This doesn't seem to be a problem.

Whoosh— The wind began to rise, carrying with it strange traces of ash that scattered across the ground like casual graffiti.

Chen Sheng couldn’t help but feel a chill, and his admiration for this so-called healing game grew from the bottom of his heart. The sense of immersion was so powerful—how many games could make someone feel so present? No wonder it was hailed as a national savior in the domestic game industry! Truly, this was a work ahead of its time!

Full of emotion, Chen Sheng didn’t hesitate for a moment. He dashed toward the woman, and before she could react, he snatched the gallows frame from her hands and bolted away.

Describing it in detail might make it seem complicated, but in images, it was as if a dark shadow flashed past and vanished in the blink of an eye.

The woman stood dumbfounded for a long moment before she realized the gallows frame was gone from her hands, leaving her stupefied.

Where was her torture device?

How could such a large gallows frame disappear in an instant?

The wind howled, making the strands of hair that veiled her face even more disheveled.

By now, Chen Sheng had returned to the small wooden cabin.

He had never told anyone about the time he watched someone fishing by the river and saw them pull up a palm-sized stone tablet. The tablet had inscriptions detailing some kind of exercise regimen.

For reasons unknown, none of the onlookers paid any attention to the text. At the time, Chen Sheng was young and impressionable, struck by a bout of adolescent bravado, so he began to practice the exercises.

Naturally, nothing came of it, and he soon gave up.

Later, while studying for his medical exams and struggling financially, he picked up the exercises again in his spare time. It was a way to keep himself from spending money and also served as a convenient excuse to avoid social invitations.

Then, to his astonishment, Chen Sheng discovered—he’d actually mastered them! Like a hero in a martial arts novel, he had achieved a peerless lightness skill, moving as gracefully as a swallow. And then… nothing happened.

If anyone found out, the trouble it would bring would far outweigh any benefit. He’d probably have to register this as a case with the police.

Naturally, Chen Sheng had no intention of revealing this to anyone, nor did he ever consider using it to act as a vigilante or some kind of Spider-Man.

Inside the cabin, the burly woman saw Chen Sheng return and was about to shake her head when she suddenly noticed the gallows frame in his hand.

This was no ordinary gallows—it was an execution device.

Each torture instrument was unique.

The burly woman was shocked, because this particular device already had an owner—a notorious evil spirit.

She stared in disbelief.

Because Chen Sheng handed the gallows frame to her.

After a moment’s silence, the burly woman asked uncertainly, “Why do you think this thing is related to time?”

“If you put it on someone, that person’s time runs out,” Chen Sheng replied, still expressionless but with a puzzled look. He couldn’t understand how this ‘newcomer guide’ didn’t know such basic information.

Hearing Chen Sheng’s answer, the burly woman felt even more unsettled. It sounded reasonable at first—but upon closer thought, it was anything but!

She scrutinized Chen Sheng and finally had to admit that he was very much alive—a real person, not something else in disguise.

“Then you’ve passed,” she said, forcing a stiff smile.

Chen Sheng’s face remained impassive; this was entirely within his expectations. He’d completed the task in such a short time and brought back the perfect item—how could he not pass?

So, what was the reward?

Just as Chen Sheng’s curiosity peaked, he felt himself being stretched, his whole body twisting as if he were being pulled into a noodle, swaying uncontrollably.

When the sensation ended, he realized he’d been ejected from the game.

He was back in his medical office.

“How did I get kicked out of the game?”

Puzzled, Chen Sheng reached for the VR headset, only to find that his playtime was up for the day—he couldn’t log in again until tomorrow.

“Is this some kind of anti-addiction mechanism?”

“But why would I need that?”

He ran his hand over his thinning hair, hardly able to believe it. Although his hairline didn’t mean much—he wasn’t even thirty yet and had only graduated a few years ago—he was, after all, a bona fide adult!

But soon, the answer dawned on him.

The girl being discharged next week—she wasn’t eighteen yet. And she was the one who’d gifted him the headset.

According to her, a purchase code was required to buy the device, so that code must have been tied to her personal information.

Chen Sheng sighed in exasperation, resigning himself to the situation and preparing to leave work.

He hadn’t had enough fun yet!

But when he opened his office door, he hesitated.

The corridor outside was pitch black. Not only that, there wasn’t a single sound to be heard. This was highly unusual. Even though the hospital only admitted patients with mild psychiatric conditions—many of whom behaved no differently from healthy people—there were always unexpected noises. Someone calling out, for instance.

Given the pressures of society, even Chen Sheng sometimes felt like letting out a howl in the dead of night.

And telling that couple next door to shut up!

It was strange, but he didn’t dwell on it. He reached out and switched on the corridor lights, then headed toward the elevator.

Step, step, step—his footsteps echoed clearly in the silence, making him feel uneasy. He glanced around; all the ward doors were tightly shut.

Suddenly, his gaze stopped.

He noticed dust on the door handles.

Glancing at the spots he’d unconsciously overlooked before—the upper corners, the edges along the walls—he realized the place looked as if it hadn’t been occupied for some time.

He looked down at the floor.

But the floor was spotless, as if someone had just cleaned it.

Just then, he heard a noise ahead.

From around the corner.

Curious, Chen Sheng walked over and saw someone cleaning the floor—a nurse.

From behind, she looked familiar, yet strangely unfamiliar.

Chen Sheng wondered why she’d be cleaning, since that wasn’t part of a nurse’s duties. But what troubled him more was that, for the life of him, he couldn’t remember her name.

How rude—especially for colleagues in the same hospital!

So, he pretended not to notice her.

He walked around and continued on.

But suddenly, a gust of wind blew past, and the sharp smell of iron filled Chen Sheng’s nose.

Rust?

He paused—no, it was more like the scent of blood.

But he wasn’t a surgeon and rarely saw blood, so he couldn’t be sure.

At that moment, a woman’s voice sounded from behind him.

“Doctor Chen, are you leaving?”

“Yes!” Chen Sheng replied, deliberately making his tone cheerful—just enough for a proper greeting.