MLV Ch 48

Jiang Ye dragged tires for ten days without a single day of rest. The Academy’s exam notification email was sent to the candidates’ mailboxes a week before the start, stating that this exam required candidates to enter a forbidden zone and survive for three days. Candidates were asked to bring their own daily necessities, and the Academy would provide each candidate with standard-issue weapons.

Jiang Ye was well-prepared this time. He packed his bag with three pounds of hawthorn cakes, six pairs of clean underwear, four bottles of water, compressed biscuits for two people for three days, and other essential items like a flashlight and a walkie-talkie.

They set off early in the morning. Last night, Li Miaomiao had said she would see them off at the exam site, but Jiang Ye waited at the hotel entrance for fifteen minutes and Li Miaomiao still hadn’t come down. Li Miaomiao slept in every day, so she probably hadn’t woken up yet. Jiang Ye got in the car and set off with Jin Feize.

The exam location was the Dongli Boya Hospital in the suburbs of Tianjin. It had been abandoned for forty years and was a forbidden zone discovered in the 1980s, now under the unified management of the Academy. The Jin family’s business van drove into a temporarily marked parking lot, where several private cars were already parked, along with a mobile workstation with the Capital University logo on it. It was piled high with communication and dispatch equipment, and many staff members wearing headphones were walking around inside.

A cordon was set up on the right side of the parking lot, with about twenty investigators in suits and carrying guns standing on either side, their faces grim. Shen Duo came down from the workstation with a megaphone and told everyone to gather in front of him.

As everyone gathered, Jiang Ye noticed some people were wearing monk’s robes, some were wearing Taoist robes, and some were in trendy, cool outfits with sunglasses. Everyone was quite young; this place felt less like an exam and more like an anime convention. In the crowd, there was a person with brilliant white hair who was very conspicuous. Jiang Ye saw Zhang Yi jumping up and waving at them, then cheerfully making his way through the crowd to pat Jiang Ye on the shoulder.

Shen Duo cleared his throat and said, “I believe everyone has some understanding of forbidden zones, so I won’t go into too much detail. The entrance to the hospital forbidden zone is now open. You will be entering a Level Three forbidden zone. Twenty abnormal creatures will be released inside, all below D-class. Your lives will not be in danger, but injuries are inevitable. In the admission exam three years ago, someone developed a severe panic disorder as a result. I’m sure you’ve heard about it. Please act according to your abilities and do not force yourselves.

Your objective is first to survive in the forbidden zone for three days, and second to collect skin and internal organ tissue samples from the abnormal creatures. We will monitor your actions and reactions throughout the entire process, and score you based on five major modules: leadership ability, on-the-spot reaction ability, analytical and judgment ability, organizational and communication ability, and stress resistance. The results will be announced immediately after the exam ends in three days, and the admission list will be declared. Next, we will distribute a signal transmitter to each of you. If anyone decides to withdraw from the exam, press the transmitter and wait in place for five minutes. The patrol security personnel inside the exam site will escort you out. Of course, your score will be voided, and you will be automatically eliminated. Alright, if you have any questions, ask them now. You will enter in ten minutes.”

Zhang Yi raised his hand. 

“Teacher, can we form teams?”

“You can,” Shen Duo nodded. 

“But we will assess each person’s contribution to the team. Don’t think you can just slack off because someone is leading you.”

Someone else raised their hand. 

“Can we bring our phones?”

“You can, but you won’t be able to look up anything online.”

Zhang Yi nudged Jiang Ye. 

“The three of us know each other, let’s be a team.”

Jiang Ye asked, “What are the backgrounds of the people here?”

“They all have their own schools and family traditions. Among us, you’re the only greenhorn who’s just starting out.” Zhang Yi grinned, secretly pointing at someone. 

“Look at that one, from the Northeast. His family worships the five great immortals. He can tell fortunes and heal illnesses. See all that weasel fur on his clothes.”

Jiang Ye stared for a moment. The person was wearing a black T-shirt, and there was indeed a lot of fur stuck to it. At first, Jiang Ye had thought he just had a cat at home.

Zhang Yi was confident. 

“Don’t be afraid, bro will carry you.”

The Academy staff distributed exam recorders to everyone, one for each person to wear on their shoulder. It was a miniature camera with a positioning function that would record every word and action of all the candidates over the next three days. Everyone received a pistol and two magazines filled with cinnabar bullets upon presenting their exam admission ticket. After crossing the cordon, there was a stretch of mountain road, with the dilapidated hospital building at the end. As they walked forward, the parking lot behind them grew more distant, gradually disappearing among the trees.

They entered the silent hospital gate. The mottled concrete building stood tall and gray-black, covered in dead vines, exuding a oppressive atmosphere. The area that was once the hospital parking lot was littered with trash and a few wrecked black cars. An ambulance was parked in a corner, entangled in vines. In front of them was the outpatient building, six stories high. One character had fallen off the sign, so the original “Boya Hospital” was now just a faded “Bo X Hospital.” Jiang Ye felt something was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

No one rashly entered the building. They stopped under the open sky, examining their surroundings. A tall boy stepped forward; it was the one from the Northeast that Zhang Yi had mentioned. He said, “The Academy has no limit on admissions; as long as you pass, you’re in. Let’s help each other out, maybe we can all get in. Let’s create a group chat. I found a map of this hospital online, let’s share it.”

Jiang Ye took out his phone to join the group. Jin Feize didn’t move, squatting to the side watching a snail crawl on the ground. The boy shared the map in the group. According to the map, the hospital mainly consisted of three buildings: an outpatient building, an inpatient building, and an administrative building.

“D-class abnormal creatures aren’t that high-level. It’s not night yet, so they’re probably hiding. Why don’t we split up and take a look around first, then gather back in half an hour? I want to go to the outpatient building, who’s with me?” the boy asked.

Zhang Yi raised his hand. 

“Big brother, count the three of us in!”

“Alright,” he walked over. 

“My name is Guan Hao. What schools are you guys from?”

Zhang Yi patted his chest. 

“Zhang Yi from the Celestial Master’s Mansion on Dragon Tiger Mountain.” He then pointed at Jiang Ye. 

“This is my junior brother who started halfway, Jiang Xiaoshuai.” Then he pointed at Jin Feize. 

“And this is the cousin of the Jin family’s Crown Prince, Jin Meimei.”

Jiang Ye: “…”

He understood. Jin Feize’s identity was special, and countless people in their circle knew he was a little monster, so Zhang Yi had to hide his identity. It was just that the names he came up with for them were truly awful.

“Holy shit, that’s awesome,” Guan Hao’s eyes lit up as he looked at Jin Feize. 

“A few days ago, I saw a video. The way your family welcomed your live-in son-in-law was like welcoming an emperor. Buddy, how can I marry into your family as a live-in son-in-law?”

Jin Feize smiled faintly. 

“Get reborn with a better-looking face.”

Guan Hao’s hearty smile froze on his face.

The candidates formed small groups of three to five and went their separate ways. They entered the outpatient building. The building was empty. The paint on the first-floor information desk was peeling, the elevators were out of service, and the floor was littered with discarded waste paper. Zhang Yi stuck his head into the pharmacy window and looked around.

Guan Hao looked from side to side and said, “Let’s see if there are any clues. The Academy wouldn’t just randomly release abnormal creatures in here. They should be related to this hospital. I just searched online, but all the news related to this hospital has been 404’d. I can’t find any traces.”

Jiang Ye also entered the pharmacy. The shelves were fully stocked with medicine. But Jiang Ye noticed that the area for bandages, alcohol, and disinfectants was empty. There were many yellowed prescription slips on the desk. Jiang Ye picked one up. It was for Haloperidol, a two-week supply, prescribed on July 18, 2014. Looking at the other prescriptions, they were mostly for sedatives and psychiatric drugs, and the dates were mostly around 2014 to 2015.

“Something’s wrong,” Jiang Ye said.

“What’s up?” Zhang Yi leaned over.

“The time is wrong. Boya Hospital was abandoned in the 1980s, but this prescription is from 2014.”

A flash of insight went through Jiang Ye’s mind. He suddenly remembered what was strange about this hospital. A hospital building from the 80s shouldn’t be this tall, and the interior design style was too modern. Jiang Ye frowned and said, “Let’s look for some documents here, see if we can find anything with the hospital’s name on it.”

“You suspect we’re in the wrong hospital?” Zhang Yi bent down to rummage through a drawer. 

“That can’t be right. Isn’t this the only abandoned hospital around here?”

Jin Feize was spinning around in a swivel chair, watching them search.

Guan Hao was a little annoyed. 

“Buddy, you just got here and you’re already tired? Get up and help out.”

Jin Feize sat firmly. 

“You guys are enough.”

“…” Guan Hao reminded him, “The instructors are watching through the recorders. Your score will be very low if you act like this.”

Jin Feize chuckled. 

“You’re so stupid. Haven’t you noticed? The recorders have been disconnected since we came in.”

Zhang Yi was taken aback. He looked down at the recorder on his shoulder; the indicator light was indeed off. He looked at Guan Hao’s, and it was the same. Everyone stood there looking at each other. Guan Hao took out his phone. 

“Something’s not right, my phone has no signal either.”

Jiang Ye finally found a plastic medicine bag with the name of the hospital printed on it— “Bo’ai Advanced Psychiatric Hospital.”

Guan Hao cursed. 

“Fuck. We really went to the wrong place? What happened? How could we take the wrong road?”

“It’s possible,” Zhang Yi said calmly. 

“The road we took was cursed by a ghost. The correct path was hidden by the ghost, so all of us took the wrong one. The Academy has been set up.”

“Who would dare? The Academy is directly under the central government. They dare to play tricks?” Guan Hao stroked his chin in thought. 

“Wait a minute, Bo’ai Advanced Psychiatric Hospital. Why does that sound familiar?”

Guan Hao thought for a long time and then suddenly exclaimed, “I remember now! This is the hospital where the Dean’s late wife stayed! I saw a deep-dive gossip thread on the Academy’s forum. It said the Dean’s previous wife had schizophrenia and was sent to this hospital. They barely saw each other all year. Later, his eldest son went to visit his mother at the hospital, and somehow, both he and the Dean’s wife ended up trapped in the forbidden zone. The Dean’s wife went missing, and the eldest son developed severe mental illness after he came back. Lucky for the Dean, he was a playboy and had already been keeping a mistress and an illegitimate son on the side. With the official wife gone, the mistress took her place, and the illegitimate son entered the family. What happened after that? Let me think… I think he sent his eldest son away too. Brother Meimei, this is the hospital where your cousin went missing. Do you remember?”

“I remember,” Jin Feize smiled faintly. 

“How could I ever forget?”

Jiang Ye was momentarily shocked. So that was the full story. He had known before that Jin Feize and his mother had experienced something terrible, but since it was Jin Feize’s private matter, he had never asked for details. This guy Jin Feize must have recognized this hospital from the very beginning but kept it to himself. He had deliberately let everyone walk into danger.

Jiang Ye grabbed him by the collar and asked in a low voice, “Do you have any idea you could get a lot of people killed?”

Jin Feize leisurely pried his fingers away. 

“Once you’re on that path, there’s no turning back. What could I have done? Besides, what does their life or death have to do with me? Xiao Ye, I only care about you. Don’t worry, even if you die, I’ll make sure you die in one piece.”

Jiang Ye had no time to interrogate him. He only asked, “How dangerous is this hospital?”

“The Academy divides forbidden zones into three levels based on their danger. This one is at least a Level One forbidden zone.” Jin Feize smiled gently, but his words were incredibly cruel. 

“What are we going to do, Xiao Ye? You guys are doomed.”

Jiang Ye’s voice was cool and faint. 

“Only I know the password. If I die, you’ll never be able to unlock this collar. It also has my name engraved on it. You will wear my brand for the rest of your life.”

“Is that a collar? I thought it was a choker,” Zhang Yi was enlightened. 

“City people are really something else. What kind of advanced play is this? Let me learn too.”

Guan Hao was speechless. 

“No, what are you guys talking about? Can we be serious? What do we do now?”

Just as he finished speaking, a piercing scream came from the building next door. Except for Jin Feize, the other three rushed outside. They saw a person fall from the fifth floor and land in the parking lot. He landed on the back of his head, which shattered like a watermelon, splattering blood everywhere. Several other candidates, drawn by the sound, also rushed over and were all stunned. The body was face down, its face a bloody mess, already unrecognizable. The state of the corpse was so gruesome that even a sturdy man like Guan Hao turned pale.

Zhang Yi dropped his playful demeanor and said seriously, “The things in here are pretty fierce. Jiang Ye, you need to stick close to Ah Ze.”

At that moment, the two of them suddenly realized that Jin Feize hadn’t followed them out. They exchanged a look and quickly returned to the hospital lobby. The swivel chair in the pharmacy was empty. He was gone.

Guan Hao also followed them over, surprised. 

“Where did Meimei go?”

Zhang Yi wasn’t worried about Jin Feize’s safety; after all, that guy was more wicked than most ghosts. But how did he just disappear like that? He turned to look at Jiang Ye. The interplay of light and shadow was still on Jiang Ye’s face. His features were sharply defined, and his expression was as cool and distant as the quiet light.

“You’re not worried about him?” Zhang Yi asked.

Jiang Ye opened his own backpack, which was filled with three pounds of hawthorn cakes. Jiang Ye had packed their bags, so all the hawthorn cakes were with him. Jin Feize’s bag only had some dry rations and the clean underwear they would need for the next few days.

Jiang Ye said faintly, “I’ll count to three, and he’ll be back.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

Before he finished counting, Zhang Yi saw Jin Feize leaning against the doorframe, a resentful look in his eyes.

Jiang Ye took out a pack of hawthorn cakes and tossed it to him.

“From now on, you’re only allowed one bag per hour.”

Jin Feize’s resentment deepened, a dark shadow seeming to fall over his handsome face.

“Why? Jiang Ye, you’re torturing me.”

Jiang Ye’s intention was to prevent him from eating them all at once without restraint, which would cause him to go crazy from hawthorn withdrawal later. But seeing his resentful look…

Jiang Ye said, “Two bags an hour.”

“Ten bags.”

“…” Jiang Ye would only concede this one step. 

“Two bags.”

They had to stay in the forbidden zone for three days. Three pounds of hawthorn cakes only amounted to 41 bags in total. One bag an hour, excluding sleeping time, was barely enough to last until the end of the exam. Two bags an hour was far from enough for Jin Feize. And their carrying capacity was limited. Besides the hawthorn cakes, they also had essential items like blankets, dry rations, and drinking water. Jiang Ye had already packed as many hawthorn cakes as he could.

The two stared at each other for a long time. Jiang Ye’s gaze was like frost, showing no signs of thawing.

“Very well. It doesn’t matter.” Jin Feize maintained his gentle smile. 

“If I don’t get enough to eat, I’ll just eat you.”