Ash Civilization

Inpatient department, 61st floor.

Under the flower-shaped chandelier, the closed silver-white frosted metal doors are full of inorganic coldness.

Zhou Zhen stood at the door of the elevator hall. Not far from him, Shi Xinhong in a white coat blocked the way. The doctor's blood-stained hands were holding Qi Ling's head. The blood on his neck was dripping, and soon it was on the smooth surface. There was a pool of blood on the floor tiles.

She opened and closed her mouth and kept repeating: Quickly notify the security guard outside...

The 61st floor is haunted...

Looking at Qi Ling's face splattered with blood, Zhou Zhen's expression changed and he said coldly: Did you kill Qi Ling?

All of them are now in the dream of the patient on the 72nd floor. He doesn't know what the consequences will be if he dies in this dream, but one thing is certain... the person who dies in the Digital Forest will become Part of the Digital Forest!

As his mind raced, Zhou Zhen slowly retreated, widening the distance between him and Shi Xinhong. The muzzle of the rifle in his hand, intentionally or unintentionally, was raised little by little, aiming at the opponent's head.

Hearing this, Shi Xinhong shook his head slightly and explained very patiently: Comrade security officer, you misunderstood!

There are no ghosts in this world!

Qi Ling saw that the 61st floor was haunted because she was dreaming.

As a medical staff, how can I sleep during duty hours?

So, I woke her up by force. This was not murder.

While saying this, Shi Xinhong threw away Qi Ling's head and picked up the bloody heads from behind...

Most of these heads are male. Only two heads are female. One has a ponytail and the other has a mole on his chin. They are the nurses on duty, Ma Xinxin and Wu Xu, who were on the screen in the lobby when they first entered the inpatient department. As for those male heads, they looked to be in their twenties to forties, and they were all wearing security hats. They should be the security guards on duty at the hospital tonight.

Their eyes were wide open, and their faces still maintained expressions of horror, as if they would not rest in peace.

Shi Xinhong threw all the heads on the ground and continued to explain very sincerely: The nurses and security guards on duty on the first floor today are all lazy and sleeping. It's really outrageous. I had to wake them up one by one...

Comrade the security officer is laughing at me. In fact, our hospital usually has very strict management, and the professional ethics of our employees are also very guaranteed. The nurses and security guards here have never been like this before. Maybe they are too tired today...

By the way, comrade, you have been here for a while, have you found anything?

Zhou Zhen suppressed the urge to shoot immediately. He had now determined that this Dr. Shi was mentally disturbed and extremely dangerous!

But the extent of the danger is still uncertain.

Now he has a conflict with the other party, and when he doesn't know anything, he may not be able to solve the other party!

However, he couldn't let the other party wander around on the 61st floor!

Nurse Hu Bing is sleeping now!

If Shi Xinhong is really allowed to walk around on the 61st floor, all the doctors and nurses on the 61st floor will definitely be ruined!

Of course, if we don't untie the knot of this digital forest, everyone in the inpatient department will die sooner or later, but...

After a brief hesitation, Zhou Zhen immediately said: Dr. Shi, everything is fine on the 61st floor, but...

The police call we just received mentioned a patient on the 72nd floor. Now, I want to see the specific situation of the patient on the 72nd floor.

I'm not very familiar with the way to the inpatient department of your hospital. Please take me there, so that I don't go wrong and end up in front of those patients who can't be frightened, and any accidents happen...

※※※

Inpatient department, the corner of the stairs from the 71st floor to the 72nd floor.

Heading to the last step on the 72nd floor, Cheng Siyuan stood motionless, like a puppet.

Comrade security guard...are you here to ride the slide too?

Hearing this, Jin Qingfeng didn't answer anything and immediately began to retreat.

But as soon as he took a step back, he immediately missed the point!

Before he could take back his retreating steps, Jin Qingfeng instantly lost his balance and fell backwards like a meteorite.

boom!

He fell heavily on the stairs, and before he could get up, he could not help but slide down quickly with his head down and his feet up.

There was a whooshing wind in his ears, and Cheng Siyuan and the fire door on the 72nd floor were getting further and further away from his sight. Jin Qingfeng hurriedly wanted to grab something, but the surroundings were as smooth as a mirror, and there was no place for him to rely on.

The stairs that were very normal when I came up just now, but I don’t know when, they all disappeared and turned into a smooth and smooth slope!

The original staircase corner has turned into a 360-degree curve, connecting the two slopes, turning all the stairs on the 72nd floor into a bottomless spiral slide!

boom!

The speed of falling was so fast that Jin Qingfeng had no time to adjust his posture and hit the wall at the corner.

He was immediately dizzy and his ears were buzzing. However, under the influence of inertia, his body speed did not slow down at all, and he slid down faster and faster.

The originally bright lighting in the corridor began to dim, and the slide tilted at an increasing angle, as if it was going to tip him directly to the bottom.

In the chaos, Jin Qingfeng finally seized an opportunity, raised the muzzle of his gun, and shot directly at the wall below.

Bang bang bang...

A row of bullet holes was immediately punched into the wall.

Jin Qingfeng's sliding speed was as fast as lightning, and he hit the bullet hole in the blink of an eye!

Boom!

His body hit the wall hard, and while severe pain was felt, taking advantage of the brief deceleration caused by the impact, Jin Qingfeng quickly grabbed the bullet hole just made.

Click...

In an instant, he dug three fingers deeply into the bullet hole, stabilizing his body instantly. There was a clicking sound, and a series of gravel and concrete chips gradually fell from the bullet hole, sprinkling his head and face.

The downward momentum finally stopped. Before Jin Qingfeng could breathe a sigh of relief, a rumbling sound suddenly came from the top of the slope. He looked up and immediately discovered that an unusually heavy roller was roaring down from the top of the slope.

As it rolled, the entire spiral slide trembled slightly.

The speed of the roller was very fast, and it was still accelerating. In the blink of an eye, it had rolled to the top of Jin Qingfeng's body!

Jin Qingfeng couldn't help but change his expression. The roller fit perfectly with the dimensions of the stairwell, leaving no gaps when rolling over the slope. If he continued to maintain this position now, he would definitely be crushed to death by the roller!

But if he lets go, the acceleration of his descent will not be as good as the rollers, and he will be slowly crushed to death!

There was no time to think about it. Jin Qingfeng used his arms, legs, waist and abdomen at the same time, and suddenly jumped up from the slope.

Rumble…

The timing of his take-off was precise. The moment he jumped into the air, the roller roared past his original position.

Jin Qingfeng's muscles tensed up, and the moment he fell, his fingers re-clasped the bullet holes in the wall.

Boom!

The sound of the body colliding with the slope was almost completely submerged in the sound of the roller rolling down. Jin Qingfeng hung himself back on the slope again.

Under him, the spiraling slide was still trembling, and the rollers were rushing toward the abyss below with an increasingly deafening momentum.

After finally escaping, Jin Qingfeng hurriedly shouted: Zhou Zhen! I have a little trouble here, you go to the 72nd floor alone...

Before he finished speaking, the sound of rumbling came again, and another roller rolled down from above!

At the same time, the angle of the slope became steeper, as if there was some force that wanted to throw him directly down the slope, and the originally light-colored slopes, walls, ceilings... all began to turn darker in color, and gradually , the entire stairwell seemed to be alive, with dark red blood stains oozing out bit by bit.

Dr. Cheng Siyuan's dull voice also came from above: Comrade security guard, don't be anxious.

I'm coming down too...

※※※

Inpatient department, 61st floor.

In the corridor at the entrance to the elevator hall, blood flew everywhere and splashed all over the wall. The heads of Qi Ling and other nurses and security guards were thrown all over the floor.

...what accident happened...

After listening to Zhou Zhen's words, Shi Xinhong immediately nodded and said, There is only one patient on the 72nd floor.

I can take you there.

However, the patient suffered from [multiple dreams], so he was a little mentally abnormal and could not distinguish between dreams and reality.

Even if Comrade Security Officer goes to ask, he probably won't be able to find out anything valuable.

With that said, he turned around and walked into the elevator hall and pressed the up button.

A silver-white frosted metal door next to it opened immediately, revealing an empty car.

Shi Xinhong immediately walked in, stood in a corner of the elevator, and motioned for Zhou Zhen to follow him.

Seeing that the other party agreed to his request, Zhou Zhen was secretly relieved, but when he saw Shi Xinhong walking into the elevator, he couldn't help but frown.

Just now he followed Jin Qingfeng's footsteps all the way up to the 61st floor. Jin Qingfeng only took the safety stairs and did not use the elevator, which meant there must be something wrong with taking the elevator!

and……

During the moment when he was stopped by the doctor, Jin Qingfeng's footsteps had faded away. As expected, Jin Qingfeng should have entered the stairwell. Now that he was taking the elevator up, he would no longer be able to hear the situation on the other side.

Just as he was thinking about it, Shi Xinhong had already begun to urge: Comrade security officer, hurry up!

Hearing this, Zhou Zhen came to his senses, quickly thought of a way to deal with it, and quickly replied: Okay!

With that said, he also walked into the elevator hall and entered the elevator where Shi Xinhong was.

Shi Xinhong pressed the button on the 72nd floor, and the elevator door immediately closed and began to ascend.

The next moment, Zhou Zhen's figure disappeared directly from the elevator!

Shi Xinhong stared at the floor display screen diagonally above, seemingly unaware of any problem. He continued in a calm voice: The patient on the 72nd floor is mentally abnormal.

The patient told me that the elevator in his dream would suddenly fall and kill all the people riding the elevator!

I was indeed beaten to death twice...

However, it was just a malfunction in the elevator, and it had nothing to do with whether the dream was a dream or not...

Before he finished speaking, the display screen instantly turned into a snowflake, and the button panel lights flashed on and off rapidly, bursting out with huge sparks... In the blink of an eye, the elevator fell into darkness, and then suddenly fell!

※※※

Inpatient department, 61st floor, elevator hall.

At the door of the elevator that had just started to go up, Zhou Zhen's figure appeared without warning.

Digital domain, [Plane Transition]!

The side effects of this digital domain are very troublesome, but in the situation just now involving life and death, he will not hesitate!

As soon as Zhou Zhen stood still, he immediately heard a rumbling sound coming from the elevator shaft behind him. After a sharp and harsh scraping sound of metal and concrete, a loud noise came from the distant bottom.

The elevator crashed!

Zhou Zhen looked calm and immediately understood that this must be the reason why Jin Qingfeng didn't take the elevator.

He had also encountered this situation when he was on the 9th floor just now. He thought it was a coincidence, but he didn't expect it to be an inevitable phenomenon!

While his mind was spinning, Zhou Zhen ran towards the fire stairwell without hesitation.

boom!

Zhou Zhen pushed open the fire door. Behind the door was a folding staircase. The white light was dimmed by the light yellow paint into a slightly warm light.

He quickly looked around and saw that everything was normal.

Zhou Zhen didn't hesitate anymore and strode up the stairs while using the digital domain [Invisible Eavesdropping] and [Geometric Barrier] at the same time, but he didn't hear any footsteps from Jin Qingfeng.

He frowned and immediately judged that something happened to Jin Qingfeng too!

However, he can't help the other party now!

The only thing that can be done is to rush to the 72nd floor as soon as possible to see the patient!

Zhou Zhen quickly gathered his thoughts, ignored the continuous dull and loud noises in his ears, and accelerated upwards.

For a digitally compatible person like him, climbing the 11-story stairs was effortless. It didn't take long for him to reach the 72nd floor.

The 72nd floor of this inpatient department is the top floor, and there are no other stairs going up.

Zhou Zhen pushed open the fire door. The layout inside was slightly different from other floors. There was still a corridor behind the door, but it was not divided into ABCDE and other areas like the 61st floor, but there was only one ward.

There is no access control in this ward. The door can be opened with a push. There is also an open service desk where you just entered. The service desk is clean and tidy, without any information, and all the cabinets inside are locked.

Outside the service desk, there are sofas, coffee tables, broad-leaf green plants and other furnishings. There is also a water dispenser in the corner. Perhaps because there are no other wards on this floor, the equipment and area are more sophisticated than those on the 61st floor.

This space is large, but there is no one on duty, and it is empty and lifeless.

All the lights on the ceiling are kept on. Under normal circumstances, this place should be very bright like other service desks.

However, I don’t know why, but the entire hall gives people a dark and confusing feeling. It seems that the darkness here is like a substance. Ordinary lights cannot dispel it at all. It is impossible to see clearly even from a little further away.

Zhou Zhen was about to walk inside when a strong desire to voyeurism suddenly arose in his heart. The next moment, he uncontrollably opened the photo album on his phone...

After a while, he finally came to his senses. This was a side effect of [Plane Jump], which would occur about 1 minute after using this Digital Domain.

Fortunately, there was no danger during the attack...

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhen quickly put away his phone and walked towards the corridor inside.

Different from the layout of Area E on the 61st floor, the service desk in Area E on the 61st floor is located in the middle of many wards. The service desk here is located at the outermost ward of this floor. The ward next to the service desk is No. 21, along the line. The farther you go in the row of wards, the smaller the room numbers become.

At this moment, the doors of these wards are all half open. Standing at the door, you can directly see the general layout of the inside. Just like Ward 16, Area E, on the 61st floor, the bathroom is right next to the door. The glass facing the door can clearly show the bathroom. Case.

The bathroom is very clean, there is nothing in it.

The space behind the bathroom only contains a bed. Around the bed, there are some machines that are about half the height of a person, and there are devices like oxygen tubes in the corner.

Although there is only one bed, there is a dark curtain above each bed that can completely surround the entire bed.

Step, step, step...

Zhou Zhen held the gun and carefully inspected each room.

He tried to walk as gently as possible, but there was still a slight echo in the extremely silent corridor.

Every time he passed a ward, he would hold his breath and approach, then slowly push the door open with the barrel of a gun and carefully observe the situation inside.

No. 21, No. 20, No. 19... These wards are all empty. The bedding is neatly stacked at the head of the bed. The entire bed has plastic seals and disinfected signs, and the curtains are drawn up to the side of the bed, with the same color. tied with strips of cloth.

There seemed to be no patients assigned to these wards.

All the lights in the corridor were on, but the further inside, the darker the light became, as if Zhou Zhen was not walking in a hospital full of modern facilities, but in a cave in nature.

There was something in the air that blocked the emission of light, and it seemed to have some power that swallowed up most of the light.

Soon, he came to the end of the corridor, Ward No. 1.

The light here is so dim that even the outline can't be seen clearly.

The light above the head is like a candle that lacks oxygen. Although it insists on lighting, it only emits a faint light like rice grains.

Zhou Zhen walked to the door of this ward. This was the last ward on the 72nd floor. Its door was not on the same wall as the doors of all the other wards on this floor. Instead, it was 90 degrees from the doors of the other wards. It was also the only one. There is a ward with the door closed, and all the wards in front are empty. The patient must live in this ward!

Thinking of this, he raised his head and was about to knock on the door. The originally closed door in front of him suddenly opened a gap automatically.

At the same time, a low and hoarse voice came from inside: Comrade security officer, welcome to my kingdom of God!

※※※

Outside Binhai Central Hospital, in the southwest corner, separated by two streets, is a building with more than 200 floors.

Its shape is similar to an inverted trapezoid. The glass curtain wall is currently playing a video of a mecha battle. Two mechas, one red and one white, do not have any fancy tactics. They each hold a huge laser against the desert background. As the swords slashed against each other and the lightsabers collided with each other, the terrifying impact caused waves of sandstorms to surge in the desert. The special effects were extremely realistic and the atmosphere was fiery.

Compared to the excitement on the curtain wall, the top floor is deserted.

The rooftop on the top floor is not used as a parking lot for flying cars like most high-rise buildings, but is instead built into a large playground.

At this moment, the amusement park has long been closed. The Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and jumping machine... are all closed, all lights are turned off, and the staff have left.

At night, behind the railing of the amusement park's viewing platform, a figure appeared out of nowhere.

The figure is tall and has broad shoulders. Judging from the outline, he should be a man. He is wearing a dark gold hooded windbreaker. The windbreaker is very long, and the hem hangs to the ground. It is similar to a cloak, completely covering the whole person without exposing it. Any hair or skin.

Under the brim of the windbreaker is a pair of black mask-like visual sensors. At this moment, various complex data are being continuously brushed on the surface of the sensor.

The background of the data is a distant and deep starry sky, with magnificent nebulae rotating slowly, as if the endless data is like a spaceship shuttle through the starry sky, rushing to an unknown destination.

In the depths of the starry sky, there is a simple scale suspended. No matter how the Roadless Nebula rotates and turbulences, it remains motionless, as if it is the center of the starry sky. The color of the scale is the same as the windbreaker, a very dim gold, like the sunset Glory, the afterglow of dusk.

The night wind blew through the tall buildings, making the windbreaker rustle.

Behind the figure, on a dark gold background, is a white hollow cross pattern that occupies the entire back. Above the cross pattern is a simple red scale. On one end of the scale is a simple eye, and on the other end is a heart with a complex structure. , the two are currently in a state of complete balance.

At this time, this figure overlooked the direction of the inpatient building of Binhai Central Hospital and said in an indifferent voice in English: Experiment No. F0467, the 'digits' are beginning to spread.

The reason for the failure of the experiment is unknown.

The experimental data has been backed up.

Experimental data is being uploaded...

At the same time, the data flow on the visual sensor suddenly accelerated, as if a flood had burst and washed away crazily.

At night, the brightly lit Binhai Central Hospital was quiet, as if he was completely peaceful in his sleep.

An engine roared past in the distance, searchlights criss-crossed the night sky, and the laughter and screams of men and women littered the ground.

On the curtain wall of the inverted trapezoidal building, two mechas had already destroyed their lightsabers and began a fist-to-flesh competition.

There was still silence in the amusement park. The large inflatable doll at the entrance maintained an exaggerated smile and swayed quietly with the cold wind from the high-rise building.

After a while, the roar of the flying motorcycle broke the silence on the top of the building.

When the motorcycle landed, it drew a large circle in the open space of the observation deck, and then stopped abruptly. A female rider with an extremely hot figure, wearing a black leather jacket, leather skirt, and bright red leather boots got off the car neatly. She was wearing a fully enclosed motorcycle. He is wearing a helmet, and his face cannot be seen. Below the helmet is a soft, long curly hair, scattered on his lower back, swaying when he walks.

On her skirt, there is also the emblem of a dark golden scale, which is the teacher who rescued Xie Qiongning outside the Huangjia Club last time!

The female rider walked quickly behind the figure in the dark gold trench coat, bowed slightly, and said in Anglo very respectfully: Observer, are you looking for me?

The observer did not turn around, but directly said in a commanding tone: Experiment No. F0467 has been scrapped.

The organization needs a better experimental subject now. How are the training of the newbies in your hands going?

The female rider immediately replied: The most basic training has been completed, but the officials have been paying too close attention recently and have not conducted the next step of testing.

The observer said calmly: Just complete the basic training.

In the recent period, we have brought those newbies to the laboratory.

The female rider nodded quickly: Yes!

※※※

In the northeast corner of Binhai Central Hospital, there is also a building with more than 200 floors.

It has a regular appearance, and there is a hanging garden on the roof.

Rare flowers and plants from all over the world are combined with the power of science and technology to create exquisite gardens with an exotic feel regardless of season or place of origin.

At this moment, beside a small white iron round table surrounded by flowers, stood a woman wearing a camel coat. The coat was ankle-length, but her graceful figure could still be seen. She wore a hat with a wide brim on her head. A dark calla lily is tied with a ribbon, and under the hat is a golden mask. The mask has no holes, and in the position of the eyes, there is a pair of narrow black eyes.

The eyelashes of those eyes were very long and slightly closed, as if they were sleeping and drooping. They were cold, noble and evil.

The woman raised her hand slightly, with her palm wrapped in black lace gloves, holding a transparent tall glass with one-third of the crimson liquid in it. It swayed lightly and connected with the black leather cord on her chest. The hanging pendants complement each other.

The pendant is an upside-down scepter, coiled around a ferocious two-headed snake that spits out messages.

She stood in the flower gallery facing the night breeze, the streamers on her top hat swaying like flower branches in the wind, and the eyes on the mask seemed to be looking down at the inpatient department of Binhai Central Hospital. Occasionally, she raised her head slightly and glanced at the southwest corner of the hospital. The top floor of an inverted trapezoidal building.

The wind is blowing and the night is quiet.

※※※

Binhai Central Hospital, inpatient department, 72nd floor.

Ward 1.

The lighting of science and technology is suppressed here to the point of being almost ineffective. In the dim corridor, the light yellow ward door opens a gap, and in the gap is a darkness that is thicker and deeper than the surroundings.

Comrade security officer, welcome to my kingdom of God!

A low, hoarse voice came from the gap in the door.

Just as Zhou Zhen was about to push the door open, his body suddenly stopped.

Security guard...

Kingdom of God...

The patients inside already know everything about the outside!

But the Kingdom of God...

Is it because this is the other person's dream, and the other person can control everything in the dream?

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhen immediately took back his hand that was about to knock on the door, tightened the rifle in his hand, and used the barrel to push the door open little by little.

His body leaned forward slightly, and he was about to walk sideways inside when the rifle in his hand suddenly began to melt. The bullet belt, energy grenades, digital glasses... including the lost and recovered miniature force field device, all seemed to be like ashes. Like snow meeting the sun, it begins to soften, decompose, and melt rapidly...

Zhou Zhen was shocked and quickly retreated, but the decomposition of his equipment did not stop at all.

In just the blink of an eye, all the weapons and equipment on his body disappeared!

At the same time, the door to the ward suddenly opened!

The walls on both sides of Zhou Zhen receded rapidly like the scenery outside a speeding train.

The gate in front of him continued to enlarge in his eyes.

In just an instant, the door was like the bloody mouth of a giant beast, swallowing him whole!

When Zhou Zhen came back to his senses, he saw that he had appeared in a particularly spacious ward.

This ward was very vast, with an area comparable to a hall, and a floor height higher than that of an ordinary ward. He did not see any trace of the bathroom, but he saw the dark curtains on all the beds, hanging from the ceiling. The only hospital bed in the distance was tightly covered, and the specific appearance of the patient inside could not be seen.

Surrounding this curtain is a circle of instruments.

The shapes of these instruments are all very complex. Some of them are extremely tall, almost touching the ceiling. The dashboard is densely packed with buttons and indicator lights.

At this moment, colorful lights were flashing one after another, and thick or thin tubes protruded from these instruments and penetrated from under the curtain, obviously connected to the patient's body.

Special instructions and data are constantly appearing on various display screens.

A subtle ticking sound sounded in the room from time to time.

The entire ward, like the corridor outside, was very dark. If it weren't for the faint light emitted by the indicator lights on the instruments, it would even be impossible to see the outlines of the instruments clearly.

But there seemed to be a light source behind the curtain, reflecting a blurry figure on the curtain.

Seeing all his weapons disappear, Zhou Zhen frowned. He didn't come closer, just stood there and asked cautiously: Are you... the source of this 'Digital Forest'?

The low and hoarse voice immediately came from behind the curtain: This is not a 'Digital Forest', this is my 'Digital Domain', [Dream Kingdom]!

Seeing that the other party could communicate normally, Zhou Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and asked tentatively: Since you are a 'digital compatibility', why do you pretend to be a patient and come to the hospital for hospitalization?

If the entire hospital's dream is not a digital forest but really the patient's digital domain... then there is no need to think about it. The other party's digital ladder is definitely beyond his reach!

No matter how he and Jin Qingfeng join forces, they can never threaten each other!

Behind the curtain, a hoarse voice sounded again: Because my memory was deleted, I always thought I was sick!

However, now, I have found the original memory from my deep dream.

Thanks to those two doctors for the treatment they gave me during this period!

Hearing this, Zhou Zhen frowned even more, and he asked cautiously: Since those two doctors helped you, can you unlock the 'digital domain' and let go...

Before he could finish speaking, the patient behind the curtain suddenly let out a burst of extremely painful wails!

Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!!

The entire ward suddenly shook violently like an earthquake. The walls cracked and cracked, the ground cracked into spider webs, and the steel bars inside the concrete were exposed. The complex medical equipment around them all swayed, and countless alarms sounded instantly, buzzing in the ears. !

Zhou Zhen could hardly stand. The entire inpatient building seemed to be collapsing!

After a while, the cracks, steel bars, and bumps all around disappeared. The walls and floors were all in good condition, and many medical equipment were placed intact. All the indicator lights were normal. It seemed that the scene just now was completely different. hallucination.

The patient behind the curtain finally became quiet, but he could still hear the other person's clear breathing.

At this time, the patient's voice became hoarse: Do you... know, Double Stitch Man?

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