Global Ghost Stories: I'm Investigating Ghosts in My Nightmare!

Chapter 49 The Locket of Memories
The sounds of tearing and chewing coming from the depths of the passage didn't last long. Like a sudden downpour that came and went abruptly, it poured out all its terror before quickly returning to silence, leaving only a faint smell of blood seeping silently through the cracks in the door and slowly spreading in the small, enclosed freezer.

Lu Yueqi couldn't help but cover her mouth; the smell made her feel uncomfortable. Although she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, the imagery constructed by the sound, enhanced by her empathy, was still clearly displayed before her eyes, and the scene was even more impactful than seeing it with her own eyes.

She could imagine how, in the darkness outside, a "patient" or some pitiful wandering soul was cruelly devoured by that unknown being whose words were filled with "jealousy" and "hatred."

"What...what exactly is that?" Her voice was very low, with a slight tremor.

“I don’t know.” Bai Yu’s voice was as steady as a stabilizing needle plunged into the deep sea, calming the turbulent waves in her heart. “But what is certain is that it is not Yao. Its mental fluctuations are filled with chaotic and disorderly madness, while Yao… should be said to be Yao after being corrupted by the ‘Tower of Ten Thousand Heads’. Her malice is ‘orderly’, a ‘guidance’ and ‘assimilation’ with a clear purpose. Although these two forces are equally evil, they are essentially in conflict.”

A bold conjecture flashed through Bai Yu's mind.

What does a perfect dictatorial kingdom fear most? Foreign revolutionaries?
No, it was the emergence of a new "king" within itself, one capable of rivaling itself.

Wen Maoran's "Tower of Babel Project" involves breaking down all the patients' memories and merging them into a pot of "information soup".

Yao was the first "queen" to "stand up" from this pot of soup, a "queen" who had been corrupted by a higher-dimensional existence.

But who can guarantee that in this pot of soup made from hundreds of souls filled with pain, madness and resentment, not more "monsters" full of primal hatred, entirely of their own origin, will be born?
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind." Hei Yan's voice carried a hint of glee as he watched a good show. "This garden has cultivated a perfect 'man-eating flower,' but unexpectedly, an even more savage and hungry 'Venus flytrap' has sprouted from the garden's soil. Now, these two plants are tearing each other apart in their struggle for sunlight and nutrients. Bai Yu, you see, chaos is always more vibrant than order, and it can create more opportunities for us."

“Indeed, this might be an opportunity for us.” Bai Yu himself sensed a glimmer of hope in this sudden and terrifying event. “A stable kingdom is difficult to destroy. But if there are two hostile rulers in this kingdom… then there are many ‘gaps’ that can be exploited.”

Lu Yueqi's eyes lit up slightly in the darkness.

She understood Bai Yu's meaning. The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend, but he can definitely become a pawn for them to stir up this stagnant pool.

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

"Wait." Bai Yu only said one word. "My body still needs some time to recover. Moreover, we must wait for this turmoil outside to subside. If we go out now, whether we face Yao or that newly appeared monster, we will immediately become their common target."

Then the two fell silent again.

In this secluded darkness, Bai Yu continued his arduous soul repair, while Lu Yueqi, like a vigilant little sentinel, strained all her senses to the limit, carefully listening to every rustle of wind in the outside world.

Time passed by minute by minute.

No sound came from the passageway outside. The stench of blood gradually faded, as if diluted by the cold air.

After an unknown amount of time, Bai Yu slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

"That's enough." His voice was still tired, but he had regained his strength. The drug residue in his body had been completely cleared, and the soul rift that had worsened was also barely "glued" back together with his mental power. Although it was still fragile, it could at least support him to carry out some normal exercise or combat.

"Let's go out."

Lu Yueqi nodded, and she reached out and carefully pushed the heavy iron door open a crack.

Dim light shone through the crack in the door, stinging her eyes that had been exposed to darkness for too long.

She looked outside warily.

The passageway outside was deserted, deathly silent.

But the faint smell of blood still lingered in the air, and there were a few dark brown marks on the ground deep in the passage that had not yet dried completely, all of which seemed to silently tell the story of a horrific massacre that had just taken place here.

The two of them crawled out of the small refrigerated display case one after the other. Stepping back onto solid ground and breathing in the relatively fresh air gave them a feeling of being in another world.

"Where are we going now?" Lu Yueqi asked, instinctively gripping the mental shock sedative gun in her hand.

Bai Yu did not answer immediately; his gaze swept back and forth across the dilapidated underground passage before him.

This is the morgue, the place in this hospital that is physically closest to "death." Wen Maoran's experiments, Yao's descent into darkness, the tragic deaths of patients... all the tragedies have their "end" here.

Could there be clues about the "starting point" hidden here as well?

"Search separately," Bai Yu said in a deep voice, "but don't stray too far apart, stay within each other's line of sight. Be careful not to touch any corpses unnecessarily, and don't open any closed cabinet doors. We'll only look for... things that 'shouldn't' be here."

"clear."

The two immediately split up and got to work.

Bai Yu was in charge of the left side, and Lu Yueqi was in charge of the right side. They were like two cautious archaeologists, carefully searching for any possible clues in this ruin buried by death and time.

The morgue corridor was longer than I had imagined. The refrigerated lockers on both sides were packed tightly together, like rows of silent tombstones. Some locker doors still had the names and numbers of the deceased written in chalk, but most of the writing was already blurred and illegible.

As Bai Yu walked, he sensed and carefully examined the remaining spiritual energy around him. The place was filled with the despair and resentment of the dead, like a thick layer of dust covering everything.

Suddenly, his steps stopped.

His gaze was drawn to a refrigerator located on the bottom shelf.

That cabinet was different from the others. Its doors were not made of iron, but of thick lead plates. Moreover, in the center of the door, there was an extremely complex pentagram symbol painted in red paint, like some kind of religious seal.

This is absolutely something that "should not" be here.

"Yueqi, come here," he called softly.

Lu Yueqi immediately ran over. When she saw the eerie cabinet, she gasped.

What's in here...?

“I don’t know.” Bai Yu’s eyes were extremely solemn. “But Wen Maoran is obviously terrified of what’s inside.”

He reached out and gently touched the lead cabinet door.

The door felt icy cold to the touch, and he could clearly sense the emotions attached to it—a violent, chaotic spiritual energy filled with primal hatred, which was being suppressed behind the door like a volcano about to erupt.

This energy fluctuation is exactly the same as that unknown entity that was committing violence outside just now!
Bai Yu understood instantly.

This cabinet contains the second "King" who was "born" in this hospital! It had only released a portion of its power, or rather, a clone, while its true form had been sealed here by Wen Maoran in some way!
“We can’t open it,” Bai Yu immediately judged. “Once it’s released, the entire ‘rules’ of the mental hospital could completely collapse. At that point, we’ll be facing an attack from two higher beings.”

Just then, Lu Yueqi suddenly exclaimed "Eh!"

Her gaze wasn't on the cabinet, but rather on a crack in the floor next to it.

"Baiyu, look here."

Bai Yu looked in the direction she pointed. She saw something stuck in the gap between the lead cabinet and the ground, reflecting a faint metallic luster under the flashlight beam.

He crouched down, took a multi-tool from his tactical belt, and then carefully used the tip of the knife to pry the object out of the gap, bit by bit. "Thud."

With a soft thud, the thing fell to the ground.

It was a small, oval-shaped silver pendant box.

The pendant box is exquisitely crafted, but its surface has turned black due to oxidation, and it also has some dried dark brown marks on it.

The moment Bai Yu's hand touched the locket, she sensed an extremely faint spiritual energy emanating from the small locket. That energy was filled with sorrow, longing, and an unyielding obsession with "protection."

This energy was completely different from the negative energy of despair, madness, and fear that filled the morgue. It was like the only lotus flower that had not yet been polluted in this filthy swamp.

He reached out and picked up the locket.

The touch was cold, but the unwavering determination to protect it flowed like a warm current into his heart through his fingertips.

He tried to open the locket.

With a "click," the lid popped open.

On the left side of the locket is a one-inch black-and-white photograph, cropped into an oval shape. The photograph shows a young woman smiling radiantly, holding a swaddled baby in her arms.

On the right side of the locket box, a line of small characters is engraved in extremely beautiful handwriting.

"This is for my beloved wife, hoping for her speedy recovery so we can return home with our child."

The signature is: Fang Heng.

Fang Heng!

Ruan Bo's close friend, an archaeology graduate student who mysteriously disappeared after a field expedition!

Bai Yu and Lu Yueqi both paused for a moment.

They have finally found the first clue directly related to Ruan Bo and Fang Heng!

This locket was clearly a gift from Fang Heng to his wife. And his wife was very likely a former patient of this mental hospital! Fang Heng's disappearance and his coming into contact with the "Tower of Ten Thousand Heads" were likely related to his search for a cure for his wife!
Just then, Lu Yueqi suddenly reached out her finger and gently touched the woman's photo in the locket.

The instant her fingertips touched the photograph.

hum-

A massive torrent of memories suddenly flooded into her mind!
She "saw" it.

I saw a young woman who had been sent to this mental hospital by her family because of postpartum depression.

It showed how women struggle with longing for their husbands and children.

I saw Wen Maoran's face with a fake smile, and heard how he used sweet words to persuade women to accept his so-called "memory stripping therapy".

Seeing the woman strapped to the cold operating table, she witnessed how the most beautiful memories of her husband and children were being sucked away by injection after injection of cold medicine.

Finally, she saw the woman become numb and empty, having forgotten who she was. But her hand still clutched tightly the locket her husband had given her. It was her final "anchor."

However, during a routine "check-up," a young nurse discovered the locket.

The nurse's face was contorted with a morbid curiosity and jealousy. She roughly snatched the locket from the woman's hand and carelessly tossed it aside in the dark corner.

That nurse...

Lu Yueqi recognized the face; it was Yao!

The woman, having lost her "anchor," completely collapsed. Her spirit was instantly shattered; her longing for her husband and children, her hatred for Yao, her despair for the world... all these conflicting emotions intertwined, ultimately turning her into a monster who only knew how to devour and hate.

The monster sealed inside the lead cabinet!

"what!"

Lu Yueqi let out a painful scream, jerked her hand back, and nearly fell to the ground. Bai Yu quickly caught her.

"I saw it... I saw it all..." Her face was covered in tears, her voice filled with uncontrollable sorrow and anger, "That monster... she... she is Fang Heng's wife!"

A tremendous wave of emotion surged within Bai Yu's heart.

At this moment, all the clues were completely connected by this small locket and this sad memory!

They not only discovered the true identity of the "second king," but also found this "sacred object" that might be able to "purify" it!
However, just as Lu Yueqi had let out a scream due to her loss of emotional control,

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The lead cabinet door that sealed the monster suddenly emitted three heavy thuds from the inside!
Immediately afterwards, the entire morgue corridor began to shake violently, and dust fell from the ceiling.

A mental pressure filled with madness and hatred suddenly erupted from behind that door!

“My… things…”

"Who...took...my...things..."

A painful roar, mixed with the screams of countless women, came from inside the closet.

Fine cracks began to appear on the lead cabinet door, which was painted with a seal!
"Oh no! It's coming out!" Bai Yu's expression changed drastically.

Lu Yueqi's scream and her "empathy" with the locket completely awakened the monster that had been imprisoned for decades!

They must leave here immediately!

Bai Yu shoved the locket into her pocket, pulled up the still-shocked Lu Yueqi, and turned to rush back to the stairwell they had come from!
Behind them, the thuds of impact grew more frequent and louder.

The sturdy lead cabinet door was bulging outwards inch by inch at a speed visible to the naked eye!

　Thank you for the monthly pass from Wuyi Lane Entrance Qianyangxie!
　　I'm feeling much better. Right now, I just have a stuffy nose and a slight cough, but everything else is fine. Thank you everyone for your concern!

　　｀ω)9
　　
　
(End of this chapter)