uweeeeeooooo~~~~~~~~~~~~
This wasn't the kind of bell you'd hear in a school, but rather, an urgent deafening siren inside 9th City's Psychiatric Hospital as thick, rolling smoke was spreading out from the Department Head's office.
Following the surges of the scarlet, fiery dragon, several medical personnel fled in disarray, one after another. At the same time, five security guards were carrying fire extinguishers to provide assistance.
Staff members rushed from the workspace next to the office sporadically. They'd been sleeping when they were suddenly awoken by the unplanned alarm.
The heatwave that reached the pavement terrified the people who came over to take a look a scare, causing them to piss themselves and be unable to calm down and try to help. After all, saving one's own life is more important.
Sandwiched in between people fleeing for their lives was an individual wearing a large white doctor's gown. Because he was taller than ordinary people by half a head, the man was hunched over, making his conspicuous figure appear wretched and sneaky.
That action also made the security guards not pay particular attention to him. They merely took a quick glance when they passed by. At most, they felt a nagging suspicion in their hearts.
"Quick, it's on fire! Go put it out!" Xu Bai yelled at the top of his lungs with both legs weakly shaking, and a trembling finger pointed at the office behind him.
An action which appeared to the security guards to have been caused by excessive fright, drawing their attention back to the fire.
The fire wasn't very intense, even though there was thick smoke and flames. It hadn't yet gotten out of control. Thus the security guards rushed towards the office as quickly as possible.
pwashhhhhhhh~~~~~~
hua~~~~
The circumstances inside appeared dreadful, but after taking a closer look, it wasn't serious. Only a bookshelf and the office's desk had caught fire. The main reason the fire alarm had gone off was the temperature of the smoke and that the sprinkler system had failed for some reason.
Once the security guards used the fire extinguisher and the dry powder foam had isolated the oxygen at the periphery of the flames, the fire's intensity instantly diminished.
"What's going on? Isn't the office supposed to be locked when the Department Head is out? Why is the door opened right now? How was a fire able to start without the monitoring department noticing?"
As the security guards voiced their doubts, another alarm went off.
tringlinglingling!
"Another fire!?"
Several people looked at each other in dismay. Then, several seconds later, they had a realization.
This wasn't a fire alarm!
This was the alarm for when a patient disappeared!
Combined with the fire's mysterious origins, they knew the fire wasn't an accident! It was one hundred percent man-made!
In hindsight, they remembered a doctor they'd passed with familiar features. It was mainly his height. Even hunched over, they could tell he was at least six feet tall. Few of the doctors were that tall.
Even counting the patients, there weren't many people that tall at the hospital...
The two alarms that went off in a row threw the situation in the hospital into chaos, especially after the announcement, which was broadcast alongside the alarm.
"Patient No. 19143 has gone missing. We request that all departments stay on high alert. The patient's name is Xu Bia. He is six foot one, seventy-seven pounds, and twenty-three years old. If you encounter him, immediately notify security personnel. The patient is extremely dangerous and has a violent nature. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance are bad. Therefore, when found, he must be immediately subdued. Violent force is permitted..."
"Local law enforcement has already been notified. Remember to guard every entrance. To prevent Xu Bai from escaping, the electric fence surrounding the facility has been activated. Also, we invite patient No. 19143 to immediately report to security on the first floor. Otherwise, you will be regarded as attempting an escape..."
Over this esteemed psychiatric hospital's thirty years of established history, year after year, the city has had psychiatric patients attempt to escape who were killed by the electric fence, executed by fatal injection, died of a heart attack, and no small amount that committed suicide.
However, Xu Bai was a miracle.
He's a seasoned patient with an eleven-year internment in the hospital. He's attempted 20 escapes, large and small, with a success rate of seventy percent. But, ultimately, he was always caught and returned to the facility.
In the case of today's fire incident, Xu Bai's ward nurse suspected his involvement, so she went to go check on him.
She discovered he was missing and soon ran to the security department to report his escape.
The security department was also puzzled since the monitoring department didn't have a reason to let a long-term patient like Xu Bai escape. His priority as a monitoring target was relatively high.
When they rushed to the monitoring room, they were shocked to find the staff in the corner beaten unconscious and bound by strips of cloth from patient uniforms.
"This..."
Because of the material used, those cloth strips were exceptionally tough and durable. Even wearing down the parts on their wrists wouldn't loosen the bindings in the slightest, so, when the staff woke up, they were powerless.
The people to arrive as support weren't police. They were firefighters. Because when the fire first broke out, it triggered an alarm, and fire alarms in a hospital, even a psychiatric hospital, would automatically notify the fire department.
The firefighters recorded the intensity and circumstances of the fire, determined the source of the fire, realized it was nothing to worry about, and started chatting with the security guards.
"The fire was caused by a short circuit in a power cord. I didn't see anything abnormal, only all of you rushing about. We'd barely arrived when we heard a psycho had gotten loose."
"It's Xu Bai again, that tool. He's been here a while and has attempted twenty breakouts, big and small. Me and the others almost respect the guy since he almost always succeeds. Several times if his escape hadn't been reported by other patients, we wouldn't have discovered it..."
"It's not easy being a security guard here and having to deal with people like that. I certainly wouldn't be able to endure it." The firefighter joked.
When he finished recording the documents in his hands, a shout came from not far behind him.
"Old Wang, what's the hold-up? Let's hurry back and write a report. Don't you want to go home?" The fire captain urged.
The firefighter surnamed Wang voiced his agreement, bid farewell to the security guard, and walked towards the stairs.
The fire captain saw Old Wang walking over. So, he didn't wait for him and went downstairs first. In any case, the fire engine was parked outside the door, and the firefighters were gathering to leave.
...
...
There was a great deal of uproar as the entire psychiatric hospital was thrown into turmoil. The police didn't take long to arrive, and a portion of them strictly guarded the exits with deadly intent. The rest accompanied security guards armed with tranquilizers in a blanket search.
Every spot that could hide a person was inspected, and when reminded by the security guards, every nurse, doctor, and staff member was examined to make sure none of them were imposters.
"This is so weird... Xu Bai is so big. How did he just vanish? Don't tell me he flew away this time!?"
"There's an electric fence outside, so he certainly wouldn't dare to climb the wall. But we can't find anyone even after ransacking the hospital..."
"The most mysterious part is that the cameras missed him. As of three hours ago, he simply ceased to exist..."
Even after pondering his escape a hundred times, no one knew how Xu Bai had done it.
When the search parties arrived at the final location, they were still empty-handed.
While a worried police officer waited outside the men's restroom, a lone firefighter walked out.
"My heavens, today's lunch was really poisonous, aiya... That shit nearly killed me... Even I thought it smelled terrible. Fortunately, I'm wearing a helmet... Hey! You still haven't found that guy? No way! Such a tall patient? What's the reason for that? Is it possible that asshole stole a doctor's outfit or dressed up like a security guard?"
The police officer shook his head to answer the firefighter's question.
"We searched every employee without exceptions. It's like the guy doesn't exist. I'm baffled. Doctor, security guard, their identities have all been mutually confirmed."
The firefighter stepped forwards to pat the man's shoulder. Because he came out wearing a helmet, it was tough to see the person inside from the side.
"Thanks for the hard work, but the time has come for me to return. Everyone's waiting for me to shit, and I already held them up for too long. We still need to return and write a fire report..."
Before he finished speaking, the police officer's radio crackled.
"A man was found unconscious on the third floor. The victim suffered a blow to the back of the head. Identity unknown. We believe Xu Bai is responsible. Everyone proceed with caution!"
The fire engine was still parked outside, and the fire captain stood impatiently by the entrance.
He looked towards the psychiatric hospital and grumbled: "Where's Old Wang? It's been long enough for ink to dry... don't tell me he's reluctant to leave the mental hospital."
Seeing slow Old Wang by the hospital entrance, the fire captain coldly glanced at the man from a distance.
"You wasted everyone's time, so don't blame me for not inviting you to dinner."
"He he he." Old Wang nodded with a smile.
With a quick step to reach the fire engine, the vehicle slowly drive away from the 9th City Psychiatric Hospital. Everyone was resting except for Old Wang, who still wore a helmet.
"Old Wang, are you sick? Why're you get in while wearing your helmet?"
Old Wang shook his head.
"Why'd you suddenly fall ill like that? Also, you're not talking. Normally, you won't shut up. Moreover, your movements are much slower than normal."
Gradually people began to harbor suspicions against "Old Wang."
Old Wang kept his mouth shut and didn't speak.
The vehicle drove towards the city's downtown area for ten minutes as the highway morphed from a wasteland without people to become an endless stream of cars and motorcycles, forcing them into a traffic jam with citizens who'd just gotten off work.
As soon as they got caught in the traffic jam, the fire captain received a call.
His expression turned monstrous, and after seeing the helmeted Old Wang, his face became more and more unsightly.
"I know... uh-huh... So you're saying... that the unconscious man discovered inside the hospital is Old Wang!?"
After he said that, you could hear a needle drop in the vehicle. Everyone's gazes were drawn to the "Old Wang" sitting among them.
"Old Wang" was sitting in the first row, so the fire captain had moved from the back until he was only five feet away during his call. He needed to react quickly since he knew the imposter was awfully likely to be the mysteriously vanished Xu Bai!
"You are not Old Wang!"
The fire captain quickly threw himself through the air to catch the man, but Xu Bi reacted even faster. He kicked off the seat to borrow its power and ferociously catapulted himself towards the door. When he landed, his posture was like a dog biting mud. [1]
"Ah Qiang, quickly, catch him!"
The man in the driver's seat had barely unbuckled his seat belt when Xu Bai's figure tried to rush past him.
Xu Bai pressed forwards towards the mass of rugged muscle that held its arms to either side like a trap waiting to spring. A head-on collision was the last thing Xu Bai wanted.
Xu Bai shoved the helmet into Ah Qiang's strong hands. In that fraction of a second, there wasn't any time for refined procedures. So it was basically a conditioned reflex when Ah Qiang grabbed the firefighter's helmet with a vice grip.
"Fuck!"
By the time he let go of the helmet, Xu Bai was already rushing through the door. But, of course, he didn't forget to turn around to blow a kiss to the people still inside.
"I love you, blockheads!"
Ah Qiang got out of the door on the other side in a flurry, intending to chase Xu Bai, but right as he did, an oncoming Honda forced him to jump back inside.
Honk! Honk! Honk! Honk!
The Honda driver broke into a cold sweat as she wildly mashed the horn. Fortunately, she was going slow enough that she still had time to break.
The driver wanted to berate the man who'd suddenly jumped in front of her, but she didn't dare scold a firefighter, so she just shouted: "Be careful!"
Ah Qiang was embarrassed, so he gave the driver a slight apologetic nod, then circled around to continue the chase, but Xu Bai had reached the other side of the highway in that time and was disappearing from view.