Lu Li couldn’t hear the whispers of the drowned one’s remnants, nor could Aidanvoya—only the big sister could.

"What did it say?"

Was it a prank, or did it really happen?

"The kind of thing a madman would say...tsk." The big sister’s tone showed disdain. "Sounds seriously ill...are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Yes."

"It said..." the big sister repeated the whisperings of the drowned one’s remnants: "The God of the Deep Sea needs strength, only time can heal Him, please donate time to save...what nonsense?"

"Did it also say this ’what nonsense’?"

"That was me."

So that’s why Lu Li lost a day after the remnants of the drowned entered the ward.

"You’ve already stolen two days from me," Lu Li said to the remnants of the drowned.

"It spoke!" The big sister exclaimed in surprise, "It said only one day."

"You attacked me yesterday too."

The big sister listened closely and suddenly showed contempt towards Lu Li: "It said it escaped after you fell unconscious."

Lu Li remained silent. Because this meant the truth was actually that he had been unconscious for a day.

This was even more humiliating than being unable to defeat the remnants of the drowned.

"It said it still needs six days to heal the Deep Sea Puff God."

"So what is the God of the Deep Sea?"

Lu Li wanted to know what "time theft" and "God of the Deep Sea" corresponded to in the real world.

"It said it’s a patient on the fourth floor."

No surprise there.

"I need to think about it."

Time might be the least scarce thing to Lu Li, but caution is still necessary—the calendar shouldn’t just be a mere record of time, whether the month has 28 or 31 days...who knows if the next day will become the first or turn into nothing?

Lu Li needed time to observe.

"But before I agree, I don’t want you to steal my time again."

"It agreed."

The resolution of the drowned one’s remnants meant the crisis was temporarily over, allowing Lu Li to continue focusing on exploring the night and other floors.

After sending the big sister back to the ward, Lu Li went to the nurse’s station and engaged the head nurse behind the curtain in conversation: "Do you know why the nurses dislike me?"

"Child, don’t you remember?" came the coarse yet gentle response, as if bones were rubbing together.

"I’ve lost my memory..."

The head nurse’s reaction indicated that Lu Li did indeed have some connection with the nurses—

"She lost her chance of becoming head nurse because of you."

"I don’t understand..." How was this related to his memory loss, "How do I ease my relationship with her?"

Click—

As the words fell, a nurse emerged from a nearby ward, not noticing the nurse’s station, and turned to walk deeper inside.

"Try apologizing, child."

Lu Li didn’t apologize. After the nurse entered the ward, he took the opportunity to step onto the stairs leading to the third floor.

His previous experience sneaking up made him somewhat familiar with the third floor, and more importantly, he had obtained the list, so he proceeded to the fourth floor.

Compared to downstairs, here was quiet and still even during the day. There were fewer rooms in the spacious and empty corridor than on the third floor, but there were no iron bars—this place felt more like a high-end ward.

Lu Li first went to the nurse’s station and saw the patients’ list. After calling out without a response, he reached out over the counter—

"Stealing isn’t nice, you know."

A voice suddenly spoke from behind the curtain, causing Lu Li to withdraw his arm.

"Sorry, I was just curious."

"What should you say if you want something, according to manners?" a lazy voice replied.

Lu Li followed smoothly: "May I have a look, please?"

"Of course~"

A loose sleeve handed him the patients’ list, and Lu Li couldn’t see what was behind the curtain.

401: Master of Dreams

402: Rope of Descent

403: Eye Demon Worm

404: God of the Deep Sea

405: Lord of the Deep

406: King of Ghouls

407: Prada

408: Spider Mother Goddess

Lu Li memorized these names, which were somewhat different from the third floor, and took the opportunity to ask: "Are the patients on the fourth floor less severe than those downstairs?"

"Why do you think so?"

"There’s an extra prison...iron door on the third floor wards, but none on the fourth."

Saying bad things about the hospital in front of the head nurse was obviously not a good idea.

"Because the patients on the fourth floor are more dangerous and have more status." The head nurse solemnly reminded, "They could also affect you, so don’t upset them."

Lu Li understood "affect" as "waking up the next day."

The fourth floor head nurse didn’t drive Lu Li away—a good piece of news, meaning Lu Li might be able to explore the fourth floor during the day.

But not today. Although it was still pale outside, his biological clock inherently reminded Lu Li that dusk was approaching.

Stepping back down to the third floor just before evening, Lu Li went to room 303 where the boy’s brother, the Guardian Spirit, was.

Knock knock knock—

Lu Li knocked on the metal door, then grasped the doorknob and found it unlocked, including the door inside.

Glancing at the curtain-drawn nurse’s station, Lu Li entered the room.

The "Guardian Spirit" was actually a rock, without even the outline of any known creature.

It seemed as if someone had played a prank and placed a rock on the hospital bed.

Lu Li then spoke to the rock on the bed:

"Your brother was discharged, and he hoped I would come to see you."

"Do you know the other patients on the third floor?"

"Do you need help?"

How could a rock talk?

Lu Li almost thought it was an object rather than a patient.

The mist outside gradually turned yellow, and Lu Li carefully closed both doors. Before nightfall, he returned to the second floor, luckily not encountering any nurses, and escorted the girl in a wheelchair back to her ward. Upon returning, he found the head nurse absent from the nurse’s station.

Back in his own room, now alone, Lu Li pondered for a moment and decided to rest.

Though the night allowed free exploration of the hospital, it would shorten his daytime, with things left unfinished for the day.

Lying in the quiet ward, Lu Li closed his eyes. Upon opening them again, the gray mist outside remained unchanged.

The calendar turned a new page, the remaining number of pages gradually thinning.

Lu Li went to find the big sister. Maybe it wasn’t the only one who could hear other patients speak, but it was the only one Lu Li could take without facing questions from the head nurse.

The nurse might not dare to confront it.

This time, when faced with the big sister’s offered puppet hand, Lu Li placed it on his shoulder and walked out of the ward.

Lu Li and the big sister encountered the head nurse, her coarse voice laced with resigned affection: "You’re bullying the patients again."

"No, Mother, it was him who asked me for help." The obedient big sister lightly flicked Lu Li’s ear, its tone never so gentle, "Right, right?"

Lu Li gently nodded: "I need its help."

Sitting proudly on Lu Li’s shoulder, the big sister put her hands on her hips.

The head nurse merely let out a low, affectionate laugh: "If it troubles you, just send her back."

"I will."

With the big sister in tow, Lu Li climbed the stairs to the third floor.

"What does ’I will’ mean!"

The big sister swung its puppet hand, lightly tapping Lu Li’s head and cheeks without any force.