440: Chapter 440 Two People

The two of them, one in front of the other, cautiously stepped into the deep corridor.

The beam of the flashlight lit the way ahead, tearing a rift through the darkness.

But even more darkness surged in from both sides and behind, as if ready to swallow that tiny speck of light at any moment.

On both sides of the corridor were tightly closed hospital rooms, their small door windows boarded shut, making it impossible to see inside.

Beneath the peeling plaster on the walls, however, dark red scratch marks made by fingernails could be seen.

There was a persistent, foul stench in the air.

It felt like old blood stains seeping out from the walls, mixed with a putrid scent that even disinfectant could not mask.

Both of them lightened their steps, practically moving forward on tiptoe.

After walking about several dozen meters, Xu Hao, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped without warning.

Xiao Sa, following closely behind, almost bumped into him.

Just as he was about to ask, he noticed that Xu Hao's posture was somewhat strange.

He stood frozen in place, leaning slightly forward, facing a rectangular mirror on the corridor wall.

The mirror's surface was coated in a layer of dust, faintly reflecting their blurry figures.

"Hey, rookie, what are you dazing off for?"

Xiao Sa asked in a lowered voice.

Xu Hao did not respond.

He seemed to have his soul snatched away by something, slowly raising his hand as if to touch the dirty mirror.

A bizarre, relieved smile even appeared on his face.

"...So that's how it is..."

Mumbled ravings spilled from Xu Hao's mouth: "Yes, you're right... I should have thought of this sooner..."

A sudden sense of foreboding gripped Xiao Sa's heart.

He immediately reached out, grabbed Xu Hao's shoulder, and forcefully yanked him away from the mirror.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Xu Hao stumbled from the pull, the bizarre smile instantly vanishing from his face, replaced by utter confusion and bewilderment.

He then shook his head, as if he had just woken up from a dream.

"What are you doing? Why did you push me?"

"Who were you just talking to?"

Xiao Sa stared intently at him.

"Talking?"

Xu Hao frowned, trying hard to recall, as confusion gradually showed on his face:

"I don't know... I just saw someone in the mirror who looked exactly like me."

"He waved at me and said he knew how to leave this godforsaken place, and that there was an absolutely safe secret passage right behind this mirror."

"I didn't believe him, so he told me to come a bit closer so he could pull me through..."

Xiao Sa's heart tightened as he listened. He immediately pointed at the mirror and lowered his voice even further:

"Did you forget the third rule of the Ward Rules? Do not trust any reflection in the mirror!"

Xu Hao shuddered. When he looked at the mirror again, his eyes were filled with lingering fear.

The blurry figure in the mirror still stood there quietly, as if nothing had happened.

But looking back now, how similar was the smile of that "self" in the mirror to the stiff expressions of those "patients" from earlier?

If Xiao Sa hadn't pulled him away just now, would he have really plunged headfirst into the mirror and also turned into...

A chill rushed from the soles of his feet straight to his skull. Xu Hao quickly put a stop to this wild thought.

"Damn, this place is really freaky."

He cursed in a low voice with lingering fear, not daring to look at the mirror ever again.

Just as they were trying to compose themselves, a crackling sound of static, like a bad electrical connection, came from the corridor ceiling.

Zzzt— Zzzt—

The incandescent lights that had been out suddenly began to flicker rapidly.

Immediately after, a sharp, ear-piercing alarm suddenly blared across the entire floor.

"Wooo— Wooo— Wooo—"

The sound was incredibly mournful, as if countless tormented souls were wailing at the same time.

"This bad!"

Xiao Sa's heart sank. He immediately rushed to a nearby ward door and pulled hard.

But he found that the door seemed to be welded shut, not budging in the slightest.

Xu Hao also reacted instantly, kicking another door hard, but it was also locked tight.

"Quick!"

Xiao Sa shouted at Xu Hao over the deafening alarm:

"The second rule: close your eyes when the lights flicker!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Hao raised his hands to cover his face almost simultaneously with Xiao Sa, shutting his eyes tightly.

The blinding white light was blocked by his palms.

But the sharp alarm seemed to penetrate their bones, churning wildly in their minds and making their eardrums throb with pain.

Before they knew it, all the sounds abruptly stopped.

The entire world instantly fell into a dead silence.

The two waited for a few more seconds before slowly removing their hands from their faces, cautiously opening their eyes.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

There was no movement around them; the corridor was still the same corridor.

It was as if nothing had happened, and the alarm and flickering lights from earlier were merely illusions.

"What the hell..."

Before Xu Hao could even finish his sentence, Xiao Sa suddenly covered his mouth, pointing ahead with his other hand, his face filled with sheer terror.

Xu Hao looked in the direction he pointed, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

The scene before them made their breathing stop instantly.

The end of the long, dilapidated corridor should have been a corner wall.

But now, it was replaced by a dark hall.

The hall was packed with "patients" wearing hospital gowns; at a rough glance, there were at least a hundred of them.

They all stood motionless with their heads bowed, their bodies slightly hunched, like a silent forest of human figures.

The oppressive feeling built up by such massive numbers and absolute silence almost solidified the air.

Only then did the two realize with horror that they were standing right at the entrance of this terrifying hall.

Just a few more steps forward, and they would have barged straight into a devil's den teeming with monsters.

Xiao Sa and Xu Hao swallowed hard simultaneously, their scalps tingling so much that they couldn't utter a single word.

If they hadn't closed their eyes just now and instead run forward in a panic during the alarm...

The consequences were obvious; they would have already been surrounded by those "patients" and torn to shreds.

The two exchanged a glance, seeing the same thought in each other's eyes.

Retreat!

Holding their breath, they moved as slowly as if in slow motion, taking step after step backward.

Every step was taken with extreme caution, for fear of making even the slightest sound that might disturb this dead "forest."

Finally, they retreated back to the previous corner, and the terrifying hall vanished from their sight.

Both of them leaned against the wall in unison, panting softly, their hospital gowns already completely drenched in cold sweat.

The oppressive atmosphere made Xu Hao feel incredibly frustrated.

Having hung around the streets for years, fighting was second nature to him, and what he feared least was a head-on clash.

Even if he couldn't win, he could just run for it.

But the omnipresent, bizarre rules and the unknown dangers that could pop up at any moment left him feeling helpless, with nowhere to direct his strength.

He couldn't help but think of his Boss. If he were here, why would he care about any of these bullshit rules?

He would surely slay any god or Buddha in his path, punching right through this wretched mental hospital.

Just then, Xu Hao caught sight of a fork in the road ahead.

The path on the left seemed to lead to the Registration Hall from earlier; he remembered there were stairs leading to the second floor there.

"Hiding and sneaking around like a bunch of sissies, how long is it going to take us to find it?"

Finally unable to contain himself, he complained, "Why don't we just fight our way up the stairs over there!"

"Fight our way up? With what? Do you think those patients are the only threat here?"

Hearing this, Xiao Sa quickly tried to stop him, then swiftly scanned their surroundings and explained in a lowered voice:

"The rules also mentioned 'Nurses' and 'Attending Physicians.' The fact that they are listed separately means their danger level is far above that of the 'patients'."

"Our objective is in the Director's Office on the fourth floor. There will definitely be monsters blocking our way. Charging in blindly without knowing anything about them is no different from seeking death."

"That's still better than playing the coward here!"

Xu Hao's stubborn temper flared up, and he punched the wall:

"Two paths. We each take one and see who reaches the fourth floor first. If you're scared, go find a place to hide by yourself."

Xiao Sa frowned, still wanting to persuade him:

"Now is not the time to act on impulse. Teamwork is the optimal solution..."

"Cut the useless crap!"

[part:gemini-3.5-flash-lite]

Xu Hao completely refused to listen to advice, sticking his neck out and saying: "I refuse to believe that with this pair of fists of mine, I'll be trapped to death by these ghost things!"

Finished speaking, he no longer paid attention to Xiao Sa, rushed straight towards the fork on the left, and strode towards the direction of the Registration Hall.

He had enough of this suppression; he needed to fight, he needed to vent!

Xiao Sa looked at the back disappearing into the darkness and helplessly sighed.

Having mixed in the Gang for many years, he knew too well the temper of such a hothead; he wouldn't turn back without suffering a big loss.

Xiao Sa shook his head and chose the path on the right.

Compared to barging through, he preferred cautious exploration.

In a building like a hospital, there must be safety passages used for fire evacuation.

If he could find this passage, avoiding the "patients" in the rooms and the "Nurses" patrolling the corridor, and safely reaching the fourth floor all the way, wouldn't it be much safer than fighting head-on?

Having made up his mind, he lightened his footsteps and continued to cautiously grope in the darkness.

...

After parting ways with Xiao Sa, Xu Hao felt that the air was much fresher.

He no longer deliberately suppressed his footsteps, and even intentionally used the body of the flashlight to knock on the wall, making a "dong-dong" sound.

Soon, as he wished, a few "patients" were attracted over.

A battle without any suspense broke out.

Xu Hao treated these monsters as sandbags, using both fists and feet, fighting to his heart's content.

A few minutes later, the ground was covered with the corpses of "patients".

"Exhilarating!"

He shook his hands, the pent-up Qi in his heart dissipated a lot, and he felt as if he were playing a mowing game.

It seemed that that pretty boy was just too timid; these monsters, as long as they didn't gather in groups of more than ten, were not to be feared at all.

He continued deeper, resolving several waves of "patients" along the way, and quickly found the stairs leading to the second floor.

After stepping onto the second floor, the environment here was completely different from the first floor.

The walls were no longer peeling paint, but covered with cold white tiles, with black mold seeping through the gaps.

The stench of corruption in the air had faded a bit, replaced by a strong smell of formalin.

Xu Hao vigilantly looked around, seeing not even half a monster's shadow, and was just about to step towards the third floor when his footsteps suddenly stopped.

The stairs leading to the third floor were actually gone!

Where the staircase corridor should have been, there stood a seamless cement wall, so smooth it was as if this building never intended to build a third floor from the very beginning.

Xu Hao unwillingly searched the second floor, his expression gradually sinking.

The structure of the entire floor was absurdly bizarre, with corridors twisting and turning, and several times walking and walking only to return to the original spot.

The doors of many rooms even opened in unimaginable corners like the cracks of wall corners.

It completely didn't look like an architectural style a normal person could design, almost causing him to get lost in the corridor.

Just when Xu Hao was feeling somewhat annoyed, a slight movement reached his ears.

"Da... da... da..."

The crisp sound carried a regular rhythm, coming from the darkness ahead, very much like the sound of high-heel heels stepping on tiles.

"Is it a Nurse?!"

The fourth rule flashed instantly through Xu Hao's mind, making his heart tighten.

He immediately stopped his footsteps, turned off the flashlight, and listened attentively.

That sound was coming unhurriedly from the corner of the corridor ahead, approaching him bit by bit.

A flash of ferocity crossed Xu Hao's eyes; instead of hiding, he clenched his fists tightly.

His muscles bulged all over, preparing to give this so-called "Nurse" a head-on blow.

As a cadre of the Noah Organization, he had experienced quite a few dangerous scenes.

Merely a solitary monster, even if it was stronger than those patients, how much stronger could it be?

Da.

The footsteps suddenly stopped at the corner.

Subsequently, the surroundings fell into a dead silence.

Xu Hao held his breath, his heart beating like a battle drum.

The next second, a tall figure silently slid out from the corner.

That was a woman wearing an old-fashioned Nurse's uniform, wearing a Nurse cap, with an impossibly good figure.

However, her face was covered with a layer of gauze dyed dark brown by bloodstains, revealing only a pair of dead-gray pupil eyes.

In her right hand, she dragged a rusty scalpel.

The blade was a full meter long, an exaggerated shape that could simply not exist in reality.

Zi-la-la——

The tip of the blade gently scraped across the tiles, as if sending out a dangerous signal.

Right now!

Xu Hao let out a roar, his entire body resembling a fierce tiger descending the mountain, a cannon punch carrying the sound of wind, directly aiming at the "Nurse's" face.

However, the "Nurse's" reaction was faster than imaginable.

She merely sided slightly, dodging this powerful punch at an unimaginable angle.

At the same time, her dead-gray eyes locked gazes with Xu Hao.

Boom!

Xu Hao's head felt as if it had been heavily smashed by a heavy hammer, everything before his eyes instantly twisting and rotating.

Countless sharp gibberish and screams frantically rang in his ears.

Once in the Noah Laboratory, those cold instruments, struggling experimental subjects, desperate gazes of companions...

Scene after scene of images he had deliberately forgotten flooded into his mind like a tide.

It was a mental attack!

Severe headaches and chaotic hallucinations caused a fatal stagnation in Xu Hao's actions.

At this exact moment, the "Nurse" moved.

Her figure transformed into a white afterimage, and the scalpel in her hand slashed out a cold arc.

Si-la——

Xu Hao only felt a chill in his chest, and looked down.

A bone-deep wound extended from his left shoulder all the way to his right abdomen, blood gushing out instantly and staining the hospital gown red.

The excruciating pain briefly sobered him up from the mental shock.

Looking at this eerie woman before him, fear surged in his heart for the first time.

He couldn't beat her! This thing simply couldn't be defeated by brute force!

Without a shred of hesitation, he turned and ran.

The "Nurse" let out a sharp screech, her figure once again disappearing in place like a ghost.

Xu Hao's scalp tingled, his body's sense of crisis soaring to the absolute limit.

Feeling a fierce wind attacking the back of his head, in his urgency, without even thinking, he suddenly turned around and horizontally blocked the metal flashlight in his hand in front of his chest.

Clang!

Along with a harsh clashing of metal and iron, the scalpel fiercely hacked onto the flashlight.

A huge force transmitted along his arm, shaking Xu Hao back repeatedly and making the webbing between his thumb and index finger numb.

The metal casing of the flashlight was cleaved with a deep gap, almost breaking into two halves.

But at least it blocked this fatal blow!

Xu Hao felt a wave of lingering fear in his heart, not daring to linger in battle at all; taking advantage of this impact, he turned around and continued running wildly.

Just at this moment, the sharp alarm sound rang out again, echoing in the deep corridor.

The lights overhead also began to flicker frantically, making Xu Hao, who already had a splitting headache, even more dizzy.

While running, he looked for a room where he could hide.

Not far ahead, an iron door was wide open.

"If you encounter a Nurse, hide inside a room; she will only patrol the corridor!"

That pretty boy's words analyzing the mission earlier resounded in his mind like a straw to clutch at.

Xu Hao burst out with all his potential, using all his might to sprint forward, performing a fish leap, and pouncing entirely through the door.

Then rolling a few times on the ground, flipping up, enduring the excruciating pain from his body, he slammed the heavy iron door shut with a bang.

Just as he grabbed the door handle and turned the lock core, a loud "clang" sounded.

The entire door suddenly bulged inward, the huge impact force almost knocking him to the ground.

Xu Hao desperately pressed against the door, his heart beating violently "thump, thump" in his chest, almost about to jump out.

The banging sound outside the door rang a few times consecutively, but then suddenly stopped.

Left?

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, a sharp metallic friction sound rang out by his ear without warning.

Puchi!

That rusty long blade actually directly pierced through the thick iron door.

The blade tip flashing with cold light suspended in mid-air, the blade edge less than one centimeter away from the tip of his nose.

The chilling murderous intent made all the hair on his body stand on end instantly!