The Haunted Hospital: A Dizzying Start

The city streets blurred past as the young man and woman held hands, their grip tight. Finally enduring a grueling half-hour, Lin Yi promptly pushed open the taxi door, desperate to escape its confines.

The moment his feet touched the ground, before he could even steady himself, a wave of nausea surged through Lin Yi. He stumbled a few steps, fighting the discomfort in his stomach, and crouched by the roadside curb.

The queasiness gradually subsided, yet a lingering dizziness still plagued Lin Yi. He rarely suffered from motion sickness, but he blamed Chen Sishi for constantly teasing him in the car.

The culprit, Chen Sishi, alighted gracefully from the taxi, her parcel in hand. She cast a fleeting glance at Lin Yi’s disheveled state, and an inexplicable desire bloomed within her, spreading like a virus, instantly consuming her thoughts.

“What happened to him?”

Bai Zhiyue, who had just stepped out from the other side, found the sudden shift in atmosphere strange and unsettling. Lin Yi’s face was pale, and he appeared remarkably weak.

Observing Chen Sishi, whose face was flushed and beaming with a smile, Bai Zhiyue couldn’t help but furrow her brow.

“You didn’t do anything to him, did you?”

“Huh? No, I didn’t. It’s just… I was a little close to Lin Yi.”

Her gaze darted between the two of them, a look of confusion in Bai Zhiyue’s eyes.

“Is that so? Lin Yi looks unwell. I hope he’s alright.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Sishi’s brows also furrowed. She approached Lin Yi, intending to touch him. However, as her delicate hand extended, Lin Yi recoiled as if he had seen something terrifying, hastily scrambling backward.

His pale cheeks swiftly flushed, adding a touch of fragile illness to Lin Yi’s already captivating aura. This spectacle was precisely what Chen Sishi found alluring; it only made her want to mold him into her own.

Bai Zhiyue pressed a hand to her forehead in resignation, knowing this was exactly how things would unfold. Yet, Lin Yi’s bashful expression was indeed quite captivating, and she felt herself on the verge of swooning.

This thought, however, only flickered in Bai Zhiyue’s mind for an instant before she quickly suppressed it. She knew Chen Sishi’s personality all too well, and such thoughts could absolutely not be entertained.

Shaking away those peculiar notions, Bai Zhiyue forcibly pulled Chen Sishi back to prevent the situation from escalating.

“Sishi, Lin Yi isn’t feeling well. Let’s give him a break for now.”

“Oh… alright…”

Chen Sishi pouted unhappily, returning to Bai Zhiyue’s side, her dangerous eyes never leaving Lin Yi.

“What are you two doing?”

Just as he finished paying, Li Yan spotted Lin Yi, who looked utterly dispirited, like a ‘salted fish’ – a term he’d picked up online.

“Nothing. Lin Yi might just be a little carsick.”

Based on Lin Yi’s pale complexion and his state in the car, Bai Zhiyue accurately assessed his condition.

Li Yan scratched his head, thinking. He’d spent so much time with Brother Lin and had never heard of him getting carsick. He then shifted his gaze toward Chen Sishi.

If he remembered correctly, Chen Sishi had been sitting right next to Lin Yi. Perhaps the two of them had been up to some mischief in the car, which was why his Brother Lin looked like this.

****

After Lin Yi had recovered, Li Yan led everyone towards the haunted house. The roadsides were lined with towering skyscrapers, so tall that their peaks vanished from sight. This road led directly to the New City train station, one of the city’s most bustling areas.

It was likely a weekend, as the streets were filled with pedestrians today. A dazed Lin Yi nearly bumped into someone, but Chen Sishi, quick as a flash, pulled him back.

They stopped in front of a commercial building, its first two floors housing a shopping mall. The haunted house Li Yan spoke of was nestled within a narrow stairwell on the second floor. A sign hung above the entrance, emblazoned with the words “XX Haunted House.”

Ascending the dark staircase, the atmosphere grew increasingly eerie. Splatters of blood stained the sickly yellow walls. A single dim, yellow lamp provided the only illumination in the dark corridor. Even before reaching the haunted house itself, the terrifying ambiance was already overwhelming.

Lin Yi unconsciously swallowed, a knot of unease tightening in his chest.

“This place… it can’t be real, can it? I still want to live a few more years.”

Lin Yi whispered, barely audible, as he leaned towards Li Yan.

Upon hearing this, Li Yan patted his chest reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, I was startled the first time I came too.”

“Later, the staff here told me that the owner didn’t have much money when he first opened this haunted house. He looked at several locations and finally had no choice but to pick this one.”

“It’s quite popular now, though. I guess the owner never imagined this place would attract so many people.”

Lin Yi nodded in understanding after Li Yan’s explanation.

The staircase wasn’t overly long, taking only a few minutes to traverse. Suddenly, the dim light brightened, and the surroundings finally appeared more like the land of the living.

The lobby was vast, dominated by two enormous signs depicting the main scenarios: a school and a hospital. Just looking at the two images at the entrance sent shivers down Lin Yi’s spine.

The queue was long, indicating its popularity. Through the bustling crowd, Lin Yi could vaguely discern a beautiful young woman at the front desk.

She wore a distinctive outfit, likely a cosplay costume from a convention. Although Lin Yi couldn’t identify the specific anime character she was portraying, her white stockings were undeniably stunning.

He quickly averted his gaze, aware that if Chen Sishi had noticed his momentary lapse, the consequences would be dire.

Fortunately, Chen Sishi’s attention was fully fixed on the crowd ahead, and she missed Lin Yi’s subtle action.

After a brief discussion, Chen Sishi and Bai Zhiyue unanimously agreed that the school scenario was less frightening than the hospital, so they opted for the hospital theme. Lin Yi could only shrug, thinking, ‘Whatever makes you happy…’

They waited in line for a while. This particular scenario required a group of nine people. If there weren’t enough participants, they would either have to wait or choose a different room.

Luckily, the four of them had good fortune; five other passersby also wanted to try the same scenario. The group consisted of three women and two men, including two couples.

Armed with essential flashlights, everyone enthusiastically entered the scene. The first thing that greeted them was the dilapidated main gate of the hospital. Lin Yi, curious, tapped on it, finding it felt like it was made of foam.

Following the only available path forward, sparse beams of light pierced the darkness ahead, barely illuminating the way.

One of the haunted house’s themes was to collect several mission items and then locate the exit. Despite being called a haunted house, it felt more akin to an escape room.

As one of the only two males in their group of four, Li Yan bravely took the lead. Lin Yi intended to follow closely, but Chen Sishi and Bai Zhiyue flanked him, trapping him in the middle as if fearing he might wander off.