Hospital 444
Chapter 120 - 33: The Depths of the Rabbit Hole

Chapter 120: Chapter 33: The Depths of the Rabbit Hole

"So... what exactly is this place?"

"Have you seen ’The Matrix’?"

However, Han Ming replied with an unrelated question.

"I have," Dai Lin answered without hesitation.

"Morpheus presented the protagonist, Neo, with two pills, offering him the choice to return to his life as Mr. Anderson, or... to tumble further down the rabbit hole. He chose the latter."

Dai Lin faintly sensed something.

"In the movie, the world where humans live is a vast virtual environment composed of a matrix. But... is the world outside real?"

Afterward, Han Ming leaned slightly backward.

"Ultimately, a movie is just a movie, and the protagonist is the predestined savior. But the real world doesn’t have a protagonist. If you want to live a long life, don’t trust anyone in this place."

Dai Lin asked himself: Does that include you too?

"Back then, the devil that was bothering Lin Yan possessed me when I entered the ICU..."

"I did it," Han Ming admitted without hesitation. "From my perspective, your existence was too dangerous. Now, you should understand why, right? I have no idea what kind of curse powers lie behind Yin Wuque, but undoubtedly, the executive deputy dean and the other two deputy deans must be adversaries. Now, of course, it’s different. I would never lay hands on you again."

"Deputy Dean Han, you... really dare to speak the truth?"

"Everyone’s interests align now; we need to cooperate, so it’s best to be frank and understand that we’re in the same boat. If the other two deputy deans find out about this part of the contract that you remember, you may very well ’disappear’ just like Liang Zhigao. And after that, no one will remember that there was ever a doctor like you here."

Dai Lin wasn’t surprised by this at all.

"Good, I also agree with this cooperative relationship."

Han Ming was pleased with Dai Lin’s attitude; he was truly tired of endlessly pretending.

"I have found out about the matter concerning Wei Shirling," Han Ming had not forgotten about this; it was one of the conditions Dai Lin had agreed upon for retrieving the Devil’s Cursed Object: "Her connection with Yin Wuque is indeed not simple."

"They were..."

Wei Shirling was a victim thirteen years ago, and her death was identical to An Minglu’s.

"They were secret lovers. Before Wei Shirling died, she had come to see Gao Menghua for treatment, but in the end, she still died. Yin Wuque met Gao Menghua because they went to Wei Shirling’s tombstone to pay respects at the same time. Of course, Gao Menghua didn’t reveal to Yin Wuque her identity as a Paranormal Doctor. And Yin Wuque also completely hid his real relationship with Wei Shirling from Gao Menghua."

"He kept this a secret, all the way until now... wait a second?" Dai Lin suddenly thought of something: "Deputy Dean Han, you didn’t just find out about this, did you? You knew all along, didn’t you?"

But Han Ming didn’t directly answer the question.

"Now, here’s the question. Gao Menghua never told Yin Wuque about her Paranormal Doctor identity, instead lying that she was a veterinarian. If the Paranormal Doctor intends to conceal it, nobody around them can detect their real identity. However, shortly after that, Yin Wuque passed the hospital director’s recruitment and became a Paranormal Doctor. He showed incredible talent during his internship and was favored by then-administrative deputy dean Lu Yuan, who took him on as a student."

As Han Ming said this, he showed a hint of nostalgia: "In fact, it’s not just you; even doctors who have been around for a while can barely remember. Unlike the current situation where Yin Wuque and I stand as equals, when Lu Yuan was alive, he was completely above me. Back then, over ninety percent of the clinical doctors in the hospital were absolutely loyal to Lu Yuan, and even the Department of Fierce Spirits, where I was a deputy head, wasn’t wholly united."

As he said this, he added another comment.

"You might find this surprising, but to this day, the name Lu Yuan is still a psychological shadow for me. To me, he is more terrifying than any fierce spirit. Back then, doctors or nurses like you who came to me secretly, saying they remembered or had recalled the first clause of the contract, would generally ’disappear’ within half a year."

Dai Lin watched Han Ming’s expression at the moment, unsure whether he was putting on an act.

The key was, this last statement he made was impossible to verify. It’s common for doctors to die in the form of a "disappearance" after leaving the hospital for outside consultations. And he had no way of knowing who else was in the same situation as him.

"According to you... are these ’disappearances’ caused by the former deputy dean, Lu Yuan?"

"I can’t be certain. Those doctors still alive from his era have mixed feelings of reverence and awe for him. Take Director Song Min, for example; she used to be Lu Yuan’s right-hand person, one of the hospital’s top surgeons. If Lu Yuan were still alive, she would totally be qualified to head the Department of Fierce Spirits or the Ghost Surgery Department. Her current loyalty to Yin Wuque can be said to stem from the fact that Yin Wuque was designated by Lu Yuan as his successor."

Although Han Ming said "I can’t be certain," it was pretty clear he had his own conviction.

Dai Lin maintained deep skepticism regarding Han Ming’s words.

He spoke of things that were fundamentally impossible to verify, as though he himself was the oppressed party. But for Dai Lin, the fact that Han Ming wanted to take his life and dispatched him to the perilous Dusk Tower was unquestionable.

He and Han Ming were merely temporary collaborators.

"Finally, I have a piece of advice for you, Dr. Dai."

Han Ming could see from Dai Lin’s expression that he didn’t believe a word he said.

Not surprising, really, considering his past actions had nearly cost Dai Lin his life. It would be a miracle if Dai Lin showed him a friendly face.

He decided not to make a fool of himself any further.

When Dai Lin heard the word "advice," he showed no reaction and replied in a flat tone, "I’m all ears."

"I can allow you to view the surveillance footage, but you’d be better off not looking."

Dai Lin’s brow furrowed slightly.

"What... might I see on the surveillance footage?"

"Actually, it’s best if you see nothing at all. If you do manage to see something, that would be dangerous."

Then he added, "You find it very abnormal that Tang Li has returned to work, right? Without a doubt, if you ask any other doctor in the hospital aside from myself, they would answer you that Tang Li has never been absent."

Yes!

Tang Li completely lacked the memory of that day she called Dai Lin, entrusting him with the fragment of the map.

It was as if nothing had happened to her at all.

"She is in danger. She has delved too deeply... otherwise, she wouldn’t have attracted attention. She almost completely ’disappeared.’ So, you’d better pray you see nothing on the surveillance. If you do see something, you will delve deeper. And once your forehead shows the inverted cross again, then no one will be able to save you."

It was clear Han Ming knew far more than Dai Lin had imagined.

"That’s all I have to say, Dai Lin. The moment you mentioned wanting to check the surveillance, you were already at risk of being ’discovered’ by ’him’—that you have had contact with those people."

"The Dean...?" Dai Lin had already realized that the dean was not as omniscient and omnipotent as they had previously thought.

"Are you still sure you want to see the surveillance?"

Dai Lin recalled Tang Li’s situation, and the memories of the individuals with the inverted crosses on their foreheads began to fade from his mind.

He couldn’t even remember what that person had said to him or when they had contacted him.

Some mysterious force was erasing their existence.

...

Dai Lin returned to the private bathroom of the hospital ward.

He stepped out of the bathroom and back to his hospital bed.

Recalling Han Ming’s words, Dai Lin felt conflicted.

Yin Wuque and Wei Shirling had once been lovers, and after her death, Yin Wuque met Gao Menghua and entered this hospital, becoming the Executive Deputy Dean in a very short time.

Moreover, Han Ming must have been aware of the so-called Seven Principles of the Patients that Liang Zhigao knew. Because according to the hidden rule behind the business card, if a patient discovers a doctor with the inverted cross on their forehead, they must go inform the Executive Deputy Dean. This is a stark difference from the public rule, which requires reporting to the Curse Affairs Deputy Dean.

This hospital was too mysterious.

Now, how should he choose? A single misstep could bring about his doom.

Should he really follow the lead of the protagonist from "The Matrix," choosing to fall deeper into Alice’s rabbit hole?

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