At the entrance of the outpatient building, You Jiu squinted his eyes, trying to decipher the conversation between Xiaojuan and the portly man by reading their lips. Unfortunately, both were turned slightly away from him. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and simply walked over to Qi Shi. "Hey, man, what do you think they're talking about?"
Qi Shi noticed the anger flickering across the man's face and grew concerned that Xiaojuan might be in danger. He put on a pair of glasses.
These glasses were an S-grade item—when worn by a player, they allowed the user to see an NPC's current Anger and Fatigue levels.
If Anger exceeded 80, the NPC could enter a rage state and attack players.
If Fatigue surpassed 70, the NPC would grow drowsy, and exceeding 80 would put them to sleep.
He rarely used this item, as relying too much on its data could dull his own judgment.
The moment he put on the glasses, the entire space became flooded with floating numerical values, dense and overwhelming, like stepping into a vast mathematical world.
This was another reason he disliked using the item—it couldn’t target a single individual but instead scanned the entire area at once.
The sheer volume of data made his eyes swim. Most people here had Fatigue levels between 10 and 40, while Anger varied widely—some were as low as 0, while others had already surpassed 70.
Qi Shi turned his gaze toward Xiaojuan and was immediately startled by the glaring red Anger value of 90 hovering above the man opposite her.
90 Anger?
What had Xiaojuan done to piss off an NPC this badly?
What surprised him even more was that despite the NPC’s near-explosive Anger level, he hadn’t lashed out at Xiaojuan.
This had never happened in other instances. This particular scenario was full of illogical anomalies.
He took a few steps toward Xiaojuan, but the dense data obstructed his vision, and he accidentally stepped on a passerby’s foot.
The passerby’s Anger instantly jumped from 2 to 10.
"My apologies," Qi Shi said immediately. "Did I hurt you?" He bent down, ready to wipe the man’s shoe.
"No, no, it’s fine." The passerby’s Anger dropped back down, even the original 2 points vanishing completely.
The man seemed startled by Qi Shi’s reaction and hurriedly pulled him up, nervously glancing around—please don’t let anyone think he was bullying a hospital janitor!
After confirming no one was filming him, the passerby relaxed and reassured the "janitor" in front of him: "Really, I’m fine. My shoes were dirty anyway—please don’t wipe them."
If someone recorded this and posted it online, he’d be finished!
Qi Shi stood frozen, staring at the now-zero Anger value above the man’s head.
The NPCs in this world… were this easygoing?
Seizing the moment while Qi Shi was still stunned, the passerby bolted. He really hadn’t bullied anyone!
"Manager Zhu, I’ve always remembered your guidance and support. How could I forget you?"
Whether in this instance or the real world, Manager Zhu was a rare kind of good boss. When she left Kunlun, she thought she’d never see anyone from that world again—that was why she had refused the job offer so bluntly.
Had she known they’d meet again… she would have rejected it more tactfully, left some room for reconsideration.
Still, even in this awkward reunion, Xiaojuan felt more happiness than embarrassment. "Manager Zhu, I’m sorry. I really wanted to stay at Kunlun, but I have some difficulties right now."
Manager Zhu took in her disheveled hair and the red marks left by her mask on her cheeks. Half his anger dissipated. "You’re very capable, and the customer service department really wasn’t the best fit for you. Kunlun posts job openings every month—if you ever want to return, keep an eye on the company’s official recruitment notices."
Xiaojuan lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes. "Okay."
"There’s no hardship that lasts forever. Whatever you’re going through, you’ll get past it." Manager Zhu noticed her discomfort and didn’t want to push further. "I’ll be going now."
"Manager Zhu," Xiaojuan called out. "What’s wrong with your health?"
"Gastritis acting up. An old problem from my younger days."
Qi Shi approached Xiaojuan and checked the man’s Anger again—it had already dropped to 30.
"Goodbye." Manager Zhu waved and turned to leave.
"Goodbye. Please take care of yourself."
"Will do." Manager Zhu swung the bag of medicine in his hand as he walked away, his back to them.
Qi Shi watched as the Anger value above his head gradually decreased, finally settling at 10 before disappearing into the sea of street data.
"You…" Qi Shi turned to Xiaojuan, impressed. How had she managed to calm an NPC with 90 Anger so quickly?
"Me what?" Xiaojuan noticed the ugly black-framed glasses on Qi Shi’s face—an item?
"Never mind." Qi Shi wisely didn’t press further and changed the subject. "Should we check out the area around the hospital?"
"We’re wearing janitor uniforms. Even during breaks, wandering around isn’t appropriate." Xiaojuan reminded him. "We can explore in casual clothes during non-work hours."
Uniforms came with an identity tag, especially in a place like a hospital. Wandering around in them would draw too much attention.
She also really didn’t want to run into any more former colleagues here.
"You’re right." Qi Shi glanced down at his janitor outfit. "We’ve got thirty minutes before our shift starts. Any plans?"
"On paper, we have thirty minutes, but ever since we finished lunch with the supervisor, he’s been itching for us to get back to work."
"Why?" Qi Shi didn’t understand. Players were used to the time rules in instances—as long as they didn’t exceed the allotted time, they were safe.
"Don’t believe me?" Xiaojuan smiled. "Let’s test it, then."
The supervisor sat in the janitor’s break room, his expression dark as Xiaojuan and the others entered. "What took you so long? It’s been fifteen minutes since you finished eating. You’re part of this hospital, and you represent its image—don’t go wandering around."
"Supervisor, you said we had an hour-long break," one player pointed out. "There’s still twenty-five minutes left."
"Out of everything I’ve said, that’s the only thing you remembered?" The supervisor’s face tightened. "As members of this hospital, don’t just think about comfort—think about what you contribute. Do you know how many janitors would kill to work on the ninth floor?"
"And yet, you don’t appreciate this opportunity." He glared at the speaking player. "You young people just can’t handle a little hardship. If you’re unhappy, you can request a transfer. I don’t keep slackers here."
"You’re absolutely right, Supervisor." The player forced a smile under his icy stare. "I’ll work hard to contribute to the hospital’s bright future."
Damn old man, still trying to gaslight us players.
"Mm." The supervisor's expression softened. "Then get back to work. I'll go inspect the hygiene on other floors."
After the scolding, Qi Shi noticed that although the supervisor's anger level fluctuated, it never exceeded 30 points.
In other words, all his anger and dissatisfaction were just an act.
Once the supervisor left, the player who had been under scrutiny slumped his shoulders and resignedly went to fetch the mop.
"Can't even keep to the schedule he set himself," he muttered, putting on gloves and a mask. "No consistency at all."
"You already expected this, didn't you?" Qi Shi glanced at Xiaojuan.
"NPCs in other dungeons at least follow rules, but the people here..."
Here, the living preferred empty promises and psychological manipulation.
She put on cleaning gloves and headed out to tidy up Room 3.
The patient in Room 3 had been discharged that afternoon, making it the perfect time to clean.
Chao Musheng's dinner was millet porridge with broccoli and carrots. The porridge was fragrant, but he only ate half a bowl. Lying down felt uncomfortable, and sitting up was no better, so he decided to take a stroll down the hallway.
"Room 3 doesn’t even have anyone in it—why are you cleaning there first?!" A sharp-tempered man stood at the entrance of Room 2, berating the cleaner. "Can’t even clean properly. I don’t know what kind of people this hospital hires."
The hallway was quiet, but the man’s scolding didn’t soften. "What are you standing around for? Get to work!"
The door of the adjacent room opened, and a young man in a hospital gown stepped out.
The man had heard from his wife’s assistant earlier that a VIP had been admitted to Room 4, so when he saw the young man emerge, he instinctively put on an ingratiating smile. "Hello."
"Hello," Chao Musheng replied. "Are you a patient’s family member?"
"Yes, my wife is—" The man cut himself off mid-sentence when he spotted Su Chenzhu appearing behind Chao Musheng. His voice instantly rose an octave. "CEO Su! Good evening!"
Su Chenzhu gave him a cold glance before shifting his gaze to the cleaner being harassed.
Her again?
"Boss, Xiao Chao, this is the family member of Zeng Yun, the owner of Yunhe Industrial," Secretary Liu quietly introduced, not even bothering to mention the man’s name.
The man’s face was plastered with a sycophantic smile, not a trace of his earlier sharpness or arrogance remaining. He didn’t even show a flicker of displeasure at Secretary Liu’s dismissive tone.
"What happened to Mr. Zeng?" Chao Musheng had some recollection of Yunhe Industrial—one of Kunlun Group’s recent projects had been contracted to them.
"She fell down the stairs three days ago and still hasn’t woken up." The man seemed aware of how harsh he’d been earlier and quickly justified himself. "I’ve been on edge these past few days. Did I disturb you just now?"
"We understand how you feel," Chao Musheng sighed. "I hope Ms. Zeng recovers soon."
The players in the hallway noticed how the previously domineering local had turned meek as a lamb in front of the patient from Room 4.
Was Room 4 home to the most influential NPC on the ninth floor?
Qi Shi took off his glasses, wiped the lenses several times, and put them back on. Yet, the data for two people still didn’t appear.
The patient in Room 4 and the man taking care of him.
They had no anger level, no fatigue level—nothing. If not for the fact that only five players had entered this dungeon, he might have suspected they were players themselves.
A nurse pushed a medical cart out of the station. "Sir, we’re about to check your family member’s temperature. Has she shown any other unusual symptoms today?"
The man glanced back into the room. "Same as yesterday. When is she going to wake up?"
"It’s been three days already! Do your doctors even know how to treat her?!"
His expression was furious, his tone laced with anger and anxiety.
But Qi Shi saw that his anger level was only at 30—and those 30 points had only appeared after his interaction with the people from Room 4.
Meanwhile, the nurse pushing the cart had an anger level of 40 and a fatigue level as high as 72.
In other dungeons, NPCs with 72 fatigue points would have long since collapsed on the ground, refusing to move.
Even supernatural entities wouldn’t chase players with fatigue levels over 70. Yet, the NPCs in this dungeon were still working normally?!
The NPCs here seemed unnaturally resilient.
Once the man and nurse entered the room, Chao Musheng turned to Xiaojuan.
Xiaojuan twisted the gloves in her hands, too guilty to meet his eyes.
"There’s a small garden nearby. Would you mind accompanying us for a walk?" Chao Musheng noticed the other three janitors subtly watching them and raised his voice slightly. "My bodyguard mentioned you found his wallet and returned it to him today?"
Xiaojuan froze. Was Chao-ge pretending not to know her in front of others, using the wallet as an excuse?
Had her silence made him misunderstand something?
She looked up at Chao Musheng. The IV was still in his hand, but his eyes held nothing but warmth and patience. Xiaojuan gave a small nod.
After enough embarrassing moments, one’s skin grew thicker.
She only regretted that she couldn’t control when or where she appeared—would someone like her end up causing trouble for Chao-ge?
You Jiu walked out of a room carrying a basin of dirty water used to wipe the bed frame. He spotted Xiaojuan following a group of men.
Their backs looked familiar.
The man at the rear was Secretary Liu from the Chen Manor dungeon, right?
Then the two in front—could they be…
Mr. Chao and CEO Su?
So it wasn’t just Secretary Liu who had escaped the Chen Manor dungeon—they’d all fled together. No wonder the bodyguards had given Xiaojuan extra fruit at lunch and cake in the afternoon. They were CEO Su’s men.
But why would these escaped NPCs still remember Wang Xiaojuan?
How did she always get so lucky?!
Wait—
You Jiu recalled how the medical staff and other patients on this floor treated Room 4 with unusual deference, just like how things had been in Chen Manor.
Every dungeon had its own boss. So why were NPCs from the Chen Manor dungeon receiving the same treatment here?
Something wasn’t right.
"You Jiu." The supervisor strolled over. "Clean up Room 8. A new patient will be arriving in five minutes."
Five minutes to clean an entire room?!
Are you even human?!
Five minutes later, You Jiu stared at the patient being wheeled into Room 8 and felt an unprecedented wave of confusion.
Chen Fang, the second young master of the Chen family—why was he part of this dungeon too?
Had the System gone mad?
Were two dungeons sharing NPCs now? Was the stingy System trying to save on modeling costs?
The small garden on the ninth floor was a rest area the hospital had set up for patients. Chao Musheng bought a drink from the vending machine and handed it to Xiaojuan.
Xiaojuan hesitated. "Chao-ge, are you feeling alright?"
"It's nothing, just a slight cold." Chao Musheng smiled. "I thought you wouldn't even look up at me all day."
"Sorry, Chao-ge." Xiaojuan clenched the drink bottle in her hand tightly. "Actually, I..."
Beep—
A deafening roar erupted in Xiaojuan's mind, a tremor so deep it seemed to come from her very soul, rendering her utterly speechless.
"You don’t need to explain. I understand." Chao Musheng’s smile remained gentle.
Wherever there was a major case, Xiaojuan was always there.
So the truth could only be one—she was a trailblazer, carrying a heavy responsibility.
Xiaojuan had a feeling Chao-ge might not quite understand.
Chao Musheng asked, "Is there any problem right now that I can help you with?"
Xiaojuan sighed, her face weary. "A thank-you letter from a patient to a janitor."
Well, let the misunderstanding be. Who knew what she’d be doing the next time she ran into Chao-ge in a dungeon?
