Chapter 160

Chapter 160

Wang Fugui stared at her in amazement. How had she figured that out? Why couldn’t he see it?

“It’s only a theory. I still need to verify it. Please help me to Ward 06.”

“Isn’t your ward No. 4?” Wang Fugui asked in confusion.

Zhang Ru took a deep breath.

“If you ever get the chance, you should meet Wang Weiwei properly. The two of you are very well matched.”

Wang Fugui’s weathered face reddened. What did she mean by that? Did Zhang Ru think he was so outstanding that she wanted to introduce him to Wang Weiwei?

And judging by Wang Weiwei’s condition, it seemed two souls shared one body. If that was the case… Ohoho…

“Careful, sis. Let me help you!”

They reached Ward 06 and opened the door. Tong Qian lay on the bed. She could no longer see much of anything and could only hear someone enter.

“Who is it?”

“Sister Qian, it’s Wang Weiwei and me.”

“What are you doing here?” Tong Qian asked suspiciously.

“There’s something I need to test.”

It was Wang Weiwei’s voice, but it sounded entirely different from before.

Wang Weiwei removed the cloth covering her eyes and waited a moment to adjust. Sure enough, her vision began to recover.

Previously, everything around her had appeared colossal, as though the slightest movement would cause the world to crush her to death.

But after entering this room, the surroundings rapidly began to shrink.

“My theory was correct. Wang Fugui, take Sister Qian to my ward.”

“Huh?”

Zhang Ru glanced at him and explained.

“Remember the conditions you listed in each ward? If you exclude No. 1’s ward and Ward 08, the remaining illnesses come in opposing pairs. Once we’re infected, all we need to do is move into the ward containing the opposite condition.”

“But what about the patients in those rooms? They were assigned to us. Are we allowed to switch whenever we want?” Wang Fugui asked.

“The rules never say we can’t change wards.”

“But that nurse at the beginning…”

“That nurse wore a red wristband. We were misled. We assumed each of us could care for only one patient, but the rules never say that. We’re caregivers. As long as we care for a patient, we fulfill the requirement.”

“I see.”

Tong Qian understood at once, and joy appeared on her face. If this worked, she might be able to clear the mission.

Zhang Ru immediately poured cold water on her excitement.

“Don’t celebrate yet. This only gives us a chance of clearing it.”

“Why?” Wang Fugui asked in confusion.

“Besides Ward 08, where Brother Liu is holding the line, No. 1’s ward remains isolated. His condition is extremely troublesome.”

If Zhang Ru’s theory was correct, every other ward was merely an appetizer. They might even exist solely to complement No. 1’s ward. Given the nature of his illness, once it flared, all of them would be dragged into a dream and would never reach the seventh day.

There was a way to break the situation: sacrifice one person. Someone could deliberately make contact with No. 1 and contract his illness. Their experiences over the past few days had shown that once a caregiver became infected, the patient’s condition improved. Meanwhile, the infection still needed time to take hold in the caregiver. Everyone else could then swap wards and easily coast through the remaining days.

But who would volunteer as the sacrifice? More importantly, No. 1’s illness was the most terrifying of them all.

Zhang Ru therefore set that plan aside for now. Her other option was the same one Li Wei had proposed.
Zhang Ru had access to everything Wang Weiwei had seen and learned. Li Wei had been very intelligent. He had probably realized what the employee badges did and tried to use one to shed his caregiver identity, thereby avoiding further contact with the patients.

His mistake had been targeting the kitchen supervisor’s brother-in-law.

Unlike Wang Weiwei, Zhang Ru focused all her attention on Liu Ye whenever he appeared.

She knew he was an enormously powerful backer. While trapped inside the necklace, she had been unable to understand what Wang Weiwei was thinking. Why trust her own chaotic theories when such a powerful person stood right there?

That focus had also allowed Zhang Ru to notice the red cord around the Chef’s wrist. It proved he was equally dangerous.

So she chose the three nurses as their targets. Wang Fugui had just confirmed that none of them wore red cords, while all three carried employee badges. They were the best available choices.

The plan still had two problems. First, there were four survivors and only three nurses at the station. Who would willingly remain behind?

Second, the nurses were far stronger than ordinary people. Their side consisted of three women and one half-crippled man. Subduing all three would be difficult.

“You seem to have encountered a problem,” the patient in Ward 06 suddenly said.

“You’re targeting those three nurses, aren’t you? I can help.” Patient No. 6 smiled at her.

Zhang Ru narrowed her eyes at him.

“I recognize you. You’re the leader of that Dianbei scam ring. Weren’t you arrested?”

“I wish I’d been arrested. Unfortunately, I took things too far and accidentally offended a wealthy man, so I ended up here instead.”

Patient No. 6 shrugged.

“Enough pointless history. Let’s cooperate. We both want to leave this place, so our goals align. I can help you deal with those three nurses.”

“What do you want?”

“An employee badge.”

“Once you take the nurses’ badges, your original ones will be useless. Just give me any one of them,” Patient No. 6 said.

“Agreed.”

Zhang Ru nodded. For now, working with him was a reasonable choice. Of course, she had no intention of actually giving him a badge.

She did not believe a single word spoken by any patient. Besides, the rules specifically required them to protect their own badges.

They would deal with the nurses first and decide the rest afterward.

Once the discussion ended, Wang Fugui carried Tong Qian to Wang Weiwei’s ward.

Before leaving, Zhang Ru explicitly warned Tong Qian not to believe the woman inside.

Tong Qian was not a fool like Wang Weiwei. Outside the Fiendish World, she was known for her ruthless methods-in the most literal sense-and was especially skilled at handling people who relied on their mouths.

That was why Patient No. 6 had not tried to cooperate with her earlier. He had badgered her for an entire night, but no matter what he said, Tong Qian pretended not to hear. She would rather let the infection spread than believe him.

“Miss Wang Weiwei, if we get out, would you have dinner with me? I admire you very much.”

Patient No. 6 watched Zhang Ru greedily. For once, he was not lying. He greatly admired both her face and her personality, so he wanted to look at her as much as possible while his vision remained normal.

Once Tong Qian’s condition improved, his eyesight would be ruined again.

Before Zhang Ru could answer, someone knocked. Then Liu Ye walked through the door.

“Hello! I’m here to make my rounds!”