Chapter 53 - 53 Fifty-three

Words : 1300 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

53: Fifty-three. A good citizen who abides by laws and regulations 53: Fifty-three. A good citizen who abides by laws and regulations Lu Li shook the empty umbrella canvas, refolded the umbrella, and appeared lost in thought. It sounded like Richard and the portly ghost might be members of some team. So, what were these people’s intentions? Lu Li analyzed all the encounters after falling to the basement level, and eventually, he locked on to the word “container.” Richard had mentioned this term repeatedly, while the portly ghost referred to this as a “chance for resurrection.” “Container,” “chance for resurrection”—when these terms came together, they already came very close to the truth of the matter. Lu Li’s dark pupils shifted slightly, were their intentions to take possession of his body? If so, was Asina’s husband involved in this? Suddenly, he slightly lifted his gaze and turned to look down the corridor behind him. A semi-transparent ghost floated in from the darkness. Lu Li spoke, “Caught it?” The Anna who drifted to his side looked away, stammering. Lu Li’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, “I injured his knee.” Impatience appeared on Anna’s face as she closed her eyes and stubbornly said, “He hid himself in a place, but... but I’m scared to go there.” Lu Li showed an expression close to perplexity. “It’s just... Ah, just follow me!” Anna turned and floated back, with Lu Li following the lost Anna. After passing the same corridor three times, they finally found the passage to the second basement level. But ahead in the corridor, there were about two dozen plastic mannequins standing scattered. “It’s these things...” Anna hid behind Lu Li, peering out her head from over his shoulder. Crash— Lu Li, dragging the heater, grasped the steel pipe with both hands and quickly stepped forward. After a whirlwind swept through, limbs and broken pieces were scattered on the floor. Some were smashed and shattered, creating a gruesome and bloody scene. Standing amidst the debris, Lu Li, with a weapon in hand, lifted his eyes, “Are there any left?” “Um...” Anna hugged her head, emitting a cute wail. “It’s okay, you can get used to it slowly.” Lu Li neither expressed disappointment with Anna nor did he tell her what to do, he merely mentioned it in passing. Anna in her lifetime had been nothing more than a noble lady from a wealthy family. Expecting her to immediately accept her new identity and become combat-focused was clearly unreasonable. Dragging the heater to the staircase, at the end of the stairs was a door, locked from the inside. As a result, Lu Li once again swung the heater. Amidst the loud noise and flying debris, the door caved in and was violently forced open. The floor, covered in stains, showed its original color no more, and trash such as tin cans and water bottles was scattered around. The dirty bunk beds were piled with bedding and clothing, among which were items with clear feminine features. It was unclear whether these belonged to the former medical staff or the victims... In front of the room’s doorway, a row of telephones was arranged under the wall, with tangled cords strewn about. The scents of sourness, mold, and fishiness intermingled, creating an unbearable foul smell. This place seemed to have been converted into a living area, where Richard had been hiding and surviving. Lu Li and Anna, following closely behind, walked into this place. Beep beep beep— “Ah!” The sudden ringing scared Anna so much that she nearly scattered her soul, hiding within Lu Li’s body and merging with him. Lu Li looked toward the phone that suddenly rang and walked over. Anna was left standing there, trembling and drifting behind after it took her a while to react. Beep, beep— The phone was picked up and brought to the ear. “It seems you’ve found my residence. Unfortunately, I’m already far from here,” Richard’s laughter came through the receiver, followed by a sudden roar, “You’ve destroyed a part of our plan, you sinner! I will find you... and then make your death excruciatingly painful!” Richard’s unrestrained laughter filled the air, but it suddenly stopped midway. He heard a strange dial tone coming from the other end of the phone. “Wait, what are you doing?” Lu Li clamped the receiver between his shoulder and ear, picked up the handset of the phone beside him, and asked, “Can the other phones be used?” “Uh... yes,” Richard hesitantly answered. “Good, thank you.” Lu Li dialed the number wheel, expertly calling a number. “So what are you doing!?” Richard shouted, beginning to feel uneasy. “There’s a dead body in the hallway, you’ve committed a murder, this kind of thing should be handled by the police.” There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, then Richard stuttered incoherently, “But... but... isn’t this usually a personal vendetta? Why are you calling the police?” “I belong to the type that obeys the law and reports a crime when encountering one,” Lu Li answered. “I’m usually very busy, no time to deal with personal grudges.” “How do you explain this then!” Richard yelled in angry embarrassment. “If you dare say there’s a ghost here, the police station will not let you off!” “Exclude the supernatural aspects, just tell the rest as it is. Whether they believe it or not, this headache should belong to the police and you, not me.” Just then, a woman’s voice came from the other receiver. Lu Li signaled Richard to be quiet and spoke to the operator. “Hello, I am near the Abandoned Asylum at Watch Town, formerly known as the Sixth Psychiatric Hospital. I’ve found a dead body here, the death seems to have occurred within the last few days...” “Okay, officers will arrive shortly, please stay at the scene and wait for their arrival—” After hanging up, Richard, who had been holding back for a while, cursed loudly, “You will regret this!” Lu Li replied indifferently, “I have a question I’d like to ask.” “Ha? You’ve ruined my plans, and you still want to ask me a question!?” Richard sounded like he wanted to throw the phone, but this was the only one he had left. Lu Li’s expression remained calm: “You asked me questions earlier, and I answered them.” “Equivalent exchange, huh...” Richard suddenly calmed down, his vicious expression fading slowly as he sneered, “Heh... what do you want to ask.” “Where are the patient records of the asylum kept.” Richard became somewhat cautious, “Why do you want to know that?” “It’s related to a commission I received. I need to look up the records of a patient. His name is Edward. It would be great if you knew the person.” “I don’t recognize him!” Richard answered without thinking, and he truly didn’t recognize the name. After saying this, an increasingly frustrated Richard shouted, “If you’ve accepted a commission, then just complete it! Dammit, why come and destroy my stuff!!!” “You were the one who knocked me out first.” The atmosphere plunged into absolute silence. Decades later, Richard’s distorted, hoarse voice, heavy with exhaustion, finally came from the other side of the phone: “Go out of this room, turn right and walk to the very end, behind that door is the archives room. All the patient records are there. The doctors didn’t take these useless papers away before they left. You better pray that what you’re looking for hasn’t been eaten by the lunatics left behind or used as toilet paper.” “Good, thank you.”

Chapter 53 - 53 Fifty-three

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