Rhodes Island does not exist.

"It's time to stand up."

The doctor took a deep breath, supported himself with his missing finger on the slippery ground soaked in black liquid, and slowly sat up.

The strange creature whose roots he had previously severed has not moved again.

So where did this strange thing come from?

Could we break through the elevator car wall and enter from the outside? If so, would the main body suspended on the outside of the elevator still exist?

After all, even the rapid descent of the elevator couldn't kill it, so losing just a hand certainly wouldn't have much of an impact.

Or perhaps this strange entity only has this one arm, which originated from inside the elevator, so severing its roots means it is dead?

With this question in mind, the doctor stood up, leaning against the wall for support.

Chopping the grass does not remove the roots, but the spring breeze blows and regenerates.

-

Thank you segment.

Thanks to the monthly pass from the following users: Late-stage procrastination patient, Commander of Dim Star City, Sesame Daifuku, passing pediatrician, Gentle Breeze, Minor Illness, Blue Witch, and Sky Mist Horn.

Thanks for the blade, thank you.

Chapter 51, Fifty-One: A Bridge Back

The doctor eventually dug out that withered, grotesque arm completely.

The walls of the elevator car where it once clung are now spotless.

As expected.

If this thing is really just a part of some strange body that has extended into the outside of the compartment, then there are too many questions to investigate.

From the space outside the elevator to the physical strength of this strange creature itself, each aspect presents a considerable and challenging problem that cannot be ignored.

"However, it seems that this arm must be a strange thing that originated from the elevator itself," the doctor speculated.

Although he didn't understand how an elevator could give rise to such a strange phenomenon, he was somewhat relieved when he thought about the slugs on the eighth floor.

But before that, there is another question: when I came here before, did I also experience something like this?

If the change in this elevator occurred between the previous Doctor and the current Doctor, it means that Rhodes Island's interior is constantly active, as if the building itself were a living entity. And life naturally involves activity, metabolism, and continuous growth.

"time to go."

After confirming that the arm-like monster was no longer moving, the doctor picked up his pickaxe, stepped out of the elevator, and went to the third-floor corridor.

The corridor was dimly lit.

The main light hanging on the ceiling was not turned on; only a green light with the words "Emergency Exit" flashed a dim and eerie light, preventing the corridor from becoming too dark.

Closed metal doors lined both sides of the road, and a musty smell filled the air.

It's as if no one has been here for a long time.

"Clap."

The doctor took a step forward, his right foot landing on the second floor tile of the third-floor corridor.

The elevator doors behind me slowly closed, further dimming the corridor's brightness.

However, the decrease in brightness will not last long.

Just as the doctor took his second step forward, the first fluorescent light above his head suddenly turned on.

"Om."

A radiating beam of light shone down, illuminating a space one square in front of the Doctor.

At the same time, a blood-like thick color appeared on the floor directly in front of the doctor, like a dead fish floating on water.

[With the God of Healing and all the gods of heaven and earth as my witnesses, I solemnly swear that I will abide by this covenant to the best of my ability and judgment.]

It was written in a common language, like poetry, but its meaning was unclear.

The meaning is unclear, at least for a PhD.

After all, his meager memory was insufficient to decipher the meaning behind these words.

Memory is knowledge, and both conceiving and solving puzzles require a sufficient amount of knowledge as a foundation, which the PhD clearly lacks.

It's like someone being kidnapped, and the kidnapper puts a bomb in the kidnapper's neck and uses the pinyin of the second line of "Spring River Flower Moon Night" as the code to unlock the bomb.

If the kidnapped person is unfamiliar with "Spring River Flower Moon Night" or doesn't even know the poem, then he will have no choice but to say goodbye to the rest of his life.

However, the words and phrases that appear before the doctor now are probably not as deadly as the perilous scene in the example.

"Bang."

Strange noises were coming from the rooms on both sides.

Although the heavy metal door separated the room from the corridor, it was enough for the Doctor to be on high alert.

He decided to keep going.

The doctor stepped forward, his feet treading over the line of blood-red text that had previously appeared on the floor, and walked onward.

After being trampled, the words sank into the floor and disappeared after a quick flash, as if they had never existed.

But the lights remained bright.

"..."

Realizing he had probably done something wrong, the professor stopped and calmly looked around.

However, nothing happened.

The only moving thing in the corridor was the nameplate above the two metal doors on either side—perhaps due to aging wiring, the light on the nameplate kept flashing and going off alternately.

There were words written on the doorplate, but unfortunately the PhD student couldn't read them.

That was probably a script he had never learned.

So the doctor continued forward.

He took five steps forward, and the second main light in the corridor turned on.

"Om."

A beam of light shone down, illuminating the doctor directly in front of him.

A line of text, appearing in the exact same way as before, seeped out from the crack in the floor, gathered and formed various characters.

I am willing to do my utmost, within my abilities and judgment, to uphold the principle of acting in the best interests of patients and to refrain from all depraved and harmful behavior.

This time, the PhD student understood.

Although he still didn't understand what the sentence was about or where it came from, he at least grasped some of its meaning.

“The patient's family… that means the patient, right?” He stared at the words on the floor in front of him and muttered to himself, “So it means that we should do our best to think about the patient and carry out just actions.”

"That sounds like something a doctor would say," he thought for a moment and made a brief summary.

"doctor."

As he pondered this keyword, the doctor's thought process began to connect the events he had experienced and the floors he had visited along the way.

The corridor resembled a hospital ward, the containers for preserving organs, the countless hospital beds, and... the place where I was standing now.

It seemed that all the clues were pointing to the hospital.

"So Rhodes Island... is actually related to the hospital, right?" he thought, staring at the words on the ground.

However, this result does not offer any help to his current situation.

Ultimately, what he needs to find is a way to leave this place, not its functions or roles.

In any case, let's keep moving forward.

With this thought in mind, the doctor took another step and crossed the second line of blood-red sentences.

Then, just as before, the second line of the sentence sank into the floor and disappeared quickly after the doctor walked away. Only the lamp remained hanging on the ceiling, emitting a white light.

"There will definitely be more texts like that in the future."

As the doctor scanned the corridor stretching to the end of the floor, this idea came to mind.

There are still several unlit lamps; they must have remained dormant in anticipation of the appearance of those words.

But why is it myself that lights them up?

Has no one ever been to this place before?

The doctor walked forward while pondering.

Then, the third light came on.

Wherever I go, whether I encounter men or women, nobles or servants, my sole purpose is to bring happiness to the sick and to conduct myself with integrity, refraining from any harmful or vile behavior.

The familiar way it appears, the familiar colors, and the familiar font.

-

Thank you segment.

Thanks for the blade, thank you.

Chapter 52, Crossing the Gap of Memory

The doctor discovered that whether he stepped over them, trod over them, or ignored them, the red words would disappear.

They appear before you again and again, like interludes that only appear once in a scene, pulled by the strings of the stage backdrop, and then fall down.

So, as the doctor progressed, the fourth light naturally came on.

[Whatever I see or hear, whether or not I have a business relationship with it, that I believe should be kept secret, I will keep secret.]

The blood-red characters were dancing.

Only one light remained in the corridor, located in front of the main door at the end of the third floor.

The doctor realized that he had reached the end of the corridor.

If he turns on all the lights in the corridor, will the door automatically open in front of him?

What's behind the door?

he does not know.

He couldn't even imagine it.

But he moved on.

This time, his steps were faster and more steady than before, as if he were rushing to a preordained appointment.

Then, the footsteps landed, and the lights came on.

Under the fifth lamp, the final words emerged from the pool of blood.

If I strictly adhere to the above oath, I pray that the gods will grant my life and medical skills the highest glory; if I break this oath, may heaven and earth and all the spirits punish me.

Under the fifth lamp, the doctor could finally see what the final door on the third floor looked like.

It was a sliding door consisting of two panels, with an image printed on the left and right sides that could merge into one when the door was closed.

A tall tower enclosed within a triangular frame.

If you look closely at the triangular border, you'll find that it's not actually a border, but a wall made up of the text he read along the way.

Then, at the base of the tower, a line of large, square characters stood solemnly.

Rhodes Island

This was the first time the Doctor had heard of the name from anywhere other than Ghost Shark.

"So this place is indeed called Rhodes Island." The Doctor stared at the huge emblem on the door, a question swirling in his mind. "But why would this emblem be on the third floor?"

It seems that the third floor must be an extremely important place for this building.

The doctor took a deep breath, stepped forward, and pushed open the door.

-

"Warfarin, what are you doing?"

"Doctor, you should have knocked before coming in."