A Real Haunting

Wu Zhong had money now. Even if it was only a million, he quit his job without hesitation.

His boss was surprised and regretful, trying every possible way to persuade him to stay, but Wu Zhong had made up his mind.

The reason was simple. This money was what he might earn only after ten years of hard work at his current job—and that was with insane overtime.

If he slacked off and only collected a normal salary, it would take more than twenty years.

How many decades did a person have in life?

With the money in hand, Wu Zhong finally felt at ease. The nerves that had been taut in his mind for so long relaxed.

He seemed to have found his footing. Even his pace slowed considerably, and he no longer walked with his head lowered in such a frantic hurry.

Rain continued pouring outside, dark clouds blanketing the sky.

At the hospital entrance, he found a shop and bought an umbrella. For the first time in his life, he also paid for a pack of cigarettes himself.

They were not expensive—fourteen yuan. He lit one at the entrance and smoked it unhurriedly.

"Whew..."

Cold rain drifted against him. After taking an epic drag deep into his lungs, he felt so good that his whole body went numb, and his thoughts became unusually clear.

First, he paid off all his loans.

Then he called the caregiver agency, requested a replacement caregiver, and signed a new two-year contract.

The company was right next to the hospital. Its manager came over, and Wu Zhong casually haggled over the price. Once both sides signed, he transferred 140,000 yuan to the care services company behind him.

The caregiver would look after the patient twenty-four hours a day. At 140,000 yuan a year, it was considered cheap.

With that settled, he would withdraw the remaining money into his bank card first, in case Spending Treasure suddenly became unavailable. That would take two days.

Fortunately, he had already paid the surgery fee, so he would not need to spend any large sums in the short term.

Wu Zhong returned to the ward to check on his grandfather and told him about the surgery tomorrow.

But his grandfather kept shaking his head, repeating, "Eat clothes."

Wu Zhong sighed. He did not even know whether his grandfather still recognized him... He waited until the new caregiver arrived, then went home to get the clothes anyway.

He decided to bring all of his grandfather's clothes over and point them out one by one to see exactly what he wanted.

After rummaging through the house, Wu Zhong gathered all of his grandfather's clothes.

There were not many: eight sets of everyday clothing for all four seasons. He folded them one by one, intending to find a box to pack them in.

Suddenly, he found a wooden chest beneath the bed.

Wu Zhong raised an eyebrow, remembering that it was also his grandfather's. He opened it, then froze.

Inside was a neatly folded full set of blue-brown satin clothing, patterned with auspicious designs—the Five Blessings Surrounding Longevity... It was burial clothing!

His mind buzzed. Wu Zhong instantly recalled what his grandfather had been telling him all along: "I want to eat clothes," "There's one in the box in the house. Let me eat clothes. Go get it..."

"Grandpa..." His eyes reddened at once. He finally understood what those words meant.

His grandfather wanted to wear burial clothes. He had prepared them for himself long ago.

Wu Zhong hurriedly put the burial clothes away, grabbed the chest, and rushed to the hospital.

When he entered the ward and saw the thin, dazed old man on the bed, he slowed his steps.

"Is this what you wanted?" Wu Zhong patted the chest.

His grandfather opened his eyes groggily and nodded. "Yeah! Eat clothes, let me eat clo—"

Wu Zhong set down the chest, took his hand, and choked up. "Don't say that... What living person wears burial clothes?"

"Don't think so much about it... You still have surgery tomorrow. Once it's done, you'll be completely better."

But no matter what he said, his grandfather insisted on wearing the burial clothes.

The meaning was simple. He did not want to hold on any longer.

In the end, Wu Zhong deliberately put on a stern face. "I've already paid the surgery fee. Thirty thousand yuan. You're getting the operation whether you want it or not."

Only then did his grandfather stop saying anything.

Wu Zhong felt terrible. He walked out of the ward and lit a cigarette in the stairwell.

That day, he stayed at the hospital and went nowhere.

He remained by his grandfather's side the entire time. Whether it was eating, drinking, using the toilet, or anything else, he helped the caregiver with it all, patient and attentive.

Without work, he had free time. He felt inexplicably relaxed, his thoughts clear, and even his temper had improved considerably. When he chatted with the caregiver, his tone was gentle.

Seeing Wu Zhong voluntarily share his work, personally doing things even though he had paid for his services, the new caregiver felt embarrassed.

So he took the initiative to tell Wu Zhong that the previous caregiver whom Wu Zhong disliked had actually been very diligent. The reason he had not been attentive toward him was because Wu Zhong used to have a bad temper and had even cursed at him.

The man had said nothing, but he had taken his resentment out on the care he gave Wu Zhong's grandfather.

Wu Zhong was stunned. Thinking back, he really had not spoken kindly or treated people well. He could not pretend, and whenever he was in a bad mood, it showed on his face.

Only now, after experiencing the car accident and having money as a safety net, had he calmed down so much.

"Is that so? Actually, my manners... uh, it's not like I have such a bad temper. I'm just not very educated... Maybe there were some misunderstandings."

"Sir, when I'm not around, I'm leaving my grandfather to you. Please take good care of him. I'm begging you."

Hearing that, the new caregiver smiled sheepishly. "Hey, what's there to say? It's my duty. I'll definitely take good care of the old man."

"Young man, I think you're a good person. You treat people well... You're nothing like what he described. Looks like he was just badmouthing you. He was obviously slacking off at work, and I used to think he was a responsible person."

Wu Zhong smiled but said nothing.

He could not help reflecting that a person's time truly was their most valuable possession.

Whether one was poor or rich was not a necessary condition for self-improvement.

What mattered most was whether one had time they could control for themselves.

One might examine oneself three times a day, but that still required the time and energy to do so.

Night fell. The fierce wind still howled, and rain poured in torrents.

After settling his grandfather down, Wu Zhong lay on a recliner bed in the ward and fell asleep fully clothed.

He did not know how long he slept. Just as he vaguely seemed about to start dreaming, he was suddenly awakened by his grandfather's shouting.

"Ghosts! There are ghosts! Get out! Get out!"

His grandfather screamed hoarsely at him, desperately trying to prop himself up, but his limbs were too weak and he could only lie there.

Wu Zhong groggily got up, feeling as if his head were splitting apart. He had not slept well.

He looked around, unable to make sense of it. Rubbing his temples, he walked over. "Do you need to pee? Or poop?"

His grandfather pointed at the window. "Kid, there's a ghost trying to hurt you. Be careful!"

Kid was Wu Zhong's childhood nickname. He looked toward the window and saw that it had somehow been blown open. Rain was whipping inside, so he hurried over to close it.

"Don't! Kid, there's a ghost!" his grandfather said urgently.

Wu Zhong still walked over and shut the window. "How come the window wasn't closed? Rain got blown all the way in... Damn weather."

His grandfather kept shouting about ghosts, but Wu Zhong saw no ghost at all and took it as nonsense.

Just then, the patient in the neighboring bed suddenly sat bolt upright!

Thinking his grandfather had woken the man, Wu Zhong quickly apologized. "Sorry, sorry."

"My grandfather's confused. Did he wake you up? Sorry. Please go back to sleep, it's nothing."

At the same time, he found it strange. He remembered that the patient in the next bed was a stroke victim. How could he have such bad temper upon waking that he sat right up?

"Clatter!"

In the darkness, the patient did not just sit up. He got out of bed and walked straight toward Wu Zhong barefoot.

There was still an IV needle in his hand, with a medicine bottle hanging from it.

"Hey, hey, sir, take it easy. You've got an IV hanging there. If you need the bathroom, I'll help you."

Wu Zhong hurried over to support him, afraid he would fall.

When he got closer, he saw that the old man's eyes had initially been cloudy and unfocused. But upon seeing him, they suddenly sharpened, filled with killing intent!

Yes, killing intent!

Wu Zhong did not know how else to describe it. The man's gaze was sharp and cold.

On top of that, the old man was skin and bones, with barely any hair on his head. In the middle of the night, it made goosebumps rise all over Wu Zhong's body!

"Huh?"

Wu Zhong sensed something was wrong. Sure enough, the old man's dried, claw-like hand snatched up the IV stand beside him and swung it down at his head.

"Oh, shit!"

Wu Zhong jumped in fright and instinctively dodged backward.

The old man was not agile, so Wu Zhong avoided the strike. But it happened so suddenly that his heel caught on a bed leg, and he stumbled against the foot of the bed.

"Sir, what the hell are you doing?"

Wu Zhong was young and stood over six feet tall. There was no way he would be afraid of an old man going mad.

But the man's body was frail as hell, and he did not dare hit back.

"Whoosh!"

The old man swung the IV stand down again.

Wu Zhong flipped over and rolled swiftly across the floor, dodging the blow and springing back to his feet.

Ignoring what the old man would do next, he first moved to shield his grandfather, worried that the crazed old man might hurt him.

"Beep, beep, beep." Wu Zhong pressed the call button and braced himself.

His eyes remained fixed on the old man, whose shriveled body trembled as he shuffled forward in tiny steps.

Those little steps made him look as if he were about to die at any moment, yet he held the IV stand like a weapon and charged forward with such ferocity that it was utterly baffling.

At that moment, the new caregiver sleeping nearby woke up.

"Sir! Help me! This old man's gone crazy."

Wu Zhong wanted the caregiver to help restrain him, but instead, the caregiver grabbed the fruit knife from the table and stabbed directly at Wu Zhong's neck!

"What the hell?"

Wu Zhong cried out in horror, staring in disbelief. The caregiver's eyes were just as terrifying, brimming with killing intent!

"Stab!"

The caregiver was in his fifties and had done physical labor for years. He was no sickly old man.

And Wu Zhong was caught completely off guard. The blade pierced his neck.

Fortunately, he had reacted somewhat and had not been stabbed dead-on. Otherwise, blood would have gushed out from that strike.

Feeling the pain and warmth at his neck, Wu Zhong completely snapped. "Are you people insane?!"

He kicked out viciously, sending the caregiver staggering back, then lunged at him to seize the knife.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" He repeatedly smashed the caregiver's knife-holding hand, while the old stroke patient used the IV stand to hammer the back of Wu Zhong's head.

"Ow! What are you doing?!"

Luckily, the old man was not very strong. Wu Zhong took two hits head-on, knocked the knife from the stronger caregiver's hand, then turned and shoved the old man away.

Just as he pushed the two men aside and prepared to pick up his grandfather from the hospital bed and run—

Something terrifying happened. His grandfather glared at him viciously, picked up the metal spoon by his bed, and jabbed it toward his own grandson's eye!

The sight made goosebumps erupt over Wu Zhong's body, his blood turning cold.

"Grandpa!"

Wu Zhong was heartbroken. He tilted his head aside to dodge and staggered backward.

He did not know who his father was, and he had never met his martyr grandfather. He had been raised by his maternal grandfather and mother. After his mother died, this was his only remaining family, and he had always called him Grandpa.

At that moment, he could not believe his eyes. His closest family member had gone mad too and wanted to kill him?

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

His mind was shaken to the core. In a moment of carelessness, the caregiver grabbed him from behind, his arms clamping down like iron chains.

Wu Zhong's arms were locked. He struggled with all his strength and repeatedly slammed his head backward. Bang, bang, bang! Like nodding in reverse.

But the new caregiver was incredibly strong and did not fear pain. Blood streamed from his nose, yet no matter how Wu Zhong slammed his head into him, he would not let go!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Stab!"

Taking advantage of the opening, the two old men beat him until his head was bloody. Seeing his grandfather shakily climb out of bed to pick up the fruit knife, Wu Zhong's eyes nearly split apart.

"Grandpa! What's wrong with you? Say something!"

His grandfather ignored him. With fierce eyes, his frail body slipped off the bed. Trembling, he picked up the knife and shuffled toward him.

The determination with which he wanted to kill Wu Zhong was terrifying.

Wu Zhong could kick him away, but he could not bear to. His grandfather's bones were too fragile.

In that brief hesitation, his grandfather stabbed the knife at Wu Zhong's neck without the slightest hesitation.

Feeling his life threatened, Wu Zhong's scalp went numb.

He pushed off hard from the floor, dragging the caregiver behind him as he retreated again and again, slamming into the wall.

But even with adrenaline surging through him, even after he smashed the caregiver's face bloody and mangled against the wall, the man showed no sign of letting go. He remained tightly entangled around Wu Zhong, locking him down.

Come to think of it, perhaps the others had even more adrenaline pumping through them? Two old men who could not even get out of bed were chasing him down to kill him. How much adrenaline would that take?

And the caregiver was also in his fifties. Right then, he had the momentum of someone who would not let go even in death.

"Help! Murder... Murder!"

Wu Zhong shouted for help and struggled with all his strength. Kicking wildly, he practically dragged the caregiver clinging to him as he stumbled and fell out of the ward.

"Help! Nurse! Doctor! Someone!"

He shouted in the hallway and saw a nurse jogging over with a medicine bottle in hand. "Stop yelling, this is a hospital!"

Hearing a normal person speak, Wu Zhong was overjoyed. He hurriedly said, "I know, I know! Look! This man is trying to kill me!"

The nurse ran toward him from the other end of the dim corridor.

Just when Wu Zhong thought he had been saved...

Smack! So fast! The nurse swung the medicine bottle in a full arc and smashed it directly into his head. Glass exploded and scattered everywhere, medicine mixing with blood as it ran down his face.

"Huh?"

Wu Zhong looked up and met her eyes, only to see killing intent filling the nurse's gaze.

"Why?! Why the hell is this happening?!"

Wu Zhong broke down. He finally erupted with a burst of immense strength, stood up, spun around, and swung the caregiver behind him off the ground, using him like a weapon to knock the others over.

Then, using every ounce of strength, he threw himself backward in a jump, pinning the orderly beneath him and smashing him hard into the floor. The orderly hit the back of his head and let go.

Finally breaking free, Wu Zhong did not even glance back. He sprang up and bolted like a mad bull, shouting for help.

Yet the ones emerging from the hospital rooms were all trembling patients, clutching whatever objects they could grab as weapons, intent on killing him!

In the dim corridor, shadowy figures crowded together. Every pair of eyes was bloodshot as they converged on him.

"Everyone's gone mad... everyone's gone mad! There are ghosts!"

Wu Zhong gritted his teeth and forced his way through, ignoring the pain as he charged toward the stairwell fire door... He often went there to smoke, knew the route well, and ran there out of habit.

As he passed an elderly woman lying weakly on a hospital bed in the corridor, she even sat bolt upright despite being on the verge of death and grabbed his clothes.

She refused to let go, glaring viciously like a vengeful ghost demanding his life.

"Get lost!"

Wu Zhong did not care. So what if she was an old woman? He kicked her away all the same.

He charged and crashed through the entire way, punching old men and kicking old women. No matter how crazed these shriveled-up patients were, they could not possibly stand against a young man who had truly gone feral.

Before long, he finally made it through the corridor. He had no major injuries, but countless minor ones.

He could not feel the pain. He slammed open the fire door and shut it behind him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A crowd of madmen packed themselves outside the door, pounding and ramming it, shoving with all their strength, yet they could not open it.

Even when they smashed the glass with weapons, the shattered glass remained fixed in the window frame instead of falling away, covered in cracks like frosted glass.

Wu Zhong had not expected his superpower to come in handy like this. It had welded the door shut!

Even if the door was smashed apart, the fragments would remain welded in place, impossible to open.

"Huff! Cough, cough, cough! Huff..."

Wu Zhong braced his hands on his knees and panted. The madness slowly faded from him. Blood stained his body, and his eyes were blank with confusion.

Through the small glass window in the fire door, he watched the patients crowded on the other side slam against it, still refusing to give up on hunting him down. He could not make sense of it.

Good heavens, some of them were even his closest relatives!

Everyone in the hospital wanted to kill him the moment they saw him? This did not look fake at all. If most of them had not been so weak and frail, he would probably already be dead.

Why? He had no idea why this was happening!