27. Meeting the Dean

"What was that?" Liu Qiang hunched his shoulders, clutching his head with both hands, shouting.

"It's nothing," Chi You replied. Her gaze fell upon the door, thinking to herself that this thing really knew how to play the victim. Her kick had been quite light, after all. However, upon seeing what lay inside, she found it rather intriguing.

Inside stood a large shelving unit filled with numerous white glass jars, each containing green formaldehyde. Standing at the doorway, it was impossible to see exactly what was being preserved in the solution, and the room was devoid of light. Chi You pulled out her flashlight and shone it inside; a variety of organs were exposed to everyone's view.

Liu Qiang and the other boy gasped—they were all human organs.

"Is this a legitimate psychiatric hospital?" Zheng Hong couldn't help but ask upon seeing this.

"Obviously not," Meng Shuyin replied earnestly, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "What decent hospital would keep these things on display? There must be quite a few people who died unjustly here."

They walked inside, looking at the organs on the two shelves, feeling more than a little creeped out. Especially when the flashlight beam hit them, they couldn't help but imagine the horrific ways those people must have died.

"I never imagined this psychiatric hospital was hiding such filthy secrets," Meng Shuyin sighed. It was utterly vile.

"How many innocent lives were lost here?" Zheng Hong asked softly, his eyes filled with compassion.

After surveying the room, they left. The third floor was calm, devoid of any monsters, and there were no clues to be found. Chi You headed straight for the fourth floor, and the others followed.

But they had barely gone halfway when the temperature plummeted. Despite being in the middle of the stairwell, they could feel an icy, supernatural wind blowing against them, making their skin crawl. The boy hugged his arms, looking terrified. "What's going on? Where is this wind coming from? Could there be ghosts?"

Suddenly, large blood-red characters appeared on the pristine white wall: "RUN," "GO BACK," "WAIT UNTIL DAWN," "LEAVE."

"Ahhhhh! A ghost!" Liu Qiang turned around, saw the female ghost standing behind him, and bolted forward in a panic, terrified that if he were too slow, she would come for him.

"Thank you for your concern," Chi You said, stepping forward and looking directly at the female ghost with a serious expression. "But we are determined to see what's on this fourth floor."

Slowly, blood-red words formed on the wall again: "It is dangerous. You will die. You are no match for him."

Chi You looked at the warning and smiled. "I'm not afraid. Whether I live or die is for me to decide. As for whether we're a match for him, we'll see after a fight."

Liu Qiang shouted, "You might not be afraid of dying, but I am!"

"Then you can find a safe place to stay by yourself. I didn't ask you to follow us," Chi You replied, glancing at him with a faint, indifferent look. Liu Qiang fell silent; the thought of staying behind alone was absolutely out of the question.

"I'm starting to like your personality more and more," Jiang Pan said, observing her with clear appreciation. He then changed his tone, shaking his phone. "If you end up dying, remember to let me take a few pictures. I'd like to admire them at my leisure later."

Chi You: "..."

"Keep your disgusting hobby to yourself," Chi You retorted bluntly.

"How can you call it disgusting? The expression of despair you had when you were lying in a pool of blood before was absolutely magnificent," Jiang Pan said, his mind conjuring an image of Chi You lying in blood, eyes closed, waiting for death.

*Heh heh...* Chi You thought to herself that this wouldn't do; she had to make sure she took a picture of him later. Pretty or handsome, she would make sure they all looked ugly.

Listening to their banter, the others couldn't help but twitch their lips. Jiang Pan's hobby was truly hard to admire.

The female ghost could not stop them and could only watch helplessly as they stepped onto the fourth floor.

Upon entering the fourth floor, everything around them changed. Countless children and adults wandered the space, all of them physically maimed. Chi You could feel the suffocating silence and malice permeating the air. The moment they stepped in, everyone wandering the floor turned their gaze toward them. It was a resentful, terrifying stare.

But Chi You was unfazed. She pulled out her chainsaw, yanked the cord, and charged forward.

"Damn, are you really that reckless?" Meng Shuyin uttered a rare curse.

Chi You had grown impatient with the slow pace; she still had to go back and study. She had just remembered an important detail: school was on break in two weeks, and she hadn't properly reviewed yet.

"You're not afraid of death, are you?" Jiang Pan shouted, though he had already pulled out his shotgun and started firing at the heads of the transformed monsters.

They fought together, helping one another, though everyone sustained minor injuries. As they pushed forward and cleared away the obstacles, Chi You faced the office at the end of the hall—the Director's office.

She pushed the door open, and it creaked as it swung wide.

The Director sat at his desk, wearing a white lab coat. He rested his hands on the desk, staring at Chi You, and then spoke slowly: "You have impressive strength."

The Director's voice sounded kind and amiable, not at all like a monster.

"Thank you," Chi You replied calmly. She walked in and sat down in front of the Director, while the rest of the group stood behind her, as if backing her up.

"Can you tell me why you cursed this hospital?" Chi You asked, her question blunt and direct.

"Why should I tell you?" the Director asked with a smile. He wore silver-rimmed glasses and appeared entirely refined and gentle.

"If you're not willing to tell me, should I tell you what I know?" Chi You asked with a smile.

"And what do you know?"

Chi You looked at him and spoke slowly. "You are the director of this psychiatric hospital. You have a happy, fulfilling family life and a successful career. The reason you cursed this hospital has to do with your family, doesn't it?" She rested her chin on her hand, smiling. "Let me guess—it was for your son, wasn't it?"

Upon hearing this, the Director looked at her, his eyes filled with a trace of confusion. "What clues did you use to figure that out?" he asked, his interest piqued.

"I guessed," Chi You replied with a grin.

Hearing this, the group standing behind her looked at her with bewildered expressions. She could guess that?

"Am I right?" Chi You asked.

"You are," the Director admitted, skipping the games.

"Understood," Chi You nodded. She took out a photograph and placed it on the desk in front of him. "I think you recognize him."

Upon seeing the photo, the Director erupted into a fit of rage.

The others: "..." She always found a way to provoke the final boss.

"Where did you get that photo?" Jiang Pan asked in surprise. This girl had a clue and didn't even show him.