Another World

In the middle of the night, the nurses on duty at the hospital checked each ward one by one. However, when they reached Cheng Xiaoyu's room, something unexpected happened.

"Huh?"

A nurse opened the ward door and stood frozen in place, staring at the empty room.

"What's wrong?"

Another nurse heard the commotion and walked over, puzzled. She, too, discovered that the room was empty.

She glanced at the patient information posted on the door and frowned slightly. As the nurse who frequently took care of the boy's mother, she naturally knew Cheng Xiaoyu. Yet, in the middle of the night, a living, breathing person had simply vanished!

"Sister Tian, the patient in this ward..."

The two nurses exchanged a look, both seeing the panic and gravity in each other's eyes.

Oh no, my job!

In another world, Cheng Xiaoyu observed the dilapidated ward with a grave expression. After looking at the game screen in front of him, he understood that the System was behind this again.

Leaving the filthy hospital bed, he walked toward the door. He placed his hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath, and opened the door to step out.

The hospital was pitch black, so dark he couldn't see his own fingers, but for a Shadow Element mage, this was hardly a challenge.

The corridor was in disarray. Hospital beds, medical equipment, and medical supplies were scattered messily across the floor, clearly unused for many years.

Suddenly, Cheng Xiaoyu's gaze landed on a spot. On the duty counter lay a white lab coat. Even though it was covered in a thick layer of dust, a vivid, blood-red stain was still visible!

This is... blood?!

He froze for a moment, his pupils constricting. He immediately opened the System's file information and, seeing the bright red word [Survive] on it, he understood everything.

This hospital was definitely extremely dangerous. The System's penalty was a four-hour duration, and with bloodstains appearing here, there were certainly potential unstable factors.

Regardless, I should head back to the original room first. After all...

Cheng Xiaoyu had just turned around when his footsteps came to a sudden halt. Cold sweat instantly soaked his hospital gown, and his pupils trembled as he stared ahead.

In the empty, dim corridor, a scarlet glow appeared abruptly in the distance. Looking closely, he realized it was a massive eye, staring fixedly at him!

With just one look, Cheng Xiaoyu recognized this monster.

Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat, a Servant-level rodent monster. They often haunted sewers or filthy, dark places, and their massive scarlet eyes could fire beams of light.

Man and monster stared at each other from opposite ends of the corridor. Seconds ticked by, and finally, it was Cheng Xiaoyu who spoke awkwardly.

"Brother... Brother Rat, good evening. I won't disturb your patrol."

As soon as the words fell, the Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat let out a low squeaking sound. Its massive eyeball flickered with a scarlet light, as if it were about to erupt with a beam.

Seeing this, Cheng Xiaoyu did not hesitate. He turned on his heels and bolted, rounding the corner of the corridor.

The next second, a scarlet beam of light filled the entire hallway, slamming directly into the wall at the end. A massive hole appeared amidst the dust.

If that beam had hit a person, they would have been reduced to ashes long ago!

Seeing that it had missed, the Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat roared in anger. It charged forward on all fours, knocking over every hospital bed and piece of equipment in its path.

Cheng Xiaoyu saw the Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat in hot pursuit behind him. He hurriedly connected his Shadow Element stars, and his body dissolved into a shadow, vanishing from the spot.

He was, after all, a Hunter Magician who had experienced life and death; he was not like those high school students who would be unable to cast magic in such a situation.

Relying on the abilities of the Shadow Element, combined with the complex terrain of the hospital, surviving for four hours should not be a problem!

"How is it? Did you find him on your end?"

"Not yet... Sister Tian, what should we do?"

"Don't panic, let me think..."

Nurse Tian pondered for a moment, suddenly thought of a patient room, and walked over quickly.

Opening Ye Chang's room, she found Cheng Xiaoyu sitting by the bedside, just as she had expected. She sighed inwardly and said, "Xiao Yu, why did you suddenly leave your room? We've been looking for you for a long time."

"Sorry, Sister Tian, I just wanted to see my mom. I'll head back in a moment."

Seeing the boy's calm expression, Nurse Tian sighed with pity. After giving him a few words of advice, she left the room.

Once the nurse was gone, Cheng Xiaoyu let out a sigh of relief. He looked at the penalty completion interface, surprised by how slowly time moved.

It seemed that although he had spent four hours in the other world, only four minutes had passed in the real world; otherwise, the hospital would have been in chaos long ago.

He looked at Ye Chang on the bed, then stood up and left the room.

Starting from the next day, every time Cheng Xiaoyu woke up, he would first do one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, and one hundred squats, then change his clothes and go outside for a ten-kilometer run.

Although the training regimen was insane, his physical fitness was holding up, and he truly did not want to be subjected to the penalty again.

The chief physician was puzzled by this. Cheng Xiaoyu had requested to be discharged, but the doctor had refused. After all, he had suffered many internal injuries when he was first brought to the hospital. Even though he looked full of vitality now, out of a sense of professional responsibility, the doctor insisted he stay for another two or three days of observation.

On the fourth day, Xiao Ke brought a fruit basket to the hospital to visit. She had finished handling some trivial matters over the past few days and, upon learning that Cheng Xiaoyu had not yet been discharged, decided to come by.

"Look, he's running again!"

"Goodness... ever since he woke up, it's been like this every single day."

"Even though mages are different from regular people and recover quickly... he insisted on retraining his body. I told him not to push himself, but he wouldn't listen."

Hearing the nurses chatting, Xiao Ke watched the young man running in the courtyard below. A complex look flashed in her eyes as she lowered her head, lost in thought.

Having completed today's [Preparation to Become Strong], Cheng Xiaoyu sat on a bench to rest and claimed the rewards for his daily quest.

[Quest Rewards]

[1. Status Recovery]

[2. Attribute Value +3]

[3. Random Treasure Chest]

Using Status Recovery, Cheng Xiaoyu felt his fatigue vanish in an instant. If it weren't for this special reward, he would never have been able to keep this up every day.

A screen unfolded before him. This must be something similar to a personal panel. It clearly displayed his level, HP, and Mana, along with five attributes: Strength, Agility, Constitution, Intelligence, and Perception, all of which could be increased with Attribute Points.

As usual, he added his 3 Attribute Points to [Strength]. His Strength was now at 22, while the other four attributes remained at 10.

As for the [Random Treasure Chest], it usually just contained daily necessities or miscellaneous items; he had yet to be blessed with any incredible luck.

Beyond that, there were other interfaces like skills and a shop, all waiting to be explored.

Sigh, it really is just like a game player...