Thriller Zone: From the Mental Hospital to the Ghostly World

"I'm not dead, and neither are you, Zhang Cheng."

Chen Ji quickly explained, "I'm Du Tingfeng's friend, Xiao Chen."

He then carefully considered his words, trying to explain the Netherworld in terms that ordinary people could understand.

Surprisingly, Zhang Cheng quickly accepted it all.

Perhaps because of Chen Ji's presence, or perhaps because he knew he was not dead, Zhang Cheng's fear lessened considerably, and he stopped trembling.

Chen Ji couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. To be honest, Zhang Cheng was even calmer than most newcomers to the domain.

This will greatly reduce the difficulty for him in the Netherworld.

“When I first came in, I was in a study,” Zhang Cheng recalled. “There was a desk, a book on the desk, and an arched window.”

"When I checked the situation outside the window, that headless ghost..."

“It should be a law enforcement officer,” Chen Ji added.

"Yes, yes, the law enforcement officer suddenly appeared behind me, put a chain around me, and took me away."

"Then I was locked up here, and my face was burned, it hurt terribly."

As he spoke, Zhang Cheng pulled a lighter from his pocket and gestured for Chen Ji to look at the wall:

There are a few lines of text engraved on it.

This cell only holds criminals who have committed trespassing.

[Time remaining until execution]

"3" hours "29" minutes "08" seconds

This is a countdown!

Time continues to pass.

"Once the countdown is over, we'll be executed."

Zhang Cheng murmured, though he tried to remain calm, a trace of fear still lingered in his eyes.

Execution... As the name suggests, he and Chen Ji would inevitably suffer extremely cruel punishment.

He didn't believe that this headless "enforcer" would simply make them pay a fine and be done with it.

Chen Ji seemed to be deep in thought; he was more concerned with another meaning in the inscription on the wall.

Both he and Zhang Cheng were arrested by law enforcement officers just minutes after entering the Netherworld for "trespassing."

"Zhang Cheng, did you see Du Muyu when you came in?"

Zhang Cheng shook his head.

"We didn't even see a glimpse of her."

Unless Du Muyu is the one who opened this Netherworld, she should have committed the same crime as the other two upon entering: trespassing. She should be imprisoned in this cell now.

Since there is no such person, then she must be prisoner number 001, who has already escaped.

Chen Ji roughly understood, and after calculating the layout of the place, he realized that this Netherworld was very large.

It includes a prison and has at least three floors.

Zhang Cheng, who came down from the study, claimed that he was dragged up at least two different steps.

Then the lobby is the second floor, and the prison is down there.

“I stole the law enforcement officer’s keys,” Chen Ji said, pulling out the bunch of black iron keys.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cheng breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Chen Ji's arrival not only relieved him of his isolation, but also allowed him to take the key!

Otherwise, he would have to watch the countdown on the wall, feeling like he was being slowly cut by a dull knife, crushed little by little by the fear of his impending execution.

Without saying a word, the two men immediately and stealthily approached the cell door. After looking around and finding no one, they prepared to unlock it.

But just then...

In the silent prison, a voice suddenly broke out:

"Dude, can you let me out too?"

Zhang Cheng nearly suffered cardiac arrest!

Chen Ji was also stunned. It wasn't that he didn't know there were other prisoners, but this person...

It's a boy!

They're probably still going through puberty and are no older than 16!

"who are you?"

Chen Ji waved silently, signaling Zhang Cheng to stand behind him.

"Thief."

"That's what the boy said."

Then he added, "I'm in the cell next to yours."

"..." Chen Ji and Zhang Cheng exchanged a glance but did not answer.

With a click, he carefully unlocked the door and slipped out.

Outside was a dark, long corridor, like a medieval bunker, dimly lit by candlelight.

With a clang, Chen Ji and his companion arrived in the corridor and saw a boy suddenly grabbing the iron bars of the cell next to theirs.

"here!"

His face was completely disfigured!

"Holy crap, how many crimes have you committed...?" Zhang Cheng stared in shock at the other person's face, which was clearly branded in several places, making his face a horrible sight.

The latest one is three huge lines of blood-red characters, as if they were carved into the skin with a knife.

Theft

Grand theft

【Prisoner No. 000】

Prisoner No. 0!

Chen Ji's eyes narrowed slightly.

This makes more sense, so the number 001 criminal being hunted is Du Muyu.

"Please help."

The boy was a little over 1.7 meters tall, thin, with black hair, and spoke weakly.

Zhang Cheng felt a pang of pity and looked at Chen Ji, only to find Chen Ji's expression was solemn.

Chen Ji asked, "How did you get in?"

"Stealing."

"...No, I'm asking how you got into this Netherworld."

What is the Netherworld?

The boy looked completely bewildered.

This answer was completely unexpected for Chen.

Since Prisoner Zero was bound to be the first person to enter the Netherworld, Chen Ji initially suspected that there was more than one director in the black car.

But this boy is too young; there's no way he could be a director.

What did you steal?

The boy said dejectedly, "An invitation."

Invitation card?

"Without an invitation, it's considered trespassing. I was caught trying to steal the invitation."

In other words, the boy was discovered by law enforcement officers before he could steal anything.

“Having the key won’t help you,” the boy said. “With the brand on you, you’ll get caught sooner or later.”

"Let me out, and I'll take you to find the invitation."

"Does having an invitation mean we can move around freely here?" Zhang Cheng asked.

"Pretty much, as long as you don't break the law."

The boy shook the iron bars, urging Chen Ji to let him out.

After a while.

The boy was released.

Chen Ji searched the boy's cell and found that the boy was not lying; it was indeed a cell for theft.

There are still more than 6 hours until the execution.

Where is the invitation?

Zhang Cheng asked, "This is the most important question right now, as it directly affects whether they can legally search for the 'key' in the castle."

"The study on the third floor."

The boy said, "There's a book on the desk with a few cards tucked inside; those are invitations."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cheng fell silent.

He asked, "How many studies are there on the third floor?"

"On a."

"..."

Zhang Cheng clenched his fists, deeply regretting that he hadn't checked the desk immediately.

He was once so close to freedom.

The three of them quickly sneaked upstairs, and during the process, they discovered that there were large gaps in the boy's memory.

The boy had no idea how he was pulled into this ghostly realm. His earliest memory was of being in the study on the third floor, about to retrieve the invitation.

As a result, he was arrested by law enforcement officers who appeared out of nowhere.

His identity remains a mystery.