[November 12, Clear]
Mom's condition has worsened again. I'm still writing to earn money. I fell asleep writing at night while taking care of her, and lost my perfect attendance bonus this month. I begged the editor for leniency, but he said he couldn't help. I'll take on some work this weekend and skip a meal each day, hoping to gather enough for Mom's surgery soon!
[December 12, Overcast]
I got a job delivering food. It's tough, but there's hope to gather enough for Mom's surgery!
[December 27, Light Rain]
It's been raining for over ten days, and the town is flooded everywhere. I fell while delivering food today, and lost today's earnings. Boo hoo...
[February 9, Heavy Rain]
Nearly three months of continuous heavy rain, and I can't deliver food anymore. Mom's condition has worsened again. What should I do?
[March 18, Thunderstorm]
The town... what's happening?
How did it suddenly become like this?
The streets... so empty...
Where have the people gone?
***
The diary ends here.
Besides the misery, there's no useful information.
Zhao Yi tossed the diary aside and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped.
He reopened the Weeping Ghost's diary, carefully reviewing it, his gaze deepening.
"Mother... surgery..."
Zhao Yi seemed to understand something.
He took the diary with him, left the room, and re-entered the ghostly fog.
In his mind, the entire map of the hospital appeared.
Indeed, the map was quite complex, but for Zhao Yi, who could easily remember the symptoms of hundreds of patients without confusion, it was no challenge.
The hospital building was not safe, with specters of varying combat strength wandering around.
Zhao Yi avoided conflict with them, cautiously making his way to the densely populated inpatient rooms.
The conditions in these rooms were extremely poor, even filthy, clearly not meant for the wealthy.
This matched the Weeping Ghost's description in the diary about himself and his mother.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
—Poor.
Zhao Yi had no intention of completing this side quest.
He was looking for the female ghost for another reason.
His gaze swept over the corridor.
Both sides were filled with low-level dangers and neutral entities.
Zhao Yi stepped on the damp, raised floorboards, his footsteps light, checking each room through the glass.
***
: What is he doing?
: Not sure... maybe exploring the map?
Yang Tao: He's eliminating options.
: Eliminating options? Boss Yang Tao, please explain!
Yang Tao: Didn't you notice? In that diary, the Weeping Ghost often worried about his mother. It's likely his obsession is also his mother in the hospital bed. The side quest is probably related to this, so if Zhao Yi finds the Weeping Ghost's mother, he can naturally continue the side quest.
Yang Tao: Zhao Yi is now eliminating which rooms have women and which don't, narrowing down the range before exploring, saving time and ensuring safety!
: Wow, makes sense!
: As expected of Boss Yang Tao, seeing through Zhao Yi's plan at a glance!
A group of people flattered Yang Tao, while other silent players focused all their attention on Zhao Yi!
This newcomer... is ridiculously strong!
Although his strength is still weak compared to others, his judgment, decisiveness, and adaptability are beyond what many veteran players can achieve!
Yang Tao: Look, now he's found his target. Next, he'll interact with the target to extract useful information and continue the side quest.
***
After a brief elimination process, things went unexpectedly smoothly.
Of all the rooms on this floor, only room 3004 had a female ghost lying in the bed.
So, Zhao Yi could almost confirm that the Weeping Ghost's mother was this female ghost lying in bed.
Despite her frail and pale appearance.
Like the Weeping Ghost, she was classified as 'medium danger.'
In contrast, the fierce-looking old ghosts in the previous rooms were 'neutral' entities.
Zhao Yi arrived at the door of room 3004, placed a hand on the doorknob, and slowly pushed the door open, asking politely with a smile:
"Hello, are you Xiao's mother?"
Xiao was the signature in the Weeping Ghost's diary.
The female ghost turned her head, her eyes emitting a deathly aura, staring at Zhao Yi at the door.
"I... am... Xiao's... mother... what... do you... want..."
Zhao Yi's face lit up with joy.
"Great! Finally found you! Um... may I ask, is your husband or any relatives in the hospital?"
The female ghost was silent for a moment, not answering.
"No... Why are you... looking for me... what... do you... want..."
As she spoke, her hair began to grow eerily, like a ghost reaching for the door!
Clearly, she wasn't planning to let Zhao Yi go easily.
Of course, Zhao Yi wasn't planning to let her go either.
"Good, then. That way, I don't have to run around... running around looking for people is quite troublesome..."
Zhao Yi muttered to himself.
Then he tossed in a dark object.
The female ghost caught it precisely with her ghostly hair.
The next moment, Zhao Yi slammed the door shut!
Boom!
A massive explosion of fire erupted, accompanied by the female ghost's screams!
The whole building seemed to shake!
After the aftermath subsided, Zhao Yi opened the door to see the room, and the female ghost was dead beyond doubt.
A complete mess.
The specter's resistance had been severely reduced, resulting in firearms being effective.
***
The audience in the live streaming room grew, but no one spoke.
This newcomer made them feel a chill down their spines!
Yang Tao was also silent.
This newcomer, his thought process was truly abnormal.
Wouldn't a normal person continue the unfinished side quest by finding the female ghost?
But Zhao Yi, upon meeting, gifted a grenade!
And from the conversation just now, it was clear... Zhao Yi intended to kill Xiao's entire family!
Apparently, after killing Xiao, Zhao Yi was worried about Xiao's family seeking revenge... after all, the hospital was only so big, and specters could easily find him...
So, he made a decision.
—To kill Xiao's family first!
Is this person... really not insane?
At that moment, Yang Tao's eyelid twitched slightly.
Zhao Yi finished his task, turned, and continued towards the rooftop.
All the nearby specters hid, trembling, fearing Zhao Yi would kick open their doors and deliver them a blast.
After some twists and turns, Zhao Yi arrived at the director's office door.
Data appeared before his eyes.
[Colossus Hospital Director: Extremely Dangerous!]
[Note: Do not attempt to confront him directly]
Even before entering, Zhao Yi felt a wave of deathly aura!
He touched his chin, pondering for half a second.
Then he took out a printed paper from his belongings.
He found a pen in a nearby room and circled a section with a thick red frame.
He looked at it carefully, very satisfied.
Then he taped it to his face with transparent tape.
Holding a blood-stained scalpel, he kicked open the director's office door!
Bang!
A loud crash!
The crisis of death and the director's gaze arrived simultaneously!
A pair of pale hands, without warning, grabbed Zhao Yi's neck from an unknown angle!
Zhao Yi had no chance to resist!
The opponent was too fast!
Moreover, these cold hands drained all of Zhao Yi's strength!
The director's mouth split to his ears, opening wide, ready to devour Zhao Yi!
At the critical moment.
Its gaze fell on the newspaper covering Zhao Yi's face.
On it was a section of text and image specially outlined in red.
[March 6]
[Colossus Hospital invaded by unknown ominous force]
[All personnel dead]
[None survived]
[Attached: Image]
In the image,
The director's corpse was coincidentally hanging from the rooftop, swaying like a tattered newspaper.
His tongue was long, face bluish-purple.
His hollow eyes gazed into the distance, mouth torn open, faintly dripping blood.
Seeing this image, the director seemed to recall something.
The grip on Zhao Yi's neck weakened rapidly.
The coldness retreated, strength returning to Zhao Yi's body.
This was the moment!
He wielded the scalpel, using all his might to deliver the fastest strike possible, stabbing straight into the director's forehead!
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Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan