Forbidden Land – CH 061

Chen Rong asked Zhang Chao why he wanted to ‘commit suicide.’ Zhang Chao shuddered at the memory of that night, but glancing out the window at the bright daylight, he wasn’t afraid anymore. He said, “Take off these handcuffs first, then I’ll talk to you.”

Chen Rong said, “You’re trying to negotiate with me? Heh, but these handcuffs will have to be removed sooner or later. I’ll go get someone to remove them now.”

Chen Rong went out, and a moment later, the male nurse came in, removed his handcuffs, closed the door, and left.

Zhang Chao stood up, his hands and feet finally free. He walked around the room, pointed to the balcony, and asked, “Can I go out?”

Chen Rong smiled. “Of course.”

Zhang Chao opened the balcony door and went out. The balcony wasn’t enclosed, but it was surrounded by a metal cage, probably to prevent mentally ill people from ‘committing suicide.’ Sunlight streamed in, and Zhang Chao stretched out his arms and closed his eyes.

Chen Rong stepped onto the balcony behind him, looked at him, and smiled, “Get some sun; it’ll do you good.”

Zhang Chao closed his eyes and nodded with a smile.

“Young man, young man.” A soft call rang out. Zhang Chao turned his head and saw an old man in hospital clothes sitting on the balcony about two meters away, smiling at him and calling out.

Zhang Chao frowned and turned to Chen Rong, whispering, “Is everyone here crazy?”

Chen Rong smiled, “Except for you.”

Zhang Chao had no interest in arguing with the crazy old man and ignored him.

The old man called out again, like summoning a ghost, “Young man, young man.”

Zhang Chao wanted to curse, “Are you crazy?” but then thought, “What’s the point of cursing a crazy person?” Cursing him would make him seem crazy, too.

The old man, however, persisted, repeatedly calling out, “Young man, young man.”

Luckily, it was daytime; if it were night, he would have been so frightened by the summoning chant that he’d wet the bed. Zhang Chao couldn’t hold back any longer and turned to the old man, saying rudely, “What!?”

Chen Rong, standing beside him, said, “Why are you being so fierce? You’ll scare him. He’s a patient; he’s easily frightened.”

The old man slowly shook his head. “I’m not a patient. He’s the patient.” The old man pointed at Zhang Chao.

Zhang Chao didn’t want to pay him any attention and turned his head away.

But then, the old man said something that terrified Zhang Chao. “He’s possessed.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, both Zhang Chao’s and Chen Rong’s faces turned deathly pale.

The old man, seemingly pleased with himself, watched their reaction and said, “I wasn’t wrong, was I?”

Zhang Chao knew he was crazy, but hearing him say that, he couldn’t help but ask, “How did you know?”

The old man didn’t seem like a lunatic at all; he said matter-of-factly, “You have a black aura on your forehead.”

Black aura on my forehead?

“Really?” He looked at Chen Rong.

Chen Rong shook her head. “There’s no black aura. Don’t listen to people’s nonsense. I know everyone here. Just ignore them.”

The old man said, “Would you like me to tell your fortune?”

Zhang Chao said, “What kind of fortune telling?”

Chen Rong nodded. “I heard he used to be a fortune teller.”

“Damn it,” Zhang Chao cursed inwardly. Why were there fortune tellers everywhere?

The old man closed his eyes, and less than a minute later, he opened them again. Zhang Chao wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but when the old man opened his eyes, his face seemed to have lost a lot of color. Although the old man was already dark-skinned, his face now looked rather pale.

The old man coughed a few times and said, “Zhang Chao, Zhang Chao.”

Zhang Chao was shocked. “How do you know my name?”

The old man continued, “You’re from Ningbo, and you studied in Hangzhou, right?”

Zhang Chao turned to Chen Rong. “Did he hear you talking?”

Chen Rong said, “I don’t remember, maybe.”

The old man shook his head. “Your partner is dead! You’re possessed! You’re possessed!”

“Ah!” Zhang Chao got goosebumps and said to Chen Rong, “How…how does he know?”

Chen Rong pulled Zhang Chao aside and said, “Go back in quickly; this man is crazy!” Then she said to the old man, “If you say another word, I’ll call the nurse to give you an injection!”

The old man seemed very afraid of Chen Rong dressed as a doctor and quickly shut his mouth.

Chen Rong forcefully pulled Zhang Chao back into the room and closed the balcony door.