"Disinfectant" for rusty iron and blood scabs
The wind from the demolition zone was always cold, wrapped in the chill of broken bricks, and felt like piercing needles on my face. Lu Ye pulled the collar of his sweatshirt tighter and followed Qi Chen through the ground covered with broken glass. With every step, he could hear the creaking sound of friction, mixed with the roar of the demolition machines in the distance, echoing in the empty ruins, as if countless people were grinding their teeth behind the broken walls.
"Can this place really be turned into a secret room?" Lu Ye kicked aside a piece of wall stained with dark red at his feet, revealing a half-rusted IV stand underneath. A yellowed IV tube was wrapped around the metal hook, and there seemed to be dark liquid still inside the tube. "Don't let the tourists get scared by the ghosts before they get smashed into pieces by the collapsed floor."
Qi Chen stopped and looked back at him, the grayish-yellow skylight reflected in his eyes, like a thin layer of ice: "Doctor Zhang's obsession is tied here. Only in an environment he is familiar with can he be lured out." He raised his hand to brush off the dust on Lu Ye's shoulder. His fingertips were still icy, but a little warmer than usual. "If you're afraid, just stay outside and wait."
"Who's scared?" Lu Ye immediately retorted, stiffening his neck, but subconsciously moved closer to Qi Chen. He wasn't afraid of the floor collapsing, but rather of the "things" hidden within the hospital. Ever since being frightened by Granny Chen's residual consciousness in the tailor shop, he'd developed a physical fear of the word "abandoned building," especially hospitals. Just the smell of expired disinfectant mixed with mold in the air made the back of his neck stiffen.
When the two of them walked to the front of the main building of the hospital, the wind suddenly changed direction and blew out from the open door, bringing with it an even more pungent smell - like cotton soaked in iodine rotting in a damp corner, mixed with a faint fishy smell, which choked Lu Ye so much that he couldn't help coughing.
The walls of the main building were mottled like festering skin, with large flakes of the grayish-yellow coating peeling off, revealing the dark red brickwork beneath, like congealed blood. Most of the windows had shattered into a spiderweb, and the few remaining panes of glass reflected the skylight, blinding the eye. From a distance, they looked like cloudy eyes staring intently at the person at the door. Half of the signboard reading "Municipal Third People's Hospital" on the lintel had fallen off, leaving the remaining three characters crooked. The iron frame was black with rust, and the wind creaked, as if someone was hanging a heavy object on it and shaking it.
"Don't touch any metal instruments after you go in." Qi Chen pulled a flashlight from his backpack. When he flipped the switch, dense dust floated in the beam of light. "The yin energy here is heavier than the previous two places. Doctor Zhang's resentment has not dissipated yet, so he will be easily disturbed."
Lu Ye nodded, but his eyes were caught by a faint light at the end of the corridor - the light flickered, as if someone was using a mobile phone to illuminate inside, but it was dimmer than the light from a mobile phone, like a ghost fire that was about to go out.
"What is that?" He tugged at Qi Chen's sleeve, his voice low.
Qi Chen looked in the direction he pointed, frowning slightly: "It's not a human."
As soon as he finished speaking, the voice-activated lights on either side of the corridor suddenly flickered on. The pale light instantly illuminated the corridor as bright as day, and Lu Ye could see clearly that the floor was paved with broken white tiles, with dark green mold growing in the cracks, like festering sores. The wires dangling from the ceiling resembled tangled black vines, occasionally flashing with electric sparks, illuminating the tattered signs on the wall that read "Internal Medicine" and "Surgery." The "Internal" in "Internal Medicine" had been scraped off in half, leaving only the "Rou" character, which shone with an eerie meaning under the light.
The doors of most of the wards lining the corridor stood open, their beds tilted, their mattresses ripped open, revealing yellowed sponge stained with dark stains like dried blood. The "No Smoking" signs on the walls had faded, but in the corners, a few lines of dark red handwriting appeared, as if written with fingernails dipped in blood: "Give me back my life," "It hurts," "Save me." The handwriting was crooked, some strokes dragging out, as if the writer was trembling.
"Is this... a special effect?" Lu Ye swallowed. A dark red liquid suddenly seeped out from the cracks in the tiles at his feet, slowly flowing over the tips of his shoes. It was as cold as ice. He jumped back a step and realized that the liquid was flowing from the depths of the corridor. It formed a thin stream on the ground and meandered along the cracks in the tiles, as if drawing some kind of symbol.
Qi Chen said nothing, simply holding up his flashlight, sweeping the beam across the ground. Lu Ye suddenly noticed a series of wet footprints beside the dark red stream. The footprints were small, as if left by a woman wearing high heels, but each had a tiny dot at the tip, as if something sharp had been stuck in the heel.
"Has anyone been here?" Lu Ye squatted down, and just as his fingertips were about to touch the footprints, he was grabbed by Qi Chen.
"Don't touch it." Qi Chen's voice was deeper than usual. "These are Li Juan's footprints. She was wearing high heels when she died, and a surgical needle was stuck in the heel. Every step she took would leave these dotted marks."
Lu Ye's fingertips froze in mid-air. The coolness they'd felt on the ground suddenly turned to a burning sensation, as if they'd touched scalding blood. He stood up abruptly, a layer of cold sweat already breaking out on his back. Li Juan was the patient Dr. Zhang had misdiagnosed and killed.
The two continued walking inside. As they passed a half-open ward, they heard a "tick-tick-tick" sound, as if the faucet was not closed tightly. Lu Ye couldn't help but look in. He saw that the faucet in the ward's washbasin was indeed dripping, but when the water dripped into the rusty basin, it splashed dark red, like dripping blood.
The sheets of the hospital bed were bulging, as if wrapped in something, and covered with a thick layer of dust. However, near the head of the bed, a piece of dust had been rubbed off, revealing a dark stain underneath - shaped like a hand with five fingers spread out, as if someone had grabbed the sheets hard.
"Don't look." Qi Chen grabbed his wrist with more force than usual, and his knuckles turned white.
Lu Ye had already noticed it—the edge of the sheet moved slightly, as if something was breathing inside, bulging into a small arc before slowly deflated. His throat tightened, and just as he was about to speak, he heard a very soft sigh from the ward. It sounded like a woman's voice, whispering into his ear, "It's so cold..."
"Fuck!" Lu Ye suddenly stepped back, crashing into Qi Chen's arms. Qi Chen held his waist steadily with one hand, and with his other hand, he pulled out the silver soul-calming bell from his pocket and shook it gently. With a crisp "ding," the ticking sound in the ward suddenly stopped, and the coldness that had been pressing against his ears instantly disappeared.
"It's just some residual resentment," Qi Chen's voice was close to his ear, with a faint scent of sandalwood, "She won't hurt anyone."
Lu Ye's heart was beating so fast that it seemed like it was about to explode, but he still said stubbornly: "Who... who is scared? I just think this place is too dirty and I want to stay away from it." He broke away from Qi Chen's hand and walked forward quickly, but he didn't notice that the door of the ward just now was quietly closed when he turned around, and a trace of dark red liquid, like blood, seeped out from the gap in the door.
At the end of the corridor was the nurses' station. The glass case behind the counter was shattered, and the medicine bottles inside were scattered all over the floor. Some had shattered, leaking colorful liquids that formed strange patterns on the ground. On the counter lay piles of medical records, the covers stained with brown stains, and some pages had been blown away by the wind, revealing the scribbled handwriting: "Li Juan, female, 27 years old, abdominal pain for three days..."
"This is the direction to Dr. Zhang's office." Qi Chen walked to the counter and picked up a medical record. "Zhang Qiming" was written on the cover in neat handwriting, completely different from the scribbled writing on the previous page. He flipped to the first page. Inside was a yellowed photo. The man in the photo wore a white coat, a gentle smile, and a badge on his chest that read "Municipal Third People's Hospital."
Lu Ye leaned over to take a look, and suddenly felt that the man in the photo looked familiar—as if he had seen him somewhere before, but couldn't place where. Just as he was about to reach for the photo, he heard a series of footsteps behind him. They were light, but distinct in the empty hallway, like someone walking in high heels.
The footsteps were getting closer and closer, as if they were right behind them. Lu Ye turned around abruptly and swept the flashlight across, but there was nothing - the corridor was empty, with only the "woosh" sound of the wind blowing through the wires, like someone crying.
"Don't look back." Qi Chen's voice suddenly became very deep. He stuffed the medical records into Lu Ye's arms, "Take this and follow me closely."
Just as Lu Ye was about to ask why, he felt something wrapped around his ankle—a cool, tingling sensation, like someone's hair. He looked down and saw a dark red stream suddenly surge up from the ground, wrapping around his ankle like a snake made of blood, slowly climbing upwards.
"Qi Chen!" He shouted and tried to lift his feet but couldn't move. The thing was getting tighter and tighter, as if it was going to drill into his skin.
Qi Chen turned around immediately, shaking the soul-calming bell in his hand faster. The crisp sound of "ding ding ding" echoed in the corridor. The stream of blood wrapped around Lu Ye's ankle instantly receded, re-forming into a thin stream, flowing along the cracks between the floor tiles into the depths of the corridor, leaving behind a trail of wet footprints, as if leading the way.
"It's leading us to Dr. Zhang's office." Qi Chen took Lu Ye's hand. His palm was still cold, but he held it tightly. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Lu Ye's heartbeat slowly calmed down. As he followed Qi Chen forward, he realized his palms were sweaty. He secretly glanced at Qi Chen's profile. Under the light, Qi Chen's jawline was very tense, but there was a hint of worry in his eyes. This cold and secluded person was actually not that unkind.
Dr. Zhang's office was at the end of the corridor, the door ajar. It was pitch black inside, like a bottomless black hole. Qi Chen gestured for Lu Ye to stand behind him while he gently pushed the door open. A strong, almost suffocating smell of disinfectant washed over him, mingled with a faint, rotting odor, as if something was rotting inside.
The office was simply furnished—a chipped wooden table, a swivel chair, and a filing cabinet. A few medical records lay scattered on the table, and on the floor lay a spilled glass of water, its dried water leaving a brown circle. A rope dangled from the ceiling, its end broken, its knot stained with brown stains, like dried blood.
"This is where he hanged himself." Qi Chen's voice was very soft, and the beam of the flashlight swept across the knot. "After he died, the cleaning lady came in and found it. She cut the rope, but his hair was still tangled in it."
Lu Ye's eyes were drawn to a medical record on the table. "Li Juan" was written on the cover in scribbled handwriting, as if it had been written in haste. There was a distinct bloody handprint on the cover, with five fingers spread out, as if someone had pressed down hard on it. A few strands of gray hair were tangled between the fingers.
"Is this the patient's medical record?" he asked softly, involuntarily taking a step forward.
Qi Chen nodded and was about to speak when he heard the swivel chair suddenly creak and slowly turn around - there was no one on the chair, but there was a shallow mark left on the seat, as if someone had just sat there.
Lu Ye's breathing stopped instantly. He grabbed Qi Chen's arm tightly, his nails almost digging into his skin: "The chair... the chair is moving!"
Qi Chen said nothing, simply raising the Soul-Calming Bell and gently shaking it. With a crisp "ding" sound, the temperature in the office suddenly dropped. The pages of the medical records on the desk were blown up by the wind, making a rustling sound, as if someone was flipping through them.
"Doctor Zhang." Qi Chen's voice was deep, yet it carried a soothing force. "We are not here to hurt you. We are here to help you resolve your obsession."
As soon as he finished speaking, the medical record on the table was suddenly pushed to the ground by an invisible force. A page of paper floated up and slowly landed at Lu Ye's feet. He looked down and saw a few lines of scribbled handwriting on the paper, as if written with a pen dipped in blood: "I didn't mean to do that... Her illness was too similar to acute gastroenteritis... I later found a treatment plan..."
There was a small cross at the end of the handwriting, as if in confession.
Just as Lu Ye was about to bend down to pick up the paper, he heard a very light sigh from behind him. It sounded like a man's voice, full of fatigue: "No one believes me... No one believes..."
He spun around abruptly, blazing the flashlight across the room. A blurry figure slowly formed in the corner of the office. The figure, thin and wearing a white lab coat, had her head bowed so low that her face was indistinct. In her hand was a medical record, the one on the desk with "Li Juan" written on it.
"Doctor Zhang?" Qi Chen took a step forward, holding the Soul-Calming Bell in his hand. "We've found Li Juan's family, and they're willing to listen to your explanation."
The shadow's body trembled noticeably, and he slowly raised his head. When the beam of light illuminated his face, Lu Ye gasped—it was a distorted face, with bulging eyes, a lolling tongue, a deep strangled mark on his neck, and his skin a bluish-purple color, as if he had just been pulled out of the water. The corners of his mouth moved slightly, as if he were saying something, but no sound came out. Only two lines of dark red liquid flowed from the corners of his eyes, as if he were crying blood.
"I... I found a treatment plan..." Shadow's voice was very soft, as if coming from far away. "It's... on the third layer of the filing cabinet..."
Qi Chen immediately walked over to the filing cabinet and opened the third drawer. Inside was a thick stack of folders. The top one was labeled "Rare Disease Treatment Plan," and the cover was stained with brown. Just as he was about to take the folder out, he heard the office door suddenly slam shut. The light outside the window instantly vanished, plunging the entire office into darkness.
"Qi Chen!" Lu Ye shouted and reached out to touch Qi Chen's direction, but felt an ice-cold hand - the hand had no temperature, and there was something sticky between the fingers, like blood.
"Don't touch him." Qi Chen's voice came from the darkness, followed by a "ding ding" ring. The temperature in the office slowly rose and the flashlight beam lit up again.
Lu Ye abruptly retracted his hand. The "hand" he had just touched was gone, leaving only the medical record page on the ground gently shaking. Doctor Zhang's shadow also disappeared, leaving only the "Li Juan" medical record on the table. The bloody handprint on the cover became clearer, as if it had been pressed freshly.
"He's gone for now." Qi Chen walked over to Lu Ye and handed him a bottle of water. "Isn't that scary?"
"Who... who got scared?" Lu Ye took the water, his hands shaking violently. He twisted the bottle cap several times but couldn't get it open. "I just feel like this place is too stuffy, I want some fresh air."
Qi Chen didn't expose him. He just helped him unscrew the bottle cap and handed Lu Ye the folder he had just taken out of the filing cabinet. "This is the treatment plan that Doctor Zhang mentioned. It contains his new diagnosis of Li Juan's condition and subsequent treatment recommendations."
Lu Ye took the folder and flipped to the first page. Inside was a photo—the same one he'd just seen in the medical record. Doctor Zhang was wearing a white coat, smiling gently. Written on the back of the photo were words: "Li Juan, I'm sorry. I will find a way to save you." The handwriting was neat, completely different from the sloppy writing just now, as if it had been written in a calm moment.
"He actually blames himself, right?" Lu Ye said softly, and his heart suddenly felt a little sad - this doctor did not deliberately misdiagnose, he just made a mistake that all doctors might make, but he paid for it with his life.
Qi Chen nodded and put the folder away. "His obsession wasn't because he was afraid of being blamed. He wanted Li Juan's family to know the truth. He wanted them to know that he later found a treatment plan and didn't give up."
Just as they were about to leave the office, they heard footsteps in the corridor, louder than before, as if someone was approaching quickly. Then, a woman's sobbing, soft but clear, seemed to be saying, "My child...someone come save my child..."
"It's Li Juan." Qi Chen's expression changed. "Her obsession hasn't dissipated. She's looking for her child."
Lu Ye's heartbeat quickened instantly. He remembered Qi Chen saying that when Li Juan died, her child was only three months old. This mother was worried about her child until her death.
"We have to find Li Juan's family quickly," Lu Ye held the folder in his arms, "We can't let them both be trapped here."
Qi Chen nodded, took Lu Ye's hand, and hurried out of the office. As they reached the door, they saw the voice-activated lights in the corridor suddenly go out, leaving only the beams of flashlights flickering in the darkness. The clattering footsteps grew closer, closer, and closer, seemingly right at the door.
"Don't open the door." Qi Chen pushed Lu Ye behind him and shook the soul-calming bell in his hand faster. The crisp "ding ding ding" sound echoed in the corridor, as if it was fighting against something.
The footsteps outside the door stopped. After a few seconds, a woman's voice came, crying: "I just want to see my child... Let me in..."
Lu Ye's heart softened, and just as he was about to speak, Qi Chen held his shoulders. "She's entangled in resentment now and can't tell good from bad," Qi Chen said in a deep voice. "If we open the door now, we'll be entangled by her resentment."
At that moment, the flashlight's beam suddenly flickered, and the temperature in the office dropped instantly. The medical records on the desk were rustled by the wind, making a rustling sound like someone crying. Lu Ye suddenly felt something tugging at the corner of his clothes; it felt cool, like a woman's hand.
"Qi Chen..." His voice trembled and he held Qi Chen's hand tightly.
Qi Chen turned around immediately, shaking the soul-calming bell even more rapidly. With a crisp ding, the force pulling at the corner of his clothes suddenly disappeared. The flashlight's beam also stabilized, and the temperature in the office slowly rose.
"She's gone." Qi Chen breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Lu Ye towards the door. "We have to leave here quickly and come back to find Li Juan's family tomorrow."
The two pushed open the door. The voice-activated lights in the corridor had returned to normal, illuminating the entire hallway with a pale glow. The footsteps and crying had faded, leaving only the dark red stream on the ground, still flowing along the cracks between the tiles into the depths of the corridor, as if guiding them.
When Lu Ye followed Qi Chen out of the hospital gate, he realized it was already dark outside. Most of the streetlights in the demolition area were broken, with only one light in the distance. The dim light cast on the ground, as if coating the road with a layer of gold.
"Let's go to the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow to check Li Juan's family information," Lu Ye said softly, "Her child should have grown up by now and must miss her very much."
Qi Chen nodded and reached out to touch his hair. His fingertips were still cold, but with warmth: "Okay."
Lu Ye's heartbeat quickened instantly. He stole a glance at Qi Chen's profile and noticed that his ears were a little red. He couldn't help but smile, revealing two small canine teeth that looked particularly dazzling under the dim light.
"Qi Chen," he stopped and looked into Qi Chen's eyes, "Are you a little worried about me?"
Qi Chen's body paused, and he turned his head away from him, his voice a little unnatural: "Don't think too much, I'm just worried that you will be entangled by the resentment and affect my ability to resolve the obsession."
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