Ripley had prepared breakfast for everyone, and the smell of bacon and eggs lured Yu Xiao downstairs. She saw him moving around the table, setting plates and napkins with a domestic flair like a diligent little housewife.

    Yu Xiao was hit by a wave of flashbacks, recalling the blood and violence from her dream the night before. He was covered in blood and pleading for mercy.

    He looked up as she entered the room, his face turning a shade of pink that matched the strawberry jam.

    She touched her cheek, pondering if she had ever encountered anyone as bashful as him at the Sixth Hospital.

    Zhao Lan entered with a cup of coffee in her hand. She nodded at Yu Xiao. “Coffee’s good, fancy a cup?”

    The other patients were already eating and talking, mostly about Dr. Qu and her identity. Tan Qiao Yin was adamant that she was Yue Yue.

    “Think about it,” she said, waving a fork. “It’s like that movie, you know, the one with the dreams and the inception and stuff. The kid is the mastermind behind everything. It makes sense.”

    Ma Shan rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t make any sense. First of all, Zhang Shu is a woman. Why would she dream of being a child? That’s just weird.”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen snorted. “You’re the one who’s weird. I dream of being a guy all the time. Sometimes I’m not even human. I’m a dragon, or a unicorn, or a mermaid.”

    Ma Shan looked at her incredulously. “You’re kidding, right?”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen shook her head. “Nope. I’m serious. Don’t you ever dream of being something else?”

    Zhu Miao Miao raised her hand. “I do! I do! I dream of being a guy too. And I have a super cool identity.”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen leaned forward. “What is it?”

    Zhu Miao Miao grinned. “I’m the leader of the Beggar Sect. I have a loyal army of beggars who follow my orders. I fight against the corrupt officials and the evil warlords. I’m a hero of the people.”

    The others stared at her blankly.

    “…”

    Yu Xiao felt a headache coming on. She wished she had listened to Dr Fan Xing and waited for more information before entering Dr. Qu’s dream. She should have done more research and planned ahead before taking the plunge.

    Zhao Lan bit her lip, her brow furrowed. She had a nagging feeling that something was off, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She stayed out of the conversation, listening intently to the others.

    Zhang Shu carried Yue Yue down the stairs and found a chaotic and confusing scene. She sighed, holding Yue Yue close to her chest. She settled in a corner, feeding Yue Yue some porridge. No one seemed to notice or care about them.

    Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream shattered the silence.

    The dining hall fell into an eerie silence, as if someone had muted the sounds. All eyes swiftly turned upstairs.

    “Bang! Bang! Bang!”

    Henry crashed down the stairs, his head hitting every step on the way. He ignored the blood and the pain, scrambling to his feet and gesturing wildly at the upper floor.

    Something horrific had happened up there, and the hunger that had filled the room moments ago was replaced by dread. The others followed him, running up the stairs as fast as they could.

    The door to Brother Nan’s room was ajar, and a sickening stench of blood and death seeped out.

    Ma Shan was the first to enter, and he wished he hadn’t. He recoiled at the sight of Brother Nan’s mutilated body, lying on the bed with a frozen expression of terror. His arms and legs were splayed out, forming an ‘X’, and his torso was ripped open, exposing his organs in a bloody heap.

    There was no doubt; he was dead and gone.

    Yu Xiao felt a surge of disbelief and anger. She had thought that after toying with so many ghosts that night, they would leave them alone. She had not expected Brother Nan to be killed so silently, so brutally.

    Zhao Lan voiced the question that haunted them all. “What if Professor Qu dies in the dream? What then?”

    No one had an answer; they were all new to this type of nightmare instance. Yu Xiao regretted not asking more questions to Dr Fan Xing.

    The doctors were all liars, hiding the truth until they were cornered, taking pleasure in watching the patients suffer in the dream.

    Yu Xiao clenched her fist; she felt a surge of resentment and a desire to get even.

    Ma Shan slammed the door behind him, locking out the horror that lurked behind. “He’s gone. Nothing we can do for them now.”

    “Hahaha…”

    A burst of laughter echoed from below, sending a chill down Yu Xiao’s spine. She crept to the stairs and saw Henry in the living room, waving a knife like a madman.

    “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

    He cackled as he slashed at the furniture, sending feathers and stuffing flying.

    “We’re doomed! They’ll gonna kill us all!”

    In the corner, Ripley, Zhang Shu, and her little girl Yue Yue huddled together, terrified. Zhang Shu hugged Yue Yue to her chest, trying to calm her down. Ripley reached for a lamp, hoping to use it as a weapon.

    Henry spotted them and lunged at them, his eyes gleaming with malice.

    “Time to die!”

    Yue Yue screamed as the knife came closer. Zhang Shu pushed her behind her, shielding her with her body. Ripley swung the lamp at Henry, but it was too late. The knife plunged into his hand, drawing blood.

    “Son of a bitch!” Tan Qiao Yin shouted as she ran into the room. She kicked Henry in the face, knocking him to the floor. The knife clattered out of his grasp.

    Henry groaned, clutching his broken nose. But he didn’t stop laughing. “You can’t escape! We’re all trapped here! All of us!”

    Yu Xiao rushed to Ripley’s side, wondering if her healing talismans would work on NPCs. She saw his hand bleeding profusely, staining the carpet.

    Ripley smiled weakly at her. “Don’t worry about me. It’s not that bad.”

    Yu Xiao was about to apply the talisman on his wound, when she heard a gasp.

    She turned around and saw Henry lying on the ground, a knife sticking out of his chest. His eyes were wide with shock, staring at the handle of the knife. The blade had pierced his heart, killing him instantly.

    Zhang Shu stood over him, her face covered in blood. She held the knife with a death grip, and stabbed him again and again, as if to make sure he was really dead.

    Zhang Shu’s scream pierced the air like a knife. “It’s all your fault!” she accused, her eyes wild and bloodshot. “You killed my Qin! You’re trying to kill us all!”

    Everyone was stunned. Zhang Shu had always been the weakest link, the one who cried and trembled at every turn. Who would have guessed she had such a violent streak?

    Yue Yue watched in horror as her mother stabbed Henry in the chest, over and over, until he stopped moving. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. How could her mother do this?

    Zhang Shu dropped the bloody knife and reached for Yue Yue, but the girl backed away, fear and disgust on her face. Zhang Shu looked hurt, then panicked. She ran out of the room, leaving behind a trail of blood.

    “We have to catch her!” Zhao Lan yelled. “We’re down to three! We can’t lose anyone else!”

    Ma Shan and Kang Jun sprinted after her. Tan Qiao Yin shook her head. “This is insane. This is what happens in those old horror movies. The characters always turn on each other…”

    Yu Xiao felt a surge of speechlessness. If you knew that, why didn’t you stop it?

    “We can’t go on like this!” Tan Qiao Yin said, turning to Yue Yue and Ripley. “We have to find Dr. Qu.”

    She pointed at Ripley. “You’re staying with me tonight.”

    Ripley frowned. “No, thanks.” He moved closer to Yu Xiao and whispered in her ear. “Can I stay with you instead?”

    Tan Qiao Yin’s face darkened. “…”

    She snapped. “What makes you think I want you? What makes you think I like you? I’m just trying to keep you alive, you ungrateful jerk…”

    Yu Xiao sighed and stepped in. “There’s no point in fighting with him.” She looked at Ripley with pity. “He’s just an NPC. He doesn’t know any better.”

    Tan Qiao Yin’s face turned red with fury as she jabbed a finger at Ripley. “You think I’m being petty?” she spat at Yu Xiao. “You’re the one who’s blind, can’t you see he’s playing you? He’s no angel, this one. Mark my words, you’ll regret siding with him soon enough.”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen rolled her eyes and snorted. “Wow, talk about petty. You’re seriously jealous of an NPC? That’s a new low, even for you.”

    Tan Qiao Yin felt a surge of humiliation and anger. She whirled around and stormed off. “I’m done with this!” she shouted over her shoulder.

    Zhu Miao Miao gave a sheepish smile and tried to smooth things over. “Don’t take it personally, Qiao Qiao is a good person at heart, she just has a temper. She’ll calm down eventually.”

    “Miao Miao!!!”

    “Uh-oh, there she goes again.” Zhu Miao Miao ran after her friend, hoping to soothe her bruised ego.

    The living room was a mess, with Henry’s corpse still sprawled on the floor. Yu Xiao felt a headache coming on. She turned to see Ripley staring at her with watery eyes.

    “Did I make things worse for you?” he asked in a soft voice.

    Gosh, he’s so sweet and considerate. Yu Xiao thought. Some people could learn a thing or two from an NPC.

    “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Zhou Xiao Zhen reassured him, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. “It’s that woman who’s out of line.”

    Ripley nodded, but looked uncertain. “Okay, then. But… where am I going to sleep tonight?”

    **

    As the sun dipped below the horizon, the trio returned from their failed chase of Zhang Shu. Zhao Lan was drained, making a beeline for the faucet to quench her thirst.

    “Ugh!” Ma Shan flopped onto the couch. “We ran like hell, but she was too fast for us.”

    Yu Xiao had dragged Henry’s limp body into his room, then scrubbed the blood off the floor, making the living room look as neat and tidy as before.

    “She’s not gone for good, right?” Yu Xiao asked, unsure. “She wouldn’t leave her daughter behind.”

    Tan Qiao Yin shook her head. “Coming back is one thing. Being able to come back is another.”

    “You should bunk with Yue Yue tonight,” Yu Xiao suggested.

    Tan Qiao Yin’s lips curled, snapping back, “You say you’re from the Fourth Hospital, but I’ve never heard of anyone like you there.”

    “Are you acquainted with everyone at the Fourth Hospital?” Yu Xiao countered.

    “I know a thing or two about the top ten on the leaderboard, and with your charm-drawing skills, you should be one of them,” Tan Qiao Yin scrutinised Yu Xiao with suspicion. “Are you really from the Fourth Hospital? Tell me, who’s the hottest topic on the Fourth Hospital forum right now?”

    Yu Xiao faltered, unable to answer. She was still a person with a sense of shame.

    “Ha,” Tan Qiao Yin smirked, thinking she had exposed Yu Xiao’s lie. “Cat got your tongue? You thought you could fool me. Do I look like a fool to you?”

    Yu Xiao gave up trying to argue with Tan Qiao Yin, threw her hands in the air, and conceded, “Fine, fine, you win. You’re the smartest person in the room. Happy now?” She tilted her head and eyed him curiously. “By the way, how old are you, Tan Qiao Yin? You don’t look a day over twelve.”

    Tan Qiao Yin: “…” S~ea??h the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She looked like she was about to combust.

    That night, the group divided into two rooms. Yue Yue and Tan Qiao Yin took one, while Ripley and Yu Xiao took the other.

    Yu Xiao initially protested. She wanted to clarify that there was nothing romantic between her and Ripley, that they were as platonic as two people could be. But the others insisted that it made sense for them to share a room.

    Yu Xiao didn’t see how it made any sense at all, but she decided to go along with it for the sake of the quest. She could handle one night with Ripley.

    But then, she had another nightmare, just like the previous one.

    Ripley was lying on the bed, with a large pot positioned at the foot of it. A shadowy figure was stirring something inside the pot before approaching the bed. It seized Ripley by the ankles, pulling him off the bed and throwing him into the pot, where he disappeared into the bubbling liquid…

    Yu Xiao woke up with a start, her heart pounding.

    The sun was already up. The curtains were closed, but some rays of light managed to sneak through the gaps.

    Yu Xiao glanced at Ripley, who was lying next to her. He sensed her movement and quickly shut his eyes, feigning sleep.

    “Are you Dr. Qu?” Yu Xiao whispered.

    Ripley opened his striking blue eyes and gave her a baffled look. “What?” He shook his head. “No, I’m not.”

    “Are you sure?” Yu Xiao pressed. She couldn’t shake off the suspicion. Why else would she have nightmares about him two nights in a row?

    “I’m sure.” Ripley said firmly. “I’m not lying to you.”

    ─── ? ── ☆ ── ? ───