C8 The Emperor Was Anxious

At this hour, you'd expect the psychotics to be sound asleep, yet it was eerily silent—not a single snore to be heard.

Odd, it was just too odd.

Ye Cheng sprang from his bed, stealthily cracked open the ward door, and peered out.

The corridor was shrouded in darkness, devoid of even the slightest breath. The doors of the adjacent wards were securely locked, with nothing but the dim glow of moonlight illuminating the hallway.

Ye Cheng, puzzled, scratched his head.

Had everyone gone out to have fun without inviting him? That seemed rather inconsiderate.

Approaching the door of the neighboring ward, Ye Cheng slapped it, calling out, "Second Dog, it's T300. Open up, I've got urgent military matters to discuss with you."

Met with silence, Ye Cheng's confusion deepened. He yanked at the door handle, straining to pry the door open, but it wouldn't budge.

His palm felt as though it was grasping a handful of sand. Looking down, Ye Cheng noticed the ward's door lock was corroded and rusted, as if it had been submerged in water.

Warning! Warning! A powerful Soul Body is drawing near. Host, please evacuate immediately.

Ye Cheng ignored the system's alarm, wandering aimlessly down the corridor, his eyes falling upon the pervasive rust—it was nothing like the hospital he remembered.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he plopped down on the floor, sitting cross-legged with his hands resting on his knees, muttering, "Headquarters, this is T300 requesting support."

'Headquarters be damned, that's a powerful Soul Body! If you don't get out now, you're a goner!'

The system was frantic, wishing it could burst forth and knock some sense into Ye Cheng. If only he had taken the Clearity Pill it had given him that morning, none of this would be happening.

As the resentment grew with the approach of the red and white female ghosts, the system could sense the malice coalescing, its anxiety reaching a fever pitch.

'Host, you need to run!'

But Ye Cheng remained motionless.

The system was at its wits' end. Resigned, it thought, 'The emperor may not be in a hurry, but the eunuch is. If he's going to die, so be it.'

"No, if the host dies, doesn't that mean he'll disappear too?"

"Host, please, I'm begging you, run for it! You're no match for this Soul Body!"

As soon as the system finished speaking, the female ghost in red and the woman ghost in white had already drifted to the end of the hallway. The woman ghost in white pointed at Ye Cheng lying on the floor and complained to the female ghost in red.

"Sister Yu, it's him. He didn't just hit me; he made me work too. I've never been so humiliated in my life."

The woman ghost in white started to tear up as she recalled the previous night's indignities.

"Only by coming infinitely close to death can one approach the ultimate truth," Ye Cheng murmured, opening his eyes to a flash of golden light.

Congratulations, host, for successfully acquiring Heaven Eyes. With Heaven Eyes, you can see the past and present lives of ghosts.

Heaven Eyes? The system was in shock. How did he suddenly gain the ability of Heaven Eyes? That's incredibly overpowered!

Unfazed, Ye Cheng watched the female ghost in red and the woman ghost in white as they slowly closed in on him, a smirk on his face. "You must be the ones sent by headquarters to collect me."

No sooner had he spoken than Ye Cheng leaped to his feet, hands raised above his head, his head cocked to one side. "I am T300, and I've been waiting for you for quite some time!"

The female ghost in red furrowed her brow at Ye Cheng's delusional antics, asking in confusion, "What is he rambling about?"

The woman ghost in white was just as perplexed until it dawned on her that they were in a mental hospital, which explained Ye Cheng's behavior. "Sister Yu, this is a mental hospital; he's psychotic."

"Hey, watch what you say about headquarters. You're the psychotic one! Your whole family is psychotic!" Ye Cheng had overheard every word of their exchange.

The female ghost in red let out a scornful laugh, then, with a swift motion, lunged at Ye Cheng. Her pointed fingers nearly reached him when they were suddenly halted by an invisible, powerful force.

Ye Cheng pulled a soapbox from his pants and held it to his ear, "Calling headquarters, calling headquarters, this is T300. Have you sent someone to retrieve me?"

The female ghost in red believed Ye Cheng was toying with her, so she violently shattered her restraints and lunged at him. Ye Cheng, unfazed, simply waved his hand and trapped the female ghost in red within the wall.

History has a way of repeating itself with clarity, and she was unable to free herself.

Upon witnessing this, the woman ghost in white hurried over, attempting to extract the female ghost in red from the wall, but she was encircled by a golden light that prevented her from making any contact.

"Sister Yu, Sister Yu, are you okay?"

Enraged, the female ghost in red was not used to being treated in such a manner. She let out a piercing scream that drew the attention of nearby vengeful spirits. The Ghost Qi emanating from them was absorbed by her, granting her enough power to break free from her bonds.

"I will have your life!"

As Ye Cheng looked upon the female ghost in red, he discerned the circumstances of her death and the reasons for her lingering attachment.

"He Qiaoyu, the sole heiress of the He family, drowned after eloping with a scholar. Are you seeking that scholar?"

The female ghost in red paused, staring incredulously at Ye Cheng. These were secrets unknown to others; how could he possibly know?

"Do you know where he is?" she asked, probing.

"Sure, but you'll need to arrange for headquarters to retrieve me before I share that information," Ye Cheng stated earnestly.

Unaware of what Ye Cheng meant by "headquarters," the female ghost in red was quietly advised by the woman ghost in white, "That's something from modern science fiction movies. Just deceive him, and once we find the person, we'll eliminate him."

Convinced this was a viable plan, the female ghost in red was about to agree when Ye Cheng preempted her, "Don't even think of fooling me. I'm holding a communicator that connects me to headquarters, and I'm privy to everything."

A communicator?

The female ghost in red scrutinized the object in Ye Cheng's hand, then, without a second thought, she smacked it away and kicked the soap box with such force that it flew off into the distance.

Ye Cheng, in a panic, chased after it, even losing a slipper in the process. "My communicator!"

Realizing the communicator was gone, Ye Cheng balled his fists, seething with rage. He spun around and seized the female ghost in red by the throat. "You've lost my communicator; how will I contact headquarters now? You owe me a replacement!"

The female ghost in red lacked a corporeal form, yet Ye Cheng possessed the Demon Subduing Vajra Fist, which enabled him to grasp spirits. Under the influence of Ye Cheng's power, her Soul Body began to fade into transparency.

The woman ghost in white, realizing things were going south, hastily scurried off and returned in a fluster with another soap box. "The communicator, I—I've retrieved it for you."

"My communicator!" exclaimed Ye Cheng, releasing the female ghost in red and cradling the soap box as if it were a precious gem. "Calling headquarters, this is T300. If you can hear me, please respond."

The two ghosts, now far from thoughts of vengeance, vanished in the blink of an eye.