Chapter 27: Ghost

　　“We're going to a mental hospital?”

　　“Yes!” He took off his glasses, wiped them clean, put them back on, and smiled as he replied.

　　I noticed his eyes were quite small.

　　After that, he asked for another bowl of rice.

　　About twenty minutes later, he finally finished eating. He looked at my half-full bowl of rice, shook his head with a smile, got up, and gave me a playful look before stuffing the money into his bag stack by stack.

　　I couldn’t be bothered to look at him, so I quickly walked out of the private room and headed outside the restaurant.

　　I let out a long breath. Even though it was scorching hot outside, I felt much more relaxed. Being stuck in that small room with him made me a bit tense.

　　“Let’s go, we’re going to see that haunted house owner,” I heard his voice from behind me.

　　I followed him to the restaurant’s parking lot, where we stopped in front of a Mercedes-Benz S400. That million-dollar luxury car sure was eye-catching.

　　It was stuffy inside the car, so I rolled down the window.

　　“Close the window, I’ll turn on the AC.”

　　Not long after the car started, the temperature inside finally dropped.

　　I leaned back against the leather seat, staring blankly at the busy crowds and traffic outside the window.

　　“Xia Ning, can I call you that?” he asked.

　　“No, you should stick with Miss Xia Ning!” I shot back coldly.

　　“You know, we could try being friends,” he suddenly suggested.

　　“There’s only a business relationship between us!” I replied.

　　He smiled but didn’t say anything more.

　　I was still thinking about what excuse I could use to take some time off from home.

　　We drove for about an hour or so. It wasn’t that the distance was far, but this city’s traffic was just awful at this time of day. We spent most of the time stuck in traffic.

　　After going through several more traffic lights, we finally arrived at the H City Psychiatric Hospital.

　　Following the staff, we entered the medical building. As we passed through the hospital square, I saw many patients in hospital gowns wandering around. No one was speaking, and the scene felt a bit eerie.

　　In the hospital corridor, a few patients were sitting on benches, staring blankly into space.

　　“You’ll die a horrible death! You’ll die a horrible death…” A slightly overweight woman in her fifties was standing there, her face cold as she pointed at everyone around, cursing repeatedly.

　　“Don’t worry, just ignore her,” the staff member in a security uniform told us.

　　As we continued walking, an elderly male patient, probably in his eighties with only one tooth left, looked at me and mumbled with a smile, “Miss, you’re so pretty…” His face was covered in wrinkles, and he was drooling. After he said that, he actually stood up and started walking toward me.I was a bit scared and hid behind Professor Li, avoiding the patient.

　　“Go back! Your Miss is long dead—she was your neighbor!” the security guard shouted at the old man.

　　I sneaked a glance and saw the old man slump back onto the bench, looking dejected as he began to stare blankly into space.

　　“Don’t worry. As long as you know how to handle these psychiatric patients, there’s nothing to worry about,” the security guard said as he walked. It was clear he was a seasoned employee.

　　We took the elevator to the top floor, which I noticed was the 28th floor, and stopped in front of a door at the very end of the hallway.

　　“You’ve got half an hour for the visit. After that, you must leave,” the security guard instructed before stepping over to the windowsill, where he opened the window and lit a cigarette.

　　“Don’t you need to fill out any paperwork to see him?” I asked, confused.

　　Professor Li just smiled and didn’t answer my question. He pushed the door open and walked in first. I followed him inside.

　　The first thing I noticed in the room was row upon row of iron bars—it was a massive cage that took up half the room.

　　Inside the cage was a person, facing away from us. He was small, hunched over, bald, and wearing a hospital gown. It looked like he was writing something. I could faintly see the pen moving in his hand.

　　“Master Zhu, I’ve brought someone to see you. Is there anything you want to say?”

　　Professor Li’s words startled me a little.The man, who looked a lot like Zhu Zhongcheng, slowly turned around. When I saw his face, I almost screamed. I took a step back—he looked about 80% like the old man from the illusion, but much, much older!

　　His hollow eyes, bloodshot and filled with wrinkles, stared at me. I noticed a bandage on his forehead, and he was holding a notebook and a pen.

　　“Professor Li, what do you mean by this?” I started to feel like I’d been set up. Could this be a trap? I pulled out my phone, ready to call the police at any moment.

　　But Professor Li just put a finger to his lips and hushed me.

　　I had no idea what he was up to, but I got my answer soon enough.

　　“What a beautiful young lady… truly a work of art!”

　　“You’re lucky you managed to escape… but how did you do it? No one should be able to escape my world… How come it didn’t scare you to death…” he rasped, his hollow eyes fixed on me with a terrifying expression.

　　As I listened to him, a surge of anger rose within me. This was the person who almost got us killed. He’s the reason I ended up in this mess.

　　The fear I felt earlier evaporated, replaced by rage. I glared at him and said, “Because your illusion was absolute trash! I beat you in your own world. Your illusion is nothing but garbage!”

　　He first looked at me in shock, his eyes widening slowly. Suddenly, he jumped up and rushed to the bars, gripping them with both hands. The pen and notebook he’d been holding fell to the ground, but he didn’t seem to care.

　　“You’re lying! There’s no way you could’ve beaten me!!! It’s impossible! You’re lying!!!” he roared hoarsely, clinging to the bars.

　　“You’re lying…”

　　“You’re lying…”

　　He looked completely unhinged, repeatedly muttering the words, “You’re lying.”

　　“Miss Xia Ning, don’t agitate the patient like that,” Professor Li said sternly.

　　But I didn’t care about any of that right now. My anger was beyond words as I stared at this deranged old man.

　　Without realizing it, my vision began to blur, as if a thin veil of blood had settled over everything.

　　“In your world, you turned into a monster with the head of a bull and a human body that could breathe fire, didn’t you?”

　　I slowly walked up to the bars, smirked coldly at him, and continued, “In that world, I chopped off your head, held it in my hands, and then crushed it with my bare hands!” As I finished, I suddenly lunged at the bars, trying to grab the old man’s hands.

　　But the moment he heard what I said, his face drained of color, and he quickly pulled his hands back, just out of my reach.

　　“Ghost… ghost… ghost…”

　　Terrified, the old man retreated to his bed, pulling the covers over his head as he knelt on the bed, trembling and muttering the word “ghost” over and over again.

　　Suddenly, a searing pain shot through my head, so intense that I nearly collapsed. Professor Li caught me just in time.

　　I shoved him away, leaning against the bars, clutching my head and gasping for breath.

　　“Hurry, take this!” Professor Li’s voice broke through the pain, and he handed me a small white pill.

　　I looked at him, trying to say something, but the pain was so overwhelming that I couldn’t speak.

　　“Quick, take it!” Professor Li’s voice was filled with urgency.

　　“Xia Ning…” I heard her calling my name again in my mind.

　　Another wave of excruciating pain hit me. I squeezed my eyes shut, both hands gripping my head, about to scream in agony. Suddenly, I felt Professor Li’s hands prying my mouth open, and he placed something on my tongue—probably the pill. Then, with a quick, forceful motion, he tilted my head back, and I swallowed the pill with a gulp, sliding down to the floor.

　　I heard the sound of a door opening, followed by footsteps, and then the security guard’s stammering voice, “W-what’s going on? What did… what did you do?”

　　“Don’t worry, it’s nothing. Just give us a little more time.”

　　I heard the sound of a bag being unzipped. Forcing myself to open one eye, I saw Professor Li taking out a stack of cash and handing it to the guard.