Chapter 48: Anomaly Wants Me
Inside the Zhao City Safety Defense Bureau, Ho Yong slowly lowered the receiver. His face had turned pale as he stared at Shen Yu’s first-person livestream.
His eyes were fixed on the number displayed on Shen Yu’s headband.
-35.
"This guy’s contamination level is already at negative thirty-five."
Luan narrowed her eyes.
"Could he be testing whether it’s possible to deliberately contaminate himself and enter the Third Space?"
After a moment of thought, she slowly shook her head.
"That does seem to be his plan... but I don’t think that’s the correct solution."
Her expression dimmed slightly as she fell into thought.
"So... what exactly is the right way to clear this instance?"
Inside the burning laboratory, Shen Yu could no longer withstand the scorching heat.
His skin had dried into a pale, cracked white, while the number on his headband remained frozen at -35, refusing to fall any further.
"Damn..."
"So the bus really is the only way to enter the Third Space?"
"If that’s true..."
His eyes narrowed.
"Then something has to happen on Visiting Day."
Thud.
Shen Yu finally squeezed himself back through the fleshy wall.
Standing once more upon the writhing flesh outside the laboratory, he slowly retreated while keeping his gaze fixed on the laboratory entrance.
He had successfully escaped the contaminated laboratory on the third floor of Qing Shan Psychiatric Hospital.
Yet he still didn’t use the Rationality Potion.
Nor did he immediately return to the ward.
Instead, he headed toward the elevator.
Ding.
Pressing the elevator button, Shen Yu cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
Suddenly—
Plop. Plop. Plop.
Thick, sticky blood dripped from the ceiling.
The membrane-like flesh overhead bulged violently.
Looking up, Shen Yu saw an enormous blood-soaked human face slowly protruding from the ceiling.
It wore cracked spectacles.
Its balding head resembled that of a middle-aged professor.
"He... he... he..."
The sinister laughter echoed throughout the hallway.
Instantly, every inch of Shen Yu’s skin began to itch violently.
His muscles spasmed.
Across his arms, chest, and face, twisted crimson words rapidly emerged.
SCUM.
TRASH.
MAGGOT.
The words swelled grotesquely before exploding one after another.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
It felt as though countless arrows were piercing his flesh.
Shen Yu’s body trembled violently.
"No..."
"There’s no time."
Zzzzt.
The familiar electrical buzzing returned.
Electricity danced across his cheeks.
Shen Yu immediately understood.
He could not afford to delay any longer.
Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled the hidden bottle of Rationality Potion from inside his clothes and drank it in one gulp.
An astonishing scene unfolded.
The instant the number on his headband returned to 0, everything around him changed.
The twisted crimson corridors faded away.
The enormous bloody face dissolved into countless particles of red light.
Even the hateful words covering his body rapidly shrank before disappearing completely.
In the blink of an eye...
The world had returned to normal.
Shen Yu stood quietly before the elevator doors.
A long sigh of relief escaped his lips.
Panting heavily, Shen Yu looked regretfully toward the elevator doors that had already opened.
Originally, he had intended to head directly for the warehouse while still contaminated.
If he restored his Rationality inside the morgue, perhaps he could witness the true form of the Inverted Man...
Or even enter the real warehouse itself.
What a pity.
Given how quickly contamination had risen, there had simply been no opportunity to attempt such an experiment.
He sighed.
"If I go to the warehouse now..."
"My contamination will immediately drop to negative fifteen."
"It’s not worth it."
Shaking his head, Shen Yu tightened his grip on the medical file and walked back toward the ward.
Inside the patient ward of Qing Shan Psychiatric Hospital—
Yu Ji stared in disbelief at Yang Jin.
She was still hugging Shen Yu’s blanket.
Her slender legs squeezed the blanket between them before wrapping it tightly around her neck.
"..."
Looking at the scene, Yu Ji couldn’t help wondering—
Why did Yang Jin suddenly look exactly like a lovestruck girl?
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Footsteps sounded outside the ward.
The instant Yang Jin heard them, she immediately froze.
The woman who had been happily clutching Shen Yu’s blanket suddenly switched expressions.
In one fluid motion, she tossed the blanket aside, stood up straight, and resumed her usual cold, dignified posture.
By the time Shen Yu entered, there was no trace of her previous behavior.
"You’re back."
Her voice remained calm and emotionless.
Standing at the doorway, Shen Yu noticed nothing unusual.
He calmly took the medical file from beneath his clothes.
"I found it."
He handed it to Yang Jin.
She accepted the file and glanced through it.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"You succeeded again."
"As expected..."
"You’re someone worthy of my attention."
Ding!
Yang Jin’s Favorability +15
Current Favorability: 65
Shen Yu looked at her curiously.
"By the way, what was the extra reward you mentioned?"
He genuinely wondered what Yang Jin had prepared.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing the question, Yang Jin hurriedly tucked away the medical record. A faint blush spread across the tips of her ears.
She silently took another bottle of Rationality Potion from her pocket and pressed it into Shen Yu’s hand.
Then her gaze swept across the ward before settling on Yu Ji.
"You."
"Leave."
"I need to perform follow-up treatment according to the patient’s medical record."
"Immediately."
"Now."
The unquestionable command echoed through the ward.
Yu Ji’s expression immediately darkened.
He climbed down from his bed, repeatedly glancing between Yang Jin and Shen Yu. Somehow, he had a feeling that this so-called "treatment" was anything but ordinary.
As he reached the door, he sneered.
"Not bad, Shen Yu."
"If I’m not mistaken, you deliberately used contamination to enter the laboratory."
"You actually came back alive."
"So you used the Rationality Potion."
He smiled coldly.
"A word of advice—the Rationality Potion has more uses than you realize. If you want to survive long enough to leave this place, you’d better treasure the remaining bottles."
Yang Jin’s expression turned even colder.
"You’re still here?"
Yu Ji wisely chose not to provoke her any further. Lowering his head, he quickly left the ward.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
His footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Yang Jin walked to the ward entrance and quietly closed the door behind him.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The room fell silent.
Her high heels clicked softly against the floor as she approached Shen Yu’s bed.
For once, the usually composed head nurse seemed noticeably flustered.
A faint flush colored her cheeks, and the corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly.
"Yang Jin..."
Shen Yu looked at her in confusion.
"You mentioned treatment... What exactly are you planning to do?"
Without answering immediately, Yang Jin sat sideways on the edge of the bed.
She slowly slipped off her high heels and drew one leg onto the mattress, absentmindedly smoothing the fabric of her stockings as if gathering her courage.
Her long legs were raised on the bed and Shen Yu gazed at an lawn, her hands moving to her thigh root. Softly, she took off her white stockings. Her slender, delicate legs resting on the bed. Yang jin fidgeted with her legs, her lips moist.
For the first time since they had met, the normally icy head nurse appeared visibly nervous.
"I..."
She lowered her gaze.
"I want to..."
At the same time, Shen Yu’s first-person livestream exploded with comments.
"Oh my... Is this really the treatment scene?"
"It’s still daytime! This is getting intense."
"Where’s the fast-forward button?"
"So all those scenes everyone skipped before are catching up now?"
"I always thought Shen Yu was just joking around, but now..."
"The chat is going wild!"
Within moments, the barrage reached an unprecedented level.
Even Ho Yong and Luan stared at the screen without blinking.
"Do you think..."
Ho Yong hesitated.
"...could this actually happen?"
Luan shook her head slowly.
"As far as we know, no one has ever formed such a close bond with one of the dungeon’s anomalies."
"If Shen Yu’s talent really allows him to do something no one else has..."
Before she could finish—
Zzzzt.
The livestream abruptly went black.
A message appeared across the screen:
Special Status Detected. Broadcast Temporarily Unavailable.
"What?!"
"I paid for VIP!"
"So the director gets to watch alone?"
The comments exploded once again.
Inside the ward, Yang Jin lowered her eyes.
Her fingers paused at the buttons of her uniform as she looked steadily at Shen Yu.
After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"I want you..."
Her voice was softer than ever before.
