Chapter 68 Death of Hu Die
Going to the dean's office at this time was actually a very risky move. But sometimes, without taking some risks, it would be difficult to obtain key clues.
Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu climbed the winding stairs and soon reached the floor where the dean's office was located.
It is now almost twelve o'clock, and the sanatorium is in darkness. Only the only room on the roof is emitting a little light, attracting people's attention.
The sound of the nurse jumping from the upstairs continued, and the occasional sound of heavy objects falling to the ground made people feel inexplicably panicked.
Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu did not go directly to the dean's office, but found a secluded place to observe the situation first.
The lock on the door to the dean's office had been broken, so anyone could enter. Looking out the window, Lin Qiushi vaguely saw a figure wandering inside the dean's office.
"Is it a human?" Lin Qiushi whispered to Ruan Nanzhu.
"It should be." Ruan Nanzhu replied.
If it weren't a person, there wouldn't be a shadow.
If this person is human, then what is he doing in the dean's office so late at night? Lin Qiushi was thinking this when he saw the door of the dean's office opened.
Someone he hadn't expected to see walked out. It was Hu Die, whom he had met during the day. Her expression was cold, and her skin looked even paler under the white light. She was holding a bag, and there seemed to be something inside...
Before Lin Qiushi could react, Ruan Nanzhu, who was standing behind him, suddenly stepped forward and called out Hu Die's name: "Hu Die."
Hu Die paused. Lin Qiushi clearly saw a look of fear on her face when she heard someone calling her name.
"What did you bring out?" Ruan Nanzhu asked softly.
Hu Die glanced at them, turned around and ran away. Fortunately, Ruan Nanzhu was prepared. He took a few steps forward and stopped Hu Die who was about to run away, and grabbed her arm.
Lin Qiushi quickly followed and heard Ruan Nanzhu sneer at Hu Die, "Why are you running?"
Hu Die said nothing. She looked at Ruan Nanzhu with a look of fear and resentment in her eyes. She said, "Why do you care what I do? What I do has nothing to do with you—"
Ruan Nanzhu ignored her and reached out to snatch her bag.
Hu Die held the bag tightly and refused to let go, but she was a girl after all and her strength was no match for a man, so the bag in her arms fell into Ruan Nanzhu's hands.
After Ruan Nanzhu opened the backpack and saw the things inside, he frowned and looked very unhappy.
Lin Qiushi also leaned over—only to see the backpack containing the skeleton of a baby wrapped in cloth, clearly fresh from the dean's office. He looked at Hu Die, only to find her trembling all over.
"Let me go back—" Hu Die said, "If you let me go, she will come back soon. If she sees that the child is missing, we will all die!!"
Ruan Nanzhu looked at Hu Die and said in a cold tone, "She? You mean the nurse? So why did you steal her child?"
Hu Die said, "I don't want to steal it. I just think it's very important! Maybe the key is inside... so I just want to take it back and have a look." This was her explanation.
It was obvious that Hu Die really wanted to gain their trust, but this excuse was so full of loopholes that even Lin Qiushi found it hard to believe it.
"This thing can only be taken out at night..." Hu Die became more and more anxious, as if she was afraid of something. "If you touch it during the day, it will cry!"
Ruan Nanzhu raised his eyebrows: "Okay, let's go back first."
Hu Die was pardoned.
But Ruan Nanzhu had no intention of letting her go, but still held Hu Die in his hand, while Lin Qiushi held the backpack beside him.
The three of them began to walk slowly downstairs.
However, when he was about to reach the stairs, Lin Qiushi heard a sound that made the hairs on his back stand up - it was the sound of high heels tapping on the ground. The nurse who had jumped from the building actually came back at this moment!
Because the situation was so urgent, Lin Qiushi didn't care about revealing his identity and whispered to Ruan Nanzhu, "She's back!"
Hearing the voice that only belonged to a man, Hu Die was stunned. She was obviously very surprised and even opened her mouth involuntarily: "You, you are a man?"
Ruan Nanzhu ignored her and asked Lin Qiushi, "Where did it come from?"
Lin Qiushi carefully distinguished the voice: "From the fourth floor." He raised his eyes and pointed to another staircase that also led to the roof. "It seems to be over there!"
"Let's go back this way." Ruan Nanzhu said.
Hu Die's expression was distraught, as if the fact that Lin Qiushi was a man had deeply affected her. Lin Qiushi found it baffling. After all, he and Hu Die weren't close. Even if she knew he was a man, why did Hu Die look so lost? Whether he was a man or a woman probably didn't matter much.
As soon as they ran down the sixth floor, they heard a woman's shrill wail coming from the dean's office. The cry was so sharp and piercing that it made people feel cold all over.
Lin Qiushi inexplicably felt that the infant corpse in his hand was becoming difficult to handle.
But at this moment, Hu Die cast her gaze on Lin Qiushi. She whispered, "Let me take the skeleton. It's very dangerous."
Ruan Nanzhu squinted his eyes at her when he heard that, but he took the bag from Lin Qiushi himself: "No need, I'll take it."
Hu Die's face was pale and she wanted to say something, but Ruan Nanzhu ignored her and walked faster.
Coming down from the sixth floor, they didn't dare to stop for a moment on the way and ran all the way to the fourth floor. However, when they came down the stairs and saw the scene at the end of the corridor, they held their breath.
The nurse was standing at the end of the corridor. Most of her bones were broken, and her body was standing in a very twisted posture. She was holding a bloody knife in her hand, and her terrifying face showed a weird smile to them.
The three of them planned to turn around and run upstairs.
However, the nurse was extremely fast and moved in front of them in an instant.
Before Lin Qiushi could react, he saw the nurse raise a long, sharp knife towards them. His nostrils were filled with a fishy odor, but at that moment, it smelled more like the smell of death.
The blade fell, and the nurse actually attacked Butterfly first.
Ruan Nanzhu's expression was strange, as if he was waiting for something. Lin Qiushi grabbed his sleeve, signaling him to leave quickly, but he grabbed his wrist instead.
Ruan Nanzhu raised his finger and made a gesture of silence.
Lin Qiushi was slightly stunned and looked at the attacked butterfly.
Butterfly was stabbed in the abdomen, but her expression was very subtle. She didn't seem to be that afraid of the impending death, but instead cast her eyes on Lin Qiushi and the others.
It was a look filled with malice, like the audience under the stage, waiting for a good show.
With one blow after another, the nurse chopped Hu Die into pieces.
Hu Die's body fell stiffly to the ground, she closed her eyes, and died just like that.
The nurse raised her head and looked at Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu standing in the corner, the blade in her hand still dripping with blood.
Ruan Nanzhu took out the only two remaining Russian dolls from his pocket, took out the innermost doll, and threw it in front of the nurse: "We found him."
The nurse paused.
Ruan Nanzhu said: "He is right behind you."
The nurse didn't move, she seemed to be thinking about what Ruan Nanzhu said.
Ruan Nanzhu said, "We can help you get rid of him one last time. He deserved to die." He handed the bag containing the baby's bones to the nurse.
After he said this, the nurse actually took the things from Ruan Nanzhu's hand, slowly turned around, and really planned to leave.
Lin Qiushi was so surprised at this scene that he was speechless. However, he saw Ruan Nanzhu let out a long sigh and said with a wry smile, "Thank goodness it worked."
Lin Qiushi: "You can actually communicate with her?" This was what surprised him the most.
Ruan Nanzhu shook his head and didn't say much. He didn't seem to want to talk about this matter anymore and skipped the topic directly.
Hu Die's body was right in front of them, chopped into pieces by the nurse, almost unrecognizable as a human.
Lin Qiushi asked, "Shall we go back?"
Ruan Nanzhu said: "No, just stay here."
"What are you doing here?" Lin Qiushi was a little confused.
Ruan Nanzhu pointed at Hu Die's body and said, "Of course, wait until he comes out." He smiled and said, "Didn't I promise the nurse?"
Lin Qiushi was stunned.
The two stood there, waiting. Time ticked by, and around three in the morning, the corpse before them began to undergo strange changes. Lin Qiushi heard a wriggling sound. He looked towards Hu Die's body, only to find that her body was actually twisting, and her eyes, which had been closed, were opening again.
Lin Qiushi wanted to take two steps back, but Ruan Nanzhu grabbed him by the waist and said, "Don't be afraid."
Lin Qiushi truly seemed to no longer be afraid. In fact, as long as Ruan Nanzhu was by his side, Lin Qiushi felt a sense of stability and security, as if no matter what he did, he was under control and nothing unexpected would happen.
Of course, Lin Qiushi also knew that this feeling was wrong. He couldn't rely too much on Ruan Nanzhu. After all, the two of them would eventually separate.
For some reason, thinking of this, Lin Qiushi felt inexplicably lost.
But this small emotion was quickly dispelled as the scene before her became increasingly horrifying. Hu Die had actually risen from the ground. The wounds that should have been fatal had no effect on her. She was alive again, but her body was shattered and seemed to collapse after taking two steps. Her newly opened eyes were now filled with greed as they stared at Ruan Nanzhu.
"Help..." Hu Die began to speak. Her speech was slow at first, but she soon returned to a normal pace. She said to Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu, "Help... Come quickly, save me, I'm not dead yet..."
Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu both stood there motionless. Lin Qiushi had a scrutinizing look on his face, while Ruan Nanzhu had no expression on his face.
Hu Die gradually regained consciousness. She remembered something, her expression twisted, and she murmured in a vicious tone: "Why, why didn't you die!"
Ruan Nanzhu said: "Do you think we will die like Xue Zhiyun and the others?"
Hu Die didn't say anything.
"What a pity," Ruan Nanzhu said, "She let us go because we could help her get rid of you." He laughed, "As long as she doesn't let you find a new body, isn't that right, Jiang Yingrui?"
Hu Die's breathing suddenly became rapid. She said, "I don't know what you are talking about—"
"It's okay." Ruan Nanzhu looked at the person in front of him, his tone tinged with pity. "Guess why she attacked you first?"
Hu Die was stunned.
"How stupid." Ruan Nanzhu laughed. "Of course it's because I put the house number 502 in your pocket."
Hu Die was trembling with anger. She reached out and pulled out the house number 502 from her pocket. This must have been what Ruan Nanzhu had slipped into her pocket when he grabbed her. Hu Die had originally thought she would wake up this morning to see two chopped-up bodies, but she hadn't expected Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi to appear before her intact—that bitch had actually let them go!
Hu Die's eyes were filled with resentment. She slammed the house number onto the ground, her entire body trembling with anger. Lin Qiushi, who had witnessed the entire process, had no doubt that if Hu Die had a weapon in hand, she would have attacked them without hesitation.
Hu Die held onto the wall and turned to leave.
Ruan Nanzhu asked, "Where are you going?"
"Where I go is none of your business—" Hu Die said coldly.
"Of course it's my business." Ruan Nanzhu walked behind Hu Die and kicked her to the ground again. He didn't hold back at all. After Hu Die fell to the ground, he stepped on her back. "Do you think I will let you go and find a new body?"
Hu Die's expression showed a moment of panic. She said: "What nonsense are you talking about..."
Ruan Nanzhu said nothing, but waved at Lin Qiushi: "What time is it?"
Lin Qiushi glanced at his phone: "Three forty."
Dawn is about to come, and before dawn is the darkest hour.
There was no light where they were, and they could only rely on the dim moonlight to barely see the scene in front of them.
Hu Die, who was stepped on by Ruan Nanzhu, suddenly began to struggle hard. She screamed and tried to get up from the ground.
Ruan Nanzhu was not polite at all and kicked Hu Die again, almost making her faint.
Lin Qiushi had already understood what Ruan Nanzhu meant from his words. Hu Die was no longer Hu Die, or rather, she used to be Hu Die but she is not now.
The three continued to stalemate
At six o'clock, the sky began to show morning light.
People came out of their residences one after another and went to the cafeteria to have breakfast, but the butterfly lying on the ground seemed to have given up struggling.
Ruan Nanzhu kept staring at her without relaxing his gaze for a moment.
His nervousness was obviously very useful, because just as the sun rose, the butterfly that seemed to be dying suddenly jumped up and pounced towards Lin Qiushi who was standing in the corner.
Lin Qiushi was caught off guard by the attack, but luckily Ruan Nanzhu was prepared. He grabbed Hu Die's hand and threw her body against the wall behind him.
With a bang, Hu Die's body hit the wall heavily, making a loud noise. Hu Die seemed to understand that she had no chance and burst into tears like a child.
Under normal circumstances, Lin Qiushi might have felt some sympathy for the girl in front of him, but after knowing Hu Die's identity, his heart was calm.
If it weren't for Ruan Nanzhu's cleverness, they might have been tricked by Hu Die. Going soft on the enemy wasn't a wise move. Lin Qiushi remained silent, watching silently. At first glance, his expression bore a resemblance to Ruan Nanzhu's.
"Please let me go, I don't want to die——" Hu Die cried, "I didn't do anything, I don't want to die——"
Ruan Nanzhu had a strange expression on his face, as if he couldn't understand Hu Die's words: "You didn't do anything? Are you sure?"
Butterfly fell silent.
Ruan Nanzhu: "Don't you know what you've done?"
Hu Die slowly turned her head and looked at Ruan Nanzhu. She said, "I don't know anything."
After saying this, Hu Die's body began to undergo a strange transformation. Her belly slowly swelled up, like a pregnant woman several months pregnant. Hu Die moaned and struggled, looking a bit like a giant cocoon.
Then, there was the sound of flesh tearing. Lin Qiushi clearly saw something tear open Hu Die's abdomen and crawl out. At first, Lin Qiushi thought it might be a child, but when the thing completely crawled out, he was surprised to see a face that was unfamiliar, yet not unfamiliar.
He had seen this face in the dean's office before. It had beautiful blond hair and a handsome face - it was the dean he had seen in the dean's office.
Ruan Nanzhu's guess was confirmed at this moment.
The director was indeed not in the sanatorium. He existed in other people's bodies, using other people's skins as a medium to avoid the nurses who tried to kill him every night.
But what puzzled Lin Qiushi was whether the person whose body he entered was someone inside the door or someone outside. Did Jiang Yingrui and Hu Die really exist?
Because of Ruan Nanzhu's destruction, the dean lost the opportunity to find a new body. He seemed very weak and lay on the ground for a long time without getting up.
Ruan Nanzhu did not go over, but just watched this absurd and weird scene from a distance.
Lin Qiushi asked, "What else do we need to do?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "I don't think it's necessary." He said, "Just wait until night." Without the protection of other skins, it would be easy for the nurse to kill him.
According to the previous background information, the baby bones this person wanted to steal were probably the child aborted by the nurse. And the blond man in front of him must be the child's father.
The blond man cursed them, and this curse had a hint of self-abandonment. Lin Qiushi pretended not to hear it.
Ruan Nanzhu said, "Let's go. Feng Yongle has been waiting for us all night."
Lin Qiushi nodded.
They ignored the blond man behind them and turned away.
Lin Qiushi followed behind Ruan Nanzhu, walking a little slowly. He asked, "Are Hu Die and Jiang Yingrui from inside or outside the sect?"
Ruan Nanzhu said, "It should be outside the door."
Lin Qiushi: “…” It was actually someone outside the door.
Ruan Nanzhu said, "There are only two Russian dolls left. He should have only been able to change bodies once, but he was unlucky enough to run into us." He said coldly, "Then don't change at all."
This thing first existed in Jiang Yingrui's body, and later changed to Hu Die's body. Lin Qiushi was a little confused: "But why did Jiang Yingrui help him hide it?"
"So what if I don't hide it?" Ruan Nanzhu said, "If I tell it, whether others believe it or not is another matter. Besides, even if they do believe it, it won't do Jiang Yingrui any good. Instead, they'll be wary of him."
Lin Qiushi: “…”
"And that dean," Ruan Nanzhu said, "he's hiding in the body of someone outside the door. The nurse must follow the rules when killing him and can't just do it casually." And the dean obviously wanted the others to die as soon as possible, because the sooner the others died, the greater the possibility that the last person left would be Jiang Yingrui.
But man proposes, God disposes, and Jiang Yingrui was ultimately unable to defeat Ruan Nanzhu. Of course, if it had been someone else, the outcome might not have been the same.
The two of them walked to the door of the room, pushed it open and saw Feng Yongle anxiously pacing around the room. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the two of them come back. He said, "You're finally back! I was so scared. I thought something happened to you two."
Ruan Nanzhu nodded: "It's okay."
"How is it, have you found the tunnel?" Feng Yongle asked.
"Found it, the key should appear tonight." Ruan Nanzhu said.
"Wow, you guys found the key?" Feng Yongle was very excited and now he was pacing around the room happily. "Great, can we get out soon?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "If nothing unexpected happens."
Without the protection of his body, the director is now easy prey for the nurses. If they want to take action, they just have to wait until dark.
The blank photo frame in the dean's office can finally be filled.
Lin Qiushi suddenly remembered something and typed, "Oh, I suddenly remembered why Hu Die stole the baby's body at night? Could there be some use for that body?"
Ruan Nanzhu thought for a moment, shook his head and said nothing.
However, there is also this possibility, they cannot verify it and can only guess.
Feng Yongle had no idea what was going on and was completely bewildered. "What do you mean Hu Die stole the baby's body? What on earth happened to you last night?"
He started asking questions again. After Feng Yongle said these words, Ruan Nanzhu glanced at him but didn't answer a word.
Feng Yongle felt a little aggrieved when Ruan Nanzhu looked at him: "I'm just a normal person..."
Ruan Nanzhu: "I'm not normal?"
Feng Yongle: "Of course you're not normal. You're talking in riddles. Can't you speak in a more plain and understandable way?"
Ruan Nanzhu: “No.”
Feng Yongle: "..." Why did you refuse so calmly?
Lin Qiushi happily pretended to be mute.
In the end, Feng Yongle still didn't know what happened yesterday and had to give up looking for the truth.
The three of them took advantage of the daylight to check the tunnel they had seen the previous night and confirmed that it led outside. However, the tunnel was densely packed with black body bags, which looked quite creepy from the outside. It was the kind of place that no one would want to enter if it weren't an exit.
After reading it, Feng Yongle rubbed his arms and chanted "Amitabha".
Ruan Nanzhu frowned and said, "What's the use of Amitabha Buddha in the Western World?"
Feng Yongle: "Then should I chant Hallelujah?"
Ruan Nanzhu: “…”
Lin Qiushi: "..." He thought to himself that it would be more reliable for you to chant "Long Live Ruan Nanzhu". After all, this great god is right next to you and can be summoned at any time, and he is quite useful.
Ruan Nanzhu glanced at Lin Qiushi, and it seemed as if he could see what Lin Qiushi was thinking.
Lin Qiushi gave an awkward smile and quickly pretended nothing had happened. He now suspected that Ruan Nanzhu had the ability to read minds, otherwise why could Ruan Nanzhu guess what he was thinking every time.
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