Chapter 35: Brothers

Gu Yi clenched his teeth and immediately used his deduction ability.

(Deduction begins!)

(You crawl on the ground and approach the door to eavesdrop on the conversation outside.)

(The Dean remains silent, while the Shop owner's voice trembles.)

(Shop owner: Your ambition is growing.
Everyone in the hospital is trapped because of you, unable to leave.
How long will you continue?)

(Dean: You don't understand.)

(The Dean opens the office door and walks in.)

(The Shop owner follows suit.)

(You can no longer hear their voices.)

(You crawl into the Dean's office from the ventilation duct above.
You cautiously lie in the duct, afraid to make any noise.)

(The Dean sits in front of the computer, typing on the keyboard.
The Shop owner stands across from him.)

(Shop owner: How long has it been since you last visited Yao Yao? She came to the hospital looking for you, but you wouldn't even spend some time with her.
You just asked me to take care of her?)

(Dean: Enough, stop talking about it.)

(Shop owner: I don't want to do your dirty work of buying and selling Petz anymore.)

(Dean: Why?)

(Shop owner: I feel like this situation has gone out of our control.
Your research itself goes against the laws of nature.)

(Dean: It's not your place to comment on that.)

(Shop owner: Anyway…
I don't want to do it anymore unless you kill me.)

(Dean: You're my brother, so I never wanted to use that kind of power against you.
Don't push me.)

(The Shop owner sneers and takes out a gun from his pocket, pointing it at his own chin and pulling the trigger.)

(You widen your eyes in shock and cover your mouth to prevent yourself from making any noise.)

(The Dean is so frightened that he falls to his knees beside the Shop owner.)

(Blood spills on the floor as the Shop owner's body twitches and then goes still.)

(The Dean touches the Shop owner's mask, seemingly checking for any damage.)

(He quickly takes out a pen and paper and writes down new rules.)

(The Unspeakable's shadow appears behind the Dean, and the power of the rules comes into effect.
The Shop owner, dead, rises from the ground.)

(Shop owner: What have you done?)

(Dean: Don't do something foolish.
Within the confines of my hospital, as long as the mask is undamaged, my employees won't die.)

(Shop owner: You…)

(Dean: Since you don't listen to me, I can only use the power of the rules to restrain you.
I just added a rule in the hospital—suicide is prohibited.)

(Shop owner: Damn it!)

(Dean: Leave my office.
Don't think you can threaten me with death.
I won't give up until I achieve my goal.)

(The Shop owner screams hysterically, but the Dean ignores him.
The Shop owner seems somewhat desperate, wiping away tears from the corners of his eyes, and leaves the Dean's office.)

(You terminate the deduction.)

Gu Yi hid next to the Dean's office, silently waiting for something.

As expected, a gunshot rang out.

Gu Yi covered his ears, closed his eyes, and recalled the scene of the Shop owner's brain splattering and his resurrection from the ground.

[Within the hospital, as long as the mask is undamaged, people won't die.]

Gu Yi had deduced this rule long ago, and the Dean confirmed it with his own words, solidifying the speculation.

In the hospital, anyone wearing a mask has a significant weakness.

Destroying their mask will result in their demise.

However, the Dean, his daughter, and the patients, like Gu Yi himself, don't wear masks.

This detail has always puzzled Gu Yi.

According to his previous conclusion, different masks represent different species.

So, are the Dean, his daughter, and the patients actually the same species?

Gu Yi's mind became confused once again.
The conclusion he had just established not only failed to clarify his thoughts but also presented him with more complex puzzles.

The sound of the Shop owner slamming the door resounded.

Gu Yi sat in the corner, contemplating for a while.
He felt that the pig mask might not be as useless as he initially thought.

Indeed, he couldn't skip any steps and had to collect all the masks that appeared in the hospital.

Gu Yi waited in the corner for a long time until the Dean also turned off the lights and left.
He then retraced his steps and returned to the ward, lying down.

…

A night passed without any words.

Gu Yi had started to adapt to the regulated life in the hospital.

Morning rounds, taking medicine, vomiting medicine, breakfast.

If it weren't for the constant pain in his chest, he would almost forget that he was still in a Weird world dungeon.

This place wasn't the real world.

This was a Weird world controlled by the Unspeakable.

Gu Yi rubbed his temples and nearly lost himself.

Even now, if he didn't take the medication, he would still see hallucinations in the hallway—blood dripping from the ceiling and the sound of barking dogs everywhere.
It had pushed his sanity to the brink of collapse.

Gu Yi walked into the restroom and washed his face.
Taking advantage of the solitude, he unbuttoned his clothes.

In the mirror, his chest had been occupied by black fur.

Yesterday night, it was only the size of a palm, but now it had grown to the size of two palms.

He touched his chin and noticed that his beard seemed to be growing faster than usual.

Multiple deductions had accelerated the erosion of his mind.

He made a rough calculation and realized that if he couldn't unravel all the mysteries within a week, he would completely lose himself.

“Calm down, Gu Yi.
Stay calm.”

Gu Yi dressed again and gently tapped his own cheek.

Now his plot progress had unlocked thirty percent, so what was difficult about unlocking the remaining seventy percent in a week?

He was certain he could do it!

Stabilizing his emotions, Gu Yi arrived at the square.

The other patients were engrossed in their own activities, and only Gu Yi approached the entrance of the small shop.

“Good morning, Shop owner.”

“Hmm.”

The Shop owner looked at Gu Yi with a lack of enthusiasm and nodded.

Pointing to the Shop owner's chin, Gu Yi asked with concern, “How did you get that injury on your chin?”

“Don't ask, there's nothing to say.”

“Fine.” Gu Yi nodded.
“Today, I want to buy a mask.”

“A mask? What kind of mask?”

“A pig mask.
I just saw you received a new batch, and there were pig masks among them.”

“What do you need it for?”

“Just give it to me.”

“You can't afford it.”

“Then let's make a bet.”

Gu Yi placed his hand on the Shop owner's crate, his eyes shining with confidence.
“I want to bet with you, and the wager will be a pig mask.”

“I can refuse you.
I don't want to bet with you.”

The Shop owner pushed Gu Yi away and prepared to move the crates.

With a sweeping motion, Gu Yi grabbed the Shop owner's collar.
“Don't you want your brother to stop? Bet with me, and if I win back that mask, I can save everyone.”