Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 1035: Chapter 720: Path to Survival

"Understood."

Later, Yang Xiao informed Captain Zhou about the information he had gathered, including the situation involving the female ghost and Vice Director Huang. This aligned with what Captain Zhou already knew; he had confirmed that the ward where the female ghost stayed had been modified, with soundproof panels installed.

Additionally, Captain Zhou shared some unexpected news with Yang Xiao. It seemed that the female ghost was a foreigner, likely someone who had smuggled in from the Thailand and Myanmar region. Women from there longed to be here, and her profession was likely an informal model.

Thinking of the not-so-professional photo on the "Gold for Children" advertisement, Yang Xiao believed that Captain Zhou’s assessment had merit.

During the six months the woman was hospitalized, Dr. Yin Kun frequently worked the night shift on the third floor, and coincidentally, every time Dr. Yin Kun had a night shift, Vice Director Huang would do rounds and always linger for a while before leaving.

Over time, people in the hospital caught wind of it, but nobody cared since it wasn’t their concern.

This kind of thing had happened before; these patients were a burden to their families, and there were many who went unvisited for long periods.

Dr. Yin Kun and Vice Director Huang were not surgeons, which explained the crude wound on the woman’s abdomen. After her death, Vice Director Huang ordered that no one was to touch the body, leaving everything to Dr. Yin Kun to handle personally. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

From the confirmation of her death to being taken away by the family, it took less than a day. Captain Zhou also revealed that, according to a nurse’s recollection, the so-called "family" had visited once while the woman was still alive, but they merely stood outside the ward, looking through the glass window. Dr. Yin Kun did not allow them to enter.

The nurse remembered vividly because it was already summer, the weather was hot, yet Dr. Yin Kun had covered the woman with a thick quilt. Not long after, just a couple of days later, she suddenly died, supposedly from a dire illness.

Insightful people could see something was off about her death. The nurse subtly mentioned that the woman’s abdomen grew larger by the day, almost impossible to hide even with the loose hospital gown, but Dr. Yin Kun insisted it was due to illness.

Besides some female patients, some male patients also exhibited strange signs. Overnight, some would have makeup residue on their faces, and additional inexplicable injuries would appear on their feet and bodies. These bizarre phenomena were concentrated in the area overseen by Dr. Yin Kun on the third floor.

Some had reported these issues before, but Dean Huang suppressed them and had the complainers transferred. As time went on, nobody mentioned it again.

Captain Zhou lamented that their previous investigative direction was wrong; Vice Director Huang was the key player. They had wasted too much time on useless information.

After confirming the arrangements for the night’s operation, Yang Xiao disconnected the line and cut off communication. He needed to return and prepare, as success depended on this one move.

Faced with an either-or choice, Yang Xiao struck lucky again. He conducted an on-site investigation on the first floor of the hospital and picked up a Ghost Bell near the concrete wall.

But for Yang Xiao, this wasn’t significant; it could even be considered a good thing, as it indirectly saved him time and energy.

After Qu Hong’s "education," Boss Sun became more proactive, working hard to gather intelligence.

However, after sending several pieces of information, he received no response. Boss Sun thought perhaps they were looking up the data and would reply once they verified it.

But time was not on their side, and soon Yang Xiao heard the sound of a bell; the female ghost had come to find him again.

After making sure the key and pager were in place, Yang Xiao returned to the clearing behind the small woods, lay down on a damp quilt, and looked at the pitch-black night sky. Yang Xiao exhaled slowly and surprisingly felt relaxed.

This time, he didn’t need to bind himself. He trusted himself; this time, the gamble was on his life.

Likewise, it was a gamble with everyone’s lives.

"Good luck to you." As the sound of the bells drew nearer, Yang Xiao placed his hands on his chest and slowly closed his eyes.

Shortly after, Yang Xiao awoke from unconsciousness. Indeed, it was that familiar room, Ward 349.

This time, it took very little time for Yang Xiao to regain control of his body. He clenched his fists, feeling the power flowing through his muscles, and appreciated how his own body was useful, strong and robust, brimming with vitality.

The previous two shells were too fragile, one being a dead eunuch, the other a frail woman. Yang Xiao bore them no ill will, for they had indeed helped him map out the path, even if it might not have been their intention.

In a sense, everyone who survived this mission should thank those two for their contribution, given that anyone survived at all.

Backing against the wall, hiding beside the door, Yang Xiao simultaneously pressed the red button on the pager. The speaker crackled with electrical noises, "Brother Zhou, this is Chu Xi. I’m in; reply if you hear me."

"Buzz... Buzz..."

"Received. I’ll first contact Xu Yiqiu on the first floor, then rush to the corridor to clear the way for you. Do not act recklessly; wait for me for half a minute." Captain Zhou spoke quickly, as the more critical the moment, the more cautious one must be. Every step had to be error-free. freewebnøvel.com

On the third floor, besides the pager, there was also a phone. Captain Zhou called the first floor lounge to inform Xu Yiqiu that Yang Xiao had entered.

Once Captain Zhou’s call was received again, Yang Xiao gently opened the ward door and, sure enough, spotted Captain Zhou at the corridor’s end.

Yang Xiao immediately ran towards Captain Zhou’s direction. He was in the north corridor, and the agreed room for the night was Ward 317, located in the east corridor. Yang Xiao had to run quite a distance and cross the junction between the two corridors, namely the area outside the nurse’s station, which offered hardly any cover and had to be crossed quickly.