I Run Away with the Earth to Save the World [Unlimited Flow] - Chapter 111

Everyone quickly exchanged a look.

Manman said softly, “A reversal of roles between ghosts and humans? In this world, the ghosts are the norm and humans are the anomaly?”

Jing Qizhen gestured toward the fainted ghost, reminding them, “What frightened this ghost just now was that Yun Shuanghua had been infected.”

In the real world, becoming a ghost after death can be attributed to things like the Ghost Gate opening in the seventh lunar month, a lunar eclipse, dying in red clothes under tragic circumstances, or holding too much resentment to pass on. But regardless of the cause, the premise is that one must die first to become a ghost.

As for the ‘infection’ the ghost mentioned, at least in traditional Eastern ghost stories, that’s not usually how one becomes a ghost.

Si Jiayang also furrowed his brow slightly. “The term ‘infection’ sounds more like something from a zombie-virus setting.”

Wang Feizhou, who had been terrified, was now numb from repeated shocks. He could even look at the ghost with sympathy now.

He quietly added, “The idea of infection also sounds very fitting for a hospital setting.”

Jing Qizhen had a different focus. He reached out and poked at the unconscious ghost. Sure enough, without using any items from within the hospital’s erosion area, his hand passed right through.

Only then did Jing Qizhen say softly, “If I remember correctly, zombies or revenants are generally physical types, right? They’re like people who have lost their minds and reasoning, just reanimated corpses driven by the instinct to feed.”

Manman thought for a moment and then her eyes lit up. “Zombies are physical types… That’s true! Traditional ghosts, on the other hand, are more like spiritual types. Without a physical body, only the soul remains.”

The Earth, which had been quietly watching all this unfold and felt like the world was spinning: “…”

Jing Qizhen concluded, “If we exaggerate a little in our speculation, then in this erosion area, the rules might be reversed from our reality. The medical staff and administrative workers here are all ghosts. So, ruling out the possibility of this being a haunted hospital in the underworld, it means these ghosts have always existed in a soul-like state. And in this world, there exists something like a ‘virus.’ Once infected, the soul shifts into a form with physical weight.”

Old Xiao said honestly, “I get what you’re saying but when you put it like that, something just feels off.”

People are used to thinking a certain way and it’s hard to just flip that perspective.

Lu Lingxi flexed the gloved hand he’d used to knock the ghost out three times. He added, “There’s another issue. In this erosion area, ghosts aren’t entirely untouchable.”

He paused briefly.

Jing Qizhen finished his thought for him, “This is your first time encountering a ghost you could hit just by grabbing a random item, huh?”

Lu Lingxi couldn’t help but laugh and joked, “Honestly, it’s my first time encountering a ghost at all.”

Jin Guijuan said pointedly, “Did you forget Xu Siya?”

Lu Lingxi froze, remembering the padded clothes he’d sewn himself. He quickly corrected himself, “…Right, I remember now.”

Jing Qizhen said, “If this hospital isn’t haunted and it’s just that the worldview of this erosion area has ghosts as the norm, then that would mean ghosts here aren’t only touchable, they might also get sick, be hospitalized, grow up, and even—”

Wang Feizhou quietly added, “Have children?”

Everyone turned to look at Wang Feizhou.

Jing Qizhen looked at him, half exasperated and half amused. “You’re not wrong but what I was going to say was, if the hospital operates like it does in our reality, then that means ghosts here can also die. They just exist in a different form from humans but they still follow the cycle of life: birth, aging, illness, and death.”

Grandma Fang said, “But we haven’t seen a single patient so far.”

Jing Qizhen nodded. “That’s exactly what I can’t figure out.”

Lu Lingxi pointed at the unconscious ghost. “Should we wait until it wakes up and ask?”

Jing Qizhen hesitated for a moment. “I think… we can’t just rely on one source.”

Manman agreed. “True. What if this ghost’s understanding of the world is flawed?”

Wang Feizhou, remembering how the ghost acted, suddenly felt a chill. “We didn’t accidentally ask a mentally ill person for directions, did we?”

Old Xiao gave a bitter smile.

Manman looked at him sympathetically and said bluntly, “If you weren’t unlucky, you wouldn’t have gotten stuck on the roof…”

Wang Feizhou immediately shut his eyes and gave up on arguing.

Si Jiayang, drawing on his experience as a seasoned horror game player, said, “You can’t just take an NPC’s word for it. They might not be lying but their understanding of the world could be flawed.”

Jing Qizhen said, “Right now, there are two places I want to check out.”

Manman: “One is the ward since we need to see those so-called ‘patients’ who were supposedly infected but looked like normal people. What’s the other place?”

Jing Qizhen: “The morgue.”

Everyone’s heart skipped a beat.

Jing Qizhen said softly, “We need to find out whether the ghosts in this erosion area can truly die, and if they do, what they become afterward.”

Normally, according to ghost story logic in the real world, when a person dies, their body becomes a corpse and their soul either dissipates or turns into a ghost.

However, based on what the Earth said, every erosion area is formed when two earths from parallel universes are attracted by the same erosion core. It means that the erosion core reacts to certain features from both parallel worlds.

As for the core of the hospital’s erosion area, Jing Qizhen and the others still had no clue.

However, considering the identity switch between ghosts and humans there, Jing Qizhen couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when a ghost in this world dies.

Would they gain the physical form that ghosts seem to dread or would they just disappear?

“And as for this ghost…”

Jing Qizhen looked at the ghost who had fainted for the third time on the medical cart. “It came to get medical supplies, right? It’s already been delayed here for a long time.”

Wang Feizhou immediately began rifling through the medical cart while explaining, “It should have a list of what it came to get somewhere on it.”

Due to the time period difference, Wang Feizhou had been expecting a printed form or an electronic checklist. Instead, what he found was a small notebook. It was clearly a personal record the ghost had made to avoid forgetting anything.

Jing Qizhen glanced at it. “Good thing this ghost is meticulous.”

Wang Feizhou, using the notes in the little notebook, skillfully found the items in the supply room and began placing them onto the medical cart.

Thankfully, he had been helping the surgical instrument department move supplies for the past few days. Otherwise, someone unfamiliar with the layout might not have found everything so easily, even if they recognized the names.

Watching Wang Feizhou expertly place the required items onto the cart in the specified quantities, Lu Lingxi suddenly asked, “How are you so familiar with this place’s layout?”

Even if he were a real intern, shouldn’t he be used to the layout from the 2020s?

Wang Feizhou tensed, instantly aware that Lu Lingxi was suspicious. He quickly explained, “The surgical instrument department only changed the storage floor. The internal arrangement hasn’t changed in years!”

After all, interns are trained using the existing setup and by the time they become full staff, they’re already used to the layout.

Grandma Fang nodded and smiled. “That’s true. Our lab layout hasn’t changed in years either.”

While they talked, Wang Feizhou had already finished loading all the required instruments onto the cart and hesitated. “What now?”

Jing Qizhen: “We need to figure out a way to get to the morgue without drawing attention.”

That said, Jing Qizhen casually stuck the missing person notice for Yun Shuanghua onto the front of the medical cart.

Manman: “According to the ghost earlier, it seems to know Yun Shuanghua. But Yun Shuanghua might not know it?”

Jing Qizhen nodded, not really concerned. “Who knows… But whatever, let them communicate and figure it out.”

As he spoke, he detached the handle from the medical cart, attached a pinhole mic inside, and reattached it.

Jing Qizhen: “We won’t be able to see anything but we can still hear.”

Lu Lingxi suddenly muttered thoughtfully, “Will the ghost report us?”

Jing Qizhen smiled. “Maybe?”

He was curious too. If the police really did show up, then in this world, they’d probably be ghosts too, right?

Wang Feizhou stood frozen, then instinctively grabbed gauze and alcohol to wipe down the cart handle, cabinet doors, and doorknobs; anywhere they might’ve touched.

Jing Qizhen couldn’t help laughing. “Are you wiping off fingerprints?”

Wang Feizhou grimaced. “If the cops are coming, better safe than sorry.”

Lu Lingxi, who had just smacked the ghost on the neck three times earlier, batted his innocent deer-like eyes and said, “Should we wipe the back of its neck too?”

No one usually did that kind of thing but since Wang Feizhou had started, the others joined in tidying up.

Time ticked by.

Perhaps the morning rush had passed. Jing Qizhen stood by the door, peeking through the crack. There were noticeably fewer ghosts in the hallway now.

He frowned slightly. “We can go out now. It looks like there aren’t too many ghosts around at the moment.”

Grandma Fang, Old Xiao, and Jin Guijuan were clearly not used to staying up late. Though none of them complained, traces of fatigue were evident on their faces.

Jing Qizhen looked at them and said quietly, “We need to find a place to rest. Today is just the first day but we can’t keep playing cat and mouse with the ghosts forever.”

Wang Feizhou pulled out white coats and masks again, his face still sour. “Covering our faces is easy. The problem is, we can’t float.”

Jing Qizhen shook his head. “Ghosts can float or walk. That’s not the issue. It’s our hands and faces that don’t match theirs.”

Everyone exchanged looks and quickly reached a consensus. “So just hide the parts we can’t show?”

Wang Feizhou rummaged through for masks, goggles, and surgical gowns to complete the disguise. “We’ll pretend we just came out of surgery. If a ghost stops us, we’ll—”

Lu Lingxi cut in decisively. “Knock it out.”

Wang Feizhou: “…Then why did you even give me that ID badge?”

Jing Qizhen chuckled. “Let’s wait and see. Maybe the ghost won’t check it.”

He added, “Later, let’s check if we can register in the outpatient hall on the first floor.”

The others nodded immediately.

Even though there were risks, in a strange place like an erosion area, it was impossible to avoid danger completely.

Wang Feizhou gave Jing Qizhen a long look, his expression full of unspeakable confusion.

Only now did he fully realize that these people had no scruples at all. From kidnappers to patients, doctors, and administrative staff, they were ready to fake any identity!

Before long, everyone had suited up in full surgical gear.

The ghost on the medical cart twitched slightly.

Lu Lingxi whispered, “It’s waking up.”

Without hesitation, Jing Qizhen pushed the cart out, aiming it toward the busier part of the hallway and shoving it forcefully.

A ghost nurse happened to come out of a department room and got knocked over by the cart.

“Ah!” she yelped.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Jing Qizhen silently gestured to the others. ‘Go!’