Rhodes Island does not exist.

There is indeed one other person who can bake honey cakes with this kind of aroma.

Chapter 278, Chapter 276: Drawing a cake to satisfy hunger

The door was gently pushed open by the doctor.

He saw a narrow corridor.

At the end of the corridor is another door with a slightly different appearance, directly opposite this door.

It seems that the layout of this floor is significantly different from the other floors.

What's on the other side of the door?

As the aroma of honey cakes filled the air, the doctor spotted a faint, last remaining trace of red fruit floating in the air.

Those were traces left by Warfarin, traces that had not yet been covered up.

In this strong, sweet fragrance, her bloody scent had almost completely disappeared.

However, this faint trace ultimately failed to last until the end, ending before the door at the end of the corridor, like a clue that abruptly came to a halt.

Although this clue is enough to get this far.

"If we step through this door, will we be able to see Rhodes Island's past?"

Immersed in the aroma of honey cakes, the doctor seemed to glimpse a revolving lantern of his past life.

He saw Warfarin sitting at a table in the cafeteria, holding a classic strawberry crepe in her hand, with cream smeared on the corner of her mouth.

Because Warfarin's skin is so fair, few people can tell that she has cream on her skin. So, whenever this happens, the Doctor will kindly point it out to her and let her wipe it off herself.

Of course, sometimes Warfarin would let out a strange laugh and then have the Doctor wipe it off for her. But whenever this happened, Kal'tsit or W would appear at the right time and wipe it off for her instead of the Doctor.

Even now, the doctor doesn't know why they suddenly appeared; he just finds it strange and funny.

But now it seems that even such a simple daily routine has become a luxury.

Or rather... a simple daily life is a luxury.

At least that's the case on Terra.

Don't those infected also long for a simple daily life? Don't those homeless refugees also long for a simple daily life?

Therefore, this is probably the original intention behind the establishment of Rhodes Island.

Let's simply return the simple everyday life to those simple people, that's all.

"Well, there's no point in thinking about it anymore, so I'd better not dwell on it."

Carrying his pickaxe, the Doctor walked to the end of the corridor and stopped at the end of the warfarin trail.

A sweet, cloying fragrance wafted from under the door, and its intensity was a level above what they had smelled at the bottom of the stairs.

The smell in the corridor probably seeped out from under this door.

It's hard to imagine what the scene inside the door looks like.

"Then let's get started."

Clearing his mind of all memories, the doctor gently placed his hand on the door, then channeled his strength and slowly pushed it open.

As the two doors opened, what wafted out from the cracks was not only a fragrance, but also a faint light.

However, this light was extremely faint, comparable only to the flickering flame of a firefly.

"Om-"

A faint scraping sound rose from the base of the door and traveled to the doctor's palm.

This shows that despite their enormous size, the two large doors are still meticulously maintained. Most importantly, it proves that the doors were recently opened.

Then, everything inside the door gradually came into view of the doctor.

It was a picture scroll, as if it were a world, unfolding fully under the push of both hands.

"Where...where am I...?"

The scene unfolding before us was a vast hall filled with dining tables. Although its area was far less expansive than that of the eighth floor, it was still quite grand. On each table in this hall, a variety of carefully baked desserts were displayed.

No, not various desserts.

Those are just honey cakes shaped into different forms; in essence, everything on the table is a honey cake.

"No, you can't eat it."

However, even when faced with such temptation, the doctor shook his head and forcefully suppressed his appetite, which was churning because of the smell.

To be honest, the aroma was indeed very tempting. The doctor even believed that as long as it emitted such a fragrance, even if the food itself was made of leather shoes, it couldn't possibly taste bad.

However, in such places, the more tempting something is, the more you must stay away from it.

Just like Jerry in one of the episodes of "Tom and Jerry" who accidentally ate a nut that tasted like cheese.

Because his stomach was filled with steel, he was eventually pulled out of the hole by a black cat named Butch using a magnet.

However, using a scheme to escape the predicament is another story.

After all, in that animation, it's hard to find a cat that doesn't act stupid when it has an overwhelming advantage.

Let's get back on track.

Why is nobody here?

Looking around, the doctor realized that he seemed to be the only person in the restaurant on the thirteenth floor.

Since Warfarin's scent had long been masked by the strong aroma of honey cakes, he couldn't even continue his search for her.

However, the doctor noticed that there were many doors around the restaurant that were similar to those on the fourth and tenth floors—meaning that there might be some secrets hidden on this floor, and the beings who cooked these foods should be behind these doors.

"Let's leave the food aside for now."

Not trusting any well-intentioned but dubious offer of help in unfamiliar places is a virtue possessed by a PhD.

Therefore, he could easily refuse these sumptuous meals.

Although those honey cakes were indeed too tempting for him at the moment.

After all, they are no longer just simple food; their existence is also a manifestation of nostalgia.

Therefore, for a PhD student, it actually takes a lot of determination to easily refuse these foods.

Yes, a great deal of... determination.

The doctor made a swallowing motion.

"Eating just one... probably won't be a problem, right?"

He lowered his voice slightly and spoke to himself.

And who can stop him?

Its emerald green eyes swept over the amber-colored cakes on the table. Honey even seeped from the surface of the cakes.

To be able to tolerate it under such circumstances would undoubtedly be an insult to the food.

"The analysis results show there is no danger," the doctor desperately tried to convince himself. "Besides, it's just honey cake; just a small piece is enough."

His left hand, which held the pickaxe, had fallen to his sides, while his right hand was slowly reaching towards the plate containing the honey cakes.

Trust him, he didn't do it on purpose, nor did he succumb to temptation.

"That's it, just a small piece!"

His fingers moved slowly toward the honey cake, until they were less than a few centimeters away from the surface of the cake.

"Forget it, never mind."

The right hand, struggling to move, finally gave up resisting and reached directly for the honey cake.

However, regrettable things always happen.

—Because the doctor's fingers did not touch anything.

But if that's the case, wouldn't it be unhygienic to grab food right after touching rotten flesh?

-

Thank you segment.

Thank you to Seven Nights Ink Dye (Bai Zuo), anchoy, general member, Cthulhu network administrator, Gutongjing, sama, Poison Sister is really good-looking, Eternal Echo, Tiannuo, miscellaneous, Kevin, Kaslana, Rabbit Lover, Otakuzuka-chan for the blades, monthly tickets, and spicy strips, thank you.

Chapter 279, 277. Hibiscus After the Rain

The honey cakes that were on the table have disappeared.

As the doctor reached out his hand towards the honey cake, the once mouthwatering crust suddenly turned into dust and vanished silently in the wind.

"This is... fake?"

No wonder the doctor didn't see the danger.

Not only because the danger does not exist, but also because the foundation capable of supporting the danger does not exist.

To put it bluntly, there was nothing in that plate from beginning to end; it was all an illusion.

"Huh? I thought Xiao Ai's trap would lure some kind of weirdo, but it looks like...a human?"

As the honey cake disappeared, a voice suddenly rang out.

Following the sound, the doctor saw a being that was neither a monster nor a human.

It was the silhouette of a woman, appearing grayish-black in the dim light of the room, flickering like a phantom.

"Ah, please don't mind my appearance. This is the best I can do... although it still feels a bit unstable, like it might dissipate at any moment... Ahahaha." The woman laughed shyly twice.

The doctor recognized the voice.

Although the doctor couldn't clearly make out the other person's appearance from the blurry silhouette, he did recognize the voice.

Hibiscus.

Her name, the name of the person who spoke that voice, was Furong.

She belongs to the Rhodes Island Medical Department and was formerly a member of the Rhodes Island Kitchen Team, specializing in providing health meals for the Doctor and some operators with unhealthy lifestyles.

As for the reviews of that health package, they can only be described as mixed.

But at least the doctor likes it.

After all, his sense of taste is different from that of ordinary people. Someone who can directly absorb Originium must have his own understanding of food.

"Ugh."

Recalling the nutritional meals he remembered, and gazing at the old friend before him, the doctor couldn't help but sigh softly in his heart.

Indeed, he could recognize the woman in front of him as Furong.

But what good would it do him to recognize the other person's identity?

Look at Warfarin's appearance. If all sentient beings on Rhodes Island were like her, even if the Doctor knew her, it probably wouldn't make any difference.

"Are you a resident here?" So the doctor could only look at the hibiscus's phantom image and ask the question as if he were talking to a stranger.

“Me? Yes, although I don’t know if the word ‘resident’ is appropriate, I do belong here.” Hibiscus nodded.

"So, besides you, are there any other people living here?" the doctor then asked.

Although he had no idea what kind of creature the hibiscus in front of him actually was.

Or perhaps it's not a living being at all.

After all, her ethereal form, which seemed like it could disappear at any moment, always felt very unreal.

But... Rhodes Island is an extremely unreal place, so thinking about it this way doesn't seem to matter much.

"Well, I'm sorry, I probably can't answer your question." Hibiscus's voice was apologetic. "Although you are the first stranger I've met here who has the ability to have a normal conversation, I don't trust you enough to chat with you freely."

“That makes sense.” The doctor nodded. “However, I’m not here to get the answer to that question, because I’m here to find someone.”

"Looking for someone...? That's really strange." Furong said thoughtfully.

"You're unwilling to provide me with information, fine." The Doctor looked at her. "Then, as a gesture of sincerity, I'll share my own thoughts with you. Wouldn't that be considered a kind of greeting gift?"

What are you talking about?

“My background and the purpose of my visit,” the doctor said sincerely. “As a visitor, I believe it is my duty to be courteous.”

"Ha..." Hibiscus's personality is obviously not much different from her former self, except that her intelligence may have been slightly reduced, making her look silly.