The Third Psychiatric Ward had been a turning point for Chen Ge. Before that, he had always run away from things. It was there that he first tried to fight back, and he suddenly discovered that even "bad guys" could feel fear.
Returning to where his dream first began, Chen Ge climbed over the ward's outer wall and found the door's location.
Since he had missed midnight, Chen Ge had to resort to other methods to open it.
Truth be told, he had wanted to test some things for a while now, but had never found the opportunity.
Countless mysteries still surrounded the "Door," and most of those who pushed doors open only had a half-baked understanding of the doors they opened — let alone Chen Ge, an ordinary person.
He summoned Xu Yin and the Red High Heels. Chen Ge used blood threads and curses one after the other, but the door showed no response.
Then he summoned the Stench and the Headless Female Ghost. The number of Red-clothed continued to grow, yin winds swept through the corridor, and countless blood threads crept across the walls, as if painting the entire hallway crimson.
The Red-clothed each tried their abilities on the door, but none could truly force it open. Chen Ge was holding the comic book, preparing to release even more Red-clothed, when the door suddenly trembled without warning.
Blood seeped through the door panel, and footsteps echoed from the empty room beyond.
"Finally, some reaction. Is it Men Nan coming?"
The footsteps drew closer. Just as blood flooded across the surface of the door, the panel swung open. A Red-clothed child who barely came up to Chen Ge's knee was crouching by the threshold, tilting his head up to peer outside.
"Men Nan, long time no—"
*Slap!*
The blood-red door panel slammed shut. Chen Ge didn't even have time to react.
A few seconds later, the door opened once more. Men Nan's gaze swept across one Red-clothed after another. He raised his tiny hand and slapped himself in the face.
Open the door, find multiple Red-clothed standing outside delivering warmth — there was no nightmare more real than this.
*Slap!*
The door slammed shut again. The bloodstains on the panel vanished rapidly.
"Men Nan, Brother Nan, I've come because something important has come up. The Nether Egg separated from the Shadow's body is about to resurrect. He's deranged and utterly consumed by vengeance." Chen Ge knocked on the blood-red door panel. "The situation is extremely dangerous right now. Just open the door first."
A few seconds later, the blood door cracked open once more. Men Nan was pressed against the gap, peeking out. "Are you here to silence me?"
"How could you think that? We've been through life and death together — that's the kind of bond we share. I would never harm you."
The blood door slowly swung open, Men Nan's eyes darting nervously from one Red-clothed to another.
He was scared. It was the kind of feeling a first-grader might have upon finding himself surrounded by tattooed gangsters.
"I know about the Nether Egg. Back when the Ghost Story Society told me about it, they said that thing was terrifying. One look from it and I'd be done for." Men Nan waved a small hand at Chen Ge. "I really can't help you. I'll see you around — I need to go fix a window. Something's been happening in that blood city lately. The blood mist has surged, and I have to get the window repaired before disaster strikes."
"Men Nan, there's no need to be so modest. In terms of raw power, sure, you're not as strong as the other Red-clothed. But perhaps precisely because you're so small, you've completely retained your human rationality — and that's the most important thing." Chen Ge crouched down in front of Men Nan. "You can communicate freely with me, and your intelligence far exceeds that of an average person. If something were to happen to me, you could still go off on your own and make the right call."