Global Ghost Stories: I'm Investigating Ghosts in My Nightmare!

Chapter 158 The Truth Under the Scalpel
The lights in the corridor were flashing wildly.

The frequency was extremely abnormal; with each time the light turned on and off, the nurse with the stitched-up face would shift forward a short distance.

This is not teleportation, but rather a kind of rule-based movement based on "blind spots".

"Mo Fei, straight ahead, at the three o'clock position, sweep!"

Lanze's voice echoed in the narrow corridor, and the rule fluctuation detector in his hand was emitting a rapid red light.

Mo Fei did not hesitate for a moment. He stomped his feet, shattering the floor tiles, his body as steady as a mountain, the high-frequency battle axe in his hand drawing a cold arc.

hum-

The air around the edge of the tomahawk is distorted by high-frequency vibrations.

Ding!
A piercing metallic clang rang out.

The massive syringe needle clashed with the tomahawk, sparks flying. The nurse's face, stitched together with rough black thread, was inches away, and a strong smell of formaldehyde mixed with the stench of rotting flesh assaulted the senses.

Mo Fei's arm muscles bulged, and he unleashed his power. Instead of blindly pursuing, he used the momentum to retreat half a step, firmly blocking Bai Yu and Lan Ce.

"Old Bai, this woman is ridiculously strong, and her body seems to be ethereal."

Mo Fei whispered a reminder, his eyes fixed on his opponent. His movements were now extremely precise, every muscle twitching in preparation for a defensive counterattack, completely devoid of his former recklessness.

Bai Yu stood behind, the silver light in his right eye already locked onto the nurse's worn-out uniform.

In his field of vision, a line of distorted text floated above the nurse's head:

[Medical Rule 1: Patients may not refuse treatment.]
[Medical Rule 2: Anyone not wearing a work badge is considered an intruder and will be subject to mandatory autopsy.]
"Lan Ce, disrupt her frequency. Mo Fei, don't attack her head, attack her ankles, that's the fulcrum she uses to maintain 'visual displacement'."

Bai Yu's voice was frighteningly calm.

"receive."

Lanze quickly pressed the switch on the "Nightingale" high-frequency acoustic jammer.

An invisible fluctuation instantly filled the corridor.

The nurse's movements visibly stiffened. Her previously unpredictable rhythm of movement was disrupted, and her body appeared as a distinct double image in the flickering lights.

"Now!"

Mo Fei took a step forward, lowered his shoulder, and instead of swinging the battle axe upward, he precisely slashed horizontally along the ground.

Click.

The nurse's feet, clad in white nurse shoes, were brutally severed.

No blood flowed out; only countless black threads, wriggling like living creatures, were visible at the cut.

The nurse let out a piercing scream. The sound didn't sound human; it was more like countless metal pieces rubbing against each other.

She fell to the ground, wildly waving the syringe in her hand.

Bai Yu stepped forward and made a grabbing motion in the air with his right hand.

"Rule Explanation: Deprivation of diagnostic rights."

The silver light spread along his fingertips, forcibly severing the nurse's connection with the corridor rules.

The nurse's body began to rapidly disintegrate, eventually turning into a pool of blackened liquid. In the center of the liquid, a dark gold name tag lay quietly.

Mo Fei put away his battle axe and wiped the sweat from his face.

"Phew, finally it's over. The nightmares here are much tougher than those outside."

Lan Ce walked over, picked up the employee badge, wiped it clean, and handed it to Bai Yu.

"Bai Yu, there's a name on this. 'Head Nurse: Lin Sumei.' And the date is next to it, 1994."

Bai Yu took the employee badge, his fingertips touching the cold metal, a chill ran straight to his head.

"1994...that was the year the first mass disappearance occurred at the nursing home. It seems that every nightmare here is a remnant of the will of the victims from that year."

He looked into the depths of the corridor.

In the darkness, it seemed as if countless eyes were watching them.

"Let's go to the archives. What we're looking for is there."

The three continued deeper into the area.

The walls of the corridor began to change.

The originally white tiles gradually turned waxy yellow, covered with dark red spots, like dried blood or some kind of fungus.

Even more strangely, a muffled heartbeat could be faintly heard coming from inside the wall.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Each beat was slow, yet it carried a sense of oppression that made one's heart stop.

"Lan Ce, analyze the source of the heartbeat."

Bai Yu gave the instructions in a low voice.

Lan Ce attached the detector to the wall, his expression changing slightly.

"It's not the heartbeat of a single creature. This entire building... seems to be coming into being."

"The space here is being assimilated by the will of the 'Mountain God'. We need to hurry."

Bai Yu quickened his pace.

They arrived at a heavy iron gate. The sign on the gate read "Archives Management Office".

The door lock was rusted shut, with several blackened vines wrapped around it.

Mo Fei stepped forward and gripped the door crack with both hands.

Instead of resorting to violence, he closed his eyes and sensed the structure behind the door.

“There’s a trap inside. Three tripwires connect to a bottle of sulfuric acid in the ceiling.”

Mo Fei analyzed calmly.

"Lanze, cut it with the laser."

Lance took a miniature laser pointer out of his bag and shone it through the crack in the door.

A few soft snapping sounds rang out.

Mo Fei then exerted his strength and slowly pushed the iron gate open.

The archive room was filled with a strong musty smell.

Countless iron filing cabinets were neatly arranged, but most of the drawers were open, and documents were scattered all over the floor.

Bai Yu walked straight to the cabinet at the very back.

His right eye gleamed in the darkness.

“Found it. The western suburbs redevelopment plan from 1994.”

Bai Yu pulled out a stack of yellowed papers and quickly flipped through them.

Mo Fei and Lan Ce stood guard at the door, vigilantly observing the corridor.

"Old Bai, what did you find?" Mo Fei asked.

Bai Yu's brows furrowed more and more tightly.

“There’s something wrong with this proposal. On the surface, it’s about expanding a sanatorium, but all the funds are actually going into a project called ‘altar maintenance’.”

"Moreover, Bai Jianguo, the dean at the time... who was also my 'father,' signed a note at the end of the plan."

Bai Yu pointed to the line of distorted characters.

The mountain god is thirsty. The water has dried up. Only the divine intervention can quench his thirst.
"Using spirits as a guide?" Lan Ce pushed up his glasses. "Does this refer to the dreamer?"

“That’s right. They conducted a large-scale ritual here back then, trying to awaken something ancient to fight the nightmare, but it backfired and caused the entire sanatorium to collapse.”

Bai Yu put down the documents, her eyes revealing a resolute determination.

“An Mu is right at the heart of that altar. He’s not suppressing the Nightmare; he’s offering himself up as a sacrifice to quench the thirst of that ‘mountain god’ in exchange for a brief period of peace in Linjiang City.”

"Captain, he..." Mo Fei's fist slammed into the wall, creating a dent, but he controlled his strength and didn't cause any bigger commotion.

"He's always like this. He carries everything on his own."

“We must save him. Once he is completely drained, the ‘Mountain God’ will descend in full force, and the entire city will resemble this sanatorium.”

Bai Yu puts away the file.

Just then, the lights in the archives suddenly went out.

An unprecedented chill rose from the soles of my feet.

"whee……"

A sharp laugh rang out in the darkness.

The laughter seemed to come from near and far, as if it were right next to my ear.

"Who?"

Mo Fei suddenly turned around, his battle axe held horizontally in front of him.

Lance turned on the flashlight.

A bright light pierced the darkness, revealing a man in a hospital gown sitting in the corner of the archives.

The man was very thin, skin and bones, and was holding a white piece of chalk, frantically drawing circles on the floor.

"What is he drawing?" Mo Fei asked in a low voice.

Lan Ce leaned closer for a look, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"He's drawing...our faces."

The floor was covered with countless portraits of Bai Yu, Mo Fei, and Lan Ce.

Each portrait had its eyes painted black and its mouth wide open, as if it were screaming.

"Patient number 001 has regained consciousness."

Bai Yu's right eye was fixed on the badge on the man's chest. "He was the first test subject here. And the only 'survivor' who has lived to this day."

The man stopped writing with chalk and slowly raised his head.

His face had no facial features.

The areas that should have been eyes, nose, and mouth were all covered by smooth skin.

But he did make a sound.

"Are you... also here to quench your thirst?"

The man stood up, his body contorted as if he had no bones.

"Mountain God... doesn't want blood... Mountain God... wants memories..."

As he spoke, the surrounding filing cabinets began to shake violently.

Countless documents flew out of the drawer, swirling in the air and transforming into a storm of paper.

"Mo Fei, protect Lan Ce! Bai Yu, analyze his core coordinates!"

Lanze shouted, throwing out three "energy capture balls" at the same time.

The catching ball exploded in mid-air, forming a weak electric grid that temporarily blocked the storm of paper.

Mo Fei strode forward, wielding his battle axe with impenetrable speed.

"Old Bai, this guy has no physical form, I can't hit him!"

Bai Yu closed his eyes.

"Hei Yan, help me."

"Oh dear, this is a soul filled with tragedy. Bai Yu, are you really going to destroy him?"

Hei Yan's voice carried a hint of mockery.

"Enough talk. Analyze!"

Bai Yu's consciousness instantly rushed into the man's mental world.

It was a barren wasteland.

Countless fragments of memory lay scattered on the ground like withered leaves.

In the heart of the wasteland stood a colossal stone pillar. The pillar was covered with countless names.

Bai Yu saw An Mu's name; it was listed last.

Above An Mu's name, he saw a name that sent chills down his spine.

[Bai language.]
His name was actually carved on this sacrificial pillar thirty years ago.

"I see……"

Bai Yu suddenly opened her eyes.

“He is not a nightmare; he is the ‘gatekeeper’ of the altar. His existence is to select qualified sacrifices.”

The man had already rushed in front of Mo Fei, his arm turning into countless white chalk dust, trying to invade Mo Fei's mouth and nose.

"Mo Fei, hold your breath! Lan Ce, use high-frequency shockwave, adjust the frequency to 440 Hz!"

Bai Yu quickly gave the order.

Lanze quickly debugged the equipment.

hum-

A visible ripple spread outwards.

The man's body trembled violently in the ripples, and his previously blurry outline became clear.

"Rule Analysis: Contract Terminated."

Bai Yu rushed forward and placed her right hand on the man's chest.

A burst of silver light erupted.

The man's body began to melt away, turning into specks of white light.

In the moment before he disappeared, a pair of eyes filled with relief vaguely appeared on the man's smooth face.

"Thank you... Finally... I don't have to draw anymore..."

The man vanished as a wisp of smoke.

The archives fell silent again.

The portrait with Bai Yu's name engraved on the floor also disappeared.

"Old Bai, are you alright?" Mo Fei walked over and looked at Bai Yu with concern.

Bai Yu shook her head, her face even paler than before.

"I'm fine. Let's go to the third floor."

"The third floor is the operating room. That's the entrance to the altar."

The three walked out of the archives.

The heartbeats in the corridor became even more rapid.

Knock knock. Knock knock.

It was as if the entire building was excited about their arrival.

They climbed up the stairs.

With each layer you go up, the air becomes more viscous.

Black liquid began to seep from the walls, pooling into streams that flowed down the stairs.

"Baiyu, the gravity sensors here are malfunctioning."

Lance looked at the level indicator on the tablet, the needle spinning wildly.

"We may no longer be in the real world."

"Never mind that. Just follow your heartbeat."

Bai Yu took the lead.

They arrived at the corridor on the third floor.

The sight here made Mo Fei gasp.

The entire corridor was covered with huge, purplish-red fleshy tissue.

Those tissues undulated like lungs, radiating a suffocating warmth.

At the end of the corridor, there is a huge double wooden door.

Golden light was constantly streaming out from the crack in the door.

That was the power emanating from Anmu's "Iron Wall Royal Authority".

"The captain is inside!"

Mo Fei was about to rush over when Bai Yu stopped him.

"and many more."

Bai Yu pointed to both sides of the corridor.

From within the fleshy tissue, countless pale hands emerged.

Those hands were all holding gleaming scalpels.

"Welcome to... the final operating room."

A deep voice came from the depths of the corridor.

A man wearing a white coat and a mask slowly walked out.

His eyes had no pupils, only two burning green flames.

He is the dean here, and also the one who started all of this.

"Baiyu, my good child. You're finally back."

The dean spread his arms wide, the scalpel spinning between his fingers, emitting a series of teeth-grinding buzzing sounds.

"The surgery is about to begin. This time, we will completely strip away your soul to complete the final ritual."

Bai Yu sneered, and the silver light in his right eye exploded to its maximum.

"Want to strip my soul away? You'll have to ask him if he agrees first."

Hei Yan's figure appeared and disappeared behind Bai Yu, as he elegantly opened the nameless book in his hand.

"Dean, your 'work of art' has far too many logical flaws."

Mo Fei gripped his battle axe tightly, while Lan Ce activated all the defense modules.

"Team One, charge!"

Bai Yu gave the order.

The three of them transformed into three streaks of light and rushed towards the operating room covered in fleshy tissue.

……

Meanwhile, outside the sanatorium.

Lu Yueqi was still standing by the water tank.

She suddenly stopped what she was doing and looked towards the main building.

A clear tear rolled down her empty eyes.

(End of this chapter)