There was no satisfaction from deep slumber, nor the weariness of light sleep, as if lying in bed with eyes open and shut, a new day arrives.

The Living Tree had long since awoken and, as usual, sat on the bed basking in the sun. The other hospital bed remained empty, without a new patient.

"Good morning, Little Linna."

Lu Li returned the greeting and then gazed at the "peaceful" face of the Living Tree basking in the sun.

As if it were an illusion, he noticed that the wrinkles on the bark of the Living Tree had disappeared significantly—at least the face no longer looked old.

Putting on his trench coat, Lu Li left the ward. First, he brought anti-inflammatory medicine to the ulcerated boy in exchange for a caramel, then slowed down as he passed by room 208 but didn’t see that man bullying the boy again.

Arriving at ward 210, Lu Li narrated the story of the ulcerated boy to Mildred Hampri.

"I’m glad the anti-inflammatory medicine can be of use..."

But the old woman had no intention of giving Lu Li another pill. So he spoke of the man bullying the boy in ward 208, to which Mildred Hampri shook her head, saying his story was incomplete.

It seemed that "resolving a patient" constituted a complete story.

Without getting a pill, only a piece of caramel, Lu Li returned to the hallway. Just then, an uproar of shouting echoed from a ward ahead.

Da da da—

Lu Li headed towards the nurse’s station, his footsteps echoing in the corridor. As if disturbed, the cursing abruptly stopped. And as Lu Li passed by ward 208, the door suddenly opened, revealing a sinister face.

"Did you tell the nurse?"

Lu Li kept his distance from the man inside, not denying, "If you do anything again, the nurse will find you."

Bam—

The sinister man’s response was to slam the door shut, the disordered wind scattering the black hair on his forehead.

Lu Li paused for a moment in front of the door, heard the dull scolding resume, then turned to walk toward the nurse’s station.

"I heard the man in ward 208 bullying that boy again. I tried to stop him, but he later threatened me."

This time the head nurse was behind a curtain. After Lu Li recounted the events, a heavy voice came from behind the curtain, "Don’t worry, child, I’ll stand up for you."

The curtain was drawn back with a swish, revealing the true form of the head nurse on the second floor to Lu Li—it was an old skeleton without flesh or blood. Like the bones of a lizard and a dragon, the snout was long and wide.

Lu Li confirmed that he indeed suffered from delusions; otherwise, it was hard to explain how this skeletal structure, like a specimen without flesh and organs, could make sounds.

And then, strangely—what triggered the association of "delusion"?

Lu Li followed the skeletal head nurse and found that the door to ward 205 was open but had no time to investigate, following the head nurse into ward 208, where the sinister and emaciated man’s face looked unpleasant.

"Gatekeeper, you’re bullying the boy again." The head nurse accused the silent, sinister man, "I don’t want to see you bullying this child again. If it happens again... you know the consequences."

The head nurse turned to Lu Li, the heavy voice becoming gentle, "Thank you, child."

"It’s what I should do."

After warning the sinister man, the head nurse left the ward, while the so-called "consequences" made the sinister man wary and afraid to vent his anger on Lu Li.

As Lu Li prepared to leave with the head nurse, the boy called "Dog Meat" suddenly called out to Lu Li, expressing gratitude and giving him a dried fish.

Lu Li accepted Dog Meat’s gift. Now, he had a story for Mildred Hampri.

Before leaving, Lu Li asked both the "Gatekeeper" and the "Pig Man" the same question, "Do you need help?"

The former replied coldly, "I just want you to disappear from my sight quickly," while the latter gave an incomprehensible pig snort.

Lu Li left the ward to explore the now-open ward 205: Inside were three patients: a gentle lady with long hair draped over her shoulders, a tall figure wearing a dirty coat and a faded scarf covering half of his face, and...

A ship lying on the hospital bed.

Lu Li thought it might be time for the doctor to reassess his condition.

He inquired of the three patients in turn, and as expected, the ship’s response to Lu Li was a steam whistle. When he asked the tall figure, "Do you need help?" he asked Lu Li in return.

Only the gentle lady requested, "Could you get me some yarn? I want to knit a sweater for Michael."

Lu Li didn’t know where to find yarn, but he agreed to help her.

Growing more familiar with the place, Lu Li continued to interact with other wards, only to find many doors were closed, including ward 210.

He lingered at the door, and just then, a nurse emerged from the end in room 213. A kind of gaze accompanied by "da da" footsteps until the nurse entered a room and it vanished.

After a brief hesitation, Lu Li did not knock on the closed ward door but instead approached the wheelchair-bound girl.

The humming lullaby gradually emerged, only to fade away as Lu Li passed by.

Lu Li stopped in front of ward 213, an intermingling of relief and disappointment—its door was closed. He need not confront the unknown fears, but neither could he face them.

Turning and retracing his steps, Lu Li found that at some point, the outside window had been blocked by layers of pale mist with a slight yellow hue. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The sixth twilight arrived without warning.

At this seemingly randomly occurring twilight, Lu Li escorted the wheelchair girl back to ward 201.

[Thank you]

The sign the wheelchair girl held was the same as yesterday.

"Do you need help?" Lu Li asked her.

The wheelchair girl paused slightly, writing on paper: [I don’t know]

But Lu Li noticed her skirt looked like a dance dress.

Perhaps she longed to dance again? Or wanted a brand new dress?

As if urging Lu Li to leave quickly, an unusual darkness swiftly replaced twilight, making Lu Li leave in a hurry, narrowly missing the chance to return to ward 204 before nightfall.

Using a piece of caramel to secure a second quiet night, Lu Li approached the door, opened a crack, and observed the corridor under the night.

Silent tranquility flowed.

What’s different between the hospital at night and during the day?

Lu Li couldn’t decide. He might return without any results, or encounter unusual situations... like the lock to the activity area being unlocked, or the door at the end of the corridor, ward 213, being open.

No nurses or security guards were patrolling; if he was careful...

Lu Li continued observing for a few more minutes, confirming no presence in the corridor, confirming that the Living Tree had fallen asleep, then opening the door to step out of the ward.

Leaning against the wall, he quietly traversed the silent corridor, devoid of any light. The light sound of shoe soles touching the floor was the only sound on the second floor. But soon, Lu Li heard incomprehensible murmurs from the dark depths, like whispers, like chants, like murmurs.

Just when Lu Li determined the sound came from the stairs, the surrounding darkness suddenly thickened and writhed, engulfing him in an instant...

Lu Li suddenly opened his eyes.

He laid on the hospital bed, and the previous night’s exploration of the corridor seemed like nothing but a Nightmare, only the number "seven" on the calendar on his bedside table told Lu Li that it wasn’t a mere dream.