Chapter 93: Red

Chapter 93: Red

Sitting on the hospital bed, Li Huowang recalled everything that had just transpired.

He never imagined that the entity known as the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month would be more bizarre than anything he had ever encountered; it could fundamentally alter one's perception, silently replacing a person's identity.

And it even transferred the various identities of others onto that very person.

When his own identity had previously morphed into that of an old man, he realized that if he had truly believed himself dead at that moment, he probably would have died for real.

To perish under such circumstances would likely not even have triggered Danyangzi's resurrection.

Yet it could never have fathomed that Li Huowang was a madman, and altering the perception of a lunatic is no easy feat.

The hallucinations he had been deliberately avoiding all this while had now become the key to breaking free from its control.

No matter how formidable the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month might be, it could only modify a single perception, whereas Li Huowang, as a Heart's Essence, possessed the rare duality of two distinct perceptions.

Watching his fellow patients sunbathing outside, Li Huowang did not act immediately but began to silently calculate his next move in his mind.

"I cannot just sit here and wait; once the hallucinations fade, the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month will likely alter my perception again. I must act within the illusion to influence the other side."

Fortunately, Li Huowang was not without other cards to play; after the previous two incidents, he had come to understand that what happens in the hallucination also happens in reality, and he had gained a certain understanding of the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month.

Li Huowang firmly memorized the path he had just taken; he needed to return to the Wu Family Compound and warn the others that the Li Huowang among them was an imposter!

From beginning to end, the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month had only dared to act in the shadows, never showing its face, which meant its ability to confront enemies head-on was undoubtedly lacking.

Once its tricks were rendered useless, it would likely be inferior even to the woman with bound feet from before, and Lord You could easily dispatch them.

Having formulated a plan, Li Huowang was just about to sit up when he realized both his hands were strapped to the bed.

But this could not restrain Li Huowang; he was already intimately familiar with everything in this hallucination. Turning his head toward the microphone at the head of the bed, he feigned his past demeanor and shouted, "Which beautiful nurse is on duty today? Could you please untie me? I really need to pee."

Before long, a plump nurse rushed in excitedly and untied Li Huowang.

"Good heavens!! Little Li, you're finally awake?! Why did it take so long this time? You really scared me to death; I thought you'd never wake up again!"

"Wait right here, I'll go notify Yang Na right away. If your little girlfriend knows you've recovered, she'll definitely jump for joy. You have no idea how many times she's cried during this period."

The nurse's words did not stir a single ripple in Li Huowang's calm mind; no matter how beautiful this place seemed, a fake was still a fake.

Abbess Jingxin always said that the heart of a Heart's Essence was filled with delusion, but Li Huowang did not agree; he had seen through everything and would absolutely never mistake the false illusions here for reality.

Taking advantage of the moment the nurse turned and rushed out to notify the doctors, Li Huowang swiftly rolled out of bed and began his escape according to the route in his mind.

Li Huowang was already extremely familiar with this hospital, and finding a way out was as easy as turning his hand.

Ignoring the whistles of the guards echoing in the courtyard, he buried his head and charged straight toward the road.

"Hallucinations, these are all hallucinations!"

Li Huowang had no time to deal with these illusions now; Bai Lingmiao and the others were still under the control of the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month and could be in danger at any moment.

Stepping onto the road, the blue-and-white striped patient gown on Li Huowang's body clearly attracted the attention of others, and many even raised their phones.

"Hey, what's wrong with this guy? How did he come out barefoot? Isn't he cold?"

"Look, his clothes have the hospital's name on them. Oh my god, he escaped from the psychiatric hospital! Should we call the police?"

"For real or fake? Could he be an internet celebrity? Those guys will do anything just to go viral."

"Fake, it's all fake. I've been tricked by you once already, and I absolutely won't be fooled a second time!" Li Huowang shouted resolutely in his heart, biting his gums until they bled.

Weaving through the roads with countless twists and turns, Li Huowang arrived at the Wu Family Compound from his memories, yet in this hallucination, he was currently standing right in the middle of the main avenue.

Although cars were constantly shuttling back and forth around him, Li Huowang was not afraid in the slightest, because he knew these were all fake, all illusions, and the cars could not possibly hit him.

Li Huowang shouted loudly at the endless stream of cars before him, "Bai Lingmiao! Quickly grab my bell! Ring it! Summon Lord You! The Li Huowang next to you is a fake! Have Lord You attack him!"

"Honk honk honk, beep beep beep!!" Thanks to Li Huowang's contributions, the road was, unsurprisingly, gridlocked.

All the cars were honking at this moment, yet Li Huowang smiled; it was obvious that Bai Lingmiao had followed his instructions, and these honks were merely the distorted result of the bell's ringing filtered through the hallucination.

At this moment, the driver of a red sports car leaned out of the window and arrogantly shouted, "You lunatic! Looking for a death wish?! Get lost! Watch it or I'll cripple you!!"

In a state of high excitement, Li Huowang swiftly turned his head, staring fixedly at the bright red sports car, feeling a gaze shooting from the vehicle onto him.

He walked over, parting his lips to once again reveal his stark white teeth, and leaned down toward the red sports car, saying, "Heh, so you manifest as a physical entity in the hallucination, Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month!! I've found you!"

The Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month, which had remained hidden throughout its time in Wu Family Village, had actually presented itself to Li Huowang in this very form, which could only be described as an unexpected delight.

Li Huowang continued to shout at his unseen senior and junior martial siblings, "Everyone, look this way! No matter what is in front of me, attack it with all your might! This thing is the Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month!!"

Just then, the sports car driver also noticed the red lettering of the Anding Psychiatric Hospital on the left chest of Li Huowang's gown.

He was instantly startled, his arrogant demeanor completely vanishing, and he hastily scrambled back into the car, quickly rolling up the window as he tremblingly picked up his phone.

"Hello! Is this 110? Come quickly! There's a lunatic who escaped at the roundabout! Yes, the roundabout near Walmart, hurry up!"

Just as Li Huowang was about to raise his foot to kick the hood of the red sports car, he suddenly stopped.

Under the gaze of everyone, he abruptly turned his head to look at a red electric scooter in the distance; the gaze from the sports car had already shifted onto it.

No good! The Eighteenth of the Twelfth Month had realized it was discovered and was preparing to flee!

"Trying to run? Not so easy! Everyone, follow me quickly!! That thing must be injured! It's shrinking!!" Li Huowang raised his foot and chased after the red electric scooter.

(End of Chapter)