Thriller Zone: From the Mental Hospital to the Ghostly World

Shocking! Famous female boxer suddenly retires!

"The triple crown winner announces his retirement; what are the real reasons behind this...?"

Chen Ji stopped scrolling through short videos and turned off his phone.

He lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The monkey doll was placed next to the pillow, its arms still behind its back, motionless.

Without the noisy audio of the video, the whole house was as quiet as a tomb.

Apart from Chen Ji, there was no one else here.

The warm and lively atmosphere that once filled this villa has vanished like a fleeting afternoon dream...

Recalling the scene when he left the Liting Apartment last time, Chen Ji's eyes dimmed.

This is the third day since he came out of the domain.

It completely exceeded the interval time of the previous three domains.

However, the mark on his hand remained cold, seemingly returning to normal.

Three days ago, as soon as Chen Ji returned to the real world, he immediately sent a message to Du Tingfeng.

Half a day later, I received a reply:

I'm still at the hospital taking care of my sister; her condition is very bad.

Below is a list of hospital addresses.

Chen Ji checked his phone and realized that this domain transaction had taken a very short time, less than a day.

In other words, only 20 hours had passed since Du Muyu's accident.

He rushed to the hospital overnight, but he didn't get a chance to speak with Du Tingfeng.

Du Tingfeng...after completing all the examinations and procedures for his sister who had been in a coma, and after a long period of caring for her, finally succumbed to his physical exhaustion.

The immense psychological and physical pressure caused him to only have time to send a message to Chen Ji before he fell into a deep sleep on a chair outside the ICU.

Now, it is Fei'er who is by her side.

After resting during the day, she would come to take over Du Tingfeng's shift in the evening.

Du Muyu's illness was also something she told Chen Ji about:

"Sister Muyu... has a tumor in her brain."

Fei'er looked very sad; she had never known about this before.

"They say it's been around for a long time."

Chen Ji remained silent. He remembered the congenital disease that Du Tingfeng had mentioned.

Thinking back to Du Tingfeng's expression at that time...

It's just a forced smile.

In the deserted corridor at night, Chen Ji and Fei'er sat on cold iron chairs, both feeling an inexplicable chill.

Thirty hours have passed, and Du Muyu is still unconscious.

Her vital signs were so low that they were almost nonexistent, and she was only kept alive by a ventilator.

Fei'er rushed over, not even having time to comb her hair, and instead of carefully tying her hair into pigtails, she just casually tied a messy ponytail.

She huddled inside her oversized hoodie, her brows furrowed slightly, her mind in turmoil.

Fei'er kept recalling her conversations with Du Muyu.

"Fei'er, it's good to be yourself. You don't need to care about other people's strange looks."

“Fei’er, we don’t need to seek anyone’s approval. You are you, and you don’t live to meet other people’s expectations.”

“I understand that you don’t want to contact outsiders, that you’re afraid, and that you’re anxious.”

"I will stay here with you until the day you are willing to leave..."

Fei'er's current mental state and overall personality are completely different from her initial autism and gloom.

Her family background was complicated, and she also had personality disorders. Her initial contact with Du Muyu was just to find someone to vent her inner emotions.

However, Du Muyu's help far exceeded Fei'er's expectations.

It can be said that Du Muyu was the one who pulled Fei'er out of the mire.

But now...

As Fei'er reminisced, Chen Ji was also filled with complex emotions.

He looked at Du Tingfeng curled up in the chair and Du Muyu, who was on the verge of death in the ICU. He felt that everything had happened too fast and was completely unbelievable.

Du Tingfeng's anxiety and fear last night instantly reminded Chen Ji of the moment when he was ten years old and suddenly learned that his parents had been in a car accident.

He also stayed outside with Du Tingfeng all night.

......

Now, three days later...

Du Muyu is still unconscious, and the doctor says she is likely to remain in her current state for a long time.

Chen Ji glanced at his phone again; it was already noon.

He slowly sat up, preparing to go to the hospital to deliver food to Du Tingfeng.

"Deng Deng——"

Just then, the phone screen lit up briefly; it was a new WeChat message.

Chen Ji opened it and saw a new friend request.

【Faye】

It's Fei'er.

The profile picture was a fluffy purple rabbit, and Chen Ji felt like he had seen it somewhere before.

He accepted the friend request.

[Ji: Fei'er, what's wrong?]

[Faye: Do you remember that forum I showed you before?]

[Extreme: Hmm]

[Faye: Wasn't that website down? So I messaged Old Man Zuo to ask.]

[Faye: He said it's just that no one is defending him]

[Extremely: Why are you asking Mr. Zuo?]

[Faye: He said to give him some time, he can get it done]

【pole:???】

[Extreme: Isn't Mr. Zuo a ride-hailing driver?]

Faye: I don't know.

[Faye: I think he used to work with computers.]

[Faye: They mentioned things like "optimization," "35 years old," and "programmer"]

[Faye: I don't understand, but that's how it is. I'll add you to the group.]

Soon, Chen Ji was added to a WeChat group.

The group name was changed by Fei'er; it's now called "Zoo".

Earthworms, tigers, birds, and Mr. Zuo's cat—isn't this just a zoo?

Chen Ji smiled, clicked on the group members, and there were four people in total.

Du Tingfeng, Fei'er, myself, and one more...

【AAA Lao Zuo Car Rental & Charter】

It is Zuo Shiming, located in Shenzhen in the south.

[AAA Lao Zuo Car Rental: (Yellow Bean Emoji: Handshake) Hello.]

[Extremely: Long time no see, Mr. Zuo (chuckles)]

[Extreme: I am Xiao Chen]

[AAA Lao Zuo Car Rental & Charter: (Enjoyable)]

[AAA Lao Zuo Car Rental: I'll let you know when the forum is ready to use.]

【Extreme: (OK) (Thumbs up)】

Chen Ji slid open the chat window and scrolled down WeChat, where he saw the gray profile picture of the person who had been added but hadn't spoken to him.

This is a smaller version.

Note: Xu Sandao.

Putting aside the matter of contacting him for the time being, Chen Ji put on his coat, mask, and hat.

Because of his special status, he had to be discreet when he went out.

An hour later, Chen Ji, carrying food, stepped into the hospital again.

The corridor next to the ICU was empty. All the other patients' families had gone down to eat, but Du Tingfeng was still sitting outside, looking blank.

For the past three days, he only went home for a few hours each day, quickly caught up on some sleep, and then went back to the hospital.

Du Tingfeng's hair hadn't been properly combed for several days and was casually tied back.

A wisp of brown hair fell beside his face.

"cough."

Chen Ji cleared his throat and sat down next to Du Tingfeng.

He saw several used scratch cards scattered on the ground.

"...You've arrived."

Du Tingfeng seemed to have his thoughts interrupted, tilted his head slightly, and smiled sadly.

He didn't take the food, but instead slowly opened his clenched fist.

There, a golden chip rested quietly in the center of his palm.

The numbers above jump randomly between 3500 and 4000.

“I told you.”

Du Tingfeng suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse as if he hadn't drunk water for days.

"I've always been very lucky."

"Especially these past few days."

Chen Ji didn't speak, but let out a barely audible sigh.

"Chen Ji".

Du Tingfeng turned his head, his eyes reddened and dark circles under them. He whispered in a trembling voice:

"Then why..."

"My good fortune couldn't save her?"

"I think something must have gone wrong. There must be something wrong with the chips. Otherwise, how else can I explain it?"

"What else can I do?"

Chen Ji did not answer him, but slowly looked at the card on the ground.

There.....

Du Tingfeng won the biggest prize on every single scratch-off ticket.

"...Why is this happening?"

Chen Ji murmured.

If a person is lucky enough, then their life should be smooth sailing and free from illness and disaster.

"After my sister had the accident, I kept thinking about how I could save her."

"Later I realized that perhaps I was just unlucky."

Du Tingfeng's tone was no longer agitated, but returned to a deathly calm.

Did you bring a fountain pen?

"What?" Chen Ji was taken aback.

Du Tingfeng's words came out too quickly.

"I have something I'd like to ask it."

Chen Ji shook his head; the pen was left at home.

After a long pause, he asked hesitantly, "You are...?"

"You want to ask about that [betting game]?"

Chen Ji always remembered that "bet" but never asked about it.

As the pen once said, Du Tingfeng was gambling on a game with no chance of winning.

"Ah."

Du Tingfeng said in a low voice, tossing up the chips in his hand, his eyes looking confused.

"Me and the person who gave me this chip..."

"I made a bet."