Deep Within the Living-Chapter 22: Habit

With Luo Di’s awakening, a series of examinations came one after another.
First, the attending physician assessed his basic physical condition. Once it was confirmed that Luo Di was in relatively good shape, a psychological evaluation was promptly scheduled.
Any resident who exits the city must undergo psychological testing upon their return, let alone someone like Luo Di, who had participated in a new type of Practice Activity and experienced an accident.
This time, the psychological evaluation was far more complex than the ones conducted at school. Luo Di was fitted with a full set of brainwave monitoring equipment and required to complete a test paper under such conditions. The test consisted of 100 questions, including multiple-choice, open-ended, and time-sensitive judgment questions.
If the monitoring equipment detected any abnormal brainwave fluctuations during the test, it would restart. Should there be three consecutive abnormalities, the evaluation would be deemed a failure.
After nearly an hour, Luo Di handed the completed test to the psychologist beside him.
“The results are Good, not much different from your previous evaluations. Take some proper rest.”
With the psychological evaluation over, the indicator lamp above Luo Di’s hospital room door switched from red to green. A bespectacled young man, who had been waiting outside the room, became the first visitor.
Without greeting Luo Di immediately, he placed a bouquet of narcissus flowers into the vase on the bedside table.
“Luo Di, I didn’t expect you to know someone so influential.”
The visitor was Gao Yuxuan. He seemed to be in good condition, the only one among the group to emerge unscathed from the Practice Activity.
However, Luo Di’s first question wasn’t about the practice or their companions.
“Vice Rep, how long has it been? Are we still on holiday?”
“Yes, you’ve only been unconscious for less than a day.”
“What about the Class Leader and Anna?”
“The Class Leader just got out of the ICU. He’s still unconscious due to excessive blood loss, but his vitals are stable. Anna’s in the room next door to yours, in a condition similar to yours. She’ll wake up eventually.”
“Has the cause of the incident been identified?” Luo Di asked.
“It seems an Impersonator infiltrated their internal ranks—a person capable of bypassing the basic detection mechanisms. He had been working in the Practice Zone for a long time and was familiar with its loopholes.
“After we killed the Jiangshi, he cut off multiple power sources in the Practice Management Area and activated emergency protection mode, leaving the internal staff unaware of our status and trapping us inside for some time. Rescue personnel were delayed as a result.
“If it weren’t for you knowing someone so influential, we probably wouldn’t have made it out alive. This accident is no trivial matter. The research institute staff will face accountability, and the new Practice Program will undergo reevaluation. Of course, our performance will also be documented. I imagine we’ll receive a very high Practice Rating.”
Luo Di, however, wasn’t concerned about the institute’s negligence; instead, he felt a faint sense of gratitude for the “accident.”
“A very high rating?” he asked.
“Exactly. People from the city bureau already spoke to me. Considering we encountered two successive incidents, especially the Possession Incident, which was highly challenging, our ability to overcome it and survive as a group will be recorded as a high-difficulty Practice. This will greatly benefit our future applications for higher education. We’ll also likely receive some form of compensation, and it should be quite generous—maybe even something really valuable.”
This pleased Luo Di. His admission next year would directly affect his family’s future, and his parents had high hopes for him to secure a job in a major company.
“Which hospital is this?” he asked.
“Come on, with such top-notch medical facilities, it’s obviously the First Municipal Hospital. The expenses are covered by the institute, so just focus on recovering.
“By the way, hasn’t your family come to see you?”
“They’re away on vacation. They won’t be back until the holiday ends.”
“Well, since you’re in pretty good shape, you’ll probably be discharged in two days.”
Gao Yuxuan brought his backpack forward and pulled out several books related to exorcism, including some classic exorcism novels.
“These are all books I’ve read. They’re for you. I figured you might get bored alone in the hospital.”
“Thanks.”
After stacking the books neatly on the bedside table, Gao Yuxuan stood up, cleared his throat, and, after what seemed like a long internal struggle, finally squeezed out a sentence:
“We haven’t exchanged phone numbers yet, have we?”
“No, we haven’t.”
“Let’s do it now. Call me once you’re discharged. I’ll treat you to a meal.”
“No need for a meal. The Class Leader will treat us anyway. Let’s exchange numbers.”
Luo Di instinctively raised his left arm, only to realize that his wristband had been shattered during the Practice Activity.
“Oh, right, your wristband’s gone. I’ll leave my number here instead. Add it once you get a new wristband.”
Gao Yuxuan scribbled his number on the title page of one of the books with a ballpoint pen. Then he walked around the hospital room, clearly struggling to fill the awkward silence between them.
Both of them weren’t particularly talkative, and without the common goal of a Practice Activity, being alone together felt uncomfortable. In the end, Gao Yuxuan managed to blurt out, “I won’t disturb your rest anymore,” before turning to leave.
Just as he was about to step out of the room—
Click!
The unmistakable and haunting sound of a Tongue-Click echoed through the empty hospital room. Gao Yuxuan’s body tensed immediately, cold sweat pouring out like a flood, soaking his back.
Click!
Another tongue-click resonated, and Gao Yuxuan quickly located its source—it was coming from the bed.
Unlike the Tongue-Clicks they’d heard in the Old House, however, this sound didn’t bring any environmental changes or the searing heat from hell.
The clicks were rhythmic. Gao Yuxuan cautiously retreated to the foot of the bed, staring at Luo Di, who was calmly reading.
“Luo Di… are you… still normal?”
Only then did Luo Di realize he was subconsciously clicking his tongue.
“Don’t worry. I don’t know why, but I’ve started doing this whenever I focus on something. It seems to have become a habit.
“I even clicked my tongue a few times during the hospital’s psychological evaluation, but it didn’t trigger any Possession reactions, and all the tests came back normal.
“It’s probably just an ordinary habit brought about by the Possession.”
“Clicked your tongue during the test too? Then it should be fine. Whew... that was a bit nerve-wracking.”
“Really?”
Luo Di didn’t seem bothered, and there was even a trace of delight in his expression.
To him, this near-death Practice Accident felt more like a thrilling experience that matched his preferences and came with proportional rewards.
“Well then, I’ll get going. Contact me after you’re discharged.”
“Alright.”
Hospital Stay
It must be said that the hospital services were top-notch.
A luxury recovery package, tailored to aid physical recovery, was delivered directly to his room at set times.
Any medical staff were on call and responded immediately.
However, it seemed Gao Yuxuan was Luo Di’s only visitor. His jogging partner, and the key figure in resolving the accident—Mr. Lofi—had not shown up. This was likely because Mr. Lofi had personally intervened during the accident and was now busy handling the aftermath with the institute’s higher-ups.
Once discharged, Luo Di planned to contact him right away.
Not just to express his gratitude but also to ask for details about exorcism techniques, and particularly about Hell and the mysterious symbol.
Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, evening had arrived. When the nurse came to remove his IV, she also brought a bowl of matsutake chicken noodle soup as a late-night snack.
With ample nutrients absorbed, and after spending the entire day relatively inactive, Luo Di decided to get out of bed on his own.
After taking his used dishes to the nurse station—despite being reminded again to rest—Luo Di chose to walk along the quiet hospital corridors.
When he passed Anna’s room, the door indicator still displayed a red light, suggesting she hadn’t woken up yet.
Reaching the end of the corridor, he stepped into a staircase marked with a “Safety Passage” sign.
Because the First Municipal Hospital was equipped with numerous efficient, multi-functional elevators, these emergency staircases were rarely used—especially now that it was nighttime.
After climbing a few flights as exercise, Luo Di sat down in the stairwell to rest.
As he sat, his body instinctively leaned forward, as if to do a few push-ups. But in the end, he held back.
“I’ll make up for it when I’m discharged and back home.”
Luo Di hadn’t been resting long when—
Zzzzzzz
The bright lights in the stairwell began flickering unnaturally.