Thriller Paradise

“Ah...” A billow of black smog rolled out from the director’s torn body. It screamed nastily, “Fine, we’ll all die together then!”

Looks like this boss had one last trick up his sleeves...

“Run!” The other head on Chad’s shoulder shouted at Feng Bujue, that should be the sister Ophelia. Chad himself added, “I’ll stop him, go!”

“Current quest changed. Main quest updated,” The system prompted. Feng Bujue opened the game menu and the main quest had changed to a succinct order, “Escape from the hospital.”

At this point, he had no hesitation. With one darting step, he slid through the hole on the ground. This was the only exit to leave the third floor. He had no other choice, even if jumping down would lead to death... he had to do it. Of course, the system would not design it that way. Therefore, after a fall of 2 metres, he landed safely without a loss to his Life Points.

“Thank you, Chad!” After Brother Jue landed, he shouted above him. Once he lifted his head, he saw something scary... a living cloud of black smoke was dripping down the hole in the ceiling and was slowly approaching him...

“Take care of yourself, Leicester!” Chad and Ophelia’s voices came from above but was soon swallowed by the black smog...

Feng Bujue turned and ran as fast as he could. At this point, he did not need to conserve Stamina Points anymore, he ran as fast as he could to the lobby...

“The elevator is out...” Feng Bujue did not panic, in a few seconds, he determined his location and swiftly came up with an escape route. “So... the singular pathway that lead to the first floor will be...”

...

He ran fast but the black smog was not slow either. And the director’s wailing kept coming from the smog. “You’re not getting away, you bastard!”

After dashing for a minute, he reached the one way corridor on the second floor. “After turning that corner... I’ll reach the first floor.” Feng Bujue reminded himself to push himself further. At that moment, he needed all the good news he could get. Because, he could feel that... Leicester’s physical body was failing.

But... after he turned the corner, a despairing scene awaited him. The corridor was filled with many ghosts and their ghostly bodies were close to corporeal form...

The ghastly faces, the hook like ghostly claws. The moaning from the spirits were loud as they rushed at Feng Bujue. Even if the corridor was not filled with ghosts but just a few normal citizens from Monster Kingdom, Feng Bujue probably would not be able to survive in his state. Moreover... there was a deathly black fog chasing after him. Once he was deterred, he would soon be consumed by the hospital director’s evil spirit.

Seeing the scene before him, Brother Jue could not help but curse internally, [Qie... Am I going to die here... is that is?] The next second, as if lying to himself, [hmm... there has to be a solution... If I am not mistaken, actually Leicester was once a powerful and brilliant quarterback in varsity football and he could easily slam his way through this small crowd of ghosts... And he has the potential that he has yet to unlocked. It is time like this that the SEED of explosion would happen!]

While Brother Jue was imagining these nonsense, the crowd of ghost was already getting close to him...

“Hmm...” brother Jue swallowed a mouthful of saliva. [Yea, I do not think any of that was true!]

Indeed, Leicester was not going to solve this problem on his own but...

“Goblin Spinning Kick!”

“Dash of the Night Demon!”

Suddenly two strange figures burst out through the walls. One of them had a shrill tone and the other talked in a much lower tone. Each of them used them used their unique skill to help knock down the hoard of ghosts that blocked Feng Bujue’s way.

“Now’s your chance, buddy! Run!” The count shouted. “We will help you block the rest!”

“I will still file a complaint against you! You bastard!” Victor shouted loudly. The intervention from these two uninvited guests instantly helped Brother Jue to clear up a path forward.

“Thank you so much!” When Feng Bujue said that, he was running past the two.

The black smog was quickly following after him, roaring like a tsunami. The hospital director’s voice shouted out from inside the fog. “Do not block my way!”

But... the tall and short figures on the corridor did not budge from their position.

Victor smirked. “Fake royalty, who did you copy that skill from?”

The count laughed in return. “You scammer, you call that a spinning kick, I’ll show you a true spinning kick!”

Until the last moment when they were swallowed by the black smog, the two frenemies were still shouting insults and barbs at each other...

...

On the other hand, Brother Jue had successfully ran down the one way corridor. He felt the change in the gravitational pull that signified that he had landed on the first floor.

“Ah!” Once he dropped on the ground, he groaned from pain. It was not that Brother Jue had tripped but something had suddenly bit on his ankle. Brother Jue lowered his head to look and saw a ghost baby that was glowing green and had jaw-like mouth was gnawing on his ankle.

“Hmph...” Seeing that, Brother Jue’s eyes turned icy. “Looks like you were not satisfied with the food I provided earlier!” Without any sympathy, he raised his other leg and putted the baby away like a football. He saw it fly down the distance. However, just as he got rid of one, he turned around and realized... many ghost babies filled up the corridor that was before him.

“Tsk...” More than 10 ghost babies hissed creepily at Feng Bujue at the same time. It sounded like a mix of crying and wailing, it was spine-chilling either way.

“Ha ha ha ha ha.... I told you, you are not going to get away from here!” The black smog that was formed by the hospital director was close on his tail. “I have already told you... as your consciousness shifted so would the environment around this place. Many earth bound spirits are trapped here, they will not allow you to return to the living world!” As he finished, the black smog rushed down from the corridor and splashed towards Feng Bujue’s head.

In that crucial moment, before Feng Bujue was corroded by the black smog...

A white smoke ring blasted from a distance like a cannonball and it shattered the black smog that was falling.

“Phew...” A drift of smoke wafted through the wind. An African American baby with a horn on his head appeared on the other end of the corridor. He used a highly rhythmic tone and cursed in a heavy accent, “You motherfucker!” He raised his small chubby right hand to point at the thing at the ceiling. “Kill him!”

With the order from Martin, the whole corridor of ghost babies changed their target. They slithered on the wall like cockroaches towards the black smog. Seeing the path before hm cleared, Feng Bujue did not stop to think but moved his legs and started to run.

The black smog that was blasted off had reconstituted itself in several seconds. It kept rolling down from above. “You damn old smoker! You are only delaying the inevitable!”

Hearing that, Martin snickered. And then like he was rapping, he dissed the hospital director with such colourful words. Even Brother Jue had learned a few new curse words from the little baby.

“Buddy, thanks for the smoke.” When Feng Bujue passed Martin, the latter stopped to tell him.

“You’re welcome.” Feg Bujue answered and continued on his path.

At that moment, Feng Bujue finally understood it. There was another meaning to the side quest in this scenario... and it was more: The number of side quest he completed would decide the difficulty of his last escape. If he had only completed the two most basic side quests, then the NPC that came to help him would not be that numerous.

“If that is the case... Mr. Harbert should be holing up somewhere waiting for the perfect moment to come up to help me...” Feng Bujue ran towards the lobby and he thought to himself. [Jenny, Frank and that little girl were not part of any mission so they might not show up. And the white wolf chef at the kitchen... has already been killed and cooked. I did not even have the chance to communicate with him. Hmm... From the looks of it, if Oink did not intervene, perhaps I might gain another help at this moment...]

At that moment, many different scenarios were still going through his mind. He was analysing the things that he had missed out and the possibility hat might have happened in the near future... well, one could say this was a symptom of OCD. Of course, there was a chance that... the man was just hung up on the fact that he did not have the chance to use the ‘meal card’ and the ‘little black rabbit milk candy’ that he took pains to obtain.

“Hi, young man.” As he expected, at a spot close to the hospital lobby, Mr. Harbert appeared to greet Brother Jue. The old man was wearing the patient’s garb and stood in the middle of the corridor. His body was still covered in needles but at that moment they were not connected to any transfusion pipes. “You seem to be in some kind of trouble.” After greeting Brother Jue, Harbert asked casually.

Once he heard that, Feng Bujue’s heart squeezed. [No way, he has caught up to me so soon?] He turned around to take a look and indeed the black smog had arrived once more...

“yes... I am in big trouble.” Brother Jue answered as he picked up his pace. He had to slow down earlier during that strip of journey due to two reasons. One he was reaching his physical limit and two was due to the injury on his ankle... The wound caused by the ghost baby was much more serious than he thought.

“That is the hospital director, right?” Mr. Harbert’s pierced eyeballs looked directly at the rolling black smog. “I understand... leave this to me, young man.”

“Thank you so much, sir.” Feng Bujue turned to answer Harbert when he ran past the old guy.

“Harbert, you undying zombie!” The hospital director’s scream echoed out from inside the black smog. “Get out of my way!”

Naturally Mr. Harbert was not going to do that. The old man steadied himself in the corridor and opened his arms. “I have already told you many times... you bastard...” At that point, black liquids poured out from the needles that stuck into his body. “I hate Doctor Pepper the most!”

Bang! A loud crash followed. It sounded like an enormous aluminium can had been opened after being given a violent shake. Feng Bujue who had ran for quite a distance thought Mr Harbert had exploded and he could not help but turn back to look. And he saw... waves of black liquid was pouring out from the needles on Mr Harbert’s body and they rushed at the black smog that was morphed by the hospital director.

In that moment, the two black material collided in the corridor; one was swift and rushing like gale, while the other was slow and all-consuming like the sea... Harbert was as powerful as the hospital director. And by then, Feng Bujue had finally reached the last corner before the lobby.

“It is almost... at the end of my line already...” brother Jue knew in his heart that Leicester had officially entered the state of hypothermia. This was because the ‘socks’ in his pocket could no longer resist the corrosion of the cold. This was the symptom for the collapse of Leicester’s ‘consciousness’. Other than that, the pain from his ankle, the fatigue that travelled through his body from all the running, the pressure that gripped around his heart and lung, they all hinted at the fact that... the ‘player’ had also reached the maximum strain of their status as well.

“Hah hah... hah hah...” At the moment, Brother Jue’s fastest speed was as fast as ‘speed walking’. He held onto the wall and staggered his way through the last corner. The lobby entered his sight and the entrance was just 20 metres away. He could even see... a sheaf of weak sunlight light filtering through the door.

But, inside this 200 metres large hospital lobby... was crowded with ghosts.

In ‘Leicester’s’ eyes, they were already like actual people, they were all real. To put it simply... his way forward was blocked by a large crowd.

“He... ha ha ha ha ha...” Seeing this, Feng Bujue laughed. He took a deep breath and then shouted as loud as he could. “Friends... do you mind parting a way for me?” As he said, he nudged his feet forward. But the ghosts merely stood where they were, staring at him. None of them had the intention of even budging from their spot.

“I am warning you...” Brother Jue refused to give up just like that. Even though he had run out of idea, he still said confidently. “My Anger Points has reached the maximum, do not force me to use my ultimate.” The bluff sounded real but... it was useless.

“Let him go.” Suddenly a little girl’s voice appeared from behind Brother Jue. Feng Bujue was startled to hear that voice and swiftly turn his face around. Then he was greeted by a shade of pure red. The newcomer was undeniably the little girl from Room 125. At that moment, she really did her hair in a double braid and she showed off her scary face with 8 eyes to the world. But in this situation where no one was looking close enough to be called a human, whether she could be called ‘scary’ really needed to be taken back into reconsideration...

The little girl turned her 8 eyes on Feng Bujue and then she said to the group of ghosts. “He... will be able to save all of us.” It was simple sentence and they were said in a very even tone but they seemed to possess some kind of magical power. They earth bound spirits started to mobilize like they were pulled along by some mysterious power. In less than two seconds, the ghosts very orderly moved to the sides. A path that led straight to the front door appeared among the crowd of ghosts.

“Why would you come to help me?” Feng Bujue turned his head around to ask. “You are also one of the earth bound spirits here, even if you do not appear to be as mindless as the rest of them and have your own consciousness, there is no reason why you should have come to my...”

“No, I am not either of those things.” The little girl interrupted Brother Jue, “I am not an earth bound spirit, I never was.” She continued, “This is originally a ‘Spirit-Gathering Land’ and I am its guardian. Until the day, a presence much more powerful than I am arrived at this place and forcibly laid down these curses.” She paused. “Actually... it was not this land that was cursed, but...’me’ who is trapped here.” She raised her hand to point at the direction of the front door. “Hurry and leave this place, traveller from another world, Leicester, whoever you are... Your departure will signal the end of everything. Complete this salvation and all the souls and myself will receive our release.”

“Not on my watch!” A roar followed by a rolling black fog. “You are going to die with me at this place!”

When Feng Bujue saw that black smog, he turned and ran. With limping steps, he stumbled and staggered all the way towards the entrance. The black smog trailed closely behind him. Even the little girl and the ghosts gathered at the lobby were unable to stop him, they were all easily consumed by the black smog.

“You are not going to get away from here! All the power at this place has been consumed by me, no one will be able to stop me now!” The hospital director’s voice was practically beside Feng Bujue’s ears. “You are never going to escape from my grasp... Leicester, never!”

At that moment, every inch of the hospital was filled with the black smog morphed by the hospital director’s evil spirit. Only the inches of lands closest to the entrance was spared his corrupted. And that only exit was close before Brother Jue’s eyes!

“just a little more... a little bit more...” Feng Bujue tripped to the ground. He rolled and crawled to get to the entrance. But... just as he was 2 metres away from the front door, his injured leg was entangled by the black smog.

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.... Ha ha ha ha ha ha...” The hospital director laughed madly. A human face covered in copper coins and stinking with stench of copper materialized out from the black smog. “It is time for the game to be over...” He was not wrong. When Brother Jue’s leg was twined by the black fog, he lost control of the rest of his body. An incredible fatigue washed over him... If ‘death’ was a feeling, then at that moment, Brother Jue was experiencing death first hand.

His body was slowly dyed a pale of grey and his spirit was smothered in the air of death. His five senses were still intact but they were of no use. So this was what a ghost felt like... everything that was during life appeared like an illusion; and this singular moment of ‘death’ was the truth. If you do not accept this truth, they will disappear. But due to the fear of forgetting that wonderful ‘illusion’, they desperately cling towards it—and thus they devour life.

“You can feel it right? Ha ha... this is death!” The hospital director’s face leaned closer. “This... will be your end and the end for all living soul. Ha... Even in the afterlife, all of you worthless pieces of shit will be trampled under my feet!”

“Death... is merely a part of the Chaos.” Feng Bujue answered rather weakly. “Everything is born from Chaos and will return to Chaos. What is life and what is death... does it really matter. Knowing life means knowing death but not knowing means not understanding the difference of life and death; what is real and what is false, what is an illusion and what is corporeality. Borderless and endless, everything is differentiated by the singular split of a thought.” he mumbled to himself but his body... had started to move again and was slowly crawling towards the front door.

“What is going on?” The hospital director was shocked beyond belief. “This is impossible!” He controlled the black smog to smother Feng Bujue on the ground. But the weak shaft of sunlight from the door was like an impenetrable barrier and blocked the smog beyond the protection of its ‘light’.

“I will have to thank you...” Feng Bujue said as he continued to crawl. “There is a part of the knowledge that ZERO had taught me... which has eluded me until now. But at this moment, thanks to the teaching of ‘death’, I believe I have understood it better than I did before.”

With that, Brother Jue curled his body into a roll and rolled out the hospital’s front door.

“No!” A crumbling sound came from inside the black smog. It was heavy enough to shatter human soul. But that shout was soon replaced by other voices.

“Oh, my god! Look, is that a piece of clothing?”

“Hey! Come over here! Guys, I think we found something!”

“Quick, drag him out of there!”

“Be careful! He is already frozen solid, you might accidentally snapped off his body parts.”

These words drifted into Feng Bujue’s ears. The body temperature at that moment dropped below zero; the blinding light shook twice before his eyes and he realized... his eyes were actually closed the whole time. And then, his consciousness drifted into nothingness...

...

When Feng Bujue resuscitated, the system announced rang beside his ears. “Current quest completed, all main quest completed. Auto teleportation will occur after watching the ending.”

At that moment, he had lost control of the body and he was watching the ending CG from a God’s point of view. In the image, first he was greeted by the cover of many magazines and newspapers...

“A miracle survivor in the form of a night security.”

“Buried alive for almost 30 hours but have found salvation.”

“The miracle that was achieved due to the relentless effort of the rescue team.”

Similar titles continued to flash by. Then it was the snippets from several news programs. Newscasters of different monster races reported before the television screen:

“The incident at Xue Song Jun Public Hospital led to an expose of an serious fraud and embezzlement. Many big names have been identified and arrested. The King has issued a statement that a special task force will be formed to look into this incident and hope that the citizens of the Monster Kingdom will give them time to sort through the maze of a heavily corrupt case.”

“The task force has initiated their public building inspection standard, they will most likely be issued within the year.”

“is the rumour of the curse real or false? Is it the sin of the hospital director? Or a loophole in the system?”

“Today, the only survivor from the Xue Song Jun Public Hospital has been discharged. During his convalesce period, the gentleman has rejected all request for media interview...”

After the series of edited videos flashed by, the flickering videos and images finally stopped and returned to silence.

Then, came spring, the flower buds sprung through the ground and grass breathed into the spring air. Snow melted and gave way to fresh dew.

On a prairie like hill, a person was slowly walking forward. That was Leicester, he was dressed casually and walked towards a stone tablet. Before the stone tablet was a large marble plaque. On the plaque, a sentence was carved onto it like it was hacked out by a sharp axe. In memorial of the 125 victims perished in the Xue Song Jun Public Hospital Incident.

Leicester stood before the tablet quietly... he closed his eyes as if remembering something but part of his memory eluded him no matter how hard he tried to bring them back up...

He stood there for a very long time before he opened his eyes and laid down the flowers that he was holding. Finally, he had decided to let it go.

He gave a long sigh. He turned around and walked away with big strides. The happy-go-lucky demeanour had dropped from the guy and in its place... was a newfound appreciation for the gift of life.