Chapter 1, Halloween

Hi, I said to the doctor, don't take it lightly, this person is not an ordinary prisoner, but a madman

Fortunately, they did not come to knock on the door of this hospital; otherwise, Ziliang was uncertain whether he would stab a needle into their eyes.

He stood there in the darkness, casually smoking, listening to the cries of wild cats, and watching the police cars that occasionally flashed by outside the window

The officer shrugged his shoulders

Indeed... I am sleepless again

"Alright, I just wanted to remind you," he said, then handed over a sheet of paper with a portrait printed on it: "In fact, I came to inform you that a criminal escaped from Arkham Asylum last night, so you need to be careful."

It is nestled beside 22nd Street, devoid of signposts, light poles, or a name, and even lacks a drainage system at the entrance, as if a wall were being constructed from both ends, but when they were about to meet, there were no bricks left, so it irresponsibly left a gap this small that you might miss it with just a sneeze

The officer was taken aback: "What does it mean?"

Dr. Ziliang stood in front of the sink, rinsing his hands with cold water

Ah, it must be those young men who wake up early in the morning to find themselves in pain down below, Ziliang thought to himself

... ...

I mean, when I saw him last night, I thought he was quite adorable said Ziliang, mumbling as he lit a cigarette and took a weak puff.

The long night has finally passed, and on the first day of November, the heavens graciously unleashed a torrential downpour. The sound of raindrops striking the glass and the rising and falling clamor filtered through the window, reaching Ziliang's ears

... ...

"Madman?" Ziliang asked faintly.

Ah? Ziliang squinted his eyes, expressing a tone of doubt, for he did not believe that this person had come in through the rain just to tell him to take out the trash

He hates all holidays; he does not understand why people choose a few days each year to engage in such foolish activities while pretending they are of great significance

Oh, thank you," Ziliang mumbled, and then set the notice aside

Hello. The police officer responded, hesitated for a moment, and then turned to point outside the door: "Uh... you may not have noticed, but the few bags of garbage you piled up at the door are starting to smell a bit."

Those rascally residents outside actually caused a commotion until midnight before they were willing to go back to sleep, and just half an hour after it quieted down, annoying sirens began to incessantly appear on the streets, growing increasingly frequent, and have yet to cease at this very moment

"Yes, it's that kind of maniac who goes around sawing people with a chainsaw," the officer said, mimicking the action of wielding a chainsaw up and down. "A complete madman, devoid of any humanity. Therefore, I hope you can conclude your business by 3 PM within this week. This is not a joke"

Hello? Zi Liang asked

It is unclear why he did not turn on the light, thus a scarlet point of brightness ignited in the darkness. The smoke shrouded his face in a hazy manner, and Ziliang helplessly realized that in a few hours, dawn would arrive.

He turned off the faucet, and Ziliang hastily wiped his hands on his white coat, drying the water stains on it. He raised his head, and in the mirror before him, a gaunt face was reflected.

Go to hell, Halloween

Disheveled hair, a pallid complexion indicative of kidney deficiency, although only in his twenties, the unshaven beard makes him appear more like someone in their thirties, ... along with a pair of dark circles under his eyes that have worsened due to prolonged insomnia ...

However, immediately afterwards, the sound of a door being pushed open completely shattered his plans

There is no need to think; it is certainly another criminal who has escaped from prison. It is likely that this person believes that even if they stand on the street dressed in prison attire today, no one would find anything inappropriate about it

In fact, this small building cannot even be considered a hospital, nor can it be classified as a clinic. It consists of only two stories and resembles more of a Gothic photography studio or a pawn shop left over from decades ago. However, it was purchased by someone, who then hung a sign that reads "HOSPITAL".

Once again, a series of vehicles passed by, their police lights illuminating this small doctor's office, with flashes of red and blue light dancing across the walls

Similarly, the facilities on this street are also very well matched with it

For instance, on this Halloween, everyone is donning skull masks, carrying pumpkin lanterns, and wandering the streets, emitting cheers that are utterly nonsensical. Those teenagers, with their faces heavily coated in their mothers' foundation, are desperately banging on their neighbors' doors, and the reason is simply to obtain a few pieces of candy. Everyone knows they hardly eat any candy throughout the year; they would rather indulge in marijuana. Those teenagers, with their faces heavily coated in their mothers' foundation, are desperately banging on their neighbors' doors, and the reason is simply to obtain a few pieces of candy. Everyone knows they hardly eat any candy throughout the year; they would rather indulge in marijuana.

However, to Ziliang's surprise, the person who walked into his office was a police officer, and it seemed that he did not appear to be there for a medical consultation

Thus, Ziliang leaned back in his own armchair, trying to see if he could find a hint of drowsiness amidst such noise

... ...

Here stands a streetlight that has been broken for 10 years without anyone coming to repair it, two garbage bins that are perpetually overflowing, several stray cats that frequently visit, an endless swarm of flies, and a small private hospital.

Three o'clock in the morning

Ziliang took the notice and glanced at it. It depicted a figure with a fierce countenance, whose neck appeared to have some thyroid issue, thick and fused with the jawline. Of course, it was not swollen, but rather filled with muscle. The figure was dressed in prison garb, and a shocking scar ran diagonally from the forehead down to the chin. The stitching technique was clearly subpar, with the needle and thread marks making it look as if a large centipede was crawling beneath the skin.

Every city has a few streets that people do not often walk on

According to an astonishing statistic, regardless of the holiday, the transmission of diseases such as gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV peaks around these times, as if young people today believe that engaging in sexual encounters during holidays is somehow more sacred than on ordinary days, with some even not sparing the Qingming Festival.

Ziliang frowned and said, "It's not as terrifying as you say."

The streets of this city resemble a blood vessel leading to a dying heart, currently in a state of arteriosclerosis. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing, as in such weather, it is likely that no one would come to visit this inconspicuous hospital

Go to hell, Gotham

Go to hell, police car

Ziliang approached the window and quietly took out a cigarette

For example, this message right now