Chapter 1 A Choice Must Be Made

The thought that someone might be standing just outside the door not far from him made Tang Qisheng break out in a cold sweat. The rule in this hospital was that the lower the floor, the more dangerous it was. One wrong step could lead to eternal damnation.

But... but he had to make a choice! After all, it wasn't just about whether he could survive, but also about Zhu Jie.

Looking towards Zhu Jie's location in the darkness, Tang Qisheng took a deep breath and said in a low voice, trying to sound casual, "Wait for me a moment. My eyesight seems to be recovering a bit. I'll go take a look outside and be right back."

"No, it's dangerous outside," Zhu Jie said firmly.

Tang Qisheng felt her grip on his arm tighten. He knew Zhu Jie wasn't so easily fooled and wouldn't let him go out to take risks.

Tang Qisheng hesitated again. Leaving Zhu Jie alone in the dark wasn't a good option either. He decided to settle Zhu Jie somewhere safe first.

But where would be a safe place without leaving the room?

Under the bed?

In the closet?

Behind the curtains?

Tang Qisheng ruled out all these places one by one. In his opinion, these places were not only not hidden but were also extremely dangerous.

If that special patient had really infiltrated the ward, then these places would be the best hiding places for him.

Simply hiding wasn't enough, and he couldn't hide in a dead end with no way out. Tang Qisheng had already thought of a place.

Behind the door.

He could place Zhu Jie behind the door. The door was now open, forming an angle between the wide-open door and the wall.

This was the best hiding place he could think of right now. Hiding here, they could also hear the movements in the corridor. If someone came in, Zhu Jie could also sneak away quietly after they had gone far.

There was no time to hesitate. Tang Qisheng changed direction and groped towards the back of the door, but then his fingertips touched something. In an instant, all the blood in Tang Qisheng's body rushed to his head. He never expected that behind the door... there was actually someone standing behind the door!

Before he could shout, that person grabbed his outstretched right hand. Tang Qisheng was stunned. The other party didn't immediately attack them. This was a great opportunity.

Moreover, it was strange. The other party was holding his hand with both hands, and both hands were trembling, seemingly more nervous than him. And... and those two hands were very soft, giving him an indescribable sense of familiarity.

His palm was turned over, and a tingling sensation ran through his hand. Tang Qisheng realized that the other party was writing in his palm.

It was a character with a relatively complex number of strokes. Logically speaking, in this tense environment, it would be difficult for Tang Qisheng to recognize it. But not only did he recognize it, but his whole body trembled.

It was the character "Yuan."

The name of his and Zhu Jie's deceased daughter.

This was a pain hidden deep in their hearts, never mentioned to anyone.

Tang Qisheng stared wide-eyed, desperately trying to see into the darkness in front of him. Even his breathing stopped. He couldn't imagine that the person hiding behind the door was actually Zhu Jie!

But if Zhu Jie was behind the door, then... then who was holding his arm and standing behind him now?

"What... what's wrong?"

A light voice came from his ear, making Tang Qisheng shudder.

The situation was unclear. Tang Qisheng forced himself to calm down and then squeezed out a trace of comforting tone, "It's nothing. I thought I heard something in the corridor just now."

"Sound..." The hand of Zhu Jie behind him that was holding Tang Qisheng's arm tightened, as if afraid, and as if worried that Tang Qisheng would suddenly escape. "We... we should move farther away from the door."

After hearing Zhu Jie's voice behind him, the person hiding behind the door immediately let go of his hand, without making any sound at all.

Tang Qisheng wanted to judge who was real and who was a ghost by the sound of their breathing, but after listening for a while, he gave up. The wind and rain outside the window were heavy, completely masking the subtle breathing sounds.

The experience after waking up replayed in his mind bit by bit, not willing to ignore any details. This was his last chance. After all, no matter which of these two was real or fake, one thing was certain: something had opened the door and entered their ward.

"Wake up, get up, take the phone, realize eyes are blind, get out of bed, go to Zhu Jie's bed and find the person is gone, then Zhu Jie appears and reaches out..."

Suddenly, Tang Qisheng stopped. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He remembered very clearly that when he bent down to feel the bed, it was Zhu Jie who took the initiative to reach out and grab his arm.

But... how could that be?

Zhu Jie, like him, was blind. How did Zhu Jie know he was coming?

Even if he took a step back and said that Zhu Jie heard his movement, how could he explain the action of grabbing his arm? The action was very precise and successful in one go, which was completely unlike what a blind person could do.

Also, he knew Zhu Jie well enough. She was a very cautious person. Under the premise of blindness, she would not rashly approach anyone. She would first find a safe place to hide and observe quietly.

Having figured this out, Tang Qisheng was at least 90% sure that the Zhu Jie who was holding him was fake, and the one hiding behind the door was the real one!

"Why is there wind?" The voice of Zhu Jie behind him was trembling, as if extremely afraid. "Is the door open? Could that guy be hiding in the corridor outside?"

After confirming the identity of the other party, Tang Qisheng also slowly calmed down. Since he was not dead yet, it proved that the other party had no way to kill him. Of course, the premise was not to fall out.

Tang Qisheng also replied in a nervous voice, "Yes, the door is open. Let's be careful. I feel something is wrong in the corridor."

"Then let's close the door," Zhu Jie's weak voice followed closely.

Tang Qisheng understood. So that was the other party's plan. Tang Qisheng analyzed that this special patient could sneak into the ward without anyone noticing, and could also make people blind, but if he wanted to kill someone, he must trick the person in the ward into closing the door voluntarily.

Just as Tang Qisheng was thinking about how to deal with this guy, suddenly, a burst of footsteps came from the end of the corridor. The footsteps were very heavy, like heavy boots hitting the ground, and there were many people.

"Attention patients in each ward! The special patient who escaped supervision not long ago sneaked into the hospital's laboratory and put the stolen potion into the ventilation system on this floor."

"The potion itself is harmless, but it will cause temporary blindness. Patients, don't panic."

"Currently, there are clues indicating that this special patient has come to this floor. If anyone finds a problem with the people around them, be sure to report it in time!"

"Safety precautions depend on everyone. Peace and harmony depend on you, me, and him."

Although he couldn't see, Tang Qisheng could hear the people holding the loudspeakers getting closer and closer. They were the night watchmen mentioned in the previous broadcast.

And the duty of the night watchmen was to capture the escaped special patient.

"I report!"