“Shen, Shen Ruo, I need to use the restroom.”
In the dimly lit hospital corridor, where the overhead lights flickered intermittently, Player No. 89, Zhu Daqiang, clutched his stomach, his face a ghastly shade of red.
In horror stories, going to the bathroom alone was practically a death sentence. Zhu Daqiang could only pin his hopes on Shen Ruo, hoping he would accompany him.
Shen Ruo frowned slightly and said coldly, “Be quick.”
Seeing Shen Ruo mercilessly dismiss his plea, a trace of resentment flashed across Zhu Daqiang’s eyes.
These experienced players didn’t care about the lives of the newcomers at all, often treating them as cannon fodder to scout the path ahead.
Although Zhu Daqiang felt indignant, his stomach ache grew unbearable. Clenching tightly, he reluctantly hurried into the abandoned restroom.
Drip—drip—
The rusted faucet leaked water, droplets splashing into the yellow-stained sink.
Hastily undoing his belt, Zhu Daqiang wanted nothing more than to finish quickly and rejoin the group.
Drip—drip—
[Is it just me, or did you guys see something?]
[What are you talking about? I didn’t see anything.]
[I saw it! A woman’s figure just flickered on the tiles.]
Inside the No. 89 livestream room, the comments started flooding in.
Noticing the messages, Zhu Daqiang’s heart skipped a beat.
His gaze shifted unconsciously toward the tiles. Seeing nothing unusual, he let out a sigh of relief.
Drip—drip—
Suddenly, he felt a cold sensation on his neck. Thinking it was just water leaking from the ceiling, he instinctively reached up to wipe it away.
“Ahhh!”
A blood-curdling scream echoed.
His palm was covered in blood.
Drip—drip—
“Are you looking for me?”
A chilling voice came from above.
Trembling, Zhu Daqiang slowly looked up. Hanging upside down from the ceiling was a woman, her mouth slit wide to her ears, her twisted smile etched in madness.
“You found me,” she whispered.
Blood dripped from her hollow eye sockets, landing on Zhu Daqiang’s lips.
“Ahhh!”
Another anguished scream pierced the air.
Drip—drip—
Silence returned.
—–
“Why hasn’t No. 89 come back yet?”
Zhou Ya’s impatience was evident.
“Should we go look for him?” Lin Zizhou suggested.
All eyes turned to Shen Ruo, the team’s de facto leader.
After a brief silence, Shen Ruo nodded. “Alright.”
The group retraced their steps through the hospital corridors, searching thoroughly. What they discovered sent chills down their spines—there was no restroom anywhere.
A wave of cold terror spread through their bodies, gripping their hearts in fear…
—
Elsewhere.
Qing Li slapped the ghostly woman’s left cheek, then her right. The virtual gifts in the livestream chat poured in, and her crescent-moon smile grew wider.
[Holy crap! If I hadn’t followed this livestream for so long, I’d think this ghost was an actor hired for the show!]
[Can someone explain why the ghost stops moving when there’s a talisman stuck to her head?]
[I’m seriously starting to question the village girl’s identity. Is she some kind of legendary exorcist?]
In the in-game shop, there were various items to counter ghosts, but most couldn’t inflict direct harm—unless you had exorbitantly priced or special items.
But Qing Li was just a rookie in her first livestream. She didn’t have the popularity points to afford expensive items. And talismans? The audience had never even seen one before.
The ghost’s face was red and raw from the relentless slapping. Finally, Qing Li stopped.
“Alright, does anyone have any other requests? If not, it’s time to bid farewell to our ghostly sister,” Qing Li said with an innocent smile.
[Suddenly, I feel bad for the ghost!]
[I have a wild idea—this ghost has a great figure. Could Qing Li maybe…?]
[Shut it, perv.]
Amused by the chat’s antics, Qing Li snapped her fingers. The yellow talisman stuck to the ghost’s forehead instantly turned to ash.
“I’ll tear you to pieces!”
Now free, the ghost’s bloodshot eyes filled with rage. She had never been so humiliated in her existence. With skeletal, decayed claws, she lunged at Qing Li.
Qing Li shook her head, almost pitying the ghost. “She’s so predictable—always the same move.”
“Since you helped boost my popularity, I’ll end this quickly for you.”
With a grin, Qing Li swiftly formed a hand seal. As the ghost lunged at her, she softly uttered one word:
“Destroy.”
Crack—crack—crack!
The ghost’s body twisted and contorted violently, the sound of bones snapping filling the livestream with an eerie unease. Blood foamed from her mouth as a guttural, resentful growl escaped her throat.
Bang!
With a final, gruesome burst, the ghost’s eyes exploded, and her body disintegrated into dust, vanishing completely from the world.
The livestream fell into an unnatural silence.
The ghost… was dead.
[What the hell? Did the village girl really just kill the ghost?]
[Someone slap me—I think I’m hallucinating.]
[Oh my god, did I just witness history? This is the first time a human has destroyed a ghost!]
The chat erupted in chaos.
Qing Li, however, grinned from ear to ear as gifts and donations poured in, oblivious to the historical significance of her actions in the eyes of her audience.
—
Ding! Player No. 100, Qing Li, has defeated a low-level ghost. Reward: Special Item – ‘The Ghost’s Resentment.’
—This item is a cursed consumable.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in Qing Li’s mind.
She noticed a small, skeletal finger appear in her consciousness, faintly emitting black mist, radiating an ominous aura.
“This livestream system is so stingy! I worked hard to destroy a ghost, and all I get is this lousy trinket?” Qing Li complained, her face filled with disdain.
The mechanical voice replied coldly: If you don’t want it, give it back.
“No way! What’s given to me is mine!” Qing Li retorted with a cheeky grin.
The system: …
—
Ahh!
A sudden, blood-curdling scream shattered the silence.
Qing Li’s playful demeanor vanished, her gaze sharpening. The scream sounded eerily familiar.
“Kill me… kill me…”
The voice grew clearer, coming from somewhere nearby.
Qing Li pushed open the door to an operating room. The dim red light in the corridor flickered ominously, the air thick with the metallic tang of blood. One by one, the doors to the operating rooms stood ajar, like gaping, bloodthirsty mouths, exuding a sinister aura.
She tread cautiously down the corridor.
As she passed the first operating room, she glanced inside and froze, her pupils contracting.
On the operating table lay a corpse, its abdomen grotesquely split open. The body had long since dried into a mummified husk, its blackened skin gleaming like smoked jerky.
In the second room, another corpse rested on the table. This one was severely decomposed, maggots visibly writhing beneath its decaying flesh.
The third room…
The fourth…
The fifth…
Each operating room contained a corpse, each in a more horrific state than the last, their conditions growing progressively fresher.
Finally, in the last room, Qing Li saw him — No. 89.