Conan Rick's Investigator

There were a few people sitting sparsely in the 50-square-meter dining area, enjoying the free buffet breakfast provided by the hotel.

Qin Zhibo walked over to the table and saw that there were only a few cold waffles, barely warm roasted chicken legs and honey-glazed chicken wings left.

Although it was not to his taste, Qin Zhibo still chewed some to fill his stomach.

Carl Sanford gave Qin Zhibo two days of rest, and he could use this time to deal with his own affairs, such as visiting old man Danvers in Arkham Asylum first.

Before leaving for Japan, Qin Zhibo had already received news that Danvers was still alive, and now it was just the right time for him to go there to get some materials for the puzzle chapter of "At the Mountains of Madness".

……

The taxi slowly stopped at Arkham Asylum. Qin Zhibo handed the fare and tip to the driver. After getting off the car, the driver immediately turned around and sped away.

Qin Zhibo glanced at the bus stop not far away and sighed inwardly: It seems I have to take the bus back...

Arkham Asylum is located at the easternmost part of Arkham, and is surrounded by high barbed wire like a prison.

At the top of the wire fence is a spiral of wire and a "High Voltage Danger" identifier.

I don’t know whether this is a reminder to the mentally ill inside or the normal people outside.

Chapter 507: The smallest one is number three?

After registering with the guard, Qin Zhibo entered the asylum.

Apart from the frighteningly dense barbed wire outside, the interior of Arkham Asylum is relatively normal.

Green shade, lawn, vines, the brown main body of the hospital building...

Qin Zhibo came to the front desk and while doing the second registration, he expressed his request to visit to the white-clad... black man at the front desk.

"I want to visit patient number 4859, an elderly man named Danforth."

The white work clothes looked particularly dazzling on the black man. Qin Zhibo, who felt a little glaring, glanced at the two suspected patients sitting in the hall without leaving a trace.

The black man raised his eyelids and glanced at Qin Zhibo. He felt that he was a complete stranger and immediately smelled a business opportunity.

"Here..." The black man pointed his dark finger at the register, "Something seems a little off about this place..."

Qin Zhibo was stunned for a moment, looked at the number 50 pointed by the dark finger, and immediately understood what he meant.

This is really a simple folk custom...

Although Qin Zhibo didn't want to cause trouble, he could test whether the church he had just "joined" was really "successful".

"I'm Mr. Carl Sanford's man. We met last night..."

When he heard the name "Mr. Carl", an expression of fear immediately appeared on his dark face, and he quickly took back the registration book.

"Are there any questions now?"

"No, no more... Danforth's ward is in Area B, Room 10."

The black staff member shook his head like a rattle. It seemed that Carl Sanford was indeed a successful local in Arkham.

Since Qin Zhibo was here for the first time and didn't know where Area B was, the black man was forced to enthusiastically call out to someone behind him to serve as Qin Zhibo's guide.

Three minutes later, a female doctor in a white coat came to the front desk to receive us.

The female doctor looked no more than 30 years old, with light blonde curly hair and gold-rimmed round glasses. Her blue eyes exuded intellectual charm.

"Hello, Dr. Caroline, my name is Michael Bay."

Ever since his contact with Carl Sanford last night, Qin Zhibo has been wearing Michael Bay's human skin mask to avoid being seen by Carl's men.

Caroline Fane was not surprised that her name was seen because her name and position were written on her name badge.

"Hello, Mr. Michael."

The two shook hands, and Qin Zhibo did not find anything unusual in Caroline's message.

"The Danforth you're looking for is over here. Please follow me."

……

The two walked through the long hospital corridor, the faint smell of disinfectant filled the air.

"I started taking over Mr. Danvers's treatment two years ago, and his condition was originally quite optimistic."

"But since the death of his last nephew in this world, no one has been able to come and visit him, and the old man has gradually developed autism."

"Fortunately, another patient in Area B would often come to chat with him, so he wouldn't be too lonely."

"But that patient was discharged last week and now he's back in that state again. If you're trying to communicate with him, it might not be easy."

"Family and friends are one of the best medicines to help the spirit recover, so your relationship with Mr. Danvers is..."

Qin Zhibo thought for a moment and replied, "We're friends after not seeing each other for many years..."

After hearing Qin Zhibo's answer, Caroline looked at Qin Zhibo with some suspicion.

Danforth is 90 years old this year. His medical records show that he was admitted to a mental hospital in 1931 and has never been discharged in the past 65 years. How could he make a friend who is in his 30s?

Unless this person was also a mentally ill person here?

Thinking this, Caroline shoved her hands into the pockets of her white coat, grabbing the walkie-talkie just in case.

Qin Zhibo had no idea what kind of ambiguity his words caused in Caroline's mind. He was walking in the corridor when another male doctor came towards him.

The male doctor was a little thin, almost as tall as Caroline, but his facial features were very delicate and he wore a pair of glasses under his light yellow hair.

The information floating above his head was Herbert West, 37 years old, doctor...

Originally, Qin Zhibo didn't care about this person, but after seeing Qin Zhibo, he suddenly stopped.

"Caroline, this person is..."

"Dr. Herbert..." Caroline looked a little panicked and quickly introduced: "This is Mr. Michael. He is here to visit Danvers in Area B..."

"Oh..." Herbert nodded in understanding. "So it's Area B. Before Caroline came, I was also in charge of patients in Area B for a period of time."

"But his frontal lobotomy isn't as easy as it is for patients in Area A..."

Qin Zhibo: "..."

Caroline: "..."

Dr. Herbert, unaware that he had just told a hell of a joke, grinned with delight.

"Haha, it's just a joke, don't take it seriously..."

As he spoke, Herbert extended his hand and shook hands with Qin Zhibo, saying warmly, "On my own behalf, I welcome you, Mr. Michael."

"Thanks……"

The two men's palms touched each other, and Qin Zhibo began his investigation.

-

Name: Herbert West

Sex: Male

Age: 64

Occupation: Doctor

Social Credit: 4900

……

Before Qin Zhibo finished investigating the following information, Herbert loosened his grip.

"I have other things to do, you guys continue..."

Herbert walked away gracefully, the hem of his white coat swaying in the wind, but Qin Zhibo stood there looking at his back, feeling a little unbelievable.

The visual survey age was 37, but the contact survey age was 64…

Among the people Qin Zhibo had met before, the only ones who could do this were those who could shrink and those who could change their appearance.

The name before and after the investigation was the same, which meant he probably hadn't disguised himself. But if that was the case...

Shrinker number three?

"Mr. Michael?"

Looking at Qin Zhibo staring blankly at the corridor, Caroline, who was standing beside him, asked tentatively, with the walkie-talkie in her hand ready to respond to any medical situation at any time.

Qin Zhibo retracted his gaze and asked, "Who is Dr. Herbert..."

Caroline breathed a sigh of relief, her grip on the intercom loosening slightly. "He's the best psychiatrist in our hospital, and his lobotomy skills are probably the best in the country."

"But please rest assured, in Arkham Asylum, only patients in Ward A are allowed to undergo this operation..."

Caroline thought Qin Zhibo was frightened by Herbert's hellish joke, and comforted him with a smile.

"Oh……"

Qin Zhibo nodded thoughtfully and continued to move forward with Dr. Caroline.

……

At the corner of the corridor, Herbert West showed half of his face and glanced at Qin Zhibo and Caroline who were walking away, with an indescribable light emanating from his round lenses.

Then, he raised the hand that he had just shaken with Qin Zhibo and began to suck it madly.

Chapter 508 Death is coming

According to Dr. Caroline's introduction, Qin Zhibo knew that Arkham Asylum had four wards: A, B, C, and D, and the patients in different wards had different degrees of illness.

Area D generally accepts common mental patients, those suffering from depression, dementia, paranoia, etc. The people in this ward have no violent tendencies and generally lack self-awareness. They are the kind that are harmless to humans and animals.

Area C is for schizophrenia and personality disorders. People with this type of disorder may have self-care abilities that are almost normal, but they have strange personalities and abnormal behaviors, and may be dangerous.

Area B mainly accommodates PTSD patients. There are many reasons for PTSD. These people often have strong self-awareness and self-care abilities, but they are also dangerous.

The patients in Area A are the seriously mentally ill patients from Areas B, C and D, and they are given special treatment personally by Dr. Herbert West.

"Dr. Herbert's treatment results are often excellent, but his and my philosophy is not quite the same."

"I hope to bring peace of mind to crazy people, not the death of their souls..."

When they arrived at Ward 10 in Area B, the room was not locked. Caroline reached out and pushed the door open.

"Mr. Danvers, someone has come to visit you."

Caroline knocked on the door, but the figure in the wheelchair remained motionless like a sculpture, looking up at the sky outside the window.

Caroline shrugged at Qin Zhibo, gave him a look that said "I'll leave this to you", and left the ward. In fact, she was going to the archives to look through Qin Zhibo's medical records.

Although Danvers is mentally ill, he is 90 years old after all, so Caroline is not worried that he will go crazy.

On the other hand, if Qin Zhibo goes crazy, he can be directly admitted to the hospital for treatment...

After Caroline closed the door and left, Qin Zhibo tentatively walked forward and introduced himself.

"Hello, my name is Michael Bay."

"You may not know me, but I know you, Mr. Danvers..."

Qin Zhibo walked to the side of Danforth and found that he was still staring out the window blankly, with no trace of what could be called a soul in his cloudy eyes.

Qin Zhibo stretched out his hand and waved it in front of Danforth's eyes, but his eyelids didn't even twitch.

Is this...depression so severe?

Caroline just explained that it was because a patient close to him was discharged from the hospital last week that caused his depression. If he had known, he would have come last week...

Time cannot be turned back, so Qin Zhibo could only bring a chair and sit down next to Danforth, whispering softly, "I'll mention some names now. If you recognize any, please blink..."

"Yasuhiro Mamiya."

Yasuhiro Mamiya is the patriarch of the Mamiya family in the Blue Castle, and was also a member of the Antarctic expedition team.

However, Danforth remained indifferent to the name.

So Qin Zhibo tried other names. After all, Old Master Gong probably didn't use a Japanese name when he studied in the United States.

"Mr. Mamiya?"