After drawing cards, the evil god became my source of吐槽 (tu cao, a form of humorous commentary/criti

Chapter 22 Bloodstained Hospital (1)

Inside the ward, a taut string in An Jing's heart finally began to slowly relax.

She leaned against the headboard, looked up at the ceiling, and took a deep breath.

These past few days, a heavy weight has finally been lifted from her mind. Although reality remains heavy, she felt genuinely lighter the moment she spoke it aloud.

"I did it."

She murmured quietly.

She made a choice that would be full of challenges in the future.

I picked up my new phone from beside the bed, unlocked it, and opened the news app.

Sure enough, the headline on the homepage prominently displayed the following in bright red:
In just three days, 17 new small- to medium-sized mysterious magnetic fields were discovered across the country, and the death toll has exceeded 100.

An unknown magnetic field erupted in the Nanjiang area, which was completely submerged within three hours.

[404 Special Service: Enrollment to be Expanded Across the Board, Key Universities to Establish "Secret Confrontation Disciplines" to Respond to the Situation]

As An Jing scrolled through the news headlines, a chill ran down her spine.

The whole world is sliding toward the edge of being out of control. The magnetic field is no longer an anomaly in some corner, but is openly infiltrating into daily life, and no place can be spared.

"...Looks like the Lamplighter is really going to be swamped." She murmured, clicking into the comments section.

The most popular comment reads:

The world has changed; within five years, it will be conquered by a mysterious army.

Following the second point:
[I've heard that many universities across the country, including several established ones, have already established majors related to "mysterious response," such as mysterious systems management, research on bizarre psychology, and observation and elimination of special creatures... Tsk, will next year's college entrance exam include a question on mysterious image recognition?]

Article :
[Even the 404 Special Operations Department has openly expanded its recruitment. Do you think I, who majored in criminal investigation in university, can switch careers?]

An Jing's expression shifted slightly as he swiped the screen to a long image, which was a brief introduction to a newly opened major at a university:
Specialty Name: Mysterious Disasters and Prevention

The course includes: magnetic field mechanism theory, basic tactical evasion, use of light equipment, identification of mysterious features, and an introduction to the soul control system...

Professional Declaration: When the mysterious is no longer something from another world, but a common risk in life, we should become the last line of defense.

"This..." She was stunned for a moment.

Three days ago, she would have thought these majors were just novelties, things to be explored by hunters, things beyond the high walls she could never reach in her lifetime.

News is always the most alarming thing; the overwhelming news seems to be announcing the end of the world.

"Mysterious profession..."

An Jing murmured, her eyes flickering slightly.

At that moment, she was truly moved.

Just like she said, she can no longer be an ordinary person.

Applying to a mystery-related major at that time would also be a good option.

Just then, she suddenly felt a chill surge up from the soles of her feet like a tide.

The once bright and sunny corridor outside the window seemed to have lost its color at some point, and the air felt as if it were being soaked in ice water.

She was all too familiar with that feeling.

A mysterious magnetic field.

She looked up abruptly, her heart instantly tightening.

“System!” she whispered.

I know what you're going to ask, but let me make it clear first, I didn't do it.

The system spoke instantly, at an extremely fast pace, and even learned to preemptively answer questions. "I have no ability to interfere with, nor can I predict, the generation of the magnetic field."

"..."

You reacted quite quickly.

"Then what's going on? I just left the mysterious magnetic field, is this a joke? No, my injuries haven't even fully healed yet."

An Jing asked in a low voice, her eyes already catching a glimpse of the air outside the window distorting slightly.

[A new magnetic field has been generated within the hospital.] The system calmly stated, [You're incredibly lucky. Why don't you draw a card now? After all, it's practically like stepping in dog poop.]

"..."

An Jing rolled her eyes. "Do you want to die?"

Don't be so rude.

"So you're sure it wasn't you who caused it?"

【This can be completely ruled out. The existence of the primordial source does indeed have an attractive effect on the magnetic field, but it cannot generate a magnetic field. It certainly wouldn't happen to deliver a surprise just when you're relaxed.】 "So it's a coincidence?"

[No, it's not that simple. It's more like a kind of fate. To be precise, you currently have a very strong connection with the mysterious magnetic field. This hospital probably naturally generates a mysterious magnetic field, and because you possess the primordial energy, the two are attracted to each other.]

"...Can I cry now?"

I know you want to cry, but don't cry yet. You need to find a safe house to hide in right away, but I suggest you solve the mystery to earn more gacha pulls.

The system suddenly spoke in a low voice: [I've sensed the magnetic field has extended to two floors below the ward. The level of anomaly hasn't been confirmed yet, but some electronic devices are already malfunctioning.]

Do you know what 404 is?

How would I know?

"Heaven is going to kill me." An Jing took a deep breath. "I just finished psychological counseling, how come this is happening again?"

"You have to learn to get used to it," the system said calmly.

"How dare you say that? You're the culprit."

That's not how you say it.

An Jing ignored it, feeling extremely annoyed.

"I still want to live and go to university."

As long as you're alive, that's enough. Even if you don't have enough points later, 404 will give you a backdoor.

"That's easy for you to say."

An Jing removed the IV drip, opened the ward door, and found the corridor outside to be completely empty.

The strange feeling in the air became more and more obvious, like ink soaking in water slowly seeping into the surroundings.

She could feel her vision being pulled by "something," a distorted blur clinging to the corners of her eyes, as if it were about to peel away a layer of reality.

"system."

【exist. 】

"Let me ask you a question."

【speak.】

"What exactly is the Origin?"

An Jing had always been curious about this, but she had too many things on her mind and hadn't asked.

As the name suggests, it is the source of the mysterious magnetic field.

Are you the Origin?

No, I'm just an intermediary. You can think of the gacha pool as the initial source.

"If I could control the origin, could I... just turn off this magnetic field?"

The system paused for a moment: [Theoretically, it's possible, but you can't control the Origin.]

"What?"

Let's talk about this after you've managed to draw a five-star card.

"If you keep doing this, I really don't want to talk to you anymore."

【Then I'll switch, dear. I suggest you try to get a five-star card first before considering anything else.】

"."

Ignoring the system, An Jing looked at the empty corridor.

Where are the others? Why didn't anyone react after the mysterious magnetic field was generated?
And we didn't see a single person.

"Oh dear, you're still sick, why did you come out?"

A woman's voice suddenly rang out, startling An Jing. He turned around and saw a nurse.

More accurately, she was a nurse whose face was covered in blood and whose limbs looked rather strange.

An Jing opened her mouth in surprise.

Is she really that dedicated? Even if she becomes a mystery, she still has occupational hazards.

Gumi maintained his strange smile, his dark red eyes staring intently at An Jing.

However, An Jing did not react at all, and instead obediently went back to bed.

The nurse's smile widened even more.

(End of this chapter)