My organs are too abstract.

exhausted.

An indescribable weariness.

Zhao Ze leaned against the wall, sweat and dust mingling and plastering to his face. His trousers had a large tear at the knee, the abrasion stinging painfully—a wound from a fall that had scraped off a large chunk of flesh.

A burning, dull pain shot through his chest. He instinctively wanted to gasp for breath, but he forced himself to hold it in and steady his breathing. After calming down for a while, he slowly moved his feet and pressed his ear against the wall.

The sound of high heels clicking on the ground, like maggots clinging to bones, seems to have disappeared.

After waiting quietly for a while, he cautiously pushed open a crack in the door with his fingertips and looked warily into the long corridor outside.

No one is empty.

That eerie and terrifying female nurse seems to have truly gone.

"Great, we've finally shaken off that bastard."

He breathed a long sigh of relief.

No one knew the nurse's terror better than him. She was incredibly fast, felt no pain, and her body was eerily invulnerable. He tried to throw things at her several times, but she didn't even flinch. When she was hit, she acted as if nothing had happened.

If the other party hadn't inexplicably fallen a few times along the way, they would have been caught long ago.

"Zhao Ze".

As my thoughts were swirling, a gentle female voice suddenly rang softly in my ear.

"Um?"

Zhao Ze turned his head and realized that Wenxiu had been standing beside him at some point.

A thin layer of sweat clung to her forehead, making her look slightly disheveled. Yet, even in dire straits, her long hair remained smooth and neatly styled, her features were delicate and beautiful, and she exuded an air of composure.

Zhao Ze gently closed the door and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Wenxiu's gaze fell on the wound on his knee, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes: "Why did you turn back to save me just now?"

That wound was from when she slipped and fell earlier, and Zhao Ze came back to help her up, causing her to scrape herself as they fled in panic.

"What's there to ask? We're partners, isn't it only natural to lend a hand?" Zhao Ze said matter-of-factly.

Wenxiu's expression grew increasingly complicated: "Just because of this?"

"Of course there are other reasons." Zhao Ze thought she felt guilty and laughed, "Since you chose to run away with me, wouldn't I lose face if you got caught?"

"Don't overthink it," he said gently. "If someone is willing to lend a hand, just run away as fast as you can. Don't let their kindness go to waste."

Wenxiu sensed the comfort in his words, and her heart sank, filled with mixed emotions.

The fall she just took was not accidental; it was intentional.

For some reason, she didn't want to expose her abnormality to others.

She had planned to deliberately fall behind and then trip and fall, so that after Zhao Ze ran away, she could investigate the nurse's background alone.

But she never expected that the other party would take such a huge risk and turn back to save her without hesitation.

She raised her hand to gently brush her hair behind her ear, looked steadily into Zhao Ze's eyes, and said seriously, "Next time you encounter this situation, just run away and don't worry about me."

Why?

"I can't run anymore. If you keep saving me, you'll only drag yourself down with you."

Looking at her calm and composed demeanor, with her clothes slightly dirty, Zhao Ze said helplessly, "Judging from how you're not even out of breath, your stamina is clearly better than mine, right?"

Wenxiu's expression turned serious: "I'm serious."

Zhao Ze shook his head: "Let's talk about it when that time comes."

"You're a good person." Wenxiu looked at his indifferent expression, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. "But have you ever considered that some people might not be worth your help? Aren't you afraid of being harmed?"

"How can I be considered a good person? I can't control what others do, but as a companion, most people would lend a hand when someone is in danger, right?" Zhao Ze shook his head. "As for whether I'd get hurt, I don't think that much about it. If it were you, I believe you would have helped me too."

"What if I don't know how?"

Zhao Ze smiled faintly: "That only shows that I have poor taste in friends, and I can't blame anyone else. But I don't think you're that kind of person."

"Friends?" Wenxiu couldn't help but ask, "But we've only known each other for a day, why would you consider me a friend?"

"When that buzz-cut guy was harassing Weiwei, I saw you want to stand up for her. A girl with that kind of courage can't be a bad person." Zhao Ze paused, then casually added, "Besides, you have such a good temperament and you're so beautiful, you don't look like a bad guy at all."

Upon hearing this, Wenxiu smiled and shook her head: "According to your logic, that nurse from earlier was also very pretty."

"That's different, she's a monster."

Wenxiu's smile remained unchanged, but her tone subtly deepened: "What if... I'm a monster too?"

Zhao Ze thought for a moment, then said with certainty, "It's still different."

Why?

"I got to know you first, and I accept you as a person. Whether you're a monster or something else, it doesn't matter at all. As long as you don't hurt others indiscriminately, I don't care."

Wenxiu's tone was somewhat complicated: "But some people will care."

"I don't care about anyone else, I only care about myself." Zhao Ze said seriously. "My friends, of course, I have to stand up for them."

Wenxiu was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "I didn't realize you were so hypocritical."

Zhao Ze corrected him seriously: "This isn't called double standards, it's called protecting your friends."

After a brief silence, Wenxiu suddenly asked, "If someone clearly had the ability to save her friend from the beginning, but hesitated to act, why would that be?"

Zhao Ze pondered for a moment: "Perhaps there's some hidden reason?"

Wenxiu was taken aback: "Why do you say that?"

"Putting aside the possibility that someone is born that way, most people would do things that are easy for them. If they don't, there are probably other reasons."

"Can you understand that?"

"To be honest, not really. If it were me, I wouldn't have thought about it so much, I'd just do it." Zhao Ze said truthfully, "But some people may have their own concerns and secrets. I'm not in their position, so I won't point fingers."

Wenxiu saw that his expression did not seem to be fake, and his expression became increasingly complicated and difficult to understand.

"you……"

Zhao Ze wanted to say something more, but his expression suddenly turned serious.

A distant and indistinct sound of high heels drifted slowly down the corridor, growing clearer as it approached.

He immediately held his breath and gestured for Wenxiu to be quiet.

"Tap...tap..."

The cold, sharp knocking sound drew closer, tightening Zhao Ze's heart, but the sound vanished abruptly the next second.

Before he could even catch his breath, a dull, deafening crash of breaking walls suddenly exploded in his ears.

Then, a slender, pale hand forcefully broke through the wall and grabbed straight at his face!

It's that nurse!

Zhao Ze's pupils contracted sharply as he stared at the hand so close to his face. He instinctively cried out, "Wenxiu, run!"

As he spoke, he suddenly stepped back, but it was too late. Just as despair engulfed him, a figure suddenly rushed out and shoved him away violently.

Zhao Ze fell heavily to the ground, barely avoiding a fatal grab.

He looked up and saw that pale hand was already gripping Wenxiu's shoulder tightly.

"Wenxiu!"

Zhao Ze's eyes widened, and he quickly got up, ready to rush forward to save the person.

"You should know it's no use." Wenxiu shook her head slightly, grabbed the nurse's wrist with her other hand, and whispered, "You should leave now."

"I……"

"Don't waste time, you said it yourself, don't betray other people's kindness."

Zhao Ze's eyes reddened, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, and in the end he could only turn around and stumble away in a panic.

Wenxiu watched his figure disappear around the corner and murmured softly, "Fool."

She completely ignored the hand tightly clasped on her shoulder, a hint of desolation in her eyes, and sighed softly, "You're a very good person, but the more you are like this, the less I want you to see anything unusual about me."

"hey-hey……"

The next moment, the hand on her shoulder tightened suddenly, accompanied by the nurse's sharp, manic laughter, piercing and noisy.

Wenxiu frowned slightly, a hint of impatience appearing on her usually serene face: "It's so noisy."

The next second, her long, jet-black hair floated up quietly, and then suddenly tightened, like steel needles, piercing the finger bones of that hand and forcibly prying open the clenched hand.

Immediately afterwards, strands of hair streaked through the air, sharp as blades, tearing fiercely against the wall.

"boom--"

The entire wall collapsed with a crash, completely exposing the strange nurse's full figure to Wenxiu's eyes.

"I'm curious," Wenxiu said, looking directly at the other person with an indifferent tone, "Your target seems to be me. Why is that?"

The nurse didn't speak, but her beautiful eyes greedily scanned her up and down, as if she were appraising some kind of merchandise.

"If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it."

Wenxiu gently shook her head, her hair swirling silently around her, just as she was about to finish off her opponent.

"Um?"

She turned her head and looked over, her expression changing slightly.

Rows of tall, black wooden sculptures with a cold, matte finish were slowly and stiffly approaching.

"boom--"

Before she could think any further, a sculpture suddenly sprang up, instantly appearing close in front of her, its thick fist aimed straight at her face.

Wenxiu's long hair flew and intertwined, managing to block the heavy blow.

Her expression grew serious, her mind filled with doubt: "I didn't touch them before, so why did they attack me directly? Have the rules changed?"

Thinking this, the sharp strands of hair shot through the air, attacking the wood carving. However, when they landed on the hard surface of the wood carving, they only left a few shallow scratches.

Wenxiu's expression darkened.

The nurse beside her took out a scalpel, gently licked the back of the blade, and stared intently at Wenxiu.

"whee……"

the other side.

Zhao Ze gritted his teeth and dragged his exhausted body as he ran wildly down the corridor.

He hadn't run far when he suddenly heard a jumble of footsteps ahead. His heart tightened, and he was about to turn and run away when a familiar shout suddenly rang out.

"Brother Ze! Brother Ze! Is that you?"

"Little Dragon?"

Zhao Ze was slightly taken aback when he saw Liang Xiaolong leading Liu Cheng and Weiwei, the three of them rushing over from around the corner ahead.

Before he could speak, Liang Xiaolong shouted frantically, "Run, Brother Ze! Something's chasing us!"

Zhao Ze's pupils contracted sharply as he looked behind the group.

The knife-wielding patient they had seen before was slowly following behind, his steps deliberate yet steadily closing the distance. The short knife flew nimbly between his fingers, and a chilling sense of oppression washed over them.

Without hesitation, he turned around and joined the three others in their escape.

As Liang Xiaolong ran, he asked urgently, "By the way, Brother Ze, where's Wenxiu? I haven't seen her!"

"She...has been caught." Zhao Ze's voice was hoarse.

Liang Xiaolong's expression darkened, and he said no more.

The four of them ran frantically, their strength rapidly depleting. Liang Xiaolong looked back, his face pale, and said, "Why are you still chasing us? I can't run anymore!"

The patient holding the knife slowly raised his hand in front of him, toying with the sharp dagger between his fingertips, a sinister smile playing on his lips like a hunter toying with his prey.

"Knock knock knock..."

Just as the group was filled with fear, they suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps ahead.

"Are there monsters ahead too?" Liang Xiaolong's tone was utterly desperate.

A figure suddenly rushed from a distance, brushing past the group, and a cry of surprise rang out: "Sorry, I can't stop!"

With a gasp, the figure slammed head-on into the face of the patient holding the knife.

The dagger, flying wildly, suddenly went out of control and plunged straight into the patient's skull.

The smile on the patient's face froze, and with a muffled thud, he fell straight down.

"Sigh," Xu Yuan glanced down at the corpse on the ground, shook his head and sighed, "This really isn't my fault. He dared to act so arrogant while wielding a knife; this was bound to happen sooner or later."

The corpse trembled slightly. Xu Yuan calmly stomped on the hilt of the knife a few times, driving the short sword deeper until the corpse stopped moving completely. Then he sighed again, "Alas, this really can't be blamed on me."

Liang Xiaolong and Liu Cheng froze upon hearing Xu Yuan's voice. They turned around, saw the corpse lying on the ground, and then stared at Xu Yuan, who was slowly standing still. They were stunned for a moment, then exclaimed with wild joy, "Brother Yuan?!"

Zhao Ze slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with astonishment: "Brother Yuan..."

Xu Yuan walked over and glanced at Zhao Ze's disheveled appearance—his face was covered in dust, his lips were chapped, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Aze, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Zhao Ze shook his head, his tone urgent. "We have to hurry, there's still a monster nurse chasing us. Oh, and Li Da is missing too, we have to find him quickly."

"Don't worry, Li Da has already gone out and is safe."

Zhao Ze breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, but we still need to leave quickly."

Seeing that his expression was off, Xu Yuan looked at the others and asked curiously, "By the way, I remember there was another girl with you guys, where is she?"

Zhao Ze lowered his eyes, his voice low: "She was captured while trying to save me."

"She saved you?" Xu Yuan was slightly surprised, then nodded and said, "Okay, don't rush, I'll go up and take a look first."

Zhao Ze quickly stopped him: "But that nurse is like a monster, she's not someone an ordinary person can fight against."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Xu Yuan said, shaking his head. "Wait here for me a bit, I'll go check it out first."

As he spoke, he vaguely sensed a restrained gaze falling on him. Turning his head, he saw a girl named Weiwei.

Their eyes met, and Weiwei froze, immediately lowering her head, unable to meet his gaze.

Xu Yuan glanced at the other person a few times, feeling that something was strange, but didn't think much of it.

"Alright, I'm going up now."