Chapter 177: Would You Like Some Sweet and Sour Human Ribs? |
The air had grown thick with unease, and Yu Xiao decided a dose of absurdity was needed. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she launched into a dramatic retelling of the afternoon’s prop-testing extravaganza, complete with exaggerated imitations of George’s involuntary antics.
By the time she was finished, Zhou Xiao Zhen was gasping for air between fits of laughter, and even Zhao Lan was wiping tears from her eyes.
“Oh, my sides!” Zhou Xiao Zhen wheezed, finally catching her breath. “This place might be a death trap, but it’s never boring. You know what? When I get out of here, I’m going to write a novel about all this. People would love it!”
Yu Xiao smiled faintly, knowing that memories of the hospital faded upon discharge. It was a blessing and a curse, she supposed.
Zhao Lan, ever the supportive friend, didn’t mention that someone had probably already done it. “Ooh, what would you call it?”
Zhou Xiao Zhen puffed up her chest. “How about ‘The Adventures of the Braised Egg Girl’?”
Yu Xiao snorted. “Sounds like a cartoon I used to watch as a kid.”
Zhou Xiao Zhen’s face fell. “Well, then…” she muttered, tapping a finger against her chin. “How about ‘I Fought the Doctors in the Hospital!’? Catchy, right?”
Clearly, they needed help. “Any suggestions, Smiley?” Zhou Xiao Zhen asked.
“I’m rubbish at that kind of thing,” Yu Xiao said quickly. “Let Misty choose.”
Zhao Lan waved a hand dismissively. “My essay marks in school were abysmal. I think ‘I Fought the Doctors in the Hospital’ is perfect. Let’s go with that.”
After dinner, they took turns showering. When Yu Xiao emerged from the bathroom, Nightmare, in his fluffy yellow kitten form, was already curled up on her bed, patiently waiting for her. Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen were on their own beds, scrolling through their phones.
“Smiley, check the Sixth Hospital forum,” Zhao Lan said, her brow furrowed. “Someone posted about hearing strange noises in their ward this afternoon.”
“What kind of noises?” Yu Xiao asked, pulling back her duvet.
“Remember that news report this morning? The one about people in the Fifth Hospital hearing weird sounds outside their doors?” Zhao Lan replied. “I wonder if it’s the same thing they’re talking about on the forum.”
Yu Xiao settled onto her bed, phone in hand, and opened the forum app. “Is it dangerous?”
“Not as far as we know,” Zhao Lan said. “The person who posted said the noise lasted a while, then disappeared. But ever since that Countdown Ghost business, everyone’s a bit on edge.”
Yu Xiao quickly found the post in question.
【I heard a strange sound】
【We were prepping for a dungeon run in our ward today, and around 2 PM, we suddenly heard this weird noise outside the door. It wasn’t a trolley or anything, no voices or anything, but it was definitely something. We couldn’t figure out what it was. It went on for about ten minutes, then stopped.
Does anyone think it could be the same weird sound they were talking about on the news this morning? The one from the Fifth Hospital? It’s freaking me out just thinking about it. What if it’s another Countdown Ghost situation?
Please tell me someone else heard it too! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻】
The post had already garnered a slew of replies.
【Did you call the Medical Disputes Office like they said on the news?】
【Can you describe the sound? What did it sound like?】
【Is it dangerous? Didn’t the Deaf Descendant deal with that Countdown Ghost thing? (´°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥｀) What about this time?】
【Honestly, we’re too scared to call. Whoever answers those phones isn’t exactly… human. It’s hard to explain the sound. Kind of like someone outside was making a gurgling noise? (ᵒ̴̶̷̥́ _ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥̀)】
【What’s a gurgling noise? ლ(◉_◉)ლ】
【Have you never seen ‘The Grudge’? It’s the sound Kayako makes.】
(咒怨 (The Grudge); zhòu yuàn; Japanese horror film known for its iconic ghost, Kayako, and her eerie sound, popular and well-known in Chinese culture.)
【Dude, no! I haven’t seen it and I don’t want to! Don’t tell me there’s a Kayako outside our door!
(╥﹏╥) 】
【What should we do? Is it dangerous…?】
If the original poster wasn’t exaggerating, there was definitely something out there. And it seemed to have migrated from the Fifth Hospital to the Sixth. Whether it posed a threat remained to be seen, , but this time the hospital seemed more prepared to handle it than they were during the Countdown Ghost incident.
Zhou Xiao Zhen’s eyes widened as she read the post. “Do… do you really think there are ghosts lurking outside right now?”
“I’m usually out during the day, so I wouldn’t know,” Yu Xiao said, tapping a finger against her chin. “But it’s better to be safe than sorry. Misty, can you lock the ward door with your master key? Just in case.”
“Good idea,” Zhao Lan agreed, her usual confidence bolstered by the knowledge that not even a domain-level ghost could breach her trusty key. “I’ll do it right now.” She climbed out of bed and strode towards the door.
The next morning, Yu Xiao woke to the sound of her phone’s 8:00 AM alarm. Sunlight streamed through the window, painting a deceptively cheerful stripe across her face.
She reached for her phone and opened the Sixth Hospital forum. The post from the previous night had exploded with replies, but thankfully, there were no reports of further incidents. The original poster had apparently spent the night cowering under their blanket – a completely understandable reaction, in Yu Xiao’s opinion.
She sat up and leaned back against the headboard. Nightmare was still sound asleep, buried beneath the duvet, with only the tip of his tail occasionally twitching outside.
Just then, the chirpy voice of the morning news announcer filled the room.
“A beautiful day begins now~ Here’s your morning news update!”
“… Yesterday, another patient at the Fifth Hospital died outside the ward. The cause of death is suspected to be the same as the patient who died the day before at the Third Hospital. Investigations are ongoing. We urge all patients to prioritise rest and remain within their wards for a speedy recovery…”
“… Yesterday, a patient at the Sixth Hospital reported hearing strange noises outside the ward. Investigations into the source of the noise are underway. If you have any information, please contact the Medical Disputes Office immediately…”
“Another death at the Fifth Hospital?” Zhao Lan’s voice was filled with worry. “Could it be connected to those strange sounds? They originated from the Fifth Hospital, remember?”
“It’s certainly possible,” Yu Xiao said, a shiver running down her spine. Thank goodness for Zhao Lan’s master key! “Let’s keep a close eye on the forum today, just in case there are any more developments.”
“Will do,” Zhao Lan agreed, feeling a surge of gratitude for the extra layer of security the key provided.
Just as the news finished, and Yu Xiao was about to get ready for the day, her phone buzzed.
It was Yu Qing Lang.
“Yu Xiao, I heard the news. Is everything alright at the Sixth Hospital?”
“We’re fine,” Yu Xiao reassured her. “Don’t worry, we have ways of keeping our ward safe.”
“Oh.” There was a pause. “Do you think it could be another Countdown Ghost situation?”
“Maybe,” Yu Xiao mused. “But the thing is, the sound was at the Fifth Hospital the day before, then the Sixth yesterday. Who knows where it will pop up today? Be careful, Sister Qing Lang.”
Yu Qing Lang responded with defiance, “If it dares come, I’ll knock the stuffing out of it.”
Yu Xiao couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m sure you will.” Before hanging up, she asked casually, “By the way, how many points do you need?”
Yu Qing Lang hesitated. “Not counting any title bonuses or extra rewards… I need to clear about ten more instances.”
Ten more! That meant Yu Qing Lang was only a few dozen points away from freedom.
Still, clearing ten instances was easier said than done. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t encounter another impossible scenario like the ‘Flying to Someone Else’s Bed’. Yu Xiao began mentally calculating their remaining points. They had sold most of their functional cards and talismans, but surely they had a few spares they could give to Yu Qing Lang…
In the hallowed halls of St. Elizabeth’s, Qing Shi stirred a bucket of cement with the rhythmic swoosh of a seasoned plasterer.
“George, she’ll be here any minute,” he chuckled, glancing at his companion. “Why aren’t you running for the hills?”
George, a figure of haughty elegance even in the face of impending doom, merely scoffed.
Gluttony, his voice dripping with a mixture of malice and mirth, chimed in. “Where could he possibly run? This is his domain, his own personal purgatory. Besides,” he added, eyes gleaming with wicked amusement, “the punishment for an attending doctor leaving his post without permission is rather severe, wouldn’t you say?”
Qing Shi furrowed his brow. “Who’d report him?”
Gluttony’s grin widened, revealing a set of teeth that glinted a little too sharply in the dim light. “I would.”
The air crackled with tension as George, his silence speaking volumes, fixed Gluttony with an icy glare.
“You pitiful creature,” he finally spat, his voice laced with disdain. “Your community service will be over soon enough. Then it’s back to your basement, back to feasting on those rotting, putrid scraps you call food.”
A flicker of something dark crossed Gluttony’s face, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a sneer of pure venom.
“Don’t worry yourself, George,” he purred. “I have no intention of staying in that basement forever.”
Qing Shi, oblivious to the undercurrents of animosity swirling around him, watched their exchange with the morbid fascination of a man witnessing a particularly gruesome cockfight. Little did he know, Gluttony had been plotting against him, his mind a labyrinth of schemes as intricate and deadly as a spider’s web.
A letter from Sage Hospital, tucked away in Gluttony’s pocket, burned a hole in his thoughts. Wang Shu, a cleaner with ambitions far grander than his station, had proposed a most intriguing alliance: a partnership to usurp Qing Shi’s position, with the promise of making Gluttony the attending doctor at Sage Hospital.
“Good morning, gentlemen!”
The cheerful voice cut through the tension like a scalpel. Yu Xiao, a vision in a crisp white lab coat, stood beaming at them, her presence as bright and unexpected as a ray of sunshine in a crypt. “Have we all had a hearty breakfast?”
Gluttony’s eyes, however, were drawn to her body. “Mind if I take a bite?”
In a flash, Nightmare shot out from the depths of the backpack, his eyes fixed on Gluttony with a look that promised nothing short of agonising pain.
Gluttony merely shrugged. “So stingy.”
Yu Xiao, seemingly unfazed by the near-lethal encounter, glanced around the room, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Where’s everyone else? Tie Niu?”
“Right here, Dean!”
Tie Niu, followed by a gaggle of nurses, emerged from behind a mound of freshly dug earth.
Unperturbed, Yu Xiao began unloading an assortment of tools from her seemingly bottomless bag.
“Yesterday’s testing went swimmingly,” she announced, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. “So I brought some more. Tie Niu, catch!” She tossed a heavy-looking device his way. “George, where are you going? Come here, we have much to do…”
**
Meanwhile, in the dim recesses of Sixth Hospital, a door creaked open, briefly exposing a flickering light before the room was swallowed by darkness. Suddenly, a shadowy mass exited, its steps leaving behind a trail of blood.
“Ugh… ugh…”
As it moved, a deep, guttural moan escaped its throat, a haunting echo of its most recent meal – the final, desperate gasps of its ill-fated prey as its windpipe was shattered.
The figure staggered forward, its movements awkward, until it abruptly came to a halt in front of a door.
“Food delivery!” a cheerful voice called out from the shadowy mass. “What can I get for you?”
…
Ten minutes had passed, each one ticking by like a hammer blow in the oppressive silence of the ward. Then, a shadowy figure, with elongated limbs and ragged edges, rose from the floor like a phantom from a nightmare. It slithered out of the room, leaving a chilling tableau in its wake: gnawed bones scattered like macabre confetti, a toppled food trolley, and the lingering stench of decay.
“Food?” the figure rasped, its voice a garbled whisper that seemed to seep from the walls themselves.
It craned its head forward, revealing a gaping maw that twisted into a grotesque parody of a smile. “Want some food?”
“What… what dish?” it mumbled, the words slurring together in a grotesque chant.
“What can I get for you? What dish?”
**
Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen had been glued to the forum all morning, their eyes scanning the screen for any updates on the unfolding horror. But the digital ether remained frustratingly silent. Even the original poster, who had initially set the forum ablaze with their terrifying tale, was still chatting away.
Zhao Lan hit the refresh button for the hundredth time, a sigh escaping her lips. “Well, at least no news is good news, right?” she said, attempting a reassuring smile. “No reports of any… casualties.”
“Misty, are you hungry?” Zhou Xiao Zhen asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Zhao Lan glanced at the clock. It was already noon. Her stomach, usually quite insistent in its demands, rumbled in agreement. She fished a set of keys from her pocket. “Now that you mention it, I am feeling a bit peckish,” she admitted. “I think I’ll grab some lunch.”
“Let me get it,” Zhou Xiao Zhen insisted, already reaching for the keys. “What are you in the mood for?”
Zhao Lan knew her friend’s insistence stemmed from a place of kindness. Ever since her hand had transformed into a ghastly, dead man’s appendage, even the simplest tasks had become a daily struggle. Smiley, Precious, and the others went out of their way to make her life easier.
“You know, I haven’t had sweet and sour ribs in ages,” Zhao Lan mused, her mouth already watering at the thought. “That sounds absolutely divine right now.”
“Ooh, me too,” Zhou Xiao Zhen agreed, her eyes lighting up. She snatched the keys with a grin. “Sweet and sour ribs it is!”
She waited a moment by the door, but the familiar clatter of food trolleys was conspicuously absent. Frowning, she checked the time again. It was the peak of lunch hour, the time when the hallway usually transformed into a chaotic symphony of squeaking wheels and shouted orders.
“Want some food?”
The voice, raspy and unsettling, seemed to slither from right outside the door, making Zhou Xiao Zhen jump.
“Yes! Yes, please!” she called out, her heart pounding in her chest.
“What… what dish?”
“Sweet and sour ribs,” Zhou Xiao Zhen rattled off, still slightly shaken. “And spicy fried cabbage, please.” She didn’t recognize the delivery person’s voice, but everyone knew Yu Xiao lived here. Ever since Smiley’s meteoric rise in the supernatural hierarchy, their meals had been free.
Order placed, Zhou Xiao Zhen grabbed the key and unlocked the door. As was her habit, she opened it with just a crack, a sliver of light cutting through the gloom, ready to accept her lunch.
But instead of the comforting aroma of hot food, a grotesque, greenish-black hand, its flesh seemingly rotting before her very eyes, reached through the gap. The stench of decay hit her like a physical blow, and a scream caught in her throat.
**
Yu Xiao gingerly accepted the tattered red scarf from Tie Niu, her fingers tracing the rough outline of an old bloodstain. It looked more like a relic from a crime scene than a useful tool.
“So,” she mused, holding it up for inspection, “how are we supposed to use this thing? Should I tie it around my neck? Or maybe…” Her eyes twinkled mischievously, “around George’s?”
George, sensing impending humiliation, shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. Nightmare, ever vigilant, materialised beside Yu Xiao, a low growl rumbling in his chest as if to say, *Don’t even think about it.*
After a moment of playful deliberation, Yu Xiao decided to drape the scarf around her own neck. It hung there limply, like a wilted poppy.
“Well?” George asked, his voice laced with morbid curiosity. “Anything?”
“Nothing, nada, zilch,” Yu Xiao huffed, flicking the fabric in frustration.
Nightmare, standing close by, tilted his head. “Perhaps, you need to say something?”
Yu Xiao paused, her brow furrowed in thought. “What am I supposed to say? ‘Look at me, I’m a primary school student on my way to class?’”
Determined to unlock the scarf’s secrets, she turned to George. “Teacher?” she chirped, her voice taking on a saccharine sweetness that belied the macabre setting.
George merely stared back at her, his expression unreadable.
Undeterred, Yu Xiao tried another tactic. “Hello, fellow student!” she chirped, attempting a wave that ended up looking more like a spastic twitch.
Still nothing. George remained silent.
“Fine,” she muttered, resorting to desperate measures. “I forgot my homework.”
Silence.
Two hours and countless ridiculous scenarios later, the scarf remained as inert as ever. Yu Xiao had even attempted to “help” George cross an imaginary street, complete with frantic hand gestures and exaggerated traffic noises, but the mysterious prop refused to budge from its state of utter uselessness.
Finally, she tore the scarf from her neck and tossed it aside. “This thing is about as helpful as a chocolate teapot,” she declared, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
Nightmare, ever curious, scooped the discarded scarf from the floor. “Why the neck, though?” he asked, examining the fabric with a perplexed frown.
“Ah, my dear Nightmare,” Yu Xiao sighed dramatically, “you wouldn’t understand. It’s a nine years of compulsory education thing.”
Nightmare, his understanding of human education limited to images of screaming children and chalk-covered torture devices, merely blinked.
“I wish I could live another five hundred years…”
As if on cue, the shrill ring of her mobile phone shattered the silence. Yu Xiao glanced at the screen, a shiver running down her spine. The number looked eerily familiar—disturbingly close to the one used by that senior patient from the First Hospital, the one who had developed a rather unsavoury appetite for human flesh.
She hesitated for a moment, torn between curiosity and a very healthy dose of self-preservation. Finally, curiosity won out.
“Hello?” she answered cautiously.
The sound of wet chewing echoed from the other end of the line, followed by a woman’s voice, strangely calm despite the unsettling background noise. “I need to talk to you.”
Yu Xiao’s grip on the phone tightened. “I’m rather busy at the moment,” she said, already mentally calculating the fastest escape routes from the room.
“Please,” the voice pleaded, a note of desperation creeping into her tone. “Don’t hang up. I haven’t… spoken to anyone in a very long time.”
Yu Xiao wrinkled her nose as she felt a wave of discomfort hearing her voice. It wasn’t just the unsettling plea for company, but the chilling reminder that this woman, like countless others in the hospital, had succumbed to the same hunger. Talking to her felt like placating a cornered beast – a desperate attempt to avoid a gruesome encounter.
“I have no time for this!” Yu Xiao sighed.
“But I have treasures!” the woman pleaded. “Things that might be useful! How about a friendly chat in exchange for some top-notch items?”
Yu Xiao scoffed. The idea of accepting anything from this creature, let alone something she touched, sent a wave of nausea through her. “Honey, I wouldn’t take a free hug from you, let alone accept your… merchandise.”
The woman shifted gears. “Function cards, then? I have some real rarities – the kind that make instances a breeze.”
Yu Xiao couldn’t help but think of Tang Xing Yin, the hospital veteran with enough function cards to build his own dungeon empire. Perhaps, a sliver of the woman on the phone clung to her humanity. A flicker of hope sparked in Yu Xiao’s chest.
“Alright, alright,” Yu Xiao conceded. “Tell me, how many points do you need to get discharged? We can sell your stuff, convert it to points, and get you out of this creepy hospital.”
The woman hesitated, then mumbled, “The marketplace is such a rip-off, though…”
“Marketplace? You set your own prices there, you know,” Yu Xiao reminded her, realising her initial suggestion might have been a tad melodramatic.
Silence followed. Finally, the woman whispered, “So, if I leave… does that mean I have to give up… the whole ‘flesh-eating’ thing?”
Yu Xiao’s patience wore thin. “Look,” she said carefully, “If a balanced diet includes human limbs, then maybe this hospital is where you belong for now.”
Frustrated, Yu Xiao hung up. Nightmare, ever the watchful companion, twirled a red scarf in his paws, his eyes locked on hers.
“Let’s get out of here,” Yu Xiao declared, taking the scarf.
Nightmare, still holding the scarf, let out a low growl. “Wait, we haven’t figured this out yet.”
“We figured it out enough,” Yu Xiao said, shoving the scarf into her bag. “We can always sell it at a discount.”
With a swift movement, she bundled Nightmare back into the bag and exited St. Elizabeth, the familiar dizziness washing over her. A moment later, she opened her eyes to a scene straight out of a horror movie.
Pitch blackness. Howling wind. A sudden, bone-chilling cold.
For a second, Yu Xiao’s heart hammered in her chest.
Then, reality dawned.
The lights in the ward were off.
And the door…
…was wide open.