The Only Player in 'Child of Stardust'-Chapter 79 - 67 Rules-Based Horror
Chapter 79: Chapter 67: Rules-Based Horror?
Chapter 79 -67: Rules-Based Horror?
Mr Dong stroked his long white beard and slowly said,
“First, those wearing white coats are medical staff, those in blue and white striped patient gowns are patients, and those in security uniforms are security guards. If you see anyone wearing other clothes in the building, immediately call out loudly for help or go to the nurse’s station for assistance.
Second, take your medicine on time every day and keep your room tidy.
Third, when medical staff conduct room checks at night, you must be lying in bed. Also, note that the medical staff have fingerprints for each room, so they won’t knock. If you hear someone knocking, do not open the door.
Fourth, there are many mezzanines in the building that the elevators cannot reach. If you find yourself in those places, don’t panic, it’s normal.
Fifth, if you hear strange noises from the ceiling and hear someone counting down, run immediately.”
Zhou Yuan: “???”
Why did these strange tales of rules come out?
He scratched the back of his head, “Mr Dong, why are you here? What illness do you have?”
“I have no illness. I’m here to enjoy myself, don’t treat me as a lunatic.” Mr Dong snorted coldly.
Generally, lunatics always say they have no problems. You’ve been in the mental hospital for ten years, you’re probably quite sick… Zhou Yuan suspected Mr Dong was having an episode. “Then why are you here to enjoy yourself in a mental hospital? Isn’t a retirement home better?”
“What do you know, what’s the point of a retirement home? It has to be a mental hospital. Everyone here is talented, and they speak nicely. I really like it.”
“…”
Zhou Yuan tentatively asked, “Are you really a ten-time champion? Not a void ten-time champion?”
Mr Dong immediately blew his beard and glared, “You can question everything about me, but not my strength and honor! If you don’t believe me, check Baidu right now!”
“Then I’ll check…” Zhou Yuan took out his phone and searched Baidu. Sure enough, he found Mr Dong’s encyclopedia entry.
“You’re really a ten-time champion. I was impolite.”
“Hmph.”
“Hmm… It also says you were driven mad and disoriented after being defeated by Alpha Dog, spouting nonsense all day, and eventually sent to a mental hospital by your family…”
“Nonsense!”
“But that’s what the encyclopedia says.”
Seeing he couldn’t keep arguing, Mr Dong sighed helplessly, “I did go crazy for a while, but I’m pretty much recovered now.”
“Then why don’t you leave?”
“To escape reality.” Mr Dong’s expression darkened, “The Go world is now dominated by AI. I can’t even beat the younger generation. The former ten-time champion has fallen to this point; who wouldn’t laugh?”
“Is that all?” Zhou Yuan thought it was a big deal. “Mr Dong, losing to AI is not a disgrace. There was an eight-time champion back then who couldn’t win against AI either, but he still continued to eat and drink as usual.”
“It’s different.”
Mr Dong shook his head, his eyes filled with regret, “I am a genetically modified human, with a brain computational capability five times that of an extraordinary genius. You could say I am more exceptional than an extraordinary genius. I had never experienced defeat until that match, where I suffered an unprecedented, devastating blow.
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Do you know how much that affected me?”
“Uh… it seems pretty significant.”
Zhou Yuan stopped probing into his scars and quickly changed the subject, “Then Mr Dong, what’s with these rules? They seem so strange, where did you hear them?”
“I forgot. Anyway, remember to follow them. Over the past ten years, I’ve seen many people who didn’t follow the rules, and then they all disappeared. I couldn’t find them anywhere. I asked the caregivers and doctors and they all said those people never existed.
Later, I secretly checked the hospital’s inpatient system, and all their records were wiped clean. But I remembered their family members’ phone numbers. The creepy thing is, their families didn’t remember having these relatives.”
“That spooky?”
Zhou Yuan frowned. If this were true, it would definitely be a Level 4 anomaly because it involved reality distortion!
However, he couldn’t jump to conclusions based on Mr Dong’s words alone. This was a mental hospital, and everyone here was mentally ill. Who knew if it was just Mr Dong’s imagination.
“Alright, I’ve memorized the rules. These five must be followed, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any other interesting insider information?”
“Yes.” Mr Dong smiled mysteriously, “I’ve been here the longest, I know things beyond your imagination. But, to know these things, you need to pay a price.”
“Money?”
“I have plenty of money, I want chocolate.” Mr Dong said, “Everyone gets one piece of chocolate every day, and it’s never enough for me. If you want gossip, bring me chocolate this time tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
The outdoor time was almost over, so Zhou Yuan quickly found Chen Guangxi and recounted the events.
“Strange rule tales? Patients disappearing?”
Chen Guangxi was also taken aback. Could this place be a Level 4 abnormal area involving reality distortion?
“Remember, never overlook anything unusual in an abnormal event. Although Mr Dong is a mental patient, his words might not be entirely false. After all, this place does seem odd.”
Chen Guangxi pondered for a moment, “Tonight I will deliberately mess up the room to see what happens if I break the rules. If nothing happens, I’ll try breaking other rules until I can confirm the truth.”
Zhou Yuan nodded, “Let’s stay in touch.”
“Hmm.”
After outdoor time, it was dinner time. After dinner, the caregivers organized a movie for everyone. Only after the movie did the patients return to their rooms to wash up and rest.
At 9:30, the soft click of the fingerprint lock sounded, and a young nurse pushed the door open, “Li Hongzhong, it’s time to take your medicine.”
“Oh.”
Zhou Yuan took the few pills the nurse handed him and swallowed them with water.
“Open your mouth, let me check.” The nurse inspected and, seeing no problem, left.
In fact, Zhou Yuan hadn’t really taken the medicine. He had tucked the pills into his backpack the moment they entered his mouth.
This hospital was strange; it was better not to take the medicine casually.
At 10:00, the lights in the ward went out right on time. Zhou Yuan lay on the bed, practicing the “Clear Heart Skill,” waiting for Chen Guangxi to come find him.
A little after 11:00, suddenly, a faint knock sounded, with a woman’s voice whispering outside,
“Open the door… I’m here…”
Zhou Yuan sat up, but his movement froze when he looked at the door.
[The person outside is not Chen Guangxi. Don’t open the door! Don’t open the door! Don’t open the door! Important things need to be said thrice.]
“!”
Zhou Yuan was startled, instantly recalling the third rule Mr. Dong mentioned, [If you hear someone knocking, do not open the door].
He quickly took out his phone and messaged Chen Guangxi,
“Did you come to find me?”
“No, I’ll come over after the room check at midnight.”
Zhou Yuan gasped in shock, What the hell…
Could the rules be real?
Chen Guangxi, realizing the situation, asked, “Is someone knocking on your door?”
Zhou Yuan: “Yes, it’s a woman. Her voice sounds a bit like yours.”
Chen Guangxi: “Damn it…”
Knock, knock, knock.
Just then, the knocking resumed.
“Open the door quickly… Isn’t this what we agreed on?”
The woman outside seemed a bit impatient.
With all this noise, it should have caught the attention of the night nurse. Why was no one coming?
Zhou Yuan thought quickly, then lay back down and pretended to sleep!
Knock, knock, knock… Knock, knock, knock…
The knocking grew more urgent, like a storm. Strangely, despite the loud noise, no patient came out to check, nor did it attract the on-duty caregivers. It was as if the room was isolated from the world.
After what seemed like forever, the irritating knocking suddenly stopped. Everything became so quiet, a pin drop could be heard.
Just as Zhou Yuan breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking the thing outside had left—bang!
A loud crash reverberated, a massive force hitting the door. Zhou Yuan felt the entire room shake.
Fortunately, the door was sturdy and didn’t break. The thing outside screamed angrily, producing an eerie, inhuman screech.
“Get lost!” a voice commanded. The on-duty caregiver had finally noticed the anomaly and drove away the thing outside.
Seconds later, the faint sound of the fingerprint lock unlocking occurred, and the room lights turned on as a few male caregivers walked in.
“A patient just escaped from another room. Luckily, you didn’t open the door… were you scared?”
“Scared to death.” Zhou Yuan feigned a lingering fear.
“Our apologies.”
The caregivers bowed in apology and then advised, “If this happens again, remember not to open the door.”
“Why?”
“Unless you want to be attacked by a lunatic.”
“Got it, I understand.” Zhou Yuan nodded thoughtfully.
“Well, then, good night.” The caregivers turned off the lights and left the room.
Just then, the phone in his blanket vibrated.
Chen Guangxi: “Just to confirm, you… didn’t come to find me, right?”
