Start with push-ups to gain experience

Chapter 440 The Survival Journey of Two (12)

The two walked carefully down the deep corridor, one after the other.

The beam of the flashlight pierced the darkness, tearing a hole in the path ahead.

But more darkness surged in from the sides and rear, as if it might swallow up the faint light at any moment.

The corridor was lined with closed wards, the small windows on the doors of which were boarded up, making it impossible to see inside.

Beneath the peeling paint on the walls, one could see some dark red marks made with fingernails.

There was a persistent fishy smell in the air.

It was as if the old bloodstains had seeped from the walls, mixed with a putrid smell that even disinfectant couldn't mask.

Both of them slowed their pace, almost tiptoeing as they moved forward.

After walking for about several dozen meters, Xu Hao, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped without warning.

Xiao Sa followed behind and almost bumped into him.

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

He stood motionless, leaning slightly forward, facing a rectangular mirror on the corridor wall.

The mirror was covered with a layer of dust, but the blurry figures of the two people could still be vaguely reflected.

"Hey, you blockhead, what are you spacing out for?"

Xiao Sa lowered his voice and asked.

Xu Hao did not respond.

He seemed to be bewitched by something, slowly raising his hand as if to touch the dirty mirror.

A strange, relieved smile even appeared on his face.

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

Xu Hao mumbled incoherently, "Yes, you're right... I should have thought of that sooner..."

An ominous premonition instantly gripped Xiao Sa's heart.

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

"Are you crazy?"

Xu Hao stumbled as he was pulled, and the strange smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of bewilderment and confusion.

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 talking to just now?

Xiao Sa stared intently at him.

"say?"

Xu Hao frowned, trying hard to recall, a look of doubt gradually appearing on his face:

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

"He waved to me and said he knew how to get out of this godforsaken place. There was a safe secret passage behind this mirror."

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

Xiao Sa's heart tightened upon hearing this, and he immediately pointed to the mirror, lowering his voice even further:
"Have you forgotten the third rule of the ward? Don't trust any reflection in a mirror!"

Xu Hao was shocked, and when he looked at the mirror again, his eyes were filled with lingering fear.

The blurry figure in the mirror remained standing quietly, as if nothing had happened.

But now, when he thinks back, the smile of "himself" in the mirror is so similar to the stiff corners of the mouths of those "patients" before.

If Xiaosai hadn't pulled me away, would I have actually run headfirst into the mirror and become...?

A chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and Xu Hao quickly stopped this crazy thought.

"Damn, this place is really weird."

He muttered a curse under his breath, still shaken, and dared not look at the mirror again.

Just as the two were still unsettled, a hissing sound, like a faulty electrical connection, came from the ceiling of the corridor.

Zi La——Zi La——

The incandescent bulbs that had been extinguished suddenly began to flicker frequently.

Immediately afterwards, a sharp, piercing alarm suddenly blared throughout the entire floor.

"Woo-wu-wu-"

The sound was exceptionally shrill, as if countless wronged souls were wailing at the same time.

"not good!"

Xiao Sa's heart sank, and he immediately rushed to a nearby ward door, reaching out and pulling hard.

But they found that the door was as if it had been welded shut, and it wouldn't budge.

Xu Hao reacted instantly, raising his leg to kick the other door hard, but it was locked as well.

"quick!"

Despite the piercing alarm, Xiao Sa shouted at Xu Hao:

"Rule number two: Close your eyes when the light flashes!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Hao and Xiao Sa almost simultaneously raised their hands to cover their faces and tightly closed their eyes.

The blinding white light was blocked by the palm of the hand.

But the piercing alarm seemed to penetrate their bones, churning wildly in their minds and making their eardrums ache.

After an unknown amount of time, all sounds suddenly ceased.

The whole world fell into dead silence in an instant.

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

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

There was no movement around; the corridor remained the same.

It's as if nothing happened; the alarm and flashing lights were just an illusion.

"What are you doing..."

Xu Hao had only spoken half a sentence when Xiao Sa suddenly covered his mouth, pointing ahead with her other hand, her face filled with terror.

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

The scene before them made them both catch their breath.

At the end of what should have been a long, narrow, and dilapidated corridor was a corner wall.

But now, instead, there is a dark hall.

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

They all stood motionless, heads bowed, bodies slightly hunched, like a desolate forest composed of human figures.

The oppressive feeling created by the sheer number of people and the absolute silence almost froze the air.

The two were then shocked to realize that they were standing at the entrance to this terrifying hall.

Just a few more steps forward and you'll be thrust into a monster-infested lair.

Xiao Sa and Xu Hao's Adam's apples bobbed simultaneously, and they felt a chill run down their spines, unable to utter a single word.

If I hadn't closed my eyes, and instead had frantically run forward amidst the alarm...

The consequences were obvious; they were already surrounded by those "patients" and torn to pieces.

The two looked at each other and saw the same thought in each other's eyes.

withdraw!
They held their breath, their movements as slow as a motion in slow motion, as they backed away step by step.

He took each step with extreme care, afraid of making even the slightest sound that might disturb the deathly silence of the "forest".

Finally, they returned to the corner they had been at, and the terrifying hall disappeared from their sight.

The two of them leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, their hospital gowns soaked with cold sweat.

The oppressive atmosphere made Xu Hao feel extremely irritable.

He had spent many years on the streets, and fighting was a daily occurrence for him. He was never afraid of head-on confrontations.

Even if we can't win, we can always run away.

But the bizarre rules that are everywhere and the unknown dangers that may appear at any time make him feel helpless and powerless.

He couldn't help but think of his boss. If he were here, why would he care about any of those damn rules?
He'd be unstoppable, killing everything in his path, and smash this lousy mental hospital to pieces with a single punch.

At that moment, Xu Hao noticed a fork in the road ahead.

The road on the left seemed to lead to the previous registration hall, where he remembered there were stairs leading to the second floor.

"If you keep hiding like a woman, how long will it take to find you?"

He finally couldn't contain himself and complained, "Let's just fight our way up those stairs!"

"Charge in? With what? You think those patients are the only threat?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Sa quickly tried to dissuade him, then glanced around rapidly and explained in a low voice:
"The guidelines also mention 'nurses' and 'attending physicians,' which are listed separately, indicating that their level of danger is far greater than that of 'patients.'"

"Our mission objective is the dean's office on the fourth floor. There will definitely be monsters blocking our way. If we rush in without knowing anything about them, it will be no different from suicide."

"That's still better than hiding here like a coward!"

Xu Hao's stubbornness flared up, and he punched the wall.

"Two paths, one for each of us, let's see who gets to the fourth floor first. If you're scared, find somewhere to hide."

Xiao Sa frowned, still wanting to advise:
"Now is not the time to act impulsively; teamwork is the best solution..." "Stop spouting this nonsense!"

Xu Hao ignored all advice and stubbornly said, "I refuse to believe that I can be trapped to death by these ghostly things with my fists!"

After saying that, he ignored Xiaosai and rushed straight to the left fork in the road, striding towards the registration hall.

He'd had enough of this repression; he needed to fight, he needed to vent!
Xiao Sa watched the figure disappear into the darkness and sighed helplessly.

Having spent many years in gangs, he knew all too well the nature of this kind of hothead; he wouldn't turn back until he suffered a great loss.

Xiaosai shook his head and chose the right path.

He prefers to explore cautiously rather than force his way in.

Hospitals, as buildings, must have safety passages for fire evacuation.

If we could find this passage, avoid the "patients" in the room and the "nurses" patrolling the corridor, and safely reach the fourth floor, wouldn't that be much safer than fighting head-on?
Having made up his mind, he tiptoed and continued to carefully grope his way through the darkness.

....................................

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

He no longer tried to suppress the sound of his footsteps, and even deliberately tapped the wall with the body of his flashlight to make a "thump-thump" sound.

Soon, as he wished, several "patients" were attracted over.

A battle with no suspense broke out.

Xu Hao used these monsters as punching bags, beating them with both fists and feet, enjoying a thoroughly satisfying fight.

A few minutes later, the ground was littered with the bodies of the "patients".

"happy!"

He shook his hands, and the frustration in his heart dissipated considerably, feeling as if he were playing a lawnmower game.

It seems that pretty boy is just too cowardly. These monsters are nothing to fear as long as they don't gather in groups of more than ten.

He continued deeper, dealing with several more groups of "patients" along the way, and soon found the stairs leading to the second floor.

Once you step onto the second floor, the environment is completely different from that on the first floor.

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

The stench in the air had lessened, replaced by a strong smell of formaldehyde.

Xu Hao looked around warily, but didn't see a single monster. Just as he was about to step up to the third floor, he suddenly stopped.

The staircase leading to the third floor is gone!

Where the stairwell should be, there stands a perfectly sealed cement wall, its surface so smooth that it's as if the building was never intended to have a third floor in the first place.

Xu Hao searched the second floor reluctantly, his face gradually darkening.

The entire floor's structure was so bizarre it was almost absurd; the corridors twisted and turned, and several times I found myself back where I started.

Many room doors even open in bizarre corners, like narrow gaps between walls.

The architectural style was completely unlike anything a normal person could design, which almost caused him to get lost in the corridor.

Just as Xu Hao was getting a little irritated, a slight noise reached his ears.

"Da da da……"

A crisp, rhythmic sound came from the darkness ahead, much like the sound of high heels clicking on tiles.

"A nurse?!"

Xu Hao's mind flashed instantly to the fourth rule, and his heart tightened.

He immediately stopped, turned off his flashlight, and listened intently.

The sound was coming slowly and steadily from around the corner of the corridor ahead, gradually approaching him.

A fierce glint flashed in Xu Hao's eyes. Instead of hiding, he clenched his fist.

His muscles were bulging, ready to give this so-called "nurse" a good beating.

As a member of the Noah organization, he had experienced many dangerous situations.

It's just a lone monster. Even if it's stronger than those patients, how much stronger can it be?
Hey.

The footsteps suddenly stopped at the corner.

Then, a deathly silence fell over the surroundings.

Xu Hao held his breath, his heart pounding like a war drum.

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

She was a woman dressed in an old-fashioned nurse's uniform, wearing a nurse's cap, and had an incredibly good figure.

But her face was covered with a gauze stained blackish-brown with blood, revealing only a pair of eyes with dead gray pupils.

Her right hand held a rusty scalpel.

The blade is a full meter long, with an exaggerated design that could never exist in reality.

Zi La La——

The knife tip grazed lightly across the tile, as if sending a danger signal.

It's now!

Xu Hao roared and charged down the mountain like a tiger, unleashing a powerful punch that whistled through the air, aimed straight for the "nurse's" face.

However, the "nurse" reacted faster than expected.

She simply shifted her body slightly to the side, dodging the powerful punch at an unbelievable angle.

At the same time, her lifeless gray eyes met Xu Hao's.

boom!
Xu Hao felt as if he had been hit hard by a heavy hammer, and everything in front of him instantly twisted and spun.

Countless sharp whispers and screams rang wildly in his ears.

Once upon a time in Noah's Lab, there were those cold instruments, struggling experimental subjects, and the despairing eyes of their companions...

Scenes he had deliberately forgotten flooded his mind like a tide.

It's a psychological attack!
A severe headache and chaotic hallucinations caused Xu Hao's movements to come to a fatal halt.

At that very moment, the "nurse" moved.

Her figure blurred into a white afterimage, the scalpel in her hand drawing a cold arc.

hiss-

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

A deep, bone-revealing wound stretched from his left shoulder to his right abdomen, and blood gushed out instantly, staining his hospital gown red.

The excruciating pain briefly brought him back to his senses from the mental shock.

Looking at the strange woman before him, he felt fear for the first time.

We can't beat it! This thing can't be defeated by brute force!

Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and ran.

The nurse let out a shriek, and her figure vanished from the spot once again like a ghost.

Xu Hao felt his scalp tingle and his sense of danger surged to its peak.

Feeling a gust of wind coming from behind him, in a moment of panic, he turned around abruptly without thinking and held the metal flashlight in his hand horizontally in front of his chest.

when!
With a piercing clang of metal, the scalpel slammed into the flashlight.

The immense force traveled up his arm, causing Xu Hao to stagger backward, his hand going numb.

The flashlight's metal casing had been cleaved open with a deep gash, almost breaking it in two.

But at least it blocked that fatal blow!
Xu Hao felt a wave of fear wash over him and dared not linger in the fight. Using the momentum, he turned and continued his frantic run.

Just then, the piercing alarm sounded again, echoing through the dark corridor.

The lights overhead began to flash wildly, making Xu Hao, who already had a splitting headache, even more dizzy.

He ran while searching for a room where he could hide.

Not far ahead, an iron gate was wide open.

"If you encounter a nurse, hide in a room; she only patrols the hallway!"

The young man's analysis of the mission echoed in his mind like a lifeline.

Xu Hao unleashed all his potential, sprinting forward with every ounce of his strength, and with a leap, he plunged through the doorway.

Then he rolled several times on the ground, got up, and, enduring the excruciating pain, slammed the heavy iron door shut with a "bang".

He had just pulled the doorknob and turned the lock cylinder when there was a loud "bang".

The door suddenly lurched inward, the enormous impact nearly knocking him to the ground.

Xu Hao pressed himself firmly against the door, his heart pounding violently in his chest, almost as if it would burst out of his chest.

The banging sounds outside the door continued for a few moments, then suddenly stopped.

gone?

He had just breathed a sigh of relief when a sharp metallic scraping sound rang in his ears without warning.

puff!

The rusty longsword actually pierced straight through the thick iron door.

The gleaming blade hovered in mid-air, its edge less than a centimeter from his nose.

The chilling killing intent made the hairs on his body stand on end instantly!

　There will be another update later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)