Chapter 67

The sheer terror in the handwriting was palpable.

A doctor who was a serial killer?

Jiang Luo sat on the floor, hiding beneath the nurses' station. He finished reading the news in the newspaper.

The Electric Saw serial killer was a psychopathic murderer who worshipped violent aesthetics. The police paid a heavy price to finally arrest him. Injured during the arrest, the killer was sent to Ward Three for treatment.

But Jiang Luo remembered: locally, Ward Three was a mental hospital. He had to admit, the details of this illusion had a darkly humorous edge.

Ward Three had now become a living hell, because the Electric Saw serial killer had escaped and was slaughtering freely inside the Hospital.

Jiang Luo looked at the patient gown he was wearing. Great. He was now the killer's prospective prey — a defenseless, helpless patient who could only run.

Jiang Luo snorted coldly, wiped the Surgical Knife clean, and continued searching for usable items.

Inside the cabinet were several bottles of Anesthetic and a few unused Syringes. Jiang Luo filled a Syringe with Anesthetic. The patient gown had no pockets, so he yanked the blood-stained White Coat off the clothes rack.

The moment the White Coat landed in his hand, a desperate, hoarse cry for help came from the Staircase at the end of the hall. "Help!"

Footsteps approached rapidly, urgent and tense. Jiang Luo hid under the nurses' station, clutching the bundled White Coat, and peered toward the source of the sound.

A middle-aged male doctor ran toward them in a panic, clutching his arm — which was already severed. Blood gushed from the stump. His steps staggered as he shouted, "Is anyone there?! Help!"

"Tap, tap, tap."

Behind him, leisurely footsteps sounded.

The roar of an Electric Saw followed violently, buzzing to life.

The doctor's expression twisted even more grotesquely, but before he could run more than a few steps, the Electric Saw sawed into his back.

"Aaaah—!"

Blood sprayed like a blooming flower. The agonized scream was piercing. The middle-aged doctor wasn't dead yet. He lay on the floor, crawling desperately toward the nurses' station, leaving a winding, twisted trail of bloody handprints on the tiles.

The man behind him held the Electric Saw, following at an unhurried pace.

Blood from the Electric Saw dripped from its tip, making a liquid 'drip-drip' sound. The doctor crawled with all his might to the side of the nurses' station. Veins bulging on his face, he turned his head sideways and met the gaze of Jiang Luo, who was hiding there.

His eyes widened. A gurgling sound came from his throat. Just as he was about to speak, an Electric Saw cleanly severed his head.

The head rolled to a spot not far in front of Jiang Luo. Blood splattered, some even landing on Jiang Luo's face.

Splashed across the face, Jiang Luo instinctively closed his eyes. "…"

How to put it.

Even knowing this was an illusion, that these doctors and patients were all fake, he was still extremely displeased.

The serial killer walked to the side of the corpse.

Jiang Luo held his breath and quietly hid further back.

From his angle, he could only see the dead middle-aged male doctor and the lower half of the serial killer's White Coat.

And as long as the killer didn't bend down and look, he wouldn't see him.

"Another one dead," the serial killer muttered to himself. "Killed a doctor this time. Next, I'll kill a patient."

He took a few steps around the corpse, then suddenly said with interest, "Hmm? Why are you staring at the nurses' station?"

The corpse, with its wide-open eyes fixed rigidly on the nurses' station, naturally couldn't reply.

The serial killer crouched down and slowly turned his head to look toward the nurses' station.

But a sudden gust of wind rushed from behind. The black-haired youth swiftly, fiercely, and precisely plunged a Syringe into the back of the killer's neck, injected the Anesthetic, and then flew toward another Corridor.

The serial killer caught a whiff of a clean, post-shower fragrance. In the blink of an eye, the black-haired youth was already thirty meters away from him.

Before turning the corner, Jiang Luo looked back. The serial killer had stood up from the ground, pulled the Anesthetic from his neck, and gave him a gentle yet slightly neurotic smile.

Jiang Luo would recognize that face even if it were reduced to ashes. It was indeed Chi You.

Luring Chi You out had been part of Jiang Luo's plan. Seeing it half-succeed, Jiang Luo lifted the corners of his crimson lips in a smirk toward the killer. His black hair flew behind him as he disappeared around the corner with near-defiant provocation.

The roar of the serial killer's Electric Saw sounded again.

Jiang Luo ran swiftly, his breathing unchanged. He gave the White Coat a sharp shake in the air, slipped it on backward, and instantly completed the transformation from patient to doctor.

The corridor he'd chosen was also splattered with blood everywhere. Jiang Luo used his sleeve to wipe the blood from his face, but as he ran, he realized there was no way forward — he'd run into a dead end.

"…" He cursed under his breath, once again acknowledging his own luck.

The sound of the Electric Saw gradually approached from behind. Jiang Luo randomly chose a room on the left and walked in, immediately locking the door behind him.

Turning to look, he saw several iron beds in the center of the room, with corpses wrapped in white body bags lying on them. Clearly, Jiang Luo had mistakenly entered the Morgue.

Jiang Luo had no time to look around. He pushed cabinets and other heavy objects against the door to block it. He walked to a corner, dismantled a mop handle, hefted the wooden stick in his hand a couple of times, and used it as a weapon.

At that moment, the serial killer also reached the door.

In the Corridor, the serial killer looked at the rooms on either side and asked himself, "Where is he?"

The rising inflection sounded like a psychopath. Jiang Luo cursed in his heart: Fucking pervert.

The serial killer began testing the rooms one by one to see if anyone was inside.

There were only four rooms nearby. Soon, the serial killer reached Jiang Luo's door. He gripped the doorknob and pressed down, but the door didn't open — it was locked from the inside.

The serial killer laughed. "I found you."

The Electric Saw violently hacked into the door.

The impact was so loud that even Jiang Luo was startled, his heart skipping a beat. After recovering, he glared darkly at the door.

The Anesthetic hadn't taken effect.

But that was also expected.

The deafening metallic screech of the Electric Saw cutting through the iron door sent sparks flying. But two minutes later, as if realizing sawing the door was useless, the sound of the Electric Saw suddenly stopped.

Silence fell outside. Jiang Luo pressed his lips together, his eyelids twitching twice. He slowly moved away from the door and walked a circle around the room.

Inside the Morgue, one wall was covered by a green cloth. Jiang Luo lifted the cloth and discovered a small back door hidden behind it.

He instantly understood where the serial killer had gone.

Jiang Luo swore. The next moment, an Electric Saw violently pierced through the back door.

Jiang Luo immediately turned and moved the objects blocking the front door. The moment the serial killer broke through the back door and entered, Jiang Luo successfully ran out.

The black-haired youth sped away from the Morgue like a gust of wind. Chi You walked out of the Morgue, watched his retreating figure, and couldn't help but chuckle softly, brushing the dust off his White Coat.

The White Coat was without a single wrinkle, spotless. Chi You selectively ignored the bloodstains on it and strode forward in pursuit.

His appearance was handsome, his demeanor elegant. The blood-stained clothes he wore might as well have been a tailored Tuxedo. What he held in his hand wasn't a murderous Electric Saw, but a glass of Red Wine gently swirling with its aroma.

Apart from the fresh and old blood splattered on Chi You's face, he looked like he was preparing to attend a grand banquet.

Just as Chi You rounded the corner, two patients ran straight into him.

They instantly lost all strength. Terrified beyond the point of screaming, the two collapsed to the floor, scrambling backward on their hands and feet.

That look of terror, that helpless struggle of panic before death — it only aroused the sadistic desires of a psychopathic serial killer.

Chi You had seen such eyes many times before.

He indifferently ignored the two patients and headed straight in Jiang Luo's direction.

Even though Chi You used to relish such looks, now he found them utterly uninteresting.

The only one who could pique his interest was the black-haired youth fleeing ahead, while all the others were mere false existences.

*

As Jiang Luo ran past the Changing Room, a hand suddenly grabbed him.

His Surgical Knife swung reflexively. Thankfully, at the last moment, he heard Ye Xun whisper, "It's me."

Jiang Luo abruptly stopped, a cold sweat breaking out. Ye Xun pulled him into the Changing Room, and they crouched down.

Jiang Luo looked to the side. Lu You was waggling his eyebrows at him, and beside him crouched the tall, burly Dead Ghost.

Jiang Luo lowered his voice. "When did you get in?"

"You mean into this Hospital?" Ye Xun reacted quickly. "About ten minutes ago. After I came in, I ran into Lu You and Dead Ghost."

Jiang Luo calculated the time. He had been pulled into the illusion at roughly the same moment.

Ye Xun said, "Appearing here simultaneously means someone is targeting us. Who it is isn't certain yet, but I think what we've entered isn't necessarily an illusion."

Jiang Luo questioned, "Hmm?"

Ye Xun asked Jiang Luo for the Surgical Knife and pressed it lightly against his fingertip. Blood flowed.

"There's pain. The visuals are real," he said calmly. "I recited the Ten-Word Scripture in my mind, but I could still feel pain. An illusion created by a ghost can't achieve this level."

Jiang Luo inquired humbly, "Then what is it?"

"It's more like illusion magic," Ye Xun frowned. "Illusion magic within Qimen Dunjia."

Jiang Luo pondered. "Explain in more detail."

"Qimen Dunjia also has illusion magic, but this illusion magic is different from an illusion," Ye Xun explained. "An illusion is false. Illusion magic is both real and false. If we die here, it means we really die. Like these clothes — because we were wearing clothes, they could transform into patient gowns. Like this Surgical Knife — its essence is something that can cut a person, so it could become a Surgical Knife."

Jiang Luo understood. "Implementing illusion magic on a foundation of reality. Like this Hospital building — it's actually the building within the Trainee Dormitory."

The illusion magic within Qimen Dunjia was more like an alternate space — opening up an exceptionally realistic scene on top of the existing foundation.

"What about those corpses outside?"

"Illusion magic," Ye Xun affirmed. "That's precisely what makes the illusion magic of Qimen Dunjia so hard to break. There are real things and false things. One careless step and you're lost. If trapped within the illusion magic, you either get killed by it, starve or die of thirst, or can't bear it and commit suicide."

"Qimen Dunjia?" Lu You whispered. "Didn't Qimen Dunjia get lost long ago?"

"Yes," Ye Xun sighed. "So, who laid down this illusion magic?"

Jiang Luo also frowned.

He had felt earlier that this illusion was too realistic. He hadn't expected it to be related to magic arts. Could it be Chi You who laid the illusion magic?

Chi You wasn't like other dead evil spirits. After his death, he still retained the memories from when he was alive. Not only that, he had become stronger and possessed the body of an evil deity statue — by all appearances, Chi You was capable of this.

Moreover, Chi You had personally said this was a little punishment for him.

And he'd dragged Ye Xun and the others in as spectators.

But Jiang Luo felt it wasn't Chi You, but someone else.

He understood Chi You like he understood himself. Dragging them all in to play a game of chase was one thing, but trapping them to die within illusion magic, leaving no room for struggle, would only bore Chi You.

Rather than Chi You laying the illusion magic, it seemed more like Chi You had known in advance that their group would encounter illusion magic, so he went along with the scheme, participated, and played the role of the ultimate villain boss — becoming a serial killer to toy with and punish Jiang Luo.

If not Chi You, then who?

Lu You couldn't help but sigh. "If only Qi Ye were here. His family studies a bit of everything. They might know how to break illusion magic."

Jiang Luo paused in his movement of looking down. He slowly raised his head. "The Qi Family?"

"Yeah," Lu You said. "The Qi Family studies so many things, has so many books in their collection. They should know something about the arts of Qimen Dunjia."

A moment later, Jiang Luo smiled. "You're right. The Qi Family does know a bit of everything."

Before the Competition, Qi Ye had suddenly been detained by his elders within the Qi Family, not allowed to participate in the mission. That's why Ye Xun had replaced him for their mission.

Looking back now, that move took on a rather suggestive meaning.

Jiang Luo remembered his bet with Chi You.

One of the clauses was not to harbor thoughts of destroying the Chi Clan.

So, the Chi Clan was involved in this too.

Or rather, the Chi Clan's methods hadn't yet been deployed.

Footsteps sounded again in the Corridor.

Everyone instantly fell silent, their breathing lightened.

"Tap, tap, tap."

The footsteps were leisurely, not urgent at all, as if strolling through a backyard garden.

Only someone not being chased — not a doctor, nurse, or patient — could make footsteps like that.

The serial killer had arrived.

The expressions of Ye Xun and the others turned grave.

Jiang Luo blinked, leaned close to Ye Xun, and whispered with a breathy voice, "Ye Xun, do you remember our plan?"

Ye Xun asked hesitantly, "You want to deal with the Faceless Monster here?"

Jiang Luo nodded. "You said it yourself — this illusion magic relies on the layout of the entire Trainee Dormitory building. So, the building's floor plan and the location of the Power Box won't have changed. I'll lure away the Faceless Monster. We proceed according to the original plan."

In the earlier plan, Jiang Luo would run to the uninhabited Sixth Floor. Each floor Jiang Luo passed, Ye Xun would turn off the lights on that floor, thereby luring the Faceless Monster to the Sixth Floor.

Once Jiang Luo reached the Sixth Floor, Ye Xun would use the changing lights to trap the Faceless Monster on the Sixth Floor, preventing it from going elsewhere. Dead Ghost and Lu You would wait at the far end of the Sixth Floor, set up in advance, and help Jiang Luo deal with the Faceless Monster.

In the plan, the Power Box was crucial. Ye Xun's steady temperament made him most suitable for this task.

Ye Xun hesitated. Jiang Luo said softly, "Five minutes from now, you start turning off the lights. For the light on each floor, just keep it on for half a minute for me. Even if something unexpected happens, half a minute is enough for me to run through each floor."

His expression told Ye Xun he had made up his mind. Ye Xun's expression gradually firmed. He looked deeply at Jiang Luo. "Be careful."

Jiang Luo tugged his lips. "Don't worry."

After preparing this plan during the day, they had all put on watches. Jiang Luo synchronized the time with them and prepared to leave the Changing Room.

"We'll go with you first to lure away the serial killer," Ye Xun said.

Jiang Luo thought, if you lure him away, how will I get Chi You and the Faceless Monster to face off one-on-one?

He stood up first. "I'll go out first."

Jiang Luo walked to the door, listening to the sounds in the Corridor. Estimating that Chi You was about fifty meters away, he stopped hesitating, pulled the door open, and ran out.

The serial killer not far away smiled. His footsteps changed from slow to fast, chasing straight after him.

The sound of the Electric Saw behind him carried an intensely urgent sense of pressure.

Ye Xun and the others also came out. Lu You shouted after the serial killer, "Come kill us!"

But the serial killer didn't even turn his head, as if he had no interest in chasing them, and soon disappeared after the black-haired youth.

Ye Xun was worried but didn't want to waste the time Jiang Luo had bought by risking himself. "You two take the west Staircase up to the Sixth Floor. I'll find the Power Box."

They split into two groups. Ye Xun quickly found the Power Box in the Hospital. As guessed, its location was the same as in the Trainee Dormitory building. Ye Xun took a deep breath and waited for the five minutes to end.

Dead Ghost and Lu You walked to the Staircase entrance and were about to climb up when they saw a damp human-shaped imprint on the Staircase.

Jiang Luo had mentioned this human-shaped imprint not long ago. Lu You remembered it clearly. He froze, then felt his whole body break out in goosebumps. "This mark… wasn't it on the second floor?"

Dead Ghost frowned, then suddenly punched the human-shaped imprint heavily.

With a 'bang,' the wall cracked with spiderweb-like fissures.

Inside, a tuft of black hair was revealed.

Lu You's heart jumped. Instinctively, he pulled Dead Ghost back two steps.

Soon, the wall collapsed with a crash. Something inside moved and stiffly walked out from within the wall.

A deathly pale face, long hair in disarray, and eyes laced with bloodshot veins.

And a somewhat familiar appearance.

Lu You blurted out, "Fu Yuaner!"

Wasn't this the victim who had been bricked into the wall by the murderer during the second stage of the National Science Competition?!

Lu You remembered — Fu Yuaner's body had been taken away by the competition organizers.

How could she be here?

"How are you here?" Lu You stammered. "No, how can you move?"

Fu Yuaner didn't say a word. She walked toward Lu You and the other like a zombie, her hair growing longer and longer, crawling toward them from the walls and floor.

She meant no good.

Lu You grabbed Dead Ghost and bolted upward. "Holy shit, holy shit! Let's talk this out! We helped catch your murderer before, okay?"

As they climbed to the middle of the Staircase, a dense surge of hair suddenly rushed out from within the wall and wrapped around Lu You's neck without warning.

Lu You grabbed the hair, struggling, his face turning red. Dead Ghost violently tore the hair apart, turned, and fled upward with him at high speed.

"Cough, cough, cough," Lu You rubbed his neck, speaking with difficulty and confusion. "Why does Fu Yuaner want to kill us…"

She was just a corpse!

*

Little Pink in Ye Xun's arms suddenly stirred.

Ye Xun looked down in surprise. "Little Pink?"

Little Pink broke free from his embrace and walked step by step toward the Staircase.

Ye Xun felt uneasy and called loudly, "Little Pink?"

The vengeful spirit doll's eyeballs rotated. The soul of Wang Xin Hui, which it had absorbed, had sensed the presence of her close friend Fu Yuaner. Its nose twitched, and it said dazedly, "Find her… find… her."

Little Pink gradually walked farther away.

Ye Xun was anxious but could only watch Little Pink disappear from his sight.

He very much wanted to chase after Little Pink, but right now, he clearly could not.

He had to control the Power Box. No matter what happened, he could not leave.

*

Jiang Luo ran for a full five minutes. Once the time was up, he ran toward another Staircase.

The sound of the Electric Saw behind him never stopped. Jiang Luo glanced back when he had a moment — the serial killer was still following him with ease.

Good.

He tugged his lips and ran into the Stairwell.

Chi You followed in unhurriedly.

Jiang Luo ran halfway up a floor when his ankle was suddenly grabbed by a pair of hands. He reflexively broke free, but the next time he stepped forward, another pair of ghostly hands grabbed his foot.

He looked down. Great. On every step, pale, bluish ghost hands had appeared, emerging from the ground, each hand waving incessantly, ready to grab something.

Jiang Luo's breath hitched. Furious, he laughed coldly. He stepped on these hands and ran upward, but even though he wasn't afraid of them, they still slowed him down a bit.

By the time he reached the Sixth Floor, the lights had already been turned off up to the third floor.

The serial killer, with blood staining his cheek, handsome and peerless, holding an Electric Saw, slowly approached him. Jiang Luo stood at the edge of the Sixth Floor. Light shone down from above him, alternating between bright and dark. He calmed his slightly rapid breathing and watched him coldly.

"Why aren't you running?" Chi You raised an eyebrow in surprise, his smile gentle. "Have you prepared to be killed by me here?"

As he spoke, he had already walked up to Jiang Luo.

The smell of blood assaulted the senses.

Both of them wore similarly blood-stained White Coats, their figures tall and slender, though one was taller, the other slightly shorter.

Their shadows stretched long and thin under the light.

Chi You looked down at Jiang Luo, slowly raising the Electric Saw in his hand. Its sound was fierce and violent, chilling to the bone.

As if the next moment, the black-haired youth would be sawed in two from head to toe, blood overflowing, about to wither.

But the black-haired youth remained motionless, watching him calmly and rationally.

Not seeing the panicked expression he wanted, Chi You said somewhat disappointedly, "You don't look very scared. That makes me a little sad."

"Since you're not running, well, then I have no choice," Chi You shrugged helplessly, like a genuine bloodthirsty psychopathic serial killer, revealing a highly raised smile. "But to kill you."

He was having too much fun, completely forgetting his earlier words about pulling Jiang Luo into his faction and playing the hero to save the beauty.

The lights on the fourth floor went out. The figure of the Faceless Monster appeared at the edge of the fourth floor, glaring covetously at Jiang Luo.

Two floors. One minute.

Jiang Luo withdrew his downward glance, suddenly scoffed, lifted his eyelids, and said with a half-smile, "I'm not running because I find this boring."

Chi You asked with interest, "So?"

Jiang Luo suddenly grabbed his collar. Chi You obediently lowered his head. In the moment of his composed, keen interest, the black-haired youth sneered at him, his lips a vivid, striking red. He suddenly raised his head and forcibly kissed the serial killer's lips.

Chi You's pupils abruptly contracted.