New Rules

After chatting with Victor for a while, Harry stepped out of the car, watching as Victor stomped on the gas, speeding off like a bullet.

Harry turned to look back at the inpatient building. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a figure in a white coat, emanating black mist, standing by an open window on the top floor, staring down at him.

But in the next moment, the figure vanished as if it had never been there.

Harry took a deep breath, muttering under his breath, "Illusion, my ass!"

He raised his middle finger toward the building.

"What are you staring at? I'm your daddy!"

Although no figure reappeared, a faint swirl of black mist shot out from the window before quickly dissipating into the air.

Standing still for a moment, Harry calmed himself and confirmed two things.

First, from that distance, the figure shouldn't have heard him, but the taunt seemed to have worked anyway.

And second, whatever power that figure had was confined to a strict set of boundaries or rules. Now that he was out of the hospital and no longer a patient, it had no hold over him.

———

When Harry got back to the funeral home, the gatekeeper stopped him and handed him a thermos.

"Harry, wait up. The director left this for you. He specifically said that if it cools down, you should reheat it and not let it go to waste."

"What is it?"

"Soup."

"Ah, where's director?"

"The director went out."

Harry took the thermos and called Keith on his phone.

"Director, thanks for the soup. You didn't have to go through all the trouble."

"Drink it while it's hot. I don't want you to drop dead before you even get your first paycheck."

"Uh…"

"What's 'uh'? That's Four Yang Revitalizing Soup. It boosts yang energy, drives out the cold, and replenishes your vitality. Best to drink it hot for maximum effect. That's all. I'm busy."

After confirming it was indeed from Keith, Harry relaxed a bit and opened the thermos. A strong bitter scent wafted out, smelling just like traditional herbal tea—not only did it smell like tea, but it also looked like it. Harry's face twisted in disgust.

But remembering the soup's benefits and the lingering cold still clawing at his insides, he pinched his nose and downed the entire thermos in one go.

The warm, bitter liquid burned as it went down, and after a few moments, Harry felt a gentle warmth begin to spread through his stomach, slowly dispelling the cold that had taken root inside him.

Within half an hour, the oppressive summer heat started to catch up with him, beads of sweat forming on his forehead and back. As he exhaled, a visible puff of white mist escaped his lips, and his pale complexion slowly began to return to normal.

Feeling the warmth continuously radiating from his stomach, Harry thought, 'This soup really works.'

He made a mental note to ask director for the recipe and what ingredients he had used.

While Harry wasn't particularly afraid of certain supernatural encounters but possession, the invasive cold and dark energy were a different story. He hadn't fallen seriously ill yet, mostly due to his youth and strong vitality, but he knew that if he had to endure that kind of encounter a few more times, he wouldn't be able to hold out.

Harry spent the rest of the day at the funeral home, poring over hospital regulations. By the time night fell, Victor showed up, driving like a madman and screeching to a stop outside the gates.

"Let's go."

Once in the car, Harry quickly asked, "Everything sorted?"

"Yeah, all done. The new department head is trying to make a big splash with his first major move. I gave him a little nudge, and he personally made a few calls to clear the way. No problems on the procedural front either."

As he spoke, Victor handed Harry a clipboard filled with documents and an ID card.

Harry opened it to find his ID photo staring back at him. He was now an official member of the Blazing Sun Sect, complete with a properly stamped ID.

"Have all the patients been transferred?"

"That's not so easy. Do you know how many people need surgery every day? Or how many come in with life-threatening conditions like strokes? It's not as simple as snapping your fingers and moving them all in one day."

"Plus, the whole reason the first hospital was expanding in the first place was that it couldn't handle the current load. Transferring all the patients would push the other hospitals past their breaking point. Some patients simply can't be moved—trying to do so would probably kill them before they even make it to another hospital."

"We've transferred the ones who can be moved. The critical cases have been relocated to other parts of the hospital, like the outpatient or emergency departments. After a quick discussion, the department approved the plan. It's not something we're doing recklessly."

"That's good to hear."

Harry nodded. There's a saying: you can't play the thief forever, and you can't guard against the thief forever either. Tonight was the third night. If they didn't deal with the head nurse today, Harry knew that soon enough, the rules would change. The nurse would gain new methods, and "accidents" would start happening again.

Even if the rules remained unchanged, there was no guarantee that Harry wouldn't have to visit a hospital again. Given how the last few days had gone, he figured his hospital visits were only going to increase from here on out.

Just thinking about the head nurse's pure, undisguised malice made Harry certain: she needed to be dealt with, now. Otherwise, he'd never be able to cross the street again without looking over his shoulder.

By 10:30 p.m., Harry had clipped his badge to his chest and stood waiting in the lobby of the inpatient building. Victor was still working with some regular operatives, setting up equipment and running final checks.

There were all kinds of devices—some machines, others talismans. It was a mix of modern tech and the taoism. Harry didn't understand any of it, so he stood off to the side, watching.

As the clock ticked closer to 10:30, the regular operatives finished and withdrew, leaving just Victor, who stood ready with a remote in one hand and a black wooden sword in the other, prepared for anything.

Harry hesitated, then asked, "So, according to the plan, as soon as you activate that device, it'll trap her, right?"

"Yeah, that's the idea. This is some specially commissioned equipment. The whole setup costs eight million, no joke. It can be activated by remote, wire, or voice. It runs on either a power cable or its built-in high-capacity battery, so we've got a few hours. Shutting it down will be tricky, though."

"But even with it set up for maximum effect, luring her into the trap is still going to be tough…"

"How about I hold the remote instead? I'm worried you might fall asleep again," Harry interrupted.

"…"

Victor opened his mouth to argue that he hadn't entered as a patient this time, so by the rules, he shouldn't fall asleep.

But after last night's failure, the words died in his throat. He just didn't have the confidence.

Curious as to why Harry hadn't fallen asleep when entering the domain before, Victor had checked his file, but all he found were the basics—meaning most of Harry's information was classified above his clearance level.

Reluctantly, Victor handed the remote to Harry and waited.

As soon as the clock struck 10:30, the lights went out, leaving only the night lights. A thin mist began to rise from the corridor on the left side of the lobby.

Harry looked over at Victor, only to realize that Victor had vanished.

'I am sure he didn't sleep. He didn't go outside either. Crap!'

Outside the domain, Victor's face turned grim. He waved his hand at his team.

"Prepare for a full-scale assault."

Tonight was their last chance. If they failed, the domain would disappear, and a year from now, the head nurse would have advanced.

Fiery energy crackled as it tried to break through the inpatient building's barrier, but an invisible force blocked it.

Victor brought forward another device, connecting his black wooden sword to it. Lightning arced across the sword, sizzling as it pierced through the air.

The electric arcs gathered, forming a blinding whip that lashed out at the hospital's doors.

With a sharp crackle, a spiderweb of fine electric currents spread across the surface, revealing a faint, translucent barrier surrounding the inpatient building.

"Keep pushing! Throw everything we've got at it!"

A car pulled up in the distance, and a man in Taoist robes rushed out, leading several others to set up a ritual altar in front of the building.

———

Meanwhile, Harry took a deep breath and pressed the remote's activation button. Then he tossed the remote aside and pulled out the clipboard filled with documents.

From the left corridor of the lobby, thick, cold mist seeped in. The head nurse appeared, her face dark, holding a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other.

She floated toward him, head slightly tilted, her malevolent eyes locking onto Harry. A grotesque smile slowly stretched across her face, the corners of her mouth ripping all the way to her ears.

Her mouth moved silently, as if she were laughing—laughing at Harry for daring to enter even though he wasn't a patient anymore.

The machines scattered around the lobby began to hum, gathering energy. Tendrils of visible black mist swirled, clashing with the forces emitted by the devices, and a sudden pressure seemed to fill the room.

The director paused, eyeing the equipment warily. She glanced at the wires leading out of the devices. With several loud snaps, the wires began to fray and break.

Even without external power, the devices' internal batteries kicked in, but the weight of their impact on the director seemed negligible.

She resumed her slow approach toward Harry, each step accompanied by the howling of a fierce wind. Cold, eerie energy spiraled outward, and Harry's vision blurred as phantoms rose from the ground.

Silent wailing spirits and vengeful ghosts crawled toward him, their cold, deathly auras stabbing through his body, chilling him to the core.

Harry ignored the spectral horrors, unsure whether they were illusions or real. Calmly, he opened his clipboard and began to speak clearly.

"Diana, I am Harry, a special investigator with the Blazing Sun Sect. You are under arrest for multiple homicides. This is your arrest warrant. I hope you cooperate."

The head nurse's mouth stretched wider, as if her grotesque laughter grew louder in her mind.

She seemed to find Harry's announcement thoroughly amusing.

Harry casually tossed one of the stamped documents toward her, then pulled out another thick stack and continued reading aloud.

"According to a joint investigation conducted by the Starlight City Mining Central Hospital and several related agencies, the following decisions have been made regarding Diana Mayfield's repeated violations of her professional duties."

Before Harry could finish, an invisible force yanked him off the ground, slamming him against the glass doors at the lobby entrance.

The head nurse's cold, oppressive energy invaded his body, but deep inside him, a steady warmth began to rise, pushing back against the encroaching cold. The protective energy from his uniform surged, countering the chilling assault.

His entire body felt as though it were being squeezed by a vice, bones threatening to snap under the pressure. But then, just as the force seemed ready to crush him, it rapidly weakened.

A grin spread across Harry's face. He knew this wasn't the nurse showing mercy.

With a strained voice, he continued to speak.

"These documents are a bit long, so I'll sum up the key points for you."

"First, Diana Mayfield is officially dismissed from her position at the Starlight City Mining Central Hospital, and all related benefits are revoked."

"Second, her title of head nurse is hereby rescinded."

"Third, Diana Mayfield is permanently banned from working in the medical system."

He coughed slightly, the force still constricting his body, but he pressed on.

"Whether you want to hear it or not, it doesn't matter anymore. The decisions are final, with signatures from all relevant authorities and seals from each department. Everything is legitimate, legal, and above board."

"And most importantly—you don't have a say in this.

"These are the NEW RULES."