"Their memories of tonight have already been hidden in the deepest recesses of their minds. As for those corpses in the real world outside the door — after you came in, I had all the remains moved inside. I've destroyed every piece of evidence. I hope you can also forget everything that happened tonight." Dr. Gao's body trembled, and the black threads woven from despair and negative emotions were nearly boring out of his eyes. "Take them away."
Dr. Gao must have anticipated every possibility long ago. No matter what choice
Kill him, and he'd become a vengeful ghost surpassing red-clothed — they'd all perish together. Don't kill him, agree to his deal, and the benefits could be maximized.
"Looks like I don't have a choice either." Under
In his view, Dr. Gao wouldn't harm his own daughter. Handing Gao Ruxue over to him was a show of good faith.
"Investigating me in secret for so long — had this guy been scouting for someone who could take care of his daughter all along?" The Supernatural Talking Society lived in the shadows of the city and had offended countless foul things. Once Dr. Gao was gone, Gao Ruxue's situation would turn perilous.
Large chunks of flesh rained down. The ceiling of the underground morgue cracked open with fissure after fissure, and a faint blood-red mist drifted into the operating room.
Every time Chen Ge had entered the world behind the door, he'd been confined to a single building. This was the first time he'd seen what lay outside — out there was the true world beyond the door. This space, constructed from the door-opener's inner heart, felt more like a nexus connecting two worlds.
The blood-red glow washed over him, and the black threads inside Dr. Gao's body began growing rapidly. At the same moment, the white cat lurking inside Chen Ge's backpack wriggled free — one of its eyes had turned completely blood-red.
The thing drawing it was out there beyond those cracks!
The white cat wanted to go, but this time Chen Ge was already prepared. The underground morgue was about to collapse, and they had to evacuate immediately.
He caught the white cat, stuffed it back into his backpack, and zipped it shut.
Ignoring the cat's frantic yowling and thrashing inside the bag, Chen Ge quietly retreated.
He'd come tonight to complete the Black Phone's trial mission. Surviving until dawn was what mattered most.
The walls of flesh cracked and collapsed. The floor caved in. A tremendous crash thundered from the ceiling overhead as a massive slab of flesh broke loose and slammed to the ground.
Peering out through the fissure overhead, Chen Ge saw thick fog blanketing the area outside the underground morgue — within it lurked what appeared to be a blood-red city.
"The building silhouettes are no different from the real-world Jiujiang. It's just that the overall architectural style gives off an especially eerie feeling."
With the underground morgue now exposed to the open, Chen Ge could make out vague shapes closing in through the blood mist.
"Leave. If the door gets destroyed, you won't be able to get out." Dr. Gao cradled his wife, the whites of his eyes completely gone. "We may meet again someday. I've already marked one of the doors in advance."
"Marked one of the doors in advance?"
Dr. Gao's tone of voice had grown increasingly unnatural, and his words seemed to carry traces of other voices mixed in. The way he looked at Chen Ge and Zhang Ya had turned strange as well.
"Zhang Ya is already injured. Getting into a confrontation with Dr. Gao right now would just let the monsters in the fog take advantage. Better to leave."
Chen Ge retreated, calling Zhang Ya over as he went, and together they besieged Xiong Qing.
The poor fellow had just unleashed his potential only to be ruthlessly cut down. His body was torn apart, and his head was taken by
"Don't be afraid. It's too dangerous here — I'll take you with me when I leave." Chen Ge smiled at Xiong Qing and dragged the two crematorium workers on the ground toward the exit.
Xiong Qing was chilled to the bone by Chen Ge's smile. The red-clothed ghost screamed with every ounce of strength he had, until Xu Yin clamped his mouth shut.
The world of flesh had already collapsed. Chen Ge glanced back at Dr. Gao. The man's skin had begun to crack open, his pitch-black eyes gazing at his wife, their bodies pressed together — as if he were content to be buried underground just like this.
"What a terrifying opponent."
Before Chen Ge had even set foot inside, Dr. Gao had imagined countless endings. This one was the worst possible outcome for him — but even in the worst ending, he hadn't lost.
The blood mist dissipated. The organs withered. The corridors shook with increasing violence as Chen Ge and Dr. Wei sprinted toward the core of the underground morgue. Passing by a certain chamber, several more doctors — persuaded by Dr. Wei — decided to leave with Chen Ge.
There were still plenty of unexpected gains to be had. If the place weren't on the verge of total collapse, Chen Ge would have loved to explore further.
Running flat out, Chen Ge finally reached the core area just before the world of flesh crumbled entirely.
The blood door was half-open, and many of the blood threads on its surface had fallen away. The color was no longer vivid.