"Heh..." Han Yimo gave a bitter chuckle. "Doctor Zhao, you're overthinking it. As a novelist, the last thing I want to talk about is my own work... When I have some free time, I want to forget everything in my stories for a while and just relax."
"Then let's talk about something else!" Doctor Zhao was slowly stitching the wound, but its circular shape made it more complicated to close than an ordinary wound. He steadied himself and asked, "Tell me, apart from writing, what do you usually do to relax?"
"I... play video games."
Doctor Zhao nodded. "That's great. I play games after work too. What games do you play?"
Han Yimo's thoughts had grown sluggish from blood loss. It took him a long time to answer. "League of Legends... There's a female ninja in it called Akali. I really like her."
"Oh?" Doctor Zhao smiled. "What a coincidence. I play League of Legends too, and I also really like Akali."
Although his voice remained steady, everyone could see his hands trembling slightly. In all his years as a doctor, this was the first time he had stitched a wound without anesthetic while the patient was conscious. No one could tell whether he really liked the character or was simply trying to keep Han Yimo talking.
"You like Akali too, Doctor Zhao?" Han Yimo nodded weakly. "I'm fascinated by everything about her... This female ninja called the Fist of Shadow, I think her backstory is also..."
Doctor Zhao's hands paused briefly. Then he stroked Han Yimo's face and asked, "Han Yimo, can you see me?"
"Hm?" Han Yimo had no idea why Doctor Zhao had suddenly asked that. All he could say was, "I can see you..."
"Who am I?"
"You're Doctor Zhao..."
Doctor Zhao nodded again. "Han Yimo, you've started hallucinating. You have to stay alert."
"Hallucinating?" Han Yimo felt fairly normal and did not understand what Doctor Zhao meant. "Aren't we having a normal conversation? How could I be hallucinating...?"
"It's probably a symptom of excessive blood loss. Your brain isn't getting enough blood. That Akali you mentioned-her champion title is the Rogue Assassin, not the Fist of Shadow."
"The Rogue Assassin?" Han Yimo narrowed his eyes, suddenly uncertain. He had never heard that name before. Could this be because of the hallucinations too?
Qiao Jiajin poked Qi Xia. "Hey, swindler, what are they talking about?"
"No idea." Qi Xia shook his head. "I don't play games. I can't follow it."
"I've played arcade games, though." Qiao Jiajin pursed his lips. "But I've never heard of the one they're talking about. Is this hero fighting game or whatever more fun than Fatal Fury...?"
Qi Xia had no interest in joining the conversation. He walked aside, found a clean stone, and sat down.
He was thinking about something else.
Han Yimo and Doctor Zhao's conversation had also fallen silent. Presumably, Han Yimo was having too many hallucinations for them to keep talking.
Silence gradually settled over the group.
Finding there was nothing she could do to help, Lin Qin sat beside Qi Xia.
"What are you thinking about?" Lin Qin asked.
Qi Xia turned to look at her, his expression cold.
"This is the second time you've asked me what I'm thinking about," Qi Xia said. "Do you always ask your patients so bluntly during counseling?"
"But you aren't my patient." Lin Qin shook her head. "And we don't call our clients 'patients.' That would be rude. I'm just curious. What exactly goes on in the head of someone as smart as you?"
"My wife," Qi Xia said wistfully.
"Your wife?" Lin Qin nodded quietly. "Earlier, you said someone was waiting for you outside. Is that your wife?"
"Yes." Qi Xia nodded.
Lin Qin smiled faintly. "I wasn't expecting that answer. So you're already married?"
"Why couldn't I be married?" Qi Xia felt there was something behind her words.
"I don't mean to offend you. But you're a swindler. What sort of person is your wife?"
"You..." In a rare flash of anger, Qi Xia slowly stood, his gaze icy. "What do you mean? Because I'm a swindler, anyone who would marry me must be some lowlife too. Is that it?"
"Huh? I..." His intensity frightened Lin Qin. "I really didn't mean to offend you. I was just curious..."
"I suggest you stop being curious about me," Qi Xia said, his voice still cold. "I'm a swindler. Nothing I say will be true anyway."
Their conversation ended on a sour note, but Lin Qin did not seem bothered.
Doctor Zhao had finally finished stitching the wound as well.
"That should do it..." Doctor Zhao said as he wiped the blood from his hands. "We've done everything we can for now. All we can do next is hope the wound doesn't get infected."
"Thank you..." Han Yimo said slowly, his lips pale.
With everything settled for the moment, Qi Xia slowly rose and addressed the group. "Everyone, it's time to say goodbye."
The other eight looked bewildered.
Goodbye?
"Where are you going?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
"That's none of your concern." Qi Xia gazed thoughtfully at the restaurant across the street.
"You're not seriously going to look for 'Dao,' are you?!" Officer Li froze.
"Why? Do you have any advice?" Qi Xia seemed to accept that as his answer.
"With all due respect, you're going to your death." Officer Li shook his head helplessly. "Three thousand six hundred 'Dao'! Do you have any idea what that means?! If you get one 'Dao' each time, you'll have to clear three thousand six hundred of those games that nearly killed us!"
"Yes." Qi Xia nodded. "The odds sound incredibly slim, but there's still hope, isn't there?"
"Hope?" Officer Li sighed. "Ten days. Three thousand six hundred games. That's an average of three hundred and sixty a day. Even if you did nothing but clear games all day, you still wouldn't have nearly enough time. Besides, you could die in a game at any moment. But if you do nothing, you won't die until ten days from now."
He paused, then added, "And that 'death' assumes everything Human Dragon said was true. In other words, we might not die in ten days, and this place might not be destroyed. Even if you collect all three thousand six hundred 'Dao,' he might not let you out."
"I understand all that," Qi Xia interrupted. "But I don't intend to wait around here. Even just going out for a walk would be better than staying."
"But you..." Officer Li was about to argue further when the staff room door creaked open again.
Everyone turned to see the female shop assistant from earlier emerge.
She was stark naked, her mouth smeared with grease, and she clutched something in her hand. Her withered body seemed little more than a skeleton.
Zhang Chenze frowned slightly, took off her suit jacket, then walked over and draped it around the woman.
She turned toward the men, looking mildly angry. "What exactly did you grown men do in that room? Where did this girl's clothes go?"
Qiao Jiajin shook his head helplessly. "That's not something I can explain in a few words. I'd advise you to leave her alone too."
"You're so kind." The shop assistant stared at the jacket draped over her, then looked at Zhang Chenze. "Too bad you're not a man. Otherwise, I'd definitely sleep with you."
"Sleep with me?" The girl's words startled Zhang Chenze. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Since we can't sleep together, I'll give you this to eat..."
She opened her filthy hand, revealing a baby's arm that had been boiled until it was falling apart.
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