inside. Deep within the boiler room, there is an elevator, and it doesn't require an access card to operate.)

(You silently move away.)

(You continue exploring further.)

(You have probably been walking for twenty minutes, which is clearly beyond the original area of the hospital.)

(The underground section of the hospital is much larger than the aboveground.)

(Both left and right sides of the corridor are lined with closed room doors, with a door visible every five steps.)

(The deeper you go, the more eerie the atmosphere of the hospital corridor becomes.)

(The door handles are made of bones, the door panels are painted with fresh blood, the walls have muscle-like patterns that tremble with your heartbeat.)

(The ceiling starts to drip blood.)

(You don't know if this is an illusion or reality.)

(You notice black hair growing on your arms.)

(You continue walking forward.)

(Your consciousness begins to blur, and you hear strange murmuring voices in your ears.)

(You reach the end of the corridor.)

(Everything around you returns to normal.)

(However, your arms are now covered in black fur, just like the monster that emerged from the movie screen.)

(Your mental strength is stronger than before, and you can barely maintain your sanity.)

(At the end of the corridor, there is only one office with a sign that reads "Dean's Office.")

(You can't open the door.)

(You look left and right, choosing to explore to the left.)

(Your breathing becomes rapid.)

(You enter the room on the left.)

(The door is unlocked, and upon opening it, you find yourself in a storage room filled with rows of cardboard boxes.)

(You pick up one of the boxes and realize that it is identical to the one in your hospital room.)

(The black fur extends to your chest.)

(You clutch your head, trying to think.)

(But you realize that you can't remain calm at all.)

(A voice keeps echoing in your mind.)

("You are no longer human.")