Everyone kept their evil sealed behind the door — Chen Ge was the sole exception.
Treading across the ruins of the Cursed Hospital, Chen Ge gazed into the depths of the blood-red city, recalling his promise to Goodwill.
"I'm starting to wonder — did I redeem him, or did he complete me?"
Numerous malicious ghosts and red-clothed spirits guarded Chen Ge's side. Zhang Ya's black hair slowly surged and flowed, placing Chen Ge's unconscious parents at the center of the "crowd."
After the director's soul was utterly destroyed, the blood threads on Chen Ge's parents had vanished as well — though they still hadn't regained consciousness.
"Don't worry. They're far more powerful than you imagine. Right now their souls have merely suffered severe injuries. With slow recuperation, they'll gradually recover." Blood-soaked Chen Xiao didn't so much as glance at Chen Xiao lying on the ground beside Chen Ge's mother. His gaze remained fixed on Chen Ge.
"Soul injuries that severe, and you're telling me not to worry?" Chen Ge — who had never feared anyone in his life except Zhang Ya — now found it difficult to meet his eyes. He didn't know why. Perhaps it was because he wasn't accustomed to this "father" clad in blood-soaked garments, radiating a terrifying murderous aura.
"If you truly can't rest easy, you could bring them to the depths of Blood City. There's someone there who possesses the power to heal souls."
"Alright. But before we set off, I need to find a few things." Chen Ge had the Red High Heels remove the curses from the employees, using every means available to save them. He then arranged for those in better condition to begin searching the Cursed Hospital.
The Cursed Hospital had originally comprised seven above-ground floors and eighteen underground levels. Now it had been beaten down to nothing but rubble.
During the employees' final sweep of the Cursed Hospital, Chen Ge took out the black phone he kept close to his body.
The screen was shattered and the phone could no longer power on. Chen Ge had no idea what the director had done to it while he was unconscious.
Judging by the outcome, however, the director hadn't extracted any useful information from it.
In other words, this phone seemed to be something only Chen Ge could use — no one else could.
"It still won't turn on." Chen Ge furrowed his brow.
Seeing him like this, Chen Xiao walked over. He swept a glance at the black phone in Chen Ge's palm, a hint of surprise crossing his face. "That should be Chen Xiao's phone. You've been keeping it all this time?"
"Yeah. When he went missing, he left this phone with me."
"That guy really is irresponsible." Chen Xiao stopped in front of Chen Ge. The Blood City fiend — an entity of suffocating murderous aura — now wore an expression of pure paternal warmth, his eyes occasionally flashing with a trace of gratification.
"You know something about this phone?" Chen Ge shook the cracked screen, trying it several times, but the phone still wouldn't power on properly.
"The phone itself is quite ordinary. It's just that there's a special number stored inside." Chen Xiao explained patiently. "When you were very young, you could already see the Black Fog World — you could see the evil and desire buried deep within people's hearts, and you could roam freely through dreams. Sometimes you'd go to bed in the middle of the night, only to wake up the next morning near the scene of a murder. After this happened several times, Chen Xiao bought you a second-hand old-style phone at the market so you could keep in touch with family, and he stored your number in his own phone. Every time you went missing, he'd frantically dial that number — until one day, it could no longer be reached."
"Was it really just because of a number?"
"If anything, it was the good in him — his stubborn devotion to his family." Chen Xiao drew a soft breath. "If you have any doubts, the person in Blood City might be able to give you answers."