I Run Away with the Earth to Save the World [Unlimited Flow] - Chapter 140

Yun Shuanghua was silent for a moment before asking, “What should I say?”

Jing Qizhen gave a concise answer, “Tell them there’s been a fatal accident at the hospital.”

Yun Shuanghua turned to look at him. Although he didn’t say anything, the question marks above his head were practically visible.

Jing Qizhen continued, “Just tell the truth. A schizophrenic patient is having paranoid delusions, treating all doctors and nurses as enemies. And the floor of the inpatient building is covered in blood. The doctors and nurses are all terrified.”

Thinking of the scattered chicken blood meant for exorcism across the inpatient building, Yun Shuanghua fell into deeper silence.

As a voice came through the receiver, asking for details, Jing Qizhen unceremoniously shoved the phone into Yun Shuanghua’s hand.

Then, in a low voice beside him, Jing Qizhen added, “Also mention that higher authorities have arrived, and for operational reasons, most people have been evacuated. Most doctors and nurses are on leave and only psychiatric staff remain.”

The dispatcher on the other end, hearing no response, grew increasingly anxious.

Yun Shuanghua had no choice but to push through and, following Jing Qizhen’s script, began improvising, “Hello? This is Binhai City’s Second Municipal Hospital. There may have been a fatal accident here!”

Hospitals are large public spaces with heavy foot traffic. Any safety issue could spark a public emergency.

The dispatcher took the report seriously and began asking for more specific information.

Fortunately, Yun Shuanghua was quick-witted. With the framework Jing Qizhen gave him, he added extra details, even emphasizing that the entire incident had been triggered by a psychiatric patient.

Jing Qizhen quietly reminded from the side, “Schizophrenia, the persecution delusion type. The patient is extremely fearful and hostile toward doctors and nurses. Right now, the medical staff are all in significant danger, so the Health Bureau has ordered them to evacuate first. We’re requesting backup from the police.”

Once the dispatcher confirmed the situation, they quickly escalated the report. The staff member on the line patiently tried to calm Yun Shuanghua, urging him to find a quiet place to hide and assuring him the police would arrive soon.

After hanging up, Yun Shuanghua wore an indescribably strange expression.

Jing Qizhen, however, remained calm. “Let’s go.” Looping around the back of the cafeteria, Jing Qizhen briefly updated the rest of the group on the situation.

Jin Guijuan immediately said, “So the police will be here soon? Should we—”

Jing Qizhen replied confidently, “When the police ask questions, we stick to the story that we’re staff from a related agency. Have your ID cards ready. If they dig further, just say we’re temps.”

Everyone: “……” That excuse is absurdly watertight.

Yun Shuanghua clearly picked up on something from the group’s expressions. He blinked with interest but didn’t say anything outright.

Jing Qizhen looked over at him. “What?”

Yun Shuanghua asked, “Did I say something wrong just now?”

Jing Qizhen didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked, “What’s your identity in this erosion area?”

Yun Shuanghua blinked. “My identity?”

Hearing this, the others also caught on.

In this erosion area, the other doctors and nurses clearly recognized Yun Shuanghua, and per the script seemingly created by the erosion core (the schizophrenic patient), he had been assigned a role of someone ‘who couldn’t possibly be infected.’

Manman analyzed, “The survivors and the medical staff are on opposing sides. According to what that nurse said, Yun Shuanghua shouldn’t be infected. So in the eyes of the doctors and nurses, he’s likely someone important on their side. I’d guess a specialist researching the infection?”

Jing Qizhen added, “But at the same time, Yun Shuanghua is already ‘infected.’ Meaning, he’s also one of the survivors.”

Yun Shuanghua laughed lightly. “It sounds like I’ve got a really flexible role!”

Jing Qizhen nodded firmly. “Exactly.”

The March Hare clearly wasn’t as lucky. When the survivors saw the giant rabbit, they immediately screamed, “The monster is appearing in broad daylight!”

The panic caused them to scatter chaotically and the March Hare, just as terrified, frantically dug rabbit holes to hide. As for the doctors and nurses, they were just as frightened by the giant rabbit, fleeing in a frenzy. Some even ended up stuck in ceiling panels or caught on door frames.

Thinking about this, Jing Qizhen developed a new theory.

In the previous erosion area, Yun Shuanghua had also been assigned a low-profile but clearly advantageous role. In the fairy tale of the prince and the princess, the princess endured many trials, while the prince had little presence but ended up safely marrying her at the end… It seemed like every time, Yun Shuanghua was given a role with high safety and naturally integrated into the erosion area’s world.

Jing Qizhen and the others, by contrast, were clearly outsiders. Their identities were fabricated and clumsily inserted into the scenario.

However, Yun Shuanghua blended in from the beginning. In each different story, his identity felt seamless.

Then again, that made sense.

Yun Shuanghua and the March Hare felt more like native beings within the erosion areas. Their resonance with the erosion area was strong and frankly, they might as well have always lived there. Naturally, nothing felt out of place for them.

Jing Qizhen and his group were true outsiders. The only reason they weren’t immediately expelled as a foreign virus was because they managed to establish minimal resonance with the erosion area…

That even reminded Jing Qizhen of the Filipino maid still in Massachusetts.

Her identity back in the last erosion area had also been peculiar. It remained unclear whether it was her personal nature or just a coincidence based on the last erosion area’s structure… If Tang Song successfully managed to bring her in next time, maybe they’d get a chance to verify it.

While they waited for the police to arrive, the group instinctively pulled out their phones and started checking the footage from each hidden pinhole camera.

Wilcox shook his head while reviewing the feeds. “It’s unnaturally quiet here.”

Yun Shuanghua didn’t have access to the wireless communication system, but without hesitation, he leaned over to Jing Qizhen to view the footage on his screen.

As Jing flipped through one empty camera feed after another, Yun Shuanghua blinked and asked, “Are you looking for the survivors? I think they came out of the morgue earlier.”

Jing Qizhen turned to look at him. “I was thinking of installing a few more cameras…” Then he changed the subject and asked, “When you went out to buy groceries, was everything normal?”

Yun Shuanghua hesitated slightly. He wasn’t quite sure what Jing Qizhen meant by normal. After all, from Yun Shuanghua’s perspective, everything had seemed fairly normal… Still, after a brief moment of thought, trying to align with Jing Qizhen’s expectations, he nodded and replied firmly, “Yes.”

Jing Qizhen considered this. They’d already called the police, but the officers hadn’t arrived yet, and just sitting there felt like a waste.

Since there were more normal people outside, maybe it was time to make the currently empty hospital a little more lively? With that thought, a spark lit in Jing Qizhen’s eyes. He looked at Yun Shuanghua and said, “Help me make another call.”

Yun Shuanghua didn’t think too much about it and agreed right away. “Sure.”

The others hadn’t even processed what was happening yet. Watching Jing Qizhen stand up, Si Jiayang asked instinctively, “Who else are you calling?”

Jing Qizhen blinked. “The reporters. Or the local Binhai City newspaper.”

Everyone else: “…???”

None of Jing Qizhen’s teammates could immediately understand where he was going with this, let alone Yun Shuanghua, who was completely baffled.

As he dragged Yun Shuanghua toward the cafeteria’s landline, Jing Qizhen glanced back with a casual smile and added, “The hospital’s way too quiet. It’s time to liven things up.”

Yun Shuanghua, already moving on autopilot, reached the fixed phone in the cafeteria and picked up the receiver. Pausing, he asked, “What’s the number?”

Jing Qizhen replied innocently, “I don’t know either.”

Yun Shuanghua looked at him. “Then what now?”

By then, Jing Qizhen had come up beside him. Without missing a beat, he dialed 114, the local directory assistance, and then said, “Ask them for the contact info for the local press.”

Yun Shuanghua quietly memorized the number and followed instructions. Following Jing Qizhen’s prompts, he got connected to a reporter and informed them that something big was happening at Binhai City’s Second Municipal Hospital. After hanging up, Yun Shuanghua looked conflicted. He couldn’t help asking, “What’s the point of that?”

Jing Qizhen replied, “The survivor fears the doctors and nurses but even more than that, he’s terrified of the outside world. Otherwise, he’d have left the hospital already.”

Since the hospital was clearly a kind of psychological refuge for the schizophrenic survivor and since they couldn’t treat him too harshly, Jing Qizhen decided that if they couldn’t shake the person, they’d shake the place.

If the hospital started to look like the outside world, maybe the survivor would choose the lesser evil, realize even his safe haven wasn’t safe anymore, and come to his senses out of desperation.

Surprisingly, of the two calls made, the reporters arrived before the police.

Manman glanced at the time, raising her brows slightly. “It’s been almost an hour. Normally, the police would never take this long.”

Jing Qizhen thought about it and guessed, “This erosion area is based on the survivor’s mental state. He believes in the police but doesn’t trust that they can save him. So them being late kind of makes sense.”

The hospital was eerily empty, so the reporters stormed in like they owned the place. The idea of an abandoned municipal hospital in broad daylight was surreal, definitely juicy material. The once-cold and desolate space suddenly buzzed with noise.

Jing Qizhen stood and quietly closed the cafeteria door. “They probably won’t come in here.” Then another thought struck him. He turned to Lu Lingxi and asked, “We have explosives, right?”

Lu Lingxi nodded confidently. “Yes. Components only, not yet mixed.”

Jing Qizhen pulled out the hospital’s floor plan and explained, “Let’s find a safe spot and plant the explosives in the rabbit hole.”