Plague Doctor

After a long stretch of silence, they could finally hear the sound of waves crashing. It made them realize they had been on the sea. The edge of the island was covered in rotten ground. The white ship sailed gradually toward it before inching onto the shore. A plank materialized on the side of the deck, and it extended toward the shore. Gu Jun and Wu Siyu were dressed in light gray cotton outfits, looking like Chinese travelers from exotic lands.

When they went behind the cabin door to change, the sound of shrieking from the bottom of the stairs heightened. It sounded like some beasts were struggling to escape from their entrapment. The duo walked out immediately after changing. They did not stay to explore further. That was something they had agreed upon. Now, the pair walked down the plank and stepped onto the island. The clothes that they originally wore instantly dissolved into wisps of smoke. When they turned back to look, the white ship had already sailed away into the world of mist. There went their hope of getting a ride back. How were they going to leave should they complete their mission?

“So, is this it?” Wu Siyu observed their surroundings. When they were still on the boat, Gu Jun had described the basic background of the nightmare to her. The patients would find themselves at an abandoned island in their dream. There would be withered trees, sodden leaves, and a mountain range in the distance. It fit their surroundings perfectly.

“Yes.” Gu Jun nodded. He could recognize this shore. “This is where the nightmare always starts.”

They did not sense any human presence around them.

“Perhaps our arrival has been announced or perhaps not. In any case, we should be prepared,” Gu Jun warned. The last words the captain said mentioned an imminent storm, but the sky was as clear as ever. However, Gu Jun doubted the old man would make a joke out of something like that. If they were caught in a storm, it would make their journey that much more difficult.

The two stopped to take inventory. If they rationed carefully, the food and water could last them for a few days. Other than that, they had the medic kit, an oil lamp, and two weapons. The weapons were normal weapons; they did not possess any special power and were not some kind ritualistic relics. The sword was about one meter long, and the hilt was covered in exquisite carvings. The blade was not sharp to the touch, but it could still hack through some tree trunks. The bow was made from wood. It had the same carving design as the sword. For some reason, Wu Siyu reminded him of a cat when she studied these strange carvings. Neither of them had received training in this kind of classic weaponry. In fact, for a girl as slender as Wu Siyu, she had trouble just nocking the bow. The choice of the bow was more for covering all bases instead of their mastery of it. That way, they had one long-ranged weapon should the situation call for it.

With regards to the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan, Gu Jun felt like he had learned less than one third of the first chapter. They had not yet unlocked its power.

“I have no idea how long we’ll need to travel.” He turned to regard the eerie forest head. There was a dreamlike feeling to everything. It felt like he could have floated through the forest if he wanted, but he knew that was not the case. He took out a bandage from the medic kit and twisted it into a rope. He tied it around his waist and Wu Siyu’s to prevent them from getting separated. Then, the two made their way toward the forest.

As they stepped under the dying branches, the world around them submerged into darkness. Gu Jun used the match gifted by the old captain to light the oil lamp. The light was just strong enough for them to find their way through the undergrowth. Just like that, Gu Jun held the sword in one hand and the lamp in the other as he trekked through the forest. When they journeyed for about ten meters, they heard a rustling. They both turned toward the direction of the sound, but all they saw were the withered trees.

“Did you hear that?” he asked softly.

“I did,” she answered. “I managed to sense that it was not a human. It was something else, but I did not get any further information.”

“Hmm…” Gu Jun tightened his grip on the long sword, but it did not provide him with any security. The island was too unfamiliar for them. Trekking through an unexplored forest with possible threat at every turn would test anyone’s mettle. The two had decided to use the mountain as their guidance. Perhaps lady luck was smiling on them that day because they did not encounter any danger. They journeyed for another two hundred meters or so when they saw bright light breaking through the trees. It appeared like they had almost reached the end of the forest. As they stepped out from the interweaving branches, it was as if they had stepped into another world. Sunlight showered back on them again. Things were progressing exactly as they did in the nightmare.

“That’s it,” Gu Jun said darkly.

At the foot of the mountain about fifty meters away sat an old manor. This time, he could finally get a good look. The manor was three stories tall and seemed to be built from wood. It looked like it was three hundred to four hundred cubic meters. It had a very strange architectural design that reminded Gu Jun of the carcass of some kind of abnormal creature. But this time, there was no Ol Uncle Dog or anyone else waiting for them before the manor door that was thrown wide open. There was only silence.

“What are we to do now?” Wu Siyu looked at him. “Are we going to just walk up to it?”

“I don’t think so.” Gu Jun contemplated. “We have to consider that this might be a trap.”

The island was too unfamiliar to them, and thus, it was unwise to go exploring without any guidance. If they still had their armada of firearms, they could have tried to storm the house. Ol’ Uncle Dog might have posed a threat, but there were two of them, and bullets would move faster than spells. Unfortunately, the sad reality was they only had a wooden bow and some arrows, and neither of them had training in archery.

“I have an idea,” Wu Siyu said. “We can bind the arrowheads with bandages and soak them with the gasoline. Then we will light them up and shoot them at the house. The house looks like it is made from wood, so it should be flammable. The whole place will collapse in a ball of fire before you know it.”

“That… honestly is not a bad idea, but maybe we should consider other options first.”

After all, who knew what kind of consequence might come from such a drastic move? Perhaps they could find some valuable items inside the old manor. Gu Jun would only resort to destroying the manor when they had no other choice. They only had one chance to do this right.

Gu Jun wanted to wait a little longer. “If there are new patients from Eastern State, they should arrive punctually at 3 am. I wonder if we are close to that time here.”

Would Ol’ Uncle Dog appear then, casting spells to take those dreams?

Time was a loose concept in the dream world. For now, they decided to go into hiding beside a copse of trees near the manor. Gu Jun had Wu Siyu pay attention to their surroundings while he took the time to brush up the knowledge on the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan. Time was passing supposedly, but the day showed no sign of changing. There did not appear to be a day night cycle in this world.

“Hey!” Wu Siyu suddenly pushed Gu Jun. “Look, quite a large number of people are coming.”

She had been watching over the forest and the manor. The manor showed no activity, but figures started to tumble out of the forest one after another. They did not seem to notice each other. Their faces were wiped clean of emotion. Their gait was slow and shambling like they were sleepwalking. The group gradually walked toward the manor, and among them, there were familiar faces.

Gu Jun had just turned his head around, and when he saw those faces, his heart scrunched, and his eyes widened.

Wang Ruoxiang and Cai Zixuan, they were both there. Alongside them were his colleagues from Eastern State’s Medical Department.

‘What had happened outside? Why are they here in the nightmare?’