[The Arkham Scamming Incident.]

Since Druid successfully entered Arkham Hospital, it seemed to rekindle players’ enthusiasm for exploring this dungeon.

Among them was Black Cat. To be precise, he had never actually left the hospital, continuously trying to replicate the method Druid used to enter. However, no matter how long he lingered around the nurse’s station, he couldn’t figure out a way to access the hospital at night. On several occasions, he even nearly attracted the attention of the security guards.

Strange, what is he missing?

Black Cat was growing increasingly frustrated. Could it really be that Ranen had somehow intervened to allow Druid to enter the hospital?

Ugh, this must be what it feels like to watch a game protagonist enjoy special treatment. (Jealous!)

Before Black Cat could dwell too long in his frustration, he suddenly noticed a familiar NPC appear in the hospital lobby.

Black Cat, an avid viewer of game live streams—especially those involving Ranen, which he never missed—quickly recognized the NPC as someone who had previously investigated the apartment alongside Ranen.

If he remembered correctly, the NPC’s name was…

“Dr. Archie?!”

With great enthusiasm, Black Cat attempted to pat Archie’s shoulder from behind, only for Archie to dodge instinctively. Turning around, Archie looked at him with caution and said, “Who are you? I don’t think we’ve met.”

“True, we haven’t, but I’ve heard about you from A-Long (live stream)!”

Archie raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re also one of Ranen’s…?”

He trailed off, leaving the last word unspoken, but Black Cat eagerly nodded. “That’s right! I know Ranen, and my companions are currently trying to rescue him.”

“You said… rescue?” Archie asked, startled. “What happened to him?”

“It’s a long story, and this isn’t the place to explain. Follow me.” Black Cat glanced around the area before pulling Archie into a quieter corner.

Just then, a message arrived from Druid. Since Black Cat had been keeping a close eye on Druid’s live stream, he naturally knew what Druid was planning to do.

Squatting down in the corner of the first-floor hospital lobby near the emergency exit, Black Cat used a dagger to carve a tally mark on the wall.

Archie watched him expressionlessly as he finished. “You brought me here just to show me this? Excellent. Truly compelling evidence of humanity’s incomplete evolution.”

Black Cat’s face turned red with embarrassment. “No, that’s not it. Please hear me out first.”

He quickly explained his reasoning and the peculiar state of the hospital at night to the NPC.

“Ranen is currently in a rather unusual place, almost like the ‘reverse’ side of this hospital. The daytime hospital’s rules seem to influence the nighttime hospital’s structure. So, reasoning backward, if we leave a mark in the daytime hospital, it might also manifest in the nighttime hospital. I wanted to test this theory.”

Black Cat never intended to hide anything from Archie. In his eyes, Archie was undoubtedly another of Ranen’s believers, and he had likely come here for the sole purpose of helping Ranen.

Although Archie’s expression remained neutral, he grew increasingly shocked as he listened.

A nighttime hospital, dreamscapes, and the schemes of Outsider.

And Ranen—sealed, perhaps?

Could such an existence truly be sealed? Archie suspected this might be part of Ranen’s plan. He spoke softly, “So, what should I do?”

“Ranen passed a note to my companion,” Black Cat said seriously. “The note likely contains the method to break through the nighttime hospital’s mysteries. We suspect the director’s position at Arkham Hospital is the core of the nighttime hospital. We need to find a way to overthrow the false director.”

“I understand,” Archie nodded. “Why don’t we check the director’s office next?”

Black Cat froze. “Huh? How do we get there?”

“Directly.” Archie adjusted his clothes, stepped out of the corner, and walked to the front desk in the lobby. “Hello, I’m Dr. Archie Hayes, a psychologist. I’d like to speak with the director.”

The nurse at the busy front desk paused, surprised. “…Are you the Dr. Archie Hayes from the police department?”

“Yes,” Archie replied without expression. “This is about a case, and I need the director’s opinion.”

“Alright, one moment.” The nurse hurriedly picked up the nearby landline and dialed a number, presumably to inform the director. However, the phone rang several times without an answer.

“It seems the director is out at the moment. Why don’t you return later? We’ll notify you when he’s back.”

Archie shook his head. “This is urgent. I’ll wait directly in the director’s office. The office is on the top floor of the administrative building, correct?”

“Yes, please wait a moment.” The nurse motioned to a nearby intern. “Can you escort him there?”

The intern readily agreed. Black Cat trailed behind Archie, still processing what was happening. Even as they stood outside the director’s office, he seemed a bit stunned.

The intern had already left to return to his duties, and Black Cat looked incredulous. “We got here… just like that?”

“Otherwise?” Archie calmly pushed open the director’s office door.

“So it’s this easy to get in?”

“Of course not,” Archie glanced at Black Cat. “Because I have the ability, and I have the reputation.”

“Alright, high credit score, I knew it,” Black Cat stopped fussing about it. Once the office door was shut, he was about to start rummaging through drawers and cabinets when Archie stopped him.

Archie pointed to the security camera in the corner of the office.

“So what do we do now?”

“Do you have any friends who are good at solving this kind of problem?” Archie asked, testing the waters.

Black Cat suddenly remembered something, his eyes lighting up. He took out his phone and pretended to send a message, but actually used the forum’s private message function to call up some friends. Five minutes later, he put his phone away and nodded at Archie. “We have ten minutes.”

“Do any of you have a skilled hacker?”

“Well, sort of,” Black Cat thought. Actually, there were players in the hospital trying to infiltrate the security room and tamper with things.

Archie gave Black Cat a long, deep look, but said nothing else and didn’t stop him from searching.

Black Cat had just finished searching through the desk drawers when he noticed Archie standing off to the side, looking a little lost. He urgently stuffed some documents into Archie’s arms. “Hurry up, it’ll be too late once they come to their senses!”

“I’m not…” Archie tried to explain that he wasn’t a follower of Ranen, but Black Cat didn’t listen to his explanation. He turned his back and continued to flip through the files.

Archie looked at the disorganized documents in his arms, took a deep breath, and placed them on the desk. He hesitated before picking up a file.

Forget it. He has already agreed to work for the evil god. He would have to get used to this kind of thing.

With that thought, Archie pushed aside the last of his concerns and began carefully going through the documents.

He had a vague idea. According to Black Cat, if the director at night wasn’t the real Arkham Hospital director, then what method had he used to disguise his identity?

Was it magic? Or some origin ability related to “disguise”?

Could this kind of magic change reality, or did it simply alter people’s impressions and memories?

Archie planned to verify each possibility. He recalled the Arkham Hospital director’s appearance from his memory—he seemed to be a tall, thin man, named Soren Hogg.

As he sifted through the documents here, he noticed that most of the signatures were of a different name.

Archie was starting to get an answer.

He called Black Cat over and shared his guess. “To expose the fake director, we need to gather these files with signatures that don’t match Arkham’s director. I suspect he’s using some ability or magic that alters people’s memories.”

He paused, then added, “The evidence is that many files requiring the director’s signature have signatures from someone else. It seems like he doesn’t intend to stay in the director’s position for long, or he would have taken care of these documents.”

Black Cat nodded. “After all, his plan is about to be set in motion, and if it succeeds, this hospital will be of no use.”

He looked at the name on the document.

Bobby Baruch

“Do you know the original director of Arkham Hospital? Is this the real director’s name?”

Archie shook his head. “I’m not sure. In my memory, the director is Soren Hogg, but look at these signatures on the documents. A lot of them are this name. If this person is the real director of Arkham Hospital, then the fake director’s trick can only alter people’s memories, not affect reality.”

“If we can find more similar contracts, and maybe even photos, wouldn’t we be able to expose the current fake director, or at least make them question the true identity of the director?” Black Cat’s eyes lit up. “According to Ranen, if the real world and the night hospital really do influence each other, then the director’s position and authority in the night hospital might just be shaken.”

Archie nodded. “We’d better test this ability more, like the duration and range of the spell. Once we collect enough evidence, we can take him down in one move.”

*Clap, clap, clap.*

Loud applause rang out in the director’s office, and a stranger’s voice said, “Nice plan.”

Black Cat and Archie instantly froze, turning their heads in disbelief.

They saw a tall, thin man sitting on the sofa, which should have been empty. The man had silver-white hair, typical of an elderly person, but his appearance was paradoxical. His skin looked youthful, but he exuded a lifeless aura.

“If it weren’t for a follower informing me that someone was looking for me in the director’s office, you would have almost succeeded,” Soren sighed. “It seems that when dealing with a god, you can’t afford to be careless. But I’m curious—he was sealed in the night hospital by me, so how did you get the hospital’s information?”

“Run!”

At Archie’s command, the two of them immediately sprinted toward the exit of the director’s office and burst through the door.

Soren Hogg simply watched them quietly, not stopping them.

After running a certain distance, Black Cat’s nervousness gradually subsided. The sudden appearance of the boss had given him such a terrifying shock that the goosebumps on his arms hadn’t gone away yet.

But wait, why are they running?

While running, Black Cat said, “Wait a minute, why are we running? We have two people, and he only has one.”

“If your brain’s broken, I suggest you see a psychiatrist,” Archie said bluntly. “Just the fact that he suddenly appeared in the director’s office, and we didn’t sense a thing before he spoke, means that the two of us are destined to die.”

But in reality, Black Cat was actually thinking about testing the boss’s strength. This was the perfect opportunity! If they didn’t take it now, when would they?

He wanted to stop, but then he realized that Archie had already stopped.

‘What, is the NPC going to fight monsters with me?’

Archie’s face turned grim as he looked around. “Something’s not right.”

“What’s not right?”

“Look around… don’t you feel like the lights suddenly dimmed?”

As soon as Archie said that, Black Cat realized something was off.

The hallway they had just run through had clearly been in the afternoon, and on the way to the director’s office, the lights in the hallway hadn’t been on. The room was lit only by the natural, warm tone of the sunlight.

But now, after they had rushed out of the director’s office, the indoor lights had turned into a cold, white glow. The ceiling lights in the hallway were on, though Black Cat couldn’t remember when they had been switched on.

And the silence was unnerving. The hospital, which should have been busy in the afternoon, was now as quiet as it would be at midnight.

Black Cat asked, “Should we go back and check?”

Archie thought for a moment. “Let’s move forward first.”

They had just rounded a corner when they suddenly saw a large figure walking toward them at the end of the hallway.

Black Cat glanced at it briefly, his face changing, and he pulled Archie behind a plant by the hospital room.

As soon as they hid, the huge figure appeared right in front of them. However, it didn’t turn toward them but walked straight ahead.

Black Cat breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, “That’s the strange figure one of my infiltrating teammates saw before. We all call her the ‘Butcher of Flesh Mountain.’ Seeing her now, I’m sure we’ve entered the other side of this hospital.”

Archie listened quietly, only asking, “Is Ranen here?”

“Yes, wait a minute, let me ask Druid,” Black Cat hurriedly sent a private message to Druid.

Black Cat: [Druid, where are you? I got in too. I’m coming to find you.]

Druid: [??? How did you get in?]

Black Cat: [Not sure. I originally infiltrated the director’s office to investigate him, and it turns out we found something. I took a picture, take a look. (Photo.jpg)]

Black Cat: [According to Archie’s reasoning, the director is definitely an imposter. He must be using some ability, like a spell, to influence human memory. But this spell can’t alter facts, so the documents we found have someone else’s signature.]

Druid: [This name… it feels kind of familiar.]

Black Cat: [We had the documents, but just as we were about to leave, the boss blocked the door qwq.]

Druid: [Don’t tell me you ran into…]

Black Cat: [That’s right, the director! He’s clearly the boss of this instance, the leader of the Outsider! He appeared so quietly—it was terrifying. I almost peed myself. Then Archie and I ran out in a panic.]

Black Cat: [And now, here I am, in the hospital’s nighttime instance.]

Druid: [Got it. Anyway, this place is really dangerous. Be careful, both of you.]

Druid stared at the name Black Cat had sent, racking his brain for a long time. Finally, with some help from the chat comments, he remembered who this person was.  

It was the “Director” in the ward. As expected, he was actually the true director of Arkham Hospital!  

Druid stealthily made his way back into the ward. It was sleep time, and the patients had all drawn their curtains, keeping to themselves. Occasionally, there were sounds of snoring or teeth grinding. Druid snuck into the innermost cubicle and gently shook the sleeping director awake.  

“What are you doing?” The director woke up and was about to explode in anger, but Druid’s serious expression stopped him in his tracks.  

Druid asked, “Is your name Bobby Baruch?”  

The “director” rolled his eyes. “Yeah.”  

“So it’s true—you’re the real director of Arkham Hospital!” A hint of joy appeared on Druid’s face. “My companion confirmed your identity.”  

“Oh.” The “director” sighed and flopped back onto the bed. “Are you doing psychological evaluations at night now? I’m telling you, I’m not the director.”  

“This isn’t about evaluations,” Druid replied, his expression dark. After a moment of thought, he added, “My companions infiltrated the director’s office and found information. You signed off on the reforms to Arkham’s medical system, didn’t you?”  

The “director” shot up from the bed. “Are you serious?!”  

“Of course. My companions found the documents in the director’s office, and your name was on all of them.”  

The “director” immediately started breathing heavily, his excitement palpable. “I knew it! I knew it! That imposter won’t get away with this for long!”  

Overcome with emotion, his voice rose noticeably.  

Druid quickly gestured for him to keep quiet.  

Bobby looked a bit annoyed but reluctantly lowered his voice. “What are you afraid of? I’m the ‘Director’! You’ve already found evidence! Haha, this is perfect! Next time someone questions me, I can just tell them to check the documents!”

Bobby looked as if he was floating on air, muttering about kicking out the imposter, reclaiming the director’s office, and, oh, firing those annoying orderlies while he was at it.  

Druid felt exasperated, worried that Bobby’s rising volume might attract the patrolling orderlies. He whispered, “Now’s not the time. Everyone else’s memories have been altered. I need concrete evidence to prove your identity, and we can’t draw attention from the nurses or doctors just yet.”  

“Why not?” Bobby asked, puzzled.  

“Because we’ll die!” Druid said, exasperated. “In this hospital, if we don’t follow the rules, those monsters will tear us apart!”  

“Monsters?”  

“The doctors and nurses! Can’t you see? The chief doctor who brought me here looks like Frankenstein’s monster! His face has horrifying stitches all over it!”  

Bobby fell silent, staring at Druid quietly, his eyes filled with pity.  

Druid felt uneasy. “Why are you looking at me like that?”  

“If I were still the director, I’d assign you a bed in this ward right now,” Bobby said. “I know, given my current situation, that sounds a bit ironic, but honestly, you should really see a doctor.”  

“The chief doctor who brought you here might be old, with a face full of wrinkles and creases, but he’s not exactly Frankenstein’s monster, is he?”

Druid froze.  

He felt a chill crawl up his spine, starting from the soles of his feet. It seeped into his bones, making him shiver as though his very marrow was steeped in frost.  

[Wait, what is he saying? It feels like there’s a huge amount of information here, but my brain just isn’t processing it. Aba aba.]  

[My sanity, my sanity is dropping. Hiss… I’m not even in the game, just watching Druid explore on stream, and I already feel like I’m losing it.]  

[What’s real? Who’s the crazy one here?]  

[What are you guys talking about? I don’t understand (confused)]  

[Hiss… I already started suspecting something when I saw all the mental patients here looking normal. Now it seems they really can’t see the nighttime hospital. To them, everything is normal.]  

[What kind of hellish joke is this? Normal people can see the nighttime hospital, but crazy people can’t?]  

[That’s not right. This ‘director’ shouldn’t be crazy. If he’s the original director, then he’s undoubtedly a normal person. But why can’t he see the nighttime hospital either?]  

[Is it because of the fake director’s authority? Or does he have his own issues?]  

[This is bad. Is he insane or not? Nobody seems sure anymore.]  

[If his identity as the director is just his delusion, then was the name Black Cat found really the director’s?]  

[… I’m completely lost now. What’s real, and what’s an illusion? If the NPCs’ world is the real one, then what exactly are the players seeing?]  

A familiar notification chimed in Druid’s ears.  

[Sanity Check: Failed.]  

[San -3]  

Druid snapped back to reality, his wildly swinging sanity narrowly pulling the brakes in time.  

Ironically, it was the first time he felt happy to hear the system deduct sanity points.  

At least it meant he hadn’t fallen into temporary madness yet. It meant this was still a game. It meant the events he was experiencing were still within control.  

As for whether this director was real or fake, and whose perception of the world was the truth, Druid no longer wanted to dwell on it.

Druid asked, with little hope, “Do you happen to have any special innate abilities?” 

Bobby’s expression grew even more peculiar. His initial excitement had completely faded, replaced by a gaze that seemed increasingly skeptical, as though he were looking at a lunatic. He even began doubting the information Druid had shared earlier.  

From the bed next to them came a few snickering sounds.  

Druid remained silent for a long time before changing the subject. “Earlier, you said you wanted me to help with something. Was it about reclaiming your identity?”  

“Yes,” Bobby replied, though his enthusiasm had clearly waned. “More specifically, I want you to help me expose that imposter’s flaws.”  

“In any case, my companions have indeed uncovered some clues. It seems that the fake director’s magic cannot directly affect reality. So, as long as we can find some concrete documents or photos of you with the hospital’s upper management, it should raise suspicions among the other nurses and doctors.”  

“Don’t worry. I’ve got plenty of companions, and they’ll definitely find that evidence soon.”  

Druid was brimming with confidence.  

However, the feedback from the chat soon dashed his hopes.  

[Hey, Druid, don’t get ahead of yourself just yet.]  

“?”  

[Check the forums immediately.]  

Confused, Druid logged into the forums, where the latest post quickly caught his attention:  

[The Director’s Office at Arkham Hospital Was Robbed! Important Documents Missing—Is This the Death of Humanity or the Fall of Morality?!]

The post essentially explained that players weren’t content to just watch Druid’s live stream. Many had already returned to the hospital. After seeing Black Cat’s post, countless players connected the dots and made a beeline for the director’s office.  

Their mindset? Why hesitate? Even if it meant facing the boss directly, getting their hands on the files was worth it. In fact, some players thought facing the boss head-on would be even better.  

But the dungeon boss was quick to teach them all a lesson.  

As soon as they charged up to the administrative floor of the hospital, the alarms blared. The moment they reached the director’s office door—before they could do anything—they were promptly arrested by the police, who had clearly been waiting for them.  

The tall and thin director spoke with great anguish. “The hospital’s important files have been stolen! It was a coordinated act—earlier, two individuals impersonated officers from the precinct where Dr. Archie works, gained access to my office, and made off with the files. Now, these people must be their accomplices.”  

“Please apprehend them immediately! The stolen documents contain critical patient records. I’m deeply worried about the irreversible damage they could cause with those files.”  

The lead officer wore a stern expression. “Rest assured, Director Hogg. We will quickly find the culprits who stole the files. Once we bring these individuals back to the station, I’ll personally interrogate them.”  

And so, the group of players was mercilessly taken away.  

When the incident was shared online, the forum exploded in shock. For the first time, players encountered a boss so cunning and adaptable. He blended seamlessly into human society, knew the operational rules inside out, and masterfully leveraged societal power and resources.  

Unlike traditional MMO bosses that simply waited in one spot for players to defeat them, this boss had an unsettling advantage—he could think.  

This marked a wake-up call for some of the new players joining the game, offering their first taste of how different tabletop RPG mechanics were from traditional MMOs.  

In this game, players were no longer the stereotypical saviors of the world. NPCs wouldn’t automatically trust them or make things easier. Storming a police station could get them shot, robbing a bank would land them in jail, and even if they were trying to stop a world-ending conspiracy, most people wouldn’t believe them. In fact, there was a higher likelihood they’d end up in a mental institution.  

Everything in the game mirrored real-world logic almost perfectly.  

12th Commenter: [I can’t believe this. We actually got thrown into jail by the police NPCs. This is my first time in jail! And we were trying to save Arkham! Is this how saviors are treated? (Angry)]

13th Commenter: [This isn’t savior treatment, but it is standard treatment for investigators in a tabletop RPG. Honestly, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been locked up. (Lights a cigarette)]  

14th Commenter: [Welcome to tabletop RPGs. Did you really think we’d get off easy? This is Arkham, a modern city. The biggest difference between a tabletop RPG and other games is that everything happens in secret. Even saviors have to wait for the green light when crossing the street.]  

15th Commenter: [And bosses have brains too. For example, if he disguises himself as a cop and you attack him, he can legally have you shot for assaulting an officer.]

16th Commenter: [Overly realistic games are trash! (Angry)]  

After skimming through the context, Druid felt utterly defeated.  

Of course, he should’ve seen this coming. If a tabletop RPG could be beaten by sheer numbers, it wouldn’t be called a tabletop RPG.  

But now it seemed that the dungeon boss, likely Soren, had already patched any loopholes in the real world. They couldn’t rely on physical documents to expose him anymore. What now?  

Druid glanced at Bobby. “Alright, there’s been a slight complication. That fake director might’ve noticed our moves and destroyed all the physical files. Do you know if there’s a backup anywhere else?”  

Bobby said, “Let me think. There should be a backup on the computer—it’s the digital age, after all.”  

Druid quickly contacted Black Cat.  

Druid: [Does any player here know how to hack?]

Black Cat: […No. Players don’t have enough attribute points right now. Even if they dumped everything into Computer Use, they’d only hit a max of 50. That’s not even enough to land a programming job, let alone become some god-tier hacker.]  

Unlike traditional tabletop RPGs, this game’s developers specifically nerfed character builds to prevent players from concentrating all their attribute points into creating an [Ultimate Hacker] or [Martial Arts Prodigy]. For example, spending 20 free attribute points might get you 20 points in Brawling, but raising it to 40 would require 40 more points, and so on.  

Without access to hidden missions, players simply didn’t have enough points this early in the game. The “experts everywhere” scene would only come into play in the late game.  

Druid: [Then how did you disable the surveillance system?]

Black Cat: [Uh… I got some players who wanted to reroll their characters and had them physically take it out.]

Translation: they attacked the surveillance room.  

Druid got it. No wonder the police were so quick to believe Director Soren’s story.  

Wiping his face, Druid pushed aside his complicated emotions and asked with difficulty, “Aside from the computer, is there anywhere else where backup files might exist?”  

Bobby’s gaze toward Druid grew even stranger.  

Why is this guy talking normally one moment, only to zone out the next?  

Having seen plenty of such cases in the psychiatric ward—and with his own medical background—Bobby began to have doubts. Could this guy really be mentally ill?  

But even if he was, he was the only mentally ill person who believed him right now.  

Bobby spoke listlessly. “There’s one more place— the records room. It has backups of some documents I signed in the past. But the room is usually locked and not open to outsiders.”  

“Who has the key?”  

“That depends on who’s on duty. Usually, it’s held by the doctor on duty. You’ve probably met tonight’s doctor.”  

That mad scientist! Druid thought, relieved. Perfect—he seems to have the keys to the third floor as well.  

“Last question: where is the records room in the hospital?”  

“In the administration building, of course.”  

Druid froze for a moment before his face darkened. Wait—what if Soren has already gone to the records room to destroy the evidence?  

[Don’t worry, just go.]  

A message flashed across his screen.  

[The dungeon boss won’t have time to destroy the evidence if you’re fast enough.]  

Druid paused, narrowing his eyes. [What did you do?]  

The responses from the messages were practically dripping with malice.  

[He’s not the only one who knows how to exploit modern society’s rules!]  

[Don’t underestimate us, the Fourth Calamity!]  

——

Meanwhile, in the real world.  

Soren sat in the director’s office, eyes closed. Before him was nothing but darkness, yet within the darkness, faint points of light flickered.  

These lights represented the intricate web he had woven in Arkham.  

To sink an entire city into the Dream World was no easy feat.  

He had long lost track of time.  

Has it been centuries? A millennium?  

Since waking from the ruins, Soren had lost all his memories. Stripped of everything, he had wandered into human society, drifting through the world like a ghost.  

A life adrift, with no place to call home.  

Thus, it was only natural for him to develop an obsessive desire to return to that world.  

Driven by this obsession, he founded what was now known as the “Outsider.” It could be said that the sole purpose of this organization was to facilitate his return to the Dream World.  

Over the centuries, some called him a heretic, while others dismissed him as a lunatic who had escaped from an asylum.  

But he didn’t care. To him, anything was worth sacrificing if it meant returning to his homeland.  

Arkham, being a city with open beliefs, provided fertile ground for various faiths to flourish under its newly implemented religious policies. Within this environment, the Outsider took root and thrived.  

Unlike other religious organizations, the Outsider was undoubtedly unconventional. They worshipped no deity.  

Inspired by Soren’s unyielding obsession, his followers stubbornly saw themselves as exiles unable to return home. They believed their true homeland wasn’t the land beneath their feet but lay in a deeper, more profound realm…  

However, building such a vast organization within human society was no easy feat. Soren faced numerous challenges—he was driven out by mainstream churches and hunted by the police. Over time, his body grew increasingly frail, yet the day of death never arrived for him.  

Because he was the perfect “human.” As long as his soul and spirit remained intact, he would never meet his end.  

Day by day, time passed until the arrival of that person, who brought a turning point for the Outsider.  

Soren opened his eyes, his gaze unfocused as he stared into the void. Perhaps because his plans were nearing completion, he couldn’t help but recall the past.  

As for the group that had been sent to the Night Hospital, Soren didn’t take them too seriously. They were just newcomers to this world, ones who hadn’t even progressed beyond the second level of the Dream Rift. They might defeat one or two anomalies, but they would inevitably be overwhelmed by the swarming masses.  

Handling them in the real world would involve the hassle of dealing with corpses and covering up loose ends. Throwing them into the Night Hospital was far more convenient.  

As for concerns about his identity being exposed, Soren hadn’t paid much attention to it from the start. After all, soon enough, everything in the real world would lose its meaning. He only needed to endure for a little longer.  

Soren waved his hand, and all the documents behind him spontaneously combusted without a breeze. He dusted off the ashes clinging to his clothes, stood up, and prepared to eliminate any potential backup files.  

At this moment, the door to the director’s office was knocked from the outside. When Soren opened it, he saw several nurses hurriedly saying, “Director, something’s wrong! Several patients’ families are blocking the hospital entrance with banners, demanding to see you!”  

Soren: ?  

Soren frowned, his face full of confusion.  

Why would anyone come looking for him?  

To maintain his current facade, Soren couldn’t refuse. He nodded and followed the nurses out of the administration building toward the hospital entrance.  

Even before they approached the hospital, the distant noise of commotion reached their ears.  

“Don’t worry, the director will be here soon. If you have any grievances, speak to him.”

“Exactly, we’re just ordinary workers. There’s no point in making things hard for us!”

“Right, we’re just earning a fixed salary. If you have a complaint, go find the director!”

“If you want to hit someone, hit the director. He’s the one who can take a beating, not like me. If you punch me, you’ll be begging for mercy before I die.”

Soren: …  

“Ahem!” The older nurse, who had been accompanying the director, suddenly coughed loudly. Seeing the younger nurses still trying to persuade the crowd to talk to the director, she coughed even harder, as if she might cough her lungs out.

Hearing this, the nurses finally reacted. They quickly turned around and pulled back the little nurse who had been ranting about how stupid the director was.

The little nurse, seeing Soren, instantly lost all color from her face and began to sob, “Director, I was talking about the director from the other building, not you. Do you believe me?”

Soren: “…There’s only one hospital in downtown Arkham.”

He sighed, waved his hand, and motioned for the nurses to take the little nurse to the back. He took a step forward and began to inspect the residents blocking the hospital entrance.

The leader of the group instinctively shrank his head, but quickly remembered that this was just a game, so he straightened up again!

“Hello, I am the director of Arkham Hospital,” Soren said with a somewhat insincere smile, his expression indifferent as he looked at them. “What’s the matter?”

“We have a matter! Because your hospital… well, your hospital killed our family member… I mean, our friend!”

“That’s right! We need you to explain!”

Soren kept smiling, but his eyes seemed to ask a question.

Clearly, as a newly appointed hospital director whose real job was as a cult leader, Soren had never experienced something like a medical dispute.

“Your friend is…?”

“Yorkson! Oh, poor Yorkson.” The leader, Ye Ye, said, tears streaming down his face. The players behind him covered their faces, trying hard not to laugh.

“He was so young, just having a minor surgery. How could he die in the hospital? You have to give us an explanation today!”

Soren looked bewildered as he turned to the nurse behind him. “Yorkson is…?”

The nurse hurriedly went to check the patient’s medical records. Ten minutes later, she returned with a subtle expression. “Director, Yorkson was the heart patient who died on the operating table earlier.”

She paused for a moment and added, “He is already 86 years old this year!”

Soren looked at A-Long and the others. Ye Ye shamelessly said, “We are old friends.”

“Oh? You’re all old friends?”

“That’s right!” the players behind him said in unison, some with faces full of sorrow and anger, others covering their faces, unable to accept the reality.

Soren nearly lost his composure. He sneered and asked, “So, what do you want to do?”

“We’re not asking for much, and we won’t extort the hospital,” Ye Ye said, staring directly at Soren. “But we hope you, as the director, can attend Yorkson’s funeral. It’s today, and the funeral will be held soon. It won’t take too much of your time.”

In any case, the boss of the dungeon had to temporarily leave the hospital.

As for whether the boss would send someone to the archives to destroy files, there was no need to worry about that, because the area near the archives would soon become a “crime scene.”

Players who didn’t care about breaking the rules were just so daring. :p

There were quite a few people gathered outside the hospital, and the commotion they caused quickly attracted a large crowd. Onlookers were never in short supply wherever they went, and pedestrians in the streets and alleys gradually gathered, pointing and whispering about the players and the director.

Some “concerned citizens” appeared from somewhere and began explaining to the bystanders what was happening.

Being surrounded and pointed at was a somewhat “novel” experience for Soren, who had long since become a cult leader. His expression slowly faded, and he gave Ye Ye a cold glance before turning to leave.

“Hey, wait! Don’t go!” Ye Ye relentlessly ran around to the front and collided with Soren.

Soren smirked coldly, stood still, and did not move. The moment Ye Ye tried to crash into him, a powerful force pushed back, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Ye Ye was startled, but quickly composed himself. He had already achieved his goal. He took the opportunity to wail in pain, clutching his stomach where a dagger was stabbed, blood seeping out continuously.

Due to the angle of the previous moment, the onlookers only saw Ye Ye lunge toward the director, then fall to the ground. To be honest, it looked like a staged accident, but they quickly changed their minds because there was actual bloodshed!

The crowd clearly didn’t expect things to escalate so much. Screams erupted, and some people started taking pictures with their phones. The nurses, too, hadn’t anticipated such a serious incident and became flustered.

At that moment, the police emerged from the crowd. “Was there a report about a disturbance at the hospital entrance?”

The officers saw Ye Ye lying on the ground, and Director Hogg, standing in front of Ye Ye with an unpredictable expression, stared at him with his mouth open in shock.

Players hid in the crowd, pointing at Soren. “It’s him! He killed my brother! He’s the director of Arkham Hospital!”

The crowd immediately erupted in chaos.

Amidst the flashing lights and loud noises, Soren took a deep breath, feeling more exhausted than he ever had in his long life.

Good, very good.

He thought to himself that he had underestimated the evil god and his followers.

Originally, he had assumed that the followers of the evil god had at least some sense of shame, but who would have thought that this one would play by no rules at all?