Chapter 12: The Haunting Baby's Shadows

The Seventh Hospital of Shang City was once quite renowned in the city.

Its most famous service was abortion procedures.

However, at some point, rumors began to circulate that at night, people saw babies crawling through the hospital corridors.

At first, only one or two people reported seeing them. Then the number grew, until eventually, some claimed the babies were everywhere—in the floors, on the walls, even on the ceilings—each one stained with blood and swarming like spiders.

Although there were never any reports of these ghostly infants harming anyone, the rumors cast a dark shadow over the Seventh Hospital.

As the stories grew more sinister and strange occurrences increased, even the hospital staff were affected. Ultimately, the Seventh Hospital had to close and relocate, leaving behind only a dilapidated building.

When Chu Tian and Chen Meng arrived at the hospital entrance, the gates were sealed shut. Under the cover of night, the unlit hospital resembled a colossal beast crouching low, exuding an eerie and foreboding presence.

“The spirit energy is pretty heavy,” Chen Meng sniffed as she stepped down from the car, eyeing the hospital warily.

Chu Tian nodded. As a ghost official, he was even more sensitive to the spectral aura Chen Meng sensed.

Activating his Yin Official Eyes, Chu Tian saw the hospital brimming with ghostly energy—though none was overwhelmingly powerful, the sheer volume of spirits was impressive.

“This place is a breeding ground for ghost kings,” Chu Tian said gravely, and without hesitation, he and Chen Meng climbed over the wall and entered the hospital.

“Be careful,” Chu Tian warned.

“Oh, you care about me?” Chen Meng tilted her head teasingly. Chu Tian rolled his eyes and together they stepped inside.

The Seventh Hospital had been standing for years, but after being abandoned for two, the service hall was in ruins. Some bulbs were missing, paint peeled from the walls, and the remaining tables and chairs were haphazardly scattered. A dusty stack of papers lay forgotten on one desk.

It was clear that the relocation had been handled carelessly.

Before Chu Tian and Chen Meng could examine more, darkness suddenly closed in, followed by dizziness. When their vision cleared, the hospital had transformed completely.

The windows were crystal clear, sunlight bathed the exterior, and inside, the service hall was neatly arranged with tables and chairs in perfect order.

Chen Meng’s heart tightened as she looked at Chu Tian.

Chu Tian tried with all his might to pierce the illusion with his Yin Official Eyes, but to his shock, he could not see through it.

“Be careful!” Chu Tian grabbed Chen Meng’s hand. “This is an illusion set by the ghosts here. It’s very powerful—I can’t break it.”

“What?” Chen Meng’s face paled as she too attempted to dispel the illusion. As a fox spirit, she usually sensed supernatural traces easily, but here, she could detect nothing amiss.

Had they not just witnessed the hospital’s true state, Chen Meng would have found it impossible to believe this was all an illusion.

“What do we do?” Chen Meng asked uneasily.

“We’ll take it step by step,” Chu Tian said. “The ghost infants who set this illusion are far stronger than us. But since none of them have ever attacked anyone, let’s not panic. Let’s see what they want.”

“Alright,” Chen Meng said, tightening her grip on Chu Tian’s hand.

At that moment, the elevator suddenly lit up. They both turned toward it, their pupils constricting in alarm.

Out of the elevator stepped two doctors—not adults, but babies.

They seemed newborn but stood upright like adults, dressed in white coats, mimicking doctors’ movements. Yet their presence was disturbingly uncanny, like monkeys in ceremonial robes.

“Hello, if you need an examination, follow me,” the two “baby doctors” said, though their mouths did not move. Their voices seemed to materialize out of nowhere right before Chu Tian and Chen Meng.

Still unclear about the illusion’s purpose, the two followed the baby ghosts deeper into the hospital.

The ghost who crafted this illusion was undoubtedly powerful, but these two baby ghosts were comparatively weak.

Everything has a cause, and ghosts are born from grievances.

This illusion was a test set by the hospital’s spirits for Chu Tian and Chen Meng.

Mistake the test, and the ghost infants might attack; pass it, and there might be a chance to survive.

“Lift your shirt a bit,” one baby ghost instructed.

Inside a room, they found another baby ghost pretending to be a doctor, operating an ultrasound machine. Upon Chen Meng’s arrival, the ghost doctor had her lie down and began the ultrasound.

“The fetus is six weeks along. Are you sure you want to terminate the pregnancy?” The baby doctor’s cold voice caused both Chu Tian and Chen Meng’s faces to change.

“T—” Chu Tian barely uttered a word when the lights in the bright ultrasound room suddenly flickered, oscillating between ruin and order.

The three baby doctors stared intently at them, as if ready to pounce should Chu Tian say the word "terminate."

“No,” Chu Tian said, his eyes carrying a mysterious meaning as he looked at the three baby doctors.

At once, the baby doctors’ faces lit up with innocent joy. “R-Really?”

“Really. If we decide to keep the child, can we go back to nurture the pregnancy?” Chu Tian asked.

“Yes. Go back and take good care of the pregnancy—rest well and eat properly,” the attending baby doctor arranged for Chen Meng.

Chu Tian continued, “If we nurture the pregnancy here in the hospital, what do we need to prepare? How much does it cost?”

The three baby doctors froze as if time had stopped.

After a long pause, they began to excitedly chatter, as if hearing wonderful news, running in circles inside the room.

“We’ll need doctors, nurses, nurses! I’ll arrange a ward for you. Pregnant women need rest!”

The three baby ghosts chattered eagerly, and one opened a door. Outside, in the original service hall, more than twenty new baby ghosts had appeared—doctors, nurses, pushing wheelchairs taller than themselves, carrying stretchers, and beds.

It was a lively scene, yet there was not a single patient in sight.