Chapter 1020: Chapter 712: Scapegoat_2
"Will the female ghost attack the patients?" Yang Xiao remembered clearly that the female ghost had entered his room earlier, but ignored the middle-aged man lying next to him.
"I don’t know, this is just an attempt," Captain Zhou admitted.
While they were talking, Yang Xiao heard the sound of a bell gradually approaching. The female ghost had turned back and was beginning a second round of searching.
This time, the search range was smaller and more precise.
"Let’s do as you said; that ghost is coming back for me again." With no other options, Yang Xiao decided to take a gamble. After all, the worst that could happen was death, and being trapped in the iron cabinet in the hospital room was a slow death.
After hanging up, Captain Zhou walked to the single bed in the lounge. He squatted down and forcefully dragged out a bald man hidden under the bed. The bald man was wearing a blindfold, had his ears wrapped in thick cloth, and was bound with several restraint straps. He had a muscular build with bulging shoulder muscles, looking like a bodybuilder.
Observing through the small window on the door and confirming there was no issue, Captain Zhou quietly opened the door, dragged the man out, tore off his blindfold and ear covers, and untied his restraints before running back to the lounge and locking the door.
As expected, upon hearing the bell, the man sat up abruptly, his face contorted with aggression. It was as if he had received some sort of instruction. He grabbed a metal chair from the nurse’s station with one hand and dragged it toward the sound of the bell.
"He’s gone. Find your opportunity. I’ll assist you from outside. Don’t use the stairs opposite the nurse’s station; the gate is locked there. You can only take the stairs at the end of the north corridor," Captain Zhou instructed.
Inside the metal cabinet, Yang Xiao took deep breaths, uncertain whether he would live or die this time. He had some things to clarify ahead of time, "Captain Zhou, if I die this time, it’s okay. Because it’s not really me who came, it’s someone else."
"The situation here is very complicated and involves something called a Resentful Eye. In short, the body isn’t mine, but my spirit is controlling it. If I die tonight, I’ll come and contact you tomorrow. That will be the real me, don’t doubt it."
After ending the call, Yang Xiao waited silently. Ever since he woke up, he had felt strange down below. When he reached into his pants, he found nothing there. Yang Xiao realized that Dou Jie was actually a follower of the Black Buddha Mother. Judging by his abilities, they probably didn’t accept him even if he had castrated himself, as he was too weak.
A sharp friction sound echoed through the corridor, as if something sharp and metallic was being dragged. After hanging up the call, Captain Zhou quietly walked out the door and hid behind the wall on one side of the corridor, peeking around to observe.
The aggressive man, carrying the iron chair, encountered a female ghost walking out of a patient room. The female ghost ignored him, tiptoeing barefoot toward the opposite room. In the next second, the aggressive man swung the iron chair, smashing it onto the female ghost’s head.
The hit was powerful enough to kill a regular person, but to the female ghost, it only caused her head to tilt slightly. Instead, the aggressive man dropped the chair, his hands bleeding from the impact.
In the next moment, Captain Zhou, who was observing, noticed that the female ghost shifted her focus and started walking towards the aggressive man. At this moment, the aggressive man seemed to have sobered up. Driven by instinctual fear, he shrieked and ran for his life.
He bolted towards the end of the east corridor, which Captain Zhou knew was a dead end blocked by a locked gate.
From Captain Zhou’s perspective, the female ghost tiptoed forward, her upper body leaning in pursuit of the aggressive man, the bell on her right big toe ringing incessantly.
Seizing the opportunity, Captain Zhou rushed into the corridor, grabbed the intercom off the wall, and notified Yang Xiao, "The female ghost is gone, come out quickly!"
At this time, Yang Xiao also heard the bell sound fading away. He immediately burst out of the iron cabinet, leaving the patient room and running towards Captain Zhou’s direction.
The strange feeling was gone this time, and Yang Xiao ran quickly, reaching Captain Zhou in a few steps, but they only brushed past each other without contact.
In Yang Xiao’s eyes, even from a close distance, Captain Zhou’s face remained blurred, and his intuition told him not to get close.
"I’ve passed by you. Next, head to the north corridor!" Yang Xiao said to the intercom.
Still on the lookout for Yang Xiao, Captain Zhou heard an inhuman scream, immediately followed by the female ghost emerging from the dark corridor and quickly approaching him.
The female ghost would not attack the hospital’s patients proactively, but if attacked by a patient, she would retaliate.
This was a significant discovery for both Yang Xiao and Captain Zhou. It meant that in critical moments, they could use the hospital patients as bait.
As the female ghost came closer, Captain Zhou gripped the intercom tightly and decided to make another bold attempt, giving Yang Xiao more time, "Keep running, sprint through the north corridor. I’ll delay it!"
Captain Zhou’s strategy was clear. Since patients could attract the female ghost’s attention, he should be able to as well. Furthermore, he had a safety room in the lounge. As long as he timed it right and was cautious, he had a good chance.
This was also a bold try, as any mistake would cost him his life, but they had few opportunities to attempt anything. In two days, it would be their death time.
But he knew a straightforward approach like the bald man’s wouldn’t work. Captain Zhou decided to get a little closer to the female ghost and try to attract her attention in other ways.
At this moment, the female ghost moved quickly, but Captain Zhou knew that she wasn’t targeting him, but Yang Xiao.
As the person brought into this world by the female ghost, Yang Xiao was her highest priority target. Captain Zhou decided to avoid confrontation temporarily. He withdrew from the east corridor and returned to the nurse’s station. When the female ghost exited the east corridor and started towards the north corridor, Captain Zhou threw a teacup, which shattered at her feet with a "crack."
But this did not attract the female ghost’s attention, and she continued straight towards the north corridor. Seeing this, Captain Zhou steeled himself and followed, approaching the female ghost from behind, 10 meters, 8 meters, 6 meters... When he gritted his teeth and got within 3 meters, the female ghost suddenly stopped, as if sensing something, and slowly turned around.
Realizing the danger, Captain Zhou turned and ran. He didn’t expect the female ghost’s speed to more than double suddenly. This unexpected situation caught him off guard, making it unrealistic for him to return to the lounge. He could only break into a patient room and hide there, closing the door just as the female ghost arrived at the doorstep.
Inside the room, Captain Zhou knew he was in trouble. The room was empty with nowhere to hide, only under the bed.
Just when Captain Zhou thought he was doomed, the bell sound outside gradually faded away. To his great relief, the female ghost unexpectedly gave up and turned away from someone so close.
Leaning against the wall, Captain Zhou panted heavily. It seemed he was not the female ghost’s primary target. If he didn’t touch her and hid quickly, she would not pursue him but switch targets to other people she had brought into this world.
After confirming the bell sound had faded away, Captain Zhou quickly returned to the lounge, closed the door, grabbed the phone, and called Xu Yiqiu, who was on duty downstairs, telling her everything he’d discovered and requesting her cooperation with Yang Xiao.
"Got it, Brother Zhou,"
After Xu Yiqiu hung up, the intercom next to her immediately rang, filled with the sound of a man’s heavy breathing. "Are you Miss Xu? I’m Chu Xi. I’m... I’m trapped in a room near the stairs in the northern corridor."
"I can’t see exactly which room I’m in. There... there’s no place to hide here. Help... help me!!"
Yang Xiao crouched under a desk, clutching the intercom and calling for help. Outside the door, the death knell of jingle bells echoed ominously.
