Chapter 31: Triggering a Series of Hidden Quests

Chapter 31: Triggering the Hidden Quest Series

"Did you find any clues?"

"I did." Han Lingling gave a radiant smile. "Did you think I was just a brute? Would I set my sights on the big shots behind the scenes without any preparation?"

*Aren't you brute enough already?* Duan Ming muttered to himself.

Han Lingling pointed toward the ceiling. "You know there are five floors in this inpatient department, right? The fifth floor is also a ward area, but it is strictly forbidden for anyone, including ghosts, to enter."

"The only entrance to the fifth floor is the staircase, and it's guarded by two Fierce-level ghosts—likely high-tier ones at that."

"I snuck up there once..."

"Wait, wait, wait! You snuck up there again?! Those are two high-tier Fierce ghosts, sister!"

"Oh, stop nagging. Didn't I come back safely? Relax, I had foolproof preparations."

Duan Ming remained skeptical.

Han Lingling continued, "The layout of the fifth floor is slightly different from the four floors below; it's all high-end wards. The corridors are completely different, too—the floors and walls are covered in terrifying bloodstains, and every room is filled with shrill, agonizing screams. Down here, you don't hear a sound even during the day."

"Like the lower floors at night, most of the high-end wards were locked. I didn't have time to try them all, but Room 513 was an exception. The door was wide open, and a fat ghost was lying on the bed, facing the door, screaming much more miserably than the others."

She paused there.

"That's it?" Duan Ming asked, surprised. It didn't seem like he had gained any substantial information.

"There's more. I picked this up at the entrance of that open ward."

Han Lingling pulled out an ID badge, stained with blood, though some text was still faintly legible.

*Qingshan Hospital Cafeteria...*

The rest was illegible.

"What is this?"

"Try touching it."

Duan Ming did as he was told. Instantly, a message popped into his mind.

[Hidden Quest Triggered: Irreparable Guilt (1/5)]

[It's him! It's him!!! Everything happened because of him! I won't let him have peace even in death!!!]

The roar felt as if it were right in his ear. Duan Ming quickly dropped the ID.

Han Lingling explained, "This is how you open a series of hidden quests. The number at the end represents the clue sequence. Once all clues are gathered, the true hidden quest will appear. The Ghost Qi and the rewards are far beyond anything a normal quest can offer."

Duan Ming pondered for a moment. "So you think it's necessary to investigate the cafeteria?"

"Yes." Han Lingling nodded, though her brow remained furrowed. "But the rules in the inpatient department are strict. Aside from those delivering meal tickets to the cafeteria, every other caregiver must clock in every half hour. Half an hour is a bit tight, so I think we'll have to wait until we're off duty at night."

"At night? Han Lingling, have you lost your mind?! Aren't you afraid of those natives of the Ghost Realm?"

"Oh, it's not that scary. I've had contact with them, and besides..." Han Lingling held up the ghost-cloth in her hand. "You think I wasted a precious rank-up orb just to dodge those two gatekeeping Fierce ghosts?"

"It's rare for natives to reach the Evil-level. I have a 93.2175% certainty that we can make a safe round trip."

Duan Ming took out his calculator and crunched the numbers. "But there's still a 6.7825% chanc—wait, where on earth did you get those decimal points from?!"

"That's not important. What matters is that we still have the Substitute Doll."

At the mention of this, Han Lingling’s expression turned serious. She tapped the doll on Duan Ming's chest. "We can plan all we want, but one thing must be clear: if either of us runs into trouble and consumes the doll, all plans are canceled. This agreement applies to both of us."

Duan Ming’s expression tightened as he nodded solemnly. "Agreed. I hope you can keep your emotions in check when the time comes."

"However, I'm going to the cafeteria alone."

"Impossible. If you don't let me go, then forget about doing this quest," Han Lingling retorted stubbornly.

"I have connections in the cafeteria."

Han Lingling: "???"

Duan Ming: "Don't believe me? When I first arrived, I was a delivery guy for the cafeteria. I know quite a few ghosts; we're on good terms. I’m practically blood brothers with the head of the cafeteria, and I’m on nodding terms with the head chef. It’ll be much easier for me to act than you."

Han Lingling was confused: "You're a cafeteria employee?"

"I was. But then I joined your caregiver department," Duan Ming said with a sullen face.

Han Lingling was even more confused: "When did you join our department?"

"Han Lingling, don't push it! I fed medicine to twenty-three sick ghosts!"

"I didn't forget, but I thought you were just doing it out of concern for your sister."

"Hey, you! Are you trying to swindle my wages again like you used to do with my pocket money when we were kids? I risked my life for this, enough is enough!"

Han Lingling tilted her head, thinking. "But you really didn't join. I checked the roster just a while ago. Chen Feng, Meng Qian, and Xu Haoran are on it, but your name isn't there."

"Impossible! Didn't the head nurse come by when you were beating up Qin Wei?"

"She did, but then she left."

Duan Ming froze.

*Right.* Because he was so worried about Han Lingling at the time, he had completely forgotten to apply for a department transfer with the head nurse. They hadn't even spoken, and he hadn't had the time to check.

Moreover, when he was at the Government Finance Residential Complex, he should have received small quest rewards for completing the property management tasks, but after working hard for so long, he hadn't received any completion notifications.

In other words, he was still on the kitchen staff.

Veins bulged on Duan Ming's forehead. "Damn it! All that work for nothing?"

"Of course not, what are you thinking?" Han Lingling gently patted his head. "Did you forget? You also owe me a hundred million. Silly child."

Duan Ming: "o(▼皿▼メ;)o"

He took several deep breaths, stood up angrily, and walked out. "I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm heading to the cafeteria."

"Damn it, no. I'm going to go beat up some ghosts first."

"I'm coming too!"

...

A short while later, at the Qingshan Hospital Cafeteria.

It was nearly mealtime, and most of the food was ready. Aside from the ghosts working the service windows, the kitchen staff was sitting in the rest area.

The flat-topped ghost, the head chef, had been twisting his neck since morning. Shang Xiaoya had decapitated him seven or eight times, each at a different angle. He had managed to reattach it, but it always felt crooked, making him feel incredibly uncomfortable.

A kitchen assistant nearby noticed and leaned in. "Boss, is your neck still bothering you? How hateful. If Supervisor Fang hadn't stopped us at the time, I would have gone up and bitten that brat to death."

Seeing his chance for flattery stolen, another chimed in, "Exactly! I wanted to step in from the start, but I figured that a mere living human was no match for you, Boss. Who would have thought that little bastard would fight so dishonorably and use a sneak attack? I despise him."

"Yeah, yeah! If I run into that kid again, I'll definitely help you get revenge, Boss!"

"Boss, does it still hurt? No? But my heart aches for you~~"

The flat-topped ghost’s eyes flickered. "Everyone..."

Just then, a figure appeared at the kitchen entrance, causing the entire scene to freeze.

Duan Ming waved awkwardly. "Ha, everyone's here?"

The flat-topped ghost instinctively clutched his neck and took a step back. But emboldened by the support of his subordinates, his anger flared. He waved a hand.

"Brothers, get him!!!"

His hand fell, but no one rushed forward.

The flat-topped ghost stood frozen, cold sweat trickling down. In his peripheral vision, his subordinates, who had been so vocal a moment ago, were all huddled together, retreating.

The air seemed to freeze.

"Wait, that's not right. There's only one of him. Why are we afraid?"

"I knew something felt wrong. How can ten of us not handle one idiot?"

The whispering gradually turned into roars.

"Boss! I'm here to help!"

"Let me at him!"

One by one, the subordinates rushed forward, standing by the flat-topped ghost, who began to smirk with confidence.

Duan Ming blinked and scratched his butt. "I wanted to get along with you all as a normal person, but it seems you've chosen force."

"I'm done pretending. I'm showing my hand."

As he spoke, he vanished from his spot. When he reappeared, he was standing behind the flat-topped ghost, pressing Jiang Xiaoxiao's toy gun against the back of his head.

On his head sat a ghost police officer's cap.

"Sorry, I'm a cop."