“Stop! Stop! Stop!” Yu Xiao’s panicked pleas echoed through the chamber. One hand clamped over her mouth, the other flailing wildly. “Please! No tongue-ripping! It’s too painful…”

    Lolita raised a sceptical eyebrow. “Look at her sweat. Genuine terror.”

    Gu Shu’s grin twisted into a sadistic leer. Excitement flickered in his eyes as he reached for Yu Xiao.

    “Hold it!” Yu Xiao lunged, grabbing the doctor’s hand with desperate strength. “There are plenty of ways to keep someone quiet, right? Why the tongue? Messy and barbaric!”

    Lolita licked her lips with a predatory glint. “The tongue is the sweetest morsel. Your screams will add spice.”

    Yu Xiao was at her wit’s end. “Alright, alright! Let’s talk this out. What do I need to do to keep my tongue intact?”

    Gu Shu didn’t waste words. He flung Yu Xiao like a ragdoll into Lolita’s waiting arms. The doctor clamped Yu Xiao’s jaw open, one hand inching closer to its prize.

    Just as it seemed all hope was lost, Yu Xiao blurted, “I’ll trade you the Director’s secret!”

    The room fell silent. The doctor’s hand hung suspended mere inches from Yu Xiao’s face.

    A flicker of interest sparked in Lolita’s eyes. “Secret?”

    Yu Xiao, seizing the chance, continued, breathlessly, “Have you ever wondered about this place? Its origin? How you… well, how you came to be?”

    Of course, they hadn’t. These doctors, born into the twisted existence of the hospital, had never pondered their own creation. Flesh and suffering were their world; history held little interest.

    “Exactly,” Yu Xiao pressed on, staring defiantly at the two. “Don’t you want to know? I’ll tell you everything, just… please, don’t hurt me. Don’t pull out my tongue… Oh, no, don’t harm my body, and I’ll tell you.”

    Lolita exchanged a glance with Gu Shu. A silent conversation passed between them, ending in a begrudging nod from the ghosts.

    “Alright,” Lolita conceded. The act of a ripped-out tongue, however pleasant, paled in comparison to the secrets of their own existence.

    “You were all once among the living,” Yu Xiao declared, with a touch of desperate bravado in her voice.

    Silence greeted her words.

    Gu Shu, ever impatient, began to raise his hand again.

    “Hold on!” Yu Xiao squeaked. “I’m not finished! What good does silencing me do? No one’s coming to rescue me anyway.”

    Lolita, perched on the edge of a rusty gurney, fixed a chilling stare on Gu Shu. “Let her speak. It’s not like it’ll change anything.”

    Despair gnawed at Yu Xiao’s hope, but she pressed on. She recounted the story of the attending doctor’s birth as the hospital director had told it to her—a tale she couldn’t verify but felt an unsettling ring of truth. From there, she wove a narrative, equal parts fact and frantic improvisation.

    “Every staff member here,” she continued, her voice gaining a thread of confidence, “is a vessel overflowing with ghosts. You, attending doctors, all of them. They were once alive, just like you. But as the yin energy inside them grew, whether through death or some other tipping point, they transformed. The ghosts within battled for control, and the winner…well, that’s who you see now.” Sёarch* The ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She pointed a trembling finger at Gu Shu. “And the person they once were? That echo of a soul? It’s still trapped inside, a prisoner in its own body.”

    The weight of her words hung heavy in the air, stifling any sound Gu Shu and Lolita might have made.

    Truth be told, Yu Xiao had stitched this theory together from scraps of information and educated guesses. She suspected it was close to the mark, but the whole concept of the “domain” surrounding the attending doctors? That remained a frustratingly hazy concept, a missing piece of the puzzle. The birth of ordinary ghosts she understood, but these doctors…they were different.

    Seeing the dazed expressions on her captors’ faces, Yu Xiao fished a small notebook from her pocket. She ripped out a page and, with a slightly shaky hand, began scribbling furiously. Just as quickly, the pen was snatched away.

    Yu Xiao looked up, tears welling in her eyes.

    Gu Shu stood before her, his expression unreadable. “What are you writing?”

    “A will,” she choked out. “Is that…is that not allowed?”

    “No,” Gu Shu stated flatly.

    Lolita, her gaze sharp and curious, turned to Gu Shu. “Is she telling the truth?”

    “Doesn’t matter,” Gu Shu dismissed her concerns with a curt wave.

    Lolita chewed her lip, seemingly grasping his logic. With a playful jiggle, she poked Yu Xiao’s arm. “So, no tongue removal, but how do we keep her quiet then?”

    Gu Shu raised his hand and gently placed it on her forehead. The touch sent a jolt of electricity through Yu Xiao, but he quickly withdrew his hand, feigning indifference. “Looks like her frontal lobe is malfunctioning. She’s become quite the simpleton now.”

    Yu Xiao’s body contorted in a brief spasm before going limp in Lolita’s grasp. Her previously defiant gaze turned vacant, her spirit seemingly replaced by a dull obedience.

    Lolita observed her for a moment, a flicker of doubt crossing her face. “Isn’t that… harming her body?”

    Gu Shu’s voice lacked warmth. “I promised no tongue-ripping. I made no other promises.”

    **

    Dim candlelight danced across the corridor walls, casting mesmerising shadows. Nightmare stood face-to-face with a shadowy figure – a young man in a crimson robe, holding a sceptre. The youth’s constant smile formed a jarring contrast to Nightmare’s stoic expression.

    The smile eventually faltered. The young man blinked, his voice rising in a sing-song tone. “Ah, all wrapped up then?” He stepped aside with a flourish of his sceptre.

    Without hesitation, Nightmare darted forward, his form disappearing into the shadows.

    As the silhouette vanished, the young man in red hummed a cheerful tune, his footsteps light as he headed in the opposite direction.

    **

    Back in the ruins of Saint Elizabeth, George remained consumed by worry. He yearned to kill Yu Xiao, yet a nagging doubt gnawed at him. He vividly recalled her warning before the Glutton’s attack. Without it, he would have been long gone, devoured by that monstrous entity.

    “They won’t succeed,” George muttered, slumping in the corner.

    A strange feeling settled in his gut – an intuition. As long as he stayed within Saint Elizabeth’s walls, refraining from venturing out, he surely couldn’t be considered an accomplice, right?

    A pebble pinged off George’s head, jolting him out of his worried thoughts. He spun around to see a hand beckoning from behind a crumbling mound of dirt. Intrigued, George cautiously approached.

    There, peering over the mound, were Gu Shu and Lolita. Yu Xiao slumped on the dusty ground between them.

    For a moment, words failed him.

    “Hush,” Lolita hissed, barely audible. “Gluttony has betrayed us. Don’t blow our cover.”

    George’s eyes darted back to Yu Xiao, who seemed completely out of it. She sat slouched against Gu Shu, unable to support herself.

    “She…” George managed to say, gesturing towards Yu Xiao.

    “We caught her,” Lolita declared, grinning triumphantly. “We were going to finish her off right away, but then we remembered who she had wronged the most. So, here she is – your personal revenge dish.”

    George stayed silent, his expression unreadable.

    Lolita nudged Gu Shu, mischief sparkling in her eyes. “Isn’t he thrilled? Can’t even find the words!”

    “Let him savour the moment,” Gu Shu replied dismissively. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

    After giving George one last pat on the shoulder, Lolita leaned in and whispered, “We’ve already roughed her up quite a bit. The rest is up to you.”

    The ghosts disappeared, leaving George alone with the incapacitated Yu Xiao. He studied her, taking in the remnants of his once most-hated enemy. It was unsettling to see her reduced to such a helpless state.

    “Hey, you,” George rasped, leaning in close to the vacant-eyed Yu Xiao. “This is it, you know? You’re going to die.”

    Yu Xiao, slumped on the ground like a discarded ragdoll, offered no response.

    A knot of conflicting emotions twisted in George’s gut. Hesitantly, he reached out, his hand hovering over her neck.

    He squeezed lightly, but still there was nothing. As he increased the pressure, he noticed a flicker of awareness in her eyes. Her hands flew up, clawing weakly at his grip.

    Her pathetic struggle was laughable, but George noticed something odd. One hand clutched something tightly.

    Curiosity, warring with a strange sense of unease, prompted him to release her and pry open her fist.

    Inside, he found a crumpled piece of paper, barely recognizable. Despite the brutal torture from Gu Shu and Lolita, Yu Xiao had held onto this scrap with a white-knuckled grip.

    Carefully, George smoothed it out, revealing a few crudely scrawled words.

    【If George dares to kill me, he’s finished!】

    George stared, a jumble of emotions swirling in his head. An oppressive feeling, a familiar weight of being threatened, settled upon him. But strangely, it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

    It was a typical Yu Xiao’s threat, of course. But also, this note was dripping with hidden intentions.

    Firstly, Yu Xiao was well aware that her death was plotted to be done by him. Lolita mentioned that they had initially planned to execute her right away. However, because of his personal grudge against Lolita, they decided to give him the satisfaction of seeking revenge. But why did Yu Xiao have this knowledge if the decision was made spontaneously?

    Secondly, George couldn’t bring himself to trust those ghosts for even a second. Since when did those attending doctors actually care about his wishes? They despised Yu Xiao and yet, they didn’t deliver the final blow?

    Understanding dawned on George as he lowered his hand, leaving Yu Xiao gasping for air.

    Then, a flash of yellow caught his eye – a crumpled talisman peeking out of her pocket. He carefully retrieved it, recognizing it as a Healing Crisis Talisman.

    Meanwhile, Gu Shu and Lolita appeared back at the construction site. Gluttony, who was busy hauling bricks, was surprised by their swift return.

    According to his plan, after informing Yu Xiao about the Avengers’ plan, she should have been prepared early, and as a result, Gu Shu and Lolita probably wouldn’t have been able to return.

    “Why are you back so soon?” Gluttony questioned, suspicion evident in his voice.

    Lolita glared at him. “Hmph! Don’t play dumb, you mutt.”

    “So the plan work?”

    “Of course,” Lolita boasted, puffing out her chest and wearing a smug smile. “That wretched human is no more. She died begging and whimpering, a truly glorious demise.”

    Just then, George appeared, his expression unreadable. Gu Shu and Lolita exchanged a hopeful glance.

    George adjusted his glasses, a sly smile creeping across his face. Misinterpreting this as a sign of success, Lolita burst into a gleeful dance.

    “She’s dead! Dead, dead, dead! Looks like I outsmarted you both! My vengeance is complete!” she cackled, bouncing around Gu Shu.

    **

    Meanwhile, Nightmare arrived at the scene of Yu Xiao’s abduction – but it was too late. There was no trace of her remaining.

    Nightmare stood with bowed head, the spot where Yu Xiao vanished illuminated by flickering candlelight. His shadow, thin and frail, stretched across the floor. One by one, the candles began to sputter and die, their light retreating like a tide until only darkness remained.

    As Nightmare disappeared, the temple shuddered, the very foundations groaning in protest. Dust rained down from the ceiling as cracks spiderwebbed across the walls.

    **

    Zhao Lan jolted awake, disoriented and unsure if she was still trapped in some feverish dream. The ground lurched beneath her, the sickening sensation of freefall sending her scrambling for purchase. Reality, unfortunately, was far worse than any nightmare.

    The entire world seemed to be tearing itself apart. Deafening crashes echoed around her, punctuated by the terrifying screech of stone grinding against stone. Dust filled her lungs, choking her. This wasn’t just an earthquake; the whole bloody temple was collapsing!

    Scrambling to her feet, she desperately searched for her companions. “Smiley! Precious!”

    “—Misty!”

    Relief flooded through her as she spotted Zhou Xiao Zhen rushing towards her, clutching her head. “Precious!”

    Grabbing her hand, Zhao Lan dragged her towards the exit. “Where’s Smiley?”

    “Haven’t seen her!” Xiao Zhen choked out, coughing as they crawled through the dust and debris.

    They burst out into the night, met by a wave of panicked people from the Second Hospital.

    “Have you seen Yu Xiao?” Zhao Lan yelled over the cacophony.

    “No!” one shouted back. “Yu Qing Lang’s gone looking for her!”

    A terrifying groan echoed behind them as another chunk of the temple crumbled, burying countless souls beneath its weight. Around them, worshippers screamed and clawed their way through the chaos.

    Suddenly, a flash of white caught Zhao Lan’s eye. Yu Xiao, still in her doctor’s coat, stumbled out of a collapsing doorway, narrowly avoiding a falling stone that would have crushed her like an insect.

    She pressed herself against the crumbling wall, her heart hammering against her ribs. What in the bloody hell was happening? How long had she been gone for the plot to suddenly shift to a catastrophic earthquake?

    Dodging falling debris, she sprinted through the collapsing temple, screaming, “Nightmare! Where are you, you useless lump of darkness?!”

    As if in response, the entire front of the temple imploded, sending a torrent of stone and dust crashing down on her.

    “Oh, bugger,” Yu Xiao breathed, bracing herself for the inevitable.

    Suddenly, Nightmare materialised in front of her, a dark silhouette amidst the chaos. He grabbed her, pulling her close as the world exploded around them.

    Stone crashed against stone, burying them alive. He didn’t flinch, didn’t even seem to breathe, just stood there, arms outstretched, a human shield against the falling debris.

    Yu Xiao huddled in the tiny space beneath his protective embrace, coughing on dust and wondering if she had inhaled a lung.

    “What the hell is happening?!” she shrieked.

    His voice, muffled by the stone and a healthy dose of resentment, was barely audible. “I thought you were dead.”

    “What?!”

    “I thought you were dead!”

    “Speak up, you oversized bat!”

    It was useless. The roar of the collapsing temple drowned out everything. Grabbing his collar, Yu Xiao screamed in his ear, “Cat! Now!”

    “I can’t…”

    “Cat!”

    With a long-suffering sigh, Nightmare transformed into a small, fluffy cat. The mountain of rubble above them shuddered, then collapsed inwards.

    Yu Xiao scooped him up, fur clinging to her dust-covered coat. In an instant, they disappeared.

    They reappeared beside a pile of bricks, the familiar sight of Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital looming before them.

    Setting Nightmare down, she pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh… listen up. Change of plans. They’re onto us. Almost walked right into their trap.”

    She nodded towards the construction site where Gu Shu and Lolita were diligently (and suspiciously so) clearing the rubble. “Here’s what we’re going to do…”