Chapter 1 Main Building

The enormous parking lot was followed by two buildings standing side-by-side. The one on the left was a seven-story main building, with a large sign reading "Hua Ren Hospital" on the roof.

The building on the right was slightly smaller, only four stories high.

As Jiang Cheng got closer, he realized that the imposing appearance was just an illusion. Decay and desolation were the dominant themes here.

The concrete surface of the parking lot was like the cracked skin of an old man, filled with fissures and wrinkles.

Only the main building on the left was still open. The building on the right had its doors tightly shut, and some of the lower-level windows had egg-sized holes broken into them.

They looked like pairs of malicious eyes, watching the approaching living.

There were very few cars parked in the vast parking lot.

Instead of following the main road into the main building, the group chose to cut through the parking lot to save time.

As they passed the parking lot gatehouse, Fatty craned his neck to peer inside. The barrier gate was raised high, and the guard booth was empty.

On the desk, besides a white register, there was a large glass with tea in it, and half a pack of cigarettes lying nearby.

As the group stepped onto the main building's steps, the glass door five meters away was pushed open, and the two groups bumped into each other.

"It's you?" Hua Luo, who was in the lead, was taken aback.

Behind him were Jiao Tailang, carrying a backpack, and Wan Yuanning, who didn't talk much.

Jiang Cheng glanced at Jiao Tailang's backpack, knowing that the large knife was likely inside.

Hua Luo was already taller than Jiang Cheng, and standing on the steps made the latter feel uncomfortable, especially when they made eye contact. Jiang Cheng felt that the other man was looking down on him.

Chu Jiu couldn't help but ask, "Why are you here too?"

"We found a clue and followed it here," Jiao Tailang said after looking at them. "Looks like you did too."

"Let's talk as we walk," Jiang Cheng suggested.

The group entered the hospital. There didn't seem to be many patients, or perhaps they had come at the wrong time. The large hospital lobby had only a few patients and their families.

After hearing Jiang Cheng's story, the eyes of everyone from Building 2 lit up. "Yu Youwei?" Jiao Tailang's reaction was the strongest.

She looked at Xu Yi, raising her voice as she asked, "The ghost in your room is Yu Youwei?"

Xu Yi looked at them and nodded. Clearly, this group from Building 2 had also investigated the female model named Yu Youwei.

Jiao Tailang seemed about to continue, but paused, then looked at Wan Yuanning, since the item had been found by her.

"We found a physical examination form in the apartment's mailbox," Wan Yuanning said, taking a folded piece of paper from her pocket, but she didn't immediately hand it to Jiang Cheng and the others.

"The mailbox corresponds to room 404." Wan Yuanning held up the form and said, "It was addressed to Song Xiaoyou, but it's a physical examination form for a woman named Yu Youwei, and the examination location is here." She turned her head to look behind her, indicating, "Hua Ren Hospital."

Chu Jiu's expression gradually changed. Yu Youwei's physical examination form from Building 1 was sent to Song Xiaoyou in Building 2.

It seemed that these two not only knew each other, but their relationship was likely quite unusual.

"Wait," Hua Luo interrupted, as if suddenly remembering something. "Are you sure the ghost in your room is named Yu Youwei?"

Recalling the woman in room 717, Jiang Cheng said, "I think so."

"Then that's not right." Hua Luo looked at Xu Yi, a puzzled expression on his face. "Didn't you say the ghost in your room had long legs and was thin?"

"That's right," Xu Yi nodded. According to the woman, Yu Youwei was a model, tall and slender, with a figure and appearance that were the envy of many.

What's wrong with that?

"But the physical examination report says Yu Youwei is fat, very fat," Hua Luo suddenly said.

Hearing Hua Luo's description, Jiang Cheng's eyes flickered. He took the form from Wan Yuanning and glanced at it before spotting the weight entry.

"120 kilograms (240 *jin*)," Fatty exclaimed.

That was almost his own weight. It was hard to reconcile that with the woman's description of a tall and slender figure.

"Could it be... that the female ghost deceived you?" Jiao Tailang asked tentatively. He had doubts about how the two of them had emerged from the haunted house unscathed.

Even more outrageous, the ghost could be bribed with money.

This couldn't help but make him think of conspiracy theories. Either the ghost had deceived them, or... his eyes swept over Jiang Cheng and Chu Jiu, the meaning of his gaze clear.

Hua Luo and Wan Yuanning reacted similarly, the latter's eyes reflecting a faint blue light in the shadows, as if she were wearing colored contact lenses.

This time, not only Jiang Cheng, but also Chu Jiu, who had entered the room with him, shook her head. "I don't think so either," she said, raising her head to analyze. "If I were that ghost, I definitely wouldn't lie about such obvious physical characteristics."

Indeed, it was too obvious and too low-level. Anyone who paid attention would easily see through it.

"What did the doctor say?" Xu Yi asked in a low voice.

Compared to before, Xu Yi's overall demeanor was much weaker. Although they knew she was injured, she shouldn't be like this.

Wan Yuanning sized her up, seemingly unintentionally.

In just a few hours, this woman, who had once had a sharp look in her eyes, seemed to have aged several years. Even her once-straight back was now somewhat hunched.

Jiao Tailang and the others had limited clues, so Jiang Cheng and the others decided to ask the doctor themselves to get a clear answer.

They had thought that after so much time, the doctor would have forgotten, but the plump nurse, adjusting her glasses, looked at them and said, "You mean that woman? I remember her."

The plump nurse seemed to have some concerns. She looked around, then lowered her voice and said, "But isn't she dead?"

"She is dead," Jiang Cheng said, sitting opposite her with an air of authority, staring at her as he said, "But we suspect there's something suspicious about her death."

"We are from the Paranormal Investigation Team." Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "You should know what that means."

The plump nurse's throat bobbed. Perhaps some of the NPCs in the instance were forcibly brain-dead, because she actually believed his outrageous words.

Of course, Jiang Cheng's acting skills also played a part.

The plump nurse thought for a moment, then turned around to close the door. After returning and steadying herself for a few seconds, she immediately said, "To be honest, I've always found that woman's death strange. She almost scared us to death during her last physical examination."

The woman recalled, "When she came, she was being supported by several people. Her face was terrible, her back was hunched, and she looked like she couldn't even stand straight."

"She was also quite thin, looking at most 50 kilograms (100 *jin*), but guess what?" The plump nurse changed her tone. "When she stood on the scale, she weighed 120 kilograms (240 *jin*)!"

"We initially thought the scale was broken, but we changed several, and they all read 120 kilograms (240 *jin*)!" The plump nurse licked her lips. "We were all dumbfounded at the time, but who would have thought that the woman, who hadn't said a word, suddenly burst into tears, the kind that tore at your heart!"

"She knelt on the ground, crying and begging, 'Please, please let me go. I know I was wrong, don't... don't ride on my neck!'"