《In an endless cycle of rebirth, all cards are revealed to me"》 1.Dont let them know you can see! "Don''t let them know you can see!" "Don''t ever let them know you can see!!!" In a daze, Fang Xiu opened his bleary eyes, only to be met with a ceiling covered in dense, blood-red writing. The words seared into his vision like a brand. His gaze was unfocused, pupils slightly dilated, his face still slack with sleep. But the next second, his pupils constricted violently, and his entire body jerked upright like a startled bird. He sat up in bed, heart pounding. "What... what is this...?" Fang Xiu stared in shock at the crimson scrawl covering the ceiling. The twisted, squirming characters looked as though they had been painstakingly written in fresh blood, each stroke grotesquely alive, writhing like tadpoles. His mind was blank, unable to process why¡ªafter falling asleep in his own home¡ªhe¡¯d woken up to find his bedroom ceiling defaced with these nightmarish words. As if someone had bitten their own finger and scrawled them, stroke by stroke. "What¡¯s going on? Who wrote this on my ceiling?" "Never... let them... know you can see...?" Fang Xiu unconsciously read the words aloud. And then¡ª The blood-red writing vanished. Just like that. As if it had never existed. Fang Xiu rubbed his eyes in disbelief, then looked again. No matter how hard he stared, the ceiling was now pristine white. No trace of the words remained. "How is this possible? Was I hallucinating? Did I... overdo it last night? Or was it just a dream?" He clutched his head, heart hammering. "But it felt so real. Too real." The sheer strangeness of it sent a chill down his spine. Whether hallucination or reality, Fang Xiu just wanted to get out of this room, to breathe fresh air. But the moment he moved to leave the bed, his eyes swept across the room¡ªand his body locked up in shock. "This... isn¡¯t my bedroom." The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "What the hell is happening? Am I still dreaming?" He stared at the unfamiliar surroundings¡ªthe desk, the computer, the wardrobe, the bed¡ªeverything was wrong. This wasn¡¯t his room. "Where am I?!" He hadn¡¯t been drinking. He hadn¡¯t stumbled into the wrong apartment. He remembered clearly: after working overtime yesterday, he¡¯d gone home, eaten instant noodles, watched some... private entertainment, then fallen asleep exhausted. But now¡ª The noodle cup on the nightstand was gone. The crumpled tissues he¡¯d tossed on the floor were gone. Everything was unnervingly clean. And unnervingly foreign. "What the hell is going on?" Fang Xiu muttered, but before he could process further, a flood of fragmented, unfamiliar memories surged into his mind. He froze. Then slowly looked down at his hands. "Did I... just transmigrate?" "Into a parallel world similar to my old one?" His thoughts raced. The unfamiliar memories belonged to this body¡¯s original owner¡ªalso named Fang Xiu, also an orphan, with the same face, the same unremarkable features (think Louis Koo levels of plainness). The only differences were their life paths... and the world itself. The original Fang Xiu hadn¡¯t been as lucky¡ªno scholarships, no university. He¡¯d dropped out of high school, worked odd jobs, and was now a real estate agent. The world¡¯s history was similar, yet different in key ways. "But even if I transmigrated... what were those blood-red words?" A bad feeling settled in his gut. He combed through the original memories, but found nothing about any supernatural occurrences. Then¡ª A soft, feminine voice called from outside the bedroom. "Honey, breakfast is ready." Fang Xiu¡¯s heart lurched. "Honey?!" Did the original me get married this young? Or was this a girlfriend? Plenty of couples used pet names. He scrambled to recall memories of a wife¡ª But his thoughts were cut short as a figure in a white silk nightgown stepped into view. At the first glimpse of his "wife," Fang Xiu¡¯s breath caught. He¡¯d seen enough filtered beauties online to think himself immune, but this woman was... stunning. The kind of beauty that made his brain short-circuit. Her white silk nightgown clung to her curves, the fabric so thin it left little to the imagination. The hem barely covered her thighs, exposing legs so pale they seemed to glow¡ªsmooth as polished jade, with a faint pink undertone. Cold-white skin. The kind that looked almost porcelain. Her shoulders were bare save for two delicate straps, her collarbones sharp and elegant. Even with a mediocre face, that body alone would¡¯ve been enough. But her face wasn¡¯t mediocre. If Fang Xiu had to score her, she was a 99¡ªwith the missing point only to keep her from getting too proud. Her features were the epitome of soft, feminine allure. Eyes like tranquil pools, a smile so tender it could heal wounds. For a second, Fang Xiu thought, Maybe transmigrating isn¡¯t so bad. I¡¯d never land a wife like this in my old life. "Honey, you¡¯re awake. Breakfast is ready," she repeated, voice like honey. Fang Xiu opened his mouth to respond¡ª But froze. He didn¡¯t know what to call her. Name? Nickname? *Baby? Sweetheart? He frantically searched the original memories for any trace of her. But the more he dug, the colder his blood ran. **No name. No memories of dating. No shared history. No... nothing. In fact¡ª The original Fang Xiu had never even had a girlfriend. So... Who the hell was this woman?! His throat tightened. Two seconds had passed. His "wife" was still smiling, patient as ever. But something was off. Her smile hadn¡¯t changed. Not a millimeter. Like a doll¡¯s face, frozen in perfect, unchanging serenity. Her skin, so pale it looked almost... lifeless. No breathing. No blinking. No micro-expressions. Just that same, eerie smile. The warmth he¡¯d felt earlier curdled into dread. "You... who are you?" Fang Xiu forced out. The moment the words left his mouth¡ª His "wife¡¯s" smile twisted. Her eyes lit up with manic glee, her lips stretching into an impossibly wide grin. "You can see me!" she gasped, voice trembling with barely contained excitement. 2.Death Loop In an instant¡ª Fang Xiu felt like he¡¯d been plunged into an icy abyss. "You can see me!?" What happens if I can see her?! His mind was a chaotic storm, desperately trying to piece together logic¡ªbut his "wife" gave him no time. Crack. The sound of shattering porcelain filled the air. Her flawless, cold-white skin split apart, fissures spreading like a broken vase. Black cracks spiderwebbed across her body, and from within them came the wet, squelching sound of flowing blood¡ªthick, crimson liquid oozing out like writhing worms. Her silky hair writhed, transforming into a nest of twisting black serpents, thrashing wildly in the air. "YOU CAN SEE ME!!!" Her voice was no longer human¡ªa guttural, distorted shriek. Her delicate lips stretched impossibly wide, splitting to her ears, revealing jagged teeth. And inside her gaping maw¡ªanother mouth, nested in her throat like a second set of jaws. Fear drowned him. His body locked up, his mind blanking in primal terror. Then¡ªdeath arrived. Her jaws unhinged, engulfing his entire head in a single bite. Darkness. Cold, slimy wetness. Suffocation. His skull was crushed between her teeth. Then¡ªagony. Fang Xiu¡ªDEAD. The scene was grotesque. A creature that was no longer human had just bitten off his head. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. His headless corpse remained upright for a split second before arterial blood fountained from his neck, soaking the sheets. Then¡ªtime shattered. Like broken glass, reality splintered apart, dissolving into nothingness. --- Don¡¯t Let Them Know You Can See! The words, scrawled in blood, covered the ceiling once more. Fang Xiu jolted awake, gasping, drenched in cold sweat. "What the hell?! Was that a dream?! I died¡ªhow am I alive?!" But the moment he saw the blood-red text, his blood ran cold. "Don¡¯t let them know you can see..." This wasn¡¯t a dream. He stared at the words¡ªonly for them to vanish again, wiped away like invisible fingers had erased them. "A warning? Pretend I¡¯m blind?" No. The original Fang Xiu wasn¡¯t blind. He was just¡­ normal. In his memories, he had never seen a wife. He had lived alone. Never heard her. Never acknowledged her. Because to him, she didn¡¯t exist. That was the key. "Don¡¯t let them know you can see" meant¡ª**act like she isn¡¯t there. Live as if the house is empty. Ignore her completely. Then¡ª "Honey, breakfast is ready." The same sweet, tender voice drifted in from outside the bedroom. But to Fang Xiu, it was pure horror. The memory of his skull being crushed between her teeth flashed in his mind. His instincts screamed at him to run¡ªbut there was nowhere to go. She was already stepping into the room. White silk nightgown. Cold, flawless skin. That same gentle smile. "Honey, you¡¯re awake. Breakfast is ready." Death loomed over him. He was just an ordinary man. He¡¯d never faced something like this¡ªnever been eaten alive by a monster. But this time, he forced himself to look away, staring at his blanket, pretending he couldn¡¯t see her. Yet¡ª She didn¡¯t play fair. She bent at the waist, her face hovering just inches from his lap, then tilted her head up¡ªforcing eye contact. Their gazes locked. The air froze. Then¡ª Her eyes lit up with manic glee. Her sweet smile twisted into something monstrous. "YOU CAN SEE ME!" And once again¡ª Fang Xiu became a headless corpse. --- Don¡¯t Let Them Know You Can See! The bloody words glared down at him. Fang Xiu shot up from the bed, panting, his entire body trembling. "Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!" This time, rage burned alongside his fear. "I died¡­ and came back. A death loop? Like a game save point?" She had forced him to look at her. That confirmed it¡ªshe had to be sure he could see her before attacking. His mind raced. Then¡ª "Honey, breakfast is ready." She stepped into the room again, smiling. This time, Fang Xiu grabbed his phone, pretending to scroll through videos¡ªblack-stockinged dancers gyrating on screen. Normally, this would¡¯ve held his attention. Now? He barely registered it. His back was drenched in sweat. "Honey, why are you looking at other women in front of me? Don¡¯t you love me anymore?" "I love you? I¡¯d love to strangle you," he thought viciously. He kept scrolling, keeping the phone close to his face, blocking his vision. "Honey, you¡¯re not nearsighted. Why hold it so close? Can you¡­ see me?" His heart stopped. "Does acting abnormal trigger her too?" But she didn¡¯t attack yet. He exhaled shakily¡ª Then froze. The next video was her. His "wife," smiling sweetly at the camera. "Honey, do I look pretty?" His pupils dilated. His gaze locked onto her face¡ª "YOU CAN SEE ME!!" "FUCK YOU!" He hurled the phone against the wall, smashing it to pieces. But she was already leaning in, her skin cracking, her voice a guttural chant: "You can see me¡­ You can see me¡­" "I SEE YOUR FUCKING FACE!" He punched her. He never thought he¡¯d be the kind of man to hit a woman. He despised that kind of behavior. But life had a way of making you into what you hated. His fist connected¡ª CRACK. His hand broke, as if he¡¯d punched concrete. She didn¡¯t even flinch. Her eyes burned with hunger. Before he could react¡ª Her jaws snapped shut around his arm. "AGHHH!!" This time, Fang Xiu died slowly. Piece by piece. Bite by bite. Few people ever experienced what it was like to be eaten alive. But Fang Xiu? He was getting used to it. 3.You can see me!? This time, Fang Xiu woke up furious. The pain from his last death had been unbearable. The agony of being eaten alive had shattered his nerves. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" He roared like a madman, his voice raw with rage. "Honey, breakfast is ready." His "wife" stepped into the room, smiling sweetly. "EAT SHIT!" "I¡¯LL KILL YOU!" "You can see me!" "I SEE YOUR FUCKING FACE!" Like a lamb charging at a tiger, Fang Xiu lunged at her. The outcome? Predictable. He died. Horribly. --- Fourth Attempt. After his outburst, Fang Xiu finally calmed down. This time, he kept his eyes shut. If ignoring her was too hard, then he just wouldn¡¯t look at all. Maybe dying so many times had numbed his fear. He felt almost reckless now¡ªlike death was just a temporary setback. "Honey, breakfast is ready." He stayed still, eyes closed, pretending to sleep. "Honey, still not awake? The sun¡¯s up, lazybones~" Her voice was right beside his ear. He could practically picture her¡ªkneeling by the bed, chin resting on her palm, head tilted in mock exasperation. That beautiful, porcelain face watching him with fake concern. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Honey~ Aren¡¯t you hungry?" Fang Xiu didn¡¯t move. Because he knew the truth¡ª "Breakfast" wasn¡¯t for him to eat. He was the breakfast. No way in hell was he getting up. Every time he did, she bit his head off. Not exactly the "good morning" he wanted. She tried a few more times, but when he didn¡¯t respond, she fell silent. "Did she leave?" "Damn bitch walks like a ghost." He didn¡¯t dare open his eyes. He¡¯d wait. The room was dead silent. Only his own breathing and heartbeat filled the void. Then he realized something¡ª If she really wanted to wake him, why didn¡¯t she shake him? Why just talk? Could she not touch him unless he acknowledged her? "Don¡¯t let them know you can see." The warning made more sense now. He used the quiet to think. What were they? Who wrote the bloody words on the ceiling? Why did they disappear when he saw them? Why could he loop back after death? Too little information. He dug through the original Fang Xiu¡¯s memories, searching for clues. --- One Hour Later. This was the longest he¡¯d survived so far. From the memories, this world was mostly the same as his old one¡ªmodern, urban. Except for one thing: Urban legends. Ghost stories. Supernatural rumors. Way too many of them. "Is my wife¡­ one of them?" His bladder ached. He had to pee. But opening his eyes was risky. He¡¯d seen enough horror movies to know¡ª The moment you open your eyes, there¡¯s a face staring back. But holding it in wasn¡¯t an option. "Better piss in the trash can than wet the bed." Slowly, agonizingly, he cracked one eye open¡ªjust a slit, peering through his lashes. Nothing. No face. No monster. Just the ceiling. He exhaled in relief. Step one: clear. Now, turning his head¡ª The bedside was empty. No wife. Encouraged, he sat up, stretching like he¡¯d just woken up naturally. He scanned the room through half-lidded eyes. No one. "She¡¯s gone!" But he couldn¡¯t let his guard down. She might be outside. Going to the bathroom was a death sentence. Every horror movie victim dies on the toilet. So he¡¯d improvise. The trash can would do. Just as he shifted to stand¡ª "Honey, you¡¯re awake~" The voice came from **behind him. His scalp prickled. His blood froze. He whirled around¡ª And his heart stopped. Embedded in the pillow¡ªright where his head had been¡ªwas his wife¡¯s face. She smiled up at him, her expression tender, loving. The rest of her body was submerged in the bed, as if the mattress were water. She had been beneath him the whole time. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" Fang Xiu jumped, his scream tearing from his throat. He¡¯d been so careful¡ªbut he never expected this. Had he been lying on top of her for two hours?! The thought sent pure terror clawing up his spine. Her lips curled wider. "You can see me." 4.Hehe, wifeys the best! Fifth Attempt. Fang Xiu finally understood¡ªhiding was useless. Fear was useless. He couldn¡¯t lie in bed forever with his eyes shut. To survive, he had to face her. To truly pretend she didn¡¯t exist. Otherwise, he¡¯d never leave this house. "Honey, breakfast is ready." Fang Xiu ignored her. His eyes blank, he got up, stepped off the bed, and walked straight toward the bedroom door. His wife stood blocking the exit. He didn¡¯t hesitate. Didn¡¯t flinch. He walked right through her. No collision. No resistance. Just empty air. He¡¯d guessed right¡ªuntil she confirmed he could see her, they couldn¡¯t physically interact. Her ability to merge with the bed had proved that. He made it out of the bedroom. But his wife wasn¡¯t giving up. Like a teasing butterfly, she flitted in front of him, appearing and disappearing in flashes. And then¡ª Fang Xiu died. His acting wasn¡¯t perfect. You can¡¯t stop yourself from blinking when a fist flies at your face¡ªeven if it stops an inch away. His wife was like that. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The more he ignored her, the more she invaded his space. She¡¯d float right in front of his eyes**, nose-to-nose, close enough to kiss. Even a professional actor would flinch. --- Sixth Attempt. Fang Xiu walked out of the bedroom, face blank. He didn¡¯t bolt for the door¡ª**too suspicious. Instead, he headed for the bathroom. His wife, ever the "shy" one, didn¡¯t follow. Just as he relaxed and started relieving himself¡ª A beautiful face rose from the toilet bowl. Fang Xiu died again. --- Seventh. Eighth. Ninth. Tenth. Fang Xiu was beyond despair. He was numb. He was broken. He couldn¡¯t do it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t override his instincts. His wife would appear in new, horrifying ways¡ªpopping out of walls, crawling from under furniture, even emerging from his own chest. Every time, his eyes betrayed him. Running didn¡¯t work. Abnormal behavior triggered her immediately. The endless deaths shattered his nerves. He fought. He fled. He gave up. Nothing worked. It was like fate itself had decided¡ªhe would die by her hands. --- Eleventh. Twelfth. Thirteenth... "Honey, breakfast is ready." "Hehe¡­ thanks, wifey~" Fang Xiu had lost his mind. His sanity had crumbled into madness. But his wife wasn¡¯t a judge. Insanity wasn¡¯t a defense. The deaths kept coming. What happens when you drive a man insane¡ªand then keep pushing? No one knows. --- Eighteenth Attempt. Fang Xiu lay on the bed, motionless. If not for his faint breathing, his barely-there pulse¡ªhe could¡¯ve been a corpse. If anyone had looked into his eyes, they¡¯d have frozen in terror. Those weren¡¯t the eyes of a living man. They were dead. Empty. No fear. No anger. No humanity. They say eyes are the windows to the soul. Fang Xiu¡¯s windows had been bricked over. But if someone could peel back those layers, past the hollow gaze¡ª They¡¯d find a storm of madness. And hatred. White-hot, all-consuming hatred. The kind that burns through sanity and reforges it anew. Some men are alive, but already dead. Some men are insane, but clearer than ever. That was Fang Xiu now. His mind had shattered¡ªbut his hatred had pieced it back together. Slowly, mechanically, he sat up. His voice was flat. Lifeless. "Die. Die. Die. You have to die. If I live¡­ you die." No rage. No tremble. Just a promise. "Honey, breakfast is ready." His wife¡¯s voice was sweet as ever. Fang Xiu didn¡¯t react. He stood. Put on his shoes. Walked through her. He used the bathroom. Washed his face. Changed clothes. The whole time, his wife tried everything¡ªfloating in front of him, whispering in his ear, even **licking his cheek. But Fang Xiu¡¯s eyes never flickered. As if she wasn¡¯t there. Dressed, he sat at the table and ate breakfast. (He made it himself¡ªscrambled eggs, a sausage, whole wheat toast, and milk. Healthy.) Turns out, the prettier the woman, the bigger the liar. His wife had promised breakfast¡ªbut never cooked a thing. After eating, he walked to the front door. He was leaving. To find answers. To learn what she was. Only then could he kill her. Just as his hand touched the doorknob¡ª His wife¡¯s face melted out of the wood, smiling softly. "Honey, don¡¯t go out. Stay home with me, okay?" CRACK. The doorknob twisted off in his grip. Fang Xiu stepped outside. SLAM. The door shut behind him. His wife didn¡¯t follow. After eighteen deaths, Fang Xiu had finally escaped. But he felt no relief. Only one thought burned in his mind: Revenge. "No one kills me eighteen times and gets away with it. No one." Tap. Tap. Tap. His footsteps echoed in the dim stairwell. He lived on the fifth floor of an old apartment complex¡ªno elevator. The exit door loomed ahead. He pushed it open. Sunlight spilled in, warm and golden, filling the dark hallway. Like stepping into another world. Fang Xiu took his first free breath¡ª And froze. The sunlight bathed him, but he felt no warmth. His eyes locked onto the world outside. His voice was a whisper. "Is this¡­ hell?" 5.Hell lies barren, horrors walk the earth. The streets¡ªno, the entire world¡ªwas infested with them. Nightmarish, grotesque creatures covered every inch of space, so densely packed they blotted out the horizon. This wasn¡¯t a human world. This was theirs. And humans? We were the intruders. Shadow-wrapped figures with no faces shuffled down the sidewalk. Headless giants, taller than skyscrapers, lumbered between buildings. Flayed, bleeding men. Gigantic floating heads with no eyes, their necks dangling forests of crimson tentacles. Monstrosities twisted into shapes no sane mind could comprehend¡ªdrifting like dandelion seeds in the wind. But these were nothing compared to what loomed above. The sky itself was occupied. A pair of enormous white wings stretched across the heavens¡ªso pure they looked divine. But they were attached to a single, bloodshot eye, swollen with pulsing tumors. An eye larger than the sun, radiating a sickly red glow. Oppressive. Blasphemous. Further away, a bridal figure stood in the air. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Dressed in traditional red wedding robes, embroidered with a golden "‡Ö" (double happiness) character. Her posture was elegant, hands folded demurely. But her head¡ª Was a rabbit¡¯s. Snow-white fur. Glowing red eyes. A smile too human for an animal¡¯s face. The contrast was unsettling. A refined noblewoman¡¯s grace¡­ on a beast. And these weren¡¯t the only ones. A slimy, gray-white mass covered in bursting eyeballs¡ªpopping like bubbles, only to regrow instantly. A blackened Buddha¡¯s head, serene yet crowned with pulsating tumors. A shapeless fog filled with screaming human faces. A colossal, mud-carved deity, its expression frozen in malice. Each one radiated indescribable corruption, their very presence flooding Fang Xiu¡¯s mind with maddening whispers. Words no human throat could shape. Knowledge that could break a soul. The old Fang Xiu would¡¯ve shattered at a glance. But this Fang Xiu? He¡¯d died eighteen times. Been eaten alive eighteen times. If souls were real, his was beyond broken. It was forged in hatred. So instead of crumbling¡ª He laughed. A harsh, guttural laugh, like something clawing its way out of his throat. He couldn¡¯t stop. Seeing this world of monsters was just¡­ Too funny. He clamped a hand over his mouth, but the laughter leaked through his fingers. His head bowed, shadows hiding his face¡ª But not the mad gleam in his eyes. "Hah¡­ hahaha¡­" "This world¡­ is hilarious!" He coughed, his laughter turning wheezing, choking. Then vomiting. But he kept laughing. "Uncle, are you okay? Are you sick?" A child¡¯s voice. Fang Xiu looked down. A little girl, no older than five. Pigtails. A lollipop in her hand. According to his memories, this world pretended to be normal. People lived. Worked. Had kids. None of them saw the truth. So a little girl in the courtyard? Normal. Fang Xiu forced his laughter down, smiling gently. "I¡¯m fine, little one. And it¡¯s ¡®big brother,¡¯ not ¡®uncle.¡¯" He reached out to pat her head. Once, he¡¯d dreamed of having a daughter. But then¡ª The girl¡¯s smile vanished. Her voice turned guttural. "You can see me." Fang Xiu¡¯s hand froze mid-air. Then¡ª He lost it. "HAHAHAHA¡ª!" Tears streamed down his face. "Perfect! Just PERFECT!" He slammed his palm onto her head, ruffling her hair hard. But his hand bounced off. Because the girl was changing. Her body swelled, flesh bursting outward like overripe fruit. In seconds, the sweet child was gone. In her place¡ª A two-meter-tall monstrosity. A mountain of exposed muscle, veins squirming like worms. Her pigtails? Now twisted black horns. Her lollipop? A femur, thick as a tree branch. "YOU CAN SEE ME!!" The thing screeched, raising its bone club high. Fang Xiu kept laughing, his eyes brighter than madness. "I like this version better." "Easier to kill without guilt." The club slammed down, casting a death-shadow over him. But Fang Xiu grinned wider. "Now I get it." "Why I¡¯m laughing." "There are so many of you." "So many to slaughter." "So many¡ª" "TO KILL!!" CRUNCH. The club pulverized him. But in that last second¡ª His laughter never stopped. 6.Never respond Fang Xiu woke up once again, his face now devoid of the previous madness, replaced instead by a deathly calm. He repeated his usual routine: dressing, washing up, using the bathroom, eating, and then leaving home. Once more, he saw the sky filled with eerie creatures, including that adorable little girl licking a lollipop. Ignoring everything, he walked out of the neighborhood and onto the bustling streets. The sidewalks were crowded with people rushing to work or school, completely oblivious to the horrors around them. Some even had snake-headed monsters perched on their shoulders, chatting and laughing as if nothing were amiss. Sometimes, ignorance truly was bliss. Fang Xiu scanned a shared bike on the roadside, planning to ride around and observe these creatures. To kill them, he first had to understand them. Of course, "observing" didn¡¯t mean staring directly¡ªif detected, death would be the only outcome. He pretended to wander aimlessly, keeping his eyes open. He wanted to see if these creatures were everywhere and whether they had a source. Ding! A crisp notification sounded. Fang Xiu stopped the bike and pulled out his phone. It was a message in the work group chat. Manager Wu Dahai was @-ing him. "Fang Xiu, what time is it? Still not at work? How many times have you been late this month? Do you even want your bonus?" Three aggressive questions in a row, dripping with the condescending tone of a boss scolding an employee. The old Fang Xiu would have groveled in apology by now. But the current Fang Xiu couldn¡¯t be bothered with such trivial matters. In this hellish world, his only goals were uncovering the truth and seeking revenge. A stable job was a luxury he couldn¡¯t afford. Imagine having to pretend not to see the monsters around you, constantly on edge, knowing that a single slip-up could mean death. Surviving alone was hard enough¡ªholding down a job was nearly impossible. Just as he was about to close the chat and ignore the mundane concerns, he suddenly remembered the pitiful three-digit balance in his bank account. If I want to uncover the truth of this world, a few hundred won¡¯t be enough. I can¡¯t just ride shared bikes everywhere. This city might be crawling with monsters, but others might not be. I¡¯ll need trains, maybe even planes¡ªall of which cost money. My past self apparently had an unpaid commission. If I can get that, it should buy me some time. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. With that in mind, Fang Xiu decided to go to the company one last time¡ªto quit and demand his commission. He had considered using his death-looping ability to win the lottery but quickly dismissed the idea. He wasn¡¯t that lucky. Besides, barring emergencies, he had no desire to die again. The sensation of death was unbearable, no matter how many times he¡¯d experienced it. Fang Xiu lived in Greentree City, and his company was in the development zone, near an upscale villa district called Hundred Willows Manor. He worked as a sales agent in its real estate office. Half a year ago, he had sold a villa, but the commission had never been paid. So, he began typing in the work group chat: "I quit. I¡¯ll come to the office this afternoon to collect my commission from the last sale." His message was blunt, devoid of the usual niceties¡ªlike a clueless newbie who hadn¡¯t yet learned workplace politics. But he didn¡¯t care. He had no patience for social games. Efficiency was all that mattered. He just wanted to settle this quickly and move on. The moment he sent the message, the group chat exploded. Manager Wu frantically @-ed him again. "Fang Xiu, what the hell is this?? Didn¡¯t I say the commission would be paid at year-end? If you quit now, you won¡¯t get a single cent!" Fang Xiu skimmed the message, didn¡¯t bother replying, and closed the chat. Then, he pedaled the shared bike toward Hundred Willows Manor. His home was far from the office¡ªa two-hour bus ride. But he wasn¡¯t in a hurry. He wanted to observe the city carefully. He rode slowly, as if casually sightseeing, but his full attention was on the creatures around him. The farther he went, the more types of monsters he encountered¡ªeach stranger and more grotesque than the last. Gradually, he began noticing patterns. These creatures could see humans, but humans couldn¡¯t see them. They fell into two broad categories. The first type lacked rationality¡ªtwisted, snarling abominations that mindlessly attacked the people around them. Yet, like ghosts, their strikes passed harmlessly through the living. The second type was humanoid, mimicking colleagues, classmates, or even family members¡ªchatting and interacting as if they belonged. Of course, humans couldn¡¯t see or hear them. Clearly, his "wife" belonged to this second category. These humanoid monsters had a peculiar trait: they closely resembled humans, some even indistinguishable in appearance. They seemed desperate to integrate into human lives, persisting even when ignored¡ªlike invisible outsiders stubbornly playing their roles. This puzzled Fang Xiu. Why do they insist on this charade? If they can¡¯t affect reality, why keep pretending? Recalling his "wife¡¯s" behavior, a theory formed in his mind. These creatures are testing whether humans can perceive them. Once confirmed, they can attack. No¡ª He immediately dismissed the idea. Testing was only part of it. Logically, if a monster confirmed a human couldn¡¯t see them, they should move on to another target for efficiency. But his "wife" hadn¡¯t left after failing. Neither had the other humanoid creatures he¡¯d seen. They clung to their chosen humans, babbling endlessly despite being unheard. Why? Suddenly, a chilling realization struck him. They¡¯re trying to assimilate into human life. That had to be it. Otherwise, why would his "wife" play her role so meticulously? If their goal was merely to test human perception, they could just startle their targets¡ªappearing suddenly rather than acting out elaborate roles. The only explanation was that they were attempting to blend in. But why? Working backward from the outcome: The creatures¡¯ ultimate goal was clearly to devour humans, so everything they did must serve that purpose. Does assimilation help them make contact? Currently, the monsters seemed intangible¡ªexisting in a state where humans couldn¡¯t perceive them. Only when mutual awareness was confirmed did they solidify. Does it have to be sight? No¡ªmaybe hearing works too. He could see and hear them, while others couldn¡¯t. Sight and hearing were both forms of perception. Once a monster confirmed a human could perceive them, interaction became possible. Thus, their integration into human lives must be a way to accelerate perception. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t bother. At that moment, Fang Xiu realized something terrifying: Some cases of "auditory hallucinations" or "seeing things" might not be delusions at all. When people heard their names called or voices whispering from nowhere, it might actually be these creatures, gradually seeping into their lives. The deeper the assimilation, the more frequent these "glitches" would become¡ªuntil the monsters finally manifested. So whatever you do¡ªnever respond. 7."A Suddenly Appearing Psychiatric Hospital" Fang Xiu pondered for a moment, and before he knew it, it was already noon. He casually found a ramen shop, ate a bowl of ramen, and then continued on his way. He needed to observe more anomalies and uncover more truths. Soon, the afternoon passed, and dusk arrived. The dim sunlight cast over Green Vine City, as if the entire city were shrouded in gloom, while the anomalies within the city grew increasingly blurred and twisted. Finally, Fang Xiu arrived near Willow Grove Manor. Willow Grove Manor was a luxurious villa district. Though the location was relatively remote, with empty streets and few pedestrians around, it couldn¡¯t mask the exorbitant price of the land. The villas were marketed as opulent and secluded, perfect for hiding mistresses or hosting underground clubs. Most of the people who could afford homes here were chauffeured in luxury cars¡ªthe distance meant little to them, and they valued the tranquility instead. Fang Xiu rode a shared bike along the quiet, tree-lined road. The landscaping on either side was well-maintained, with lush trees and flower beds trimmed into intricate designs¡ªthis was the result of the developer¡¯s hefty investment, as this road was the main thoroughfare leading to Willow Grove Manor. Perhaps due to the remote location and sparse population, even the anomalies nearby were few and scattered, appearing only sporadically. As Fang Xiu passed through this main road, he suddenly stopped and scrutinized the building before him. A dark undercurrent surged in the depths of his calm eyes. Willow Grove Manor¡­ was gone. The once picturesque, neatly arranged expanse of luxurious villas had vanished. In its place stood a mental hospital. The mental hospital covered a vast area, with several interconnected buildings linked by sky bridges. The walls were worn and peeling in many places, as if abandoned for years, exuding an eerie and sinister atmosphere. The sign at the entrance was tilted and covered in dust, but the name was still legible: Green Mountain Mental Hospital. Fang Xiu stared expressionlessly at the mental hospital before him. He was certain he hadn¡¯t taken a wrong turn. This had originally been Willow Grove Manor, not some Green Mountain Mental Hospital. Another anomaly? Unlike the living anomalies before, this time it¡¯s an entire mental hospital? Or is this mental hospital itself a creation of the anomalies? Fang Xiu felt a stirring of curiosity. This was the first time he had encountered such a phenomenon on his journey, and his instincts told him that this place likely held secrets about the anomalies. Without hesitation, he parked the bike and took out his phone. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He had turned it off earlier because his manager, Wu Dahai, had been harassing him with calls. Finding it annoying, he had simply shut it down. When he turned it back on, he saw 13 missed calls from Wu Dahai and three from Zhao Hao. Zhao Hao was Fang Xiu¡¯s colleague and closest friend at work. After a moment¡¯s thought, Fang Xiu dialed Zhao Hao¡¯s number. Beep¡­ beep¡­ beep¡­ After about thirty seconds, Zhao Hao¡¯s voice came through¡ªbreathless and deliberately hushed. ¡°Xiu, why¡¯d you take so long to call back? What¡¯s going on over there? Wu Dahai¡¯s throwing a fit. He says he¡¯s gonna fire you and make sure you don¡¯t get a single cent.¡± The words tumbled out in a rush, laced with urgency and concern. Fang Xiu fell silent. They¡¯re unharmed? Even though Willow Grove Manor had turned into a mental hospital, it sounded like his colleagues inside were unaffected. An illusion? Or is this mental hospital like those anomalies¡ªsomething only I can see? ¡°Xiu, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Did something happen over there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Fang Xiu replied calmly. ¡°You¡¯re all still at the office right now?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re all here. Since you didn¡¯t show up today, damn Wu Dahai took it out on the rest of us. More overtime, ugh. Hey, Xiu, you¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk later.¡± Fang Xiu cut him off, hung up, and turned off his phone again. He planned to investigate Green Mountain Mental Hospital, and during that time, he couldn¡¯t afford to have his phone ring at a critical moment like in the movies, causing unnecessary trouble. Fang Xiu strode straight toward the main entrance of Green Mountain Mental Hospital. The entrance was bleak and dilapidated, and under the dimming sky, it looked like the gaping maw of a monster, terrifying in its emptiness. But this hardly stirred fear in Fang Xiu¡ªor perhaps he simply no longer felt fear. Every time he encountered an anomaly, the first emotions that arose in him were always anger, hatred, and even excitement. Fear never made the list. Tap¡­ tap¡­ tap¡­ The only sound in the silence was Fang Xiu¡¯s footsteps. But the next second¡ª*thud!* He slammed face-first into an invisible barrier, pain flaring across his face. ¡°An invisible wall?¡± He was standing right at the entrance, yet it was as if an unseen barrier blocked his path. He reached out to touch it¡ªcold, rough. ¡°This isn¡¯t just an invisible wall. It¡¯s a real wall¡ªjust one I can¡¯t see. Does that mean this mental hospital can¡¯t be entered?¡± Unwilling to give up, Fang Xiu began feeling along the invisible wall like a blind man, searching for an opening. ¡°Hey, Fang, what are you doing over there? Some new performance art?¡± A teasing voice came from nearby. Fang Xiu¡¯s mind sharpened, but his expression didn¡¯t flicker. After being killed by his wife so many times, he had mastered the art of remaining unfazed. In such an eerie place, if someone suddenly called out to him, reacting carelessly could mean death in the next second. But he wasn¡¯t completely still¡ªhe kept searching, moving toward the source of the voice. When he was close enough, he glanced sideways and saw a person standing there. A young man in a security guard¡¯s uniform, a cigarette dangling from his lips, watching him with amusement. Fang Xiu recognized him¡ªhe was one of the security guards at Willow Grove Manor. Unlike the elderly guards in most residential areas, the security here was young, fitting the upscale vibe. (As for when they¡¯d replace them with old-timers? That would come after most of the properties were sold.) An illusion? Or an anomaly in disguise? As Fang Xiu considered this, the guard walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Fang, why aren¡¯t you answering me? I saw you from a distance, running into the wall and then feeling it up. What, is the wall that sexy?¡± Fang Xiu felt the warmth of the hand on his shoulder and pondered. *Physical contact?* *He¡¯s not an anomaly?* He turned to face the guard. ¡°Brother Zhao, you¡¯ve been here the whole time?¡± The guard¡ªBrother Zhao¡ªlooked surprised and even waved a hand in front of Fang Xiu¡¯s eyes. ¡°Fang, do you need glasses or something? I¡¯ve been standing straight in the guard booth this whole time¡ªhow could you miss that?¡± Guard booth? There had been no guard booth in Green Mountain Mental Hospital. Fang Xiu was certain of that. He turned to look in the direction Brother Zhao had come from¡ªand froze. A small guard booth now stood where there had been nothing before. He had seen this booth every day on his way to work, even stepped inside before. It had a small air conditioner, making it pleasantly cool in the summer. How is this possible?! 8."Temporal-Spatial Chaos"？"Spatial Overlap"？ Fang Xiu instinctively turned to look back at the mental hospital¡¯s entrance¡ªonly to find it had vanished. In its place stood a solid wall. He took two steps back and surveyed the scene. There was no trace of the mental hospital anymore¡ªonly the opulent, sprawling Willow Grove Manor. He blinked reflexively. When he opened his eyes again, the mental hospital had reappeared¡ªbut the security guard, Brother Zhao, was gone. What the hell is going on? He focused his gaze, staring intently at Green Mountain Mental Hospital. The next moment, something bizarre happened. Willow Grove Manor began to slowly materialize, like a cinematic fade-in¡ªfirst as a faint shadow, then solidifying, its colors deepening. But the eerie part was that Green Mountain Mental Hospital was still there. The two buildings seemed to overlap, as if occupying the same space. A spatial anomaly? A dimensional overlap? To Fang Xiu, it looked like his vision was doubling¡ªeverywhere he looked, the mental hospital and Willow Grove Manor were superimposed. He shifted his position and reached out to touch the wall. His hand passed straight through the mental hospital¡¯s structure, stopping only when it met the solid surface of Willow Grove Manor¡¯s wall. So the mental hospital is like the other anomalies¡ªillusory, visible but intangible unless certain conditions are met. This was still Willow Grove Manor. The mental hospital was like a holographic projection layered over it. Now, Fang Xiu lost all interest in confronting Wu Dahai. His mind was fixated on uncovering the secrets of the mental hospital. Why are the other anomalies living creatures, while this one is a structure? ¡°Hey¡ªFang! Where are you going? Why aren¡¯t you answering me?¡± Brother Zhao¡¯s voice called from behind, but Fang Xiu ignored him, his attention wholly consumed by the mental hospital. He moved slowly, carefully¡ªthe two buildings overlapped so much that it was hard to distinguish illusion from reality. One wrong step, and he might walk straight into a wall. Like now. He was standing near Willow Grove Manor¡¯s landscaped garden, but before him loomed a crumbling, decrepit hospital ward. Without hesitation, Fang Xiu stepped forward¡ªpassing through the illusory wall as if it were air¡ªand entered the ward. The scene shifted. A dim corridor stretched before him, lined with benches and walls smeared with long-dried blackish-red bloodstains. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie. The entire place felt like a hospital frozen in time decades ago¡ªdull gray walls, floors of rough concrete instead of polished marble. Fang Xiu didn¡¯t bother with conventional paths. He walked straight through walls, exploring freely. The mental hospital seemed to have been the site of some unspeakable horror. Bloodstains were everywhere, along with rotting chunks of flesh. He passed through the lobby, the cafeteria, the bathrooms, the activity rooms¡ªall deserted. Then he stopped in front of a particular ward. This one stood out. Its door was a deep, unsettling crimson¡ªas if someone had drenched it in blood and let it dry. From a distance, it looked like the gaping maw of a demon, chilling to the bone. A number was etched on the door: 104. Ward 104? Fang Xiu¡¯s curiosity flared. He stepped forward, passing through the door as if it weren¡¯t there. Inside was a sparse room with only a single dilapidated bed. In the corner of the bed, a small figure in a patient¡¯s gown sat curled up, her face buried in her knees, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her pale wrists bore a frayed, handmade bracelet of woven string. Her face was hidden. Fang Xiu didn¡¯t react, pretending not to see her¡ªbut his peripheral vision was locked onto her. He wasn¡¯t naive enough to think a living human could exist in this place. Even if she looked human. The girl seemed to sense his presence. Her head snapped up. Fang Xiu¡¯s gaze instantly withdrew¡ªbecause her face had no features. No eyes, no nose, no mouth. Just smooth, blank skin. He walked past her without pause, heading deeper into the ward. The faceless girl¡¯s head turned slowly, tracking him until he left Ward 104. Beyond it, Fang Xiu encountered more wards, each with its own number. He entered them one by one, meeting anomalies of all shapes and sizes. Most were violent and bloodthirsty, attacking the moment they sensed a living human. Fang Xiu didn¡¯t flinch, letting them lash out harmlessly. After a quick count, he realized there were dozens of these wards. Which meant this mental hospital held at least dozens of anomalies. This place is hiding something big. As he walked, he suddenly stopped. Wards 162, 169, and 177 had their doors wide open. Inside¡ªnothing. Did the anomalies escape? He pressed forward, but his path was blocked by a real-world villa. Without a key, he had to detour. When he circled back, he found himself in what appeared to be a doctor¡¯s office. A desk sat in the center, strewn with a stethoscope and bloodstained medical reports. Fang Xiu approached, scanning the documents¡ªand his pupils contracted. One partially legible report, its text obscured by dried blood, read: Subject 128 [...] (bloodstain) Anomaly Conversion Rate: 21.64% Result: FAILED Anomaly conversion?! Are anomalies transformed from humans? Were the creatures in these wards once people? A cold ripple of shock ran through him. He wanted to keep reading, but¡ª Right. This is all an illusion. I can¡¯t interact with anything here. Damn it! The answers were right in front of him, just out of reach. The frustration stoked his fury. Then¡ª A few strands of fine black hair drifted into his line of sight, hanging from above. Fang Xiu didn¡¯t look up. Instead, he pretended to wander aimlessly, putting distance between himself and whatever was overhead before glancing sideways. A thing in a white lab coat crouched on the ceiling, its limbs grotesquely elongated like a spider¡¯s. A ¡°beautiful¡± doctor. Her face was corpse-pale, her eye sockets pitch-black and etched with sinister patterns. Her eyes had no pupils¡ªjust blank white orbs. Her hair, over a meter long, draped down like a curtain. In one hand, she clutched a gleaming surgical knife. A doctor? Fang Xiu¡¯s mind raced. Did she write these reports? Was she once human too? Questions flooded his thoughts, but there were no answers here. Anomalies didn¡¯t hold conversations. He moved on. If the doctor¡¯s office held clues, there had to be more elsewhere. The director¡¯s office. That had to be the heart of the mental hospital. All the secrets must be there. He navigated the illusory halls, searching for the director¡¯s office. Soon, he zeroed in on an administrative wing. Based on standard hospital layouts, that was where the director¡¯s office should be. But when he approached, he realized something chilling. In the real world, this area corresponded to Willow Grove Manor¡¯s sales office¡ªthe very place where Fang Xiu worked. 9.Sales Office and Deans Office The interior of the sales office was lavishly decorated, with gleaming marble floors stretching throughout and a massive crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The walls were adorned with intricate designs. At the center of the hall stood an enormous miniature model of the Bailiu Academy, exquisitely crafted. To the right was a reception area furnished with rosewood tables and chairs, genuine leather sofas, and a projector screen¡ªeverything one could need. As soon as Fang Xiu stepped inside, several colleagues in professional attire turned their gazes toward him. Upon recognizing him, their expressions shifted subtly. After all, they had all seen his resignation message in the work group chat. Fang Xiu ignored their stares completely and walked through the sales hall, his attention fixed on the psychiatric hospital¡¯s office area. For him, nothing was more important than uncovering the secrets of the supernatural. At that moment, a young man in a professional suit hurried over¡ªZhao Hao, the one who had called him earlier. He had an ordinary appearance, a somewhat thin build, and wore thick black-framed glasses. In a hushed, anxious tone, he said, "Xiu-ge, why are you only arriving now? Wu Dahai is furious! Maybe you should¡ª" Before Zhao Hao could finish, Fang Xiu cut him off. "Ritian, we¡¯ll talk later." Zhao Hao''s given name, "Hao" (ê»), was composed of the characters for "sun" (ÈÕ) and "sky" (Ìì), so Fang Xiu had always jokingly called him "Ritian" (ÈÕÌì). The current Fang Xiu decided to maintain his predecessor¡¯s habit. "Xiu-ge, you¡ª" Ignoring him, Fang Xiu strode away, heading straight for the second floor of the sales office. The psychiatric hospital¡¯s first-floor office area didn¡¯t have a director¡¯s office, so he needed to check the second floor. Zhao Hao watched Fang Xiu¡¯s retreating figure and let out a heavy sigh before quickly following. He assumed Fang Xiu was going to confront Wu Dahai about the money and wanted to prevent the situation from escalating. Upon reaching the second floor¡ªwhich also corresponded to the psychiatric hospital¡¯s second-floor office area¡ªFang Xiu barely had time to search before an enraged, hurried voice rang out. "Fang Xiu! How dare you show up for work? You¡¯re already fired, don¡¯t you know that?" A middle-aged man in a black suit and white shirt stormed over, his pudgy finger jabbing accusingly at Fang Xiu. He was balding, pot-bellied, and radiated fury. The second floor was the sales office¡¯s workspace, and Wu Dahai¡¯s outburst immediately drew the attention of colleagues sitting at their computers. Most wore expressions of schadenfreude, eager to see Fang Xiu and Wu Dahai argue¡ªor even fight. Wu Dahai was widely disliked for his harsh treatment of subordinates. While they didn¡¯t dare defy him themselves, they relished the idea of someone else doing it. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. But the expected confrontation never came. Faced with his boss¡¯s tirade, Fang Xiu remained utterly expressionless. Without wasting words, he grabbed Wu Dahai¡¯s shoulder and shoved him aside, striding forward without a second glance. Wu Dahai, though overweight, was out of shape. Caught off guard by Fang Xiu¡¯s sudden push¡ªsomething the formerly meek subordinate would never have dared¡ªhe staggered and nearly fell, barely catching himself on a nearby desk. "You¡ªyou pushed me?! Have you lost your mind?!" Wu Dahai¡¯s face flushed red with shock and fury. The sidelong glances from his colleagues only deepened his humiliation. "Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! Security! Where¡¯s security?!" Wisely, Wu Dahai didn¡¯t try to physically confront Fang Xiu. Not only would he lose, but as a manager, brawling with a subordinate would be career suicide. Fuming, he continued shouting while calling for security. Fang Xiu paid him no mind. Under the bewildered stares of onlookers, he circled the area before heading toward the sales office¡¯s third floor. The director¡¯s office wasn¡¯t on the second floor. "Fang Xiu, you¡¯ve got some nerve, shoving me like that¡ª" Wu Dahai¡¯s rant abruptly cut off as his expression twisted in alarm. "Where the hell are you going?! Who said you could go to the third floor?! Get back here!" He jabbed a finger at a few gawking colleagues and roared, "What are you idiots standing around for? Stop him!" Reluctantly, the employees stood, but Fang Xiu had already vanished up the stairs. At the sight, Wu Dahai¡¯s face cycled through shades of panic before he hastily waved them off. "Never mind, forget it. I¡¯ll handle it myself." Wheezing, his bulky frame heaving, he hurried after Fang Xiu. Wu Dahai seemed unusually tense, as though something incriminating lay on the third floor. Fang Xiu stepped onto the third floor, his gaze immediately locking onto a door in the distance labeled "Director¡¯s Office." He strode toward it without hesitation. Behind him, Wu Dahai panted heavily as he gave chase. In reality, Wu Dahai didn¡¯t realize Fang Xiu was heading for the director¡¯s office. All he saw was Fang Xiu making a beeline for the very last office at the end of the hall. His face drained of color. "Fang Xiu, get back here!" *Click.* The office door swung open. A man¡¯s furious cursing and a woman¡¯s startled shriek spilled out, followed by the frantic rustling of clothes. Wu Dahai¡¯s face went deathly pale. "It¡¯s over. Everything¡¯s over." In a panic, he tore at his white dress shirt, ripping off two buttons before bolting toward the office. When he burst inside, he saw Fang Xiu standing motionless, staring straight ahead. Before him was a luxurious desk. The laptop and documents that should have been on it were now scattered across the floor, replaced by a half-dressed man and woman. The man was lean, with sunken eyes and an unhealthy pallor, his pants halfway down his legs. The woman had a curvaceous figure, wore heavy makeup, and was dressed in a professional skirt with sheer black stockings¡ªnow torn in several places¡ªher high heels missing. Fang Xiu¡¯s gaze was fixed on the woman¡¯s stockings¡ªor more precisely, the parchment lying beneath her on the psychiatric hospital director¡¯s desk. "Who the hell are you?! Who let you in?!" the man bellowed, hastily pulling up his pants. The woman clung to him like a frightened bird, using her clothes for cover. Fang Xiu recognized them both. The man was Wang Ziteng, the son of the developer behind Bailiu Academy. The woman was Li Feifei, the sales office¡¯s top-performing agent¡ªand the most attractive among the female staff. Since Bailiu Academy¡¯s sales team was directly managed by the developer, Wang Ziteng was technically the boss¡¯s son¡ªFang Xiu¡¯s ultimate superior. "Wu Dahai! Didn¡¯t I fucking tell you no one¡¯s allowed on the third floor?!" Wang Ziteng screamed. "Young Master Wang, please calm down! Fang Xiu¡¯s gone mad today! He attacked me, then barged up here without saying a word. I couldn¡¯t stop him! Look¡ªhe even ripped my brand-new shirt! I¡¯m useless, I¡¯m old, I just couldn¡¯t hold him back!" Wu Dahai groveled, his face a mask of fear and apology. 10.Do you want to know the truth of the world? Wang Ziteng, seeing Wu Dahai drenched in sweat, gasping for breath, his white dress shirt crumpled and missing two buttons, cursed, "You useless piece of shit!" Then he turned his fury toward Fang Xiu. "Fang Xiu, what the hell do you think you''re doing? Do you even know who I¡ª" Before Wang Ziteng could finish, Fang Xiu shoved him to the ground, revealing the trembling, terrified Li Feifei behind him. "Ow! You dare push me?!" Wang Ziteng roared in outrage. "Ah!" Li Feifei screamed, thinking Fang Xiu was about to assault her. But the next second, she felt a force yank her off the desk, her slender body tumbling to the floor. With the two of them out of the way, Fang Xiu¡¯s gaze locked onto the parchment on the director¡¯s desk. One glance, and his mind reeled. It read: "To the one favored by fate¡ª Do you wish to know the truth of this world? Do you wish to know what the supernatural truly is? If you¡¯ve made it here, you must be full of questions. Don¡¯t rush, my friend. I¡¯ve left everything you seek in Room 520, Building C of Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital. There, you will find all the answers. Go. Seek it out. When you uncover the truth, it will also be time for you to make a choice. Follow your heart and accept destiny¡¯s gift." At the bottom was a signature: Zhou Qingfeng. Fang Xiu read every word, his mind sinking into shadow. So it¡¯s true. The psychiatric hospital hides a major secret! This Zhou Qingfeng must be the director of Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital. But who was this letter meant for? Was it addressed to him, or someone else? Did Zhou Qingfeng know he would come? Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Old questions remained unanswered, and new ones surged in his mind. Building C, Room 520... Perhaps all the answers lie there. Fang Xiu turned to leave. But Wang Ziteng, now back on his feet, blocked his path, seething. "You think you can just push me and walk away? Today, I¡¯ll¡ª" Before he could finish, the lightbulb above them flickered with a sharp crack! Then¡ªdarkness. The entire room plunged into black. Wang Ziteng, who had been ready to throw a punch, suddenly lost his target. "Fuck! A power outage? Wu Dahai! Turn on the backup generator! And you¡ªdon¡¯t you dare run, you bastard!" In the darkness, Fang Xiu ignored Wang Ziteng¡¯s threats. His mind was already in turmoil. Because the moment the lights went out¡ª**Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital had vanished.** His vision was pitch black, but the disappearance of the psychiatric hospital wasn¡¯t due to the darkness. The power outage had happened in the *real world*, not the psychiatric hospital. The psychiatric hospital was always dimly lit. Logically, even if the real world lost power, he should still be able to see the hospital in his vision. Yet now, it was gone¡ªas if swallowed by the dark. The sudden change filled Fang Xiu with a deep unease. He quickly pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight. But all he could see was the real-world office. There was no trace of the psychiatric hospital. *What the hell is going on?* Fang Xiu rushed out the door and sprinted toward the second floor. He needed to check if the hospital had disappeared elsewhere too. Seeing Fang Xiu "flee," Wang Ziteng cursed and chased after him. Wu Dahai, fearing something might happen to Wang Ziteng, followed closely behind. As for Li Feifei¡ªshe wasn¡¯t about to stay alone in the dark. Soon, the entire group was surging toward the second floor. Once there, Fang Xiu moved swiftly, scanning every corner with his phone¡¯s flashlight. *Nothing. Nothing. It¡¯s nowhere.* The psychiatric hospital had vanished like a mirage. The second-floor employees remained calm. After all, it was just a power outage, and with so many people around, even the female staff weren¡¯t scared. Except for a few who were "screaming." "Ah! The report I just finished! I didn¡¯t save it! Why did the power have to go out *now*? If I have to redo this, I¡¯ll be stuck working overtime all night!" Around them, voices chimed in with schadenfreude. "Lucky I saved mine." "Me too." Then Wu Dahai¡¯s voice cut through the dark: "Stop whining! Someone go check if it¡¯s just a tripped breaker!" "I¡¯ll go find out what screwed up my report!" The wailing employee volunteered, turning on his phone¡¯s flashlight before storming off into the darkness. Perhaps because this world had so many supernatural legends, one colleague joked, "Want me to come with? Don¡¯t want you running into a ghost alone." The employee heading to check the power scoffed. "A ghost? The thought of working overtime tonight fills me with more resentment than any ghost. If one shows up, it¡¯ll be calling me ¡®big bro.¡¯" With that, his figure faded into the dark. The office erupted in laughter. "Hey¡­ why is my phone¡¯s flashlight so dim?" A female employee suddenly murmured in confusion. Her coworker replied, "Maybe it¡¯s dusty. Try wiping it." "I did. Doesn¡¯t help. Stupid phone." "Wait, mine¡¯s dim too." "Mine as well." In the darkness, multiple employees holding up their phones voiced the same issue. Fang Xiu¡¯s attention sharpened. He studied them¡ªand his pupils constricted. The employees stood or sat in the dark, nearly all holding up phones for light. Normally, the combined glow should have been enough to illuminate the entire office. But now, the light seemed suppressed by the darkness, barely extending half a meter in front of them. And eerily, while flashlight beams usually weaken with distance, here, there was a clear boundary at the half-meter mark¡ªas if the light had been severed by the dark. Within that darkness, something intangible seemed to writhe. Supernatural entities. Fang Xiu¡¯s instincts screamed. This familiar sensation couldn¡¯t be wrong! Then¡ª "AHHHHH!!!" A blood-curdling scream tore through the dark. The voice was unmistakable¡ªit was Zhang Bo, the employee who had gone to check the power. The scream sent chills down everyone¡¯s spines. "Zhang Bo! What happened? Did you get electrocuted?" "Zhang Bo, quit screwing around!" THUD. The sound of something heavy hitting the floor. "Ahhh!" Several female employees shrieked. "Stop screaming! Xiao Zhao, go check it out. Now!" Wu Dahai barked urgently. Xiao Zhao¡ªthe security guard Fang Xiu had encountered earlier, whom Wu Dahai had summoned¡ªhesitated. But under his boss¡¯s glare, he reluctantly obeyed. Flashlight in hand, he crept forward into the dark. Seconds ticked by. Five minutes passed. Xiao Zhao didn¡¯t return. The darkness remained silent. 11.Eerie Realm "Xiao Zhao!" Wu Dahai shouted, but there was no response in the darkness. "Manager Wu... maybe we should call the police," someone suggested. Wu Dahai''s face darkened. He walked over to Wang Ziteng with a flashlight to ask for instructions. "Young Master Wang, what do you think?" At that moment, Wang Ziteng¡¯s expression was eerily strange. His earlier anger had completely vanished, replaced instead by an unprecedented mix of fear, unease, agitation, and even a trace of manic excitement. He seemed to be afraid of something¡ªyet also anticipating it. Fang Xiu noticed Wang Ziteng¡¯s odd demeanor and immediately grew suspicious. *He definitely knows something!* "Young Master Wang?" Wu Dahai called again. Wang Ziteng snapped out of his daze. "What did you just say?" "Young Master Wang, I was asking if we should call the police. That scream earlier sounded wrong¡ªI¡¯m worried something might have happened." "Oh, right, right. Call the police, now!" Wang Ziteng seemed to remember something and hastily dialed his phone. But after a series of busy tones, the call failed to connect. Other employees began exclaiming in alarm: "I can¡¯t get through either!" "Mine too." "How is that possible? You don¡¯t even need a SIM card to call emergency services, but now it won¡¯t connect?" "My phone has no signal at all!" Panic spread rapidly among the group. One employee, who often browsed paranormal forums, trembled as he muttered, "Are we... dealing with a ghost?" The crowd erupted into nervous chatter, the situation quickly descending into chaos. Wang Ziteng¡¯s expression flickered between emotions. The lack of signal seemed to confirm something for him. Suddenly, he roared: The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Shut up, all of you!" His authority instantly silenced the room. Every pair of eyes locked onto him. In the dim glow of phone screens, half of Wang Ziteng¡¯s face was cast in shadow, his strange expression making him look almost sinister. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay calm. "Listen carefully¡ªwhat I¡¯m about to say is crucial. It could mean the difference between life and death for all of us!" The words *life and death* landed like a hammer blow, weighing heavily on everyone¡¯s hearts. Beside him, Li Feifei trembled. "Young Master Wang, what are you talking about? What do you mean ¡®life and death¡¯? You¡¯re scaring¡ª" "Shut your mouth!" Wang Ziteng barked, turning her pale with fright. He took a deep breath, his voice shaking slightly. "If I¡¯m not mistaken... we¡¯ve most likely entered a Ghost Domain." "Y-Young Master Wang... what¡¯s a Ghost Domain?" "Didn¡¯t I tell you not to interrupt?! There¡¯s no time to explain! Just listen and do as I say! Understood?!" His furious roar cowed them into silence again. "Given my status, I¡¯ve been exposed to things ordinary people can¡¯t even imagine. The hidden truths of this world are beyond your comprehension. "To put it simply¡ªghosts exist. And a Ghost Domain is a ghost¡¯s territory. Think of it as an alternate dimension, a world ruled by ghosts. "Right now, our only goal is to escape this damned Ghost Domain. Otherwise, every single one of us will die here!" His words sent chills down everyone¡¯s spines. *Ghosts?!* Most of them thought Wang Ziteng was joking¡ªbut the sheer terror on his face suggested otherwise. "Young Master Wang... you¡¯re kidding, right? Ghosts don¡¯t exist..." "God damn it! Didn¡¯t I say not to interrupt?! You useless idiots¡ªif I weren¡¯t just an ordinary person, if I were a Spirit Wielder, do you think I¡¯d waste my time explaining this to you?!" Wang Ziteng¡¯s voice grew increasingly frantic, as though a blade were pressed to his throat. "Whether you believe me or not, listen closely. We *are* in a Ghost Domain. The lack of signal, the dimmed lights¡ªit¡¯s all proof. "Remember this: the only ones who can fight ghosts are Spirit Wielders¡ªpeople who¡¯ve mastered their own spiritual power. My cousin is one, and everything I know comes from him. "For ordinary people like us, the only way to survive is to figure out the ghost¡¯s killing pattern and avoid triggering it. "So from this moment on, everyone follows my orders. No one acts alone¡ªif you need to piss, you do it right where you stand!" His words were met with skepticism. After all, this defied decades of ingrained rationality. Without seeing a ghost firsthand, most people clung to denial. Perhaps the only one who fully believed Wang Ziteng was Fang Xiu. Because his *wife* was a ghost. Still, Fang Xiu was puzzled. Wang Ziteng clearly knew about ghosts, but unlike him, he didn¡¯t seem to see the countless spirits roaming the streets. If he could, he wouldn¡¯t be this panicked. Though, for an ordinary person, Wang Ziteng was holding up relatively well¡ªbut not well enough to survive in a world teeming with ghosts. But none of that mattered right now. What mattered was *Spirit Wielders*. When Fang Xiu heard that only Spirit Wielders could fight ghosts, the flames of hatred in his heart roared to life. Perhaps Spirit Wielders could see the ghosts infesting the world¡ªand wield the power to destroy them. "Young Master Wang... what should we do now? Should we run?" Wu Dahai stammered. "No!" Wang Ziteng shouted, as if struck by a sudden terror. "Everyone stays right where you are! Running blindly in a Ghost Domain is suicide! "My cousin told me¡ªnever move recklessly in a Ghost Domain. Don¡¯t touch things, don¡¯t look around. Avoid triggering the ghost¡¯s rules at all costs." "Then... what do we do?" "Observe! Everyone, look around carefully. See if you notice anything unusual. The ghost hasn¡¯t attacked yet, which means we haven¡¯t broken its killing pattern." Following Wang Ziteng¡¯s orders, the group scanned their surroundings. Three minutes passed. Nothing happened. No danger, no discoveries. The lack of activity made people restless. Doubts about Wang Ziteng¡¯s words grew. Whispers spread. Some suggested it might just be a magnetic anomaly or some unexplained scientific phenomenon causing the darkness, lost signals, and power outage. As for the two missing colleagues? Maybe they¡¯d been electrocuted when the power came back on. "Let¡¯s just go outside and check. I really need to use the bathroom." "Yeah, ghosts aren¡¯t real..." The murmurs grated on Wang Ziteng¡¯s nerves. He cursed inwardly but knew he had to keep them under control. Because he was just an ordinary person too. His cousin, the Spirit Wielder, had once told him: *The best way to learn a ghost¡¯s killing pattern is to throw lives at it.* That was why he¡¯d revealed the truth¡ªto unite the group under his command. Only then could he use them to test the ghost¡¯s rules and ensure his own survival. "Everyone, quiet down. I said no one moves. If you need to go, just¡ª" Before he could finish, a calm voice cut through the noise. "The ghost is here." The words carried an unsettling weight¡ªor perhaps it was the sheer certainty behind them. The room fell dead silent. 12.Spirit Master "W-what?" "Where''s the ghost?" The crowd panicked, scanning their surroundings, but found nothing. "Fang Xiu, what nonsense are you spouting now? There''s no ghost here!" snapped a terrified colleague, glaring at him. "Yeah, yeah, this is no time for jokes!" Fang Xiu remained calm, his handsome, pale face appearing almost doll-like in the darkness, his expression devoid of emotion. His lifeless, still eyes unsettled everyone, and even their angry voices gradually faded under his gaze. Suddenly, Fang Xiu spoke. "Wang Xiaoli is gone." Wang Xiaoli? "Nonsense! Wang Xiaoli is right beside me¡ªWang Xiaoli, say something!" a colleague frantically called out. But Wang Xiaoli didn¡¯t respond. The man¡¯s heart sank. He quickly shined his phone light beside him¡ªonly to realize Wang Xiaoli had truly vanished. "Wang Xiaoli! Wang Xiaoli!" He called out twice, but there was no answer. The crowd erupted. "Wang Xiaoli really disappeared!" "Was it really a ghost?" "Fang Xiu, did you see what the ghost looked like?" Wang Ziteng suddenly asked. Despite their past conflicts, Wang Ziteng wasn¡¯t foolish enough to pick a fight in a life-or-death situation. Fang Xiu replied flatly, "Visibility is poor in the dark. I didn¡¯t see the ghost¡ªonly Wang Xiaoli disappearing." If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. His tone was eerily detached, as if Wang Xiaoli¡¯s disappearance meant nothing more than an ant being crushed. Anyone else would¡¯ve screamed in terror or at least shown panic, but Fang Xiu recounted the event with unsettling composure. The others weren¡¯t fools¡ªyears in the workplace had sharpened their instincts. It was obvious Fang Xiu¡¯s calmness was abnormal. Wang Ziteng narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Fang Xiu, you don¡¯t seem afraid of ghosts at all. Are you a Spirit Master?" Fang Xiu shook his head. "What¡¯s a Spirit Master?" Wang Ziteng¡¯s suspicion deepened. "Spirit Masters are those who harness their own spiritual power. From what I understand, it¡¯s the power of the mind. My cousin once said that every person¡¯s mind holds immense power, but it¡¯s buried under layers of dust¡ªlike a luminous pearl covered in grime." "A Spirit Master is someone who wipes away that dust, allowing the mind¡¯s light to shine." Wang Ziteng wanted to continue, but Wu Dahai cut in impatiently, "Young Master Wang! This isn¡¯t the time for lectures! People are disappearing! Think of a way to escape!" "Shut up!" Wang Ziteng snapped. "Escape? How? Where? Only three people have vanished so far. If we move recklessly and trigger the ghost¡¯s rules, we¡¯ll all die!" "Besides, what I¡¯m saying now could save our lives!" "You think Spirit Masters are born? No¡ªthey¡¯re made." "The best chance we have is for someone here to become a Spirit Master!" "So, Spirit Masters are forged in haunted domains?" Fang Xiu interjected. Wang Ziteng nodded, surprised by Fang Xiu¡¯s sharp deduction despite the circumstances. "Exactly. To become a Spirit Master, you need the power of ghosts!" "I mentioned that every mind is clouded by dust. To cleanse it, two conditions must be met." "First, you must experience the terror between life and death. Only by facing death can the dust on the mind loosen. Alternatively, an extreme emotional shock can also work." "Second, you must come into contact with a ghost. Their power invades the mind, acting like a cloth that wipes away the dust." "But there¡¯s a catch¡ªghostly power cleanses the mind but also corrupts it." "If the mind is a dusty luminous pearl, then a ghost¡¯s power is a bloodstained rag. It wipes away the grime but stains the pearl red." "The so-called ¡®spiritual light¡¯ is just the mind¡¯s radiance, distorted by the ghost¡¯s influence." After listening, Fang Xiu silently analyzed the information. So, this was a world governed by the mind. A Spirit Master¡¯s power came from the fusion of their psyche and supernatural forces. The state between life and death acted as a catalyst¡ªlike heat in a chemical reaction, accelerating the process. Fang Xiu frowned slightly. He had already experienced life-and-death situations and encountered ghosts¡ªso why hadn¡¯t his spiritual power awakened? Or had it, and he simply hadn¡¯t noticed? Wang Ziteng continued, "That¡¯s why every one of us has a chance to become a Spirit Master. If even one of us succeeds, we might escape this haunted domain!" "What are the signs of awakened spiritual power?" Fang Xiu asked. "Enhanced physical abilities, heightened senses, and most importantly¡ªa unique ability, shaped by the individual¡¯s psyche. No two minds are alike, so no two abilities are the same." An ability? Shaped by the mind? Fang Xiu immediately thought of *Death Rewind*. Was that his power? No, that didn¡¯t fit. His body and senses remained ordinary¡ªno enhancements at all. Moreover, he had a strong intuition that *Death Rewind* wasn¡¯t tied to spiritual power. It was likely an innate ability from the moment he crossed into this world. Conclusion: He hadn¡¯t awakened his spiritual power yet. But why? He had met both conditions¡ªunless¡­ Fang Xiu suddenly realized something. He *hadn¡¯t* fully met the second condition. The life-and-death state was satisfied¡ª*Death Rewind* wouldn¡¯t erase that. It was a mindset, like memory, unaffected by rewinding time. But contact with ghosts? Every time he encountered his "wife," he died. Surviving this loop meant he hadn¡¯t truly interacted with her. And the ghosts filling the streets? Fang Xiu guessed they didn¡¯t count¡ªbecause unless "seen," they didn¡¯t truly exist for humans. This time was different. The hidden ghost had crossed from illusion into reality, able to kill without being "seen." The disappearances at the mental hospital, the unseen killer ghost, the nature of Spirit Masters¡ªall these clues intertwined in Fang Xiu¡¯s mind. There *had* to be a connection. He just hadn¡¯t uncovered it yet. Despite the danger, Fang Xiu felt a rare flicker of excitement. He had found his path to vengeance¡ªbecoming a Spirit Master. Suddenly, his peripheral vision caught movement. "Another person disappeared," he said coolly. 13."One more word and youre dead!" **"What?!"** **"The ghost is back?!"** **"Who disappeared?"** The group erupted into chaos, frantically scanning their surroundings. Soon, someone screamed, **"Jia Liang is gone!"** **"Jia Liang! Jia Liang!"** A few of his close colleagues immediately called out for him. **"Shut the hell up!"** Wang Ziteng roared, his remaining composure fraying as people vanished one after another. The only reason he was calmer than the others was that his cousin had exposed him to supernatural forces before, giving him some mental preparation. On top of that, he had always envied his cousin and secretly hoped to become a Spirit Master himself. So, despite the fear, there was also a twisted sense of anticipation keeping him steady. But humans were always like Lord Ye¡ªclaiming to love dragons until a real one appeared before them. Then, the first emotion that surged forth was pure terror. **"Young Master Wang, what do we do?! I don¡¯t want to disappear!"** Li Feifei clutched Wang Ziteng¡¯s sleeve, tears streaming down her face, only irritating him further. **"The hell if I know!"** Then, a calm voice cut through the panic¡ªFang Xiu. **"Two to three minutes."** **"What about two to three minutes?"** **"The interval between disappearances is two to three minutes."** Fang Xiu¡¯s tone was eerily steady. **"To be precise, women vanish every two minutes, men every three. Security guard Xiao Zhao disappeared first, then Wang Xiaoli three minutes later. Two minutes after that, Jia Liang vanished. It seems this ghost kills at fixed intervals."** **"If my calculations are correct, another person will disappear three minutes after Jia Liang."** **"It kills based on time? Damn it! How do we stop that?!"** Wang Ziteng¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, his control slipping. Fang Xiu ignored him and turned to walk into the darkness. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The group panicked. His best friend, Zhao Hao, shouted after him, **"Bro! What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to die?!"** Without looking back, Fang Xiu replied, **"Looking for a way out. Do you want to sit here and wait for death? There are eight of us left. At this rate, we¡¯ll all be dead in twenty minutes. Might as well take a chance."** **"Fang Xiu! Stop right the fuck there!"** Wang Ziteng suddenly bellowed. **"Didn¡¯t I say no one moves without my say-so?! One wrong move could trigger the ghost¡¯s rules and get us all killed! You¡¯re just a nobody¡ªyou don¡¯t even know how ghosts¡ª"** Fang Xiu stopped. Slowly, he turned his head. A pale, expressionless face stared back at them, devoid of life¡ªlike a corpse. Wang Ziteng¡¯s breath hitched. Then, in a voice devoid of emotion, Fang Xiu spoke: **"One more word, and I¡¯ll kill you before the ghost gets the chance."** The words carried an unnatural chill. For a moment, Wang Ziteng felt death itself wrap around him. Staring into Fang Xiu¡¯s calm eyes, he realized¡ªthis man wasn¡¯t bluffing. One more word, and he *would* die. As a rich kid, Wang Ziteng had met all kinds of people¡ªeven murderers. But none of their eyes had ever chilled him like Fang Xiu¡¯s. And he wasn¡¯t wrong. The eyes of a killer and the eyes of someone who had *died eighteen times* were fundamentally different. Seeing Wang Ziteng silenced, Fang Xiu turned and disappeared into the dark. Zhao Hao hesitated, then gritted his teeth. Glancing between Fang Xiu¡¯s retreating figure and the trembling group, he finally ran after him. **"Young Master Wang¡­ what do we do?"** Wu Dahai¡¯s voice trembled. Wang Ziteng¡¯s face twisted between rage and fear. He hadn¡¯t dared to lash out in front of Fang Xiu, but now that he was gone, his fury surged. **"What do we do?! Let them die if they want to! A couple of country bumpkins who don¡¯t even know what a Spirit Master is¡ªdaring to ignore my orders?!"** **"But¡­ Fang Xiu doesn¡¯t seem like the type to throw his life away. Shouldn¡¯t we follow them?"** Wang Ziteng¡¯s anger flared. **"Follow them?! I¡¯d rather die! I¡¯d rather get killed by the ghost¡ª"** Before he could finish, a scream cut him off. **"Ahhh! Someone else disappeared!!"** Wang Ziteng¡¯s liver nearly shriveled in fear. Glancing around, he realized only five people remained. He immediately changed his tune. **"Quick! After them!"** --- Fang Xiu moved swiftly through the dark hallway, Zhao Hao close behind. Their flashlight beams cut through the blackness, yet no matter how far they walked, the corridor seemed endless. Normally, the stairs would¡¯ve appeared after just a few steps. But tonight, the hallway stretched like a bottomless abyss. **"B-Bro¡­ this isn¡¯t right. Where the hell are the stairs?!"** Zhao Hao trembled, clinging to Fang Xiu like a frightened bird. **"Quiet."** Fang Xiu suddenly stopped, staring intently into the depths of the corridor. At the far end, a dim green light flickered¡ªlike the glow of an emergency exit sign, eerie and unnatural. Fang Xiu¡¯s brow furrowed. That light¡­ It was identical to the one from *Qingshan Mental Hospital*. A startling realization struck him. He quickened his pace toward the glow. When he finally stepped into the light, he found himself in a narrow, decrepit hallway. The ceiling and walls were stained with dark patches and what looked like dried blood. Rusted benches lined the corridor at intervals. The place reeked of age and neglect¡ªlike a hospital frozen in time decades ago. The walls were gray, the floor rough concrete instead of polished marble. This was¡­ *Qingshan Mental Hospital.* **"B-B-Bro¡­ am I hallucinating?! Where the hell are we?! This looks like a horror movie set!"** Zhao Hao¡¯s voice shook behind him. Fang Xiu¡¯s mind raced. *Zhao Hao can see it too?* He reached out, pressing his palm against the wall. The surface was cold and rough under his fingers. His pupils contracted. *It¡¯s real.* This wasn¡¯t an illusion anymore¡ªthe hospital had *physically manifested*. Had it crossed into reality, just like the living ghosts? Was *this* what a haunted domain truly was? Fang Xiu¡¯s theory solidified. The spectral version of the mental hospital had *merged* with reality. The office building had been swallowed whole, embedded within it. No wonder they couldn¡¯t see the hospital from the outside anymore. They were already *inside*. 14."The Woman Doctor Shows Up" "Very well, we¡¯re one step closer to the truth," Fang Xiu murmured to himself. He had never intended to leave but rather to explore the Qing Shan Mental Hospital. The two continued forward and soon came across two large pools of blood not far down the corridor. The amount of blood was staggering, splattered across the surrounding walls. Amid the blood were scattered fragments of flesh and bone, as well as shredded real estate office uniforms and security guard uniforms. The bits of flesh and bone looked like leftover scraps of food, bearing clear tooth marks and signs of being torn apart. Looking at the familiar clothing, Fang Xiu knew immediately¡ªthese were the remains of his colleague and the security guard who had gone to check the power earlier. Clearly, they had been devoured by the supernatural entity. At this sight, Fang Xiu suddenly understood why the entity took three minutes to reappear after the man disappeared, but only two minutes after the woman vanished. The interval of the entity''s appearance was determined by the amount of flesh consumed. The female colleagues at the real estate office were, by industry standards, at least presentable¡ªmost were slender and well-proportioned. Naturally, their "meat quantity" was far less than that of their male counterparts. It took the entity about three minutes to devour a male colleague, but only two minutes for a female colleague. "Brother Xiu! They... they were eaten by the entity?!" Zhao Hao beside him trembled, his face deathly pale. Fang Xiu ignored him, focusing instead on the shredded clothes. The cuts were unnaturally clean, clearly made by some sharp blade. Recalling the supernatural beings he had seen earlier in Qing Shan Mental Hospital, the figure of the female doctor immediately came to mind. The precision of the cuts strongly suggested they were made by her scalpel. Just then, rapid footsteps echoed from behind them. Turning, they saw Wang Ziteng and the others emerging from the dark corridor. "My God! What is this place? Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be the real estate office?" "This looks like a hospital!" Wang Ziteng and the others gasped in shock, their faces filled with panic and disbelief. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Indeed, no one could have expected that after walking through the corridor of the real estate office, they would step out into a completely unfamiliar hospital setting. "Fang Xiu, Zhao Hao, you two came out first¡ªdid you find anything? Did you see Xiao Zhao and Xiao Li?" Manager Wu Dahai asked, his voice trembling. "Xiao Zhao and Xiao Li, they..." Zhao Hao shakily pointed at the two pools of blood on the ground. Wang Ziteng and the others followed his finger, and their pupils instantly contracted. "Blood! So much blood!" Li Feifei screamed uncontrollably. "These are... Xiao Zhao and Xiao Li¡¯s clothes!" Wang Ziteng¡¯s expression grew even grimmer, sweat pouring down his face as if he had just realized something horrifying. "They were eaten..." The moment these words were spoken, a wave of terror swept through the group. "Wang Shao! Quick, let¡¯s get out of here! I want to go home, wuuu..." Li Feifei was so terrified she burst into tears, clutching Wang Ziteng¡¯s arm and pleading. Wang Ziteng snapped back to reality. "Right, right, we need to leave!" He was about to lead the group forward, but as he stared down the unfamiliar, empty hospital corridor, his legs refused to move. Who knew where this corridor led? What if the entity¡¯s lair was right ahead? Wang Ziteng was under immense pressure, like the first person leading a group through a haunted house. Yet, the others all looked to him as their leader, crowding behind him in fear. Fortunately, Fang Xiu soon took the initiative, sparing him the dilemma. Having finished his observations, Fang Xiu calmly began walking deeper into the corridor, with Zhao Hao following closely behind. Seeing someone take the lead, Wang Ziteng no longer hesitated and strode forward. However, unlike Zhao Hao, who stuck close to Fang Xiu, Wang Ziteng maintained a distance of about three meters¡ªperhaps out of pride or some other reason. Tap, tap, tap... The empty corridor echoed with the sound of their hurried, deliberately muted footsteps, as if they were afraid of alerting the entity. Then, abruptly, the footsteps stopped. Fang Xiu, who was at the front, had halted, and like sheep following their leader, Zhao Hao stopped as well. Then Wang Ziteng and the others. Wang Ziteng wanted to ask why Fang Xiu had stopped, but his pride kept him from speaking. Asking would make it seem like he didn¡¯t dare move forward without Fang Xiu leading the way. "Fang Xiu, why did you stop?" Li Feifei¡¯s voice was frantic with fear. The woman was already terrified out of her wits, her usual composed, elite demeanor gone. Seeing Fang Xiu stop, her desperation to escape made her blurt out the question. Fang Xiu didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he checked his phone and, after a moment of silence, said, "Time¡¯s up." "What do you mean, time¡¯s up?" Li Feifei asked reflexively. The others were equally confused. Only Wang Ziteng understood. His face instantly paled, and he hurriedly raised his left hand to check his expensive wristwatch. "Three minutes!" The group immediately realized what was happening and panicked. Then, from behind them came a crisp, cracking sound. Like the twisting of joints. When they turned around, their blood ran cold. A female doctor in a white coat, her hair disheveled, her limbs grotesquely elongated like a spider¡¯s, and her eyes entirely white, was hanging upside down from the corridor ceiling. The cracking sound was the noise of her neck twisting. Because she was suspended like a spider, her face was initially upside down¡ªthe top of her head pointing downward, her chin upward. But as her head rotated 180 degrees, her face aligned with theirs. A silent wave of fear washed over them. The difference between the entity¡¯s absence and its presence was staggering. When it stood before them in the flesh, even the bravest would tremble. The female doctor stared fixedly at the group. Then, her limbs began to move frantically, scuttling toward them like a humanoid spider. "Ahhh!!!" Li Feifei¡¯s scream was like a starting gun. The group bolted like madmen, desperate to escape. This time, no one needed to lead the way¡ªin fact, they shoved and pulled at anyone blocking their path. Some of the weaker ones were knocked to the ground in the chaos. Like Li Feifei. As a delicate, pretty woman, she had clung to Wang Ziteng¡¯s arm for protection. But when danger struck, Wang Ziteng was the first to shake her off, leaving her sprawled on the floor as he fled for his life. Wang Ziteng reacted quickly¡ªhe was the first to run and soon took the lead. But Fang Xiu and Zhao Hao stood directly in his path. Yet Fang Xiu and Zhao Hao weren¡¯t running. Zhao Hao was simply frozen in terror, while Fang Xiu was observing. Just as he had deduced, the killer was indeed the female doctor from the mental hospital. After all, most of the supernatural entities in Qing Shan Mental Hospital were confined to their rooms. Though some doors had been opened earlier, he hadn¡¯t encountered any other entities during his exploration. The only one he had seen was this female doctor¡ªbecause she wasn¡¯t a patient but staff, she hadn¡¯t been locked away. 15."Touching a ghosts thigh" "Get out of the way! Move!" Prince Teng roared in panic and fury, shoving Zhao Hao, who stood frozen in terror, aside as he sprinted forward. As for Fang Xiu, the moment he saw everyone fleeing for their lives, he had already pressed himself against the wall to avoid being caught in the chaos. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... His colleagues, who had once been sedentary office workers, now dashed past Fang Xiu like elite athletes, the wind whistling in their wake. Poor Zhao Hao was knocked over several times and ended up sprawled on the ground. "W-Wait for me! Young Master Wang! Don¡¯t leave me behind!" Li Feifei had scrambled to her feet, her pretty face twisted in terror, her makeup streaked by tears. She was dead last¡ªnot just because she had been pushed down, but also because she was wearing sky-high heels. Of course, it might also have had something to do with the physically exhausting activities she¡¯d engaged in earlier. Not only was she wearing those impossible heels, but she also had on a tight, body-hugging pencil skirt¡ªsexy, yes, but with one major flaw: you couldn¡¯t run in it. Anyone with experience knew that when you tried, the skirt would ride up uncontrollably... "Ah!" Li Feifei hadn¡¯t taken more than two steps before she let out a sharp cry and collapsed again. Her slender, pale ankle was already swollen and red. It turned out that running in high heels was a bad idea¡ªsprained ankles were practically guaranteed. Li Feifei barely registered the searing pain in her ankle as she desperately tried to get up, but the next second, her vision darkened. Thick, inky strands of hair, like writhing snakes, draped over her face. It was the female doctor¡¯s hanging locks. Li Feifei¡¯s body trembled, her heart skipping a beat as she instinctively looked up¡ªonly to meet the pallid face of the female doctor, her blank, pupil-less eyes fixed directly on her. She froze, as if all strength had been drained from her body. She couldn¡¯t move a muscle. It wasn¡¯t until the female doctor¡¯s hair brushed against her face¡ªcold and slimy¡ªthat she snapped back to reality. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Ahhhh!" Li Feifei let out a bloodcurdling scream, scrambling forward like a frantic animal, her knees scraping bloody trails across the rough concrete floor. But she felt nothing¡ªonly the desperate need to escape. "H-Help me!" she screamed at Fang Xiu and Zhao Hao, the only two left in the hallway. The others had long since reached the end of the corridor and vanished around the corner. "I don¡¯t want to¡ª" Before she could finish her sentence, a silvery flash of blade-light sliced through the air. Her vision tilted, spun, then dropped. Thud. A dull sound echoed as Li Feifei¡¯s head hit the ground. The female doctor¡¯s scalpel was razor-sharp, and her over two-meter-long limbs gave her an enormous attack range. With just one swing, the decapitation was complete. It happened so fast that Li Feifei¡¯s body remained kneeling in a crawling position, the severed stump of her neck smooth and glistening, blood gushing like a fountain. Some of it even splattered onto Zhao Hao. Fang Xiu, standing behind him, remained untouched. Zhao Hao, who had barely regained his composure, was once again paralyzed with terror. The sheer gruesomeness of the scene would¡¯ve made him wet himself¡ªif he hadn¡¯t already emptied his bladder earlier. After killing Li Feifei, the female doctor didn¡¯t stop. Instead, she meticulously began dissecting the corpse with her scalpel. Her movements were precise, methodical, almost professional¡ªas if she were performing surgery. Fang Xiu and Zhao Hao stood right beside her, yet she paid them no attention. Once the dissection was complete, the female doctor pounced on the remains like a starving beast and began feeding. Watching this, Fang Xiu pieced together the pattern. He had deduced the female doctor¡¯s killing rule: she killed the closest person, one at a time. Otherwise, there was no reason for her to ignore him and Zhao Hao. Her method of killing¡ªdismemberment with a scalpel, followed by consumption¡ªlikely stemmed from her profession when she was alive. The scalpel, the surgical precision¡ªshe must have performed countless operations in the mental hospital. Doctors typically operated on one patient at a time. It was practically unheard of for a surgeon to wield two scalpels simultaneously, operating on two patients at once. That was probably why the female doctor only killed one person at a time and used a scalpel for dismemberment¡ªmeticulous, focused, and professional. As for the eating part? That was probably just her instinct as a monster. Now that he understood the pattern, Fang Xiu stepped forward and stood right beside the female doctor. The scene was gruesome, but he remained unfazed. He had to thank his wife for that¡ªhe¡¯d experienced similar scenes many times before. The only difference was that *he* had been the one being eaten. Suddenly, Fang Xiu clenched his fist and punched the female doctor with all his strength. Thud. A dull impact echoed. Fang Xiu retracted his fist, blood dripping from his knuckles. He frowned, examining his injured hand, then looked at the female doctor¡¯s completely unharmed face. She continued her "elegant" meal, utterly undisturbed by Fang Xiu¡¯s rudeness. His fist had felt like it had struck steel. That punch made him realize the vast gap between himself and the female doctor. So far, every supernatural entity he¡¯d encountered possessed lethality far beyond human resistance. Humans were as weak as ants in the face of the supernatural. Perhaps only by becoming a Spirit Wielder could he change that. Just then, a trembling voice came from behind him. "X-Xiu... Bro, let¡¯s run!" It was Zhao Hao. Despite his terror, Zhao Hao hadn¡¯t bolted like the others. Instead, he¡¯d tried to get Fang Xiu to come with him. But Fang Xiu didn¡¯t move. He remained calm. "This supernatural only eats one person at a time. That means while she¡¯s feeding, it¡¯s the safest moment." "B-But... she¡¯s almost done!" "Li Feifei had a great figure. She wasn¡¯t one of those skinny girls¡ªthough her legs looked slim, she had plenty of meat where it counted. So, based on her body mass, she should last at least three, maybe even four minutes. No rush." Fang Xiu delivered this horrifying analysis in a disturbingly matter-of-fact tone. Zhao Hao, already on the verge of a mental breakdown, vomited at the words "body mass." Bits of vegetables, instant noodles, wide noodles, and enoki mushrooms splattered on the floor¡ªclearly, he¡¯d had hot pot for dinner. "Prince Teng mentioned that to become a Spirit Wielder, you need to let supernatural power corrupt your mind. And the place with the strongest supernatural energy in this domain would naturally be right beside the monster. So, I plan to stay a little longer. If you¡¯re scared, you can go ahead." With that, Fang Xiu ignored Zhao Hao and reached out to touch the female doctor¡¯s two-meter-long, spider-like bent legs. He wasn¡¯t sure how to let supernatural power corrupt his mind, but physical contact probably sped things up. The texture was icy, like touching a corpse. 16.Silicone Zhao Hao, who had just finished vomiting, felt his entire worldview shatter. He had always considered himself pretty perverted¡ªconstantly watching adult films and "taking matters into his own hands" to satisfy his needs. But he never expected his seemingly upright buddy Fang Xiu to be even *more* extreme. *Hitting on a monster?!* However, after recalling Fang Xiu¡¯s earlier words, Zhao Hao quickly understood the purpose behind this. Maybe it was the sheer number of shocks he¡¯d endured, or perhaps Fang Xiu¡¯s calm demeanor gave him some courage. Or maybe every ordinary person secretly yearned for the extraordinary. Whatever the reason, Zhao Hao gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and actually walked toward the female doctor as well. Seeing him approach, Fang Xiu slid his hand back, making room for Zhao Hao. Zhao Hao stared at the pale, slender, inhumanly long legs before him, trembling as he reached out¡ªlike a man about to grab a venomous snake. "Damn it! Let¡¯s do this!" "*Hiss!* So cold!" Zhao Hao sucked in a sharp breath but didn¡¯t pull his hand away. The two of them groped for a while but didn¡¯t feel any changes. Then, Zhao Hao suddenly spoke up: "Never thought my first time touching a woman¡¯s thigh would be a monster¡¯s. But gotta say, these legs are *long*¡ªlonger than my lifespan, probably." Fang Xiu gave Zhao Hao a surprised look¡ªnot because of the bad joke, but because he sensed potential in him. Despite his initial terror, Zhao Hao adapted quickly. Now, he was even cracking jokes. Even if it was just to ease his own fear, not many people would dare to joke in a situation like this. "One minute down. Thirty more seconds, then we leave¡ªgotta save enough time to run," Fang Xiu said decisively. Zhao Hao nodded. Seconds ticked by, and the thirty seconds passed in a flash. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Go!" Without hesitation, Fang Xiu turned and bolted, Zhao Hao right behind him. Fang Xiu¡¯s confidence came from prior experience¡ªhe had "visited" Qing Shan Mental Hospital before. Though he hadn¡¯t explored every corner, he remembered the general layout and some key routes. So, he was sure he could use the terrain to put distance between them and the female doctor. But just as they reached the corner at the end of the hallway¡ª Something unexpected happened. Fang Xiu saw strands of black hair suddenly drift down in front of his eyes. He looked up¡ªand met the female doctor¡¯s pale, pupil-less gaze. *How?!* Fang Xiu¡¯s mind raced. Had he misjudged her killing pattern? There should¡¯ve been at least two more minutes before she moved. Why was she here already? He whipped his head around to check Li Feifei¡¯s corpse¡ªand his pupils shrank in shock. The body had been completely devoured, leaving only a pool of blood. And in that pool¡­ were several large chunks of *silicone*. *Silicone!* *Fake!* Fang Xiu¡¯s mind blanked. He never expected to make such a rookie mistake. Then again, he hadn¡¯t interacted much with women and naively assumed they were all natural. But in this world, fakes could be *very* convincing. *Swish!* A silver flash¡ª Fang Xiu¡¯s vision tilted as his head flew into the air before crashing back down. *May heaven have no silicone...* --- A cold, slimy sensation crawled up his hand. When Fang Xiu woke up, he realized¡ªhe hadn¡¯t returned to his wife¡¯s side. Instead, he was back to groping the female doctor¡¯s thigh. Beside him, Zhao Hao walked over and started touching it too. Fang Xiu quickly pulled out his phone to check the time. He had rewound to the exact moment they began feeling up the monster. A thought struck him: *Is death-rewind event-based?* Like levels in a game¡ªthe first stage was the area near his apartment. And the second stage was Qing Shan Mental Hospital. Because he¡¯d already "cleared" the first stage, the save point automatically moved to the second? No time to dwell on it. Last time, he died because of silicone. He wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake again. "Let¡¯s go." Zhao Hao blinked. "Bro, we just started! This is my first time¡ª" Before he could finish, Fang Xiu turned and left. Zhao Hao didn¡¯t dare stay alone and hurried after him. Only then did Fang Xiu¡¯s voice drift back, eerily calm: "Her front *and* back are silicone. Not enough ¡®meat¡¯ to last long." Zhao Hao froze, then gasped. "*Silicone?!* No wonder they were so big!" --- The two sprinted down the hallway, soon reaching the end where it turned right. Without hesitation, they took the corner. After a few steps, a staircase came into view. "Down," Fang Xiu ordered, and they charged down the steps. The stairwell grew darker, the shadows thickening like tangible particles floating in the air. They ran like mad¡ªone floor, two, three¡­ Soon, the sound of frantic footsteps echoed from below, followed by screams. "*The monster¡¯s coming!*" Fang Xiu recognized the voice¡ªone of his coworkers. He sped up, leaping down the stairs. When he got closer, he saw it was indeed Prince Teng¡¯s group. Prince Teng and the others also spotted Fang Xiu and relaxed slightly¡ªthey¡¯d thought the monster had caught up. "It¡¯s Fang Xiu and Zhao Hao! Scared me to death¡ªI thought it was *her*," one colleague panted. Zhao Hao frowned at them. "Why are you guys so slow?" "*Slow?!* We¡¯ve gone down at least *twenty* floors! How the hell did *you* catch up so fast?" "*Twenty?!*" Zhao Hao paled. "That¡¯s impossible! Bro and I only went down *three* flights before we ran into you!" "What?!" "Zhao Hao, don¡¯t screw with us right now!" As chaos erupted, Fang Xiu quietly observed, deep in thought. Then Prince Teng¡¯s face twisted in horror. "*Spatial loop!* It¡¯s a spatial loop! My cousin told me about this¡ªmonsters can warp reality, trap people in illusions. You keep moving but never escape. That¡¯s why Fang Xiu caught up so fast¡ª*we¡¯ve been running in circles!*" His words poured gasoline on the fire, sending the group into full-blown panic. "Anyone have spare items? Toss them on the ground as markers," Fang Xiu¡¯s calm voice cut through the noise. Prince Teng immediately understood. He pulled a *condom* from his pocket and dropped it. Others followed suit, throwing down cash, cigarettes, whatever they had. Once the markers were set, they started running again. Half a floor later, they turned a corner¡ª And saw their discarded items lying on the steps. "That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s my lighter!" "And my money!" "We¡¯re doomed¡­ It really *is* a spatial loop! What do we do?! When that thing catches up, we¡¯re dead!" 17.Supernatural loop phenomenon Prince Teng''s face darkened as he picked up the used condom he had just thrown away, realizing it wasn¡¯t an illusion¡ªit was indeed his usual spiked variant. His expression grew even more grim. "Enough arguing!" he roared. "My cousin once said ordinary people can¡¯t escape a ghost¡¯s maze. The only way out is to awaken spiritual insight. Check yourselves¡ªsee if anyone¡¯s about to ignite their spiritual power!" With that, he desperately focused his mind, praying for his own spiritual awakening. He didn¡¯t know if being hunted by the ghost earlier counted as a life-or-death experience, but at this point, prayer was his only option. Fang Xiu ignored the others¡¯ actions and began feeling his way along the right wall. He never relied on others to awaken spiritual insight and become Spirit Masters. Among this group, he was the most likely candidate. After all, he was the only one who had truly faced death and come into direct contact with the supernatural. If he hadn¡¯t awakened, then the others stood no chance. So instead of praying, he focused on searching for clues. He recalled the asylum¡¯s layout, certain the escape route lay to the right. Earlier, while navigating the stairwell, the exit had been on the right. Though he wasn¡¯t sure which building this was, the layout was likely the same. If the ghost¡¯s maze was an illusion, then closing his eyes and following the right wall down the stairs might lead him to a door. Fang Xiu shut his eyes, trailing his fingers along the wall as he descended. His strange behavior quickly drew attention. With everyone else standing frozen, his solitary movement stood out starkly. Prince Teng watched Fang Xiu¡¯s actions, deep in thought. By now, he¡¯d noticed Fang Xiu¡¯s unusual calmness¡ªno panic, not even when facing the ghost. He flashed back to earlier: when the female doctor appeared, he had been the first to react and flee. But what had Fang Xiu done? Fang Xiu hadn¡¯t run. Instead, he pressed himself against the wall to avoid being trampled. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Despite being closest to the ghost, he hadn¡¯t bolted. In the end, only Fang Xiu, Zhao Hao, and Li Feifei remained in that hallway. Now, Li Feifei was missing¡ªundoubtedly dead. But Fang Xiu and Zhao Hao had stayed in that corridor for at least a full minute. What had they been doing? Why hadn¡¯t the ghost killed them? Why hadn¡¯t they run? Two men alone with a female ghost for a whole minute¡ªhad they been harassing her? Prince Teng dismissed the absurd thought. Though he didn¡¯t know what they¡¯d done during that time, one thing was certain: The ghost only killed one person at a time¡ªmen every three minutes, women every two. During those intervals, it was completely safe, even if you stood right beside the ghost. Fang Xiu and Zhao Hao¡¯s survival proved that. By now, Fang Xiu had already descended the stairs, putting distance between himself and the group. Prince Teng, seeing Fang Xiu¡¯s actions, seemed to realize something and mimicked him, closing his eyes and feeling his way down the wall. The others watched, intrigued. --- Under Fang Xiu¡¯s fingertips, the wall had been rough and solid¡ªuntil the fifteenth step. Then, the texture changed. Smooth. Cold. Like metal. Fang Xiu¡¯s eyes snapped open. Before him was a bare stretch of wall, but without hesitation, he pressed both hands against it, searching for a doorknob. Prince Teng, copying his movements, soon noticed the same shift in texture and gasped. "It¡¯s a door!" With a click, Fang Xiu twisted the handle he¡¯d just found¡ªand the door swung open. A steel door materialized within the wall, revealing a dimly lit corridor beyond. Whoosh! Prince Teng lunged through first, wild with desperation. Fang Xiu said nothing, stepping inside calmly. The others, spotting the exit, stampeded after them. The group sprinted down the hallway, though Fang Xiu¡ªthe second to enter¡ªsoon fell to second-to-last place. Not because he was slow, but because there was no need. Against the female doctor, you didn¡¯t need to outrun her¡ªyou just had to outrun the slowest person. Plus, this position made it easier to grope her thigh a few more times during her "meals," hopefully hastening his spiritual awakening. Besides, being at the front wasn¡¯t always an advantage. Fang Xiu knew this asylum housed more than just the female doctor. Though most supernatural entities were locked in their rooms, some doors were already open. As they ran, Prince Teng¡ªleading the charge¡ªsuddenly skidded to a halt. The others stopped behind him. A fork in the path lay ahead: left and right, both corridors dark and endless, visibility barely a meter. No one could see what lay beyond. No one dared move. Choosing wrong could mean a dead end¡ªand being cornered by the female doctor. Then, the group turned their eyes to Fang Xiu, who had just caught up from the rear. Since he¡¯d found the way out of the ghost¡¯s maze earlier, they assumed he¡¯d know the right path now. Unfortunately, Fang Xiu didn¡¯t know either. He hadn¡¯t explored the entire asylum earlier¡ªhe¡¯d drifted through its walls like a ghost, aware of the general layout but not every detail. These two paths were unfamiliar. "Fang Xiu, which way?" Prince Teng demanded. Seeing their hopeful stares, Fang Xiu almost laughed. When fleeing, they¡¯d shoved him aside, yet now turned to him for answers. Weren¡¯t they just using him as a tool? But Fang Xiu didn¡¯t care¡ªhe was using them too. Against the female doctor, they were all helpless. The only way to buy time was with lives. Without a word, Fang Xiu strode toward the right path. Even if he didn¡¯t know the correct route, hesitation wasted time¡ªand every second here was paid for in blood. The others, seeing his choice, immediately followed. Then¡ª Click. Click. The sound of twisting joints echoed behind them. They turned. The spider-like female doctor hung upside-down from the ceiling, her pale eyes fixed on the group. Her white coat stood out starkly in the dim corridor. "Ahhh!" "Run!" "Get out of the way!" The group erupted into chaos, sprinting for their lives. But humans couldn¡¯t outrun the female doctor. Two legs were no match for four. In an instant, her ghostly figure appeared above them, long black hair dangling as it lashed toward the last person in line. 18.The Human Equation The last person in line was Manager Wu Dahai. Among the group, he was the oldest and the heaviest¡ªa middle-aged man with a protruding belly, his physical fitness naturally lacking. But whether intentionally or not, in his frantic escape, Wu Dahai suddenly grabbed the person in front of him and yanked them backward, using the momentum to propel himself forward. The person he pulled stumbled, nearly falling, and instantly became the new last in line. Swish! A flash of silver light. The person Wu Dahai had dragged back was decapitated before they could even scream. Fang Xiu watched this unfold, paused briefly to grope the ghost¡¯s thigh twice more, then continued running without worry. Young, strong, and physically fit, he was in his prime. He didn¡¯t know how to quickly ignite his spiritual insight, so he could only make these attempts¡ªwhether meaningful or not. The right corridor was long. The group ran for a full minute before reaching the end, where the space suddenly opened up. A cafeteria. The room was large, empty, filled with old tables and chairs. In the corner stood stoves and several large black cooking pots. Prince Teng¡¯s face lit up. "Cafeterias usually have exits leading outside!" The others, hearing this, grew excited. Ignoring the eerie surroundings, they scanned the room and immediately spotted a door on the far left. They rushed toward it. Fang Xiu, meanwhile, maintained his second-to-last position, running calmly while observing the environment. Beyond the door was another dim, narrow hallway¡ªthis one even darker, the ceiling lights flickering as if on the verge of dying. No one cared about the surroundings. They just wanted to escape. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Soon, they reached the end of the corridor. Prince Teng¡¯s face twisted in frustration. "Dead end!" The hallway led nowhere. This made no sense. In Prince Teng¡¯s understanding, crowded places like cafeterias always had emergency exits or passages to the outside. How could this be a dead end? Was the entire hospital sealed off, designed to trap people inside? "Look! There¡¯s a door here!" a colleague suddenly shouted. On the right side of the dead end was a narrow wooden door¡ªso small only one person could pass through at a time. Its paint was peeling, and it had a small glass window. Without hesitation, the group shoved the door open and rushed inside. Whatever lay beyond, it had to be better than the ghost outside. Fortunately, there was no ghost inside. The room was cramped, cluttered with brooms, mops, and broken furniture, leaving little space for the five of them to stand. "Damn it! It¡¯s a storage room! There¡¯s no way out!" Prince Teng cursed, his composure crumbling. The others looked equally despairing. A dead end. They were trapped¡ªcornered by the supernatural. Wrong choice? Fang Xiu thought calmly. Next time, he¡¯d take the left path. He wasn¡¯t panicked. For him, this was just trial and error. He considered rewinding time to try the left path instead. But turning back now was impossible. Two minutes had already passed. The female doctor would strike again in one. If they ran back now, they¡¯d be delivering themselves to her. They could sacrifice someone to buy time, but Fang Xiu doubted it would help. Only five people remained, including himself. No one knew how much farther they had to run¡ªor how many more lives would be needed to pave the way. Just as Fang Xiu prepared to step out and die to reset time, Prince Teng¡¯s furious voice cut through the air. "This is all your fault, Fang Xiu! If you hadn¡¯t picked the wrong path, we wouldn¡¯t be trapped here!" "If you didn¡¯t know which way to go, why didn¡¯t you discuss it with us?" Wu Dahai snapped. "You had to make the call yourself and choose wrong!" The remaining person (aside from Zhao Hao) didn¡¯t speak, but their eyes held clear blame. Fang Xiu¡¯s lips twitched, threatening to curl into a smile. These days, he rarely smiled¡ªunless he was facing the supernatural in a state of exhilaration. But for some reason, facing Prince Teng and the others now, he felt like laughing. Zhao Hao stepped forward, defending him fiercely. "No one forced you to follow! You asked for his help, and now you blame him for picking wrong? If you¡¯re so capable, why didn¡¯t you choose yourselves?" "We¡¯re not capable, but at least we wouldn¡¯t act so recklessly!" Wu Dahai shot back. "If he didn¡¯t know, he should¡¯ve discussed it with the group! We trusted him, and he betrayed that trust¡ªleading us to our deaths!" Wu Dahai, ever the manager, knew how to argue. Zhao Hao, less articulate, fell silent. "Enough!" Prince Teng barked. "Right now, our priority is surviving. "From what I¡¯ve seen, this ghost only attacks one person at a time. After each kill, there¡¯s a two-to-three-minute window of safety. So our only option is to pick someone to lure the ghost away while the rest of us escape." The atmosphere in the room turned icy. Anyone could see this wasn¡¯t about "luring"¡ªit was a death sentence. Trading one life for the others. Prince Teng observed their expressions, his mind already made up. His earlier accusations against Fang Xiu were deliberate. If everyone blamed Fang Xiu, who else would be chosen to die? He knew he had to act first. In moments of panic, people followed the crowd without thinking. If someone else had suggested Prince Teng¡ªthe spoiled rich kid¡ªshould die first, it might¡¯ve actually happened. As tension thickened, Prince Teng made his move. He suddenly shoved Fang Xiu, shouting, "Fang Xiu got us into this mess¡ªhe¡¯s the one who should pay! Help me hold him down!" The others hesitated. They didn¡¯t want to die, but actively sacrificing someone else was another matter. "Let him go!" Zhao Hao roared, lunging at Prince Teng. Prince Teng, startled, yelled, "Wu Dahai! Get over here and help!" When asking for help, it was always most effective to single someone out by name. Don¡¯t say, "Can someone help me?" Say, "Wu Dahai, help me now." A simple psychological trick¡ªone Prince Teng, despite his playboy lifestyle, had mastered through elite upbringing.