LWGP - Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Hometown
"Mr. Wang, given that your physical condition has met the criteria for half a month's recovery progress, yet you remain unconscious, I would have to conclude that there might be a problem with your brain. I recommend the neurosurgery department perform a craniotomy on you."
Just like that, Wang Shu's eyes snapped open, his face a mask of terror.
Zhang Xu and Li Meng: "..."
This damn fatty had been eavesdropping the whole time. How treacherous.
But after asking, they learned that this guy had indeed become a Registered Player as well.
Winning by lying down, and a no-cost clear on top of that. An RNG God, truly an RNG God.
The two of them, whose adrenaline had been off the charts from fear in the dungeon and were still shaken, felt a pang of jealousy.
"Thanks to the three of you, especially Director Wang, I managed to win by lying down. I'm truly grateful beyond words." Wang Shu's phrasing was rather formal, which just made Zhang Xu and Li Meng roll their eyes.
Wang Jiu raised an eyebrow. "You know the mission's progress?"
Otherwise, how would he have determined that her contribution was the greatest?
Wang Shu: "I do. You can rewatch it. The System told me all participants can review the mission process, but if you want to show it to non-participants, you can only sell it to them through a transaction."
The three of them were startled. This was something they didn't know. Their time had been tight, unlike this damn fatty who had been lying around with nothing to do, giving him time to study the proper way to use the System.
They were all novices and knew each other's identities, so they could exchange information later. There was no rush. Besides, given Wang Shu's treacherous nature, he was bound to have the same attitude as them—no intention of revealing this to outsiders.
So he lay back down and played dead.
Ding. The operating room light turned green. After the door opened, one of Wang Shu's relatives was already waiting outside. Just one, and he looked very familiar.
"The Dean?" Zhang Xu and Li Meng were shocked.
Look how anxious he is. Are they father and son?
The Dean was rail-thin, while Wang Shu was incredibly fat. The contrast was huge, wasn't it?
The Dean came forward. He already knew there was a problem with the surveillance system, but he didn't question them, only asking about the surgery's outcome.
Li Meng and the other were actually a little nervous. It wasn't that the results of Wang Shu's surgery were bad; they were too good.
"He's fine. What, does he have a powerful background?"
Wang Jiu didn't think the two were father and son, but she made a blunt guess based on practical interests.
The Dean wasn't angry. He rolled his eyes. "The one with the powerful background is the little handsome guy in Ward 505. This one, well, he has a lot of money. Right after he got injured, before he passed out, he called me. Without a second thought, he told me to arrange for the best doctor and said he'd donate a million to our hospital if we saved his life. By the way, I don't know him. He just added my number at a dinner party. So, that's why I assigned Lao Wang to him."
It was clear that Wang Shu was a smooth operator who cherished his life and had plenty of money.
The three of them came to a sudden realization and simultaneously glanced at Wang Shu, who was playing dead on the stretcher.
This RNG God didn't win by lying down through sheer luck alone.
Zhang Xu and Li Meng left with Wang Shu. Wang Jiu glanced at her phone, which still couldn't get a call through, then looked at the surrounding chaos. Lost in thought, she asked the Dean, "You didn't just come for Wang Shu, did you? Something's not right today, is it?"
It seemed the real-world situation was just as she had guessed. They probably weren't the only three to have encountered an 'accident'.
The Dean's expression was guarded. He immediately took Wang Jiu to his office and cut right to the chase. "The situation is too abnormal. In a small county like this, no fewer than a hundred car accidents have occurred in just one hour. Never mind our hospital being packed, even the children's hospital is full. I specifically contacted friends in the same system in the city and dean friends in other counties, and their situations are all similar. Inquiries with the public security system indicate that the preliminary investigation concludes all the accidents were essentially accidental."
The Dean's brows were knitted into a tight knot. "To put it bluntly, I'd almost hope this was man-made. But if they're all accidents, then this world is about to change. By the way, where are your glasses?"
As he said this, he stared intently at Wang Jiu.
Wang Jiu knew this old man was shrewd. He was probably starting to doubt the reality of their 'surgery'.
Given his methods, it probably wouldn't take him long to grasp the situation.
Wang Jiu, who had originally intended to hide the truth, considered the current reality and knew this kind of thing couldn't be concealed for long.
"My glasses broke. I'll go get my spare pair in a bit."
After a pause, Wang Jiu said, "Before the country sets a tone and the social system reaches a conclusion, for my own privacy and that of others, I can't reveal specific information to you. But I can tell you this: we were forced to play a magical survival game and almost died. We originally thought it was just our bad luck, but from the looks of it now, the world will become one. As for whether you believe this or what you think of it, that's up to you."
Magical survival? The world will become one, will?
Cultured people certainly had a euphemistic way of putting things.
The Dean was a sharp man himself and quickly picked up on several key pieces of information.
"The world is indeed about to change. Correspondingly, society might descend into chaos. You can either play it safe and prepare to protect yourself, or you can cling to the nation's thigh and actively participate."
Regarding the game system and the dungeons, she had already reached an agreement with Zhang Xu and the others. Since the Dean himself hadn't experienced it, the information asymmetry would make it difficult for him to understand. There was also the influence of their superior-subordinate relationship. She didn't care, but the others were different.
Even if she were to entrust him with intelligence, she would have to wait until they had digested the matter and were prepared.
Anyway... she estimated this guy, the Dean, would soon have his turn in a Tutorial Instance.
Maybe after the old man had experienced one himself?
Besides, with three chances, they could meet again whether he died or not.
Although the Dean had long had an uneasy premonition, he hadn't expected to receive such a solemn warning from Wang Jiu.
He also noticed Wang Jiu was dialing her phone.
She hadn't stopped.
He knew Wang Jiu's background. It was true she was divorced, but she had no children. Her only important 'relative' was the Old Lady.
He was suddenly alarmed. "Are you looking for the Old Lady? What, no response?"
"Yeah." Wang Jiu didn't say much more, still managing to keep her composure. But the Dean's face turned exceptionally grim. Although their ages weren't far apart, he was also the Old Lady's student. The medical system was still very traditional, and he deeply respected his teacher.
"Is it possible she's encountered the same thing as you? Lost contact? Can anyone else reach her? Wait, let me call some other people."
The Old Lady had many students. A good number of them were established in the capital's medical system or scattered across various cities, many of whom were successful and famous. They were all in the same circle. As he spoke, the Dean took out his phone and made a call.
Wang Jiu didn't stop him. She just stood by the window, watching the county streets where ambulance sirens still wailed from time to time. She thought about the initial 3 HP. Logically, no matter what, even if the Old Lady failed, it would be fine as long as she got out. After all, there were three chances, right?
With the Old Lady's caution, after one failure, she wouldn't rush into a second or third attempt immediately. And after getting out, she would definitely contact her, ask about her situation, nag her to be careful, and even use the opportunity to call her back home. But...
She felt a persistent unease.
The Dean also failed.
"It's impossible for everyone to be out of touch."
The System had said it was a random selection, gradually spreading to cover all living beings. From a probabilistic standpoint, it was impossible for everyone to enter the Tutorial Instance at the same time.
Wang Jiu suddenly switched off her phone's screen and said flatly, "Then there's only one possibility—the communication towers in the capital are having problems."
"That's possible. Sigh, what's happening to this world?" The Dean was muttering when he suddenly saw Wang Jiu walking towards the door. He ventured a guess, "You're going back to the capital?"
"I'll leave as soon as I wrap things up here. You can handle the procedures."
Wang Jiu had no intention of staying behind to save more people during this period of frequent accidents. To her, no one was more important than the Old Lady.
She didn't care what others thought either.
But based on the Dean's past morals and behavior, as well as his relationship with the Old Lady, she glanced back at him as she pulled the door open.
"Contact the state as soon as possible. Use big data to gain the trust of the higher-ups. Forget it, they've probably already noticed. But getting on their radar early won't do you any harm, and it will help stabilize the situation."
Click. The door closed.
The Dean sat down with a wry smile. Since when was it his turn to be rushing to get a number?
But if the 'hospital' was the state...
Lao Wang made a lot of sense.
Hey, wait a minute. Lao Wang said the world will become one. If even the Old Lady has met with misfortune... could he also be next?
No way!
Damn it, he was almost sixty! He already had one foot in the grave!
Wang Jiu booked the earliest flight from the city and calculated the time. She went back to the locker room, changed out of her scrubs, put on her white coat, and donned her spare glasses. Then, she went to do rounds in the wards of the patients she was responsible for, recording specific information. Li Meng and Zhang Xu had just finished surgery and gone to rest. Following her were two new interns. They were probably terrified by the day's events, but lacking the sensitivity of an old fox like the Dean, they only discussed the superficial aspects of the accidents. However, one of them, who likely enjoyed browsing the news, mentioned events from other places.
"The nearby counties aren't any better. My aunt even called me."
"It's not just about the car accidents. My aunt married into Caoze County, right? I heard there's a Miao Mountain over there, a place where a group of Bai people live. It's always been pretty secluded. A while ago, an internet celebrity filmed the scenery there, and it went viral, attracting some hikers to go climbing. Then something happened..."
"Fell off a cliff trying to pose for a photo? Did they die?"
"No, they found a dead person!"
"What dead person?" Wang Jiu asked.
"There was a pit in the mountain, covered by a lot of fallen leaves and dirt. A hiker went missing, right? The police suspected he was murdered, so they thought the pit was suspicious and dug it up. Turns out, they found a skeleton, but it had been dead for many years. The autopsy revealed it had been eaten alive."
Wang Jiu raised an eyebrow. "Murdered by someone?"
"Doesn't seem like it. The autopsy said the bite marks on the bones were left by wild wolves in the mountains. The pit was dug by wolves. They said it's a wolf's habit to dig a pit and bury leftover food, then eat it when they're hungry again."
"Has the victim's identity been confirmed?" Wang Jiu handed the patient chart she had been writing in to an intern and asked.
"They're still investigating. They suspect it's a missing person from years ago who met with disaster in the mountains."
"That's not exactly strange news. Look at you making a fuss. Did your aunt really call you specifically to tell you this?"
"No, it's mainly because my aunt said that mountain is creepy, and the old Bai village in the mountains is even creepier. The entire village inexplicably died out. It even alarmed the state enough to investigate back then!"
"!!!"
Watching them chatter excitedly, Wang Jiu's eyes deepened slightly. She suddenly said, "I think my hometown is around there too."
The two were surprised and were about to ask when Wang Jiu smiled. "If you don't pass your internship, you'll have to go back to your hometowns for a look, too."
The two of them immediately fell silent and followed her to the next ward, starting to learn in earnest.
She was just about finished when, passing by the special care ward 505, the door suddenly opened. Someone came out and called out to them, but someone else was trying to stop them, causing a commotion.
"What's wrong?" Wang Jiu entered the room and saw a large group of people surrounding a young man on the hospital bed.
This group looked to be either rich or noble. They were probably city kids who had come to a small place for fun.
Miao Mountain was very popular recently.
A dead person's bones...
Wang Jiu casually picked up the medical chart hanging at the foot of the bed. As she lowered her gaze to read it, the light from the window cast a golden sheen across her glasses.
A certain handsome guy on the bed, who had just been complaining that his friends were being too fussy, glanced at the ID badge on her white coat. He frowned slightly and discreetly pulled the blanket over his thighs.
Noticing his subtle movement, Wang Jiu lifted her face, her fingers gripping a pen, and lightly tapped the chart.
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