Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Baoshan Five

The dark night enveloped Baoshan Hospital, with a full moon hanging high in the sky.

The three-man team searching for Zhang Aihua's whereabouts, relying on their three strong, youthful male bodies and ample yang energy, split up to act separately:

Zhou Jingren and Jun Weiran were sweeping the building, responsible for the inpatient departments 2 and 3.

Chen Xiu was tasked with keeping an eye on the radiology department on the basement level, while also entering the security room to check the surveillance.

The three dispersed at the corridor separating the outpatient and inpatient departments.

Zhou Jingren tossed a radio receiver to Jun Weiran and said:

"Junior, take this."

"I know you naturally have heavy yin energy, so the morgue is definitely not a place for you to guard."

"It should've been a senior taking the lead, but there aren't enough hands, so it'll have to be one of us per building."

"If we’re lucky, we might come across any scattered spirit students in the hospital. If you do, team up with them. Got it?"

Jun Weiran listened but frowned, remaining silent.

Chen Xiu counted the talismans in his hand, dampened them and stuck them onto his weapon, coldly saying:

"Kid, you should respond when a senior speaks."

"In the first semester of freshman year, you were the most reckless, always aiming to be the best at everything—your natural light yin energy was never a secret, no need to hide it."

"Don’t you know why I paired you with Ming Yue just now?"

"The hospital is a place of yin energy, and sticking with Ming Yue will keep you safer." Chen Xiu rarely spoke so earnestly.

Jun Weiran straightened his neck, clearly unappreciative: "Thank you for the concern, senior, but it's unnecessary."

"I don’t want to create unnecessary entanglements."

Jun’s words were as stiff as the cold night.

Chen Xiu was frustrated, "You—"

"Alright, alright, enough chatter. Let’s focus on the task at hand!""Chen Xiu, say less."

Zhou Jingren quickly stepped in to mediate, secretly shooting Chen Xiu a glare.

Even though he outranked Chen Xiu by two levels, the spirit academy's undergraduate president had a notorious temper that was not to be taken lightly.

If Jun Weiran argued a bit more, Chen Xiu might have dealt with him on the spot.

The three parted unhappily.

Jun Weiran, holding his knife, blended into the night, his figure tall, lean, and cold.

Zhou Jingren looked at him and sighed inwardly.

Before coming here, he had a phone call with his fellow graduate student, Xi Cheng'en.

Xi Cheng'en had taught the freshmen a few times last year and was very familiar with the thirty or so students in the freshman class.

Zhou Jingren specifically inquired about the top freshman in the "Picnic Group."

Jun Weiran was proud and ambitious, quick to seek gains, talented, but with heavy yin energy and a light fate, unable to control his own luck.

Xi Cheng'en had been very clear about it.

And what about Ming Yue?

At that time, Zhou Jingren had asked this question over the phone.

He still remembered the girl who looked like a human-shaped printer during the exam. She left a deep impression on him.

On the other end of the line, Xi Cheng'en let out a strange laugh.

"The biggest issue with Ming Yue is probably why, while most living people seek balance between yin and yang, her yang energy is so strong."

"This is paradoxical, and I was planning to make it the subject of my research."

"Don't worry, this girl’s fate is more stable than that of a 500-pound person."

"Stick with her, and there will be surprises, but no danger."

Before hanging up, Xi Cheng'en added gossipily: "That Ming Yue seems to have a bit of an interest in Jun Weiran."Zhou Jingren: "……"

Zhou Jingren muttered, "Xi Cheng, you really are such a gossip."

This was also the reason Zhou Jingren didn’t comment half an hour ago when Chen Xiu suggested grouping Ming Yue and Jun Weiran together on the staircase.

It was a two-for-one deal: they could complement each other’s yin and yang, and maybe even play matchmaker.

However, Jun Weiran refused to cooperate and seemed to disdain Ming Yue.

Xi Cheng'en: … Who just called me a gossip?

Half an hour later—

First-floor security office.

A few of the security guards were yawning and handed over the monitoring screens to Chen Xiu.

Chen Xiu bent down and started checking the screens one by one.

Jun Weiran, in Building 2, had just reached the sixth floor. The flashlight’s beam illuminated the dark corridor, creating a pale light trail.

Zhou Jingren, on the third floor, was moving quickly, scanning from the top floor down, and was currently checking the public restroom on the ninth floor.

Still no sign of Zhang Aihua.

No living person had flown away.

Chen Xiu, smoking his cigarette, sat in the smoke-filled room, frowning as he stared at the small monitor, his mind still puzzled.

Something strange.

If the source of the hospital's vengeful spirits was Qiao Ting, then how could a single vengeful spirit release such immense yin energy? How could it scatter so many souls?

And what about what Ming Yue said? None of the five student ghosts were visible.

Chen Xiu kept replaying the logic of the situation in his mind, his gaze fixed on the obstetrics monitor.

The gray-white, snow-white screen displayed:

The obstetrics corridor was empty. The benches were cold, with neither living nor ghostly beings sitting on them.

Chen Xiu closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.After staring at the screen for so long, his eyes ached. He reached for his earplugs and suddenly realized that he hadn’t put them in the entire half hour he had been working!

Chen Xiu: "……"

So busy, he had gotten dizzy!

He quickly pressed the button.

A crackling sound.

The moment the signal connected, a woman’s scream pierced his eardrum—!

Chen Xiu hissed, shuddering, and covered his ears.

On the public frequency.

It was Ming Yue’s scream.

She clearly shouted, word by word: “What the hell! Why aren’t the kids in the pediatrics ward floating to the sky?!”

“These little ghosts are eating each other!”

“First, they ate five—no, now they’ve eaten six!”

Yan Jun and Zhou Jingren’s voices quickly followed:

Zhou Jingren: “Ming Yue, don’t panic! The little ghosts have messed up brains, don’t provoke them!”

Yan Jun raised his voice, explaining as they sprinted down the corridor: “Senior, we didn’t provoke them! Ming Yue is just gathering information!”

Zhou Jingren’s voice sounded like he was trying to swallow the earplugs, blaring over the speaker, hoarse with desperation: “What information! Life is the priority, ancestor!”

Chen Xiu finally managed to interrupt through Zhou Jingren’s shouting: “Ming Yue, Yan Jun! Where are you right now?!”

Ming Yue howled: “We’re in the pediatrics ward on the eighth floor!”

Then a loud crash echoed through the earplugs, followed by the sound of breaking and clattering, like a sharp object piercing through the wall, the heavy earth crumbling.

Ming Yue: “Didn’t kill them? Then let’s try again!”

Yan Jun shouted: “Ming Yue! The wall is going to collapse from the way you’re stabbing the fork!”Chen Xiu: "……"

Chen Xiu quickly found the surveillance screen for the eighth floor, but was surprised to discover—

The eighth-floor corridor was completely empty. A nurse was walking down the hallway, carrying a medical record book, patrolling the night as usual.

On the gray-white screen, half of the corridor illuminated by the surveillance light was completely empty, not a single person in sight.

The other half of the corridor was shrouded in gray mist, covered by a dark shadow, making it impossible to see clearly.

If Ming Yue and Yan Jun were there...

But.

How could they escape without "running into the other half of the corridor"?

Chen Xiu felt a chill in his heart. He squeezed the receiver and said, "Yan Jun, I didn’t see either of you on the eighth-floor surveillance."

"Be careful, you might have encountered the 'ghost wall'."

On the other end of the public frequency, everyone went silent for a moment.

Ming Yue's loud complaint came through: "Yama, are you up there!"

"I hate ghost walls the most!"

"I'm going to the Rooster Temple to burn incense and get rid of the bad luck!"

"Ten sticks! The thickest ones!"

Eighth-floor corridor.

Ming Yue dragged Yan Jun and sprinted down the hallway, her steps fast enough to make the top ten among boys her age.

Behind them, a strange, eerie screech echoed, accompanied by a breath-like sound that made the hairs on the back of their necks stand up.

Looking back, the little ghost had already eaten several of its kind, growing into a huge, two-meter-tall creature, filling the corridor, relentlessly chasing them.

What to do? What to do? How do they deal with this if it’s really a ghost wall?

Ming Yue felt an overwhelming sense of urgency.Got it!

They need to find a "marker" to break the endless cycle!

Behind them, Yan Jun shouted, "Ming Yue, there's no way forward!"

Ming Yue heard his voice and looked up, only to see the gray mist swirling. With the dim white lights of the corridor, the mist spiraled into a vortex, spreading into a bizarre array of colors and shadows, resembling an eye blocking their path.

Ming Yue: "……"

Ming Yue tilted her head and glanced at the wall beside her, where she had just stabbed a hole with her fork. Quickly, she made another move, pulling Yan Jun toward the hole in the wall—

Splash.

Ming Yue and Yan Jun, both with pain from the bricks, crashed to the floor, rolling among the rubble.

A strange female scream echoed! Piercing their eardrums!

"Ahhh——!!!"

Ming Yue struggled to sit up, feeling her shoulder blades, thinking that it must have bruised. She looked up and saw a little girl on the hospital bed, staring fearfully at the intruders, clutching her blanket and screaming.

Ming Yue: "……"

They made it! They escaped the corridor!

Ming Yue was overjoyed. She quickly took out a talisman and pressed it on the hole in the wall, temporarily blocking the evil spirits outside.

Yan Jun was the first to get up, helping Ming Yue to her feet and gently apologizing to the crying little girl in the bed.

Ming Yue, meanwhile, took out another talisman and stuck it on the hole, sealing it tightly.

The forked trident carried an immense amount of yang energy.

When the ghost wall started, Ming Yue's attack on the evil spirit missed, and she punched through the wall. The hole acted like a sea-eye, continuously emitting yang energy mist—

During their frantic escape from the ghost wall, they didn't have time to search for a marker to break the yin energy wall. This half-open hole, emitting yang energy, became their best lifeline.

So, Ming Yue quickly made another move, piercing the hole again.

As expected, they entered a regular pediatric ward, successfully escaping the endless hospital corridor.However.

This hospital room was a bit strange.

The door wasn't on the opposite side of the bed, but on the same side, so Ming Yue cautiously surveyed the surroundings.

Yan Jun walked over, "What should we do? We can't stay in this little girl's room forever."

"We're the prey of evil spirits. Staying here will harm others."

Ming Yue nodded in agreement, then pointed at the door and asked, "Squad leader, why do you think the door faces this direction?"

"Your family is in real estate, and your architectural knowledge should be solid."

Yan Jun: "……"

#Your family does real estate#

Even if my family does real estate, we're not the Jade Emperor.

Ming Yue's usual logic made Yan Jun not want to comment anymore.

He stood still, surveying the room. Unlike the usual square layouts, the walls had a slight curve.

"I get it," Yan Jun said.

"This is a hospital room at the corner of the staircase, so the door is placed at the curved corner," he pointed at the door.

"So, if we open the door, we would go downstairs, right?" Ming Yue quickly caught up with his line of thought.

Yan Jun shrugged, "If you want to turn around and fight the ghost wall, then you can keep going up the stairs."

Ming Yue glared at him, "But if we go downstairs, we’ll still be chased by the evil spirits."

"You heard what the little ghost said, Squad leader. They can travel between floors."

Yan Jun raised a finger, "If we run downstairs, you only need to deal with one ghost chasing us from behind."

"But if we turn around, we’ll have to face one ghost plus the ghost wall."

"Two options. What do you think?"

Ming Yue: "……"Ming Yue immediately flipped her stance: "Going downstairs is actually a great idea."

The two of them made a plan.

The little girl on the bed was holding the apple that Yan Jun had peeled for her, slowly nibbling on it while her eyes, filled with tears, curiously watched the two sneaky students.

The two of them were quietly sticking to the door of the hospital room, pushing and pulling.

On the other side of the door, everything outside the room was eerily silent.

Ming Yue asked, "Do you think the evil spirit is currently pressing against the door, eavesdropping on our conversation?"

"If it’s listening, let it. Our method is foolproof," Yan Jun replied coldly.

"…Squad leader, where does your confidence come from?" Ming Yue teased.

"This job is a death sentence. Either the ghost's head or ours. There's no middle ground. Why be afraid of eavesdropping?" Yan Jun said.

Ming Yue: "…"

Ming Yue pushed him, "Who are you? Quickly return my gentle and jade-like squad leader!"

Yan Jun: "......"

Yan Jun ignored her and lowered his head to quietly slide an energy-absorbing talisman through the crack of the door.

Through the door, there seemed to be a shadow flickering.

Yan Jun felt a slight pull.

He pulled the talisman back and saw that half of it had been torn off. The remaining piece of yellow paper was scorched at the edges, rapidly devouring the remaining symbols.

Seeing this, Ming Yue nodded: "You're right. The ghost must be right behind the door, back-to-back with us."

Yan Jun: "…"

Before Yan Jun could say anything, Ming Yue had already unlocked the door and turned the handle, and, to her surprise, she found herself face-to-face with the evil spirit, standing right in front of her.

The evil spirit: "…"

Ming Yue greeted it: "Hey, little brother. Long time no see."Sure enough, when the door was opened, it led directly to the descending stairs—right behind the ghost.

Ming Yue was certain of her plan, gathering strength to kick the ghost square in the face!

"Foshan Shadowless Kick!"

With a loud "bang!"

The evil spirit was knocked back, crashing heavily into the wall.

Yan Jun: "……"

Yan Jun: "0皿0!!"

Ming Yue quickly slammed the hospital room door shut, pulling the stunned Yan Jun as they sprinted down the hallway.

Behind them, the angry howls of the evil spirit echoed.

"Haha! Sometimes, fighting ghosts is just about who has the bigger guts!" Ming Yue laughed as she dragged Yan Jun along the stairs.

"In the realm of the living, what the hell is there to be afraid of!"

Inpatient Department, Building 2, Basement Level 2, Morgue.

As Zhang Aihua pushed open the heavy morgue door, she immediately shuddered from the cold.

This space was eerily silent, with a faint smell of formaldehyde in the air. Rows of cold storage units stood still, emitting a chilling glow.

Zhang Aihua, dressed in a thin nurse's uniform, rubbed her shoulders and chest, opening a few drawers to inspect.

Thankfully, all the "big brothers" were lying there, securely tucked in.

There was no sign of anything strange.

The cold air spilling from the open drawers left frost on her face, which gave her some comfort.

However—

After opening four or five drawers, Zhang Aihua made a strange discovery: all the corpses had their eyes wide open, as if they had been robbed of something and couldn’t close their eyes in anger.Zhang Aihua didn’t understand, and she didn’t have the energy to try. Right now, her mind and eyes were full of thoughts on how to avoid the evil ghost and those group of golden university students.

The morgue was special; it was the most dangerous yet the safest place.

Zhang Aihua squatted in the aisle between the cold storage units, wrapping her clothes tighter, blowing air into her palms, her heart swelling with pride.

Qiao Ting was a ghost.

The morgue was her base, and she definitely didn’t expect me to come here.

Those golden university students probably thought the same, thinking she would never dare to come to the morgue.

Zhang Aihua’s mind was full of her “self-righteous assumptions.”

The evil ghost kills? Dream on.

Catch me and bring me to justice? Maybe in the next life.

I’ll hide for the night and then leave in the morning.

Zhang Aihua thought to herself smugly.

However, as an ordinary person, Zhang Aihua was simply too inexperienced in matters of Yin-Yang and supernatural affairs.

After entering, she neither checked the concentration of Yin energy nor carefully inspected the structure of the building.

Even when she did glance at the cold storage units, she overlooked the obvious strange details.

At this moment, Yin energy gathered like dark clouds on the ceiling of the morgue, almost ready to drip.

On the white ceiling tiles, as Zhang Aihua exhaled a breath, one by one, black eyes appeared.

They moved, revealing sparse white sclera and red blood vessels. The exposed eyeballs resembled a group of animals, with bloody nerve fibers connecting them, clumping together like mushrooms, sticking to the ceiling, staring fixedly at Zhang Aihua.