After being poisoned by mushrooms, all the strange creatures became fascinated by me.

Speeding like lightning.

Tang Li had already arrived at the door of Dr. Jiang's clinic.

This was her first time visiting this place. Compared to Dr. Jerry and Dr. James, Dr. Jiang's clinic was quite secluded, which seemed to fit his status as someone who "sits on the sidelines."

Tang Li recalled the information Fang Yingjie had given her about Dr. Jiang, and then she remembered Dr. Jiang's act of specifically arranging for the skinny man to hand her the key—was he on Gu Xiaoying's side?

If that's the case, why is he so reluctant to establish contact with them?

With the massive spider's figure supporting her behind her, Tang Li felt quite safe and pushed open the half-closed door.

What met the eye was a scene of carnage and blood.

On the floor, on the walls, and on the treatment bed.

Anyone who sees this will realize that this is the scene of a murder.

Several bloody footprints were imprinted on the ground, winding their way towards the inner room of the examination room. Tang Li didn't have time to investigate further; she saw on the operating table to the side, the undulating shape highlighted under the blue sterile drape, just like a person lying there.

...or a corpse.

Large patches of glaring red seeped through the blue sterile cloth, yet still appeared vibrant; this had happened not long ago.

Tang Li walked to the operating table, pinched a corner of the blue sterile drape, and was about to lift the entire drape without hesitation—

It was not lifted.

"Oh, you're here?" A calm voice, slightly amused, came from behind her. "Don't touch anything in the examination room."

This interrupted Tang Li's actions.

Spider, due to his enormous size, could only guard the gate from the outside. A strange sense of crisis pierced her back, and Tang Li suddenly turned around.

Dr. Jiang had just come out of the inner room of the consultation room, wearing a brand new, clean white coat and a mask... and holding a mop in her hand?

"Sigh," he said, brazenly starting to mop up the blood on the floor. "It's really awful. That's why I hate killing people in the clinic. It always takes so long to clean up."

Tang Li stared at Dr. Jiang's figure. As he swayed his head slightly with the motion of mopping the floor, she suddenly felt that the eyebrows and eyes above the mask looked somewhat familiar.

People wearing and taking off masks often leave two different impressions on strangers.

The only time Tang Li had ever seen Dr. Jiang before, he wasn't wearing a mask, so she didn't make the connection...

She couldn't make the connection; she had seen him in a photograph before.

It was on the bookshelf in Dr. Jerry's office. Beneath the crystal mouse figurine lay a brown paper bag containing data on human experiments, and in front of the figurine stood a framed photograph. In the photograph, Dr. Jerry and another unfamiliar man were holding a trophy together.

The stranger was wearing a mask... and his face looked exactly like Dr. Jiang's at that moment.

"Are you and Dr. Jerry on good terms?" Tang Li suddenly asked, seemingly out of the blue, her hand already subtly reaching into her pocket. A cold, hard, oval-shaped metal object filled her palm.

"What?" Dr. Jiang was slightly taken aback, as if she didn't understand the meaning behind Tang Li's question, but she still answered her, "No, it's never been good from the beginning."

His relaxed tone concealed a subtle, indescribable coldness.

Tang Li thought, "But when you were standing side by side with him in the photo, holding the trophy, your eyes were clearly smiling."

Tang Li remained rooted to the spot, not even raising her eyes, but her words were scathing: "So, are you aware that the hospital is conducting human experiments?"

At this point, who's going to keep playing guessing games with Dr. Jiang?

"This is a major project for the hospital." Dr. Jiang focused on mopping the floor without looking up, her face buried in the shadows, her tone filled with barely concealed malice. "From doctors to nurses, almost everyone knows about it. It's just that everyone is eager for the project to produce results so they can gain both wealth and fame."

Tang Li's eyes flickered slightly: Was this malice directed at the experimental subject, or at the hospital?

"Then," Tang Li lowered her voice, "did you kill Gu Xiaomei?"

"It's me." Dr. Jiang uttered two words lightly, as if she had been disturbed by Tang Li's barrage of questions and couldn't continue mopping the floor properly. She straightened up and turned to look at her. "But what does this have to do with you players?"

"I heard the announcement just now. You could clearly leave the instance, but you're still staying here. Are you trying to complete the game?"

"Are those your people carrying out demolitions all over the corridor now? Physically destroying the instance, what a simple and brutal method. But it also happens to fulfill Gu Xiaoying's wish to destroy the Ghost Story Private Hospital."

Is Gu Xiaoying's wish to "destroy the ghost story private hospital"?

Tang Li's eyes flickered slightly as she met Dr. Jiang's gaze: "So, what about you? Is killing Gu Xiaomei your wish?"

"Ah, you always ask unexpected questions." Dr. Jiang laughed, her relaxed smile filling her crescent-shaped eyes, the sincerity of which was obvious to anyone. "Yes, killing Gu Xiaomei... I've wanted to kill Gu Xiaomei for a long time."

"So, as soon as the dean suggested killing her, I couldn't wait to sign up."

"Aren't you worried that Gu Xiaoying will retaliate against you?" Tang Li asked.

"He probably doesn't have the time right now." Dr. Jiang's smile faded, and she said softly, her gaze unconsciously shifting away from Tang Li. "The dungeon... is actually the body of the dungeon boss. He's probably in a lot of pain right now."

"Alright," this question seemed to have finally exhausted Dr. Jiang's last bit of patience. He looked at Tang Li and began to shoo her away, "Go on, join your companions' demolition team. I don't have any more information here."

"If you keep dawdling, I'm going to chop you up with an axe."

The oval-shaped metal object held in the palm of the hand suddenly became hot.

Tang Li didn't leave.

She suddenly laughed, finally letting go of the oval prop and pulling her hand out of her pocket.

The lie detector pocket watch gets hot when the other person lies. It only gets hot when the other person is lying.

Only once, just seconds ago.

Therefore, all that hatred, all that near-liberated joy, all that sighing and regret, were real.

Only his intent to kill her was fake.

Dr. Jiang was baffled by her laughter. She leaned against the wall, put down the mop, and glanced around, attempting to intimidate Tang Li further: "Where's my axe?"

Tang Li stepped forward, unconcerned about placing herself within Dr. Jiang's attack range. She gazed at the white figure, her tone gentle to the point of coaxing: "Although you say you have no new information, I do have some information I want to tell you."

"First," she said, "I need to correct you on one thing."

"Destroying hospital buildings alone will not meet the customs clearance standards."

"Because the boss of the [Tales of Private Hospital] instance, Gu Xiaoying, does not wish to 'destroy the hospital'."

Dr. Jiang stopped moving, his usually shrewd and composed eyes staring blankly at Tang Li.

"His wish, from the very beginning until now, has been only one."

"He wants Nannan—his beloved Gu Xiaomei—to leave the hospital and live a long and healthy life."