26. Medical Case File

After rushing out of the office, Liu Qiang sprinted toward the stairwell, terrified that a moment’s delay would mean being devoured by that monster. Another boy, clutching his school bag, raced alongside him with the speed of an Olympic sprinter.

"Wait for me!" the boy shouted as he ran. At this pace, he could have easily taken first place in any track competition. Fortunately, Chi You and her group were moving at a leisurely pace, allowing the two boys to catch up quickly.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

The two stopped, gasping for breath. The silence of the corridor was filled only by their ragged breathing.

"You guys... you could have called for us before leaving," Liu Qiang complained, though he understood well enough why they had left.

"I’m exhausted," the other boy added, leaning against the wall, his face deathly pale.

The four of them simply watched, saying nothing. Whether these two would survive the ordeal ahead was entirely up to their own fate.

The third floor was noticeably quieter, with walls decorated by科普 posters and photographs of doctors. Chi You and her group strolled ahead, while the two men followed closely behind, terrified of being left behind.

Chi You pushed open a door to find a room in total disarray; various pieces of medical equipment were piled up, leaving no room to step. Jiang Pan opened another door, but the moment he did, he was hit by a cloud of dust that had gathered over the years, triggering a coughing fit.

"How can there be so much dust?" Jiang Pan asked, covering his nose as he stepped inside. It appeared to be a consultation room, and the furnishings were sparse: a desk, a chair, a patient bed, and a small area for washing hands.

Medical records were scattered across the desk. Jiang Pan picked one up and began to read. It belonged to a seven-year-old boy named Fu Shaohuai. As Jiang Pan flipped through the pages, he realized that at such a young age, the boy was suffering from a terminal illness. Furthermore, he had a severe psychiatric disorder that seemed prone to violent outbursts.

Physical pain combined with mental anguish—it was a truly torturous existence for a seven-year-old child.

"Chi You."

Jiang Pan’s voice drifted slowly out of the consultation room. Chi You, who had been about to check another room, turned and walked over.

"What is it?" she asked from the doorway.

Jiang Pan walked up to her and handed over the medical chart. "Take a look at this."

Chi You took the file and studied it carefully. Her brows furrowed slightly as she read about the two conditions. She had never heard of them before.

The boy’s immune system was in constant decline, and as he grew older, his internal organs were beginning to fail one by one. Eventually, he would lose the use of his legs, then his upper body, and once the organs failed completely, death would follow. To make matters worse, the child suffered from a psychiatric condition that caused him to scream, shout, and lash out physically whenever he had an episode, which only served to deplete his remaining strength.

"Fu Shaohuai."

Chi You whispered the name softly before tucking the chart into her bag, alongside the document they had found in the office. It might prove useful later.

With nothing left in the room, the two exited and headed toward their next destination.

"A ghost—!"

Liu Qiang shrieked in terror as he caught sight of a spectral figure nearby. This female ghost had been following them for a while, and now she had appeared again. Was she trying to kill them?

His shout drew everyone's attention. Chi You looked toward the female ghost in the distance. It was the same one they had seen from the very beginning. She had appeared on the third floor, though her intentions remained unclear.

The ghost’s long, disheveled hair obscured her face. She raised her hands and began making gestures at them. This time, her movements were more elaborate than before, but Chi You still couldn't decipher their meaning.

"What is she doing?" Zheng Hong asked, looking puzzled.

The ghost vanished into thin air immediately after finishing her gestures, leaving the group even more confused. Liu Qiang, however, had been terrified by her sudden appearance; only when she disappeared did he dare to step out from behind Meng Shuyin.

*Damn it,* he thought, *that was humiliating.* The memory of his heroic facade crumbling, only to end up hiding behind a woman, filled him with irritation. He looked left and right, and upon seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

Chi You frowned, contemplating the ghost's gestures. Why was she following them?

"Do you have any idea what she was trying to communicate?" Chi You asked, looking at Jiang Pan.

Jiang Pan shrugged. "If I knew, I would have told you."

Hearing this, Chi You retorted sharply, "And to think you were the top-scoring student in the province during the college entrance exams. You can’t even decipher a hint from a ghost. Senior Jiang, you’ve truly fallen from grace."

The insulted Jiang Pan didn't take offense. He looked at Chi You’s carefully crafted face—fair, beautiful, and wearing a playful expression that suggested she was already hatching some mischievous plan. He smiled.

"And you, Junior Chi, were admitted to the school with a score of 706, yet you can’t figure it out either. You should spend less time trying to look pretty and more time reading."

The others felt their hearts tighten. Were they about to start arguing? Zheng Hong gripped his copper-coin sword and retreated a few steps, terrified of being caught in the crossfire. Meng Shuyin looked between them, confused as to why they were bickering again.

The staring contest ended, and Chi You said coolly, "Senior Jiang is the same."

"As you wish, Junior," he replied.

Then, they turned and walked away side by side, leaving the others dumbfounded. The tension had vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Meng Shuyin smiled; their temperaments were truly eccentric.

"What do you think that ghost really wanted to say?" Chi You asked, still mulling it over.

"Probably just giving us a warning," Jiang Pan said offhandedly. After all, the ghost never harmed them; she just liked to scare people. Since she couldn't speak, she used gestures instead.

"Whatever, we'll see as we go," Chi You said, deciding to let it drop. She kicked open a door nearby. The door was flimsy, and with her kick, it collapsed to the floor with a deafening crash, sending dust billowing everywhere.

Chi You covered her nose and mouth, coughing, while the two "locals" behind them jumped in fright, shrinking their necks in terror.