Chapter 24 Separating from the Group
"Hoho..." Han Yimo smiled bitterly. "Doctor Zhao, you're overestimating me. As a writer, the last thing I want to discuss is my own work. If I have any free time, I prefer to forget about it entirely and just relax."
"Then let's talk about something else!" Doctor Zhao suggested, already carefully suturing the wound. The round shape of the injury made it more complicated to sew than a typical open wound. Composing himself, he asked, "Tell me, how do you relax besides writing?"
Doctor Zhao nodded. "That's great. I also play games after work. What games do you play?"
Han Yimo's thoughts were sluggish due to excessive blood loss. After a long pause, he finally said, "League of Legends... There's a female ninja named {Akali}. I like her a lot."
"Oh?" Doctor Zhao smiled. "What a coincidence! I also play League of Legends, and Akali is one of my favorites too."
Though he spoke in a steady tone, everyone noticed his hands trembling slightly. Despite his years of medical practice, this was the first time he had sutured a wound without anesthesia on a conscious patient. It was unclear whether he genuinely liked Akali or simply wanted to keep Han Yimo engaged in conversation.
"Doctor Zhao, you like Akali too?" Han Yimo nodded weakly. "I am fascinated by everything about Akali... Known as {The Fist of The Shadow}, I find her backstory captivating as well..."
"Yes?" Han Yimo didn't understand why Doctor Zhao suddenly asked this question, but he still answered honestly, "I can see you..."
"You are Doctor Zhao..."
After hearing this, Doctor Zhao nodded again and said, "Han Yimo, you are exhibiting signs of hallucination. It's imperative that you stay conscious."
"Hallucination?" Han Yimo felt that he was still in a normal state and didn't understand what Doctor Zhao meant. "Aren't I chatting with you normally? How could I be hallucinating?"
"It’s likely a symptom of excessive blood loss," Doctor Zhao explained. "Your brain isn’t receiving enough blood. For instance, you mentioned Akali—her title is actually {The Rogue Assassin}, not {The Fist of The Shadow}."
"The Rogue Assassin?" Han Yimo narrowed his eyes, hesitating. He had never heard that name before. Could this be caused by hallucination?
Standing on the sidelines, Qiao Jiajin nudged Qi Xia and asked, "Swindler, what are they talking about?"
"Not sure." Qi Xia shook his head, "I don't play games, so I don't understand."
"Contrariwise, I have played video games before." Qiao Jiajin said, curling his lips. "But I’ve never heard of the game they're discussing. Is it more interesting than {Fatal Fury}?"
Qi Xia opted out of the conversation, walking to the side and settling onto a clean stone to sit.
His mind wandered to other matters.
Han Yimo and Doctor Zhao's conversation also came to a halt, likely due to Han Yimo's increasing hallucinations, making further dialogue difficult.
The atmosphere among the onlookers gradually grew somber.
Recognizing her limited ability to assist, Lin Qin took a seat beside Qi Xia.
"What's on your mind?" Lin Qin asked.
Qi Xia turned his head to look at Lin Qin, his expression aloof.
"This is the second time you've asked me {What's on your mind}," Qi Xia remarked. "Do you always approach patients so directly during psychological counseling?"
"But you are not my patient," Lin Qin shook her head. "We don't call our clients {patients}; that's impolite. I'm just curious. For someone as intelligent as you, what matters fill your mind?"
"My wife," Qi Xia replied, with a tinge of disappointment and frustration.
"Your wife?" Lin Qin nodded thoughtfully. "You mentioned earlier that someone was waiting for you outside. Is that person your wife?"
"Yes." Qi Xia nodded.
Lin Qin smiled faintly. "I didn't expect that to be your answer. So, you are married?"
"What, why can't I be married?" Qi Xia sensed an underlying implication in Lin Qin's words.
"I don't mean to offend you, but you are a swindler, so what kind of person is your wife?"
"You..." Qi Xia was rarely provoked to anger. He stood up slowly, his gaze ice-cold. "What do you mean? Just because I'm a swindler, you think only someone in the same line of work would marry me? Is that what you're implying?"
"Ah? I..." Lin Qin was taken aback by Qi Xia's intimidating demeanor. "I truly didn't intend to offend you. I was just curious..."
"I suggest you refrain from being curious about me," Qi Xia said icily. "I'm a swindler; not everything I say is the truth."
The two of them concluded their conversation on a sour note, though Lin Qin's expression suggested she wasn't particularly bothered by it.
On the other side, Doctor Zhao finished suturing the wound.
"It's nearly done..." Doctor Zhao remarked as he wiped the blood from his hands. "This is all we can do for now. Now, our only recourse is to pray the wound remains free of infection."
"Thank you..." Han Yimo's voice was weak as he expressed gratitude to Doctor Zhao.
With everything concluded, Qi Xia rose to address the group. "Everyone, it's time for me to take my leave."
The other eight people looked puzzled at his announcement.
"Where are you going?" Qiao Jiajin inquired.
"This doesn't concern any of you," Qi Xia replied, his gaze drifting towards the restaurant across the street, lost in thought.
"You're not seriously going to search for {Dào}, are you?!" Police Officer Li exclaimed, momentarily stunned.
"What? Do you have any suggestions?" Qi Xia responded, seemingly agreeing with his inquiry.
"Forgive my frankness, but you'd be throwing your life away," Police Officer Li lamented, shaking his head. "3,600 {Dào}! What does that even mean?! Even if you managed to obtain one {Dào} each time, it would mean enduring 3,600 near-death ordeals like the ones we've faced!"
"Yes." Qi Xia nodded, "The odds seem slim, but there is still hope."
"Hope?" Police Officer Li sighed heavily. "Ten days, 3,600 games—that's an average of 360 games per day. Even if you do nothing else and focus solely on clearing games, time is simply insufficient. Moreover, death could come at any moment within the game, whereas doing nothing guarantees death only after ten days."
Pausing, he continued, "And {death} is assuming that everything {Mortal Dragon} said was entirely true. In other words, we might not perish within ten days, and this place might not face annihilation. Even if you manage to find all 3,600 {Dào}, there's no guarantee he'll let you leave."
"I get it," Qi Xia interjected, cutting off Police Officer Li. "But I'm not planning to sit around waiting here. Even going out for a walk would be better than staying cooped up."
"But—" Police Officer Li began to protest, interrupted by the {creak} of the staff room door opening once more.
Everyone turned around and saw the female shop assistant emerge.
She remained unclothed, with her mouth smeared with oil, clutching something in her hands. Her emaciated body seemed to be nothing but skin and bones.
Zhang Chenze furrowed her brows slightly, removed her women's suit jacket, and approached the female shop assistant, draping it over her shoulders.
She turned her head and glared at the men, her expression filled with anger. "What did you all do when you went into the room? Where are her clothes?"
Qiao Jiajin shook his head helplessly. "It's a long story. I advise you to leave her be."
"You're very kind," the female shop assistant remarked, gazing at the jacket covering her. Then she turned to Zhang Chenze. "It's a shame you're not a man, or else I'd have to sleep with you."
"Sleep?" Zhang Chenze was taken aback by the girl's remark. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Since we can’t sleep together, then I'll give you this to eat..."
She extended her grimy hands, clutching a thoroughly boiled baby's arm.