Escape from the Thriller World – Chapter 25.1
by Little PandaVolume One: The Old Corpse in the Mountain Village
Investigation
The two of them were simultaneously parasitic in one body.
The nurse was removing the needle from Ning Lan, while Ning Lan occasionally glanced at Shen Qingyou. Shen Qingyou noticed her gaze and immediately avoided it.
The relationship between the two became subtle [awkward/delicate], and Shen Qingyou instinctively avoided her gaze.
Ning Lan, pressing her hand, stood up and nearly slipped in her canvas shoes on the floor.
Shen Qingyou stepped forward to support her and said: “You should go back and rest well today. I’ll investigate the Tong Lau matter.”
Ning Lan, pressing her temple with her dizzy head, said: “My head is still very foggy.”
They walked to the front desk to pay the medical bill, and Ning Lan looked at this hospital – it was the same one where Lan Fang was diagnosed.
They might be able to learn about Lan Fang’s mental condition from the doctor here.
Ning Lan paused her steps and said: “Officer Shen, wait. I thought of someone.”
Shen Qingyou frowned and asked: “What did you think of?”
Ning Lan pointed at the doctor’s photo hanging in the hospital lobby and said: “Do you remember Lan Fang had a doctor who treated her? She was from this hospital.”
Shen Qingyou nodded and said: “That’s right, it is indeed this one. However, we’ll need to try our luck.”
Ning Lan let out a breath and said: “We have too few clues now, we can only try our best to dig into the story’s characters.”
The information from that diagnostic report suddenly appeared in Ning Lan’s mind, and she searched for that doctor’s name.
She casually asked the young nurse: “Hello, do you have a psychiatrist here named Cheng Fengying?”
The young nurse nodded and said: “You must mean our chief psychiatrist here. She’s in today, but you’ll need to get a number [queue number].”
The nurse pointed to the psychiatric department on the third floor, where a line of people was waiting outside to see Doctor Cheng Fengying.
Doctor Cheng Fengying’s diagnostic fees were expensive, but her treatment methods were notably effective – in just a few weeks, she could help a psychiatric patient’s condition achieve initial improvement.
The third-floor corridor of the hospital was already full of patients. Ning Lan peeked inside and saw a short-haired woman in a white coat consulting with patients.
A mental patient’s family member pushed Ning Lan and said: “What are you doing? If you want to see Doctor Cheng, go get a number at the first-floor lobby first.”
Ning Lan pulled out a slip of paper from her bag that read: Number 129.
Ning Lan nodded as she stepped back from the doorway, thinking that at this rate, they would probably have to wait until the afternoon.
Ning Lan held the slip and said: “Should we come back in the afternoon?”
Shen Qingyou shook her head and said: “If we miss our number, we’ll have to queue again. We can only wait.”
The two came down from the third floor and found a spacious spot in the first-floor lobby, where they sat down on a long bench.
Ning Lan had just taken cold medicine and felt her head was like it was filled with mercury [extremely heavy].
Before long, she unconsciously fell asleep on Shen Qingyou’s shoulder.
Shen Qingyou felt her forehead – it wasn’t as burning hot as before, but her palms were ice cold.
Shen Qingyou glanced over, wanting to move her head off her shoulder, but Ning Lan was leaning on her as heavy as a mountain.
“Ning Lan, go sleep somewhere else.” Shen Qingyou said, her whole body emanating a cold aura.
Ning Lan kept the troops stationary [remain still] and instead hugged her arm tighter, saying: “Don’t disturb me, I want to sleep a bit longer.”
Shen Qingyou couldn’t move her at all and coldly watched as Ning Lan lay on her shoulder.
After Ning Lan slept for over an hour, she opened her eyes and said: “How did I fall asleep?”
Shen Qingyou gave her a side-eye and said: “You dare ask – get your hands off me right now!”
Ning Lan looked down and only then realized she was clutching Shen Qingyou’s arm. She let go and said: “I… uh… I didn’t mean to.”
With an icy face and death stare, she looked like she wanted to finish off Ning Lan right then and there.
Shen Qingyou reached for the [censored item] at her waist and pressed it against her head, saying: “If you take advantage of me again, I won’t mind killing you one more time in the game.”
When Shen Qingyou stood up and left, Ning Lan’s head hit the bench with a “bang,” making a crisp sound.
Ning Lan held her head and pointed at Shen Qingyou, saying: “I didn’t even do anything to you, you petty person!”
How did she manage to anger Ice Block Shen – she really must have a death wish.
Half an hour later.
Shen Qingyou came out of the bathroom, her face iron-blue [livid], and said: “You’d better stay away from me. We’re just teammates, don’t cross the line, understand?”
Shen Qingyou kindly reminded her not to be interested in her.
She really had quite a high opinion of herself.
Ning Lan made a “tch” sound and said: “Who wants to be close to you? If it weren’t for this horror dungeon, I wouldn’t even know you.”
Shen Qingyou gracefully sat down beside her and touched up her makeup, nodding with satisfaction and saying: “That’s best. After this dungeon is complete, we’d better not meet again.”
She was even showing disgust towards her now – who was she looking down on?
Ning Lan moved her lips and said: “Right, I’m also going to wish that I won’t be grouped with you!”
Shen Qingyou smiled faintly and said: “That would be best. We’ll see.”
Hospital, 2 PM.
The two sat with their backs to each other, not speaking. Ning Lan thought about how she’d been in this horror world dungeon for so many days that her novel had stopped updating.
Ning Lan couldn’t help but sigh: “My novel isn’t finished yet, I must get out early!”
Shen Qingyou pointed to the third floor psychiatric department where they were calling number 120, and stood up to walk there, saying: “Do you still want to get out or not?”
Ning Lan nodded and followed Shen Qingyou. On the third floor, only a few scattered people remained in line, and they joined the queue behind them.
Their faces were filled with worry, complaining about how their perfectly fine family members suddenly developed mental illness.
There are many causes for mental illness – it could be congenital transmission or caused by external stimuli and influences.
Shen Qingyou looked at several mentally impaired patients and shook her head, saying: “Prisons and mental hospitals are places where human hearts are terrifying…”
Ning Lan nodded and said: “Between genius and madness, isn’t it just a matter of one thought?”
Shen Qingyou disagreed and said: “I’ve seen a top student commit crimes before, and there are also pitiful people in real mental asylums.”
Genius and madness might be two unbalanced extremes on a scale.
They watched people coming out of the department, as if seeing all the different states of human life.
Doctor Cheng Fengying only saw 150 patients each day, and wouldn’t see any more beyond that.
When it was finally their turn, Ning Lan lowered her head, clutching the paper in her hand, checking it repeatedly before stepping into the psychiatric department.
Cheng Fengying looked up at her while taking the slip of paper from her hand.
“Hello, what symptoms does the patient have?” Cheng Fengying asked opening the mountain door [getting straight to the point].
Ning Lan sat down on the stool in front of the doctor and said: “Doctor Cheng, I’m here to ask about a friend, she couldn’t come herself.”
Ning Lan knew that if she asked directly about patient Lan Fang, the doctor would certainly not reveal Lan Fang’s condition to protect patient privacy.
Ning Lan explained her friend’s situation in a turn corners and wipe angles way [speak indirectly].
After listening, the doctor’s face darkened as she said: “Your friend’s situation is exactly the same as a female patient I treated before, how strange…”
Around 1970, a female patient had consulted Doctor Cheng. She said that patient’s nerves were in chaos, often mistaking her husband and daughter for that female ghost.
“Her mental state was dull, she had a lovely daughter, and unfortunately was haunted by a female ghost for years – all these conditions are the same?” Ning Lan was obviously trying to draw out information from the doctor, and the doctor had already understood about seventy to eighty percent.
The doctor shook her head and said: “The friend you speak of also mentioned her marriage and family life, which was not happy. As for the rest of the specific medical plans, I apologize but I cannot disclose them.”
Lan Fang, this strong woman, worked alone doing craftwork at a large textile factory, while her husband was an out-and-out gambling addict.
In 1970, Lan Fang’s husband accumulated several gambling debts. The husband tearfully begged Lan Fang to help pay his debts, and they had no choice but to borrow money from Master Wei.
First, they couldn’t pay back the rent they owed Master Wei.
Second, that man owed quite a lot of external debts.
This man pretended in front of his wife that he was reluctant to let her accompany Master Wei, but had actually already colluded with Master Wei.
This family that appeared harmonious was actually riddled with thousand wounds and hundred holes [in a terrible state]?
The doctor held back her words [wanting to speak but stopping], as she needed to maximize protection of patient privacy – this was all she could tell them.
After thanking Doctor Cheng, Ning Lan said: “Thank you for telling us this, it’s very helpful!”
Shen Qingyou was standing outside. Ning Lan walked out, and she went up to ask: “How was it? Any new clues?”
Ning Lan paced while saying: “Yes, it’s a new direction for investigation.”
After listening, Shen Qingyou suddenly understood and said: “The logic makes sense – Lan Fang’s husband likely abandoned the mother and daughter to escape gambling debts.”
Ning Lan nodded and said: “We still need to investigate what the truth of the matter really is.”
The two left the hospital one after another, and on the way, Shen Qingyou didn’t forget to tell Ning Lan about the strange things in her room on the 18th floor.
Shen Qingyou mentioned this matter casually, but Ning Lan also became suspicious.
This room on the 18th floor was where Akita Kyoko was burned to death – who else could that woman be besides her?
Ning Lan asked: “Do you feel something is wrong?”
Shen Qingyou nodded and said: “These past few days living in the master bedroom, I keep hearing a woman crying at night, as if she really exists…”
That day when Shen Qingyou dozily fell asleep in the bedroom, in her dream there was a woman holding a little girl’s hand. The woman’s face wasn’t clear, but that crying sound was extremely terrifying.
The night Ning Lan moved in, she also dreamed of the burned woman. Could it be that Lan Fang had never left the house!
So they had been misled all along – the burned woman was both Akita Kyoko and Lan Fang.
The two of them were simultaneously parasitic in one body.
An extremely frightening thought sprouted in Ning Lan’s mind, and she grabbed Shen Qingyou’s hand saying: “Let’s quickly return to the 18th floor, I might know now!”
Shen Qingyou looked at her anxious appearance and said: “There’s no rush, we need to go somewhere else first.”
Shen Qingyou opened the game navigation on her phone, which announced: Hong Kong Kowloon District, Xiaoming Paper Offering Shop.
When the two arrived at the paper offering shop, it was nearly sunset. Daoist Master Xiaoming was urging a little girl to go inside the shop to eat some hot food.
Ning Lan stepped forward to stop the Daoist Master and said: “Master, it’s been a while. I didn’t know you had a child.”
The little girl pulled at Xiaoming’s sleeve and called out: “Grandpa Ming, who are they? Jiajia hasn’t met them before.”
What? Jiajia?
Xiaoming’s face turned iron-blue as he held Jiajia’s hand and said: “Children talk nonsense, don’t believe her.”
Xiaoming’s deliberate protection of this little girl made people even more suspicious.
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