21. Permanent Shutdown

Jiang Pan, unable to change her clothes, could only sit by Chi You's bed and sulk.

The others looked at the two of them, exchanging confused glances. Perhaps seeing how matter-of-fact Chi You was, they eventually closed their eyes and began to sleep. As their nerves relaxed, they quickly drifted into dreamland.

Zheng Hong was sleeping soundly in a corner, clutching his copper coin sword, when he suddenly felt a warm liquid slide across his cheek. Dazed, he raised his hand to touch his face, and upon feeling a sticky substance, he slowly opened his eyes. The moment he did, he found himself face-to-face with the nurse.

Zheng Hong: !!!

Help! Someone, save him!

The nurse's face was covered in eyeballs, which were currently darting around, and the ones that had been squeezed shut were dripping blood—which explained the blood on Zheng Hong’s face. He wanted to scream in terror, but seeing Chi You sitting up on the hospital bed and shaking her head at him, he forced himself to swallow his fear.

The room door had been opened at some point, and the talisman paper that had been posted on it was gone. Chi You carefully pulled back the blanket to get out of bed, but the moment she moved, the nurse swiped over to her. The eyeballs on her face twitched rapidly as she rasped, "Sleep." The coarse, gravelly voice echoed through the quiet ward, and the keys in her hand clinked together.

Chi You had no choice but to lie back down. Seeing that everyone in the room had settled down, the nurse began to wander around again. Just then, someone shifted restlessly in their sleep and fell off their chair; the noise immediately drew the nurse's attention. She lunged toward the person, her mouth gaping impossibly wide in fury, as if she intended to swallow them whole.

The man opened his eyes to see this sight and scrambled backward in terror, crying out, "Help!" This shout woke everyone else, and their faces turned pale upon seeing the nurse.

"Save me! I don't want to die!" The man continued to retreat until his back hit the wall, leaving him nowhere else to go. He shed tears of agony and regret. Had he known this place was so horrific, he would have listened to the old man and never come.

Just as the nurse was about to devour the man, Chi You, still sitting on her bed, called out, "Mother Nurturer."

At that moment, a woman with long hair cascading to her waist and wearing a white dress appeared before them. She radiated a maternal glow, a faint, gentle smile gracing her soft features. As soon as she appeared, her hair surged forward, binding the nurse's hands and feet. Even the nurse's gaping mouth was covered by the hair. The nurse struggled, but the more she fought, the tighter the hair constricted.

Jiang Pan’s eyes widened slightly when she saw the Mother Nurturer. "How do you have the Mother Nurturer?"

"An He gave her to me," Chi You replied.

Hearing that An He had given her away, Jiang Pan understood. Chi You had changed An He's fate, allowing the child who should have died at birth to survive, which had caused An He’s obsession to dissipate. The Mother Nurturer was the symbol of that old apartment complex, representing the power of a mother raising her child. Thus, An He had gifted her to Chi You.

"You’re quite lucky," Jiang Pan remarked.

The other two participants looked at the woman who had suddenly appeared with confusion, only to realize after a careful inspection that she, too, was a monster.

"Exterminate her," Chi You commanded coldly as she stepped off the bed.

The Mother Nurturer now recognized only Chi You as her master, so she immediately obeyed. Under everyone's watchful eyes, she strangled the nurse. Not only that, but she drove her hair deep into the nurse's body and churned it around to ensure she wouldn't revive. Seeing this, Chi You raised an eyebrow; she hadn't expected the Mother Nurturer to know to finish the job.

With the danger neutralized, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. After killing the nurse, the Mother Nurturer walked over to Chi You and stood by her side. Meng Shuyin and Zheng Hong were deeply shocked by the sight.

"That's the boss from the A-rank instance 'The Crying Infant,' isn't it?" Zheng Hong stood up, his face still stained with blood, his voice filled with excitement.

"Yes."

That instance had been permanently closed because the hidden boss's obsession had faded and the building had been completely burned down. The app had no choice but to shut it down for good.

"Are you two the last people to ever participate in that instance?" Meng Shuyin asked hurriedly.

The question left the two of them bewildered. What did she mean by the last time? They had no idea. Seeing their confusion, Meng Shuyin quickly explained. After the explanation, Chi You finally understood. She had been the one to cause the instance to be permanently closed. The names of the last people to clear it were listed on the page. Anyone browsing for instances would now know exactly what Chi You and the others had accomplished.

If you clicked on that page, you could even read about their heroic deeds. They had truly "gone down in history" within the app.

"Wow, it can do that?" Chi You was stunned. She immediately took out her phone, opened the app, and held it out to them, asking, "Then why can't I find it?"

After some guidance from the two, Chi You updated her app. Upon checking again, she found it had been modified, with many new features added. Jiang Pan also updated her app and, upon finding the instance, saw the words "Permanently Closed." Chi You’s name was highlighted in gold, making it exceptionally conspicuous.

"Can we add you as friends?" Zheng Hong asked softly while looking at them. "I want to add you too." These two were clearly powerhouses; they had to be added. Chi You and Jiang Pan added them as friends before putting their phones away.

The others nearby watched them, completely baffled. What puzzled them even more was how the long-haired woman had appeared and why she had chosen to help them.

Glancing at the nurse lying on the ground, Chi You stretched and walked out of the ward. The outside had returned to its original state, with young people wandering the corridors, showing no signs of being monsters. The boy with the brown teddy bear walked down the hall, hunched over and looking terrified of everything. The group was much more vigilant now, not daring to underestimate anyone.

After they left, the fingers of the nurse—whose limbs and head had been broken and abdomen shredded—began to twitch. She convulsed on the floor, and suddenly, many black pores sprouted across her exposed skin. The nurse folded her body at a ninety-degree angle, and from the black holes in her flesh, numerous eyes erupted. These new eyes darted around, and the nurse muttered to herself, "Attacking the nurse is forbidden."

"There is a price to pay."

She stood up slowly, her head lolling at a grotesque angle as she stepped out into the corridor. She held a long chain of keys, which clinked with every step she took.