The cold, slippery sensation seeped through his fingers.
Once again, Fang Xiu relived his previous ordeal, but all his choices remained the same as before.
He killed Wang Zitong and Wu Dahai, activated his spirituality, and seized the scalpel.
There was no way he would relinquish the scalpel. A blade capable of severing countless anomalies, combined with the power of pain, was a guaranteed kill!
The scalpel could break defenses, and the pain ability could lead to death—a perfect combination!
Even if it angered the female doctor and disrupted the pattern of murder, he would stop at nothing.
This time, however, he chose the northern door to escape.
To the north lay the elevator, which was operational, but its startup was too slow. Just as the doors were closing, a pale hand reached out, and Fang Xiu, met his demise.
Southward!
To the south lay the operating room, in complete disarray, with medical instruments shattered by brute force, and dark bloodstains everywhere.
It was a dead end!
Fang Xiu met his end.
At last, only the eastern door remained.
If there was no escape through this door, Fang Xiu would have no choice but to abandon the scalpel.
However, by some stroke of luck, the eastern path truly led to safety!
It was a long corridor, one side lined with public restrooms. Further down, three forks split the path—left, right, and center.
Upon seeing the restroom, memories of his time in the asylum flooded Fang Xiu's mind.
His recollection was vivid, for this was the only restroom he had seen in the asylum. At that time, he had passed through the restroom, turned left, and found a sign.
It read, "Safety Passage."
Much like emergency exits in malls, schools, and hospitals, this asylum had its own safety route, marked by signs.
Though uncertain of the safety of this path, it was his only option now.
He ran with all his might toward the safety passage, but barely reached the restroom when the female doctor caught up and ended his life.
Was he to abandon the scalpel?
Fang Xiu quickly dispelled the thought.
Though the female doctor was faster than him, he could use the repeated deaths to predict her attack patterns.
If used correctly, the death rewind ability was akin to seeing the future!
...
Ninth death rewind.
"Head east!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Fang Xiu led Zhao Hao through the eastern door.
The two colleagues, who had hidden behind the stone pillar, weren't foolish and quickly emerged to follow.
Once inside, a non-human scream echoed, and the ceiling trembled violently.
"Ah!" X3
With their screams, the female doctor appeared on the ceiling.
The trio was terrified, scrambling in panic, desperately trying not to be the last to run.
Yet the female doctor ignored them and charged straight for Fang Xiu.
At that moment, Fang Xiu kept running without looking back.
Zhao Hao cried out, "Xiu Ge, hurry—"
But his words faltered as he witnessed something truly remarkable.
It was as if Fang Xiu had eyes on the back of his head. The female doctor's pale hand reached down from the ceiling, aiming to strike his head.
Fang Xiu seemed to anticipate it, subtly tilting his head, causing the claw to narrowly miss his scalp.
Not missing a beat, the female doctor quickly swung back, the wind howling with the force of her blow.
But Fang Xiu crouched, narrowly dodging again.
Strike after strike, the female doctor's hands blurred into mere afterimages, but Fang Xiu skillfully dodged each one with calculated precision.
At last, the female doctor, enraged, leapt down from the ceiling, her body resembling a giant human spider.
Yet just before she landed, Fang Xiu stumbled as if tripped by something, his body pitching forward.
With the momentum, he increased his speed, but his stance was precarious, as if he might fall any moment.
And so, he did fall.
Even so, his movement didn't halt. He rolled across the ground, heading toward the left corridor.
Bang!
The spot where he had fallen caved in, and it was the female doctor who crashed into it.
Enraged, she quickly followed him down the left path.
Zhao Hao and the others were stunned, dizzy from the rapid movement. They could scarcely keep up with the evasion, but Fang Xiu seemed to dodge effortlessly with a calm demeanor.
Was this the power of the Spirit Master?
Zhao Hao's heart swelled with admiration and yearning. Who wouldn't dream of such power?
But Zhao Hao didn't know, this was not the work of a Spirit Master. Fang Xiu had only managed such feats after dying nine times.
In the left corridor, Fang Xiu finally saw the glowing sign for the safety passage.
This was the first time he had seen it in his nine deaths.
How to avoid the danger ahead, he didn't know. He anticipated he would need to die a few more times.
Just then, a strange scene unfolded.
The female doctor, having just entered the left corridor, screamed a chilling howl upon seeing the sign.
The sound was laced with fear, dread, and trembling.
With a sudden turn, she fled, like a ghost in the shadows.
Fang Xiu paused, furrowing his brow.
Her flight brought him no joy. In fact, it only deepened his suspicion.
Why did she run upon seeing the sign?
It could only mean one thing—the sign concealed something that even the female doctor feared.
Fang Xiu stared at the sign, behind which was a dimly lit passageway, lit only by the faint glow of the sign itself.
At the end of the passage stood an iron door.
By normal logic, beyond that door lay the way out.
Just then, Zhao Hao and the others caught up.
"Xiu Ge, are you okay? Why did the anomaly run away?" Zhao Hao asked, concern etched on his face.
Fang Xiu shook his head, signaling that he was fine.
The other two were visibly relieved.
"This is the safety passage!"
"The way out must be here!"
Eager to proceed, they made to move, but seeing Fang Xiu stand still, they wisely refrained from rushing ahead.
"Fang Xiu, why aren't you moving? Is something wrong with this path?"
"We can rest for a bit."
Without a word, Fang Xiu sat down on the spot and closed his eyes.
He was waiting for his spirituality to recover.
The female doctor had fled in fear, and he had no chance of defeating her, so he had to wait until his spirituality was restored before taking any further action.
Zhao Hao, looking at Fang Xiu, exchanged glances with the others.
They felt helpless but resigned. Rest was essential.
From the moment they entered this strange domain, they had been running non-stop, hearts racing with fear.
As office workers, their energy reserves were long exhausted, and now, the sudden stop left them feeling light-headed and weak.
Half an hour later, Fang Xiu suddenly opened his eyes and sat upright with a swift motion.
The sudden movement startled the three of them.