Chapter 4: The Ghostly Call from the Car Accident

The other party's phone was continuously unreachable. I persistently dialed, not knowing how many times I had called. Finally, it connected, and a gruff male voice came through on the other end, impatiently saying: "Hello, who are you looking for?"

She said so, yet left two security guards here to watch over me, preventing me from moving around.

This sound is very eerie; upon hearing it, I felt a chill that penetrated directly to my bones

Ah, ah, ah ... ...

The phone call was from an unknown caller. The female police officer was initially quite relaxed, but after a while, her expression became serious. After saying a few words, she hung up, licked her lips, and then turned to me and asked, "Was it really Xiao Zhang who called just now?"

When Xiao Zhang was leaving, he said goodbye to me, stating that if it really doesn't work out, he could just turn around and leave.

My back suddenly straightened, and cold sweat began to flow down. After a while, my mind became slightly clearer, and I stammered, "W-when did this happen?"

I wanted to charge my device, but I realized that I hadn't brought anything with me. A couple of days ago, I was using Wang Lei's charger, but after his incident, it must have been put away by someone. I can't find a charger at the moment. I asked the people in the same ward, but they don't have one either. I guess I will have to wait until tomorrow for a colleague to bring one over.

In the end, all I received was a sedative injection

After obtaining the number, I hurriedly dialed it.

The female police officer was somewhat surprised when she heard that Xiao Zhang had called me, and she asked me approximately what time it was.

Haven't they already jumped to their deaths? How can they say they will wait for me

I was eager to prove my innocence, nodding vigorously as I said, "Really, just a moment ago, if you don't believe me, wait until my phone is charged and can be turned on, you can check the call records."

This situation left me feeling quite desperate, yet I also had a bit of a fighting spirit, so I kept refreshing and flipping through pages until my phone was nearly out of battery, at which point I finally found a post about travel in the Yizhang forum

The dog days may very well be closely related to the deaths of A Gui and Wang Lei

Just as I was lost in thought, a familiar ringtone suddenly echoed in the hospital room

The female police officer glanced at me and said word by word: "About an hour ago..."

I unconsciously called out, as if only in this way could I find a semblance of security

Whether it was A Gui or Wang Lei, they both had faces marked with bruises, their eyes were stiff, and their expressions were a mix of smiles and sneers, as if mocking. When Xiao Zhang mentioned his name, I instinctively threw my phone away, let out a loud scream, and buried myself under the blanket, trembling uncontrollably

Just as the patient was changing rooms, the door was pushed open, and surprisingly, it was the female police officer who remained in the hospital. She walked in with a frown and said to me, "What happened?"

I was stunned for quite a while, and after a few "Hello"s from the other end of the line, I was insulted with a "Crazy person" before the call was abruptly ended

At first, I did not pay much attention, but after a while, I noticed that others were looking at me, and only then did I realize that it was my phone ringing

I want to report this situation to the police, but I am afraid they will think I am being irrational. In my hesitation, I am experiencing a severe headache

The chubby nurse, who is the most familiar to me, noticed that I had quieted down. She opened her eyes to look at them, then patted my face and asked, "How is it? Are you awake?"

I nodded slightly, swallowed, and then weakly said: "Could you help me contact the two police officers from today? I have important information to discuss with them"

A Gui, Wang Lei

I disregarded her attitude and recounted to her the information I had just found online, as well as the matter of receiving a call from Xiao Zhang.

Ah?

In the twenty-third post, a user with the username "I am an experienced driver" commented, saying, "The dilapidated temple on the hillside of Mangshan is a place you must avoid. It is a place where one could lose their life; if you are not careful, it is easy to be..."

I just said, just now ... ...

After a while, I felt someone grabbing me, and instinctively I struggled desperately, kicking my legs. To my surprise, several more people came and pinned me tightly to the bed, rendering me unable to move.

As a result of my efforts, I discovered that there is absolutely no information available online

Every time a name is mentioned on the other end of the phone, a corresponding figure immediately appears in my mind

Xiao Zhang is a local from Jiangcheng. In this area, every household engages in commerce and offers sacrifices to the gods, burning incense on the first and fifteenth days of the month. They are quite superstitious and firmly believe that there are always some strange and unusual things in the world

My phone, wasn't it just out of battery?

When the effects of the sedative took hold, I finally realized that those who were pressing down on me were nurses, on-duty doctors, and hospital security, rather than the bizarre things I had seen before

Xiao Zhang did not answer the previous question, but ominously said: "You don't know about us? It's A Gui, Wang Lei, and me..."

Indeed, it is the wealthy who can make swift decisions. In the evening, it was mentioned, and by around 8 PM, Xiao Zhang's sister and brother-in-law arrived to help him move his luggage, stating that they had already completed the transfer procedures and were ready to drive him to the First People's Hospital for a visit

The female police officer nodded and instructed the security guard nearby to help find an Android charger. After a moment of thought, she said to me: "I have some unfortunate news to report to you—Zhang Dougang from your company's finance department was involved in a car accident at the intersection of Shiwai Road and Qinqi Road during the transfer to another hospital, and he died on the spot..."

Especially upon hearing me mention the ghostly symbols beneath the bed board, they became even more convinced

At that moment, my mind was a bit muddled, and I was puzzled, asking, "Who are 'they'?" and "Who are 'we'?"

I have heard this voice before; it belongs to the tour guide who took us to that dilapidated temple during our previous trip. That guy has a somewhat hoarse voice, and once you hear it, you generally cannot forget it

The recent incidents of people jumping from buildings have caused great unease throughout the entire hospital ward. With this new incident I have caused, he is naturally very alarmed and does not dare to share a room with me anymore, for fear of bringing bad luck.

At that time, my emotions were quite complex. I pondered over it several times and felt that this "I am an experienced driver" should be someone in the know. Holding onto the thought of grasping a lifeline, I added the other party as a friend and then found his phone number in the signature section

I struggled desperately but could not break free. When I opened my eyes, I saw several dark figures pressing down on me, their mouths emitting a nauseating stench.

The call cannot be connected, and I feel extremely anxious. I recall that the tour guide clearly knew there was an issue with that dilapidated temple, yet still deliberately took us there, surely intending to cause harm.

The female police officer picked up the phone I had dropped on the ground. The screen was shattered. After pressing a few buttons, she said with a half-smile, "Your phone is out of battery and turned off, yet you still managed to receive a call? Even a Nokia phone shouldn't have such a feature, right?"

The wealthy leave, while the poor remain; this is the harsh reality of the world. I feel downcast, lying in bed playing on my phone, searching online for news about that dilapidated temple in Mangshan.

I struggled to explain to her, but the woman simply would not believe me, and at that moment, her phone rang

I picked up my phone from the table and saw that an unfamiliar number was calling. When I answered, it turned out to be Xiao Zhang, who had just been transferred to another hospital.

As soon as I heard that sound, my heart nearly leapt out of my chest

I found it a bit strange that he would call me, and as a result, on the other end of the line, Xiao Zhang said in a very low voice: "Wang Ming, they won't let us go, saying that we have to wait for you to join..."

There is not a single word or phrase.

The words remain unspoken, leaving a sense of hesitation and unexpressed thoughts

A few individuals at the hospital discussed the matter and concluded that this approach was not feasible, so they arranged for the person to be moved to a different room

I have calmed down here, and some people have left the ward. Another patient in the ward grabbed the on-duty doctor and asked if it was possible to change to another room

Ah!

Deng deng deng, deng deng deng

The more they spoke, the more frightened they became. As a result, before Xiao Zhang could finish his chicken soup, his brother-in-law slapped his thigh and said it was not acceptable; they had to transfer to another hospital and could not stay in this dreadful place any longer

That amount of money is not something I can afford at the moment

I feel as though they want to bind me and then throw me out of the window, so I am desperately shouting to attract someone to come and rescue me

I came to my senses and hurriedly called again, but before the other party could answer, my phone ran out of battery.

Eh?

He is a local, wealthy, while I am an outsider working here. My monthly salary is already quite low, and the burden is heavy. This is the designated unit for our company's medical insurance. If I go to the First People's Hospital, I might not be reimbursed and could end up spending a large sum of money.

I shook my head and politely declined

The plump nurse observed that I was conscious and no longer causing a disturbance. She nodded and said, "Alright, it seems that someone is on duty here. Please stay still, and I will go call for assistance..."

I took a glance, oh, the latest Apple product, truly wealthy

The female police officer did not engage me further in conversation, but instead took out her phone to answer it