Chapter 26: The Living Fear the Ghosts, but the Ghosts Know the Wickedness of the Living
In the Logistics Room of the Third Hospital.
The once tranquil room was now thick with tension. The three human female players, their faces now bearing an expression far different from the respectful, grateful demeanor they'd shown earlier, exuded nothing but envy and greed. Their feelings were as plain as day, not even attempting to hide their intentions.
"Yi Bai, that bastard," one of the women sneered, her bloodied face twisted with resentment. She gripped her remaining arm into a fist, her voice laced with venom. "He has the ability to perfectly protect us, to help us complete our tasks with ease. Yet, he didn't even offer a hand!"
The second woman, missing a leg, spat out in a harsh, guttural voice. Her face contorted into a snarl, resembling something not entirely human. "Why should he get to live so comfortably? He just sits there, making a fortune in ghost coins without lifting a finger! He could have shared a bit with us, helped us live better... but instead, he chooses to watch from the sidelines, pretending to care!"
The third woman, silent until now, sneered coldly. "He's fallen. A human, mingling with these monsters, ignoring the deaths of his own kind. He's just as much a part of this cursed world now, and that makes him worse than any ghost!"
They all fell silent for a moment, the air growing heavy with the bitterness between them. Then the woman with the bloodied face laughed, a cold, hollow laugh. "His fake kindness and pretended compassion will be his downfall. He has no idea that we will sell his secrets to the monsters. He'll never see it coming."
The three exchanged a glance, and the cruel smirk on their faces told a grim story—Yi Bai, who had once saved them, would soon face a horrible fate. They had no gratitude for his protection. In fact, the more he gave them the chance to survive, the deeper their resentment grew. It seemed that they would rather place their hope in a monster than quietly accept Yi Bai's offer to return to the living world.
Yi Bai had offered them the opportunity to survive in silence, but they had chosen to spit on it.
In the Director's Office.
The air in the office crackled with tension. The sounds of violent banging echoed through the hall, causing the werewolf doctor to flinch involuntarily. His eyes narrowed as he glanced at the three human women standing before him, their presence only heightening his displeasure.
"You better make sure the information you have is worth something, or else..." The werewolf doctor's voice was low, dripping with menace. The threat hung heavily in the air.
The door suddenly slammed open. "Who is it?" The voice that came from inside was sharp, filled with irritation.
"It's me, Director. I have important information to report." The werewolf doctor hurried to speak.
"Information?" The voice of Director He Yi, still shrouded in anger, demanded. "Come in."
The werewolf, followed by the three women, entered the office. The scene before them was one of chaos. A place usually neat and organized now looked disheveled. He Yi, the director, was seated in a broken chair, his face as cold as stone. His eyes glared at the newcomers, filled with a sense of barely contained rage.
"Speak. What is this information?"
There was a chilling edge to his tone. He had been working tirelessly to deal with the monster known as Ralph, the "seamstress" creature, but no matter how many connections he tried to pull, nothing had worked. He was nearing the edge of control. If not for the fact that he was too consumed by this task, he might have questioned why the werewolf doctor was bringing humans into his office. But right now, he didn't have the energy to care.
"You may tell him what you know." The werewolf urged, sensing the rising tension.
The three women exchanged looks. Though fear still lingered in their eyes, they managed to keep their wits about them. They knew what they needed to say to catch He Yi's interest.
"It's about the Blood-Clad Ghost's arm," one of the women spoke up, her voice shaky but deliberate. "If you want to know, we need to make a deal. The secret we hold concerns a Blood-Clad Ghost-level entity!"
The mere mention of the Blood-Clad Ghost caused He Yi's pupils to contract sharply. The women could see their words had struck home.
Minutes Later.
The werewolf doctor, blood dripping from his mouth, left the office with a satisfied grin. The stench of blood hung heavily in the room.
In the office, He Yi chuckled darkly to himself. "Well, well, Yi Bai. It looks like you and Nurse Lina have been busy plotting behind my back. You think you're clever? You think you can just take what you want?"
A cold smile spread across his face as his fingers traced the bloodstained desk. "The arm of a Blood-Clad Ghost. That's worth more than a hundred thousand ghost coins—maybe even more. It's a prize too big to ignore."
He Yi's mind raced with jealousy and greed. He had been scheming for so long, accumulating his own ghost coins bit by bit, but here was Yi Bai, a mere human, who could potentially make a fortune with just a word from the Rose Earl.
"How dare you think you can live so well?" He Yi murmured, eyes narrowing in a deadly gleam. "You think you're safe just because you have the favor of the Rose Earl? You're nothing. Nothing more than a tool."
He Yi's grip tightened on his chair's armrest. His thoughts were consumed with envy as he looked at the mountains of ghost coins that could be his, if only Yi Bai would step aside.
"Wait until this deal is done, Yi Bai. You'll wish you had stayed out of my way." He Yi's smile turned into something more sinister, a promise of death for anyone who crossed him.