A Forum for Patients of Fourth Hospital

Chapter 105: Previous Delivery Person

Translator: InkyDragon (https://puukkiss.wixsite.com/inkydragon)

Yu Xiao’s eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of the photo, and her fingers quickly reached out to grab Zhou Xiao Zhen’s phone.

On the screen, the Sage appeared serene, just as he had in his final moments. Even facing death, his expression remained unchanged, a silent enigma that both intrigued and haunted her.

She barely knew him, yet his calm gaze seemed to penetrate through her, as if he could see beyond the surface of reality itself. Under the starlit sky, he had asked a question that lingered in her mind: Was he real?

Now, as she stared at the image of him on her phone, she couldn’t help but wonder if he had predicted this moment. Perhaps he had anticipated that one day someone would take a picture, forever preserving his existence for those who doubted. Quickly, she saved the photo to her own device and uploaded it to the cloud, holding the phone tightly against her chest.

A sudden thought interrupted her daydream: What if she never crossed paths with the inhabitants of other worlds again? Shouldn’t she gather some mementos of those she encountered along the way?

Before she could dwell further, Zhou Xiao Zhen’s voice broke the silence. “So, what happened next? The monsters got so bored that they fell asleep during my mahjong game.”

Yu Xiao felt a pang of nostalgia mixed with sorrow as she recounted the events that followed.

Zhou Xiao Zhen brushed away a tear. “The Sage was nice; why did he have to die?”

Zhao Lan interjected with her own musings. “I used to believe that each world presented us with a challenge, a sort of test. Those who failed were doomed to perish within it, leaving only the successful to navigate through. But now, I wonder if there’s a deeper connection at play. Perhaps there’s a symbiotic relationship between us, the instance worlds, and the hospital.”

Furrowing her brow in confusion, Zhou Xiao Zhen asked, “What do you mean?”

Zhao Lan shrugged. “It’s kind of like… we scratch their back, they scratch ours. These instances not only test us but also keep the hospital functioning. Take the Sage World, for example. In order to sustain itself, the sages there have to die and be reborn periodically. But they don’t want to do it themselves, and the residents of that world can’t bear the burden either. So they need us, the outsiders, to do the dirty work. In return, we earn points, and it maintains the balance in the Sage World.”

Yu Xiao nodded, agreeing with Zhao Lan’s theory. The hospital wasn’t some all-powerful entity that controlled everything; there were nuances that suggested otherwise.

For instance, doctors couldn’t harm patients without consequences, as patients had the right to file complaints. Regular inspections every five years gave patients a chance to voice their concerns. Within the rules, patients had some autonomy, and any violations had consequences. Some patients, like Yu Xiao herself, even transitioned to roles within the hospital staff.

Trying to understand the implications, Zhou Xiao Zhen pondered, “So… this is good news for us, right?”

Yu Xiao shook her head. “Not really good news. More like no news. It doesn’t change much for us. We still have to earn points to survive.”

Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen exchanged a sigh, their hopes dampened by the harsh reality.

Suddenly, Zhou Xiao Zhen remembered something. “Hey, Smiley, you mentioned a ghost helping us for those crucial five minutes. What could have made a ghost lend a hand.”

Yu Xiao had her suspicions, although nothing concrete. “Maybe it has something to do with what I did before. When I got to the hospital, I was freaking out about you guys, so I gave a bunch of meat to the ghosts behind the doors. I hoped they would see you guys and lend a hand.”

Zhao Lan perked up. “Who else did you bribe?”

“I couldn’t tell who they were,” Yu Xiao admitted, shifting in her seat. “Only two ghosts responded to my gesture, and one of them turned out to be our guardian angel. He protected me from the ghostly chaos and guided me to the ground floor of the hospital.”

Zhao Lan nervously nibbled on her lip as she reached into her pocket. “Smiley, you’re incredible. The other ghost came through for me twice as well.”

Curious, Zhou Xiao Zhen craned her neck to catch a glimpse of what Zhao Lan was holding. Yu Xiao also peered over her shoulder and saw… a pendant?

It looked like something from a vintage shop, a photo necklace that used to be trendy ages ago. It must have been gold once, but now it was all rusty and crusty, probably from years of neglect. There were also some nasty brown spots on it, like dried blood.

With a click, Zhao Lan flipped open the pendant, revealing a tiny photo sticker inside.

The young woman in the photo had long, curly hair, bold lipstick, and a sassy smile.

“Wow, she’s stunning,” Zhou Xiao Zhen gushed. “Who is she? She’s absolutely gorgeous.”

“Remember what Qing Shi told us, Smiley?” Zhao Lan glanced at Yu Xiao. “That everyone in the ward is our senior. The Sage also mentioned they’re all outsiders, not belonging here.”

“Right,” Yu Xiao said, taking out an old-school mobile phone. “They were probably patients like us, completing missions in the Sage’s world. When they passed away in the hospital, they became the ghosts haunting the ward.”

“Good grief,” Zhou Xiao Zhen shuddered at the thought of ghosts lingering in the ward. “That’s absolutely terrifying, isn’t it? And now they’re munching on people.”

“Do you think any of them still remember being human?” Zhao Lan pondered, looking at the photo in her hand. “Why do you think she gave me this necklace?”

Zhou Xiao Zhen glanced briefly at the photo and asked, “Should we take it with us? Maybe someone out there recognizes her?”

Although they had no idea why.

Yu Xiao

“I did.”

“Oh,” Zhou Xiao Zhen nodded. “What’s yours?”

“Mine? Mine’s ‘Self-Sacrificing for Others.’ Pretty cool, huh? What about you?”

Zhou Xiao Zhen dodged the question. “Smiley, what’s your title?”

“I haven’t checked yet,” Yu Xiao said, sitting at the table and pulling out her phone to read a text. “Why are you so obsessed with titles anyway? I didn’t make a bet with you this time. And no matter what it says, I’m not going to turn into a guy and sleep with you.”

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