Chapter 77: Official Promotion, Monkey Head Supernatural Doctor

Chapter 77: Official Promotion, Monkey Head Supernatural Doctor

Flicking away the cigarette butt, the Goat Supernatural Doctor exhaled one last puff of smoke. It was clear that It didn’t want to utter these words against Its conscience. But since Ji Yan hadn’t fallen into Its trap, leaving It with no leverage to exploit, It had no choice but to let him pass the internship.

This was the rule of the Undead Hospital, and even It couldn’t defy it.

"Starting tomorrow, you will be promoted to Attending Doctor. Your workplace will shift from the Inpatient Building to the Consultation Building, where the patients you handle will be far more troublesome..."

"I won’t say more. Be at the Consultation Building by seven tomorrow morning."

"Someone will assign you your tasks."

Despite the promotion, the Goat Supernatural Doctor inexplicably loathed Ji Yan’s existence even more. It was as if a thoroughly incompetent student was now being tasked with teaching others...

It handed him a brand-new Work ID, then picked up Its medical kit and turned to leave, its body reeking of something foul.

"Go rest early. Don’t wander around at night anymore."

"As for that infected Corpse Spot on the back of your hand... Since you passed the internship, I’ll let it slide."

Only after the darkness outside the operating room swallowed the Goat Supernatural Doctor’s figure did Ji Yan finally exhale in relief. Stepping off the Surgery Bed, he crushed the cigarette butt underfoot.

"To think there was actually a Truth Parchment?"

"According to the Hidden Information, if I had truthfully admitted the existence of the Lies Parchment earlier, what would’ve happened?"

"Would the Lies Parchment have been destroyed, or would I have been physically erased?"

Either way, Ji Yan knew he would’ve been finished.

What puzzled him the most was— Why were there two parchments?

And why did their triggered privileges completely contradict each other?

The Goat Supernatural Doctor was his Medical Instructor, yet It had meticulously set a trap to eliminate him. Did It think he was infected, that a medical student like him was contaminated, and thus needed to be killed and replaced?

Or was there some other reason...

Ji Yan rubbed his temples.

He had a vague suspicion— That Death Trial which had doomed all the previous Goat Players might be connected to this place!

And now that Ji Yan had been promoted to Attending Doctor, that Death Trial was likely drawing closer to him...

Picking up the white coat from the table and slipping it on, Ji Yan felt an odd discomfort in his chest.

Pulling the fabric aside, he could clearly see dark veins squirming beneath his skin...

This made him realize that the moment when he’d been cut open and his heart removed had been real!

It was only because he hadn’t fallen into Its trap that the Goat Supernatural Doctor had stitched him back up.

Admittedly, the Supernatural Doctors of the Undead Hospital had terrifyingly impressive medical skills.

That Scalpel in Its hand was probably similar to the Other Shore Scalpel—incapable of killing directly, but capable of inflicting a mental "fear" infection.

It was only then that the game’s announcement finally played:

"Congratulations, Player, on passing your internship and successfully being promoted from Intern to Attending Doctor. You will now enter the second phase of the Instance storyline."

"New map unlocked: Consultation Building."

"It resembles a prison for patients—each day, all sorts of bizarre and tormented patients will pester the doctors, suffering endlessly from their afflictions."

"Congratulations to the newly promoted doctors. You are about to enter a new work environment, which is also a more bloody and terrifying abyss."

"Ding! Your [Fine Medical Kit] has been successfully upgraded to a [Superior Medical Kit], and you have obtained a [Collector's Grade] supernatural artifact—[Supernatural Goat Mask]."

As the announcement faded, a mask appeared in Ji Yan's hand.

This goat-faced mask was eerily unsettling.

It didn’t grow white or black fur.

Instead, it was a skeletal goat skull!

The only similarity it shared with the [Scissorhand Skin Mask] was the overwhelming sense of unease it gave Ji Yan.

As if wearing it would mean ceasing to be himself...

Ji Yan checked the information about this supernatural artifact.

There was only a single line: "Do you wish to become 'It'? Put on the mask—but first, you must undergo the 'Baptism.'"

It?

This wasn’t the first time Ji Yan had heard this word. Who exactly did it refer to?

And what did "Baptism" mean?

Despite his successful promotion, Ji Yan found the unfolding events even more perplexing.

Shaking his head, the more he thought about it, the more unsettled he became.

Fastening his buttons, Ji Yan turned to glance at the surgery bed stained with black plasma, his expression pensive, before leaving the operating room.

...

After the surgery door closed, Ji Yan looked down the desolate corridor, its darkness tinged with pale light. Tonight, he had no intention of wandering around—he just wanted to return to Room 444 and rest.

After all, having endured a live dissection, anyone would only want to lie down and forget the scalp-numbing memory.

Patting the top of his head, Ji Yan muttered, "Thanks, Little Blood."

Though the Blood-Stained Paper Figure had nearly torn off his entire scalp, without that excruciating pain, he would have surely met his end tonight.

The Blood-Stained Paper Figure remained silent, having evidently gone dormant again...

Ji Yan was used to it by now. He descended the stairs, reaching the first floor.

But the moment he turned the corner, his instincts screamed danger!

The next second, a cold glint flashed from the shadows, aiming straight for his eyeball!

Prepared, Ji Yan flicked the Silver Needle in his hand, deflecting the attack.

"Oh? That needle’s something else."

The figure retreated a few steps, revealing a yellow-haired man with a buzz cut. He stared at the broken scalpel in his hand, then at Ji Yan’s Silver Needle in surprise.

Ji Yan spotted the [Monkey-Head Badge] on the man’s chest and his ID—[Attending Doctor].

"What do you want?" Ji Yan asked coldly.

"I thought some naughty patient had escaped. Turns out it’s just a little goat."

The Yellow Hair Monkey Player grinned, baring his fangs, his mocking expression enough to ignite fury.

Ji Yan was about to speak when his expression shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing.

Behind the Monkey Player, a much taller figure emerged—dressed in a white coat, its body adorned with patches of skin and bloody intestines.

A yellow-furred monkey head sat atop its collar, stained with blood, its jaws chewing on something.

Its hairy hand rested on the Monkey Player’s head as it stared at Ji Yan with indifference. Noticing Ji Yan’s [Goat-Head Badge] and the black goat fur on the back of his hand, the Monkey Supernatural Doctor’s eyes narrowed.

With a hint of mockery, it said, "Infected Little Lamb?"

"How did you survive that goat's hands?"

"Given that creature's nature, it would've devoured any student with even a trace of infection without leaving a scrap."

"Heh, truly the sun rises from the west—it even gave you a Promotion!"

The Monkey Supernatural Doctor's laughter was shrill and grating, unbearably unpleasant.

Ji Yan remained silent.

But the words struck him— Back on the Surgery Bed, had he fallen into the trap, the Goat Supernatural Doctor would have devoured him alive!

The Scalpel in his hand was a Dining Knife, the Surgery Bed—a Dining Table...