Open the Door

Lin Qiye was truly exhausted.

Both mentally and physically.

He really hadn't expected that on his first day transferring to a new school, something like this would happen: encountering a monster, being betrayed by a classmate, a thrilling fight, inexplicably opening his eyes, and then a Superman-like uncle appearing out of nowhere and sneaking away…

Lin Qiye wasn't stupid. He knew that the experiences he had tonight definitely involved the hidden side of this world: the man-eating monster, the golden light that emanated from him, and the man who single-handedly took down the monster.

That man was no ordinary person. Judging by his report over the walkie-talkie, there must be a massive organization behind him, an organization that might be hidden in the world, specializing in dealing with these bizarre events.

He saw the light on him, and perhaps he even saw him single-handedly kill the monster, so he wanted to recruit him…

It would be a lie to say he wasn't curious about the hidden side at all. He wanted to know what he had encountered tonight, and what had happened to him, but he didn't want to get caught in this vortex because of his curiosity.

Some secrets, once known, can never be escaped.

He didn't want to be a hero protecting humanity; what he wanted to protect…

was only his home.

Soon, he drifted off to sleep.

The familiar mist descended once more.

In the dream, Lin Qiye looked around and sighed helplessly, "Still not letting me go? Fighting monsters while awake, and knocking on my door while asleep. My life is so hard…"

Lin Qiye took a couple of steps with practiced ease, and soon, the outline of a psychiatric hospital appeared before his eyes.

On the ancient plaque to his right, a line of large characters was engraved.

—Psychiatric Hospital of the Gods.

Lin Qiye walked to the main gate and stopped. He reached behind him for the circular handle on the door. The instant his fingertips touched the handle, the entire ground trembled slightly!

The surrounding mist suddenly churned.

Lin Qiye, holding the handle, looked bewildered.

What the heck? I haven't even knocked yet, why is it shaking?

It wasn't like this before?

Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind like lightning.

Could it be because… he opened his eyes today?

Lin Qiye lowered his head and looked at his body in the dream. His eyes gradually lit up.

In the past, Lin Qiye's body in dreams was semi-transparent, as fragile as the drifting mist.

But today, his body was significantly more solid. Although he still didn't have a physical form, he was no longer transparent.

He suddenly looked up at the door that had blocked him for five years, his gaze becoming more fervent.

Today… maybe it will work!

He took a deep breath, clenched the handle in his hand, and slammed it against the door with force!

"Dong—!"

An ancient bell chime echoed from within the psychiatric hospital, several times louder than before. Fortunately, Lin Qiye didn't have a physical body now, otherwise, his eardrums would surely have hurt.

The moment the bell chimed, the entire psychiatric hospital trembled violently again!

There's hope! Lin Qiye's eyes lit up.

"Dong—!"

"Dong—!!"

"Dong—!!!"

Lin Qiye didn't stop. He struck three more times in succession, and the psychiatric hospital shook as if there was an earthquake!

Finally, after the last strike, a loud noise erupted from within the psychiatric hospital, and then everything fell silent again…

Just as Lin Qiye was about to knock again, the door in front of him let out a low creak and slowly began to move.

The door opened.

"Weng—Dong!"

As the door opened completely, an ancient and dim corridor was revealed before Lin Qiye.

The floor of the corridor was made of some unknown material, emitting a faint fluorescence. Burning orbs of light hung on the surrounding walls, mysterious and eerie.

Lin Qiye walked forward along this corridor, and soon came to a fork in the road. Above the fork, a modern-looking road sign was hung.

"Left is the ward, right is the activity area…" Lin Qiye murmured as he looked at the sign. "This layout, it's exactly the same as the psychiatric hospital I stayed in back then?"

Lin Qiye hesitated for a moment and first entered the activity area.

There weren't many rooms in the activity area, but it had everything. A multimedia room for watching movies and TV, a lounge for playing chess and other games, a study room for reading and learning… Inside the building, there was even a circular open-air lawn with various sports equipment placed on it.

"It's exactly the same. This dream is really strange." Lin Qiye frowned and shook his head in confusion.

After touring the activity area, he turned back and headed towards the ward area on the other side.

When he reached the entrance to the ward area, Lin Qiye suddenly stopped.

"This place... is different," Lin Qiye murmured, looking at the dim, monotonous corridor before him.

He clearly remembered that when it was still the Sunshine Psychiatric Hospital, the wards had multiple floors, and while the facilities weren't top-tier, they were at least clean and tidy.

But the ward area Lin Qiye was looking at now only had one floor and just six rooms.

The doors to these six rooms were covered in strange symbols and patterns, densely packed like some kind of seal. Just a glance made Lin Qiye feel dizzy.

Lin Qiye forcefully shifted his gaze away from the doors, steadied his mind, and looked elsewhere.

Above the wards, on the right, hung old nameplates. Each room's nameplate had a different pattern.

For example, the room he was currently standing in front of, Ward One, had a large black circle depicted on its nameplate.

Ward Two's nameplate, on the other hand, showed something that looked like both a staff and a pen.

Lin Qiye walked further down the corridor until he reached the last, sixth room, still finding no clues from the nameplates.

He looked at the bizarre doors before him, lost in thought.

In this psychiatric hospital within his dream, only the ward area was different from the Sunshine Psychiatric Hospital in his memory.

So, did this place truly house patients in these rooms?

Or, as the name of this psychiatric hospital suggested, were they... gods?

Lin Qiye hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached out his hand towards the doorknob of the sixth room.

It wasn't that Lin Qiye was reckless. For one thing, this was his dream; even if something went wrong, it wouldn't have a significant impact on him. For another, he had knocked on the doors of this psychiatric hospital for five years, day after day, just to get in. He didn't want to leave feeling completely clueless.

And in his subconscious, he felt that perhaps there was a secret related to him within this psychiatric hospital.

Otherwise, why would the layout be exactly the same as the Sunshine Psychiatric Hospital where he had stayed?

Lin Qiye's hand gradually drew closer, his fingertips lightly touching the doorknob. A slightly cool sensation was transmitted.

There was no repulsion or stinging sensation as he might have expected. His hand naturally grasped the knob.

Lin Qiye pulled hard!

The door didn't budge.

He planted his feet firmly and pulled with all his might again!

Still nothing.

Lin Qiye gave up on that door and walked over to the fifth room, pulling on the door.

It still wouldn't open.

Fourth room, third room, second room...

Lin Qiye tried them one by one, but none of the doors could be opened. Finally, he reached the door of the first room.

With the mindset that it would surely fail, Lin Qiye gave the door of the first room a strong pull.

"Click—!"

A soft sound came from the doorknob. The intricate patterns and designs engraved on the door suddenly cracked and then gradually dissipated into the air.

Lin Qiye was startled, stepping back several paces, staring intently ahead!

The door opened.