Leaving the Hall of Wandering, Mèng Zhōu glanced back at the newly built ghost hall.
Ten Underworld Officials under his command had already been dispatched to capture ghosts, and this ghost hall was currently empty of any spirits. In the surrounding darkness, it appeared especially eerie and terrifying.
After Wáng Dàzhì delivered the roving souls, the Hall of Wandering would welcome another batch of Underworld Officials. At that time, he would have to arrange for several Underworld Officials to be stationed there permanently.
Straightening his Hall Messenger robe, Mèng Zhōu stepped forward, instantly appearing a hundred meters away. This was the ability of the Hall Messenger robe itself, the Wandering Step, which covered five hundred meters in a single stride, reaching his destination in an instant.
Within a few breaths, Mèng Zhōu arrived at a place with some human activity. This was near a village on the outskirts of Jiāng City.
It was around ten o'clock at night. The people here had already turned off their lights and gone to sleep, with only faint lights glowing. As Mèng Zhōu passed by, the surrounding dogs barked incessantly, appearing agitated and uneasy.
He had heard elders say before that dogs were spiritual animals. Now, Mèng Zhōu found it to be true; they could actually sense his presence.
He let out a light chuckle and was about to leave when he sensed a faint trace of Yin energy. Was there a ghost here?
The world had changed, and ghosts and monsters had appeared, but not all places were frequented by spirits. Since he happened to be passing by, Mèng Zhōu decided to investigate.
With a single step, he arrived at a brightly lit area. Was this a mourning hall?
Seeing the white mourning cloths draped around and several wreathes, it seemed someone in the village had passed away. Since he was here, he might as well collect a soul!
A black and white photograph hung above the mourning hall, with several people sitting below, keeping vigil. As Mèng Zhōu entered, the candles in the hall suddenly flickered, startling the people inside.
*Whoosh* – a gust of wind blew.
Two Underworld Officials, dressed in black robes and holding soul-hooking and soul-binding chains, arrived. Upon seeing Mèng Zhōu there, they immediately bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Hall Messenger sir!"
"Since you are here, I will not intervene," Mèng Zhōu stepped aside, watching the two Underworld Officials.
The two Underworld Officials were somewhat excited that the Hall Messenger was watching them collect a soul. They both thought they must perform well in front of the Hall Messenger.
The old man in the coffin was lifeless, but his Yang energy had not yet completely dissipated. The Underworld Officials could only collect his soul after his Yang energy had faded.
Once the Yang energy dissipated, the two Underworld Officials, one on each side, cast out their soul-hooking chains, capturing the old man's soul. Another soul-binding chain followed closely, tightly restraining the newly formed roving soul.
Mèng Zhōu glanced at it and quietly departed.
Walking through the streets of Jiāng City, he pondered in his heart that more and more ghosts were appearing. He felt that his subordinates were not enough.
Even if all thirty of his Underworld Officials were mobilized now, it would not be enough for the entire Jiāng City, let alone the Great Xia Kingdom.
Mèng Zhōu sighed softly and decided to take things slowly.
With a few steps, he vanished from his original spot. He was now heading to the First Hospital of Jiāng City, the largest hospital in Jiāng City.
In recent days, not only had supernatural posts been appearing online, but among the locals of Jiāng City, there were also various rumors of hauntings spreading.
Especially after the live stream recording of the streamer Jiāng Xiǎowǎn was leaked, topics like the Underworld Bus and Underworld Officials emerged in endless succession. And hospitals were an indispensable part of ghost stories. After all, many ghost stories were set in hospitals; they couldn't fall behind.
The First Hospital of Jiāng City had recently been circulating many rumors of 'hauntings.' And over the past few days, the whispers of 'hauntings' that gradually appeared in the inpatient department of the First Hospital of Jiāng City had made the entire hospital staff restless, with many nurses unwilling to work the night shift.
What's more, the rumors became increasingly bizarre. Everyone who heard them spoke as if they had witnessed it firsthand, as if they were only one step away from claiming personal experience. This angered many hospital administrators, who began ordering all departments to investigate the origin of the rumors.
As the sun set and the moon rose, the sky gradually darkened. The nurses still on duty at the hospital began to become nervous. It was better to believe it than not. Moreover, everyone had heard about the hauntings.
If nothing truly happened, would these rumors be spreading everywhere?
It was late at night. The nurses chose to stay together collectively, avoiding being alone. When they had to check on patients in various rooms alone, they would occasionally look back as they walked down the silent corridors, ensuring no one was following them, primarily out of fear that something unclean might be stealthily trailing them.
"Could it really be haunted?"
"Of course, people are saying it's haunted everywhere online, all sorts of supernatural events!"
Some timid nurses whispered, even needing to beg their companions to accompany them to the restroom, showing the extent of the impact.
And just tonight, a certain hospital leader finally couldn't take it anymore and decided to see for himself if there really was a ghost.
Although many people genuinely did not believe in ghosts, or were only half-believers, the sheer number of people discussing it would make the less brave feel fearful.
"There was no path in the first place, but as more people walk it, a path is formed."
After all, legends of ghosts had always been circulating.
Many people were quite rational; they knew there were no ghosts in the world. But in the dead of night, especially when alone or walking alone on a night road, they couldn't help but feel flustered and fearful.
Thinking, perhaps there really was 'someone' behind them?
"Haunted? Hmph, I'd like to see if there's really a ghost or not?"
In a dimly lit corridor leading to the inpatient department of the hospital, a middle-aged man in his forties, with a grim expression, muttered to himself.
He wasn't very tall but was on the plump side, with a trendy receding hairline.
At this moment, with a sullen face, he clasped his hands behind his back, preparing to patrol the inpatient department. Just that day, the ghost haunting incidents that had been spreading wildly everywhere had made the entire hospital staff restless. It had even led to the man being summoned to the office and reprimanded by the hospital's vice director.
Now, he harbored a nameless anger, the kind of feeling one gets when someone owes them money and, with a perpetual scowl, seems to glare at everyone.
"Ah!"
"Ghost!!!"
At this moment, a piercing scream suddenly came from the inpatient department ahead, instantly shattering the silence.
"Ghost?"
Upon hearing this, the man's face contorted with even greater rage, reminding him of the reprimand from the director earlier that day. He became furious and, with his short, stout legs, strode quickly towards the inpatient department.
He intended to find the person who screamed and give them a good scolding.
Damn it, at this hour, someone still dares to talk about hauntings!
Don't let me catch you!