Patient No. 5's black heart was torn apart by the other patients. In his final moments, as his soul scattered to the winds, he recalled the memories buried deep in his heart.
"Killing my wife wasn't my fault. It was the monster's fault. And that monster was something the Director planted inside me. So this is all the Director's fault…" (See Chapter 1097)
"Ironic, isn't it? Me, with blood on my hands and more sins than I could ever count—the very first person I ever killed was to pretend to be a monster. Back then, I didn't know that some things, once started, are almost impossible to stop…"
"Every reaction from the night-shift doctor was exactly what Dr. Gao had predicted. It was the first time I was sent to the deepest depths of hell while completely lucid."
"When I opened that pitch-black iron door, I saw a monster bearing the weight of the entire hospital on its back."
"It moved through an endless expanse of black mist. It had a face much like any ordinary person's."
"I didn't dare look at it. My body trembled uncontrollably."
"The black mist awakened the monster inside me. It devoured me, little by little."
"I knew I could never go back…"
Evil Spirit No. 5 disintegrated. Everything he had absorbed from the black mist exploded outward.
Those limbs and flesh—brimming with impurities, curses, and despair—were completely unabsorbable for any Fierce Ghost. But there was one exception among those present.
With his body grievously wounded and the mountain of corpses and sea of blood beneath his feet shattered, the Director finally made up his mind. The instant he broke free, he began frantically devouring the black mist left behind by Patient No. 5.
There existed a special connection between the two. It seemed that long ago, the Director had planted his own child inside Patient No. 5's body. Now he easily claimed everything that Patient No. 5 had left behind.
Because of his severe injuries, the Director could not leave the mountain of corpses and sea of blood. This was the only way he could have Patient No. 5 absorb the contents of the black mist in his stead.
Patient No. 5 had been an independent person, but in the Director's eyes, No. 5 was nothing more than one of his trump cards.
His body fused with the black mist. Nothing resembling a human being remained on the Director. He had become a monster through and through.
Numerous Fierce Ghosts and Red Dresses were contaminated by the curse. Three of the top-tier Red Dresses were heavily wounded. Zhang Ya and the Painter were also affected.
The tide had been turned, but what left Chen Ge and the others feeling powerless was that, at this very moment, they had no certainty they could kill the Director.
The Director, merged with the black mist, radiated a terrifying aura. He seemed to be the very child of this sea of mist, and standing before him felt like declaring war on the entire expanse.
"How does a person get assimilated by the black mist?" Chen Ge could sense how formidable the Director was. His mind raced, desperately searching for a way to kill him.
Dr. Gao, Zhang Ya, and the Painter stood together. The three Evil Spirits fixed their gaze on the Director.
"We can't stop attacking. If we shift to defense, we'll only get more and more cornered."
"But how do we kill him?"
"The weakness of an Evil Spirit is also the heart—only Evil Spirits can conceal their heart." Dr. Gao's eyes flickered between crimson and black-and-white. After finishing that sentence, he turned to look at Zhang Ya and Chen Ge. "I have a method that could locate the Director's heart. I originally didn't want to use it, but we have no other choice now."
"What method?"
"I built the Urban Legends Association from the ground up. Every single member was carefully selected. All their abilities exist specifically to deal with the Director." Dr. Gao's speech quickened. "The member I valued most was No. 1. He possessed a pair of twin Red Dresses. Although those twins were the most ordinary kind of Red Dress, they had an exceptionally unique ability—Twin Hearts." (See Chapters 267 and 675)
"Evil Spirits hide their hearts. Twin Hearts was designed precisely for that purpose. By forcibly connecting one's own heart with the Director's, the two would be able to sense each other's location." Dr. Gao spread his hands open. "In other words, at that instant, both Evil Spirits linked by Twin Hearts would hold the power to utterly destroy the other's soul."
"Weren't the members of the Urban Legends Association dead long ago?" Chen Ge remembered clearly—the Association now had only two former presidents left.
"Your wife, Zhang Ya, possesses a talent I've never seen before. She can steal the abilities of other Fierce Ghosts and use them flawlessly. When you fought Shadow in Liwan Town, I realized she had acquired the twin Red Dresses' ability—Twin Hearts—and she used it to link your heart with hers. The reason she can protect you at every moment, the reason she can wake from her slumber to help you—it's all because of that ability." Dr. Gao held a genuine appreciation for Chen Ge. He didn't want to be Chen Ge's enemy. The relationship between them was really that simple.
"But if Zhang Ya uses this ability on the Director, won't the Director know the location of Zhang Ya's heart too?"
"Exactly. When an Evil Spirit uses this ability, it's far more potent than when a Red Dress does. Both sides would hold each other's life in their hands—it simply comes down to who kills the other first." The Painter and Zhang Ya heard every word Dr. Gao said.
"Don't even think about targeting Zhang Ya." Chen Ge refused without hesitation. "Blood City is closing in. If we hold on, the situation may change."
"The Director is merging with the black mist. Before the fusion is complete, this is our only chance to kill him. Wait any longer, and he may merge his own heart into the mist as well." Dr. Gao had only two obsessions in his life: resurrecting his wife and killing the Director of the Curse Hospital. He was now a single step from fulfilling his obsession. There was no way he would give up.
"You don't understand how dangerous the Director is. He's different from ordinary Evil Spirits. If you let him escape, disaster will find you in the future." Dr. Gao pointed at himself. "I'm living proof. The curse is the most vicious vow in existence. Once he sets his sights on you, you can never escape—not in this life, not in any other."
Seeing Chen Ge's unwavering resolve, Dr. Gao turned directly to Zhang Ya. "You've fought the Director before. You should know the gap between you. Once his injuries heal, do you really think you can protect the people around you? The Twin Hearts talent was stolen by you. Now it's time for you to make a choice."
Zhang Ya glanced back at Chen Ge. Already pushed to her absolute limit, she raised her hand. Standing before Chen Ge, her pale fingers gently came to rest on his chest.
"Zhang Ya! There are other ways!"
Her slender fingers slowly curled, and a blood-red heartstring snapped between them.
In that instant, Chen Ge felt the distance between himself and Zhang Ya yank apart. She was standing right in front of him, yet no matter how hard he tried, he felt he could never reach her.
Zhang Ya withdrew her hand. Her eyes locked onto the black mist that the Director had become, and she flung that heartstring into the thick fog.
Almost at the same moment, the Director—mid-fusion with the black mist—locked his gaze onto Chen Ge. Those curse-filled eyes brimmed with bone-piercing killing intent.
"Why can I feel your heart beating?" The Director seemed to understand something in an instant. He didn't even wait to complete the fusion, instead driving the boundless black mist straight toward Chen Ge.
He had sensed the location of Zhang Ya's heart. Zhang Ya likely knew where his heart was hidden too. This was an Evil Spirit's greatest secret—it absolutely could not be exposed.
To prevent Zhang Ya from finding his heart, the only method he could think of was to kill Zhang Ya as quickly as possible.
"Did you find it?!" Dr. Gao and the Painter both moved to intercept the Director, but "Eating" came charging over once again.
Zhang Ya's crimson robes fluttered wildly around her. She stared intently into the black mist, but still could not locate the Director's heart.
The Director had now set his sights on Chen Ge as his target. Zhang Ya shielded Chen Ge, facing the sky-wide wall of black mist head-on.
The black mist stretched endlessly. Zhang Ya could only sense a general direction. A piercing sound escaped her mouth as her pale arm suddenly plunged into Chen Ge's shadow!
"Zhang Ya?"
Her arm pulled back, and from the depths of Chen Ge's shadow, Zhang Ya lifted out a beating heart.
She had always kept her own heart hidden inside Chen Ge's shadow—a vow that she would never be separated from him, form and shadow alike.
Five fingers plunged directly into her own heart. The Evil Spirit's heart-blood dripped ceaselessly down.
The moment Zhang Ya's heart was wounded, the Director let out a scream of agony.