**"What?!"**

  **"The ghost is back?!"**

  **"Who disappeared?"**

  The group erupted into chaos, frantically scanning their surroundings. Soon, someone screamed, **"Jia Liang is gone!"**

  **"Jia Liang! Jia Liang!"** A few of his close colleagues immediately called out for him.

  **"Shut the hell up!"** Wang Ziteng roared, his remaining composure fraying as people vanished one after another.

  The only reason he was calmer than the others was that his cousin had exposed him to supernatural forces before, giving him some mental preparation.

  On top of that, he had always envied his cousin and secretly hoped to become a Spirit Master himself. So, despite the fear, there was also a twisted sense of anticipation keeping him steady.

  But humans were always like Lord Ye—claiming to love dragons until a real one appeared before them. Then, the first emotion that surged forth was pure terror.

  **"Young Master Wang, what do we do?! I don’t want to disappear!"** Li Feifei clutched Wang Ziteng’s sleeve, tears streaming down her face, only irritating him further.

  **"The hell if I know!"**

  Then, a calm voice cut through the panic—Fang Xiu.

  **"Two to three minutes."**

  **"What about two to three minutes?"**

  **"The interval between disappearances is two to three minutes."** Fang Xiu’s tone was eerily steady. **"To be precise, women vanish every two minutes, men every three. Security guard Xiao Zhao disappeared first, then Wang Xiaoli three minutes later. Two minutes after that, Jia Liang vanished. It seems this ghost kills at fixed intervals."**

  **"If my calculations are correct, another person will disappear three minutes after Jia Liang."**

  **"It kills based on time? Damn it! How do we stop that?!"** Wang Ziteng’s eyes were bloodshot, his control slipping.

  Fang Xiu ignored him and turned to walk into the darkness.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The group panicked.

  His best friend, Zhao Hao, shouted after him, **"Bro! What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to die?!"**

  Without looking back, Fang Xiu replied, **"Looking for a way out. Do you want to sit here and wait for death? There are eight of us left. At this rate, we’ll all be dead in twenty minutes. Might as well take a chance."**

  **"Fang Xiu! Stop right the fuck there!"** Wang Ziteng suddenly bellowed. **"Didn’t I say no one moves without my say-so?! One wrong move could trigger the ghost’s rules and get us all killed! You’re just a nobody—you don’t even know how ghosts—"**

  Fang Xiu stopped. Slowly, he turned his head.

  A pale, expressionless face stared back at them, devoid of life—like a corpse.

  Wang Ziteng’s breath hitched.

  Then, in a voice devoid of emotion, Fang Xiu spoke:

  **"One more word, and I’ll kill you before the ghost gets the chance."**

  The words carried an unnatural chill. For a moment, Wang Ziteng felt death itself wrap around him.

  Staring into Fang Xiu’s calm eyes, he realized—this man wasn’t bluffing. One more word, and he *would* die.

  As a rich kid, Wang Ziteng had met all kinds of people—even murderers. But none of their eyes had ever chilled him like Fang Xiu’s.

  And he wasn’t wrong.

  The eyes of a killer and the eyes of someone who had *died eighteen times* were fundamentally different.

  Seeing Wang Ziteng silenced, Fang Xiu turned and disappeared into the dark.

  Zhao Hao hesitated, then gritted his teeth. Glancing between Fang Xiu’s retreating figure and the trembling group, he finally ran after him.

  **"Young Master Wang… what do we do?"** Wu Dahai’s voice trembled.

  Wang Ziteng’s face twisted between rage and fear. He hadn’t dared to lash out in front of Fang Xiu, but now that he was gone, his fury surged.

  **"What do we do?! Let them die if they want to! A couple of country bumpkins who don’t even know what a Spirit Master is—daring to ignore my orders?!"**

  **"But… Fang Xiu doesn’t seem like the type to throw his life away. Shouldn’t we follow them?"**

  Wang Ziteng’s anger flared. **"Follow them?! I’d rather die! I’d rather get killed by the ghost—"**

  Before he could finish, a scream cut him off.

  **"Ahhh! Someone else disappeared!!"**

  Wang Ziteng’s liver nearly shriveled in fear. Glancing around, he realized only five people remained.

  He immediately changed his tune.

  **"Quick! After them!"**

  ---

  Fang Xiu moved swiftly through the dark hallway, Zhao Hao close behind.

  Their flashlight beams cut through the blackness, yet no matter how far they walked, the corridor seemed endless. Normally, the stairs would’ve appeared after just a few steps. But tonight, the hallway stretched like a bottomless abyss.

  **"B-Bro… this isn’t right. Where the hell are the stairs?!"** Zhao Hao trembled, clinging to Fang Xiu like a frightened bird.

  **"Quiet."**

  Fang Xiu suddenly stopped, staring intently into the depths of the corridor.

  At the far end, a dim green light flickered—like the glow of an emergency exit sign, eerie and unnatural.

  Fang Xiu’s brow furrowed.

  That light…

  It was identical to the one from *Qingshan Mental Hospital*.

  A startling realization struck him. He quickened his pace toward the glow.

  When he finally stepped into the light, he found himself in a narrow, decrepit hallway. The ceiling and walls were stained with dark patches and what looked like dried blood. Rusted benches lined the corridor at intervals.

  The place reeked of age and neglect—like a hospital frozen in time decades ago. The walls were gray, the floor rough concrete instead of polished marble.

  This was…

  *Qingshan Mental Hospital.*

  **"B-B-Bro… am I hallucinating?! Where the hell are we?! This looks like a horror movie set!"** Zhao Hao’s voice shook behind him.

  Fang Xiu’s mind raced.

  *Zhao Hao can see it too?*

  He reached out, pressing his palm against the wall. The surface was cold and rough under his fingers.

  His pupils contracted.

  *It’s real.*

  This wasn’t an illusion anymore—the hospital had *physically manifested*.

  Had it crossed into reality, just like the living ghosts?

  Was *this* what a haunted domain truly was?

  Fang Xiu’s theory solidified.

  The spectral version of the mental hospital had *merged* with reality. The office building had been swallowed whole, embedded within it.

  No wonder they couldn’t see the hospital from the outside anymore.

  They were already *inside*.