Chapter 60 Mental Therapy, Attended by a Female Ghost

After finishing reading the [Lie Parchment], Ji Yan turned his attention to another anomalous artifact—the [Borders Scalpel].

This was a scalpel with a sheepskin-wrapped handle, crafted quite delicately. However, what baffled Ji Yan was that the scalpel had no blade!

A scalpel without a blade?
Wasn’t that just like a gun without bullets, only good for use as a blunt brick?

It wasn't until he checked the detailed description of the artifact that Ji Yan understood why it lacked a blade. This was a knife that did not kill. As for what purpose a non-killing knife could be put to, naturally, it belonged in a place like a hospital where lives were saved...

After briefly glancing at the upgraded medical kit and the [Grease Perfume], Ji Yan closed the tool panel.

He hadn’t expected that the patient Liu Yan would also trigger a reward.
It was just that her gift felt exceptionally scalding to Ji Yan.
It had the uncanny vibe of a token of affection; once accepted, one would become entangled even more deeply...

After having dinner, Ji Yan’s mental state recovered quite a bit.
Seeing from the wall clock that it was almost time for night to fall, Ji Yan took off his white lab coat, which was stained with disgusting filth, and prepared to take a proper shower and lie down.

The white lab coat hung on the back of the chair.
The sound of running water came from the bathroom.
A clump of messy hair had accumulated at the drain, along with a piece of scalp that seemed to have been left behind by the previous occupant...

Like most people, when Ji Yan was washing his hair, the soap suds blurred his eyes, and he always felt a pair of eyes staring at his back from behind, a pair of pitch-black hands appearing out of thin air, slowly reaching toward the back of his head.

However, the sheep-headed ghostly doctor had said that anomalies were forbidden to break into players' rooms; this was the seventh rule of the hospital.
Therefore, Ji Yan ignored this psychological fear-induced suggestion.

After washing his hair, he began to bathe to wash away the filth on his body. As luck would have it, the soap slipped from his hand and slid into the corner...

Ji Yan’s mouth twitched slightly.
He always felt this scene was somewhat...
He bent down to pick it up, constantly feeling like someone was standing behind him.
And this feeling was extremely intense.

The next moment, he caught a whiff of a scent. He whipped around, only to see that at some point, a ghostly face covered in cracked, cement-like skin had appeared in the corner, and a pair of rotting, flesh-torn hands were reaching toward his lower body...

It grinned broadly at Ji Yan and said, "Doctor, I..."

Before it could finish speaking, a fierce nail hammer already slammed right into its face!

The hammer face smashed through the skull, and thick plasma splattered everywhere.
The opponent clutched its head and screamed in agony, while Ji Yan’s expression turned gloomy.
He hadn't expected to encounter the classic "picking up the soap in the bathroom" trope right here in a horror game!
Wasn't it said that anomalies were forbidden to enter players' rooms?

Just as the second blow with the nail hammer was about to land, the other party hurriedly waved its hands in surrender: "Sheep Doctor! I... I didn't mean to hurt you! I wouldn't dare even if I had a hundred guts; I just saw the soap dropped and wanted to help you pick it up."

"How did you get in?"
"I've always been in the bathroom. My body is embedded in the wall; I can't go anywhere else."

"An indigenous resident?" Ji Yan raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, yes, I am responsible for serving every doctor who stays here. That is my job."
"Serving? By helping pick up soap?"

Ji Yan found it quite abstract. The bathroom ghost explained, "Of course not, I am responsible for bathing you..."

Before it could finish speaking, Ji Yan walked out of the bathroom. Being watched by a ghost while taking a shower—nobody could finish bathing under those circumstances.

However, the moment he stepped out, Ji Yan felt a strange sensation all over his body.
He watched as grey fur grew on the backs of his hands, and his skin and flesh grew rough.
When he touched his face, he found black hair sprouting there too, and a wave of excruciating pain erupted above his forehead. He turned his head to look in the mirror.

In the mirror, he was transforming bit by bit into a ghostly sheep's head!

"What is going on?"
"Didn't I eat dinner? Could it be that the sheep-headed doctor really didn't prepare any psychiatric medication for me?"

Ji Yan watched himself undergo the "ghost-sheep" transformation bit by bit.
He didn't know what would happen once the infection was complete.
However, a strong sense of unease told him that nothing good would come of it!

Ji Yan wanted to open the medical kit, but his last shred of consciousness was swallowed up, and he plunged completely into unconsciousness.

"Damn it..."

After Ji Yan fainted, he lay motionlessly on the floor. Soon, the entire room became "lively."
The walls rippled, and terrifying cement-like ghostly faces crawled out of them. Blood plasma seeped out from the quilt on the bed, and ghostly shadows surged from all directions.
They looked as if they had spotted exquisite prey, continuously creeping toward Ji Yan on the floor...

...

"Ugh..."

It was unclear how much time had passed when Ji Yan gradually regained consciousness.
His heavy eyelids slowly lifted, and an unexplained itch spread across his whole body.

Opening his eyes, he found himself lying on the bed, the quilt bulging little by little.
Feeling something slimy touching his lower body, Ji Yan quickly sobered up, lifted a corner of the quilt, and saw a female ghost with half her face rotting away, hiding inside and smiling at him: "You're awake!"

Furthermore, there wasn't just one.
Face after face of female ghosts were crammed inside the quilt, pressing down on his lower body...

With his scalp tingling, the moment Ji Yan lifted the quilt, he pulled out his nail hammer and brought it down.
However, it wasn't just inside the quilt; the bedsheets he leaned against, the pillows, and the bedside table—all of them concealed ghosts!

"Sheep Doctor, we didn't mean to hurt you. Seeing that you were infected and had fainted, we put you on the bed to treat you."
These anomalies explained themselves in a panic.

Only then did Ji Yan notice that the infection on his body had been cleared.
Looking at these room 444 indigenous ghostly anomalies, Ji Yan suddenly had an epiphany.
These ghosts were the so-called psychiatric medication!

No wonder the talent panel said that room 444 was exceptionally lively; as it turned out, besides himself, there was a whole room full of ghosts keeping him company through his daily routine...

"Sheep Doctor, the infection on your lower body hasn't been completely cleared yet. Lie down properly and close your eyes, and we will clear it up for you."
That female ghost whose eyes had been gouged out spoke with lingering resentment and grievance. Although she had been treated to a hammer blow by Ji Yan, leaving a dent in her skull, she was still extremely respectful.
She seemed terribly afraid that Ji Yan would refuse treatment: "Doctor, hurry and lie down; we'll be done in no time."
"Yes, this is our duty. If we don't do it well, the medical mentor will punish us."
"Close your eyes, you won't feel any discomfort, and it'll even feel a bit comfortable, relieving your stress..."

Ji Yan: "..."
Wait, why did the more he listened, the weirder it sounded?

Still, Ji Yan accepted this final treatment. These female ghosts harbored no malicious intent, and if the sheep-headed ghostly doctor saw that the infection wasn't cleared, it would definitely spell trouble.

Lying on the bed with his eyes closed, he accepted the "filth removal" by the female ghosts.
After about five minutes, the treatment concluded.
Truth be told, it really did bring an inexplicable sense of comfort.
His stress wasn't quite as heavy anymore either...

"Thank you, thank you, our treatment is finished."
"The treatment took a bit longer because the doctor's bath treatment in the bathroom was too short..."

Clearly, the soap ghost in the bathroom was also part of the treatment process; it was just that Ji Yan had fled midway, interrupting the treatment.

Seeing these ghosts earnestly helping him with his treatment while thanking him profusely made Ji Yan feel a bit embarrassed.

"Are you all very afraid of my medical mentor?" Ji Yan asked.
"If our infection treatment for you is not up to par, we will lose our value."
"In this hospital, whether you're medical staff or a patient, once you lose your value, you will be sent to the morgue..."

Mid-sentence, the female ghost hurriedly clamped her mouth shut, not daring to say another word.
It seemed that was a terrifying taboo place, one that couldn't even be mentioned...

These female ghosts wore thoroughly tattered medical uniforms.
They were nursing assistants of the lowest rank, which also represented their humble status and position.

"Sheep Doctor, we won't disturb your rest anymore."
"Sleep soundly; we won't make any noise to affect your rest."

The female ghosts returned to their lodgings one after another, some burrowing back into the walls, some crawling beneath the bed, and others hiding back inside the wardrobe...

Ji Yan didn't want these female ghosts to leave so quickly. Clearly, these nursing NPCs concealed quite a few secrets about the instance. Continuing to interact with them might yield beneficial information.

However, before Ji Yan could speak, a crisp knock suddenly sounded from the door.
Immediately afterward, a creepy, hoarse voice slowly drifted in from outside:
"Excuse me, is anyone in the room?"