There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

Xu Shuo sat for a long while, and even after reaching the time he had recorded previously, the situation didn't start repeating itself again.

His head just hurt a bit.

The not-yet-dead deceased lay in bed, remaining utterly motionless in a regular supine sleeping position from the moment he lay down. Had it not been for the steady rhythmic breathing, he would have looked just like a corpse.

Xu Shuo closed the book, got up with not particularly gentle movements, and left the sickroom after opening the door.

As soon as the sound of the door closing faded, Luo Kun opened his eyes instantly as always, his bright pupils devoid of sleepiness, looking somewhat eerie in the gloomy and dim room.

He sat up, cast a long glance at the doorway, and after a while, the corners of his mouth curled into a strange smile.

...

It seems that the issue isn't with time after all.

As Xu Shuo walked along the silent corridor, suddenly, he thought he heard something. He moved his feet toward the doorway of the adjacent room.

"Director, I feel like Doctor Chen's condition seems to be getting worse. What do you think we should…?"

"Don't worry, I'm paying attention to this matter. I'll go check on Doctor Chen in a bit. But you know, Doctor Chen has been working at our hospital for quite some time now."

"I understand, thank you for your trouble…"

Familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar conversations arose inside the room. Xu Shuo wanted to listen longer, but a nurse carrying a tray had already emerged from the room in front, prompting him to move away from where he had been eavesdropping.

Xu Shuo glanced casually at the nurse and was about to leave when his gaze caught the number above the door of the sickroom.

Ward eight.

Xu Shuo paused in his stride.

Previously when he went to see Luo Kun, he had seen a nurse carrying desserts into ward eight, but it did not seem to be the same nurse as just now.

With this thought, he turned his head to watch the nurse pass by him and walk ahead.

The petite nurse, with her head bowed so her expression wasn't visible, wore a nurse's cap covering her tied-up hair, revealing the neck beneath, which contrasted with the white collar of her uniform, her pale skin appearing somewhat tempting.

Making one want to slice it open.

Xu Shuo withdrew his gaze and massaged his increasingly aching head. He then pulled out some pills from his pocket and dry-swallowed two more.

Even though the medicine also seemed to be useless.

Until he could effectively control the emotions of his second personality, he had to avoid letting out the guy who was single-mindedly intent on killing Luo Kun, especially since he now needed to investigate the affairs of the hospital.

Instead of going back to his own office, Xu Shuo headed for the hospital's archives.

Just as he disappeared around the corner, the office from where the conversation had come earlier opened, and a nurse with a worried face came out, followed by a middle-aged man with a warm and humble demeanor.

He gave the nurse a reassuring nod before heading to Chen Chu's office.

Director Zhang opened the door, but the young man wasn't there. The man paused and quickly summoned his Player's Handbook to check it.

The task had not yet shown as failed.

Hence, he turned immediately and briskly walked toward ward thirteen, a look of urgency on his composed face as if being a moment too slow would cost a life.

Upon reaching the door to ward thirteen, Director Zhang pushed it open and peered inside. In the dark and sinister room, the young man was neither missing nor bleeding profusely but laying in bed, sound asleep.

Director Zhang let out a sigh of relief.

Though in his heart he also wished to eliminate this dangerous individual, unfortunately, the person's identity was linked to his own task—he had already inexplicably failed twice before.

However, this time, he had found the reason causing his tasks to fail.

Director Zhang closed the door and turned to look down the long corridor. Under the dim and ominous lighting, thirteen wards lined this hallway, housing the only remaining patients in The Fifth Hospital.

All of them were his targets.

Not one less!

Just as Director Zhang was brooding with a heavy aura, suddenly, the hospital's alarm blared into action.

The deathly quiet corridor erupted into noise as several flustered nurses appeared. Upon seeing him, they hurried over, gasping anxiously, "Director, something's wrong—the patient from Ward 8 is missing!"

Director Zhang frowned, "What happened?"

"Just now, we saw on the camera that she was escorted to the bathroom by a nurse. But after a long wait, only the nurse came out, she didn't. When we checked, we found the nurse knocked out and the clothes switched—the patient has escaped the ward!" the nurse reported nervously.

"She couldn't have gone far. Seal the main doors and have people look elsewhere," Director Zhang said gravely.

"Okay!"

Watching the corridor descend into chaos, Director Zhang's expression darkened. These incidents hadn't occurred in the previous two iterations—it must be other players making their moves now.

And this time, Luo Kun hadn't died at this point in the timeline. He wondered what the killer was up to now.

Most likely, they've also realized that no matter how many times they've tried, they just can't kill him. In this game, everyone is trapped in the hospital's bizarre loop.

...

In the hospital's third-floor archive room.

The administrator who had been sitting behind the front desk now lay unconscious at the table. Xu Shuo took a glance at him upon entering before surveying the rest of the room.

In a corner of the archive room, a girl dressed in a nurse's uniform popped pills while rifling through the files on the bookshelf, with impatience flickering across her face only to be forcefully suppressed.

The Fifth Hospital was an old psychiatric institution, established during the Republican era and had seen decades since. But since the previous director, the hospital's management had been on the decline—no patients could properly walk out, and gradually, no new patients were admitted.

This generation, the old director was bedridden, and without an heir, The Fifth Hospital could very well face the fate of closure.

Hopefully, the excavator will come tomorrow to take it down.

This place is no place for humans.

Muttering curses under her breath, the girl chewed on her pills. After finishing with the hospital's history, she turned to search for the patients' files.

But just as her hand touched a folder, suddenly, another hand also reached out and placed itself on top of the folder, covering hers.

Instantly, a chilling touch shot up from her spine to the crown of her head!

The girl whipped her head around and, gazing up into the shadowy overhead, the youth's faint smile appeared somewhat bizarre.

"What are you doing here, Number Eight?"

As her eyes widened in shock, the youth lifted his right hand and trailed his fingertips gently over her tensed neck, whispering softly, "All the orderlies outside are looking for you. Don't be so naughty."

The girl stood frozen, not daring to move. As he leaned in closer, bending forward, the loose white coat fell forward, and at a glance, she saw the handle peeking out of his pocket: the silhouette of a fruit knife pressed against his black trousers.

This guy's got guts, stashing a knife there without fear of accidentally slicing his own...

As the tremor that had just taken her began to fade, the sense of agitation provoking fear in her heart started surfacing. The girl hung her head, her face a mix of emotions, and said, "Doctor, you scared me."

Xu Shuo withdrew his hand and stood up straight, smiling benignly, "Good, I meant to scare you. Stop running around next time; it's dangerous outside."

She saw right through it...

The girl took a deep, quiet breath to calm herself, pressing down the restlessness in her chest. She was just a frail, underage girl, unable to fight a grown man.

Let alone a dangerous man who carried a knife!