In broad daylight, the bizarre dismemberment case spread like wildfire, even though the hospital quickly tried to suppress the news. While everyone's attention was captivated by this strange incident, Chen Mo took the chance when no one was looking to twist open the door to the break room and soon discovered a row of lockers printed with the letter F.
2F08 likely represented the locker number, and as for the four digits after that, Chen Mo immediately understood when he saw the four-digit combination lock on the locker. When writing down this sequence, Yang Xiaoyu might have already been attacked, leaving her no time to do more than jot down crucial clues.
Chen Mo entered the code in front of the locker. With a click, locker 08 swung open, revealing some clothes and miscellaneous items inside. He moved them aside and found a transparent plastic file folder underneath. Opening the folder, Chen Mo initially thought it would contain information related to Qi Dongsheng, but he quickly realized he was wrong. These medical records and treatment logs belonged to a woman named Zhou Xue.
According to the diagnostic reports, this woman named Zhou Xue had severe bruising on her arms, legs, and even her back. Chen Mo stared at the photos for a while and suddenly felt that Zhou Xue looked familiar. He had seen this woman somewhere before. As a journalist, Chen Mo had decent memory and observational skills, but despite a vague impression of the woman in the photo, he couldn't recall when he had encountered her.
Wait, a photo? A flash of insight struck his mind, and Chen Mo finally remembered. When he first entered the supernatural story, on Zhao Heping's desk, he had seen a photo frame with an almost identical picture. Chen Mo was certain the two photos showed the same person. What was the relationship between Zhou Xue and Zhao Heping? Why were there these injury treatment records? And why were they in Yang Xiaoyu's possession? Finally, Yang Xiaoyu had been killed right outside her own office.
A strange thought suddenly crossed Chen Mo's mind. "Could it be that Yang Xiaoyu..." Could Yang Xiaoyu, like us, also be a participant in the story? When she asked me when I arrived at the hospital, had she already started doubting my true identity? If Yang Xiaoyu was also a participant, then some things made sense. The note's phrase "Is it him" might not refer to Qi Dongsheng but rather that Yang Xiaoyu was also suspicious of whether I was a participant. She came to find me, likely to confirm my identity before considering exchanging information. This record of Zhou Xue's injuries was the bargaining chip Yang Xiaoyu planned to use to trade intelligence.
Unfortunately, Yang Xiaoyu didn't make it back to her office before being attacked by supernatural forces, leaving clues this way out of desperation. Taking Zhou Xue's treatment records, Chen Mo's mood grew heavy. If Yang Xiaoyu was also a participant, her brutal death meant that the supernatural forces in the story were now targeting them—the participants! In other words, the clues gathered so far were enough to trigger a killing spree!
Just then, Chen Mo suddenly sensed something was off. Although the break room was empty, the surrounding environment was far too quiet! The hospital, which had been noisy moments ago, had fallen completely silent since he entered the break room. Not only that, but the murder had occurred in his office. Logically, the police should have found him for questioning by now. None of these expected events happened, and a foreboding feeling rose in Chen Mo's heart.
A chill crept in from all around. At that moment, Chen Mo heard a faint, indistinct footstep, vaguely approaching from afar. Thump, thump. The sound dragged along the floor, moving slowly forward. Though it seemed to come from a great distance, Chen Mo's face instantly changed color. Supernatural power was closing in on him.
Looking at the locker before him, an idea popped into Chen Mo's mind. Maybe he could hide inside the locker before the sound got closer and, through the gap in the door, catch a glimpse of the ghost's true face. But the risk was too great—who knew if the ghost would discover his hiding spot? Thump, thump. The faint sound grew clearer as it approached. Just then, through the break room's glass window, Chen Mo saw something that made his blood run cold.
At the end of the corridor, a patch of gray mist emerged from nowhere, rolling toward him and gradually filling the space. The thumping sound came from within that gray mist. The hospital, once bustling with people, had become eerily empty at some point. A vague feeling flashed through Chen Mo's mind. He couldn't stay here. He couldn't let that eerie gray mist catch him. Run!
Before the gray mist could engulf the entire corridor, Chen Mo yanked open the door, burst out of the break room, and dashed straight for the stairwell. The gray mist outside, which had been slowly spreading, surged violently the moment he broke through the door, rushing toward him as if to swallow him whole. Chen Mo didn't look back at the terrifying scene behind him but sprinted for the stairs. After a few steps, he realized that the corridor leading to the stairwell was also filled with advancing mist. The swirling fog from both sides trapped him in the middle of the hallway.
Just as Chen Mo felt cornered, a ding sounded from behind him. Turning around, he found he had unknowingly run up to an elevator. By sheer luck, someone had pressed the button for this floor, and the car had just opened behind him. Like a drowning man grasping at a straw, Chen Mo didn't hesitate. He turned, dashed into the elevator, and slammed the close button. Almost as the gray mist surged in, the elevator doors slowly slid shut. Then the lights dimmed, the floor dropped beneath him, and the car plummeted downward at high speed!
Even though Chen Mo usually had decent composure, he was now terrified. Could this elevator also be controlled by supernatural forces, aiming to kill him here? But just as this thought crossed his mind, the car began to decelerate and soon stopped again. In the darkness, a red light indicated the elevator had reached the first basement level. With another ding, the doors slid open, revealing a deep, shadowy corridor.
Chen Mo breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps because it hadn't yet been tainted by supernatural power, the first basement level's corridor showed no sign of the eerie gray mist. But it was freezing. The temperature here was even lower than when Chen Mo had last visited, as if he were walking through an ice cellar. In the silent walk, the dark corridor seemed unusually deep and endless. Before Chen Mo could figure out how to break free from this supernatural attack, a faint sound reached his ears again.
Thump, thump. Like footsteps dragging on the ground, gradually approaching from afar. That terrifying killing intent was chasing him from behind.