Translator: CinderTL
Beep. Beep.
The call was abruptly cut off.
It wasn't Lin Wan'er; it must have been Yu Yu.
After all, she was young and inexperienced in handling such matters.
Lin Wan'er tossed the phone to Jiang Cheng and continued driving as if nothing had happened. Just then, the phone rang again.
It was an unfamiliar number.
Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Hello? Where are you?" a man's voice came from the other end, clearly tinged with fear. "I've arrived, but I don't see you anywhere."
It was Director Qi's voice.
"It's so dark in the hospital. Did the power go out? Strange, why didn't anyone notify me?" Hearing no response from Jiang Cheng, Director Qi continued to ramble to himself.
"You went back to the hospital?" Jiang Cheng asked in a low voice.
"What are you talking about?" Director Qi sounded even more displeased than Jiang Cheng. "Didn't you say you'd handled everything and told me to come back for inspection?"
"I'm warning you," Director Qi's tone was full of warning. "Unless you completely eliminate that thing, I won't give you a single penny. I'll also report you to the police for extortion."
"Shut your mouth!" Jiang Cheng snapped. "I'm asking you: did Huai Yi call you back?"
"Yes, yes, he did." Director Qi seemed to realize something was wrong and countered, "What? You didn't know about this?"
Of course they didn't.
If they had known, would they have sent him to his death?
His own death didn't matter, but if the mission failed, everyone would die.
"Hmm?"
Before Jiang Cheng could respond, he heard a strange sound from the other end, as if Director Qi had seen something.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Cheng asked urgently.
"There's a light on in the hospital," Director Qi explained.
"Where?"
"Third floor... now it's the second floor," Director Qi continued. "The first floor lights are on too. It looks like someone came out. The lights in the hospital lobby are on as well."
After a few seconds, Director Qi squinted and finally made out the figure emerging from the hospital's main gate. "It's Huai Yi."
Damn it.
"Did he see you?"
"I don't think so. I'm hiding behind a tree, some distance from the gate. When I arrived, the hospital was too dark, something felt off. I decided to call you first to ask."
Hearing that Director Qi hadn't been found yet, Jiang Cheng let out a slight sigh of relief. At least the man wasn't completely stupid.
It seemed the Ghost had limitations too, perhaps unable to leave the hospital grounds for the time being.
There was still a chance.
"Stay calm and listen carefully," Jiang Cheng said in a formal tone. "None of us called you. The person who told you to return to the hospital wasn't human—it was a Ghost."
"What?!"
"You might want to speak up," Jiang Cheng said calmly. "That way, the Ghost will find you faster."
Director Qi immediately deflated. "You mean... the Huai Yi standing at the hospital gate right now is a Ghost?" His voice trembled.
"That's right."
"But she's still alive! You... you haven't dealt with her yet?"
"Don't speak to me in that accusatory tone," Jiang Cheng said coldly. "I may not be able to save you from the Ghost, but I have plenty of ways to make it kill you."
"Alright, alright, don't get angry," Director Qi pleaded, his face ashen. "I want to live! I don't want to die! If you can save me, I'll pay any price you name."
"We'll be at the hospital soon, no more than twenty minutes," Jiang Cheng reminded. "Hide well and don't come out. I'll call you when I arrive. Put your phone on silent and don't answer any calls except mine."
"Understood."
Because the call was on speaker, Lin Wan'er overheard Director Qi's words. It seemed the Ghost had killed Huai Yi and then impersonated him to lure Director Qi to the hospital.
The time for the Ritual had arrived; Director Qi was the final step.
"What will happen if Director Qi is killed?" Lin Wan'er asked. "Will we die immediately?"
"I don't know," Jiang Cheng replied, shaking his head. "But I doubt it will be that simple."
"It seems the Ghost can't kill through the phone," Lin Wan'er mused. "Otherwise, it wouldn't have gone through all this trouble to lure Director Qi here."
"Call Huai Yi now," Lin Wan'er instructed Jiang Cheng. "Try to stall for time. We're almost there."
"By the way," she turned to Jiang Cheng, "are there speed bumps in front of the hospital gate?"
Jiang Cheng wasn't distracted by Lin Wan'er's question. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Actually... I don't think ghosts can be killed by being run over."
"Have you tried?" Lin Wan'er seemed intrigued.
"No, this is the first time I've ever been in this situation."
"Really?" Lin Wan'er glanced at Jiang Cheng casually. He avoided her gaze and naturally lowered his head to buckle his seatbelt.
"I'm going to call Huai Yi," Jiang Cheng said, looking up. "Just focus on driving."
The call was cut off after only two rings, which surprised Jiang Cheng. He had expected the Ghost to use this opportunity to find out his current location.
Ding.
To his surprise, a text message arrived just seconds later.
"Are you trying to kill me? Don't call. I'm trapped in the morgue. Wang Changguo is dead. He died a long time ago. I found his body in a mortuary cabinet. It was already cold. The Ghost had been impersonating him. We've all been tricked."
The message was sent from Huai Yi's phone and even used his typical tone.
Huai Yi was still alive, which truly surprised Jiang Cheng. But on closer thought, it wasn't entirely impossible. The Ghost's primary goal was to complete the Ritual.
The Ritual took precedence over killing them.
This was evident in the Ghost's current pursuit of Director Qi, rather than the closer and more convenient targets of Yu Yu and Cao Yang.
"The Ghost isn't with you," Jiang Cheng replied via text. "Get out of there immediately and head towards the hospital gate."
"The Ghost is there. It's disguised as you."
"Disguised as me? What would it be doing near the hospital gate?" Another text arrived instantly. "Shouldn't it be looking for you, or going directly after Director Qi?"
Huai Yi's logic was clear; he understood that Director Qi was the Ghost's ultimate target.
"The Ghost used your phone to lure Director Qi to the hospital," Jiang Cheng replied.
A moment later...
"Damn it! Director Qi wouldn't actually come, would he? Where is he now?" Huai Yi was clearly agitated. This was a matter of life and death for them all.
If Director Qi died, their mission would fail.
Huai Yi didn't know what the consequences of failure were, as he'd never heard anyone talk about them. Those who had experienced the consequences had simply vanished.
Jiang Cheng continued typing, "You can relax for now. I've contacted Director Qi and intercepted him before he reached the hospital. I've told him to find a nearby hotel and hide there. He's perfectly safe."
(End of the Chapter)
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