Twenty minutes had passed since the system issued the task.
Jian Jing's mind was in turmoil. The more she thought about it, the more tangled her thoughts became. Finally, she decided not to think anymore.
Whether she acted or not, the result would be the same. If she did nothing, she would definitely regret it if something happened. If she acted but was still unable to prevent the tragedy, at least she had tried her best.
But instead of calling the police herself, she quietly walked up to the Security Uncle and asked in a low voice, "Uncle, should we call the police?"
The Security Uncle was in his forties, tall and sturdy. Hearing this, he shook his head: "No, they haven't done anything." He glanced at Jian Jing, thinking she was just a frightened young lady, and reassured her, "You go back inside and sit down, everything will be fine."
"They look quite scary," Jian Jing pointed casually at a wailing child, pretending to plead as a family member, "Can you ask them to go somewhere else? My little brother is scared to tears."
The Security Uncle could not agree to that. There was no extra space in the hospital. He could only say, "I'll call someone else over. Don't worry, young lady. Things like this happen two or three times a day."
Jian Jing was unable to persuade him and had to think of another way herself.
She circled back to the stairwell, took out her phone, but hesitated to dial out. The Security Uncle's words reminded her that calling the police without anything happening would be filing a false report. The one detained then would not be them, but her.
That wouldn't work either. What should she do?
Anxiety crawled all over her body.
"System, can you give me a hint?" She rubbed her temples, "I really have no clue at all."
[System: Time until incident: 00:03:00]
Three minutes?
Jian Jing did not expect to get any help. Seeing the time, she was shocked rather than happy, and reflexively rushed out.
There were 3 minutes left. Something must be going on.
But who was it?
She quickly went through the list of suspects in her mind.
Suspect 1, the burly father hugging his child on the IV drip, eliminated; Suspect 2, the man paying fees, seemed to have negotiated the medical fees with the hospital, eliminated; Suspect 3, the medical troublemakers eating outside, eliminated.
Could it be the newly arrived tattooed men?
Jian Jing focused all her attention on him.
Greasy hair, faded yellow sweatshirt stained with food, poor personal hygiene; callused hands, abrasions on his calves, he was likely doing manual labor; a very old mobile phone with physical keys, in poor financial conditions.
Anything else?
What about his expression?
[Countdown: 00:02:32]
She had time.
Jian Jing pretended to be on a phone call and walked quickly to the door, eavesdropping on the tattooed man's phone conversation.
He was saying in a low voice: "Uncle, can you lend me some money? No, I didn't gamble, I've changed, didn't fight with anyone... Oh, it's my little sister, she's in the hospital... Not much, not much, just two thousand, just lend me two thousand!"
Despite being on the phone, the tattooed man still subconsciously assumed a lowly, pleading stance, in stark contrast to his arrogant demeanor when he first walked in.
Something was off.
His sister had just been wheeled into the operating room less than ten minutes ago. Given their poor financial conditions, what he should be doing was raising money to pay for the surgery, not attacking people.
Moreover, he was just wearing a sweatshirt and shorts, and had no weapons at all!
She was mistaken!
She was biased, thinking they were the most suspicious, but that was not the case.
Jian Jing scolded herself for being stupid, and quickly glanced around.
The emergency room in this hospital had a tree-like structure. The emergency lobby and waiting room were at the bottom. Branching upwards were several sections including operating rooms, consultation rooms, examination rooms, and infusion rooms.
Luckily, there were only a few resting family members in the lobby, only the crying of an infant could be heard from the infusion room, with no signs of conflict.
As Jian Jing thought this through, she walked further in.
The consultation room door was closed, a doctor was examining a patient inside. There was a pregnant woman getting an ultrasound in the examination room. Further in were two operating rooms.
One had its lights on. If she remembered correctly, that was the one the female doctor had just entered.
The other operating room door was open.
A doctor in his forties walked out and spoke to the family members: "The surgery went quite well, but we still need to monitor the patient. ICU has been notified..."
Jian Jing was a bit far away to hear clearly, but the family's delighted smiles were evidence enough that all was well.
Something was off.
Who else was very suspicious?
She looked around and saw a man coming from a small hallway branching off the central corridor. He looked haggard with dark eye circles, clutching his stomach as he walked slowly forward.
Glancing up at the signs, there was an indication for restrooms. He was likely going to the toilet.
His steps were so unsteady, he probably did not have the ability to do anything.
Other than the nurses coming and going busily, there was no one else.
[Countdown: 00:01:27]
Just over a minute left.
Jian Jing did not dare stay too close to the lobby. She wanted to save people, but also protect herself. Open spaces were harder to defend. She shifted her position, leaning against the wall near the small hallway to the toilet. She took out her phone, pretending to be busy.
Out of the corner of her eye, she scanned the people nearby.
Strangely, the emergency room was very calm at this moment. Still noisy, yet no one was arguing. Everyone was focused on their own matters.
No sudden conflicts could arise in one minute that would cause someone to harbor murderous intent.
Jian Jing was almost certain the perpetrator had premeditated this.
If it was preplanned, the culprit would not be absorbed in their own tasks now, but waiting for the chance to strike.
Who else was looking around like her?
Very few. Two people were watching the TV, one looking out the window, another had just entered the door and was glancing left and right, as if looking for someone - could it be her?
Jian Jing watched the woman closely.
High heels, classic Chanel bag.
No, it was not her.
[Countdown: 00:00:59]
Less than a minute left.
Who was it? Who was it?
"Ugh." The man returning from the toilet seemed to be in severe abdominal pain. He would walk a few steps and stop, leaning against the wall and gasping, occasionally letting out pained moans.
He was very close to Jian Jing. The innate observational ability granted by the basic observation card made her take note of him for a while.
Something seemed... off?
An abnormal feeling arose.
Jian Jing gathered her scattered thoughts and focused on the man.
He was wearing a white shirt, the style looked old, one button on the cuff was missing. Over it was a black suit, the fabric cheap, slightly too big for him, but very new, likely just put on.
Plain black trousers, brown leather shoes, the shoes had mud stains on them and the soles seemed to be peeling off, worn more than once. He had a briefcase tucked under his arm, the metal parts were quite new.
How strange. The shirt and trousers were old but the suit and briefcase seemed brand new. Was he pretending to keep up appearances?
Apart from that, there seemed to be something else out of place.
What could it be?
[Countdown: 00:00:44]
Lost in concentration, Jian Jing had temporarily blocked out the countdown timer, fully absorbed in her thoughts.
At this moment, the man appeared to be in too much discomfort and sat down on the chairs lining the examination room hallway. He placed the briefcase on his lap, lowered his head with a frown, continuously sucking in breaths.
How exaggerated. Was it a stomach ulcer or appendicitis? Whatever it was, why didn't he look for a doctor?
Once suspicious, any anomaly would be magnified.
The more Jian Jing looked at him, the stranger he seemed.
His behavior was too peculiar. A normal person in severe pain at the hospital should directly call for a doctor or nurse to take a look right? Sitting there changing positions occasionally, clutching his stomach, it all felt...fake.
Yes, too fake, like an idol drama actor with no skills, unable to cry and only able to stare wide-eyed.
Jian Jing had suffered from stomach issues a few times before. When the pain hit, her complexion would be pale, cold sweat dripping, and she would be completely still, without any strength to change positions.
Something was off with this man.
Could it be him? He was carrying a bag. Yes, there was something odd about this briefcase.
Brand new and crisp, it seemed barely used. Could it be a prop? On second glance, it did look too flat, just a shallow protruding ridge, as if concealing something rectangular... Wait!
A knife? Could it be a knife?
In a flash, Jian Jing was drenched in cold sweat.
"Doctor, there is another patient..." The surgeon who had just completed an operation walked over with a junior doctor reporting cases behind him. Still immersed in the emotions of a "successful previous surgery, no complications for the next one", they had not noticed the man they were about to walk past.
Just then, a glint of reflection caught Jian Jing's eye.
It was a knife! It really was a knife! His target was these doctors!
He had premeditated this, came prepared, and was waiting here for an opportunity to strike, even disguising himself.
In the blink of an eye, Jian Jing understood everything.
[Countdown: 00:00:12]
No time left, what should she do? How to stop him?
At the critical juncture, Jian Jing could not even run away, her body seemed to freeze up. Her legs would not budge one bit, only knowing to stand there foolishly.
[Countdown: 00:00:10]
Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths.
She took two deep breaths, oxygen entering her lungs, her body seeming to warm up and become mobile again.
"Prop card," she muttered, feeling a slight weight in her palm.
Somewhat reassured, Jian Jing saw the cart parked to the side. With no time for hesitation, she directly grabbed and pulled the cart over.
"Hey, you can't move that," the nurse quickly stopped her.
Jian Jing deployed the fastest speed in her life, pushing the cart and dashing out. She fiercely rammed it towards the man about to get up.
Since he had a knife, she did not dare get close to grapple with him, she could only use this to keep some distance between them.
The man had been watching the doctors and did not notice her. Caught off guard by the cart, he fell back into the chair. He reacted quickly as well, realizing his plan may have been exposed. He immediately pulled out a knife from under the briefcase, using one hand to shove back the cart, while slashing at Jian Jing with the other.
The man was far stronger than the woman, especially since Jian Jing was still a patient.
With a push from him, the cart crashed heavily into her abdomen and sent her falling on her butt to the ground. Thankfully, her left hand was at the ready before she rammed into him. She sprayed the wolf repellent spray.
The mist dispersed at the same time as she hit the ground.
The instructions mentioned it would take effect in 5 seconds.
The man swung the knife at her, the blade cold and glinting. The others were not like Jian Jing earlier, stunned silly in place. No one had even noticed anything was amiss here yet.
When facing extreme fright, one might even be unable to scream, only able to freeze up stiffly.
5 seconds was enough for an adult male to stab a young girl to death.
Jian Jing was terrified beyond belief, her legs turned to jelly, adrenaline seemingly useless. She could not even stand up. Her mind went blank. Her body took over on instinct, immediately crouching to crawl under the cart.
"Clang!" The knife slashed against the cart with a loud metallic sound.
This seemed to serve as an alarm clock, jolting everyone awake.
"Ah!" The nurse shrieked, then immediately realized she should not have, fearfully covering her mouth.
Seeing this, the man no longer bothered with Jian Jing. Gripping the knife tightly, he slashed viciously at the doctor.
Having just barely escaped danger herself, Jian Jing was even more frightened now. Her mind went utterly blank - later she would have no recollection whatsoever of the scene at the time. More unexpected was her own reaction - at this moment, she actually reached out to grab at the man's trousers!
He stumbled from the pull. The knife tip grazed past, only cutting the junior doctor's arm.
"Damn it!" The man turned and powerfully kicked the cart.
The overhead protection was suddenly gone. She was exposed before the man.
