Rhodes Island does not exist.

But she will never be able to say it.

"Click."

A brief, sharp pain, followed by a feeling of relief, enveloped the doctor's arm. The thorn that had been wrapped around his hand was now completely gone from its owner.

The branch that was reaching towards the doctor broke off.

Chapter 156, 155. In Silence

The lavender has withered.

Her once swollen and full eyeballs were rapidly shrinking, while the branches that were always swaying with vitality were turning into flakes of fluff and falling away.

Only the thorny vine tied to the doctor's arm remained green.

"Kaka——"

In just two seconds, the doctor witnessed how his former collaborator vanished before his eyes, and how he was reduced to dust and seeped into the ground.

Lavender died without even leaving a body.

That's just how weird is.

The bodies of those who die strangely are often incomplete, or there is no body at all, only some faint traces left behind.

Like the black stains left by mud after it has passed away, the rooms on the fourth floor were full of such things.

Even so, the death of lavender was perhaps a bit too complete.

No, that's not right.

She has indeed left her mark.

The doctor's gaze followed the slight stinging sensation to his arm, where he stared at her final legacy.

The pale green thorns were deeply entwined around the doctor's right arm, each thorn digging deep into his bare flesh, like new trees taking root.

The Doctor dared not claim to understand the oddities of Rhodes Island, nor had he ever studied their characteristics and origins in detail. But for some reason, when he looked at the thorny vines on his arm that throbbed with his pulse, he felt as if they were still alive.

Perhaps the lavender isn't dead. He thought.

As if she had foreseen her own death, she parasitized a part of herself onto the doctor's body, thus surviving in a special form even after her own body perished.

"I wish that were true," he thought.

but.

The problem remains unresolved.

What caused the lavender to die?

Having observed the entire process, the PhD student was generally able to determine the truth behind it.

Her death was related to the recovery of her memories and also to the last words she uttered.

He has no intention of shirking his responsibilities.

Because he had almost guessed what the name was, but he was still guiding Lavender.

He simply didn't know that saying that name would result in death.

"I understood this ban, this rule..."

He had tried to pronounce the name, but ultimately failed.

In his moments of madness, his fragmented self also pieced together words to try and convey this message to himself, without directly using the name in the process.

He just felt that the name should not be uttered, but he didn't know what would happen if it were.

Ultimately, why is it that lavender can say that name?

Although she did not actually speak, the rules clearly indicated that she was about to utter those three words, so her life was ended immediately.

Which three words?

Ghost Shark.

Thinking of the name, the doctor suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He felt as if the ghost shark was watching him.

But what can he do?

I'm currently trying to survive under someone else's rules.

He had already vaguely understood this from the moment he was resurrected in front of the Specter.

Rhodes Island is a huge labyrinth, and Specter has certain access to this labyrinth.

As for her identity and who she really was, the doctor had no idea.

Perhaps that past version of myself would know.

Thinking about it this way, the fact that Lavender was able to say her name while I couldn't is probably due to the influence, or rather, the help, of my past self.

Because I knew that I would die if I uttered the name of Ghost Shark, I subconsciously engraved the command to never say those three words, making them firmly imprinted on my soul.

Only in this way can it be explained.

"call--"

The doctor sighed as he stared at the tightly clenched thorns on his right hand.

I had only known this strange person for less than half an hour.

Perhaps she can become an asset in future adventures, and perhaps I can also help her leave this place.

But now, all of that may have turned into a pipe dream.

"However, at least you left behind some fragments before you died."

The doctor now only hopes that Lavender's actions, taken on the verge of madness, are meaningful, or at least that the meaning outweighs the pain his arm is enduring.

"Mourning... well, never mind."

The Doctor knew very well that such an act of mourning was utterly foolish within Rhodes Island.

If someone who can barely take care of themselves still has the energy to grieve for others, then perhaps they themselves will be next before long.

"Let's pull ourselves together and find a way out."

He put away the empty seawater bottle that had caused the incident, picked up his pickaxe, and returned to the prison corridor.

After losing his travel companion, the doctor suddenly felt a small emptiness in his heart.

At first, he thought he could get used to it, forget it, ignore it, and even hypnotize himself into thinking that his behavior was normal, thus numbing his emotions.

But what he didn't know was that he had no memory, and having no memory meant having no experience.

Our ability to cope with life's challenges and setbacks often stems from our understanding and experience of sadness and cruelty.

If you don't have that experience but still try to remain calm, you'll only keep hurting yourself.

Why bother.

There's no one else here, and there's no need to do it for anyone else.

Facing your own heart is better than anything else.

"...I originally thought we could become friends."

He stopped in his tracks, his head bowed.

He was unwilling to accept it.

He found that he was ultimately unable to let go of it and could not pretend that what had just happened was nothing.

Because he is a person now.

He was someone whose memories of living on Rhodes Island had been erased, no longer a bloodthirsty monster, but a person who was almost a blank slate.

Even a single drop of water will eventually leave mottled stains after it dries up.

Lavender is that drop of water.

"sorry."

He squatted down.

The thorns on his right arm contracted inward with each beat of his pulse.

"sorry."

He cried.

"These thorns really hurt, they hurt so much I want to cry, I can't take it anymore."

He said.

"But I really can't commemorate anything for you, nor can I stop to do anything for you."

"Because I still have my own goals, I still have my own mission—even if I don't even know what the end of that mission is."

He got up.

He raised his left arm to wipe away the tears.

He raised his right arm, letting his sleeve fall to cover the thorns coiled around his arm.

He was only one floor away from the store; he had to find his way up.

Chapter 157, Chapter 156: The Fog of War

"Ding."

Surprisingly, the path from the Rhode Island prison on the fifth floor to the store on the sixth floor was not the usual staircase, but an elevator.

On the wall of the last cell, the doctor found the elevator door sandwiched between two iron bunk beds.

If Rhodes Island had actually ever operated in real life, then anyone who went in and out of this elevator would probably have been welcomed by the residents on both sides of the door.

"Om-"

The old elevator doors slid open to both sides.

This suddenly reminded the doctor of something.

In the center of the huge ward on the eighth floor, there is also an elevator.

However, the elevator cannot be used on the eighth floor because its buttons are not located anywhere on the eighth floor, so it can only exit and not enter.

If the doctor's memory serves him correctly, the elevator on the eighth floor and the elevator on the fifth floor should be the same one.

The doctor immediately stepped into the compartment and focused his attention on the control panel.

Several numbers are arranged in a vertical row.

11、8、7、6、5。

这让博士回忆起九楼那部电梯的数字是9、10、15，而十三楼那部电梯只有13和3两个数字。

"Rhodes Island's elevators are indeed zoned, with each elevator only leading to a different area... although you probably won't find this kind of zoning anywhere else."

He couldn't help but shake his head and complain.

But at least it's a good thing that it can dock on the eighth floor.

This means that if he can find a way to keep the elevator doors open on the eighth floor, he won't have to go through all that trouble to go to the store on the sixth floor next time.

But is it really possible for something this good to happen?

Are you suggesting we drag a bed from the eighth floor to block the elevator doors?

...It doesn't seem like it's impossible.

However, to avoid any unforeseen complications, it's best to go to the sixth floor first. After all, no one can predict what might happen next.

With that in mind, the professor reached out and pressed the button marked 6.

"Om-"

The door is closed.

The elevator started moving.

The doctor felt a slight weightlessness.

In Rhode Island, elevators are like completely locked coffins. Once you lie inside, you are cut off from all outside information until the doors open and the connection is re-established.