Yu Qing Lang stood at the doorway, her mind still fuzzy from sleep. She heard a thunderous uproar outside her door. The clamour wasn’t the usual hustle and bustle of the Second Hospital, where she’d spent over a decade, but a cacophony that resembled a firecracker festival gone rogue.


    She stood paralyzed at the closed door, bewildered by the commotion. Finally, she called out, “What in the world is going on out there?”


    What could Yu Xiao have possibly done to create such a ruckus? And how had she even managed to get here safely?


    Before she could ponder further, a sudden crash against the door made her jump.


    “Ow! Who threw a skull at me?!” Yu Xiao’s voice bellowed from the other side.


    “S-Sorry, it was an accident…” another voice stammered.


    A chorus of apologetic murmurs followed.


    Yu Qing Lang’s face drained of colour. “Are there a lot of people out there?”


    “Yeah,” Yu Xiao’s voice confirmed, accompanied by the sound of scratching on the door. “Sister Qing Lang, open up! It’s pitch black out here, and I’m terrified!”


    Yu Qing Lang ripped the door open, ready to face whatever monstrosity awaited. But it was a familiar face, grinning with Brother Long’s signature saccharine smile, “Sister Qing Lang ~~!”


    It was Brother Long’s face…


    The sight was almost too much to bear. Yu Qing Lang squeezed her eyes shut, “One more word in that voice with that face, and I swear… I’ll kill you.”


    Yu Xiao wisely clamped her mouth shut. Outside, a thick black fog swirled, obscuring the scene. Yu Qing Lang could sense chaos in the air, “What the hell is going on out there?”


    “Let’s go inside,” Yu Xiao nudged her way in, quickly shutting the door and flicking on the light. Off came the wig, revealing her youthful, almost innocent face.


    Yu Qing Lang had to admit, it suited the girl’s penchant for calling everyone brother or sister.


    “Sister Qing Lang,” Yu Xiao blinked those big eyes, “I’m here as you asked, about the phone…”


    Yu Qing Lang eyed the seemingly frail girl, lips pressed into a thin line, “First, tell me what’s happening outside.”


    “Oh, outside?” Yu Xiao’s face lit up with gratitude, “Thanks to Dong Dong and Flying to Someone Else’s Bed, most of the hospital patients are out there helping me find you. Flying to Someone Else’s Bed figured if everyone’s wandering around, I’ll be safe.”


    Yu Qing Lang just stared, speechless.


    Yu Qing Lang’s eye twitched. ‘Flying to Someone Else’s Bed’ was really making her look like the villain here. This wasn’t her doing!


    She glared at Yu Xiao, “Don’t call me sister. I don’t have a sister.”


    Yu Xiao bit back a retort about not being able to call her “auntie” either. She needed this woman’s help.


    “Qing Lang… my dear,” Yu Xiao purred, “I’m here. Hand over the phone while it’s still chaos outside. I’ll be on my way.”


    Despite being in a hospital, Yu Qing Lang looked surprisingly youthful. Her skin, though, held an unsettling pallor, and her slender frame seemed fragile. Her large eyes lacked their usual spark, and her messy, shoulder-length hair framed a face etched with gloom. Dressed in a baggy t-shirt and shorts, she resembled a grumpy sparrow perched on the bed.


    She pointed a bony finger at Yu Xiao, “Who said I’m just handing over the phone because you showed up?”


    “But you said on the phone…” Yu Xiao sputtered.


    A wicked grin spread across Yu Qing Lang’s face, “That was just one of the tests. You’ll stay here for more.”


    Yu Xiao internally groaned. This woman loved her tests. “Fine!” she huffed, plopping down. “What other ridiculous tasks do you have in store?”


    Yu Qing Lang chuckled, glancing at the door. “Speaking of outside…”


    “Want to join the fun?” Yu Xiao offered.


    A scoff escaped Yu Qing Lang’s lips. “Do I look like an idiot? I’m asking if we’ll get any food with all this chaos.”


    A valid point. Yu Xiao hadn’t thought of that, but she did remember a food truck on her way here. Probably abandoned due to the madness outside. She stood up, “Wait here, I’ll get you something.”


    As soon as the door creaked open, the familiar voice of ‘Flying to Someone Else’s Bed’ boomed from outside, “Where do you think you’re going? Get back inside!”


    Yu Xiao poked her head out, “Sister Qing Lang wants food.”


    “Food is always a priority,” grumbled the voice, before yelling, “Anyone seen the food truck? Bring some grub over here!”


    A new voice chimed in, “The food truck’s with me!”


    Another voice added, “Human food or ghost food?”


    “You’re a ghost,” Nightmare quipped back. “Human food!”


    Before long, a large bundle of food was handed to Yu Xiao. ‘Flying to Someone Else’s Bed’ glanced towards the other bed and warned, “Stay put, alright?”


    Yu Xiao closed the door and presented the feast to Yu Qing Lang. “Dig in, my dear, it’s still warm.”


    Yu Qing Lang wasn’t particularly hungry, having not eaten in three days – not that she felt it. But she had requested the food, so she dutifully sat down.


    She picked at her meal, ears tuned to the commotion outside. “How much longer?”


    Recalling the future news, Yu Xiao replied, “Two more days, probably.”


    “Tsk.” Yu Qing Lang nibbled on a shrimp.


    Yu Xiao’s mind drifted to Misty and Precious. Once she found them, a quick illusion spell would convince them she’d left. Then she’d hide until her past self departed and she could reappear. Despite the second hospital’s charm, her own ward beckoned.


    “Aren’t you eating?” Yu Qing Lang’s voice interrupted her thoughts.


    “Huh?” Yu Xiao quickly masked her distraction. “I am, I am.” S~ea??h the N?velFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yu Qing Lang glanced at her, suspecting she was distracted by her phone. After a beat of silence, she spoke, “Nan Qiao died horribly.”


    Yu Xiao looked up, startled.


    Yu Qing Lang seemed unnaturally calm. “We’d been together for over ten years. Got complacent, thought we were invincible. Even planned our post-discharge life, opening a mobile phone shop. Apparently, smartphones are the future.”


    “Um… right. Go on,” Yu Xiao prompted.


    “Then she died.” Yu Qing Lang’s head shook slowly. “I was blindsided. She couldn’t even speak, just stared with wide eyes. Tried to transfer her points to me, but didn’t make it.”


    “I can impersonate her, transfer the points from her phone to you,” Yu Xiao offered.


    Yu Qing Lang’s gaze sharpened, suddenly fierce. “Is this all about points for you?!”


    Yu Xiao fell silent again under the intense stare.


    “Why aren’t you eating? You don’t want to eat human food either?”


    Unable to refuse, Yu Xiao reluctantly shovelled food into her mouth.


    Suddenly, Yu Qing Lang slammed her hand on the table. “You’re right!” she exclaimed. “We have to save them. It’s too cruel to let them suffer alone.”


    Without pausing to wipe her hands, she reached under her pillow and produced a battered flip phone. “Take it,” she said, thrusting it toward Yu Xiao.


    Yu Xiao eagerly reached out, but Yu Qing Lang didn’t release it. “One condition.”


    Yu Xiao nodded, already anticipating the demand.


    “I’m coming with you.”


    Yu Xiao opened her mouth to protest, but one look at Yu Qing Lang’s determined face told her it was futile. She nodded again.


    Yu Qing Lang leaned forward, chin propped on her hands, staring intently. “Can you transform into Nan Qiao for me?”


    “My transformation item has a twelve-hour cooldown.”


    Without missing a beat, Yu Qing Lang produced a card. “One-time appearance change card. Use it.”


    Hesitantly, Yu Xiao began to picture Jiang Nan Qiao’s face. Yu Qing Lang then handed her a photo – it was Nan Qiao, exactly as Yu Xiao remembered from Time Hospital.


    With the photo in hand, she transformed instantly.


    Yu Qing Lang gasped, tears welling in her eyes.


    Yu Xiao embraced the sobbing woman, gently patting her back. A wave of complex emotions washed over her. Since she entered the Sixth Hospital, all the patients she met were good people, struggling to survive in the ghostly world.


    She was lucky to have her talisman-drawing talent, a lifeline in her first instances. But moments like this filled her with resentment. Yu Qing Lang, Wang Dong Dong, and countless others worked tirelessly, their chances of escape slim to none.


    They’d helped her immensely, yet her help in return felt paltry in comparison.


    Tears streamed down Yu Qing Lang’s cheeks, her spirit seemingly crushed under an invisible weight.


    Beside her, Yu Xiao cleared away the leftovers of their meal, her presence a silent comfort. She handed Yu Qing Lang a freshly peeled orange and gently probed, “How many more points do you need to gather?”


    Gazing back with hollow eyes, Yu Qing Lang gave a faint shake of her head. “I’m starting to feel like I don’t belong out there anymore.”


    Yu Xiao frowned. Those words…they echoed like those of Wide Sea and Sky “Why?”They said once we have enough points…”


    Yu Qing Lang’s gaze dropped to her trembling hands. “It’s because I’m scared to sleep. In my dreams, I’m always devouring people. The pleasure I feel in those moments terrifies me when I awake. And when I see the faces of those from the Third and Fourth Hospital, I feel… an urge.”


    Yu Xiao reached out, clasping her hand firmly. “It’s the Yin energy consuming you. Once we’re outside, it’ll get better.”


    “Do you really believe that?” Yu Qing Lang turned to face her, a new question forming. “Do you know why your talismans are unwelcome here?”


    Yu Xiao paused, taken aback. “Is it because they’re too powerful, and this place has no use for them?”


    “Not at all.” Yu Qing Lang raised her pale, delicate hands into the light. “It’s because the talismans react to our presence.”


    The revelation hit Yu Xiao like a cold wave. Talismans are meant for the dead, not the living…


    “Do you still think we can leave this place?” Yu Qing Lang murmured, her voice almost a whisper.


    A chill crawled up Yu Xiao’s spine, her thoughts scattering in panic. Yu Qing Lang went on, “You’re new to the Sixth Hospital, you might not sense it yet. But maybe after a few more years…”


    She trailed off, leaving an ominous silence hanging between them. Yu Xiao hastily asked, “Haven’t they assured us that we can leave once we’ve accumulated enough points?”


    Yu Qing Lang sighed, a sound filled with weariness and dread. “I fear I might not last that long. I can barely sleep for twenty minutes straight, totaling less than three hours a night. The Yin energy might not have devoured me completely yet, but I’m already falling apart.”


    Words failed Yu Xiao. The ward fell into a hushed stillness, the muffled sounds of life outside mocking them with its vibrancy.


    Unspoken fears lingered in Yu Qing Lang’s heart. She dreaded not just death, but the loneliness that might accompany it. Deep down, she longed for a companion, someone who would promise to keep her phone with them after she was gone, as she had once done for Nan Qiao. That, she believed, would make the darkness a little less daunting.


    “So, ready for the instance tomorrow?” Yu Qing Lang asked, trying to sound upbeat.


    Yu Xiao, still disoriented from the chaotic thoughts swirling in her head, stammered, “T-tomorrow? Oh, yeah, I guess so.”


    “Get some sleep tonight, okay?” Yu Qing Lang advised. “We’ll go together.”


    Easy for her to say, Yu Xiao thought, glancing at her new friend curled up on the bed. The hallway outside was a cacophony of shouts and screams, a symphony of madness. How could anyone sleep through that? But poor QingLlang needed her rest. Maybe…maybe she could do something.


    An idea struck her like a bolt of lightning: Nightmare! He could control dreams, couldn’t he? If she could just get him to block those horrible cannibalistic visions…


    But then doubt crept in. Firstly, she had no idea how far Nightmare’s powers extended. Could he even influence dreams in this place? Secondly, there was the small matter of him being a wanted fugitive. And even if he wasn’t, would he even agree to help?


    She had a feeling he would. Nightmare, despite his fearsome reputation, seemed oddly eager to please her. Which, honestly, just made the whole situation even more awkward.


    She had saved him on a whim, a moment of impulsive empathy. Her plan, such as it was, involved helping him clear his name and maybe find a nice, normal job. You know, something that didn’t involve him dying over and over or other people dying over and over.


    She hadn’t asked for anything in return. Just a promise to, you know, not curse her family for a thousand generations or anything.


    But seeing Yu Qing Lang and the other patients suffering, she felt a pang of guilt. What would happen to them when she left? Nightmare only listened to her. He wasn’t exactly known for his altruism.


    A sudden bark from outside interrupted her thoughts. The head of security – Cerberus. The noise outside was getting louder, more frantic.


    Yu Xiao picked up Jiang Nan Qiao’s old flip phone. She remembered playing Gomoku on her parents’ phones as a child. Flipping it open, she scrolled through the apps. No Gomoku, but there was Mahjong.


    (Gomoku: Gomoku is a traditional board game, also known as Five in a Row, where players take turns placing stones on a grid with the goal of getting five of their stones in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. )


    Launching the game, Yu Xiao’s thoughts drifted to Zhou Xiao Zhen. Would they reunite soon?


    The next morning, Yu Xiao woke to a gentle shake. She had tossed and turned all night, her mind a whirlwind of worries. And yet, to her surprise, she had actually fallen asleep.


    “You’re one tough cookie, Yu Xiao,” Yu Qing Lang said, with admiration in her voice. “I barely slept a wink, and you were out like a light! Didn’t all that noise bother you?”


    “Maybe that’s just another one of my special talents.” Yu Xiao mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.


    Already dressed, Yu Qing Lang teased, “Do you have any idea how torturous it was listening to you snore while I lay awake?”


    “Ah…” Yu Xiao blinked in disbelief. “I snored? That’s impossible—I never snore.”


    “Well, your breathing was really loud,” Yu Qing Lang insisted.


    Yu Xiao sighed. Look, a girl’s gotta breathe, right?