The rooms were all identical: a bed, a table, and a small window sealed with wire mesh.

It looked less like a hospital room and more like a prison cell.

The unlucky player Gu Rong had randomly chosen was named Yang Chunsheng.

At this moment, Yang Chunsheng was huddled under the covers, his entire body trembling. He hadn’t slept all night; he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t sleep a wink.

He couldn’t sleep, but he also didn’t dare to open his eyes. He covered his head with the blanket, muttering something under his breath, like he was chanting a sutra, praying for protection.

The worst part was, he needed to use the toilet.

He’d been holding it in all night and was about to lose control.

The female nurse had said that if they needed to use the toilet, they could press the call bell. They had one chance to get up at night.

It should be fine; it should be fine.

Yang Chunsheng hesitated, his hand trembling as he reached out from under the covers to feel for the call bell.

However, before he could find the call bell, he touched a pair of little feet, not even as big as his palm, like a child’s feet.

They were standing right by his bed, next to his pillow.

Yang Chunsheng: “…”

Yang Chunsheng quickly pulled his hand back, scared out of his wits.

Mom, what was that?!

How could there be a pair of little children’s feet standing by his bed?

At this moment, from the ceiling directly above his head, he heard “creak,” “creak” sounds, like the sound of feet stepping on wooden boards, and these sounds were like someone was stepping on the ceiling.

Yang Chunsheng trembled even more, his face pale, and he was sweating profusely.

Save me, save me…

He held back, held back, and quietly peeked out from under the covers, opening just one eye. And then he saw…

A very bizarre scene.

Long-Tongued Ghost was responsible for hanging upside down from the ceiling, his tongue tied in a knot to act as a rope.

Faceless Ghost was responsible for holding Gu Rong’s little body, so he wouldn’t actually be strangled.

And Skeleton Ghost was responsible for directing the little Zaizai’s acting, how to play a hanged little ghost.

Gu Rong was still eating his lollipop, his little body hanging in the air. But being held by Faceless Ghost, it didn’t affect his eating at all.

Skeleton Ghost said: “Stop eating, it doesn’t look right. Stick out your little tongue and roll your eyes back.”

Gu Rong obediently did as he was told, sticking out his tongue, tilting his head, and rolling his eyes back.

But it didn’t look like he was hanged; instead, it was incredibly cute.

Skeleton Ghost praised: “Not bad, you have a talent for acting. You even know to tilt your head… Those little legs aren’t right, though. They’re too stiff. It looks staged.”

Skeleton Ghost swung Gu Rong’s short little legs, trying to make them look more natural.

He lifted one leg at a time, a left rotation, a right hook kick, a front kick, a back kick, a 360-degree rotation of his little legs. It was very rhythmic. At first glance, it looked like he was doing aerobics in mid-air.

Yang Chunsheng was stunned: !!!

Livestream Chat: […??!]

006: […………]

Good grief, if you added some BGM, it would even be on beat!

–

[Damn, this is so unreliable. Look at how ridiculous this is! [grumbling]]

[What are these three NPCs doing? Are they here to be comedians? Kick them out!]

[That dirty tongue that’s always dragging on the ground, and he dares to use it to hang Zaizai? Hei~tui~!]

[Hahahahahahaha, I’m dying of laughter! Zaizai is doing mid-air aerobics. I’m dying!]

[Mid-air aerobics hahahahaha]

–

Yang Chunsheng couldn’t see the three NPCs; he could only see Gu Rong.

So, in his eyes, the scene became: a little ghost hanging by his bed, his two little legs kicking rhythmically, as if doing aerobics in mid-air.

The scene was indescribably bizarre, and it was completely silent.

Yang Chunsheng recognized at a glance that this hanged little ghost was the little player who had entered the game with them.

How could that little Zaizai…be hanging from his bedpost?

He was hanging in mid-air and could still do a set of aerobics. This level of difficulty wasn’t ordinary.

No ordinary person could do that, let alone a two-year-old toddler.

At this moment, he saw that the color of the wristband on Gu Rong’s little wrist had turned pale blue, the color of an NPC’s wristband!

The pale blue was flickering on and off, switching between blue and gray, like a loose wire, jumping back and forth between NPC and death.

“Ahhhhh—”

Yang Chunsheng screamed, rolled his eyes back, and fainted.

006: [Okay, little host, we can come down now!]

Gu Rong put the lollipop back in his mouth and said to Faceless Ghost, “Faceless Brother, Zaizai go down.”

Faceless Ghost carried Gu Rong down, kicked Yang Chunsheng to the foot of the bed, and placed Gu Rong at the head of the bed.

Yang Chunsheng fainted very peacefully, completely unaware.

006 said: [Congratulations, little host, for completing the small task and obtaining Identity Card 089: Hanged Little Ghost. Reward: 50,000 points.]

Gu Rong clapped his little hands happily, and the wristband on his wrist changed back to the pale purple of a player.

[Ding, Identity Card refreshed~]

[Identity Card 013: Little Mental Patient [In Use]]

[Function: Wearing this identity card allows you to perfectly disguise yourself as a mental patient.]

[Duration: To be supplemented]

[Cooldown: To be supplemented]

–

[Identity Card 089: Hanged Little Ghost]

[Function: Wearing this identity card allows you to perform difficult aerial maneuvers, such as stepping on your left foot with your right foot to fly, doing Tai Chi, doing aerobics, performing acrobatics, doing somersaults, etc.]

[Duration: 2 hours (can be stacked)]

[Cooldown: 12 hours.]

–

Gu Rong looked at the description of the identity card, not quite understanding things like “duration” and “cooldown.”

“Thump,” Long-Tongued Ghost fell from the ceiling, landing flat on his back.

But fortunately, he had no physical form, so he didn’t damage the floor at all.

Skeleton Ghost used a long, thin finger bone to tap Gu Rong’s little head: “Your acting is passable, but you still need more practice.”

Gu Rong, although young, knew to be humble and accept criticism, better than many adults: “Okay, Zaizai practice more!”

Long-Tongued Ghost stuck out his tongue and said, “Your acting is pretty good, but your neck is a little short. It only choked your chin.”

Gu Rong stretched his little neck, trying to make his neck look a little longer.

The three NPCs looked at the little Zaizai with satisfaction: “Little Rong Zaizai, keep up the good work!”

Gu Rong raised his little fist: “Rongrong Zaizai, keep up the good work!”

The three NPCs found this little Zaizai more and more adorable, and they wished they could kidnap him.

Gu Rong yawned. Being woken up in the middle of the night to go to work, he was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open.

Faceless Ghost: “Children are still growing. Let’s send him back to sleep first.”

The three NPCs escorted Little Rong Zaizai back to his room.

As soon as Gu Rong lay back down on the bed, he rolled around, patted his little tummy, and hummed an unknown lullaby to himself, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

The three NPCs stood guard around the bed, protecting the little Zaizai while he slept.

–

The next morning, the players woke up to the sound of “Por Una Cabeza^[1]T/N: “Por Una Cabeza” – a famous tango song.” playing over the speakers.

Gu Rong had already wiggled from the head of the bed to the foot of the bed. He wasn’t a good sleeper at night, moving all over the bed, and lying in all sorts of positions. He looked one way when he fell asleep and another when he woke up.

006 said: [Little host, wake up!]

The music from the broadcast was very loud, a bit jarring. Gu Rong scratched his little ear and quickly got out of bed, not lingering at all.

The music resounded throughout the entire mental hospital. It couldn’t be turned off; they could only let it play on repeat.

Gu Rong rubbed his little face, slid off the bed, and sat on the floor, putting on his little shoes himself.

His little hands were too small, and he had a lot of trouble putting them on. With 006’s reminders, fortunately, he didn’t put them on the wrong feet.

Just as he finished putting on his shoes, the door to his room was opened from the outside.

The female nurse smiled and walked in: “Little patient, it’s time to wash up and eat breakfast.”

Hearing the words “eat breakfast,” Gu Rong’s eyes lit up. He pitter-pattered over and grabbed two of the female nurse’s fingers with his soft little hands: “Nurse Sister, eat, Zaizai’s little tummy has been empty for a long time!”

The female nurse: “…”

With two fingers grasped by a soft, chubby little hand, the female nurse’s heart melted, and a motherly smile spread across her face. She escorted Gu Rong all the way to wash up.

To prevent Jessie from using his saliva-soaked brush to style Gu Rong’s hair, the female nurse even took it upon herself to comb Gu Rong’s hair into a little slicked-back style.

After washing up, they came to the third-floor dining hall.

Gu Rong was led by the female nurse, hopping and skipping, swaying his head, very lively, singing a song: “I’m a happy little frog, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak…”

It was the tune of “Little Jumping Frog^[2]T/N: Little Jumping Frog is a popular Chinese children’s song..”

He was surprisingly in tune, singing quite well, and he even knew that little frogs go “croak”!

The other players: “…”

Help, why does this little Zaizai look so happy?

We’re not the same, not the same at all!

The aunties in the livestream chat were all about to faint from the cuteness, and they started spamming the chat with “Little Jumping Frog.”

Yang Chunsheng had fainted all night and was woken up in the morning by the deafening music.

He had fainted very opportunely, and he had also followed the rules, not leaving his bed all night. Aside from being scared by Gu Rong, nothing had happened.

When he saw the little doll being held by the female nurse’s hand, Yang Chunsheng’s pupils shook, and he was terrified.

This… wasn’t this little Zaizai already hanged on his bedpost? How was he still here? And singing happily?!

Moreover, the color of the wristband on his little wrist had changed back to pale purple!

Could it be… the mid-air aerobics he saw last night were an illusion?

No!

Yang Chunsheng touched his lower back. It hurt so much it felt like it was about to break like he’d been kicked. And in the morning, he had been lying sideways at the foot of the bed, almost falling off.

If what he saw last night wasn’t an illusion, then this little Zaizai had already been hanged, so he wasn’t a person now, but a little ghost!

Realizing this, Yang Chunsheng’s face turned pale, and he tried to stay as far away from Gu Rong as possible.

He had died and was still mixed in with the players. Terrifying, too terrifying!

And aside from him, the other players were completely unaware of this!

Gu Rong saw Zhuang Yu and Shen Hanxiao, let go of the female nurse’s hand, and dadada-ed towards the two of them with his short little legs.

He walked with a waddle, and when he ran, he stumbled and staggered, feeling like he was running blindly with his head buried, running all over the place.

Zhuang Yu and Shen Hanxiao watched him anxiously, afraid that he would trip and fall.

Fortunately, Gu Rong didn’t fall. Hexiu hexiu panting, he ran up to the two of them.

Zhuang Yu and Shen Hanxiao both breathed a sigh of relief.

A night had passed, and Gu Rong was safe and sound, still lively and active. Their expressions softened, and they smiled.

Gu Rong sweetly and politely said: “Big Brother, Little Brother.”

Zhuang Yu: “.”

Shen Hanxiao: “…”

Oh, who’s the big one and who’s the little one!

Zhuang Yu held back a laugh and picked up Gu Rong: “Come, let Big Brother hold you!”

Gu Rong opened his short little arms, obediently letting himself be held, and nodded his little head: “Big Brother hold!”

Shen Hanxiao crossed his arms and scoffed coldly: “Little imp, change how you address me. From now on, call me Hanxiao-gege.”^[3]T/N: gege here’s used in a more intimate/flirtatious way.

Zhuang Yu chuckled: “Hanxiao? Don’t tell me it’s the ‘Hanxiao’ from ‘Hanxiao Jiuquan’?”^[4]T/N: Hanxiao Jiuquan – literally “smiling in the nine springs,” meaning “to die content.”

Shen Hanxiao: “That’s right. My senior apprentice brother is called Zhao Jiuquan. Our names together are ‘Hanxiao Jiuquan,’ which means not to rejoice in life, and not to grieve in death. Even in death, one should smile in the nine springs.”

Zhuang Yu: … speechless

Yang Chunsheng, silently observing the interaction: … Trembling.jpg

These two had no idea that the little Zaizai in their arms had already turned into a little ghost, and they still dared to hold him.

Naturally, he also didn’t know that Gu Rong was a little ghost NPC from the very beginning.

–

Everyone found a place to sit down and eat breakfast.

There was a clear distinction between the players and the patient NPCs.

The patient NPCs sat on the left side of the dining hall, while the players sat on the right side.

Except for yesterday when they first arrived and the patient NPCs stared at them with their creepy gazes, now they seemed to have completely ignored their existence.

They only occasionally looked at the little patient.

After all, little patients were a rare commodity. There was only one such little patient in the entire mental hospital.

Moreover, he was such a cute little patient, with little arms and little legs, who could run and jump.

The players gathered together and began to discuss the instance task in low voices.

“We’ve now confirmed that the bristle monster has a key, and the nun definitely has one too. We’re not sure about Dr. Lin and Chief Morrison. Five keys, two known. But knowing is one thing, getting them is another.”

“I think the Black Forest in the back mountains is definitely hiding something. How about knocking out the nun and sneaking in to take a look?”

“Knock out the nun? You’ve got to be kidding. Then you go!”

“The nun isn’t the problem, but that Dr. Lin looks extremely difficult to deal with, not easy to fool.”

“The nun isn’t nothing! Dr. Lin is certainly difficult to deal with, but the nun isn’t a vegetarian either.”

“She actually is a vegetarian.”

“…”

“The whole mental hospital is vegetarian. Whoever eats meat will die, and whoever eats meat will go to hell.”

“…Enough!”

There were very few clues, and the players couldn’t come up with much.

With yesterday’s lesson learned, everyone was extra careful to avoid eating meat.

As they were talking, they shifted their gaze to the little Zaizai, who was focused solely on eating.

One player suggested, “I see that the nun is particularly lenient towards that little Zaizai. How about we send the little Zaizai to be the nun’s adorable pet, and we’ll take the opportunity to go to the back mountains?”

“What can that little squirt do besides eat? I don’t even know what he’s here for.”

“Then let’s kidnap a hostage to take us there.”

Everyone calmed down, already having a plan in mind.

Among these players, there were new players and veteran players. But there were countless instances, and as far as the “Mental Hospital” instance was concerned, even the veteran players were newcomers.

A player couldn’t enter the same instance twice. The system would prioritize grabbing players who hadn’t watched the instance’s live stream, one to ensure the difficulty of the instance, and two to ensure fairness.

Breakfast time passed quickly, and the nun came over again with Chief Morrison and Lin Xuezhu. This time, Jessie didn’t come.

The nun said, “Please proceed to the chapel for devout prayer, and ask the Lord to forgive your sins.”

Everyone: “…”

Excuse me, what sins do we have?

After the nun spoke, unexpectedly, that childish voice chimed in again: “Amen.”

The nun: “…”

Everyone: “…”

Livestream Chat: […]

006: […]

Where did you learn that, little one?