Chapter 17: Three Seconds
After another failed attempt to contact Ji Ying, Luo Ling stopped at the entrance to the morgue.
Currently, her Puppet Ballad ability was mainly for information gathering and lacked direct combat power.
And the morgue was the Forgotten River Child’s home turf. Luo Ling wasn’t reckless enough to barge in and confront it at its peak strength.
Until she could reach Ji Ying, Luo Ling didn’t plan to enter the morgue.
However, she wasn’t idle. She had deployed numerous Spores around the area, effectively sealing off the entire morgue.
As long as the Forgotten River Child left the morgue, Luo Ling could pinpoint its location instantly, ensuring it wouldn’t escape her sight.
Even just standing near the morgue, Luo Ling could feel an intangible, chilly wind blowing, accompanied by faint, almost imperceptible ghostly wails.
Whispers of resentment seeped into her ears, trying to stir fear within her.
…It seemed the Forgotten River Child had sensed her presence and recognized her as Li Tianming’s killer.
However, the cautious Forgotten River Child didn’t dare leave the morgue to confront her.
As the standoff continued, the elevator behind Luo Ling suddenly lit up. The doors opened, and three figures rushed out, charging towards her.
“Don’t move!”
Luo Ling looked back and saw three doctors in white coats. She recognized one of them, Director Li, who had given her permission to visit Huang Xiuqin.
Seeing that Luo Ling hadn’t entered the morgue yet, Director Li breathed a sigh of relief, then glared at her.
“Little girl, who told you to come here and steal a corpse?”
Some people superstitiously believed that dead babies could be used for certain witchcraft. The hospital had encountered similar incidents before, but this was the first time he had seen a minor being used for such a thing.
“I…”
Luo Ling was about to explain when a chilling sensation washed over her, making her hair stand on end.
…It was the Forgotten River Child!
It had come out of the morgue!
A gray shadow, barely visible to the naked eye, darted through the morgue door, past Luo Ling, and straight towards the doctors at the elevator.
Through her Spores, Luo Ling “saw” the Forgotten River Child’s form. It was even more grotesque than the small monster she had seen before, fitting her image of a Grotesquery perfectly.
The Forgotten River Child now existed between substance and nothingness, with a distorted face, inhuman limbs, and a large head covered in thick, dark veins. A gruesome, spiral-toothed maw replaced its eyes.
“Don’t be afraid, just tell us. I’ll vouch for you, you won’t get into trouble, just a reprimand at most.”
Director Li was still trying to persuade Luo Ling, oblivious to the fact that one of his colleagues beside him had bulging eyes, blood trickling from his orifices, his mouth open in a silent scream.
“Look out!”
Luo Ling shouted, rushing forward and kicking Director Li, who was still talking, sending him flying and causing the transforming doctor to miss his attack.
Before the last doctor could react, the doctor possessed by the Forgotten River Child pierced his heart, instantly taking his life. His flesh withered and turned to black ash.
“Hee hee hee hee…”
The Forgotten River Child, rooted in the poor doctor’s head, its grotesque face contorted in a mixture of laughter and tears, stared at Luo Ling with malice.
Due to the Forgotten River Child’s possession, the doctor’s body had taken on grotesque features, his hands transforming into bony claws, his decaying skin oozing green pus.
Although still technically alive, he was no different from a corpse.
Luo Ling glanced at Director Li, who had been kicked aside. He had merely hit the wall and fainted, suffering a concussion at most, but no harm from the Grotesquery.
At least she had saved one…
But Luo Ling’s situation was now even more dire. Having obtained a host, the Forgotten River Child had shed its timidity and become reckless.
The host not only gave it the ability to interact with the physical world but also acted as a shield, able to absorb a fatal blow.
In other words, if the Forgotten River Child were killed now, only the possessed doctor would die, not its true form.
“Hiss… hah…”
The doctor, his distorted face contorted in terror, gasped for air, his bulging eyes fixated on Luo Ling. His outstretched claws, as if pleading for help, reached for Luo Ling’s heart.
Luo Ling didn’t hesitate. She released another Spore, instantly perceiving the Forgotten River Child’s every move, narrowly dodging the attack.
“Bang!”
The steel door of the morgue behind Luo Ling was pierced by the claws, which only suffered minor damage.
Corrosive, foul blood dripped onto the floor, sizzling. The doctor’s head slowly turned, the Forgotten River Child’s face superimposed on it, a mocking smile on its lips.
“Hee hee hee hee…”
It knew.
It now understood that this Awakened One, Luo Ling, was all bark and no bite, lacking the true strength of an Awakened One.
Or rather, she currently lacked combat power.
“Have you encountered the Forgotten River Child?”
Just then, Ji Ying’s voice finally echoed in Luo Ling’s mind, sounding strangely weak.
“Yes…”
“Does it have a host?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“The hospital morgue.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Just a few brief words, less than a second, and Ji Ying’s connection cut off again. Luo Ling pulled out the utility knife from her pocket.
Among the portable tools she could buy, the utility knife was the most lethal.
But seeing the utility knife, the mockery in the Forgotten River Child’s eyes intensified, its playful attitude towards its prey evident.
The Forgotten River Child was the epitome of a bully, especially now, having confirmed that Luo Ling’s combat strength was no match for its own.
Luo Ling gripped the utility knife tightly. She didn’t know how long it would take for Ji Ying to arrive. Until then… she had to survive.
Seeing that Luo Ling wasn’t afraid but staring at it with fighting spirit, the Forgotten River Child became enraged. Its sharp, ghostly shriek almost pierced her eardrums.
A series of cracking sounds erupted from the doctor’s body as the Forgotten River Child forcibly pushed past the limits of its host, lunging at Luo Ling with incredible speed.
It wanted to ensure that even if its movements were seen through, Luo Ling wouldn’t have a chance to dodge.
Luo Ling’s pupils constricted. She did see through the Forgotten River Child’s movements, but even at her limit, she couldn’t dodge.
The Spore showed her a clear trajectory, a desperate speed.
No escape.
Luo Ling stared at the Grotesquery, a flicker of dark gold in her eyes, faint blue scales appearing on her fingertips.
At that critical moment, a cold voice echoed from nowhere,
“Three seconds… a little late.”
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