Gu Shu’s eyes lingered on the spot where Yu Xiao had vanished, a slight frown creasing his brow. He should have slammed the door in her face, but the black tea she had left behind was a rare temptation for him…

    He remained rooted at the doorway, unmoving, until a dark shape slithered past him, radiating a thick yin aura. The shape paused and peered at him with curiosity.

    Gu Shu shot the shape a glacial stare, and the shape shuddered, averting its gaze. He stooped to pick up the black tea, and shut the door with a loud bang.

    The shape froze for a moment, then resumed its wandering. Its steps were barely audible, like a feather drifting on the floor.

    Yu Xiao sprinted back to her ward, her heart pounding. She locked the door behind her, and berated herself. This was absurd, it always happened like this, thank goodness she had escaped in time.

    She vowed to never pass by Gu Shu’s room again, even if she had to go out at night. She was glad the morgue ghost was unaware of this, or she would have gone mad.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen, who lay alone on the bed, shifted her position, and her snoring ceased. The ward was silent. With the faint light from the corridor seeping through the door, Yu Xiao climbed onto the bed. She felt drowsy, closed her eyes, and soon sank into a gentle dream.

    **

    It was past midnight, and Zhang Kui in ward number five was still awake. He had been waiting, waiting for the sound of footsteps to echo. If there was no sound of footsteps tonight, then the ghost was Qiao Ya.

    He didn’t know why, but he felt uneasy tonight, as if something was about to happen.

    **

    The light was still on in ward number eight, and Qiao Ya was strapped to the bed. Jiang Wu sat on a chair beside him, fiddling with his phone. There was an icon of a Third Hospital Patient Exchange Forum on his phone, and he tapped it repeatedly, each time he could access his personal information in the background, but the forum homepage displayed that it was out of service and could not be opened.

    As the clock struck midnight, he rose from his seat and checked the time.

    Qiao Ya lay on the bed, his face devoid of any emotion, still muttering to himself: “It’s among us… It’s among us…”

    Jiang Wu strode to the bedside, looming over him, the light casting his tall shadow over Qiao Ya.

    Qiao Ya stirred slightly, his eyes darted, and his dull gaze met Jiang Wu’s.

    Jiang Wu leaned down and untied the rope that bound the mad man. Qiao Ya blinked in surprise, staring blankly at him. Then he saw Jiang Wu’s face contort in agony, his features crumpling together. He was like a butterfly about to emerge from its cocoon, writhing in pain, forcing his way out from the small opening on his head.

    “Thud.”

    Jiang Wu collapsed to the floor, like a discarded rag. Qiao Ya didn’t spare him a glance, he looked ahead with horror and dread. He realised then, why he had felt something was off when he spoke to Xiao Jun that day, why he had felt a weird sense of alienation when he was with Xiao Jun.

    The horrifying shadow was drawing nearer and nearer, Qiao Ya understood everything, but it was too late.

    **

    A white shadow drifted to the door of ward number eight, the door was ajar, so she just slipped in. There was a person lying on the ground, the white shadow scrutinised the person on the ground, this was the man who had killed her. She had studied him closely during the day and had sensed him inside. She wanted to rip out his heart, she needed his heart…

    **

    Jiang Wu came to his senses groggily, his last memory was hearing someone knock on the door. He opened the door, and the person outside was Lu Chao. He assumed Lu Chao had something to ask him, so he let him in, and then he blacked out.

    Jiang Wu opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a pair of long and sharp claws, and then a pair of eyes filled with hatred.

    **

    After a long while, Zhang Kui in ward number five jolted, he heard the sound of footsteps again!

    Without a second thought, Zhang Kui dashed out. He looked left and right, and saw a shadow flicker on the right.

    “It’s here!” Zhang Kui yelled, “It’s here again!!”

    He shouted again, his voice echoing in the dark corridor, and sprinted towards the eighth ward. That was where they had locked up Qiao Ya.

    **

    Yu Xiao was jolted awake by the sound of his frantic voice. She blinked, trying to clear the fog from her mind, and felt a sharp pain in her temples. A constant ringing filled her ears, a sign that her hearing was deteriorating. She swung her legs off the bed, hoping that her deafness would not strike at the worst possible moment.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen also rose from her bed, rubbing her eyes. She glanced at the clock and ran her fingers through her messy hair, “Another incident?”

    “It looks like it.” Yu Xiao followed the others who had rushed out of the ward, but she did not see Zhang Kui. Where was he?

    Then, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air, coming from the direction of the eighth ward.

    “Ahhh—!!!”

    “Old Wu!!”

    They all ran towards the source of the scream, but as soon as they entered the ward, they were assaulted by a nauseating stench of blood. Yu Xiao stepped forward, covering her nose with her hand, and saw Zhang Kui on the floor, cradling Jiang Wu’s lifeless body in his arms.

    “Old Wu!!” Zhang Kui sobbed, his tears mixing with the blood that stained his clothes. He was a towering man, almost two metres tall, but he looked like a broken child at that moment.

    Yu Xiao gasped, her eyes widening in horror. How did Jiang Wu die? She looked around, and saw Qiao Ya in the corner, his ropes undone, his body curled into a ball, his hands over his head.

    “It was Qiao Ya who killed him!”

    Jiang Hai shouted in disbelief and rage. “He’s the ghost!”

    “Kill him!”

    He did not hesitate, he grabbed all the thunder exorcism charms he had and charged at Qiao Ya, throwing the talismans at him, but they bounced off him without any effect.

    Jiang Hai’s voice cracked as he screamed, “How can it be useless?!” His eyes were wide with terror, his hands trembling. “How can it be useless!”

    Zhang Kui lifted his head, cradling Jiang Wu’s lifeless body in his arms. His face was a mask of anguish and fury, wet with tears. “He’s not the ghost,” he said hoarsely. “I saw it…”

    “Saw what?”

    “The ghost.” Zhang Kui pointed to the right, his finger shaking. “She was there, at the end of the corridor. She flickered past, like a shadow.”

    Yu Xiao felt a jolt of shock. She had been wrong. The ghost was not one of them. She could not believe it. How could a ghost break through the door that was sealed with talismans, sneak in and murder someone, and then slip away? Sёarch* The ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    How could a ghost ignore the talismans? What was the use of talismans then?

    Zhao Lan had a sudden thought. She walked over to Qiao Ya, who was sitting on the floor, and crouched down in front of him. “What did you see?” she asked. “How did you get free from the rope?”

    Zhang Kui, still in a state of shock, looked at Qiao Ya with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

    Qiao Ya seemed dazed, his eyes unfocused. After a pause, he raised his hand and pointed at Jiang Wu. “He…” he muttered.

    “He helped you untie the rope?” Zhao Lan guessed.

    Qiao Ya nodded, then whispered in fear, “Ghost… female ghost…”

    “Female ghost? You saw the ghost too?” Zhao Lan pressed.

    Zhang Kui laid Jiang Wu’s corpse gently on the ground, then stood up and strode over to Qiao Ya. He grabbed his collar and pulled him up, his voice choked with grief. “You saw her? What female ghost? How did she kill Old Wu?”

    Qiao Ya tilted his head slightly, as if trying to remember. “The female ghost was a nurse,” he said. “Her footsteps were very light, like a cat. She came in and dug out his heart with her fingers. Then her footsteps were heavy, like a hammer. She left.”

    “What?” Yu Xiao exclaimed, confused.

    With a furious bellow, Zhang Kui demanded, “What are you saying? Make some sense!”

    Zhao Lan held up a hand, trying to piece together the fragments of horror. “Let me get this straight. A ghostly nurse slipped into the room, barely making a sound. She ripped out Jiang Wu’s heart with her bare hands, and then left with heavy footsteps?”

    Qiao Ya bobbed his head weakly.

    “I saw her too…” Zhang Kui released his grip, and Qiao Ya crumpled to the floor. “She was dressed like a nurse, a damn nurse…”

    Yu Xiao’s eyes widened as she remembered something. She fished out a blue bow tie from her pocket and waved it in front of Qiao Ya. “The ghost you saw, did she have this around her neck?”

    Qiao Ya stared at the bow tie and shook his head.

    “That’s her! That’s the one we’ve been hunting!” Zhou Xiao Zhen exclaimed, disbelief and excitement mingling in her voice. “We’ve searched for her for so long, and she’s been here all along, picking us off one by one, every night.”

    “It all makes sense now.” Zhao Lan let out a weary sigh. “The footsteps you heard.”

    Zhang Kui mumbled, “I only heard them from left to right, so I assumed the ghost was from the left wing. But she came from the right, so quiet that I missed her. She left with the heart, so heavy that I heard her…”

    He clutched his hair in agony and wailed, “It’s all like that! If only I hadn’t let Old Wu watch over Qiao Ya, he would still be alive. The ghost went for ward number eight, she was after Qiao Ya! It’s all my fault…”

    Out of the nine who entered, only six remained. Despair hung over them like a dark cloud.

    Zhao Lan gave Yu Xiao a reassuring pat on the shoulder and said, “Come on, everyone. We can’t give up now. We know who the ghost is, and how she operates. We can be ready for her tomorrow night…”

    This was the worst instance since they set foot in the Sixth Hospital. Yes, they had lost three comrades in the Lolita Amusement Park, but they hadn’t witnessed their gruesome deaths.

    None of them could sleep after that. The next day, they dragged themselves through the hours, barely functioning. They only perked up when they met with Zhang Kui and the others to plan their trap for the ghost nurse. Yu Xiao spent most of her time in a daze.

    Yu Xiao’s mind was still foggy from the night’s horrors when the lunch hour arrived. Zhou Xiao Zhen had forced her eyelids shut for a brief nap, hoping to sharpen her senses for the coming darkness. Misty had ventured to the canteen to fetch some food for the group.

    A sudden knock on the door startled Yu Xiao out of her stupor. She rose from her bed and opened the door, only to find the male doctor number three from yesterday standing there.

    He shifted his weight nervously, avoiding her gaze, and said, “You haven’t come out of your room today.”

    Yu Xiao frowned, puzzled by his words. What did he want from her?

    He extended his hand, holding a delicate red rose. “This is for you,” he said, his voice trembling. “You are more beautiful than the flower.”

    Yu Xiao stared at him, speechless.

    At that moment, another door opened across the hall, and they both turned to see Gu Shu emerging from his room. His eyes swept over the scene in front of him, but his face remained impassive. He glanced at Yu Xiao, then walked away without a word, disappearing around the corner.

    A strange feeling twisted in Yu Xiao’s chest.

    She looked back at the male doctor number three and the rose in his hand, and asked, “Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

    The male doctor number three blushed, and stammered, “If you agree…”

    “I wouldn’t mind,” Yu Xiao said, “But I don’t know if my husband would mind.”

    The male doctor number three’s face fell, and he dropped the rose on the floor. He turned and ran away, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.

    That night, the six of them split into pairs and occupied different wards. They didn’t dare to stay together, fearing that the ghost would sense their presence and shy away. They also didn’t dare to stay alone, worrying that they would be slaughtered before they could scream.

    The three pairs of hunters shared three wards in the hospital, each with a door sealed by talismans. Yu Xiao and Zhang Kui occupied one, Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen another, and Qiao Ya and Jiang Hai the last.

    They waited for the night to fall, knowing that the ghost they hunted would strike again. Yu Xiao fiddled with a copper coin in her hand, her prop, the Coin of Great Observation. She had seen the ghost bypass the talismans and enter the rooms, killing its victims with a bloody rip. She doubted the effectiveness of the talismans, and readied her Coin for any encounter.

    The Coin could affect anything, be it ghost, monster, or human.

    The night crept on, silent and tense, until a sudden scream shattered the stillness.

    It was Jiang Hai’s voice!

    Yu Xiao and Zhang Kui sprang out of their ward, and spotted a ghost in the shape of a nurse, with no neck ribbon and long, claw-like nails, hovering in the air.

    Zhang Kui wasted no time, and lunged at it with talismans in both hands.

    The nurse ghost darted away, and Yu Xiao and the others gave chase.

    The ghost was agile and fast, and soon outpaced them. Yu Xiao ran after it, but something felt off. The nurse ghost seemed to fear the talismans, yet it could open the doors that had them. The nurse ghost only targeted men, and its killing method was to tear out their hearts…

    Yu Xiao glanced around, and noticed that Qiao Ya was nowhere to be seen.

    A flash of insight hit her, and she stopped and turned around, ignoring Zhao Lan’s confused look.

    The nurse ghost was afraid of talismans, but IT could touch them. The nurse ghost killed men, but IT spared one…

    Yu Xiao kicked open the door of ward number eight, and Qiao Ya inside flinched.

    “You’re the ghost, aren’t you?” Yu Xiao strode into the ward, “How curious, why don’t the talismans affect you?”

    Qiao Ya backed away, feigning innocence, “What are you talking about? How can I be a ghost? Didn’t you see the ghost? Why did you stop chasing it?”

    “You’re not afraid of talismans.” Yu Xiao said, as she grabbed the railing of the bed next to her, and yanked it hard.

    With a metallic screech, Yu Xiao snapped off a piece of iron pipe from the railing. She gripped it tightly, feeling its cold and rough surface.

    She turned to Qiao Ya, who had backed away to the corner, his eyes wide and innocent.

    “Do you fear pain?” Yu Xiao asked him, her voice low and menacing.

    “Are you insane? What do you want from me?” Qiao Ya stammered, his voice trembling.

    Yu Xiao smirked. “Oh, you sound so lucid now. Have you forgotten? Qiao Ya had lost his mind and couldn’t string a sentence together for days.”

    Qiao Ya’s face paled. He felt a surge of panic.

    Yu Xiao wasted no time. She lunged at Qiao Ya, thrusting the pipe with all her strength.

    The pipe impaled Qiao Ya’s chest, piercing his heart. Blood spurted out like a fountain through the whole of the pipe, staining his clothes and the floor.

    Qiao Ya gasped, his eyes wide with shock. He looked down at the wound, then up at Yu Xiao, his expression full of agony. “Why… why are you doing this… it hurts so much.”

    He pushed Yu Xiao away with his last strength and ran out of the room, faster than humanly possible.