Chapter Twenty: The Mystery of Displacement (Part Two)

Seeing Shi Jun nod, Liu Qing continued, "When I was at the hospital at noon, I noticed something strange. Everywhere I looked, doctors and nurses were either locked in their wards or wandering about in a deranged manner, while the patients were busy administering injections and medicines to them, as if they had suddenly taken over. Just now, when I returned, I saw the most insane patients gathered in the hospital's conference room, holding a meeting and discussing things like applying for the annual advanced unit and selecting outstanding individuals. It struck me as bizarre, and I wanted to watch more, but all of a sudden, those people in the meeting room erupted in chaos, each succumbing to their illness again. Then, the doctors and nurses seemed to snap back to normal, pouring out of their wards as if nothing had happened, and took over chasing the patients back into their rooms. The whole scene was utter chaos."

"What? What are you saying?" Shi Jun grew more confused the longer he listened. "You mean the doctors and nurses seemed mad at first, then suddenly returned to normal? What about the patients?"

Liu Qing looked troubled. "Yes, I thought I must have been mistaken. The patients, too, were behaving like normal people, but almost at the same moment, they all reverted, completely insane again. The hospital was in an uproar, people everywhere. When I left, they were still in the thick of it, no end in sight."

Shi Jun found the situation too strange for words; after pondering for a while, he turned to Modo. "What do you think?"

Modo shrugged and shook his head, adopting an expression of bafflement.

"Seeing is believing." Shi Jun considered, then made a decision. "Let's go back to the hospital and see for ourselves what’s happening. Only then can we discuss the matter—this hospital has suddenly become so bizarre, yet people outside seem unaware. Otherwise, we wouldn't have received no prior word of it at all!"

He paused and then asked Liu Qing, "By the way, didn’t you say you saw a very strange person? What was that about?"

Liu Qing responded anxiously, "You’re going back to the hospital? I think you shouldn’t act rashly. That person looked… terrifying. If you just go, there might be danger."

"Did the person you saw notice you?" Shi Jun asked sensitively.

"How did you know?" Liu Qing’s eyes widened in surprise. Shi Jun and Modo exchanged a glance, beginning to form an idea.

* * *

It turned out that Liu Qing had wandered around the hospital amidst the chaos, unable to make sense of what was happening, and out of habit, drifted toward the inpatient wing, heading for her old ward. As she rounded a corner in the corridor, she unexpectedly collided head-on with someone.

Since her death, Liu Qing’s physical body had vanished; she existed purely as spiritual energy—visible, yet intangible. Not even steel walls could block her way, let alone people. Yet, this time, she found herself unexpectedly bumping into someone, startling her greatly. Looking closer, she saw that this person was a young man with unusual features, someone she had never seen before, making it even stranger. He was clearly not a doctor or nurse, so what was he doing in the women's ward?

Still puzzled, Liu Qing suddenly sensed a powerful energy emanating from the young man—like sharp blades slicing through her, making her, who had long forgotten what pain felt like, experience a stinging sensation all over. She couldn’t help but cry out in shock.

"Ah, interesting! Come to watch me perform magic?" The young man, hair flowing, was neither dressed in a white coat nor in patient’s attire. Below his head, he appeared wrapped in a mass of darkness, as if enveloped by a black cloud, indistinct and hazy, yet his voice was youthful, perhaps just over twenty.

He laughed heartily, looking Liu Qing up and down, then said with a smile, "Looks like you’re a new ghost. Don’t wander around unless you have to. Lucky for you it was me you met—if my second brother had seen you, your life would be forfeit!" With that, he whistled shrilly, and in a flash, transformed into a black cloud, rising into the air before Liu Qing's eyes, and flew out the corridor window, swiftly heading toward the hospital’s main building...

* * *

"I was really terrified at the time. I couldn’t understand what that strange man meant, so I didn’t dare linger and rushed to find you!" Liu Qing finished in one breath; the tension of the moment still etched on her face.

"Don’t worry, Sister Liu," Shi Jun comforted her. "We’ll go back to the hospital and figure out what’s really going on." He was mindful that Liu Qing had been wronged into staying at that psychiatric hospital, so he referred to it simply as "hospital" to spare her any pain. "We’ll be careful, and we have enough ability to protect ourselves!"

Though he spoke reassuringly, Shi Jun still felt uneasy. Who was the young man Liu Qing encountered? If he was a ghost, how could he be so formidable, frightening Liu Qing without even lifting a finger? And if he emanated energy like blades, his level must far surpass Su Su’s. Could he be the spirit that escaped from the Netherworld Token?

Shi Jun’s instincts told him that the events at the hospital were the work of the ghost spirit from the Netherworld Token, and that this time, the danger would not be easily overcome. There were bound to be many perils ahead; if they acted rashly, they might suffer losses without understanding why.

He glanced at Hu Hai with concern. Though Hu Hai insisted he was fine, Shi Jun knew him well enough to realize he was just putting on a brave face. With his usual tolerance, there was no way he could be so drunk after such a short time. In his current state, going to the hospital could spell trouble if anything unexpected occurred, and Shi Jun would be held responsible.

With this in mind, he said to Modo, "Hai’s had too much to drink. I don’t think it’s wise for him to go out tonight. How about you stay here with him, and I’ll go to the hospital with Sister Liu to investigate?"

Hu Hai, previously slumped in the chair with sleepy eyes, jumped up at Shi Jun’s words. "Who? Who says I’m drunk? I’m fine!"

Modo chuckled, "Don’t worry about him, Shi. I’ll give him a spell to sober up, and he’ll be ten times clearer than any of us!" No sooner had he spoken than he pointed at Hu Hai’s forehead and began chanting, preparing to cast a spell.

"Don’t! Please don’t!" Hu Hai cried out, "I’ve learned my lesson—at noon you nearly blinded me with your spells. Save them for dealing with spirits! I need my eyes to see. I’ll just wash my face; don’t even think about leaving me behind!" With that, he dashed into the washroom, making a racket.