Chapter 19 They’re Coming

Chapter 19 They're Coming

Song Ziming was the first to push the door open, while Xie Yunzhu brought up the rear, scanning both corridors. He couldn't shake the feeling that ever since Song Ziming had produced the monkey's paw, those harassing ghosts had vanished.

Was it due to the monkey's paw's oppressive power? Did these evil deities have their own internal food chain?

Yet, his intuition told him otherwise. When danger lurks unseen, catastrophe surely follows.

The room appeared to be an office, quite spacious with an inner chamber. The air was thick with the stench of rot and blood, and everyone took a deep, almost euphoric breath, savoring the blissful scent.

To their delight, they even found an emergency power source near the entrance!

The moment the lights flickered on, tears nearly spilled from their eyes, and they raised their hands, cheering with excitement.

But when they caught sight of the rotting goat's head on the desk, their cheers turned into horrified shrieks.

The goat's head was enormous, so decayed that the skull was visible. The entire desk was covered in dark red blood, forming a large, intricate pentagram.

"An inverted pentagram, the Satanic goat's head," Xie Yunzhu concluded after a quick glance. "It seems the Satanists have a strong presence in these ruins. This isn't the first time we've seen this."

The ritual items were still there, but the heretics were nowhere to be found. After a brief moment of tension, the seasoned group calmly began touching and examining things.

After rummaging around, they discovered that Dr. Li, whose desk was near the door, had a habit of snacking on sunflower seeds—the trash bin was filled with shells. Dr. Wu, at another desk, had a habit of transcribing the Satanic Bible, though his handwriting was so abstract that even Satan himself would struggle to decipher it.

"If the hospital is a Satanist stronghold, then the boarded-up windows and darkness would make sense," Xie Yunzhu remarked, staring at the goat's head, whose hollow eyes seemed to stare back. "But something's off..."

"What's wrong?" Furball looked up curiously.

"We've been in this hospital for so long, but we haven't encountered anything with Satanic characteristics," Xie Yunzhu mused. "Those ghosts belong to a completely different aesthetic, as if they're part of two separate systems. Why would the game design it this way? What's the connection between the two?"

What were those ghosts, exactly? Why did they linger in the darkness, harassing them repeatedly instead of attacking outright? Why were they so determined to lead them away? And if they were to follow the ghosts, where would they be taken?

He didn't continue, as his thoughts hit a wall, unable to articulate the disjointed feeling clearly. Frowning, he gnawed at his finger joints, making crunching sounds until they turned red.

His intuition warned him that if they didn't figure out the reason behind it all, they were in for serious trouble.

Seeing him bite his knuckles raw as if he felt no pain, Furball quickly dug out a piece of chocolate from his bag and stuffed it into Xie Yunzhu's mouth.

For Xie Yunzhu, it didn't matter what he chewed on. He crunched loudly on the chocolate, his cheeks puffing up like a hamster's, fueling his racing mind.

Meanwhile, the others had discovered a refrigeration unit in a deeper room.

Song Ziming excitedly rushed in, turning on the light. The visually shocking scene that greeted him was overwhelming: the ceiling, walls, and floor of the inner room were covered in dark brown symbols—all drawn in dried, foul-smelling blood.

A sense of dread washed over him. He lunged forward and yanked open the storage cabinet, a cold gust of wind hitting his face. The moment he saw its contents, his smile dramatically collapsed.

The cabinet was empty. Not a single bag of blood remained.

"What... where's the blood?!"

"Why is the refrigeration unit empty?"

"Damn it! Damn it!" Song Ziming slammed the cabinet door shut, breaking down in frustration. "Those Satanists used up all the blood to draw these stupid pentagrams!"

Refusing to believe it, they searched every corner of the inner room but found not a single drop of usable blood.

The rollercoaster of hope followed by despair was far more torturous than having no hope from the start. For a moment, no one spoke, their faces etched with exhaustion and disappointment.

Fu You examined the graffiti-like bloodstains on the floor and walls—depictions of unclean and ominous animals, lightning patterns symbolizing the Morning Star, and twisted, chaotic scriptures, all surrounding a large inverted pentagram in the center of the floor. According to the Divine Remains, they had already gathered the necessary "form" and "medium" for the summoning ritual.

"Cough... It seems a ritual to summon Satan was held here... cough, cough..." Illness had taken a toll on his health, and each word was punctuated by earth-shaking coughs. "We... cough... might be able to..."

"We need to complete this ritual and pray to Satan," Xie Yunzhu stepped in, finishing the sentence for him. "Since the monkey's paw indicated this location, it means the blood is nearby. Everyone, prepare your weapons. Anything could happen after the ritual, so be ready for a fight."

He compared Dr. Wu's notes with the bloodstains on the floor and confirmed that the inverted pentagram was missing the final strokes, as if waiting for them to complete it.

"No, boss, think this through!" Hei Bei shouted. "Asking evil deities for things will get you killed!"

"Worse than death... What if we're assimilated into heretics? I don't want to be trapped in this hellhole forever..." Xiao Tu shook her head in agreement.

"We've all assumed this from the start, but has anyone actually asked an evil deity for something? Has anyone truly been punished?" Xie Yunzhu pointed out calmly. "All I know is that the monkey's paw granted Song Ziming's wishes without any consequences."

"That defies logic... Besides, the monkey's paw is one thing, but this is Satan! How can you compare the two?!" Song Ziming joined the opposition.

"In this instance, there's no fundamental difference between them."

Only Xie Yunzhu and Fu You, who had seen the Divine Remains, were eager to proceed with the ritual. Perhaps by completing the summoning, they could uncover the whereabouts of those evil deities.

Moreover, they were backed into a corner. If they left now, they might never find usable blood again. On the other hand, completing the ritual might also reveal a way to break through the ghostly barrier.

Fu You coughed excitedly, "If this ritual succeeds too, then... cough, cough..."

"Then we can be more daring in using cult rituals to strengthen ourselves," Xie Yunzhu snapped his fingers. "The risk is worth taking."

As they spoke enthusiastically, Song Ziming suddenly stood up, his face pale and grim. Without a word, he strode toward the door.

"Brother Song!" Hei Bei hurriedly tried to stop him.

"Am I insane to make a deal with Satan?! The monkey's paw alone has me on edge!" Song Ziming shook off Hei Bei's hand in despair, his voice a guttural roar. "This instance is impossible to clear! I don't need the blood anymore—I'm finding a way out!"

Those too rigid break easily. The proud, confident man, once so capable, was the first to break under pressure.

Xie Yunzhu glanced at him indifferently before turning his attention back to the dried Satanic symbols. He had no patience for those breaking down under pressure; in his eyes, Fu You was the only one worth talking to in this group.

He heard Song Ziming's heavy footsteps retreating, followed by the creak of the door opening.

What came next, however, was Song Ziming's blood-curdling scream:

"Ahhh—!! Ghosts... there are ghosts... right outside the door!!!"

Song Ziming staggered back, dazed, his legs giving way as he collapsed to the floor. He scrambled backward desperately, his face pale with terror, features twisted in sheer panic.

"They... they're coming—!"

The other four raised their weapons nervously, standing back-to-back as they peered outside. From the inner room, they could only see Song Ziming lying on the floor, his expression still horrified, eyes nearly bursting from their sockets as he made hoarse, terrified gasps.

When ambushed by monsters, falling usually means death. Yet as Song Ziming frantically scrambled backward, nothing lunged at him.

"What... what's out there?" Xiao Tu trembled, hiding behind her boyfriend. "Brother Song, say something..."

"Five ghosts, all at the door..." Song Ziming turned his ashen face toward them, crying out, utterly lost. "We're trapped, we can't get out!"

In the chaos, Xie Yunzhu tossed Furball out like a bowling ball to scout ahead.

Furball lived up to expectations. Peering outside, his fur stood on end: "Whoa, there really are ghosts! A Zhu, hide quickly!"

Puffed up like a ball, he tried to quickly scramble back but was promptly scooped up by a large hand.

Just kidding, it's been over ten seconds and the ghosts still haven't come in—are they slacking off because of budget cuts? Xie Yunzhu thought it was really suspicious and simply walked out to see with his own eyes—

Well, this might be the only moment he didn't appreciate the lighting, because the warm yellow glow lit up every little detail, revealing each of the five ghosts blocking the doorway one by one.

Had they appeared one at a time, it wouldn't have been so overwhelming, but all of them surged forth at once, grotesque and misshapen, creating an indescribable visual shock.

The tallest one revealed only a pus-covered, rotting face, gloomily peering down into the room. From its mouth, filled with decayed teeth, huge, rattling coughs erupted from time to time, spraying saliva everywhere. This had to be the same guy who had held hands with Fu You back then.

Below the "Pus-Face Ghost" stood two women side by side. One had her face covered with a white cloth, her exposed skin dark and rigid; the other wore makeup caked on like plaster and had a huge, protruding belly.

The one on the left was likely "Cold Damp Hand," while the other… it took him a second to realize. The "Beer Belly" that Hei Bei said bumped into his butt was actually this pregnant woman’s baby bump—the height matched perfectly…

Further down was a hunchbacked old man, the wrinkles on his face sagging like melted cream. Bent over at a right angle, he barely supported himself with a cane—clearly the wandering "Tap-Tap Ghost".

At the very bottom was the limbless "Human Pig Ghost," writhing like a living maggot among the forest of legs. Stumps where limbs should be twitched and squirmed, making it look like a starfish with hypertrophied appendages. Even its facial features were severely deformed, with peaks and valleys across its face, barely following the general layout of human features…

The five ghosts stood at the door, not entering, just watching inside, yet blocking their only way out.

Seeing that he was unharmed, Hei Bei, Xiao Tu, and Fu You also stuck their heads out from the inner room, witnessing this utterly bizarre scene. Inside and outside the door, five people and five ghosts stared at each other, making for a seriously weird standoff.

"Kinda like an afterlife version of 'If You Are the One'..." Fu You muttered under his breath, "Please choose your favorite guest."

"Brother Fu, maybe say a little less," Xiao Tu closed her eyes, "We're trapped in here..."

Before Xiao Tu could finish her sentence, the five ghosts suddenly began to move.

They all stretched out their arms in unison, waving them over toward the room. In voices low or high, deep or thin, they repeated the same phrase over and over:

"Come with me... come with me..."

Author's Note: