My organs are too abstract.

"hiss--"

Ye Xuan looked down at the rolling head, subconsciously touched his neck, and muttered, "Luckily I didn't actually sit down, otherwise I would have been the one getting stabbed."

The reason he hadn't immediately fled for his life, but instead had time to joke around, wasn't because he was brave, but because he had noticed the abnormality of the head—

The cut at the neck was clean and tidy, with no blood seeping out. The cut was neat, and the clear wood grain was faintly visible underneath.

"Wow, it's so realistic!"

Ye Xuan crouched down and examined the head. The head's eyes were wide open, lifeless and devoid of any vitality.

From the delicate skin and cloudy eyes to the details such as pores and texture, everything is indistinguishable from the real person, as if it were a piece of wood wrapped in a carefully carved human skin to create such a lifelike effect.

He instinctively reached out, wanting to lift the head up for a closer look, but Wenxiu's voice suddenly came from behind him: "Be careful, don't touch it."

Ye Xuan paused, looking at Wen Xiu with a puzzled expression: "What's wrong?"

"Have you forgotten the hospital admission rules?"

"You can't interact with NPCs?" Ye Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized, "But it's already an 'inanimate object,' so touching it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Wenxiu shook her head, about to speak, when a rough hand suddenly reached out and picked up the head.

A middle-aged tourist held the head in his hands, examining it from all angles, his voice filled with astonishment: "How can this thing be so lifelike? It looks exactly like the real thing!"

Wenxiu glanced at him without saying a word, her gaze sweeping over the head without making a sound, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a strand of hair by her ear.

At this moment, a female tourist walked over quickly; she appeared to be the middle-aged tourist's wife.

She glanced at the severed head in her husband's hand, instinctively took a few steps back, and said with disgust, "Put it down right now. Don't you feel unlucky holding something like that?"

"It's just a prop, what's so unlucky about it?" The middle-aged tourist chuckled nonchalantly, deliberately offering the severed head to the female tourist. "Touch it, it feels exactly like the real thing!"

"No...don't take it!"

The female tourist turned pale, waved her hands, and backed away in fright, which amused the middle-aged tourist, who burst into laughter: "Women are just so timid."

"what!"

Just then, a sharp, piercing scream suddenly rang out. The sound did not come from the tourists, but from the patients who were standing there in a daze.

Their previously numb and empty expressions instantly turned into panic, as if they belatedly realized the horrific massacre that had just occurred. They screamed and scattered in all directions, running blindly.

"Oh……"

The patient wielding the knife had a stiff, unnatural smile on his lips. He hooked his fingertips around the end of the hilt, gave it a gentle twist, and the short knife whirled rapidly around his knuckles, producing a sharp, piercing sound as it cut through the air.

The blade spun cleanly along the wrist before being gently pushed back into the palm by the thumb. The movements were relaxed and fluid. With each wrist flip, the wrist dipped slightly, and the cold metal blade drew a bright arc in the darkness.

He followed the fleeing patients at a leisurely pace, his steps relaxed yet carrying a suffocating sense of oppression. His route happened to be in the direction the tourists were.

"Oh?" The middle-aged tourist looked over with interest. "It's not just a background prop; is there more to the story?"

On the other side, Zhao Ze and his group were also watching the group of chaotic patients.

Wenxiu glanced again at the head in the middle-aged tourist's hand, her gaze sharpening. Just as she was about to speak, Zhao Ze suddenly said, "Let's move away. Something's not right."

Li Da and the others were taken aback when they heard this, but they didn't ask any questions. They quietly followed him back and quickly hid around the corner.

"What's wrong, Brother Ze?" Li Da asked in a low voice.

Zhao Ze examined the patient holding the knife and said with a serious expression, "The knife in his hand is real."

Ye Xuan, who was mingling among the group, asked curiously, "How did you figure that out?"

Zhao Ze explained, "Look at his movements as he turns the knife. His wrist is constantly pressed down with a heavy force, which doesn't seem like the weight a prop should have. Also, when the blade passes through the light, there's a thin, bright streak. That's a reflection that only appears after the blade has been sharpened. Only a real knife would have that."

Before anyone knew it, the middle-aged man had quietly crept over, looking at Zhao Ze with interest: "Young man, you're quite professional."

"My dad has a lot of knives in his collection. I was exposed to them when I was a child, so I know a little about them."

"Huh?" Li Da had no doubt about Zhao Ze's words and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "You can't use a real knife in a haunted house, especially a sharpened one! This is too dangerous!"

"So I think this is a bit strange, and it's best to stay away from it."

Looking at the strange-looking patient holding a knife, Weiwei felt a chill run down her spine. She subconsciously took a step back, and her back suddenly pressed against something cold and hard.

She turned her head and saw a half-person-high wooden sculpture, carved with a hunched human figure, its surface painted a pale white, its eyes sunken, as if staring at her.

Weiwei felt a chill run down her spine and quickly looked away, asking with concern, "Shouldn't we remind the others?"

"Remind them what? Tell them the knife is real and to run?" The middle-aged man sneered, seemingly having just thought of something. "They won't think you mean well; they'll just think you're a coward and are exaggerating."

Zhao Ze nodded: "Many people come to haunted houses for thrills, and besides, nothing has happened yet, so they might not care even if you tell them."

Wenxiu glanced at him, knowing that he still had a concern he hadn't voiced—what if the patient with the knife really had a problem, and they were making a scene, and they ended up getting into trouble?

Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, there's no need to take the risk.

Weiwei nodded, seemingly understanding, "I understand."

While the group was whispering amongst themselves in a corner, the scattered patients had already rushed into the area where the tourists were.

The patient with the knife continued to follow slowly behind, but at a certain moment, he suddenly stopped, turned his head slightly, and walked straight in another direction.

"Hey, honey, look... isn't that person coming towards us?" the female tourist suddenly said.

The middle-aged tourist was also taken aback: "It seems that it really is."

"Tap...tap..."

The patient with the knife walked slowly towards the two men with heavy steps, then suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on the head in the middle-aged tourist's hand, remaining motionless.

The middle-aged tourist's heart skipped a beat. He held up the severed head in his hand, and with a teasing tone, asked, "You want this?"

The patient with the knife slowly raised his head, his gaze shifting from the head to the middle-aged tourist's face. He tilted his head, scrutinizing him, a stiff smile playing on his lips.

"Is this what you want...?"

The middle-aged tourist met those cold, lifeless eyes, and for some reason, a chill ran down his spine. He subconsciously took a step back, and the smile on his face suddenly froze.

Looking at the patient's stiff face, the female tourist felt a strange unease and quickly urged, "Hurry up and give that thing back to him! The way he's looking at me is creepy!"

The middle-aged tourist, feeling embarrassed and annoyed by the urging, immediately snapped at the woman, "What's the rush? Does he dare to lay a hand on us?"

Even so, he still felt uneasy. After hesitating for a moment, he handed the head back to the patient, his tone somewhat reluctant: "Here, take it back..."

Just then, a sudden change occurred—

The head in his palm, whose eyes had been lifeless, suddenly moved, and then bit his arm hard!

"what!"

The middle-aged tourist let out a piercing scream, only to see the knife-wielding patient suddenly laugh, his wrist flicking, and the short knife, gleaming coldly, instantly slashed towards his neck!

A flash of cold light disappeared in an instant, and the screams came to an abrupt halt.

Blood gushed from the neck, instantly turning into a hot, red fountain that splashed across the ground from the severed wound.

Everything happened so fast that the woman next to her didn't even have time to react until the warm, sticky touch landed on her face, bringing her back to her senses.

"what!"

The woman let out a heart-wrenching scream and frantically backed away, only to crash into a cold embrace. She shuddered and turned to see a patient staring intently at her. The next second, a withered hand gripped her wrist!

"No... let me go! No!"

The woman's pupils constricted, and she struggled desperately, but the patient holding her stood still, unresponsive.

The patient was stunned for a few seconds, until at a certain moment, he seemed to be activated, his eyes suddenly lit up, he stared at the woman in front of him, suddenly lowered his head, and then took a bite!

The woman struggled to call for help, but when she looked up, she saw that the tourists around her were also being torn apart and killed by other patients. Screams rose and fell. Her hope was completely shattered, leaving only endless despair.

"No--"

Before her desperate scream could even finish, everything went black, and she completely lost consciousness.

……

Let's turn back time a little.

Just as the knife-wielding patient walked toward the middle-aged couple, other tourists were watching the spectacle.

"I have a feeling that knife looks real!"

"Really?"

"I own a knife shop. How could I possibly mistake a real knife for a fake one? That's definitely a genuine knife with a sharpened edge!"

"Damn, this haunted house is amazing! The ghosts are incredibly realistic, and the props are so thrilling!"

"But to be honest, isn't a real knife a bit dangerous?"

"What's there to be afraid of? This is the kind of thrill we're looking for! Besides, these NPCs shouldn't interact with us, so there's nothing to worry about."

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, with some expressing concern and others dismissing the issue.

"That old bastard, he was acting all fearless before, but now he's scared?"

A tourist who claimed to own a knife shop stood in a corner and couldn't help but laugh as he watched the middle-aged tourist's flustered appearance.

Just then, a lame patient staggered past him, but suddenly slipped and fell towards him, about to fall to the ground.

"Are you alright...?"

The prop shop owner reacted quickly, instinctively reaching out to support his shoulder. However, the moment his fingertips touched the other's body, he suddenly froze—

A stiff, cold sensation came from my fingertips, devoid of any warmth or softness that belongs to a living person.

Before he could think any further, a cold hand suddenly grabbed his wrist. The lame patient abruptly raised his head, tilted it, and stared at him with empty eyes.

The knife shop owner felt a chill run down his spine under that gaze. He instinctively tried to pull his wrist away, but couldn't. A vague sense of unease crept into his heart: "What are you doing?"

The patient showed no response, as if waiting for something.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

……

Seven seconds.

A strange smile curled at the corner of the patient's mouth, and a bloodthirsty cruelty surged in his empty eyes. The next moment, he opened his mouth wide and bit down on the neck of the knife shop owner!

The knife shop owner's pupils contracted, and he hurriedly turned his head, only to have his shoulder bitten hard.

"grass!"

Despite the excruciating pain, the knife shop owner remained calm and, enduring the tearing agony, punched the patient hard in the face.

The fist landed, but instead of the sensation of flesh, it brought the hard, dull feel of wood.

He paused for a moment, but had no time to think it through. He then delivered several more merciless punches, causing the lame patient to turn his head repeatedly until he finally opened his mouth.

"Bang!"

The knife shop owner kicked the patient into a corner, and watching him struggle to his feet, still trying to attack, the shopkeeper, panting heavily, muttered with lingering fear, "A madman..."

Just then, he suddenly heard a noisy and chaotic sound.

"Why are you grabbing my hand? Do you believe I'll report you?"

"Don't touch me! Get away!"

"Holy crap, what on earth is going on?"

"Help...no...don't kill me!"

The knife shop owner turned around in astonishment and saw a large number of tourists being tackled to the ground by the patients, being bitten, beaten, and slashed, creating a chaotic scene.

Only a few tourists were followed slowly by the patient and were not attacked.

"What...what's going on?"

Fear gripped his heart, and a huge sense of absurdity arose in the knife shop owner's mind—how could everything have turned out like this in just a few seconds?

He snapped back to his senses and was about to turn and run away when he heard a crisp cracking sound behind him.

He instinctively turned around and saw a patient who was two meters tall and exceptionally strong, lifting a tourist with one hand. His large, fan-like hand gripped the tourist's head tightly and casually turned him around.

With a "crack," the tourist's neck was casually snapped. The tall patient tossed the body aside like trash, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Then he slowly turned his head, his empty eyes locking onto the knife shop owner, a silent, sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Looking at the other party's monstrous size, the knife shop owner broke out in a cold sweat, his legs went weak, and he could only utter, "Holy shit..."

……

Let's rewind to the present.

The patient holding the knife stood amidst the chaos and bloodshed, his expression unchanged. He slowly lowered his head and carefully pieced together the head of the mentally challenged patient in his hand onto the neck of the headless corpse in front of him.

"hey-hey……"

As soon as their heads touched, a silly laugh came out, but the originally simple and honest voice now sounded particularly eerie.

"Heh...haha, hahaha..."

The patient holding the knife suddenly cupped his face with both hands, his knuckles digging into his cheeks, and let out an exaggerated and neurotic burst of maniacal laughter.

Zhao Ze and the others were already stunned by what they saw. In just a few seconds, everything changed dramatically, so fast that no one had time to react.

"Run!"

Zhao Ze saw the group of patients following behind the other surviving tourists, slowly approaching them. His expression changed, and he shouted loudly.

Everyone snapped back to their senses, turned around, and ran for their lives, not daring to stop for even a moment.

Wenxiu ran among the group, glancing back at the knife-wielding patient standing in the center of the field, laughing exaggeratedly. Her eyes didn't show much fear, but rather a hint of confusion:

"Is this a calamity, or... a 'patient'?"