Chapter 266: You Heard Wrong

The group quickly arrived at their destination. Lang Yu knocked nervously on the door under Cheng Shuili's calm gaze, and a low 'Come in' came from inside.

Pushing the door open, the first thing Cheng Shuili saw was a desk piled with documents, and...

A stout brown bear beastman.

This stout brown bear beastman squeezed his body into a white coat, looking mismatched, and wore a pair of rimless plain glasses, adding a touch of oddity to his already strange attire.

As Cheng Shuili sized him up, he was also looking at her.

Eh... familiar Doctor Lang Yu, plus two humans.

No patients.

Xiong Ji easily reached that conclusion, but immediately he realized a problem.

So... what are they looking for him to do?

He became wary, voluntarily got up and sat on the nearby sofa, saying, 'Please have a seat.'

Cheng Shuili nodded and sat first on the opposite sofa.

Only then did Xiong Ji realize that among these three people, the leader was actually this human.

He was somewhat surprised, but more so puzzled, plus a hint of helplessness at his subordinate doctor's inadequacy.

Cheng Shuili cleared her throat and directly stated their purpose: 'Dean Xiong, I want to buy the golden medicine bottle in your safe.'

Cheng Shuili could be certain that this item was the hospital's treasure, since every shop here aimed for profit, and the hospital was no exception.

Since everyone's here to make money, just name a price.

It's not that Cheng Shuili refuses to spend money; it's mainly that Lang Yu's suggested method is simply impossible to carry out!

That thing is kept in the safe...

Cheng Shuili is a programmer, not a thief; she can't pick locks, let alone this kind of safe.

She let out a silent sigh.

Xiong Ji's ears perked up instantly; at hearing those words, his gaze toward Cheng Shuili also brightened.

Cheng Shuili felt something was off—why would something locked in a safe provoke such a reaction?

A flash of insight crossed her mind: it wasn't because the item was valuable that it was locked away; another possibility was... this thing is a trouble.

Besides the safe, putting it elsewhere would bring trouble.

And she had actually forgotten that possibility!

It's all Lang Yu's fault—talking about legends made her assume this thing must be good!

Or maybe she was influenced by this idiot...

Cheng Shuili felt something in her heart, seeing Xiong Ji lift his lip, she quickly interrupted: 'No, Dean, I just wanted to ask you what exactly this golden medicine bottle is.'

Xiong Ji paused, his opened mouth closing again.

He gave Cheng Shuili a resentful glance, ignored the question, and said, 'I just heard you say you wanted to buy it. It's cheap—just 10 Game Coins to take it away!'

That makes it even more suspicious.

Cheng Shuili directly denied: 'You heard wrong.'

'You just said...'

Xiong Ji still wasn't willing to give up.

Cheng Shuili turned to Su Rui and Lang Yu and asked, 'Did I say that?'

The human and the beast weren't really clear why Cheng Shuili suddenly didn't want to buy, but that certainly didn't stop them from shaking their heads.

Xiong Ji's bear face instantly flushed red; his thick bear palm slammed the desk with a 'bang,' shaking the documents scattering everywhere.

'Lang Yu!' he roared, his voice filled with the pain of betrayal, 'You this inside‑outsider, haven't I treated you well these years? You actually side with this ordinary——'

He trailed off mid‑sentence, Xiong Ji's nose twitching violently a few times, as if he'd suddenly smelled something.

He abruptly turned toward Cheng Shuili, the eyes behind his glasses widening: 'Wait... you...'

Cheng Shuili instinctively straightened up, while Xiong Ji jerked back two steps as if shocked, his heavy body hitting the bookshelf and knocking down several heavy medical tomes.

'King... royal aura...' his voice turned hoarse, his thick bear legs trembling uncontrollably, 'You, you are... human...?'

Oh... Cheng Shuili had thought something else was happening.

Turns out she finally felt the pressure of the Supreme King.

Lang Yu whispered a reminder: 'She is our Wolf King.'

Or the Wolf King?

Xiong Ji widened his eyes, suddenly understanding why Lang Yu had betrayed him.

That's how it is.

This human before us... is actually the king of two races.

He was startled for a moment, then, as if seeing hope, Xiong Ji's bear palm suddenly clapped together with a 'pa,' the eyes behind his glasses bursting with astonishing light.

'The king of two races?' he exclaimed, his voice changing tone, his heavy body thudding onto the floor, shaking the boards, 'A dragon and phoenix among men! You are the one the sage said could break the curse—a dragon and phoenix among men!!'

Cheng Shuili slightly frowned, instinctively leaning back.

This reaction was even more exaggerated than imagined.

And... this curse?

Cheng Shuili sensed something amiss, but Xiong Ji had already crawled over on hands and knees, his furry bear paw trembling as he tried to grab her cuff, then restrained himself at the last moment: 'My lord! Please save our hospital!'

What the heck!

You bear, act like a bear!

'What curse?' Su Rui stepped protectively in front of Cheng Shuili, 'Speak clearly.'

Xiong Ji's ears drooped, his voice suddenly low: 'That golden medicine bottle... is actually a cursed object.'

He swallowed with difficulty, 'Thirty years ago, a mysterious merchant sold it to the previous dean, claiming it contained the spring of eternal life that could cure all ailments...'

Their bear claws unconsciously scratched the carpet: "Since then, strange things have started happening in the hospital. The medicine bottle moves on its own, cries in the middle of the night, and anyone who tries to discard it meets misfortune..."

Lang Yu inhaled a cold breath: "So the director locked it in the safe?"

"Not only that." Xiong Ji forced a smile and took off their glasses, "It also drains the hospital's life force. Over the years our cure rate has been dropping, special medicines fail, and even basic wound stitching has problems..."

He said, then suddenly lunged at Cheng Shuili's feet, forehead touching the ground: "To solve this, I even went to find the all‑knowing prophet! I searched for a long time, begged many places, and finally found him at the Jia You Zhan! He said I must wait for a person of dragon‑and‑phoenix destiny, only someone bearing a king's aura can save this hospital! Isn't that you?! Please… please save this hospital!"

Cheng Shuili lowered her gaze at the trembling Xiong Ji, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the sofa fabric. No wonder they were so eager to get their hands off the medicine bottle earlier…

As for that prophet…

He's the merchant NPC at the Jia You Zhan, right?

That made Cheng Shuili even more curious; she hoped one of the remaining four batteries could guide her to the Jia You Zhan.

"First, let me see that medicine bottle." Cheng Shuili finally spoke.

Xiong Ji, as if pardoned, rolled and crawled toward the safe.

While unlocking, they were so excited they entered the code wrong three times, and finally a bear paw smashed the keypad.

Cheng Shuili twitched the corner of her mouth, thinking that had she known it was this easy to break open, she would have stolen it after hearing Lang Yu's suggestion.

But it's also fortunate she didn't come to steal; she guessed Lang Yu was unreliable, yet didn't expect him to be this unreliable! He even completely misinterpreted the legend.

The safe contained only a golden medicine bottle.

Xiong Ji reached out and took the object out.

After the golden medicine bottle was removed, Cheng Shuili clearly felt a chill of dark aura.

The patterns on the bottle's surface twisted and writhed as if alive.

Cheng Shuili thought for a moment, then still reached out and took the item.

【Two‑ended Eternal Life Bottle】

【Description: A sacred golden radiance flows over the surface, the bottle engraved with ancient healing prayers, yet when light and shadow intersect faint twisted dark markings appear. The item has two states. First, the beneficial effect, also called the activated state, where a "Spring of Life" surges within, capable of healing all physical injuries; a single drop can extend a dying person's life, and external application makes wounds heal instantly without scars. Second, the cursed effect, which continuously siphons the life energy of nearby living beings, lowers the success rate of treatments, and cannot be discarded.】

【Current State: Cursed Effect.】

【Current Effect Details: Continuous.】

【Modification State: Locked (This item is a special artifact of the Town Center Hospital; please go to the Town Center Hospital to find clues)】

Locked?

Is it still in the cursed state? Absorbing life?

Cheng Shuili raised an eyebrow, opened her panel and glanced at it; her health value had already dropped to 80.

For Cheng Shuili, this is already the lowest health value, so it won't drop further.

And Su Rui… she is a servant, evidently having no health value. Servants don't get sick; aside from injuries, they essentially cannot die.

That means this negative effect has little impact on both Cheng Shuili and her.

Whether it affects them is not the main issue; the key question is how to alter the item's state.

Cheng Shuili squinted, her fingers lightly stroking the bottle's markings. Since the hint says to look for clues in the hospital, the hospital must have something special, right?

She raised a slight eyebrow and asked that question.

Xiong Ji was still shocked at how bold this human was, still holding it without letting go!

You should know he hadn't just shown it to this human! The previous beastmen, whoever they were, even when the Rat King arrived, they hurriedly glanced and put the thing down, telling him to lock it again.

Could it be that this time they really intend to break the curse?

Is the hospital's operational capacity finally improving?!!

The director was excited; he suddenly realized the human seemed to have said something, and after a pause asked, "What did you just say?"

Cheng Shuili: "......"

Su Rui repeated their leader's words, and after the two beastmen heard them, both fell into contemplation.

If we talk about a special place…

The two beastmen glanced at each other and involuntarily shivered.

Cheng Shuili saw this and understood; it must be another dangerous place.

Sure enough…

"Of course it's the morgue on the underground floor!"