Chapter 65: The Asthmatic Elder and the Battle of Connections

Chapter 65: The Asthmatic Elder and the Battle of Connections

"What other information do you know?" Ji Yan pressed further.

In the Chinese zodiac, the Rat is inherently associated with cunning traits. Regardless of how much truth or deception laced her words, they still held valuable intel. The survival window in this Instance was no more than 10 days, which suggested that the Goat Players were all stuck in the second phase of the plot—likely the deadly checkpoint described in the Main Plot. Perhaps the Rat Player could shed some light on the details.

"I don’t know much," she admitted. "Only that the four before you were all eliminated after being promoted to [Attending Doctor]. Without exception, they got infected and were taken out."

Ji Yan didn’t press further. Instead, he loaded the Serum into a syringe and injected it into the infected area on his chest. Almost immediately, the necrotic flesh visibly regained its color…

Ding! You have used the Serum, effectively healing the infected area and preventing further spread. Your condition is gradually recovering.

Ah, the perks of a game—instant results, simple mechanics, no need for tedious details or logic.

After flexing his limbs to test his recovery, Ji Yan checked his personal status to confirm everything was normal. Considering how long she’d survived, she was practically a veteran. He seized the opportunity to dig for more intel on the other zodiac players. "Among the current players in this Instance, which zodiac has made the fastest progress?"

The Rat Player answered without hesitation: "Definitely the Dragon."

"That guy was already a [Chief Doctor] before I even entered the Instance. He’s already on the third phase of the plot."

"Rumor has it that the late-stage third phase involves taking down the hospital director—the final boss of this Instance!"

"I’ve seen the Dragon Player once, and… shudders—"

Ji Yan caught the flicker of shock on her face and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Let’s just say… that guy had zero human features left. His entire body was covered in Purple-Gold Scales. That face alone was a full-blown psychological assault!"

She looked as if she’d rather not recall the memory.

Ji Yan’s eyes gleamed with interest. After exchanging a few more casual remarks, he noticed the time was nearing 4 a.m. and decided to wrap up the conversation, preparing to return to Room 444.

"Before you go, a word of advice—be extra careful around the Dog Player in this Instance. They’re directly opposed to you Goats…"

Before she could finish, Ji Yan cut in, "We’ve already exchanged greetings."

"Greetings?" The Rat Player blinked in confusion.

"Well, more like a ‘courtesy exchange.’ Not sure if he was satisfied, though."

Ji Yan wasn’t entirely certain himself—after all, the Blood-Stained Paper Figure had handled that errand.

He turned toward the door, but as he gripped the handle, his fingers met something sticky.

Looking down, he found a smear of Blood-Stained Phlegm clinging to it—when had that appeared?

As the door creaked open, two hoarse coughs rasped from the other side.

Cough… cough…

In an instant, Ji Yan recognized the foul stench—a malicious, Supernatural Entity’s reek of decay.

Then, the door began rattling violently, as though something was trying to force its way in.

"SHUT THE DOOR!"

The Rat Player lunged forward and slammed it shut.

But the coughing had already echoed inside the room.

Her face paled. "Damn… too late."

"We’ve been marked by a Supernatural Entity."

Before she could even speak, Ji Yan had already noticed the once fresh air in the room turning stifling and foul.

Was this an Invisible Supernatural Entity?

"The Asthma Supernatural Entity—if I remember correctly, this is Patient A13. Logically, the supernatural patients in the inpatient building should be resting in their wards at night. Why would it come to our dormitory?"

The Rat Player’s expression darkened, clearly aware of how terrifying this type of entity could be.

Ji Yan, however, had a theory. "Patients don’t come to the dormitory on their own."

"But what if a doctor ordered it?"

His words struck a chord with the Rat Player, who suddenly realized, "It’s the Black Dog!"

"Patient A13—after my Promotion, I took over this patient. At the time, another Dog Zodiac Player was competing with me for this case. But in the end, I only managed to raise my goodwill with the patient to 20%, while that bastard got lucky and reached 80%."

In the hospital Instance, once a doctor’s goodwill with a patient exceeds 70%, it usually triggers a reward—often the patient’s supernatural assistance.

Back then, A13 had given the Dog Player a stick of Sandalwood Incense.

If he ever needed help, he could light the incense and let it burn down by a third. The Asthma Supernatural Entity would then appear…

The Rat Player never expected the Dog Player to use the incense here!

As for who the Asthma Supernatural Entity was summoned to deal with, the answer was obvious.

"That Sandalwood Incense was the Black Dog’s treasure, always kept as a last resort. Logically, he shouldn’t have been willing to use it against you…"

The Rat Player tried to open the door, but it was as if it had been glued shut. Every tug caused thick, Blood-Stained Phlegm to ooze from the cracks.

"Which means someone’s defense has been broken."

"For revenge, he even pulled out his most prized possession."

Ji Yan roughly guessed that the Blood-Stained Paper Figure had taken control of the Knocking Supernatural Entity, leaving the Dog Player in a sorry state.

Thinking about it, these kinds of people were ridiculous.

If they messed with him, Ji Yan would just return the favor—yet they’d immediately break defense.

Wasn’t that the same as saying, I can bully you, and you should just take it silently—but if you fight back, I’ll lose my mind and go all out!

Too shameless.

Right now, a hoarse cough echoed through the room every minute.

Ji Yan quickly noticed his own throat itching unbearably, as if a swarm of ants were crawling inside.

Clearly, the Asthma Supernatural Entity was spreading its infection through coughing, infiltrating their bodies through the air.

Ji Yan couldn’t help but cough twice.

The Rat Player immediately warned, "Don’t cough!"

"The more you cough, the worse the itching gets, and the faster the infection spreads in your lungs."

Ji Yan could see the discomfort on her face—she was desperately resisting the urge to scratch her throat.

"And if the infection worsens?" Ji Yan retorted, feeling something strange in his chest. His lungs churned as if something was trying to force its way out.

Beads of sweat formed on the Rat Player’s forehead. "What that supernatural patient coughs out isn’t germs—it’s its eggs."

"Breathing lets the eggs parasitize your body, and coughing accelerates their growth."

As she spoke, a disturbing memory resurfaced. "Back then, I saw infected patients coughing violently. What they hacked up wasn’t Blood-Stained Phlegm—it was embryonic mucus…"

"In the end, I watched as one patient’s throat swelled as thick as their head, their mouth stretching open like a snake’s. A football-sized Supernatural Infant crawled out from their jaws!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Yan's lips twitched.

The Rat Player would rather bite through the skin of her hand than succumb to coughing.

She would rather die than let an infant crawl out of her throat.

What a disgusting way to die!

Ji Yan coughed twice more reflexively, as if confirming the truth—what came out was a pool of transparent mucus...

"Doctor, I'm so uncomfortable... I can't breathe from coughing... You have medicine, don't you? Save me..."

In the room, the Asthma Supernatural Entity's voice rang out. Though it seemed to be pleading for Ji Yan's help, it was merely a pretext to target him.

"I have medicine. Why don't you show yourself first, and I'll take a look?"

Ji Yan responded, but the Asthma Supernatural Entity only repeated its lines, as if deaf, while the coughing grew more frequent and violent...

"This damn old bastard!" Ji Yan's expression darkened.

"Old Man, do you still remember me?"

At that moment, the Rat Player suddenly spoke up.

"Hmm... You're the Rat Doctor who came to the ward with the Dog Doctor that day. Why are you here too?"

Seeing that it had acknowledged her, the Rat Player brightened. She glanced at Ji Yan and said, "Old Man, you're looking for the Goat Doctor. I just happened to pass by. Could you...?"

The air fell silent for a moment before the Asthma Supernatural Entity's voice slowly echoed: "Fine."

"Rat Doctor, you may leave. The only one I want is the Goat Doctor... After all, the medicine is on him..."

Hearing this, the Rat Player secretly sighed in relief. It seemed the 20% goodwill she had built with the Asthma Supernatural Entity patient was still useful.

She looked at Ji Yan, her expression showing no guilt or awkwardness. "This trouble is yours. Even if we're allies by zodiac, you should know that in a place like a Supernatural Instance, alliances are as fragile as paper. You'll have to survive this ordeal on your own."

Ji Yan glanced at her. "I never stopped you from leaving."

The Rat Player paused slightly, unable to resist asking, "How are you going to handle this?"

"At this rate, in less than ten minutes, the Supernatural Infant in your lungs will fully form and force its way out..."

Ji Yan covered his chest, coughing lightly. "That Black Dog has his own connected patient. Coincidentally, so do I."

"If this Asthma Supernatural Entity insists on coming after me, then I'll let my patient have a deep conversation with him!"

As he spoke, a small brownish-yellow bottle appeared in Ji Yan's hand.

He pulled out the wooden stopper, and a strange fragrance instantly filled the entire room...