Strongest Maniac: Born in an Asylum

This octopus was a far cry from the one at the docks.

A father and son relationship.

It had come to the bridge to find its father. Its father had said he was going out to catch a human to eat, and then he never came back. It wanted to play with humans too, but they just ran away whenever they saw it. It was no fun at all.

Is it because I'm too beautiful that humans feel inferior?

That must be it.

Leo and Walter stared, wide-eyed, at the distant octopus.

Grumble, grumble!

Leo rubbed his stomach and said calmly, "I'm so hungry."

"I'm not that hungry," Walter replied.

Every time he unintentionally practiced his Qi cultivation, he would get incredibly hungry. It was an uncomfortable feeling, as if he wanted to eat everything he could see, whether it was food or not. Even steel.

"His arms are so long."

"Yes, that's why he's so cute."

More and more people were fleeing for their lives. Faced with a malevolent entity, they were like ghosts, their minds blank, with only one thought: escape. Nothing else mattered.

The deaf and mute man who had been slammed onto the ambulance was still desperately writing 'SOS' with his bloody finger. The meaning was clear: I'm not dead yet, you can still save me! You have time to stare at the monster, can't you just pull me over?

"Let's go!"

Vice Director Lee grabbed Leo and Walter by the wrists. He couldn't just abandon them. The reason was simple: he was going to be the Director. The head of a hospital. He might not be able to carry the fate of all beings on his shoulders, but protecting two patients was his responsibility.

"Is he cute?" Leo asked.

Vice Director Lee looked at Leo in disbelief, a hint of desperation in his voice. "Don't have an episode on me right now. Whether he's cute or not has nothing to do with you. Trust me, I won't harm you. If we run now, we can still make it."

If Director Hess had been there, he would have said nonchalantly, You just don't understand mental patients. He's asking you if it's cute. Can't you just say it's cute? Why do you have to say all these things they can't possibly understand?

"Vice Director, I will protect you," the driver said, mustering his courage. This was his chance to shine. He stood by the Vice Director's side, his voice firm.

Even though he was terrified of the malevolent entity, he knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If he didn't seize it, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Vice Director Lee clapped the driver on the shoulder, pleased. "Good. I'm glad to have an employee like you in our hospital. There's an iron rod in the back of the ambulance. Go get it and fight the monster. If you die honorably, the hospital will take care of your wife and children. If you're seriously injured, the hospital will treat you for the rest of your life."

The driver was stunned, his eyes wide.

This was not what he had expected.

You're really going to make me fight the monster? Aren't you a little too heartless?

Leo and Walter exchanged whispered words. They had never seen a creature like this before, but they had an innate feeling that it was truly beautiful, much cuter than the Mourning Dog or the Black Serpent.

Their standard for cuteness was directly proportional to size.

The driver retrieved a steel pipe from the ambulance and stood by the Vice Director's side, feigning calmness.

Vice Director Lee really wanted to run. The thought of abandoning the two patients had crossed his mind, but he...

The octopus gradually drew closer, now only ten meters away.

"Vice Director, you go first! I'll deal with him!" the driver shouted, gripping the steel pipe. He was prepared to be eaten. He thought of his wife and son. Honey, son, Dad is fighting for your future. With my death, I will create a better future for you.

He had been a driver for ten years, with a meager salary. His wife and child had suffered with him, squeezed into a tiny apartment, unable to afford new clothes. He had grown accustomed to this life, as had his wife and son. But as a man, how could he let his wife live like this? He had tried his best, but reality was cruel. Hard work didn't always bear fruit.

"Come on! Come at me!" the driver yelled, banging the steel pipe against the ambulance to attract the octopus's attention.

To the octopus, his small frame was no different from a small fish in the river.

Tap!

Just then, Vice Director Lee patted the driver's shoulder. The driver turned and saw that the Vice Director's expression had changed.

"Let me handle this."

Vice Director Lee's face was calm, his eyes steady. He slowly unfastened the digital watch from his wrist and placed it in the driver's hand. "Take good care of this watch for me," he said. "Its origin is very meaningful. The year I became a chief surgeon, I saved a child's mother on the operating table. The child, in gratitude, gave me the digital watch his father had bought for him."

"Look, this is the watch. Doesn't it feel nice? The craftsmanship is exquisite, and it's very popular in the elementary school market. It has a certain, subtle quality to it."

"I like it very much. I've always worn it. You take good care of it for me. Don't lose it."

Vice Director Lee took the steel pipe from the driver's hand and cracked his neck. The sound echoed with a certain authority. His entire demeanor had changed. He was like a retired underground emperor, once again donning his dragon robe and stepping back into the dark world.

"Director..." the driver was stunned by this aura. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Vice Director Lee smiled faintly. "Did you know?" he said nonchalantly. "When I was young, I served in the military for three years and was named an outstanding soldier. Later, I took the entrance exam for the Buddhist Temple High Institute. If it weren't for a stomachache that day that affected my performance, I wouldn't be the Vice Director of a hospital right now. I would be a true, peerless warrior."

"It's just a small malevolent entity. Watch carefully."

The driver stared at Vice Director Lee's back. For some reason, he suddenly found that the Vice Director's figure had grown taller, radiating a holy light. The light was so dazzling that he felt an urge to worship him.

He looked at the watch the Vice Director had entrusted to him. He knew it was the most precious thing the Vice Director owned. To be entrusted with such a treasure showed how much the Vice Director valued him.

At that moment, the driver clutched the digital watch, tears streaming down his face. "Vice Director, don't worry!" he roared. "Even if I die, I will protect this watch!"

Vice Director Lee walked towards the octopus. He raised his hand, giving the driver an "OK" sign without looking back. An innate confidence radiated from him.

No one had ever seen such a commanding Vice Director Lee.

Was this the same man who had knelt before Director Hess, begging him to take the mental patients back?

Was this the same man who feigned reluctance but was incredibly fast at snatching digital gift cards?

No... it was not.

That was all a facade.

Vice Director Lee stood before the octopus, looked up, and slowly raised his arm, pointing the iron rod at the creature.

"Lee Fortune," he said calmly, "unsuccessful candidate of the Buddhist Temple High Institute, Vice Director of Hua Tian Triple-A Hospital, and one of the Ten Outstanding Youths of Seaside City, will slay you today."

"Come!"

A gust of wind blew past. The white coat billowed in the wind. A few mischievous strands of Vice Director Lee's un-gelled hair stood on end.

The octopus tilted its head and blinked, looking curiously at the human before it. It felt that humans were all really stupid.