Thriller Zone: From the Mental Hospital to the Ghostly World

Liu Zi never expected that the second possibility Bai Shaohua mentioned would actually be a rescue by his teammates.

But it wasn't Chen Ji or Fei'er, but Wu Hui, whom he wasn't very familiar with.

There was only Wu Hui.

What about the rest?

A sense of unease rose in his heart, but there was no time to ask any more questions in the current situation.

The dark, surging tide of ghosts drew ever closer. Bai Shaohua caught the ashes in his hand and couldn't help but swallow hard.

The red bowl was still affecting them, but as the ceremony was about to end, the deep-seated hunger seemed to be slowly subsiding.

Following the previous procedure.

Centered on the three of them, Liu Zi and Bai Shaohua quickly took out paper ash and scattered it around them.

A few seconds later, an old man with a deathly look on his face approached them, and a strong stench of death hit them, as if he had just crawled out of his grave.

It didn't even glance at the three people in the circle, but mechanically squatted down, its eyes fixed on the ashes on the ground.

Then it extended a finger covered in lividity, dipped it in some paper ash, and put it in its mouth.

"Tsk, tsk..."

Watching the ghost licking the ashes with relish, Liu Zi felt a chill run down his spine.

Whether human or ghost, they are all like puppets, controlled by the desires aroused by the red bowl.

Soon, the area around the ashes was filled with ghosts.

The entire intersection was like a locust swarm passing through, a dark mass of ghosts, crowding together, vying to snatch and lick the ring of ashes from the paper.

Only under the very center traffic light was there a small open space where three people squeezed together.

Liu Zi felt a little relieved. There was plenty of paper ash, which should be enough for them to survive the next wave of ghosts.

He was about to ask Wu Hui how the others were when he saw her raise her head, her face extremely pale.

“I didn’t come alone,” Wu Hui said softly. “Everyone else went down the mourning path, only Feng Yao and I were able to leave.”

"Then why are you alone?" Bai Shaohua's expression changed slightly: "Where is Feng Yao?"

The two were traveling together, but now only Wu Hui has been seen; something must have happened on the way.

"...I don't know!" Wu Hui was also a little confused. Everything happened too fast. She didn't even see how Feng Yao disappeared!

And everything is related to this disordered space.

The original route was: turn left at the intersection of the funeral home, go to the entrance of the underpass, then enter the rural road, then transfer to the central square, and enter the crossroads through entrance number three.

But the problem lies at the central square!

The two lingered in the central square for a while to prepare the ashes in advance.

But just as they stepped into Entrance No. 3, Wu Hui felt a sudden chill behind her, and the next second, she was teleported to the crossroads.

A red light pierced her eyes, and she immediately saw ghostly figures moving in the fog. But then, Wu Hui suddenly realized something.

There was no one around her.

Feng Yao did not come out with her.

Almost instinctively, Wu Hui immediately turned around and rushed back to the central square, but in just a dozen seconds, Feng Yao had already disappeared.

The vast square was deserted.

Meanwhile, Liu Zi and Bai Shaohua were in a very urgent situation, so she had to go back to the crossroads and deliver the ashes.

“If you can walk a path, there’s no way Feng Yao can’t walk one.” Bai Shaohua frowned slightly. “Unless she was forcibly kept here.”

This was also Wu Hui's guess.

Almost as soon as she realized that Feng Yao hadn't followed, a scene flashed through her mind.

That is, the two ghosts in the sedan chair... staring at Feng Yao with their sinister eyes.

But what is the ghost's purpose?

“There was nothing in the square, and the ghosts had neither the need nor the time to hide Feng Yao’s body, so they must have taken Feng Yao away,” Wu Hui said.

“Those two ghosts always had murderous intent towards us. What I can’t understand is why they didn’t choose to attack on the spot.”

Liu Zi immediately understood what she meant:

"Then they didn't act because of the death prophecy."

If it were just to fulfill a prophecy, why would a ghost go through so many roundabout ways?

Wu Hui nodded.

Hugging the incense burner tightly, the faint fragrance wafted into her nostrils, gradually calming Wu Hui's wildly beating heart.

"If she was taken away, there might be another exit in the square."

After thinking for a moment, Wu Hui said.

The space here is very chaotic.

If you can walk to the intersection from Exit 3 of the square, what about the other exits?

Will it connect to other locations?

You can only find out by trying it yourself.

Time passed slowly, and this wave of ghosts seemed unstoppable; the red light never went out again.

They didn't even have a chance to catch their breath.

Looking at the horde of ghosts surging forward one after another, Liu Zi felt a chill run down his spine.

If it weren't for the ashes Wu Hui sent, even if he had a way to die in someone else's place, he would have been eaten by ghosts long ago, leaving not even a bone fragment.

To be honest, he never expected that their way of breaking the curse wouldn't be by getting the cinnabar chopsticks, but by the simplest thing... paper money.

It's like playing a game where you can't find the right solution and can only rely on chugging health potions to tough it out.

"I searched for chopsticks for so long, but in the end, they were never used."

Liu Zi sighed with mixed feelings and pulled himself out of his thoughts.

The bag containing the ashes gradually flattened out, and just as the ashes were about to run out, the three began to prepare to escape the crossroads.

With less than a minute to go, the ghost-summoning ritual will be completely over.

Without further hesitation, Liu Zi raised the bag and threw it forward!

All the remaining ashes inside floated out like petals scattered by a celestial maiden, instantly attracting the attention of all the ghosts.

A clearing immediately appeared after the traffic light turned green.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the three of them immediately ran towards the exit!

A few seconds later, the three red lights suddenly went out.

It's one o'clock.

It was as if they had suddenly woken up from a nightmare, and an unprecedented sense of relief swept over Liu Zi and Bai Shaohua!

The fervent hunger that had controlled them for so long vanished completely.

"Go first!"

Forcibly suppressing his excitement, Liu Zi turned around and glanced back.

The dark, surging tide of ghosts paused for a brief second.

Then, as if realizing something, they all turned their heads in unison towards the three of them—

But all they saw was an empty road.

And at Exit 3 of the central square.

Three figures suddenly appeared in mid-air, all of them pale-faced and panting heavily.

"......really."

Wu Hui murmured, touching her arm with lingering fear; it was covered in goosebumps.

Just as she had anticipated.

The curse may have disappeared, but the crisis is not completely over, because the ghosts will still attack them!

This was already proven back in the Yin-Yang Road arc.

As her breathing gradually calmed down, Wu Hui took out some bread from her bag and tossed it to Liu Zi and Bai Shaohua.

The two exchanged a glance and tentatively took a small bite.

There was no burnt smell of paper ash...

Only soft, fluffy bread, exuding an enticing aroma of malt.

This was the first time in days that they had eaten real food!

Even Bai Shaohua completely disregarded his image at this moment, finishing the entire piece of bread in just a few seconds.

Wu Hui's gaze swept towards the distance.

This is a circular plaza, and exits two and four are very close to here.

She handed the remaining food to Liu Zi and Bai Shaohua, then looked at the two red porcelain bowls.

The curse of the red bowl has finally been lifted.

I wonder how far things have progressed with the curse of the paper figures and mourning clothes.

But in any case, before they can reunite with Chen Ji, they must first find Feng Yao and bring her back...

Whether alive or dead.