He immediately pressed the switch, and a beam of dim yellow light pierced through the darkness, illuminating the surroundings.
Luckily, the battery still had power.
Holding the flashlight, he cautiously pushed open the door to the room and walked along the dim corridor.
After a few steps, the view ahead suddenly opened up to reveal a space resembling a hospital lobby.
Clearly, this place had been abandoned for a long time, the glass of the registration desk shattered on the ground, and several rows of chairs were overturned.
The posters on the walls had long faded and turned yellow, the smiling faces of doctors and nurses appearing incredibly eerie in the dim light.
At that moment, the flashlight’s beam swept across a supporting pillar in the center of the lobby and suddenly stopped.
Within the shadow of the pillar, there seemed to be a blurry human figure hidden.
Xu Hao’s heart instantly jumped to his throat, his hand trembled, causing the light of the flashlight to flicker.
His muscles instantly tightened, adopting a fighting stance with the flashlight held across his chest, ready to throw it at any moment.
The figure didn’t move and didn’t make any sound.
Just stood quietly in the shadow, like a lifeless statue. Latest content publıshed on novᴇlfire.net
This unknown silence was more terrifying than having a monster rush at him.
Cold sweat dripped from Xu Hao’s forehead as he retreated step by step, his eyes fixed on the shadow.
Just as he was about to reach the corner, a soft "click" sound came from the shadow.
An orange flame unexpectedly lit up in the darkness.
The flame illuminated a young face.
The face was shrouded in a thin layer of gray mist, the features indistinct, but it could be judged to be a living person.
The person lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, then slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, the flame flickering with his breath.
"Friend, don’t be tense."
A voice that sounded fairly calm came from the opposite side:
"It seems like our encounters are similar. I also woke up and found myself in this ghostly place."
Realizing it was a living person, Xu Hao’s strained nerves relaxed, but his vigilance did not diminish.
The man in front of him was also wearing a hospital gown, tall and thin in stature, exuding a bit of a refined aura.
Although the features were unclear, it felt like he might be a Little Bai-type.
This Little Bai was, naturally, Xiao Shuai.
Since the Noah Building incident, Xiao Shuai had devoted all his energy to the tasks Fang Cheng had entrusted him.
He needed to find a suitable secret base and recruit reliable finance and administrative staff.
Aside from occasionally clocking in at Yuanchen Group, he was constantly running around East Capital every day, and at night, he self-studied management.
Trying hard to appear more like a qualified group executive rather than the former gangster who only knew fighting and killing.
He was convinced this was Fang Cheng’s test for him, and his only chance to break away from his past and walk toward rebirth.
The scene of the president descending like a War God had long become his unshakable belief.
For this belief, he was willing to give up anything.
Tonight, he had just tidied up the files of two alternate bases, preparing for thorough investigation the next day.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he lay down and closed his eyes, he found himself in this eerie mental hospital upon opening them.
"You’re also...a fellow patient?"
Xu Hao held the flashlight and slowly walked over.
Xiao Shuai nodded, took another cigarette from his pocket, and handed it over:
"Want one? Calm the nerves."
Xu Hao didn’t refuse.
The two gathered together and lit the cigarettes.
The smell of nicotine provided a moment of relief for the tense nerves.
"This place, reeks of something sinister."
Xu Hao took a puff of the cigarette and said in a low voice.
Xiao Shuai flicked the ashes and analyzed with feigned depth:
"Based on the current information, we’ve likely fallen into a supernatural...uh...environment."
"The crucial task is to identify our ’breaking point.’"
Xu Hao listened, somewhat bewildered, though he didn’t fully understand, he thought this Little Bai seemed quite knowledgeable.
At this moment, a pale blue light suddenly appeared.
Several lines of cold instruction text abruptly floated in the air before them:
[Nightmare Trial: Ward Survival]
[Task Objective: Enter the director’s office on the fourth floor of the hospital and obtain the "File of Patient Zero."]
[Task Deadline: Before dawn.]
[Complete the task to escape the nightmare.]
[1. Please remain quiet, the "patients" here don’t like noise.]
[2. The corridor lights will flicker periodically, during flashes be sure to close your eyes or hide in a room.]
[3. Don’t trust any reflections in mirrors.]
[4. The "nurse" will patrol the corridors, her footsteps are very light. If you hear the sound of high heels, hide immediately.]
[5. If you smell a strong odor of rot, it means the "attending doctor" is nearby. Don’t be seen by him, or he’ll use you as a new "test subject."]
[6. Make good use of your tools and the items in the environment; these may be key to your survival.]
Both saw these instructions at the same time, their expressions freezing.
Xu Hao was stunned. What was this?
Xiao Shuai quickly calmed down, a glint of sharpness flashing in his eyes:
"I get it. This isn’t a random accident; it’s a test with clear rules and goals."
"The breaking point is completing this task, perhaps there’ll be a reward, like popular online games nowadays."
Xu Hao’s anger suddenly surged; he still tended to believe the Special Search Team was behind this.