Chapter 25: Don't Eat Ice Cream, It's Not Good for You

"So fragrant!" Old Man Zhang gnawed on a dog leg, the meat tough and chewy, filling his mouth with grease. A bite of meat, a swig of Sprite – truly satisfying.

"Mmm, very good." Lin Fan was ravenous, devouring the meat in huge bites, wolfing it down. He didn't even spare the bones; his teeth clamped down, crushing them, and he swallowed the fragments.

Room 666.

The lights were already off; it seemed the occupants were asleep.

Ever since the last incident, Li Ang felt that the problem must have been with him. His colleagues had told him that the two patients in Room 666 were actually quite alright. Despite appearing to be the most severe cases in the mental hospital, they never harmed anyone.

If they scared you, it only meant you didn't understand them yet.

He wanted to understand these two patients. He didn't necessarily want to become best friends with them, but he did want to gain some understanding.

Reaching the window, he saw two figures inside. With the help of the corridor light, he could make out their silhouettes. They seemed to be eating something.

Li Ang stopped. He had intended to go in and gently tell them that eating at night was bad for their stomachs, and that they should be good and go to sleep. But he hesitated.

The fear he thought he had overcome was still lurking within him. Returning to this place, the feeling of panic resurfaced.

"Calm down, I must stay calm. There's nothing to be afraid of." He encouraged himself.

Those who could handle working in a mental hospital all possessed extraordinary resilience.

Standing at the door, he mustered his courage and gently pushed it open.

Standing before the darkness, he was like an angel, using his flashlight to illuminate the room.

He switched on the flashlight.

"You…" Li Ang wanted to say, "Why aren't you asleep yet? You should go to bed early, you know?"

But the scene before him made him tremble with fear.

In the pitch black.

The beam of light shone on Lin Fan's face.

Lin Fan was holding a dog's head in his hands, mouth open, ready to swallow it whole.

When the light hit him, he slowly raised his head, staring expressionlessly at Li Ang. The dead dog's head, grotesque and horrifying, seemed to carry a trace of resentment and unwillingness.

Gulp!

Li Ang's throat bobbed. A chill ran up his spine. An illusion, it must all be an illusion. He swung the flashlight, illuminating Old Man Zhang's face. Under the light, the old man's face became pale.

His heart pounded, his expression frozen. Sweat dripped from his forehead. He slowly moved the flashlight back to Lin Fan's face.

Lin Fan, holding the dog's head, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. Then he lowered his head and tore into the dog's head.

Swish!

The light shifted back to Old Man Zhang's face.

Old Man Zhang smiled, and also lowered his head, tearing into a dog leg.

Drip!

Drip!

Li Ang held the flashlight with both hands, shining it on his own chin, his eyes filled with terror, his legs trembling. An unknown liquid flowed down his thighs.

He had wet himself.

But he didn't realize it.

"Do you want some?" Lin Fan asked.

"Ah!" Li Ang screamed in terror, flailing his arms, throwing the flashlight away. He scrambled and tumbled towards the door.

"Help!"

"Help me…"

Li Ang ran wildly, bumping into the corridor walls. He scrambled back to his feet each time he fell, constantly looking back. He saw Lin Fan standing at the doorway, gently beckoning him.

For some reason, he heard a sinister voice in his ears.

"Come here… Come here…"

Lin Fan picked up the flashlight, looked calmly at the panicked figure in the distance, and shook his head in confusion. He tucked the flashlight into his pants, returned to the room, and continued eating.

Li Ang's screams echoed through the corridor.

A nurse's aide, seeing Li Ang's panicked state, quickly stopped him. "What's wrong?"

Seeing his colleague, Li Ang reacted as if he had seen a savior. He clutched his arms tightly, gasping for breath, and pointed down the corridor. "There's a ghost! There's a ghost over there…"

"What ghost? What are you talking about? Weren't you fine during the day?" The colleague frowned, sensing something was wrong with Li Ang. This was a mental hospital, not a mortuary. Even if there were something, it would be a mental patient, not a ghost.

"There really is…" Li Ang cried, waving his hands, hopping in place. "I saw it! I really saw it! You have to believe me!"

"Sigh!" The male nurse's aide said helplessly, "Alright, you say it's a ghost, right? Where is it? Take me to see it."

"666, it's in Room 666." Li Ang stammered.

The male nurse's aide, who had just lifted his foot, slowly lowered it upon hearing "Room 666." His expression turned serious. He picked up his walkie-talkie. "Director! Director! This is Xiao He. Something's happened again with the two patients in Room 666. Xiao Li has been frightened out of his wits. We need a few colleagues to come and help."

In the duty room.

The director was holding his phone, watching the latest episode of the drama "My Sister-in-Law." The plot was captivating, fueling his imagination. He took a sip of tea from his thermos. A voice came from the walkie-talkie.

"Roger." He replied absentmindedly.

But he quickly snapped back to reality.

His expression changed. He picked up the walkie-talkie and asked again, "Which room? Which room did you say?"

Szzt!

"Room 666."

Crash!

The director stood up, his expression turning serious. If it were any other room, he wouldn't be so tense, but the patients in Room 666 were terrifying. Something serious must have happened.

He dialed a number.

[120]

"Hello! This is…"

The director knew he had to call an ambulance. Things had to be handled systematically.

But the other party didn't let him finish, replying immediately.

"We know, Qing Shan Mental Hospital. We're already on our way."

The mental hospital was such a frequent caller that the ambulance service, with its rotating drivers, had already saved the hospital's number. As soon as the call came in, showing Qing Shan Mental Hospital, they immediately dispatched someone.

Li Ang's condition was not good. He was huddled in a corner, head buried. He was utterly terrified. He took out his phone, crying as he sent a voice message to his girlfriend, hoping for some comfort.

After a long while, a voice message came back.

His girlfriend's voice was helpful, making him feel much better. But he heard the sound of someone eating ice cream in the message.

"Honey, don't eat ice cream at night. It's not good for you."

Li Ang's state improved considerably. He sent a voice message back.

Soon.

The director arrived, along with other colleagues on duty. They had all been summoned by the director.

For the director, having more people around provided a sense of security.

Room 666.

The director peered through the window. Inside, it was quiet. Both patients were lying in their beds, seemingly asleep. He pushed the door open and flipped the light switch, but the bulb didn't respond.

Strange!

"Turn on your flashlights."

Click!

The aides switched on their flashlights. They didn't see the horrifying scene Xiao Li had described, but the director noticed something amiss in the details.

The floor was a bit messy.

And he saw a light shining from within Lin Fan's covers.