Rhodes Island does not exist.

Therefore, it can only be said that those made of mud are just the most basic and lowest-level monsters, just like the low-level slimes commonly found in the world of swords and magic.

But now, the doctor is standing on a breeding ground that can form the bizarre.

The deep black pool spread out in front of him was the raw material from which those strange creatures were born.

In other words, it is the mud itself.

"I was wondering what those glass bottles could be used for, and now they've come in handy." The doctor chuckled wryly, took out the glass bottles he had just put in his outer pocket, and carefully tilted the bottle opening to slide the mud from the black pool into the bottle.

If you rely solely on yourself, you'll only waste time when faced with insurmountable difficulties.

However, by relying on others appropriately, one might be able to accomplish things that are impossible to do alone, while also strengthening real-world friendships.

"Although I know it's not friendship, and our relationship is quite ordinary, we've only just met, I think this is a problem that I should let her solve."

The doctor looked in the direction of the fourth-floor room and shook his head.

Chapter 260, Part 258: Long Time No See

After filling two glass bottles with the sludge from the black pool, the doctor stood up, stretched towards the ceiling, and then walked towards the door.

The mud behind them remained completely undisturbed throughout.

To be honest, when the doctor held the glass bottle out to the surface of the mud, he even imagined himself being pulled up by a hand that suddenly emerged from the deep pool.

After all, it would be a shame if such a nurturing environment didn't produce any strange creatures.

However, if I had to say something, the doctor himself wouldn't really want such a scenario to happen.

Regardless of whether those strange creatures actually exist, this type of biological enemy would certainly be quite troublesome.

But what if it's not some strange creature that appears, but rather the owner of this room, or a monster like a ghost shark?

"Forget it, let's not talk about this for now."

The doctor took two bottles of mud, stuffed them into his pocket, left the door of room 1003, and headed to room 1002.

-

Quiet.

Regarding room 1002, the doctor standing outside the door did not choose to go in immediately, but decided to knock on the door first, and only enter if there was no response.

After all, the layout of the tenth floor is very similar to that of the fourth floor. If there are still strange things in the room, then it will be another enemy for the doctor.

But if there are oddities like the Patriots, it means there's one more ally.

As a PhD, he was confident that he could turn everyone he had ever met into his allies here.

After all, he has a doctorate.

It was the premier entity in the predecessor of Rhodes Island.

"Dong dong dong."

The three knocks echoed through the door and reached the other side.

No one answered.

So the doctor raised his hand again and tapped gently.

"Dong dong dong."

Three more sounds.

Still no one answered.

"Okay, it seems there really is no one inside." After confirming repeatedly, the doctor finally placed his hand on the doorknob.

But as soon as his hand touched the doorknob, he felt a strange coldness and slipperiness.

"what?"

This caused his right hand to jump away as if he had been electrocuted.

After his right hand jumped away, the doctor's eyes immediately focused on the doorknob.

"Is this...blood?"

A layer of dark red paint covered the doorknob, giving off a gentle scent.

The doctor stared at the paint-like color, momentarily at a loss.

Because those low-level monsters, which are like aggregates of mud, do not bleed; covered in mud, they will only turn into ashes after death and dissipate into the distance.

Therefore, if this blood-like substance is indeed blood, it means that someone has visited this place and has an unusual identity.

For example, like the Patriots.

Or rather, it's even closer to that direction than Patriots.

But if such a person really exists, it means that he arrived even earlier than the doctor, and something might have even happened between them.

Moreover, the most crucial issue has not yet been mentioned by the doctor.

That is—where did the blood on the doorknob come from?

“In Rhodes Island, which is full of ordinary oddities, I think it must be quite remarkable to be able to defeat a high-level oddity.” The Doctor shifted his gaze to the crack in the door to prepare for what was to come. “But what exactly happened in this room is still intriguing.”

Wiping the bloodstains from his hands with the hem of his clothes, the doctor pressed the handle and pushed open the door to room 1002.

-

The smell was pungent and strong.

Clearly, it wasn't just the smell of blood.

The door swung open with the doctor's pickaxe, revealing the entire interior.

He stood there at the doorway, not daring to step inside rashly. But even so, he could still get a glimpse of what the room looked like.

"This is truly... an eye-opener. I never expected to see such an outstanding creation in such a chaotic place."

The doctor let out an intuitive exclamation.

He saw a bright white light bulb hanging in the center of the box-like room, surrounded by biological organs sealed in glass containers.

And it's probably not just a simple glass container.

Perhaps a life support system would be a more accurate description.

Wait a minute, haven't I heard those words somewhere before?

It must be an illusion.

In short, whether it's a glass tank or a life support system, what's most important to the doctor right now is undoubtedly the purpose of this room.

So the doctor lowered his pickaxe to the side and slowly stepped into the room.

For safety reasons, the door was not closed.

Under normal circumstances, closing the door behind you is a virtue, but in this kind of place, it's probably the other way around.

After all, if something happens in the room, you always need to have an escape route.

"The owner of this room looks like a collector."

The doctor stepped into the room and began to look around, commenting on everything he saw.

The interior of the room was no different from what I had seen at the door, except for a light bulb hanging upside down in the center and various aquariums that filled the four walls.

No, that's not right.

As the doctor's gaze swept over one of the biological tanks, he suddenly noticed a human-shaped object lying in the corner of the room through the reflection in the tank.

Was it a living being? Or a monster?

No, it doesn't resemble either.

From the doctor's perspective, it was completely human.

He is a human who shares the same characteristics as Ghost Shark and him.

But... thank goodness, are you kidding me? There's actually a second person on Rhodes Island?

But the facts are right in front of the PhD student.

In the southeast corner of the room, there was indeed a petite, white-haired woman resting against the wall.

Her eyes were slightly closed, her long eyelashes reflecting a bright luster under the fluorescent light, and her skin was as pale as paper, as if she had contracted some serious illness.

If a doctor from the past, who was a traveling physician, were to examine this, he would certainly first suspect that the woman was dead.

But on Rhodes Island, he would only be overjoyed to encounter another living person.

Not to mention that this was a woman he used to know.

"Huh...hiss..."

A steady breath escaped from her pale lips. Undoubtedly, she was fast asleep, which was probably why she hadn't heard the doctor's six knocks.

"In that case, let's not disturb her. Let's talk to her after she wakes up," the doctor thought to himself, then looked at her face and spoke silently.

"Long time no see, Warfarin."

-

Thank you segment.

Thanks to Tiannuo Zasuiomo for the Ice Lion Average Law, and here is Infected Xiling Admiral for the spicy snacks and monthly tickets, thank you.

Chapter 261, Number Two Hundred and Fifty-Nine: Names That Have Already Died

Let's turn back to the present.

In a state of shock and confusion, the Doctor abruptly awoke from beside the throne of the locked circuit. He stared straight ahead, but was not looking at anything.

"Oh, he's awake!" The locked circuit on the throne clapped its hands.

“You didn’t look well just now. I was worried that something might have happened to you, but I didn’t dare to call you.” Skadi sat next to the Doctor, her eyes revealing a faint emotion that was almost never seen before.

The cool touch from the back of his hand instantly brought some clarity to the doctor's mind.

Those were Skadi's two hands, which were wrapped around his right hand.

The lavender vines also sent waves of pain, itching, and tingling sensations through the plant, a silent protest against the woman's actions.

"Skadi?" Following the source of the cool touch, the Doctor, who had removed his hood, fixed his gaze on Skadi's eyes.

His eyes shone with light, like the flowing waves of the sea.

The doctor felt he had never seen such beautiful eyes.

But in reality, he simply never really looked into Skadi's eyes.

All the beauty in her eyes was hidden beneath the red light that the deep-sea hunter was born with.

"Ah, I'm sorry."

Realizing she was holding the Doctor's hand, Skadi immediately released it and resumed her usual tone, "I was just a little nervous. If this abrupt action offended you, then I apologize."

"Apologize? You don't need to apologize." The doctor shook his head with a slight smile. "I just didn't expect you to behave like this... It's quite cute."

"Ah, is that so?" Skadi, now back to her usual self, didn't reply to the Doctor with a positive tone, but simply nodded.

The doctor had anticipated this.

However, he had no better explanation for Skadi's change in expression just now.

"So, what did you see? When you were unconscious just now, it looked like you were going through something terrible."

Skadi steered the conversation to the most pressing issue that needed to be discussed.

"Terrible... not quite." The doctor shook his head, trying to clear his head. "But if we're talking about the amount of information, then it could indeed be considered quite terrifying."

"Information...? Tell me about it." Skadi stared at the Doctor.

The Locked Circuit, now seated back on its throne, straightened its posture and listened attentively to the Doctor's speech.

“Alright, then I’ll start by saying something.” The Doctor nodded and looked at Skadi, saying, “The most important thing.”

"Go ahead."

"Do you remember when we first met, we went to a room full of glass tanks?" the doctor began. "Those tanks contained organs and remains of various creatures, and the owner of the room was..."

“…The Collector,” Skadi continued, picking up where the Doctor left off. “Room 1002, the Collector’s room, right?”

“That’s right.” The doctor nodded. “It’s that room. I even died in that room once.”