Chapter 109: Main Plot Unlocked, The Hospital Director Appears

Chapter 109: Main Plot Unlocked, The Hospital Director Appears

The dreamlike hues of dusk faded as the silent night quietly descended.

Tap, tap.

Clear footsteps echoed through the dimly lit corridor.

A tall figure moved through the hallway, eventually stopping before a door.

An old-fashioned lock hung from the door, rusted and decayed, looking as though it could snap with the slightest force.

Yet, despite its fragile appearance, any player who approached would be met with a red panel reading [Locked Area], barring entry.

Because of this, the room had remained undisturbed for a long time.

In the darkness, the Dragon Player’s golden slit pupils gleamed.

He raised his hand, gave a light squeeze, and the lock clicked open.

Pushing the door open, he stepped into what appeared to be an office.

In the darkness, a figure sat motionless in a chair.

The entire room seemed frozen in time, suspended in an eerie stillness.

Only the ticking of a clock on the desk broke the silence, its second hand moving steadily with a faint sound.

[Eternal Alarm Clock], a Legendary Supernatural Artifact.

When the target enters a state of sleep, the artifact’s ability activates. The second hand begins to move, and the target loses all sense of time, falling into an endless slumber until the alarm is paused.

(Trigger condition: Requires at least 40% progress in the Strategy Guide for this Supernatural Entity NPC.)

And this—was how the Dragon Player had "hidden" the Hospital Director, stalling the [Main Plot]!

Rewinding to the day the Dragon Player interacted with the Hospital Director, the latter had decided to take a short nap, setting the alarm clock in the Dragon Player’s hands for a brief rest.

But that "short nap" had instead plunged the Hospital Director into a slumber lasting over a hundred days!

The Dragon Player picked up the alarm clock and pressed the pause button.

The second hand, which had already circled hundreds of thousands of times, finally came to a halt.

As he set the clock back on the desk, it let out a sharp, piercing ring.

In an instant, the entire office brightened, no longer lifeless. The fan began to spin again, and the fluorescent lights flickered back on.

The shadowy figure in the chair slowly opened its eyes.

The Dragon Player smiled respectfully. "Hospital Director, you’re awake."

Shadows obscured the Hospital Director’s face as it let out a low grunt. "How long was I asleep?"

"According to your scheduled nap time—two hours."

"Hmm… Feels like I had a very long dream."

The Hospital Director rose to its feet, towering in height, its muscular frame wrapped in a sleeveless undershirt. Its disheveled hair and weathered face were now visible in the light.

"Dragon Doctor, you look much more haggard now."

"You should ease your workload a little."

The Dragon Player chuckled. "Hospital Director, this is all by my own choice."

"If the other eleven doctors were all like you, our hospital’s 'performance' would be countless times better than it is now."

The Hospital Director spoke indifferently as it picked up a white coat nearby.

"Now that the nap is over."

"I should return to my duties."

It slipped on the coat and patted the Dragon Player’s shoulder before asking casually, "By the way, how have the other eleven doctors been performing lately?"

"They’ve all been doing well."

The Dragon Player grinned before adding in the next second, "Except for the Goat Doctor. He’s been a bit unruly these past couple of days."

"Just yesterday, he barged into another patient’s room without permission, bringing his own patient along and maliciously harming others."

"Hmph, the one with the worst performance and the most fond of causing trouble is always the Goat!"

"But as long as he doesn’t harm the hospital’s interests, a minor punishment will suffice."

The Hospital Director frowned and snorted coldly.

From his words alone, it was clear that among the Twelve Zodiacs, the Instance Boss—the Hospital Director—had the worst impression of the Zodiac [Goat]. This also indicated that the difficulty of Goat Players strategizing to win over the Director was undoubtedly the highest.

"Alright, I should head to the Morgue and check on the 'achievement'!"

After briefly asking a few trivial questions, the Hospital Director hurriedly left, seemingly particularly concerned about the so-called "Medical Achievement" in the Basement...

After the Director departed, the Dragon Player’s eyes flickered, a faint smirk curling at the corner of his lips.

"Good, the 'wolf' has been released again."

"Now, let’s see what kind of chemical reaction this long-awaited spectacle will produce."

...

The night passed without incident.

By dawn the next morning, dew had gathered along the edges of the bay window.

Ji Yan, who hadn’t slept all night, put on his white coat.

The moment he opened the door, a Ghostly Nurse stood outside, staring coldly at him while holding a breakfast box.

"Goat Doctor, your breakfast."

Ji Yan took it as usual, only to hear the Ghostly Nurse add, "Goat Doctor, the Hospital Director’s nap has ended."

"It will conduct random inspections of individual doctors’ daily performance at any time, so the Goat Doctor must not violate the rules again like yesterday by instigating violent conflicts with patients."

"After all, the Hospital Director’s wrath is the most terrifying!"

With that warning, the Ghostly Nurse turned and left.

Ji Yan froze for a moment.

Immediately afterward, the game panel popped up.

"Ding! Because the player has unlocked the [Emergency Building] map area, you now have the right to interact with the Hospital Director and may participate in the [Main Plot]."

"Hint! The [Main Plot] involves hidden map areas of this Instance and unknown dangers. Proceed with caution."

"Main Plot Background Introduction—The mysterious and icy [Morgue] hides secret medical research. Where have the vanished patients gone?"

"If one day, as a doctor, you are faced with a choice between 'Professional Integrity' and 'Medical Ethics,' what will you choose?"

"So he really released the [Main Plot]."

Ji Yan raised an eyebrow.

In truth, this information panel should have appeared as soon as he entered the [Emergency Building].

But due to the Hospital Director’s disappearance, this Main Plot prompt had also sunk into oblivion.

"That means the Hospital Director is now active within the Instance."

Ji Yan wondered what moves the Tiger Player and Dragon Player would make next.

"Ding! The player has received today’s task. Please proceed to Ward [C202] and interact with the nurse to further obtain mission details."

"Hint: Because the [Main Storyline Task] is now available, if the player participates in the Main Plot, the Daily Task will be automatically canceled."

Ji Yan closed the game panel, pondered for a moment, then turned and left the [Dormitory Building].

Inside the [Emergency Building], Ji Yan casually approached a Ghostly Nurse and initiated interaction: "Where is the Hospital Director? Take me to see him."

The Ghostly Nurse glanced at the position badge on Ji Yan’s chest, nodded, and led the way.

Soon, they arrived at a familiar place—a passage Ji Yan naturally recognized as the path to the [Morgue].

At the end of the corridor stood the familiar elevator.

But the Elevator Attendant had been replaced.

He had transformed into an Eccentric Old Man with sparse hair, a hunched back, and crawling with Corpse Spots.

The Ghostly Nurse said to Ji Yan, "The Hospital Director is inspecting work downstairs. All Medical Staff are prohibited from going down."

"The Goat Doctor can wait."

Ji Yan nodded and casually asked the Eccentric Old Man operating the elevator, "What happened to the one who used to run the elevator?"

The Eccentric Old Man grinned with his toothless mouth and chuckled, "That guy dozed off on duty, and the Hospital Director happened to come for an inspection—caught him red-handed."

"He’s already been dismissed, and now it’s my turn to take this position."

"Goat Doctor, the Hospital Director doesn’t allow any doctors to go down. You’d better stay here."

Ji Yan looked at the Eccentric Old Man’s shamelessly gleeful expression and asked indifferently, "Does this position make you that happy?"

"Hehehe, of course."

"In this hospital, everyone wants to prove they have at least a little value."

"Those without value get sent downstairs to become part of medical research!"