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Nanning City suburbs—at the midpoint of Mingxiu Mountain stands the 'Nanning City Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital.'
A military jeep sped all the way to the hospital's main gate, and everyone inside immediately jumped out.
As soon as he got out, Shawn Young looked up and realized that this Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital felt more like a prison than a hospital—a heavy black iron gate isolated it from the outside world, the reception room that once connected to the outside had been tightly shut, and tall walls surrounded the property. If you added barbed wire and electric fencing, it would be indistinguishable from a prison!
Colonel Hank Han stepped forward and knocked on the iron gate, hoping for a response, but after knocking for ages, no one answered. At this point, Fiona Nangong came up behind him and said, 'Stop knocking. If those three killers are inside, this hospital has probably fallen into their hands!'
'Oh, good point! Let's just bust in!' Colonel Hank Han agreed with Fiona Nangong and gave the heavy iron gate a shove—surprisingly, it swung open!
'Uh—' Colonel Hank Han was stunned. He'd expected the gate to be locked, but it opened with a push. He didn't rush in, instead frowned and said, 'Damn—why is it so easy to get in? Something's fishy here!'
At this moment, Jack Chen volunteered, 'Since we're here, even if it's a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, we've got to go in!' With that, he stepped inside.
Shawn Young reached out to stop him, but Jack Chen had already stepped through the gate and exclaimed in surprise, 'Huh—how odd, everything inside looks totally normal!'
Shawn Young whispered a few words to Mai Kanda beside him. Mai Kanda nodded, then vanished around the corner of a shrubbery, disappearing from sight.
"Hmm? Where did she go?" Fiona Nangong immediately asked Shawn Young, curious.
"I sent her to scout out the situation inside. We'll head in now, just walk slowly and try to draw the enemy's attention!" Shawn Young said, stepping through the iron gate.
The group hesitated for a moment, then followed him inside. Suddenly, the iron gate made a series of clanking sounds—'ka-ka-ka'—and quickly shut itself, making everyone feel instantly trapped.
"Oh—so the gate is remote-controlled by computer! Everybody be careful, they're definitely watching us from the shadows!" Fiona Nangong looked back and immediately understood what was going on.
Cautiously, the group walked along the tree-lined path deeper into Greenhill Psychiatric Hospital. The grounds were surprisingly spacious, with well-maintained facilities and landscaping. Oddly, every building was surrounded by thick metal railings, and inside these enclosures were many zombie-like patients. But unlike what you'd expect, all these patients seemed eerily similar: they leaned blankly against the railings, eyes glazed over, staring into space, totally oblivious to the outside world—like lost souls.
"Uh—these patients are really weird. I always thought mental hospitals would have people babbling or acting crazy! Why are they all so quiet? It's freaky!" Colonel Hank Han muttered as he watched the patients behind the railings.
"Yeah, it's definitely not normal. Stay sharp, everyone! The enemy must be up to something sneaky!" Fiona Nangong said seriously.
"All these patients are locked up, but there's not a single doctor or nurse outside! Something must've happened here!" Simon Qi observed quietly.
Looking closely, the group realized Simon Qi was right. As they walked all this way, in the vast Greenhill Psychiatric Hospital, aside from those dazed patients behind the railings, there wasn't a single doctor, nurse, or even a janitor in sight. The place was eerily silent, with only their footsteps echoing, shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere. It was all very strange.
The group finally arrived in front of a five-story hospital building—the tallest and main structure in Greenhill Psychiatric Hospital.
Looking around, Shawn Young saw nothing unusual and said to the group, "Alright, let's go in and take a look!"
With that, Shawn Young led the way into the hospital building. Fiona Nangong quickly followed, pressing close to Shawn Young, her face tense. Shawn could feel her firm, curvy body against him and the faint fragrance wafting from her skin. He couldn't help but feel a little dizzy, almost wanting to drag this top-tier lady into a dark corner for a private 'chat about life and dreams.' But with Colonel Hank Han and Ethan Zhao and the others right behind, Shawn had to suppress his naughty urges.
As soon as the group stepped into the main building and took a few steps forward, a strange noise came from behind—'ka-cha!' Turning around, they saw that the door had mysteriously closed, and a thick metal railing was added outside, making the hospital look like a giant cage.
"Everyone be careful, something's off!" Shawn Young warned in a serious tone. The group immediately tensed up, focusing and readying themselves.
A creepy laugh echoed from the stairwell ahead. Then, a thin, hunched man in his thirties, wearing a patient's uniform, suddenly appeared at the stairs, shuffling toward them with a weird gait.
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"Gah gah—ha—ha—ha—" The man stopped three or four meters away, grinning bizarrely at the group. His expression was blank, his eyes lifeless, and his pupils had a strange grayish-white tint. As he laughed, drool poured from his mouth—he looked utterly bizarre.
"Uh—his canine teeth are so long! Way longer than normal—" Simon Qi, ever observant, immediately noticed something odd about the man.
"Oh—so that's how it is—could he be born that way?" Ethan Zhao asked, frowning.
Everyone looked over and saw that the man's canine teeth were indeed unusually long. Not as exaggerated as vampires in foreign movies, but definitely longer than normal, and they glinted with a faint, eerie white light—sharp and menacing.
"Heh—heh—heh—gah gah gah—" Suddenly, more creepy laughter rang out all around. Dozens of men and women in patient uniforms poured out from upstairs and nearby rooms, all gathering quickly. Their weird laughter was just like the first man's—as if they'd caught his infection.
The group stared in shock. All these patients had the same unnaturally long canine teeth, not just the first man. Their expressions were identical: blank stares, grayish-white pupils, creepy grins, and drooling. No matter their gender or size, their hands were all thin and bony, with dark, claw-like nails.
Shawn Young was startled, suddenly recalling a terrifying creature described in the Codex of Ascension. He shouted, "These people aren't right—they're not human anymore! They've been turned into Wraith Husks! They're dangerous—everyone get out of here, now!"
"Ah! Not human? What's a Wraith Husk?!" Fiona Nangong pressed close to Shawn Young, nervously asking.
"Uh—the so-called Wraith Husk is a monster created on purpose. These patients have had parts of their Three Souls and Seven Spirits stolen by dark magic. Their consciousness is controlled by someone else, leaving only basic motor skills and a dangerous attack instinct. The person controlling them can boost their speed and strength with spells, making Wraith Husks even more terrifying than zombies! Stay close, don't get separated, or they'll swarm you!" Shawn Young explained quickly.