novelGlobal Chapter 172: Finally A Solution!
Chapter 172: Finally A Solution!
“No.”
【Correct answer. You may ask one question, and it shall be answered truthfully.】
Yu Xiao didn’t miss a beat. Still clutching the rogue sign, she fixed her gaze on the newly compliant one. “What’s the remedy for the intrusion of yin energy into the human body?”
“…”
The sign remained stubbornly blank.
She shrugged, unfazed. “Nightmare, you can step on it now. Just don’t break it.”
Another satisfying crunch echoed through the corridor as the sign met its colourful demise. Nightmare, now burdened with two signs and a smug expression, followed Yu Xiao deeper into the labyrinth.
**
Zhao Lan, dragging her ghostly hand, rounded a corner and came face-to-face with another sign. No surprises there. Steeling herself, she read the question etched across its surface.
【Yu Xiao and Zhou Xiao Zhen are both in danger. You can only save one. Whom do you choose to save?】
The question was a punch to the gut, but Zhao Lan had learned to expect the unexpected in this place. This was the cardiology department, after all; a playground for twisted games of the heart.
Both Smiley and Precious were dear friends, two of the few she’d had before illness landed her in this hospital. Losing either would be unbearable.
But panic wouldn’t help. Taking a deep breath, she answered, “I choose to save Yu Xiao.”
It wasn’t that Yu Xiao meant more to her. It was a strategy. Yu Xiao was clever, resourceful. If anyone could find a way to save them both, it was her.
【Correct answer. You may ask one question, and it shall be answered truthfully.】
Relief washed over her as the familiar black letters appeared. How these signs judged the “correctness” of an answer was a mystery, but at least she was moving in the right direction.
“How can I safely leave this instance?” she asked, wasting no time on pleasantries.
As if in answer, the left corridor lit up, a sign above it promising a green-tinged escape route. Relief warred with a spike of anxiety. So, failing the first question hadn’t completely doomed her.
But as she walked towards the exit, she rolled up her sleeve, her gaze falling on her left hand. Still grotesquely swollen, still twisted into a mockery of its former self. Getting a question right didn’t seem to undo the physical consequences.
A chill ran down her spine. One wrong answer, and part of her became a ghost. Six wrong answers… and what then?
The thought of her head turning into a ghost’s head sent shivers down Zhao Lan’s spine. She had always been a pessimist, her mind naturally gravitating towards worst-case scenarios. If escaping this nightmare meant being stuck with a ghostly left hand, one that couldn’t be fixed or hidden, well… she might just chop the damn thing off. Life with a haunted appendage wasn’t exactly her idea of a good time.
Lost in morbid contemplation, she reached another crossroads. And, as always, a sign stood sentinel, a new question etched across its surface.
【A person from the future once said that Yu Xiao would die in the hospital. To save her, would you be willing to sacrifice your own life?】
Silence pressed in, heavy and suffocating. Zhao Lan held her breath, her heart pounding. The question shouldn’t have surprised her. If she had been forced to choose between Smiley and Precious, then choosing between herself and Smiley was the natural progression, wasn’t it?
She exhaled, taking a long, shaky breath. It was just a question, a hypothetical. And somewhere out there, others were facing their own impossible choices. But still, she couldn’t help but put herself in that scenario, feel the weight of that decision.
This hospital wasn’t built for virtue or selflessness. This was the heart of the matter, the cardiology department. Maybe the “correct” answer was simply the truest one.
“Don’t be afraid of being selfish,” she told herself, steeling her resolve. Shame, hesitation, those could sway her answer. There was no shame in self-preservation.
Except… memories flickered, vivid and bright: the three of them, facing chemotherapy together, facing one terrifying ordeal after another in this cursed Sixth Hospital. The Time Hospital, Ye Tao’s cryptic words… She had said only she and Precious had made it out of the Sixth. That Smiley hadn’t.
The memory was like a cold fist squeezing her heart. What could possibly have happened that would leave Yu Xiao behind?
Zhao Lan wrestled with the question,
The sign: 【…】
Still nothing. This sign was more stubborn than a mule.
It was becoming increasingly clear that she wasn’t going to find a solution to the Yin energy problem here. She glared at the sign, genuinely tempted to follow through with her threat.
**
Zhou Xiao Zhen, having successfully navigated several questions, had a revelation. The questions appeared at regular intervals, whether she asked for directions or not. As long as she found the right path before time ran out, or she kicked the bucket, she was golden.
And if that was the case… well, this sign claimed to answer any question, didn’t it? Who was she to pass up such an opportunity?
At the next intersection, after dispatching the latest query, she addressed the sign. “What were the answers to all my exam subjects that year?”
The sign: 【…】
It remained blank, a monument to disappointment.
“Didn’t you say any question?” Zhou Xiao Zhen rolled her eyes. “Liars.”
Maybe it could only answer questions related to the hospital. “Right, how long until I can get discharged?”
The sign: 【…】
“Can’t answer that either?” Her eyes nearly rolled out of her head. “The audacity of this thing!”
The sign: 【…】
“Who does Smiley have a crush on?”
The sign: 【…】
“Did Misty ever date that guy she was sponsoring?”
The sign: 【…】
“What do I have to do to become a hospital bigwig like Smiley?”
The sign: 【…】
Zhou Xiao Zhen threw her hands up in the air. “Useless!”
**
She wasn’t the only one putting the sign to… alternative uses. Luo Jin, struck by a similar brainwave, decided to address his most pressing concern. “Will I be discharged?”
The sign: 【…】
Maybe it couldn’t answer questions about things that hadn’t happened yet. He tried a different tactic. “Can this whole Yin energy problem be solved?”
【Yes.】
Luo Jin’s heart skipped a beat.
“How?” he breathed, hope flaring like a beacon in the darkness.
Silence.
Luo Jin almost laughed. How could he forget? The sign had already answered his question. No matter. He was buzzing with newfound hope, ready to tackle whatever lay ahead.
**
Lu Xu, meanwhile, was attempting a different tactic. He stood before the sign, a sly grin spreading across his face. This… this was a clever question.
“Can Luo Jin and I be discharged together?”
Genius! That way, he’d find out about both of their fates in one go. What a magnificent brain he had!
But the sign remained stubbornly blank. Apparently, even inanimate objects weren’t immune to his friend’s unique brand of luck.
“Fine,” he muttered, adjusting his approach. “Can I be successfully discharged?”
The sign: 【…】
Nothing? Maybe discharge-related questions were off-limits. Time for a rethink. “When will I have enough points to be discharged?”
The sign: 【…】
Frustration bubbled up, hot and prickly. “You said you could answer anything!” he burst out. “If you’re so smart, tell me when old Luo last had a… a… spring dream!”
(Spring dream (春梦; chūn mèng) – an idiomatic expression for a romantic or erotic dream, highlighting traditional Chinese cultural euphemisms for intimate subjects.)
【Two years, three months, and three days ago, at 11:26 pm.】
Lu Xu: 【…】
He stared at the sign, his mind a complete blank. Three full minutes ticked by before the words finally penetrated.
Old Luo… oh, Old Luo… Lu Xu slumped against the wall, tears pricking his eyes. You made me waste a question!
**
Yu Qing Lang eyed the sign, a thoughtful expression on her face. What question, what question… what valuable piece of information could she extract from this cryptic entity?
“When will I be discharged?” she finally asked.
The lack of response surprised no one. She clicked her tongue, a slow smile spreading across her face. This horror hospital wasn’t exactly known for its generosity. It wasn’t about to hand over any truly useful information.
“Right, new plan,” she murmured. “What’s the answer to the next question?”
The sign seemed to stall, the silence stretching on for several agonising minutes before an answer flickered into existence.
【I do.】
Yu Qing Lang chuckled. This instance was turning out to be ridiculously easy.