This passage is unclear if it is a monologue from a non-player character in a script to the player, or a description for the opening credits replacing system audio.

As that voice spoke, horrifying images flashed across the touchscreen before Feng Bujue's eyes…

The images were blurry, interspersed with black and white static, and mostly fleeting.

Much of what was captured was bizarre… shadowy figures on the floor, mangled corpses plastered to the walls, terrified faces, handprints, the back of a child, writhing entrails, tangled masses of long hair, and so on…

Finally, as the "introduction" ended, a vivid splash of red appeared in the black and white footage.

A pair of blood-red eyes suddenly appeared on the screen, and then froze…

"Nice atmosphere…" Feng Bujue yawned and muttered casually.

Anyone else might have been scared half to death just watching that introduction. But Brother Jue could still offer commentary with ease…

"If those images are a microcosm of 'Lester's' workplace…" Feng Bujue chuckled, "then his tardiness and dozing off are quite understandable…"

As he spoke, the elevator stopped.

The doors… slowly opened.

Outside was a rather spacious corridor, with white walls and tiled floors. There was light from above, but it was dim and seemed to be mixed with strange shadows.

"Hmm… no 'doorway kill' waiting for me, I hope?" Feng Bujue mused. He took a small step forward, held onto the elevator door, and cautiously peeked outside.

The corridor was empty on both sides. At intervals, there were rows of plastic seats, usually next to a door. Each door had a clearly labeled sign hanging on it. Besides the floor and room number, the signs also bore labels like "Internal Medicine" and "Pediatrics."

"Hmm… it really is a hospital…" Feng Bujue murmured.

Judging from the "nurses and female doctors" mentioned in the synopsis, "Lester's" workplace should be a hospital. The moment the elevator doors opened, Feng Bujue was even more certain. The width of the corridor and the smell of disinfectant were both telltale signs.

However, the air here seemed to contain more than just the scent of disinfectant. Feng Bujue vaguely sensed another odor, but it was so faint and elusive that he couldn't identify it…

"Alright, guess this is my first day." Feng Bujue stepped out of the elevator.

Shhh… Bang!

Almost the instant he stepped out, the elevator doors began to move, slamming shut in just half a second.

When Feng Bujue turned back, the elevator doors had instantly changed… They were slightly taller and much wider. Hospital elevators were often like this, considering that they might need to accommodate a hospital bed in an emergency, so the load capacity and door dimensions were similar to those of a freight elevator.

"So… this is it, then…" As Feng Bujue said this, he suddenly noticed something: when he looked at his reflection in the elevator doors, he saw someone else.

It was a white male wearing a security guard uniform, about the same height as Brother Jue, and quite handsome.

"This must be Lester…" Feng Bujue said to himself, "So… this is what I look like to the other characters in the script."

[Important Notice: Your equipment effects have been reset; your skills and inventory have been locked; the items in your clothing pockets have been shielded, and some new items have been added.] The system prompt appeared at the appropriate time.

"Heh… heh heh…" Feng Bujue chuckled dryly, "Of course… that old trick again."

Having played so many Nightmare scripts, he was already used to this…

Players on the forums had long compiled statistics and summaries: the Nightmare difficulty solo survival mode was, without a doubt, the most likely mode to trigger "restrictions." Players had a nearly 50% chance of encountering various restrictions when playing these scripts. In other words… no matter how good you were, the system would always find a way to make you experience what "Nightmare" meant.

"Fine… let's see… what I can use here." Feng Bujue immediately reached into his clothes and pants pockets.

After searching himself, he found the following items: an opened pack of chewing gum (three pieces left), a plastic-handled folding knife (the kind you use to peel apples), a pair of sunglasses, a small can of aerosol hair wax (mini size), one white, stinky sock (yes, only one), a small comb, half a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter.

"No phone on me…" Feng Bujue stroked his chin and said, "Is this a script restriction… or does it mean I'm in an era before cell phones were common…"

As he pondered, another system prompt appeared: [Main Quest Triggered]

Almost instinctively, Feng Bujue opened the game menu and pulled up the quest log, which displayed a sentence full of malice: [Hold your post and survive until dawn]

"A night shift at a hospital is life-threatening… this world is getting harder and harder to live in." Feng Bujue quipped, then turned and walked to his left.

"Anyway… first, I'll look for a map or something to confirm the layout of this script." His gaze scanned vigilantly, not even missing the cracks on the walls, for fear of overlooking any possible clues.

"Hmm… the doors to the examination rooms are all closed, and no light is coming from inside… this must be the outpatient department. Since no one comes at night, these rooms are locked." Feng Bujue mused as he passed the doors.

"Speaking of which, this corridor is pretty long…" He walked for a while and still hadn't found a map on the wall, so he glanced back.

And then he saw something strange…

The moment he turned his head, the lights in the entire corridor flickered twice. In the brief moment when the lights went out, it seemed as if a white, glowing figure appeared in the pitch-black corridor.

"It" was far away from Feng Bujue, appearing only the size of a thumb, and it was hard to say whether it was just a spot of light left on his retina or an actual apparition. In any case… when the lights came back on, the white figure was gone.

A normal person would probably have a sharp spike in their Terror Value at this sight and would quickly turn around and run.

But Feng Bujue narrowed his eyes, staring down the corridor with the same intense focus he'd use to examine the smallest line on an eye chart…

"Tch… trying to scare me?" he said arrogantly, and pulled the sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on.

It was hard to say whether it was a cause for celebration or regret… but Brother Jue's actions did have an immediate effect.

The moment he put on the sunglasses, the "white figure" reappeared, and this time, it was standing less than a meter away from Feng Bujue.

It was a person completely wrapped in bandages. Judging by the figure, it seemed to be a male. Other than his eyes and nostrils, he was completely covered. On closer inspection, one could even see thin trickles of blood seeping from the gaps in the bandages…

"Whoa…" Feng Bujue stared at the figure for a few seconds, then pushed the sunglasses up onto his forehead. When he did, he could no longer see the bandaged man. Then, Brother Jue lowered the sunglasses again, and this time he could see him again…

"Whoa~ whoa whoa whoa~" He kept saying "whoa" repeatedly, moving the sunglasses up and down as if he were looking at invisible ink.

The bandaged man stood in front of him, not making any attacking movements, but… from the bandaged brother's eyes, it could be seen that he was a bit surprised by Brother Jue's reaction… and that surprise soon turned into something resembling a headache.

"Ah…" The bandaged man finally couldn't take it anymore. The security guard in front of him didn't seem scared at all, which was too damaging to the ghost's pride. So, he raised his hands, opened his mouth to moan, and slowly approached Brother Jue.

"Hmm? Trying to make a move?" Feng Bujue used his middle finger to push the sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, wearing them securely. Then, he took a big step back, struck a classic Wong Fei-hung pose, as if he was ready to go head-to-head with this bandaged dude.

"Are… aren't you afraid of me?" The bandaged man actually stopped and spoke in a muffled voice from under the bandages.

"Afraid of you?" Feng Bujue looked the other up and down with a look of disdain. "You've already been beaten to a pulp, why would I be afraid of you?"

"I'm a ghost… do you know what that means?" The bandaged man lowered his voice and spoke in what he thought was the scariest tone possible.

"No idea." Feng Bujue was telling the truth. The ghost settings were different in every script, so how could he know? "But do you know…" Feng Bujue actually took the lead and asked, "What 'whoa whoa whoa whoa~ whoa whoa whoa whoa' means?"

"Uh…" The bandaged man was stumped by his question.

"The so-called 'whoa whoa whoa whoa~ whoa whoa whoa whoa' is…" Feng Bujue suddenly squeaked, "In a small town, the years flow by, the clear courage… memories that have been washed clean, I remember you, live on proudly…"

"Ah!" The bandaged man screamed and ran away… it was hard to tell if he was surprised or scared…

"Tch… too weak…" Feng Bujue spat, took off his sunglasses, shrugged, and turned to continue forward. "Looks like the ghosts in this script basically rely on teleportation, interfering with circuits, and appearing and disappearing to scare people. As long as they don't have the ability to move objects with their minds or make physical contact… they're no more than a fart to me…"

After walking for a few more seconds, a T-junction appeared ahead, and a hospital floor plan was finally posted on the wall at the intersection.

"But I can't be careless…" Feng Bujue muttered as he walked. "Nightmare difficulty won't be that easy. This kind of script that restricts abilities, besides testing your Terror Value… is bound to be filled with all sorts of extremely nasty puzzles…"