Chapter 146: Morgue

Bai Qiang also asked the head nurse about Luo Wensheng. The head nurse took a long time to give her assessment, stating that Luo Wensheng was just a normal doctor—neither exceptionally outstanding nor particularly bad. He was completely average, honestly clocking in and out of work, and rarely interacted with the other doctors.

The head nurse mentioned that she and Luo Wensheng were old colleagues who had both worked in the old inpatient department. However, after the fire, Doctor Luo became reticent and withdrawn.

Bai Qiang even asked the head nurse for a recent photo of Luo Wensheng. The head nurse had one on her phone, which Bai Qiang took a picture of to show Yin Zhen. The current Luo Wensheng indeed looked quite different from a decade ago; he was much more emaciated and much gloomier.

In the end, the people decided to go down to the first basement level were Wei Yang, Bai Qiang, Yin Zhen, the girl who volunteered earlier, Ding Yun, the bald man, Old Guo, and two other male family members—the bespectacled man and the college student, Li.

Before they set off, Yin Zhen replicated the Shadow Instant Teleportation ability for Bai Qiang again and gave her a single-use Universal Key. The blood-stained bandages and the pack of tissues Bai Qiang had used up previously were also restored. Combined with her previous experience of being killed, these items were enough to help her fend off danger once or twice.

Yin Zhen ran to the security duty room and grabbed two police batons, handing one to Bai Qiang. She also hid a utility knife in her pocket. With the Strength of her Inheritance, along with her ability to see ghosts, she only needed to be careful to avoid them.

The group followed behind Wei Yang, descending the stairs of the waste transport channel that led down to the first basement level.

The mixed stench of disinfectant and rot in the air grew increasingly heavy. The beams of their flashlights danced across the narrow, damp walls, making everyone’s hair stand on end.

Finally reaching the bottom, they pushed open the heavy iron door. The cafeteria they had expected was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a bone-chilling cold and a decaying scent mixed with formalin rushed at their faces. Before them lay a straight corridor lined on both sides with dark green iron doors, each hanging a metal sign.

A morgue!

“This… this isn’t right!” The bald Old Guo backed away in terror. “The head nurse clearly said it was a cafeteria. Where is the cafeteria?”

He abruptly turned around and bolted.

“Halt!” Wei Yang shouted sharply.

A cold gust of wind, carrying the stench of rot, swirled out of thin air. Old Guo seemed to crash into an invisible, damp, and freezing wall. He bounced back and crashed heavily onto the ground.

He looked up in sheer horror, scrambling backward on his hands and knees. He didn’t let out another terrified scream; instead, he burst into uncontrollable sobs, repeating over and over again, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

He had seen the ghost Wei Yang was controlling. No one else could see it, but Yin Zhen could.

Pale gray mist gathered in the air, forming the silhouette of a woman. She was taller than a normal person, with long, slender limbs. Her arms hung limply by her sides, and a deep wound on her left wrist bled continuously.

Her entire color palette resembled an old photograph that had been washed too many times—faded gray and white with blurred edges. Wet, long hair clung to the sides of her face and back, revealing emaciated cheeks and pale skin through the gaps in the strands.

Even though the woman wore a faint smile on her lips, she exuded an aura of profound sorrow.

“Useless trash!” Wei Yang frowned in disgust. Ignoring the terrified, soul-shattered Old Guo, she turned to look at Bai Qiang. “Zhang, the cafeteria has turned into a morgue. How are we supposed to find the eye of the array?”

Bai Qiang suddenly snapped back to reality. Just moments ago, she had inexplicably recalled some sorrowful memories from her past.

She swept her flashlight carefully across the chilling corridor and the tightly shut morgue doors on either side. Although she appeared to be inspecting and pondering the situation, she was actually consulting her “cheat code,” Yin Zhen, on what to make up next.

Upon receiving a reply, Bai Qiang said in a deep voice, “Although the situation has changed, the core location of the feng shui array’s eye remains the same. Theoretically, it should be here. As for which specific room it’s in… let’s see if there are any clues inside these morgue rooms first.”

Wei Yang nodded, walking to the nearest morgue door, pulling it open, and stepping inside.

The interior of the morgue was spacious. The walls and ceiling were similarly covered in mildew spots and water stains. The most conspicuous sight was the rows of metal mortuary cabinets lined up against the wall, densely packed and stretching deep into the darkness. The cabinet doors were tightly shut, bearing nothing but simple numbers without any other identifying information.

“Everyone, look around and see if there’s anything unusual,” Wei Yang ordered. The others filed into the morgue, raising their flashlights to inspect the surroundings.

“It doesn’t seem like… there’s anything special?” Li’s voice trembled with uncertainty.

The bespectacled man pushed up his glasses. “These mortuary cabinets appear to be empty.”

“Let’s check the next room.” Wei Yang also seemed to feel there was nothing of value here and prepared to leave.

Just as everyone relaxed slightly and followed Wei Yang toward the exit, preparing to step out of the morgue doors—

CLICK!

The crisp sound of a metal latch springing open exploded in the dead silence of the room. Everyone’s scalps went numb as they whipped their heads around, their flashlight beams instantly converging on the source of the noise.

To their horror, the door of a mortuary cabinet near the entrance had sprung open entirely on its own.

“Ah—”

It was Old Guo screaming again. But before his shriek could fade, he vanished into thin air.

The door of the mortuary cabinet slammed shut. From inside came the BANG BANG BANG of someone violently pounding against the metal, accompanied by Old Guo’s terrified, desperate roars.

“Save him!” The bespectacled man and Li reacted quickly. Though pale with fright, they charged forward together, grabbed the freezing handles of the mortuary cabinet, and pulled outward with all their might.

Veins bulged on both of their necks, but the metal drawer didn’t budge an inch, as if it had been welded shut.

The pounding from inside grew weaker and weaker. Old Guo’s cries for help morphed into intermittent, tearful whimpers.

“Get out of the way!” Wei Yang forcefully pushed the exhausted bespectacled man and Li aside. She grabbed the cabinet door and yanked it outward. The door, which two grown men hadn’t been able to budge with all their strength, pulled open with ease.

Flashlight beams immediately illuminated the interior. Old Guo lay curled up in the cramped space, his eyes bulging and his mouth wide open. His skin was bruised purple and covered in a thin layer of white frost. His entire body had grown rigid; he was completely devoid of life.

A bone-deep chill swept through everyone present.

Wei Yang narrowed her eyes. Just a moment ago, she thought she had seen a small child flash by inside the mortuary cabinet.

CLICK! CLICK!

Two more cabinet doors sprang open on their own…