Chapter 111: The Blade of Online Bullying, the Girl with Heart Disease
Ji Yan glanced at the other prisoners. Their attire didn’t resemble that of doctors or patients.
He turned his gaze back and asked, "There should be more than just you among the Zodiac Players who came in, right?"
"From what I know, the Rat, Rooster, and Ox have all sided with the Dragon Player."
"During the day, players can only hunt others within Missions. They’re likely in this very ward, setting up a kill trap for you."
"Be careful."
The Horse Player yawned and leaned against the corner of the wall.
Ji Yan: "What about you?"
"I’m already a prisoner. What else can I do? Sit in jail, of course." The Horse Player pulled out a comic book from somewhere and started flipping through it.
Ji Yan spoke quietly, "Weren’t you saying yesterday that you’d join the fight too?"
"Got your hand chopped off before you could even strike?"
The Horse Player turned a page. "Capsized in a Ditch. Unable to Help Despite Willingness."
Ji Yan chuckled dryly.
Just as he was about to leave, the Horse Player added, "Still, I did manage to dig up some info."
"For instance, Info One: This prison isn’t a DIY ward created by the patient."
Ji Yan halted, his expression shifting. "Not a ward?!"
"Then what the hell is this place?"
The Horse Player shrugged. "No idea."
"Info Two: This patient once suffered a severe psychological trauma."
"And the ones responsible for hurting It are these repentant prisoners you see here."
"Their brains were hollowed out, their nerves tortured and Baptized until they became nothing but madmen who only know how to repent."
Flipping through his notebook, the Horse Player said flatly, "I tried interacting with the patient to understand the condition."
"But just a few words in, I somehow triggered a landmine. After the patient Blackened, I got locked up here."
Ji Yan fell into thought.
"Any more info?"
The Horse Player’s expression darkened. "The hell, you treating me like an interactive NPC now? That’s all I’ve got."
"Fine. Stay put, then."
Ji Yan turned and left, heading deeper down the passage.
The Horse Player called after him, "helpfully" reminding, "Watch yourself, little Goat, all alone out there."
"The Rooster will Peck Eyes, the Boar will Charge at People, and the Rat will Bite People!"
Ji Yan walked down the cold, damp passage.
With each cell he passed, the prisoners inside pressed against the bars, tears and snot streaming as they recited their script of repentance.
Finally, Ji Yan stopped.
At the end of the passage was an iron door, wrapped in layers of chains and locks. Ji Yan stepped forward, tore off the locks, unfastened the chains, and pushed the door open.
The room beyond was empty.
In the far corner, a little girl hugged a doll, curled up with her hands over her ears and her face buried between her knees.
The moment Ji Yan entered, she looked up at him. "Please, shut the door!"
"I don’t want to hear their voices—my head hurts, it hurts so much!!"
Clearly, this child was the patient of [C001].
Ji Yan stepped inside and closed the door.
"You don’t need to be afraid. I’m a doctor here to treat you."
"Can we talk?"
His tone was calm, and he kept a measured distance.
"I don’t want to talk to any doctors."
"You can’t help me. No one can."
The Little Girl continued to bury her face.
Ji Yan gazed at her, his eyes flickering twice.
He sat down and offered a faint smile. "Let me guess—your illness is Heart Disease."
"If it's Heart Disease, then you need to open your heart even more."
"Coincidentally, I'm a professional psychiatrist. Would you tell me your story?"
The Little Girl didn’t respond at first. After a moment of silence, she timidly raised her eyes. "Do you really want to hear my story?"
"Of course."
The Little Girl then spoke. "I don’t know… I don’t know what I did wrong."
"Why does everyone hate me so much?"
"I was the one who was sick. I just wanted to share my condition, hoping for some encouragement to give me strength against the illness."
"But they kept cursing me, hurting me even more."
"They said I was faking it, playing the victim, begging for sympathy."
"No matter how much I explained, it was useless. Even when I showed them my medical records, even when they knew they were wrong."
"I never hurt anyone, yet they called me a demon."
Listening, Ji Yan pieced most of it together.
Another tragic case born from Online Bullying…
That sharp blade of online harassment had killed so many—Ji Yan had seen it countless times in the real world.
The worst part was that this blade bore no responsibility!
Because anyone could be the murderer.
After the deed was done, whether they felt satisfied or realized they’d killed the wrong person, they bore no consequences. They just blended back into the crowd, completely absolved of guilt.
Some even pretended to be innocent bystanders, forgetting all about their past atrocities.
"Are they the ones locked in the cages outside?" Ji Yan asked. "So, you captured the people who hurt you and imprisoned them here to repent?"
The Little Girl shook her head. "Not me. I never wanted to hurt them."
"They… were all brought here by Dad."
"Dad thought this would make me feel better, that it would ease my mind. But he didn’t realize it only made me suffer more."
"I don’t want to hear their confessions."
"Because they’re not real repentance."
"They’re just scared… tortured into submission."
"I locked myself in this little room because I didn’t want to hear their voices or see anyone."
Ji Yan paused. "Who is your dad?"
"Dad founded this hospital."
Ji Yan inwardly cursed.
No wonder this patient was part of the Main Plot—the Supernatural Hospital Director’s daughter was also one of the patients!
"Doctor, I can heal myself. Can you help me release those people?"
"I don’t want to hear their voices anymore. If I stay here alone, I can recover slowly."
Ji Yan hesitated before speaking helplessly. "Heart Disease… is something outsiders can hardly interfere with. It can only be healed from within."
"Can I pat your head?"
"That way, I can at least say I treated you and report back."
The Little Girl blinked and nodded.
Ji Yan stepped forward and gently stroked her soft hair.
"Doctor, please… let those patients go."
The Little Girl pleaded with tearful eyes.
Ji Yan sighed, "No matter what, they did hurt you."
"But their punishment has been enough, hasn't it?"
"They’re scared now, and they’ve repented."
The Little Girl lowered her eyes.
Ji Yan stood up and rolled up his sleeves. "Alright, if it helps your condition."
"Besides, I can’t stand seeing a little girl cry."
With that, he turned to open the door, preparing to return to the prison.
But as Ji Yan turned away, he couldn’t see the girl huddled in the corner, clutching herself as if wounded by the whole world.
Her expression, once filled with sorrow and pain, twisted into a sinister, mocking grin in an instant.
Her eyes brimmed with cruel amusement as she watched his retreating figure...
"Fool."
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