A Forum for Patients of Fourth Hospital
Chapter 3: Would you like some braised human ribs?

With a wry smile, Yu Xiao raised her head and offered, “I have both good news and bad news for you. Which one would you like to hear first?”

Without hesitation, Zhou Xiao Zhen firmly replied, “Let’s hear the bad news first!”

Curious, Zhao Lan couldn’t help but ask, “May I ask why?”

Zhou Xiao Zhen wrapped her blanket around herself and explained, “I like to eat sweet candy after taking bitter medicine.”

“…” Yu Xiao’s mouth twitched. She hesitated before revealing, “The bad news is that there are actually ghosts outside.”

Before Zhao Lan could express her shock, Zhou Xiao Zhen burst into tears. Tears and snot ran down her face as she cried, “I knew our condition couldn’t be cured. Now the ghosts have come to take us away. Whimper…”

Her weeping made the other two feel uneasy and unsure of how to comfort her. Zhao Lan tried to console her, “Smiley, what’s the good news?”

Holding a pamphlet, Yu Xiao gazed at them and said, “The good news is that I know why there are ghosts.”

Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen were left stunned. After a moment, Zhou Xiao Zhen, with red eyes, asked, “Is it because of the King of Hell?”

Yu Xiao shook her head and replied, “No, it’s not.” She was about to explain what she knew when she noticed Zhao Lan’s face light up with anticipation.

Zhao Lan looked at her and asked, “Are you really the 250th generation disciple of Maoshan (a Taoist school in China)?”

“….No,” Yu Xiao was completely speechless. She reached for her phone on the nearby table and continued, “This all started three days ago when I couldn’t sleep and was playing with my phone. Suddenly, my phone automatically downloaded a forum…”

She accessed the forum for patients at Fourth Hospital to exchange ideas and shared everything she knew with them. She concluded, “At first, I thought it was a forum for patients with mental illnesses, but it seems that’s not the case. They must be like us, suddenly thrown into Fourth Hospital and dealing with ghosts every day.”

The three individuals in the ward were young and had diverse interests in novels, animations, and films, making them open-minded about various topics. They quickly acknowledged this fact, and then Zhao Lan raised a concern, “However, this is the Fourth Hospital forum, and we are in the Sixth Hospital.”

Zhou Xiao Zhen replied, “What’s so strange about that? The Fourth and Fifth Hospitals must have been full, so it’s our turn in the Sixth Hospital.”

This reasoning seemed convincing, prompting Zhao Lan to ask, “Does that mean there are forums for the First, Second, and Third Hospitals as well?”

“It’s highly likely,” Yu Xiao smiled as she scrolled through the forum. There were numerous posts, and the post about drawing talismans was a popular topic consistently at the top.

She tried to create a thread and ask about the situation, but couldn’t post because the forum indicated that she wasn’t logged in. So, she attempted to register, but the system informed her that she couldn’t register because she wasn’t in the service area.

The three of them looked at her phones in astonishment. Zhao Lan, who was socially experienced, suggested, “Maybe we can’t register because we’re from Sixth Hospital?”

Zhou Xiao Zhen added, “That means there’s probably a forum for patients at Sixth Hospital.”

“Uh-huh,” Yu Xiao nodded and asked, “Has anyone received any notifications on their phone?”

None of their phones showed any activity.

Yu Xiao thought it was unfair for Fourth Hospital to have a forum while Sixth Hospital had none. It was clearly discriminatory.

While contemplating, Zhou Xiao Zhen suddenly pointed to a black flyer in the corner and said, “Hey, look over there. There’s a QR code.”

Yu Xiao leaned in closer and, to her surprise, she discovered a small QR code. She scanned it with her phone and sarcastically commented, “It’s as if they were afraid we would notice it.”

A message popped up that said, 【Do you want to download the forum for the Sixth Hospital patients’ exchange? Y/N】

Just as they suspected!

The three of them proceeded to download the forum. To their surprise, the Sixth Hospital forum was quite empty, with only one post from an administrator outlining the forum rules.

Zhao Lan concluded, “This means the Sixth Hospital must have recently opened. We’re among the first patients here.”

“Oh-ho-ho~…” Zhou Xiao Zhen chuckled, “I suddenly feel a little proud.”

“…,” Yu Xiao stared at her, at a loss for words. She had reached the final step of the registration process, which required her to choose a nickname.

After considering ideas for a nickname, Yu Xiao thought for a moment before entering the name 【Warrior of Light】. However, the system quickly responded with the message:

【Sorry, the nickname you entered already exists.】

Determined to find a unique name, Yu Xiao tried two more names, 【Pretty Soldier】 and 【Sixth Hospital Director】, only to receive the same response from the system.

Becoming increasingly frustrated with the uncooperative system, Yu Xiao decided to try entering a random name. To her surprise, they received a congratulatory message that said:

【Congratulations, user ‘Deaf Descendant’! (聋的传人) You have successfully registered.】

(TN: a play on words, as the phrase for “deaf” and “dragon” sound similar in Chinese)

Feeling disheartened by her own experience, Yu Xiao turned to the others and asked how they were doing.

Zhou Xiao Zhen responded with a serious expression, “Not yet. It keeps telling me that the nickname I entered already exists.”

Zhao Lan chimed in, “I haven’t either. Since the Sixth Hospital recently opened, it’s improbable to have such a large number of registered users. It appears that all the hospitals share a common set of nicknames, and we can only choose from the remaining ones from the first five hospitals.”

After some time, the trio finally managed to register. Zhou Xiao Zhen’s nickname became 【Braised Egg Girl 438】(卤蛋少女438), and Zhao Lan’s was 【Nickname Hassle】(昵称好难).

(“卤蛋” literally means “braised egg” and is a slang term for someone who is a bit of a goofball)

When they saw each other’s nicknames, they both felt relieved to realise that they were not the only ones with bad nicknames.

“I’ll make a post asking about the situation,” Zhao Lan said, starting to create a new post. And then…

“I found a problem,” Yu Xiao announced to the other two, who were busy scouring the forums with their heads together.

Without looking up, they asked, “What problem?”

“Isn’t this game supposed to be about surviving in a hospital?” Yu Xiao questioned.

“Of course,” Zhou Xiao Zhen confirmed, “It’s clearly advertised as a hospital survival game.”

“In that case,” Yu Xiao stated, “what is the most important factor for survival?”

“Staying alive,” Zhou Xiao Zhen replied matter-of-factly. “You have to evade the ghosts and stay alive.”

“No, that’s essentially an escape game,” Yu Xiao said, holding a cup in one hand. “But isn’t staying alive the most crucial element of survival? And when it comes to staying alive, isn’t eating the most important thing?”

Zhao Lan, who had been browsing the forum, was jolted by her words and looked up. “You’re right. What about our dinner?”

Typically, family members could bring or buy food, caregivers could arrange it, or hospital canteen staff could sell food from carts. However, their current situation presented a problem: family members and caregivers were not allowed to enter. As for buying food from the canteen…

“Will there still be people selling food?” Zhou Xiao Zhen asked anxiously. “There are ghosts outside.”

As soon as she spoke, a familiar sound echoed from outside – the sound of a cart wheel rolling down the hallway. The three companions exchanged glances, and Zhao Lan’s face turned pale as she suggested, “Why don’t we skip dinner tonight? Missing one meal won’t harm us.”

As the weakest among them, if Zhao Lan could afford to skip a meal, then her companions could too. They weren’t sure if the person pushing the cart outside was a human or a ghost, so it was best not to take any risks.

However, Yu Xiao raised a concern, holding a flyer in her hand. “According to this flyer, we are required to follow hospital regulations and cooperate with treatment. Wouldn’t not eating be considered a violation of the rules?”

Zhao Lan responded calmly, “At the very least, it wouldn’t be cooperating with treatment.”

Zhou Xiao Zhen then got out of bed, opened her cabinet, and pulled out a bulging pink backpack. With a mysterious look on her face, she placed it on the bed, unzipped it, and proudly announced, “I have food.”

Yu Xiao and Zhao Lan leaned in to get a closer look. They saw several bags of chips, spicy sticks, and carbonated drinks.

“…”

As Yu Xiao saw the colourful array of junk food, her appetite suddenly woke up. She reached for a bag of spicy sticks, causing Zhao Lan to look at her with a hint of concern. “What if eating junk food is seen as not actively cooperating with the treatment?” she asked.

“…”

Yu Xiao paused, thinking about the possible consequences. “What do you suggest then?” she reluctantly responded, putting the spicy sticks back down. “Should we go and buy some food? But what if the person pushing the cart is a ghost?”

“I’ve already considered that,” reassured Zhao Lan. “Based on the information I read on the Fourth Hospital forum, they’ve been surviving in the game for a while. Even with a large stockpile, they would have depleted their supplies by now, so they must have a fixed source for replenishing their stocks.”

The three of them turned towards the door. If there was a fixed source of food in the hospital, it was likely to be the food cart from the cafeteria.

Yu Xiao approached the door, pressing her ear against it to listen for any sounds outside. Meanwhile, Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen leaned in to listen as well.

For a brief moment, the sound of the cart could be heard from outside, until it abruptly ceased. The three individuals exchanged perplexed looks when, out of nowhere, a voice spoke as if the speaker was standing right by the door.

“Would you like some braised human ribs?”