Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 325 Bach Mai Hospital
Late at night, around 11 p.m., the Baihu District was completely silent, except for the chirping of insects in the surrounding wetland park.

The Nirvana team's two vehicles drove on the empty road and eventually stopped on the outskirts of an area surrounded by tall barbed wire and flashing rune warning lights.

Ahead lies the isolation zone of Bai Mei Hospital.

Even though there was still some distance between them, an invisible, heavy sense of oppression surged in like a tide, as if the air had become thick and breathing required more effort.

The hospital's massive outline gradually became clear in the night. Most of the windows were pitch black, with only a few sparse windows letting out a pale or ominous light, which were traces of the automatic spell array or some "thing" still operating inside.

"This place... is even more eerie than described in the documents." Jiang Jin, sitting in the passenger seat, rolled down the window and felt the chill that pierced his soul as he spoke in a deep voice.

In the back seat, Lian Xuan, the team's medium, and his brother Lian De both looked rather pale.

Lian Xuan took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly: "Such strong resentment... it's almost tangible. I can feel it, there are countless eyes watching us from within."

Lian De patted his brother on the shoulder, feigning composure, and said, "What are you afraid of, brother? It's not like we haven't tackled Japanese-style dungeons before. Think about what we've been through: [The Remnant], [New Tales of Ghosts], and [Another]..."

Upon hearing "Another," a flicker of lingering fear crossed Lian Xuan's eyes: "Back then, we were forcibly inserted into 'Another,' Class 3-3, and we had to find that 'extra person'... Because the timeline was different from the original story, every step felt like walking a tightrope, and we almost suffered total annihilation."

Their conversation made the atmosphere inside the car even more tense.

Bai Mei Hospital was one of the hardest-hit areas in the initial outbreak of memetic contamination in Muxu City. After multiple cleanups and lockdowns, it is no longer guarded by living people. Instead, it relies entirely on the military's unmanned patrol equipment and layers of automated talisman arrays to prevent ordinary people from accidentally entering and to prevent the "things" inside from coming out.

This place has long been transformed into a den of terrifying dungeons that inspire despair.

Among the most dangerous instances are their target, "The Ring," as well as the equally feared "One Missed Call" and "The Curse of the Undying."

"This time, we're facing Sadako Yamamura," the leader Yu Tianlun's voice came from the front row, utterly serious. "She's known by many veteran reincarnators as the 'gatekeeper of the Annihilation Layer.' Only those who survive her clutches truly deserve the right to struggle and survive in the perilous Annihilation Layer. Because Sadako's level of terror is roughly the average level of evil spirits in the Annihilation Layer. Compared to her, the monsters we encountered in the Lost Layer were practically as docile as pet dogs."

These words silenced everyone, and their gazes turned in unison to the hospital complex standing silently in the darkness.

Thanks to the special identity verification of the reincarnators, their vehicle successfully passed the scanning of the outer talisman array and the verification of several hovering military drones, drove into the restricted area, and finally stopped in front of the dilapidated entrance of the main building of Bai Mei Hospital.

A strong smell of disinfectant, mildew, and indescribable formaldehyde wafted over.

The instant they stepped into the hospital lobby, text issued by the Reincarnation System appeared on Jiang Jin's left retina:
"Reincarnator Jiang Jin, you have entered the Japanese-style horror containment area of ​​Bai Mei Hospital. Please abide by all the following rules:"
First, there must be no empty beds when nurses make their rounds.
Second, if a handprint is found on an X-ray, it must be burned immediately.

Third, after being admitted to the hospital, you must use your left hand to receive the pills handed to you by the nurse.

Fourth, the name field on the medical record card must be written backwards.
Fifth, if the drip rate is abnormal, please close your eyes immediately.
Sixth, requests from wheelchair users to open windows must be refused.
Seventh, do not receive any blood draws at the hospital laboratory.
Note: Directly watching the female ghost crawling will decrease your SAN value by 1% per second.

Jiang Jin quickly memorized these rules. These rules seemed absurd, but in this place, each one could be a matter of life and death.

The hospital's interior looked even more gloomy and dilapidated than its exterior.

Discarded medicines and medical records were scattered on the ground, the walls were covered with stains, and in some corners, there were even suspicious dried and blackened marks.

Although no menacing monsters were immediately seen, the feeling of being watched and surrounded was ever-present.

“Many… a great many evil spirits lurk in the shadows, in the walls, even… in the air,” Lian Xuan said in a low voice. He could vaguely sense those invisible beings, which put him under tremendous mental pressure.

Without wasting any time, Yu Tianlun immediately used the Reincarnator Watch to enter the [Midnight Bell] instance.

Soon, a new prompt appeared:
"Nirvana Team members, please proceed to the radiology department on the third floor. Operate the X-ray machine to take an X-ray of the designated target. Once completed, the passage to the [Midnight Ring] instance will be opened."

Note: The meme contamination of the "[Ringu]" horror parodies has worsened several times this year, rendering the original film's reference value almost negligible. Please be aware of this.

Upon seeing the note, Jiang Jin's expression turned grim.

"Let's go!" Yu Tianlun waved his hand, and the team of seven—Yu Tianlun, Jiang Jin, Xu Yinqiu, the Lian brothers, Kong Huaizheng, and foreign aid Li Shang—maintained a vigilant formation and headed towards the third floor along the dusty and debris-covered staircase.

The hospital corridors were long and winding, with emergency lights casting a pale green or dim yellow light from time to time.

Just as they were turning the corner of the stairs leading from the second to the third floor, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps and a woman's exclamation from ahead!

"Help! Let me go!"

A young woman, her clothes disheveled and her expression panicked, was seen stumbling along, while three men with fierce eyes were in hot pursuit behind her!
All three were actually Level 3 Reincarnators!
The woman seemed to have exhausted herself and tripped and fell to the ground not far from the Nirvana team.

Three pursuers immediately surrounded her, their faces revealing lewd and cruel smiles. "Run! Keep running!" one of the bald, burly men grinned maliciously. "Xia Yu, you're such a beautiful woman, it would be a waste to just kill you. Come back with us and we'll have some 'fun' with you!"

Another tall, thin man licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with greed: "Exactly! She's the infamous 'Witch Queen,' after all. I wonder how many men she's slept with. Her skills must be top-notch. It would be a shame not to try her out!"

The third man, with a scar on his face, sneered, "Aren't you two disgusted? Who knows how many times you've been used? You're still treating it like a treasure? You'll just get rid of it when you're done, clean and efficient!"

Jiang Jin's gaze fell on Xia Yu's face. Logically speaking, he had some old grudges with this woman and didn't want to get involved. However, Jiang Jin thought that he still owed Blood Lord some favors. Now that he saw his woman being humiliated and facing murder, it would be unreasonable for him to stand idly by.

"Stop!" Jiang Jin stepped forward, his voice icy. "What kind of skill is it for three grown men to bully a lone woman?"

The three reincarnators were initially angry when they saw someone blocking their way, but their expressions changed drastically when their gazes fell on Li Shang, who stood silently behind Jiang Jin with an imposing aura! There was a qualitative difference between LV4 and LV3, and the three of them combined probably wouldn't be enough to defeat Li Shang alone.

The bald, burly man tried to remain calm, but his tone was fierce at heart as he shouted, "Who are you? How dare you meddle in our business? We are members of the Temple's reserve team, backed by Minister Long Mingzhang! If you know what's good for you, get out of here!"

“Long Mingzhang?” Jiang Jin raised an eyebrow, his mind filled with even more doubts.

Why are Minister Long's men hunting down members of the Bloody Team?
Lying on the ground, Xia Yu seemed to grasp at the last straw. She raised her tear-filled face and pleaded with Jiang Jin in a mournful voice, "Jiang Jin... save me! I know we have a grudge, but I beg you! They... they won't let me go! As long as you can save me, I... I'll do anything! I just want to live!"

Her pleas confirmed the three men's murderous intent.

Jiang Jin no longer hesitated, his attitude resolute: "I don't care who's behind you, I'll protect this person. Now, leave immediately."

The three reincarnators exchanged glances, assessing the strength of both sides. Finally, the scarred-face man glared fiercely at Jiang Jin and Xia Yu, and said ruthlessly, "Fine! Jiang Jin, you've gone against Minister Long time and time again. You'll regret this! Let's go!"

Watching the three figures leave dejectedly, Xia Yu collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

Jiang Jin walked over, reached out and pulled her up, and asked in a deep voice, "What happened? What happened to the Bloody Team?"

Xia Yu was still in shock, her face covered in tears and fear: "I...I don't know exactly what happened! The leader only had time to send me a message, telling me to run away quickly! He told me to find a way to escape to the [Silent Hill F] world and find a woman named Deepwater Hinako!"

"【Silent Hill F】?" Jiang Jin looked confused; he had never heard of this instance before.

Yu Tianlun, standing to the side, spoke thoughtfully: "This instance doesn't have a prototype in our real world. However, in some horror instances set in 2025, it is said that Konami released a game called 'Silent Hill F.' The background is set in a rural town called 'Ebisu Hill' in Japan during the Showa era, and it's a horror game revolving around a girl named 'Hinako Fukami.' It's said that this game is full of Japanese folk horror and psychological repression elements. Rather than a traditional Silent Hill world setting, it's closer to the style of 'Siren' or the 'Fatal Frame' series, and it's extremely dangerous."

Jiang Jin glanced at the still-shaken Xia Yu and sighed. He needed to repay the favor, but he couldn't let her hinder the team's upcoming mission. He thought for a moment and then called over the undead hound, Sadie.

“Sadi,” Jiang Jin pointed at Xia Yu, “escort her to the world of [Silent Hill F]. Return immediately after completing the mission.”

Sadie growled to indicate that she understood, then walked to Xia Yu's side and gestured for her to follow with a cold look.

Xia Yu gave Jiang Jin a complicated look and said in a low voice, "Thank you... I, Xia Yu, will remember this kindness."

"No need, I'm only doing this out of respect for Blood Lord." Jiang Jin knew Xia Yu very well; she was adept at repaying kindness with enmity and stabbing people in the back.

After saying that, she followed Sadie and quickly disappeared at the other end of the corridor.

After dealing with this interlude, the Nirvana team did not delay any longer and quickly went to the radiology department on the third floor.

The radiology department area was even more dilapidated, with the air filled with the smell of old equipment and ozone.

Following the instructions, they found the designated X-ray examination room.

Pushing open the door, a blurry, ghostly figure in a hospital gown stood silently in front of the X-ray machine, emitting a chilling aura.
"I'll do it," said Kong Huaizheng from the team. Before becoming a reincarnator, he was an experienced radiologist.

He took a deep breath, stepped forward, skillfully turned on the old-fashioned X-ray machine, adjusted the parameters, and then gestured for the ghostly figure to stand in the designated position.

The ghostly figure cooperated silently. Kong Huaizheng operated the machine and pressed the exposure button.

After a low hum and a brief burst of X-ray light, an X-ray film slowly emerged from the output port.

The instant the X-ray was completely ejected, the entire examination room began to violently distort and fluctuate! Everyone felt a dizzying sensation, and their consciousness fell into a chaotic state of half-dreaming and half-awake!
Jiang Jin blew the dog whistle, and Sadie quickly returned.

Immediately afterwards, he felt the air filled with the salty smell of the sea breeze, the smell of old wooden structures, and... a faint, almost imperceptible stench, as if coming from the bottom of a well.

They are about to officially step into the terrifying world of "The Ring"!
(End of this chapter)