"They say there's only a fine line between madness and genius. I didn't believe it at first… but now I do. No ordinary person could pull something like this off." Jiang Hai rested his chin on his hand, shaking his head helplessly. The video footage on the screen was straightforward but horrifying: the mentally ill had taken down the security guards, the doctors, the nurses, and the guards outside.
Afterward, they impersonated their victims. For some reason, although they had broken in, they didn't leave—they stayed, as if they truly were the guards.
Jiang Hai found it impossible to comprehend their mindset; perhaps it was some subconscious belief driving them.
"Never mind… I'll find the archives in the basement first. The sooner I find Bruce David, the sooner I can leave this hellhole. I'll leave the rest to the police." He rubbed his neck, muttering to himself, then switched the footage to the basement cameras to plan his route.
He quickly located a way down but realized the situation was tricky. The emergency exits only connected the first to third floors. The basement, where the archives were stored, had no direct emergency exit. Only two options remained: the outside passageway or the elevator. The outside path was too far and unknown; the elevator was the only viable choice—but taking it would signal his descent to anyone watching.
As he contemplated, his eyes caught the electrical substation in the distance. A man in a security guard uniform entered, noticing the moving camera. He gave Jiang Hai a wicked smile, then flipped the main power switch.
Instantly, all screens in front of Jiang Hai went black. Before the feed cut, he memorized the man's face—if he wasn't mistaken, this was the mastermind behind the chaos.
"Who the hell!" Jiang Hai cursed under his breath.
Now the entire facility was plunged into darkness. Only a few emergency lights cast an eerie green glow, amplifying the mental hospital's already terrifying atmosphere. Jiang Hai knew the elevators required electricity—his previous plan was now useless.
As if on cue, the patients on the second floor went berserk, including the two who had guided him earlier. They ran wild, screaming, "TV! TV! TV!" Jiang Hai rubbed his forehead. Escaping this place would be a fight.
Suddenly, the door to the video room burst open. A massive man charged in like a madman. In the dim light, Jiang Hai could make out his towering frame—roughly 2.1 meters tall, once muscular but now mostly fat, tearing at his uniform. His mouth was sewn shut, muffling his noises.
The man lunged at Jiang Hai with a flying tackle.
Fortunately, Jiang Hai was no ordinary man. With a precise high kick to the chin, he sent the intruder flying back toward the ceiling, crashing into a distant metal door with a deafening clang. The door dented but held.
The commotion drew the attention of the frenzied patients, who now surged toward the monitoring room. Jiang Hai shook his head—he couldn't fight them all. Killing everyone would only bring more trouble. He had to hide.
Then he spotted the ventilation shaft above. Movie scenes flashed through his mind. Grabbing a nearby stool, he jumped, landed on the vent, and squeezed inside. It was far smaller than the movie versions he remembered—he could barely lie flat—but it was his only option.
Below, the patients continued their frenzy. They didn't care whose side he was on—they just wanted to vent their rage. The incapacitated fat guard regained consciousness amidst the chaos and forced his way past the lunatics, fleeing.
With the sounds fading, Jiang Hai exhaled and carefully dropped from the vent. He had intended to leave immediately, but the surveillance footage disc was evidence he couldn't abandon. Pocketing it, he moved toward the elevator—the only route to the basement.
The power outage wasn't entirely bad. With his strength, he could climb the elevator shaft—but only if the elevator was at the right level. Fortunately, it had stopped at the bottom. Using a folding stool and a metal pipe, Jiang Hai pried open the doors, slipped inside, grabbed the cables, and slowly descended to the basement.
Once at the bottom, he pried open the elevator cover and lowered himself down with the iron bar, landing quietly.
Then, a voice rang out.
"Phew! Great! You're here to save me? It's so hot in here!"
Jiang Hai turned. A blonde woman stood at the other end of the elevator shaft. Sweat glistened on her skin, and she was nearly naked, wearing only her underwear. Despite the circumstances, she smiled at him, wiping sweat from her face, unbothered by her exposure. Jiang Hai recognized her immediately—the receptionist from earlier.
But why was she here? Had she known he would come through the elevator? Was this an ambush? A chill ran down his spine. Had he fallen into a trap?