Chapter 33: Liu Dong

The doctor was brandishing a chainsaw, his white coat half-stained with blood, his complexion as pale as a corpse.

Wang Long froze upon seeing him. "Old Liu? You... how did you end up like this?"

Liu Dong had been Wang Long’s close friend since university. During their student years, the two were known as the "Twin Stars of Medical School." They studied together for their master’s and doctoral degrees, and after graduation, they joined the same hospital.

After entering the workforce, Wang Long became a department director at a remarkably young age. However, Wang Long knew that his rapid promotion, which bypassed the usual requirements for experience, was because the Bureau of Management needed someone with a modicum of authority within the hospital. Had he not possessed that connection to the Bureau, he would have had to grind out his seniority just like Liu Dong.

But now, Wang Long could clearly see that something was wrong with his old friend. Usually, Liu Dong addressed him as "Old Wang," only calling him "Director Wang" in jest. But the current situation was hardly appropriate for jokes, and Liu Dong’s appearance was profoundly bizarre.

"Old Wang, you know what? I’ve actually been waiting for this day. I knew it would come sooner or later," Liu Dong said with a sinister glee, his eyes burning with madness.

"What are you talking about! Put the chainsaw down! We can handle this situation. Just come with us; there are people who can protect us." Wang Long held his hands out, trying to soothe him as if he were negotiating with a terrorist.

Liu Dong sneered, his expression twisting. "Hah! 'We can handle it' again! It’s been like this since university. It’s always you who can handle it, you who can manage! You’re a genius! So what if you’re a genius? Do you know what people really said behind our backs? They called us the 'Twin Stars of Medical School' to our faces, but in private? They said I was a bookworm, a fool who couldn't handle social dynamics!

"You’re so impressive! Everything you touch, you master. I had to stay up all night cramming and agonizing over every detail just to reach your level. You clearly knew everything; you knew I wasn't your equal. Why did you insist on pretending we were the same? Huh? Was it just to have a dinosaur next to the beauty, or a nerd next to the genius?"

"Old Liu, have you lost your mind? What are you saying!"

"During the holidays, you’d give gifts to the professors... Right! Your family is wealthy, it’s easy for you to give gifts, and coming from a genius student like you, how could the professors not love it? But why did you have to drag me along? Why did you insist on giving gifts on my behalf? Do I need that? Did I ever ask for your help?" Liu Dong roared. "You clearly had the talent, but you still chose to play those games! People like you are the ones who ruin the rules!"

Wang Long’s mind reeled; he could barely recognize his friend. The Liu Dong he knew was diligent, humble, and grounded—someone who would scoff at rumors and never utter such hurtful things.

Wang Long hurriedly looked at Xia Shou. "Xia Shou, give me a moment! He shouldn't be an anomaly yet; he’s just... not in his right mind."

"He is indeed still human, but he is no longer the person you once knew."

Xia Shou watched as Su Weiyu circled behind Liu Dong and pressed her katana against his neck. Liu Dong, however, remained completely oblivious. Since he could not perceive Su Weiyu, it meant he was still technically human, but...

Xia Shou glanced into the mirror at the torso-only anomalous patient behind them. The patient was no longer trying to approach them; instead, it was thrashing wildly, attempting to distance itself from Liu Dong, as if the doctor with the chainsaw were something truly horrific.

"Time is running out... just one more, and I can become a full-fledged doctor! Just one more! Hahahaha!"

The chainsaw roared to life. With the crazed laughter of a slasher villain, Liu Dong charged toward them. Su Weiyu seized the moment, tripping him and driving her blades through his knees. Liu Dong collapsed, the chainsaw slipping from his grasp and sliding to Xia Shou’s feet, who stepped on it to pin it down.

"So weak," Su Weiyu remarked, puzzled. "Why did that patient look so afraid of him? His combat ability is that of an ordinary person."

"I’m not sure, but he said time is running out and he only needs one more. Is he trying to meet some kind of quota within a time limit?" Xia Shou walked over and squatted in front of Liu Dong.

Wang Long followed closely. "Old Liu! Wake up! What happened to you?"

Liu Dong grinned, revealing a chilling, insane smile. He glared at Wang Long with manic eyes. "Old Wang! Old Wang, you’ve always helped me—help me one more time! I’m begging you, I want to live! I only need one more. Let's take him with us, and I'll let you be my intern assistant. That way, you can live too!"

As he spoke, he looked at his palm. There was a tattoo of a clock, its hands moving; the minute hand was infinitely close to twelve. It only needed the second hand to sweep a few more times, and the minute hand would strike twelve.

"Old Wang, I need to tell you something. Come closer; I want to tell you the secret of this place." Liu Dong’s smile suddenly faded, his eyes losing their madness and taking on a mysterious, sinister air.

Wang Long leaned in blankly. The moment he got close, Xia Shou lunged, pulling him back.

"Watch out!"

A second later, the hand Liu Dong had been keeping hidden beneath his body lashed out like lightning. A sharp scalpel flew from his fingers, grazing Wang Long’s neck. A fraction of an inch closer, and it would have severed his carotid artery.

"Damn it! Damn it all! There’s no time! I’m out of time! Just die!"

Liu Dong let out a frantic roar, his hands reaching out desperately, clawing at the air for Wang Long’s throat. Had Su Weiyu not been pinning his spine to the floor, Wang Long might have been strangled to death.

Seeing his old friend reduced to this state, Wang Long was utterly paralyzed with shock, his mouth agape, unable to move.

At that same moment, the second hand on Liu Dong’s palm finished its final rotation. As the minute and second hands aligned at twelve, his arms fell limply. The madness in his eyes suddenly cleared, and his expression lost its ferocity.

Liu Dong looked at Wang Long, a sorrowful, apologetic smile on his face. His skin began to crack like shattered porcelain. He spoke in a gentle tone: "Old Wang, I’m sorry. What I said earlier... I did think those things, but I’ve always considered you my best friend, I..."

Seemingly realizing he had no time left to apologize or pour out his heart, Liu Dong abandoned his final words and delivered the most critical information: "There’s no time. The exit isn't here; it's on the other side... Also, don't become a doctor! Whatever you do, don't become a doctor."

The moment the last word fell, his entire body crumbled into brittle, hard fragments.

"Old Liu! Old Liu!" Wang Long reached out with trembling hands, picking up the shards.

They were as hard and fragile as broken porcelain, shattering at the slightest pressure.

Xia Shou patted Wang Long on the shoulder and stood up. "Dr. Wang, we must go. Don't let Dr. Liu’s final efforts go to waste."