Chapter 322: The Red and White Dress

"Can't tell them apart?" I frowned. The woman on the other end of the line sounded perfectly calm, not at all like she had lost her mind. Still, her claim about a bunch of kids standing by her bed sounded bizarre no matter how I parsed it. "Pardon me for asking, but are you a kindergarten teacher or a daycare worker?"

"I'm a nurse," the woman answered crisply.

"Why would a nurse have a group of kids standing by her bed? Where are you right now? A pediatric clinic?" I was treating her like an ordinary client. I didn't judge her just because she had called through the Underworld Live Show. If the task couldn't be completed, the stream would go on forever, so I kept my attitude polite.

"I'm on the night shift tonight. It's so strange. Aside from these children, there isn't a single person in the entire building." The woman suddenly paused. "Shh, did you hear that? It sounds like someone is calling my name outside the door. My son is back!"

She didn't hang up. I could hear her walking, but what made my hair stand on end was that the footsteps coming through the phone didn't belong to just one person. There was a dense, rustling patter, as if a whole crowd of things were trailing right behind her.

The moment the door opened, the call disconnected.

"Completely baffling."

As the call ended, a text message arrived in the phone's inbox: "Suspicion is a mirror that leaves the ugliness of this world nowhere to hide."

"Stream Task: Arrive at the Qicun Maternity and Children's Health Center before midnight (Note: Broadcasting while accompanied by any living creature is strictly prohibited)."

"Optional Task 1: Find the missing children. Reward: 5 points."

"Optional Task 2: Find the true murderer. Reward: 5 points."

"Optional Task 3: For every person saved, earn an additional reward of 1 point."

"Note: The Underworld Live Show Phone's special SOS call feature has been activated. When you encounter an inescapable dead end, you may dial this mysterious number. The party on the other end might help you escape, or they might drag you into deeper despair. The first call is free and lasts for three minutes. Each subsequent call will cost 10 points."

Reading the texts on the Underworld Live Show Phone, I was a little surprised. The location for this stream was actually the Qicun Maternity and Children's Health Center. I had passed by there during the Route 14 Spirit Bus stream, when a few kids had thrown a bamboo basket containing an infant onto the spirit bus.

"Better to play it safe. Official broadcasts are different from assessment streams. They should be far more dangerous and uncontrollable." I used my computer to look up information on the Qicun Maternity and Children's Health Center, but I only found a handful of details on their official homepage.

"As the spring breeze brings warmth, in response to medical reform, the Qicun Maternity and Children's Health Center's VIP obstetrics ward and the Neonatal Disease Screening Center have been newly constructed. The hospital adheres to the working principles of maternal and child health, centering on the core tasks of the 'One Law Two Guidelines'..."

Beneath a mountain of official jargon, there were a few comments that hadn't been deleted yet: "Corrupt hospital! Give my child's life back! The staff at the Jiangcheng Qicun Maternity and Children's Health Center are colluding with each other! They violate the most basic ethics of medical personnel, using the banner of a public hospital to extort money and ruin people's health!"

"This is the hospital that stole my child!"

"Got an abortion here and it nearly killed me! It's a sin, an absolute sin!"

"I heard the director went missing—serves him right! Even God couldn't stand it anymore. It's better if he's dead!"

...

The comments on the official homepage were completely one-sided, entirely filled with negative news.

I checked a few other sources and found that the hospital didn't have any massive issues—though, of course, that was only in comparison to Xinhu High School and the Bridge No. 3 Crematorium.

"During the spirit bus stream, I saw several wild kids head deep into the hospital with my own eyes. It was around 1:00 AM. They definitely didn't run into the hospital to play games. This place is absolutely not as simple as it looks."

I originally thought that after eight broadcasts, I had already covered most of Jiangcheng, and that the ninth stream might take me to Xinhu or some other city. I didn't expect the location to still be in Jiangcheng.

"Just how many secrets are still hidden in this city?" The first eight streams had all been connected to the Two-Faced Buddha. I had no idea what kind of monsters and demons the upcoming broadcasts would drag into the light.

After finishing my research, I smoked two cigarettes in my room to clear my head before gathering my things. "The task strictly forbids streaming while accompanied by living creatures, so it looks like I'll have to leave Bai Qi behind to watch the house."

Not knowing what dangers I might face during an official broadcast, I stuffed every usable talisman into my pockets, keeping them close. "This set of Two Dragons Emerging from Water Talismans is still a bit damp. I don't know what material they were drawn on, but they don't rot in water. If anything, the characters on them seem even more vivid."

I double-checked my streaming equipment and pinned the Brooch to my chest, angling the camera to face straight ahead.

Preparations complete, I dragged the Black Leather Suitcase out and left the small shop. "It's just past 8:00 PM, so I have plenty of time. I might as well head over early to scout the place out and get a feel for what to expect."

I hopped into a taxi and shut the door, but as soon as I said I was going to the Qicun Maternity and Children's Health Center, the driver shook his head firmly and refused to take me.

"Hey buddy, I'm already in the car. What do you mean you won't take me?"

"Get out. I just started my shift, and my first fare can't be to a place like that. It's bad luck." The driver was indeed superstitious; he had jade pendants of deities and Peace Talismans hanging inside the car.

"What's so unlucky about it? You don't have to get too close. Just drop me off nearby."

"You'd better find another cab. For us taxi drivers, picking up a pregnant woman is a joyful fare. But if we stumble across a dead infant, the whole car is cursed. Something bad is bound to happen." The driver sighed. "Please, just find another car."

I was politely kicked out of the taxi. After that, I flagged down several more empty cabs, but the moment they heard I was heading to the Qicun Maternity and Children's Health Center, they waved their hands and tactfully declined.

"Is this place really that cursed?"

Eventually, I changed my strategy and asked to go to the stop right before the health center. Only then did a driver agree to take me. After I got in, the driver kindly offered some advice: "That area is completely deserted. You definitely shouldn't walk any further ahead on your own."

The driver was quite young, looking to be about my age. I lit a cigarette and probed for information. "What's there to be afraid of? It's only eight or nine o'clock. Don't tell me there are muggers out there?"

"If you run into muggers, that's actually the better scenario. You just hand over your cash and save your life. What you really have to worry about is running into the things that want your life instead of your money," the young driver said as he steered the car.

"Things that want your life instead of your money?" I put on a skeptical face. "Don't try to scare me. I'm a curious guy, and I like getting to the bottom of things. Hell, I might just keep walking after I get out of the cab to go take a look."

"You absolutely shouldn't!" the young driver immediately panicked. "If you keep walking straight after getting out, you'll hit the Qicun Maternity and Children's Health Center. There've been a ton of rumors about that place lately—stuff about the director going missing and getting murdered, or nurses stealing babies."

"How come I haven't heard about this? If any of that were true, wouldn't the police be all over it?" I narrowed my eyes, paying close attention to the driver's every word.

"The police have been totally tied up handling the case of that wanted fugitive, Gao Jian. They'll probably free up soon, but take a brother's advice—absolutely do not go there." The driver looked as though he had recalled a terrifying memory. "I don't care if you laugh at me; I'll tell you something that really happened. These past few days, whenever it gets late, a crazy woman in red and white clothes has been flagging down cabs, asking to go to the Qicun Maternity and Children's Health Center. I heard people talking about it at first but didn't take it seriously. That is, until last night. I took a fare out to Miyun Mansion, and on the way back, I actually ran into a woman wearing a red and white dress!"

"She said she wanted to go to the Qicun Maternity and Children's Health Center. Before she got in, she spoke really calmly and politely. She didn't look like a crazy person. I was young and bold, so I ignored my friends' warnings and let her in."

"But once I started driving, I realized something was off. This woman sat right in the middle of the back seat, between the two regular spots. She kept her legs squeezed tightly together, almost like something was sitting on her lap."

"And she really was crazy. The whole way there, she kept talking to empty air, turning her head left and right like she was surrounded by a whole crowd of people."

"When we got to the Qicun Maternity and Children's Health Center, she paid the fare and left. The car door shut, and guess what I saw?"

"Just say it. Don't keep me in suspense."

The young driver offered a bitter smile. "The back seat where you're sitting right now... it was completely covered in children's footprints."

Hearing the driver say that, I subconsciously touched the seat next to me. "Do you remember any defining features about that woman, or anything different from a normal person?"

"Nothing really stood out. I just remember that the woman was wearing a red and white dress."