Chapter 47: The Third Space
As the swollen words pulsed across the fleshy walls, Shen Yu quickened his pace.
Keeping his eyes fixed on the ground, he sprinted back toward the original laboratory entrance.
The solid wall that had once blocked the doorway had transformed into a writhing mass of flesh as his rationality declined.
Without hesitation, Shen Yu plunged both hands into the pulsating flesh, tore open a seam between the fibers, and forced himself inside.
Splatter!
Blood sprayed everywhere, staining his clothes crimson.
His entire body felt drenched, weak, and heavy.
He no longer knew what number was displayed on his headband.
He only knew that he was charging forward.
Then—
Pop.
The world around him changed.
He found himself standing inside a cramped chamber lined with pink, fleshy walls.
Iron medicine tables filled the room.
Upon one of them sat a neatly stacked pile of files.
Shen Yu walked over and casually picked up the top folder.
The moment he opened it, his eyes narrowed.
It was his own medical record.
Patient: Shen Yu
Diagnosis: Cognitive impairment. Addiction to psychological compensation. Dependency disorder.
Treatment Plan: Continuous observation of daily behavior. Correction of inappropriate actions.
Behavioral Correction Method: Electroshock headgear installation.
Electrotherapy Trigger Conditions: Confidential.
Expected Treatment Duration: Ongoing.
Shen Yu lowered the file slightly.
"So that’s it..."
The original laboratory had already been destroyed by the careless fool’s fire.
The place Yang Jin had referred to could only be the laboratory that existed within the polluted world.
His gaze returned to the diagnosis section.
Cognitive impairment.
Psychological compensation addiction.
Dependency disorder.
Suddenly, fragments of memory flashed through his mind.
"Speak."
"How many classes have you skipped?"
"Have you thought about what will happen if your grades keep dropping?"
"Without grades, you’ll become garbage in society."
"A useless waste."
"Professor Yang..."
"Professor Yang, please..."
"No! Don’t shock me!"
The memory unfolded within a dim room.
He was strapped tightly to an iron chair.
A balding man wearing glasses stood before him.
The man carefully lowered a metal headgear onto Shen Yu’s head.
Then—
Crack!
The electric current surged through him.
A wave of dizziness and pain exploded inside his skull.
Shen Yu frowned.
His head throbbed violently.
Then realization dawned on him.
"No wonder."
"No wonder none of us remembered anything at the beginning."
Before entering the instance...
Before putting on the headgear...
Had they already undergone electroshock treatment?
Had that part of their memories been erased?
Squirm.
Squirm.
Squirm.
While Shen Yu was deep in thought, the laboratory walls suddenly began to tremble.
The flesh rippled violently.
Then something burst through the entrance.
Bang!
A completely black humanoid creature crawled into the room on all fours like a giant spider.
Its body was charred beyond recognition.
Its eyes, nose, and ears resembled hollow caves burned into its face.
Only its mouth remained active.
A black void continuously spewed thick dark mist.
As the mist spread, the fleshy walls immediately began sizzling.
Hissssss—
The sound of burning echoed throughout the laboratory.
Sparks erupted from the iron framework.
The metal medicine racks ignited.
Glass containers cracked and exploded.
Within moments, flames spread across the room.
Shen Yu’s eyes immediately locked onto the intruder.
"The careless fool."
The creature’s spraying motion paused.
But the fire continued to spread.
The laboratory was rapidly becoming an inferno.
Shen Yu tightened his grip around the Rationality Potion hidden inside his pocket.
His gaze never left the monster.
He was already calculating his escape route.
The true laboratory had long ago been destroyed.
If he restored his rationality while trapped inside this contaminated laboratory, the entrance would disappear and he would be sealed inside the flesh wall forever.
There was only one viable option.
Take the case file.
Escape back outside.
Then restore his rationality.
Otherwise, he would never leave this place alive.
The only solution was to retrieve the case file, leave the laboratory, and then restore his rationality.
Step. Step. Step.
As Shen Yu stepped across the muddy, burning flesh beneath his feet and prepared to squeeze through the fleshy wall, a strange burst of distorted sound suddenly rang in his ears.
At the same time, inside the Zhao City Safety Defense Bureau, viewers were watching Shen Yu’s first-person livestream.
"Wow. So that’s how it works. You use contamination levels to enter the laboratory."
"I was wondering why he kept pacing back and forth in the corridor. Defying the nurse’s order and refusing to leave would naturally increase contamination."
"This kid is deliberately controlling his contamination level."
"Incredible. Shen Yu actually passed the challenge."
"This time he didn’t rely on the female ghost at all. His brain works frighteningly fast."
The barrage of comments had completely changed from mockery to admiration.
After all, when someone consistently demonstrates intelligence and logic, people naturally stop looking for reasons to criticize them.
Inside the Defense Bureau office, Luan smiled and glanced at Ho Yong.
"Mayor Ho, do you think Shen Yu has done enough to earn the information?"
Ho Yong froze for a moment. After a brief hesitation, he strode toward the cursed telephone, lifted the receiver, dialed 666, and spoke:
"Evil Ghost, please help me connect to Patient Shen Yu of Qing Shan Psychiatric Hospital."
Communication link established.
Beginning dialogue.
Remaining Time: 3:00... 2:59...
A deep, horse-like voice echoed from the cursed phone.
Ho Yong quickly grabbed the receiver and shouted into the microphone.
"Hello? Hello? Shen Yu, can you hear me?"
Inside the fleshy laboratory wall, Shen Yu paused.
Supporting himself against the pulsating flesh, he touched his ear suspiciously.
"Who is this?"
"It’s me, Ho Yong, Mayor of Zhao City. Don’t worry. We’re officials from the National Defense Department. You can trust us."
"Officials?"
Shen Yu narrowed his eyes.
He had seen similar official communications appear in other livestreams before.
After a moment, he nodded.
"So you can contact me now. Which means you’ve determined that I have a chance to clear this instance?"
"Exactly."
Ho Yong’s tone became serious.
"Between you and Yu Ji, we’ve chosen you."
"Time is limited. We’re going to tell you everything we’ve learned from our observer’s perspective. Absorb as much as you can. If anything is unclear, ask immediately."
"I understand. Go ahead."
While speaking, Shen Yu remained crouched inside the fleshy wall, keeping one eye on the Clumsy Ghost while avoiding the spreading flames.
Ho Yong continued.
"Currently, we’ve discovered that Qing Shan Psychiatric Hospital contains three separate spaces."
"Three?"
Shen Yu raised an eyebrow.
"That’s right."
"The first space exists when contamination is at 0. It’s the seemingly normal hospital environment where patients live ordinary daily lives."
"The second space appears when contamination falls between 0 and -49. That’s the blood-red world. Survival there becomes significantly more dangerous."
"As for the third space..."
Ho Yong paused.
"You remember Yan Bing, the patient who supposedly escaped from Qing Shan Psychiatric Hospital?"
"Of course."
"She never actually escaped."
"After boarding the bus, her contamination level instantly dropped to -50, and she entered a rain-soaked version of Qing Shan Psychiatric Hospital."
"We call that the Third Space."
A look of understanding appeared on Shen Yu’s face.
"So if contamination falls below -50, we can enter the Third Space."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the stack of files resting on the laboratory table.
The normal laboratory had long ago been destroyed by the Clumsy Ghost.
The only way to obtain the files now was by entering the contaminated laboratory.
But this mission contained a real reward.
That detail bothered him.
His eyes swept across the cabinet again.
Besides his own file and those belonging to the other participants, there seemed to be no additional clues.
But what if...
The laboratory in the Third Space was different?
Shen Yu’s thoughts expanded rapidly.
"The known laboratory is destroyed. Yet this mission still offers a real reward."
"If that’s true, perhaps the real objective isn’t here at all."
Meanwhile, Ho Yong continued.
"At present, we only know one reliable method of entering the Third Space."
"The bus."
"Taking the bus instantly lowers contamination to -50."
"In that space, the Professor appears."
"He removes the control device and immediately kills the participants."
Shen Yu rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
His mind was already racing ahead.
Just then—
Zzzzt.
A burst of static suddenly erupted inside his ear.
Ho Yong’s voice became distorted.
"Shen Yu, do you have any ide—"
The transmission cut off.
Silence returned.
Inside the cramped flesh laboratory, Shen Yu did not immediately leave.
Instead, he remained hidden within the wall.
His eyes never left the Clumsy Ghost.
He seemed to be waiting for something.
Sizzle.
The intense heat continued burning through the laboratory.
The flesh walls twisted and writhed like living tissue.
The entire room felt like a giant furnace.
Shen Yu could no longer see the contamination value displayed on his headband.
All he could do was wait.
One minute passed.
Then two.
Large chunks of pale flesh began peeling away from the walls with wet popping sounds.
Shen Yu’s expression gradually darkened.
Outside, the livestream comments exploded once more.
"The officials chose him instead of Yu Ji? I seriously don’t understand."
"Just because he entered the laboratory?"
"What difference does that make?"
"He’s still standing there doing nothing."
Because of Shen Yu’s apparent inaction, a fresh wave of criticism surged across the livestream.
