Hospital 444
Chapter 321 - 8 Wanted Criminal

Chapter 321: Chapter 8 Wanted Criminal

Jiang Licheng walked out of the operating room.

He had just completed a highly challenging surgery. The patient had been suffering for thirteen years, long possessed by a karma-ghost. Everyone in the Wraith Surgery Department knew that surgeries involving ghosts of karma were more troublesome the longer the affliction lasted, and the surgical risks were very high. Most doctors would rather suggest conservative treatment for their patients than add another death to their quota. Although there’s a possibility of death with conservative treatment, it can be postponed, hence not counted in the current year’s mortality rate.

"Truly impressive," Doctor Li Xiao said from behind Jiang Licheng, "Dr. Jiang, you completely excised the karma-ghost, leaving no trace of Karma Force within the patient’s body. This surgery, even if Chief Lu of the Residency Department himself were to perform it, might not have done any better..."

"Get ready to hand over to the Curse Object Department Doctors," Jiang Licheng said, ignoring Li Xiao’s compliments, staring at the dish in Li Xiao’s hand.

On the dish was the karma-ghost that had just been completely excised.

This kind of dish was specially crafted by the Department of Cursed Objects, capable of containing cursed entities of any size that were cut out.

Currently sitting on the dish was a head glowing with a pale blue light, while everything below the neck was completely engulfed by the dish.

Around the pale blue head, the Curse of Karma continued to radiate. With Jiang Licheng’s clinical experience, had the surgery been delayed any further, it would not have been long before the karma-ghost transformed into a malevolent ghost. By then, surgery would have been futile. No clinician would want to face a malevolent ghost, as no amount of clinical experience was effective against them. Many people mistake believing malevolent ghosts are of less concern than violent spirits; at minimum, malevolent ghosts are comparable to fierce ghosts, and in extreme cases, can manifest as powerful as cursed spirits!

Therefore, there was a saying in Hospital 444, operating on a patient cursed by a malevolent ghost was like playing Russian roulette with one’s life. It’s better to guard the morgue than to step into the Evil Ghost Department.

"We still have time to turn it into a cursed object before it turns into a malevolent ghost..." Jiang Licheng looked at the pale blue head and sighed, "The Curse of Karma is, after all, not guaranteed to be completely eradicated. The patient’s body is still at risk of relapse in the next few years and will require ongoing treatment through cursed objects."

"Actually... given the Spiritual Therapy Points he’s spent, he won’t live much longer anyway," Doctor Li Xiao sighed, "His Spiritual Therapy Points are nearly depleted; he will ultimately pay with his life."

Pay with his life...

Indeed.

There are no free lunches in this world. Therefore, Jiang Licheng knew that making a wish on that red balloon would eventually require some form of payment.

"You two have worked hard."

Suddenly, a familiar voice arrived.

Jiang Licheng and Li Xiao turned around and saw Feng Xiao standing there like a pale ghost.

"Give it to me," Feng Xiao reached out his hand, not even taking a few more steps forward, "I will take it back to the Department of Cursed Objects."

Li Xiao’s hands trembled, "Director Feng, why have you come yourself?"

No matter when, faced with Feng Xiao’s murky eyes, he always felt an intense shiver.

"Feng Xiao," Jiang Licheng said, "this is a karma-ghost that could soon turn into a malevolent ghost... You must be careful."

"We have ample experience. Besides, with Director Fang overseeing us, there won’t be any problems."

Li Xiao bowed his head, not daring to look into Feng Xiao’s eyes, and mustered the courage to say, "Director Feng, once it’s turned into a powerful cursed object, please make sure to allocate some to our Wraith Surgery Department!"

"Of course, that’s the hospital’s policy."

Li Xiao slowly walked up to Feng Xiao and handed over the dish.

After taking the dish, Feng Xiao left without looking back.

Li Xiao felt sweat covering his forehead.

"Director Feng, I don’t know why, it felt so terrifying..."

"Li," Jiang Licheng reminded him, "remember, stay as far away from this man as possible. He is a..."

"A what?"

"A demon."

...

Noon.

After lunch, Jiang Licheng returned to his clinic, hoping to rest for a while during the break.

But as soon as he opened the door to his clinic, he was frozen in place.

He saw a red balloon floating inside!

"It has arrived so quickly..."

Jiang Licheng quickly looked at the rolled-up envelope tied below the balloon.

He unsealed the envelope and looked closely:

"Your wish has been granted.

In return, please register one hundred online accounts within two days from receiving this letter and, with each account, send a curse of no less than a hundred words to any random internet user.

If this is not completed on time, I will come to personally collect the price."

Also, inside the envelope was another piece of paper suitable for making a second wish. The difference this time was that it specifically noted that the price must be paid before a second wish could be made.

My wish has been... granted?

Jiang Licheng began to ponder, and verifying this was straightforward.

And this so-called price... while somewhat low, was much milder than he had anticipated.

"Indeed, it is still possible to make more wishes, just as I suspected..."

Curing the flower shop owner’s husband’s cataracts was the wish he had made.

"Is the price really just this? Then... then..."

To bring someone back from the dead...

Bringing back the dead...

Is that even possible?

He looked at the red balloon.

Rationality told him that it should stop here, hand the red balloon over to the Department of Cursed Objects, let them analyze the cursed object, and render it a harmless one.

But emotions made him indulge in the thought, unable to extricate himself. He knew that once he handed over the red balloon to the Department of Cursed Objects, it would certainly lose the power to fulfill his wish.

The struggle between reason and emotion plunged Jiang Licheng into inner turmoil.

He wasn’t a fool.

This seemingly simple cost might just be bait to lure him into an endless abyss.

If what he truly wished for was something he desperately desired, then surely the cost wouldn’t be so simple, would it?

It must increase in proportion to the difficulty of fulfilling the wish, right?

So... what would he have to pay in the end?

"Teacher?"

A voice from behind startled Jiang Licheng.

"He Yan?"

He saw Gao Heyann enter the consulting room.

Gao Heyann immediately noticed the red balloon.

"Huh? Teacher, where did this balloon come from?" Gao Heyann was a bit surprised; the balloon didn’t seem like something the teacher would like.

"I, I bought it," Jiang Licheng said with a hint of confusion, then added, "To change my mood. He Yan, what’s up?"

"I heard that Chief Lu came to the clinic building again," Gao Heyann said with a worried look. "This is very unusual. Why does he need to come in person to receive and remove a curse? Is he targeting you lately, teacher?"

"No."

"Teacher, I know there was some bad blood between you two in the past."

Gao Heyann didn’t know the specifics. Her sister, Gao Menghua, knew but hadn’t told her the details.

Everything stemmed from the brutal murder of the teacher’s daughter, and the killer was still at large, yet to be brought to justice.

The teacher had a son and a daughter, the latter born to his second wife, and her death had been a source of unending anguish for him. Thus, Gao Heyann never spoke to others about this matter.

As a paranormal doctor, the teacher had still not been able to find the murderer.

And it was after that incident that the teacher and Feng Xiao fell out. She had asked her sister about the specific reason, but her sister had kept silent, and the teacher himself didn’t talk about it.

"Between him and me, there is no favor," Jiang Licheng stated firmly, "None!"

...

Late at night.

Dai Lin stood in the study, reading.

Behind him, there was a "creak" as the door slowly opened.

A disheveled woman with untidy clothes walked in slowly.

She emitted a foul stench as if she hadn’t bathed in a long time.

Her hair mostly covered her face, but to Dai Lin, it made no difference whether it was covered or not.

The woman’s eyes were deep-set, her eyeballs bloodshot, her skin jaundiced, her face covered with various fine lines.

Dai Lin could confirm... she was not a ghost, she was alive.

"Chief Lu should have warned you not to come to this floor, right?" Dai Lin said, puzzled by the woman’s presence, "So what are you doing here?"

Dai Lin looked at the woman, recalling her face.

Although her appearance had changed greatly, he still remembered her.

"Miss Liang Luanxu?" Dai Lin said her name.

This was a murder suspect still wanted by the police.

Feng Xiao had been hiding a fugitive in his own home.

The woman in front of him suddenly burst out in a menacing laugh.

...

Jiang Licheng held the wanted notice in his hands.

On it, the name "Liang Luanxu" was prominently displayed.

He knew, Feng Xiao had hidden her away.

This killer who murdered his daughter...

Hidden by Feng Xiao!

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