(你有本事抢男人 (nǐ yǒu běnshì qiǎng nánrén)

    Literal translation: “You have the ability to steal a man.”

    This phrase is an accusatory remark often used to challenge someone’s audacity or assertiveness in pursuing or taking away someone else’s romantic partner.)

    The trio stood in front of the weathered and ominous door of the operating theatre.

    Zhao Lan cautioned, “Let’s not act impulsively. The patient who was taken away might be inside.”

    “But in order to escape, we need to take a peek,” Yu Xiao said with a chuckle. “Who knows, maybe the Dean’s office is in there.”

    “How do you propose we enter? Charge in?” Zhao Lan hoped that Yu Xiao wouldn’t act recklessly.

    “Do we really need to charge in?” Zhou Xiao Zhen quickly devised a plan. “Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll dash in first and use mahjong to initially control three ghosts. After that, it’s up to you to handle the rest, as I won’t be of much help.”

    Zhao Lan hesitated. Should she praise Zhou Xiao Zhen’s bravery or reprimand her audacity?

    “That won’t work. If we don’t find the Dean’s office, we’ll be finished,” Yu Xiao suggested. “How about this: you two lure out the medical staff, and then sneak back to the ward while I go in alone.”

    “No way!” Zhao Lan objected without hesitation. “What if they notice you’re missing during their rounds?”

    “I have a plan,” Yu Xiao reassured them with a confident look.

    *

    *

    In the eerie hush of the corridor, a woman wearing a striped patient’s gown and a black plastic bag over her head, with only two eye-holes, stood in front of the imposing operating room. Suddenly, she lunged forward, pounding on the door with force.

    “Open the door, damn it!”

    Her high-pitched shrill voice echoed through the empty hallway, sending chills down the spine.

    “Open it!” she persisted, continuing to bang on the door, her voice booming. “If you have the guts to steal a man, then have the guts to open this door!”

    After a tense minute, there was stirring inside the operating room. The door trembled slightly, emitting a muffled creak. Then, a crack formed as the door slowly opened, revealing three nurses wearing caps.

    At the sight of the person with a bag over their head and two piercing eyes, both sides locked gazes, momentarily frozen.

    Quickly realising the situation, the person with the bag-covered head let out an odd cry and turned to flee.

    The trio of nurses hesitated briefly at the door, then hurriedly followed suit, disappearing down the corridor. The sound of their sprint echoed as they disappeared into the distance.

    After a stretch, another figure emerged from a nearby storeroom, also wearing a black plastic bag over their head. Approaching the operating room door, she banged on it.

    “Open the door, damn it! If you have the guts…” Her sentence trailed off, perhaps out of shame or for some other reason. “Just open the door!”

    Without hesitation, the operating room door swung open, revealing the head of a large man.

    The person with the bag on their head recoiled and delivered a punch to the man’s hefty head, causing it to snap backward. Swiftly, she turned and bolted. The heavyset figure roared, forgetting to close the door. With his flab jiggling, he grabbed a hatchet and gave chase.

    Zhao Lan kept running until she saw four people sitting on the ground up ahead. One of them was wearing a head covering similar to hers, while the other three were wearing white coats and nurse caps. They were sitting in a circle, completely immersed in a game of mahjong.

    The nurse with her back to Zhao Lan scratched her head and placed a tile on the table, saying, “Little Chicken.”

    (小鸡: xiǎo jī — In Mahjong, certain calls are made to declare victory or signal what a player has. “Little Chicken” is one of these calls, signalling a specific combination or tile set. The term may vary in its meaning depending on the context and game situation.)

    As she spotted Zhao Lan, Zhou Xiao Zhen’s face immediately lit up. “You made it! I could barely keep them at bay!”

    Pulling out her belongings, Zhao Lan commented, “We’re almost finished; the one following me is getting closer!”

    With a swift movement, she lunged forward, skillfully covering the heads of three nurses with pre-prepared black plastic bags. According to the rule of mahjong props, participants are protected from any harm during the game, but it doesn’t mention anything about not placing plastic bags over people’s heads.

    At that very moment, Zhou Xiao Zhen touched a tile and erupted into laughter. “You’re doomed!”

    Quickly gathering the mahjong tiles, she stood up and singled out the nurse sitting across from her. “You’re the one I choose for retribution!”

    Having made her decision, she and Zhao Lan clasped hands and swiftly darted towards the ward.

    Meanwhile, the portly male doctor finally caught up, while three nurses struggled to free themselves from the bags.

    With a thunderous roar, the doctor’s mouth widened, his lips tearing down to his neck, revealing a cluster of densely packed, sharp, darkened teeth within.

    Amidst a deafening noise, a sudden thunderclap cracked above and struck a nurse standing at the front. Fat Doctor and two others trembled, instinctively covering their heads as they huddled against the wall in fear.

    A moment of silence followed before they realised that there would be no second lightning strike. Slowly, they got up from the ground. The nurse who was hit by the lightning remained rooted in place, with her hair dishevelled and her upper body covered in soot, emitting faint trails of smoke.

    Ignoring the smouldering nurse, Fat Doctor grabbed his axe and hurried forward with the other two nurses.

    *

    *

    As the hefty ghost dashed out, Yu Xiao emerged from the storeroom. She cautiously pushed open the door leading to the operating theatre. Before stepping inside, she was overwhelmed by the strong smell of blood, causing her to instinctively cover her mouth and nose.

    Inside the operating theatre, the lighting was dim. Yu Xiao cautiously walked forward, the floor hidden in darkness and sporadically marked by fresh blood stains. It appeared that blood had dripped frequently on the ground, with each layer of dried blood covered by a fresh layer, creating an eerie sight that had accumulated over the years.

    Multiple beds were arranged inside, their sheets dirty, surrounded by a variety of knives, axes, and chainsaws. Among them, Yu Xiao spotted a familiar man, or rather, a familiar ghost. It was the same man who had spoken first earlier in the day, named Zhang Tao.

    He was assigned the bed closest to the door, and now he lay there, unmoving on the operating table. His eyes stared blankly, his mouth slightly open. The curious part? His skull had been cracked open, and his entire head was flipped back like a lid. Yu Xiao peered inside, only to find emptiness. Her gaze then landed on a nearby tray that held a complete, pinkish brain still attached by gory threads.

    Furrowing her brow, she didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she scanned the operating room, hoping to find a hidden door that led to the Dean’s office.

    *

    *

    Within the ward, darkness and silence reigned. Suddenly, the door to the ward burst open, the noise echoing thunderously.

    Oddly, there was no response from any of the ward’s occupants. Out of thirteen beds, eleven patients lay there in silence.

    A hefty figure squeezed through the door, dragging an axe along the floor, the harsh scraping noise filling the air.

    Striding past the first empty bed, the figure halted at the foot of the second, reaching out to grasp the patient’s foot. Slowly, the figure pulled the person out, turning them upside down as if handling a fish. Yet, despite the shaking, the patient remained completely unresponsive.

    In a sudden movement, he flung his hand.

    “Boom!”

    The patient was forcefully thrown backward onto the bed, twisted in a manner that echoed the lifeless appearance of a gutted fish.

    Advancing toward the third bed, he discovered it empty. Briefly pausing, he proceeded to the fourth bed.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen lay still on the bed, blending in with the other patients.

    An icy, rough, sticky hand stealthily slid under her blanket, grabbing hold of her ankle and gradually dragging her off the bed’s edge.

    …

    The room reverberated with a loud “Bang!”

    Another patient was flung onto the bed nearby, as Zhao Lan lay motionless in the innermost bed. Fear gripped her, and she kept her eyes tightly shut, unaware of Zhou Xiao Zhen’s situation. All she could do was feign stillness, hoping to pass off as someone in the throes of deep slumber, perhaps sparing herself.

    *

    *

    Yu Xiao thoroughly searched the operating room, turning everything upside down in her quest to find the Dean’s office, but had no success. It appeared that the Dean’s office simply did not exist in that location. As for its possible whereabouts, she had no idea.

    As time ticked on, Yu Xiao realised that she had stayed for too long. It was possible that they could return at any moment. Without wasting any time, she carefully placed the recently exposed brain in a hospital’s high-quality insulated box, and promptly left the operating room.

    * Sёar?h the N??elFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    *

    Another loud “Bang!” reverberated through the room as Zhao Lan was thrown onto the bed, her limbs twisted, yet she remained eerily still, her breathing unchanged.

    Finally, the heavy footsteps faded away. As the imposing figure disappeared beyond the ward door, Zhao Lan let out a long sigh of relief. She trembled, gasping for air, consumed by worry for Yu Xiao’s safety. Whether Yu Xiao had escaped the operating room or found a way to freedom, Zhao Lan didn’t know.

    *

    *

    At the far end of the corridor, Yu Xiao stopped at Dr. George’s office, located on the right.

    “Knock, knock, knock,” her knuckles thudded against the wooden door.

    The door creaked open, revealing George seated behind his desk. His demeanour had the same daytime air, as if he hadn’t moved at all, though a hint of surprise crossed his face.

    George’s tone remained cold. “What do you want?”

    “I’ve missed you,” Yu Xiao replied.

    “…”

    “I have something for you.” She gestured to the medical-grade thermos box she held in her hand. “May I come in and talk?”

    George’s hazel eyes fixed on Yu Xiao as she held the box, his voice finally breaking the silence, “Come in, miss.”

    She entered, and the door closed just in time to shield her from the plump doctor wielding an axe, preventing him from catching a glimpse of her disappearing form.

    Once Yu Xiao was seated again, George stared at her, questioning, “What have you brought? Let’s be clear—I have very high standards.” His lips formed a sneer on his pale face, a mocking smirk emerging. “If it doesn’t meet my standards, I’ll personally throw you out.”

    “It’ll more than satisfy you,” Yu Xiao placed the insulated box on the table and lifted the lid.

    A fresh, tender brain lay before George. He was momentarily stunned before swallowing hard.