His attitude softened slightly: "Do you know the Dean?"
Fang Zhiyi shook his head.
The security captain froze, veins instantly bulging across his face like parasitic worms, his expression twisting into something horrifying: "Are you looking for trouble?"
Slap! A sharp crack echoed through the air.
The security captain was stunned. He stared in disbelief at the human before him—had this man just struck him? His fury surged, and as he rose to his feet, another slap landed.
This time, doubt crept in. Something was wrong—terribly wrong. How could a human’s strike hurt so much?
He eyed Fang Zhiyi warily.
Fang Zhiyi flexed his wrist, scanning the area before his gaze settled on the baton strapped to the guard dog-like creature nearby. In two swift steps, he snatched it, delivering a kick to the fallen aberration for good measure.
Only then did the security captain realize something: his subordinate... seemed dead. Aberrations didn’t faint—they either played dead or were truly dead. And this one lacked the intellect for deception, so...
His eyes flicked back to the human, conflict brewing in his mind.
"Your choice," Fang Zhiyi said coolly. "Either take me upstairs, or I beat you until you do. It’s hard to find one of you freaks who can actually talk."
"What do you want?" The security captain clung to his dignity. Decades of slaughtering humans couldn’t be undone by some brat’s threats.
Before he could steel himself further, Fang Zhiyi struck—stomach, neck, shoulder, chest. Within seconds, agony overwhelmed him. Just as he registered the pain, the baton swung down toward his skull. Instinct screamed: This will kill me.
"I’ll lead the way!"
The baton halted mid-air.
Fang Zhiyi smiled in satisfaction. "That’s more like it."
The livestream chat fell into eerie silence.
"Since when was Brother Fang this strong?"
"Seriously? He’s never even fought before."
"Not fighting doesn’t mean he can’t."
"But killing an aberration? That’s not even remotely scientific!"
"Since when are aberrations scientific?"
"Fair point."
"Maybe the authorities hooked him up with a martial arts master? Remember how he started with meditation?"
"Oh right!"
Meanwhile, the officials were equally baffled. But they shrugged it off—as long as Fang Zhiyi cleared the level, explanations could wait.
Ning Yi'an dodged pursuers, frustrated at failing to find Fang Zhiyi. Time was running out; she needed an elevator pass. The hospital’s lack of staircases forced her to scour the reception desk, where she finally found one—for the lone elevator in the administrative building at the rear.
Creeping toward the crimson structure, she froze. A nightmare aberration patrolled nearby—one she recognized. It had snatched several players before.
Yet now... it was bowing obsequiously as it escorted Fang Zhiyi into the elevator?
Ning Yi'an’s eyes widened. After a heartbeat’s hesitation, she sprinted forward. "Zhiyi! Wait for me!"
Spotting her, Fang Zhiyi jammed the door-open button. "Hurry up!" he urged, panic flashing across his face.
The security captain observed his finger on the "close" button, once again marveling at human complexity.
"Tch. Too bad." Fang Zhiyi glanced at him. "Right?"
The captain nodded, though malice flickered in his eyes.
Unnoticed, blood seeped across the elevator ceiling. A half-melted humanoid figure coalesced, its liquefying hand stretching toward Fang Zhiyi’s head.
"Host, incoming!" Little Hei buzzed excitedly.
Without turning, Fang Zhiyi snatched the creature’s wrist, fingers darting across its surface like a calligrapher’s brush. A crisp snap echoed, and the aberration shattered, splattering back onto the ceiling like gruesome paste.
Fang Zhiyi grinned. "Your coworker?"
The security captain gaped. This aberration lacked a physical form—yet the human had obliterated it effortlessly? His earlier plan to ambush Fang Zhiyi and break his arms now seemed laughable. Those serpentine eyes locked onto his, and for the first time, fear—true fear of a human—took root.
Why is he this strong? Only the Dean could handle him now. Maybe the fifth-floor psychiatrist... but that lunatic hated his guts.
Lost in thought, he barely registered the elevator’s ding. A kick from Fang Zhiyi jolted him back to reality.
The sixth-floor hallway was dim, illuminated only by feeble white bulbs.
After a few steps, the captain pointed. "The Dean’s office is there."
Fang Zhiyi raised a brow. "Not coming?"
"I can’t. I’d die."
"And bringing me here won’t kill you?"
The captain shook his head. "Not necessarily."
"No penalties for breaking rules?" Fang Zhiyi’s smile was frost-laced.
Trembling, the captain glanced between him and the office. "There are... but I’d rather not die today."
Suddenly, Fang Zhiyi stepped back into the elevator. Confused, the captain blurted, "What are you doing?"
"I want you to work for me."
"...What?"
"Let me rephrase: Who’s the strongest in this building after the Dean?"
"The fifth-floor doctor, the fourth-floor head nurse... and the third-floor anesthetist."
Fang Zhiyi eyed him disdainfully. "So you’re the weakest?"
The captain flushed. "I’m the strongest on the first floor."
"What about the second?"
"Just incurable patients. I avoid it."
"Take me there."
Thus began Fang Zhiyi’s rampage. From the second floor onward, he pummeled every aberration in the wards until a line of them crouched, hands clasped over their heads.
"Listen up," Fang Zhiyi announced. "When I’m gone, he’s your boss now. Understood?"
To his surprise, the security captain felt a thrill of pride.
Next was the third floor. The anesthetist’s mouth was sewn shut, rendering his mutters incomprehensible. Fang Zhiyi hurled him out the window. The distant thud made the captain wince—falling into the mist meant certain death, even for an aberration.
The fourth-floor head nurse was vicious and unreasonable. She earned her demise.
The fifth-floor doctor, raving mad, insisted on dissecting Fang Zhiyi. Instead, the patients pinned him down, allowing Fang Zhiyi to return the favor—and study his anatomy.
By the end, Fang Zhiyi held five keys—five guaranteed escapes.