Tap, tap, tap...
In the taut, hostile silence, Yu Qing's ears twitched. He heard the faint sound of something striking the floor. Tap, tap, tap...
It was rhythmic, but quiet and muffled. If his surroundings hadn't fallen silent, he would never have noticed it.
Tap, tap, tap...
Gradually, the sounds multiplied and drew closer, as though converging from every direction, wrapped in a heavy chill.
When... had that sound started?
Yu Qing began to wonder: had it only just begun? Or had it been there since midnight, and the fighting had been so fierce that he'd simply... failed to notice?
Tap, tap, tap...
And wasn't the doctor supposed to be trying to kill him? Yu Qing had put him through hell, and his killing intent was already glaringly obvious. Why hadn't he attacked?
The monster's lips curled upward, stretching wider and wider.
He was laughing wildly!
In an instant, Yu Qing seemed to realize something. He raised the Golden Needle, his wary gaze sweeping slowly over his surroundings.
Tap, tap, tap...
The sound had reached his side, just half a step away!
At the door!
Yu Qing's heart began to race. He hadn't eaten all day, and the tension made his empty stomach spasm and contract with every heartbeat. Every blood vessel in his body seemed to tighten, and even breathing became difficult.
A sheen of sweat quietly formed at his temples. His instincts told him not to turn, not to turn. Just keep watching the doctor.
This Sanatorium identified people by their badges and clothes. If he could seize the doctor's white coat and badge, he could turn this losing battle around.
But... some mysterious force at the doorway seemed to draw him in, compelling him to turn his head slowly, slowly, despite his profound unease.
What came into view was a pair of grayish-white feet, tapping incessantly against the floor. "Heeheehee."
Then a shrill female voice rang out. Sensing that the thing was about to reveal its head, Yu Qing immediately looked away and fixed his gaze on the doctor again, panting.
Only now, his breathing was much faster.
In the lower right corner, the tense livestream chat paused for a moment, then-
[Aaaaaah! Streamer, can you kill the female ghost first? I'm so curious what she looks like!]
[Hahahaha! Don't make things hard for him. Go check the main "Angel Asylum" livestream. Exit this one and you can get a panoramic view. This room's really lively now!]
[OMG! I've watched instances for ages, and this is the first time I've seen anything like this!]
[Hahahaha! Good luck saving yourself, streamer.]
His sharp gaze swept across the screen. Yu Qing knew he was out of time!
He took two steps forward, closing in on the doctor as quickly as possible, and reached for his clothes.
But the instant his fingertips touched the hem, the system, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly blared furiously inside his head. The entire livestream screen turned a horrifying red.
[Warning! Warning!] [The BOSS has spontaneously decided to play a game. Please play with him for five minutes.] [Game details: unknown (whatever the BOSS likes)]
Tap!
The sudden fright jolted Yu Qing's heart so violently that he almost couldn't draw his next breath.
But almost the instant the announcement ended, four pitch-black tentacles emerged from the wall behind him, binding his limbs and pinning him firmly against it.
Yu Qing's emotions lurched so violently that he was completely restrained before he even had time to cry out.
Before he could steady his tense breathing, he saw a strand of bloodstained hair fall onto his shoulder.
"Cough, cough, cough! Cough... cough!"
By the time he finally recovered his senses, both of Yu Qing's eyes were already red. The violent shift in his emotions made him retch uncontrollably, and all four limbs were going numb.
With that strand of hair there... he didn't need to think to know what a spectacular sight awaited him overhead.
He simply didn't look up, instead decisively thrusting the Golden Needle at the tentacles.
"Fuck!" Yu Qing couldn't help cursing. "Did you have to ruin things right now? Is messing with me fun?"
The next moment, whoosh-
A fifth tentacle seeped out and snatched away even his ghost-killing Golden Needle.
A hopeless sense of powerlessness swept through him, throwing his breathing into disarray and leaving his gaze briefly unfocused.
But! In that single distracted second, he saw a scene that would make his scalp crawl for the rest of his life-
At least fifty ghosts hung upside down from the ceiling of this ward, which measured less than fifty square meters.
They wore identical hospital gowns, their entire heads concealed by thick black hair, leaving their faces completely hidden. Their grayish-white toes hooked onto the ceiling in neat rows, occasionally stepping across it with rhythmic tapping sounds.
So the one outside the door had only been an appetizer!
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!
Yu Qing's breathing grew increasingly rapid, goosebumps spreading over his arms, yet deep inside, he was gradually calming down.
Don't panic. Don't panic. Settle down and think carefully. Why had the BOSS spared him? Why had he suddenly grabbed him now?
There was only one reason-he thought it was fun.
So until the BOSS lost interest, Yu Qing had an invisible get-out-of-death-free card!
As he thought, all the ghosts slowly drifted down, gathering around the doctor in an orderly fashion.
Their toes touched the floor as they floated forward, soon surrounding the doctor. Their chilling resentment gathered thick and high, as though about to swallow him whole.
But then, crack-
A vicious lash rang out. Yu Qing saw that the doctor had pulled off his belt at some point and whipped it hard across a female ghost's back.
The ghost fell to the floor with a wail. The others instantly became utterly obedient, lining up neatly behind him like an invincible army. The doctor raised his hand and casually pointed toward Yu Qing. "Kill him."
At his command, a ghost advanced without hesitation. Beneath her ink-black hair, a mouth full of fangs slowly emerged. She was just about to bite into Yu Qing's neck when the young man suddenly spoke. "Big sister!"
His voice was gentle. Unlike the other streamers' hysterical shrieks, it even... carried a hint of sunny kindness.
He wasn't begging for mercy. He wasn't afraid. He wasn't calling for help.
The clean-cut young man called her big sister.
Simply, purely, he called her big sister!
The female ghost froze, stopping mid-bite. After a moment, she slowly straightened in front of Yu Qing and settled onto the floor.
Her grayish-white, icy hand, tipped with long nails, rose and brushed his face with a trace of affection-he looked a little... like her younger brother.
Her brother had died when he was five...
It had been so long... since anyone had called her "big sister"...
So long... since anyone had respected her like this, truly respected her as a person...
"Hiss..."
More goosebumps rose on Yu Qing's skin. Looking at the half of a little Ultraman toy at the ghost's waist, he knew his gamble had paid off. He slowed his breathing and let his hands tremble wildly so he could keep his voice steady and pleasant. "Big sister, beautiful big sister, I'm here to save you. I know you've suffered."
Suddenly, the ghost's hand stopped stroking his face. Her long, terrifying nails slowly retracted, and her fingertips gave an involuntary tremble.
It was working!
Yu Qing continued, "I... I have a way to help all of you get revenge, so no one will whip you anymore, so no one will order you around, so you can...!!!"
His words cut off abruptly. The ghost suddenly leaned close, her thick hair finally parting just enough for her to squeeze out a bloodshot eye. Her questioning gaze pierced deep into Yu Qing's pupils, striking straight at his soul.
"Don't worry, big sister." Yu Qing was still smiling.
His face looked innocent, and his smile always made him seem honest, putting people inexplicably at ease. "I'll succeed. I can definitely save you. Look."
He even moved his tentacle-bound right hand, promising with absolute confidence, "My husband's just playing with me. He's the most powerful being here... ngh!"
As he spoke, the grip around his wrist tightened again. Clearly, the BOSS disliked his lie.
But he wouldn't come forward to clarify things in front of these low-level ghosts.
This was his chance!
Yu Qing looked at the female ghost, his voice growing even more certain. "Big sister, I can help you, but people have to help themselves too, don't they?"
Though he was bound by the BOSS, hated by the doctor, and practically surrounded by every NPC in the instance, there was no trace of his earlier panic left on Yu Qing's face.
His eyes shifted, fixing on the doctor opposite him with the belt in his hand, and he said softly, "Big sisters, strip off his clothes and badge, and bring them to me!"
Before you continue