Зал астрологии с плотью и кровью

Глава 95

"Huh? Oh, oh!" Su Qiao stared intently at the ribbon while pulling out a cell phone.

"Lin Xiao, are you alright?" Fang Lei asked me, still holding one end of the ribbon.

"It's nothing," I replied, shaking my head. Looking at Yu Bo, still struggling in his death throes, I knew that a death sentence was very likely awaiting him. Senior, what happened to you? Why did you end up like this? Was the healthy, normal, and gentle senior I knew before all an illusion? Can people really hide their innermost thoughts for so long, so deeply, that I thought the senior I knew was just my imagination, that this is perhaps just a dream? Everything changed so quickly. It turns out, you shouldn't expect anyone to stay the same forever, nor should you expect everything to go according to your wishes. Life is cruel enough, but people are even crueler.

I rubbed my temples listlessly, listening to the increasingly loud sirens of police cars, and felt an unprecedented weariness.

"Su Qiao, why are you still here so late?" I asked weakly.

“I received a phone call asking me to come to the rooftop of the old teaching building at midnight tonight, saying that they can tell me the cause of my friend’s death,” Su Qiao replied.

"Why didn't you call the police? It's dangerous to be out so late, you know?" I was a little angry. Are the police really that untrustworthy?

"He said we can't call the police, otherwise he won't show up," Su Qiao said apologetically.

"Really?" I sighed.

"By the way, how did you end up here?" Su Qiao asked with a strange look.

"Huh?" Taken aback by her question, he hesitated for a long time before finally saying sheepishly, "I have sleepwalking!"

"Sleepwalking?" Su Qiao gave me a strange look and said, "But it's lucky you sleepwalked here today, otherwise I would really be dead."

"Coincidence, coincidence!" I chuckled. The flashing lights of the police car had already illuminated the empty space around the old teaching building. Thinking about Ni Ming, whom I was about to meet again, I suddenly felt a headache coming on. This time, I guess my jinx mark is definitely not going to go away!

End of Chapter 34 of Volume 3: Delicacies of Hell

End of Chapter 34 of Volume 3: Delicacies of Hell

"I've said it many times, Captain Ni, I'm sleepwalking!" I answered Ni Ming's question for the third time with a serious face. Of course, it was indeed very strange to run up to the rooftop of this old teaching building in my pajamas in the middle of the night. But why was Ni Ming staring at me with a look that said, "You don't believe me at all," even though I was telling the truth?

"Even if you're sleepwalking, do you have a hospital certificate?" Ni Ming's words almost made me choke on my own saliva.

"Huh? This also requires a hospital certificate?" I had no idea that hospitals could issue this kind of certificate.

“Of course, if you have a hospital certificate, it means you’re not lying. If you don’t have a hospital certificate, then please answer my question honestly: why are you here?” Ni Ming asked.

"I sleepwalk." This was the fourth time he had given this answer.

"Proof?" It seemed Ni Ming was too lazy to talk to me anymore, and only uttered these two words coldly.

“I can vouch for him.” Su Qiao suddenly walked over and said, “I once provided him with psychological counseling. He has sleepwalking disorder as a psychological problem. I am a professional psychologist and can definitely provide this certificate.”

"Is that so?" Ni Ming looked at Su Qiao with a strange and ambiguous look, then at me, and finally nodded, as if he had accepted Su Qiao's testimony. He said, "Alright, your statement is complete."

Watching Ni Ming walk away, I smiled at Su Qiao and said, "When did I ever do psychological counseling?"

"There will always be opportunities in the future," Su Qiao replied with a smile, then leaned closer and whispered, "Your girlfriend is amazing, be careful she doesn't get punished later!"

"Hehe, thanks for the pointer!" I smiled and looked at Fang Lei who was walking towards me.

"Alright, my statement is finished, I'm leaving!" Su Qiao smiled at me and Fang Lei, then turned and left.

"Fang Lei, have you been following me the whole time?" I asked. "Why didn't you call me?"

"Don't you know you shouldn't wake someone who's sleepwalking?" Fang Lei looked at me seriously and asked, "Have you ever sleepwalked before?"

"No, tonight was an accident!" I said.

"Really?" Fang Lei stepped forward and took my hand, saying, "Although Yu Bo has been caught, do you think this will all end?"

"I don't know." I held her small hand and said, "But whether it's over or not, I don't want to think about it anymore. I'm so tired!"

"Then go back to sleep!" Fang Lei gently took my hand, and I felt the warmth in her palm. As we walked out of the old teaching building, I looked back at the two-story building in the darkness, still imagining myself as a wild beast, crawling in the darkness.

Chapter Four: Haunted

The next few days seemed remarkably peaceful. The murderer had been caught, and Yu Bo's target, as I had suspected, was indeed the borrowing list for that book. Libraries nowadays use computerized searches, so the list could be easily obtained by checking the library's internal network.

The method of murder was based on some of his mother's favorite dishes. Perhaps Su Qiao was right; hidden beneath the surface of hatred was love, a twisted and perverse love.

The first few victims had all unintentionally borrowed this book from the library, never imagining they were opening a book that led to hell. Perhaps the one who died most unjustly was Su Qiao's friend. If she hadn't borrowed Su Qiao's book, if she hadn't been in such a hurry to read it on the way, she wouldn't have been seen by Yu Bo, who happened to be passing by, and wouldn't have been pushed off the roof by him.

Fortunately, Su Qiao, the last person to borrow the book, escaped unharmed. It seemed that God had finally opened his eyes and couldn't bear to let Yu Bo continue to enjoy his delicious food.

Thus, the deranged killer who shocked the entire campus and even the whole city was finally brought to justice and received his due punishment. However, my previous reasoning regarding those cases from years ago had reached a dead end. Twenty years ago, Yu Bo was just a child. While he could push his mother, he shouldn't have been able to kill Jiang Hua and the others. So perhaps it really was just my wild guess, and the cases from twenty years ago were truly just suicides and natural deaths. Although countless questions remain, so many years have passed, things have changed, and almost all the clues from back then have been lost to time.

Flipping through the conference documents, I realized that the forensic seminar didn't actually contain much substantial content; it was just a rehash of some typical cases. In our information-rich society, I had already read and even studied most of these cases through the police's internal network.

Actually, I'm still thinking about the body in that water tank. I wonder what the autopsy report was like? Who was he? And how did he die? These questions seem to be attracting more of my brain cells than the meeting documents in front of me.

"Lin Xiao, concentrate!" Li Yang, who was sitting next to me, nudged me, and I realized that I was still sitting in the conference hall listening to a report.

"How did you know I was daydreaming?" I looked at Li Yang curiously. Had he learned how to read people like a psychologist just by meeting Su Qiao?

"Because you look like an idiot." Li Yang rolled his eyes at me, then looked down at the meeting documents again.

Who's the idiot? I thought to myself, feeling a bit annoyed. Speaking of Su Qiao, I really didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I never expected that the joke on the rooftop that day would be taken so seriously by her. She insisted on giving me some psychological counseling, and she keeps pestering me to go see Aunt Tian, who knows about 'dreams'. Why do I keep feeling like I'm digging my own grave and then filling it myself?

I glanced at my watch; it was already 11:45. I wondered if Fang Lei, who was waiting outside, was already hungry. I rubbed my stomach, praying that this report would be finished soon.

I finally made it to the end of the meeting and rushed out of the conference room when I saw Fang Lei and Juanzi walking towards Li Yang and me with anxious expressions.

"What's wrong?" I couldn't help but ask, seeing how anxious they were.

"My dad just called and told me that Zhou Xiangrong is dying, so he asked me to let you know," Juanzi replied.

"Really? Where is she now?" I asked.

“She’s still in the mental hospital, but my dad said it probably won’t last much longer. If you want to see her one last time, you should go quickly,” Juanzi said.

“How about this,” I said, glancing at Li Yang beside me, “Li Yang, you stay and continue the afternoon seminar. Fang Lei and I will go to the hospital to see Zhou Xiangrong.”

"Okay." Li Yang thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"Let's go then." I took Fang Lei's hand, then turned to Juanzi and said, "Thank you."

As I hurriedly walked out of the school gate, I couldn't help but ask Fang Lei, "How could Zhou Xiangrong just say it's not okay?"

"I don't know. Juanzi's father said that she suddenly started having problems this morning, and the doctor they called said that she probably wouldn't make it to tomorrow." Fang Lei said as she got into a taxi.

I glanced at my watch; it was exactly twelve o'clock. I hadn't expected Zhou Xiangrong's illness to strike so suddenly, catching us completely off guard. Judging from her last condition, it certainly wasn't optimistic; there was almost no trace of hope left in her eyes. If that's the case, would death be a relief?

When the taxi sped to the mental hospital, Dr. Huang was already standing at the door waiting for us, which made us feel very embarrassed.

"Dr. Huang, thank you for your help." I stood in front of the doctor, who looked slightly haggard from caring for his patients, and touched my head apologetically.

"I asked you two to come this time..." Dr. Huang suddenly stopped, then smiled awkwardly, and whispered to us, "Actually, there are some things I'd like to trouble you two with."

"Oh? What is it?" I asked.

"Oh dear!" Dr. Huang sighed and said to us, "Our hospital is probably haunted."

"Haunted?" I was no longer surprised by the word. "Can you tell us the specifics?" I asked.

"Okay, but let's talk in my office!" Dr. Huang led us into the hospital. The moment I stepped through the hospital gates, I did feel something unusual. The slightly lower temperature than outside wasn't what surprised me most. A nameless anger—no, it should be described as a resentment at losing something that was once mine—attacked my heart almost like a sudden storm. Of course, the human soul is like a wave, and all emotions and thoughts while alive are precisely an expression of the soul. And now, there was such intense resentment, as if countless resentful souls had gathered together. To say that so much negative emotion was simply because this was a mental hospital wouldn't make sense; not all mental patients harbor resentment.

Entering the office, I noticed Dr. Huang's expression was somewhat strange, as if she was struggling to suppress some kind of emotional outburst. Looking at Fang Lei, she also seemed silent, her expression extremely serious. However, as I walked along, I noticed something very odd: there were significantly fewer doctors and nurses than when I last visited, and the once quiet wards seemed incredibly noisy, almost entirely filled with hysterical screams from patients. An unsuspecting person would probably think they had entered hell, not just a hospital.

Even with the door closed, the screams didn't seem to be completely blocked out; instead, they became echoes that seemed both near and far, reverberating in the office with only three people.

"You've all seen it, haven't you? There are suddenly far fewer doctors and nurses here." Dr. Huang said to himself as soon as he entered the room, "They've all taken sick leave."

"Why are you both sick at the same time? What happened?" I asked curiously.

“It’s all psychological,” Dr. Huang replied. “Recently, almost all the doctors and nurses have been experiencing varying degrees of irritability and restlessness. It started with the patients’ emotions becoming unstable at the same time. Although it’s currently the peak season for mental illness, under normal medical and medication control, there shouldn’t be such a widespread and almost simultaneous occurrence. Then, the doctors’ and nurses’ emotions were affected, and their attitudes towards patients, and even towards their families at home, became very poor. In the end, it led to a tense standoff between doctors and nurses, with arguments constantly arising over the smallest things. As a result, many people have taken leave to manage their emotions.”

"And what about you, Dr. Huang?" I asked, noting that Dr. Huang seemed to be doing quite well.

"I'm afraid I have to thank you for your gift." As he spoke, Dr. Huang took out the jade pendant that Fang Lei had given him last time from his neck. However, judging from its color, it seemed to be much dimmer than before, and looked as if it was covered with a layer of dust.

"Dr. Huang, this is for you." Fang Lei took out a yellow talisman from her pocket, but it seemed to be flashing with a faint golden light. She said, "Carry this with you. The jade pendant I gave you last time will probably lose its effect."

"Oh, okay, okay." This time, Dr. Huang accepted it almost happily and then carefully put it into his pocket.

"Although that jade pendant has the effect of warding off evil and calming the mind, the evil energy here seems to be quite special, so we need a talisman that my master has recited scriptures to suppress it," Fang Lei explained.

"Could you give me a little more?" Dr. Huang said hesitantly, "We have so many doctors, nurses, and patients here!"

“I’m afraid that won’t work.” Fang Lei shook her head apologetically and said, “I only had ten of these talismans to begin with. Besides, the real solution isn’t with them, but with finding the root of the evil energy. The mental patients here already have rather chaotic mental fluctuations, making them easily influenced by the evil energy. They could easily be controlled by it and even lose their true nature. As for the doctors and nurses, although their mental fluctuations are normal, over time they will also find their own emotions fluctuating, which is very harmful to their health. It’s very wise for them to take leave. At least until the root of the evil energy is found, it’s not suitable for ordinary people to stay here.”

"What about Dr. Huang?" I asked.

“Dr. Huang, even though you have talismans with you, it’s still not advisable for you to stay any longer. You’d better have all your doctors and nurses leave as soon as possible, at least until we’ve resolved this matter,” Fang Lei said.

"This..." Dr. Huang seemed somewhat hesitant to agree with Fang Lei's suggestion to have all the doctors and nurses leave and leave these patients behind. After all, abandoning patients is an extremely unethical act for a doctor.

"Dr. Huang, didn't you say the hospital is haunted? Can you tell me what's going on?" Fang Lei didn't seem to be in a hurry for Dr. Huang to take her advice immediately, but instead asked about the haunting first.

"Sigh...yes, although I don't want to believe it, there are indeed some incredible things." Dr. Huang sighed, sat down with a worried look on his face, and began to tell us about the strange things that had happened in the hospital since we left.

Volume 3, Hell's Delicacies, Chapter 35: Haunted

Volume 3, Hell's Delicacies, Chapter 35: Haunted

Xiao Tao is an intern nurse at this mental hospital. Although she was extremely reluctant to be assigned to work here, she chose to work here because of the slightly higher bonuses and benefits compared to regular hospitals. Today is Xiao Tao's first night shift. Although she doesn't need to be on standby for emergency patients like in a regular hospital, the thought of making rounds of so many mentally unstable people still makes her a little uneasy. Especially the rooms that emit strange noises even at night, which makes Xiao Tao feel a chill.

"If he's crazy, he's crazy, why is he still so restless?" After another piercing scream, Xiao Tao rolled her eyes helplessly. It seemed she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. Grabbing her flashlight, Xiao Tao prepared to make her rounds. Because some patients get confused about day and night if bright fluorescent lights are on at night, they become very irritable. To make them realize it's time to sleep, the hospital turns off the fluorescent lights in the corridors and patient rooms at night, leaving only a few small fluorescent lights on. This makes it difficult for the doctors and nurses making their rounds, as they have to walk through the dimly lit corridors, flashlights in hand, checking each room one by one.

The hospital building was an old-fashioned building, so there were rooms on both the north and south sides, and moonlight couldn't penetrate the corridor. With each step, Xiaotao seemed to hear the soft yet very clear echoes of her footsteps, intermittently accompanied by eerie, mournful screams, creating a truly unsettling atmosphere.

Xiao Tao barely dared to look back, even though there was clearly no one behind her. She still felt as if someone was slowly following her. Helpless, Xiao Tao practically kept her eyes fixed on her toes as she walked, hoping to reach the end of the corridor as quickly as possible.

After walking a few steps, Xiao Tao reached a hospital room door. Just as she was about to look up at the room, she was startled by a face seen through the only small glass window. It was an old woman with a face full of wrinkles, her hair almost completely gone, her mouth sunken, but her eyes were bright and clear in the night. Xiao Tao was so frightened she almost screamed. She wasn't unfamiliar with this old woman; she was practically the easiest patient to care for, never making a fuss, only liking to talk to herself softly. However, because she spoke her native dialect, Xiao Tao almost never understood her. Although the old woman's mental illness wasn't very severe, Xiao Tao had never seen anyone visit her, not even the nurses who had worked there for several years. Perhaps her children felt ashamed to have such a crazy old woman. Xiao Tao despised such unfilial people, so she felt a special sympathy for this old woman. Whenever she had the chance, she would go in to help the old woman pour water, bathe her, and talk to her. But this old lady had almost never looked at Xiao Tao directly. Why was she acting so strangely tonight, practically waiting for Xiao Tao to arrive? And the clarity in her eyes was not something a crazy person should have.

"Grandma, why aren't you asleep so late?" Xiao Tao opened the small glass window on the door from outside and said to her with a smile.

"Daughter!" The words that came out of the old lady's mouth startled Xiao Tao again. It was Mandarin, which was quite clear despite having a slight accent. Had the old lady suddenly become lucid? Before Xiao Tao could react, the old lady's next words made Xiao Tao even stranger.

"Girl, hurry, hurry! Otherwise it will be too late!" The old lady seemed very anxious, as if some danger was about to befall her.

"Leave? Why do we have to leave?" Xiao Tao asked, puzzled.

"Leave this place, no, leave this province, the sooner the better, the farther the better!" the old lady said anxiously to Xiao Tao.

"Leave this province? You must be joking. My work and family are all here. How can I just leave?" Xiao Tao didn't know why she agreed to the old lady's suggestion that day. Perhaps she felt that although the old lady's suggestion was strange, she seemed to be quite clear-headed.

"Then go with your family! If you don't leave, this place will be in big trouble!" The old woman seemed very agitated by Xiao Tao's indifference, constantly muttering about leaving quickly or else disaster would strike. Xiao Tao glanced at the old woman, who seemed to have gone mad again, and finally decided not to argue with her any further. Instead, she closed the small glass window and continued her rounds.

After finishing her rounds and returning to her office, Xiao Tao soon felt very sleepy. Strangely enough, the intermittent strange cries that had been coming from the hospital all stopped, as if all the patients had quieted down and fallen asleep. That was good, Xiao Tao smiled contentedly, slumped onto her desk, and drifted off to sleep.