Lu Li shook the sticky, spectral substance from his umbrella, folded it, and fell into thought.
There was clearly a connection between Richard and the obese ghost. The question was, what were their intentions?
Lu Li mentally replayed the events since he'd been knocked out on the first basement level, his thoughts finally settling on a single word: "Vessel."
Richard had repeated the word several times, while the obese ghost had called it a "chance at resurrection."
"Vessel" and a "chance at resurrection." Together, the phrases brought him dangerously close to the truth.
Lu Li’s dark eyes shifted. Were they trying to possess his body? If so, how did Asina's husband fit into all this?
He suddenly looked up and glanced back down the corridor behind him.
The translucent form of Anna drifted out of the darkness.
"Did you get him?"
"I shot him in the knee," Lu Li said, his brow furrowing.
A flicker of frustration crossed Anna’s face. She squeezed her eyes shut and said stubbornly, "He’s hiding... but... but I’m scared to go in there."
Lu Li looked confused.
"It's... Oh, just follow me!" Anna spun around and drifted back the way she came.
Lu Li followed Anna. After they’d wound through the same corridor three times, he finally spotted the entrance to the second basement level.
Ahead, the corridor was blocked by more than twenty plastic mannequins.
"It’s... those things..." Anna ducked behind Lu Li, peeking out from over his shoulder.
Clutching the radiator, Lu Li charged forward.
After a short, brutal clash, the floor was littered with the shattered limbs and torsos of the mannequins. It was a grisly scene.
Standing among the fragments, Lu Li leaned on his makeshift weapon and looked up. "Any more?"
"Eep..." Anna clutched her head and let out a faint whimper.
"It's alright. You'll get used to it," Lu Li remarked, his tone devoid of disappointment or judgment. He simply stated it as a fact.
In life, Anna had been a sheltered aristocrat. It was unreasonable to expect her to instantly embrace her new existence and become a warrior.
Dragging the radiator to the top of the stairs, Lu Li saw a door at the bottom of the landing, bolted from the other side.
Once again, Lu Li hefted the radiator. With a deafening crash, the door splintered into pieces.
The floor was so caked in filth that its original color was impossible to discern. Cans, bottles, and other refuse were strewn about. A pile of soiled linens and clothes lay heaped on a grimy bed, some of it clearly belonging to a woman.
It was impossible to tell if the clothing had belonged to the hospital staff or to their victims...
A bank of telephones with a rat's nest of tangled cords stood against the opposite wall.
A sour, musty odor mingled with other smells to create an almost unbearable stench.
The place had clearly been converted into living quarters. This was where Richard had been hiding.
Lu Li stepped inside, with Anna trailing close behind him.
Brrrring! Brrrring!
"Ah!" The sudden noise nearly scared Anna out of her spectral skin, and she shrank against Lu Li.
Lu Li glanced at the ringing telephone and walked over to it.
Anna remained frozen in place, her entire form trembling as she tried to compose herself.
Brrrring!
Lu Li picked up the receiver and held it to his ear.
"It seems you’ve found my little hideout. A pity I’m already long gone," Richard’s voice chuckled from the receiver, then suddenly twisted into a furious roar. "You’ve ruined a part of our plan, you criminal! I will find you... and you will die a horrific death!"
Richard’s maniacal laughter echoed through the line before cutting off abruptly. He could hear the distinct whir and click of a rotary dial.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"Do the other phones work?" Lu Li asked, tucking the receiver under his chin as he picked up the handset of an adjacent phone.
"Uh... yes," Richard replied, a note of uncertainty in his voice.
"Good. Thank you." Lu Li began to dial, his finger expertly turning the rotary dial.
"What in the world are you doing?!" Richard yelled, his voice laced with alarm.
"There's a body in the hallway. You killed someone. That’s a matter for the police."
The other end of the line went silent. Then, Richard stammered, "But... but... this is usually a private affair! Why are you calling the police?!"
"I'm a law-abiding citizen. When I discover a crime, I report it to the police," Lu Li replied calmly. "I’m a very busy man. I don’t have time for personal vendettas."
"And how are you going to explain any of this?!" Richard roared. "If you tell them this place is haunted, they’ll lock you up and throw away the key!"
"I'll omit the supernatural details and report the rest factually. Whether they believe it or not is a problem for the police and for you. Not for me."
Just then, a woman's voice came through on the other line. Lu Li held up a hand as if to silence Richard and spoke to the operator. "Hello. I’m at the abandoned psychiatric hospital near Sentry Post—the one formerly known as the Sixth Psychiatric Hospital. I’ve discovered a body. It appears the death occurred several days ago..."
"Understood. Officers will be dispatched shortly. Please remain at the scene and await their arrival."
After hanging up, Lu Li heard Richard, who had been simmering in silence, finally explode. "You’ll regret this!"
"I have a question for you," Lu Li said, his tone perfectly nonchalant.
"What? You've destroyed everything I was working toward, and you have the nerve to ask me questions?!" Richard sounded ready to slam the phone down, but this was his only remaining line of communication.
Lu Li’s expression remained placid. "I answered your question."
"A fair exchange, is it..." Richard suddenly grew calm, his fury replaced by a chilling composure. "Heh... What do you want to know?"
"Where does the hospital keep its patient records?"
Richard was instantly on guard. "Why do you want to know?"
"It’s for an investigation. I need to find the file of a patient named Edward. If you happen to know of him, that would be even better."
"Never heard of him!" Richard snapped, and it was the truth. The thought only seemed to make him angrier. "You have an investigation, so go investigate! Why the hell are you sticking your nose in my business?!"
"You were the one who knocked me unconscious."
Dead silence.
After a long moment, Richard’s voice returned, strained, hoarse, and laced with exhaustion. "Leave that room. Turn right and go to the end of the hall. There’s a door. That’s the records archive. All the case files are in there. When the doctors fled, they didn’t bother taking that scrap paper with them. You’d better hope whatever you’re looking for hasn’t been eaten or used as toilet paper by the lunatics still wandering these halls."
"Alright. Thank you."