18. One More Death

Upon reaching the second floor, the corridor and the main hall were brightly lit. Young patients paced back and forth, some clutching soft forks, others shouting that they were not sick. Chi You watched them standing there with vacant eyes, repeating that same phrase over and over like a broken record. Whenever anyone approached, these people would immediately shrink back, their expressionless faces suddenly twisted in terror. For a moment, it was hard to tell who the real ghosts were.

"Tch, cowards," Sun Qian cursed upon seeing this. He raised his foot and kicked the nearest young man. Having lost a comrade, the two leaders were in a foul mood, and Sun Qian used these cowering ghosts to vent his rage. The boy, wearing a white and blue striped hospital gown, was knocked to the ground. He didn't fight back, only curling up while clutching a small brown teddy bear. "Don't hit me, don't hit me," he whimpered.

"Damn it, it's you freaks I'm hitting!" Sun Qian shouted, continuing to kick.

Chi You, who had been walking in front, stopped, and those behind her followed suit. She turned back to see Sun Qian bullying the ghost.

"You dared to touch my brother, die!" Sun Qian didn't know what had come over him; he had only intended to vent his frustration, but after knocking the boy down, a deep, dark desire began to swell within him. His teeth gritted, his pupils dilated, and he looked desperate for blood. He kicked harder and harder, spewing vile insults. Finally, he bent down, intent on snatching the teddy bear from the boy’s arms. Since he guarded it so closely, it must be his most precious possession. *Destroy it! Let this boy see what I can do.*

The atmosphere around Sun Qian grew menacing, and the men standing nearby instinctively backed away. Chi You had intended to ignore it, but seeing him reach for the bear, she narrowed her eyes and warned, "If you ruin that and the owner retaliates, you're on your own."

But Sun Qian was beyond hearing anyone. His gaze was locked on the bear, ready to tear it apart. Just as he was about to act, Liu Qiang stopped him. "If you don't want to die, give it back," Liu Qiang cautioned.

"Get lost—" Sun Qian shoved him away with great force, sending him flying. Chi You watched this with a dismissive click of her tongue.

Was he bewitched? Or what? Chi You leaned against the wall, chin in hand, watching without the slightest intention of intervening. Jiang Pan stood nearby and asked, "Is something wrong with him?"

"Yes," Chi You replied firmly.

Liu Qiang, having been shoved to the floor, rubbed his bruised backside with a grimace. He had tried to offer good advice, but Sun Qian wouldn't listen. Just as he scrambled up, Sun Qian ripped the brown teddy bear to shreds. In the silent space, only the sound of tearing fabric remained.

The boy on the floor stopped repeating his mantra. He twisted his head, fixing a dead stare on Sun Qian. His lips began to split, tearing all the way to his ears. His pitch-black eyes rolled frantically, and his voice shifted. "Who let you touch my bear? Give it back. Give it back..."

As the boy muttered, his body transformed into a monster. His head twisted into a corkscrew, his limbs warped into hideous claws, and he pushed himself upright. "My bear!"

Sun Qian, having finished tearing the bear, suddenly snapped back to his senses. He froze as he looked at the shredded remains. What had he just done? He had only meant to vent, but after kicking the boy, his emotions had spiraled out of control. He had become unrecognizable, his mind and eyes consumed by rage. He tossed the bear's limbs aside, heart pounding with sudden terror. But when he saw the monster standing before him, his breath hitched. Was this the boy he had just kicked?

Jiang Pan had already taken out his phone to take pictures. After snapping a few, he opened his gallery, picked the best ones, and deleted the rest.

The man and the monster stared at each other. Finally, Sun Qian couldn't take it and turned to run. But the creature wouldn't let him go; it reached out, plunged its claws into his abdomen, dragged him back, and opened its blood-stained maw to bite down on Sun Qian's head.

"Help—" Sun Qian cried out, looking toward Chi You, but before the sound could fully escape, his head was devoured by the monster. Blood sprayed across the floor.

The other young patients, catching the scent of blood in the air, underwent a terrifying change. They rushed forward with incredible speed and began to feast on Sun Qian's body. With an eerie gleam in their eyes, they finished their meal, stood up, and turned their heads toward the onlookers. Their faces were smeared with gore, yet Chi You and her group could clearly see the hunger in their eyes.

Chi You reached out, opened the door next to her, and stepped inside. "If you don't want to be eaten, get in here!" she shouted before diving into the room. Jiang Pan followed immediately. The others, horrified by the sight of the young patients, realized with a jolt that they were all monsters.

Once the last person scrambled in and slammed the door, the monsters began to batter it violently. The impact was so severe that plaster fell from the ceiling.

"What do we do? It's full of monsters out there!" someone panicked. Were they trapped in this room? A heavy silence fell over the group.

Chi You stood where she was, surveying the room. It was no different from any other hospital ward. The battering continued, and the door lock began to warp under the pressure. Soon, the monsters would break through. To reinforce the door, the two most muscular men pressed their weight against it.

"Do something! I don't want to die here!"

Meng Shuyin looked instinctively toward Chi You, only to find her standing there, completely unbothered. She was scanning the room, showing no signs of the fear or dread that should come with being hunted. Zheng Hong, having entered, had retreated into the furthest corner, clutching his phone and trembling. As for Jiang Pan, the tallest and most handsome man among them, he was calmly looking at the photos he had just taken.