Chapter 9: Illusory Slaughter

　　I reached my hand into the gap of the cabinet, attempting to lift it, but with a sudden jolt, I fell to the ground. The wounds on my hands burst open, blood seeping out, and the pain made me break out in a cold sweat.

　　I stood up, mustering all my strength, and trembling, I extended my hands back into the crevice. Finally, with shaky legs, I managed to prop the cabinet against the iron gate!

　　With a loud thud, the cabinet fit perfectly against the large gap. The monster finally ceased its wielding of the kitchen knife.

　　I sat on the ground, panting heavily, my whole body soaked through. The blood from my wrists flowed down, warming my hand and causing a slight itch.

　　I could no longer see the horrifying visage of the monster; the cabinet blocked its view. I curled up, hugging my knees, sitting there, occasionally twitching my body, staring at the cabinet!

　　I lost track of time until the daylight penetrated through the window, shining on my feet, and bringing me back to my senses!

　　It was dawn!

　　I slowly turned my head upward and saw the azure sky, a few clouds scattered across it, and birds flying overhead. It was then that I finally moved, slowly rotating my weary and achy body to stand up.

　　At that moment, I noticed the piece of paper lying on the ground. I walked over and picked it up. It read, "October 12th, cloudy. On this day, two visitors came to my haunted house, a man and a woman. The woman was beautiful and fair, while the man was tall and wore a gold chain. After they paid for their tickets, they began their terrifying journey!"

　　Was this a diary? I continued reading, "Not long after, they left and had the audacity to tell me that my haunted house wasn't scary at all! I wanted to kill them!!" The diary abruptly ended there, with torn marks below.

　　It seemed to be the diary of the haunted house owner, I speculated. However, I quickly set the diary aside. It wasn't the time to think about this now!

　　I walked up to the wooden door, about to open a crack and peek through when I noticed that the blood words on the door had disappeared!

　　After a moment of hesitation, I slowly cracked open a gap. Perhaps due to spending too much time in the darkness, the outside seemed incredibly bright. It was so blinding that I had to close my eyes. However, I knew for certain that this time I was truly safe. There wouldn't be any unexpected occurrences.

　　I pushed the door open and shielded my eyes from the piercing light as I walked out, eyes still shut. The wooden door behind me creaked and closed. Once outside, I felt an overwhelming fatigue washing over me. The intense brightness gradually dimmed, and without realizing it, my left hand fell down, making a soft thud as it landed on the blanket.

　　"She seems to be waking up!" a woman's voice reached my ears. I furrowed my brow slightly and slowly opened my eyes.

　　As I opened my eyes, I suddenly realized I was lying in a bed, with the familiar energy-efficient lights of a hospital above me. What? A hospital? I sat up abruptly!

　　"She's awake, she's awake!" a nurse exclaimed while opening the door and shouting outside.

　　I looked down and saw that I was still wearing a hospital gown, but it was clean as if it were brand new. I remember there being blood on it, right? I raised my hand and looked at my sleeve, and to my astonishment, there wasn't a single wound.

　　I raised my other hand as well, and it was the same!

　　"What... what on earth is going on?" I whispered in disbelief.

　　I clearly walked out of the door, so how did I end up in the hospital?

　　Am I going crazy??

　　"No, no, please rest assured that we, the police, would never harm a young girl. She must have many questions right now, and if we don't tell her the truth, she might think she's gone crazy!" a middle-aged man's voice came from outside the door.

　　"Well then, she has just woken up from a coma. Please don't agitate her too much," a very familiar voice replied.

　　"Don't worry, we won't do anything to upset her," another man's voice, probably in his twenties, reassured.

　　Following their voices, two police officers wearing uniforms entered the room, and behind them was Ms. Tang Xin, my teacher!

　　I froze at the sight of my teacher, remembering the severed heads from last night. A chill ran down my spine, and my hair stood on end!

　　The younger police officer seemed to notice my unease. He reached out and stopped Ms. Tang Xin, whispering to her, "Ms. Tang, maybe you shouldn't come in. Don't worry, we'll finish questioning her and leave soon. It won't take long!" His voice was pleasant and pure.

　　Ms. Tang Xin hesitated for a moment, glanced at me, and as her gaze met mine, a slight sense of fear crept into my heart. I slowly pulled the blanket up, covering my face until I couldn't see her anymore.

　　"Well, fine then. I'll leave..." I heard Ms. Tang Xin sigh with a hint of disappointment.

　　The sound of the door closing reverberated, and I slowly lowered the blanket, relieved to no longer see Ms. Tang Xin's figure. I let out a sigh of relief.

　　The two police officers found two plastic chairs and sat by my bedside.

　　"Hello, Miss Xia Ning. I'm Zhang Wei, the captain of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Investigation Team, and this is Deputy Captain Wei Junliang," the middle-aged police officer introduced briefly. However, even with this simple introduction, I could sense that I had been drawn into some kind of incident.

　　As he spoke, the young police officer, Wei Junliang, took out pen and paper to prepare for note-taking.

　　"What do you want with me? And can you please tell me how I ended up here? I was just in the haunted house a moment ago..." I asked, expressing my biggest question at the moment.

　　"Miss Xia Ning, don't be afraid. You are safe now, and no one can harm you. What we are about to discuss is related to a serious matter, and we kindly ask for your cooperation, as it also involves two lives!" the middle-aged police officer said to me with great seriousness.

　　Seeing his earnest expression, I instinctively nodded.

　　"Before we ask you any questions, I need to tell you something very important. Please try not to get agitated and listen carefully until I finish. Then everything will become clear to you."

　　I felt a wave of confusion in my heart but nodded in response.

　　"Miss Xia Ning, is it true that on June 9th, you entered the abandoned haunted house with two classmates for an exploration?" he asked, triggering memories of them. It made me feel uneasy, biting my lip, but I still nodded!

　　The young police officer swiftly wrote down the information in his notebook.

　　"I have to inform you, Miss Xia, that you were drugged with a special hallucinogen. Everything you experienced inside the haunted house could have been a deadly illusion!" the middle-aged police officer maintained a consistent expression throughout his statement.

　　"What? Hallucinations?" I looked at him incredulously.

　　"That's right, hallucinations. You have been unconscious for two days. This particular hallucinogen is very unique, and we have consulted Professor Li from the Medical School to study this drug, but we haven't found a way to counteract its effects," he explained.

　　"Two days!!" I sat up straight, shocked by this revelation.

　　"How is that possible?!" I widened my eyes, unable to believe what I was hearing.

　　"Please try not to get agitated. Listen to me carefully. This concerns the safety of your two classmates!" the middle-aged police officer raised his voice slightly, bringing me back from my state of shock.

　　"This drug will take you into a shared hallucination with others, where if you get injured or die, the real you will also suffer the same fate," he continued.

　　"If you hadn't managed to find your way out on your own, you wouldn't have survived until the effects of the drug wore off."

　　"These hallucinations are based on reality. Now tell me, what did you see?" he asked.

　　Hearing the police officer's words, I was deeply shocked and, to some extent, believed them. After experiencing such a terrifying event, no one would dare or want to admit that it was real!

　　"Officer, may I ask two questions? If I don't know the answers, I won't be able to focus on anything!" I spoke with a trembling voice, but I refused to cry.

　　"Alright!" the middle-aged police officer nodded in agreement.

　　"I want to know if I started hallucinating after entering the haunted house," I asked anxiously, clutching the sheets in front of me.

　　"Yes, after you entered, you were most likely injected with a drug or exposed to some gas, causing you to pass out inside without coming out. It was your classmate, Wu Jing, who alerted the police. Unfortunately, she fell victim to the same fate," he nodded and added.

　　Upon hearing the response, I choked up with excitement and asked, "Are Wu Jing and Yumeng still alive?"

　　"Miss Xia Ning, please calm down. I believe they might be fine, but you need to tell me everything you know as soon as possible. They are likely experiencing the same torment as you. If they die in the hallucination, then they are truly dead!" The young police officer stood up, handing me two tissues.

　　"Alright! Go ahead and ask," I said, taking the tissues to wipe away my tears and mucus. With trembling hands, I took a deep breath and tried to steady my voice.

　　Wu Jing and Yumeng must be safe at all costs!