Return to the Mental Hospital

After leaving the old house,

Due to the urgency of the situation, Luo Wei and the other two ran to the neighbor's house across the street and "borrowed" a powerful car.

When they asked to borrow the car, the neighbor agreed very readily, mainly because—Luo Wei was holding a loaded revolver in his hand.

Once the three of them got into the car, Evelyn took the wheel, and the vehicle sped towards the city center.

Luo Wei kept observing the scene outside the window. The closer they got to the city, the more chaotic the streets became.

He had lost count of how many instances of "looting" he had witnessed.

Gunshots, riots, and curses filled the air as the entire city of Saint Callen teetered on the edge of chaos.

The atmosphere inside the car grew tense and silent. Helena tightly held Luo Wei's hand, and he could feel the girl's unease.

Luo Wei looked into her worried blue eyes and gently stroked her hair.

"Don’t worry. Once I save Saint Callen, everything will be over," he said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. "And don’t forget, I promised to take you both on a beach vacation after this is all over~"

Evelyn, who was focused on driving, couldn’t help but smile.

"Yeah, yeah, it’s really not that big of a deal. I’ve seen this city during wartime, and that was far scarier than this."

Helena wasn’t listening. She just stared at Luo Wei with concern.

"Brother, maybe we shouldn’t go. Why don’t we just listen to the police chief and leave the city?"

Luo Wei chuckled and shook his head, saying nothing more.

Helena quickly added, "But that’s a *god* we’re talking about! How can we possibly stand against something like that?"

Her anxiety grew as she spoke. She had never imagined that her family would be dragged into something so dangerous.

She didn’t want Luo Wei to be a hero or risk his life to save the city. All she wanted was to live quietly with him, to see him every day. That was enough for her...

Luo Wei had intended to lighten the mood, but Helena’s anxiety only made the atmosphere heavier.

He sighed and continued to silently observe the scene outside.

The car had now entered the eastern district of Saint Callen, where the fog was even thicker, reducing visibility to almost nothing. Luo Wei could barely see ten meters ahead.

Occasionally, a disturbing roar echoed through the fog, as if some deranged superhuman was wandering the streets.

Evelyn slightly turned her head.

"Luo Wei, you mentioned earlier that you think this fog is connected to the superhumans going insane?"

Luo Wei nodded. "The insanity among superhumans is only happening in Saint Callen. When I was in the hospital, I read in the papers that we’re experiencing a once-in-a-decade fog. The timing matches, so I linked the two."

"Your thinking is quite out of the box..." Evelyn murmured. "I didn’t even consider that. After all, in this smog-filled city, fog isn’t exactly unusual."

But the more she thought about it, the more puzzled she became. "What could the connection be between the fog and the superhumans going insane? Could the fog have some kind of mind-controlling power?"

"If that’s the case... then whoever’s behind this is truly formidable. I’ve never heard of such a power before."

Luo Wei frowned. Indeed, he had never heard of any magic or dark sorcery capable of creating a city-wide fog with such a profound effect. After all, this was a low-magic world...

As they discussed this, Evelyn curiously muttered, "Should we... give it a try?"

Without waiting for Luo Wei’s approval, she quickly rolled down the window just a crack.

The damp fog immediately seeped into the car.

Evelyn took a deep breath and then slowly closed the window.

Luo Wei and Helena immediately focused on her, watching for any reaction.

After a while, Evelyn showed no signs of change. She glanced at Luo Wei through the rearview mirror.

"See? I’m fine. Do I look like I’m about to go insane?"

Helena glared at her in disapproval. "That was so reckless! You knew the fog might be dangerous, yet you still did that! If you go crazy, it’s one thing, but what if you put my brother in danger?"

Evelyn guiltily averted her gaze. "Hah... you’re really underestimating your brother..."

"Teacher, how powerful do you think I am in your eyes?" Luo Wei sighed, knowing full well that he was the weakest in the car at the moment...

Helena was about to scold her further, but when she accidentally glanced out the window, her eyes widened in alarm.

"Hey! Vampire! Watch the road!"

"Huh?" Evelyn immediately swerved the wheel.

Luo Wei saw a dark figure suddenly emerge from the thick fog. The figure had been staggering across the street, but upon spotting their car, it turned its blood-red eyes toward them and let out a guttural roar.

It was an insane superhuman.

"Teacher! Don’t stop!" Luo Wei shouted.

"Got it!" Evelyn had initially thought it was an innocent pedestrian, but upon recognizing the figure, she slammed the accelerator.

With a loud crash, the front of the car caved in, and filthy blood splattered across the windshield.

Luo Wei quickly looked into the rearview mirror. The superhuman had been sent flying by the impact and tumbled over a dozen times on the ground.

It struggled to get up but ultimately collapsed, unable to move.

Luo Wei breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t worried about the superhuman being a threat; he just didn’t want to waste time getting into a fight.

"Teacher, your driving skills are impressive!" he couldn’t help but laugh.

"Of course," Evelyn replied with a proud smile. "I’ve been driving for who knows how long..."

She immediately stopped herself, looking a bit embarrassed.

She had almost revealed her true age again...

Luo Wei found her reaction amusing. "With your driving skills, you must have at least fifty years of experience, right?"

"Don’t be ridiculous!" she snapped, glaring at him. "They didn’t even have this kind of license fifty years ago!"

Luo Wei couldn’t help but laugh.

Now he had a rough idea of her age, since she knew what licenses were like fifty years ago...

Not that he particularly cared how old she was—after all, powerful vampires could live for a thousand years—but he just loved seeing Evelyn flustered like this.

The usually arrogant and smug Evelyn getting embarrassed was simply too adorable.

Evelyn shot Luo Wei a resentful look, his playful grin only making her more annoyed.

She finally gave up and stayed silent.

...

After driving for several hours, Luo Wei finally returned to Bedlam Psychiatric Hospital.

"You’re home," Evelyn said as she parked the car outside the fence.

But Luo Wei didn’t let them get out immediately. Instead, he pulled out a few scarves he had prepared earlier and handed them over.

Helena obediently wrapped the scarf around her face, covering her nose and mouth tightly.

If the fog really was dangerous, this would at least provide some protection. Better safe than sorry.

Only then did Luo Wei open the car door.

The situation inside the asylum was even worse than the streets. Chaos reigned, with gunfire echoing everywhere. The three of them took advantage of the confusion to slip inside.

As they entered the corridor of Luo Wei’s ward building, they saw guards armed with guns and shields rounding up escaped patients. Several bodies lay on the floor.

The guards at Bedlam Psychiatric Hospital were no pushovers. Equipped with state-of-the-art mithril weapons, they didn’t hesitate to open fire on any unruly patients—permanent treatment.

"Those guys are all focused on suppressing the patients in the ward building," Evelyn said, cautiously observing the scene ahead. A crimson blade silently materialized in her hand.

Luo Wei shook his head and stopped her. "There’s a better way."

"What’s that?" Evelyn asked curiously.

Luo Wei peeked out, carefully studying the guards, and memorized the appearance of one of them.

When he turned back, his muscles began to twitch unnaturally, and his joints cracked as his body started to transform.

Evelyn watched in astonishment as Luo Wei's body underwent a transformation. After a series of intense contortions, his face had morphed into that of an ordinary-looking security guard.

This was the first time Luo Wei had used Helena's innate ability, [Formless Body], and it turned out to be an excellent skill for disguise.

"Hmm..." He glanced at the corpse on the ground. "Now, all we need are some clothes..."

Moments later, around the corner of the hallway, Luo Wei and Helena had both transformed, now disguised as hospital security guards.

Evelyn silently observed their new appearances. "It’s a good plan, but..."

She pointed at herself. "What about me?"

Luo Wei smiled at her. "You’re the patient we’ve captured!"

Evelyn nodded reluctantly. "Alright..."

With that, Luo Wei and Helena escorted the "mental patient" Evelyn, striding confidently down the hallway.

The area was bustling with people, but no one seemed to suspect the trio. After all, patients usually tried to escape, not return.

Once they reached the room downstairs, Luo Wei unlocked the heavy iron door from the outside. With a creak, the high-ranking member of the Truth Cult came into view.

He was a disheveled middle-aged man, huddled in the corner of the room, muttering incessantly as if in prayer. The sound of the door opening made him look up abruptly.

"Wh-what do you want...? Is something wrong?"

His bloodshot eyes were filled with anxiety, fixed on Luo Wei as he approached slowly.

Helena quietly closed the door behind them.

The dull thud startled the man once more.

"We have some questions for you," Luo Wei said, softening his tone as he noticed how jumpy the man was.

"We know you’re a member of the Truth Cult, and it’s likely you’ll never be released from here."

Luo Wei was quite skilled at painting a rosy picture. He smiled faintly. "If you can provide us with some truthful information, we can arrange for your release. Your past actions will be forgiven. How does that sound?"

To his surprise, the cult member shook his head in sheer panic, on the verge of tears.

"No! Don’t take me out of here!"

"I’ll stay right here! I’m not going anywhere!"

"I love it here! Please, don’t make me leave, I’m begging you..."