14. Longtime Friend NPC

Stepping out of the hospital room, Chen Sheng felt a sudden warmth envelop his entire body, much like the sensation one experiences upon leaving an air-conditioned room in summer. Yet he paid it no mind, still engrossed in the test report he held. The reports had arrived promptly, and after reviewing them once more, he knocked on the door of his superior, Cao Dahu’s office.

Neurological diseases caused by parasitic infections might require surgery, which was beyond his expertise; such cases called for specialists, ideally someone from the military hospital. To Chen Sheng, a doctor's personal honor mattered little compared to a patient's suffering.

That very afternoon, the short-haired policewoman was taken away by personnel from the military hospital. Chen Sheng watched them depart, his habitual impassivity masking the turmoil within. An unsettling feeling lingered in his mind for reasons he could not explain. Everything seemed to have been accounted for, yet he could not shake the sense that something was amiss.

Two days later, Chen Sheng received a call informing him that the policewoman, Miss Rongrong, had regained consciousness, and the military hospital expressed their gratitude for his diagnosis. Relief washed over him. Her recovery proved that his unease had been unfounded. In other words, there truly were no ghosts.

Still, Chen Sheng found it odd. He was forthright and asked directly over the phone, “Dr. Li, weren’t you able to diagnose it over there?”

The military hospital boasted the most advanced equipment locally; it made no sense that they could not detect what he had found.

“Yes! We owe this to you, Dr. Chen. One day, I must treat you to dinner!” came the reply.

“Dr. Li, you’re being too kind. Even without me, your team would have diagnosed it,” Chen Sheng replied, not daring to claim credit. To him, Dr. Li was just being polite.

After some amiable exchange and declining Dr. Li’s invitation, Chen Sheng stretched languidly, then took out his gold-rimmed glasses, preparing to put them on. With the matter resolved, he finally felt in the mood for gaming.

The past two days had weighed upon him like a heavy stone; he had no desire to play, even though he considered the game a groundbreaking masterpiece. Life was life, and games were games—Chen Sheng was always clear on that point.

In real life, he remained diligent and reputable, known simply as Dr. Chen.

As he donned the gold-rimmed glasses, the world shifted around him. The “game login” remained as swift as ever. Chen Sheng marveled silently, scanning his surroundings to check if the healing game had saved his progress when he last logged out.

To his amazement, not only had the game saved his progress, it even provided a reason for his absence.

“Chen, where did you disappear for three days? Luckily, my uncle is the police chief—he helped arrange some leave for you,” Yan Shidong, looking exhausted, approached, offering a complaint without much fuss.

Chen Sheng was surprised, not because the thick-browed, big-eyed man before him had connections, but because the healing game's “save point” was so novel.

In his eyes, Yan Shidong, his colleague at the police station and longtime friend—an NPC in both roles—served as a save point.

“Had some matters to handle, just got back. I heard there’s something happening here, so I came right away.” Seeing several officers setting things up nearby, Chen Sheng sensed something was afoot and spoke accordingly.

As expected, trouble had occurred.

“You’re just in time. There’s been a dismemberment case, and I could use more hands,” Yan Shidong said.

“A dismemberment case?” Chen Sheng repeated instinctively.

“Yes. Three days ago, someone passing by discovered a pile of body parts and immediately alerted nearby patrol officers,” explained Yan Shidong.

“Any clues?” Chen Sheng pressed, seeing this as a perfect opportunity for a level-up quest.

Indeed, his previous luck had been too poor, or perhaps the game designers were too cunning. After three days of inactivity, he had triggered a mechanism to increase quest frequency.

This was common in games: after a long absence, players typically find their luck greatly improved upon return.

“There are clues, but they’re worse than useless,” Yan Shidong rubbed his brow, troubled.

“How so?”

According to the forensic report, the body had been crushed with iron chains, so they focused their investigation on places with large machinery. It would be impossible to destroy a corpse like this by hand; only heavy equipment could accomplish it.

“And then?”

“The test reports are fine, but... some of the body parts disappeared inexplicably. To be precise, they vanished on their own.” Yan Shidong swallowed, a trace of undisguised fear in his eyes.

Chen Sheng instantly grasped his friend’s meaning: in short, it was a haunting.

“What about the remaining parts?”

“After such an incident, of course we sent them straight to be incinerated.”

Chen Sheng nodded, then asked, “What are you doing now?”

“If the corpse changed, there’s likely a problem with this place. So we’re planning to seal it off for now,” Yan Shidong explained.

“Do you need me to do anything?” Chen Sheng inquired. The investigation had been forced to halt, but since Yan Shidong said he was short-handed, there must be a task for him.

“Chen, you made it out of White Cloud Mountain and arrived at Shangjiang City safely. Going to Skull Temple shouldn’t be an issue for you,” Yan Shidong said, his tone serious.

Chen Sheng was baffled. When did he leave White Cloud Mountain? What was that place? Was it some perilous den with a high difficulty rating?

But in the next moment, he realized it was likely another identity or background the healing game had assigned him.

He must have offended someone powerful, and instead of being killed, was transferred to Shangjiang City, likely having paid some price—one that lay within White Cloud Mountain.

“This healing game really forces you to explore and guess everything yourself,” Chen Sheng couldn’t help but complain inwardly, then agreed without hesitation, “No problem! Leave it to me!”