The Red Pill

The cafeteria of Kangning Hospital was filled with patients in blue-and-white striped uniforms eating their lunch. Li Huowang was among them, but he wasn’t eating.

Didn’t Yi Donglai already communicate with this junior brother? Did I get something wrong? Staring at the single serving of meat and vegetables on his tray, Li Huowang had no appetite at all. His mind was entirely occupied with what Wu Cheng had just said.

If he hadn’t heard it so clearly, he would have thought he’d misheard.

Eat first. Afterward, see what he wants. He pushed the vegetables into the rice, mixed it together, and shoveled the food into his mouth in big, slurping gulps.

Lunch was over quickly. Li Huowang returned to his ward alone, sat down on the stool, and waited for Wu Cheng to arrive.

He decided to see first what Wu Cheng was actually planning. If things went wrong, he could call Yi Donglai to confirm.

The waiting time was longer than Li Huowang had expected. It wasn’t until 2:30 in the afternoon that the door finally opened.

“Sorry about that. Just got out of a meeting—took a bit longer than I thought.” Wu Cheng smoothed back his slightly disheveled hair with an apologetic expression, carrying a tablet as he entered.

“No problem. Should we start now? What do you need me to do?”

“Don’t be nervous. You don’t need to do anything. Just a simple talk therapy session.” Wu Cheng gestured for Li Huowang to lie down on the bed, then sat on the stool beside it.

Li Huowang complied. The moment he had just calmed his emotions, Wu Cheng’s next words made his scalp tighten, and his right hand instinctively grasped the hilt of the spine-sword. “Have you been missing that world lately?”

“No.”

Wu Cheng nodded at Li Huowang’s reply and tapped his finger on the tablet. “Good. Now, close your eyes. Relax as much as you can.”

“Good… very good. Now, recall everything from your hallucinations. Recall every detail—every real, vivid moment from that world.”

“…”

“Now, forget everything about the modern world. You can no longer feel anything here. You have returned to that world. You are back inside Shangjing City.”

A trace of struggle began to appear on Li Huowang’s face. His hands clenched. He felt his entire body start to hum, as if it were about to split apart.

“Now, open your eyes. You have fully returned to that world. Your fellow disciples are gathered around you.”

Li Huowang’s eyes snapped open. The spine-sword in his hand slashed fiercely at the man in front of him. “What the hell are you trying to do?!”

Wu Cheng was clearly startled by the sudden rise in Li Huowang’s voice. He carefully reached out and pushed down the finger that had been thrust toward his face. “Li Huowang, you can’t be like this. You won’t pass the evaluation this way.”

“Wu Cheng, what is your angle?! Why are you going against Yi Donglai?” Li Huowang threw off the blanket and stood up directly, glaring at him.

“Because I need to confirm whether your illness is truly cured. If your previous symptoms can be so easily re-induced, then it proves your illness hasn’t fully recovered.” Wu Cheng said this very naturally.

“I am already cured! I don’t need any more treatment! I’m normal now! My behavior is completely normal!”

Wu Cheng looked at Li Huowang with some regret. “Li Huowang, your tone just went up again. This test was discussed with Senior Brother Yi.”

Growing agitated, Li Huowang clenched his teeth. “Give me your phone. I need to call Yi Donglai!”

“Sorry, I can’t do that right now. Hospital rules state that apart from one weekly call with immediate family, patients cannot contact anyone outside. That’s the rule.”

Li Huowang stared at him as if he were a stranger. It felt like the easygoing Wu Cheng he had talked to this morning was a completely different person.

“Yi Donglai! Your senior brother! My previous attending physician! I can’t even call him?!”

“I’m sorry, but I’m a man with principles. Rules are rules. Please sit down. Let’s continue. Don’t worry—this is for your own good.”

“No! I refuse!” Li Huowang’s answer was absolute. “I’m healed! This kind of test will only make things worse!”

“Unless you let me talk to Yi Donglai! Tell him to tell me himself that this test is necessary! Otherwise, I won’t cooperate with your treatment!”

Wu Cheng shook his head with a disappointed expression. “If you refuse treatment, I’m afraid your discharge date will have to be postponed indefinitely.”

With that, Wu Cheng picked up his tablet and left, leaving Li Huowang alone in the ward.

Li Huowang paced the room with a grim expression, his lips tightly pressed together. The more he thought about it, the more wrong Wu Cheng seemed.

We had an agreement. Now he suddenly changes his tune? There’s definitely something fishy going on!

Unless… unless—yes! The monk was right! Wu Cheng might be in cahoots with Wang Wei! Li Huowang’s gaze hardened.

In that instant, Li Huowang felt the sensation of being targeted by a predator. Wang Wei hadn’t been acting alone! There was someone else behind him!

What do I do now? That was the question Li Huowang needed to consider. A glint of murderous intent flickered involuntarily in his eyes.

No… I can’t do that. If I kill again, I really will be locked up in a mental hospital for life.

Lost in thought, Li Huowang stared intently at the surveillance camera in the corner of the room.

Before he knew it, it was time for dinner. The moment Li Huowang sat down, he immediately sensed something was wrong. Most of the orderlies in the cafeteria were staring at him, their eyes filled with wariness.

Just then, the young man with the crew cut who suffered from bipolar disorder spotted Li Huowang alone. Carrying his tray, he approached with clear curiosity on his face.

But before he could get close, an orderly stepped forward and pulled him away, apparently to discuss something.

Seeing this, Li Huowang understood immediately. My security level has been raised. That was not good news.

Half an hour after dinner, it was time for Li Huowang’s medication.

But what chilled him to the bone was that among the pills he was given, there was a red capsule he had never taken before.

Holding the medication, Li Huowang looked out the window at everything outside. In a single moment, this clean, bright new environment had turned hostile.

With his back to the camera, Li Huowang shoved the entire handful of pills into his mouth. He picked up his water cup and tilted his head back, gulping it down.

But between his fingers, he had hidden away the new pills. Using the excuse of going to the bathroom, he threw them into the toilet and flushed them down.

Li Huowang lay on his bed, slowly closing his eyes, silently calculating and pondering how to break this deadlock.

This can’t go on. In here, Wu Cheng is the doctor, and I’m the patient. It’s far too easy for him to make things difficult for me.

“BANG!” The ward door was shoved open. Six burly orderlies charged in. “Get the hell up! Why did you throw away the medicine! Take your pills!”