After exiting the elevator, everyone dispersed on the spot. The werebeast nurses did not supervise much. Instead, they chattered and joked about in small groups, just like the patients.
Reese had wanted to eavesdrop, to see if she could get some information about this place. Even if it wasn't top-secret information, it could be useful in helping her understand the place more and devising a better escape plan. Unfortunately, she was too far away to hear anything clearly.
However, the moment she got a little closer to them, they became wary and silent. Then, they stared at her, signaling her to move away.
Since she already inadvertently alerted them, there was no longer any point in listening on, so it was good for her to stay away.
There were all kinds of strange werebeasts here, and some could easily be identified by the animal parts that they still had. There were weaker ones like the weredeers and wererabbits, some who had piebald faces, and there were even stronger werebeasts such as the ones who had lion tails.
Most of them belonged to different groups based on the levels of their abilities. They sat together in twos or threes, some chatting idly while others looked around vigilantly. The weaker the group was, the more alert they were, as if they didn't know when a predator might appear.
Conversely, the stronger species of werebeasts were more relaxed. Their strong physiques and strengths gave them a sense of security and control. Any criminal who tried to escape would never slip through them.
For the time being, Reese had no intention of interacting with them. After all, she was very weak in their eyes and she had no persuasive bargaining chips. Also, it probably wasn't an easy task to work with a dominant party, so she was afraid that she would only be digging her own grave. In the end, she felt that it was better if she didn't engage in something she couldn't control for now.
This was a logic that Reese had long understood. Although she seemed like a naive little girl who looked weak and vulnerable, she was not to be belittled by anyone, as she was actually incredibly tenacious when faced with a truly difficult situation. Perhaps it could be said that she wasn't exactly an ordinary human being, and all of these difficulties were merely cornerstones in her journey of growth.
At this juncture, Reese was not planning on making deals with the werebeasts, so it was only natural that she would have her sights on a group of humans who were just like herself.
Once she found her target, she walked towards them, but no one reacted when they saw her approaching.
After all, searching for other humans was something that almost all humans did here when they were new to the place, so they weren't surprised.
But at the same time, she also wasn't welcomed by them.
After all, she looked too skinny. Even with her addition into this human group, their strength might still be no match for the werebeasts.
Moreover, a human like her, who looked like such a pushover, would definitely be constantly bullied by different werebeasts. What would they do if trouble really knocked on her doors and implicated their whole group?
Thus, although the humans didn't chase Reese away, they didn't welcome her warmly either.
And so, with their tacit acceptance, Reese stood somewhat near but not exactly with the group of humans, as she sized the few of them up.
The leader of the group was most likely the man in the middle. He was sitting on the steps and looked to be in his thirties, with a muscular body that looked like it was bursting with strength. He was slightly tanned and had long hair that reached his shoulders. He also had a scar that was half a centimeter wide, winding from his neck to his shoulder. By the looks of it, he wasn't someone to be trifled with.
Squatting next to him was a middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes, who looked very plain and simple, but was speaking to the leader in a pandering manner. For some reason, seeing this man reminded Reese of that fiancé of hers.
Although both men didn't seem ostensibly similar, Reese's sixth sense as a woman told her that her fiancé must have had something to do with her arrival at this mental hospital. The true nature of her supposedly gentle, promising fiancé was still waiting to be unveiled by her.
In the background of the two men stood a woman who was fair, thin, with the figure of a bamboo pole, and had shoulder-length black hair. She didn't show much expression but she seemed a little gloomy, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Her gaze swept around lazily and she didn't speak to anyone.
There were also a few people sitting together but there seemed to be nothing special about them. Most of them were middle-aged women who were chatting softly, while a few older men sat around the sides.
There were about fifteen people in this group of humans, which comprised about one-fifth to one-sixth of the entire population on this courtyard. However, Reese felt that the overall strength of this group was probably still the weakest.
She purposely picked a spot near the old man who had been standing in front of her when they were waiting in line at the doors earlier. She guessed that he was in the outermost ring of the group, sitting on a beach chair and leaning back in a half-slanted position, as he looked to be quite an old man.
This position also made it convenient for her to approach him.
"How long have you been here?"
The old man did not expect Reese to take the initiative to speak while sitting beside him. After all, a dainty girl like her who had just arrived was most likely still unadjusted and guarded, which meant that she wasn't likely to trust anyone nor take the initiative to befriend others. He looked at her in surprise. "It's been… almost ten years. I haven't seen the outside sun in ten years."
Reese was a little taken aback. Being trapped here for ten years was a really long time. Even though current technology could effectively extend the lifespan of humans, the extension wasn't infinite, nor was it an option available to just anyone. Out of a lifespan of a mere hundred years or so, ten years would be considered a long time for anyone.
She didn't know how to react. Fortunately, the old man didn't actually expect her to say anything in reply.
"This is not a good place. What got you in?"
Clearly, the old man was also curious about this girl. After all, she seemed like a polite young lady without any mental illness at all.
"I… I don't know. I was at my engagement party, and the party was about to start. My fiancé came upstairs to call me. He said he was a little nervous, so he wanted to have a drink and chat with me. Soon after, I suddenly felt an uncomfortable sensation…"
And the next thing she knew, here she was. But Reese hadn't actually said this sentence aloud.
The drink!
She gasped deeply and her eyes widened. She had a sudden realization!
To think that it was actually her own fiancé who had framed and sent her here!
The old man noticed her expression when she stopped mid-sentence while recounting her story.
He lowered his head in thought about what she had said and easily came to a rough understanding. Her fiancé had probably taken a fancy to something of hers, such as her family background or wealth. He then came up with all sorts of dirty, underhanded methods to make the well-mannered Reese act crazy. Next, he tried ways and means to aggravate everything so that she would be forced to stay locked up in a psychiatric hospital.
As her fiancé, he would then naturally inherit everything that belonged to her.
At this moment, Reese was thinking the same thing as well.
Funnily enough, the guesses they had come up with in a split second were pretty close to the truth.
Reese felt mortified. She always thought her fiancé was an especially caring and mannerly person.
But she had misjudged him. Not only had he sent her to a psychiatric hospital and prevented her from exacting revenge in time, but this detestable man was also even staying by her parents' side, like a ticking bomb that could explode at any moment, while being a thorn in her side at the same time.
"Herbert, you b*st*rd, you will pay for this!"
Reese swore under her breath.
She was guileless, but not a fool. Bad people deserved punishment; every single one of them.