WTNL Chapter 140

Ping‘an Asylum
Chapter 140: Bright red, brilliant, soft, like fire

It had to be said that Wen Jianyan’s proposal was extremely pertinent; no one wanted to enter the Inner World while being next to a high-risk psychopathic killer.

Judging from the current situation, the nurses and orderlies were merely ordinary NPCs who posed no threat of death to them. The real threat came from the patients within the Ping’an Asylum.

So, the group quickly formulated a plan.

In the superficially peaceful free activity room, a disturbance spread from a corner.

Several patients let out sharp howls and manic laughter as they began to scuffle with each other. Seeing this, the orderlies and nurses guarding the door showed expressions of disgust and walked briskly over, attempting to maintain order.

Amidst the chaos, Wen Jianyan silently approached the iron door.

The wire provided by Luce rolled nimbly between his fingers, as if possessing a life of its own, probing into the keyhole and turning it effortlessly. The faint sound of metal scraping was masked by the nursery rhyme and the commotion. The young man reached out to catch the iron chain in time, ensuring it didn’t make a single sound.

The door opened.

Wen Jianyan pulled the iron door open and took a moment to glance back over his shoulder.

The orderlies and nurses were caught up in the chaos and didn’t notice the few people attempting to sneak away. The blond man was still sitting properly in the sofa chair, his gaze still fixed steadily on Wen Jianyan. The corners of his pale red lips curled up slightly, revealing a flash of snow-white teeth.

Under the restraint of the chains and shackles, he didn’t move.

It seemed he had no intention of calling for help, nor did he plan to give chase.

Even though this was exactly the scene he had hoped to see, a chill still crept up Wen Jianyan’s spine for no reason.

The next second—

“Clang—Clang—Clang!”

The ear-piercing sound of a bell rang out without warning, echoing down the empty, dark corridor.

“!!!”

Wen Jianyan’s pupils contracted sharply.

Crap!

“Run!” He screamed, spinning around and bolting into the darkness.

His teammates reacted instantly, sprinting alongside him down the corridor.

The environment around them changed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Everything appeared messy and filthy, filled with chaotically overturned furniture. The gramophone jammed and stopped singing.

The moment the bell rang, all the orderlies and nurses completely vanished.

On a tattered sofa with its edges frayed and old cotton spilling out, the blond man slowly stood up. His tall, muscular body slowly stretched, his strong, broad bones cracking loudly.

“Clang!”

The heavy sound of shackles hitting the ground rang out, clattering as they scattered at his feet.

The mad dog had been let out of its cage.

The next second, a terrifying axe—huge and heavy enough to crush a full-grown man—appeared in his palm. Its sharp metal tip dragged across the floor, sending sparks flying.

Seeing this scene unfold, the barrage in the ‘Ping’an Asylum’ live room instantly buzzed with excitement:

[Oh oh oh oh oh! This is my first time seeing this guy unleashed in a place with so many people!]

[Right, right! This time in the free activity room, it’s not just anchors; there are a ton of NPCs too, right? We’re going to see him go on a killing spree this time!]

[It’s gonna be so awesome!]

Surprisingly, under the horrified gazes of everyone present, the man walked straight out the door. His pale blue eyes stared intently down the dark corridor, a smile stretching across his lips.

Dragging his long axe, he strode out.

As the mad dog’s back disappeared down the corridor, the anchors in the free activity room exchanged bewildered glances, the shock and panic on their faces yet to fade.

The ‘Ping’an Asylum’ live room fell into dead silence.

[…]

[…]

[???]

[This is way too weird!!!! Isn’t this guy supposed to kill indiscriminately? Not a single person died!]

[I’m shocked! What’s going on with this instance? Why does it feel completely different from what I remember!]

Wen Jianyan and his teammates ran for their lives, the sound of metal scraping trailing them like a shadow from behind.

In the “Integrity First” live room barrage:

[Good lord, this guy really is only chasing them!]

[Right… earlier I saw two targets that would have been super easy to slaughter right in front of him, and he completely ignored them! This makes no sense!]

[My god, the dog scammer’s charm is off the charts!]

[Hahahahahaha would you even want this kind of charm!]

[Too tragic, too tragic, he’s literally drawing all the aggro all by himself!]

The corridor had completely transformed. Broken chairs and debris were everywhere, and the walls were covered in dried, splattered blood and axe marks of varying depths.

“Fuck, why is this corridor so hard to move in!”

After almost tripping over a chair with half its legs missing yet again, Luce couldn’t help but curse under his breath.

Running with his head down, Wen Jianyan paused slightly. He caught onto some information in the other man’s words and turned his head to look: “Wait, the corridor you saw last night was different from this one?”

“Yeah.” Luce was also momentarily stunned. “Does that mean what you saw was the same as this?”

“Yes.”

Wen Jianyan answered succinctly.

As he ran, he continued to ask, “What did it look like when you saw it yesterday?”

“The corridor was completely covered in graffiti, like a kid drew on it with colored pens—from the ceiling to the floor, everywhere.”

Luce looked around and said, “The corridor was twisting and turning. No matter how much you ran, you couldn’t get out, and there were a lot of forks.”

This was something Wen Jianyan hadn’t expected.

He furrowed his brows slightly, not slowing his pace, while his brain began to work at top speed.

Before they knew it, the pursuing footsteps had grown closer.

This guy was incredibly tall with absurdly long legs, and his body possessed beast-like stamina. Even while lugging that terrifying weapon, he effortlessly closed the distance.

Wen Jianyan glanced back at the distance between them, and his breath hitched.

He immediately realized one thing.

Just running out of pure endurance was useless.

In terms of stamina, absolutely no one could beat this Hunter.

He gritted his teeth and said, “Let’s split up!”

Su Cheng froze: “But, you…”

“If you want to live, listen to me!” Wen Jianyan’s voice was fierce. “You guys will only drag me down!”

Su Cheng gritted his teeth and nodded.

At the next corridor intersection, the group split up. Blond and Su Cheng bolted to the right, while Luce’s team ran down the left corridor.

Wen Jianyan glanced back over his shoulder.

Sure enough, the guy was still hot on his heels.

Wen Jianyan: “…”

Although he knew he was frequently targeted by instances, this was the first time it was this blatantly obvious.

After confirming the others had run out of sight, Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, clenched his jaw, and abruptly slammed on the brakes. He turned around, standing face-to-face with the man who had been relentlessly pursuing him.

Having run for so long, his stamina was near its limit. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his chest heaved rapidly up and down.

In contrast, the other party looked entirely unaffected.

The blond man had once again donned the mask made of human skin, concealing his originally proper features. Only a pair of pale blue eyes peeked out from underneath.

He too came to a halt. His chest vibrated with manic laughter, and he appeared excited and restless. Rather than a human, he looked more like a beast that had caught the scent of its prey:

“Baby, aren’t you running anymore?”

“N-no.” Panting heavily, Wen Jianyan shook his head. “I can’t outrun you.”

A smile appeared on the man’s face, and he spoke in a sweet, intoxicating voice, “It seems you’ve also realized the undeniable attraction between us.”

Completely at odds with his tone were the tense muscles in his arm and the massive axe raised high in the air.

The sharp tip of the axe glinted with cold light, looking as if it would drop the very next second to split the young man before him wide open: “Don’t worry, the depths of your body will definitely be extremely beautiful, I guarantee it.”

The man’s voice was low and guttural, carrying a fanatical tremor.

“I think so too.”

Wen Jianyan’s breathing had steadied, and he replied.

His back was completely soaked in sweat, and his knees felt slightly weak, trembling imperceptibly under the immense pressure. However, his expression remained perfectly calm, as if he had the situation well in hand.

His conversation with Luce earlier had given him a new hypothesis.

—Regarding the Inner World.

The Hunter Luce encountered was a medium-risk patient with paranoia; the corridors were twisting, full of forks, and covered in chaotic graffiti everywhere.

Yet, the Inner World Wen Jianyan had entered—from last night until now—was exactly the same.

A messy corridor, as if it had been ravaged and destroyed. The corridor was completely straight, but it was nothing but ruins everywhere.

Furthermore…

Completing the tasks last night had been incredibly easy.

Whether it was finding the guard room, locating the map inside, or finding the ward based on the map.

It was all straightforward, with no need for any detours whatsoever.

In that case, could the Inner World possibly be… the physical manifestation of the patient’s mental state?

If that were the case…

Wen Jianyan’s gaze fell on the blond man before him, narrowing his eyes slightly.

—Compared to his beast-like stamina, his mind must be extremely simple.

[Bloody Mary’s Diamond Necklace (Hard-level item in Fantasy Amusement Park instance) has been activated.]
[Powerful Charm Countdown: 03:00]

The blond man was slightly taken aback, seemingly plunging into a state of extreme bewilderment.

The slender young man approached step by step, his amber eyes fixed intently on the beast before him, his voice soft: “I remember, you are very obsessed with the color of the internal organs deep within the human body because it is very beautiful, right?”

“…”

The other party nodded.

“Bright red, brilliant, soft, like fire.”

Wen Jianyan spoke softly, slowly taking another step forward. The distance between them was reduced to mere tens of centimeters.

“Time, after time, after time, you search for this beauty, letting it bloom at your fingertips over and over again, only for it to slip away… so you have no choice but to start the pursuit all over again…”

“I know, you aren’t doing this to hurt anyone. You are just searching for more beauty.”

“The warm, beautiful color hidden inside the human body.”

[Powerful Charm Countdown: 01:30]

“If… if only this world could be completely dyed in this color, have you ever thought about that?”

“…”

A dazed look appeared in those pale blue eyes.

He slowly nodded.

“Then, I know a way to make this beauty stay forever.”

Wen Jianyan’s voice was warm and soft, like a lover’s whisper. He leaned his upper body forward slightly, extending a slender, pale finger to gently tap the man’s abdomen.

Following the undulating lines of the muscles beneath the hospital gown, he slid his finger down bit by bit—like a caress, yet also like the lick of a venomous snake:

“Cut it open right here.”

The young man’s eyes held a smile:

“And you can possess it forever.”

__

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