Chapter Six: Hospital Tales of the Uncanny (Part Three)

"Why is there no reaction? Could my hypothesis about it be wrong?" Luo Hanya was filled with doubt, unable to make sense of it no matter how hard she tried.

"Could there be a time limit? Or perhaps the placement is incorrect?" Luo Hanya firmly believed in one phrase: "There is no truly unsolvable problem in this world; if you can't solve it, it simply means you haven't tried enough times." So, over the next several hours, she made countless attempts, matching the positions of the Eight Trigrams and comparing them with the constellations—she tried them all. If anyone had entered during this period, they would surely have thought Luo Hanya was out of her mind: alone in a room, holding a small mirror and constantly shifting its position, performing all sorts of odd gestures, looking even more mystical than the shamans of the old era.

"Ah, how could I be so stupid!" Suddenly, Luo Hanya realized something, pressed her hands to her head, and sighed. She muttered to herself, "It must be this, it must be. How could I have missed such a simple method just now?"

Once again, Luo Hanya poured some water onto the mirror, took out a small handkerchief, and gently wiped the surface, trying to recreate the scene of Shanshan cleaning the mirror as closely as possible.

Sure enough, as Luo Hanya completed this sequence of actions—especially when her hand touched the wet surface—everything changed. The surroundings seemed to twist and blur, as if she had entered a watery world, and an incredible scene appeared in the mirror.

The reflection was not of herself, but of Shanshan!

This was no illusion. The Shanshan in the mirror seemed to see Luo Hanya too, frantically waving for help. Luo Hanya called out excitedly, but it was as though they were separated by space and time—able to see each other's gestures, yet not hearing a single sound from the other.

Looking at Shanshan in the mirror, Luo Hanya's expression grew resolute. Without hesitation, she stepped toward the mirror and placed her hand on the glass. A powerful force sucked Luo Hanya into the world within the mirror.

After a dizzying spin, Luo Hanya found Shanshan standing right beside her. "Big Brother, Shanshan is scared. Waaah—" Seeing her familiar older brother appear beside her, Shanshan seemed to find her anchor again. She threw herself into Luo Hanya's arms, sobbing loudly in grievance.

"Shanshan, be good, don't cry. Big Brother is here to save you." Luo Hanya fought back the tears welling in his eyes and gently stroked her head, holding her tightly, as if afraid she would be lost again.

Once Shanshan calmed down, Luo Hanya looked around and realized they were in an old-fashioned hospital ward. "Could this be..." After a careful inspection, Luo Hanya was shocked to find that the room was almost identical to the one he had stayed in before, and the clock was stopped at one in the afternoon. The calendar, astonishingly, showed June 4, 2006. Luo Hanya drew in a sharp breath. "This is the hospital as it was twenty years ago!"

"And at this exact time..." Cold sweat broke out on Luo Hanya's forehead. He had once researched ancient almanacs and auspicious days for an article debunking superstition. This date, according to the calendar, was a Jiazi day—one of the luckiest days of the year, even the founding day of the nation. Yet not every auspicious day is without misfortune; the unlucky hours of a lucky day are often the most dangerous. Noon on a Jiazi day is considered calamitous, once called 'Sunbreak Great Misfortune.' Even more alarming, it was now one o'clock in the afternoon—the hour when yang energy wanes and yin rises. With 'Sunbreak Great Misfortune' plus the rise of yin energy, this was a moment of compounded disaster!

"Could it be that a great fire broke out in this hospital at this very time, twenty years ago?" Luo Hanya felt a sense of dread. For a fire to break out at such a dangerous hour, it was surely the work of some evil spirit, and not an ordinary one.

"Big Brother, what's wrong? Don't scare me," Shanshan said anxiously, shaking Luo Hanya's arm as he stood there in a daze, trying to get his attention.

"Shanshan, don't worry. Big Brother just remembered the candy he bought for you." Luo Hanya forced a smile, pulled out the lollipop he had bought earlier, and placed it in Shanshan's hand.

"Yay! Thank you, Big Brother!" Despite all the strange things she'd been through, Shanshan's childlike nature remained unchanged; her face instantly lit up with a brilliant smile.

With a snap, Shanshan broke the lollipop in half. "Big Brother, let's share. The big piece is mine, the small piece is yours." She made a face at Luo Hanya, handed him the smaller piece, and quickly popped the rest into her mouth as if afraid he'd snatch it away.

Luo Hanya's heart warmed. He looked at Shanshan, then at the tiny piece of candy in his hand, his gaze growing resolute. He silently vowed to save Shanshan, to root out the horror haunting this hospital, so she could live happily in this world.

"Big Brother, eat it! Is it too small for you?" Shanshan asked, seeing Luo Hanya staring blankly at the little piece, thinking he was upset about its size.

Before she could finish, Luo Hanya interrupted, "No, no, this is the biggest, best candy Big Brother has ever seen. I'm going to savor it—no, keep it, and enjoy it another time." He spoke in a rush, almost incoherently.

Shanshan beamed, "I knew Big Brother would like it!"

Luo Hanya quietly placed the small piece of lollipop into his inventory, then drew out his battered wooden sword in case of danger. Shanshan's eyes widened in amazement as her brother seemingly produced a sword from thin air. "Wow, Big Brother, are you a magician?"

Luo Hanya smiled. "Big Brother is a wizard, you know. Big Brother knows magic—"

Suddenly, a sinister voice echoed, "Hahaha! My crops, sleep, sleep. Fall into nightmares. Offer up your fear."

At once, Luo Hanya's head grew heavy, sleepiness threatening to overtake him. Beside him, Shanshan was already swaying on her feet.

He quickly caught her and laid her on the hospital bed as she drifted into sleep. Luo Hanya bit his tongue hard, but his head remained foggy. Determined to stay awake, he struck himself with the wooden sword. To his surprise, a terrified scream echoed from within his body, and then the system prompt sounded:

Main quest updated: Defeat the Fear-Eater.