Chen Ge had seen this old man before, also within Morgue No. 8. His body had been just next to Liu Zhengyi. Soaked in formalin, he had looked so peaceful, completely different from how he was now.
Looks like everyone in Morgue No. 8 retains their memory and personality. They are not affected by the blood world.
The world behind the door was filled with many negative emotions. Staying here for a long time would cause one to be assimilated into it, and only those with strongest conviction would be able to survive.
It was that way for Liu Zhengyi, whom Chen Ge had run into earlier. When he heard his student was bullied, he prepared to stand up for the student. It should be the same for this old man. Combined with what happened to Liu Zhengyi, Chen Ge understood something. Perhaps the blood world cannot assimilate them, so it forcibly controls them every few hours to make them forget certain things to preserve the order here.
Chen Ge was a calm man, and another observation appeared in his mind.
Compared to mind-controlling them, killing them should be easier, but the blood world didn't do that. There is no pity or protection here, and since they're still alive until now, this means that they serve some purpose!
The monsters referred to him as a doctor, be it Liu Zhengyi or this gentleman, they should be the best in their respective field. The owner of the door sounds like he's trying to revive someone. He kept these two doctors alive probably to aid him in completing that revival experiment.
Through the conversation of the two monsters and the clues gathered, Chen Ge came to a conclusion.
The two monsters refused to interact with the old gentleman because they were afraid of trouble, but it's different for me.
Chen Ge placed the white cat and hammer into his backpack and walked along the corridor openly.
Hearing his footsteps, the old gentleman slowly raised his head. When he saw Chen Ge, he was startled like he had seen a ghost.
I wonder how I look like in their eyes. Chen Ge walked to the old man and asked politely, "Sir, I have a few words to discuss with you—can you give me a few minutes of your time?"
"It should be lecture time now. Which class are you from?" The old gentleman glanced at Chen Ge a few more times like he was slowly getting used to the sight, and his expression returned to normal.
"Sir, I heard your conversation with the two people earlier," Chen Ge said directly. He did not plan to waste any more time.
"So what? You think I'm mad?" The old man held the door and prepared to return to his room.
"You're not mad. Actually, you're indeed dead." When Chen Ge said that, the whole corridor became quiet. He could clearly hear the sound of the blood flowing through the vessels. The old gentleman focused his gaze on Chen Ge. He did not speak but nodded slightly and allowed Chen Ge to follow him into the room. Chen Ge did what he was told. Morgue No. 4 was a small morgue. Due to wiring, Morgue No. 4 had stopped being used, and it had been turned into a sample room.
The door closed, but the old gentleman still did not say a thing. He walked to the racks that carried multiple samples. Chen Ge did not know what the old man was up to, but he still followed him silently.
The old man led Chen Ge to the inner part of the racks. "If you have something to say, we can discuss it here—this place is hidden from outside view."
Chen Ge nodded. "Sir, can you describe what I look like in your eyes?"
"Your features are placed at impossible places. The fact that you're alive is a miracle," the old man said directly.
"Then how do the surrounding walls and racks look in your eyes?"
"The walls?" The old man knew that Chen Ge was hinting at something. "They are painted white and look new."
"Do you know how they look in my eyes?" Chen Ge pointed at them. "Their surface is covered with a transparent membrane, blood vessels of varying sizes run through them, and they pulse like living organs."
Then Chen Ge pointed at his face. "The world in my eyes is the real one. I believe you've noticed that already."
The stronger one's will, the harder it was to control them behind the door. The old gentleman was this type of individual. He was not influenced by the negative emotions, and while he fought with the blood world, he slowly got tipped off to certain things.
"I know you might not be able to accept this so suddenly, but that is the truth." Chen Ge had a close watch on the old man. Once he acted strangely, Chen Ge would act quickly. "I saw you once in Morgue No. 8 at the underground morgue. Your real body is soaked inside formalin, and you look peaceful."
"You mean, I'm not only dead, but I've also donated my body to the university?" The old man tried to force himself to remember. He did remember something, but right then, things changed. Blood vessels leaked out from the walls and ground—they charged at the old gentleman all at once. Chen Ge had seen this before, so he came prepared. When they appeared, he took out his hammer and beat them off.
However, more blood came from the surrounding. There were so many of them that it was scary.
"Sir! Think about what you've done in the past! Everything you see is fake!" He protected the old man from the encroaching threat, but Chen Ge only managed that for a few seconds. There was heavy breathing from the outside corridor—'security' had been informed as well.
"What I've done in the past?" The old man's eyes glowed, but right then, the blood vessels slid past Chen Ge and attacked the old man. The man's eyes changed between red and white, his expression one of torment. Just as he was about to collapse, his body reacted like it had been programmed to do so. At the height of pain, he reached his arm into his sleeve. In the end, the old man failed to resist the control. When the blood vessels disappeared, he collapsed to the ground weakly.
"Sir?" Chen Ge squatted down to help the old man up from the ground. "Can you remember who I am?"
Holding his chest, the old man stood up from the ground. He looked at Chen Ge blankly and shook his head. Then, he appeared like he had remembered something and pulled down his sleeve. On his thin wrist, there were plenty of wounds gouged out by nails.
He looked at the latest wound and asked, "When did the new scar appear?"