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

Ruan Ning caught up with Chen Zhuo in a few steps, and the two of them, one in front of the other, stepped onto the stairs leading to the fifth floor.

Just as the two reached the transfer platform between the two floors, a melodious piano tune suddenly drifted down from the fifth floor.

The sound of the zither was clean and clear, like a mountain stream flowing over blue stones, without a trace of eeriness or malevolence.

The two stopped in their tracks at the same time, but their reactions were completely different.

The moment he heard the piano music, a faint smile appeared on Chen Zhuo's face.

Behind him, Ruan Ning's eyes glazed over in the blink of an eye.

She turned around mechanically, like a puppet being manipulated.

I walked step by step toward the window in the stairwell and pushed open the rusty PVC window.

A biting wind rushed in, whipping her hair. Half of her body was already leaning out, and she raised one foot as if to step onto the windowsill.

Just as Ruan Ning was about to leap off, a hand with distinct knuckles suddenly grabbed the back of her collar.

Chen Zhuo acted swiftly and steadily pulled the person back from the window.

At the same time, he gently exerted force in his hand holding the white bone cane, and the tip of the cane began to tap frequently on the cement ground.

A series of crisp, rhythmic tapping sounds rang out, which, upon closer listening, resembled a certain melody.

As the knocking continued, the piano music upstairs gradually faded away.

The moment the music faded, Ruan Ning's unfocused pupils finally regained their clarity.

She snapped out of her daze, looking at the wide-open window in front of her and the bottomless abyss below.

My back was immediately soaked with cold sweat, and a feeling of relief washed over me.

Her legs went weak and she almost fell to the ground, only managing to steady herself by holding onto the wall.

She looked up in horror at the direction of the fifth-floor stairwell, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Just now... just now I heard that piano music, and I saw something terrifying. Then, I had this thought: to jump down and end it all!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she subconsciously tried to recall the pleasant melody she had just heard.

But as soon as the thought arose, the idea of ​​ending his own life uncontrollably popped into his mind again.

It's as if only death can bring relief!

Ruan Ning bit her tongue hard, using the excruciating pain to forcefully pull her mind back from the brink of losing control.

She quickly cut off all thoughts of the piano music, her heart now churning with turmoil.

"This piano music is so eerie; even just recalling it in my mind is enough to affect me!"

Just as she looked at Chen Zhuo again, she suddenly realized something.

The melody that Chen Zhuo struck on the ground just now seemed chaotic, but it subtly echoed the piano music!

At this point, a vague idea came to her mind, but before it could become clear, Chen Zhuo's words interrupted her thoughts.

"Since everything's alright, let's continue upstairs."

Ruan Ning snapped out of her thoughts and nodded emphatically to Chen Zhuo.

She followed closely behind Chen Zhuo, not daring to be distracted for even a moment.

The two walked up the remaining steps in a few steps and soon entered the fifth floor of the Corrosion Hospital.

The corridor on the fifth floor was even more dilapidated than the one downstairs, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood, which was almost suffocating.

There were many corpses lying haphazardly on both sides of the corridor, a scene that Ruan Ning was already used to.

She paused, instinctively about to crouch down to examine the cause of death of the corpses.

Chen Zhuo suddenly spoke up: "No need to examine them. These people all died by suicide."

Ruan Ning looked puzzled, but still squatted down and quickly examined the nearby corpses.

The result was exactly as Chen Zhuo had said: the fatal wounds on these corpses were all self-inflicted.

She got up and quickly returned to Chen Zhuo's side, her voice low and filled with horror.

"Could it be that these people also chose to commit suicide after hearing that eerie piano music?"

Chen Zhuo nodded slightly: "People who hear the piano music will have certain hallucinations and see the things they fear most in their lives."

Most people, under extreme fear, will experience a complete mental breakdown and ultimately choose to end their own lives.

Ruan Ning was taken aback by what she heard and couldn't help but ask a question in return.

"If someone has strong enough willpower to endure the duration of a piano piece, can they be completely unharmed and escape the effects entirely?"

Chen Zhuo chuckled upon hearing this, seemingly amused by Ruan Ning's naiveté.

"It's not that simple. If you actually manage to survive the entire piece, you'll only suffer an even more gruesome death."

These words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly poured over Ruan Ning's head.

She shuddered, goosebumps instantly rising all over her body, a chill running from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

She looked up and glanced around again, making sure there were no hidden dangers in the corridor before her heart finally settled down a little.

Seeing this, Chen Zhuo took a step forward and led Ruan Ning to the other end of the corridor.

Just then, the Mirror Ghost, who had gone out to scout ahead of time, returned to the pocket watch.

"Chen Zhuo, I've checked this place thoroughly, but I haven't found any trace of that madman Luo Nan."

Based on the traces he left behind, I guess he must have left this floor and gone to the top floor.

Chen Zhuo nodded slightly and replied calmly, "Understood."

Before the words were finished, a piercing scream suddenly came from several wards at the end of the corridor.

Immediately afterwards, several mentally ill patients who had been completely assimilated rushed out of the ward.

After they died, uttering beast-like cries, they pounced on the two men.

Upon seeing this, Ruan Ning's eyes sharpened, and he immediately raised his hand to take out the treacherous weapon, preparing to defend himself with all his might.

But just then, the melodious yet deadly sound of a piano rang out again from the room deep in the corridor.

As the familiar melody entered her ears, Ruan Ning froze, instantly feeling as if she were facing a formidable enemy. An unprecedented sense of despair almost overwhelmed her.

She turned to look at Chen Zhuo, who was her only hope of survival at this moment!

But as soon as she turned her head, she saw Chen Zhuo standing quietly in place, without the slightest bit of tension on his face.

The train of thought that had been interrupted by Chen Zhuo resurfaced, and this time, the idea became even clearer.

The despair she felt vanished at that moment, leaving only admiration for Chen Zhuo.

She put down the strange weapon in her hand and stood quietly beside Chen Zhuo, as if waiting for something to speak.

Sure enough, not long after, some of the mentally ill people who were screaming and rushing over suddenly stopped.

Immediately afterward, under Ruan Ning's gaze, the man raised his hand and fiercely grabbed at his own throat.

The sharp nails tore through the flesh, and scalding blood gushed out, splattering all over the ground.

The first suicide seemed to have flipped a switch, causing one mental patient after another to attempt suicide.

They did not hesitate for a moment, as if suicide was a relief.

The corridor fell silent once more after the melodious piano music had completely ended.

Of the dozen or so people who had originally rushed over, only three remained standing after they had been completely assimilated by the mental illness.

In contrast, Chen Zhuo and Ruan Ning, who remained standing still, were not affected by the piano music at all from beginning to end.

Ruan Ning looked at the three mentally ill people whose faces were filled with fear and whose bodies were trembling uncontrollably, yet they managed to restrain themselves.

Suddenly, I remembered what Chen Zhuo had said before.

A strong sense of curiosity arose in her heart, wanting to see what fate awaited these three mentally ill people who had survived the entire piano piece.