[Smoke Grenade: Highly irritating, the dense fog covers an area with a diameter of approximately 8 meters and lasts for 3 minutes.]
[Universal Identity Set: A universal ID card compatible with all dungeon scenarios; universal currency can be converted into banknotes worth 100 yuan in each dungeon.]
Using the voucher will cost 1000 points.
Balance updated: 2065
The smoke bombs were the same kind Wang Yang had used in the Silence Instance; the Miniature Bomb worked well last time, so she bought two more this time.
Su Cheng had already realized the inconvenience of not having an ID card in the previous instance. If she wanted to act more conveniently, she would need an ID document that could be used to blend into the instance.
There are 10 coins in total, each worth 100, which is 1000 yuan.
After shopping and returning to her apartment, Su Cheng decided not to stay up late studying, but instead to get a good night's sleep.
She lay in bed, silently reciting the entire book one last time before closing her eyes.
I slept soundly through the night and woke up feeling exceptionally refreshed the next day.
After finishing her breakfast, she calmly looked at the countdown to the competition that had suddenly appeared before her eyes.
Five minutes left.
Su Cheng carried a bag on her back and wore a simple, fitted outfit.
This was her first time participating in a competition, and worried that the competition might restrict the use of the Smart Bag, she put the newly bought props in her clothes pocket and hid a small knife inside her leather boots.
[Only 1 minute left in the competition countdown, please prepare accordingly.]
[60, 59, 57...]
[10, 9, 8,..., 3, 2, 1]
[Competitive Tournament Channel Open--]
Su Cheng disappeared from the spot.
A note from the author:
none
Chapter 55
Su Cheng arrived at a space shrouded in white mist, where three doors appeared before her.
The left side is golden yellow, the middle is white, and the right side is blue.
A line of small text floated above the door: Arena Dungeon.
The system's mechanical voice sounded again:
"The competition that homeowner Su Cheng has currently registered for is: Zone E x Street Competition."
Number of applicants: 9990
The system will rank and score each player based on their task completion rate in the instance.
"Please select a copy within 10 seconds. Those who do not select will be randomly assigned."
Su Cheng looked at the three doors from left to right, and with 5 seconds left in the system countdown, she chose the gold one.
The surrounding space twisted.
Su Cheng's feet touched solid ground, and she entered the building.
It's a familiar scene—the hospital lobby.
The surrounding area was bustling with people, and in the spacious hall, nurses in pink and white uniforms were guiding patients to register at the information desk.
Besides the registration desk, there was also a pharmacy in the lobby, and quite a few patients were walking around.
Standing there blankly, Su Cheng seemed somewhat like an oddity.
While quickly surveying the surroundings, Su Cheng noticed several other people looking around in the distance, their incongruity quite obvious.
They are all participants.
After confirming that there was no immediate danger in the vicinity, Su Cheng walked to the waiting area in front of the pharmacy and sat down like the other patients who came to pick up their medication.
A slow, belated mechanical voice echoed in my mind:
[Ding~]
Welcome to the Arena Dungeon: Golden Leaf Hospital
[Task: (Blank)]
The mechanical voice broadcast a few short sentences and then disappeared.
The only information given to participants regarding the instance is a name; even the quest remains undefined...
Does this mean the participants have to trigger the task themselves?
Su Cheng frowned slightly, getting a firsthand feel for the difficulty of the competition.
Without a quest, I don't know how to tell if a dungeon is cleared.
How are the tasks triggered? Do participants need to complete multiple tasks or a single key task?
I know absolutely nothing about it.
The competitive format offers complete and absolute freedom. Without any prior information, participants have no idea what to do or not to do next.
It's easy to accidentally step into a dungeon "trap" without even realizing it, and then not even know why you fell in.
Su Cheng believed that she wasn't the only one experiencing this situation; all the participants in the Golden Leaf Hospital instance were probably going through the same thing.
Su Cheng sighed softly, touching the Smart Bag. It wasn't affected as she had feared and still functioned normally.
The Smart Bag didn't change its form this time; it was slung across her body.
Meanwhile, Mu Ling was still asleep inside the bracelet.
"Is Wang Ye here? Come and get your medicine."
There was only one staff member in the hospital pharmacy at that moment, and she was running back and forth between the medicine shelves and the window.
The pharmacy didn't have a display screen for patients picking up their medications, so she had to call out patients' names at the window after getting the prescriptions, which made her look very busy.
The digital clock on the wall shows the time: 18:00
"The pharmacy should be closed by now..."
Besides Su Cheng, there were five other people sitting in the waiting area.
There was also a short queue of more than a dozen people at the registration desk.
The hospital seems to have a good flow of patients.
Su Cheng approached the woman sitting on the same long bench as her, "Hello, do you know what time the pharmacy closes?"
The woman raised her eyes; her pupils were very dark, her cheekbones were slightly prominent, and her complexion was sallow and thin.
She stared intently at Su Cheng for a while, and seeing that Su Cheng still had a smile on her face, she looked away and slowly said, "7 PM."
"OK, thanks."
7 PM? Does anyone still tell the time like that?
Most people count from 1 to 12, with the prefixes being AM and PM. 7 PM is generally considered to be either PM or 7 PM.
For those who are extremely particular about time, to avoid making mistakes, it's preferable to use the 0-24 hour timer...
Su Cheng noticed that the woman was intentionally or unintentionally protecting her lower abdomen, and among the patients registering in the lobby, most were couples, and some of the women had slightly protruding lower abdomens.
Is Golden Leaf Hospital an obstetrics and gynecology hospital?
This is not entirely certain.
Su Cheng walked to the consultation desk.
The nurse at the information desk was idle; although no one was asking for help, she still stood behind the counter with her standard smile on her face.
Her name tag read her job title and name: [Nurse Tao Yue'er ].
Su Cheng clutched her stomach. "Hello, I have an upset stomach, what kind of doctor should I register with?"
The nurse's eyes flickered slightly, and she said gently, "You can choose to register with either the internal medicine department or the obstetrics and gynecology department, depending on your situation."
It has an internal medicine department, so it doesn't seem to be a specialized hospital for obstetrics and gynecology.
The nurse paused, a strange glint in her eyes as she looked at Su Cheng's abdomen. "I suggest you see an OB-GYN for a pregnancy checkup; maybe a new life is on the way!"
As she spoke, Su Cheng glanced at the promotional sign on the reception desk and caught a glimpse of the words:
Having more children and raising them early is the responsibility of everyone in Golden Leaf Town!
"Okay, thank you. What time does your hospital close? The registration line is so long, I hope I won't have to go to the emergency room again."
Su Cheng frowned with worry.
"The hospital will close at 7 PM, but if you register for the obstetrics and gynecology department now, you'll have enough time. Don't worry, our hospital's obstetrics and gynecology department has the best doctors and technology in the whole town."
After confirming the time again, Su Cheng nodded. However, the nurse had just suggested that she choose between internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology, but now she was being directed to obstetrics and gynecology.
And she spoke as if it were already certain that she was pregnant.
"Oh, I see... Thank you, I'll register now."
You're welcome. It's a pleasure to serve you.
Su Cheng turned and left, still pretending to clutch her stomach. The nurse's gaze at her stomach had been quite subtle.
The other party repeatedly mentioned obstetrics and gynecology.
And that monument promoting childbirth—is it really appropriate to put up such morally manipulative slogans in a hospital...?
Su Cheng couldn't help but suspect that there was something wrong with the hospital's obstetrics and gynecology department.
When there's nothing to do, she'll dabble in the areas where there seems to be a problem.
Turning back, the triage nurse still had a slight smile on her lips, the curve perfectly executed. Like a machine that's been programmed, she never seemed to get tired, and her emotions were unreadable.
There are two windows at the registration desk, but only one is open at the moment.
A sign next to the window reads, "Please prepare your ID card in advance for registration."
Window closing time: 19:00
Unauthorized personnel are requested to leave the facility before 7 PM. Please do not stay overnight or linger on the premises!
Su Cheng stood at the back of the line, watching the people in front of her register and leave.
There were eight people in line to register, seven of whom were women. What surprised Su Cheng was that they were all pregnant and all registered at the obstetrics and gynecology department.
Three of the women, whose bellies were clearly visible, received a red hospital wristband after registering.
After more than ten minutes, it was finally Su Cheng's turn.
She handed over her prepared ID card, saying, "I need to register for the obstetrics and gynecology department."
The staff member gave a curt reply, took the ID card, and began registering information. "How many months pregnant are you?"
Su Cheng remembered that among the three pregnant women who received the red wristband, the youngest reported gestational age was 6 months.
Those who were less than 6 months pregnant did not receive a hospital admission wristband.
Su Cheng, of course, was going to stay.
"6 months."
"Um?"
The registration clerk looked at Su Cheng's flat stomach with suspicion.
Su Cheng explained very naturally, "I'm quite thin and don't eat much, so my pregnancy isn't showing."
The registration clerk frowned slightly. "How can you lose weight while pregnant? That's irresponsible of you to the baby. You absolutely cannot do that after you're admitted to the hospital."
The registration clerk gave Su Cheng a very serious lecture, and only after seeing that Su Cheng obediently agreed did she hand her ID card and red wristband to her.
The bright red wristband was printed with her name, age, and number of months pregnant.
Su Cheng suddenly wondered, "Is it really necessary to be hospitalized when I'm only six months pregnant and have no illnesses...?"
The registration clerk reminded them, "Go to the fourth floor inpatient ward. Do not linger outside."
"Next."
Su Cheng was pushed aside by the people behind her.
She put her wristband back in her pocket and found the elevator by following the signs overhead.
A family of three was waiting in front of the elevator.