Wan Jie Hospice Care Company

"Section Chief, what's the situation now?"

Ji Zhuo asked as he ran.

Xiang Yu clicked his tongue: "Theoretically, this ghost should be attached to something, but right now we don't even know what that thing is... Don't worry, let's go back to the base first!"

The group ran as fast as they could.

Even so, Xiang Yu still felt that they were being watched by something. This feeling was not fear, but like the trembling of prey when it senses its predator.

It seems we still haven't shaken off that ghost.

What are the rules of this ghost?

But as they were running, the surrounding environment suddenly changed, and Xiang Yu realized something was wrong.

This indicates that the ghost, like the previous mall ghost, has begun to infiltrate reality, causing it to fall into the "inner world"—a dimension parallel to the human world yet completely distorted, the realm of ghosts.

The only difference is that the previous ghost's area was limited to the shopping mall, while this ghost's area now extends to—

worldwide.

The surrounding buildings began to fade, revealing rust-like mottled patterns on their walls. The air grew thick, and a low rumble echoed in the distance, like the lament of the earth.

The world seems to be fading.

The sky is being torn apart.

Xiang Yu saw black cracks appearing in the sky, their edges glowing with an eerie red light, like burnt wounds. What lay beyond the cracks? Was it the void? The abyss? Or the world of ghosts?

Xiang Yu now felt that his reasoning was becoming increasingly difficult. Just dealing with the rules of the ghosts to survive had already exhausted him. Finding clues during this time was even more difficult. It was impossible for a normal person to conduct worldview-level reasoning while dealing with ghosts.

Fortunately, he's not a normal person.

He chose to enter a state of "flow".

To break through this impasse, there's a clever trick: complete a few system tasks first, collect the rewards, and then use the points to find opportunities to become stronger.

The easiest task to complete is...

Side Quest 2: Find the ghost that destroyed this world.

Okay, let's use flow to eliminate possibilities first.

"Have I ever seen the ghost that destroyed the world?" Xiang Yu asked.

"……yes."

I've seen it!

...Wait, I've actually seen him before?

I've only ever seen a handful of ghosts, and the ceramic figurines, dolls, and mall ghosts don't seem like the kind of creatures that can destroy the world.

So that leaves only...

The one behind me.

Xiang Yu pondered, realizing he hadn't seen the ghostly figure in the mist clearly. In his memory, it was entirely red, like a piece of cloth soaked in blood, with tendrils-like things growing on its body, fluttering in the mist like the hair of a drowned person or the tentacles of an octopus.

It looks like... an octopus?

No, it's less like an octopus and more like a dress with tassels.

This shape doesn't resemble a living being at all. It's so crudely drawn, like a sketch by some mad artist, with chaotic lines and distorted form, completely defying the common sense of biology.

So it was the culprit that directly caused the destruction?

Xiang Yu thought this to himself, but the notification that the task was completed never arrived.

"...It seems I guessed wrong."

Xiang Yu's idea was simple: he would randomly point to a ghost, and if it turned out to be the one that would destroy the world, his mission would be accomplished on the spot.

But it seems that's not the case; I guessed wrong.

He suddenly thought of a question.

"Hmm... So, is the one who destroyed the world that female ghost who sang 'The Short Day'?" Xiang Yu thought again.

There is still no notification that the task is complete.

Is it possible that guessing doesn't count, and that evidence must be found for the task to be considered complete?

Xiang Yu thought that was very likely the case, otherwise the task would have been completed by the time he had identified them all.

And just as I was thinking about all this, the hospital was already within reach.

The group quickly ran down the first floor, their footsteps echoing in the empty corridor. Faded hospital rules were posted on the walls on both sides of the corridor, and the smiling faces on them looked particularly distorted in the dim light.

Xiang Yu was taken aback. When he first came to the hospital, the rules seemed brand new. How could they have become so worn out after just one night?

Wait, could it be that the ghost's rule isn't just "memory"?

Yes, no one has ever said that there is only one rule for ghosts.

Xiang Yu frowned.

"Walk!"

The group ran to the morgue.

Before entering the morgue, Ji Zhuo stopped and knocked on the door a few times in a regular rhythm—knock, knock, knock.

This was the secret signal they had agreed upon with the people inside before leaving.

Soon after, the morgue door was opened, the heavy iron door making a screeching sound. The policeman who was on duty inside poked his head out, and when he saw Ji Zhuo, the tension on his face instantly turned into a relieved expression. He quickly let the group inside.

Li Yiheng collapsed from exhaustion as soon as he entered the room. He threw Ai Baiwu, which he was wearing, aside like a sack of potatoes, and lay on the cold ground, panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

The person who was there to meet them rushed to Ji Zhuo and quickly grabbed his arm: "Everyone's finally back... I thought..."

"Something happened along the way that caused a slight delay. By the way, how many people are left in the shelter?" Ji Zhuo chuckled twice, then his expression turned serious again. "...How many have died?"

This is a question that must be asked. Now, death is the norm, and living is a miracle.

"Huh?" The person being asked the question was taken aback. "By the way, Captain Ji, I have some good news for you."

"Huh? Even now, there's still good news?"

"That's right," the man said, pointing to the morgue. "Ever since everyone started playing cards and mahjong, not a single person has died."

"...?" Ji Zhuo was dumbfounded. "What did you say?"

An Ling blinked twice, a sly glint in her amber eyes, then stealthily glanced at Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu returned her gaze, their eyes meeting in mid-air, as if in unspoken agreement.

"Brother Xiang... was that your idea?"

"Oh, how did you know?"

"...I feel like you're more likely to have come up with this strange method yourself." An Ling's big eyes darted around. "Especially since this method is quite effective."

When the group entered the morgue, they found that the atmosphere inside was completely different from before. It should have been a cold, quiet place filled with the smell of preservatives, but now it was full of people.

The crowd was shouting and yelling, and the morgue was filled with shouts of "Three of a Kind with One," "Straight," and "Bomb!" The terrifying atmosphere vanished completely.

Even some people who didn't know how to play cards were forced to join the game in order to survive. Their faces were covered with white paper strips, and they all looked like they were questioning their existence. It was obvious that they had lost too much.

But they are still alive.

That's the most important thing.

However, Xiang Yu discovered something—although An Ling was the one who brought this group of people here to take refuge, they seemed to implicitly regard Ji Zhuo as the commander, and always sought Ji Zhuo's advice on important matters.

That's understandable. After all, An Ling is just a high school student, too young for these refugees to trust. Age and experience are magnified in the apocalypse.

What they need is a mature adult male who can withstand pressure, not a seemingly frail young girl.

Anling wasn't annoyed.

She watched as everyone surrounded Ji Zhuo, asking him questions. She then casually found a corner to sit down, leaning against the cold wall. Her long hair appeared exceptionally smooth in the dim light, like some kind of soft black silk.

She tugged at Xiang Yu's sleeve, then leaned close to him, her voice low, almost whispering in his ear: "Brother Xiang, I've made a little discovery these past few days."