Chapter 4 The White-Coated Doctor’s Double Rule

The faint rustle of fabric drifted down the dim hospital corridor.
A tall figure stood beneath the flickering fluorescent lamp at the far end. The pure white lab coat hung loose over his frame, his face hidden deep in shadow, only a pair of still, empty eyes glinting faintly.
The mechanical system prompt echoed inside every survivor’s head.
【Rule 3: Do not speak to the white-coated doctor. Anyone who initiates conversation will be dragged into the treatment room and never return.】
A survivor behind Chen Yu gasped, grabbing his arm in panic.
“Don’t go near him! The rule says we can’t talk!”
Lin Wan’s voice trembled, but she kept her eyes fixed on the doctor. “All the previous rules were twisted. What if this one is real?”
Chen Yu’s talent was already scanning the figure, lines of translucent text floating before his eyes.
【Detected entity: White-Coated Doctor, rule enforcer.】
【Public rule: Do not speak to the doctor.】
【Hidden true rule: Silence lasting more than ten seconds after meeting the doctor will trigger his hunting state.】
【Bug prompt: Speak to him within 10 seconds to unlock the medicine clue.】
Chen Yu raised his hand to calm the group.
“The rule only tells half the story. If we stay quiet, we die.”
Zhang Hao clenched his fist, gripping a broken metal pipe he’d picked up from the floor. “You’re risking all of us.”
“I know.” Chen Yu took one slow step forward. His gaze never left the white-coated doctor. “But staying still is suicide.”
The doctor’s head tilted slightly. The clock in Chen Yu’s mind began to count down. Ten seconds, ticking away in the cold silence.
7…6…5…
Chen Yu opened his mouth, his voice clear in the quiet corridor.
“What medicine can suppress the curse erosion?”
The instant his words landed, the doctor’s rigid body relaxed a little. The shadow covering his face lifted slightly, revealing pale, hollow cheeks. He did not attack.
【Timer cancelled. Hidden condition satisfied.】
【Clue unlocked: Antidote stored in the pharmacy on the second floor. The medicine cabinet is locked by a rule seal. Beware the pharmacy’s attached rule trap.】
The survivors stared in shock. They had expected instant death, yet nothing happened.
The doctor’s hoarse voice rumbled out, low and hollow.
“Only one warning. The pharmacy has its own set of rules. Read them carefully. A single misread will poison you, faster than any curse.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the white-coated doctor’s form faded little by little, melting into the dim hospital light.
The moment he vanished, a new system alert exploded in their minds.
【Warning: Rule trap activated. The dungeon has altered part of the clue.】
【Bug detected: The pharmacy rules are not written on paper. They are written on the bodies of the dead patients inside.】
Lin Wan’s face paled. “On corpses? That’s sick.”
Chen Yu nodded, his expression grave. “The dungeon keeps changing the game. It gave us the antidote clue, but stacked another trap on top.”
Zhang Hao frowned. “So we need to go to the second-floor pharmacy? Get that antidote to slow the curse?”
“Exactly.” Chen Yu glanced at the survivors. Some of them already had black creeping veins snaking up their wrists, the curse spreading. “The curse is eating away at your bodies. We don’t have much time.”
A young man in the group suddenly backed away, shaking his head frantically.
“I’m not going! This is all a trick! The doctor didn’t kill us this time, but the pharmacy will! I’m staying here!”
Before anyone could stop him, he turned and sprinted back down the corridor.
【Rule trigger detected.】
【Rule: Do not leave the main corridor alone.】
A cold wind swept past. Distant footsteps echoed from the dark end where he ran. A shrill scream cut through the air, and then silence returned.
The remaining survivors flinched. No one dared run off alone anymore.
Chen Yu sighed softly. “The dungeon adds new rules whenever we break the old ones. Every choice has a price.”
He turned toward the stairwell leading to the second floor. The metal handrail was rusted, and faint dark stains marked the steps.
“Second floor pharmacy. Stick together. When we get there, no one touches anything until I parse the rules.”
Lin Wan fell in beside him. “What if the rules on the corpses are fake too?”
Chen Yu’s lips tugged into a cold smile.
“Then we find the bug buried inside those lies. That’s the only way out of this hospital.”
The group moved toward the stairs, their footsteps echoing through the abandoned hospital.
Above them, the system notification flickered once more.
【New dungeon segment unlocked: Pharmacy of Flesh Rules.】
【Warning: The rules here are written in blood. Lies and truth are intertwined.】
At the top of the stairs, a door marked with faded paint swung open slowly. A thick, stale smell drifted out to meet them.
That was the pharmacy.