In the empty space grew a huge, translucent fleshy ball, which rhythmically expanded and contracted, and inside the fleshy ball were a pair of sleeping twins!
The two fetuses, like babies about to be born, with limbs and facial features already formed, were curled up in a sphere resembling a womb, waiting for the day when they were strong enough to be born.
After staring at it for a while, Su Cheng felt a tightness in her chest, and when she opened her mouth, she tasted the metallic taste of blood.
This is a rare occurrence; she was already affected even before the twins had opened their eyes.
"These twins will be at the Ghost King level when they wake up." Mu Ling's tense voice echoed in her mind; she had entered the bracelet without even realizing it.
Su Cheng clutched her chest, silently reciting a mantra to suppress the sharp pain. If it was the Pressure of Ghost King, then it would make sense.
Once the tightness and pain in her chest subsided, she began to carefully examine the fleshy mass and the twins again.
The giant fleshy ball stretched to the ceiling, taking up most of the office area. It was thin in the middle and thick on both sides, with pieces of purplish-red placenta stuck to the thicker parts.
Two bright red umbilical cords were attached to the placenta, connecting the two fetuses to their bellies. The twins were already three times the size of a normal baby.
"Look there..." Yan Yu covered her lips, barely managing to speak.
Following the direction she pointed, there was the edge of the fleshy ball, which was spontaneously spitting out the 'cleaned' placenta.
The placenta fell into the ground-level pipe opening...
"Leads to the cafeteria kitchen."
So this is the origin of the nutritional meal. The remaining placenta, stripped of its life force, possesses hallucinogenic properties because it is tainted with the aura of the Ghost King.
The pregnant woman ingested processed placenta to induce labor, and then gave birth to a new placenta. This entire cyclical process was because Liu Huizi needed fresh placenta to feed her twins.
Humans can raise ghosts, and ghosts can raise ghosts.
The twins were raised by Liu Huizi — the Ghost King!
A note from the author:
There will be another chapter after midnight, for tomorrow~
Chapter 67
Liu Huizi's ambitions were far greater than what was revealed in the fragments of her memory before her death.
If she were to truly raise the Ghost King, not only would newborns be affected, but the entire Golden Leaf Town might fall as a result.
The background of the main quest " Her Child " is now basically clear, but the quest completion notification has not yet sounded.
Does the system want them to kill the Ghost King?
Su Cheng's fingertips tightened slightly, and her palms became slightly sweaty.
She quickly dismissed the idea; if the system truly wanted to kill the Ghost King, it wouldn't have issued the mission to just a few of them, but rather to everyone involved.
But even a group might not be able to complete it, since the participants were all people who had only been in the apartment for less than two months, and most of them might not even have unlocked their Gene Lock.
If the Ghost King could be killed so easily, then he wouldn't be called the Ghost King.
First and foremost, it's crucial not to wake the twins. If they are forcibly awakened, it will be extremely difficult for them to return unharmed; they'll be severely injured, if not killed.
If we can't kill them, then there's only one way left: prevent them from waking up.
The twins hadn't opened their eyes since they entered, and Liu Huizi's near-death experience hadn't been able to wake them up to save her, indicating that they hadn't yet absorbed enough power. Unless forcibly awakened, they wouldn't be born until their power matured.
If their placental supply is cut off, can we prevent them from waking up?
Su Cheng felt slightly relieved, turned to look at Yan Yu and Song Yichi, and pointed to the pipe opening on the floor.
Because of the pain in her chest, speaking became difficult, and she managed to squeeze out a few words: "Mission, blockade."
Yan Yu and Song Yichi much worse condition than Su Cheng; both were pale and slightly hunched over, unable to straighten their backs.
After listening to Su Cheng's words, they quickly understood the key point, nodded, and followed her toward the pipe entrance.
The pipe opening is about 1 square meter in size. Looking inside, you can see a metal channel, which emits an indescribable stench of dead rats.
Su Cheng immediately thought of her small bomb; she pulled the ring and dropped it into the pipe, which should be enough to blow up the bottom.
But then she wondered, what if the bomb exploded halfway through the pipes, potentially blowing through the walls and causing trouble?
Yan Yu grabbed Su Cheng's wrist and pointed to the mountain of tables and chairs.
Su Cheng instantly understood that Yan Yu wanted to block the passage with tables and chairs.
That's one way.
"It's stuck inside, like a toilet bowl plug, cough cough." Yan Yu coughed lightly, covering her mouth, and when she took her hand down, her palm was covered with blood foam.
Her description was very apt, and Su Cheng and Song Yichi instantly understood what she meant.
"I... cough cough... there are steel nails... cough cough." Song Yichi stammered as he wiped the blood from his mouth with a tissue.
The three exchanged a glance and all agreed that this was a method worth trying.
Yan Yu took out a fire axe, and Su Cheng found a suitable tabletop, asking her to chop it into the appropriate size first.
"Cough cough cough"
With each effort, Yan Yu coughed up even more blood.
The chopping was done by Su Cheng, who was in better condition, while the moving and searching were handled by Yan Yu and Song Yichi.
After chopping the tabletop into a suitable size, Su Cheng threw it into the pipe opening. She squatted down by the hole and looked through the darkness, seeing that it was perfectly positioned within her field of vision.
Next, continue cutting and chopping tabletops of the same size, completely blocking the upper part of the pipe that was stuck.
This process took the three of them more than half an hour.
The longer they stayed there, the worse their condition became.
Yan Yu and Song Yichi nearly fell on themselves while moving the items, or absentmindedly placed their hands under Su Cheng's axe, almost drawing blood on the spot.
After the pipe opening was blocked to the surface by the table board and sticks, the surface of the pipe opening was nailed shut with the steel plate provided by Song Yichi.
"Clang clang clang"
The hammer drove the nail into the ground.
Su Cheng had been keeping a close eye on the twins' movements throughout the process, and this small noise was not enough to disturb their slumber.
To completely eliminate any concerns about the pipe's safety, it's best to destroy it or seal it entirely with cement.
However, this requires specialized equipment and would cause a lot of noise, making it difficult to implement in a hospital.
Blocking the opening is the best solution the three of them can think of at the moment.
Just as Su Cheng swung the hammer to drive the last nail into the ground, the system's mechanical voice finally sounded:
[bite]
[The main quest " Her Child " for the Golden Leaf Hospital instance is complete!]
[The participants' performance on the main quest has been recorded and will be included in the scoring upon their return to the apartment.]
Su Cheng and Yan Yu exchanged a glance and both breathed a sigh of relief.
Song Yichi suddenly said, "I also... received... cough cough notification."
He was right. The main quest and the random quest are different. Even if he didn't trigger them, completing them along with the main quest would still count as part of the main quest.
But after the system finished broadcasting, there was only a 5-second pause before it started again:
[The main quest for the Golden Leaf instance has been completed. Surviving participants with vital signs will be teleported back to their apartments in 10 seconds!]
[Countdown begins, 10, 9...]
Remembering something, Su Cheng took out a talisman and stuck it on the steel plate sealing the pipe opening.
She tore this talisman off the door of a villager's house in the Coffin Keeper instance; it was originally intended to be confiscated by her Third Aunt and the authorities.
Therefore, Su Cheng could only secretly take six cards.
The talisman is only effective against Vengeful Ghost; it is ineffective against Vengeful Ghost and those above them.
[...2, 1]
[Teleportation initiated.]
[Contestant Su Cheng has an unfinished task detected. Please confirm within three seconds whether to start it! Failure to do so will result in automatic rejection.]
confirm.
[Participant Su Cheng has confirmed her arrival at the location of the upcoming mission.]
[Please leave the hospital within 10 minutes and proceed to the bus stop to take bus number W04 to your destination: Golden Leaf High School.]
Song Yichi disappeared from the spot. Su Cheng and Yan Yu exchanged a glance, realizing that they had made the same choice.
The two of them quickly left the area, and only after crossing the door on the tenth floor did they feel the tightness and pain in their chests disappear, and their breathing finally became smooth.
Su Cheng also pasted a talisman on the door of the tenth floor.
Yan Yu: "What is this?"
"It's effective against ghosts, but only against Vengeful Ghost."
Yan Yu's eyes flickered slightly, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "Careful!"
Instead of going down to the ninth floor to find the elevator, as it would be time-consuming and could lead to unforeseen circumstances, the two decided to continue climbing the stairs.
Their figures disappeared at the top of the stairs, their footsteps fading into the distance.
The tenth floor fell silent again, and Ai Xiang, who had been hiding in the shadows, slowly revealed herself.
She walked intently towards the twins inside the ball of flesh, raised her hand, and gently stroked it through the skin, "Babies..."
The twins inside did not respond; they were fast asleep and unable to hear any external stimuli.
Ai Xiang pressed her entire face against them, feeling their rich, familiar, and intimate scent, and tears streamed down her face.
"Mother..."
"Hungry..."
Ai Xiang suddenly looked up, but the twins inside the ball of flesh didn't open their mouths; the childish voices seemed like just her imagination... Was it really just her imagination?
Ai Xiang pressed herself against the fleshy balls again, and she heard their calls once more:
"Mommy, I'm hungry..."
"Mommy, I'm hungry..."
Both babies simultaneously asked their mother for food.
Tears welled in Ai Xiang's eyes, and a maternal instinct surged through her. "Mommy will find you something to eat right away!"
Ai Xiang rushed towards the door, intending to pass through it, but was stunned by the golden light as she touched it.
Golden meshes appeared on the doors and walls, trapping her inside like a cage!
Ai Xiang panicked and tried to penetrate the floor again.
The yellow talisman at the pipe entrance shone brightly, and a ripple of light spread across the ground, preventing her from passing through.
Ai Xiang tried to leave from various corners, but all attempts failed.
Her strength was insufficient for her to break free of the yellow talisman and leave!
She was trapped here forever... until the next person opened the door.
"Mom, Mom... I'm hungry..."
"Hungry..."
The cries of her children broke Ai Xiang's heart. She was a failed mother; she couldn't nurture her Her Child...