Chapter 11: Opening The Door

POSTED ON MARCH 11, 2023 BY TIBETANTERRIER

Lin Qiye was tired.

Both mentally and physically.

He did not expect this to happen on the first day he transferred to another school. He met a monster, was betrayed by his classmates, had a life-threatening fight, opened his eyes inexplicably, and a superman jumped out of nowhere and sneaked away from him afterward.

Lin Qiye was not stupid. He knew what he experienced tonight involved the hidden side of this world. The monster that ate the human face, the golden light that emerged from his body, and the man who single-handedly defeated the monster.

That man was not an ordinary person. Judging from his behavior in reporting on the walkie-talkie, there must be a massive organization behind him. This organization might be hidden in the world to deal with such supernatural events.

The “superman” saw the light on his body and probably even witnessed the scene of him killing monsters alone, thus wanting to invite him into the organization.

It would be a lie to say that Lin Qiye was not curious about the hidden side of the world at all. Of course, he wanted to know what he encountered tonight and what happened to him, but he did not want to get caught up in the vortex because of his curiosity.

There were some secrets where there was no way to escape once known.

He did not want to be a hero who protected mankind.

What he wanted to protect would only be his home.

Soon, he fell asleep.

…

The familiar fog descended again.

Lin Qiye looked around in the dream and sighed helplessly, “You still won’t let me go? I fight monsters when I’m awake and face this door again when I’m asleep. Life is hard.”

Lin Qiye walked forward with ease. Soon, the outline of a psychiatric hospital appeared before his eyes.

Large fonts were engraved on the ancient plaque on the right-hand side.

—the Psychiatric Hospital of the Gods.

Lin Qiye walked to the door and stood still. He grabbed the ring in front of the door. The moment his fingertips touched the ring, the ground shook slightly!

The surrounding fog suddenly rolled up.

Lin Qiye grabbed the ring with a dazed look on his face.

What the hell? Why did the earth start shaking before I knocked?

It wasn’t like this in the past.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

Could it be because I have opened my eyes today?

Lin Qiye lowered his head, looking at the body in his dream, and his eyes gradually lit up.

In the past, Lin Qiye’s body in the dream realm was translucent, as fragile as the freely roaming mist.

Instead, his body had solidified a lot today. Although it was still incorporeal, it was no longer transparent.

He raised his head and looked at the door that had blocked him out for five years, his gaze becoming increasingly intense.

It might work out today!

He took a deep breath, grasped the ring-shaped door knocker in his hand, and slammed it against the door with all his might!

“Clang—!“

The ringing of an ancient bell came from the psychiatric hospital and was several times louder than before. Fortunately, Lin Qiye did not have a physical body now. Otherwise, he would be in pain from the deafening sound.

The moment the bell rang, the entire psychiatric hospital trembled violently!

It’s working! Lin Qiye’s eyes lit up.

“Clang—!“

“Clang—!!“

“Clang—!!!“

Lin Qiye did not stop and struck the door knocker three times in a row. The psychiatric hospital shook like an earthquake!

Finally, after the last knock, there was a loud noise in the psychiatric hospital. Then, everything fell silent again.

Just when Lin Qiye was about to knock again, the door in front of him made a dull creaking sound and moved slowly.

The door is open.

“Wong—dong!“

After the door was fully opened, an ancient dark corridor appeared in front of Lin Qiye.

The promenade’s floor was composed of an unknown material that emitted a faint fluorescence. Blazing light clusters were hanging on the surrounding walls, exuding a mystical air.

Lin Qiye walked along this promenade. Soon, he came to a road fork, and a modern street sign was hanging above the path’s division.

“The left side is the ward, and the right is the activity area…” Lin Qiye looked at the street signs and muttered to himself, “Why is this layout the same as the psychiatric hospital I lived in back then?”

Lin Qiye hesitated for a moment and walked into the activity area first.

There were not many rooms in the activity area. Still, it had everything needed – a multimedia room for watching TV and movies, a lounge for playing chess and leisure, a study room for reading and studying… There was even a circular lawn inside the building; the open-air lawn was filled with all kinds of sports equipment.

“Sure enough, it’s the same. This dream is bizarre.” Lin Qiye frowned and shook his head in doubt.

After visiting the activity area, he returned to the other side, which was the ward area.

When he reached the door of the ward area, Lin Qiye suddenly stopped.

“Something is different with this place.” Lin Qiye looked at the dark and monotonous long corridor in front of him and muttered to himself.

He clearly remembered that the wards had several floors when he was at Sunshine Psychiatric Hospital. Although the facilities were not too advanced, they were at least clean and tidy.

However, the ward area in front of Lin Qiye had only one floor and six rooms.

The doors of these six rooms were full of densely packed strange symbols and figures, like some seal. Just looking at it made Lin Qiye dizzy.

Lin Qiyue forced himself to look away from the door, steadied his mind, and shifted his gaze elsewhere.

There was an old door plate on the upper right of the ward. Each room had a distinct pattern on the door plate.

For example, the No. 1 Ward where Lin Qiye stood now had a large black circle painted on the door plate.

On the other hand, something like a stick and a pen were painted on the door plate of Ward No. 2.

Lin Qiye walked along the corridor to the sixth ward at the end. Looking at these plate numbers, he still had no clues at all.

He looked at the weird door in front of him and thought deeply.

In the psychiatric hospital of his dream, only the ward area was different from the Sunshine Psychiatric Hospital in his memory.

So, are there patients living in these wards?

Or, as the name of this psychiatric hospital says, the dwellers inside are Gods?

Lin Qiye hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached out to the doorknob of the sixth ward.

It was not that Lin Qiye was reckless. On the one hand, this was his dream. Even if something went wrong, it should not affect him too much. On the other hand, he knocked on the door day after day for five years to enter this psychiatric hospital. He did not want to leave just like that, entirely in the dark.

In his subconscious mind, there seemed to be some secret that this psychiatric hospital could be related to him.

Otherwise, why is the layout here exactly the same as the Sunshine Psychiatric Hospital where I lived?

Lin Qiye gradually approached with his hand. His fingertips lightly touched the doorknob, and a chill came from it.

There was no anticipated repulsion or tingling. His hand held the handle naturally.

Lin Qiye pulled it hard!

The door did not budge.

He stood still, tried his best, and pulled again!

It was still not moving.

Lin Qiye gave up the door of this room, walked to the door of the fifth ward instead, and yanked the door hard.

He still could not open it.

Then, followed up by the fourth, third room, the second room…

Lin Qiye tried one by one, but none of the doors could be opened. Until finally, he reached the door of the first ward.

Holding the mentality of doomed failure, Lin Qiye yanked hard on the door of the first ward.

“Crack—!“

A faint sound came from the doorknob. The intricate lines and patterns engraved on the door suddenly broke and gradually dissipated into the air.

Lin Qiye was startled, took a few steps back, and stared straight ahead!

The door was open.