Chen Ge hadn't expected the old man to keep records this way. The fact that the other man could still do all this while blood vessels crawled across his body and he was in extreme pain spoke to an extraordinary willpower, far beyond that of any ordinary person.
"Old sir, you dug that wound out yourself. Just compare it with your nails. I saw it with my own eyes a moment ago — you used the index and middle fingers of your other hand to dig it out."
"I dug it out myself? But I don't remember it at all."
While the two were talking, heavy breathing came down the corridor — the monster with the hollowed-out skull was approaching.
That horrifying face pressed against the window of Storage Room No. 4. Its gaze was blocked by the shelves packed with specimens, and when it couldn't see the scene inside, it seemed to prepare to enter.
The door trembled. The creature's strength was enormous.
"Don't move around." The old man rolled down his sleeve and stepped out from between the shelves. He walked straight to the door and opened it.
The massive amalgamation of corpses poked its head inside. It had no face — the interior of its skull was spotlessly clean. It was impossible to tell how it perceived the outside world.
"Who gave you permission to come in here?" the old man's voice was stern.
In terms of height and build, he was only half the size of that monster. But in terms of presence, the two were not even on the same level.
The old man's gaze was razor-sharp. When he saw that the monster had no intention of leaving, he raised his arm and blocked its path: "This is not a place you should be. Get out!"
Hiding behind the shelves, Chen Ge found the scene before him somewhat unbelievable. The gap in their strength was enormous, yet the disparity in their auras seemed to be exactly reversed.
"The world the old man sees is different from mine. To him, what walked in might just be an ordinary person with ill intentions."
The monster was held at the doorway by the old man. It seemed to sense Chen Ge — a slit opened in its belly, and a broad hand reached behind to drag out a rope stained with blood.
The stench of blood and decay poured out. The monster bared its fangs, but the old man didn't back down. Instead, he took another step forward.
He shouted at the creature, his voice growing louder and louder.
The two stood in a standoff at the doorway for a moment. The monster's belly split open, producing a sound like ragged breathing. It was furious to the breaking point, yet utterly helpless. In the end, it left with visible reluctance.
Only after the monster vanished around the far end of the corridor did the old man close the door and return to the shelves. He lifted the sleeve on his arm: "Let's continue where we left off. You saw with your own eyes that I dug into myself. So why don't I have any memory of it?"
"Old sir, do you have absolutely no memory of the wounds, the blood vessels, the death?"
"Recently, I seem to be having the same nightmare over and over. The moment I close my eyes, countless blood vessels wrap around my body. I struggle and fight back with everything I have, but they still drag me into the darkness. After that, I simply wake up." The old man touched the wound on his arm. "I have no idea when these injuries were sustained."
Chen Ge told the old man everything that had just happened, but halfway through, the organs on the wall began to pulse wildly, and the heavy breathing sounded again in the corridor outside. Left with no choice, Chen Ge had to stop.
"Let's wait a bit longer. Right now, we don't have the strength to protect ourselves. Telling you won't help." Chen Ge had figured it out — the moment the old man recalled anything important, the blood-colored world behind the door would forcibly control him, and the monsters roaming the corridor would come running.
They'd gotten past this one by the skin of their teeth, but Chen Ge didn't think he'd be so lucky next time.
Breaking through the blood membrane was more important than restoring the old man's memories.
"Old sir, is there anything else you need my help with?"
Chen Ge suddenly spoke up. The old man seemed confused. He thought for a long while, his eyes fixed on Chen Ge: "I want you to take me to Mortuary No. 8."
"Mortuary No. 8?" Chen Ge hadn't expected this request. "That mortuary has been sealed shut. What would you even go there for?"
"I don't know either, but I feel like something very important to me is locked away in there. Maybe I went in before and left something behind."
"Does it have to be Mortuary No. 8?" Picking the lock would take time, and the process of opening the door could attract more than one monster. His situation would become extremely dangerous.
"Yes." The old man nodded. He was stubborn by nature — once he'd made up his mind, all he needed was for Chen Ge to help him with this one thing.
Entering Mortuary No. 8 was dangerous, but Chen Ge couldn't find any other "people" in the short term. He could already feel that the blood-colored world had started to notice him. If he delayed any longer, the situation might only get worse.
"Staying in the blood fog of the world behind the door causes the blood membrane on the skin to keep thickening. In the core area, there are two other poor souls in that room. If I take too long here, they'll probably suffocate to death."
Chen Ge finally nodded: "Fine. I'll take you to Storage Room No. 8."
Receiving Chen Ge's affirmative answer, the old man's expression softened considerably. A trace of appreciation crept into his gaze as he looked at Chen Ge. He didn't even know why — he just felt the young man was particularly easy to look at.
Actually, the old man only had this impression because Chen Ge was an outsider, completely different from the monsters behind the door. From him, the old man sensed a rare touch of humanity.
If it had been Li Xu or Ma Wei who came instead, the old man might have found those two even more agreeable.
"The key to Storage Room No. 8 should be in the principal's office. Getting there is quite difficult. I know a route that leads in that direction — the shortest one has a lot of guards. There's another one that fewer people use, but..."
"No need to go to all that trouble. Opening a door doesn't necessarily require a key." Chen Ge felt that all he needed to do was break through the blood membrane and fulfill the old man's wish — he didn't want to make things more complicated than they had to be. "Just come with me to Mortuary No. 8 directly."
Chen Ge walked to the door. The old man couldn't help but offer another word of caution: "Every time I leave this room, a very bad premonition appears in my mind. I don't know why. Keep your eyes open when we get out there. And one more thing — we absolutely cannot be seen by anyone else."
The old man seemed to have had experience sneaking out before. What exactly had happened back then he could no longer remember — he only had a hazy impression.
"Don't worry. I've got you." The blood membrane on Chen Ge's body was down to a thin layer. Once he fulfilled the old man's wish, he should be able to earn complete recognition. Then he'd never have to hide again.
He opened the door and stepped outside. When he first emerged, nothing in the corridor had changed.
But the moment the old man stepped out, the entire passage trembled slightly. The frequency of the organs on the walls contracting visibly accelerated.
"Don't waste time — go straight there! Hurry!"
The outer area of the underground mortuary complex was a labyrinth, connected to numerous buildings. Chen Ge was grateful that he'd memorized the map from the photos on his phone before coming in.
Gripping the skull-cracking hammer, Chen Ge made his way toward Mortuary No. 8 with practiced ease, the old man following close behind with a determined look in his eyes.
Once the old man left the room, the blood-colored world underwent a noticeable shift. If before it had been the calm before a storm, then now the storm's prelude had officially arrived.
There was no turning back, and there were no other choices. Chen Ge led the old man quickly through the corridors.
He was ready — no matter who stood in his way, he would barrel right through.
A strange smell drifted from within the walls. The flow of blood in the vessels overhead quickened once more. On both sides, the morgue cabinets inside the mortuaries produced thudding sounds, as though those serpent-like blood vessels were growing hungry again.
Rounding several turns, Chen Ge heard footsteps ahead. He tightened his grip on the skull-cracking hammer and, rather than slowing down, broke into an even faster run.
The person at the other end of the corridor seemed to have heard him too. That person was apparently more timid — they stopped dead in their tracks without hesitation.