Working Records in a Weird World - 35

 

| WRIAWW | How Did You Know My Surname in Zong? | 35

Watching Director Yang’s retreating figure, the survivors seemed to break free from some restraint and began chattering.

"From the description, the morgue task doesn’t seem that simple!"

"We are divided into three teams, I feel the team handling the corpses is the most dangerous. Didn’t you hear that NPC mention that someone died in the deformed corpse repository just last week?"

"Ah? Don’t scare me! I was assigned to the second team!"

They went to the grimy changing room next to the morgue to change.

Although the survivors were tough and had been strengthened by the system, they still didn’t want to directly touch the corpses in the dungeon. Who knew what viruses or bacteria these bodies carried? It would be bad if there were to get an infection.

Fortunately, although Taikang Yongle Hospital was shady, the disinfectant suits they provided were clean. After changing, they looked at each other.

"Should we go inside the morgue first?"

"Good idea."

So the group huddled together and walked in.

Passing under the pale fluorescent lights, through the pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with decay, and down the long, dark corridor, they finally reached the inner morgue. Dark red tiles lined the floor, with cold metal mortuary cabinets arranged in rows.

The rust and old bloodstains on the corners showed they had been in use for years. An old ceiling fan with large blades hung above, slowly swaying.

Aside from these, there were several bodies on the mortuary beds, each covered with a white cloth. Plastic tags printed with the deceased’s name and time of death were placed beside them. Zong Le glanced at them and noticed that all the dates were from last night.

Are the deaths in this hospital so close in time?

"Damn! These cabinets are so dirty, and there’s not even a mop. How are we supposed to clean this place?"

The captain of Team One was the first to gesture towards the size of the mortuary cabinet, realizing that the narrow opening could barely accommodate an adult lying flat. To make matters worse, the other side was pressed against the wall, leaving no room for maneuvering.

This meant that if they wanted to clean the interior thoroughly, they would have to squeeze themselves inside with a cloth and wipe it inch by inch.

"Are they seriously expecting us to crawl in there and clean it?"

Hearing this, many members of Team One showed clear resistance, their faces twisted in disgust.

Leaving aside how filthy the mortuary cabinet was or how many corpses it had held, just the thought of it being a place for storing the dead made them feel deeply uneasy.

However, Team Two wasn’t faring much better.

They gathered around the white sheet covering a corpse and cautiously lifted a corner, only to be stunned by what they saw.

The corpses had twisted, horrifying expressions, some frozen in terror. Almost all of them had been disemboweled, their chests and abdomens hollowed out, their internal organs missing. Even worse, the body of a young girl had not a single inch of intact skin left, only bloodied and mangled flesh clinging to her tendons—it was truly gruesome sight.

"What the hell happened to these bodies?!"

The medical student in the team was shocked.

Upon closer inspection, he found that not only were most of the organs missing, but even the corneas had been removed.

"Organ trafficking, probably. It’s a common trope in horror scenarios. Or maybe the organs were taken for some cult ritual. At worst, there’s a cannibalistic organization in Guiyi City that’s secretly trading with the hospital," Xue Heguang said casually.

Having experienced countless instances, he was all too familiar with the clichés of horror settings and could come up with explanations without even thinking.

The others either nodded in agreement or showed no reaction, but Zong Le was full of admiration. "Senior Xue, you’re amazing! You must have cracked down on so many illegal activities before!"

Illegal activities? Xue Heguang was baffled, unsure how his instance missions could be described as cracking down on crime. 

But upon reflection, many of those missions did involve taking down corrupt NPCs and eliminating weirds, so it wasn’t entirely wrong.

With that thought, he found himself looking more favorably at this black-haired C-level survivor.

Seeing that the other two teams, despite their complaints and sighs, were already grabbing cleaning tools and disinfection equipment, Xue Heguang checked the time and turned to his team. "Let’s get moving too."

He took a moment to observe the other teams, noting that each had been assigned survivors from different different skill types. If anything were to happen, they could at least support each other.

"If anything unusual occurs, notify others immediately. Don’t try to show off or tough it out. Also, since this question mark-level mission started with a hospital-wide weird domain, it’s highly likely there are multiple S-level and A-level domains within it. If you find yourself in one, don’t hesitate to find your teammates, post on the forum, and seek help."

As the only A-level member in the team, Xue Heguang couldn't help but emphasize one crucial point: "Do not walk alone. Even if you're only a D-level, you should know that going alone means certain death."

After delivering these instructions, he watched as everyone nodded in agreement.

Just at that moment—

Bang!

It sounded as if something outside was violently slamming against the iron door, creating a deafening noise.

Many were startled by the sudden commotion. After all, in the depths of the underground seventh floor, such a sound was undeniably terrifying.

Only Xue Heguang remained calm, his expression unchanged.

"It’s probably the family member that Director Yang mentioned earlier, they are here to collect the patient's body. Team Three, let’s move."

Zong Le, assigned to Team Three, quickly followed.

They walked down another narrow corridor, at the end of which stood a grim, tightly shut iron door. The relentless banging, combined with the blood-red reflection of the words "Morgue" in the stagnant water on the floor, made it seem like a scene straight out of a horror movie ready for filming with just a camera set up.

When they were a few steps away from the door, Xue Heguang stopped, closed his eyes, and activated his medium abilities.

Seeing him pause, the other survivors wisely stopped as well. Only Zong Le seemed oblivious, walking straight toward the door and crouching down to figure out how to open the panels on it.

The design of the iron door was indeed peculiar. It had several panels, the topmost of which was about the size of an envelope, resembling a mail slot, likely a channel for outsiders to submit requests for entry. There was also a large sliding iron plate, roughly the size of the diameter of the morgue’s storage cabinets, which Zong Le guessed was used to push out bodies.

"Outside is a weird... at least an A-level!" Xue Heguang’s tone turned grave as he sensed the immense aura.

He hadn’t expected that, right at the start of this ?-level mission, the first weird they encountered would be of such a high level.

But as soon as Xue Heguang finished his sensing and opened his eyes, he saw that the black-haired guy had already found the switch to open the mail slot on the door. He turned the handle, revealing a section of darkness outside.

In an instant, a surge of weird energy mixed with a chilling wind rushed in, clearly coming from an unknown area outside.

Xue Heguang: "......?"

He and the other survivors were horrified, but before they could even process what was happening, Zong Le politely reached out toward the mail slot and said, "Hello, this is the Taikang Yongle Hospital morgue. How may I assist you?"

Some powerful weirds cannot be sensed by survivors, but it cannot be hidden by his eyes, after all, he is a resident in Guiyi City.

Sensing the faint warning aura leaking from inside, the weird outside fell silent for a moment.

Suppressing the urge to turn and flee, it said hoarsely, "...I’m here to collect body No.3."

"You need an application form to collect the body. You can't collect it without the form."

Zong Le spoke while keenly noticing the wall-mounted holder. He casually pulled out paper and a pen, sliding them through the narrow gap in the iron door. "Fill out the application form carefully before coming back. Make sure not to miss any details. Stamp it with an official seal at the end, and include the time, location, and applicant’s name."

"Also, next time, knock more gently. This door is old and can’t handle harsh treatment."

"O-okay."

With a clang, the iron flap fell back into place.

Zong Le clapped his hands and turned around, only to find everyone’s eyes fixed on him, their expressions puzzled.

"Why are you all staring at me?"

Everyone: "......"

It might have been their imagination, but during the exchange just now, they could’ve sworn they heard the weird stutter.

It must be an illusion. That was an A-level weird, a formidable being capable of manifesting its own domain. How could it possibly act so meek?!

"Listen, you’re a C-level. Next time, try to read the situation better and don’t act so recklessly."

Xue Heguang’s heart had nearly leapt out of his throat when he saw the slot open. "That wasn’t an NPC outside, it was an A-level weird! What if it had some unique killing method? Losing your life would be one thing, but the rest of us could’ve been dragged down with you."

Xue Heguang had once encountered a high-level weird in a dungeon that could absorb the souls and skins of its victims to enhance its own power. The dead only added to the burden of the living. It had taken them immense effort and many sacrifices to finally eliminate it, leaving him with lingering psychological scars.

"Sorry, sorry," Zong Le apologized sheepishly. "I just thought the weird outside didn’t seem that strong..."

His words immediately sparked discontent among the team members.

"An A-level weird isn’t strong? Seriously, how can a C-level survivor like you say something like that?"

"Exactly! While Boss Xue was sensing the situation, you just charged ahead. You almost got us all killed!"

"Right, you are wearing a white shirt and black pants, and a jacket by chance. Are you trying to cosplay as that talented newcomer from the forums?"

"Yeah, yeah, that talented newcomer’s surname is Zong. Why don’t you go ahead and change your ID too?"

Zong Le looked stunned.

He blinked. "Huh? Wait, how did you know my surname is Zong?"

Zong Le pondered. The surname Zong wasn’t that common, right? 

In the past month, he could only recall his parents sharing the same surname. He hadn’t met anyone else with it.

"......"

The group was left speechless.

Was this guy with black hair taking his role-playing too seriously? Did he eat something weird or what?

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