“Wailing… wailing…”
The infant spirit’s cries grew closer. Its shadow had yet to appear, but a black mist already began to fill the corridor, making the lights seem significantly dimmer.
Chen Xuanqiu’s heart gradually leaped into her throat. She had no idea what the infant spirit intended. If it sought to harm them, could the faint warmth within her body truly protect her? And what about the two young nurses beside her?
Finally, the infant spirit crawled out from around the corner. Its body was tiny, no larger than a hairless piglet, its skin constantly dripping with blood. The surrounding black mist was so dense that even the light could not penetrate it, extending outwards like black tongues of flame, distorting the very space around it.
Chen Xuanqiu’s breath hitched. She realized the black mist emanating from the infant spirit was even stronger than before.
“Wailing… Mama…”
The infant spirit opened its two bloodshot eyes, fixing its gaze intently on the three people behind the workstation. Its small body slowly drew nearer, and the surrounding temperature plummeted rapidly.
Chen Xuanqiu clenched her fists, her eyelids twitching slightly from the terrifying aura of the entity.
“Strange! I feel a bit cold too.”
Xiao Tong offered a bewildered smile.
Ni Shanshan, however, remained silent. She had already noticed Chen Xuanqiu’s peculiar behavior, her eyes fixed blankly on the corridor in front of the workstation.
“Xiaoqiu, what are you looking at?” Ni Shanshan asked instinctively.
Hearing the nurse’s voice, Chen Xuanqiu found a renewed surge of courage. She stepped forward resolutely, positioning herself in front of the workstation, directly blocking the infant spirit’s path.
The infant spirit slowly approached, its eyes drowned in blood, lifelessly staring at Chen Xuanqiu. The mist on its body shot towards her like black tongues of fire.
Though there was no direct contact, Chen Xuanqiu’s body instantly grew numb with cold—a sensation she had never experienced before.
Simultaneously, the warm current within Chen Xuanqiu abruptly emerged, swiftly coursing through her veins. It emitted a faint heat, struggling to dispel the chilling presence, yet despite its efforts, she felt herself growing colder and colder.
Just as Chen Xuanqiu felt herself on the verge of collapsing, the infant spirit suddenly turned. It crawled away down the other side of the corridor, continuously wailing “Mama” as it went.
Chen Xuanqiu was drenched in cold sweat. She collapsed onto the ground, utterly drained.
“Xiaoqiu, get up! What’s wrong?”
Ni Shanshan rushed to help Chen Xuanqiu to her feet, completely oblivious to how close she had come to death’s door.
“I… I’m fine.”
Chen Xuanqiu struggled to stand. Though her words claimed she was fine, her body honestly sought out a stool and sat down.
‘Why didn’t that infant spirit harm me?’ Chen Xuanqiu wondered, completely baffled by the recent events.
Ni Shanshan watched Chen Xuanqiu with deep concern. She longed to ask for more details but hesitated to speak freely with Xiao Tong present.
“Did her condition flare up?” Xiao Tong speculated.
“No, she just gets dizzy from malnutrition,” Ni Shanshan immediately retorted.
“Malnutrition? Doesn’t look like it!” Xiao Tong glanced at Chen Xuanqiu’s chest, a playful smile on her face.
“Just don’t go spreading rumors to Director Ren. She’s still under observation, so don’t cause trouble for her,” Ni Shanshan warned.
“I know, am I really the type to gossip? Besides, she’s not even my patient,” Xiao Tong said, shaking her head helplessly.
“Strange, why do I feel a bit cold now too? Am I catching another cold? This inpatient department must be haunted; it’s always chilly in April and May,” Xiao Tong complained a moment later, hugging herself.
Chen Xuanqiu glanced at Xiao Tong, noticing that a faint trace of the black mist had clung to her body from the infant spirit’s recent presence.
“If you’re cold, come squeeze in with us. She’s really warm, like a giant hand warmer,” Ni Shanshan said comfortably, leaning against Chen Xuanqiu’s shoulder.
“Really?” Xiao Tong asked, her skepticism evident.
“Why would I lie? I felt really cold just now, but I’m much better now. Come over, don’t catch another cold,” Ni Shanshan invited.
Chen Xuanqiu’s expression grew a little unnatural. Inside, she was still a boy, and just having one nurse hugging her made her heart pound and her face flush. How could she possibly endure another?
‘I hope she understands the difference between men and women,’ Chen Xuanqiu secretly prayed. Since Xiao Tong had been there when she arrived, she assumed Xiao Tong must know about her “transgender” identity.
As it turned out, not everyone in this world was narrow-minded. Xiao Tong didn’t seem to mind Chen Xuanqiu’s identity at all. She casually dragged her swivel chair closer and wrapped her arms around Chen Xuanqiu’s other arm.
Thus, Chen Xuanqiu found herself squeezed between the two nurses, like a cream-filled cookie. The soft sensation against her arms left her utterly paralyzed, unable to move, only capable of staring blankly.
“Wow, she really is warm! I’m not cold anymore,” Xiao Tong exclaimed happily a short while later, even leaning her chest against Chen Xuanqiu again with a little wiggle.
‘Oh, well! Looks like I won’t be sleeping tonight,’ Chen Xuanqiu thought, her body rigid.
****
The next morning, Chen Xuanqiu dragged her exhausted body back to her ward and collapsed into sleep.
When she awoke, the room was filled with dazzling light, and her mother had been sitting by her bedside for some time.
“Mama, when did you arrive?” Chen Xuanqiu quickly sat up.
“I’ve been here for a while. I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn’t wake you. Are you hungry?” Melissa asked, handing her daughter the prepared breakfast.
After breakfast, Chen Xuanqiu spent a peaceful day accompanied by her mother. The newly arrived young nurse seemed unaware of her “transgender” identity, showing no unusual reactions.
That evening, Ni Shanshan arrived punctually for her night shift.
“Xiaoqiu, do you know? A nurse died on the second floor downstairs last night,” Ni Shanshan whispered.
“What? How did they die?” Chen Xuanqiu quickly asked.
“No one knows yet, but I heard the victim’s face was terrifying, their features distorted, as if they’d suffered an extreme fright,” Ni Shanshan replied.
Chen Xuanqiu fell silent, pondering whether this incident was connected to the malevolent spirits.
“Xiaoqiu, could this be the work of those evil spirits?” Ni Shanshan asked with concern.
“I don’t know,” Chen Xuanqiu shook her head.
Likely due to her inner anxieties, Chen Xuanqiu dared not be complacent. As night deepened, she prepared to seek out her next target.
“Who are you planning to find this time?” Ni Shanshan quietly asked, trailing behind her.
“There’s a middle-aged woman on the fifth floor whose black mist seems similar to that old lady from room 322. Let’s go for her,” Chen Xuanqiu replied.
“I have a question: why are all the ghosts you see female?” Ni Shanshan asked, puzzled.
“I don’t know either?” Chen Xuanqiu ran a hand through her hair. Only after the nurse’s reminder did she realize that, apart from the infant spirit, all the ghosts she had seen were indeed female.
‘Can men not become ghosts after death in this world?’ Chen Xuanqiu secretly pondered.
Heavy with thoughts, the two arrived at the patient room. Since there was a patient inside, the lights were still on.
“I’ll cover you at the door. You need to finish quickly, or it’ll be troublesome if the nurses on this floor discover us,” Ni Shanshan warned.
Chen Xuanqiu nodded, then peered inside through the glass window. The sight was startling; it made her recoil two steps instantly.
“What’s wrong?” Ni Shanshan asked, bewildered.
“The… the infant spirit is in there,” Chen Xuanqiu stammered.
“What? What’s it doing in there?” Ni Shanshan’s eyes widened.
Chen Xuanqiu composed herself, then approached the door again to peer inside. She saw the infant spirit sprawled on the floor, its body enveloped in black mist that had transformed into terrifying tentacles. These tentacles had tightly bound the middle-aged woman’s ghost within, continuously constricting it.
“Ah! Help me!” The middle-aged woman’s ghost cried out desperately, but who could save her now?
In mere moments, the middle-aged woman’s ghost was constricted to the point of disintegration, dissolving into the infant spirit’s black mist.
‘Is it… feeding?’ Chen Xuanqiu was utterly astonished. She quickly retreated, telling the nurse beside her, “Let’s go! Quickly!”
“What’s wrong?” Ni Shanshan asked curiously.
Unable to resist the nurse’s persistence, Chen Xuanqiu recounted what she had just witnessed.
“Isn’t that great? If it’s doing the work, you don’t have to take any risks!” Ni Shanshan exclaimed, instantly excited.
However, Chen Xuanqiu’s mood was heavy. Such a method of feeding would undoubtedly make the entity rapidly stronger, and she would inevitably have to confront this infant spirit sooner or later.
Back at the nurses’ station, Xiao Tong was still idly scrolling through the computer.
“Where did you two go?” Xiao Tong asked instinctively.
“Nowhere in particular,” Ni Shanshan said vaguely.
And so, the three of them sat by the workstation, beginning to chat idly.
Time blurred until two in the morning. Just as all three were drowsy and on the verge of falling asleep, a flurry of footsteps suddenly echoed in the corridor.
Chen Xuanqiu looked up, puzzled. Soon, she saw three men approaching the workstation. The leader wore glasses and was tall and robust, followed by a stout man and a young man with a buzz cut.
If Melissa were here, she would surely recognize them at a glance as the three men she had encountered that night when they hitched a ride in her private car.
“Can I help you?” Xiao Tong asked instinctively.
The three men remained silent. Instead, they each drew silenced pistols from their waists and began firing at Chen Xuanqiu.