Chapter 7: Mental Hospital

The two of them arrived at a room tucked away in the corner, sealed off by a thick iron door.

As they stepped inside, Bai Nian’s eyes sharpened.

This was a cozy living room, bathed in warm-toned lighting, with a plush carpet, soft sofa, and a table strewn with some books.

Nearby stood a coffee machine.

The caretaker approached the record player and skillfully set down the vinyl.

Instantly, the room filled with a pleasant melody.

The room was very clean; there was no smell of disinfectant.

Instead, a faint floral fragrance lingered in the air.

Bai Nian subtly ran her finger along the underside of the table.

Sure enough, a layer of dust clung to her fingertip.

This meant the room had been cleaned in advance and that it had existed long before.

In other words, before her, this room had seen more than one hypnotist.

Bai Nian took out the Pocket Watch from her pocket, intending to check the time.

But the moment she opened it, a flood of information surged into her mind.

She stood frozen for a long while before her expression shifted into one of sudden understanding.

It turned out this Pocket Watch was a prop, capable of imparting some hypnotic knowledge to her, preventing any accidents.

At that moment, the caretaker was brewing a cup of fresh coffee.

Holding the cup, he looked over at her, only to find Bai Nian staring blankly at a Wall Clock in the room.

“Doctor Bai, I made you some coffee.”

The caretaker brought the cup to Bai Nian’s side.

“Shh, quiet.”

She suddenly spoke, and the caretaker wisely fell silent.

“The sound of this clock isn’t right.”

“Oh, it’s probably broken. I’ll fix it later,”

the caretaker hurriedly explained.

Bai Nian ignored him and reached out to reset the clock hands to twelve o’clock.

With a soft click from the clock, she turned around and said, “There. All fixed.”

Taking the coffee from the caretaker’s hand, Bai Nian politely said thank you.

“Go fetch the patient. I think the treatment can begin now.”

Watching the caretaker leave the room, Bai Nian sat down on the sofa, deep in thought.

The mission on the file was to treat the patient here for three days—does that mean after three days, the level is cleared?

But is clearing the Disaster Gate the same as eliminating the Disaster Gate?

“Obviously not. The system’s mission should be for me to destroy this place and save everyone, or maybe there’s some hidden objective.”

Bai Nian murmured to herself.

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside the door.

She turned her gaze in that direction.

Two caretakers brought in a girl, barefoot and wearing a hospital gown a size too large, her body marked with bruises.

But her eyes were surprisingly calm—vacant and numb.

“Why a different patient?”

Bai Nian looked at the two caretakers, puzzled.

They explained, “Sorry, Doctor Bai, the previous patient got agitated. We gave him medication, and he’s asleep now.”

“Please step aside. The treatment is about to start.”

Bai Nian took the Medical Record.

After speaking, the two caretakers nodded and left the room, but she didn’t hear their footsteps fading away.

“What’s your name?”

she asked the girl, setting the file aside.

The girl said nothing.

“How old are you? When did you come here?”

Still no response, as if she hadn’t heard Bai Nian’s questions at all.

Until she saw a piece of paper sliding across the table toward her, and for the first time, her expression changed.

On it was written:

“You’re a normal person, right? You were captured and brought to this mental hospital.”

The girl frantically nodded, casting a pleading look at Bai Nian, tears shimmering in the corners of her eyes.

She raised her right hand, palm open, and a Pocket Watch slipped from it, swaying from side to side.

“Relax…”

The girl heard a gentle voice in her ear and then completely lost consciousness.

The surroundings began to shift.

Bai Nian found herself standing beside a bustling street.

A siren-blaring Ambulance suddenly pulled up, and several caretakers jumped out.

They ran straight toward Bai Nian.

She wanted to resist but her body was uncontrollable—

Like a bystander caught off guard, unable to react.

She screamed as she was dragged into the Ambulance, while the people around her remained indifferent.

Her vision blurred again, and she found herself firmly strapped to a hospital bed, facing a dimly lit Corridor.

Locked in a ward, stripped naked for a bath, forcibly medicated, beaten…

A normal girl enduring torment here had grown numb and desensitized.

“Ah!”

A scream from outside shattered the scene around her.

Bai Nian snapped awake, gasping for breath.

Though she was not the one being tortured, experiencing it firsthand was a brutal blow to her spirit.

The girl on the sofa opposite seemed to recall something as well, her expression turning pained, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“What’s going on?!”

Bai Nian feigned anger and shouted.

The caretaker outside immediately entered, apologizing profusely, “Sorry, Doctor Bai, it seems a new patient with severe symptoms has just arrived.”

Bai Nian approached the caretaker, “The hypnosis was interrupted at the critical moment. We can’t continue. Take me to see the new patient.”

“Alright…”

The caretaker turned to his companion, “Go bring 05 back to the ward.”

At an Observation Window, a caretaker was taking notes.

Bai Nian peered inside.

A girl, completely naked, curled up in a corner.

Caretakers sprayed her down with high-pressure water hoses.

The room was filled with mist, and the girl cursed them loudly.

Bai Nian felt a strange familiarity.

When the cleaning finished and she saw her clearly, she was shocked.

The girl was none other than Su Su!

Bai Nian took a step back, avoiding being seen and causing trouble.

“What illness does she have?”

she asked the caretaker responsible for the records.

Without looking up, he replied, “Severe persecutory delusions. She imagines anyone approaching her as a murderer. Extremely unstable emotions, highly dangerous.”

Bai Nian nodded without further comment.

She was almost certain now this mental hospital was the key to clearing the dungeon.

And herself—perhaps because of her profession—was conveniently positioned on the villain’s side, making her actions easier.

Otherwise, her situation would be no better than Su Su’s.

The first patient Bai Nian saw was probably her high school classmate.

After all, with that distinctive white hair and appearance, almost everyone in school knew her.

Not long after, Su Su was brought to her own ward.

As a newcomer, she naturally endured a round of brutal beatings, especially being a petty delinquent like her.

“Let me out! I’m not sick, Grandma Li’s!”

Su Su’s angry roars echoed through the room.

But the caretakers were unmoved.

One of them even had a lecherous gleam in his eyes.

Here, there were no rules, and countless pretty girls had suffered at the hands of these caretakers.

One caretaker pinned Su Su against the wall, the hospital gown she wore now barely covering her.

She seemed to realize what was about to happen and struggled fiercely, but it was all in vain.

No matter how tough Su Su was, she was just a girl—she was quickly subdued and immobilized.

Just as they were about to take advantage of her, a female voice suddenly rang out from outside the room.

“Do your job!”