Chapter 54: Psychiatric Medication, Zodiac Wishes

Chapter 54: Psychiatric Medication, Zodiac Wishes

Faced with a scene utterly different from the imagined hospital ward and patient, Ji Yan was momentarily stunned.

He was certain he hadn’t entered the wrong room.

But with his prior experience in the apartment instance, Ji Yan knew that the more normal—even cozy—the setting appeared, the more likely it concealed unforeseeable dangers.

He’d almost prefer if the ward housed a flesh-eating supernatural entity!

After Ji Yan entered, the girl in white didn’t look up.

She remained absorbed in her drawing…

Ji Yan didn’t rush to interact, first familiarizing himself with the surroundings.

The ward was sparsely furnished.

Aside from a wardrobe, desk, and hospital bed, it was practically bare.

But the desk was cluttered with an odd assortment of items—newspapers, lipstick, sketchpads, dolls, a pipe, and more…

Just as Ji Yan set down the surgical kit, the Blood-Stained Paper Figure leaped from his hair and scurried around the room.

Ji Yan’s eyelid twitched violently, terrified the artifact might trigger something and drag him down with it.

At that moment, the girl on the bed put down her brush, cradling the sketchpad with a satisfied smile. "My favorite family, all together and happy."

"This time, Mom and Dad will definitely love Yue Yue’s drawing!"

Then, as if noticing Ji Yan for the first time, she tilted her head.

"Big Brother, are you a doctor too?"

Ji Yan treaded carefully. "Yes. How are you feeling today?"

"I’m fine! But Dad keeps saying I’m sick."

Yue Yue pouted, complaining, "He’s the one who won’t stop coughing, yet he blames me for being hospitalized."

"Father?"

Ji Yan raised an eyebrow, glancing at the empty balcony outside.

The ward clearly had only one patient—her.

"Schizophrenia?"

He quickly formed a hypothesis. It was a common condition, and easy enough to test.

Attempting to probe further, he asked, "Where is your father? If he’s coughing, I can prescribe something."

He set the medical kit aside.

Yue Yue hugged her sketchpad, pointing behind Ji Yan with a grin. "Dad’s right behind you! He’s been asking what medicine you have in that box."

"And… Dad’s mouth is open really wide. He wants you to check if there are bugs in his throat making it so itchy."

A chill shot down Ji Yan’s spine.

He instinctively turned—but only a painted wall stood behind him.

For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Yue Yue persisted, puzzled. "Big Brother, why won’t you answer Dad?"

"He’s pulling his mouth open this wide. Can’t you see what’s inside his throat?"

Feigning composure, Ji Yan opened the medicine kit. "Let me see what I have first."

"Could you ask your father to sit in front of me?"

So far, it seemed this patient named Yue Yue suffered from delusional disorder, fabricating a "father" figure.

Yue Yue sat obediently on the bed, tilting her head. "Mom’s asking too. Her scalp itches really badly—do you have medicine for that?"

"Every night, she scratches until she can’t sleep, and her hair falls out in clumps."

"Mom always thought there were bugs inside the head, but even after cracking open the skull, there was nothing inside."

Another mom?

Ji Yan raised an eyebrow.

Yue Yue continued without pause: "Grandpa also rolls up his pant legs—his feet are getting worse. Mom says it’s from drinking and gout, but Grandpa’s feet are full of bugs, and his leg bones are riddled with holes. Could that really be from drinking?"

Ji Yan’s eye twitched.

Just how many family members had this cunning little girl hallucinated?

"Don’t worry, Yue Yue," he reassured her. "I’ll first understand each of your family members’ conditions one by one, write a report, and then they’ll all receive proper treatment."

He was almost certain of her diagnosis now.

Multiple Delusional Disorder.

Since Yue Yue described her family members from a third-person perspective rather than first-person, it ruled out Dissociative Identity Disorder.

But the next moment, Ji Yan’s scalp prickled.

His back felt sticky, as if some thick liquid had dripped onto his spine, and a foul stench filled his nose.

Something sharp was dragging across his face—stinging and itching!

"Another consultation?" Yue Yue’s voice turned shrill. "The last few brothers and sisters only came to consult, never treated us! You’re all just lying, dragging things out, treating us like fools!"

"Dad’s mouth is right in front of you, Mom even cracked open her skull—you could see the problem with just one look!"

Yue Yue’s face twisted with anger, black veins crawling up her neck as signs of Blackening emerged.

Ji Yan broke out in goosebumps.

This wasn’t delusion—he could feel unseen supernatural entities interacting with him!

Yue Yue’s voice grew sharper, more piercing.

"Big brother, hurry up and treat Mom, Dad, and Grandpa! They’re getting angry!"

"Dad says if you can’t cure him, he’ll bite off your ear. Mom says she’ll peel off your face. Grandpa calls you a quack and says he’ll gouge out your eyes—"

"Warning! The game detects erroneous interaction during your mission, causing NPC Blackening. Correct your approach immediately!"

Now Ji Yan understood why there were so many player body parts on the stretcher.

Yue Yue clutched her face, her voice rising to a shriek.

She seemed terrified of her family harming the doctor.

Yet beneath that fear lurked a barely concealed excitement…

Ji Yan felt the stinging on his face intensify, his ear as if being bitten, his eyes invaded by something—bloodshot veins spreading.

He tried to activate his Talent, but staring into empty air yielded nothing.

Then, the Blood-Stained Paper Figure, which had been darting around the room, suddenly landed back on Ji Yan and fused with his right arm.

In an instant, the limb became covered in corpse spots and black veins.

With unnatural strength, it tore free from the unseen supernatural force, snatched a scalpel from the surgical kit, and slashed through the air with a cold gleam.

In that moment, Ji Yan felt all restraints vanish.

"Ding! Your special supernatural artifact [Blood-Stained Paper Figure] has triggered an effect. It borrows your hand to actively treat your patient."

Staring at his now-uncontrollable right hand, Ji Yan was stunned.

"This thing can forcibly control my body to perform in-game actions?"

Over there, Yue Yue smiled and said, "Brother, are you starting the treatment now?"

"Mommy, Daddy, and Grandpa can hold off on punishing you for now, but if you fail to cure me, that little paper figure won’t be able to protect you."

"It’ll be torn to shreds!"

Seeing the threatening smile on Yue Yue’s face, Ji Yan silently confirmed his suspicions—this cunning little girl was far from as innocent as she appeared.

She was downright devious.

The Blood-Stained Paper Figure had a fiery temper too.

Upon hearing that it would be torn apart, it seized control of Ji Yan’s right hand, gripping the scalpel as it lunged toward the cunning little girl!

Ji Yan quickly grabbed his own right wrist with his left hand, stopping it just in time.

"Calm down!" he snapped. "If you use my hand to stab this girl, I’m the one who’ll suffer the consequences!"

Seemingly persuaded, the black-veined right hand finally relaxed its tense grip.

Ji Yan found the whole situation absurd.

Here he was, a Player, having to reason with his own supernatural artifact. Miss Xu’s Blood-Stained Paper Figure was truly outrageous…