There Must Be Something Wrong With This Game!

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: A High-End Game

Duan Fei walked to the mirror and saw that his reflection was that of a decrepit old man. His face was covered in deep-set wrinkles, as if carved by a knife, each one telling a story.

The old man’s gaze was a bit cloudy, but his expression looked even more weathered.

He first tried to call up the quest panel, but there was no response.

’The main storyline hasn’t officially triggered yet. I can probably just follow the plot for a while, and it’ll activate eventually.’

Opening his panel, Duan Fei found that his information had changed.

"Name: Duan Someone

Level: 3

Profession: Adventurer

Attributes:

Power: 21

Constitution: 7

Agility: 5

Reaction: 13

Spirit: 31

Skill: Spiritual Armor

Current Equipment: None

Talent: Gift of Chaos (???)."

His overall Attributes were severely lopsided. Although the total was much higher than before, the distribution was extreme.

Squeezing his arm, Duan Fei found it was still quite muscular. ’The character I’m playing must have been a strong and robust person, retaining a good amount of strength even in old age.’

He took off the hospital gown and saw several bullet holes in his chest. ’The bullets must have gone straight through, injuring my lungs. That would explain the labored breathing and my low Constitution.’

His left leg had been replaced with a prosthetic, which was quite clumsy to control. ’That must be why my Agility is so low.’

The reason for his increased Reaction and Spirit was unclear, but after some self-examination, Duan Fei had a rough idea of the kind of character he was playing.

’Either a detective or a gangster.’

’Years of living on the edge must have given the original owner a keen sense of danger and powerful Spiritual Power. That explanation makes sense.’

Just then, the dilapidated door creaked open, and a blonde nurse appeared in the doorway. Her appearance was... something else.

’If her face appeared on a wanted poster claiming she had killed a dozen people, no one would doubt it.’

She leaned against the doorframe, looking at Duan Fei with displeasure. "Mr. Smith, you’ve wandered off here again."

"Am I Smith? People with that name are never ordinary. And you are?"

The blonde nurse seemed long used to this. She stepped forward to take Duan Fei’s hand, but he swatted it away.

"Sorry, I don’t like strangers touching me."

"You still haven’t gotten over that little quirk, have you? And am I just some stranger?! I’m your nurse! If you don’t get going, I’ll let you have a taste of this taser!"

Seeing the black weapon she produced, Duan Fei glanced at his current Attributes and concluded he probably couldn’t win a fight.

’My Agility is too low. One bit of fancy footwork, a slide tackle, and a three-shot taser combo from her, and I’d be toast.’

Resigned, Duan Fei took half a step back and raised his hands. "Alright, alright, I’ll go with you. But can you not touch me?"

"Fine. Let’s go."

Following the blonde nurse, Duan Fei discovered that the area outside the door was also in ruins.

The hospital hallway was filled with trash. Broken glass littered the floor, and grimy medical waste was piled up like mountains, making it difficult for Duan Fei to even find a place to step.

This was especially difficult since one of his legs was a peg leg, which made him even more unsteady on his feet.

Walking behind the nurse, Duan Fei asked, "How did I lose my leg?"

The nurse turned her head and stared at him. "You’re doing well today. You usually have a bit of a fit after waking up."

"What exactly happened to me?"

Letting out a long sigh, the nurse looked at Duan Fei. "You remember you were in an accident, right?"

Recalling the impact and chaos he had felt earlier, Duan Fei realized he must have been in some kind of accident.

After he nodded, the nurse continued, "You were taking your wife, who was in labor, to the hospital when, on the way..."

"Was there a car crash?" Duan Fei asked nervously.

"No, a nuclear war broke out."

"A car crash would’ve been better!"

"You say that every time. It’s always pretty funny. You were hit by a massive shockwave, but you still managed to drive to the hospital. Luckily, there were a few fearless doctors still on duty. After that, you fell into a coma. The blast cost you a leg and left a small blood clot in your brain. While it didn’t kill you, it caused memory impairment. You have amnesia, and on top of that, your memory resets every single day."

Fearing Duan Fei hadn’t understood, the nurse continued, "In other words, when you fall asleep, your memories from today will disappear. So, this exact conversation... we’ve repeated it twenty-five times three sixty-five, which comes out to..."

"9,136 times. Or, if we include leap years, let’s call it 9,131. But why start with twenty-five?"

"Because I was five when I met you." The blonde nurse smiled faintly, which softened her features a little.

"Alright. What about my wife and child?"

"...Don’t ask."

When they reached a steep set of stairs, the blonde nurse habitually reached out and took Duan Fei’s arm. Although he felt a slight twinge of discomfort, Duan Fei let her guide him slowly down the steps.

Perhaps because he now knew she had been doing this with him for twenty-five years, Duan Fei subconsciously accepted that she wasn’t a complete stranger, and his physical aversion lessened.

"What’s your name?"

"Mary, your dedicated nurse."

"Our?"

"Mhm, you didn’t think I only take care of you, did you? That would be a waste of manpower."

After finally making it outside, Duan Fei realized this body was in terrible shape. Just walking from the fifth floor to the first had left him completely exhausted.

Sitting down on the steps by the entrance, Duan Fei let his stamina recover slowly while continuing to observe his surroundings.

The hospital courtyard was full of scrapped vehicles. Near the entrance was a pile-up of what looked like a hundred cars, none of which had been cleared away.

Inside some of the cars were skeletal remains, further corroborating Mary’s story.

Pointing into the distance, Mary said, "We weren’t a target in the first wave of strikes, but it still caused a massive panic. The funny thing is, a nuke never actually fell here. These people were all scared to death by their own panic."

"Very ironic."

"You can sunbathe here for a while, or you can go help out in the fields. The others will be back soon. You can get to know them all over again."

"Where did they go?"

"To gather supplies, hunt, and trade with traveling merchants. Ah, your old friend is here. You two should get along splendidly."

Seeing another old man whose face was covered in age spots, Duan Fei stared at the top of his head for a moment, then asked, "Little Fatty?"

"Duan Someone? Why is it you again!" Little Fatty sat down next to Duan Fei. "What a twisted fate. I can’t believe I ran into you again."

Seeing Duan Fei chatting easily with Little Fatty, Mary nodded in satisfaction and went to prepare dinner for everyone.

After Mary left, Duan Fei asked in a low voice, "This Ben is a multiplayer one. Have you seen the others?"

"Yeah, there are three of us in total. You complete the set. Look over there."

Following the direction Little Fatty pointed, Duan Fei saw an old man in his seventies and a small child playing happily together by a sandpile.

Seeing the two of them, Duan Fei was certain of one thing.

’This is a high-tier match.’