Global Ghost Stories: I'm Investigating Ghosts in My Nightmare!

Chapter 52 A Lullaby of Despair
The power of the black words directly gripped Lu Yueqi's soul, violently throwing her out of that protective realm constructed of darkness and death.

Wind?

No, that's not the wind.

That was the lament of the world falling apart. Countless sharp fragments formed from shattered space came hurtling in from all directions like hailstones, each one enough to instantly slice an ordinary soul into unrecoverable dust.

Lu Yueqi felt like a lone boat thrown into a giant industrial crusher, small and helpless, seemingly about to be torn apart by the violent energy torrent at any moment.

Her vision was filled with chaotic colors.

Walls, floors, ceilings... all concrete spatial concepts are rapidly disintegrating.

She saw a graffiti depicting the sun peel off the wall. The sun's "smiling face" twisted in the air, gradually turning into a silent, screaming face that roared at her, before being crushed into dust by another violent force.

A deep, bottomless crack appeared in the ground, from which came fragments of desperate memories from different patients.

At the heart of this collapsing, apocalyptic scene is a war between two "kings".

That was a primitive erosion of concepts.

The "head nurse's" bloated body was now broken and battered, but the malice emanating from it, belonging to the "Tower of Ten Thousand Heads," had become even purer.

It is like an incurable virus, constantly releasing black thorns composed of countless twisted runes, attempting to entangle, parasitize, and pollute the black tsunami of hatred before us.

Every thorn is desperately spreading seductive lies—"Your husband has long forgotten you," "Your child is just a figment of your imagination," "Give up, become part of the 'tower,' and you will gain eternal peace."

Su Qin's black tsunami, composed of endless hatred and sorrow, retaliated in the most direct way.

Su Qin's power contained no complex rules or exquisite techniques; it possessed only the most primal instinct to "devour." Each surge of the dark tsunami would tear a large chunk of "flesh and blood" composed of resentment and rules from the "head nurse's" body, then completely absorb it, turning it into nourishment to strengthen her own hatred.

Her roars were filled with curses from betrayed wives, mothers who had lost their children, and patients who had been innocently harmed.

Lu Yueqi's soul was caught between these two immense wills, like a meteorite thrown into the core of a collision between two stars, falling helplessly.

She wanted to scream, but found that her throat was being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, and she couldn't make a sound. She wanted to resist, but found that her "Deep Cold" power was as insignificant as a tiny wave in a storm before these two energy storms that were like gods fighting.

fear.

An unprecedented fear, like icy seawater, poured into every pore of her body, almost extinguishing her already fragile courage.

Are you going to die...?

Is this... the end...?

Bai Yu… the opportunity he created for me with his life… is it really going to be wasted like this…?

Do not!
Just as her consciousness was about to be swallowed by boundless despair, Bai Yu's pale face and his eyes, filled with determination and entrustment in his final moments, struck the chaos in her mind like a bolt of lightning flashing through the night!

I can't die!

I promised him! I'm going to take him back!
A powerful willpower, stemming from protection and transcending gratitude, erupted from the core of her seemingly fragile soul!
She forced herself to steady herself as her body plummeted uncontrollably, and with all her might, she gripped the silver pendant box, which was now icy cold from her sweat.

The moment her fingertips touched the cold metal casing, a faint warmth emanated from the locket.

This is Fang Heng's love and protection for his wife; this power has transcended time and space to reach the heart of this storm.

This unwavering emotion was like an unbreakable dam, completely shutting out the madness and hatred that tried to erode her reason.

Lu Yueqi felt her heart, which was almost leaping out of her chest, miraculously calm down.

She no longer looked at the horrific scene of disintegration around her, nor did she pay attention to the two "kings" engaged in a fierce battle. Her eyes were fixed solely on the center of the raging black tsunami.

She knew Su Qin was there.

The woman whose soul was consumed by hatred was right there.

She slowly raised the locket to her chest and then gently popped open the small lid.

hum-

A halo of silvery-white light, as bright as moonlight, spread out from the small pendant box!
The light was neither dazzling nor scorching, but it carried a warm power full of "love" and "protection".

It was like a gentle embrace, softly enveloping Lu Yueqi's tiny body, creating a safe "sanctuary" for her amidst this raging energy storm.

Upon contact with this halo, the incoming spatial fragments melted silently into water, like spring snow meeting the blazing sun.

The two malevolent mental pressures were completely isolated by this halo.

The raging black tsunami paused momentarily when it sensed this force, which was completely opposite to its nature.

In the center of that darkness, the enormous woman's face slowly turned, its two hollow openings, constantly flowing with black tears, "staring" at Lu Yueqi and the pendant box in her hand that emitted a soft glow.

"That is……"

A voice filled with confusion and pain came from the depths of that giant face.

You only get one chance.

Lu Yueqi closed her eyes, immersing herself completely in the small locket.

She used her empathy to feel the memories carried by that yellowed photograph and to listen to the deep affection behind that beautiful inscription.

Memories that didn't belong to her flowed slowly through her mind like a movie.

She "saw" a bright, sunny afternoon, where a young man named Fang Heng was somewhat clumsily placing the locket around his newlywed wife's neck.

She "heard" a gentle lullaby. Young Su Qin was holding her infant child, softly humming it over and over again by the moonlit window. The song was filled with anticipation for the future and the most selfless love for her newborn.

A tear slid down Lu Yueqi's cheek without her realizing it. This happiness and love deeply moved her.

She slowly opened her mouth and, following the melody that surfaced from the depths of her memory, began to hum softly in a clear and gentle voice amidst the post-apocalyptic ruins.

"Sleep...sleep...my dearest baby..."

"Mom's hands... gently rocking you..."

That wasn't just her voice.

That was Su Qin's own voice.

It was the lullaby she sang to her child during that happy time. Through the "resonance" of the locket and Lu Yueqi's "retelling," this song transcended decades and the boundaries of life and death, resounding once again in this cage of despair.

The singing was soft and gentle, like a breeze brushing across a lake, yet it carried a strange power capable of piercing through all hatred and madness.

When the first note sounded, the surging black tsunami suddenly stopped, as if struck by an invisible lightning bolt, and stood there dumbfounded.

"This...this is..."

Extreme shock and pain were evident on his enormous face.

"The moon... shines... and the window... is quiet..."

Lu Yueqi continued humming, her voice becoming more and more stable and gentle.

She slowly poured all her emotions into it. She no longer acted as a "narrator," but went further to empathize with that memory, as if she had become that young mother holding her baby, using her own spiritual power to soothe this pitiful soul lost in endless pain.

The black tsunami began to churn violently, its aggressive, violent power vanished, leaving only the painful struggle originating from the depths of its heart.

Countless pained faces belonging to other patients began to emerge from the darkness, letting out silent roars, as if trying to suppress this "hymn" that should not have appeared here with their resentment.

Meanwhile, the "head nurse" who had been half-devoured by Su Qin also sensed this deadly threat.

"No! Shut up! Don't sing!"

Yao's vicious scream echoed from the darkness, "Kill her! Su Qin! You fool! She's lying to you! Your child is dead! Your husband abandoned you long ago! Kill this woman! Then we'll become part of the 'Tower' together! Destroy them! Destroy everything!"

Yao began to use vicious lies to provoke Su Qin's fragile nerves, trying to pull her back into the abyss of hatred.

"Sleep...sleep...my dearest baby..."

Lu Yueqi ignored Yao's curse, and her singing continued without stopping.

This is the most crucial moment.

No matter what happens, she must use this pure love to overcome that twisted hatred.

Pulled between the soothing lullaby and Yao's vicious curse, Su Qin's massive consciousness was on the verge of collapse.

The black tsunami sometimes transformed into towering waves, threatening to engulf Lu Yueqi completely; at other times, it transformed into a constantly shrinking black mist, from which suppressed sobs could be heard.

The enormous face began to switch constantly between grotesque hatred and sorrowful tears.

"I'll kill you... no... my child..."

“Going home… I can’t go back… I’ll kill you all…”

Seeing this, Hei Yan, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, clicked his tongue slightly, a hint of seriousness flashing in his pure black eyes.

The most dangerous moment is about to arrive.

When a powerful consciousness is pushed to its limits, if its core logic conflicts and cannot be reconciled, then there will only be one outcome—self-destruction.

It will be like an unstable supernova, detonating all its energy in an instant, turning this collapsing space and everything in it into nothingness!
Lu Yueqi, the girl who tried to quell the tsunami with her weak singing, was in a position that would undoubtedly make her the first person to be blown to pieces.

"Damn it... what a troublesome girl."

Hei Yan cursed under his breath. His hand had already quietly risen, and a chaotic nightmare power began to gather in his palm.

He had to prepare for the worst.

If the situation gets out of control, he will have no choice but to abandon this world and Lu Yueqi, and forcibly take Bai Yu's soul fragments and tear a crack in the explosion to escape.

As for that girl... well, that's up to fate.

Just at this critical moment, Lu Yueqi's clear and gentle singing voice finally reached the last line.

"...Dad's hands... shield you from the wind and rain..."

The moment the word "Dad" was clearly uttered from her lips, the silver pendant box on her chest suddenly burst forth with an unprecedentedly dazzling light!
Amidst the blinding silver light, a tall yet blurry male silhouette slowly emerged from the locket.

He couldn't see his face clearly, but he carried the protective aura of a husband and father.

Fang Heng!

He reached out, crossing the boundaries of time and space, the line between life and death, and the surging black tsunami, gently stroking the giant face distorted by endless pain and hatred.

“Aqin…”

A sigh filled with love and regret came from the phantom's mouth.

"Sorry... I'm late..."

"I've come... to take you and the children... home..."

boom--

The black tsunami of hatred was utterly crushed by this tenderness that was decades overdue.

It stopped struggling and roaring, and instead contracted rapidly inward like the receding tide.

Eventually, all the darkness disappeared.

Only a young woman in a faded hospital gown remained, holding a baby phantom made of light in her arms, standing there with tears streaming down her face.

She slowly raised her head to look at the man who was also a phantom, and a smile full of grievance and longing gradually appeared on her face.

"Fang Heng..."

She reached out and clasped tightly with the hand that had transcended time.

However, just as the family of three was about to enjoy this long-awaited reunion, another unexpected event occurred.

"Hehehe... You think you can just leave? Not so easy!"

Yao's vicious curse rang out once again!
Suddenly, the "head nurse," whose body had been devoured and was now only half intact, burst out from the dissipating darkness!

On its metal arm, which was made of syringes, all the syringes began to gather dark green energy that shimmered with an ominous light, like a poisoned arrow released from a bow, and stabbed fiercely into Su Qin's unsuspecting back!
It wanted to completely corrupt Su Qin's soul at this last moment, dragging everything into an abyss of no return!
　I still have a bit of a cough, but I feel like I should be getting better soon.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)