Chapter 55: Mind and Flesh, The Ward of Monstrosity

Chapter 55: Mind and Flesh, The Ward of Monstrosity

"Big brother, you have five minutes. Mommy and Daddy are suffering so much right now."

"You’re the doctor—hurry up and treat them!"

The Little Girl urged anxiously.

Though her tone was frantic, her face betrayed no pretense, clearly displaying a gleeful smirk.

Why was the Supernatural Girl so excited when her family was in agony?

Was it simply to relish his misery?

The biggest headache was that her "family" existed only in her delusions—invisible, intangible. How could he treat them?

Ji Yan’s gaze fell on the Drawing Board clutched in the Supernatural Girl’s arms. Suddenly, he asked, "Can you let me see your Drawing Board?"

The Supernatural Girl hugged the board tighter, her eyes wary.

"What does that have to do with treating them?"

Ji Yan smiled gently. "I was just thinking—a girl as lovely as you, doted on by her family, must create such beautiful artwork."

At his words, the Supernatural Girl’s pallid cheeks flushed faintly.

She scratched her head, her Cunning demeanor shifting to shyness. "...It’s not that great, really."

"But fine, you can look. Just one glance!"

Seeing how easily she handed over the board after a few compliments, Ji Yan mused that manipulating children truly was as simple as drinking water.

Taking the Drawing Board, he saw a family portrait of four.

Yet, apart from the girl herself, the others were all monstrous, clawed creatures!

The drawing was just an excuse.

Triggering his Talent was the real goal.

The moment his eyes met the board, his Talent activated.

[At some point, Mommy and Daddy started spending less and less time with me. Even Grandpa became obsessed with chess. I was like a forgotten stone, abandoned in a corner.]

[Then, I thought of a way—a way to keep Mommy, Daddy, and Grandpa with Yue Yue forever. If we all got infected and stayed in the hospital together, as long as we never got better, we’d be a happy family.]

[So, I raised a worm. As long as it lives, my family will never recover. Those stupid doctors would never guess I’m the source! Yue Yue is so clever!]

Ji Yan swiftly absorbed the Hidden Information.

His lips twitched involuntarily. "This Cunning Little Girl isn’t just devious—her logic is downright twisted!"

"She hospitalized her whole family just to keep them around?"

Noticing his prolonged silence, the Supernatural Girl grew impatient. She snatched back the Drawing Board, glaring at him. "You’ve seen the drawing. Now start the treatment."

"Are you just stalling?"

Ji Yan rolled up his sleeves, smiling warmly. "Of course not. Curing your family’s condition is simple."

"Your father’s throat itches, your mother’s scalp itches, and your grandfather’s legs itch—all because of worm bites."

"These worms keep reproducing as long as the Mother Worm lives. So, if we remove it, the problem is solved!"

As he spoke, he wiped the Scalpel clean.

Yue Yue’s lips curled into a barely perceptible sneer, though she agreed readily. "Okay, then hurry up!"

The moment she finished speaking, Ji Yan’s right arm—controlled by the Blood-Stained Paper Figure—suddenly shot out, seizing the Supernatural Girl by the throat.

Pinning her to the bed, Ji Yan’s body followed, pressing down.

"What are you doing? The patients are Mom and Dad, why are you pinning me down?"

"Didn’t I just say it? To treat them effectively, we need to cut at the root of the illness!"

Ji Yan’s smiling words instantly made the bewildered Supernatural Girl tense and uneasy. She immediately cried out to her delusional family, "Mom, Dad, Grandpa, save me! Yue Yue is being bullied!"

When a terrifying Specter Power enveloped his entire body, Ji Yan didn’t hesitate to plunge the scalpel down.

But the moment it touched the Supernatural Girl’s chest, it snapped like a chopstick!

Ding! Player’s scalpel is of [Common] quality and cannot inflict direct damage on [Severe] patients.

Warning! Your scalpel has been damaged. Toughness reduced to 0. This surgical tool is now scrapped.

"??"

"Seriously? The intern doctor’s surgical kit is this shoddy?"

Watching the broken scalpel, the Supernatural Girl’s unease turned to mockery. "Doctor, your knife is so brittle. How are you supposed to treat patients?"

"Oh? But I still have another tool."

As he spoke, Ji Yan flipped his palm, revealing a silver needle.

It was none other than the [Silver Needle], a Supernatural Artifact left to him by the Grandmother in the previous Instance!

If Common quality doesn’t work, how about Collector’s Grade?

Holding the needle between two fingers, its cold, gleaming tip traced a line across the Supernatural Girl’s chest.

The next moment, her pale skin split open, and a Black Centipede burst forth from the gushing dark-green blood. Before it could escape, the needle pinned it dead to the floor.

"My pet!!"

Seeing her precious Black Centipede killed, the Supernatural Girl clutched her face and screamed in despair.

"This is the source of your family’s infection."

"You were accidentally parasitized by this Mother Worm. It fed on your nutrients and reproduced larvae, infecting your family in the process."

"But you, little sister, knew nothing about this. You’re completely innocent."

"Right?"

Lifting the needle, Ji Yan smiled gently at the Supernatural Girl as he spoke.

The girl, who had been tense and fearful that her Cunning plan was about to be exposed, blinked in confusion at his explanation.

She nodded blankly. "Mhm, I really didn’t know anything."

"Waaah, that’s so scary!"

"Mom, Dad, there was such a huge bug inside me! Thank goodness the doctor got it out!"

Seeing the Supernatural Girl take the out he offered, Ji Yan smiled inwardly.

Though the [Undead Hospital] wasn’t like the [Crimson Apartment], where gaining the favor of Supernatural Entities was necessary, one rule held true across all Instances: never make enemies with them.

Earning goodwill never hurt.

This was one of the most crucial survival principles in any Instance!

Being smooth and understanding social graces—these things transcended borders, even worlds.

Though those "family members" were all figments of the Cunning Little Girl’s imagination, with the Mother Worm dead, the infections in her delusions would also vanish.

So, whether her delusions were severe or not didn’t matter. What mattered was how she chose to imagine things.

The Supernatural Girl stared into the air, her smile stiff. "Mom, Dad, Grandpa… they all say they’re feeling much better."

"Doctor, you’re amazing…"

"Even though your family has improved, you still need to stay for observation."

"So, you’ll all have to remain in the ward for a while longer."

Hearing Ji Yan's words, the Supernatural Girl's eyes instantly brightened, and she exclaimed with joy, "Yay, I get to stay in the hospital longer!"

Watching the Supernatural Girl's sparkling eyes, Ji Yan's Talent automatically triggered once more.

[Patient in A22 Ward—Nightmare Delusion: This type of Supernatural Entity suffers from severe delusional tendencies. The stronger the delusional desires, the more the imagined targets materialize, affecting the real world until they manifest physically before one's eyes.]

"Warning! You have triggered the Talent [Omniscient Understanding] twice consecutively, consuming a total of 200 points of Spiritual Energy. You can no longer trigger it further. Replenish your energy through food to restore Spiritual Energy."

"Hint: To increase Spiritual Energy, advance Instance Progress, gain Player experience, and level up. All status values will also improve."

As the voice faded, Ji Yan felt dizzy and lightheaded.

He staggered a few steps, nearly losing his balance.

Though his upgraded Talent could no longer be triggered at will, the benefit was that the triggering conditions and the Hidden Information obtained were now far simpler and more practical.

No longer like before, where it would frustratingly spout cryptic riddles at every turn!

"Nightmare Delusion… Delusional Materialization?"

"So, this lonely Cunning Little Girl, who lacks family companionship, might actually be able to conjure up those three monstrous family members she drew on her Drawing Board—straight out of her imagination?"

Ji Yan pondered silently.

He couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

The Cunning Little Girl, appearing weak and helpless, was in fact a genuine small-boss-level terrifying Supernatural Entity!