Terror is resurging, but only I am.

Chapter 19: Taking in a Nurse Ghost for Fun (Part 2)

Nurse?

Yan Ming felt a chill run down his spine; he hadn't expected to see this cartoon nurse on his phone.

When did you start bothering me?
The phone screen wallpaper is set to the bright, smiling face of the chibi-style nurse, but because the angle and light source are both from below, it looks unusually sinister and cunning.

Where exactly did this ghost take its selfie?

Yan Ming turned his clothes pockets inside, trying to find the cartoon nurse, but he couldn't find it anywhere in his pockets or inside his pockets.

He also recalled that the nurse appeared on the ceiling of the corridor, and the main body was a flat figure that was close to 2D, so she tried to squeeze in through the crack in the door above.

As it turned out, the ghostly old woman was knocking on the door, but her breath chased her away.

It now appears that the nurse was not driven away, but rather infiltrated his vicinity in some more covert way.

In this light, these strangely behaving ghosts are even more troublesome, as they've actually set their sights on his phone.

Yan Ming felt a sense of crisis. He was now like one of those extreme internet addicts, not afraid of ghosts, but afraid of losing his phone, which was almost like losing his life.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing the extent of the hospital's predicament.

The old woman thought the beggar ghost had stolen him, just like the beggar ghost had stolen the person in the mirror, so she left the area. But as soon as they left, the cartoon nurse started clinging to her again.

Wave after wave, they're really tough to deal with.

With the phone screen off, he could see his face reflected on the black screen by the moonlight.

After a night of turmoil, Yan Ming felt that he did look much more haggard.

When facing ghosts, one needs to be highly focused and constantly analyze their taboos and patterns, as even the slightest mistake can lead to a passive situation.

Although the opponents are all people in disguise, the pressure is no less than that outside.

He sighed and could only stay in the bathroom and leave the computer running for the time being.

Yan Ming doesn't even dare to turn on his phone now. He hasn't set up facial recognition unlock; he still uses the more primitive password unlock. If that cartoon nurse sees it, his phone might be in danger.

Let's wait a little longer. He can feel the Doctor Ghost in his mind is reviving and will soon be ready to be used again.

Before figuring out how the nurse ghost works, he should refrain from doing anything unnecessary.

Time passed by, and silence returned to the hospital. The occasional screams from patients were abruptly silenced, like wild animals disappearing into the sticky mud of a jungle.

The roaming ghosts still preyed on ordinary patients in the hospital, and the doctors didn't seem to have any intention of quickly containing them.

Yan Ming could roughly understand their thoughts: the malice of the ghosts would be satisfied after being released, and the impulse to harm people would be temporarily quelled.

Just like when preparing to enter the ghost realm, Dr. Wang specifically asked him whether the big-bellied ghost still had the desire to eat, which was a very important criterion.

In short, letting these ghosts vent their anger in the hospital, and then having the doctors re-contain them, at least ensures their safety.

About half an hour later, Yan Ming finally felt that Dr. Wang in his mind had come back online, so he immediately summarized and reported the situation about the nurse ghost, hoping to get "more" information.

“Image ghosts appear in a two-dimensional plane, with diverse and unpredictable appearances. They possess high intelligence and self-awareness, and are adept at hiding and stealth, but cannot become intangible. Furthermore, image ghosts do not have the same strong intentions and desires to harm people as ordinary ghosts.”

"Note that if there are many identical images in the area, the image ghosts will most likely appear in groups."

Ethnicity?

Yan Ming felt a chill run down his spine when he thought of the cartoon nurses that could be seen everywhere in the hospital.

Does this thing even have such a thing as a race?

How many nurse ghosts are there in that hospital?

But then Yan Ming thought about it again and felt that something was wrong.

Aren't all the ghosts in this illusory city just people in disguise?

If there's a one-to-one correspondence between humans and ghosts, it means there are so many patients pretending to be ghosts.
But how is this possible? !
"You mean there are at least dozens of ghost images in this hospital building? But the ghosts in Wangcheng are all in human costumes, how could this hospital possibly create so many identical ghosts?"

Yan Ming immediately asked.

But the Doctor Ghost seemed to realize the problem and began to think deeply.

A moment later, he offered a more detailed answer: "Image ghosts passively transform other images around them into ghosts, provided that the image is completely identical to itself. Other image ghosts use themselves as their template, thus evolving into a species."

"And a group may be a multifaceted entity of a certain image ghost, with differences in personality, intelligence, behavior style, and even rules of killing. They will not be completely the same."

So complicated?

Yan Ming was surprised. He had thought that ghosts were all cold and rigid creatures, but he did not expect that there were such strange creatures as image ghosts.

However, the two are not contradictory, because the "self-awareness" of the image ghost may be faked, just like those charming heroines in galgames, behind which are just cold programs running.

I should do what I want to do, not what I want to do.

"What are their taboos and details about their abilities?" Yan Ming continued to ask.

Dr. Wang said, "Without taboos, the ability can be attached to any plane and have a certain influence on it."

"No taboos?" Yan Ming didn't understand.

Dr. Wang continued to explain: "Because they have a high degree of self-awareness, they are completely different from ordinary ghosts. They don't haunt you because you violate taboos, but rather they actively haunt you."

"Then I'm really unlucky." Yan Ming gave a wry smile, but he also knew why.

It's very simple. He released the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. There aren't many people who are "awake" at this time. As an image ghost, the nurse doesn't have many choices either. Getting entangled with him is actually a high probability event.

However, he remained cautious and continued to ask, "Besides these ghosts, are there any other things that actively pester people?"

“Yes, and it’s very special. It’s a sixth type of ghost, independent of the five types I mentioned: the Wish Ghost.” Dr. Wang’s voice suddenly turned serious. “These ghosts also have incredibly unique abilities. They can often modify reality on a large scale according to their will, and most Wish Ghosts act with a strong sense of purpose. Be careful…”

Ok?
Yan Ming was somewhat lost in thought as he listened to those words, because he seemed to have heard the doctor say "Be careful" to him out of the blue.

Did you hear that wrong?

However, Dr. Wang's next words were even more important: "Now, I suggest you try to communicate with this image ghost; you might get unexpected results."

Communicating with ghosts?
Does a strong sense of self make the image ghost a communicative entity?
For some reason, after hearing this suggestion, Yan Ming suddenly felt that the nurse ghost wasn't so scary anymore.

The fact that ghosts possess humanity can easily become their greatest weakness.

Yan Ming searched around and confirmed that there was no such image ghost around him, so it was easier to guess where the ghost was hiding.

As Dr. Wang just mentioned, image ghosts do not have the ability to become invisible. Although they are good at hiding, they always appear in the form of a "solid".

If it can't be found anywhere, where could that ghostly image be hiding?
What exactly are you planning to do?

Yan Ming opened his phone and stared at the cartoon nurse on the wallpaper.

I initially thought it was a selfie of the ghost image, but now it seems that the image on the wallpaper is probably the ghost image.

silence.

A few minutes later, Yan Ming noticed that the health tip the cartoon nurse on the wallpaper was pointing to had changed. It was no longer "Drink water every day, and diseases will stay away from me," but instead, it read "Let me out!!!"

Furthermore, the cartoon nurse's appearance has changed; she's no longer the sinister and terrifying figure she once was, but rather displays an angry and spoiled demeanor, even appearing somewhat cute. However, Yan Ming is naturally not fooled by her appearance; instead, he's curious about her words, "Let me out."

Could it be...

Is this image ghost locked by my lock screen password?
Can you do this?

Seeing that Yan Ming was ignoring her, the wallpaper where the nurse ghost was located changed again. Dozens of circles appeared on it almost simultaneously, and the message changed to "Draw a circle to curse you".

Yan Ming, however, remained indifferent as she acted out, offering no response whatsoever.

In the end, the nurse ghost put on a pitiful look, as if begging for his forgiveness.

"Let me out, and I'll agree to anything you ask."

The message reads as follows.

Yan Ming remained unmoved, feeling that the coincidence was too much of a coincidence.

Can this nurse ghost be locked onto the wallpaper by the lock screen password?

Even if there was such a possibility, he didn't want to enter the password to let her out, because entering the password would likely result in the nurse ghost successfully controlling the phone.

Doesn't that mean his life is in the hands of this nurse ghost?

Yan Ming thought the nurse ghost setting was interesting and that he might be able to make good use of it, but only if he could completely control her.

He was unwilling to do anything too risky.

So he shook his head: "You have three minutes. Every minute I'll turn on the screen and read what you want to say. After three minutes, I'll turn the phone off completely and won't pay any more attention to anything you say."

His patience was limited; the nurse ghost only had three chances to speak.

If the other party was indeed locked by the screen password, Yan Ming felt that his current demeanor was strong enough to at least deter the nurse ghost's strange thoughts.

Since the other party has self-awareness and can exhibit characteristics similar to human emotions, then treat the other party as a dangerous person.

One minute later, Yan Ming turned on his phone.

His wallpaper was a cartoon nurse who was completely naked, and the nurse ghost was bowing down in a standard Japanese dogeza pose, with her neatly folded pink nurse uniform next to her.

A message appeared next to the nurse ghost:

"If you release me, I am willing to submit to you forever, and I will do anything."

Yan Ming sneered at her trick. How could a two-dimensional character come up with such a seductive tactic?
He watches a lot of cartoons, how could he not have this much self-control in a life-threatening situation?

Without any response, Yan Ming turned off the screen without hesitation and started counting down silently in his mind again.

Another minute later, the wallpaper changed again.

This time, the nurse ghost was dressed much more appropriately, and she gave a long speech in a very serious manner.

"I am a nurse ghost, strictly adhering to the hospital's rules and regulations. I am a ghost who values ​​promises very much. I swear to you that I will forever be bound to you, dependent on you, and enslaved by you. After the contract is established, you can feel the connection between us in your mind, and then you, Master, can decide whether or not to release me, okay?"

Yan Ming frowned slightly. It sounded like the nurse ghost was planning to try and draw up a contract?
It's a bit like paying first, and then letting him decide whether or not to deliver the goods.

If he can indeed sense this contract, perhaps it might actually be effective?

it is good.

He didn't speak, turned off the screen again, and remained unresponsive.

This kind of ghost is cunning. Let's wait another round and see. He's not that impatient.

However, this time Yan Ming did not turn on the screen after just one minute as agreed, but instead turned it on suddenly after a full three minutes.

Although it's unclear whether this negotiation technique is effective on ghosts, since the other party has "humanity," it should still be possible to fall for it, right?
This time, the nurse ghost didn't show any special expression, but only mentioned one thing in the prompt.

"Actually, there is a way to let me out without a lock screen password. You can connect your phone to a charging cable, plug it into a socket, and I can go to the wall."

"If you can adjust the angle so that the shadow covers the socket on the wall, you can imprison me in your shadow. If you want to kill me, you can use the hospital's operating lights to temporarily eliminate the shadow. My life is in your hands, so I will do whatever you say."

"The oath I mentioned earlier is still valid, which greatly reduces your risk."

Oh?
Trapped in the shadows?
Yan Ming squinted and thought for a while. In fact, he was somewhat tempted by the proposal, but he did not let his guard down.

The image ghost can manipulate the plane it is on to a certain extent. It's not a big deal that she can control her shadow, but the real problem is that her body might move along with her shadow, which would be the end of her.

Therefore, he has a better option.

"Dr. Wang, if we were to confine her within the shadow of the survivor's corpse, would she have stronger control over the corpse through the shadow, or would I have stronger control over the corpse through my Ghost Eyes?"

Yan Ming asked.

The doctor's answer was very certain: "Demon Eyes."

"The Ghost Eye represents the map rules that the survivors replicated from the Ghost Realm. The Image Ghost is just a derivative of the map rules of the Delusion City. Therefore, the Ghost Eye has a higher priority."

“Okay.” Yan Ming nodded, switched the ghost he was in to “Ghost Eye”, and then got up and walked toward the location of the male corpse.

He moved quickly, trying to find the male corpse before the ghostly old woman discovered him.

Fortunately, the male corpse was not far from him, so he found the body in less than two minutes. He then placed it next to the socket and used a light to project its shadow onto the socket.

After finalizing the contract, the validity of which was uncertain, Yan Ming switched to Doctor Ghost to confirm the rationality of the entire operation before connecting the charging cable.

Almost instantly, the shadow of the male corpse transformed into the shape of a cartoon nurse, only in pure black.

After a transformation, the cartoon nurse changes her appearance and becomes the survivor's shadow again.

She stopped trying to hide it and immediately used her shadow to move the male corpse, making him run stiffly out of the ward.

"Stop." Yan Ming switched to the Spying Ghost, and one of his ghost eyes opened on the male corpse's forehead, instantly suppressing the Nurse Ghost and calming all the palpitations within the body.

He could sense a force within the shadow trying to move elsewhere, but the force was extremely weak and completely insufficient to fight against him.

It seems Dr. Wang was right; the ghost eye has a much higher priority on this body than the nurse ghost.

"What did you do?! I...I!" Ghost Eye heard the strange noise inside his body, but in the blink of an eye, he suppressed the nurse ghost until he was completely silent.

The demon eye directly controls the body, while the nurse demon only controls the shadow, using the shadow to drive the body. The two have completely different levels of control over the body.

The male corpse's shadow tumbled, clearly indicating that the nurse ghost wanted to escape the shadow's grasp, but she was already restricted by the shadow's range and had no ability to become ethereal and escape.

In a sense, Yan Ming has now subdued the nurse ghost.

So next...

He also remembered Dr. Wang saying that image ghosts would passively develop images that are the same as themselves into their own kind.

Is self-reproduction correct?

The shadow of the male corpse is definitely a similar image, right?
Ah, the number of shadows...

Isn't it determined by the number of light sources?
　New author, new book, seeking everything!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)