Thriller Zone: From the Mental Hospital to the Ghostly World

Wow – Wow –

After stepping into the Yu River, the group arrived at the ferry crossing.

"Oh my god..."

Hu Li was a newcomer, and when she saw the entire Yuhe River for the first time, she was stunned.

The long, dark river before me, embraced by towering mountains, has flowed for countless ages, a sight that seems almost divine.

Chen Ji also looked down at the shimmering starlight in the river, and his heart was moved.

This was his second time visiting Yuhe, but he was still awestruck by its magnificence.

A small boat drifts slowly in from afar as the waves gently ripple.

Less than two minutes later, it docked at the ferry terminal.

"Let's go."

Fei'er, holding Hu Li's hand, explained simply, "Once we drift to the end of this river, we can go home."

The small boat swayed gently with the waves. After the two women boarded the boat, Chen Ji carefully helped Zuo Shiming onto it.

At this moment, only Chen Ji remained at the ferry. He was about to step onto the boat when he suddenly stopped.

For no reason at all...

A chill suddenly ran down Chen Ji's spine.

It was as if a sudden gust of cold wind had swept over his body!

Chen Ji immediately turned his head and looked at the path they had just walked through inside the ferry!

On both sides of the ferry crossing, old paper lanterns cast a dim red glow on the moss-covered stone path.

There was nothing inside.

There was still a huge boulder blocking the way.

"What's wrong, Xiao Chen?"

Zuo Shiming noticed Chen Ji's unusual behavior and immediately stood up, following his gaze.

He saw nothing.

"It's nothing...it's just a little cold."

Chen Ji pursed his lips and stepped into the small boat.

For some reason, the goosebumps that the chill had aroused in him had not subsided.

The small boat slowly paddled across the water and drifted forward.

"Relax a bit, we're about to get back to reality."

Zuo Shiming thought Chen Ji was still immersed in the terrifying atmosphere of the domain, and couldn't help but chuckle.

He patted Chen Ji on the shoulder, his voice carrying a hint of reassurance:

"Go back and get some rest. You have at least a month to relax."

"Haha, yes, yes."

Chen Ji awkwardly tugged at the corners of his mouth, without mentioning that there was less than a day between his two domain visits.

"Mr. Zuo should also rest for a while after he goes back."

Chen Ji changed the subject, glancing at Zuo Shiming's increasingly dark circles.

"Hmm, I could take a day off."

Zuo Shiming stretched his shoulders, rubbed his lower back, and smiled somewhat helplessly.

"But I can only take a day off. I still have to go and earn money to support my family."

Chen Ji opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only nodded.

"Too."

He sighed softly, turning his gaze to both sides of the Yu River, where the ferry crossing was gradually disappearing.

The familiar 28 colossal statues once again came into view.

However, Hu Li had no heart to appreciate it anymore.

She curled up in the corner of the boat, leaning against Fei'er, and the deep guilt that had been hidden in her eyes resurfaced.

Knowing she could go back, she couldn't help but think...

What would it be like if Yuanyuan were here too?

"correct."

Chen Ji suddenly spoke, recalling a question that had been puzzling him for a long time:

"Hu Li, you and Yuan Yuan knew each other before, did you come in together?"

Hu Li didn't answer immediately. After a long while, she finally raised her head, her voice trembling slightly.

"No."

"Actually, I was the only one who received a ship ticket."

"I thought it was just a silly joke, so I told Yuanyuan about it."

"When that river appeared, I was terrified and didn't dare to step into it..."

"At that time, Yuanyuan held my hand to comfort me, but after a few minutes, I felt a strong suction coming from the river..."

"But I never expected..." Hu Li couldn't help but let her tears fall.

"The next second, Yuanyuan and I were teleported here together!"

Hu Li's voice was filled with endless regret. Almost as soon as she opened her eyes, she realized a fact:

Yuanyuan was dragged into the domain because she was holding her hand!

"what?!"

Chen Ji was stunned for a moment, never expecting that the domain would forcibly pull people away.

"That's definitely true."

Zuo Shiming said in a low voice that he had entered the domain several times and already knew the method of entering the domain together.

drag.

If you stall for time until the domain forcibly pulls you in, you can go in together with your companions who have physical contact with you.

If Yuanyuan truly survives this realm, she will immediately receive a replacement ticket upon returning to reality, informing her that she has officially become a realm entrant.

The atmosphere inside the boat became somber and heavy.

Everyone fell silent. Hu Li closed her eyes, forcibly holding back her tears, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"do not Cry."

"Will be fine."

Fei'er suddenly spoke somewhat stiffly, raising and lowering her hand before finally hugging Hu Li.

Chen Ji pursed his lips, looking at Fei'er's clumsy attempt at comfort with a hint of helplessness.

He wanted to say something, but he wasn't a girl and hadn't had many friends growing up, so he didn't know how to comfort her.

Hu Li calmed down slowly in Fei'er's petite embrace, nodded, and gave a forced smile.

She actually has a very strong will; she's not the kind of woman who lets herself wallow in sadness.

"I'll buy you a drink, so you won't be sad anymore."

Suddenly, Fei'er opened the bear-shaped shoulder bag and took out a pack of milk drinks that looked like Shuangwaiwai.

"Drinking something sweet will make you feel better."

After saying that, she placed the drinks in front of everyone.

"Too."

Chen Ji nodded and picked up his drink with Fei'er.

Just as he was about to insert the straw, he saw Zuo Shiming's face turn flustered.

"Fei'er, where did you get all this?"

"An apartment."

Fei'er glanced at Zuo Shiming strangely, and was about to drink it when Hu Li snatched the drink away.

"Didn't I tell you not to bring food out of the domain without permission?"

Zuo Shiming sighed deeply.

Hu Li, standing to the side, looked nervous and quickly flipped through the dates on the drinks.

The instant she finished speaking, she immediately realized that the apartment's date was 2009!

In the River of Domains, time should flow along with the real world.

After she arrived at Yuhe, the date on her phone returned to normal.

“…”

Hu Li's initial sadness turned to a state of utter speechlessness.

"This beverage expired in March 2009."

This is milk that the elderly person had stored until it expired.

It's 2024 now. If you do the math, the beverage and Chenji aren't that far apart in age.

Chen Ji immediately shut his mouth, opened the milk carton, and a foul, rotten stench wafted out, making everyone nauseous.

“Fuck…”

A cold sweat immediately broke out on his back; drinking this zombie milk would likely poison him to death.

Unexpectedly, he wasn't killed by the ghosts in the realm, but nearly died in reality because of the drink Fei'er gave him.

"Why was nothing wrong the time before?"

Fei'er stared at Zuo Shiming with a scrutinizing gaze, her eyes filled with deep suspicion.

"...Those are compressed biscuits, they don't have an expiration date."

After a commotion, the drinks were thrown into the Yu River.

The small boat drifted to its end.

The atmosphere on the boat had eased considerably because of the beverage incident caused by Fei'er.

Hu Li and Zuo Shiming left through the door first. When it was Chen Ji's turn, Fei'er suddenly grabbed him.

Her expression was complicated.

“Chen Ji...”

"You'd better pray you don't run into me in real life."

After saying that, she opened the door and went out.

"what?"

Chen Ji was a little confused and didn't understand what Fei'er was saying at all.

He thought their collaboration was going quite well.

But Chen Ji inexplicably felt that there was a hidden threat in those words.

"No, what did I do to offend her this time?"

Forget it, the real world is so big, the probability of them meeting again is almost zero.

Moreover, he has now left the mental hospital and is hiding at Du Tingfeng's house, a fact that no one knows.

Chen Ji scratched his head, no longer paying attention to what Fei'er said, and looked at the door in front of him.

He thought of that comfortable bedroom and the Du siblings, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

The next second, a fragrant scent wafted over, and Chen Ji had returned to the Du family villa.

He looked around, but did not see the Du siblings.

On the dining table, however, was a note:

Xiaofeng and I went to the hospital. I left you some food in the fridge, heat it up before you eat!

Chen Ji was taken aback.

The Du siblings had no idea when he would return.

There's only one explanation: they saved food for Chen Ji for every single meal.

To ensure that Chen Ji wouldn't go hungry after returning from the domain.

A warm feeling, something indescribable and something he hadn't experienced in many years, welled up in Chen Ji's heart.

He pursed his lips, put the note back in its place, and suddenly turned to look at the villa gate.

Bang!

The door was flung open, and Du Tingfeng, carrying a bag from the hospital containing lab reports, was taken aback when he saw Chen Ji.

"When did you come back?"

"just."

Chen Ji said with a smile and walked towards the door.

Du Tingfeng closed his eyes briefly and spoke with a hint of helplessness:

"Big brother, you're finally back."

"Do you know how much leftover food I've helped you with these past few days?!"

Before Chen Ji could speak, a graceful figure appeared behind Du Tingfeng.

Du Muyu looked at him with a smile, her eyes like those of a family member who had just returned from a long trip.

"Xiao Chen."

"Welcome home."

........

"Meow—meow—"

Zuo Shiming opened his eyes and found himself still lying on the sofa.

The lights in the room were off, and the empty room exuded a desolate chill, devoid of human presence.

Several chubby cats, upon seeing him wake up, immediately surrounded Zuo Shiming, meowing and whining incessantly.

"No more food?"

Zuo Shiming stroked the big, fat orange cat that was kneading him, then looked at the automatic feeder.

There was still half a bucket of cat food inside.

The orange cat rubbed against Zuo Shiming, its paws hooking onto the silver chain around his neck. The plush toy on the chain was squinting its eyes, looking quite pleased.

"Okay, I'll play with you later."

Zuo Shiming said softly and walked to the windowsill.

There was a small jar and a picture frame there.

Tuanzi's necklace was gently placed next to the photo frame by Zuo Shiming.

In the photo, a calico cat is nestled beside him...

Zuo Shiming smiled sadly.

"Tuanzi, let's go home."