Thriller Zone: From the Mental Hospital to the Ghostly World

Chen Ji suddenly remembered that Zhu Guang had said that Huang Ying realized she had been deceived and that Teacher Zhan would turn into a floating corpse in her dreams; he also remembered that on the first night they arrived, he had heard Huang Ying's footsteps outside the dormitory.

Everything is connected.

If Huang Ying hadn't come to check on him every night, how would she have noticed Teacher Zhan's unusual behavior?

“I know you don’t belong here. Although I don’t know where you came from or what your mission is.”

Teacher Zhan raised her head and scanned the people present one by one, her eyes bloodshot.

But in his eyes, just as when Chen Ji and the others first met him, there was concern and worry.

"But at least... you are my students."

"If you complete the mission, you'll survive, right?"

Chen Ji nodded silently.

He really didn't want to delay any longer. Hong Tian didn't know what the situation was now, and the sooner they could get to the bottom of the river, the less risk they would face.

Only after Teacher Zhan falls asleep can the other entrants in his dormitory enter his dream.

But......

"teacher."

Chen Ji said softly, "After you have this dream, you may never be able to turn back."

When Teacher Zhan dreams, his body reverts to the state it was in when he died. Given the current situation, once he dreams, Teacher Zhan will completely become a corpse.

"It's nothing." Teacher Zhan smiled faintly, her tone calm: "Why do you think I regained my memories?"

"Today marks the first anniversary of my death... It's time for me to go anyway."

Without hesitation, he gestured for Chen Ji to close the door, then quietly lay down next to Hong Tian.

Before long, a familiar drowsiness slowly enveloped the four people lying on the ground.

In the last second before his consciousness faded into darkness, Chen Ji turned his head and looked at Teacher Zhan's face.

This will be his last memory of Teacher Zhan.

Although pale, it still retained a human appearance... rather than a bloated corpse.

......

Open your eyes.

Chen Ji did not move.

At this moment, he no longer needed to do anything; he only needed to wait for the floating corpse corresponding to him to appear.

Taking this opportunity, he reviewed the tasks he needed to complete next.

If nothing goes wrong, once he leaves the house and returns to reality, the floating corpse will turn him into a drowned state.

Afterwards, he took Hongtian to Jiagu River to confirm the location of the other him, and then found Huang Ying.

Then I got the red satchel from Huang Ying...

Thinking of this, Chen Ji's thoughts began to wander. He knew that the red backpack was a keepsake for Zhang Wenxuan, and that the black-clad ghost had torn up the guide.

Initially, they found the half of the guide in the red backpack, which means the red backpack should have originally been in the hands of the black-clad ghost before being placed on the shallows.

Later, in order to prevent the newcomers from obtaining important items, it instructed Huang Ying to take the backpack.

Chen Ji frowned.

The logic is sound.

But this doesn't fit the idea that ghosts would exist, because it's completely unnecessary.

Whether or not the red backpack is present in this part doesn't matter. The leather-clad ghost can simply place the guide there, which actually makes it less likely to arouse suspicion and reduces the risk.

However, Chen Ji couldn't figure out why the leather-clad ghost would do such a thing. He might only find out after meeting Zhang Wenxuan.

While pondering, Chen Ji's ears twitched, and he slowly got up from the ground.

He looked out the window, and sure enough, the familiar figure of the drowned ghost emerged from the forest.

Even though he already knew that it was his "stand-in," Chen Ji still felt somewhat uncomfortable, since it was, after all, his own appearance.

His whole body was dripping with water, and his skin was all wrinkled and swollen, like a plastic bag that had been inflated.

Once he realized that this was his double, Chen Jicai finally noticed the subtle differences between this corpse and the other ghosts.

For example, it was just like it was executing instructions, with empty eyes, like a container; while the ghosts in this domain that wanted to kill them were all extremely cunning, each one more human-like than the last.

This time, Chen Ji didn't wait for the drowned ghost to get close to the window; instead, he opened the door and went outside.

The drowned ghost silently approached him, its lips moving, emitting that squeaking sound once more.

"Go to hell."

"it is good."

Chen Ji said softly, letting the drowned ghost gently place a hand on his shoulder.

A bone-chilling cold instantly swept over his entire body.

His throat gradually began to spasm, and the feeling of oxygen deprivation assaulted his brain, but it was just a sensation and did not cause Chen Ji to truly lose consciousness.

On the contrary, his thoughts were clearer than ever before.

Invisible water rushed into Chen Ji's respiratory tract, causing a burning pain in his trachea and lungs. His heart began to pound violently, and his body trembled involuntarily, as if trying to stop it all from continuing.

This process was extremely painful; I experienced firsthand how I was drowned step by step!

I don’t know how long it took.

Gradually...

The feeling of drowning disappeared.

Instead, a very strange feeling arose.

Just like Hong Tian now, Chen Ji could no longer hear his own heartbeat, and at the same time, his body felt as if it were immersed in river water, with every pore blocked by water.

He realized that the process was about to end and that he should already be "dead"?

The drowning ghost in front of them was also slowly changing.

Its shape became increasingly blurry, as if it were about to dissolve into the air.

After a few minutes.

pat.

A nearly transparent piece of skin fell off Chen Ji's body.

Looking at his swollen hands, he felt a lightness on his shoulder, and then the last cool moisture melted into Chen Ji's brain.

The drowned ghost merged with him.

That moisture transformed in his mind into a sudden and extremely strong thought:

Let's go to Jiagu River!

Just then, Chen Ji suddenly heard several strange noises behind him, indistinct and unclear, like someone speaking with water in their mouth.

"...Chen Ji..."

He turned his head and suddenly realized that three other people had appeared beside him without him noticing!

Wan Xiaoshuang, Tong Zi, and Zhu Guang all turned into floating corpses.

A flicker of excitement flashed in Chen Ji's eyes. His guess was correct; contact with drowned ghosts would not actually kill them.

Without saying anything more, the four of them rushed back into the house, but their gazes suddenly froze.

Beside Hong Tian, ​​Teacher Zhan remained stiff and motionless.

He had completely stopped breathing.

Water droplets fell from his hair, and his hand was raised high, still holding the last action he had before his death—supporting Huang Ying.

The urge to go to Jiagu River grew stronger and stronger in Chen Ji's mind, and he could no longer control it.

His feet moved outwards on their own, heading towards the Jiagu River.

Carrying Hongtian on his back, Chen Ji took one last deep look at Teacher Zhan, then turned and closed the door.