Chapter 6: The Lower Levels

Zhou Jinru agreed without a second thought. Everything was proceeding exactly as he had anticipated. He sat by the entrance for a while, studying the work schedule behind the door panel repeatedly. It clarified why he had only seen three medical team operators so far: the majority were down in the lower levels, tending to patients who had suffered accidental infections.

At this moment, Myrrh emerged from inside. She had put on a white lab coat and handed one to Zhou Jinru.

Zhou Jinru did not reach out to take it. "I'm not an operator on the medical team, so I shouldn't need to wear this, right?"

He took the opportunity to glance at his Sanity value. It was overflowing. It pained him deeply; he felt like he was losing a fortune, unable to find a way to expend his Sanity.

"If you don't wear a doctor's uniform, you won't be allowed into the lower levels. The Doctor’s identity is quite unique; it is best to be mindful of your own safety."

Myrrh assumed an uncharacteristically firm tone. Zhou Jinru complied gracefully, grabbing the lab coat and draping it over himself. It fit perfectly. He recalled that Rhodes Island’s medical team did not have any operators of his height.

"It has been over a year, but the Doctor's physique remains exactly the same as before."

Myrrh walked up to Zhou Jinru and reached out to smooth the creases in his coat, clearly satisfied with his appearance.

"Oh, right, this must be my coat. I wore it before, I had forgotten."

Zhou Jinru offered a vague response. Based on his impressions of the Rhodes Island operators he had encountered, he was the "old popsicle" Amiya and the others had dug out of Chernobog over a year ago. Whether it was his appearance, his build, or even highly sensitive personal data, everything aligned perfectly. It was simply incredible.

Of course, he would never voice these thoughts. Secrets had to remain buried deep within his heart. If he were to say bluntly that they had all been nothing more than two-dimensional "waifus" in a game, he would likely be beaten—no, he would definitely be beaten.

The two walked one after the other. Myrrh tapped the conveyor belts on either side with her foot and sighed. "We used to be able to use the conveyor belts, which saved a lot of time, but now we have to rely on our own legs. Doctor, if only you had returned sooner, perhaps everyone wouldn't have been separated."

Zhou Jinru had spent far more money on gacha pulls than the other three people in his dormitory combined. Aside from Vulcan and Indra—whom he hadn't managed to prove his "European" luck with—he had collected almost every operator released before the summer event. Of course, he hadn't maxed out their potential; his living expenses weren't lavish enough to simply smash through the gacha pool.

Rhodes Island had continued to operate along its original trajectory after losing the Doctor, handling resource collection and minor combat missions with ease. The true cause of the eventual dissolution was the oppressive atmosphere that had permeated the ship. Some operators simply abandoned their duties to head out in search of the Doctor. After all, a living person could not just vanish into thin air. Some even went as far as to say they would see the person alive or their body if they were dead. The balance on the ship shifted from instability to total collapse.

One evening, Ifrit left alone. She was the first to do so. Soon, Platinum followed, then Red, and more operators began to depart from Rhodes Island.

Amiya’s attempts at persuasion were futile; she could only let them go. Some left contact information, but most left nothing at all.

Throughout all of this, Doctor Kal'tsit never stepped in, watching everything unfold like an outsider.

Myrrh opened the operator-only elevator and looked up at the Doctor. "If you wish to find some of your former companions, I have kept a portion of their contact information. I can give it to you, but I cannot guarantee it is still valid. After all, many of them have never returned."

Was the departure of the operators due to the heartlessness of the "scum" Doctor, or Kal'tsit’s refusal to hold them back?

Zhou Jinru rubbed his face, wondering if all his previous spending on gacha pulls had been in vain. If operator trust dropped to zero, would the Doctor lose them? But those were just theories proposed by some "big shot" player the community dubbed a "game designer." There was also a major prerequisite: the game would have to implement a "marriage" system.

Could he actually take a ring and propose?

"Texas, marry me! I love you!"

"Apples pie, da-da-da-da."

With a burst of Overload mode, the Doctor would be turned into a sieve, or perhaps made into a Lappland mille-feuille. The mental image was too vivid.

*Ding.*

With a crisp sound, the elevator doors opened, and a wave of noise rushed in. The lower levels of Rhodes Island were as bustling as a wet market, with shouts, cries, and announcements blaring from overhead speakers all blending together.

Zhou Jinru felt as though he were in a hospital during the change of seasons, where patients suffering from colds and coughs were crammed into the IV drip area, and doctors and nurses scurried about non-stop, their carts loaded with medicine and syringes.

"What's going on?"

He asked Myrrh beside him. Her expression was solemn. "I haven't heard of any natural disasters nearby requiring emergency evacuation. It might just be a sporadic micro-geological event. I haven't received any notification for support; the companions here can handle it. Let’s head to the rounds first."

She hurriedly retrieved the prepared materials from the duty room and led Zhou Jinru toward the inpatient area. Halfway there, she noticed Zhou Jinru had stopped in his tracks, looking dazed.

"Doctor?" Myrrh called out.

"Oh, it's nothing."

Zhou Jinru replied. He watched as his Sanity dropped by one point, down to 119.

He had just heard some very unnatural tones, though it was possible he had misheard.

Following Myrrh into a ward, he saw four young Feline boys and girls sitting together. Upon seeing Myrrh enter, followed by an unfamiliar man, they began to clamor:

"Sister Myrrh, I don't want to take my medicine. It's too bitter."

"Who is he?"

"Why are you asking so many questions? Maybe he's a boyfriend."

"A-Yao actually has a boyfriend? My heart is broken, boo-hoo."

It wouldn't be accurate to call them teenagers; they were merely little children.

Myrrh stood at the doorway, staring expressionlessly at the four Feline children. She radiated a powerful aura that Zhou Jinru had only ever seen in high school female homeroom teachers who were long past the age of marriage. Instantly, the entire ward fell silent; the four tails drooped to the floor, and even their pointed ears sagged.

Very powerful. This must be the aura of a strong person.

Myrrh pulled a bottle of medicine from her coat pocket, distributed one deep purple pill to each, and watched as they swallowed them with water.

"Hey, it's kind of sweet."

One of the little girls whispered.

"You don't understand, it's all fake. There must be a coating on the outside, but it's really bitter inside. My dad used to work at a pharmaceutical factory; he said all medicine is bitter."

A small Feline boy refuted his companion in a milky voice.

Zhou Jinru stood at the door, watching Myrrh conduct her careful check. He heard the little boy who had been complaining about his broken heart whisper, "A-Yao, when I grow up... ouch, that hurts."

Myrrh delivered a light chop to the top of his head. "None of that talk. Remember to take your medicine on time and don't run around."

The little boy held his head, teary-eyed and indignant. "I'll take the medicine properly!"

He looked at Zhou Jinru, his small face full of hostility.

Once they left the ward, Myrrh let out a long sigh. "These children are so young; they don't really have a concept of what it means to be Infected."

"A doctor's heart is a benevolent one. Doctors work very hard."

"Doctor, you're really good with words now. You're completely different from before. Once these children's conditions stabilize, the nearby Infected reception center will take them in. There’s no need to worry too much about their survival."

Zhou Jinru didn't respond. In that short time, his Sanity had dropped another 4 points.

For the Doctor of Rhodes Island, Sanity was the one thing he lacked the most.