The missing corpses

"I got badly screwed over. I nearly died."

Lin Luo spoke, keeping his emotions in check.

Nothing but lies.

Sure enough, the Elevator Ghost had been up to no good from the start.

That Blood Rope.

It would attack uncontrollably whenever it encountered Wang Lei and Liu Xueru. But Lin Luo had no way out now. Those two cruel, bloodthirsty ghosts would never listen to his explanation.

"This problem is actually easy to solve. Just lure them into the elevator, and you'll be out of danger."

The Elevator Ghost smiled triumphantly.

His words, however, only made Lin Luo's expression darken further.

Wang Lei and Liu Xueru weren't stupid.

There was no way they would walk straight into the elevator's trap and give the Elevator Ghost a chance to take revenge.

"I can't even get near them. They might kill me the moment I approach."

But the Elevator Ghost couldn't care less whether Lin Luo lived or died. Revenge was all he wanted.

"No need to be modest. With your abilities, you can do it."

Lin Luo could tell that the Elevator Ghost wanted something for nothing.

But having fallen for the trick, Lin Luo had nothing to say and couldn't be bothered to waste his breath.

"Please take me to the first basement level."

Now that Wang Lei and Liu Xueru had set their sights on him, Lin Luo could only face them.

Besides, his most important priority was completing his morgue patrol duty.

Otherwise, he would offend the Director Ghost.

And that would mean certain death in Yellow Springs Hospital.

"Sure."

The Elevator Ghost also understood that he couldn't push Lin Luo too hard, so he readily agreed.

Then he took Lin Luo safely to the first basement level.

Lin Luo stepped out of the elevator.

He followed the route he had taken during the day.

But this time, he wasn't so lucky.

Scattered footsteps sounded behind Lin Luo.

He tensed inwardly. Clearly, a ghost had set its sights on him.

But Lin Luo made no rash moves. He simply ignored the sound and kept walking.

The horror world operated by rules.

Ghosts that frightened people usually tried to force players to look back.

Players also had three flames on their bodies, with one on each shoulder. Weaker ghosts had to be wary of them, but turning their heads would extinguish the flames on their shoulders.

Then the ghosts could bare their fangs at the players without restraint.

Seeing that Lin Luo hadn't fallen for the trick, the ghost refused to give up and began letting out eerie sobs.

Lin Luo's expression grew even grimmer.

This ghost seemed determined to hound him.

At the same time, Lin Luo noticed his shoulders growing heavy, as though something was weighing them down.

"Looks like there's more than one ghost."

Left with no choice, Lin Luo lifted the Blood Rope in his hand and lashed it behind him.

A little ghost was clinging to Lin Luo's shoulders.

It clearly wasn't very strong. The Blood Rope severely injured it in a single strike, drawing a wailing shriek.

The ghosts that had been trying to approach Lin Luo were intimidated too and quietly dispersed.

Lin Luo let out a breath of relief.

Little ghosts were hard to shake.

Once they targeted someone, they really could be troublesome.

Fortunately, the Blood Rope the Elevator Ghost had given him truly was a powerful ghost artifact.

With no ghosts blocking his way, Lin Luo reached the morgue without trouble.

Compared with daytime, the morgue was even colder, far worse than a refrigerated storage room.

Even Lin Luo, who had never minded the cold since childhood, shivered.

Braving the chill, Lin Luo surveyed his surroundings, but his expression soon grew extremely grave. When he had counted the morgue's corpses during the day, there had been a hundred.

Now there were only ninety-seven.

That meant the three missing corpses might well have reanimated.

The pressure on Lin Luo mounted sharply.

Losing corpses from the morgue was a serious mistake, and the Director Ghost would certainly punish him severely.

To avoid that outcome.

Lin Luo could only risk his life to retrieve the missing corpses.

But just as Lin Luo was about to act, the morgue door swung open.

A pitch-black hand reached through the gap behind the door.

At the sight, Lin Luo instinctively tightened his grip on the Blood Rope.

The three missing corpses.

Had probably all reanimated.

The one coming back might be one of them!

Watching with his full attention, Lin Luo finally got a clear look at the visitor.

The one stepping into the morgue was the Drunkard Ghost he had encountered during the day.

But unlike his earlier grinning, playful demeanor, the Drunkard Ghost now cast Lin Luo a cold glance.

"Little bug, you don't belong here. Get out, now!"

The Drunkard Ghost roared irritably.

Even from a distance, his booming voice made Lin Luo's eardrums ache.

"Sir, we met during the day. Here's the liquor I promised you."

Rather than take offense at the Drunkard Ghost's nasty attitude, Lin Luo took out a bottle of liquor.

Thanks to his friendship with the Fat and Thin Chef Ghosts, Lin Luo had gotten a bottle of excellent liquor for free.

This was his way of winning over the Drunkard Ghost.

After all, the Drunkard Ghost was the most mysterious being he had encountered in Yellow Springs Hospital.

Even the Director Ghost paled into insignificance beside him.

A bottle of liquor in exchange for the Drunkard Ghost's goodwill.

That was a deal with everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Though his temperament had changed drastically, the Drunkard Ghost was still obsessed with liquor and looked over longingly.

Seeing that he had caught the Drunkard Ghost's interest, Lin Luo quickly unscrewed the cap. The rich aroma made the liquor even more irresistible to him.

"Give me the liquor, quick."

Consumed by his craving, the Drunkard Ghost appeared in front of Lin Luo in the blink of an eye.

Before Lin Luo could react, the Drunkard Ghost snatched the bottle away and poured its contents into his mouth.

Glug, glug...

The Drunkard Ghost tipped his head back and drained the entire bottle in one go.

"It's been so long since I had liquor this strong. That really hit the spot!"

The Drunkard Ghost gave a contented, boozy belch, and his gaze softened as he looked at Lin Luo.

This was the first time anyone had ever given him liquor.

After all, the Drunkard Ghost was far too powerful. Never mind human players-even vicious, ferocious ghosts would probably fear him.

"Kid, I don't like owing favors. Tell me what you want me to do. As long as it isn't unreasonable, I can do it for you."

The Drunkard Ghost wasn't a bloodthirsty evil spirit.

Besides, after accepting his gift, the Drunkard Ghost felt too embarrassed to keep insulting Lin Luo.

"Sir, it's my turn to be on duty in the morgue tonight, but three of the corpses here have gone missing. Could you help me find them?"

Originally, Lin Luo hadn't wanted to use up the Drunkard Ghost's favor so readily.

But with three corpses having mysteriously vanished, there was no way Lin Luo could handle it alone.

At his words, the Drunkard Ghost's expression turned peculiar.

"Kid, you really have terrible luck. Morgue patrol duty is dangerous enough as it is, and tonight happens to be the Ghost Festival."

Hearing this, Lin Luo couldn't help the twitch at the corner of his mouth.

The festival was also known as the Festival of Ghosts.

Yin energy flourished during the Ghost Festival, strengthening every ghost.

Even corpses would be affected.

No wonder the corpses had reanimated despite Lin Luo drawing the curtains to block out the moonlight.

"But since I drank your liquor, I'll find those three corpses for you."

The Drunkard Ghost's promise made Lin Luo breathe a sigh of relief.

With such a powerful ghost helping him.

He still had a chance of surviving.