Thriller Zone: From the Mental Hospital to the Ghostly World

Tianhai City, East-West Expressway.

The license plate of the silver sports car was quietly obscured by another license plate.

Chen Ji picked up the chips on the console. The number on them had dropped from 4000 to 2000 and had now stabilized, so he didn't make any further changes.

He flipped the chips over and looked at them; the same numbers were on the back as well, which piqued his curiosity.

"Can it be used in real life?"

Du Tingfeng held the steering wheel with one hand, glanced at the chips, and then spoke.

"Skills can't be used, but passives can."

He thought for a moment, then explained to Chen Ji:

"These things brought out from the domain are collectively called [mysterious objects]."

"Even if we could bring them out, many of these strange creatures wouldn't be usable in reality because they only have one skill, and that skill can only be used within the domain."

He gestured with his chin toward Chen Ji: "But there are also a few strange creatures that are born with a passive characteristic, such as this chip."

"For example...your fountain pen."

Chen Ji nodded, took out a pen from his pocket, and put it together with the chips.

When faced with Tang Qin, the pen remained motionless, as if it were dead.

But now, it keeps shaking its pen body, looking very active.

“So,” Chen Ji thought of the words the fountain pen had written in the Yuhe River, “the fountain pen’s passivity is a death warning ten seconds in advance.”

"Ah."

Du Tingfeng responded briefly, then hesitated for a moment before simply explaining his passive position.

"The value on the chips is based on 2000. The higher the value, the higher my luck."

"The amount on it changes constantly. For example, if the number exceeds 3500, I can basically do everything very smoothly without encountering any obstacles."

"If the face value reaches 4000, it will be like what just happened."

He didn't say much, but Chen Ji witnessed firsthand just how incredibly lucky Du Tingfeng was at the time:

The opposite lanes were completely blocked, resulting in several accidents, but the direction Du Tingfeng was driving on was completely clear.

The power in this area went out inexplicably, and at the same time, all the passersby who had been manipulated by Tang Qin returned to normal.

As for the passersby who coincidentally separated Chen Ji and Tang Qin, Chen Ji speculated that they were all the work of the bargaining chips. Of course, Du Tingfeng probably didn't know about this.

Suddenly, Chen Ji remembered the ability that Du Tingfeng used when he was repeating his senior year of high school.

To be precise, he observed that Du Tingfeng had used the chip skill at least twice.

The first time was at noon on the first day, when the dormitory supervisor came to their dormitory looking for Ding Xiang.

Looking back now, it was quite abrupt that the burly man was sitting on the bed the whole time. Moreover, the girl who told on him later searched Zeng Mingwei's blankets. How could she not have thought to look behind the burly man?

Moreover, when the three suggested that Ding Xiang climb out the window and hide under the bed, Du Tingfeng rejected the suggestion.

It was as if he knew the dorm supervisor would search those places.

Before using it a second time, Chen Ji had already vaguely guessed its ability, which is why he let Du Tingfeng decide when to steal the pen from the dormitory manager's room.

Afterwards, Du Tingfeng indeed helped them escape two near-death experiences.

But before going to the dormitory manager's room, the number on that chip seemed to be 5000?

Chen Ji snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Du Tingfeng:

"In reality, wouldn't your luck stat reach 5000?"

Du Tingfeng shook his head: "In reality, the maximum is 4000. What you're talking about is a skill involving leverage, which is on a completely different level."

"Only within the domain can I actively use skills to increase the limit to 5000, which is also the maximum value above."

"When the skill is activated, it brings me not just simple good luck, but a skill similar to 'spiritual awareness,' which allows me to foresee the consequences of every choice I make, and thus find the smoothest path."

"I can only use the skill once every 24 hours, and it lasts for about ten minutes. After that, I will suffer a three-minute backlash, and my luck will plummet."

Chen Ji nodded, understanding why Du Tingfeng was inexplicably entangled by the female corpse, yet was quite certain he could escape in a few minutes.

The two remained silent, the car quieted down, and the sports car gradually slowed down as it drove onto a mountain road.

Du Tingfeng suddenly remembered something and looked at Chen Ji with some curiosity:

"By the way, when I picked you up, there was a woman behind you staring at you. Was that one of your fellow patients?"

"No, he's an Entrant to the Domain." Chen Ji's voice was very calm.

"?"

Du Tingfeng suddenly turned his head and caught Chen Ji, only to see the other person sitting leisurely at the hospital entrance.

Therefore, he subconsciously felt that Chen Ji's departure from the hospital must have been quite easy.

Why would it still be related to those who enter the domain?

Chen Ji briefly recounted Tang Qin's story, including the ghost that impersonated his mother and Tang Qin's eerie suggestive abilities.

Although Du Tingfeng had basically believed what Chen Ji had said before, he still found it somewhat unbelievable at this moment.

"So, this woman named Tang Qin you mentioned has at least two abilities."

"First, is it psychological suggestion? Second, is it manipulating others through light?"

Chen Ji nodded. He had discovered this detail about the light after the power outage.

"Is she a human or a ghost?" Du Tingfeng frowned.

"I've had close contact with her."

"However, there is a ghost beside her, but it is unknown who it belongs to."

Du Tingfeng's expression was uncertain, and he began to vaguely doubt whether his decision to bring Chen Ji home was the right one or the wrong one.

Behind Chen Ji, there seemed to be an indistinct mist, from which countless dense threads extended and wrapped around Chen Ji's body.

Now, he himself has become one of those threads...

Beside Du Tingfeng, Chen Ji looked out the car window, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

He was certain of one thing: Tang Qin and the ghost that had taken his mother's place did not simply want to take his life; otherwise, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths.

The fact that the ghost infiltrated silently, Tang Qin disguised herself as the attending physician, and even the hints given to those around her all revealed that, at least initially, they were only trying to gain Chen Ji's trust.

After Chen Ji saw through her plan, Tang Qin began to set up defenses at the hospital in an attempt to capture him.

what is the reason?

What is it about him that attracts this group of people?

"arrive."

Du Tingfeng's voice broke Chen Ji's thoughts. He was startled and realized that the car had already stopped in front of a villa.

The surroundings are quiet and the environment is beautiful. Warm light shines out from the windows of the villa.

Do you live here alone?

Chen Ji asked, "This villa occupies too much land."

Du Tingfeng shook his head, a hint of relaxation finally showing on his face.

He got out of the car, opened the front door of his house, and called out to the upstairs, "I'm home!"

The sound of slippers clattering came from upstairs, and then a graceful figure appeared at the second-floor railing.

"I left you some food... Huh?"

The woman adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, revealing a hint of surprise on her fair face as she wore a long-sleeved silk nightgown.

She was in her early twenties, slender, with a gentle voice and a calming aura.

"Sister-in-law... Sister-in-law."

Chen Ji felt a little embarrassed by her probing gaze, and called out softly, glancing repeatedly at Du Tingfeng.

Beside him, Du Tingfeng's smile froze instantly. Accompanied by the laughter of the woman upstairs, he let out a long breath and gritted his teeth, saying:

"This is my sister..."

"Her name is Du Muyu."

Du Tingfeng, Du Muyu.

Chen Ji was taken aback and realized that the two did look somewhat alike. Their expressions when they smiled, with their eyes crinkling, were very similar, but Du Muyu had a calmer demeanor.

"Sis, I just went out to pick him up. And this is...?"

Before Du Tingfeng could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the woman.

She walked downstairs with a smile and said softly:

"Chen Ji, right?"

“I’ve been studying your case for a long time.”