Chapter 2

In Building 3 of the Seventh Hospital, after breakfast time, the night shift doctors and nurses had settled the patients. After handing over their duties to the incoming staff, they yawned and left one by one. Zhang Da Dao frowned, his eyebrows deliberately drooping into a frown, his messy long hair covering his forehead, and some uneven, dog-bitten bangs partially obscuring his eyes. The dark circles and bags under his eyes made his lifeless eyes look even more listless.

"Hey, little immortal, what's wrong with you? Did you meet a female ghost last night?" A newly arrived doctor, while buttoning up his white coat, winked at Zhang Da Dao. This doctor, who had just finished his internship, was from a second-rate medical school and specialized in neurology. His name was Su Jinjin, which sounded like a soft girl's name, but he was actually a handsome and muscular man with six-pack abs and bouncy pecs.

It was said that due to the tight job market and his lack of connections, he had taken the psychiatric physician qualification exam and joined the five-year residency training program at the Seventh Hospital. He had officially become a high-risk industry worker. Perhaps because he was new and had changed careers halfway, Dr. Su was quite different from other interns and was very curious about the various odd people and events in the hospital. Zhang Da Dao, the hospital's treasure, was naturally one of his curiosities.

Zhang Da Dao rolled his lifeless eyes, looked at Dr. Su with disdain, straightened his body from leaning against the wall, and slid onto the nearby bench. "Female ghost? The main road is in front of the door, and the mountain is behind it. With this feng shui, even peaches can't be attracted, let alone a female ghost! Look at the doctors and nurses here, how many of them have partners?"

Zhang Da Dao pointed to a passing attending physician, who was Su Jinjin's direct superior, in his forties, and a widower!

Suddenly, his words seemed more credible! Su Jinjin was taken aback, his eyes darting around, and he asked listlessly, "Then why do you look so gloomy?"

This guy seemed hesitant, speaking hesitantly. Su Jinjin was from the countryside, and although he had a good education, he was somewhat skeptical of supernatural things.

Zhang Da Dao rolled his eyes again and said, "The guy who calls himself God didn't take his medication yesterday and tried to commit suicide late at night. He didn't know that our windows can only be opened a crack. He hit the window and bounced back, landing on the shadow king. That guy's scream nearly scattered my wandering spirit!"

Su Jinjin was taken aback. He had originally wanted to ask about the hospital's feng shui affecting relationships, but now he completely forgot. He quickly said, "God? The delusional guy? Didn't he go to the intensive care unit? Wasn't he restrained?"

Zhang Da Dao raised an eyebrow, stared at the ceiling as if seeing something, and his voice became even more ethereal and slow. "Who knows? Anyway, his family took him away this morning. I saw a bloodline on his forehead extending to his hairline, indicating that he won't live much longer!"

Su Jinjin shivered at Zhang Da Dao's eerie tone. Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder, making him jump and let out a short scream. The widowed attending physician appeared behind him, glared at Zhang Da Dao, and seeing that he had no reaction, still staring at the ceiling, sighed and pulled Su Jinjin away, instructing him, "Do you believe what the patients say? Don't you know what's up with Zhang Da Dao? The guy just had a forehead injury yesterday. His condition is severe, and it's normal for his family to take him home and have an accident."

The sound gradually faded as Su Jinjin nodded repeatedly, being led away by the attending physician. Zhang Da Dao sighed, looked up at the ceiling, and stared blankly. Some patients and doctors passing by greeted him, but he ignored them, staring fixedly at the ceiling. It seemed Zhang Da Dao was prepared to daydream until lunchtime. At some point, an elderly man with gray hair and wearing a Zhongshan suit sat next to Zhang Da Dao. The old man looked like a retired official or a university professor, with a rather distinguished air.

The old man looked at Zhang Da Dao for a while and said, "What's going on? I heard you were fooling around with the new doctor, Su Jinjin?"

Zhang Da Dao's eyes still stared straight at the ceiling, as if there was some secret in that white expanse. In a psychiatric hospital, with his patient's uniform and this behavior, it was clear he was a mental patient. Many patients' families avoided him.

The old man asked, and although Zhang Da Dao's posture didn't change, he spoke. "That guy doesn't seem like he'll last long! In this place, overly curious doctors don't have good outcomes."

The old man nodded and said, "I think Dr. Chen's point makes sense. The guy who tried to commit suicide yesterday was very ill. He probably will commit suicide this time. His family blames the hospital for not watching him, but they didn't think about who disagreed with him being admitted to the intensive care unit. His family probably can't watch him either!"

Zhang Da Dao seemed to come to his senses, turned to look at the old man, and asked, "Old Han? The doctor who took Su Jinjin away, is his last name Chen?"

Zhang Da Dao's sudden question seemed a bit odd, but the old man adapted seamlessly. "Yes! His name is Chen Dong, a graduate from Zhejiang Medical University, specializing in psychological counseling. He just transferred over recently. Dr. Liu resigned, didn't he? The patient who calls himself God was first treated by him. He was scolded by the family this morning."

Zhang Da Dao nodded, fiddled with his fingers for a while, and suddenly raised his voice. "Right! If God dies, he dies!"

A cleaning lady who was passing by, leaning against the wall, was startled by Zhang Da Dao's shout and immediately shivered, falling to the ground. Zhang Da Dao showed no change in expression, looked at Old Han, nodded, and got up, walking listlessly towards the ward. The cleaning lady looked at the empty bench strangely, patted her chest, and cursed in the local dialect, "Crazy!" before picking up her dropped tools and hurrying away.

In the Seventh Hospital, there had been at least eight or ten patients who claimed to be God, Buddha, or a living Buddha. In essence, they were not much different from Zhang Da Dao, who claimed to be a reincarnated celestial master. Most were diagnosed with delusional disorder. With some medication and persuasion, they usually improved. The guy who tried to commit suicide yesterday also claimed to be God, but his condition was indeed more severe. It was better for him to be confined in the hospital, and if he were in the intensive care unit under close monitoring, nothing would happen.

Zhang Da Dao wandered into the activity room and stared at a guy who was depressed due to failing the college entrance exam. Just as Zhang Da Dao was about to give him some guidance on how to succeed next time, a sweaty head poked into the room, looking around. Su Jinjin suddenly rushed in, pulled Zhang Da Dao to the door, and said:

"Did you know? The family of the patient who was discharged this morning came to cause a commotion. They hadn't even left the hospital grounds! The patient managed to break free and ran onto the road, getting run over by a bus! The person who insisted on taking him home was his wife, and she fainted on the spot!"

Zhang Da Dao nodded, seemingly unsurprised, and said, "The next one is him! The next one is him!"