“Wait,” Que Tang stopped just as her finger was about to touch the screen.
“Meow?”
“The interface is in English. It’s annoying to look at. How do I change it to Chinese?”
“...Host, you just need to say ‘Language Setting: Chinese’ to the phone, meow.” For the first time, Little Shiitake wore an expression of utter speechlessness.
“How high-tech,” Que Tang remarked with a sigh. She tried saying, “Language Setting: Chinese,” and as expected, the interface immediately switched to Chinese.
“Meow... that’s because this has been modified with our Cat-Planet high technology. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. If you find anything during the process that you think might be helpful for the mission, you can collect it. You just need to shout ‘Collect Mission Item,’ and the object will be temporarily stored in the mission inventory within the phone. Recovery items can also be stored for now. When you need to use them, just tap the icon, and they will automatically appear in your hand. Please hurry up and start, Host.”
“Wait, one more question. Can I turn off the music? I can actually hear background music...” Que Tang listened to the desolate, mournful soundtrack playing in her ears. She was already terrified before even starting.
“...Please use the volume buttons on the right side of the phone. You can turn off the background music and sound effects.” This time, the cat even forgot to say ‘meow.’
“Oh... okay. Ready. Start.” After turning off the music and lowering the sound effects, Que Tang finally pressed ‘Start’ with a sense of resolve.
The screen immediately jumped to a countdown: 7:59:59. An arrow on the right indicated she should swipe left. After she did, a photo of a nine-year-old Ruan Mianmian popped up, with the words “Search Mission” written in large letters underneath.
“Mianmian is just too cute...” Que Tang looked at the smiling little girl on the screen. Although the girl had that purple hair that usually signaled trouble, Que Tang couldn't help but feel like a mother raising her own daughter. A strong sense of maternal pride welled up within her for her adorable child.
She swiped again, and the next screen transitioned to a map. A building in the bottom left corner of the previously greyed-out map lit up, and GPS navigation appeared simultaneously.
“So I follow this road and turn right at the first intersection...” Que Tang clipped on the Bluetooth headset, stuffed the phone into her pocket, and grabbed a metal bumper she had scavenged from the car. Staring into the dense fog ahead, she took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Though they were on a hill, the fog was so thick she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. It intensified the psychological pressure. Combined with the fact that she had turned off the music and lowered the sound effects, the atmosphere felt even more eerie.
Que Tang moved cautiously along the asphalt road. She reached the first building without encountering anything strange, allowing her to breathe a tentative sigh of relief.
“The first map is actually a hospital...” Que Tang’s eyes went dead. “A hospital... and an abandoned one at that...” She looked at the windows, which were all boarded up with wood. It was obvious the interior would be pitch black.
“Meow~ I didn't expect the Host to be such a coward.” Little Shiitake walked ahead of her, looking back with a mocking grin.
“Are you asking for a beating? They can't see you, so of course you’re fine.” Que Tang wanted to continue bullying the cat, but the sound of a vehicle came from her left. Looking over, she saw an ambulance speeding toward her. Startled, she scrambled out of the way. Just as she was about to curse, the driver—who acted as if he hadn't seen her—opened the door, got out, and opened the rear doors. Then, a group of people in nurse uniforms pushed open the long-abandoned hospital doors and hurried out to the vehicle.
Que Tang watched this bizarre scene and slowly walked toward the back of the ambulance. She saw them wheel out a small, charred, blackened body. A respirator was strapped to the child's face. She looked so weak she might already be dead.
The sight was truly horrifying. Que Tang turned her head away, unable to bear looking at it.
The group then hurriedly pushed the girl into the hospital. The moment they entered, everyone, including the ambulance, vanished.
“...Is there a 'Scare Meter' or something?” Que Tang asked quietly, standing frozen in place.
“Host, there is no such thing. Also, you’ve already wasted twenty minutes. Stop stalling and get in there, meow!”
Urged on, Que Tang desperately wanted to give up on the mission, but the conflict between her fear and her concern for Mianmian wavered in her heart. Finally, she took a step toward the entrance and pushed open the glass doors.
The moment she stepped inside, the glass doors behind her slammed shut. The faint light filtering in from outside was instantly swallowed by the profound darkness of the interior.
Frowning, she stood by the door, using the weak light to study her surroundings. The interior was a mess. The metal shutters over what should have been the reception desk were already pulled down.
“Meow, Host, if you think it’s too dark, you can use the flashlight function,” Little Shiitake reminded her from the side.
“...At this very moment, I’m actually moved that having you here is better than nothing. Just keep talking about stupid things.” Que Tang took the phone from her pocket and turned on the flashlight. She began scanning the room from the left.
*Thud—*
A sudden impact sounded from the reception desk. Her heart rate instantly spiked to 180. She scrambled behind a pillar, using her clothes to muffle the flashlight’s beam. She hadn't forgotten the lore of Silent Hill—monsters were often attracted to light...
After waiting for a while, things seemed to calm down. She slowly poked her head out from behind the pillar to look at the desk.
*Thud!* Another impact. This time, she saw the metal shutter being dented from the inside into the shape of a human.
As the strikes became more frequent, it looked as though the shutter was about to be breached.
Que Tang was terrified and began looking for an escape. Just as she was hesitating over which corridor to choose, the sound of the metal shutter falling and a strange, guttural roar echoed behind her. She couldn't help but feel glad she had lowered the sound effects, yet she was still trembling with fear. Suddenly, she saw the group of figures from earlier pushing the hospital bed into one of the corridors.
Staring at the bottomless, lightless hallway, Que Tang hesitated for a moment before following them in.
She dimmed the flashlight to its lowest setting and crept along the wall, which looked relatively clean. She followed the spectral images ahead.
Her cautious state stood in stark contrast to Little Shiitake, who was strolling down the center of the hallway, happily humming a tune.
“Can you please stop singing?” Que Tang couldn't help but snap at him. Suddenly, the scene ahead froze. All the figures turned their heads and stared at her with expressionless faces.
Que Tang gasped, pressing herself against the wall, not daring to make another sound.
“Meow~ Even though these are just residual images, they are still aware of changes in their surroundings.”
Que Tang stayed pinned to the wall, not daring to breathe. Only after they turned back and continued pushing the bed did she slump in relief. “...Why didn't you tell me?” she whispered in complaint. Swallowing hard, she continued to follow them.
They reached a set of large doors at the end of the hall labeled "Operating Room." Once they pushed the bed inside, they vanished completely. Que Tang stopped at the door, hesitating over whether to follow.
These phantoms gave her a very strange feeling, as if they were guiding her.
However, that expressionless stare from before had terrified her. If she wanted to go in, she would have to open the operating room doors, which would definitely make noise. What if that group of people all turned to look at her again?
Just as she was at a loss, the operating room doors suddenly swung open, and the bed was pushed out. The body on the bed, previously covered in severe burns, was now wrapped in layer upon layer of bandages, leaving it unrecognizable in a different way.
The phantoms passed right by her, pushing the bed forward.
Que Tang followed them without thinking until they stopped at what looked like an elevator. She watched as the elevator floor lights flickered to life as if power had been restored. The numbers counted down to the first floor, and the doors opened before her. A dim light spilled out from inside the elevator. After the nurses pushed the bed in, the doors closed again. Que Tang watched in horror as the floor indicator slowly climbed from the first floor to the third.
She was about to speak to Little Shiitake when a sudden hiss of static erupted from her Bluetooth headset.
Que Tang froze. Subconsciously, she looked toward the dark corridors to her left and right.
Suddenly, a face with no features, hanging upside down, came into view as her flashlight beam hit it.
“Why didn't the nurse cap fall off? This kind of violation of the laws of gravity, even for a monster, is just too...” Que Tang stopped mid-sentence as she suddenly realized the situation.
“Meow~ Host, aren't you going to run?” Little Shiitake was nibbling on a dried fish that had appeared out of nowhere, giving her a kind reminder.
To her right was the way she had come, which ended at the operating room doors. In a split second, she made her decision and bolted toward the left in a panic.
“Am I playing a Halloween special of *Running Man*? And why is there no sound?!” She looked back as she ran, seeing the faceless nurse chasing her with a stiff, blade-like running posture.
“Meow~ That’s because the Host turned down the sound effects. Actually, you should listen carefully to what the phantoms say. There are clues hidden in there.” Little Shiitake jogged leisurely beside her, occasionally performing a cute little hop.
“Don't you think you’re telling me this a bit too late?!” Seeing the nurse about to catch up, she spotted an unlatched door on the wall to her front-left. She immediately accelerated, burst inside, slammed the door, and locked it. A heavy thud vibrated through the door immediately after.
“Holy shit...” Terrified, Que Tang slid down the door and collapsed onto the floor.
The nurse monster outside seemed to give up after failing to get in and moved away. Que Tang listened as the static noise grew fainter until it disappeared completely. Only then did she pant for breath, her heart still pounding.
“Meow~ Host, you have a metal rod. Don't forget your constitution has been enhanced. Besides, haven't you been through a cultivation world and an apocalypse world? Why are you so scared of this mini-game?” Little Shiitake sat in front of her, tilting his head in confusion.
“In those two worlds, I was playing a Mary Sue with a 'Golden Finger'... I couldn't die no matter what. But now, it’s me, myself, participating in this game, and Mianmian’s very existence is at stake. How could I not be scared? Besides, before, there were always people around. Now, I’m all alone.” She tapped the character status on the screen. Sure enough, her five bars of stamina had dropped to three. No wonder she felt so exhausted.
“Let’s see where I am first. Maybe there’s a recovery item.” She picked up the phone and turned the flashlight to its brightest setting to illuminate the space. She saw rows of lockers. “A locker room? Maybe I can find something useful.”
“Meow~ Host, I’ll cover your back. Go forth without fear or hesitation!” Little Shiitake said considerately.
“...Just don't trip me up,” she sneered, the corner of her mouth twitching. Slowly climbing up from the floor, she walked to the lockers and began opening them one by one.
“Seriously, if it weren't for the monster alert function, I wouldn't have the guts to open lockers here even if you gave me a hundred lives. This is a heart attack waiting to happen.” She opened five or six but found nothing.
Just as she was about to open the next one, static hissed in her ear, followed by the sound of the door handle turning.
“...WTF, monsters can open doors?!” Que Tang frantically yanked open the next locker. Inside, she found a nurse uniform.
“...No way. It’s not what I think it is, is it?” She suddenly felt the sheer malice of this game.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
喵星 | Cat-Planet | Refers to the origin of the system/Little Shiitake.
趋旋光性 | Phototaxis | Biological term for organisms moving toward light; used here for the monsters.
金手指 | Golden Finger | A common trope in Chinese web novels referring to a protagonist's overpowered cheat or special ability.
玛莉苏 | Mary Sue | A character archetype who is portrayed as unrealistic, lacking flaws, and possessing unusual abilities.
任务物品栏 | Mission Inventory | The storage space within the phone for quest items.
回复剂 | Recovery Item / Restorative | Items used to restore stamina or health.
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Transmigrated as the Mary Sue: The Villainess's Revenge System | Chapter 50 | The Hospital of Phantoms | Novela.app | Novela.app
