Thriller Zone: From the Mental Hospital to the Ghostly World

Chapter 125 [The Asylum] Chen Ji, a Schizophrenic Patient

[Tianhai City Asylum - Basement Level]

Chen Ji leaned tightly against the iron door to the basement and remained silent for a moment.

The sudden change in the sign confirmed one thing for him.

"It's the Netherworld."

He suddenly said that the "image" of Wusu came to mind.

He never told Xu Sandao about this "scene".

The woman in the suit dress, clearly Tang Qin's mentor, also appeared by the roadside.

Xu Sandao once mentioned that the appearance of the Painted Skin Ghost was due to the Netherworld of Instructor Tang Qin.

However, this is clearly different from the initial situation when the Painted Skin Ghost appeared in Chen Ji's house.

At that time, Chen Ji should still be in the real world.

This is why Chen Ji didn't realize he was in the Netherworld immediately.

This time, he was directly pulled into a different environment.

But... what they have in common, why is their final destination both a mental hospital?

After pondering for a moment, Chen Ji felt that this was very likely related to the strange creature that drove this Netherworld.

He glanced at his side again; Du Tingfeng was pale and looked confused.

Neither of their hospital gowns fit properly; they were very loose and dragged on the floor.

"sorry....."

"I've dragged you into this after all."

Chen Ji pursed his lips. Only today, when Du Tingfeng came to pick him up, did he end up being pulled into the Netherworld along with him.

And that girl... Xiaoguo.

Through the iron gate, he could vaguely hear the wet footsteps fading away from the basement.

Then, with a splash, it seemed that Xiao Guo had returned to the formalin pool.

Du Tingfeng shook his head and forced a smile:

"fine."

"I went to the shop next door and bought a coffee. Maybe it was too close to you."

"After all, everyone in the bookstore was dragged in, and I was no exception."

He then pointed to the sign on the wall and changed the subject:

"How did we end up at the Third Mental Hospital?"

Chen Ji was taken aback, turned his head to look at the sign, but it hadn't changed.

[Tianhai City Asylum - Basement Level]

"It was just turned into a mental hospital?" Chen Ji asked, somewhat confused.

"Is what you're seeing still 'Tianhai City Third Mental Hospital'?"

Du Tingfeng paused for a moment, then nodded.

"no change."

Chen Ji frowned. According to Du Tingfeng, only he could see the changes to the markings.

Was he hallucinating again?

Before Chen Ji could think further, he suddenly felt a faint tingling sensation on the skin of his lower right abdomen.

Gradually, it spread to his entire body!

It felt as if an electric current was passing through his body, or as if ants were crawling all over him.

Chen Ji immediately lifted his hospital gown to look at his abdomen, but there was nothing there except a small card clipped to his waistband.

[Tianhai City Mental Hospital Patient Information Card]

Patient Name: Chen Ji

Diagnosis: Schizophrenia

Upon seeing this, Chen Ji's lips twitched slightly:

"It's the same thing again."

He asked Du Tingfeng to also check if the card was there, and then continued looking:

[Description of symptoms: Auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, tactile hallucinations]

The patient reported feeling intensely watched and monitored; he believed that everyone around him was trying to harm him.

[Abnormal will and behavior, manifested as social withdrawal, passivity, and confused thinking]

[Note: The patient is also suspected of having "Capgrass paranoia": fantasizing that his/her loved ones are being replaced by other people.]

Chen Ji fell silent upon seeing the last sentence.

His eyes immediately dimmed as he recalled the intense disbelief and despair he felt when he discovered his mother was a demon in disguise.

"I only trust my own memories."

He silently repeated the sentence to himself once again.

This is Chen Ji's most steadfast belief and the cornerstone of his life.

At the very bottom of the card, another line was handwritten: [Take medication twice daily]

Chen Ji silently wrote down the contents of the card and then stuffed it back into his pocket.

The tingling and itchy sensation in his body had not disappeared; it had covered his entire body. It wasn't obvious, but it was still somewhat present.

"This is the 'phantom touch' recorded on the patient's card..."

Chen Ji ignored it; it was all fake.

He understood that this Netherworld would allow him to experience the symptoms described on the card.

In other words, Chen Ji's current identity is that of a patient with schizophrenia.

Chen Ji has now sensed "visual hallucinations" and "touch hallucinations," but they have little impact on him.

On the other hand, the information recorded on Du Tingfeng's card is "delusional disorder".

This is actually a part of schizophrenia, but for some reason, it has been separated out.

However, Du Tingfeng said that he has not felt anything unusual yet.

Similarly, the medication is taken twice a day.

Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief. His biggest worry was that Du Tingfeng would be affected by him and also be targeted in the Netherworld.

It now seems that the main target of the Netherworld is himself.

"So, how do we escape this Netherworld?"

Du Tingfeng asked, "Are you trying to find a way to leave this mental hospital?"

"possible."

Chen Ji pondered, "However, I think we still need to find the strange creature that drives this Netherworld."

The Netherworld is somewhat similar to the Realm, but without guidance, everything must be explored on one's own.

Du Tingfeng shook his head: "We don't even know what the strange creatures look like, how are we supposed to find them?"

He still believes that the main goal should be to escape the mental hospital.

Chen Ji was speechless for a moment. Du Tingfeng's words were indeed reasonable. They only knew that this strange creature existed, but they didn't know any related information.

Based on previous experiences, this strange creature might even transform into a ghost.

After a brief discussion, the two decided to go upstairs and take a look first.

They are currently in a basement; there are several floors above them.

The basement was empty, not a soul in sight, except for the faint sound of gurgling water coming from inside the iron door behind me.

It sent a chill down my spine for no reason.

Chen Ji followed behind Du Tingfeng, and the two of them groped around for a while before finally finding a dark stairwell.

【-> 1st Floor - Lobby】

Inside the building, only the emergency signs were glowing with a faint green light.

Still very quiet.

Chen Ji had a persistent unease in his heart. The tingling and itching sensation in his body became increasingly intense, and even his heart would occasionally feel a sharp pain.

all fake.

This sensory disturbance is caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain!

He could only keep convincing himself of this.

But at that moment, Chen Ji suddenly felt...

"call--"

Someone blew a cool breeze into his ear from behind!

His arm immediately broke out in goosebumps!

He immediately turned around, only to find nothing behind him.

In the dim green light, the dark stairwell was empty except for him and Du Tingfeng.

all fake!

It's another phantom touch!

"what happened?"

In the shadows ahead, Du Tingfeng stopped and asked in surprise.

".....fine."

Chen Ji forced a smile.

He forced himself to calm down and clear his mind of all distractions.

After climbing two steps and turning a corner, Chen Ji felt someone breathing on him from behind once again.

The hairs on his ears stood up instinctively, but Chen Ji didn't react at all.

There are two more steps.

"call--"

The blowing behind the ears did not stop.

Chen Ji could even feel a cool touch against his ear.

He still didn't turn around.

These are all illusions.

Ahead, above three steps, a cold white light emanated from a half-open door.

We're almost on the first floor.

Just as Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief, he suddenly stumbled forward and was slapped hard on the back!

“Is this the end?!”

Chen Ji could no longer contain himself and turned around angrily. Was it really necessary to make the illusion so realistic?

There was nothing behind me!

A dark, gloomy stairwell...

A high-pitched voice suddenly broke into a giggling laugh and came from around the corner.

Chen Ji was stunned.

He looked around the corner of the stairwell and saw a dark figure, only half its head showing, hiding by the wall and spying on him.

It chuckled softly, making strange noises...

He repeated the words that had just crossed Chen Ji's mind.

There was nothing behind me!

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Writing this chapter in broad daylight gives me the creeps...