Chapter 1162 - Sickened World? (2 in 1) (1/2)

There was a window equipped with an iron net that stood between Chen Ge and the outside world. Standing at the window, he could smell the fragrance of flowers and the caress of the wind. He could even watch the person who was the most important in his mind, but what he could not do was leave this place. The world outside was very real and very beautiful, and the outside world belonged to the others. His hands gripped the iron net, and the rust cut against his skin. Chen Ge watched theme park on the western side quietly, his eyes never leaving the female actor in the ghost costume. Even though she was wearing heavy makeup, Chen Ge managed to pick her out from the crowd at first glance.

“You have to cooperate to receive the treatment. After your condition gets better and after we get the approval from the hospital director, you will be able to leave the hospital, and you can go and meet her in person.” Doctor Gao treated Chen Ge very kindly. He was familiar with Chen Ge’s sad background. Other than the doctor’s responsibility toward his patient, he felt deep concern and pity toward Chen Ge.

“I can leave this place after my illness is cured?” Chen Ge desired the outside world. He could not keep his eyes away from the female actor. The female actor who was selling tickets at theme park seemed to be able to sense something, and she turned her head to glance at the hospital. The two’s eyes met. Chen Ge subconsciously wanted to move his eyes away, but he soon realized the female actor did not mean him any harm. There was no trace of stigmata or disgust in her eyes. If anything, there was only more than a bit of curiosity. Perhaps she could discern the panic and anxiety within Chen Ge. The female actor in the ghost disguise gifted a light smile at him. After the one to two seconds when their eyes met, the female actor returned to work and started handing out flyers to the passing visitors. She kept holding the advertisement board and tried her best to promote the haunted house.

“The former me is just like her, so she is acting like the former me…” Two contradictory thoughts appeared in Chen Ge’s mind. He could not tell whether this was his instinct or this was a symptom of his illness. He did not dare spend too much time contemplating this further. The pain that felt like it was about to tear his mind open was not something that could be stomached by anyone. Seeing that Chen Ge had returned to his post by the window, Doctor Gao sighed softly and then turned to silently walk away.

The sun over the horizon became softer. A hue of red and orange filtered through the light. When the dawning sun was blocked by the skyscrapers, it appeared as if the sky was on fire. It was beautiful and breath-taking. Chen Ge stood by the window for the whole afternoon. The temperature around him slowly dropped. The gentle night breeze crawled into his collar and caused the man to shiver.

“The sky is getting dark.” He touched his chest. The surveillance video that Doctor Gao had him watch earlier flashed across Chen Ge’s mind. “The beast-like person that appeared in the video, is that really me?”

The camera would not lie. Chen Ge believed subconsciously that the surveillance video was trustworthy evidence because in the past he had often used similar surveillance video to confirm many things. “The other me is called Xu Yin? If the doctor has not lied to me, when will he arrive?”

Looking at his own body, Chen Ge suddenly felt like he could not recognize it anymore. He leaned against the wall and slowly moved back to his bed. The sky was already dark, but Chen Ge did not choose to close the window. For some reason, whenever he thought about doing that, he would be wrought with discomfort. It was as if by closing the window, the air would become suffocating inside the room like he was dropped inside a maze that had no exit. “I wish to leave this place.”

The theme park outside the window had already stopped its day of operation, but the lights were still on at the haunted house. “She does not return to her own home? Or is the haunted house her home? Has she been living in the haunted house? It must have been quite taxing to clean up such a large haunted house on her own. If only she had someone else to go and help her. But wait, why is she alone? Shouldn’t she have her parents with her?”

When this thought crossed her mind, more sharp pain pierced Chen Ge’s head. Parents appeared to be a taboo inside his heart. Whenever he thought about anything related to his parents, his brain would respond with enormous pain. His hands hugged his brain. Chen Ge growled in pain. He curled up into a ball on the bed.

Bang bang bang!

The sound of knocking came as Doctor Gao pushed open the door. When he saw the status Chen Ge was in, he immediately ran to his side and helped him through a series of breathing exercises. After the pain disappeared from his brain, Chen Ge collapsed onto the bed.

“Clear your mind and stop thinking about these other things. Try and get a good night’s sleep.” After Doctor Gao said all that, he moved to the side. It was then that Chen Ge realized there was another person standing behind Doctor Gao. The person was not that old, but his face was expressionless. He appeared to suffer from a lack of emotions.

“Due to various reasons, the two previous patients that shared this room with you have been moved away. This will be your new roommate. His name is Zuo Han.” There were only three beds in total in the room. The patient who was called Zuo Han did not communicate with Chen Ge. With the same frosty expression, he walked to choose the bed that was closest to the door.

“Hopefully, you guys will get to know each other and help each other.” Doctor Gao gave Chen Ge a quick introduction of Zuo Han. During this period, Xu Wan arrived to bring meals into the room. Once Chen Ge and Zuo Han had finished their dinner, Doctor Gao took out the medicine bottle from his pocket. After he personally witnessed Chen Ge and Zuo Han swallow the pills, Doctor Gao left the room with Xu Wan. The night breeze blew into the room. Zuo Han was sitting at the bed close to the door, and Chen Ge was lying on the bed next to the window. There was an empty bed between them. Neither of them spoke. After ten minutes later, Chen Ge was the first to break the silence. “If you think it is cold, I can close the window.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Zuo Han replied snappily. He stood up to inspect the door, and after ensuring the room door was not locked, he climbed back into the bed with his shoes still laced to his feet.

“Aren’t you going to remove your shoes before you go to sleep?” For some reason, the name Zuo Han felt very familiar to Chen Ge, but his brain could not match the name to the face before him. Since he had just swallowed the medicine, his brain was operating conspicuously slower than normal. Zuo Han stared at Chen Ge’s face. After a long time, he coldly said, “The reason I am not removing my shoes is so that I can leave this place as soon as I can.”

“But why?” Chen Ge was reminded of the fact that he had once chosen to escape this place through the evidence shown to him on the surveillance video. His brain was not working as fast as he wished, but his senses were still very sharp. It was as if his instincts were kicking in.

“Because you are inside this room and you are a very dangerous patient.” Zuo Han rolled his eyes at Chen Ge.

“That is pot calling the kettle black. If you weren’t sick, you wouldn’t be here.” Chen Ge did not think he was that dangerous. If anything, he thought his mind was very fuzzy. Whenever he tried to concentrate on something, his mind would respond with pain. But if he stopped thinking for a long time, he felt that the only memories that he had of himself would completely disappear.

“I am not sick. There are indeed many people who wish to harm me in this world. That is the truth, not because I am sick.” Zuo Han scoffed coldly. “Furthermore, even if I am really sick, I am in a much better condition than you are.”

“You know me? You’ve heard about my stories before?” Chen Ge’s eyes that looked at Zuo Han changed.

Zuo Han shook his head. He opened his mouth to reveal the white pill that was hidden under his tongue. “The doctor only fed me half of a pill, but I saw that he fed you two whole pills! So even if we are really sick, your illness is much more serious than mine.”

“You did not swallow the pills that the doctor gave you?”

“Pills are meant for patients who are sick, and I am not sick, so why should I consume the pills?” Zuo Han sat up and walked to the side of the door. His finger slid across his lips and removed the pill without a trace. “The corridor outside the door is heavily surveilled. They want to trap me here forever.”

Squeezing the half pill between his finger, Zuo Han gradually grinded it down. He was very carefully until he grounded the pill into dust. Only then did he stop.

“If you do not mind me asking, what kind of illness did the doctor say you suffer from?” Standing from Chen Ge’s perspective, it was clear that this Zuo Han had something wrong with him.

“They said I suffer from serious paranoia and delusions, but I do not believe a single word that they say because I know the bunch of doctors are up to no good. They do not intend to cure me from the very beginning; they want to harm me.”

“Why would you think that?” A patient diagnosed with paranoia was sent to a hospital. The fact that he refused to take his medication and the strange way that he was acting as well as the belief that he thought the doctors were not trying to save him but harm him, all these were signs that he was indeed suffering from the illness that the doctor said he had.

“No reason.” Zuo Han paused for a moment. “My instincts tell me that things are not that simple. There are many things in this world that are problematic. I cannot tell you exactly why. But if I can leave this hospital, I am sure there will be numerous ways to prove that I am right.”