### Chapter 276: The Mundane Daily Life of the Top Three on the List
The air was thick with the robust smell of disinfectant, mixed with the metallic tang of bl**d and some unidentifiable medicinal scent. These olfactory delights emanated primarily from a rickety medicine cabinet against the wall, filled to the brim with an assortment of shattered bottles containing various sleep aids.
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a chilly blue hue over the abandoned hospital room, making the dark corners feel slightly more sinister.
In this silent room, the atmosphere was punctuated by the occasional rustle and the unsettling sound of liquid dripping onto the floor, creating an oppressive ambiance that assaulted the senses with each drop.
Despite the cleanliness of the room—only a splash of fresh bl**d being the main attraction—the shadows seemed to hold secrets. This bl**d pooled ominously in the dim corners, as if a poor soul with a severed artery had just chosen to lie down for a nap.
But upon closer inspection, the corner revealed nothing; the bl**d appeared to flow from thin air itself.
In this bizarre hospital setting, Nightmare stood atop the lone operating table, whistling a cheerful tune. With one hand, she tugged at the disposable glove on her other hand, gripping a dark red scalpel, and aimed it at something on the operating table.
If one looked closely, they’d see a faint human outline on the damp, decrepit bed.
“Don’t be scared,” she cooed, “You’ve got a serious illness—very serious! You need surgery to get better. Think of your family; they’re all waiting for you to come home. Only when you’re better can I sign those discharge papers.”
“Don’t doubt my credentials; I’m the doctor here.”
“Exactly, just close your eyes, and you won’t feel a thing.”
“Think of it as a dream. Just keep telling yourself that when you open your eyes, all of this will vanish.”
The scalpel remained suspended mid-air as Nightmare deftly swiped it, and dark red bl**d began to drip eerily down.
Just then, a deep male voice echoes from outside.
“Boss, the scouts sent to Feng Village are back. The Black Sun Godmother is indeed dead; no traces of her presence remain, and the Ghost Gate is in a semi-sealed state, significantly weakened.”
“The embryo left by the Evil Spirit has been taken away, and all traces have been cleaned up—no useful leads to speak of.”
“The villagers of Feng Village have all awoken and remember nothing of last night’s events. We’ve already checked all the nearby surveillance, and it’s all destroyed.”
“Boss, why don’t we act during the day?”
As Nightmare continued her work, moving faster with each passing second, the bl**d flowing from the scalpel increased, taking the form of a man’s upper body before drenching the bed linens.
Precision was out the window; brutality had taken charge.
Minutes later, she pulled out a pitch-black heart, cradling it carefully in her palms, her brow furrowed.
“Quality’s poor, but it’s got some use.” She muttered, sealing the heart inside a glass jar filled with a peculiar liquid.
“Thanks for your cooperation. Sadly, your future can only be spent in dreams.”
“That’s not so bad, right? The dream world is often much prettier than reality. Why else do people always say, ‘there’s everything in dreams’?”
Black Tentacles yanked the Evil Ghost off the bed and tossed it into the corner, where another pool of bl**d began to collect.
Removing her gloves, she cleaned her hands with disinfectant.
Only then did Nightmare respond, “You can act during the day if you want—I never said we could only move at night.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the person outside quickly replied, “I dare not.”
“You dare not? Then finish your sentence.”
“Sorry, boss, but we haven’t found the two Evil Gods you’re looking for. We’ve searched the entire Eternal Life Village—no clues left. Also, one of our people has been to Ghost Gate Number Three, and it’s just as you said—an Evil God is about to be born.”
“Wait, you need to find someone.” Nightmare stood by the window, arms crossed behind her back. “Wasn’t your previous boss asking you to capture a little girl named Feng Xi? You have two days to find her whereabouts.”
“Understood.”
“After you find her, don’t rush to report back to me. First, bring out the Evil God from Ghost Gate Number Three, then deliberately expose yourselves to that brat from the Lu family. Make sure the Evil God gives off enough aura to be sensed.”
“Got it.”
“That’ll be all for now. Once you finish this task, I’ll let you know what to do next. Oh, and by the way, you’ve completed one of the three promises I made to you, so the other two will count toward this task. After that, I’ll help you revive your wife.”
Once those words left her lips, the excitement in the man’s voice was almost palpable, “Thank you, boss!”
Silence hovered in and out of the hospital, and Nightmare stretched lazily before leaping out the window, landing on a Black Tentacle that whisked her down the hospital and onto the road.
Removing her rabbit mask, she flagged down a taxi.
“Take me to Xinghua Community.”
The driver remained silent, flooring the gas pedal, and the car shot forward.
In the driver’s seat, the man chuckled with a creepy, raspy laugh. Nightmare turned to see the driver’s face morphing into the grinning visage of an Evil Ghost, bl**d streaming down.
If Zhao Mingyue were here, she’d recognize this driver as the one who took her to the abandoned hospital that fateful night, only to meet his end in a crash.
“Ah, it’s you,” she mused, leaning back, letting the speeding car ram into a roadside rock.
The Black Tentacles cushioned her descent, and just a split second before the crash, Nightmare hopped out of the vehicle.
Watching the car ignite into ashes, she sighed, “With my luck, I should really consult the Goddess of Fortune.”
Casually dialing a number, a sweet, childlike voice answered on the other end, “Sister! Why aren’t you home yet? Dad’s noticed you’re missing, and I can’t keep hiding it!”
“I’ll probably be really late tonight, Xiao Tong. Just tell Dad that I had a bad breakup and I’m out to clear my head.”
“You’re dating?!”
“That’s a lie! Just a little ruse to get Mom and Dad off my back. How could I ever date? I don’t even like men!”
No sooner had she finished that sentence than she heard the sound of a door creaking open, followed by a rugged male voice, “Jiang Qingzhou, you better explain where you are right now! If you don’t have a good reason, I swear I’ll break your legs when you get back!”
“A little girl like you, out this late? What do you think you’re doing?”
“Whoa, chill a bit.” Just as the man spoke, another female voice chimed in.
“Qingzhou, don’t be scared. Your dad won’t hurt you. If you’re okay, just come back quickly. I have things to discuss with you. You’re still young; you can’t go down the wrong path.”
Clearly, she was targeting Nightmare’s earlier comment about not liking men.
“Fine, I’ll head back.”
Hanging up, Nightmare glanced at the empty road, then back to the ashes beside her, “So, where to now?”
“Oh great God, pure Dark Moon, guide me!”
After half a day of trudging along the road, numerous cars passed her by, but none would pick her up.
Nightmare was used to it, though. Luck had never been on her side; she was perpetually the unluckiest person around. Generally speaking, luck is a fleeting thing, but in her case, it was as tangible as a brick wall—experiencing constant misfortune. Others even speculated that her past misdeeds had cued divine punishment.
—
For two days, Zhao Mingyue lounged at home, pulling Bai Yu into marathon gaming sessions while also planning their upcoming move.
The paperwork for the house Lu Liangting mentioned had already gone through; all that was left was for her to move in.
Finally, in the afternoon, Zhao Mingyue pulled Bai Yu out for grocery shopping.
Tonight, Dragon Lady was coming over for dinner, mysteriously stating she had something very important to discuss with Bai Yu.
Good hosts make for excellent meals, and after a lavish dinner, she could always have some fun pulling Dragon Lady’s leg afterwards.
In the evening, Zhao Mingyue and Bai Yu busied themselves in the kitchen, whipping up a feast. Most of the culinary magic was done by Bai Yu, delicious and tempting enough to make even a fox consider a snack.
Suddenly, a knock echoed through the house. Zhao Mingyue wiped her hands on her apron and opened the door, greeted by the grinning face of Dragon Lady.
“Well, aren’t you eager to see me?”
“Nope.”
“I see you’re heartless.” Once inside, Dragon Lady peered into the kitchen, “I’m a bit late. You know, I’ve taken up a side gig as a tutor. It turns out that the girl I was teaching ran into some trouble. Her parents are giving her a hard time, which delayed me.”
Dragon Lady had cleverly woven her student connections into a way to earn cash.
In this world, you can’t survive without money; wandering the streets robbing folks all day would just lead to arrest—a hassle.
Her car had brought her plenty of trouble as well.
Pointing towards the kitchen, she asked, “Bai Yu?”
“Yep, that’s her.”
Zhao Mingyue looked up proudly, as if to say, “Isn’t my wife amazing?”
