Chapter 1014: Chapter 709: It’s Her
No one in the Nightmare World can withstand the attacks of ghosts, no matter how strong they are. Thus, those who run slow are the ones at the front.
After joining the Patrol Defense Office, Yang Xiao became more focused on physical exercise and training—hand-to-hand combat, shooting, and running—both long and short distances. These had become his strengths. The Bald Coach, with a cigarette between his lips, once frankly stated that Yang Xiao had an extraordinary talent for shooting, a born killer.
Yang Xiao led the way, running in the front, all the while loudly reminding his teammates to return the way they came and not to get separated. Each floor of the hospital had grille-shaped safety doors, dividing different areas. If they ran into unfamiliar places and got cornered by ghosts, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Yang Xiao was the first to rush down to the first floor. He rested briefly at the corner of the corridor, waiting for his teammates. At this moment, each person was precious, and unless absolutely necessary, no one could be left behind.
The second person to catch up was Boss Sun. Though his steps seemed clumsy, his speed was actually quite fast. Qu Hong was third, Dou Jie was fourth, and Xi Huijun, gasping for breath, was the last to escape.
Yang Xiao signaled everyone to be quiet and listen. There were no sounds of bells or footsteps chasing after them. The group slowed their pace and walked cautiously down the dim corridor. Nothing changed along the way until Yang Xiao stopped in front of a ward door.
As the flashlight’s beam swept across, he caught a glimpse of something red below the corner inside the doorframe.
He first looked inside the room through the dirty, narrow observation window. It was just an ordinary ward, a double room with two beds placed symmetrically inside. After confirming it was safe, Yang Xiao squatted down, inspecting the blood-red mark at the bottom corner of the wall. It was a blood handprint, but incomplete, showing only the ring finger and pinky.
"This wall has been repainted." Qu Hong also noticed the concealed blood handprint, and a sense of unease began to faintly spread.
Yang Xiao extended his hand, trying to cover the blood handprint. He discovered it was a right hand, positioned as if someone had lain on the ground, clutching the doorframe with all their strength, unwilling to be dragged into the room.
As he continued to observe, Yang Xiao found some faint scratch marks on the doorframe. Qu Hong quickly checked several nearby doors and also found repainted walls and scratch marks of varying depths.
Extending his hand, Yang Xiao scratched the doorframe with his nails, but left no marks. Although the doorframe was wooden, it was exceptionally sturdy and showed no signs of decay after all these years.
"It seems that these repainted walls once had blood handprints. What on earth happened in this haunted place?" Qu Hong looked around, feeling a chilling ghostly presence.
"Boss Chu... Boss Chu, can we... can we leave here first? Please, I’m begging you..." Boss Sun pleaded desperately. In this place, it felt like a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe. This was far more frightening than the haunted house he had taken people to for thrills. Here, something was genuinely wrong.
"Boss Sun, check out why this hospital was abandoned once we leave," Yang Xiao instructed.
"Okay, okay." Seeing Yang Xiao agree to leave, Boss Sun quickly responded.
"You, small-time boss, seem quite capable. You manage to find out whatever you want. Where do you get such connections?" Qu Hong asked cautiously.
Seeing this, Boss Sun dared not hide the truth, his face full of bitterness, "Oh, I have no such ability. It’s all... all about seeking favors from people."
"That still-living couple?" Yang Xiao had already guessed.
"Yes, it’s them. That... that woman’s father is... someone influential, known in both the underworld and legitimate circles."
After leaving the hospital, the group returned to their car to rest. Boss Sun made phone calls to inquire about the hospital’s background. As Yang Xiao was lying in the passenger seat, deep in thought, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to see Qu Hong’s face.
"Mr. Chu, could we step out of the car for a chat?" Qu Hong didn’t give Yang Xiao any time to hesitate, opened the car door first, and stepped out.
Dou Jie, who was also resting in the car, saw this and wanted to follow, but Qu Hong’s icy gaze stopped him.
Dou Jie felt an inexplicable fear in front of this woman, and his eyes turned to Yang Xiao, who completely ignored him.
The two got out of the car, walking about ten meters away from it. There was no wind tonight, and it wasn’t particularly cold. The lone moon hung in the sky.
"Mr. Chu, you know the person on the other side of the walkie-talkie, don’t you?" Qu Hong lit a cigarette, getting straight to the point. "You’re a cautious person. There’s no way you’d believe just one sentence and think the other side wasn’t ghosts but rather another missing team. You exchanged code words."
"Yes, he’s also a member of our Patrol Defense Office." Yang Xiao paused and then added, "A very strong one."
Seeing Yang Xiao’s candidness, Qu Hong felt slightly relieved, "Mr. Chu, you know I’ve always been on your side."
"I know. You and I are friends. You’re a smart person and I can trust you."
"Yes. You saved my life in the tunnel, from the Mountain Guardian’s corpse." Qu Hong showed a reliable smile to Yang Xiao, "We’ve been through so much on the road, and I’ve never had the chance to thank you."
"Miss Qu, I consider you a friend. If you have something to say, just say it." Naturally, Qu Hong wasn’t just there to thank him. Yang Xiao didn’t want to drag this out. He needed rest.
Qu Hong glanced back unintentionally, noticing through the car window that Dou Jie was watching them intently, "Alright, then I’ll be straightforward. Mr. Yang, what do you think our latest script titled ’Substitute’ means?"
