There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

The nurse stood one step below on the staircase. Although positioned lower, the expression that slightly lifted to look over here, along with the aura emanating from her body, was sharp and icy, filled with an oppressive force.

The bloodstains on the pale nurse's dress outlined her graceful figure, with drops scattered across the hem like falling plum blossoms.

The nurse sister was indeed beautiful, but she was also dangerous.

Tao Tao froze due to the gun in the other's hand.

She calmly met the nurse's dark and crazed gaze, and at that moment, the shudder of death crept back into her heart.

"Nur... Nurse sister... you're scaring me."

Tao Tao lowered her head, seemingly frightened and afraid because of the gun, but her eyes were firmly fixed on the other's gun-holding hand. At the same time, the hand that hung by her side stealthily reached for the surgery knife in her pocket.

This was something she had pocketed on her second escape. This time she had prepared nothing, but when she left, the knife appeared inside her hospital uniform.

Tao Tao no longer wanted to know about the bizarre situations in this hospital; right now, she only wanted to complete her seemingly extremely simple task before the system's countdown ended.

At that moment, the nurse let out an odd, cold chuckle, and her gun-wielding hand lifted.

At that instant, Tao Tao also made her move!

However, Tao Tao, who had drawn the surgery knife, immediately stopped her forward motion as a question mark popped up in her mind.

Because she saw the originally grim nurse suddenly become unsettled, moving the gun barrel away and frantically looking around, as if she saw right through the person in front of her, as if she couldn't see her at all.

What's going on?

But since the other party hadn't noticed her, Tao Tao naturally wouldn't act rashly; she looked around with puzzlement.

But apart from her and the nurse, there was nothing else around.

Could it be that weird time had separated her and the nurse into two different spaces?

But why could she see the nurse?

As Tao Tao was befuddled, calming down to speculate, she finally noticed that there seemed to be a hand tugging at her clothes from behind!

Tao Tao quickly turned around, ready to attack, but upon seeing the person before her, she once again stopped the descending surgery knife.

The paranoia-stricken girl timidly clung to her, making a shushing gesture.

Tao Tao was stunned, her brow furrowed in silence, but she didn't resist, letting the girl pull her down the stairs, sticking close to the wall, carefully avoiding the nurse who was suspiciously surveying the air around her.

After the two reached the first floor, they quickened their pace and ran out of the stairwell.

With the crisis temporarily abated, Tao Tao shook off the girl's hand, and without any courtesy, demanded, "Hey, aren't you going to explain something?"

The girl spoke timidly in a low voice, "It's... it's 'Delusion of Vision'. When I'm scared and want to hide from those who are chasing me, I can make them unable to see me. They can't see the things I touch either..."

"With such a powerful ability, why didn't you escape from the hospital sooner?!" Tao Tao stared at her suspiciously, saying out loud the complaint that was in her heart.

"Outside, there are even more people who want to kill me... even more than here... The doctors and nurses here were normal before, but now, they've changed, they want to kill me too..." The girl's voice was as low as a mosquito's.

Just say the whole world wants to harm you!

Tao Tao glanced at the girl and said "thank you" before continuing to walk quickly outside.

She didn't want to take the girl with her. After all, they were only in the roles of players and game NPCs; even among players, there wouldn't be any real-world connections, because they wouldn't recognize each other.

The hospital's main entrance was now close at hand.

This time, once she got out, she would truly escape!

However, a white figure appeared before Tao Tao again in the next moment.

A blood-stained white coat, a still-dripping surgery knife, and the sudden appearance of a kindly-featured man who watched her with cold eyes.

Why are there so many obstacles in this level?!

Tao Tao screamed inwardly, her hands gripping the surgery knife alertly as she stared at the man before her in silence.

Having reached the hospital entrance, she must get out today!

"Tao, why aren't you staying in your room?" Director Zhang spoke up, his voice as gentle as a man who had once throttled her.

"The room is very dangerous," Tao Tao said coldly.

Hearing this, Director Zhang looked at the burning ward and nodded in agreement, "Hmm, it is quite dangerous. But, it's even more dangerous outside. Before everything ends, you should just stay here obediently," he said, his words taking a sinister turn.

Tao Tao suddenly attacked, her petite form charging towards Director Zhang's side, the knife in her hand slashing, trying to disable his weapon first.

However, Director Zhang deftly avoided the attack, and as Tao Tao feinted and continued to rush toward the hospital entrance without stopping, he didn't block her but instead stepped forward and kicked vigorously at her back!

"Thump!"

Tao Tao let out a muffled grunt, not flying out of the hospital but instead crashing heavily against the iron gate, then falling to the ground. She felt her spine might have been damaged, as a piercing pain shot through her back.

Director Zhang stepped forward, his hand knife chopping down heavily on the side of her neck.

Tao Tao's vision blurred, her mind raced in the instant, and then she let her head drop, succumbing to unconsciousness.

And all this, the trembling girl huddling in the lobby's corner saw everything clearly. She curled up tightly, not daring to make a sound.

Everyone in this hospital has gone mad!

…

Tick-tock.

After realizing there was no more noise around her, Tao Tao, who had been in a coma, opened her eyes with a clear mind though tinged with a bit of pain.

She looked around. This was the cafeteria on the first floor, and the sound of water was coming from a faucet at the dishwashing sink.

The faucet, left open, continuously spilled water, which filled the sink and overflowed onto the floor, leaving the ground covered in puddles.

Tao Tao was tied to a chair. Glancing sideways, she saw ten other people also bound tightly, sitting against the wall, spaced three meters apart, encircling the tight space of the cafeteria.

However, those people were still unconscious.

The flames hadn't yet reached the first floor from above, and only billows of dark smoke drifted out of the windows, wrapping the already dim hospital in an even more somber gloom.

Tao Tao took in the situation and bowed her head in thought.

Unless it was a mentally ill patient causing trouble, there was no reason to tie all the patients together, and Director Zhang's medical profile didn't mention him being ill either.

So, it was probably the players, and the mission was related to the patients.

Tao Tao struggled with the rope binding her hands behind her back, but the rope was tight, and no matter how much she rubbed, she couldn't create any slack.

In this situation, even amputating a limb seemed unlikely to loosen the rope.

Looking at the gate outside that could barely be discerned, Tao Tao tried to stand up. Even with a chair on her back, she had to slowly hop out of this hospital!

However, after several floundering attempts, the chair behind her wouldn't budge.

Turning her head, she realized the back of the chair seemed to be forcibly stuck to the wall!

No wonder all the chairs were placed against the wall!

"Damn it! Are they insane?!"

Tao Tao cursed out loud, her chest burning with an irritation she had barely kept in check until now, reignited by a series of unexpected events. She felt so angry that she wanted to kill someone.

Was Director Zhang's mission to prevent the patients from leaving the hospital?

No matter what, she was determined to make that madman fail his mission—even if it cost her life!

Tao Tao couldn't help but struggle a few more times in anger, causing some noise, then she immediately calmed down.

Cool-headed, she flipped through the Player's Handbook, but got angry all over again when she saw that many useful rare items were frozen and couldn't be used!

Which dumbass planner designed a test script that doesn't allow the use of several system items?!

Tao Tao trembled with anger, half due to her character's physical reaction, and half because she was genuinely infuriated.

Would she have to reluctantly use one of her rare items again?

Having played scripted murder games for so long, Tao Tao only had two rare items, both meant for escaping and saving her life: a Resurrection Card and a Teleportation Talisman.

But to use them here felt like such a waste.

Especially since the hospital's entrance was less than fifty meters away.

Just as she was lamenting her items, suddenly, a faint sound came from nearby.

Tao Tao sharply looked up but saw nothing. However, she could still hear the soft footsteps close by. She hesitated, then asked with a frown, "Number Six?"

Number Six was a patient from room six, suffering from severe delusional paranoia.

Then, Tao Tao's vision blurred, and there stood the girl holding a scalpel, shaking terribly.

Seeing the expression on the girl's face and the way she couldn't even hold the scalpel steady, Tao Tao wondered for a moment if this girl was here to kill her in some kind of twisted script but couldn't go through with it.

"I... I got scared when I saw Director Zhang... and I hid, I'm sorry..." the girl said, trembling.

"So, right now you are just..." Tao Tao looked at her, and then glanced at the scalpel in her hand.

It seemed she picked up the scalpel that had fallen in the courtyard earlier.

The girl moved forward, carefully cutting the ropes, saying, "I... I'll help you get free..."

Tao Tao watched how her hands shook, half expecting that before the rope was cut, she'd have several new cuts on her own arms.

But the girl's actions were meticulous, moving the blade little by little as if afraid to hurt her.

Seeing this, Tao Tao's gaze grew complex.

She hadn't planned on bringing along this liability when escaping.

"Hey, why are you helping me? You said everyone here wants to kill you. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you later?" she couldn't help but ask.

"..."

Hearing this, the girl stopped her cutting, slowly lifted her head, and gazed intensely at Tao Tao. A disturbing flush spread across her face.

She looked into Tao Tao's eyes and said with a twisted smile, "Because I know, in this rotting, sinking hospital, you're the only sane person. You would never hurt me."

The girl put her hand on Tao Tao's face, a gentle smile on her typically timid and fearful features.

Tao Tao felt a chill, convinced there were no sane people in this hospital!

But she didn't resist.

It was just freeloading for a while. In this desperate situation, she didn't mind being forceful…