“Stand aside!” a burly man among them shouted. “I’ve improved my strength. I’ll smash the door open!”

    The rest of the group regarded him with a mixture of awe and relief, and swiftly cleared a path. The man took a few paces back, then hurled himself at the door with all his might.

    Bang!!

    The impact reverberated through the room, making Yu Xiao’s teeth ache. She shared a look with Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen, and saw the same expression of weary resignation.

    Silently, they drifted towards the workstation by the morgue wall, and began to rummage through the drawers.

    The door refused to budge, despite several tries. The burly man said, “I can’t do this by myself. We need everyone!”

    As they joined him at the door, they saw Yu Xiao and her friends digging through the drawers. “What are you doing?!” the man yelled. “Come here and help!”

    Yu Xiao kept looking, casually answering, “We’re too feeble to be of any use.”

    The others faltered at this, feeling a surge of anger. They thought, ‘You’re the ones who wanted to get out of here, and now you’re slacking off.’ They would have given these three a piece of their mind, if not for the pressing situation. But they had to admit, these three girls looked delicate and useless.

    The burly man snorted and said, “Fine. Let’s try again!”

    Yu Xiao and her friends weren’t shirking their duty; the guidebook said that there was a problem with the door in this dungeon. They had to call the repairman, and his business card was supposed to be in one of these drawers.

    She kept her mouth shut, for fear of having to explain herself. That would only waste precious time. So, the three of them resolved to sort it out on their own.

    At last, Precious exclaimed, “I’ve got it!”

    Yu Xiao leaned in eagerly and saw a crinkled business card with the name “Master Liu” on it, followed by “Professional Locksmith,” and a series of numbers.

    “Ring this number,” Yu Xiao instructed.

    Zhao Lan wasted no time in dialling the number. A man with a rough voice answered. “Liu here, the locksmith.”

    “Hello, Master Liu? The door lock in the morgue is broken again. Come and open it, will you?” Zhao Lan glanced at the people hammering on the door, “My mates are getting rather cross.”

    “The morgue… buggered again, right, I’ll be there in a jiffy,” Master Liu ended the call.

    Zhao Lan put down her phone. “Master Liu said he’s on his way.”

    “Excellent,” Yu Xiao nodded, then clambered onto the table and yelled, “Stop!”

    But no one paid her any heed.

    “Stop!”

    “…”

    “Stop, for pity’s sake, halt!!!”

    At last, the mob about to batter the door came to a standstill. They crowded together, craning their necks, gawking at her.

    Yu Xiao stood with her arms akimbo. “Stop banging the door, it won’t budge.”

    The burly man opened his mouth to protest, “But…”

    “I’ve already called the locksmith,” Yu Xiao cut him off before he could inquire, then went on, “I’ve read the strategy guide for this level; I know the way out.”

    The mob first looked perplexed, then ecstatic, but soon there was a trace of indignation.

    “Why didn’t you tell us if you’d read the guide?!”

    “Yeah, instead, you let us bash the door like fools!”

    “Forgive me, everyone.” Yu Xiao leaped off the table, grinning. “Time is of the essence, so I decided it was best to open the door first and then explain. It saves time.”

    She pointed at the many freezers and beds in the morgue, “There are ghosts here. If we don’t get out within five minutes of waking up, they’ll start killing. So, I thought it was better to open the door first and explain later.”

    Her logic was solid, and no one could dispute it. Plus, knowing she’d read the guide, they’d inevitably have to follow her in the level later, so it wasn’t smart to pick a fight with her.

    With a hearty laugh, the burly man strode towards them and offered his hand. “Well met, Zhang from Third Hospital.” sea??h thё N??eFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yu Xiao had never encountered a patient who were here longer than those from Forth Hospital. She grasped Zhang’s hand firmly and introduced herself. “Yu Xiao, Forth Hospital. I’ve brought these two along.”

    “Zhao Lan.”

    “Zhou Xiao Zhen, at your service!”

    In addition to Zhang, Yu Xiao, and her pair of allies, there were five other people in the room. They formed a motley crew, representing patients from Hospitals Three, Four, Five, and Six. Two hailed from Third Hospital, two from Fifth Hospital, one from Forth Hospital, and the remaining three were from Yu Xiao’s group.

    Zhang, who had the advantage of being from Third Hospital and possessing a formidable physique, naturally assumed the role of a leader. He addressed Yu Xiao. “You’ve had a look at the strategy guide, right? Can you give us a rundown of the situation?”

    Yu Xiao nodded, checking the time. They had wasted four minutes already; the ghosts would soon begin their slaughter.

    A surge of anxiety gripped her, but she was powerless to act. Only Mr. Liu could unlock the door.

    She scanned the group and spoke. “This is the morgue scenario. As you all know, we have five minutes to get out of here after we wake up. Once we’re outside, we’ll meet the attending physician. The morgue used to be run by Dr. Wang, but he got fired for taking bribes. I have no idea who the new boss is or what they’ve changed. I’ll just give you a quick rundown of what the guide said…”

    “…The attending physician will tell us how to escape. We’re supposed to pretend that we were falsely declared dead and sent to the morgue. To get out, we need a death certificate. But the certificate is in the possession of a nurse who disappeared in the morgue. We have to find that nurse…”

    With a loud clatter, the door swung open, sending a jolt of fear through their spines. They whipped their heads around, expecting the worst, but only saw an old man fumbling with a bunch of keys.

    “Oh, darn… This blasted door never works properly. Tut, tut, tut… Shame on you, you rusty piece of junk…” he muttered, shaking his head. Master Liu snapped at them, “What are you waiting for? Get out of here, now!”

    They didn’t need to be told twice. They scrambled out of the morgue, gasping for air. They had been inside for five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Any longer and someone would have dropped dead.

    The door slammed shut behind them, sealing the horrors within.

    They found themselves in a dimly lit corridor, lined with peeling walls and cracked ceilings. The floor was stained with dark, irregular patches that looked suspiciously like dried blood.

    The faint light cast eerie shadows over their faces, hiding their emotions.

    Zhang Kui (张魁) turned to Yu Xiao and said, “Carry on.”

    (张 (Zhāng) is a common surname that means “to spread” or “to open”. 魁 (Kuí) is a male given name that means “leader” or “chief”.张魁 could be interpreted as “a spreading leader” or “an open-minded chief”.)

    “Right,” Yu Xiao nodded. “To find that nurse, we need to meet a condition tied to the hospital’s employment regulations, which is…”

    “Tap.”

    “Tap.”

    Zhang Kui raised his hand, signalling for silence. “Listen, footsteps.”

    Yu Xiao followed his gaze towards the end of the corridor, where a thin, elongated shadow was creeping closer.

    The shadow loomed closer, following the sound of footsteps.

    “Oi.” A gentle nudge on Yu Xiao’s shoulder made her flinch. “Did the guide say anything about ghosts roaming outside the mortuary?”

    Yu Xiao shook her head, barely whispering, “No.”

    Just then, the figure came into view, rounding the corner and stopping at the end of the corridor. He stared at them from afar, his eyes piercing the gloom.

    Yu Xiao felt a surge of shock, recognising the person.

    Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen gasped as well. They gaped at the figure for a second, then turned to Yu Xiao with incredulous looks.

    Yu Xiao felt a lump in her throat, wondering, what the hell is this? If this was karma, it was hitting her too fast.

    The person lingered for a moment, then started to walk towards them, closing the distance.

    He wore a white coat, had a tall and erect posture, and sported a neat and handsome face. His hair was neither too long nor too short, framing his features perfectly. But his eyes were cold and hostile, ruining his otherwise refined appearance.

    “Long time no see,” he greeted them with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

    Zhang Kui and the others were baffled. What did he mean, long time no see? Since when did doctors talk like that?

    “I’m your attending physician,” he continued, pausing briefly before glancing down at Yu Xiao’s pained expression. “My name is Gu Shu.”

    Bloody hell… Zhou Xiao Zhen exchanged a panicked look with Zhao Lan. What were they supposed to do now? Gu Shu was here for revenge on Smiley!

    With a groan of despair, Zhao Lan squeezed her eyes shut. ‘How the hell do I know what to do?’

    A silent agreement passed among the others. They thought, ‘This Yu Xiao’s was right, there was indeed a new attending doctor.’

    “What a shame, you lot actually made it out,” Gu Shu drawled.

    His words were like a slap in the face to Zhang Kui and the others. Shame? Did he just say shame? The way he said it, it sounded like he wished they had died in there. Was this how doctors behave nowadays, spewing their thoughts without any filter? How could he be so insensitive and cruel?

    “Doctor Gu Shu,” Zhang Kui spoke up, trying to keep his voice calm. “Could you please tell us how to get out of here?”

    Gu Shu finally tore his gaze away from Yu Xiao’s face, where it had been fixed with a strange intensity. He flashed a smile that was supposed to be charming, but only made him look more sinister. “Well, you see, because of a misdiagnosis, everyone believes you’re all dead, so they brought you to the morgue. To leave, you’ll need to destroy your death certificates. But alas, your death certificates were taken by a nurse who went missing yesterday.”

    He said it all with such nonchalance, as if he was talking about the weather. The group didn’t react much. They had already heard this from Yu Xiao before.

    “So how do we find that nurse then?” Zhang Kui pressed.

    “Have you ever heard the legend about the morgue in hospitals?” Gu Shu looked at him, then glanced at Yu Xiao again, before saying with a smirk, “Madam,” he said, emphasising the word. “Have you heard of it?”

    “Heh heh heh heh…” Yu Xiao chuckled nervously, avoiding his eyes. “How would I know?”

    “Do you want to know?” Gu Shu pressed, leaning closer to her.

    Yu Xiao’s expression turned rigid. She was in a dilemma. If she said she didn’t want to know, she would arouse suspicion. Everyone wanted to know, so why was she the odd one out? But if she said she did want to know, she would invite trouble, because the first person to show curiosity in the story would be haunted by the ghosts in the tale.

    Damn Gu Shu! Yu Xiao cursed inwardly. Why wasn’t he eaten by the ancient temple monster back then? Such a useless creature, worshipped as a god by the village, and it couldn’t even devour one damn doctor!

    “Heh heh heh…” She kept chuckling nervously, hoping to stall for time. Suddenly, she exclaimed, “Ah! I can’t hear anything!”

    “Eh?” Zhou Xiao Zhen looked alarmed. “Smiley, is your intermittent deafness acting up again?”

    Zhang Kui and the others were also astonished. She had intermittent deafness?

    Zhao Lan quickly grabbed Yu Xiao’s face, her eyes filled with worry. “Smiley, Smiley? What do we do? How can you go deaf at a time like this? Goodness, it’s so dangerous here. What are we going to do…”