"Heh heh..."
Han Yimo gave a bitter laugh.
"Doctor Zhao, you're overthinking it. As a Writer, the last thing I want to talk about is my own work... If I have any spare time, I want to temporarily forget everything in my stories and just let myself relax."
"Then let's talk about something else!"
Doctor Zhao was already slowly suturing the wound, but it was circular, making it more complicated to stitch up than a normal injury. He composed himself and asked again, "Tell me, besides writing, how do you usually relax?"
"I... I play games."
Doctor Zhao nodded.
"That's great. I play games after work too. What do you play?"
Due to his excessive blood loss, Han Yimo's thoughts were extremely sluggish. It was a long while before he said, "League of Legends... There's a female ninja in it called 'Akali.'
I really like that character."
"Oh?"
Doctor Zhao smiled.
"What a coincidence. I play League of Legends too, and I also like Akali."
Although he spoke in a steady tone, everyone could see his hands trembling slightly. After all, in his many years as a doctor, this was the first time he had sutured a wound without anesthetic while the patient was conscious.
It was hard to tell if he truly liked the character or was simply trying to go along with Han Yimo's topic.
"Doctor Zhao, you like Akali too?"
Han Yimo nodded weakly.
"I'm fascinated by everything about Akali... This female ninja called 'the Shadow's Fist,' I feel like her backstory is also..."
Doctor Zhao's hands stopped moving for a moment. He then stroked Han Yimo's face and asked, "Han Yimo, can you see me?"
"Hm?"
Han Yimo didn't know why Doctor Zhao had suddenly asked this question, so he could only reply, "I can see you..."
"Who am I?"
"You're Doctor Zhao..."
Hearing this, Doctor Zhao nodded again and said, "Han Yimo, you're starting to hallucinate. You must stay awake."
"Hallucinating?"
Han Yimo felt that he was in a relatively normal state and didn't understand what Doctor Zhao meant.
"Aren't I having a normal conversation with you? How could I be hallucinating..."
"It must be a symptom of excessive blood loss. Your brain isn't getting enough blood. The Akali you mentioned, her champion title is 'the Rogue Assassin,' not 'the Shadow's Fist.'"
"The Rogue Assassin?"
Han Yimo squinted, feeling a bit hesitant. He had never heard that name before. Could this also be due to hallucinations?
Qiao Jiajin poked Qi Xia, who was standing to the side, and asked, "Con man, what are they talking about?"
"I don't know."
Qi Xia shook his head.
"I don't play games, so I can't understand."
"I've played arcade games before," Qiao Jiajin pursed his lips.
"But I've never heard of this game they're talking about. Is this hero battle game more fun than 'Fatal Fury'..."
Not wanting to get involved in this topic, Qi Xia walked to the side and found a clean rock to sit on. He was thinking about something else. The conversation between Han Yimo and Doctor Zhao also fell silent, likely because Han Yimo's hallucinations were too frequent for the chat to continue.
The atmosphere among the group gradually grew silent. Lin Qin, realizing she couldn't be of any help, sat down next to Qi Xia.
"What are you thinking about?"
Lin Qin asked. Qi Xia turned his head to glance at Lin Qin, his expression cold.
"This is the second time you've asked me 'what are you thinking about'."
Qi Xia said, "When you do psychological counseling, do you always ask your patients so directly?"
"But you're not my patient."
Lin Qin shook her head.
"And we don't call our clients 'patients,' that's very impolite. I'm just purely curious about what a smart person like you has in that head of yours."
"My wife is what I have in here," Qi Xia said, his face filled with melancholy.
"Your wife?"
Lin Qin nodded silently.
"You said before that someone was waiting for you outside. Is that person your wife?"
"Yes," Qi Xia nodded.
Lin Qin smiled faintly.
"I didn't guess that answer. So you're already married?"
"Why couldn't I be married?"
Qi Xia felt that there was a hidden meaning in Lin Qin's words.
"I don't mean to offend you. But you're a con man, so what kind of person is your wife?"
"You..."
Qi Xia was uncharacteristically angry. He slowly stood up, his eyes incomparably cold.
"What do you mean? I'm a con man, so the person who would marry me must also be from the dregs of society, is that it?"
"Ah? I..."
Lin Qin was frightened by Qi Xia's imposing manner.
"I really didn't mean to offend you, I was just curious..."
"I advise you not to be curious about me."
Qi Xia's tone was still frigid.
"I'm a con man. The words I speak won't be the truth either."
Their conversation ended on a sour note, but Lin Qin's expression didn't seem to show that she minded. Over on Doctor Zhao's side, the suturing was finally done.
"That's about it..."
Doctor Zhao said as he wiped the blood from his hands.
"For now, we've done all we can. Next, we can only hope the wound doesn't get infected."
"Thank you..."
Han Yimo's lips were pale as he slowly spoke to Doctor Zhao. Seeing that everything had come to a temporary close, Qi Xia slowly stood up and said to the group, "Everyone, it's time to say goodbye." Hearing this, the other eight people all showed looks of confusion.
Goodbye?
"Where are you going?"
Qiao Jiajin asked.
"That has nothing to do with you."
Qi Xia looked at the restaurant across the street, lost in thought.
"You're not really going to look for the 'Dao,' are you?!"
Officer Li was stunned for a moment.
"What? Do you have some advice?"
Qi Xia seemed to tacitly confirm the answer.
"Pardon my bluntness, but you're courting death."
Officer Li shook his head helplessly.
"Three thousand six hundred 'Dao'! What does three thousand six hundred 'Dao' even mean?! If you have to obtain one 'Dao' each time, you'll have to clear three thousand six hundred of those near-death games like before!"
"Yes."
Qi Xia nodded.
"It sounds like the chances are extremely slim, but there's still hope, isn't there?"
"Hope?"
Officer Li sighed.
"Ten years. Three thousand six hundred games. That's an average of three hundred and sixty per year. Even if you did nothing but clear games every day, that's nowhere near enough time. Not to mention, you could die in a game at any moment. But if you do nothing, you'll only die after ten years."
After saying this, he paused, then added, "And this 'death' is based on the premise that what the 'Human Dragon' said is completely true. In other words, we might not die in ten years, and this place might not be destroyed. Even if you gather all three thousand six hundred 'Dao,' he might not let you out."
"I understand all the reasoning," Qi Xia interrupted Officer Li, "but I'm not prepared to wait here. Even if I just go out for a look, it's much better than staying here."
"But you..."
Officer Li still wanted to argue with Qi Xia, but the door to the staff break room creaked open again. Everyone turned to look, and the female clerk from before walked out. She was completely naked, her mouth covered in grease, and she clutched something in her hand.
Her emaciated body looked as if it were nothing but a skeleton. Zhang Chenze frowned slightly, took off her women's suit jacket, walked over, and draped it over the clerk. She turned her head to look at the few men, her expression slightly angry.
"What on earth did you men do when you went into that room? Where did this girl's clothes go?"
Qiao Jiajin shook his head helplessly and said, "It's a long story. I suggest you don't bother with her."
"You're such a good person."
The female clerk stared blankly at the jacket draped over her, then looked at Zhang Chenze.
"It's a pity you're not a man, or I'd definitely sleep with you."
"Sleep with me?"
Zhang Chenze was taken aback by the girl.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Since you won't sleep with me, then I'll give you this to eat..."
She opened her grimy hand, in which she held a baby's arm that had been boiled until it was mushy.