The three of them walked up the dilapidated stairs.
The stairs were made of cement, and they were cracked in many places. They creaked when you stepped on them, and the sound of your footsteps echoed in the empty building, carrying far and wide, which was particularly eerie.
Zhang Shaozhong was practically dragged up to the third floor by Ling Qingxue with his eyes closed.
Based on the extremely blurry diagram online, they finally found their way to the operating room.
The corridor was long and dark. At the end, a half-open iron door, so rusted that its original color was almost unrecognizable, had some dark red marks on its panel. It was unclear whether these were rust or something more terrifying.
The inside of the door was as black as ink, and the most intense, chilling aura emanated from there.
"This is the place."
Ling Qingxue stopped and looked sharply into the doorway, whispering, "There's something inside, and it's filled with resentment."
Ye Meier also dropped her previous playful smile, licked her red lips, and a hint of interest flashed in her eyes: "Hmm... this taste... finally it's somewhat interesting. It's not one of those trashy wandering spirits, it's a 'bound spirit' that's been around for a while, full of resentment, it's definitely the real deal."
Zhang Shaozhong hid behind the two men and mustered his courage to shine his flashlight into the doorway.
Inside was an abandoned operating room. It was quite spacious, with a rusty operating table lying to one side and various instruments, whose names I didn't know, scattered all over the floor, covered in a thick layer of dust.
In the innermost corner of the room, where the edge of the flashlight beam shone, there seemed to be a blurry shadow, deeper than the surrounding darkness, slowly and unsettlingly writhing.
"So...it's the one that stole 'Brother Daredevil's' soul?"
Zhang Shaozhong asked tremblingly, feeling as if his teeth were chattering.
"It's most likely them who did it."
Ye Meier cracked her knuckles, making a soft popping sound, and a look of eager anticipation appeared on her face.
"Watch how I find it and have a good 'talk' with it!"
Just as she was about to step forward, Ling Qingxue stopped her again:
"Wait. This spirit harbors deep resentment and has lost its reason. Forcibly seizing it may cause its resentment to erupt, not only scattering its soul but also harming innocents. Even the remnant soul of that streamer will not be preserved."
If the root cause of their resentment can be identified and addressed, a peaceful resolution may be possible, achieving twice the result with half the effort.
"Resolve it? That's too much trouble!"
Ye Meier looked unconvinced.
"It's pointless to reason with this kind of vengeful spirit! Just beat it into submission, disperse its resentment, and it'll naturally behave! Simple and brutal methods are the most effective!"
Seeing that the two bigwigs, one advocating a "soft approach" and the other insisting on "forceful suppression," were about to start arguing again, Zhang Shaozhong quickly stepped in to smooth things over:
"Quiet down! You two ladies! We're here to save people. Let's keep the peace and make money together! Fairy, what do you think we should do to resolve this?"
Ling Qingxue turned her gaze to Zhang Shaozhong and pondered for a moment:
"You should know where your resentment comes from. You bear a contract with us, and your spiritual senses are several times more acute than those of ordinary people."
You can try to focus your mind, communicate with it, and feel its emotional fragments; perhaps you can glimpse the root of its obsession.
"Me?! Me, go and communicate?!"
Zhang Shaozhong pointed to his own nose, his face instantly turning as white as paper.
"How am I supposed to communicate? Should I say, 'Hi, hello, let's chat'? Will it even understand?"
"Use your mind, not your words."
Ling Qingxue patiently explained,
"Eliminate distracting thoughts, especially fear, and extend your mind toward it. The covenant will help you."
Zhang Shaozhong was almost in tears, but looking at Ling Qingxue's unquestionable cold gaze and then glancing at Ye Meier's "if you don't go, I will" look of amusement, he knew he was destined to get involved in this mess.
With a long face, he stared at the writhing black shadow, trying to widen his eyes and "concentrate."
At first, apart from my heart pounding in my chest and my mind filled with "Amitabha, God bless me," I felt nothing at all.
But gradually, perhaps because he was driven to the brink, or perhaps because the contract was working, he felt the mark on his chest begin to heat up slightly.
Immediately afterwards, fragments of cold, desperate emotions mixed with immense pain and anger pierced his mind intermittently like needles!
Blurry images flashed uncontrollably: blinding operating lights... the sounds of men and women arguing fiercely... cold metal instruments reflecting a chilling light... glaring blood... Finally, there was a distorted face of a woman in an old-fashioned nurse's uniform, filled with despair and resentment!
"Ugh..."
Zhang Shaozhong groaned, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his face as pale as paper.
"I...I think I saw something...a nurse...a woman...she seems...wrongfully killed? Because of...medical malpractice? Or...murder?"
The moment he finished speaking, the dark shadow that had been slowly wriggling suddenly became violently agitated!
The temperature in the entire operating room suddenly dropped below freezing. The discarded instruments scattered on the floor seemed to be moved by an invisible hand, clanging and clattering violently!
A shrill, distorted woman's voice, filled with endless resentment, seemed to explode directly in the minds of the three:
"They all deserve to die...you lied to me...you harmed me...stay...all of you stay and keep me company..."
A powerful surge of resentment came crashing down like a tangible tidal wave!
Zhang Shaozhong was the first to be hit. He felt as if his head had been struck by a heavy hammer. His vision went black, he felt dizzy, and he almost fell to the ground!
In the blink of an eye, just as Zhang Shaozhong was on the verge of collapse due to the mental impact of the vengeful spirit...
Ling Qingxue whispered, "Be careful!" With a flick of her sleeve, a cool and gentle aura instantly enveloped Zhang Shaozhong, as if putting an invisible protective shield around him, blocking out most of his piercing resentment.
Zhang Shaozhong finally caught his breath, but his heart was still pounding and his back was covered in cold sweat.
On Ye Meier's side, however, the situation was quite different.
Instead of backing down, her eyes lit up as if she'd spotted an interesting toy: "Oh ho! You dare to act tough with me? You're asking for it!"
She quickly formed a strange yet sinister hand seal. Although the seal appeared weak because her power had not yet recovered, the domineering aura of a supreme demon was undeniable.
As soon as this aura appeared, the vengeful spirit seemed to have encountered its natural enemy, letting out an even sharper and more piercing howl. The churning black shadow twisted and contorted, clearly having suffered a considerable loss.
"Don't force it!"
Ling Qingxue spoke up again to stop her, while simultaneously forcing out a wisp of spiritual energy from her fingertips to quickly draw a simple soul-soothing talisman in the air.
The runes emitted a faint, clear glow, attempting to pierce through the heavy resentment and soothe the rampaging soul.
"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, the past is gone. Obsession only brings suffering to oneself, so why take another's life..."
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