Heartbeat - Chapter 37

Su Jianyue felt Shen Xun stop. The surrounding silence was unnerving; apart from them, there was no one else around.

“Sister, what’s wrong?” Su Jianyue’s voice trembled slightly.

Shen Xun patted Su Jianyue’s hand reassuringly. “It’s nothing. There are just fewer people on the second floor. Keep your eyes closed.”

“Okay,” Su Jianyue replied, shivering.

Shen Xun led Su Jianyue down the corridor labeled “Orthopedics.” The corridor’s eerie green lighting was unsettling, but Shen Xun remained calm. She pushed open the door of the first examination room with a creak, the rusty hinges grinding as the door swung open.

The room was pitch-black. Shen Xun pushed the door wider, and suddenly, the incandescent light flickered on, illuminating a ghastly face sitting in the chair.

The male doctor’s face was covered in bloodstains, and he held a bl00d-soaked saw in his hand. On the examination table nearby, a corpse-like figure dripped bl00d, creating a truly terrifying scene. Yet Shen Xun remained unfazed.

Shen Xun calmly glanced at the doctor. “Hello. We’re looking for something. Please continue.”

With that, Shen Xun led Su Jianyue—or rather, with Su Jianyue clinging to her arm, Shen Xun used her free hand to quickly search the room.

The doctor wore a venomous smile, his eyes fixed on Shen Xun. She glanced back at him and continued her search.

On the doctor’s desk, she found a Laser Card labeled “Heartbeat Card.” Shen Xun pulled Su Jianyue around to the doctor’s side. Seeing him still standing there with the bloody saw raised, she gave him a shove. “Excuse me, move aside.”

The doctor had clearly never encountered such audacity. Those who entered his room typically left either crying or screaming. No one had ever ignored his presence like Shen Xun.

The doctor glared fiercely at Shen Xun, even threatening to saw her with the bloody blade.

The saw was covered in bl00d, but when Shen Xun grabbed it, she realized it was made of plastic, likely wrapped in rubber to prevent injuries to visitors.

Shen Xun glanced at the Male Doctor. “Stop messing around. Go stand over there for a bit. I’ll be done searching here soon.”

Su Jianyue, her eyes still closed, was terrified. “Sister, who are you talking to? Is someone else in the room?”

“Yes, a doctor is examining a patient. Don’t worry, I’ll be done searching soon.” With one hand held by Su Jianyue, Shen Xun quickly rummaged through the drawers of the doctor’s office with her free hand. Finally, she found another Laser Card labeled “Heartbeat Card.”

Now she had three cards in total.

Shen Xun happily tucked the cards into her small bag. When she looked up, she met the Male Doctor’s venomous gaze. A more timid person might have crumbled under such a stare, but Shen Xun remained unfazed.

She scanned the room again. She had searched all the most likely hiding spots for cards. The only place she hadn’t checked was the single bed, where a patient lay with half his thigh sawn off, still dripping bl00d.

Of course, these were all just models. Shen Xun pulled Su Jianyue over to the bed.

The male doctor smirked. He couldn’t scare this woman, but that didn’t mean other things couldn’t. Most tourists would be terrified half to death by what was on that bed.

Shen Xun approached the bed, intending to search under the sheets and around the edges for a Heartbeat Card.

As soon as she bent down, the figure on the bed, seemingly a patient, sat bolt upright. Bl00d began streaming down its face, and it emitted a horrifying, mournful wail.

Shen Xun remained calm, but Su Jianyue, terrified, clung to her from behind. “Sister, Sister, what’s that thing saying?”

Hearing Su Jianyue’s trembling voice, Shen Xun quickly reassured her softly, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Just a scary model. Close your eyes and we’ll leave right away.”

Annoyed that the model had frightened Su Jianyue, Shen Xun showed it no mercy. She even flipped it over and thoroughly searched it. Finally, she found another Heartbeat Card hidden beneath the body model.

By now, they had found four Heartbeat Cards.

Shen Xun carefully stowed the cards away, then pulled Su Jianyue out of the room. The door slammed shut behind them. The corridor lights remained green. As Shen Xun led Su Jianyue forward, something suddenly dropped from the ceiling a few steps ahead, too far to make out clearly.

Shen Xun pulled Su Jianyue closer and took a few more steps. They saw a severed head lying on the floor. She picked it up, glanced at it, and retrieved another Heartbeat Card from inside the skull.

Just as Shen Xun tucked the card into her bag, a headless figure burst out of a room in the middle of the corridor, charging toward them while bellowing, “Give me back my head! My neck hurts so much!”

The voice echoed through the silent second floor. Su Jianyue’s face went pale with terror, and she didn’t dare open her eyes.

Shen Xun, however, burst out laughing. Comforting Su Jianyue, she pulled her into a run. “It’s okay, it’s okay! The staff are coming to get him.”

Hearing it was just staff, Su Jianyue felt less afraid. But if she had opened her eyes, she would have seen a headless figure chasing after them.

The viewers in the live stream were equally stunned. No one had expected the production team to be so ruthless, putting the guests in such a terrifying place.

Oh my god, if I were Shen Xun, I wouldn’t even dare enter that room!

Seriously, I’d faint just seeing that doctor with the chainsaw.

Shen Xun actually dared to rummage through the person lying there? She’s too hardcore!

Exactly! And the severed head falling from the ceiling? If it were me, I’d lose all my courage and wouldn’t dare pick up the Heartbeat Cards.

Only Shen Xun could pull this off. She’s amazing!

After running for a while, they reached the second-floor lobby. Liang Wenjing and Jiang Ying had just emerged from another corridor on the same floor, also being chased by a bl00d-soaked figure.

Seeing Shen Xun and Su Jianyue arrive, Liang Wenjing shouted, “Run! Forget the cards! We haven’t found a single one!”

“Don’t run, they’re just staff. Everyone, calm down,” Shen Xun said, leading Su Jianyue toward the consultation desk in the lobby. The desk was cluttered with books, and Shen Xun began rummaging through them. Sure enough, she found another Heartbeat Card hidden inside.

While Liang Wenjing and her pursuer were engaged in their chase, Shen Xun pulled Su Jianyue toward the corridor Liang Wenjing had just fled from.

As they ventured deeper into the corridor, they spotted a tattered cloth doll lying in the middle. Without hesitation, Shen Xun picked it up, unzipped it, and found another Heartbeat Card inside.

With this card, Shen Xun now held six Heartbeat Cards.

Following the pattern, there should be another card at the consultation desk upstairs. With this in mind, Shen Xun led Su Jianyue upstairs, just as Liang Wenjing and her pursuer burst onto the third floor.

The once-quiet third floor suddenly erupted into chaos. Several nurse ghosts in the lobby charged toward the group as they ascended.

Pulling Su Jianyue along, Shen Xun called out as they ran, “Don’t chase us! It’s too dark—you’ll get hurt! Be careful!”

As she spoke, Shen Xun calmly led Su Jianyue to the consultation desk on the third floor. Finally, she found another card in a drawer at the bottom of the desk.

One of the male doctors, seemingly annoyed by Shen Xun and Su Jianyue’s composure, rushed toward them. Shen Xun quickly stuffed the card into her small bag and pulled Su Jianyue into a brisk walk down a side corridor.

Seeing them enter the corridor, the male doctor’s face lit up with a triumphant grin. He blocked the entrance, clearly intending to trap them inside.

Shen Xun glanced around the corridor. Suddenly, a row of arms emerged from the base of the right wall, reaching out to grab her and Su Jianyue. She swiftly pulled Su Jianyue aside and hurried deeper into the corridor.

Inside, the corridor pulsed with a flickering crimson light. Drops of fresh bl00d occasionally dripped from the ceiling. The doors on both sides were tightly shut. Shen Xun yanked at several doorknobs, but the doors remained stubbornly locked, as if sealed by drought.

Shen Xun glanced back. The male doctor, his face smeared with bl00d, was still grinning eerily, as if deliberately blocking their escape from the alley.

Shen Xun and the viewers in Su Jianyue’s live stream were terrified. The bullet comments flooded the screen:

Prosperity, Democracy, Harmony…

Aaaah! How could this happen? Mom, I’m scared! Let’s just get out of here!

Zheng Tianming and Yu Lin have already given up. They’re outside enjoying fruit right now. Sister Shen, shouldn’t we give up too?

Being forced into this corridor by that ghost doctor… there’s definitely something terrifying lurking here.

Waaah, I can’t bear to watch anymore, but I still want to see what happens!

Su Jianyue was trembling with fear, her back drenched in cold sweat. “Sister, where are we?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Shen Xun reassured her softly. “We’re almost there. We only need three more Heartbeat Cards to escape. Once we’re out, you can rest properly.” They had already collected seven cards; giving up now would be a terrible waste.

Since the Male Ghost wanted her and Su Jianyue to go inside, they might as well take a look.

With that thought, Shen Xun continued leading Su Jianyue deeper into the corridor. When they reached the end, she spotted a sign hanging on the large door. Shen Xun chuckled in exasperation.

Well, that explains why the Male Doctor was herding us down here, she thought. The sign read “Morgue.” Any normal person would turn tail and run at the sight of that.

But Shen Xun was anything but ordinary. She’d never believed in such superstitions anyway. Besides, this was just a variety show shoot—the place was probably full of staff.

The more dangerous the place, the more Heartbeat Cards there’ll be, she reasoned, pushing open the door.

As soon as she and Su Jianyue stepped inside, the fluorescent lights flickered on with a snap, illuminating the eerily silent morgue.

Outside, the staff member dressed as the Male Ghost stood dumbfounded. Shouldn’t normal people scream and run at the sight of a morgue? How are they just calmly walking in? Is this even allowed? What am I supposed to do now?