Chapter 186: Shadow

Jiang Yuan stared intently at the writhing darkness, his mind racing.

That damned Infiltrator can alter the rule; any rule it sees could be a one‑way ticket to hell.

At the moment he hesitated, that Shadow moved.

It didn't lunge at Jiang Yuan; instead, like a living drop of ink, it slid down the wall to the floor and then spread straight toward the Shadow beneath Jiang Yuan's feet.

Immediately, a Weird scene unfolded.

The black mass began circling Jiang Yuan's own Shadow, looping round and round.

Like a mischievous child twirling around its new toy.

Playing a game.

The description in the rule hit the scene before his eyes with precision.

Bet or not?

Jiang Yuan clenched his fist, his Nail digging deep into his palm.

He had only one chance.

If this were a trap set by the Infiltrator, staying still might trigger the Shadow's murderous rule.

But if the rule were real, moving would not only trigger the Shadow's murderous rule, it could also summon the Ghost Doctor.

Choose the lesser of two evils!

Jiang Yuan's gaze hardened as he made his decision.

He bets!

Bet that this rule is true!

He inhaled deeply, then completely relaxed his body, standing upright in place, motionless, not even blinking an eye.

He turned himself into a lifeless statue.

Time passed, second by second.

The Corridor was terrifyingly quiet, with only the black mass silently rotating on the floor—one turn, two turns, three turns…

Jiang Yuan's forehead began to bead with fine cold sweat.

Why hasn't it left yet?

Doesn't the rule say it will "leave on its own"?

At the instant that thought rose, a Mutation surged!

The black mass that had been circling his Shadow abruptly stopped.

Then, like a venomous snake finding its lair, it plunged without hesitation into the Shadow beneath Jiang Xin's feet!

"Um!"

Jiang Yuan let out a muffled hum and his body shivered violently.

An indescribable cold and heaviness rushed from his soles to his entire body in an instant!

He felt as if something extra had entered his Shadow!

An unseen, untouchable yet truly existent foreign object!

It clung to his Shadow like a parasite; no matter how he shook his body, he couldn't shake it off!

Got duped!

Bone‑deep chill instantly swept Jiang Yuan's brain!

He was fooled!

Why? Why is the rule false?

No!

Amid extreme terror, Jiang Yuan's mind suddenly sparked with a hint of clarity.

He suddenly recalled a keyword from the rule.

"Night Patrol"!

The rule takes effect only during "patrol"!

And Chen Shao had said that patrols are scheduled only at night!

What time is it now?!

Jiang Yuan's eyes darted wildly until, at the far end of the Corridor, on the wall of a dilapidated Nurse Station, he spotted a wall clock.

The hands pointed clearly at four p. m.!

It's not night at all!

"Damn!"

Jiang Yuan muttered a curse, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

He understood.

The Infiltrator never altered this rule.

This rule is true from start to finish.

But he wasn't on "patrol" at all!

It's a textual trap! A deadly logical loophole!

It's over.

Jiang Yuan's heart sank to the bottom of a valley.

He felt the thing inside the Shadow growing heavier, even beginning to affect his movements.

What will he become?

A monster like Jack Smith? Or will he be directly marked, drawing the Ghost Doctor?

Human Skin Paper!

Use it!

As long as you use its blood, you can know how to solve this trouble!

The thought was like a devil's whisper, raging madly in his mind.

His hand, already out of control, reached toward the metal box in his pocket.

Just open it......

No!

Can't use it!

Jiang Yuan's teeth clenched hard on his tongue, and the intense pain snapped him awake instantly.

Jiang Yuan summoned all his strength, crushing the hand that reached for his pocket into a tight fist, the blue veins on the back of his hand bulging.

This is the final trump card, not to be used now!

This hurdle, he must cross himself!

Even if he dies, he will never submit to this Weird thing!

It seemed to sense his resolute will as well; the foreign object in the Shadow writhed once, then slowly fell silent.

Although that heaviness and the feeling of being attached remained, at least it did not worsen further.

Jiang Yuan panted heavily, leaning against the wall, feeling as if he had just finished a fierce battle.

He had no time to investigate what new thing had lodged inside his body.

Must continue!

He must get out alive, then have those tech bigwigs in the bureau scan him from the inside out a hundred times! Solve this Shadow problem!

The terror and panic in his eyes faded, replaced by a ruthless ferocity born of being driven to the brink.

He no longer hesitated, and based on the pattern he just deduced—"Candle only appears in Patient-related places"—he began a carpet‑style search on the Second Floor.

Radiology-02!

Jiang Yuan, behind the dust‑covered equipment, found the fourth Candle and lit it!

Therapy Room!

He pushed open the reverse‑locked cabinet, and the flame of the fifth Candle leapt in his eyes!

Special Care Ward-01!

The sixth!

Psychic Intervention Room!

The seventh!

During that time, Ghost Doctor appeared several times.

But Jiang Yuan had already fully figured out the opponent's pattern.

He used the complex room layout and his superhuman agility to play hide‑and‑seek with Ghost Doctor time after time.

He was like a ghost dancing on a knife's edge, each time slipping into the next Shadow before a direct encounter with Ghost Doctor.

When the last Candle, hidden under the sink of the Dental Examination Room, was lit.

The entire Second Floor seemed to tremble slightly.

The faint chill and sense of being watched in the air vanished almost entirely in an instant.

Success!

Jiang Yuan let out a long sigh, and his tense nerves finally found a hint of relief.

All the Candles, all lit!

Next, he must return to that Examination Room, bring everyone, go to the First Floor, switch identities, and then enter the only Exit—the second underground level!

He didn't waste a moment, checked his bearings, and hurried toward the Room 03 Internal Medicine where Chen Shao and the others were.

The Corridor was eerily quiet.

Soon, that familiar Examination Room door appeared in Jiang Yuan's view.