Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

Lin Yi gently picked up Isaiah Bonnie and handed her to Reinhardt: "Take her out to rest first, leave this to me."

Reinhard nodded, took Isewei Bonnie, and carefully carried her out of the ward.

After Reinhardt took Bonnie away, Lin Yi pressed a button in the room. It was an emergency call device that was equipped in all rooms, similar to the pager in the hospital, but it was rarely used here.

To the incarcerated patients, the nursing home staff seemed more like demons from hell than saviors.

"Send a group of awakened people here, send a few of them according to their awakening level from high to low." After pressing the button, Lin Yi said to the communicator in an indifferent tone.

Then he dragged a chair over and sat in the middle of the room.

Not long after, the door of the room was pushed open, and several awakened people in white uniforms entered one after another.

"Dean, you called us?" The leading awakener was a middle-aged man with a steady voice, but a hint of uneasiness flashed in his eyes.

This group of awakened people are not official staff of the sanatorium, but guards stationed here by the parliament.

In order to prevent the sanatorium from getting out of his control, Speaker Harold deliberately arranged these "his own people" in key positions.

Although the daily affairs of the sanatorium are still led by Lin Yi, the power of the parliament is always present in some important aspects.

Among these awakened ones there are newcomers who have just been transferred from the military, with a bit of immaturity and nervousness on their faces; there are also veterans who are already at the limit, with fatigue and depression in their eyes.

Their levels of awakening vary, but without exception, they are all carefully selected pawns by the Parliament.

"I'm not asking you to come here for any other reason. Each of you come to my position and stare at this pattern for a while. Then tell me how you feel. Remember, if you feel any discomfort, stop immediately."

Several awakened people looked at each other. Although they were full of doubts, they still walked to the position designated by Lin Yi one by one, and their eyes fell on the strange eyeball pattern.

The first person who stepped forward to try was a young awakener who looked to be in his early twenties, with a hint of immaturity on his face.

He stood in front of Lin Yi, staring at the twisted eyeball. After a few seconds, his face suddenly turned pale and his body trembled slightly, as if he had seen something terrible.

"I... I felt a gaze, and it seemed to be trying to devour my consciousness." The young awakener said in a trembling voice, and then took a few steps back, gasping for breath, with fine beads of cold sweat oozing from his forehead, as if he had just woken up from a nightmare.

Lin Yi nodded, motioned for him to step aside, and then let the next awakener come forward to try.

The next few awakened ones came forward one after another, and their reactions varied.

Some people simply frowned, feeling a vague sense of oppression; some people were pale and their steps were unsteady, as if their minds were seized by some invisible force; and some people, like the first young awakener, could hardly stand still, with fear in their eyes.

The last awakener is a middle-aged man. He has the highest level of awakening and was once a fierce general in the military.

Now his physical condition no longer allows him to continue fighting on the front line, and the military sent him to a sanatorium, both to allow him to make use of his remaining energy and to ensure his safety.

After all, awakened people like him have long been the target of various forces.

The middle-aged man walked up to the strange eyeball pattern and took a deep breath, as if he was adjusting his state.

After a few seconds, his face became solemn, but he did not show obvious fear or discomfort like other awakened ones. Instead, he whispered, "Dean, this pattern... is indeed not simple. I can feel that it is connected to an unknown existence. That power is very strong, but it seems to be restricted by some kind of restraint and cannot completely descend into our world."

"Sure enough." Hearing the other party's words, a look of understanding flashed in Lin Yi's eyes.

This pattern only reacts to awakened people or people with higher mental power. As for why it has no effect on Lin Yi, the reason is very simple - the strength of his soul has long surpassed the erosion range of such low-level means.

To put it bluntly, this pattern is just a trick used by the mastermind to kill Patient No. 17.

For an ordinary person, this kind of mental erosion might be fatal, but for a slightly stronger being, this method seems insignificant.

The fact that many awakened people were not greatly affected is enough to prove this.

“Okay, thank you for your hard work.” Lin Yi’s eyes swept over the several awakened people present.

"Everyone go to the medical department to get a No. 4 medicine later." He paused for a moment, his eyes fell on the middle-aged man, and his tone was more meaningful. "As for you, you can get the latest No. 5 medicine. If anyone asks, just say it was me who asked them to come to me directly."

As soon as the words fell, the awakened people, who had just been a little nervous about being treated as "guinea pigs", suddenly became excited.

Especially the middle-aged man, who could remain calm even in the face of mental erosion, but now his face was red and his neck was thick, and his breathing was rapid, as if he was drunk.

"Thank you, Dean!" The middle-aged man stood at attention, his body straight, then raised his right hand and gave Lin Yi a standard military salute.

You know, the potion No. 4 and potion No. 5 mentioned by Lin Yi are life-saving straws for the awakened ones.

These potions can effectively suppress the level of awakening in their bodies and delay the risk of losing control.

However, the stock of this medicine is extremely scarce, and ordinary people are not even qualified to touch it.

Even for employees who join a nursing home, they can only get it under certain conditions.

As for ordinary awakeners? Don't even think about it.

Even a figure like Su Xiao's predecessor, who was at the level of a head of an execution corps, could only apply under special circumstances.

Moreover, the resistance to this drug is extremely exaggerated. Usually after using it once, the body will develop resistance, and the effect will be halved the next time it is used.

Potion No. 4 and Potion No. 5 represent the fourth and fifth generation of potions respectively.

The compensation that the military gave to these awakened people who were sent to the sanatorium was only two hundred tubes of fourth-generation medicine and five hundred tubes of third-generation medicine per month.

From this point, we can see how extravagant Lin Yi’s promise just now was.

However, for Lin Yi, the most important task now is to completely integrate the strength of his subordinates into a solid foundation.

Lin Yi is not the only contractor in this world. According to the hint of Samsara Paradise, this world can be described as a melee among contractors.

Fortunately, Lin Yi's location is still safe for the time being.

The sanatorium is a special place in the Zul Empire, and most contractors cannot easily reach it at present.

However, this safety is only temporary.

Lin Yi knew very well that once other contractors realized the value of the sanatorium, it would become a focus of competition among various forces.

Therefore, he had to seize this brief period of vacuum and turn the sanatorium into his own fortress.

As for the consumption of resources? That was not something Lin Yi needed to consider at all.

Anyway, these resources belong to the sanatorium, he just needs to use them reasonably and turn them into his own advantages.

Thinking of this, Lin Yi's gaze fell on the middle-aged man.

"What's your name?"

"Rudolf Oxton."

"Well, come over later."

"Yes." Rudolf Oston responded respectfully and then quickly left the room.

Soon, Reinhardt returned to Ward 17.

As for Isaac Bonnie, she has been handed over to the nursing home staff by Reinhardt and is temporarily placed in a safe place.

Seeing Reinhardt coming back, Lin Yi pointed to the pattern in the corner and said, "Reinhardt, I need you to immediately gather the elite of the execution agency to conduct a thorough study and seal this pattern. At the same time, strengthen the vigilance here and never let anyone approach this room."

Reinhard nodded: "Understood, I'll arrange it immediately."

About an hour later, dozens of members of the execution agency quickly gathered and entered the sanatorium.

Each of these elite members is battle-hardened and possesses strong strength and rich experience.

Such a large-scale operation naturally could not escape the attention of Parliament.

Harold, the monarch, was currently sitting in his study, reading through the latest intelligence.

His brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes quickly scanned the paper, as if looking for some important information.

Ever since Su Xiao killed the leader of the Ghost Ring Organization, "Sin", all the members of the Ghost Ring seemed to have disappeared overnight.

Even the execution agencies and the intelligence forces in Harold's hands found it difficult to find any traces of these remaining ghosts.

Even Harold couldn't ignore this level of concealment ability.

"Ghost Ring... What on earth are you planning?" Harold whispered to himself, with a hint of solemnity in his tone.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table, as if he was thinking about his next move. During this period, Harold put almost all his energy into dealing with the ghost ring.

He didn't pay too much attention to some of his subordinates' small actions.

After all, in his opinion, these trivial matters were far less important than the threat of the ghost ring.

"My Lord, this is today's intelligence."

Just as Harold was correcting the documents, a figure in a black robe suddenly appeared in front of Harold.

Harold was used to this situation.

He raised his head and glanced at the other person, then waved his hand, signaling the other person to report the key points directly.

The black-robed man bowed respectfully, then whispered, "Sir, today's intelligence shows that the Execution Agency has suddenly mobilized dozens of elite members to enter the Imperial Sanatorium. The operation is large-scale and the purpose is still unclear. In addition, the deputy director of the sanatorium has recently been in frequent contact with Reinhardt, the commander of the Execution Agency, and has mobilized a large amount of resources."

Harold frowned slightly and paused with the pen in his hand.

There was a hint of thought in his eyes, as if he was quickly analyzing this sudden information in his mind.

“The execution agencies and nursing homes suddenly took large-scale actions… This is no small matter.”

In the Zur Empire, the status of execution agencies and sanatoriums is like that of the Jinyiwei and the East and West Factories in history.

They are all violent organizations directly under Harold's jurisdiction, with extremely high power and independence.

There has always been a check and balance between the two, maintaining a delicate balance between them.

If they suddenly join forces, it can only mean one thing - there is some huge threat that has forced them to put aside their opposition and deal with it together.

"A storm is coming." Harold pinched his nose, a worried expression on his face.

The man in black robe lowered his head, his voice still respectful: "According to the intelligence from the informant, there seem to be some abnormal situations in the sanatorium recently, especially the death of patient No. 17. The vice president of the sanatorium is very concerned about this matter and is conducting a secret investigation. His actions are very covert, but our spies still caught some clues."

A hint of coldness flashed in Harold's eyes. "Patient No. 17? The staff member who was thrown into a nursing home because he offended Senator Bell? Is there anything special about his death?"

The man in black nodded and lowered his voice, as if discussing some taboo: "According to our intelligence, Patient No. 17 mentioned some information about the 'Immortal King' before he died. Dean Lin seems to think that this information is related to Senator Bell. He is trying to connect the two. Although there is no conclusive evidence yet, his investigation has already pointed to the Senator."

Hearing this, Harold's hand, which was correcting a document, trembled violently, and the tip of the pen left a long ink mark on the paper, like some kind of ominous omen.

Harold tapped his fingers lightly on the table, as if calculating every move of the game.

"Immediately send someone to secretly monitor the two people's actions and report any situation to me immediately."

"Also, regarding this matter, as long as they don't violate any taboos, let them investigate freely. I want to see how many dirty things are hidden here."

Harold's tone was terribly gloomy, like the low pressure before a storm, making it hard to breathe.

The ghost ring had already made him extremely anxious, and before he could catch his breath, new troubles came one after another.

These enemies hiding in the dark, like a group of greedy termites, constantly gnawing at the foundations of the empire, completely infuriated him.

Harold's eyes fell on the documents on the table again, and there was a hint of coldness in his tone: "Also, continue to track down the remaining forces of the Ghost Ring. They suddenly disappeared, and they must have been helped by other forces. I want to see who is against us."

Harold then waved his hand, signaling the man in black robe to retreat.

The man in black robe bowed respectfully and his figure gradually disappeared into the shadows.

"The sanatorium, the execution station, Bell, the Phantom, the Immortal King... It seems that the situation in the empire is more complicated than I thought." Harold sighed and curled up in the chair. His originally upright body now looked hunched and old, as if all his energy had been drained away in an instant.

His eyes fell on the document on the table. The long mark left by the pen tip was particularly glaring under the dim light, like an unhealable wound, reminding him of the seriousness of the situation before him.

At the same time, inside the sanatorium, Lin Yi stood in the director's office of the asylum, looking calmly at Herbert Abbott who was sitting behind the desk.

Dean Herbert is over sixty years old, and his gray hair and tired face make him look older than his actual age.

He raised his head and looked directly at Lin Yi, with a hint of probing in his tone: "Dean Lin, your actions seem to be a little...frequent recently."

Lin Yi smiled slightly and said calmly: "Dean, I am just fulfilling my duties. The patients in the sanatorium need our care, and the safety of the empire also needs our maintenance."

Dean Herbert nodded slightly, but the suspicion in his eyes did not disappear.

He leaned back in his chair, crossed his hands on the table, and said meaningfully, "Responsibilities? Dean Lin, your work seems to have exceeded the scope of the sanatorium. The execution agency is not a subordinate of the sanatorium."

Lin Yi's eyes remained calm. "Dean, the execution agency and the sanatorium are both institutions serving the empire. We are just cooperating on certain matters. For the benefit of the empire, this kind of cooperation is inevitable."

"Really?" Herbert smiled and did not continue to argue with Lin Yi about this matter.

"I hope you don't forget this. Also, there are not many materials for potion No. 5, so give priority to our own people. You can handle the other potions as you like." After saying this, Herbert waved his hand at Lin Yi, indicating that he had other things to deal with.

Lin Yi raised his eyebrows after hearing Herbert's words. He obviously did not expect that Herbert called him over just to say these two sentences.

He had already prepared a whole set of arguments to respond to Herbert's questions, but he didn't expect that it would be completely useless in the end.

After leaving the office, Lin Yi looked back at Herbert. The old man, who was nearly sixty years old, was leaning on a chair with a lazy look on his face, as if he was just an ordinary old man and had nothing to do with the person in charge of the huge Imperial Sanatorium.

But Lin Yi knew that all this was just an elaborate illusion.

How could someone who could sit in the position of the director of the Imperial Sanatorium and hold it for many years be just an ordinary person? The Sanatorium, an institution that was ostensibly responsible for treating patients, was actually one of the most secretive violent agencies in the Empire, even half a level higher than the execution agency.

Anyone who believes that Herbert is just an ordinary person will definitely be eaten alive by the other party.

You should know that since Harold took office, Herbert has always been the director of the Imperial Sanatorium, while the deputy director has changed six times.

The fate of each vice president is self-evident. They either disappear quietly or are transferred to a marginal department and never heard from again.

Herbert's position has never been shaken.

Although Herbert's words just now were obscure, the meaning was clear enough - he would not interfere with Lin Yi's actions, at least not for now.

This is undoubtedly good news for Lin Yi.

When Lin Yi returned to the office, Rudolf Austin had been waiting there for a long time.

He sat on a chair in the corner, his hands crossed on his knees, breathing steadily. It was obvious that the effect of Potion No. 5 was very significant.

Seeing Lin Yi coming in, Rudolph stood up immediately.

Lin Yi nodded and motioned for him to sit down: "Rudolph, I need you to help me with something."

"As you command."

"Do many people in the army know you?"

Rudolf shook his head and replied, "Not much. I was mainly responsible for lurking and assassination missions in the Fourth Group before, and rarely came into contact with other combat units. My identity has always been kept secret, and only a few senior officials know of my existence."

Lin Yi nodded, seeming satisfied with this answer.

"Very good. I need you to secretly investigate the whereabouts of Senator Bell. Remember, this matter must be kept confidential. Don't let anyone know except you and me."

After hearing Lin Yi's order, Rudolph's eyes flashed with surprise, but he quickly regained his composure.

"clear."

Rudolf Austin did not ask Lin Yi the reason. As a member of an assassination unit, he knew very well that the more one knew, the faster one would die.

In this case, he only needs to be responsible for carrying out the task without asking why.

"Anything else you need help with?"

Rudolf hesitated for a moment, then said, "Dean, if possible, can I ask my other brothers to join us? They are all professional undercover agents. With their help, this mission can go more smoothly."

"Can you keep it a secret?"

"We have all undergone professional anti-interrogation training. Once captured, we will not leave any intelligence to the enemy."

Lin Yi was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay. Go and gather your people. From now on, you will be the Crow Squad under the sanatorium. But you will not have any organization, and if you are caught, I will not rescue you. Do you understand?"

"Understood." Rudolf Austin's voice did not fluctuate at all, as if what Lin Yi said was just an ordinary matter.

Lin Yi looked at Rudolph, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

"Go ahead, and act quickly. I need results, the sooner the better." (End of this chapter)