VESSEL - Extinction Countdown 958: Nether Crone’s Backtrack

You Long’er, eavesdropping outside the ward, caught most of it—stunned by He Jun’s flip-flopping and puzzled by Wang Haiping’s constant “Old Pi said.” When the ward erupted and the nurse stormed in, she darted to the fire escape.

Then the lights went out.

No big deal—just two or three seconds before they flickered back on.

But in those seconds, something veiled You Long’er’s eyes. She strained to see, and the fire escape was covered with glowing blue stains.

As Dragon Gate’s heiress, shadowing her dad and brother, You Long’er knew forensics. Blood under UV light shows rusty brown. Yet, her naked eyes saw what only UV could reveal.

Splatters coated the fire escape, a bloody trail snaking from the stairwell to the floor below.

In that moment, the air turned chilly, dropping twenty degrees. A raspy voice whispered: “Save me!”

Lights snapped on. The visions vanished. But You Long’er’s scream echoed through the fire escape.

She steadied herself—It’s just a hallucination—and peeked at Ye Shisan. Something was wrong.

Ye Shisan stood at the ward door, eyes shut, still as a statue.

Before him loomed a figure, over six feet tall, thin as paper, painted with red and green patterns.

No breeze stirred the hall, yet the figure swayed, as if speaking to Ye Shisan. Then it twisted sharply, and You Long’er saw it—a paper figure!

It bore a painted green robe, red shoes, one arm long, one short. Its hands, peeking from sleeves, were black on both sides, like smoked charcoal.

Worst was the head—barely a woman’s, with long hair. The face was gouged with holes, like eyes, ears, nose, and mouth stabbed by scissors.

Chillingly, it turned and spotted You Long’er, its mangled face twisting into a grim smirk.

Her spine-to-scalp hairs stood on end.

She inhaled, ready to scream, when the figure ignited. Heat lifted it to the ceiling, spinning wildly, then—poof—gone in a wisp of green smoke, not a speck left.

As it vanished, Ye Shisan snapped awake. He lunged, yanking You Long’er out: “Didn’t I say stay in the car?”

Still reeling, You Long’er whined with pent-up grievance: “I was worried about you, okay? But you… you saw a ghost, you know?”

Ye Shisan studied her face: “You saw Nether Crone too?”

His words confirmed it—he’d known it wasn’t human.

You Long’er slumped to the floor, gasping: “Hearing that helps… I was scared stiff, legs like jelly!”

Sitting, she couldn’t stand. Staying calm like Ye Shisan after that? Barely human.

Ye Shisan said: “We can’t stay. Visiting hours are ending. Can you stand?”

“Nope. Legs are shot, hands too.”

Ye Shisan sighed: “Fine, I’ll carry you.”

“No piggyback! Princess carry!”

“Now you’re picky?!”

“Princess carry, or I’m not moving!”

Ye Shisan sighed again, scooped her up, and hurried off.

You Long’er clung tight, trembling from fear’s aftershock, whispering: “What was that?”

“Nether Crone, one of Old Pi’s personas. First time I’ve seen it solid. It’s only visible head-on—look from another angle, it breaks. I didn’t expect it to manifest like this.”

“You were talking to it?”

“Yeah. Nether Crone’s a bystander persona. Old Pi said it drifted in and out of his body, watching. We thought he was nuts—personas doing that? But it’s real. After Old Pi died, Nether Crone became a wandering phantom.”

“That’s terrifying! Not midnight, but a paper figure floating in an asylum? It’d scare anyone dead!”

“Nether Crone only shows when it wants. It sure spooked Brother He and Old Wang.”

“What’d you talk about?”

“Better you don’t know. Let’s get outta here.”

Before he finished, You Long’er bit his shoulder—hard.

Ye Shisan winced: “What the hell?”

Tears welled in You Long’er’s eyes, teeth clenched: “I’m with you, and you won’t tell me? Heartless!”

Ye Shisan relented: “We’ll talk outside, okay?”

You Long’er buried her face in his chest, mumbling: “I… I gotta pee…”

“What? Now?”

“Nether Crone nearly scared the piss outta me. Good thing I held it, or I’d be a mess.”

“You’re a handful…”

“Handful? Tons would kill to help me pee!”

Ye Shisan reached the women’s restroom: “Here, hurry. Time’s short.”

“My legs are jelly. Be a gent—carry me in!”

“It’s the women’s room!”

“So? I can’t walk!”

“You’re scared, aren’t you?”

“No way! Put me down, then. If I crack my head and die, I’ll haunt you forever!”

Out of options, Ye Shisan carried her in.

“This stall. Set me on the toilet.”

Eyes half-closed, Ye Shisan kicked the door open and eased her down.

“Jerk! Why’re you standing there?”

Ye Shisan blanked: “What? You don’t expect me to… undress you?”

“No wonder Yi Qing calls you a creep! Close the door! I can’t pee with you watching!”

“Oh, right…”

Ye Shisan fumbled the door shut and backed out.

From the stall, You Long’er called: “Don’t leave! I’m quick! You’re carrying me out! Heehee!”

Stepping from the restroom, Ye Shisan heard frantic footsteps. Yi Qing appeared, shouting: “Ye Shisan, don’t let You Long’er use the bathroom alone!”

“Huh?”

Before he could process, a low, eerie chuckle slithered from the restroom: “Heh… hehehe…”