chapter 8
Li Yi walked up to the bed. The iron frame was warped by the fire, but still largely intact. “Rumor has it the fire broke out while everyone was asleep. The victims here all died peacefully.”
He paused, then moved the camera closer to the wall.
Dense claw marks, each about ten centimeters long, came into view for everyone in the Live Streaming Room.
[“Holy crap, you call this dying peacefully? I’d believe you if you said they were tortured before they died.”]
[“But honestly, it makes sense. Waking up from a dream to find yourself trapped in a sea of flames-there’s no way any ordinary person could endure that pain.”]
[“Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.”]
Li Yi then went to the wooden desk, opened the drawer, flashlight in one hand, and took out what was inside with the other.
It was a work log, with some dates, records of people coming and going, and information about some patients.
“This is the caregiver’s work log from back then. It records his daily summaries-basically a diary.”
After explaining, Li Yi casually flipped open the diary.
July 1, 2018, Clear
“Every day I deliver meals to the patients locked in their wards, but for some reason, every time I always prepare one portion less.”
July ?, 2018, Overcast
“Today the patients looked at me strangely. That feeling… was it fear? Strange, I’ve never hit them.”
July ?, 2018, Overcast
There’s an extra! There’s one more! One more person! Damn, who is this?
The diary broke off here. The timeline jumped straight to the end of the year, with the last entry being the day of the fire.
January 1, 2018, Overcast
Half a year. It’s been half a year. I finally know who that person is. Turns out…
The handwriting in the work log grew more and more chaotic, as if the writer’s sanity was collapsing.
By the end, the writing had become like a child’s twisted scrawl, mixed with a lot of meaningless symbols.
The last page was incomplete, as if someone had deliberately torn it out.
So Li Yi still didn’t learn the identity of the extra person.
All of Li Yi’s actions were broadcast live by the System. So when he opened the work log, everyone in the Live Streaming Room saw the handwriting too.
[“Holy crap, fifteen patients and then suddenly an extra one shows up? Anyone would be freaked out.”]
[“Who the hell is this person? Judging from the diary, the caregiver clearly figured out the truth in the end. Was he silenced?”]
[“I think that’s possible. Maybe a homeless guy sneaked in, scammed food and drinks, got caught by the caregiver, they struggled, the homeless guy killed him by accident, and to avoid punishment, set a fire and killed all the patients.”]
After reading the work log, the mood in the Live Streaming Room instantly turned tense.
Li Yi frowned and glanced at the time-two minutes to midnight, 2 a.m.
Would that voice appear?
And the patients of Qingshan Hospital-where were they all hiding? After entering the hospital, he’d quickly checked the wards on every floor, but found them all empty.
He’d thought maybe the staff had slipped up, leading to a patient riot, and everyone had gathered on the top floor. But right now, what did this have to do with the task issued by the System?
No, that’s not right. The caregiver who wrote in the workbook was the last one here. Since then, caregivers have specifically written in this workbook to leave clues, so it’s impossible that someone would tear out unfinished pages.
In other words, it was done by that extra person in the photo.
There’s only one possibility for the situation in front of us.
He never left!
And he’s been living here all along!
“He killed them and he’s still in this hospital, so every night shift colleague hears the sounds of his movements.”
When Li Yi said this, a chill ran down his back.
It felt as if a pair of eyes were watching him from the shadows.
“Beep beep! Beep beep!”
At midnight, Li Yi’s watch suddenly beeped a few times.
While he was deep in thought,
The sound suddenly startled both Li Yi and the viewers in the Live Streaming Room.
[“Damn, Streamer, I’m begging you, okay? Next time we go exploring, can you throw away that watch? When it goes off suddenly, it’s scary as hell.”]
[“I thought my own doorbell rang, scared me so much I dove under the bed. Now I’m holding my phone in one hand, typing with another, and wiping sweat with the third.”]
[“Upstairs, are you for real? If you look like that…”]
[“Rest in peace.”]
Li Yi was genuinely startled just now.
Luckily, it was just a scare.
“Viewers, it’s already midnight now.
This is the time when my colleague reported hearing strange noises. If he wasn’t lying, then…”
Li Yi had only gotten halfway through his sentence when a strong wind suddenly blew open the caregiver’s room window, slamming it against the frame with a creak.
[“Streamer, look out! There’s someone behind you!”]
[“Careful! Behind you!”]
[“Ah! What is that thing!”]
[“Run…!”]
Li Yi was already on guard, and with the reminders from the Live Streaming Room viewers, he instantly spun around, aiming his high-powered flashlight at the doorway.
Li Yi shouted loudly.
Time seemed to freeze for two seconds.
The air felt solidified.
“Guys, you wouldn’t be tricking me, right?”
He held that pose for more than half a minute, but there was still no movement outside the door. Li Yi asked the Live Streaming Room.
[Why would we trick you at a time like this, Streamer? There’s a shadow standing at the door! Look closely, at the window.]
[Oh man, now I don’t have to worry about going to the bathroom later. It’s all out now.]
[“Who is that? Is it a patient from the hospital, or maybe a rescue team?”
[“Are you stupid? If it was a person, wouldn’t they say something?”]
[“Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity, friendliness. Materialist, fearless.”]
Li Yi glanced at the comments. The System’s live stream camera had a 60-degree, no-blind-spot view, so the viewers could see what was happening behind him.
Their field of vision was much wider than his own.
The window?
What’s at the window?
No, there’s something crouched at the window, peering inside.