Weird Game: I brought an old version bug

Jiang Chen stared at his right hand, his mind racing.

He remembers that he is left-handed. From childhood to adulthood, he has used his left hand to eat, write, and play games.

But at this moment, his right hand held the dagger very steadily, as if he were born with his right hand.

He doesn't remember when he switched hands.

This cognitive dissonance made him feel intensely uneasy.

It's not pain, it's not fear, it's something deeper.

It's like someone has secretly altered a part of my memory.

He put down the dagger and forced himself to calm down.

The system notification clearly states: "If you see yourself in the mirror for more than 10 seconds, your identity will be swapped with your reflection."

He has already switched hands once, and his right hand has become his dominant hand.

What will be lost in the next swap?

He needs information.

He activated his reconnaissance skill. Pale golden light seeped from his palm and spread outwards.

The view penetrated the wall and revealed the structure of the entire building: a three-story building with a cruciform layout.

His room, 302, was on the second floor, east side. The corridor extended westward, past the nurses' station, and then branched into two wings, north and south.

The first floor houses the outpatient hall and emergency room, while the third floor contains the operating room and intensive care unit.

There's another level below, not a basement, but a huge circular space where something is glowing.

The reconnaissance skill indicated that the glowing object was the core of this instance.

However, there was another anomaly in the feedback from the reconnaissance techniques.

He scanned the entire building and discovered a strange fact:

He was the only person in the entire hospital.

There were no patients, no doctors, no nurses, and even Dr. Zhou from before was nowhere to be seen.

But the people in the mirror are still there.

In the mirror of every ward, there is a patient.

The mirror at the nurses' station shows nurses on duty.

In the mirror of the operating room, a doctor is performing surgery.

Their lives were orderly, like a normally functioning hospital.

However, their lives all took place in the mirror.

The world outside the mirror is empty.

Jiang Chen withdrew his reconnaissance technique and leaned against the wall to organize his thoughts.

The core rule of the Mirror Hospital is "identity swapping".

If you look in the mirror for more than 10 seconds, switch mirrors. Each time you switch mirrors, you lose a part of your self-awareness.

But at the same time, he noticed a detail: he could still use reconnaissance skills, think, and act.

In other words, the exchange will not affect his "ability", but only his "cognition".

If he can find a way to complete the game without looking in the mirror, he can bypass this rule.

He looked around the room—there were no mirrors, no reflective surfaces, and even the window glass was frosted.

The only mirror was the full-length mirror on the wall.

He walked to the mirror, turned his head, and glanced at the edge of the frame out of the corner of his eye.

He pulled the sheet off the bed, turned to the side, reached out, covered the mirror with the sheet, and tucked the corners into the gaps.

The mirror was completely covered.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he heard a voice.

It wasn't coming from outside the door, nor from outside the window; it was coming from the mirror.

A voice came from behind the mirror, which was covered by a bed sheet. It was very soft, as if someone was speaking through a layer of cloth.

"It's no use hiding me. You'll always need to see me eventually."

You need to find the key to room 302 to leave this room.

"And the key is with me."

Jiang Chen stared at the mirror covered by the bed sheet, without lifting it.

"I don't need a key; I can open the door in other ways."

He walked to the door and checked the lock; it was an ordinary mechanical lock.

He took a paperclip out of his pocket, straightened it, and inserted it into the keyhole.

Click—the door opened.

"You see, I don't need a key."

There was silence in the mirror for a few seconds, then the voice sounded again, with a hint of a smile.

"You don't need the key to room 302. But what you do need is a pass to the entire hospital."

Without the pass, you can't open the door leading underground.

The access card is in the drawer at the nurses' station.

There's a huge mirror at the nurses' station.

"Are you telling me all this so I'll look at that mirror?"

"right."

The voice in the mirror was very honest.

"Because you can't possibly pass the level without looking in any mirrors."

This building is full of mirrors; if you look at someone for more than 10 seconds, they will switch places.

You've already switched once. How many more times can you switch?

Jiang Chen did not answer.

He walked out of the room and down the corridor, deliberately keeping his head down and avoiding looking at any reflective surfaces.

At the end of the corridor, he needed to turn right to reach the nurses' station, but at the corner, there was a full-length mirror embedded in the wall.

He squatted down, took a coin out of his pocket, and threw it on the ground at the corner.

The coin rolled around the corner, bounced in front of the mirror, and made a crisp sound.

Jiang Chen didn't look in the mirror. He stared at the coin, waited for it to stop, then quickly walked over, bent down, and picked it up.

Throughout the entire process, his gaze remained below the height of the glasses frame.

He successfully navigated the first mirrored corner.

The nurses' station is just ahead, an open counter with a desk behind it containing a computer and a telephone. The access card should be in the desk drawer.

But directly opposite the nurses' station is a huge mirror that almost takes up the entire wall.

Jiang Chen stood in front of the nurses' station counter, with his back to the mirror.

He opened the drawers and searched through them one by one. The first drawer was empty, the second drawer was empty, and the third drawer was locked.

He needs the key.

He was about to look around for his keys when he saw the computer screen on the counter.

The screen is black, indicating that it is in standby mode.

But the surface of the screen, like a black mirror, reflected his face.

He saw his own eyes.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

He turned his head sharply to look away, but it was too late.

He felt as if something had been ripped out of his mind.

[System notification: Second identity swap detected]

Current number of swaps: 2

[Lost self-awareness: dominant hand direction (lost), time perception (lost)]

[Warning: The next swap will affect the integrity of your memory]

Jiang Chen felt his heart skip a beat.

He glanced down at his watch; it was still ticking, but he could no longer tell what time it was.

He remembered walking into the hospital around afternoon, but now he had no idea how much time had passed.

Ten minutes?

One hour?

Or just one day?

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He needs to find the key to open the third drawer, get the pass, and then go underground.

During this process, he must avoid any form of contact with the mirror.

This includes computer screens, window glass, metal surfaces, and anything that can reflect his face.

He looked around, his gaze sweeping over the nurses' station desk, where there was a pen, a notebook, a water glass, and a set of keys.

He walked around to the side of the counter, turned sideways, reached out, used his peripheral vision to locate the key, and then grabbed it.

I have the key.

He tried three keys and opened the third drawer.

There was a white toll card in the car's glove compartment.

There was a photo on the card. In the photo, he was wearing a white hospital gown, with empty eyes and a strange smile on his lips.

Jiang Chen quickly flipped the card over, avoiding looking at the photo.

There is a line of small print on the back of the card:

[Holder: Jiang Chen]

Patient ID: 074

[Admission Date: 7th day of Frost's Descent in the 47th year of the lunar calendar]

[Diagnosis: Identity dysphoria]

Treatment plan: Mirror-guided therapy (second treatment completed)

The patient is experiencing significant cognitive confusion and is unable to accurately distinguish between themselves and their mirror image. Increased treatment frequency is recommended.

Jiang Chen looked at the line of text and felt something loosening in his mind.

He remembered that he was a game tester who was pulled into the Abyss Game, met Shigure, found the rift in the rules, and walked into the Gate of Choice.

But at the same time, he also remembers himself wearing a white hospital gown, sitting in a white ward, looking at himself in the mirror, and sitting there for many years.

These two memories exist simultaneously. It's like two versions of yourself, vying for dominance within the same body.

He shook his head, forcing himself not to think about the problem. He gripped the access card and headed for the elevator.

The elevator doors were closed, and there was a card reader next to them. He stuck his access card onto the card reader.

With a beep, the elevator doors opened.

Inside the elevator, there are mirrors on three sides. The ceiling is a mirror, the left and right walls are mirrors, and the wall directly in front of you is also a mirror.

He stood at the elevator entrance, looking at the space surrounded by mirrors. No matter which way he looked, he would see his own face as soon as he went in.

He took off his coat and held it in front of his face to block his view. Then he stepped into the elevator, turned his back to the door, and reached out to fumble for the control panel.

His finger touched the B1 button and he pressed it.

The elevator doors slowly closed. The elevator began to descend.

He stood in the middle of the elevator, holding his coat up to cover his face, unable to see anything. All he could hear was the mechanical sound of the elevator and his own heartbeat.

He felt that something was watching him, not through the mirror, but directly behind him, observing him.

He turned abruptly and put down his coat—

The elevator was empty.

There were only three mirrors, which reflected his three images.

Three reflections, each making a different movement.

One was laughing. One was crying. One was staring at him expressionlessly.

Jiang Chen saw the three reflections, and felt the confusion in his mind intensify.

He raised his coat again to shield his vision, forcing himself not to look at them.

The elevator has stopped.

With a ding, the door opened.

He strode out of the elevator and stood in the underground corridor. The corridor was dark, with only the emergency lights emitting a faint green glow.

At the end of the corridor, there was a heavy metal door with a logo engraved on it: an octagonal gear with an eye at its center.

The watchmaker's mark.

Jiang Chen walked towards the door and placed the access card on the card reader next to the door.

drop.

The door didn't open. A line of red text appeared on the card reader:

The pass has expired.

Reason: Cardholder identity verification failed.

[Current cardholder's cognitive status: Unstable, unable to pass identity verification]

Please complete the identity verification process and try again.

Jiang Chen looked at the words and felt a chill rise up his back.

The pass is not linked to the card itself, but to the user's "identity".

Each time he switched identities, his perception of his identity changed.

Now, he has switched twice, and the pass no longer recognizes him.

He must regain his sense of identity; otherwise, he will never be able to open this door.

The only way to restore one's sense of identity is through a mirror.

He needs to actively look in the mirror to confirm "who he is".

But every time he looks in the mirror, it triggers a swap, making his perception even more confused.

This is an endless loop.

He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and felt two versions of memories fighting in his mind.

One version says: "You are a game tester, your name is Jiang Chen, and you are playing a level."

Another version says: "You are a patient, your name is 074, and you are receiving treatment."

Both memories were so real, so complete. He couldn't tell which one was true.

He opened his eyes, stared at the closed door at the end of the corridor, and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he made a decision.

He turned around, walked to the elevator, and pressed the 1F button.

The elevator went up and returned to the first floor. He stepped out of the elevator, walked through the corridor, and returned to room 302.

He stood in front of the mirror, which was covered by a sheet, reached out, and grabbed the sheet.

"I'm back."

The voice came from the mirror, tinged with surprise.

"You're back? You actually came back on your own? You didn't run away, but came back to find me? What do you want?"

Jiang Chen took a deep breath and then forcefully ripped off the bed sheet.

The mirror surface was revealed.

He saw himself in the mirror, dressed in ordinary clothes, with messy hair and tired but determined eyes.

He stared at himself in the mirror.

one second,

Two seconds,

Three seconds—

"I want to do something. I want to actively switch identities until I can remember the last correct self-awareness. And then, in that instant of switching, confirm who I am."

His reflection in the mirror revealed a strange smile.

"Are you crazy? The more times you switch places, the more confused your memories become. You might completely forget who you are and become an empty shell."

"I know."

Jiang Chen looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes calm.

"But I also know that the core rule of this instance is [identity swap]. The rule itself is the key."

"As long as I can understand and master this rule, I can turn it around and use it against me."

He stared at himself in the mirror, his gaze fixed on himself.

ten seconds.

[System notification: Third identity swap detected]

Current number of swaps: 3

He felt a wave of dizziness, and then his memory changed.

He remembered that he was a patient and had been in the hospital for a long time.

He remembers the daily treatments, the daily mirror, and the daily confusion.

He remembered that he had a name—074.

But he also remembered that he had another name—Jiang Chen.

That name seems to be buried deep in the ground, requiring a lot of effort to recall.

He gritted his teeth and didn't look away.

"Not enough. More."

He continued to stare at the mirror.

ten seconds.

[Fourth Identity Swap]

He felt something in his head snap off.

Does he remember who he is?

He opened his mouth, wanting to say his name, but his mind went blank.

Who is he?

Why is he here?

He looked down at his hands; in his right hand, he held a dagger.

His face was reflected on the blade of the dagger.

He saw his own eyes, eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment, like a lost person standing at a crossroads, not knowing which way to go.

Then he heard a voice. It didn't come from the mirror, but from the depths of his memory.

A woman's voice, tinged with anxiety and worry.

"Jiang Chen!"

That voice was like a thread, stringing together those scattered fragments of memory.

Jiang Chen.

He remembered.

His name is Jiang Chen, a game tester.

He stepped through the Gate of Choice, rejected the successor's offer, and entered the Tower of Trials.

He arrived at the Mirror Hospital, saw himself in the mirror, and then they began to switch places.

He looked up at himself in the mirror.

My name is Jiang Chen.

He reflected in the mirror with a complex expression, but remained silent.

[System notification: Fourth identity swap complete]

[Detected: Player has successfully resisted the erosion of the rules]

Current cognitive state: Stable

[Hidden condition triggered: Rule resistance successful]

[Reward: Rule Fragment - Cognitive Consolidation x1]

[Effect: Identity Swap Rules in the Immunoscope]

[Hint: You can now look directly into any mirror without triggering a swap]