The effeminate man, who had been surveying the room, suddenly spoke in a deliberately shy tone, "Beautiful lady, are you sure you want to say that in front of so many people?"
Lina: "???"
The others: "???"
Yi Bai: "(O_O)?"
What a guy.
Yi Bai's surprise quickly turned to bewilderment. He had thought that this effeminate man might actually have some ability to display, but...
According to the information he gleaned from his Insightful Eye, Yi Bai's expression shifted from curiosity to incredulity.
[Ordinary Man: Cai Xiao Kun]
[Race: Human]
[Friendliness: Friendly (though he's somewhat jealous of you, for some reason, he still seems to harbor a considerable amount of goodwill)]
[Strength: Weak (even a cat could probably beat him)]
[Preferences: Male-male (he's into both roles, but ultimately prefers to be the passive one)]
[Weaknesses: He's weak all over, obviously!]
[Current Status: Although he dislikes women, based on the special treatment from Lady Lina, he believes she might have a particular inclination toward you, which is why she's treating you with extra care. To ensure his own survival, he's decided to sacrifice his "beauty"... (Poor guy, it's over for him, prepare the eulogy)]
Yi Bai silently took a few steps back, his heart dripping with cold sweat.
A fellow man is in my vicinity?!
Lina, the red-dressed vengeful spirit, slowly advanced, her long, delicate fingers brushing against the sharp scalpel.
A faint smile appeared on her porcelain-like face.
Though Yi Bai wasn't sure what the effeminate man was trying to say, he could immediately sense something strange in the way the man was looking at Lina.
In the next instant...
Shlick!
Shlick!
The scalpel in Lina's hand moved as if it had a life of its own, slicing through Cai Xiao Kun's skin and bones with unerring precision.
Not a single drop of blood touched the blade as it was retracted.
A soft thud sounded as his lifeless body collapsed into pieces, a grotesque display of gore splattered across the floor.
The blood spurted out in torrents, splashing on the players' bodies, the warmth of it spreading over them.
His head fell and rolled across the floor with a sickening gurgling sound, its expression frozen in a grimace of shock.
It happened to roll into the path of one of the female players.
"Ahhh!!!"
The scream that tore from her throat was full of terror.
But before she could even catch her breath...
Shlick!
The scalpel flashed once more, slicing off her tongue in a swift, chilling motion. The severed half twitched briefly on the ground.
"Hospital policy forbids loud noises," Lina's cold voice echoed, making the entire room freeze.
The woman who had screamed clutched her mouth, blood pouring from her lips as she crumpled to the floor, writhing in excruciating pain.
In the span of just a few seconds, everyone in the room was plunged into a deep, bone-chilling fear. The brutality of the "Horror Game" world was on full display—one life torn apart before their eyes, bloody and visceral.
A sinking realization hit Yi Bai, and his thoughts sharpened.
This was the true horror of the game—a life snuffed out in front of them, and there was nothing anyone could do. Even with the dual enhancements from his talents, Yi Bai understood just how fragile his own existence was.
His vigilance against the supernatural surged to unprecedented levels.
Lina had given him a chance to speak, an opportunity to turn the tide, to leverage the power of his Insightful Eye to its fullest.
But what if some monsters didn't give you a chance? What if they didn't follow any rules?
In that instant, Yi Bai's mind became startlingly clear.
"The special identity of 'Consulting Physician' doesn't guarantee safety. If I meet a monster that doesn't care about rules and wants to kill me, I'm completely defenseless!"
"Not all spirits obey hospital regulations. I can't rely on that for my survival!"
His thoughts raced, trying to devise a way to ensure his own safety.
Helping others? Showing sympathy? Not here, not in a world like this.
Sorry.
In this Horror Game world, empathy and mercy were luxuries that would often get you killed.
Unless you had absolute power, Yi Bai had no intention of helping anyone else.
Suddenly, his eyes fell back on Lina, the elegant nurse in red.
A plan started to form in his mind.
Leverage.
Lina was his best option for survival, and perhaps, just perhaps, she could be the key to his survival.
"Change into your uniform, and carefully read the temp worker manual. You have twenty minutes left," Lina instructed, her tone turning sharp as she finished cleaning her scalpel.
Then, she turned her gaze to Yi Bai.
"You, come with me."
Yi Bai didn't hesitate. He immediately followed her, walking out of the logistics room under the envious eyes of the other players.
In a private consultation room, Yi Bai took a seat in the office chair, looking relaxed.
As they had walked, Lina had briefed him on his duties, though it seemed like they would be relatively light. It was clear that her issue with "menstrual irregularities" was something that troubled her greatly, as she rushed to get some medicine.
From what Yi Bai had gathered, his work as a special consultant physician wouldn't be particularly hectic.
It wasn't that the hospital was short on patients—it was more that as a human and a "Consulting Physician," he wasn't trusted by the spirits.
This gave him time to think. Why was it that no one had survived in Third Hospital up until now?
As Lina went off to fetch the medicine, Yi Bai had time to reflect on the situation.
Outside, a graceful figure descended from a swirling mass of dark clouds, walking slowly toward the doors of Third Hospital.
"Hiss..."
"She's here again."
"Countess Rose, hasn't her problem been solved yet?"
"Looks like another doctor is about to die."
"Shh! You want to get us killed?!"
"…."
A group of grotesque creatures—goblins, zombies, and more—looked on with awe as the mysterious figure approached. Her steps were slow, but her presence exuded an undeniable, dangerous charm.
Her name was Countess Rose.
A well-known figure at Third Hospital, she frequented the place every so often, but no physician had ever survived treating her.
Every time she arrived, the hospital would fall into a temporary state of paralysis, no doctor daring to take her case.
No one knew what disease she suffered from, but everyone knew that Countess Rose was a walking death sentence for any doctor who dared to treat her.
Inside the conference room, dozens of physicians who had been summoned there anxiously awaited their fate. Their faces were pale, like those who had just experienced an awful revelation.
"Damn it! What's her illness? Why does she keep coming here?" one of the werewolf doctors growled, visibly agitated, though his eyes betrayed deep fear.
A green-skinned, scarred alchemist muttered, "My mentor, Doctor Mundo, died at her hands. I don't want to follow in his footsteps! Where the hell is the Director? If this continues, the hospital will collapse because of her!"
"Exactly! We can't keep this up! A hospital with no doctors is a joke!"
The Director, standing calmly at the head of the table, crossed his arms and leaned against the desk, a slight smile playing at the corner of his lips.
"Isn't there a newcomer among us? One who seems to have some ability and has earned Lady Lina's trust as a Consulting Physician?"
A sinister grin spread across the Director's face as he continued, "Well then, let him handle Countess Rose. It seems only fitting."