My Human Identity Was Exposed by an Evil Spirit Wife

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: Don’t Be Afraid, I’ll Take You Away

While the two spoke, Ding Ning was just a step away from the exit. She felt as though she had arrived at the real Red Pearl Mental Hospital. In the mental hospital shaped by Jiang Che, the surrounding walls were broken and dilapidated, aged—the period that lingered deepest in his memory.

But in the actual Red Pearl Mental Hospital, the walls had been renovated. They were a bit gray, but you could tell they were recently plastered, and the equipment here was newer than what she’d seen along the way.

These devices looked like they’d been added within recent years.

She wanted to slow down, to look closer at the place Jiang Che had lived, but the white spirit body chasing her from behind was too close—she couldn’t stop now.

The blood-colored crystals here were few; past this point, there was nothing left to collect.

In contrast, the medical staff were increasing in number. Compared to before, the faces of the white spirit bodies now seemed to take vague shape, their fierce aura relentlessly catching up.

The deeper she went, the fewer blood-colored crystals appeared and the lighter the task became. At this stage, the only requirement for the survivor was very simple—just leave.

The red light shining from her body grew brighter; every blood-colored crystal she’d encountered had already been collected.

At the last corner, the red crystals in her mind were finally gathered.

"She’s really strong," Zhou Ang stared at the map, unable to keep his awe to himself.

The first survivor was only inches from the exit; all she needed was to walk out of this dim corridor, then dash through a wide, open space—she could finally gaze upon the iron-black gate of Red Pearl Mental Hospital.

Of the other three survivors, the first had fallen in an instant, caught off guard. There was really no way to judge the difficulty everyone else experienced after entering the dungeon.

You could only say that person was too careless—the first attack landed, nothing was felt, so their guard dropped.

Ding Ning looked down the road ahead; from here, only a straight passage remained. If she ran through it, she could escape.

She could get out?

Ding Ning’s tense nerves loosened a little.

Among these blood-colored crystals, which one represented Jiang Che?

As she wondered, she saw a fork in the straight path ahead—according to the map, this route put her farther from the exit, and the map showed no blood-colored crystal in this direction.

There seemed to be no purpose in taking this road, but inexplicably, it appeared before her.

Ding Ning hesitated at the fork for only a second before running toward it.

Because during the challenge, she’d traversed nearly every path in Jiang Che’s dungeon.

In the dungeon, every path had a blood-colored crystal.

Her mapped-out route wasn’t planned for proximity; the goal wasn’t the nearest exit—in this dungeon, survival meant collecting every crystal, walking every road, while being hunted, choosing the optimal path.

So even though only a short straight road remained to leave the mental hospital,

She still chose the fork.

Turning a corner, Ding Ning saw a pale blue crystal up ahead.

A familiar surge washed through her, Jiang Che’s presence spilling from that crystal.

She ran toward it, more desperate and determined than at any point before.

Beside the blue crystal stood a scarlet-red spirit body, dressed in a white lab coat. Seeing Ding Ning approach, it actively moved toward her.

Ding Ning sensed the map in her mind. She was certain that this red spirit body and pale blue crystal weren’t indicated on it.

In its hand was a thin, sharp scalpel, rimmed with a faint blue light.

The blue crystal bore a notch, shaped exactly like the scalpel.

From the moment Ding Ning saw the blue crystal, its light began to dim. If she were any later, it might vanish from the corridor forever.

Before she could reach it, it rushed straight at Ding Ning.

Ding Ning’s chest tightened; the corridor was narrow—if she wanted to get past, she’d inevitably be attacked by the spirit body.

She didn’t know if, in her current state, she could bear another injury. The doubled pain was enough to break any rationality.

Jiang Che stared at the desktop map, lost in thought.

Even he didn’t know there was a blue crystal here—he only noticed it after the survivor reached this area.

He saw the wound on the crystal, and knew its disappearance would make no difference to the dungeon as a whole.

This crystal was like a side quest. Every survivor who came here could see it, and it would refresh every time a survivor arrived.

The aura from the crystal matched his own. He knew at a glance: the blood-colored crystals represented the companions in the mental hospital, and the pale blue crystal represented himself.

"That’s strange, this..." Feihu stared at the desktop, surprised by the sudden appearance of the pale blue crystal.

But after sensing the crystal contained Jiang Che’s aura, they fell silent.

Inside the dungeon, everyone had their own guesses about what things represented.

Upon seeing the pale blue crystal, they were silent.

Many of them knew information about Jiang Che—his longing for family far outweighed his urge to leave the mental hospital.

So among the information survivors received, there was nothing about this pale blue crystal. The exit was close by; they could pass the challenge without taking it.

Instead, if they came here, they’d encounter a red spirit body blocking the way, guaranteed to be wounded.

Jiang Che’s fingers unconsciously tightened as he fixated on the survivor.

He didn’t know this survivor; their aura was unfamiliar to him.

Yet Jiang Che could feel that, when the survivor sensed that the blue crystal belonged to him, she moved faster, charging straight toward the red spirit body with no hesitation, even knowing she’d be hurt.

The thin, sharp scalpel went straight into the survivor’s body.

In that instant, agonized screams echoed through the entire mental hospital.

Jiang Che watched as the headless woman’s body began to dissolve, but she still rushed for the blue crystal.

The moment she touched the crystal, it was absorbed—then she turned and ran toward the exit.

Jiang Che vanished from his spot in an instant, not taking Xiong Jie and the others along.

This dungeon was his domain, he only needed a thought to reach anywhere he wished.

"Don’t be afraid, I’ll take you out of here."

He followed behind the woman and heard her unconscious murmuring.

Her aura was still unfamiliar, her voice strange.

But Jiang Che knew who she was; he recognized her.

"Ning."