Chapter 188: Even Satiety Must Be Considered

"I'll go first!"

The plan was set, and Xiao Ma was the first to step forward, patting his chest, forcing a feigned relaxed smile onto his face.

"Bro, I'm thick‑skinned; even if something goes wrong I can take a couple hits, I'll scout the way for you!"

Jiang Yuan gave him a glance, said nothing, and simply nodded.

"Stay close to me, don't make any unnecessary sounds. No matter what you see or hear, don't startle at all."

"Got it!"

Jiang Yuan pushed the door open.

He didn't move immediately; instead, like a statue, he stood silently at the doorway for over ten seconds, confirming the Ghost Doctor hadn't been summoned by the Infiltrator, then gestured to Xiao Ma.

The two moved one ahead of the other, like shadows melting into the darkness, vanishing swiftly into the depths of the Corridor.

Jiang Yuan led, his mind razor‑sharp; his gaze acted like Radar, scanning every corner, while his ears caught the faintest movements in the air.

Xiao Ma followed behind, daring not to breathe, clenching his fists so tightly that sweat soaked them.

Finally, they reached the First Floor.

A thick wave of blood scent mingled with Formalin flooded his nostrils, nearly making Xiao Ma vomit on the spot.

The First Floor lobby was somewhat brighter than the Second Floor, but only relatively.

The ceiling lights flickered erratically, slicing the lobby into countless oddly colored patches of light and shadow.

Several Patients drifted aimlessly around the lobby.

A woman faced the wall, repeatedly ramming her head into it, producing a dull "bang bang" sound; the back of her skull was a mess of blood and flesh.

A man crouched in a corner, hugging his knees, his body trembling like sifted chaff, muttering incomprehensible murmurs.

Jiang Yuan and Xiao Ma stuck to the wall, using shadows and pillars as cover, inching toward the predetermined room.

Xiao Ma's complexion was as white as paper; he saw a shoeless Patient walk past the pillar they were hiding behind, the soles of the feet worn to the bone, dragging two long blood trails across the floor.

His heart hammered, nearly leaping out of his throat.

Jiang Yuan turned back, made a "calm" gesture toward him, his gaze sharp yet steady.

That look carried a strange power, instantly soothing Xiao Ma's on‑the‑brink‑of‑collapse emotions.

A scare, but no danger.

Jiang Yuan successfully escorted Xiao Ma to the predetermined Storage Room.

"Stay here, lock the door, don't go out."

Jiang Yuan left that instruction, then turned and melted back into the darkness.

Next was Li Na, then Ahu.

The whole process went surprisingly smoothly; the Infiltrator seemed to lose the optimal moment to strike because they moved separately, and the Ghost Doctor never appeared.

When it was the couple Zhang Wei and Liu Ting's turn, trouble arose.

"We... can we go together?"

Liu Ting clutched her boyfriend's arm, timidly looking at Jiang Yuan, her eyes full of pleading.

"No," Jiang Yuan refused without hesitation.

"Two people make a bigger target; the noise they generate is larger, and the risk multiplies."

"But... I'm scared..." Liu Ting's tears welled up instantly, "I don't want to be apart from him, not even for a second!"

Zhang Wei spoke up, holding his girlfriend tightly in his arms, pleading to Jiang Yuan:

"Big brother, please. We promise we won't make any noise. Together we can be braver. If we're separated, I'm afraid... I'm afraid Tingting won't hold on."

Jiang Yuan frowned.

He could understand this kind of reliance on a companion in a desperate situation, but it was gambling with everyone's lives.

Yet seeing the two clinging to each other as if separation would shatter them, something inside him was gently stirred.

He recalled Wang Dui, Mo Shu, and those fallen comrades.

In this cursed place, if even the last shred of humanity's warmth must be erased by cold, absolute Rules, then what meaning is there in surviving to the outside?

"This won't set a precedent."

Jiang Yuan finally relented.

"Thank you! Thank you, big brother!"

Zhang Wei and Liu Ting were overjoyed, nodding repeatedly.

Escorting two people was indeed far harder than one.

Jiang Yuan pushed his nerves to the limit, finally bringing the trembling couple safely to the Storage Room.

Finally, only Chen Shao remained.

"Let's go."

Jiang Yuan's condition was already slipping; the extreme mental tension left him feeling weary.

Chen Shao nodded and fell in step behind him.

While passing a relatively safe stretch of Corridor, Chen Shao slowly pulled an old Brass Pocket Watch from his pocket, gently rubbing its cover with his fingers before opening it for a glance.

Jiang Yuan caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye.

Inside the watch was no dial, but a yellowed photograph of a girl.

The girl in the photo appeared sixteen or seventeen, her hair in a ponytail, smiling brilliantly, eyes curved like crescents.

"My sister," Chen Shao said softly, noting Jiang Yuan's gaze.

"She has a severe congenital heart defect and needs a large sum for surgery."

His voice was soft, yet carried an unquestionable resolve.

"I must get out alive, earn enough money, cure her illness, and give her a good life."

Jiang Yuan fell silent for a moment.

"Now's not the time to set a flag."

A sudden sarcastic remark instantly lightened the previously heavy atmosphere.

Chen Shao was startled for a moment, then gave a wry smile and shook his head.

"Can't help it. If I don't give myself something to look forward to, I'm afraid I won't make it through a day."

Jiang Yuan patted his shoulder.

"I'm tongue‑tied and can't say much. But I will bless you, and also bless your sister."

"Thank you."

Chen Shao thanked solemnly, carefully slipping his pocket watch back into his pocket.

When Jiang Yuan, with Chen Shao, pushed open the door of the prearranged Storage Room.

Everyone was present.

In the tiny Storage Room, seven people were cramped together, the air thick and oppressive.

Yet on each face shone a sense of relief at having survived the disaster.

They had successfully transferred en masse from the murderous cage on the Second Floor to the First Floor!

"What do we do now? Do we just stay here… wait for nightfall, wait to randomly turn into patients?" Xiao Ma asked in a lowered voice.

Jiang Yuan nodded.

"This is the safest method for now. As long as we stay put here, those 'patients' on the First Floor won't attack us voluntarily. We only need to wait…"

However, Jiang Yuan's words were not finished.

"Gurururu…"

An ill‑timed rumble suddenly echoed in the quiet room.

It was Liu Ting's stomach growling.

Her face flushed bright red in an instant.

But that was only the beginning.

Soon, the "gurururu" sounds rose and fell repeatedly.

Hunger.

This instinct, suppressed to the extreme by fear of death, after a brief safety, like a revived beast, began to frantically tear at everyone's sanity.

They no longer knew how long it had been since they'd eaten anything or drunk a single drop of water.

Their lips were chapped, and their throats felt as if on fire.

The feeling of despair spread faster than hunger itself.

They suddenly realized a more terrifying fact.

How long does it take for everyone to randomly turn into patients?

Five days? Six days?

They couldn't possibly hold out until then!

They would die of thirst or hunger right here in this tiny Storage Room!

The hope that had just ignited was instantly doused with a bucket of ice water; not even a wisp of smoke rose, and it was completely extinguished.

"No, if we keep going like this we'll starve to death! Damn… we're just swapping one way to die for another, aren't we?" Xiao Ma slammed a fist into the wall, his face full of collapse and resentment.

The room fell into dead silence, only heavy breathing audible.

Jiang Yuan leaned against the door, his brows tightly knit.

He was both thirsty and hungry, every cell in his body emitting a protesting scream.

He jerked his head up, his gaze sweeping over the twisted faces warped by thirst, hunger, and despair; his voice was hoarse yet unusually clear.

"I didn't consider the factor of physical condition; we can't wait any longer."

"Rather than dying of thirst and hunger here, we should take the initiative."

Chen Shao looked up bewildered: "Take the initiative? What can we do?"

Jiang Yuan looked at him and said word for word.

"We… go find that Patient No. 1."

"What?!"

Xiao Ma was the first to shout, his eyes wide, staring at Jiang Yuan as if looking at a madman.

"Big brother, you aren't running a fever, are you?!"

Jiang Yuan ignored their startled cries; his gaze was frighteningly sharp, his thoughts clearer than ever.

"Don't you get it? That monster is not merely a killing machine!"

"It is the key to our identity transformation!"

He once again recounted, in a rapid retelling, his first time becoming a patient, being chased by the monster, and finally having his clothes torn apart in the Storage Room, which turned him into an 'employee.'

"Now we can only gamble that if it can turn me into an employee, it can also turn us into patients."

The entire Storage Room fell silent.

Everyone was stunned by Jiang Yuan's earth‑shaking inference.

Actively seeking the most ferocious monster, letting it attack us, and thereby completing the identity swap?

Is this a plan a human could devise?

"The risk is high, I admit."

Jiang Yuan looked at the shifting expressions on everyone's faces and pressed on.

"It might slip and kill us, might tear us to pieces. But!"

He shifted his tone, his voice suddenly rose.

Staying here means we will surely die—of thirst, of starvation, turning into desiccated corpses.

Going to look for it gives us a one-in-ten chance of survival, but at least there is still a glimmer of hope.

Now, the choice is in your hands.

After Jiang Yuan finished speaking, he said no more, merely watching them in silence.

The air froze.

One side is slow and certain death; the other is survival fraught with unknown risk.

After a few minutes, the burly man Ahu, who had remained silent, was the first to stand, speaking in a hoarse, muffled voice.

Screw it! I don't want to just die a pathetic death like this!

Li Na also stood up, her eyes resolute.

I agree. Rather than wait for death, let's fight.

Chen Shao pushed up his glasses, leaned against the wall, and slowly straightened his body.

He glanced at Jiang Yuan, then at the others, and finally nodded heavily.

You're right; we have no way back.

With the three having voiced their stance, the remaining Zhang Wei and Liu Ting could only nod in agreement through tears.

Xiao Ma let out a long breath, plopped down on the ground, then sprang up suddenly.

Damn! Crazy! We're all fucking crazy!

He cursed aloud, but in his eyes the flame of hope reignited.

Jiang Yuan watched as the people, now twisted into a single rope, finally saw a hint of a curve appear on his tense face.