Chapter 180: Others

A 'hiss' sounded.

A wisp of green smoke rose, carrying a strong bloody smell and a sort of stale burnt odor.

Immediately after, on that waxy yellow human skin, streaks of blood-red characters, like living blood vessels, swiftly writhed and appeared.

【Question: How to survive here?】

Jiang Yuan's mind went blank; he had never considered this question—the question had appeared on the Human Skin Paper itself!

Before he could react, new blood characters twisted into shape again.

【Answer: Take off your clothes.】

Take it off?

Take off what?

Jiang Yuan was entwined by countless arms; his bones groaned under the weight, and the feeling of suffocation made his vision go dark in waves.

His gaze instinctively fell on his own body.

That Blue-White Striped Patient Gown, already soaked with sweat and covered in dust.

That's it!

There was no time to hesitate, nor chance to wonder why.

The instinct to survive overwhelmed everything!

"Huh... huh..."

Jiang Yuan let out a beast-like roar from his throat, using the last of his strength, and began a frantic struggle.

He was like a fish trapped in a net, desperately twisting his body.

Yet the small hands wrapped around his arms were astonishingly strong, clamping down on him tightly.

He simply could not perform the full motion of taking off his clothes!

Then tear it!

Jiang Yuan's neck veins bulged as he arched his body, biting down hard on the collar of his chest with his teeth, then he yanked downward with all his might!

"Rip!"

The frail fabric tore apart at the sound.

This motion squeezed his chest even more painfully, completely wringing the air from his lungs.

But he did not stop.

He used his bound hands to grip the tear, exerting all his strength, and ripped it open to both sides!

"Rip! Rip!"

The patient gown was torn by him into several rags.

Just as the last piece of blue-white fabric fell from his body.

Mutation erupted!

Those arms, which had clung to him like bone‑eating maggots, snapped back like an electric shock the instant they touched his bare skin!

It was as if his body were some scalding, untouchable taboo!

The next second, the countless arms that had filled the room like a hell of white vines retreated at unprecedented speed, like a tide!

They scrambled back through the door crack, wriggling away and disappearing outside.

The room's nauseating stickiness and icy chill vanished without a trace within two short seconds.

"Thud."

Jiang Yuan crashed heavily onto the cold floor, his body curled up like a shrimp just scooped from water.

He greedily breathed the dust‑filled air, his lungs burning with sharp pain.

Having survived the calamity.

He had survived.

After a long while, Jiang Yuan trembled as he pushed himself up, leaning against the wall, gasping violently.

He lowered his head to look at himself; his upper body was bare.

Cold.

A piercing chill seeped in from his skin.

He instinctively reached out, wanting to pick up the rags on the floor to at least wrap himself.

But when his fingertips touched the fabric, his whole body froze.

Wrong.

The feel was wrong.

What lay on the ground was certainly not the rough, thin cotton‑linen he had just torn.

But a thicker, smoother material, intact.

He blankly picked it up and held it before his eyes.

This wasn't blue‑white stripes!

This was...... pure white.

Moreover, it bore a work badge fastened with a safety pin, the badge showing a blurred name and a red cross symbol.

This...... is a doctor's white lab coat?!

Jiang Yuan's mind buzzed, and an unimaginable thought popped up uncontrollably.

Patient gown...... employee uniform......

Staff rules!

Could it be......

He violently pulled that piece of Human Skin Paper from his pocket again, almost instinctively wanting to bite his finger again to verify his guess.

Countless questions can be answered here!

Just a drop of blood!

His thumb had already reached his lips, his teeth even touching the skin.

However, at the moment just before it would pierce, Jiang Yuan shuddered all over, his motion forcibly stopping.

His gaze regained a hint of clarity.

No!

Can't use it anymore!

This thing will make people addicted!

It will turn a struggling survivor into a useless waste who only seeks standard answers!

Once one becomes accustomed to this effortlessly obtained Intelligence, one's judgment, observation, and combat instincts will all be completely ruined!

In the end, one will only become a slave to that Human Skin Paper, constantly draining blood for it!

"Damn, just a bit off!"

Jiang Yuan cursed lowly, as if trying to shake off something dirty, using great willpower to stuff the Human Skin Paper back into its storage box, then shoved it deep into his pocket.

This is the last trump card.

Absolutely cannot be used unless absolutely necessary.

He must stop himself from relying on Human Skin Paper.

Jiang Yuan stood up, wrapping the clothing on the ground—tentatively called Employee Uniform—around himself.

Once he was fully dressed, a strange feeling arose.

The faint sense of being watched in the surrounding air seemed to have weakened considerably.

Along with it, that bone-deep chill also dissipated somewhat.

Jiang Yuan's eyes flickered.

His guess might be correct.

In this hospital, "identity" determines how you will be treated.

【7. As a member of Saint John Hospital, please always remember your identity.】

And the second point...

【2. If you hear a baby's crying coming from the Corridor during non-visiting hours, do not panic, nor try to seek the source. Immediately find the nearest red storage cabinet or room and hide inside until ██████.】

The blacked-out area might be "Identity Change".

However, the true conditions for triggering identity change still require further research.

Jiang Yuan no longer hesitated, stepping out of the storage room.

This time, he did not wander aimlessly, but went straight to the stairs leading to the Second Floor.

When he stepped onto the stairs again, the entire space fell eerily silent.

Jiang Yuan stepped up step by step, his heart rising to his throat.

He stared fixedly ahead, ready to respond to any possible Space Distortion.

However, nothing happened.

He smoothly walked up the entire stairs, steadily stepping onto the platform of the Second Floor.

He was not sent to some damned underground second level.

Jiang Yuan let out a long sigh.

He warily surveyed the environment of the Second Floor.

Unlike the dilapidated First Floor, the Corridor on the Second Floor appeared much neater...

Although equally empty of people, there were fewer scattered objects on the floor, and the walls were relatively clean.

On both sides of the Corridor were tightly shut doors, bearing signs such as "Internal Medicine Clinic", "Surgery Clinic", "Psychological Counseling Room", and so on.

Silence.

The entire floor was shrouded in an unsettling silence.

We must find clues.

Regarding the truth of this hospital, and how to leave this place.

Jiang Yuan gripped the Metal Poker in his pocket tightly, cautiously approaching the nearest Examination Room.

The door plaque read 【Room 03 Internal Medicine】.

He pressed his ear against the cold door panel, listening carefully.

There was no movement inside.

He tentatively turned the doorknob.

"Click."

The door was unlocked.

Jiang Yuan slowly pushed open a crack in the door and peered inside.

Inside the Examination Room, the light was dim, the curtains drawn, making it hard to see clearly.

It seemed only the outlines of some tables and chairs were visible.

After confirming there was no danger, he slipped inside, gently pulling the door shut behind him.

He needed a relatively safe place to reorganize his thoughts, and also to check his body for any marks left by those arms.

But just as he turned around, after adapting to the darkness in the room,

His pupils suddenly contracted to the extreme.

In this small examination room, it was definitely not empty!

In the corners, behind the desk, even on the hospital bed......

Packed with people!

They each curled up in the shadows, staring at him with an extremely terrified gaze, mixed with a hint of disbelief, eyes locked on him.

Those eyes were exactly the same as the eyes of the survivors Jiang Yuan had seen in the ruins!

They...... are alive?!

In Jiang Yuan's shocked gaze, a man huddled in the corner trembled, raised a hand, and with a hoarse voice barely audible, made an internationally recognized gesture toward him.

"Shhh......"