After completing the bizarre game, the world experienced a global resurgence of strange occurrences.

All that could be seen was Luo Nan's body, which was originally covered in blood, fading away at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His body gradually became stiff and brittle, and his surface was covered with fine cracks like a spider web, like a broken porcelain doll.

With the first fragment falling off, the entire corpse shattered in the blink of an eye.

Countless fragments lay scattered on the ground, still bearing traces of Luo Nan's eerie aura, but devoid of any trace of human life.

The Mirror Ghost looked at the fragments of varying sizes on the ground, its voice emanating from the pocket watch.

"This is a substitute-type artifact. It seems that Luo Nan was replaced by a substitute when the lights appeared for the second time."

Presumably, the real Luo Nan has already reached the fifth floor.

At this point, Mirror Ghost couldn't help but click his tongue twice.

"Although this person is a madman, his strength is still quite remarkable."

These words didn't sound like praise for Luo Nan; rather, they sounded like an expert casually commenting on a rising star who had just entered the industry.

Ruan Ning withdrew her gaze from the ground and quickly walked to Chen Zhuo's side.

Her brows furrowed, and she lowered her voice, her tone revealing an undisguised apprehension.

"Mr. Chen, should we give chase and finish him off?"

In Ruan Ning's view, Luo Nan was extremely mad. If he were released now, he would surely become a major threat in the future!

Chen Zhuo gently shook his head, showing no intention of moving.

"The stronger the supernatural power within the hospital, and the higher the floor it is located on, the stronger the supernatural power on the top two floors will be than on the lower floors."

If we chase after them now, we'll face not only Luo Nan, but also the assimilated patients on the fifth floor, and the guards on that floor.

Rather than that, it would be better to let him scout ahead. Once both sides are exhausted, we can reap the benefits, just like Luo Nan did before.

As for its successful escape from the hospital, gathering strength to seek revenge, that saves me the trouble of searching the world for it later.

Ruan Ning was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and then remembered Chen Zhuo's terrifying strength.

After a moment's thought, she realized that Chen Zhuo's words made perfect sense.

"So what do we do next?"

"Since we're not going upstairs for now, let's resolve this issue on this floor first."

To avoid leaving any loose ends that could unnecessarily affect subsequent operations.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Zhuo turned around and followed the eerie atmosphere lingering in the air toward the ward in the center of the corridor.

Ruan Ning quickly followed, glancing warily at the central ward.

Chen Zhuo raised his hand and pressed it on the doorknob, but the doorknob did not move at all, as if it was locked from the inside.

Upon seeing this, Ruan Ning immediately stepped forward and kicked the door lock hard.

After a deafening bang, the ward door opened.

The moment the door was opened, a thick, eerie atmosphere rushed out.

Ruan Ning subconsciously held her breath and looked up into the ward.

In the center of the dimly lit ward stood a tall figure.

The figure stood with its back to them, motionless, like a frozen sculpture.

But it seemed to sense the presence of the two people outside the door the moment it opened.

It didn't turn around, but the shadow beneath its feet spread towards the two of them at an extremely fast speed, like ink spilled on the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the eerie shadow crawled to a spot not far from their feet.

Just as the shadow was about to touch the tips of their shoes and launch an attack.

Chen Zhuo parted his thin lips slightly and uttered two words: "Mirror Ghost".

Before the words were finished, the mirror in the bathroom of the ward suddenly made a piercing shattering sound.

Countless sharp shards of mirror flew into the air, and under the control of the mirror ghost, they scattered like meteors to every corner of the ward.

Ruan Ning reacted instantly and immediately reached out to turn on the switch next to the ward door.

A blinding white light poured down, making the entire ward as bright as the corridor outside, so bright that no shadows could be cast.

The shadows that had already climbed to the feet of the two people suddenly emitted thick black smoke under the all-around illumination of the strong light.

A series of crackling sounds, like burning grease, echoed in the ward.

In just a few seconds, the eerie shadow vanished without a trace.

Chen Zhuo slowly walked into the ward and stopped in the center of the room.

The mirror ghost in the pocket watch swept over the frozen figure, its voice carrying an air of certainty.

"It seems Luo Nan wasn't lying; it really is Captain Liao, who has been missing for a long time."

But the Captain Liao standing in front of them at this moment had already lost all of his human consciousness.

His eyes were filled with hideous blood vessels, and his face was covered with strange black patterns.

His entire body was enveloped in a thick, eerie aura, making him a complete vessel for the strange.

Looking at Captain Liao's appearance, Ruan Ning felt a pang in her heart. She seemed to see herself in the future, after her emotions had spiraled out of control.

She looked at Chen Zhuo, thinking he would take direct action to give Captain Liao, who had completely lost control, a real release.

To her surprise, Chen Zhuo's gesture was not to help Captain Liao escape his predicament.

Suddenly, a bottle of oral liquid appeared in Chen Zhuo's hand.

She then saw Chen Zhuo slightly apply force with his fingertips and directly crush the sealing layer of the oral liquid bottle.

He then stepped forward, ignoring the eerie energy surging wildly around Captain Liao, and grabbed his chin.

Before Liao could react, the entire vial of oral liquid was forcefully poured into his mouth.

Just as Ruan Ning finished swallowing the oral liquid, something unexpected happened.

The strange energy that had been surging wildly from Captain Liao's body began to recede rapidly back into his body, like the receding tide.

The hideous black lines on his face faded gradually, at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In just over ten seconds, Captain Liao's bloodshot eyes gradually regained their clarity.

He shuddered violently, and his previously tense and stiff body suddenly relaxed.

He looked around the dilapidated ward blankly, his eyes filled with helplessness and confusion.

"I...I didn't already..." Liao's voice sounded hoarse and dry because he hadn't spoken for a long time.

He clearly remembered that his mind had completely spiraled out of control, and his consciousness had been completely swallowed up by the strangeness.

But why?

He is now fully conscious and has even regained control of his body!

As he pondered this, his gaze fell upon Chen Zhuo.

At that moment, the question in his heart was immediately answered.

At the same time, an indescribable shock swept over me like a tsunami.

He looked at Chen Zhuo, whose lips trembled slightly, and who was so excited that he could hardly speak properly.

Everyone who pushes open the door knows that losing control of one's heart is an irreversible process.

Once it gets out of control, there will be no way out!

Even the most elite Heart Seeds currently available within the organization could never restore the sanity of a person whose Heart Gate has already spiraled out of control.

However, the changes in himself overturned his understanding of things over the years.

Ruan Ning, standing to the side, was equally shocked and remained unsettled for a long time.

Suppressing her surging emotions, she quickly stepped forward and asked Chen Zhuo in a low voice.

"Mr. Chen, what exactly is this thing? How can it bring someone who has completely lost control of their mind back to consciousness?"

"He has been tainted by the evil energy for too long, and the injuries have penetrated deep into his bones. Even I cannot make him fully recover."

I only used the artifact to temporarily suppress the strangeness within him. The artifact's effect will wear off soon, and he will lose control again.

Chen Zhuo shook his head slightly, then changed the subject.

"The reason I brought him to his senses was that I wanted to ask him some questions."