My Wife Is No Longer Human!?

Chapter 8: The Corpse

The hotel lobby was clean and tidy, and the staff warmly welcomed me and Zhang Qiang.

The hotel was bustling, with couples and tourists chatting and laughing in the lobby. The lively atmosphere made me feel at ease, and I thought to myself, "Finally, we’re staying somewhere normal." Like yesterday’s guesthouse, which felt lifeless—I never want to stay in a place like that again.

The rooms were arranged quickly. Perhaps Zhang Qiang had specifically communicated with the front desk, as our rooms were next to each other this time—room 404 and room 403. If anything happened in the middle of the night, we could look out for each other.

Zhang Qiang tossed the room key to me and said, "Let’s eat first?"

I nodded. "Let’s just grab something simple."

We didn’t head to our rooms first. Instead, we walked out of the hotel side by side. I glanced toward the truck nearby—the crazy beggar had disappeared, and there was no sign of him around.

We casually found a place to eat. I wasn’t very particular about food; as long as it filled my stomach and wasn’t poisonous, it was fine. What worried me was that the sky had turned completely dark, and the "eminent monk" Zhang Qiang mentioned still hadn’t appeared.

Watching Zhang Qiang wolf down his food without mentioning the monk, I asked, "Uncle, it’s already this dark. The eminent monk you mentioned still isn’t here?"

Zhang Qiang’s mouth was stuffed with food. Hearing my question, he didn’t even look up, just mumbled vaguely, "Soon, soon. He’s on the way. He’ll be here by tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Tomorrow morning?"

Hearing this, I instantly felt angry. Did that mean I’d have to endure another night like yesterday’s? I really didn’t want to see that terrifying woman again!

"Don’t worry, Xiao Jiang. Young people shouldn’t be so impatient. He needs to prepare too, you know?" Zhang Qiang struggled to swallow the food in his mouth and comforted me, "Today, our rooms are right next to each other. I’d even hear you if you went to the bathroom. What could possibly happen?"

At this point, aside from waiting and praying, I had no other options. I hoped God would protect me tonight and spare me from the torment of the female ghost.

Even though I hadn’t eaten all day, the thought of spending another night alone instantly killed my appetite. I just took a few bites before heading back to the hotel.

As soon as we returned to the hotel, Zhang Qiang eagerly approached the front desk. He pulled out a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket and smiled slyly at the young lady at the counter, speaking softly, but I could still hear him.

"The girl can come now. Remember, she needs to be smooth and seductive! Don’t send me someone in their thirties or forties."

"Don’t worry, boss. The girl will be arranged right away."

"Hurry up!"

Zhang Qiang, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth and a grin stretching from ear to ear, glanced back at me and asked again, "Xiao Jiang, you’re sure you don’t want a girl, right?"

"No."

I wasn’t in the mood at all. The strangeness of the past two days had already left me exhausted. I really didn’t have the energy to think about such things. All I wanted was to get some proper rest.

Back in the room, I lay on the soft bed. The room carried a faint, pleasant fragrance. Sleepiness washed over me, but as tired as I was, I couldn’t fall asleep. Every time I closed my eyes, the image of that woman flashed in my mind. I was afraid to sleep, worried I might never wake up again.

This went on for who knows how long. Just as my consciousness was gradually fading, I suddenly heard a peculiar sound from the next room.

"Mmm... Ah... Mmm... Ah..."

It instantly dispelled the sleepiness I had managed to muster.

I knew Zhang Qiang had started his "exercise" by then.

Sometimes, I really envied him. Even while being pursued by two ghosts, he could still engage in such activities.

The peculiar noise kept me wide awake.

At first, I might have felt a bit curious or intrigued.

But as time passed, and the sounds from the next room didn’t stop until 3 a.m., it started to annoy me.

At 4 a.m., when a sudden, satisfied-sounding male moan abruptly came from the next room, the hotel finally fell silent.

It was finally over. I felt relieved. Zhang Qiang’s stamina was beyond my imagination. My only thought now was to get some proper sleep.

Soon after, sleepiness finally washed over me again...

However, just as I was about to drift off, a knocking sound suddenly came from my room door—soft but eerily clear.

At first, the sound was faint, but as time went on, it grew louder and louder.

"Damn it, who’s knocking on my door in the middle of the night? How annoying! What are you knocking for?"

Hearing the knocking persist, I flared up and yelled at the door.

Strangely, after I yelled, the sound suddenly stopped.

So, I pulled the covers over my head, ready to go back to sleep.

But a few minutes later, the knocking started again. The anger inside me flared even hotter. I threw off the covers, got up, and opened the door, ready to curse.

Yet, when I saw what was in front of me, the curses caught in my throat.

My legs went weak, and I collapsed to the floor. Every hair on my body stood on end. I even forgot I wasn’t wearing any clothes.

Right outside my room door, Zhang Qiang’s entire body was suspended in mid-air, a rope as thick as an arm wrapped around his neck.

He was dead, hanged right outside my door.

Zhang Qiang had died a gruesome death. His tongue hung out long, and dark blood trickled from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. His eyes were wide open, filled with extreme unwillingness and terror.

The strange knocking sound had actually been the sound of Zhang Qiang’s hanging corpse swaying, his toes repeatedly hitting my door.

Seeing such a scene for the first time, my entire body went numb. Fear left me without an ounce of strength, not even enough to run away.

I tried to scream but found my throat blocked, unable to make a sound.

Just then, someone came hopping and skipping from the staircase. I stiffly turned my head to look—it was the fool who had pressed his face against my car window when we parked.

However, upon seeing me and Zhang Qiang in this state, the fool showed no fear.

Instead, he clapped his hands even more excitedly and shouted, "One woman, one man, both following along... Hahaha... So fun, so fun... Someone’s dead... Hahaha... Dead person! There’s a dead person! So fun, so fun, really fun... Hahaha..."

And I just watched in horror as the fool circled Zhang Qiang’s corpse.

Then, the fool suddenly turned his gaze to me. Staring at me for a long time, he clapped his hands again excitedly and said, "Hahaha, it’ll be your turn soon! You’re going to die too... Hahaha... So fun, so fun..."

Hearing his words, my fear instantly peaked. My body felt as if an electric current had passed through it, and I shuddered violently before passing out completely.