NOVEL NEXT Chapter 32: Chapter 29 Took Medicine
The hospital was quiet and still, different from the tranquil atmosphere of a typical hospital. There were no crying children, no people hurrying with urgency to get medical attention, and certainly no undignified shouting.
The slightly dimly lit corridor occasionally had nurses passing by who would lower their heads courteously to greet him when they walked past him.
Xu Shuo surveyed the layout of the place, discreetly searching for room number 13, eager to see what this victim looked like.
At the end of the long corridor, Xu Shuo finally saw the number "13". Below the room number hung the name of the patient residing in this room: Luo Kun.
After confirming he had found the right room, Xu Shuo pushed open the door.
Inside the room, the balcony door was shut tight, and the curtains were closely drawn, making the room extremely dim, lit only by the light streaming in from the corridor.
In the center of the light beam, a frail-looking young man sitting on the bed with his knees hugged to his chest suddenly looked up.
Dense and disheveled black hair partially covered his face. The young man's expression was obscure, but then a pale face broke into a smile, "Doctor Chu, you're here."
Xu Shuo subconsciously glanced at his name badge.
Chen Chu, the name should be correct.
"The nurse said your mental state isn't very good," Xu Shuo stepped into the room, turning on the wall lights.
The moment the bright incandescent light came on, the young man seemed to squint due to discomfort before stretching his lips into a smile, "Is it time to take medicine?"
Xu Shuo suddenly leaned in to look at him closely. The young man looked up, meeting his gaze, his dark eyes filled with an innocent and naive look. His body appeared worn and thin from illness, eliciting pity.
But Xu Shuo had a feeling that something was off about this victim; there was a strange malice emanating from him.
No matter, he was going to die soon anyway.
Xu Shuo pulled out some medicine from his pocket, revealing a concerned, gentle smile, "Yes, let's take the medicine first."
Without the typical fuss of a patient refusing medication, the young man obediently took the medicine, and following that, Xu Shuo handed him a cup of water.
He intended to watch him swallow it.
Just as the young man was about to put the medicine in his mouth, he paused, looking curiously at Xu Shuo with a tilted head and asked, "Doctor Chu, how long will I have to take medicine before I get better?"
"Let's see how the next check-up goes." Instead of saying something strange like "you won't need to take it any longer," Xu Shuo thought for a moment and answered seriously, "If the check-up shows no problems, then you won't need to take medicine anymore."
"Alright," the young man smiled, curving his lips.
He watched Xu Shuo cautiously and slowly placed a pill in his mouth, then another, and lifted the cup to drink a gulp of water with a loud gulp.
The actions of the young man were slow, so slow that it seemed like a strange ritual, and after the movement in his throat subsided, he opened his mouth towards Xu Shuo, twisted his lips into a smile, and said, "I've taken it all."
Xu Shuo calmly nodded, "Good, taking medicine often makes you sleepy. Rest well for now."
"Okay," the young man obediently agreed, shifting to lie down and tucking himself in under the covers.
Xu Shuo turned off the lights and walked out, closing the door behind him.
Just as he turned around, there stood the nurse who had gone to report earlier, though he hadn't noticed when she had approached.
Looking at him with concern, the nurse asked, "Doctor Chen, has Little Kun taken his medicine?"
Xu Shuo nodded, "He just took it and has gone to sleep now."
"That's good," the nurse visibly relaxed, a worried face breaking into a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, Doctor Chen."
"It's my duty."
...
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The medication would take effect in about ten minutes.
Xu Shuo returned to his office and glanced at the main mission, thinking it would probably be completed soon.
Interestingly, this Scripted Murder Game started without a process to gather players, leaving him wondering if he was the only player or if, during the actual game, the players were not supposed to meet.
If it was the latter, it would be difficult to guess the identities and missions of other players.
Anyway, his mission this time wasn't too troublesome; he just needed to ensure his own survival after the murder.
As Xu Shuo pondered these things, he rubbed his temples, not knowing if it was because of too many late nights, but he constantly felt mentally drained, with occasional bouts of brain swelling and pain.
Moreover, entering the game seemed to be quite a drain on spiritual power.
He had fallen asleep around midnight and slept until noon, which should be a full eight hours of sleep, so he shouldn't still feel so listless.
After this game ended, he should take a day off to avoid actually dying suddenly from carelessness.
While waiting, Xu Shuo idly flipped through the doctor's desk and cabinets before pulling out a cellphone from a drawer, unlocked it with a fingerprint, and started playing the built-in mini-games.
After a while, the familiar system prompt sounded.
[Congratulations on completing the mission: Kill the patient Luo Kun in ward thirteen.]
Xu Shuo glanced at the tightly closed door, thinking the mission had been completed quickly. Without getting Doctor Chu's Character Card, all that was left was to wait for the game to end?
Suddenly, a piercing scream rang out, followed by a flurry of hurried footsteps and noisy commotion outside the door.
Had they discovered the death so quickly?
Xu Shuo paused, rose to his feet, opened the door, and stepped out to look at the chaotic corridor, casually grabbing a nurse who was running by.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Ah!" The nurse startled, then pointing cautiously towards the distance, whispered fearfully, "The… the patient from ward thirteen, just now someone found him lying in the stairwell, bleeding so much…"
"...What?" Xu Shuo froze.
Wasn't there something off about this death?
He turned and quickly walked towards the scene, but the next moment, he felt an intense dizziness wash over his brain, and Xu Shuo staggered, leaning against the wall for support.
"Doctor Chen!" The nurse behind him came up anxiously to support him, asking in concern, "Doctor Chen, what's wrong? You should sit down inside first."
Xu Shuo, pressing his head, felt a throbbing, heavy feeling in his brain, as if something inside was squeezing and trying to get out.
He had only been staying up late recently, so a sudden death wasn't expected, especially not in the game.
The nurse hastily helped him back into the office, then looked at him cautiously and asked, "Doctor Chen, do you have a headache? That… have you taken your medication today?"
Xu Shuo, still holding his head: "…?"
He suddenly looked up, startling the concerned nurse who had moved in close to ask.
The nurse stepped back two steps, looked at the desk, and then picked up a white bottle without a label from the table, pouring out two pills, she quickly went for a cup of water, and finally presented it to him.
The nurse looked on worriedly and said softly, "Doctor Chen, if you're feeling unwell, you should take your medicine first."
Xu Shuo: "…"
He suddenly felt that this scene was very familiar.
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