21: Chapter 21 The Passengers in the Mirror: Not One More.

[Number of people error detected.]

[Beginning to replenish.]

The moment the elevator broadcast sounded, the bespectacled boy's face turned completely pale.

Half of his body had already been dragged over by a pale, white palm reaching out from the mirror.

The surface of the mirror rippled like water.

It was pitch black inside, bottomless.

It wasn't an ordinary mirror.

It was more like another elevator turned upside down.

And in that darkness.

A blurry human face could be vaguely seen.

That face.

Was becoming clear bit by bit.

Looking more and more like the bespectacled boy.

Chen Ye's eyes were red.

"Brother Jin!"

"If this drags on any longer, he'll be gone!"

Lin Jin certainly knew.

But the most troublesome thing right now was—

He couldn't smash it by force.

The Hand of Rules had already given a clear warning.

[Staff Elevator Rule Priority: B-]

[Violent destruction prohibited]

[Forced attacks will cause the elevator to fall to the wrong floor]

The wrong floor.

These words made Lin Jin's heart sink.

They were currently heading to Basement Level 2.

If the elevator went out of control, no one knew where they would be sent.

The morgue.

The mortuary area.

Even some floor that shouldn't exist at all.

Anything was possible.

The elevator was narrow.

The air was oppressive.

The black figure in the mirror was about to complete its facial features.

The boy gripped the elevator handrail desperately, his nails even peeling back.

"Save me!"

"I don't want to go in!"

"I don't want to die!"

His voice grew increasingly hoarse.

But the most terrifying thing was.

The "him" in the mirror.

Also started to open its mouth.

Shouting along with him.

"Save me..."

"I don't want to go in..."

The two voices overlapped.

One real, one fake.

One outside, one inside.

It made one's scalp tingle.

The Short-haired Girl was already so scared her legs went weak.

"Then which one is actually real?"

Chen Ye said angrily: "Nonsense! The one outside is real!"

Lin Jin didn't reply immediately.

He stared fixedly at the mirror.

Because the Hand of Rules was capturing more subtle changes.

[Current Target: Staff Elevator Mirror Layer]

[Fault: Passenger count verification error]

[Operation Logic: Mirror passenger count must match actual passenger count]

[Anomaly Reason: Actual passenger has not completed staff registration]

[Handling Method: Mirror layer attempting to generate substitute passenger]

Passenger count verification error.

Actual passenger has not completed staff registration.

Substitute passenger.

A string of prompts pieced together rapidly in Lin Jin's mind.

He suddenly understood.

It wasn't the mirror actively killing people.

It was the elevator rules "completing the roster."

Among their group.

He was the Night Shift Maintenance Worker.

Chen Ye and Shen Tingxue were registered as assistant personnel.

The remaining three were provisionally designated as "patients to be processed."

In other words.

Their identities were unstable.

After the elevator entered internal operation mode, it needed to verify passenger permissions.

And the bespectacled boy hadn't been stably identified by The Hospital system.

So, the mirror began to generate a "recognizable him."

Once the mirror image was complete.

The real him would be squeezed out.

This wasn't a ghost grabbing someone.

It was a system replacement.

Lin Jin looked up abruptly.

"It's not about saving him."

"It's about filling in his identity!"

Chen Ye was stunned.

"What do you mean?"

"The elevator is checking tickets."

Lin Jin spoke extremely fast.

"We are internal staff, he is not."

"The mirror wants to create a passenger who complies with the rules and replace him."

Chen Ye's brain went numb hearing this.

"Then what do we do? Issue him a ticket?!"

Lin Jin's eyes flickered.

Right.

That was exactly it—issuing a ticket.

In The Hospital's rules, identity was the ticket.

Round Checker.

Assistant personnel.

Patients to be processed.

Staff.

Patients.

These weren't just ordinary titles.

They were rule labels.

Thinking of this, Lin Jin looked abruptly at the nursing cart left behind by the Head Nurse.

But the nursing cart wasn't in the elevator.

The only things he could use were the white coat he was wearing, the key to Basement Level 2 in his hand, and the ward records that had surfaced in his mind through his permissions.

"Lin Jin."

Shen Tingxue spoke up suddenly.

Her voice was very calm.

"You previously designated the three of them as patients to be processed."

"Is this identity not stable enough?"

Lin Jin nodded.

"Yes."

"Being 'to be processed' is just a regulatory status, not an official registration."

"The elevator doesn't recognize temporary verbal explanations."

"It requires system records."

Chen Ye was sweating from anxiety.

"Then register him!"

Lin Jin looked at the back of his hand.

The black text was slightly hot.

[Night Shift Maintenance Worker]

[Permission: Ward Confirmation]

[Permission: Patient Registration]

[Permission: Temporary Broadcast]

Patient Registration.

He did indeed have this permission.

But the problem was.

Register him as what?

If registered as an ordinary patient, he would likely be sent by The Hospital to Basement Level 2 for containment.

If registered as a dead person, that went without saying.

It would be game over immediately.

If registered as assistant personnel, his current permissions might not be enough; those two slots had already been acknowledged by the Head Nurse.

Furthermore, the more fake assistant personnel there were, the easier it was to be judged as an anomaly by the Dean.

He had to find an identity that could be acknowledged by the elevator without immediately getting someone killed.

Lin Jin's mind raced.

In The Hospital system, currently known identities were:

Patient.

Nurse.

Round Checker.

Dean.

Maintenance Worker.

Caregiver.

Patients to be processed.

Assistant personnel.

Among these, the safest one was "Caregiver."

Because a caregiver didn't belong to the category of treatment subjects, but could follow patients or staff.

Just a moment ago, Chen Ye was almost recorded by the Head Nurse as an "unregistered caregiver."

This meant that caregiver rules existed within The Hospital.

But a caregiver needed to be bound to a subject.

Bound to whom?

Bound to Lin Jin.

He was currently a Night Shift Maintenance Worker.

Taking a temporary caregiver into Basement Level 2 wasn't logically unreasonable.

As long as The Hospital acknowledged it.

This boy wouldn't be replaced by the mirror image.

Thinking of this, Lin Jin raised his hand abruptly and pressed it onto the bespectacled boy's shoulder.

"Name!"

The boy's face twisted in pain.

"Wh... what?"

"Your name!"

"Liu Hang!"

A ward registration page immediately appeared before Lin Jin's eyes.

[Register Target: Liu Hang?]

[Current Identity: Patient to be processed]

[Modifiable Identities: Patient, Caregiver, Temporary Consumable, Observation Sample]

Seeing the last two options.

Lin Jin's eyelids twitched.

Temporary Consumable.

Observation Sample.

This hospital really didn't do anything human.

He chose without hesitation.

[Caregiver]

The next second, a new prompt appeared.

[Caregiver must be bound to a main subject]

[Please select binding subject]

Lin Jin selected himself.

[Binding Subject: Night Shift Maintenance Worker Lin Jin]

[Registration Reason]

Registration Reason?

It needed a reason too?

The palm in the mirror tightened abruptly.

Black fingerprints had already appeared on Liu Hang's neck.

His voice began to stutter.

"Sav... sav..."

Chen Ye was anxious.

"Is it not done yet?!"

Lin Jin gritted his teeth.

The black text on the back of his hand was getting hotter and hotter.

He could feel The Hospital's rules reviewing this registration.

If the reason wasn't valid, Liu Hang would still be replaced.

It had to be reasonable.

It had to conform to The Hospital's logic.

Lin Jin's mind raced.

A Night Shift Maintenance Worker heading to Basement Level 2 to retrieve an Isolation Anchor substitute.

Why would he need a caregiver?

Carrying things?

Recording?

Observing the patient's condition?

Wait.

Basement Level 2 was a special patient containment area.

A Maintenance Worker bringing an "observation caregiver" to assist in verifying patient status was completely reasonable.

He immediately entered the reason.

[Assist Maintenance Worker in recording abnormal patient status in Basement Level 2]

[Reviewing...]

The elevator mirror vibrated violently.

The completion speed of the black figure in the mirror slowed down significantly, but it hadn't stopped.

The next second, a new prompt appeared.

[Registration reason incomplete]

[Missing caregiver scope of duties]

Lin Jin's expression darkened.

This damn system.

It was more troublesome than real-life administration.

He continued to add.

[Scope of Duties: Recording anomalies, carrying light maintenance materials, must not touch patients, must not act independently]

[Reviewing...]

This time.

The elevator broadcast finally reacted.

[Temporary caregiver registration application submitted.]

[Current Reviewer: Night Shift Maintenance Worker Lin Jin.]

[Confirm assuming responsibility?]

Assuming responsibility.

As soon as these four words appeared, Lin Jin knew it was bad.

The Hospital's rules loved liability binding.

Once Liu Hang had an accident, the pollution would likely be counted against him.

But there was no choice now.

"Confirm."

The next second, the black text on the back of Lin Jin's hand burned intensely.

[Temporary Caregiver: Liu Hang]

[Binding Successful]

[Responsibility Assignment: Lin Jin]

Inside the mirror.

That pale, white palm let go abruptly as if scalded.

Liu Hang fell directly onto the elevator floor, gasping for air.

The figure inside the mirror that was about to take shape also began to blur rapidly.

The broadcast sounded coldly.

[Passenger count verification complete.]

[Mirror replenishment terminated.]

The Short-haired Girl slumped to the ground.

The other boy was also covered in cold sweat.

Chen Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did it work?"

But Lin Jin didn't relax.

Because the Hand of Rules popped up a new prompt again.

[You successfully prevented one mirror replacement]

[Pollution Erosion: 27% → 31%]

[Reason: Assumed temporary caregiver responsibility]

31%.

It went up again.

Lin Jin looked at the black text on the back of his hand, his eyes darkening slightly.

He was becoming more and more certain now.

The real trap of this hospital wasn't a single death.

It was constantly making you sign off on "responsibility."

Round Checker identity.

Maintenance Worker permissions.

Caregiver binding.

Every time he made a choice, The Hospital recorded him deeper.

Once the records were complete enough, he would truly never be able to get out.

Just then.

Liu Hang finally recovered.

He knelt on the ground, trembling all over.

"Tha... thank you..."

"Lin Jin, thank you..."

Lin Jin glanced at him.

"Don't thank me too early."

"From now on, if you are more than three meters away from me, you might still be taken away."

Liu Hang's face turned pale, and he immediately huddled closer to Lin Jin.

Chen Ye muttered in a low voice.

"This hospital is really sinister."

"You have to sign a liability waiver just to save someone."

Shen Tingxue spoke up suddenly.

"This isn't standard dungeon logic."

She looked at the mirror.

In the mirror, their reflections had finally returned to normal.

But in that black spot from just a moment ago, a blurry shadow still remained.

It was as if something hadn't completely left.

"It's more like a rotting management system."

Lin Jin paused slightly.

This description matched his own feelings.

The Abandoned Hospital wasn't a simple supernatural dungeon.

It was a broken set of management rules.

Patients, nurses, doctors, the Dean, Round Checker, Maintenance Worker.

All identities operated within the system.

And once anyone entered, they were forcibly assigned a role.

If you didn't have a role, the system would generate one for you.

Or even replace the original you.

Lin Jin took a deep breath.

"So don't let it define you."

Chen Ye was stunned.

Lin Jin said slowly:

"The more complete the identity it gives you, the harder it is to leave."

As soon as these words were spoken,

everyone in the elevator fell silent.

The Short-haired Girl asked in a low voice:

"Then what do we do now?"

Lin Jin looked at the elevator floor display.

It was still Basement Level 1.

Even though the elevator had been descending for a long time, it still hadn't reached Basement Level 2.

This in itself was wrong.

He looked up at the buttons.

The Basement Level 2 button had been glowing red the whole time.

But the display for Basement Level 1 hadn't changed.

The Hand of Rules expanded.

[Target: Employee Elevator]

[Current Fault: Descending Loop]

[Cause: Basement Level 2 Entrance Has Not Confirmed Passenger's Complete Identity]

[Current Passenger Identity Verification: 5/6]

5/6?

Lin Jin's gaze swept across everyone sharply.

Himself.

Chen Ye.

Shen Tingxue.

Liu Hang.

The Short-haired Girl.

Another boy.

Six people in total.

Liu Hang had already registered successfully.

Then who was missing?

The Hand of Rules continued to refresh.

[Unconfirmed Target: Shen Tingxue]

Lin Jin was slightly taken aback.

Shen Tingxue?

How could it be her?

She had clearly just been registered as "Low-Temperature Treatment Assistance Personnel."

Why didn't the elevator recognize it?

The next second, a new prompt appeared.

[Target: Shen Tingxue]

[Class Core: Ice Phoenix Mage]

[Status: High-Level Class Rules Conflict with The Hospital's Corruption Rules]

[The Hospital Cannot Complete Identity Override]

[Current Processing Method: Waiting for Cool-down]

Waiting for cool-down.

Lin Jin's pupils constricted slightly.

No.

This "cool-down" wasn't about normal temperature.

It was a decrease in the activity of her Class Core.

In other words.

The Hospital's corruption couldn't immediately override Shen Tingxue because her S-rank Class Core was too strong.

So the elevator was waiting.

Waiting for her to be slowly weakened by the corruption of Basement Level 2.

Then it would complete the registration.

Lin Jin immediately looked at Shen Tingxue.

"Do you feel like something's wrong?"

Shen Tingxue lifted her eyes slightly.

Her complexion was paler than before, but she remained calm.

"Yes."

"The Ice Phoenix Core's rotation has slowed down."

Chen Ye's expression changed.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Shen Tingxue's voice was calm.

"It wasn't obvious at first."

She raised her right hand.

Frost condensed at her fingertips.

But within that icy blue chill, there were faintly mixed traces of gray-black impurities.

"Ever since I entered the elevator, the corruption has been suppressing my Class Core."

Lin Jin's expression darkened completely.

This was troublesome.

Shen Tingxue was no ordinary person.

She was the strongest combatant in the team.

If she were weakened, Basement Level 2 would be even more dangerous.

Furthermore, The Hospital's way of dealing with her wasn't forced registration.

It was "waiting for cool-down."

This meant The Hospital viewed her as a high-value target.

Slowly corrupting.

Slowly dismantling.

Thinking of this, a new fault prompt suddenly appeared before Lin Jin's eyes.

[Target: Shen Tingxue's Class Core]

[Status: Mildly Corrupted]

[Fault: External Rule Suppression Causing Core Loop Lag]

[Repair Difficulty: C]

[Currently Temporarily Fixable]

[Plan: Establish Low-Temperature Circuit Protection]

[Required Materials: Stable Conductor, Ice-type Energy, Maintenance Worker's Mental Power]

Lin Jin's eyes flickered.

It could be fixed.

But they were in the elevator now.

The space was cramped.

He didn't know if it would trigger new rules.

Shen Tingxue noticed his gaze.

"What did you see?"

Lin Jin didn't hide it.

"Your Class Core is being suppressed by corruption."

Chen Ye was startled.

"You can fix this too?"

Lin Jin stared at the frost on Shen Tingxue's palm.

"I can fix it temporarily."

"But I need your cooperation."

Shen Tingxue didn't hesitate at all.

"What do I do?"

Lin Jin glanced at the surrounding mirrors.

"Don't use large-scale Ice-type skills for now."

"Keep your power to a minimum."

"Just maintain the core loop."

Shen Tingxue nodded.

The next second, she closed her eyes.

The frost that had been radiating outward quickly retracted into her body.

The elevator temperature rose slightly.

But around her, a faint circle of icy blue patterns emerged.

Like a miniature Ice Phoenix, it rotated slowly over her heart.

Lin Jin's eyes moved as he watched.

This was an S-rank Class Core.

Even if it had just awakened, it already possessed a fairly complete energy structure.

And on the outside of that Ice Phoenix, a layer of gray-black thin threads was winding around it.

Like corrupt vines, suppressing the Ice Phoenix's wings bit by bit.

The Hand of Rules expanded.

[Repair Target Confirmed]

[Temporary Plan: Low-Temperature Circuit Protection]

[Success Rate: 68%]

[Failure Consequence: Brief Loss of Control of the Ice Phoenix Core]

The consequence of failure was not small.

But if he didn't deal with it, the elevator might never reach Basement Level 2.

Worse, Shen Tingxue would continue to be corrupted.

Lin Jin raised his hand.

His rusty wrench tapped lightly on the elevator handrail.

[Target: Elevator Metal Handrail]

[Material: Old-style Energy-Conducting Steel]

[Status: Can be used as a temporary stable conductor]

Found it.

He turned his head to look at Chen Ye.

"Block the mirror."

Chen Ye was stunned.

"Huh?"

"Use your shield to block the mirror behind her."

Chen Ye immediately realized what he meant.

The mirror had almost dragged Liu Hang away just a moment ago.

Now that Lin Jin was going to fix Shen Tingxue's Class Core, the biggest fear was interference from the reflection.

"Understood!"

He raised his shield to block behind Shen Tingxue.

Liu Hang also hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to look around.

The Short-haired Girl huddled in the corner, shivering all over.

Lin Jin pressed one hand onto the elevator handrail.

His other hand hovered above Shen Tingxue's palm.

He didn't touch her directly, but the icy aura was already making his fingertips go numb.

Shen Tingxue opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Will it hurt?"

Lin Jin thought about it.

"It might be cold."

Shen Tingxue was silent for half a second.

"I am an Ice Phoenix Mage."

Lin Jin nodded.

"Then I should be the one in pain."

As these words fell, Shen Tingxue's originally tense expression relaxed slightly.

Chen Ye couldn't help but mutter from the side.

"You two are still chatting at a time like this..."

Lin Jin didn't speak again.

The Hand of Rules activated.

The next second, power that was cold to the extreme surged in through his fingertips.

Lin Jin's entire arm instantly lost all sensation.

It felt like it had been frozen inside a block of ice.

At the same time, the miniature Ice Phoenix over Shen Tingxue's heart trembled violently.

The gray-black corruption seemed to sense danger and began to shrink frantically.

[Repair Initiated]

[Establishing Low-Temperature Circuit]

[11%]

[23%]

The elevator lights flickered on and off.

In the mirror, an abnormality suddenly appeared again.

This time, the Shen Tingxue in the mirror didn't close her eyes.

She was wide-eyed, watching Lin Jin quietly.

The corners of her mouth slowly curled upward.

Chen Ye's expression changed.

"The mirror moved again!"

Lin Jin gritted his teeth.

"Don't look!"

But the Shen Tingxue in the mirror suddenly spoke.

Her voice was as light as the wind.

"Lin Jin."

"Do you really know what you are fixing?"

The real Shen Tingxue suddenly opened her eyes.

She didn't speak, but the one in the mirror continued to speak.

"The Ice Phoenix is not a disease."

"You are fixing it wrong."

"She will die."

The air in the elevator instantly turned freezing.

Lin Jin's arm stiffened slightly.

The Hand of Rules immediately gave an alert.

[Mirror Interference Detected]

[Current Interference Content: Repair Doubt]

[Please Maintain Mental Stability]

The mirror was interfering with his judgment.

And more dangerously, low-temperature circuit repair feared the operator wavering the most.

Lin Jin took a deep breath.

He suddenly sneered.

"Shut up."

The Shen Tingxue in the mirror's smile deepened.

"You don't dare to look at me."

"Because you know..."

"Repairmans can also break things."

These words were like a needle, piercing into Lin Jin's mind.

Fix the wrong person, and the whole team dies with them.

The Death List can be fixed.

But don't fix the wrong person.

The words his father left behind suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Lin Jin's fingers trembled violently.

[Repair Stability Decreased]

[Current Success Rate: 68% → 51%]

Shen Tingxue immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"Lin Jin."

Her voice was steady.

"Look at me."

Lin Jin looked up.

The real Shen Tingxue was looking at him.

Her complexion was somewhat pale, but her eyes were clear.

Calm.

Without a hint of doubt.

"I trust you."

Just three words, but they were like a nail, pinning Lin Jin's spirit, which was about to be pried loose by the mirror, back in place.

Lin Jin let out a breath.

"Then don't move."

He suddenly increased his output of mental power.

[Repair Stability Restored]

[Low-Temperature Circuit Established: 61%]

The smile of the Shen Tingxue in the mirror vanished instantly.

The next second, black water actually began to seep from the mirror surface.

It was as if something had been enraged.

And Chen Ye roared.

"Stop fucking looking!"

He slammed his shield to block the mirror surface.

This time he didn't attack the elevator structure.

He just blocked the line of sight.

The rules didn't trigger an alert.

Lin Jin's eyes lit up.

Right.

The mirror rule required being "seen."

As long as it was covered, its interference would decrease.

[Mirror Interference Decreased]

[Repair Progress: 79%]

The gray-black corruption on Shen Tingxue began to be forced back.

The miniature Ice Phoenix spread its wings again.

Although still weak, the circulation finally returned to smoothness.

[Repair Complete]

[Low-Temperature Circuit Protection Established]

[Duration: 30 Minutes]

[Side Effect: Repairman's Right Arm Hypothermic Paralysis]

Lin Jin withdrew his hand.

His entire right arm had frozen white.

He could barely lift it.

Shen Tingxue immediately frowned.

"Your hand."

"It's not a big problem."

Lin Jin moved his fingers.

His fingers were as stiff as if they belonged to someone else.

"At least I can still turn a screw."

Chen Ye's teeth ached watching him.

"You call this not a big problem?"

Shen Tingxue was silent for a moment.

Suddenly, she reached out.

Her fingertips tapped lightly on Lin Jin's wrist.

A wisp of soft, icy blue energy flowed slowly through.

Unlike the extreme cold from before, this time it felt more like it was helping him clear out his frozen meridians.

"I can only ease it a little," she said in a low voice.

"We'll deal with the rest after we get out."

Lin Jin looked at her.

"Thanks."

Shen Tingxue didn't speak.

She just withdrew her hand.

And just at this moment, the elevator display finally changed.

[Basement Level 1].

The number flickered once.

It changed to—

[Basement Level 2].

Ding.

The elevator slowly came to a stop.

Everyone held their breath.

Outside the door, there was no sound.

No broadcast.

No footsteps.

Only a stench of rot, concentrated to the extreme, seeped in through the door gap.

The elevator door slowly opened.

Outside, there was a pitch-black corridor.

On both sides of the wall hung full of medical record plates.

On every plate, a name was written.

And on the plate closest to the elevator, it clearly read—

[Lin Shoushan]

[Status: Not Discharged]