Chapter 56
Jiang Li had noticed it from earlier.
This aunt was hot-tempered and couldn’t keep her cool.
Just because Jiang Li hadn’t fallen for her tricks, over a trivial matter, the aunt was putting on airs and throwing attitude at Jiang Li.
Sure enough, after being retorted, the aunt was instantly provoked into anger.
She slammed down the ladle, rolled up her sleeves, and was about to make a scene.
But before she could, a security guard suddenly appeared behind her and pressed down on her shoulder.
All the security guards wore Leopard Masks on their faces.
Although they were called masks, they fit so closely to the face that it looked almost as if they were part of the skin.
“Damaging public property. Come with us,” one of the guards said.
The aunt glanced at the bent ladle, dazed for a few seconds.
When she came to her senses, her eyes blazed with fury as she glared in Jiang Li’s direction.
“You set me up! You did it on purpose… you did it on purpose!!!”
Madhouse Cafeteria Rules, Article One:
[Please observe the principles of a civilized cafeteria. No violence, no damaging public property.]
Cafeteria staff are present in the dining hall, so they are expected to follow the same rules as the patients.
And this time, Jiang Li had set up the aunt precisely to see how far her anger would go.
And to see what exactly would count as “using violence, damaging public property.”
The serving ladle was dented, and because of this, the aunt was taken away by the security guards.
Jiang Li was a little surprised, but then turned away, carrying her tray to look for a Seat.
The layout of the cafeteria Seats was mainly divided into two sections: left and right.
From Jiang Li’s perspective, the left side was the “Blue-and-White Striped Area,” and the right was the “Maroon Striped Area.”
Although there was no official zoning, the patients in the cafeteria naturally split into two factions, sitting on either side.
Jiang Li glanced around and headed to the “Blue-and-White Striped Area” on the left.
She found an empty Seat and sat down.
Seeing that there weren’t many people around, Jiang Li quickly used her Space to store away the three pig hearts.
Along with them, she also stored the layer of rice soaked in broth on top.
Only then did she begin to eat in peace.
Halfway through her meal, a fellow patient suddenly shouted from Jiang Li’s front right.
“Ah! There’s a finger in my rice!”
Jiang Li, who was scooping up rice, paused mid-motion.
A wave of nausea rose in her throat.
Some people nearby turned toward the shouting patient.
They saw that the madman had pulled out his own finger buried in the rice and was grinning foolishly.
“Turns out it’s mine… hehehe, scared me to death.”
The madman feigned a scare, sucked the rice grains off his finger, and then buried his head back into his food.
Jiang Li was speechless: “…”
She realized that the madman hadn’t taken chopsticks earlier, so he was eating with his hands.
Halfway through, he went crazy.
And the noisy patient, for making a racket and violating the “no talking while eating, no talking while sleeping” dining rule, was instantly teleported away and taken by a security guard wearing a Leopard Mask.
Leopards represent speed.
So all the security guards in the hospital have the ability to teleport-Jiang Li made a note of this trait.
After all the commotion from the madman, Jiang Li’s appetite diminished considerably.
To conserve her strength, Jiang Li forced herself to eat a few more bites.
Seeing that there was little left on her tray, she carried it over to the Leftover Food Station.
Next to the Leftover Food Station was the cafeteria’s Water Bar.
There was only one staff member there, and it looked deserted, with hardly any customers.
Jiang Li recalled Article Five of the Cafeteria Rules:
[Drinks at the Water Bar are free, but taste awful. Not recommended.]
Jiang Li knew this rule was true.
But “taste awful” is a subjective judgment.
Maybe for the Aberration who set the rule, it really was terrible.
Jiang Li observed carefully.
She noticed that the Water Bar staff seemed to have two faint antennae hidden in their hair.
The antennae were black, just like the hair, and swayed gently from time to time.
If you didn’t look closely, you wouldn’t notice them at all.
Jiang Li glanced again at the Water Bar staff’s uniform-it was a shirt with alternating yellow and black stripes.
She seemed to have recalled something, so she tentatively lifted her foot and walked toward the Water Bar.
“Hello, may I have a drink?” Jiang Li looked at the staff and offered a polite smile.
The drinks at the Water Bar were free, but there was only one kind available.
The staff looked a bit surprised to see Jiang Li coming.
She immediately got up from her stool, walked over to the machine, and printed out an order slip for Jiang Li.
“Would you like it iced or hot? How much sugar?” the staff asked.
“Hot. 70% sugar.”
The receipt machine spat out a small slip, which the staff handed to Jiang Li before entering the back room to prepare the drink.
Jiang Li pinched the slip and took a glance.
The order number was “0002.” It seemed it had been a long time since there was a previous order.
Jiang Li’s gaze settled at the bottom right of the slip, where there was a watermark: “Little Yellow Bee Foundation Sponsored.”
She didn’t have to wait long before her drink was ready.
She took it in hand and glanced at it, a smile tugging at her lips.
Just as she had guessed.
The drink at the Water Bar was Honey Water!
Jiang Li couldn’t wait to take a sip – such a familiar taste.
She was just about to take a couple more sips when –
A patient in blue-and-white stripes suddenly ran past and bumped into Jiang Li’s shoulder.
Some of the Honey Water spilled from Jiang Li’s hand.
Holding the remaining half cup of drink, she looked at the hasty figure.
That fellow patient’s smooth, round bald head was especially conspicuous.
He didn’t look back, nor did he say “sorry,” but headed straight to the kitchen.
Jiang Li didn’t want to cause any trouble, so she shook the water off her clothes and went over to the sink to clean herself up a bit.
When she arrived, she happened to see Doctor Hao also washing his hands.
At this moment, Doctor Hao had removed his mask.
The entire lower half of his face resembled a black snake.
Perhaps noticing someone watching him, Doctor Hao looked up at Jiang Li.
“Oh, Patient ID 1037, just finished eating?” Doctor Hao greeted Jiang Li with a smile.
Jiang Li managed a faint smile, nodded, and looked away.
Whenever Doctor Hao spoke, the way his crimson snake tongue flickered in and out made Jiang Li feel a bit unsettled.
Jiang Li kept her head down, washing her hands and also cleaning the area on her chest that had gotten dirty.
At that moment-
The water suddenly turned red!
A strong smell of blood and rust hit her nose, and Jiang Li couldn’t help but frown.
She recalled Cafeteria Rule Six:
[If you see the water in the sink turn red, immediately turn on all the faucets until the water runs clear.]
Jiang Li was about to reach for the nearby faucet when she glanced over and saw Doctor Hao still washing his hands as usual.
Had he… not noticed the change in the water’s color?
If the water appeared normal to Doctor Hao, would turning on all the faucets make him think she was having an episode?
The metallic, bloody scent from the faucet grew stronger and stronger.
Soon, a lock of black hair floated out from the red liquid.
The more the water flowed, the thicker the hair became.
Now the hair roots were visible.
Next came a person’s forehead, squashed and deformed.
As soon as the forehead emerged from the pipe, it expanded rapidly to normal human size.
Jiang Li’s brow furrowed.
If she delayed any longer, someone might actually crawl out from there.
…Forget it!
Anyway, in Doctor Hao’s eyes, she was already a mental patient!
Jiang Li acted at once, quickly turning on all five faucets at the sink.
Red liquid gushed out from all five faucets at the same time.
Amid a shrill scream, several strands of a woman’s hair and a woman’s forehead were flushed out from the faucet in front of Jiang Li, reduced to fragments.
From the other faucets, fragments of flesh and bone were also flushed out, one after another.
After about twenty seconds, the water ran clear again.
Crisis averted.
Jiang Li looked at the clean water, let out a gentle breath, and turned off the faucets.
Beside her, Doctor Hao cast a casual glance at Jiang Li, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
He took a paper towel from the dispenser, wiped his hands twice, and threw it away.
As he left, Doctor Hao flicked his snake tongue and turned his head with a smile to Jiang Li: “This is the second time.”