The director rushed down after tidying up the patients on the upper floor, squatting beside Zhou Huan to look at the body on the ground, and was instantly dumbfounded, unable to utter a word.

"Director, quickly organize everyone to gather in a spacious area. Do not scatter under any circumstances; there's still work to be done. Don't let any more chaos erupt. This dead person must be cremated immediately, or the trouble will be much greater later," Zhou Huan said, staunchly fighting the discomfort churning within him.

At this, the director immediately became flustered. Where did this Zhou Huan get such authority to order the cremation of a person? His heart began to harbor suspicion toward Zhou Huan's words, yet he couldn't defy him. After all, Zhou Huan’s credentials were right there, the embossed seal number authentic. Moreover, just moments ago, while upstairs, this man had made a call to the Public Security Bureau and had already confirmed Zhou Huan's [redacted/unspecified detail]. At this point, what concerned him was whether Zhou Huan could truly bear the weight of such responsibility.

"Master Zhou, perhaps it would be better to let the forensic examiner examine the corpse before cremation."

"That will be too late. The sky darkens quickly, and the supernatural arrives even faster. People die quicker than they draw breath. You don't know why, but another person has just died. Do you think we shouldn't cremate immediately? If we don't, more people will die soon." Zhou Huan's words carried his agitation. It seemed he was genuinely frantic. He hadn't resolved these matters yet, and he was deeply frustrated, wondering where the obstacle lay.

The director could only sigh. Seeing Zhou Huan's agitated state, he knew he couldn't stop him and had no choice but to order men to stack a large pile of firewood in the wide courtyard according to Zhou Huan’s instructions.

"Burn it, burn it. Dongzi, prepare the implements and follow the director to see off the spirit properly."

"Understood, Master. Don't worry, this time I guarantee he will depart comfortably."

Subsequently, Zhou Huan pulled out a large handful of soul-summoning talismans from Dongzi's pocket, muttering, "All you lonely spirits and wild ghosts in this place, come out now! Zhou Huan has a favor to ask. Your good days are about to begin."

The sky began to darken, though not completely black yet. Zhou Huan's talismans had no effect, which he certainly knew. If he just waited there, the ghosts would likely wait until sunset to emerge. To outsiders, however, Zhou Huan looked like a complete charlatan; some doctors even openly called him a (jianghu swindler).

Furious and anxious, Zhou Huan flared up and roared, "Which bastard was just talking? If you have an opinion, come over here, and I'll show you what a ghost is."

Instantly, the cluster of doctors fell silent. In reality, only three or four doctors remained, and the only ones bold enough to speak were likely those loose-lipped scoundrels with shifty eyes.

Zhou Huan lunged forward in one swift movement, grabbing the man he believed had spoken. "Was that you just now? You dare speak sarcastically at a time like this? Fine, I'll let you see clearly what a lonely, wild ghost is." As he spoke, Zhou Huan had already prepared the Spirit-Revealing Talisman, smearing the ash of the paper talisman onto the doctor's forehead and eyes, then shoving him roughly. "Don't you dare scream later!"

In that very instant, the sky turned dark—a pitch-black darkness, the kind that would render one unable to see their hand in front of their face without electric light.

A chilling cold began to rise from the ground. The lonely spirits and wild ghosts Zhou Huan had summoned arrived one by one from all directions. Some crawled, some flew, some leaped down from the trees—in short, they came every way imaginable. The number of spirits Zhou Huan had called this time was truly considerable, perhaps even more than the ghosts he had dealt with at Old Sun’s place.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" The doctor Zhou Huan held firmly in place let out screams. Upon seeing these spirits, he nearly passed out. The two doctors beside him, unable to see anything, asked what was wrong, but the man was turning purple from holding his breath.

Zhou Huan casually asked the doctor, "Did you see clearly?"

"Master Zhou, I saw clearly. I know I was wrong. I'm leaving now, leaving immediately!" The man gasped for air and turned to flee, but unexpectedly, as the doctor turned back, he seemed to bump into something. When he blinked his eyes wide open, a red-faced, tusked ghost with long hair was passing right through his body. After the ghost phased through him, it left the doctor with a final remark.

"If you're scared, stop playing tough. You're blocking the way. If it weren't for respecting Master Zhou, I would have consumed your vital essence." With that, the ghost rushed toward Zhou Huan.

This terrified the doctor, leaving him stunned for a long time, cold sweat pouring down his face uncontrollably.

Seeing that nearly all the lonely spirits and wild ghosts had arrived, Zhou Huan noted that the spirits in this area had distinct characteristics; each seemed to possess a unique way of movement—almost every ghost was different.

"I have asked you all here tonight because I need your assistance!" Zhou Huan spoke very politely and then bowed to the assembled spirits.

The ghosts returned the courtesy, replying in unison, "Master Zhou's needs are our needs. Tell us what you require!"

"Something might happen here tonight. You have probably heard about the recent events, but I must admit my skill is lacking; I have yet to discover the origin of these ghosts, which possess such great spectral power that they can evade the eyes of my apprentices and me, and repeatedly commit murder right under our noses."

"We have heard about this, but we also don't know where this outsider ghost came from. Many of our own lonely spirits have had their souls extinguished without reason, and before their essence was destroyed, they all mentioned a newcomer who blinked oddly." This spirit informed Zhou Huan of what he knew.

Zhou Huan pondered for a moment and suddenly raised a critical question: "Have you ever encountered a Jiangshi coming from the Ghost Realm before?"

"Jiangshi from the Ghost Realm?" Several ghosts conferred among themselves before turning back to Zhou Huan with an answer: "It's impossible for a Jiangshi to originate in the Ghost Realm; that makes no sense. A Jiangshi is a creature situated between a human and a ghost. Typically, they result from a person dying without proper handling, or if immense resentment before death prevents them from becoming a fierce ghost. If a ghost from the Ghost Realm were to turn into a human, that is unrealistic, unless it is a case of 'borrowing a corpse to become a Jiangshi body soul.'"

"Ah, that last possibility is the most likely one, for two reasons. First, such a ghost would lack any spectral aura. Second, it manifests in human form, but possesses the physical constitution of a Jiangshi," Zhou Huan stated, immediately proceeding to arrange matters: "There are quite a few ghost friends here tonight. Here is the arrangement..."

Following Zhou Huan’s instructions, these lonely spirits and wild ghosts each took up a post, effectively sealing off the mental hospital so thoroughly that if any unusual situation arose, Zhou Huan would know instantly and could intervene, at the very least to locate the mastermind behind all the recent incidents.

According to Zhou Huan’s plan, this night promised to be another sleepless one. All the doctors in the asylum, along with the massive throng of patients, were gathered in the large square they usually used for assemblies. This square could accommodate ten thousand people with ease.

Zhou Huan donned his Heavenly Silkworm Gloves, looked up at the color of the pitch-black sky, closed his eyes slightly, and sat cross-legged in the center of the square, forming the Calming Hand Seal. He remained silent. The vast crowd in the square felt profoundly quiet.

A gust of icy night wind swept by, making the dim streetlamps on the square tremble. Fortunately, the patients had all been medicated or injected by nightfall, so they were docile and subdued. The doctors clutched syringes and tranquilizers, prepared to use them if any patient became unruly.

Dongzi followed closely behind Zhou Huan, also sitting cross-legged and forming the same Calming Hand Seal. At this moment, Shi Bingyuan, carrying Zhou Huan's necessary equipment, was sprinting downstairs with Zhang Hong and the female staff member.