MLV Ch 50

“He’s human,” Jiang Ye came forward to testify, “I know him.”

Huo Ang’s eyes lit up, “Little Jiang, and Little Jin, you two are here too!” He walked over, carrying his bag, and cursed, “That damn Shen Duo, treating me like his dog. He clearly said this forbidden zone was safe. Guess what I just encountered?”

Jiang Ye waited for him to continue, and the others also gathered around to listen. Only Jin Feize was completely uninterested, spinning around in the swivel chair out of boredom.

“The elevator went down to the eighteenth basement level!” Huo Ang clicked his tongue. 

“I watched the numbers change to -18, and there was something banging on the door from outside. Luckily, I was quick and climbed onto the top of the elevator. No way was I going down. Later, I had a flash of inspiration and climbed up the elevator shaft. I finally made it up, but I’m exhausted. Huh, strange, this isn’t Boya Hospital…” Huo Ang looked completely bewildered. 

“How did I teleport just by taking an elevator?”

“It wasn’t you who teleported, you and your elevator were moved here by a little ghost,” Zhang Yi said. 

“This is the ‘Five Ghosts Move Things.’ Have you ever found items in your home that don’t belong to you, like strands of hair or a hairpin? That means there’s a ghost in your house, moving things from other people’s homes to yours. Someone released a ghost in Boya Hospital, and you probably happened to be in the same elevator as it.”

Huo Ang was horrified. Anyway, no matter what, it was right to curse Shen Duo. He looked down and tried to call Shen Duo’s phone, but he couldn’t get through no matter how many times he tried. He cursed Shen Duo viciously a few more times before finally giving up.

Someone raised their hand, “Teacher, you’re the only teacher here. Please take the lead. Someone’s in trouble in the inpatient building. Should we go rescue them?”

“When did this happen?” Huo Ang put his phone away.

“Just now, less than ten minutes ago,” Zhang Yi said.

Huo Ang thought for a moment and said, “Alright, I’ll go check it out. You guys wait here.”

Jiang Ye shook his head, “It’s too dangerous for you to go alone.”

Huo Ang glanced around the crowd and said, “Then the three of us will go?”

“The three of us” referred to Jin Feize and Jiang Ye. Among this group of candidates, Huo Ang only knew the two of them. Although Jin Feize was a bit crazy, he wishfully believed that as long as Jiang Ye was around, he could keep him in check, so it would be safer to move with them.

Zhang Yi volunteered, “I’ll go too.”

Seeing that Zhang Yi was also going, Guan Hao and Mingyue wanted to follow as well. The remaining people couldn’t sit still. Zhang Yi was a young Celestial Master from the Celestial Master’s Mansion, and Mingyue was the martial arts champion from the Shaolin Temple. Both were considered top contenders among the candidates. With the main force gone, the remaining people might be in even more danger. People raised their hands to sign up one after another, and basically everyone decided to go along.

Zhang Yi said, “That’s good too. In a place where the situation is unclear, it’s best not to split up.”

Jiang Ye briefly explained the hospital and the candidates’ situation to Huo Ang. Huo Ang nodded, having a better understanding. Everyone set off. Huo Ang checked his bullets; the magazine was full. He held his gun and approached the inpatient building. The inpatient building was even more dilapidated than the outpatient building. The paint had peeled off in many places, leaving it mottled. There were even bloody handprints in some areas, which looked very creepy. A broken wheelchair missing a tire lay on the ground, and several IV stands were scattered in the corridor. Many parts of the wall were covered with a black, asphalt-like substance that emitted a pungent, nauseating stench, looking like vomit.

This smell was very familiar, very similar to the smell of Taisui. Jiang Ye gave it a few extra glances.

Was there also Taisui in this hospital? If so, things would be difficult. So far, they hadn’t found any Taisui mold, so he didn’t know if this hospital would cause people to grow mold.

Huo Ang asked, “Should we search from the bottom up?”

A candidate stepped forward and said, “No need, I brought insects. Let them show us the way.”

He took a small bamboo basket from his backpack and poured its contents onto the ground. It was a swarm of ants. These black ants landed on the floor, spun around a couple of times, and when the boy whistled at them, they formed a neat column and headed for the stairs.

Zhang Yi quietly introduced to Jiang Ye that this was a candidate from a Miao village in Yunnan, very skilled at taming insect slaves.

Everyone watched with curiosity. The Miao candidate said, “These are Yunnan stinging ants. They crave blood and flesh, so they will gather towards the injured and the dead. But don’t worry, my family has been taming these stinging ants for hundreds of years. They won’t harm anyone without my whistle.”

Everyone followed the stinging ants downstairs. The further down they went, the colder it got. The first basement level seemed to be condensed with an ancient chill that pierced the bones like needles. The stinging ants avoided the black, vomit-like liquid, seeming to be very wary of it, keeping a wide berth. The candidate said that what the ants avoided, people should also avoid, so he told everyone to go around as well.

Huo Ang led the way with his gun, keeping a lookout in all directions. Jiang Ye walked behind him, also clutching a pistol. When they reached the first basement level, the stinging ants paused in the corridor and crawled towards the morgue at the end. Jiang Ye and Zhang Yi exchanged a look and followed Huo Ang towards the morgue.

The doors to the rooms on both sides of the corridor were closed, their purpose unknown. The surroundings were incredibly quiet. Everyone followed the stinging ants to the morgue. The ants squeezed through the crack under the door and went inside, which meant the injured person or the corpse was inside, but the ghost could also be in there. Huo Ang pressed against the wall, preparing for a corner shot. He pulled a pistol from his pocket and handed it to Jin Feize. Jin Feize didn’t want to cooperate, but Jiang Ye gave him a piece of hawthorn cake. He pouted and took the pistol from Huo Ang. Huo Ang rushed in first, with Jiang Ye and Jin Feize emerging from behind him on either side, each aiming left and right.

The morgue was filled with hospital beds, with corpses covered in white cloths lying on them. Huo Ang was wary of them reanimating and didn’t approach rashly. He scanned the room with his gun, including the ceiling. The three of them stood for a long moment, but there was no movement in the morgue.

“Clear,” Huo Ang lowered his gun.

The candidates behind them cautiously walked in. The last person, afraid a monster might suddenly appear in the corridor and ambush them, closed the morgue door. Someone pointed to a bed in front and said, “Look, there’s fresh blood on that bed.”

There was a person lying on that bed, their head covered with a white cloth. A large patch on their chest and abdomen was soaked in scarlet blood. Fresh blood was still dripping from the bed onto the floor, not yet dry. The stinging ants had gathered around the drops of blood, circling anxiously. The Miao candidate gave a whistle, recalling them into the bamboo basket. He bit his finger and dripped a few drops of blood inside, then closed the lid and put it back in his backpack.

Jiang Ye walked to the bloodstained bed and noticed a patient’s name tag on the headboard, but it was covered in blood, the original characters illegible. No one dared to lift the sheet covering the head, afraid of seeing the poor child’s gruesome dead face.

Huo Ang said, “This place is too narrow, and there are too many of us. If something comes, it will be hard to fight. Hurry up, if you’re going to collect the body, do it.”

Mingyue recited Amitabha and said, “The person is already dead. Collecting the body is futile. We should leave.”

Everyone started to leave. Jiang Ye was also about to go. As he was turning, he suddenly saw a corner of a JK skirt peeking out from under the sheet. Many girls these days liked this style of skirt, and it was a common sight on the streets. It wasn’t strange for a candidate to be wearing one. But Jiang Ye stopped in his tracks, his heart suddenly filled with panic. It was as if an invisible hand had gripped his heart, and he suddenly couldn’t breathe.

“Little Jiang, let’s go,” Huo Ang urged him.

Jiang Ye didn’t move. He raised his hand, took a corner of the sheet, and slowly lifted it. Li Miaomiao appeared in the beam of the flashlight. The harsh light shone on her face; her beautiful features were as pale as paper, almost transparent. Jiang Ye stared at this face that seemed to be peacefully sleeping, and something inside him quietly crumbled. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The light and shadows blurred, and his heartbeat stopped for a moment.

How could Li Miaomiao be here? In disbelief, he continued to lift the sheet. Her chest and abdomen had a huge, bloody hole. Her internal organs had been scooped out, and there was nothing left. She was like a broken, dilapidated doll, lying silently in front of Jiang Ye. Jiang Ye wanted to touch her, but she was covered in blood and wounds. He was afraid of touching the wrong place and causing her pain. For the first time, he felt so lost. Why was Li Miaomiao here?

Seeing Jiang Ye standing still, holding the sheet, everyone thought he was possessed. Zhang Yi went over to look and was also stunned.

“What’s wrong?” Huo Ang asked.

Zhang Yi said in a low voice, “The one who died is his sister.”

Everyone fell silent, looking at Jiang Ye with pity.

Jin Feize looked down and examined Li Miaomiao’s body, then reached out to touch the wound on her abdomen.

“Don’t touch her,” Jiang Ye suddenly said.

Jin Feize withdrew his hand and said, “If you don’t want to be disemboweled like Miaomiao, you should leave this place as soon as possible.”

Jiang Ye snapped his head up, his deep, dark eyes fixing on Jin Feize. For the first time, his eyes were filled with such sorrow and despair, as if a cold tide had frozen within them. He had always been calm and self-possessed; this was the first time Jin Feize had seen him so emotional.

“You know who killed her.”

It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

“So what if I know?” Jin Feize said. 

“Even I can’t beat her.”

Zhang Yi picked up Li Miaomiao’s little rabbit crossbody bag. Inside was the blood jade pendant.

Zhang Yi looked puzzled, “How does little sister have this?”

Huo Ang asked, “Is something wrong with this thing?”

Zhang Yi’s expression was grave as he explained, “Look at the color enhancement on this jade. Isn’t it redder than usual? In the old days, people used dog’s blood to enhance the color. Some people who practiced evil arts would use the blood from the head, heart, and feet of a person who died a tragic death to do it. This kind of jade is called ‘Yin Debt Jade,’ meaning that if you wear it, a ghost will always come to collect a debt from you. According to the Academy’s theory, jade made this way has a special magnetic field that easily attracts abnormal creatures. I think little sister was moved into the forbidden zone by a passing ghost because she was wearing this jade, and then she ran into a powerful xiong sui.”

Jiang Ye remembered this jade. It was the one Jin Feifei had asked him to give to Jin Feize. At the time, Jin Feize hadn’t wanted it, so he had asked Li Miaomiao to hold onto it, and then he forgot about it. Jiang Ye’s fingers, clutching the bloody sheet, were trembling. By a twist of fate, he had harmed Miaomiao.

“This jade can’t be kept. I’ll smash it,” Zhang Yi said, and then smashed the jade on the ground.

Huo Ang went to a storage cabinet and pulled out a black body bag. He said, “Little Jiang, I know you’re in a lot of pain, and I understand how you feel. But now is not the time to be sad. Let’s take your sister’s body and leave as soon as possible, okay?”

Jiang Ye stroked the top of Li Miaomiao’s head. She was oblivious, her brow slightly furrowed as if she was scared in her sleep. She wasn’t afraid of cockroaches or cats and dogs, only ghosts. When she was here alone, facing the evil ghost, was she terrified? For the first time, Jiang Ye felt this helpless inability to change fate, like watching Li Miaomiao fall like a feather, but being unable to catch her no matter what. The pain in his heart was constant, like ten thousand ants gnawing at it. Jiang Ye slowly withdrew his hand, clenched it into a fist, and stepped back to let Huo Ang and Zhang Yi move the body into the body bag.

Jin Feize stood to the side, watching indifferently. Jiang Ye pulled him to a quiet corner and spoke again, “You know who killed Miaomiao.”

Jin Feize smiled, “The one who killed Miaomiao is the person you want to see.”

“Your mother?” Jiang Ye was shaken.

“When I was little, before she was sent to the psychiatric hospital, she liked to play a game of hiding things with me. She would cut up dolls into many pieces and hide them in every corner of the house for me to find. Miaomiao’s internal organs have been hidden by her. After all these years, she still loves this game.”

Jin Feize’s words shocked Jiang Ye to the core. He clenched his fists and trembled, unable to stop himself from wondering if Li Miaomiao was conscious when she was disemboweled. Did she watch as her organs were taken out one by one?

“Oh, you’re crying,” Jin Feize lifted his chin. 

“Why are you crying? Are you sad? How strange. I remember you and Miaomiao aren’t related by blood.”

“Jin Feize, you don’t understand. Whether Miaomiao and I are related by blood or not, she is my sister,” Jiang Ye pushed him away, staring into his eyes, and asked, “Do you have a way to save Miaomiao?”

“Why would you think that?” Jin Feize chuckled. 

“I’m not omnipotent.”

“But you walked out of here. You don’t need to sleep, and you’re missing the three fires. Jin Feize, have you died once before?”

Jin Feize was silent for a long moment, then he started to laugh, “I just remembered. I do have a way to wake her up.”

A star of hope ignited in Jiang Ye’s heart.

“But,” Jin Feize’s eyes curved, his gaze curious, “Aren’t you afraid she’ll become like me?”

Jiang Ye said, word for word, “Tell me the method.”

“You have to help me unlock my collar.”

“Deal.”

“First, you have to find Miaomiao’s internal organs.”

“How? Is there a way?”

Jin Feize shook his head and slowly backed away. The darkness covered half of his face, giving him an indescribable mysterious and handsome quality.

“They’re in this hospital. You’ll have to find them yourself. Xiao Ye, I don’t want to play this boring game with my mother anymore,” he smiled lightly. 

“Good luck.”

With that, he disappeared into the darkness. Jiang Ye was stunned. He took a step forward and searched for him with his flashlight, but he had vanished as if into thin air, disappearing right before Jiang Ye’s eyes.

Jiang Ye returned to the group. Huo Ang noticed that Jin Feize was gone and was about to ask, but Jiang Ye shook his head and said, “Don’t worry about him.”

He shouldered the body bag. Zhang Yi wanted to help, but Jiang Ye declined. Huo Ang still led the way, opening the door in front. Just as everyone was about to go out, they suddenly froze. In the shadows of the corridor, a nurse had appeared at some point. The nurse was holding a scalpel, was covered in filth, and had a pair of bulging, strange eyes that were staring straight at them.

Huo Ang immediately opened fire. Three cinnabar bullets shot out, all hitting her squarely in the chest. But she only took a few steps back, ignoring the chest that was being corroded by the cinnabar.

“Fuck,” Zhang Yi pulled him and said, “Don’t act rashly. This thing isn’t easy to deal with.”

She suddenly disappeared. Huo Ang was shocked and asked, “Where did she go?”

Jiang Ye felt a bone-chilling cold behind him, as if an ice snake was attached to his back. He subconsciously turned around and saw the nurse standing not far from him, close to a candidate, asking expressionlessly, “My patient ran away. Was it you?”

The candidate was terrified and shook his head desperately, “Not me, not me!”

“I took out his heart. Let me see if you have a heart.”

The nurse’s scalpel plunged into his stomach and sliced upwards, splitting his entire abdomen in two. Blood gushed out like a fountain, and some of it splattered on Jiang Ye’s face. A heavy, rusty smell filled his nose. Many candidates screamed in terror and wanted to run, but the nurse was blocking the way, and they couldn’t escape.

The nurse looked down at the intestines and organs scattered on the floor and said, “You have a heart. It’s not you.”

With that, she disappeared and reappeared in front of the next person.

“Is it you?”

Huo Ang aimed and fired at her. Half of her head was blown off, but the remaining mouth was still asking, “Is it you?”

The candidate’s face was covered in brain matter, and he was so scared that his legs gave way and he couldn’t run. He watched as she plunged the scalpel into his chest. The nurse disappeared again. Jiang Ye’s vision darkened, and her hideous face appeared in front of him.

“Is it you?” she asked.

Author’s note:

Li Miaomiao: Body has been hollowed out.