Missing Caretaker

Shen Yu did not pay attention to this detail, but it was Xie Tu who reminded him. He turned his head to look at the line of patients and noticed that the last patient had no caretaker accompanying him.

"Was the deceased his caretaker?" Shen Yu couldn't remember everyone; he could only rely on vague memories to recall the person's appearance.

Xie Tu, however, crossed his arms and did not answer Shen Yu's question.

Their pause caught the attention of the Head Nurse. She called out to Shen Yu, "What are you standing around for? Why haven't you taken the patient for breakfast yet?"

"Yes, Head Nurse." Shen Yu appeared very obedient, making it difficult for anyone to say more. The Head Nurse waved him off.

Shen Yu had no choice but to take Xie Tu away first. Later, when everyone was gathered, he would ask Wang Jia Xin; he thought Wang Jia Xin would surely remember.

Shen Yu arranged a seat for Xie Tu, asked him what he wanted to eat, and then went to get his meal.

Zhuang Jie, with her hair tied in two braids, also lined up. She looked around before calmly telling Shen Yu, "We're missing someone."

"Yes, I noticed too." Shen Yu took a small step forward, holding the food tray.

"Do you know who it is?" Zhuang Jie didn't remember everyone either; after all, besides herself, everyone here was a stranger to her.

Shen Yu shook his head, "I don't know, but someone surely will. Just arrange your patient first, I'll ask around and then come get food. You can come over when the time is right."

"No problem." Zhuang Jie replied. Shen Yu then left with his food tray.

The spot Shen Yu chose was clever; his back was perfectly turned to Wang Jia Xin. As soon as he sat down, before he could even open his mouth, Wang Jia Xin proactively said, "Someone's missing."

"Yes, I know." Shen Yu calmly sipped a mouthful of porridge.

Wang Jia Xin: "His name is Zhang Kai, from room 213."

"Alright." Shen Yu noticed Xie Tu, who was sitting opposite him, staring at him, so he winked at Xie Tu, "What's wrong?"

Xie Tu lowered his head, not answering.

Shen Yu was used to it and didn't find it strange. After all, he knew the reason for Xie Tu's vastly different personality between day and night.

One bowl of porridge finished, Shen Yu went to get more food. As soon as Shen Yu reached the counter, Zhuang Jie followed. Shen Yu then told Zhuang Jie what Wang Jia Xin had said. Zhuang Jie praised, "You guys have a capable assistant."

"She is indeed very smart." Shen Yu did not deny Wang Jia Xin's abilities.

Zhuang Jie: "After we return to the second floor, let's find a way to check room 213."

"Okay." Shen Yu turned and left.

After breakfast, everyone gathered at the dining hall entrance. They still had to collect their blood test reports. The Head Nurse led them to the collection window, instructing them as they walked, "Except for special circumstances, as long as the patient is awake, you must not leave their sight. Once they have any needs, you must ensure your immediate presence, and always pay attention to their physical condition to prevent incidents."

"I know you are all very curious about this place, but it also has its rules. Don't let me find anyone dishonest." The Head Nurse's voice was not very friendly, each word carrying a strong warning.

Everyone lined up in front of the window, receiving their patients' blood test reports one by one. At this moment, a newcomer raised his hand, "Excuse me, mine, there's a problem."

The nurse in charge of distributing the reports looked at him, "What's the problem?"

"My patient's name is Yang Guo Yi, this report is not his name. Did you pick the wrong one?" The newcomer honestly explained.

The nurse took the report back from him, looked at it a few times, and said, "Alright, you stay and wait a moment, the others take your patients back to the second floor."

This was not a place to linger. Shen Yu glanced at the newcomer and then followed the group out.

Back on the second floor, Shen Yu was also very patient. He fed Xie Tu his medicine, then let him lie down on the bed, asking, "Mr. Xie, do you have any other instructions?"

Xie Tu looked at him, seemingly reading his thoughts, "Where do you want to go?"

"I'm going to check the room of the newcomer who went missing." Shen Yu had no intention of hiding this from Xie Tu.

Xie Tu snorted, not indicating whether he agreed or not.

Shen Yu couldn't guess, so he pressed, "Is there really nothing else? I'm going out now."

Xie Tu was mostly indulgent towards Shen Yu. Even if Shen Yu sneaked out alone and got into trouble, Xie Tu would even help him cover it up. So, Xie Tu pulled the blanket up, "I want to sleep."

The implication was that there was nothing else.

Shen Yu smiled, "Thank you."

——

Shen Yu only briefly told Yu Cheng Yi that he wanted to check room 213. Unexpectedly, as soon as he left his room, he saw Yu Cheng Yi waiting at the door. Shen Yu was a little surprised, "Why are you here? Where's your patient?"

"Him? After returning to the room, he told me he was too tired and sleepy. I was afraid he'd pull a trick, so I gave him sleeping pills before coming out."

Shen Yu remembered there were sleeping pills in the medicine cabinet.

"Alright, let's go." Shen Yu waved to Yu Cheng Yi, and the two walked towards room 213. Zhuang Jie hadn't arrived yet, and the door to room 213 was tightly shut.

Shen Yu looked through the window, inside sat a patient. Shen Yu hesitated for a moment, but Yu Cheng Yi had already raised his hand and knocked on the door, "Hello, is anyone inside?"

Before Shen Yu could speak, the door was pulled open. The patient appeared before them, first surprised by their presence, then resuming a cold expression, "Who are you? I thought you were the cleaning staff."

"We are Zhang Kai's friends, here to ask him something." Shen Yu clasped his hands behind his back. He was much taller than this patient but did not create a sense of oppression.

The patient didn't seem surprised; he made way for the two, "Over there."

He gestured with his chin towards a pile of blood and flesh on the hospital bed. Yu Cheng Yi's eyes widened, his mind buzzed, and he staggered in place.

"I'm contacting the cleaning staff to deal with this; this sight makes it impossible for me to sleep." This patient showed no surprise at Zhang Kai's death, even feeling that his death had soiled the room.

"You're here?" Zhuang Jie's voice sounded from the door, followed by Wang Jia Xin. It seemed the two met when they left their rooms and came together.

Shen Yu made way for the two women. Zhuang Jie looked at Zhang Kai's corpse on the bed, which appeared to have been brutally hacked to death by a sharp weapon, looking truly... horrifying.

"What rule did he violate?" Wang Jia Xin was extremely frightened; she recoiled, trembling as she asked.

Shen Yu shook his head; this point was unclear. Everyone was in their own rooms; only the patient knew what truly happened.

He didn't place hope in this patient and began to observe the room, his gaze finally settling on the slightly open window. The caretaker's manual clearly stated that windows must be closed. Zhang Kai surely wouldn't have made such a basic mistake.

So, it must have been this patient who opened it.

He asked, "Did you open the window?"

The patient nodded, "Yes, it was too hot last night, and he didn't answer when I called him, so I got up and opened the window myself."

He didn't expect that he was the one who opened the window last night. The moment he finished speaking, all four of them were stunned. Zhang Kai's death was now too clear: the window was not closed at night, and the person who opened it was his roommate.

There was nothing more to see here. Shen Yu gestured, and the other three followed him out of room 213.

Shen Yu got straight to the point, "Understand? We not only have to guard against 'it' in this world, but also against the patients in the same room. Everyone needs to be more careful from now on."

"Mm, I'll tell them tonight." Zhuang Jie nodded resolutely.

Shen Yu suddenly noticed Wang Jia Xin's reddened eyes, "Why did you come out here?"

After all, he hadn't told Wang Jia Xin that he was going to check room 213.

Wang Jia Xin explained, "I wanted to come see for myself. I knew you might not have time, so I wanted to see if I could find any clues to tell you."

"The Head Nurse said not to leave the patient's sight, you know that, right?" Shen Yu kindly reminded her.

"I know, I know." Wang Jia Xin nodded repeatedly, "Because the Head Nurse suddenly brought people to my room to take my patient away. She said she would arrange a new patient soon, so I took this opportunity to come out."

"Alright, no more chitchat. I've looked at the hospital's schedule; there will be two hours of rest at noon. I'll go out and explore this place; it's up to you whether you come or not." Shen Yu told them his plan.

Yu Cheng Yi patted his chest, "I'll definitely go with you."

"I'll go too." Zhuang Jie pushed her hair back from her chest.

Wang Jia Xin quietly raised her hand, "I, I want to go too."

"You can." Shen Yu nodded, and the four then split up, returning to their respective rooms.

——

Shen Yu tried his best to make the sound of opening the door as small as possible. He thought Xie Tu was asleep, but unexpectedly, Xie Tu was sitting cross-legged on the bed, calmly watching Shen Yu push the door open and enter.

Shen Yu greeted him a little awkwardly, "You're not asleep?"

"Why are you back so late?" Xie Tu's voice held a hint of anger.

Shen Yu patiently explained, "Because the investigation took a little longer. Zhang Kai died because the patient opened the window while he was sleeping."

Xie Tu grunted an "oh." He didn't care about the life or death of others. His presence here, becoming Shen Yu's patient, was simply because he wanted to.

He saw Shen Yu staring at him and frowned, "Why are you looking at me? I don't do those childish things."

Shen Yu chuckled. He walked to Xie Tu's side, casually sat on the edge of the bed, and said in a somewhat unclear and ambiguous tone, "Yes, Mr. Xie wouldn't secretly get up in the middle of the night to open the window, but he would secretly get up and use his things to wrap... around... me—"

Xie Tu's pupils contracted, his hands on his knees tensed. He probably didn't expect Shen Yu to suddenly tease him.

"Last night, you were in the wrong first!" Xie Tu turned his head away.

Shen Yu was in a good mood, seeing Xie Tu make such an embarrassed and angry expression with his peerless face, he deliberately said, "You said my panting was wrong, what was wrong with it?"

Xie Tu didn't want to speak; his expression showed little change, but his ears were already slightly flushed.

"Get down, I want to sleep." Xie Tu's voice was still cold, but Shen Yu really wanted to laugh. He suppressed his laughter, got up from the bed, and clasped his hands behind his back, "Alright, alright."

Xie Tu curled up in his blanket again.

——

At lunch, Shen Yu told Yu Cheng Yi and the others to warn the other players to be wary of patients. After eating, it was almost time for the noon break. Xie Tu still wasn't asleep, but Shen Yu knew Xie Tu's existence was special, so he only gave Xie Tu a few instructions before preparing to leave the room.

"When will you be back?" Xie Tu parted his lips to ask.

"Probably soon." Shen Yu gave an uncertain answer.

He bent down and patted Xie Tu's shoulder, half-jokingly, half-seriously saying, "Oh, if you miss me, you can hug my coat and take a nap."

He smiled, pointing to his white lab coat hanging on the rack.

Xie Tu turned his head away and snorted. Shen Yu just took it as a joke, and Xie Tu's reaction also made him feel adorable. After laughing, he opened the door and went out.

Xie Tu slowly turned his head to stare at the tightly closed door, frowning in dissatisfaction. He looked towards the white lab coat, revealing a different kind of emotion, then quickly turned his head away.

But behind him, a tentacle stretched out, wrapped around the white lab coat. Xie Tu silently tucked it into the blanket...