Three days later, in the afternoon, sunlight streamed through the window of the [Hospital Ward], falling upon Amamiya Rin's face.
Leaning on a crutch, Amamiya Rin shuffled forward step by step in the open space of the room.
"You're recovering faster than expected, Mr. Amamiya," the [Nurse] observed from the side, a smile of encouragement on her face.
"At this rate, I should be able to be discharged soon, right?" Amamiya Rin responded. Fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead, yet his eyes grew increasingly bright.
"You'll be able to move independently in a week at most. But if you're talking about being discharged, that will take another two weeks," the [Nurse] said.
"Two weeks... that's still too slow." Amamiya Rin furrowed his brows, clearly dissatisfied.
"That is already very fast, Mr. Amamiya. After all, you were in a coma for so long; your muscles and nerves need time to readapt. Please be patient—your health comes first," the [Nurse] hurriedly comforted him.
Before her voice had even faded, a burst of slightly noisy chatter and laughter drifted faintly from the corridor outside.
The sound wasn't loud, but in the relatively quiet environment of the hospital, it was quite distinct, seemingly coming from a nearby ward.
The [Nurse] cocked her head to listen, then smiled and sighed with emotion. "It sounds like Ms. Mitsuo's friends. That child has become quite popular recently; more and more people are coming to visit her."
"Ms. Mitsuo?" Amamiya Rin asked casually, his expression unchanged.
"The emergency patient from a few nights ago—do you remember her? That child had been very pessimistic due to her physical condition, but after her condition improved these past few days, her mood has become optimistic as well. She's even become good friends with the female patients around her," the [Nurse] answered offhandedly.
"It's actually quite strange. Many patients have requested to change wards in the last few days, saying they want to live closer to Ms. Mitsuo. I hadn't realized Ms. Mitsuo had such an affinity... Although it added a bit of trouble to the schedule adjustments, it's nice for the ward area to be a bit livelier."
"Nice, is it?" Amamiya Rin's expression gradually turned peculiar as he looked toward the door.
Dozens of tentacles, invisible to the naked eye, extended from his oral cavity, stretching out into the corridor outside the [Hospital Ward].
In the spacious corridor, there were even more of these tentacles. Like roundworms, they twisted their bodies in the air, weaving, entangling, and linking with one another. Thousands of tentacles knitted together in mid-air to form a massive, eerie, transparent web.
They pulsed slightly, transmitting thoughts and senses that did not belong to this dimension.
Those were the connections of the [Khala]—human nerves that had been alienized.
In just six short days, within Amamiya Rin's perception, the [Khala] had already assimilated over twenty people.
If not for his will being tempered by practicing [Kendo] and his mental defenses strengthened by self-hypnosis, he would have already been assimilated or killed by them today.
If things continued to be "nice" like this, in a week at most, every woman in this hospital would become a part of the [Khala].
As for two weeks? Amamiya Rin didn't dare to imagine what this hospital would look like after two weeks.
Amamiya Rin had considered informing [Dr. Kuroda] of this news to stop the expansion of the [Khala].
However, just as Hashimoto Ayaka and the others were restricted by his will to live and could not kill him, the survival instincts of the others similarly restricted him from doing things that would threaten their lives.
Situated within the [Khala] network, he could only allow the [Sacred Khala] to expand.
For him, this was a slow suicide, but he truly had no other strategy. He could only watch and wait for things to change.
Another two days passed. At dusk, Amamiya Rin lay on his bed, resting with his eyes closed. Using small techniques of [Hypnosis], he concentrated his mind and cleared away distracting thoughts to weaken the influence of the [Khala] network on himself.
Suddenly, Amamiya Rin caught a distinct thought.
(The female patients have all become us. It is time to make a move on the nurses and doctors.)
(Start with Ms. Shirai Yuko. She is the nurse responsible for Amamiya Rin; as a human, she is too much of a hindrance.)
Amamiya Rin's eyes snapped open, and he laughed out of sheer anger.
"Fuck! You're plotting right in my ear to screw me over—do you really take me for deaf?"
Amamiya Rin rolled out of bed, propped his body up with the crutch, and walked briskly toward the corridor.
He had trained in the use of a crutch for five years within the [Nightmare]. Walking with a crutch, his speed was in no way inferior to a normal person's.
He moved his body out of the [Hospital Ward].
The corridor was dead silent. The pale lights flickered.
The doors of the wards on both sides opened almost simultaneously. Over twenty figures silently appeared in the corridor amidst the flickering light.
They were all women, of various ages, dressed in hospital gowns or casual clothes. None of them had pupils; eerie, seeping whites occupied their entire eye sockets.
Like marionettes, the twenty-plus people slowly turned their necks, pairs of pale eyeballs looking toward Amamiya Rin in unison.
More than twenty faces wore the exact same expression, as if carved from a single mask.
Under the flickering lights, they did not speak. They simply watched Amamiya Rin quietly, forming a semi-circle that trapped him in the center.
A wave of freezing low pressure spread out, gnawing at Amamiya Rin's body temperature.
Amamiya Rin halted his steps, tightening his grip on the crutch in his hand. His gaze swept over face after face, finally landing on [Mitsuo Yukiko].
This woman... seemed even more beautiful than when they had met before?
The moment this thought arose, Amamiya Rin found it laughable and cast it to the back of his mind. What time was this? To still have the mind to care about a woman's looks?
"Mr. Amamiya," [Mitsuo Yukiko]'s lips parted slightly.
"Please return to your room," [Mikami Yui] spoke up.
"Do not get in the way," [Hashimoto Ayaka] took over the sentence.
"We will not interfere with each other," [Momonogi Kana] said coldly.
The four segments of speech had no gaps between them, merging into a single, flat stream of sound that echoed in the desolate hallway, making one's scalp tingle.
Amamiya Rin felt an invisible pressure surging from all directions, attempting to crush his will. In an instant, countless fragmented voices whispered in his mind, urging him to obey.
But he merely sneered, the bottom of his crutch striking the cold floor with a sharp clack.
"Discussing how to move against the nurse taking care of me right inside my brain..."
Amamiya Rin lifted his eyelids, his gaze sharp as it swept over this group—a monster of many bodies acting as one.
"And you expect me to pretend I didn't hear it? Just how spineless do you think I am?"
He took a step forward.
The twenty-plus bodies also leaned forward slightly in unison, as if a massive singular entity were making a threatening posture. The invisible nerve bundles in the air tightened and trembled along with them.
More than twenty faces simultaneously displayed the exact same look of apprehension.
Amamiya Rin was the only person within the [Khala] network who retained his self. Among the others in the [Khala] network, none dared to take him lightly.
____
New Story: Junji Ito: I Shall Smash Hellstar Remina
🔥We're handing out that '30% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Get immediate access to 40 early chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive material and special announcements!
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters across ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan