Chapter 11: The Asylum Pantomime: 10

Chong Jiu walked toward them and, as he passed Nan Lin, dropped something that glinted.

A crisp clatter followed as it hit the floor.

In the way, Ruan Yu thought.

Before he could act, Nan Lin had already bent down to pick up the brass key and slipped it into his pocket as casually as if nothing had happened.

“Brother?”

“Mm.”

There were too many eyes in the cafeteria. Besides, Nan Lin’s instinct told him the key was nothing good.

Across the room, Lin Yi appeared to be searching for something, glancing up every so often until his gaze met Nan Lin’s.

“You…” Lin Yi began.

Nan Lin looked at him with puzzlement. You want to fight?

Lin Yi fell silent.

Why do I always understand what he’s trying to say?

Nan Lin still said nothing, but his brow furrowed. Is he provoking me? Forget it. Hit him first, sort it out later!

“Wait! No, hold on, don’t start swinging. Look at the book that guy is holding!”

Following Lin Yi’s pointing finger, Nan Lin spotted the patient who had lent them 《I Learned to Slay Gods in the Madhouse》 yesterday. Today, a different book sat at his elbow.

I Learned to Slay People at the Asylum.

A sequel series?

Only then did Zou Zhiming poke his head around belatedly. “Who’s fighting?”

Nan Lin lowered his head slightly. He still hadn’t spoken a single word, sweeping the room with a subtle glance before silently drifting over.

The patient stared blankly for several seconds before reacting. He tilted his head toward Nan Lin. “You’re here again?”

Nan Lin said, “Just chatting.”

The patient shook his head. “No.”

“Why?”

“Are you here to borrow another book?”

How does this guy know that?

Before Nan Lin could say anything else, the man began muttering: “After breakfast is reading time. If you want to read, go find one yourself.”

“Reading time?” Nan Lin echoed.

“Yeah,” the patient said, pushing his tray inward. “You have to read for a whole two hours. Some people go in and never come back out…”

Never come back out?

Nan Lin had been about to ask more, but the man suddenly stood up and carried his tray toward the serving counter.

“So hungry, so hungry, so hungry… getting hungrier and hungrier…”

He walked away, then stopped a few yards off and turned around. On that weathered, plain face appeared an expression utterly at odds with his age.

He said, “Thank you for the candy. It was very sweet.”

“But there are too many pills to swallow every day.”

Nan Lin folded his arms and watched the man walk away with a book tucked under his arm, lost in thought.

This one… doesn’t seem completely gone?

8:28.

Two minutes left before breakfast ended.

But suddenly, the cafeteria erupted into chaos. Sensing something was wrong, Qiu Xinxin shouted, “Move! Now!”

Her words had barely left her mouth when the crowd surged forward, scattering their group.

Among the crush of identical hospital gowns, Nan Lin became the focal point of the mindless stampede.

He watched Qiu Xinxin and the others get shoved toward the exit while he was steadily pushed backward.

Even so, not a trace of panic flickered in Nan Lin’s eyes. Just as he prepared to force his way out, a familiar hand with well-defined knuckles seized his wrist.

“Brother, hold tight.”

Ruan Yu’s voice came from beyond the wall of bodies.

Even though Nan Lin’s vision was blocked, his mind somehow conjured that smiling face.

Almost against his will, he gripped the hand back and used the leverage to break through the barrier of people.

“Go.” Ruan Yu didn’t let go. He held on even tighter.

Nan Lin had no time to refuse. His lips pressed into a thin line. When Ruan Yu glanced back, those startlingly bright eyes crashed into his field of vision without warning.

Against the current, they burst through the doors just before time ran out.

Morning sunlight spilled over them, but it brought no warmth whatsoever.

At the cafeteria entrance, Nan Lin suddenly turned, his gaze cold and sharp.

Song De was missing. The cafeteria lights had already gone dark.

Zou Zhiming wiped the sweat from his face and explained, “It was too chaotic. He broke free from me and ran off on his own.”

“Song De’s probably already lost his mind. Or rather, his sanity has likely dropped below 10 by now. We need to be careful if we run into him again.” Qiu Xinxin checked her personal panel once more and said.

Lin Yi shrugged, noncommittal, a lazy disinterest written across his face. But when he spotted Ruan Yu and Nan Lin’s tightly clasped hands, a flicker of mischief crossed his eyes.

As if sensing the look, Nan Lin released his grip without a word.

Ruan Yu followed suit, letting go with matching obedience. A perfectly harmless smile settled on his lips.

But when Nan Lin saw Ruan Yu’s lowered hand, he noticed the back of it had gone red. He stiffened, averting his face with a twinge of guilt.

Nan Lin knew he had some degree of sensory impairment and often couldn’t control his own strength.

But he rarely mentioned it to anyone, and he rarely touched people.

The group fell into their own silent thoughts until Qiu Xinxin spoke again.

“Next is reading time? Two hours?” She had clearly overheard the patient’s conversation with Nan Lin.

Nan Lin nodded and began recalling the asylum’s layout.

The reading room… seemed to be on the first floor of the right-side building, close to the pond. He had passed through it once when Teresa was chasing him.

“I remember it’s in the right-side building,” Lin Yi drawled before Nan Lin could speak. He offered no explanation, radiating an air of supreme arrogance that said take it or leave it.

Qiu Xinxin frowned in thought but didn’t press further. She simply turned to look at Nan Lin in silence.

Only when Nan Lin gave an almost imperceptible nod did the tension ease from her shoulders.

This person called Lin Yi was far too brash and far too unpredictable. Qiu Xinxin did not dare trust him.

“Then let’s go,” she said.

On the way to the reading room, Lin Yi walked ahead on his own. Zou Zhiming trailed silently behind Qiu Xinxin. Ruan Yu walked side by side with Nan Lin at the rear.

In the quiet, Nan Lin suddenly spoke. He turned to Ruan Yu with an earnest expression. “Have we met before?”

Ruan Yu’s eyes curved into crescents, his smile radiant. “I don’t think so.”

Nan Lin wasn’t entirely convinced, yet he truly had no memories of this person.

For the first time, a troubled look crossed his normally indifferent eyes. Could it be someone who looks just like Ruan Yu? I saw them before and got confused?

Ruan Yu noticed and leaned in to ask, “Brother, did you mix someone up?”

Nan Lin went slightly rigid at having his thoughts exposed. He stiffened his neck and feigned composure. “My memory is excellent.”

Hearing this, Ruan Yu simply smiled and agreed. “Mm, of course.”

By the time their conversation ended, they had arrived at the reading room.

Perhaps due to its proximity to the pond, a faint aquatic stench always hung in the air here. Stand close enough to the open windows and you could see the stagnant pool of water behind the cafeteria, even smell the peculiar odor of a frog breeding ground.

Nan Lin swept his gaze across the dozens of bookshelves inside the reading room before settling on the old man sitting near the entrance.

He walked over. The old man heard his footsteps, cracked open an eyelid, and pointed behind him. “No fighting. No tearing books.”

Nan Lin nodded. Before he could ask anything, the old man suddenly sat up straight and said, “Hold on. Are you all newcomers?”

“Newcomers?”

The question came out of nowhere. Nan Lin looked the old man straight in the eye and asked in a low voice.

The white-haired man nodded and pointed at their wrists. “Your hands are clean and bare. But the earlier patients here all wore their wristband codes. I’ve seen plenty come and go.”

Nan Lin rubbed his own wrist, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.

“New patients must answer one question before I assign you to a reading section. Remember, you may not leave your assigned section without permission.”

The hoarse voice came again. In the very next moment, the old man produced pen and paper and sat bolt upright, staring at them.

He began: “Name?”

Qiu Xinxin answered first. “Qiu Xinxin.”

The old man adjusted his glasses and shook his head. “Go study your phonics. Thirteenth shelf on the right.”

Qiu Xinxin said nothing.

Despite the absurdity, she turned and walked toward that shelf.

“Next.” He waved a hand and continued.

This time it was Lin Yi who stepped up.

“Gender.”

“Male.” Lin Yi answered without a flicker of hesitation.

The old man studied him again, a sly glint surfacing in the depths of his eyes. He smiled. “It seems your self-awareness is rather lacking. Go learn your picture books. First shelf on the left.”

Lin Yi glanced down at himself. Oh, how noble of you. Truly impressive.

“Next.”

Same flat tone. This time, Ruan Yu stood before him wearing a smile.

“Do you have any faith?”

At this question, Ruan Yu went silent for a few seconds, then answered with absolute certainty. “Yes.”

The old man didn’t press further. He just gave Ruan Yu an odd look and said, “In this asylum, one stroll is enough to learn that faith proves nothing. It’s the most useless thing there is.”

To this, Ruan Yu merely smiled. He squinted toward the pond outside the window, that faint wildness in him carrying an indescribable weight, all of it dissolving into the slight upward tilt at the corners of his eyes.

He did not argue with the old man.

“Go read about the savior. Fourth shelf on the right.”

“Next.”

Nan Lin stepped forward and stood across from the old man behind a wide, aged wooden desk, waiting for the question.

“Do you… have any wish you particularly want fulfilled?”

Nan Lin considered for a moment. “Escape this asylum?”

“Why do you want to escape?”

The old man fired back at rapid speed.

Nan Lin folded his arms and stood unmoving, staring the old man down. “That’s the second question.”

The old man bristled, glaring at him.

Nan Lin met the glare with perfectly righteous composure.

At the very back, Zou Zhiming thought: So this is how the legends roll?!

A sudden epiphany struck Zou Zhiming.

In the end, Nan Lin was assigned to the history section on the fourth shelf on the right.

But as he walked away, he turned and looked back. The old man’s sleeve had ridden up from the exaggerated motion of his earlier gestures, revealing a faded, worn wristband on his wrist.