After parting ways with the others, Qin Nuo continued to wander inside the hospital.
He checked the time; it was already nearing 2:30 AM.
"Not going home to sleep by 2:30 AM will lead to something terrifying," was a saying often heard from the elders in the countryside.
Qin Nuo didn't want to believe in such ominous words, but perhaps it was psychological; he felt the light from the oil lamp seemed to dim, and the visible space around him gradually became constricted.
"Just an illusion."
"The more you fear something, the more likely you are to see its shadow."
Qin Nuo shook his head vigorously to dispel these chaotic thoughts, focusing intently on following the guidance of the puzzle piece in his hand.
After circling the floor, the puzzle piece still showed no reaction.
"It seems the pieces aren't that easy to find, and this hospital is much larger than I thought."
Holding up the oil lamp, Qin Nuo muttered to himself, "Could there be a basement?"
Basements in horror movies always hide some earth-shattering secret or terrifying thing. Would he discover something if he went to the basement?
As Qin Nuo pondered this, he reached the stairwell.
Just as he was thinking of heading downstairs, the puzzle piece in his hand suddenly sparked and reacted, floating in a certain direction.
Qin Nuo looked up towards the fire exit at the end of the corridor.
After a moment of hesitation, he turned and walked in that direction.
Pushing open the fire exit door, he found a hidden room on one side of the passage.
"So lucky?" Qin Nuo was taken aback. He had just mentioned how hard the puzzle pieces were to find, and now here it was.
He gently pushed the door open, first raising the oil lamp into the room, then poking his head inside.
The space inside was suffocating, cluttered with various items, and completely airtight.
At the far end, there was a light.
It was a television that was on, possibly with a poor signal, as the screen kept flickering, seemingly playing some cartoon.
Opposite the TV, an old man was leaning back on a sofa, eyes closed, whether asleep or...
In the claustrophobic space with such a chilling scene, anyone with a weak heart would have turned and fled.
Qin Nuo wanted to leave too, but he couldn't.
Because he saw what he was looking for.
Next to the old man's remote control was a puzzle piece!
Qin Nuo hesitated for a moment, then quietly walked over, keeping an eye on the old man's movements, reaching out with his right hand towards the remote.
However, just as his fingertips touched the puzzle piece, the old man's hand, covered in corpse spots, suddenly grabbed Qin Nuo's hand tightly, along with the puzzle piece and the remote.
The grip was strong!
Like an iron clamp, his entire hand quickly became engorged with blood.
Qin Nuo frowned, "Grandma, I just saw you were asleep and wanted to help you turn off the TV, no other intentions."
Qin Nuo continued watching.
After the old lady was sent to the nursing home, the son's financial situation didn't improve, and he was constantly troubled. Eventually, the company went bankrupt, leaving him in debt, with creditors coming to collect, splashing red paint, and defacing the entrance.
The creditors' relentless pursuit nearly drove the man insane.
The once happy family of three became impoverished and fragmented.
Every night, the wife argued about divorce, wanting to take their son away.
However, the husband, driven to desperation, suddenly thought of a way out.
The next day, they brought the old lady back from the nursing home, treating her well, and even discussed taking her on a trip.
The scene then abruptly shifted to the trip.
The son carried the old lady on his back, touring the scenic area, the two chatting and laughing, even though the son was sweating profusely, he didn't let his mother walk on her own.
On a rock, the son set his mother down, took a sip of water, and let her gaze at the scenic mountains and rivers.
The son also took a sip of water, came to his mother's side, said something that made her laugh continuously.
But at that moment, the son suddenly pushed the old lady off the cliff, rocks tumbling down, the son stood up, expressionless, while his wife ran up excitedly, even peering over the cliff to confirm the old lady had fallen...
Then, the scene shifted.
To a year later.
The couple used the mother's insurance money to revive the company, becoming more prosperous.
The family of three returned to their previously harmonious life.
One night, the wife snuggled in her husband's arms, watching TV.
But then, the lights suddenly went out.
The TV in the movie switched to a black-and-white film.
A documentary-style film...
Qin Nuo's expression suddenly became a bit unnatural.
Because the opening of the movie was the same as the one he was watching now!
The couple stared at themselves on the TV, their expressions gradually turning fearful.
When the old lady was pushed off the cliff by her own son, the TV turned to static, with blood gushing out from the screen...
The couple turned pale with fright, completely unaware of the blood-soaked, hunched shadow silently appearing behind them.
A pair of withered hands reached for the couple's terrified, twisted faces...
The scene abruptly stopped.
Finally freezing on two blood-soaked corpses...
Qin Nuo swallowed hard, turning his head stiffly.
Beside him, the old lady had somehow become a bloody, mangled figure.
A chilling cold suddenly appeared at the back of Qin Nuo's head, as if a hand was also gripping his head...