Chapter 2: Wound Debridement

Click… click… click…

The measured click of leather shoes echoed down the corridor, growing louder as the footsteps neared Room 304.

Lin Yan’s expression shifted. He immediately glanced at the countdown on his wrist—71:30:12. There was still plenty of time before the first ward round at nine.

So this wasn’t a ward round.

Has that doctor returned? Or is it someone else?

The footsteps stopped outside the door.

Creak.

The door slowly swung open.

A tall figure in a white lab coat stood in the doorway. A surgical mask concealed most of his face, leaving only a pair of dull, lifeless eyes exposed. What caught Lin Yan’s attention most, however, was the stethoscope hanging around the doctor’s neck. Its rubber tubing was an ordinary flesh tone.

It wasn’t red.

Some of the tension eased from Lin Yan’s chest, but he didn’t let his guard down. He quickly rehung the picture frame exactly where he’d found it, then backed toward the bed, putting on the dazed expression of someone who had just woken up.

“Bed 304. Lin Yan.” The doctor’s voice rasped like fingernails scraping across a chalkboard. “Your chart says you need wound debridement ¹ Wound debridement is the removal of dead or damaged tissue from a wound. .”

He raised a pair of surgical scissors. The blades were rusted, mottled with black stains.

“Come with me to the treatment room.”

Treatment room?

Every nerve in Lin Yan’s body went taut. The rules said patients had to obey the doctors’ orders, but they said nothing about whether the treatment itself was safe. Judging by the doctor’s appearance, whatever awaited him wouldn’t be anything close to normal medical treatment.

But refusing outright wasn’t an option.

The face outside the door moments ago had already made the consequences of breaking the rules painfully clear.

He needed to buy some time, or better yet, create an “accident.”

His gaze swept over the doctor from head to toe before settling on the fountain pen tucked into the breast pocket of his lab coat.

It looked old-fashioned, its polished metal cap catching the dim light with a cold gleam.

A plan took shape almost instantly.

“Of course, Doctor.” Lin Yan lowered his head, letting just the right amount of weakness and submission seep into his voice. “I’ll come with you.”

He shuffled toward the door with unsteady steps, every bit the picture of a seriously ill patient. As he drew alongside the doctor, his left foot seemed to catch on something. He stumbled forward, lurching into him.

“Watch it.”

The doctor instinctively reached out to steady him, impatience creeping into his voice.

It’s now or never!

The instant the doctor caught him, Lin Yan’s right hand darted out, his fingertips grazing the pocket of the doctor’s white coat. The touch was as light as a feather, so subtle the doctor never noticed a thing.

“I’m sorry, Doctor. I got a little lightheaded.” Lin Yan steadied himself and apologized, lowering his right hand discreetly to his side.

The fountain pen now lay concealed between his fingers.

“Move it. Don’t waste any more time.” The doctor frowned, then turned and headed down the corridor without another glance.

Lin Yan followed close behind, his heart still hammering against his ribs. Despite the adrenaline coursing through him, his gaze remained unnervingly steady. As he walked, he nudged the fountain pen’s cap loose with his thumb, studying the pen’s construction with his fingertips.

An old-fashioned fountain pen with a simple design. A metal nib, a plastic barrel, and an ink cartridge inside.

He just needed a little more time and a few more materials.

The corridor stretched on, seemingly without end. Closed hospital room doors lined both sides, their faded room numbers barely legible. The flickering overhead lights cast their shadows across the floor, stretching and shrinking them into twisted, grotesque shapes.

The sharp sting of formaldehyde grew stronger with every step.

“Doctor.” Lin Yan’s voice was barely above a whisper, yet in the deathly silent corridor, every word rang out with startling clarity. “How serious… is my condition?”

The doctor slowed for a brief moment without looking back. When he finally spoke, his raspy voice carried through the silent corridor. “As long as you cooperate with your treatment, you’ll be fine.”

A beat of silence followed. “Anyone who doesn’t… becomes material.”

Materials? A chill ran down Lin Yan’s spine.

Just then, frantic footsteps rang out from around the corner, followed by a woman’s terrified scream.

“Help! Stay away from me! Please, let me go!”

The doctor came to an abrupt stop. His lifeless eyes turned toward the corner as a cruel smile crept across his face. “Looks like another patient is due for some special treatment.”

He quickened his pace, almost as though he couldn’t wait to get there.

Now’s my chance!

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Yan sprang into action.

He gripped the pen in his left hand while his right moved with practiced precision. Without proper tools, he relied on nothing but his fingernails and deft technique.

A nearly inaudible snap broke the silence as he wrenched the metal nib off the pen. Its jagged edge caught the dim light, flashing with a cold gleam.

Next, he tore a short decorative metal chain from his jacket and used the notch in his utility knife to cut off a length of fishing line. His hands blurred with speed, his fingers moving with the effortless precision of a master craftsman.

He tied the broken pen nib to one end of the fishing line and fastened the metal chain to the other, creating a crude pendulum. Then he tightly wrapped the bloodstained bandage infused with resentment around the base of the nib, securing it in place with a dab of beeswax.

The entire process took no more than a dozen seconds.

As soon as he wrapped his hand around the crude little object pulsing with an ominous aura, a familiar notification rang through his mind.

[Ding! A strong crafting intent and compatible materials have been detected. Awakening Talent…]

[Talent awakened!]

[Congratulations, Player Lin Yan! You have awakened the S-Rank Talent: Omnicrafting!]

[Omnicrafting

Effect: You can perceive the true nature of objects, dismantle them, reassemble them, imbue them with supernatural properties, and create entirely new items. The success rate and strength of your creations depend on your mental energy, the quality of your materials, and the soundness of your design.]

[Item crafted!]

[You have created a Crude item: Malevolent Eye of Insight (Single Use)!]

[Malevolent Eye of Insight (Single Use)

Quality: Crude

Effect: Throw the item to reveal the true form of everything within a 5-meter radius and mark one resentful entity for 10 sec

Description: Forged with the finger bone of the dead as its core and resentment as its thread, you have crafted an eye that opens only for a fleeting moment. It reveals the truth hidden behind the veil, but its gaze may also draw unwanted eyes toward you.]

It worked!

A flicker of excitement flashed across Lin Yan’s eyes. It was only a crude, single-use item, but it confirmed his theory. In this twisted world, his craftsmanship was his greatest weapon.

By then, the doctor had already reached the corner.

A wet, sickening chewing sound echoed from around the corner, followed by the woman’s scream. It ended almost as soon as it began.

The doctor clicked his tongue in disappointment before turning back to Lin Yan. “Looks like I won’t have to do it myself after all. Come on, Bed 304. You’re next.”

He advanced toward Lin Yan once more, the surgical scissors in his hand dripping with thick, viscous fluid.

Lin Yan tightened his grip on the Eye of Insight, his gaze sharpening.

If there were no escaping this… he’d strike first.

His eyes settled on the flesh-colored stethoscope hanging around the doctor’s neck, and a cold smile tugged at his lips.

“Doctor, your stethoscope… looks a little dirty.”