Chapter 2172 - 1182: Innocent_2

The ghost might be hiding behind the door, ready to grab her and kill her, slicing off her skin as soon as she gets close.

The thought of Ma Jing and the others’ corpses made Zhang Xiaomin incredibly frightened.

The current situation was unfavorable for Zhang Xiaomin. She knew the ghost was inside this office, but she didn’t know its exact whereabouts.

What’s scarier than the ghost appearing is when the ghost disappears, leaving you aware it’s right beside you.

The more Zhang Xiaomin thought about it, the more anxious she became, speculating that the ghost likely knew her hiding place. Now... now it might already be beside her, squatting by the desk, watching her.

This thought spiraled out of control, making Zhang Xiaomin several times contemplate making a desperate dash for it, but she forcefully held herself back each time.

It’s now a game of chess, a game between herself and the ghost, to see who would lose their nerve first.

The ghost wouldn’t remain here indefinitely. If she could endure this period, she might have a chance to survive.

Suddenly, a crisp sound startled Zhang Xiaomin, resembling a water cup inadvertently knocked to the ground.

It was an enamel cup, not far from her, probably near the window.

Zhang Xiaomin felt a shiver. Now the cup had fallen exactly where she previously stared at the ghost through the window. The ghost truly found its way there.

This scene shocked Zhang Xiaomin greatly, confirming that the ghost hadn’t left and was actively searching for her.

Yet, strangely, the ghost concealed the sound of its footsteps.

The cup falling was only the beginning; soon, various chaotic sounds emerged. Clearly, this ghost started speeding up its actions.

The office isn’t that large; it wouldn’t take long before the ghost searched Chief Zhou’s desk, finding her.

The moment of life and death is upon her; the familiar choice surfaces again—should she run or stay and endure?

This was an extremely difficult decision. After all, she only had one chance; a wrong choice meant death.

Suddenly, a bizarre image flashed through her mind like she suddenly thought of something, and she immediately leaned down, looking again towards the door.

This time, her furrowed brows gradually relaxed; she found the answer she was seeking and identified a flaw in the ghost.

The door was open, she saw it, but the situation itself was unreasonable.

Currently, all the lights in the room were turned off entirely, curtains tightly shut, leaving the room in utter darkness, making it so pitch black that saying it’s a black out wasn’t an exaggeration. How could she clearly see that the door was open?

There was only one answer: it was fake; it was a blinding technique laid out by the ghost!

Outside the door was certain death; if she ran out, she would inevitably die.

Understanding this, Zhang Xiaomin immediately guessed the ghost’s intention. It was creating chaos and various movements inside the room to impose pressure on her, making her collapse emotionally, give up hiding, and dash out of the door.

Only this way could it kill her. Conversely, staying inside the room, remaining quiet and still, was the only path to survival!

Having figured all this out, Zhang Xiaomin resolved, determined not to leave.

After thrashing about for a while, it seemed the ghost’s patience wore thin, charging right to Zhang Xiaomin’s hiding place at the desk, then "bang," the sturdy desk seemed hit harshly with a heavy hammer.

"Bang"

"Bang"

"Bang"

Zhang Xiaomin didn’t expect the ghost to jump onto the desk, continuously jumping up and falling down, repeating the process.

Poor Zhang Xiaomin, hiding under the desk, despite being determined not to come out, still fearing deeply.

Who knows if this desk could withstand the ghost’s assault, who could guarantee her choice was correct?

She curled her body with all her might, covering her mouth, too afraid to cry out loud; this was the darkest moment of her life.

Under tremendous mental pressure and endless fear, the string inside her snapped entirely. Her mind went blank, body weakened, and she passed out unconsciously.

After an unknown time, Zhang Xiaomin seemed to perceive some light, consciousness gradually reviving, finally opening her eyes slowly.

She felt herself relocated to a warm, soft place, seemingly lying on a bed, figures moving before her, more than one, yet temporarily unable to see clearly.

"Awake!"

"Zhang Xiaomin, she’s awake!"

A familiar, excited woman’s voice sounded nearby.

After a moment, Zhang Xiaomin could finally see the scene ahead clearly; she saw Ye Zheng, Liu Hongwei, and others gathered around her, watching her intently with delight and relief.

She was lying on a hospital bed with white sheets, the air filled with a pungent disinfectant smell, indicating she was in a health center, a drip attached to her right hand.

A wooden, vintage wall clock hung on the opposite wall, its pendulum still swinging left and right. Combined with the sunshine outside, it was clearly around 9 a.m.

"You all..." Zhang Xiaomin tried to speak though her throat was extremely dry, altering her voice slightly.

After a full half-minute, Zhang Xiaomin finally accepted the fact she survived, unable to hold back tears of sorrow.

Ye Zheng promptly instructed Liu Hongwei to bring her a cup of water, stabilizing Zhang Xiaomin’s emotions after a few sips.

At this moment, upon receiving news of Zhang Xiaomin’s awakening, Yang Xiao and Chief Zhou also came rushing from outside the hospital room. The group encircled her, inquiring about the happenings of last night.