Outliers

"Hehe..." Han Yimo smiled bitterly, "Dr. Zhao, you're overthinking it. As a novelist, the last thing I want to talk about is my own work... If I have some free time, I just want to temporarily forget everything in my work and relax."

"Then let's talk about something else!" Dr. Zhao was slowly suturing the wound, but this wound was circular, making it more complex to suture than a typical wound. He concentrated for a moment before asking, "Tell me, besides writing, how do you usually relax?"

"I... play games," Han Yimo replied.

Dr. Zhao nodded, "That's great. I also play games when I'm off duty. What games do you play?"

Due to excessive blood loss, Han Yimo's thoughts were very slow at the moment. It took him a while to respond, "League of Legends... There's a female ninja in it called 'Akali,' I really like that character."

"Oh?" Dr. Zhao smiled, "That's quite a coincidence, I also play League of Legends, and I really like Akali too."

Although he spoke calmly, everyone could see his hands trembling slightly. After all these years as a doctor, it was the first time he was suturing a wound without anesthesia, with the patient fully conscious. It wasn't clear whether he genuinely liked that character or was simply trying to keep the conversation going along with Han Yimo's topic.

"Do you also like Akali, Dr. Zhao?" Han Yimo nodded weakly, "I'm fascinated by everything about Akali... This female ninja called 'Shadow Fist,' I feel like her backstory..."

Dr. Zhao's movements paused slightly, then he gently touched Han Yimo's face and asked, "Han Yimo, can you see me?"

"Huh?" Han Yimo didn't understand why Dr. Zhao suddenly asked this question, but he replied, "I can see you..."

"Who am I?"

"You're Dr. Zhao..."

After hearing this, Dr. Zhao nodded again and said, "Han Yimo, you're experiencing hallucinations now, you must stay awake."

"Hallucinations?" Han Yimo felt that his current state was still relatively normal and didn't understand what Dr. Zhao meant, "Aren't we just having a normal conversation? Why would I be hallucinating..."

"It's probably a symptom of excessive blood loss, your brain is not getting enough blood supply. Like you mentioned Akali, her hero title is 'Rogue Assassin,' not 'Shadow Fist.'"

"'Rogue Assassin'?" Han Yimo squinted, feeling somewhat hesitant. He had never heard of this name before. Could it be because of the hallucination?

Qiao Jiajin nudged Qixia on the side and asked, "Scammer, what are they talking about?"

"I don't know," Qixia shook his head, "I don't play games, so I don't understand."

"I've played video games before," Qiao Jiajin said disdainfully, "but I've never heard of the game they're talking about. Is this hero vs. hero battle game more interesting than 'Legend of the Hungry Wolf'..."

Qixia didn't want to participate in this topic and walked to the side, finding a clean stone to sit on. He was thinking about something else.

The conversation between Han Yimo and Dr. Zhao fell silent, probably because Han Yimo's hallucinations were too frequent, making it impossible to continue the conversation.

The atmosphere among the group gradually became quiet.

Lin Lin realized she couldn't be of much help, so she sat down next to Qixia.

"What are you thinking?" Lin Lin asked.

Qixia turned his head to look at Lin Lin, his expression indifferent.

"This is the second time you've asked me 'what are you thinking.' Do you always ask patients so directly during psychological counseling?" Qixia said, "But you're not my patient. Do you always address your clients as 'patients' in counseling sessions? That's very impolite. I'm just curious, what kind of thoughts fill the mind of someone as clever as you?"

"They're filled with my wife," Qixia said with a melancholy expression.

"Your wife?" Lin Lin nodded silently, "You mentioned before that someone was waiting for you outside. Is that person your wife?"

"Yes," Qixia nodded.

Lin Lin smiled faintly, "I didn't guess that would be the answer. So, you're already married?"

"Why wouldn't I be able to get married?" Qixia felt like there was an implication in Lin Lin's words.

"I didn't mean to offend you. But you're a scammer, so what kind of person is your wife?" Lin Lin asked.

"You..." Qixia was rarely angry. He stood up slowly, his eyes cold, "What do you mean? Because I'm a scammer, the person who marries me can only be from the dregs of society?"

"Ah? I..." Lin Lin was startled by Qixia's momentum, "I really didn't mean to offend you, I was just curious..."

"I advise you not to be curious about me." Qixia continued in a cold tone, "I'm a scammer, so what I say may not be the truth."

The conversation between the two ended on an unpleasant note, but Lin Lin's expression didn't seem to mind.

Meanwhile, Dr. Zhao had finally finished suturing the wound.

"It's almost done..." Dr. Zhao wiped the blood off his hands and said, "We've done everything we can for now. Now we can only hope the wound doesn't get infected."

"Thank you..." Han Yimo's lips were pale as he slowly thanked Dr. Zhao.

Seeing that everything had come to an end, Qixia stood up slowly and said to everyone, "It's time to say goodbye."

The other eight people looked puzzled when they heard this.

Goodbye?

"Where are you going?" Qiao Jiajin asked.

"It's none of your concern," Qixia looked at the restaurant across the street, lost in thought.

"Are you really going to find 'Dao'?" Officer Li was surprised.

"What? Do you have any advice?" Qixia seemed to tacitly agree to this answer.

"Forgive me for speaking bluntly, but you're walking into your death." Officer Li shook his head helplessly, "Three thousand six hundred 'Dao'! What does that even mean? If you can obtain one 'Dao' each time, you'll have to clear three thousand six hundred games in the brink of death game we faced before!"

"Yes," Qixia nodded, "It sounds very unlikely, but there's still hope, isn't there?"

"Hope?" Officer Li sighed, "Ten days, three thousand six hundred games, averaging three hundred and sixty games per day. Even if you do nothing but try to clear games every day, it's far from enough time. Moreover, you could die in the game at any time, but if you do nothing, you'll only die after ten days."

After a pause, he continued, "And this 'death' is based on the premise that everything 'Human Dragon' said is completely true. In other words, after ten days, we may not necessarily die, and this place may not necessarily be destroyed. Even if you find all three thousand six hundred 'Dao,' he may not let you out."

"I understand the reasoning." Qixia interrupted Officer Li's words and said, "But I'm not planning to wait here. Even if I just go out for a walk, it's better than staying here."

"But you..." Officer Li wanted to argue with Qixia about something, but the door to the employee lounge creaked open again.

Everyone turned to look, and the female clerk from before walked out.

She was barely clothed, covered in grease stains all over her mouth, and holding something in her hand. Her emaciated body seemed to be nothing but bones.

Zhang Chenze frowned slightly, took off his own suit jacket, and walked over to drape it over her.

She turned her head to look at the several men, her face slightly angry, "What exactly did you big men do in the room? Where are this girl's clothes?"

Qiao Jiajin shook his head helplessly, "It's hard to explain in a short time. I advise you not to bother with her."

"You're really kind," the female clerk looked straight at the clothes draped over her, then glanced at Zhang Chenze, "Too bad you're not a man, otherwise, I would definitely sleep with you."

"Sleep with me?" Zhang Chenze was startled by the girl's words, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Since I can't sleep, then I'll give this to you to eat..." She spread out her dirty hands, holding a cooked baby's arm that had already softened.