It was a man dressed in a white lab coat, hanging stiffly in midair. His forehead looked as if it had been smashed by something hard, blood covered his entire face, trickling down his neck in thin, sticky lines.
The blood-soaked skin had turned a dark, mottled blue, and his bulging eyes stared ahead, glassy and wide open, refusing to close even in death.
His expression was twisted with fury. Both hands were bound tightly behind his back, and there were even several dirty footprints on his white coat. Clearly, he hadn’t hanged himself, he’d been beaten, tied up, and then strung to the ceiling to die.
He wasn’t a player. He was a doctor who had died in this hospital many years ago.
Which meant, he was a ghost and by the looks of it, a violent one capable of killing a player with a single strike.
Another man, likely a player, lay sprawled on the floor not far from the hanging figure.
He wasn’t moving, his body limp and lifeless, while bright red blood flowed from him in a thin stream, spreading slowly across the cold tile floor.
The air grew heavy, thick with tension and the metallic tang of iron. A suffocating silence pressed down on everyone, making their hearts feel like lead.
Question:
Should they run or not?
Answer: Not yet.
“Everyone, don’t panic,” Wang Yicheng whispered, his tone calm but steady.
“The ghost in there likely only kills when someone enters the consultation room. If he could attack at will, we’d all be screaming by now. So hold it together, don’t move recklessly. If the person inside isn’t completely gone, maybe we can pull them out safely.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. No one spoke loudly. Even the short-haired woman, the one whose terrified scream had drawn them here, was quietly pulled aside and comforted.
That was the good thing about having veterans in the team.
They knew the rules.
They understood what not to do in a horror game.
They wouldn’t drag anyone down and sometimes, they could even lend a hand when needed.
“What happened just now?” someone asked the short-haired woman.
“I… I don’t know,” she stammered, trembling. “We were in the lobby, looking for clues, when we heard noises from this direction. We thought… maybe there was something important here, so we came to take a look. The door was closed, and we were just going to peek around outside when… when it suddenly opened by itself. He went in first, and then…”
She shivered and pointed a shaking finger at the doctor ghost. “Then he just appeared out of nowhere and Liu-ge was grabbed by the neck and…. and killed!”
Her voice broke into small hiccups as tears welled up, but she clenched her fists and forced them back.
Her explanation confirmed Wang Yicheng’s earlier guess: the ghost’s killing condition was triggered the moment someone entered that consultation room.
It was a dangerous kind of trigger, players often had to search rooms for clues and items. If they entered without caution, they could end up just like that unfortunate player: dead before they even realized what happened.
A miserable way to go.
Still, such triggers had one silver lining, they were easy to identify. Once someone triggered it and died, the others could avoid making the same mistake.
In short, this ghost could only “claim” one victim in this way.
Since everyone was already gathered here, there was no need to split into separate groups anymore.
Given how deadly this dungeon seemed, sticking together was the safest bet. They decided to finish exploring this corridor before moving on.
The narrow hallway stretched ahead into darkness. This hospital wasn’t large, but not small either by a quick count, there were five or six consultation rooms along this corridor.
The doctor ghost occupied the second one from the entrance.
Qi Yu had been planning to follow the others to check the rooms further down, but Tang Yu suddenly caught his wrist, stopping him.
“What’s wrong?” Qi Yu followed his gaze to the player lying in the pool of blood. “You want to see if we can drag him out? I don’t think there’s much hope… he’s probably already gone.”
Qi Yu chose his words carefully. The ghost inside was still staring directly at them, hanging motionless. From the looks of it, there was no way he’d have spared that man a final breath just to give them time to rescue him.
If they tried to pull him out, they might not save anyone, instead, they’d risk enraging the ghost and making things far worse.
Cold, maybe, but in this game, you learned quickly that not everyone was worth saving.
Qi Yu touched his own chest and sighed quietly. He was changing, becoming colder, more practical like a real adult hardened by fear.
But to his surprise, Tang Yu, who had clearly survived more than one dungeon, seemed to still have some trace of compassion left in him.
Qi Yu looked at him differently now, uncertain whether he himself had grown too callous, or if Tang Yu was just… too good.
Saint Tang Yu, the kind-hearted, rolled his eyes. “Who said anything about saving him? I’m not that bored. Look at the blood, he’s done for. I just wanted you to check his pocket. Look closely, see what’s inside.”
Qi Yu blinked, then leaned forward.
The dead man lay face-down, his hands awkwardly sprawled at his sides. His clothes were disheveled, as if he’d struggled before dying.
Something had fallen from his pocket, it hung loosely at the edge of the fabric, glinting faintly under the corridor lights.
A small, golden badge.
They zoomed in with their phones and could just make out the faint engraving, “Outstanding Employee.”
So that was it.
He hadn’t just died because he entered the room. He must’ve seen that badge inside, tried to take it for himself and that’s when the doctor ghost appeared and killed him.
He took the bait and became the catch.
His fate was miserable, but the bait itself was… tempting.
What kind of reward would one get for claiming the “Outstanding Employee” badge of a murderous doctor ghost?
Qi Yu couldn’t guess. But whatever it was, it had to be better than the cursed rose he was currently stuck with.
The problem was, how were they supposed to get it, when that ghost was still glaring at them from inside the room?
Qi Yu was deep in thought when Tang Yu suddenly gasped softly.
“Qi Yu… why does your photo look different from mine?”
“Huh? Where?” Qi Yu frowned. “How can they be different? We took them together, at almost the same angle. It’s not like the guy can move, how could there be any…. ”
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because in his photo, the doctor ghost was smiling.
A faint curve at the corners of his blood-smeared mouth, an almost bashful lift of his eyebrows, as if he were shyly posing for the camera.
Qi Yu: “…”
What the actual hell?!
Was this ghost auditioning for a romance drama or what?
For a long moment, Qi Yu just stood there, utterly speechless. His fear of the dungeon evaporated by at least half.
First, a female ghost gives him a rose. Now, the doctor ghost is smiling shyly for photos.
Could any of these ghosts act normal for once?!
He rubbed his temples, trying to figure out how on earth to explain this to Tang Yu but when he turned to look at them
He saw Tang Yu and Qi Wenyu huddled together, whispering like kids sharing a secret.
“I’ll add bunny ears,” Tang Yu murmured, his voice brimming with excitement, “Bunny ears are cute. You try cat ears, make sure you add those little pink blush swirls on his cheeks. My sister uses those all the time; they’re adorable. Yeah, like that! Perfect!”
Qi Yu leaned over to look and his vision went dark.
Inside a deadly horror dungeon, surrounded by blood, corpses, and vengeful ghosts…
These two idiots were photoshopping the ghost.
Adding bunny ears.
He almost wanted to cry.
This team was doomed.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
(づ｡•́‿•̀｡)づ ☕ — coffee for the hardworking translator
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Enter the GameChapter 2 · Pick a roomChapter 3 · DeadChapter 4 · AtticChapter 5 · ResponsibleChapter 6 · A bamboo BasketChapter 7 · DiaryChapter 8 · Song QingChapter 9 · Sent to HospitalChapter 10 · Second CopyChapter 11 · Leaking InformationChapter 12 · Special Prop!Chapter 13 · Doctor GhostChapter 14 · Store RoomChapter 15 · Psychiatry HospitalChapter 16 · Things of PastChapter 17 · Second FloorChapter 18 · He’s adorableChapter 19 · You Like Him?Chapter 20 · Kiss meChapter 21 · Group women’s clothing PlayChapter 22 · Where’s my Skirt?Chapter 23 · Wife of Murder Doctor….Chapter 24 · Go to Third floorChapter 25 · You must find me!Chapter 26 · See you in the next dungeonChapter 27 · VideoChapter 28 · Player ForumChapter 29 · Two women vying for one manChapter 30 · The Giant WolfChapter 31 · A Kind and Benevolent FatherChapter 32 · Preparing the change clothesChapter 33 · Red Heart FruitChapter 34 · In what ways do I fall short of him?Chapter 35 · KissChapter 36 · Bald performanceChapter 37 · The Prince Has ArrivedChapter 38 · Prince Song QingChapter 39 · Should we…Chapter 40 · A Kiss of True LoveChapter 41 · BanquetChapter 42 · Snow White KingChapter 43 · KingChapter 44 · I miss you so much!Chapter 45 · LeavingChapter 46 · Wanting to See HimChapter 47 · Resource Type InstanceChapter 48 · The Banquet BeginsChapter 49 · KissChapter 50 · Full-Dive Virtual RealityChapter 51 · Everyone Is a LiarChapter 52 · MegaphoneChapter 53 · Dragon???Chapter 54 · Fire DragonChapter 55 · A powerful Fire DragonChapter 56 · Want Some Barbecue?Chapter 57 · The Characteristics of the GameChapter 58 · A little DragonChapter 59 · Searching for her sonChapter 60 · We’re Going to Tear Up the HostageChapter 61 · Mountain CollapseChapter 62 · DiscussionChapter 63 · Digging for Crystals?Chapter 64 · Making Money Selling LiquorChapter 65 · A KissChapter 66 · I’m the Best LookingChapter 67 · Ghost Ship 101Chapter 68 · Has the Competition Begun Yet?Chapter 69 · LotteryChapter 70 · First PlaceChapter 71 · The Sea Monster ArrivesChapter 72 · CooperationChapter 73 · The Man in the MaskChapter 74 · WarChapter 75 · The Players’ RevengeChapter 76 · ReturningChapter 77 · The End