Nobody responded.
Just now, they vaguely heard … the sound of a walking stick. It was very soft, and it was approaching them from afar.
This was the inpatient department.
As nurses who had studied medicine, they were no cowards who had never witnessed the passing of life and death.
However, it was curfew time, and the absence of a single soul in the empty duty room made their skin crawl.
"Shall we go and take a look?" The short-haired nurse picked up her flashlight and asked.
The nurse with shoulder-length hair nodded. It was her duty to do so. Then, as soon as they got up, their eyes immediately widened.
The door was slightly ajar, and there was a small gap between them.
Just a moment ago, they clearly saw a blurry figure slowly walking past the door.
Thud, thud … The sound of the walking stick was incomparably clear in the lonely night. But … they didn't hear any footsteps!
In fact … they didn't even hear a single sound!
There was no breathing, no coughing, no rubbing. There was only the sound of the walking stick.
Bzzt … Just then, the lights in the room flickered twice, and then suddenly went out.
"Is there a power outage?"
The short-haired nurse drew a deep breath. For some reason, she felt incredibly flustered, almost as though a voice were reminding her - Leave … leave immediately!
Gulp … She gulped nervously. But before she could say anything, the nurse with shoulder-length hair chimed in, "The lights must be out. Look, the computer's still working fine."
The short-haired nurse glanced at the monitor. Indeed, the monitor was still displaying the images from the surveillance cameras.
Most hospitals would have surveillance cameras installed in their duty rooms, just in case of emergencies.
The computer showed that the lights in the corridors were all working fine. But for some reason, the lights on the first floor seemed to have been broken.
"That gave me a fright …" The short-haired nurse heaved a sigh of relief and shifted her gaze away.
But just as she shifted her gaze away for a second, she suddenly blinked and turned back again.
In the black-and-white image of the surveillance cameras, the door to the second floor … opened soundlessly.
It was room 201, the uppermost room.
She couldn't help but feel that something was amiss. Furrowing her brows, she pulled the nurse over to the computer and took a closer look.
But in the very next moment … the second door … opened as well.
And then … the third, fourth, fifth … the doors to the sickrooms on the second floor opened silently!
It was as if an invisible person had pushed open the doors one by one!
"Hah!!" The short-haired nurse gasped. In that instant, she finally understood what was wrong.
"L-Little Liu …" Her voice was trembling, "Do you remember … the year before last, there were patients who reacted like this … saying that the door to the room wasn't closed properly … and the wind blew in, and the door slammed loudly in the middle of the night. It scared everyone awake …"
Nurse Xiao Liu nodded in confusion. "That's true."
The short-haired nurse leaned closer to Qin Ye. Her voice was trembling uncontrollably as she whispered hoarsely, "Then … do you remember … after that incident … the director of the hospital changed all the doors to a soundless lock?"
"Yeah, I still remember when I first came …" Nurse Liu's voice stopped abruptly before she could finish speaking. Then, both of them looked at the screen in horror.
Yes, a door with a soundless lock could not be moved by the wind.
In the past few years, they had gotten used to pushing these doors, so they knew better.
These doors … could only be pushed open by humans!
So … why did all the doors on the second floor … suddenly open?
The sudden chill in the air caused both of them to shiver at the same time. Although they weren't cowards, the hospital was also a place where all sorts of paranormal legends abounded.
They were initially frightened by their seniors and head nurse, but now, they were completely unfazed by the collapse of Mount Tai. It wasn't because they had grown brave.
Rather, it was because … they were used to it.
No matter how frightening a story was, it would gradually become less frightening if they hadn't encountered it before.
Who would've thought that … they would suddenly encounter something as inexplicable as this!
There's someone on the second floor …
Someone … has opened the soundless door …
It's almost as though a spirit is inspecting the entire ward!
Apart from them, there are other people on duty in this hospital!
"T-t-t-t-t-t …" Their teeth chattered uncontrollably, and goosebumps crawled all over their arms.
The short-haired nurse gritted her teeth and asked with a trembling voice, "Should … should we still turn on the lights?"
"Yes!!" Nurse Liu gritted her teeth, "If we don't … we're going to be scared to death tonight!"
They desperately needed light.
The two of them drew a deep breath and turned around.
They quietly walked towards the door, but just as they were halfway there, both of them were stunned.
Thud … thud … The sound of the walking stick didn't leave. Rather … it arrived at the door.
Furthermore … he had walked in!
No one.
There was no shadow.
There was no breathing.
Amidst the deathly stillness of the darkness, they could hear the sound of the walking stick striking against their hearts. Step by step … he walked right before them!!
The two nurses were hugging each other tightly, unable to say a single word. They could feel … that something was right there, right in front of them, staring straight at them!
"Ha … ha …" Nurse Liu's tears came out. There was a ghost, there was really a ghost … Just as she was holding back the scream in her throat, she suddenly froze.
Someone had pulled up her hair and combed it gently.
That ice-cold breath sprayed on her neck!
However, the short-haired nurse in front of her had her arms around her waist.
"Ahhhhhh!!!!"
… …
"Warning!
Massive Yin energy detected in the city's Second People's Hospital!
My rough estimate is that it's at least two hundred Yin spirits! "
"Sir!
Six neighbourhoods on South Blue Avenue erupted with Yin energy on a large scale!
I estimate it to be at least three thousand Yin spirits! "
"S-Sir!
Massive Yin energy detected in the commercial district of the city's Dragonhorse District!
I estimate it to be close to ten thousand Yin spirits! "
"Warning …"
Underground city hall.
This was an extremely modern place. The ceilings and floors were all made of alloy.
There was a strangely shaped three-meter tall supercomputer in the center of the room.
Countless data streams flowed through the gaps in the alloy, transforming into red, yellow, and blue signals that flowed along the optical fiber and into the dozens of computers that surrounded the cylindrical supercomputer.
The people in this place were all men in white coats.
There was a series of electronic screens on all four sides.
All of them were displaying a map of the City of Salvation.
Countless numbers were jumping about, and the green areas that originally represented safety had completely vanished.
Now … the borders of the City of Salvation were still yellow, while the central areas appeared to have been stained with blood. It was so red that it was terrifying!
"Sir, a total of twenty cultivators from the Special Investigations Department stationed at five locations in the Peace District have taken the initiative to strike first!
The supercomputer, Styx, has determined that there's no way they can suppress us. Please send reinforcements as soon as possible! "
"Sir, a total of thirteen cultivators from the Special Investigations Department stationed at three locations in the Dragonhorse District are currently on standby!
The Dragonhorse District is located in the city center, and the Yin energy outbreak in the area has reached 9,300 Yin!
We urgently need reinforcements! "
Sirens blared incessantly from all directions.
There were five people standing right in front of the electronic screen in the center.
The mayor of the City of Salvation. The secretary of the City of Salvation.
Zhang Chenghai, special agent of the Special Investigations Department in the City of Salvation, and a middle-aged man as thin as a withered bamboo. He wore a long black robe and an old-fashioned square scarf.
The last one was a nun.
She looked to be in her forties, and her hair was somewhat gray.
All five of them had incredibly grave expressions on their faces.
"No omen?" Zhang Chenghai's eyes were red as he gritted his teeth and turned to look at the nun.
The nun shook her head. Her expression was equally ashen, "There's no sign at all … It's just as we've speculated. The City of Salvation … must have a leader of the underworld.
He's the one who controls everything beneath the City of Salvation.
Otherwise, there's no way the Yin spirits would move in such unison. "
The skinny man gnashed his teeth, "My master's investigation revealed that Hell hasn't collected any souls in the last hundred years … Tonight … these are the Yin spirits that have perished in the City of Salvation over the last hundred years!
They've all been gathered together, but we can't find the mastermind behind this! "
Humans couldn't see Emissaries of Hell.
This was also the reason why Cao Youdao dared to single-handedly plot against a vassal state!
"Is this a provocation to us?"
The mayor stared coldly at the screen, "Mr Zhang, are there any Hunter-class experts in the City of Salvation?"
Zhang Chenghai shook his head, "Apart from me, there's no one else.
Mayor Zhao, you should know that Hunter-class experts are few and far between. Each city only has one, and the provincial capital only has four or five.
Many cities don't even have one. "
The nun snorted coldly, "No matter what, tonight is a declaration of war from the other side.
Mr Zhang, let's meet them head on … The final showdown between the netherworld and the netherworld is only a matter of time. The citizens can't be kept in the dark forever! "
"Mr Zhang, this old man is on standby." The skinny man responded.
The mayor and secretary remained silent.
Truth be told, their hearts were also filled with complex emotions.
Meet them head on … we have to meet them head on!
But as soon as we meet them head on, the entire City of Salvation … will no longer be able to conceal the truth!
Cathay had a one-party system, and it was a system that allowed the government's orders to be carried out without any opposition.
This was why they had been able to suppress the supernatural for so long.
They also knew that it was only a matter of time before it exploded.
But now that they were at a critical juncture, they felt somewhat lost.
What should they do after this?
How were they going to explain the situation to a million people?
What was the nation going to do?
"Mayor Zhao."
Zhang Chenghai drew a deep breath, turned around and spoke through gritted teeth, "The Special Investigations Department has the authority to mobilize the military without going through the mayor or secretary's approval.
Right now, I'd like to use this authority. "
We're going to fight!
Even though they had already guessed what Zhang Chenghai was going to do, Mayor Zhao and Secretary Zhao couldn't help but sigh silently.
They nodded deeply.
Cathay was never afraid of war!
"Alright."
Zhang Chenghai turned around and heaved a long sigh of relief. Then, he turned to face everyone, "From now on, all armed forces, troops, and armed police are to listen to my orders."
"Immediately notify all garrisons to sweep away all Yin spirits in the vicinity!
Do it at all costs! "
"Immediately activate the supernatural perimeter in the City of Salvation!
Without my approval, the supernatural perimeter is not to be activated!! "
"Open the armoury and distribute spirit hunting weapons to all troops!"
His eyes were bloodshot as he continued, "By dawn tomorrow, I want to see every inch of the City of Salvation filled with living beings!!"
"This battle is a declaration of sovereignty!
Whether he's just testing us out or if he's truly determined to go against us, we … can't afford to lose! "
"If he wants to fight, then we'll fight until he doesn't even dare to test us out!"