If a vengeful spirit had no ability to think and only acted on resentment and instinct, then that missing corpse should have returned to that place... The very operating room where he was framed and killed, brimming with endless fury.
"Go!" Chen Mo shouted, charging ahead into the stairwell. Now that the story had reached its final act, every minute was fraught with infinite danger.
Before them, the crisscrossing stairs coiled like venomous snakes, exuding a sinister and terrifying aura. In the pitch-black darkness, where one could barely see their hand in front of their face, the sound of two people sprinting echoed.
As they ran, both felt the temperature of the surrounding air drop bit by bit, a chilling presence spreading all around.
"It's coming..." Chen Mo muttered to himself. In this supernatural world, an eerie drop in temperature was almost always the prelude to an attack by some paranormal force.
As the air grew colder, faint footsteps suddenly sounded around them. Unlike before, when they had been closely pursued from behind, this time the pattering steps seemed to come from all directions, enveloping the entire hospital.
Faster, just a little faster... Find that operating room before the supernatural force could catch them!
"We're here! This is it!"
After rushing up to a certain floor, at the end of the long corridor ahead, a closed door came into view. In this lightless hallway, the three blood-red characters for "Operating Room" glowed with an eerie light in the darkness.
From the characters, dark red blood began to seep out, trickling down and gradually covering the entire operating room door!
At the same time, the corridor connecting the stairwell to the operating room was lined with stretchers covered in black stains and rusted wheelchairs, all of which began to spin eerily, clattering loudly!
One rusted wheelchair, as if pushed by an invisible hand, sped toward the two of them.
As the story entered its final stage, the supernatural forces in the surrounding world had intensified to an absurd degree.
"Old Zhang, watch out!"
Bang!
Another stretcher flew through the air, but Old Zhang, already on guard, ducked just in time to avoid it. The operating room door before them was now nearly swallowed by the surging blood.
"Old Zhang, quick, it's here!"
Ignoring the blood on the door that seemed almost alive, Chen Mo grabbed the handle and yanked it open.
Bang!
With a loud crash, the operating room door swung open, revealing a deep, dark room that seemed to grin like a monster, waiting for someone to walk into its trap.
Just then, a flash of lightning illuminated the scene, revealing a black figure standing behind the operating table!
In that brief moment of light, both of them saw... A pale, bloodless face, so familiar.
"Found it!"
Old Zhang shouted, finally showing Chen Mo his astonishing speed and reflexes. As he yelled, he lunged toward the shadowy figure...
But in that instant, a flicker of doubt crossed Chen Mo's mind.
Was that ghostly figure really the target of this mission? Wasn't this story progressing a little too smoothly?
If this were his first experience, such a straightforward horror story design might be excusable. But in reality, this wasn't just his second time being dragged into a supernatural world; Old Zhang beside him seemed like a seasoned veteran.
The story had provided the sealing道具, and the vengeful spirit they sought had conveniently appeared before them.
Such a smooth progression only bred an inexplicable unease.
What if it wasn't like this...
In that moment, a chill ran down Chen Mo's spine, and a terrifying thought suddenly struck him.
What if they had been wrong from the start... A mistake that could doom them forever!
"Old Zhang! Wait!!"
Though he hadn't fully figured it out, Chen Mo instinctively shouted and lunged forward, trying to grab Old Zhang, who was about to slap a golden talisman onto the figure.
But... it was too late. Old Zhang had clearly been building up his power, and when facing such an indescribably terrifying entity—or, to put it bluntly, the vengeful spirit itself—any hesitation or error could come at a devastating cost.
So, without a moment's hesitation, Old Zhang slapped the golden talisman onto the ghostly figure with a sharp crack.
Success!
At the same time, Old Zhang's eyes, burning with intensity, locked onto the vengeful spirit now "sealed" by the talisman, waiting for the符咒's power to activate and the mission completion prompt.
But...
One second, two seconds, five seconds, ten seconds passed.
The golden talisman didn't unleash the extraordinary effect he had imagined. Worse still, something that made Old Zhang's hair stand on end and left him utterly incredulous happened before his eyes.
The ghostly figure casually reached out with its right hand and tore off the talisman.
That precious sealing道具 fluttered to the ground, quickly burning to ashes.
"What..."
In an instant, Old Zhang stumbled back several steps, his face a mask of extreme shock. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an old flashlight, muttering to himself in sheer terror.
"This... how could it fail? Impossible, impossible!"
According to the story's rules, any道具 specified by the story should work without fail in this world.
But why had the golden talisman he personally applied failed to seal the vengeful spirit!
Shock and fear made even the usually composed Old Zhang tremble uncontrollably.
Just then, a sigh came from behind him.
"It's not that the道具 failed, but that we were wrong..."
Chen Mo's face twisted into a helpless, bitter smile.
"What do you mean?" Old Zhang froze.
But before Chen Mo could answer, the shadow standing behind the operating table swayed twice, then erupted into a violent fit of coughing.
"What are you talking about? What ghost? What sealing?"
Another flash of lightning illuminated the man's face, casting a long shadow on the white wall behind him.
After speaking, he weakly clutched his chest again.
Ssshh...
A match was struck in the darkness, casting a brief glow. In the flickering light, a familiar, frail face appeared.
In the dancing flame, Qi Dongsheng's face flickered in and out of view, swaying with the candlelight, giving off an incredibly surreal feeling. It was impossible to tell whether his existence was real or fake, human or ghost.
"Heh... you don't really think I'm a ghost, do you?"
He laughed again, a cold laugh that sent chills down one's spine. Chen Mo couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
"You should have figured it out by now."
"That's right, the corpse that went missing from the morgue was me. But I didn't die. Doctor Zhao, surprised?"
Ssshh...
The flickering flame also traced a sinister arc across Chen Mo's face.
"Get it now, Old Zhang? The golden talisman didn't work for only one reason: this Qi Dongsheng... isn't a ghost at all!"