Several members of Liu Dao's studio gathered around
It was Liu Dao who finally stepped forward. "You absolutely have to be careful tonight. Safety first. We took a walk around that psychiatric hospital during the day."
"You've been there already? Did you find anything?" Chen Ge fixed his gaze on Liu Dao, making him somewhat self-conscious.
"We walked around the outside but didn't dare go in... However, I managed to get a floor plan of the rehabilitation center online. Apparently it was drawn by a patient who'd stayed there." Liu Dao opened a file on his computer, revealing a crude map.
"The rehabilitation center has three wards total, built right next to each other. Apparently they're all connected on the inside."
"Wards One and Two house ordinary patients, with exits facing the sunny side. Ward Three is more mysterious—it's a closed ward that holds patients considered dangerous, with its exit facing away from the sun."
"You need to pay special attention to Ward Three. According to that patient's account online, Ward Three is a forbidden zone within the hospital. Other patients are strictly prohibited from going near it, and if any patient from the regular wards is caught sneaking in, they suffer a very painful punishment."
"If you ask me, just skip Ward Three during tonight's livestream. Take it slow—Wards One and Two are more than enough to explore."
Liu Dao turned the laptop screen toward Chen Ge so he could memorize the routes.
"Is there something special about Ward Three? Did you find any more detailed information online?" Chen Ge stared at the laptop screen, his expression grave.
"Not much, and most of it sounds like total nonsense—you can tell it's fabricated. Some people say patients in the closed ward killed a doctor, and it took days before the truth came out. Others say the people living in that ward aren't actually people at all—they're all ghosts." Liu Dao gave a hollow laugh. "Sounds fake, right?"
He closed the laptop. Everyone present noticed something shifting in Chen Ge's demeanor—he seemed to be worried about something.
"Set up the cameras. We're running out of time." Chen Ge shouldered his backpack, attached the chest-mounted mini camera, wrist-mounted micro camera, and audio recorder, and once he confirmed everything was working, headed out of the tent.
"If you're really scared and can't handle it, just run back. And remember to leave markers along the way. Set my number on speed dial." Liu Dao called after Chen Ge. "I'll call you one minute before the stream goes live, and you'll be able to see the broadcast on your own channel. One last thing—that place, no one's ever been inside. There's no telling what might be hiding in there. You have to watch out for yourself!"
Chen Ge hadn't expected Liu Dao to say so much. He stopped at the tent entrance and, right in front of everyone, set Liu Dao's number on speed dial.
He waved to the group. "Stay inside the tent tonight. Don't go anywhere. No matter what you see or hear, do not come looking for me. Understood?"
"But what if—"
"Just handle the logistics. Leave the livestream to me."
Man and cat entered the dense forest, and darkness swallowed their silhouettes.
Watching Chen Ge and the white cat disappear, Sister Li—who had been questioning Chen Ge the entire time—crossed her arms over her chest and muttered in a voice only she could hear, "That kid… he's got a pretty good-looking back, I'll give him that."
Now that he was about to enter a scene with a three-star scream rating, Chen Ge was more nervous than anyone. He knew exactly how dangerous this place was, and he knew that the last few things Liu Dao had said were very likely all true.