Chapter 271: Hospital (5)
Perhaps because she had watched too many crime dramas, and because she was currently standing outside a morgue, the moment Everly saw the body bag, the first conspiracy theory that sprang to mind was that someone had accidentally killed a person, stuffed the corpse into the bag, and was hoping to frame her for it.
But she quickly dismissed that possibility herself.
Because it wasn’t necessary.
The elevator in the inpatient building had been malfunctioning for so long without anyone coming to investigate, which was already very strange. On top of that, the basement level had not only lost all cellphone signal, but the security doors had also been shut, turning the floor into an “isolated island.”
Anyone capable of arranging all of that must possess a certain amount of influence within the hospital—in other words, this person was very likely a member of the hospital’s upper management.
If someone of that status accidentally became involved in a homicide case, they would have a hundred different ways to dispose of the body and escape responsibility. There was really no need to drag an unrelated bystander like Everly into it.
After all, most murder investigations revolve around establishing motive. In Sunken City, Everly not only had no enemies, she barely even knew anyone. Traveling all the way here to visit a patient and then conveniently murdering someone in the city would be unbelievably suspicious!
Considering that this hospital visit had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, the chances that whoever was behind all this had known about it in advance were very low. Everly was more inclined to believe that the trap on the basement level had not been specifically designed for her.
Perhaps the planner simply needed someone to become caught in the trap. As for who that person was, they probably didn’t care.
So what exactly was their objective…?
Just as Everly stood with her back against the wall, trying to sort through the tangled thoughts racing through her mind, the black body bag on the corpse transport cart suddenly twitched.
“Right, that’s it. Just make a small movement first and lure her over…” Dr. J’s voice sounded through actor Mike’s earpiece. “Remember, if she opens the zipper, bite the blood pack in your mouth immediately. Then stare at her with your eyes wide open and as viciously as possible. I’ll give you further instructions in real time.”
After giving Mike his instructions, Dr. J continued issuing orders to the others:
“Everyone else, get ready too. If she comes over and pulls the zipper open, play Horror Sound Effect No. 1. If she turns around and runs, use the second scare point to cut off her escape route and force her back toward the cart!”
After reminding everyone involved, he stood up and impatiently tugged at his collar. His eyes remained fixed on the girl on the monitor, an eager expression appearing on his face.
On the surveillance screen, the girl’s attention had been completely drawn to the body bag that had suddenly started moving.
She was no longer leaning against the wall. Instead, she stared in the direction of the body bag and slowly straightened up.
Seeing this, Dr. J immediately signaled the man with the lip piercing to zoom in and enlarge the girl’s face.
She had been stopped on her way out of the hospital.
It was cold outside, so the girl was wearing a knitted hat and a thick scarf around her neck. The scarf covered the entire lower half of her face, leaving only her high-bridged nose and a pair of sky-blue eyes exposed.
Even though only half her face was visible, anyone who saw her would instinctively think, She’s beautiful. The features that could be seen were exceptionally striking; no matter how unattractive the hidden portion might theoretically be, her overall appearance could hardly be anything less than attractive.
That was also why Dr. J had abandoned his original prank target at first glance and given the spot to this girl instead.
When a youthful, beautiful girl suddenly encountered something terrifying and screamed in fear before the camera, the thrill of seeing something beautiful shattered and ruined would provide a far stronger sensory stimulation than with an ordinary person.
Her face was the perfect advertisement—it would attract even more viewers into the livestream!
Following the instruction, the lip-pierced man zoomed in on the surveillance feed.
The girl’s face instantly filled the entire screen.
At that moment, she had turned her head slightly and was intently watching the twitching body bag.
Perhaps because she was so frightened, Dr. J noticed her pupils dilate slightly. Her gaze seemed somewhat unfocused, as though she was looking at the body bag—
Or perhaps…
At the camera.
At him, standing behind the camera.?!
“No… impossible.”
They had been running their livestream channel for a long time, and their skill at concealing miniature cameras was second to none. The basement level was cluttered with miscellaneous items, and there were plenty of blind spots along the walls. Unless someone deliberately searched for them, no one would ever notice the cameras hidden away in obscure corners.
‘A coincidence. It has to be a coincidence!’
Dr. J tried to reassure himself. Leaning forward, he brought his face even closer to the screen, unwilling to miss the slightest change in the girl’s expression.
Sure enough, after briefly glancing in the direction of the camera, the girl’s gaze eventually returned to the body bag not far away.
Under the watchful eyes of countless viewers, she paused for a moment as if considering something. Then, having seemingly made up her mind, she raised her flashlight and, without the slightest hesitation, started walking toward the cart.
[!!!]
[She walked straight toward it? Is she seriously that brave?]
[She’s probably just curious. Maybe she doesn’t realize what kind of bag that is?]
The moment the girl moved, the chat exploded once again.
Among the rapidly scrolling comments were people eagerly anticipating her screaming and bursting into tears from fright; people speculating whether she would pull down the zipper or poke the bag from the outside first; people guessing what the “corpse” inside the bag would look like; and others hurling crude insults at the girl.
The only thing they all had in common was their certainty that she would interact with the body bag on the cart.
After all, what else would she do?
People are naturally curious. When faced with such a bizarre scene—a strange cart carrying a human-shaped object that kept moving—there were only two possible reactions:
Either be frightened and stay as far away as possible,
or, driven by that cursed curiosity, walk over and try to figure out what exactly was inside the bag.
Since the girl hadn’t turned around and run away, then obviously she had chosen the second option…
And so the livestream erupted into celebration.
Everyone felt that, at a moment like this, choosing to approach and investigate the truth was a far more dramatic and entertaining development than simply turning around and fleeing.
The fact that the person doing this was a very beautiful young woman only heightened the contrast, sending the audience into a frenzy.
Some viewers with particularly unusual tastes even began showering the stream with gifts. Colorful comments and flashy gift effects flooded the screen, while all sorts of bizarre messages scrolled by nonstop.
Including Dr. J, everyone was anxious, excited, and unable to wait any longer. They eagerly anticipated the moment of revelation—the instant when fear would twist the girl’s face into a terrified grimace.
However, at that very moment, something utterly unexpected happened.
The girl moved quickly. In just a couple of steps, she circled around the rear of the cart and stopped at its front end.
Then, right before everyone’s eyes, she suddenly lifted one long leg, planted the sole of her boot against the front of the cart, and shoved hard.
Whoosh!
The cart—and the body bag on it—went flying.
“Creaaak… creaaak…”
To allow carts to move in and out easily, the section of hallway near the morgue entrance was normally kept free of clutter. As a result, propelled by the girl’s powerful kick, the cart rattled and squealed nearly two meters down the corridor before finally—
Bang!
—it slammed into a pile of obstacles blocking its path and came to an abrupt stop.
Wait… what just happened out there?!
Inside the body bag, Mike, who was playing the role of the corpse, had been waiting for the girl to come over and unzip the bag.
Instead of the expected arrival of light, however, the cart beneath him suddenly began jolting and shaking violently.
Once the cart started moving, the body bag on top moved with it. Trapped inside, Mike was tossed around like a bedsheet in a tumble dryer, rolling helplessly back and forth along with the cart.
Then, finally, momentum carried both him and the cart straight into something hard.
Thunk!
The crisp sound came from the back of his head colliding with a solid object.
The body bag was thin and offered almost no protection against impact. The blow left stars dancing before Mike’s eyes. Had he not remembered that he was supposed to be playing a corpse, he might have cried out on the spot.
His eyes flew open in panic as he tried to figure out what had just happened. Meanwhile, Dr. J’s urgent voice kept coming through the earpiece, each command more frantic than the last, leaving him no chance to continue lying still.
“Damn it! That chick is completely insane!”
What? What insane chick?
“Hurry! Get out there! Put on your scariest act and rush her! Drive her away from the security door! She’s way too strong—the people behind the door can’t hold it much longer!”
What strength? What security door?
Mike shook his dazed head uncomfortably. Under Dr. J’s increasingly frantic urging, he forced himself through a determined sit-up and sprang upright from the cart.
“Quick! Move!”
Following the instructions, Mike reached out with both hands and grabbed either side of the bag’s opening. With a forceful tug—
Riiip!
The closed zipper split open, revealing a narrow gap.
A bloodstained finger emerged first through the opening.
Then a second.
Then a third.
Every finger had been professionally made up with special effects. Their skin bore the corpse-like pallor of something soaked in bleach, while the blackened fingernails were cracked and broken, their crevices packed with dark-red bloodstains.
Riiip… riiip, riiip…
The sound of the zipper opening continued.
The silver zipper pull moved downward like a surgeon’s scalpel, slicing through the black “womb” from top to bottom. The limp rubberized bag collapsed to either side as a pair of deathly pale arms emerged first.
A figure wearing a bloodstained maternity gown followed, struggling its way out through the dark opening.
The figure had long black hair clumped together with dried blood. Its abdomen bulged outward unnaturally, and both the front of the loose maternity gown and the trousers beneath were stained with dried blood.
The moment “she” crawled free of the body bag, she immediately imitated a classic horror-movie ghost pose. Her limbs bent at unnatural angles as she dropped from the cart and advanced on all fours, spider-like, using both hands and feet to scuttle forward.
“Wuu… wuuuuu…”
In the control room, the sound team immediately activated the audio labeled “Entrance Music 1” the moment they saw this.
Hidden micro-speakers throughout the basement level powered up at once, and mournful wailing echoed in full 360-degree surround sound across the entire floor.
But that faint, ghostly sobbing was completely drowned out by the irritated bang-bang sounds coming from the security door.
—Yes. Exactly that.
While everyone was putting in every possible effort to scare Everly, she seemed completely oblivious to what was happening behind her. Standing at the end of the corridor facing away from them, she planted her feet on either side of the iron security door and, with single-minded focus and brute force, began wrenching it open.
The fragile metal door rattled violently with loud clang and bang sounds.
But… would a normal person really ignore strange noises behind them and a writhing body bag?
And with that kind of strength and frantic behavior, was this really normal human conduct?
Or was it that…
Mike began to form an uneasy suspicion.
“What are you waiting for? Get up there!” Dr. J’s voice snapped again through the earpiece.
Mike had originally already collapsed back onto the floor, preparing to use his twisted limbs to crawl toward the girl from behind and deliver a professionally frightening performance.
But hearing the order, he had no choice but to abandon that plan.
He raised both hands in front of his chest, fingers contorting into grotesque shapes, and let out a strange “Waaah!” as he charged toward Everly standing in front of the security door—
Bang!
What met him was a punch straight to the head.