Chapter 1969: The Mystery of the Ghost Skull 30

「Phantom Limb Syndrome? 」

Jiang Haochen instinctively looked at his own arm, then turned his gaze to the man wailing on the screen.

This was still his first time encountering something like this.

「Is it the wound that hurts? How can he still feel pain in a hand that's gone? 」

Unable to understand the principle, Jiang Haochen took a deep breath, ignoring the horrifying screams from the TV, and simply started investigating where the TV got its power.

Moments later, his heart sank, and with an extremely grim expression he lifted a plug.

Never mind whether there's electricity here—the TV isn't even plugged in!

Damn it!

「We're starting to enter a supernatural incident! Andre, why are you spacing out? Should we go out? ！」

Putting down the plug, Jiang Haochen hurriedly turned to look at the contemplative Andre. Unlike Andre, who seemed like a block of wood, he felt that danger could appear at any moment.

He clenched the table leg in his hand tightly.

Based on his past experience, continuing to explore after an abnormality appears usually means getting a lunchbox.

Although it's a pity to leave halfway, his life is more important!

「Andre? ！」

In his anxiety, Jiang Haochen couldn't help but run toward Andre, intending to drag this guy away and flee quickly.

However, contrary to his expectations, Andre lifted his head and gave him a slight shake, letting out a soft sigh:

「It's too late. 」

「Keep investigating; maybe continuing the search will still yield a way out. 」

「What do you mean?! 」

Hearing Andre's bewildering words, Jiang Haochen jerked upright; before he could react, the next second he saw Andre stride straight into the Research Institute's interior, as if searching for something.

「If you don't want to die, come with me to find that guy's treatment records! 」

One minute later.

Before the cold operating table, Jiang Haochen, quick-eyed and quick-handed, snatched the diary placed beside it.

Looking at Andre reaching out and asking for the diary, Jiang Haochen merely stared at him fiercely, and the weapon in his hand involuntarily pointed toward him.

「Andre?! What exactly do you know?! Aren't we companions?! What are you hiding from me? ！」

「What do you mean 'too late'?! Are you human or a ghost? ！」

No wonder Jiang Haochen is so tense.

Since entering this building, Andre has been acting strangely. Although he seems to know something, he never reveals a word to him.

Especially those words just now— they're practically a riddle!

Having experienced multiple special incidents, Jiang Haochen even began to suspect whether Andre was human or a ghost, or if he'd been swapped!

Without saying anything else, Andre seemed clairvoyant, coming straight to the operating room to look for something!

Seeing Jiang Haochen doubt him, Andre suddenly gave a bitter laugh and simply withdrew his hand:

「I'm human; you don't need to overthink. If I were a ghost, you being human, do you think you'd still be alive now? 」

「I've thought of some things, but I'm not sure either. Just as you doubt me, there are some things I can only tell you after I've confirmed them. 」

While speaking, Andre spread his hands, indicating he had no issues.

「Right now you're wasting time; if you don't want to die, I advise you to give me the diary—I need to verify it. 」

As his words fell, Jiang Haochen gripped the diary tighter; merely looking at Andre's sincere expression, he hesitated a few seconds before finally handing over the diary.

He understood Andre's implication; Andre had thought of something, and likewise was also 'worrying' about him.

「Let me say this first: I'm absolutely fine! 」

「Damn it, I'm really annoyed by your kind—what exactly have you figured out that you can't tell me?! 」

Ignoring Jiang Haochen's anger, Andre took the diary and immediately spread it out on the operating table, quickly examining it.

Once the diary was opened, a large block of dense text met his eyes.

「Today is the first week after that nightmare; I was discharged. The doctor told me to rest well, the surgery was very successful, and it wouldn't greatly affect my life. 」

「I hope so, but I'm still not used to it. 」

「Pain! So painful! While driving today I nearly hit a tree—damn it! Why does it hurt so much? I feel like my head is about to explode! 」

「Painkillers are useless; I've been stuck at home for a week without going out. I can't take it—I think I must go to the hospital! It feels like ten thousand needles stabbing me, like fire burning me, like being thrown into a frying pan. 」

「I can't stand it—if this continues I'll go crazy! 」

「These doctors are a bunch of idiots and liars! They told me there's nothing wrong, that it's just my imagination! What a joke—can imagination make me hurt so much I pass out?! I want to buy a knife, dig it out! I want to see if something is hidden inside torturing me. 」

「Haha! I dug out a piece of flesh, and I seemed to hear the knife scraping against my bone. Unfortunately I found nothing, but the good news is those idiots believed me—they're about to call the police after being scared by me. 」

「Pain, really too painful; they told me I might have phantom limb, that my mind is off. Whatever, I just want to cure myself now. 」

「I drove to the Research Institute; the people here are far more professional than those idiots. They believe I'm really in pain, and told me there are many others like me. 」

「They said that if they block the nerves, I should be cured. What great news... Heaven knows how many times I've knocked myself unconscious trying to sleep during this period. 」

「Before the surgery, the researchers here told me that phantom limb pain involves not just nerve issues but also cognitive issues. They conducted an experiment on me to tell me exactly what's going on. 」

「It was an interesting experiment: they placed a shield beside my arm and a fake hand, then used a feather to move back and forth over my real hand and the fake hand, making me feel itchy. 」

「Just a few minutes later, the researcher had me stare at the fake hand; suddenly he hammered the fake hand, startling me! Moreover, I actually felt my own hand begin to hurt, frightening me so I quickly pulled my hand back. 」

「It's absurd—clearly that hand isn't mine, yet I feel pain in it. 」

「They said, phantom limb pain is exactly this—it's a problem with my cognition. 」

「Hmm, that makes sense. Maybe my brain truly doesn't know what I'm missing; it stays stuck on the day of my car accident. 」

「I have to keep telling it what happened to my body... 」

「The surgery was a success—goodness! I can finally sleep well. I want to go play soccer, then listen to a concert. This period, I've practically been tortured to death! 」

"Maybe I should also have a love affair, start a new life. The researchers here told me that changing to a new environment helps with recovery..."

"Damn it! It's starting to hurt again! It hurts worse than before! I can't take it! I'm going crazy! Liars! All liars! That definitely isn't a problem with my brain; there must be something that hasn't been taken out!"

"Something is gnawing at my flesh, they're eating me! Eating me! Dig them out! I'm going to find all these damn worms!"

"I must be rotting, I'm breeding maggots, I'm decaying!"

"I'm going to the Research Institute! I'm going to cure myself! I'm going to perform surgery on myself!"