Chapter 52: The Strange Person

Zhang Xiaofan let out a sigh, cast a glance at the pitch-black crematorium, gritted his teeth, and stepped inside.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

The wind was howling within the crematorium. Enveloped by the sound, the entrance resembled a gaping, bloodthirsty maw, swallowing everything in its path. These noises sounded exceptionally eerie; even though Zhang Xiaofan had seen countless ghosts, he still felt a chill run down his spine.

Once inside, Zhang Xiaofan noticed dim, gloomy lights flickering. The place was surprisingly large. After wandering through a maze of corridors, he finally spotted the sign for the morgue.

"Looks like this is the place."

Zhang Xiaofan swallowed hard and looked ahead. The morgue was situated on the east side of the crematorium. It was built there because, according to traditional beliefs, the east side was rich in *yang* energy, which could effectively neutralize the heavy *yin* energy of the morgue.

"The *yin* energy here is so heavy," Hu Xiaotian said, rubbing his arms. He pulled out a copper coin and suggested, "How about I cast a hex for us? To see if this trip will be auspicious or ominous?"

Recalling the hexes Hu had previously cast for Lin Rou and Su Qianqian, Zhang Xiaofan snapped, "Forget it. The more you calculate, the worse our luck gets."

Hu Xiaotian replied, feeling speechless, "Fine, then."

"Look, that’s the entrance to the morgue up ahead," Zhou Jian pointed out.

In front of the four of them lay a long corridor. Just as they stepped in, a figure suddenly emerged from the shadows in the corner. Dressed in a security guard's uniform, the man asked expressionlessly, "What are you four doing here?"

"A friend of ours died in a car accident and was brought here, so we’ve come to visit him," Zhang Xiaofan said, thinking quickly.

"Hm?" The guard’s gaze sharpened. He said coldly, "There have been no car accidents recently."

"Ahem, how would you know as a guard? My friend arrived a few days ago; you probably just didn’t notice," Zhang Xiaofan insisted, bracing himself.

The situation reached a stalemate. Zhang Xiaofan secretly resolved that if this guy kept pestering them, he would have no choice but to knock him out. Fortunately, the guard nodded a moment later and said, "Alright, go ahead. Keep it quiet; it’s not good to disturb people."

With that, the guard walked away with a stumbling gait, seemingly off to continue his patrol.

"Disturb people?" Hu Xiaotian muttered grumpily. "It’s full of corpses in here—who are we going to disturb? What a hassle."

"Places with such heavy *yin* energy are prone to spawning malevolent spirits," Zhou Jian said in a low voice. "It’s better to keep it down."

"Alright, everyone be careful. This place is very strange," Zhang Xiaofan cautioned. The main reason was that Qin Xiaoyu had just told him the ghostly aura here was thick and smelled delicious—she wanted to eat more of it. That alone confirmed this was a gathering place for spirits.

As they moved forward, the temperature continued to drop.

"We should have asked where the bodies are kept," Hu Xiaotian said.

"Finding the morgue is enough; the body is in freezer number ninety-eight," Zhang Xiaofan replied. Suddenly, he noticed two figures in white work uniforms walking toward them, wearing white hats and masks.

In the darkness, the two moved without a sound; they didn't make a single footstep.

"Trouble—there are people," Hu Xiaotian said nervously.

"Stick to the original plan," Zhang Xiaofan whispered.

To their surprise, the two figures walked right past them as if they hadn't seen them at all. This baffled the group, but Zhang Xiaofan said, "Maybe they’re just ordinary staff. Don't worry about it. I noticed they came from that room ahead—let's go."

"Right."

The four walked up to a set of double doors. Just as they were about to enter, another staff member in white emerged from behind the door. He glanced at them, then walked away with complete indifference.

"The people here are so weird," Jiang Jiewei remarked.

"Of course they are. They deal with dead bodies every day. You’d be weird too," Hu Xiaotian shook his head.

Zhang Xiaofan frowned. Hu Xiaotian nudged him and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Zhang Xiaofan shook his head, saying it was nothing.

They pushed the door open and entered, only to encounter two more figures in white. Because of their masks, their faces remained hidden.

"Strange, it’s past eleven, and these people still aren't off work," Hu Xiaotian noted.

Zhang Xiaofan’s expression shifted. "This isn't right!"

"Indeed," Zhou Jian said, drawing a small dagger from his belt.

"It’s definitely not right," Jiang Jiewei added. "Why are these people walking so stiffly?"

"Could these be… spirit corpses?" Hu Xiaotian finally noticed the abnormality.

"No, spirit corpses have a very heavy ghostly aura," Zhang Xiaofan said, concentrating.

As he spoke, another figure in white emerged from around the corner ahead. Seeing this person, the four of them felt their pupils constrict.

The figure only had half a body; the other half appeared to have been crushed flat by something, and a large portion of its skull was missing. It was walking toward them.

"Z-z-z-zombie..." Hu Xiaotian gasped, his fear turning his speech into a stutter.

Zhang Xiaofan was equally shocked, his face pale. He exchanged a look with Zhou Jian. "What do you think these are?" he whispered.

"They look like zombies. Only zombies lack a ghostly aura," Zhou Jian said gravely.

Suddenly, the corpse with the half-missing skull stopped right in front of them. At such close range, Zhang Xiaofan could smell the stench of decay and felt an icy chill radiating from the body.

"Let's move," Zhou Jian urged. The four quickly skirted around the corpse. This time, as if it had caught a scent, the corpse slowly turned its head—the remaining half of its skull rotating with a sickening crunch.

"Oh my god, it’s looking at us," Hu Xiaotian said, dripping with cold sweat. "I told you we should have cast a hex—at least we’d know if we’re in danger!"

Zhang Xiaofan didn't have time to listen to Hu Xiaotian. They reached the corner ahead, where it was even darker, almost pitch-black.

Hu Xiaotian pulled out his phone. "I can't see a thing, let me light it up."

Before anyone could respond, he turned on the flashlight. The room was instantly flooded with light!

Right in front of Hu Xiaotian stood a woman. She was wearing the white uniform, but only half her skull remained. Her eyeball dangled from the corner of her eye socket, and she grinned at Hu Xiaotian with a vacant, chilling smile.

"Hiss..." Hu Xiaotian inhaled sharply. Just as he was about to scream, Zhang Xiaofan covered his mouth and dragged him backward.

*Bang!*

Zhang Xiaofan felt his back hit something. He glanced over his shoulder and nearly jumped out of his skin.

An old woman with a hunched back was staring at him. In the dim light, he saw her skin was covered in lividity, and her skull was deeply indented, as if crushed by a heavy, blunt object.

*Zzzzzz...*

Suddenly, all the lights in the facility flickered to life. The four looked around, only to see the area packed with corpses in white uniforms. These dead things were staring at them, their eyes burning with malice!