The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

"Next time you grab me, give me a heads-up first," Xiao Qiao's weak voice came from beside him in the dark corridor.

They had found the nurse's station by now, and Gu Mian was standing by the desk, flipping through files.

He nodded silently at her words, figuring he might not even run into her again.

Her hand had been dislocated, but luckily Gu Mian was a doctor. Even though he was a psychiatrist, he knew a bit about setting bones.

He couldn't just pull someone's hand out of its socket and not put it back. There was still the road test after the written exam, and he'd need to be able to steer.

Ever since the LED board fell, that rustling sound had disappeared.

Gu Mian had also found the file he was looking for.

One of the files contained a very familiar name--

"Zhao Lanhai, a pregnant woman, her husband is Ma Gang."

Her surname was Zhao, and she was pregnant, so she was most likely one of the vengeful spirits.

Just as Chu Changge's trial questions had said, these three vengeful spirits knew each other in life.

The known relationships were: Ma Gang committed murder, Yang Shuang reported Ma Gang, and Zhao Lanhai was Ma Gang's wife, who was also pregnant.

He didn't know how Yang Shuang and Zhao Lanhai knew each other, though.

Gu Mian glanced at Zhao Lanhai's room information again.

"Room 59, Bed 2," he closed the file. "Let's go there."

Xiao Qiao asked, "Are you still looking for ghosts?"

Gu Mian nodded. "The one on the second floor seemed to be following us earlier. I originally wanted to lure it over and catch it, but as you saw, something unexpected happened."

"Catch it?"

Gu Mian looked down at her. "How else would I know the answers to these trial questions?"

"...I think your train of thought might be a little off."

By this time, Fatty was already scrambling his way to the second floor.

Fortunately, he hadn't died on the spot when he was face-to-face with the ghost. After turning on his flashlight, Chu Changge pulled him up and they ran. They split up after leaving, and the ghost seemed to have gone after Chu Changge.

He frantically climbed to the second floor and hid in a ward. He wanted to send Gu Mian a message through the friend system, but found that he couldn't send messages to friends in a Dungeon.

"It's over, it's over. The doctor is gone, Chu Changge is gone, this Dungeon is too damn scary..."

Fatty muttered to himself in the ward. He even crawled up to the window to look down. "If I jump down from here, will I die instantly?"

He seemed to think that jumping from the second floor wouldn't kill him, and he might just end up half-dead and in agony for a long time, so he abandoned the idea.

It wasn't even ten o'clock yet, so he couldn't answer any questions and intentionally fail to leave the Dungeon.

Thinking this, Fatty moved closer to the door to check the time on the LED board in the corridor. But just as he squatted down near the long glass of the door, he saw what looked like a person standing outside in the darkness.

He was so scared he fell onto his butt, scrambling backward, trying to get as far from the door as possible.

But the more he retreated, the more he felt something was wrong.

It was as if with every movement he made, something dark was swaying beneath the figure.

At first, he was startled and confused, but then Fatty realized.

He tremblingly raised his head. Sure enough, the glass reflected the top half of his head, and that figure was right behind him.

Not outside, but behind him.

A chill ran down his back, along with the sound of something dripping onto the floor.

In an instant, Fatty, with strength he didn't know he had, let out a yell and scrambled up, crawling on all fours to rush out.

With a "bang," the ward door burst open.

He fled in a panic.

He ran down the corridor for more than ten seconds in the darkness. Mustering his courage, he looked back and saw a figure with a bulging belly following closely behind him, heavy footsteps trailing him.

"Ah--" He jolted and burst into a run again, using almost all the strength in his legs to sprint down the corridor.

After running for who knows how long, he finally put some distance between himself and the footsteps behind him. When he looked back again, he couldn't see the eerie figure anymore.

Fatty immediately rushed into the nearest slightly ajar room and hid under the furthest bed.

As if this still wasn't safe enough, he reached out and pulled the bedsheet down with all his might, until his vision was completely blocked from the ward door.

"Hoo--" He let out a breath, extremely quietly.

This should be okay...

It won't find me, please don't find me...

Soon, the footsteps could be heard again from the corridor.

Fatty held his breath, not daring to make a sound.

Don't stop...

Don't stop...

Don't stop!

A thin bedsheet blocked his view. He couldn't see outside, and whatever was outside couldn't see him—he hoped.

The slow footsteps grew closer, and Fatty clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Thump, thump, thump..." The footsteps passed his door and went in another direction.

Listening until the sound faded and disappeared, Fatty collapsed, panting heavily on the floor.

The bedsheet in front of him blocked his sight, and it felt like it blocked out the entire world.

It's safe here. I can stay safe until ten o'clock and be out, Fatty comforted himself.

But just then, he suddenly felt a hand land on his shoulder.

His scalp tingled, and he stiffened, twisting his head on the floor.

A face had somehow appeared behind him, sticking its head under the bed and grinning at him.

Ah—

He opened his mouth wide, but not a sound came out.

Am I going to die?

But just then, he saw another hand reach in, just like the first, place itself on the shoulder of the thing in front of him, and then stick its head under the bed as well.

Gu Mian grinned widely. "Finally caught you."