I walked over curiously, intending to say something, but other figures began to swarm on the wall. The strange creature that originally had only two arms, for reasons unknown, suddenly resembled a Thousand-Armed Guanyin, its limbs flailing wildly in front of the wall!
My pupils constricted slightly, and I instinctively reached for my waist to draw my gun, only to realize it was gone!
I fumbled around and discovered my police ID and baton were also missing.
It was then that I remembered these items had vanished the moment I put on the patient's gown.
Facing the bizarre figure before me, it seemed to finally notice my presence. It slowly turned its head, but as it did, I discovered it had no head!
Its hair grew from its neck, creating an illusion that made me think it sprouted from its skull. Terrified, I took a step back, only to bump into something behind me. I felt a drone drilling through the wall!
After a series of gnawing sounds, I thought I was saved. Unexpectedly, my eyes suddenly fluttered open. I looked around and found myself still in the hospital room, but nearby, the drone "Little Bean" was using its built-in wire cutters to sever the chains binding me.
Once all restraints were removed, I quickly got out of bed and took off the patient's gown. I intended to find my work uniform, weapons, and ID, but the items weren't in the room. I patted the drone, signaling it to go ahead. Little Bean immediately traced a circle on the iron door, and together we left through it. Although still in a patient's gown, as long as I could move, I could temporarily escape.
This time, I didn't think about finding people; I knew I wouldn't. With Little Bean, we escaped the Anxi Mental Hospital safely. Outside, I ran like a famished beast, not chasing any prey, but running alongside Little Bean until we returned to Anxi Town.
I went straight to the police station. I had already returned to the inn and changed my clothes. Fortunately, I was quick, and the front desk attendant was asleep. Otherwise, being mistaken for an escapee from the mental hospital would have been troublesome.
I inquired about the police captain I had met before, but the officer on duty looked at me in surprise and said, "You mean Captain An? He went missing months ago. How did you find him?"
"What did you say?" I almost thought I'd misheard.
"I said the captain is missing, and they haven't elected a replacement yet. This place is so troublesome, I even want to quit!"
"Impossible, I saw him about two hours ago!"
"Are you sure? We've been looking for him for a long time. It's rumored he disappeared from the mental hospital!"
"If you know he's at the mental hospital, why don't you send people to look for him!"
"Look for him? Is that place for people to go? No matter if you're a police officer, a soldier, or an explorer, once you go there, there's no coming back! Wasn't there that fearless streamer who took his team there? What happened? I don't want to say it. If you're not afraid of death, go look for him yourself!"
The moment I left the police station, all my energy drained away. I walked like a zombie on the empty road. By chance, I passed a coffin shop and spotted Uncle Nanwu, the man who had spoken to us before.
Seeing me, Nanwu looked surprised and asked, "Where are your people?"
I recounted everything that had happened at the mental hospital. Nanwu sighed immediately, "I didn't expect you to fail too. I can only apologize. That place must have some evil spirits, otherwise, people wouldn't vanish so bizarrely!"
I didn't believe the uncle's words, but I didn't argue. I just quietly observed the items in his shop. He seemed to specialize in the business of the deceased. Besides quite a few well-made coffins, there were also many paper effigies. I also noticed a quadrangle courtyard behind his shop. I asked the uncle his name, and he told me it was Zhao Shisan.
I got his WeChat. Not long after I left, he inexplicably sent me a talisman, claiming it could ward off evil spirits from the mental hospital. I wondered, would this thing even work?
For the time being, I wouldn't go back to the mental hospital. Instead, I called Shao Zhengzhi, asking him to help me look up information on the mental hospital. When the place was mentioned, Shao Zhengzhi said, "Didn't we check it before? Did something happen? How are you guys doing now?"
I didn't want to hide anything. Lying on the hotel bed, I directly explained the current situation. Hearing this, Shao Zhengzhi exclaimed, "Team Leader He, you're not joking, are you?"
"Do you think I would joke about this?"
"Ah, trouble. Our whole team is only left with the three of us now."
This time, Xiao Dong didn't go either, so Shao Zhengzhi was referring to three people.
"Keep digging. I still need to go back to the mental hospital!"
"Team Leader, aren't you afraid of dying?"
"Everyone is afraid of death, but I can't just abandon them!" I retorted, somewhat annoyed.
Shao Zhengzhi didn't say anything. I heard the clatter of his keyboard in the background. Suddenly, I remembered something and said, "Notify He Qing and tell him to come to Room 302, Denong Inn, Anxi Town!"
"Okay!"
After hanging up, I fell asleep from exhaustion before I knew it.
I was woken by a gentle knock on the door. Before I even opened it, I knew it was He Qing.
I immediately got out of bed and opened the door. He Qing stood outside, energetic, and said, "Brother, I'm here!"
"Good, we'll head back to the mental hospital right away."
I had already explained everything clearly to He Qing on WeChat, so there was no dilly-dallying upon meeting. We immediately drove to the location. With He Qing here, I felt much more at ease. As we got out of the car, he told me, "Based on your description, I can probably infer that there's someone inside the hospital who is highly skilled in hypnosis, making them believe whatever they're told, just like Gao Mingqiang you saw before."
"Yes, he said some strange things to me, about dreams and people. That guy is likely the hypnotist."
"Brother, let's go in and take a look first. Without actually investigating, it's hard to tell the specifics. Of course, I won't associate this with ghosts or spirits. You and I are both atheists."
"Alright!"
We once again stepped onto the stairs leading into the Anxi Town Mental Hospital. This time, we found that the main entrance was boarded up and locked with planks and iron plates, secured with numerous chains.