17: Chapter 17 Don't let it open completely.
Click.
The door.
It was pushed open by one centimeter.
The temperature in the entire corridor plummeted instantly.
It was as if something had finally found an exit.
Black liquid surged frantically from the door crack.
The originally dim yellow lights began to darken bit by bit.
Chen Ye's expression changed drastically.
"Damn!"
"It's coming out!!"
Boom!
He raised his shield instinctively to brace against it.
But the moment the shield touched the door of Ward 105,
the Hand of Rules suddenly blared.
[Warning]
[Direct contact with an out-of-control ward is prohibited]
[Current contamination level: C]
[Contact for more than 3 seconds will result in being forcibly dragged into the ward]
Lin Jin's expression changed.
"Let go!!"
Chen Ye retreated almost reflexively.
The next second,
large black veins had already appeared on the edge of the shield.
It looked as if it had been corroded by something.
Chen Ye felt his scalp crawl instantly.
"Damn it!"
"What the hell is this thing?!"
What was even more terrifying was that
the small hand reaching out from the door crack
was growing longer bit by bit.
The arm was pale and bloated.
Beneath the skin,
it looked like countless insects were squirming.
It gripped the door frame
and continued to squeeze its way out.
Click.
Click.
The sound of bones grinding echoed in the corridor.
The Head Nurse took a slow step back,
her pitch-black eyes fixed on the door crack.
For the first time, she didn't urge treatment.
Instead, she spoke in a low voice:
"The contamination has spread."
"Why is it so fast..."
The Hand of Rules instantly popped up a new notification.
[Rule logic conflict detected]
[Head Nurse did not anticipate the rate of ward containment breach]
[Current authorization suppression weakened]
Lin Jin's heart jolted.
This meant that even the Head Nurse hadn't fully controlled Ward 105.
This suggested that the thing inside the ward
might already be nearing the point of being out of control.
Just then,
the little girl's voice rang out again from inside the door.
But this time,
the voice didn't sound like a child's at all;
it sounded like the overlapping screams of countless people.
"Let me out—!!"
Boom!!!
The entire door of the ward bulged outward violently!
A massive number of cracks spread instantly!
The door frame began to deform!
And the Hand of Rules
finally gave a real notification.
[Target: Ward 105]
[Current Status: Contamination source leakage]
[Core Fault: Isolation layer damaged]
[Contamination Subject: Unknown]
[Danger Level: C+]
C+!
Seeing this level,
Lin Jin felt a chill down his back.
This was already higher than the Head Nurse.
Moreover,
it was still "Contamination Subject: Unknown,"
meaning even the Hand of Rules hadn't fully identified what was inside.
Shen Tingxue had already raised her hand.
A massive amount of cold air spread along the floor,
and frost quickly covered the door of the ward.
But the next second,
the ice began to turn black.
Then,
it melted.
Shen Tingxue's pupils constricted slightly.
"The contamination is corroding the elements."
Chen Ye cursed out loud.
"How are we supposed to fight this?!"
No one answered,
because this thing was nothing like a normal monster.
It hadn't even come out yet,
and the rule contamination had already started to spill over.
Just at this moment,
Lin Jin suddenly noticed
a very inconspicuous metal plate on the door of the ward.
It was written on it:
[Special Isolation Ward]
And on the bottom right corner of the plate
was a broken clasp,
as if it had once held something,
but it had now been forcibly torn off.
The Hand of Rules immediately began an analysis.
[Damaged Isolation Anchor detected]
[Current Status: Core missing]
[Description: This ward originally had complete lockdown rules]
[Due to the loss of the "Isolation Anchor," the ward has entered a state of continuous leakage]
Isolation Anchor?
Lin Jin's mind jolted instantly.
The maintenance logic finally clicked.
The real problem with this ward
wasn't that the thing inside was out of control,
but that the "lockdown device was broken."
In other words,
as long as the Isolation Anchor was re-established,
the ward could be temporarily sealed.
Thinking of this,
Lin Jin spoke abruptly:
"Head Nurse."
The Head Nurse turned her head slowly.
"What?"
Lin Jin stared at her.
"Where was the previous Isolation Anchor for Ward 105?"
The air suddenly went quiet.
Chen Ye was stunned.
Wait, you're actually starting to repair The Hospital?!
The Head Nurse's pitch-black eyes shifted slightly,
as if she were making a judgment.
A few seconds later,
she spoke in a low voice:
"Basement Level 2."
"Waste Recovery Room."
Basement Level 2.
It was Basement Level 2 again.
Lin Jin's heart sank.
It seemed that place was truly one of the most dangerous areas in the entire Inpatient Department.
Just then,
the door of the ward
was pushed open a little more.
This time,
an eye was revealed in the crack of the door.
Pitch-black.
No whites of the eyes.
It was staring fixedly at everyone.
The air froze instantly.
Chen Ye's scalp went numb.
"Holy shit!!"
And that eye
suddenly curved slightly,
as if it were smiling.
The next second,
countless overlapping voices rang out from inside the door.
"Why don't you..."
"Come in and keep me company?"
Boom!!!
The entire ward door exploded with a massive number of cracks!
A large amount of contamination, like black hair, surged out frantically!
The Head Nurse's expression changed truly for the first time.
She retreated violently,
almost knocking over her nursing cart.
The intercom blared sharply at the same time.
[Warning!]
[Ward 105 isolation failure!!]
[Warning!]
[High-risk patient about to break free from control!!]
On the entire floor of the Inpatient Department,
all the lights began to flash red.
The ear-piercing alarm sounded frantically.
And the Hand of Rules,
at this moment,
suddenly popped up a new blood-red mission.
[Emergency maintenance mission triggered]
[Mission Objective: Re-establish Ward 105 isolation rules]
[Current plan generating—]
[Plan 1: Forced door sealing]
[Success rate: 11%]
[Failure consequence: Full-scale contamination outbreak]
[Plan 2: Find the original Isolation Anchor]
[Success rate: 67%]
[Estimated remaining time: 14 minutes]
[Plan 3: Find a new rule substitute]
[Success rate: Unknown]
Lin Jin's pupils constricted slightly.
Substitute?
What did that mean?
The next second,
the Hand of Rules slowly displayed a new line of text.
[Replaceable material detected]
[Current location: Head Nurse's nursing cart]
Lin Jin turned his head sharply.
His gaze landed on that metal nursing cart.
To be precise,
it landed on that black metal box on the bottom shelf.
On the box,
a crimson cross was engraved.
And the Hand of Rules
was flashing frantically.
[Target: Contamination Suppression Spike]
[Status: Not enabled]
[Description: Originally used to lock down high-risk wards]
[Current compatibility rate: 72%]
Lin Jin's heart jolted.
Found it!
The Head Nurse obviously realized something too.
She blocked the front of the nursing cart abruptly,
her pitch-black eyes staring fixedly at Lin Jin.
"That is not something you can touch."
The air tightened instantly.
And inside Ward 105,
that pale palm
had completely gripped the door frame,
dragging its entire body out bit by bit.
The contamination, like black hair,
was spreading frantically along the corridor.
The broadcast was so sharp it was almost distorted.
[Patient has broken free from treatment—]
[Patient has broken free from treatment—]
[Initiating cleanup protocol—]
Just then,
footsteps suddenly rang out again from the other end of the corridor.
Click.
Click.
Click.
This time,
it wasn't high heels, but leather shoes.
The cold broadcast rang out slowly.
[The Dean has taken over Ward 105.]
The air
went completely dead silent.
The Head Nurse's face turned pale instantly.
She turned her head slowly,
fear appearing in her voice for the first time.
"Oh no..."
"The Dean has come in person."
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