Corpse raising

Chapter 5

But that won't work. The sounds that should be heard can still be heard. The evidence is Xu Yao's body, shrouded in a blanket, trembling more and more violently as the footsteps approach.

Cheng Rui held his breath, hesitated for a moment, and walked towards the door.

"What are you doing?!" Xu Yao's shrill scream came from behind her after hearing her own footsteps.

After a pause, Cheng Rui adjusted his glasses. "I...I'll go take a look."

"There's no peephole here, what do you think?"

"...Look from...look from below." Cheng Rui swallowed hard as he looked at the louvered design under the door.

Xu Yao trembled even more violently, and Cheng Rui could hear the steel hospital bed starting to shake.

Cheng Rui slowly approached the door... one step... two steps...

Standing in front of the door, Cheng Rui's nervousness reached its peak. The hospital corridors were always lit; from now on, all he had to do was bend down and he would see…

Cheng Rui turned around and realized that Xu Yao had also emerged from under the covers at some point. Looking at him, Xu Yao's face was deathly pale. Without even looking in a mirror, Cheng Rui knew that his complexion was not much better than Xu Yao's.

Xu Yao nodded to himself, gesturing for him to look. Cheng Rui hesitated for a moment, then slowly bent down...

Outside the wooden blinds was a deserted corridor; there was nothing outside the door.

Cheng Rui laughed, as if he had escaped death and discovered that everything was just a farce, a self-deprecating and liberating laugh.

"Fool...there's nothing there..."

Cheng Rui opened the door, revealing an empty space outside.

Xu Yao, however, seemed to have seen the most terrifying thing, her finger trembling as she pointed at herself, her mouth uttering broken, incoherent words.

Cheng Rui was puzzled and tried to approach Xu Yao, but who knew...

"Get away! Get away from me! Stay away from me... stay away from me!"

Xu Yao's voice was so loud that it almost turned into a roar. He kept throwing things at himself: blankets, pillows, medicine bottles... everything Xu Yao could touch. When there was nothing left to throw, Xu Yao started waving the syringe, the one that had been used to prick Cheng Rui and attached to the IV bottle.

Xu Yao made a feinting motion forward, as if there was someone ahead of him...

Cheng Rui was startled by the sudden thought that crossed his mind. Looking at Xu Yao's actions, he initially thought he was being targeted, but now it seemed… perhaps Xu Yao hadn't initially thrown the item at him, and he had no reason to treat him that way. Xu Yao's behavior was as if someone was in front of him, and that person was constantly approaching him…

The idea was too terrifying, and Cheng Rui hesitated to walk to Xu Yao's bedside.

Cheng Rui watched as Xu Yao frantically tried to stab him, but failed, and then stabbed himself repeatedly. Blood spurted from Xu Yao's body. Yes... he was already injured, but could such an injury cause so much bleeding?

Cheng Rui watched with fascination as the blood flowed down Xu Yao's arm and onto the ground. Xu Yao seemed to be dancing, and the blood droplets on his body also seemed to be dancing, jumping from Xu Yao to the ground.

Blood spread across the pristine white hospital room floor... Suddenly, Cheng Rui froze.

He saw something he shouldn't have seen.

Blood… Xu Yao's blood piled up at his feet, then spread outwards, forming a large patch. The blood evenly licked every inch of the floor, spreading to the sides and towards his feet. However…

In the middle of that pool of blood, two small spaces were cleared out.

Two small, abrupt pieces.

Only those two floorboards remained pristine white, clean and free of bloodstains.

Suddenly, he remembered what that shape was... Cheng Rui started trembling uncontrollably.

footprint!

Those two things are footprints! They're the shapes of footprints!

Cheng Rui looked at the two white pieces, watched them disappear into one, and then he realized... that thing had lifted its leg and was approaching Xu Yao, approaching... it had reached Xu Yao's feet!

Cheng Rui heard Xu Yao's increasingly hoarse shouts, saw him flee towards the window, and watched as Xu Yao trembled as he climbed onto the windowsill and jumped...

With a thud, Cheng Rui fell to the ground. Just as his eyes were about to close, he saw a pair of feet.

The child's small, blood-red feet were stained with blood.

When Duan Lin woke up, he found himself to be surprisingly refreshed.

Without the baby's crying, Duan Lin slept soundly.

His younger brother seemed to have slept well too, as his dark circles had lessened considerably. After exchanging good morning greetings, Duan Lin and his brother ate the breakfast his brother had bought downstairs.

"I think I might have listened to my senior. I was too tired yesterday and didn't think about anything. Sure enough, I slept very well and didn't hear any children crying. I made my brother worry. Really, I made him go through all that trouble for nothing..." Today, she ate a traditional Chinese breakfast. After taking a sip of soy milk, Xin Nuo handed the pickled vegetables to Duan Lin.

Xin Nuo's words rekindled the doubts that had been lingering in Duan Lin's mind. After hesitating for a moment, Duan Lin decided to ask, "Xin Nuo, how...did you find out about this...and then you came to me?"

"Ah... I'm sorry, brother. I overheard my parents talking. Dad said that you seemed to see those... those things often when you were little. I was so desperate that I came up with this idea. Hehe, now that I think about it, I was just being delusional..."

"I was thinking of asking my brother to take a look at this room. If there was anything wrong with it, he might notice it immediately..." Xin Nuo smiled. A good night's sleep last night seemed to have made him forget all the tension he had been feeling these past few days.

Duan Lin didn't hear a word his brother said after that. As he thought about what his brother had said, the confusion on Duan Lin's face deepened.

Although his younger brother didn't say it explicitly, Duan Lin understood that the so-called "those things" naturally referred to those beings that ordinary people couldn't see—ghosts.

But... parents? What's going on?

I was only able to see those things I shouldn't have seen after I went to City B, so how could my parents know? When I was little? If we're talking about my "childhood" before the palm lines were etched on my palm after I turned six… then I could indeed see ghosts. But how could my father, who has never visited me, know this…?

Duan Lin's gaze unconsciously drifted to his hands. Duan Lin's hands were currently closed, and if they were opened, a surprising sight would be seen—Duan Lin's palms had no lifeline.

A local rumor says that only the dead and those who have escaped death have palm lines that they lack, which is exactly what I lack.

It seems that Duan Lin's palm print disappeared due to a drowning experience when he was six years old. Although it was just a legend, Duan Lin began to believe it because it happened to him.

Duan Lin couldn't remember much about his childhood. He recalled some things when he returned to his hometown last time, but only fragments. However, ever since his grandfather etched this disappearing palm line on his hand, he had grown up as a normal child, and that fact could not be changed.

His father's words... Duan Lin's mind was in a mess, but before he could think about it any further, his younger brother woke him up.

"Brother? What's wrong?"

"Huh? No, no."

"I was saying you could go back home occasionally. My mom is a bit cold, but she's actually quite nice. Dad's getting old too. Since you're already here, why not take this opportunity to visit them..."

Xin Nuo continued talking to herself, the food in front of her disappearing faster and faster. Duan Lin nodded, but he wasn't really listening to his younger brother. His brother wouldn't understand; the way his stepmother looked at him wasn't so much coldness or disgust as it was more accurately described as…

Fear.

Duan Lin's mind seemed to suddenly grasp a clue, but his thoughts were quickly interrupted by his younger brother's phone ringing.

"Hey, huh? What!" The younger brother's smiling face was replaced by astonishment, announcing the end of a beautiful morning.

Xu Yao is dead. She jumped from the eighth floor of the hospital, landing headfirst and dying instantly.

The eyewitness to his death was his friend and attending physician, Cheng Rui.

However, calling him an eyewitness doesn't seem quite right, because according to Cheng Rui's own testimony, he fainted the moment Xu Yao climbed onto the window and was about to jump.

"That guy said he saw a little child, and that Xu Yao jumped off the building because she was hiding from that child. How is that possible? What do you think, Mr. Han?" The police officer taking the statement was routinely collecting information from the deceased's relatives and friends. Clearly, the previous witness's testimony had greatly displeased him. "How could a child do that? Listening to your senior's description, it's as if the deceased saw a ghost. By the way, does your senior, Cheng Rui, have any mental problems?"

"No, no." Xin Nuo answered the police officer's question blankly, a sudden chill running through her.

child?

"It's hard to say. I heard the deceased was admitted to the hospital because of some mental health issues..."

"Have you had enough? My senior has already gone... I won't allow you to insult him!" Xin Nuo was furious and raised her fist at the young police officer opposite her.

The police officer opposite was clearly startled by the sudden action of the man who had been silent all along, but he quickly stood up as well.

"Kid, don't blame me for not warning you, or I'll charge you with assaulting a police officer..."

As the other person was speaking, a large hand reached out and took the notebook from his hand. "Alright, you impetuous fellow, go stand aside, I'll take care of it."

"Ah? Sorry, Captain, I..."

The new man merely glanced at him sideways, and the young police officer, who had been so arrogant just moments before, immediately ran to the side, not daring to linger.

"My name is Jin Zi. That guy was rude just now, so I apologize on his behalf. He's a newbie, foul-mouthed and impulsive, so please don't mind him. Your senior is suddenly gone... I understand your sadness. Please help us resolve your senior's matter as soon as possible."

The visitor's words resonated with Xin Nuo, who nodded and then looked up to examine the police officers who had arrived later.

Around forty years old, the man had a serious and unsmiling appearance, with a resolute profile, thick black eyebrows, and a slightly hooked nose, all of which indicated that the man was calm and strict. However, it was precisely this appearance and temperament that gave people a sense of inexplicable trust in him.

Refocusing her gaze on her hands resting on the table, Xin Nuo said, "Please tell me, I'll try my best to answer..."

Xin Nuo was prepared to answer all sorts of questions, but to her surprise, the first question was...

"To the best of your knowledge, did Cheng Rui and the deceased have any prior history of conflict?"

Xin Nuo's heart sank. His previously calm mind suddenly erupted in anger again. "From what you're saying, you suspect that Senior Cheng murdered Senior Xu Yao?" He slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly.

"I didn't say that. I'm just suspicious of anyone involved, including you. When I question the others later, I'll also ask about your relationship with the deceased." The man remained unmoved, not even raising an eyebrow.

Xin Nuo sat down again. "Hmph! You're really honest..."

"Okay, now you can answer my question, right?" The man continued to ask, his voice unchanged.

"No, as far as I know, Cheng Rui and Xu Yao are longtime friends. They were students in the same year, interned together, worked together, and their relationship is even better than most people's."

"Is that so? Okay, next question, may I ask the deceased..."

The man asked questions slowly and deliberately, the questions seemingly simple but actually very skillful interrogation techniques. However… using them on her was a waste, because this case was clearly… practically suicide. Han Xin Nuo had thought this almost as soon as she received the call from the police that morning.

Considering Xu Yao's condition a few days ago, Xin Nuo had actually been worried for some time. Since medicine couldn't explain Xu Yao's condition, Xin Nuo diagnosed it as "possession by an evil spirit," and even consulted her older brother, fearing he might become mentally unstable and take his own life. However…

In a daze, Xin Nuo heard the police officer say to her, "The next question is the last one: have you noticed anything unusual about the deceased these past few days?"

Something was wrong? Xin Nuo's vision grew increasingly blurry, something was wrong...

Seeing the young man's expression, Jin Zi instinctively knew she had found the right place, so she probed indirectly, "It's a place that's a little different from other times..."

"...It's not that there wasn't...I was the one who took him to the hospital. On the way, he kept saying...he heard crying..."

"Crying?" This testimony seemed to have been given by Cheng Rui as well. Frowning, Jin Zi flipped forward and, on the third page, found a similar description—crying...a child...footsteps...

"Is that a child crying?" Jin Zi asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, it seems so. At that time, the senior was not mentally stable, and he stopped talking afterward."

"...Okay, that's all for today. Your testimony has been very helpful to us. Thank you again."

After gently shaking hands with the man's outstretched hand, Xin Nuo left the department that had been temporarily requisitioned by the police as a recording room.

The outside is even more chaotic than the inside.

Suicide is one thing, but it happened to be the dean's son who committed suicide, and this person had recently made headlines in a very unexpected way. How can people not talk about this?

Duan Lin had been waiting outside the door for a long time for his younger brother. When he saw his brother emerge as a wisp of a ghost, he hurriedly took a few steps forward.

"Is it done?"