Chapter 136: Teasing

Tanya cast a guilty, jittery look around, waiting for the master of the hospital to reveal themselves. She trembled, her mind racing with how she should approach such an encounter. Should she offer a greeting in a modern style, or perhaps deduce the era from the building's architecture and attempt to establish rapport using language familiar to its inhabitant? After all, she had succeeded once before; she considered herself quite experienced!

Tanya waited awkwardly for a long time, but the expected anomaly did not occur, for which she felt immensely relieved. While life rarely allows one to be fully prepared, stalling for time was a welcome alternative.

"It seems there is no one here. The doors must have closed suddenly for some unknown reason, and I simply haven't found the cause yet. Relax, don't scare yourself!"

Tanya knew that fear was often just a toxic byproduct of an overactive imagination, but she couldn't help but recall her past experiences. She relied on verbal self-encouragement to regain the courage to explore. Following the fragmented floor markings and the precarious signs on the walls, she set out to locate the medical records room of Sacred Heart Hospital.

Searching blindly for clues in this hospital would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. This wasn't a horror game where everything one could pick up was usable, or where every readable scrap was a valuable clue. Nor was she a survivor in an apocalypse scavenging for every possible resource; there was no need for a thorough, exhaustive search. Tanya knew that medical records rooms archived files from at least a decade prior for data collection, comparison, and verification purposes. If Chu Ning had ever been treated at this hospital, his records would certainly be preserved. This was the source of Tanya's confidence that she could quickly uncover the truth.

"Emergency, registration, acupuncture... none of these. Next floor! Found it. So the records room is on the fourth floor." Tanya easily located the clear floor directory, which was, after all, placed there for the convenience of those seeking their way. One wouldn't tuck a directory into some dusty corner. The text on the map was slightly blurred, but Tanya managed to distinguish the location of the records room.

Following the rotting wooden staircase, Tanya stared in horror at the creaking steps beneath her feet. The stairs felt as though they might collapse at any moment, forcing her to move with extreme caution.

As the crisp sound of her footsteps echoed through the empty hospital, Tanya’s heart tightened. She was quite certain of her current state. She was a newborn ghost, and Tanya knew she possessed virtually no physical weight—it should have been entirely negligible. Yet, she was producing heavy, rhythmic thuds. This was clearly abnormal.

This forced Tanya to remain vigilant of her surroundings. Even when she deliberately tried to lighten her step, the sound did not diminish; if anything, it grew more pronounced. It was becoming almost as loud as noise pollution!

"Please, whoever you are, just come out already! What is the point of teasing a poor, helpless, and weak existence like me?" Tanya asked, her face full of frustration. She was certain of her assessment: this hospital indeed had a "master."

"Heh-heh!"

Tanya offered an internationally recognized gesture of defiance and sighed helplessly. Sometimes, even the legendary ultimate technique of "talk-no-jutsu" failed.

"I see you!" Tanya whipped her head around, trying to spot the person hiding behind her. She had heard footsteps that didn't stop; she patiently analyzed the direction of the sound, eventually realizing that while the heavy footsteps matched the frequency of her own, there was a subtle, lingering time lag.

That was why she attempted a sudden ambush. Yet, once again, she found nothing, as if the entity existed in a different dimension or possessed the power of invisibility, leaving no tangible trace.

"Where are you hiding?"

Tanya was in no mood to play hide-and-seek. All her attention was focused on breaking the cursed spell left by Chu Ning.

"Drip..."

Tanya felt a sudden chill on her cheek and stiffly reached up with her index finger to touch it. The moment the liquid touched her face, she realized exactly what it was—perhaps the consequence of watching too many horror films!

Fear still gripped her, but she roared internally, "It’s just blood! There’s nothing to be afraid of. Pull yourself together!"

"Drip, drip..."

Bright red liquid continued to fall from the ceiling. Tanya vividly remembered the ceiling in her earlier memory being a creamy white, certainly not the aesthetic of a weirdo like Chu Ning. This ruled out the coincidence of red paint dripping. There was only one truth, a classic trope from horror movies: there was a corpse hanging above.

Tanya stared straight ahead, refusing to let the ceiling enter her field of vision. Adhering to the principle of "don't court death, and you won't die," she refused to trigger any "instant-death" buffs.

"Just get through this stretch and it’ll be fine. Believe in yourself! Curb your curiosity; don't forget what killed the cat!"

Tanya recited these words of encouragement to herself as she nervously ventured toward the unknown. After about the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, she had traversed a long section of the stairs.

Her tense heart eased slightly as the abnormal footsteps and the sound of dripping liquid faded away. Only then did she summon the courage to examine the liquid on her fingertips. The moment she saw it, she stood frozen in place, utterly stunned.

"No way," Tanya whispered.