“How did you do it?” Chu Ci asked, his gaze burning with curiosity.
Qing Li yawned lazily and casually tore off the talisman stuck to the corpse’s forehead. Instantly, the body fell back into a state of stillness.
“Dr. Chu, how about we strike a deal?”
More talismans appeared in Qing Li’s hand out of thin air. She smiled brightly and said, “I’ll give you these talismans. With your abilities, I’m sure you can uncover the secrets hidden within them.”
The bait was set. She was confident this man would willingly take it.
“Alright, what kind of deal are you proposing?” Chu Ci asked, his interest piqued.
Seeing him agree, Qing Li stretched her arms and lazily said, “I want to take a nap here. Just make sure no one disturbs me.”
“Not even ghosts,” she added with a yawn, her eyes growing heavier with sleep.
This damned place had been messing with her rest for too long. Now that she’d found a safe and reliable spot, she wasn’t about to let it go.
Chu Ci was momentarily taken aback, clearly not expecting such a request.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Qing Li swiftly wrapped the corpse on the operating table in a white cloth, tossed it aside, and hopped up onto the table herself. Lying down comfortably, she closed her eyes in utter relaxation.
Ah, this operating table feels great—way better than the sofas at KFC.
“What’s your name?” Chu Ci’s voice broke through her drowsiness.
“Qing Li,” she replied lazily.
“Qing Li…”
Chu Ci repeated her name softly, the tip of his tongue curling over his teeth as his low, husky voice inexplicably carried a hint of intimacy and lingering emotion.
—
[Why do I feel like this man is starting to like the village girl?]
[The way he’s looking at her seems off—it’s more like he wants to dissect her.]
[Her nerves are something else. She actually fell asleep in a place like this.]
[To be fair, even though her clothes are pretty shabby, she’s got a naturally beautiful and delicate face.]
—
Standing before the operating table, Chu Ci lowered his gaze to the sleeping woman. He casually picked up a scalpel, his finger lightly grazing the sharp blade. The cold glint of the blade reflected in his icy eyes, shattering into countless shards of light.
What an interesting little girl.
—
“Big sister, I’ve come to find you.”
Down the hallway, a young boy hugged a leather ball, his hollow voice dripping with a chilling coldness. His head hung low, and his eyes were filled with a sinister darkness.
Thud—thud—thud.
The ball bounced against the floor as his cold gaze scanned one operating room after another until he finally stopped.
“Big sister, I’ve found you.”
He stood outside the operating room door, staring at the closed door with a strange curve on his lips. But as he prepared to enter, his smile gradually stiffened…
“Big sister, come out!”
“Big sister, come out!”
“Come out now!”
The sound of nails scratching the wooden door accompanied the boy’s voice, which grew increasingly distorted and chilling.
His features twisted grotesquely as he frantically scratched at the wooden door, leaving streaks of bloody marks.
“Come out—”
The sharp, piercing sound woke Qing Li. She opened her sleepy eyes, pouting with irritation. “Dr. Chu, it’s so noisy outside.”
“Sorry, I’ll handle it.”
Chu Ci was crouched on the floor, imitating Qing Li’s actions as he placed talismans on the corpse’s forehead. When the body stirred, he quickly tore the talisman off, repeating the process over and over with childlike amusement. In his focus, he hadn’t noticed the commotion outside.
Standing up, he casually picked up a scalpel and slowly opened the door.
The shrill cries outside came to an abrupt halt…
When Chu Ci returned, the blade of his scalpel was dripping with thick, pitch-black blood that reeked of decay.
—
[What exactly happened out there?]
[The cameras aren’t helpful at all! How could they miss such a thrilling scene?]
[Now I see why the village girl came back to this operating room. She wanted Chu Ci to deal with the boy—let the ghosts fight it out.]
[Looks like the boy is no match for Chu Ci. Well played, village girl.]
—
The live stream chat was buzzing with commentary, but it didn’t stop Qing Li from falling back into a peaceful slumber.
“Shen Ruo, look at this.”
In a dimly lit office, white paint was peeling from the walls, and thick layers of dust coated the desk. Upon closer inspection, faint, tiny handprints could be seen on the scattered files atop the desk.
Lin Xue’er fumbled through the files in a bid to make herself useful, knowing that in typical horror setups, these documents often contained crucial information.
Shen Ruo took the file and skimmed it under the flickering light.
It contained only mundane medical records of patients, offering no significant insights.
“Based on the bloody writing we saw earlier, the central figures of this mission should be either a boy and a girl or two young girls. We should focus on cases involving children of that age,” Zhou Ya suggested.
With her reminder, the group split up to search the office for relevant information.
“I think I’ve found something. Take a look—could this be it?” Lin Zizhou furrowed his brows and held up a yellowed medical file. His expression was grim, as the contents were disturbingly strange.
Name: Mu Qing
Age: 13
Diagnosis: Hallucination Disorder Triggered by Car Accident
The medical case was recorded in a diary format.
—
March 17, 2015
My younger brother came to see me again today. He seemed very upset because the doctor said he doesn’t exist—that he’s just a figment of my imagination. So, I ignored him all day. He got angry and scratched me, then left in a huff.
Note: The patient has visible scratch marks on her forearm. It is suspected that the patient inflicted the injuries on herself.
—
March 31, 2015
My brother hasn’t talked to me in days. I feel so lonely, so I reached out to him. He said he has a new friend now and doesn’t need me anymore.
I feel so sad.
Note: The patient is emotionally unstable and refuses to take her medication.
—
April 14, 2015
A girl at the hospital jumped off the roof and committed suicide. She was my brother’s new friend. Seeing her die made me so sad.
My brother came back and said I’m still his only friend.
Note: The patient is exhibiting violent tendencies and appears mentally unstable.
—
May 17, 2015
My brother loves playing hide-and-seek. He told me to hide where no one can find me. Otherwise, I’d lose, and there’d be a punishment.
Note: The patient went missing today and was later found in the operating room.
—
May 18, 2015
I lost the game of hide-and-seek. My brother asked me to give him a gift, something that must come from me. I gave him my eyes.
Note: The patient used a scalpel to self-mutilate, gouging out both her eyes.
—
June 23, 2015
I think I’m broken. No one comes looking for me anymore. There are so many bugs crawling on me, even my brother doesn’t want to play with me anymore.
—
June 25, 2015
My brother came back. I’m so happy. I knew I was the most important person to him.
—
June 26, 2015
My brother said he doesn’t have any toys anymore. He cried so much, and I felt heartbroken for him. I comforted him and told him not to cry. Then I gave him my head.
My brother got a new toy and immediately started laughing. I laughed with him too.
—
September 14, 2018
It hurts. I don’t want to be my brother’s toy anymore.
—
August 17, 2019
It hurts.
—
November 14, 2022
It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts…