After a five-and-a-half-hour high-speed train ride, the group finally arrived in M City.
Baishan Townโs main attractions were its beautiful mountains and waters, which meant it was quite a distance from the cityโs central train station. After a short rest, the group took a taxi for nearly another two hours, arriving in Baishan Town around nine in the evening.
At night, Baishan Town was brilliantly lit.
A constant stream of tourists filled the night market, sampling snacks. The sign โLantern Streetโ spanned the street, its lettering shining with rainbow hues under the lanternsโ glow.
Not far from Lantern Street flowed a river. Seven or eight boats drifted by, bright with floral lanterns. Children sat by the edge, playing and splashing. Both friends and strangers among the adults sat cracking seeds and chatting away.
It hardly felt like nine in the eveningโthe bustle here rivaled even a cityโs midday.
After grabbing a bite at the night market, Jiang Yan and the others made their way straight to Baishan Sanatorium. Past Lantern Street, they walked through a cluster of ancient buildings, steeped in atmosphere and history. Beyond these lay the local village, scattered with neat red and gray tile-roofed houses, charming in their arrangement. Some elders sat at the village entrance, leisurely fanning themselves and chatting.
By the light of a streetlamp, Jiang Yuqing checked her map again, then double-checked directions to Baishan Sanatorium with the locals to be certain.
An old man pointed to the mountain behind the village. โItโs halfway up the mountain. Whatโs your business there?โ
โVisiting a friend.โ
The old man nodded in understanding. โThen youโd best hurry. Itโll take at least forty or fifty minutes to get there.โ
After thanking him, Jiang Yuqing led the five of them toward the mountainโs backside.
The mountain behind Baishan wasnโt tallโperhaps two hours to summit on foot. But even on this modest slope, several sanatoriums dotted the landscape; halfway up, they passed two within just thirty minutes.
Jiang Yuqing began to explain the local situation. โBaishan has a wonderful environmentโseventy percent of the area is covered in greenery, making it ideal for patient recovery. Over the last few years, four sanatoriums have been built here: some government-funded, some private, some expansions from other provinces. Each one has its own strengths, squeezing out Baishan Sanatoriumโs space to survive.โ
โBut really, you canโt blame the competition. Like I said before, Baishan Sanatorium is still stuck with practices from more than ten years agoโthe equipment is outdated, their methods obsolete. Itโs just a sign of the times.โ
Shen Huanhuan asked, โSo the patients left at Baishan must be the less well-off ones?โ
Jiang Yuqing nodded. โThe other sanatoriums have such clear advantages that to compete, Baishan Sanatorium can only offer lower prices. Plus, investigators found their admissions process a bit irregular. Most sanatoriums emphasize physical therapyโhydro, light, etc.โbut Baishan accepts patients with very serious conditions, ones that canโt be solved by standard physical treatment.โ
Yu Renwan spoke softly, โMaybe their families send them as a kind of hospiceโฆโ
โThat is, their illness is so severe, and the family canโt afford care, so instead they send them somewhere professional, hoping their last days will at least be comfortableโฆโ
Xiao Wa: โCaw!โ
The little crow agreed.
Jiang Yuqing sighed.
If Baishan Sanatorium was as she suspected, its patients wouldnโt find comfort at the end of their lives, but huge torment and suffering.
Fifty minutes later, after passing a small hillside settlement, they finally arrived at Baishan Sanatorium.
Facing the camera, Jiang Yuqing quietly assigned everyone their roles:
โDue to the recent loss of several staff, the sanatorium is hiring.โ
โLin Xinjiuโs background is in clinical work, so the Bureau helped you sign up as an assistant physician. Yu Renwan, you have a nutritionist certificate, so the Bureau listed you as a meal planner.โ
โAs for the other three,โ she glanced at Jiang Yan and the twins, โitโs easy to mess up faking specific medical conditions, so just act as psychiatric patients. However you are normally, just be yourselvesโpsychiatric patients often seem even more โnormalโ than healthy people.โ
No one objected.
Jiang Yuqing exhaled a deep breath, pointing to a nearby woodland. โIโll camp here for the next few days. Tomorrow, the Bureau will send two psychics on assignment in the area, and we three will monitor the livestream all the while until you emerge safely.โ
This was a level of seriousness and worry sheโd never shown before, highlighting the taskโs danger.
Yu Renwan, wanting to comfort her, stepped forwardโbut before she could speak, the driverโs camera swung around and hit Jiang Yuqing on the head.
Everyone: โโฆโฆโ
Yu Renwan shrank back seven or eight steps.
Lin Xinjiuโs mouth twitched.
The twins burst out laughing in unison.
The tension eased in a flash, and Jiang Yuqing couldnโt help but cover her mouth in laughter. โOh, I am getting naggy, arenโt I?โ
โGood luck to all of you.โ
*
Once Jiang Yuqing left, Lin Xinjiu silently strode toward the sanatorium entrance.
Jiang Yan lowered her gaze and followed. The twins linked arms beside her, and Yu Renwan lagged behind, struggling to stuff Xiao Wa into her backpack.
The little crow protested noisily, determined to defend its right to breathe fresh air.
โIn you go,โ Yu Renwan said as she shoved its head inside, yanking the zipper shut. โCatering staff canโt bring birds to work! You have to hide, okayโฆโ
Xiao Wa refused to accept logic. It flapped its wings furiously, batting at Yu Renwanโs face.
She wiped her cheek, frowning in distress. โI know youโve never seen a sanatorium, and Iโm curious tooโฆbut the nurses arenโt friendly. Um, they love to eat fried baby crow.โ
Xiao Waโs wings froze in midair. โCaw?โ
Yu Renwan nodded. โFried baby crow!โ
Xiao Wa: โCaw??โ
Yu Renwan: โHumans eat anythingโcrows too. The textureโs like eyeballs: all crunchy.โ
Xiao Waโs eyes went wide. โCawโโ?!โ
Yu Renwan rushed to correct herself, โNo, I havenโt eaten your eyeballs! Just making an exampleโฆโ
The little crow thought for a long time, then shivered violently, stuck its head willingly into the backpack, and even zipped it tightly from the inside.
ใโฆโฆใ
ใWhat the hell, fried baby crow.ใ
ใHey now, donโt get gross. And who’s eating crunchy eyeballs?ใ
ใPeeking outใYu Renwan and Xiao Wa are kinda cute, hahaใ
ใLetโs see if youโre still saying that when they start gouging out eyeballsโฆใ
Three minutes later, the group stood before the gates of Baishan Sanatorium.
The grounds were small. The iron gate was rusted, half-locked with a corroded chain. There was no one in the security boothโit was unclear whether this was due to some emergency, or if they simply never had a guard.
The sky was deeply dark; the lights inside the sanatorium were also meager. Only faint glimmers trickled from the second floor and around the door frame, but even that was enough to show just how run-down the place really was.
Aged, dilapidated.
Endless, twisted vines of Virginia creeper blanketed the exterior walls. The few glimpses of paint were a sallow yellow, while the patches where the paint had peeled away left an oily shimmer on the blackened walls. Jiang Yan looked up, spotting a sagging white sign, the wording blurredโ
[Baishan Sanatorium]
Jiang Yan dropped her gaze.
It was no wonder this place had declined: with an exterior like this, who would care about its philosophy or medical staff?
Besides, both its methodology and clinicians were outdated.
The lock was half-latched on the gate. Jiang Yan gave it a gentle push, and it creaked slowly open.
“Screeeeechโ”
The rusty screws made an awful noise. Jiang Yan frowned and entered first.
Lin Xinjiu followed close, clearly wishing not to walk too near the others. In a few long strides, he overtook Jiang Yan, reaching the main door first to knock.
The sanatoriumโs patients rarely changed; when they did, incoming patients always arrived by day. It was almost unheard of for guests to come by at night, so the main doors were locked from within.
Lin Xinjiu waited with patience. After a few minutes, a nurse hurried over.
“Sorry, sorry, I just heard someone out here!”
She rushed up to the glass door, glanced at Lin Xinjiu, then at the rest, breathing heavily, surprise written across her round, pleasant face. According to her name tag, this was Wei Xian.
She quickly found a stack of papers: the new physicianโs form, plus the files for three new patients, who, officially, werenโt due to arrive until morning.
Jiang Yuqing had mentioned this, saying it would look less suspicious if they arrived at an odd hourโsomething that could be played off as a coincidence.
Wei Xian shook her head in bemusement, reasoning it must be just thatโa quirk of fate.
She put away the files without asking further, but since there were three psychiatric patients, she called another nurse before unlocking the door.
“Thatโs a long nightโs journeyโyou must all be tired.”
Wei Xian flipped on the lobby lights, and the place brightened in an instant, every face rendered clear and sharp.
Lin Xinjiuโs looks drew her lingering gaze, but she collected herself quickly.
She smiled, “Itโs late, so Iโll skip the small talk.”
“Weโve got some onboarding forms to fill out. You two, come with me.”
Lin Xinjiu nodded and followed.
Yu Renwan trailed behind, hugging her backpack.
Once theyโd gone, the other nurse turned to the remaining three.
“Iโm Fang Miao, the head nurse here.”
“It is quite late. Letโs go straight to your rooms so you can put down your bags.”
Her introduction was brisk. She pulled from her pocket a notebook densely filled with writing.
“The twins shouldnโt be separated, so you two will share a room.”
Shen Huanhuan paused.
Realizing Fang Miao was speaking to her and Shen Xiaoxiao, she asked quickly, “Are there any three-person rooms?” She indicated Jiang Yan. “We met on the road, really hit it off, and arrived togetherโcould we stay together?”
“We only have singles and doubles,” Fang Miao said, glancing at her notes. “Room 403 is available; you two can take it.”
She turned to Jiang Yan. “Youโll be in 405.”
403 and 405โneither sounded like a single or a double.
Jiang Yan asked, “Is 405 a double as well?”
“Yes, these rooms are for psychiatric casesโthe singles are all taken.”
Fang Miao flipped a couple pages, checked the file for 405, and addressed Jiang Yan. “Your roommate is a little girl. Her symptoms are severe, but sheโs not aggressive. Raise any concerns if something comes up.”
There didnโt seem to be any room to refuse.
Jiang Yan just said a casual “Mm.”
With the rooms settled, Fang Miao put away her notes and led the three to the elevator.
She pressed for the fourth floor and stepped in.
Jiang Yan and the twins quickly followed.
On the way up, Fang Miao laid out the plan for the following day.
“I’ve received your previous records, so thereโs no need for initial physical exams. Tomorrow, youโll join some group therapy activities.”
“Paranoia and mania are both tough to treatโfuture care may require extra fees. Be sure your families are aware.”
Jiang Yan, whose cover story was paranoia, nodded.
Shen Xiaoxiao followed suit, replying dryly, “Okay, Iโll work hard to get better.”
Jiang Yan gave her a sidelong glance.
Shen Huanhuan noticed Shen Xiaoxiaoโs odd tone as well.
With how clever Shen Xiaoxiao usually was, she should have been playing up her roleโthis response was too dull, or simply perfunctory.
Feeling her sisterโs worried gaze, Shen Xiaoxiao trembled as if she could no longer hold out.
She looked at Shen Huanhuan, as if about to say something, but no words left her lips.
The next second, a rush of hot blood streamed from her nostrils, her lips pale, eyes empty, and she collapsed inside the elevator.