Late at night, Chloe Miller barged into my clinic with a dog in her arms.
She arrogantly tossed a hundred-dollar bill onto the counter and said, “Coco’s paw got cut by broken glass. Hurry up and bandage it.”
Without even lifting my head, I replied, “This isn’t a veterinary clinic. I’m busy. You’d better take it to a vet nearby.”
Chloe snapped, “Busy? It’s the middle of the night—your clinic doesn’t even have a single patient. What are you so busy with?”
“This is my boyfriend’s dog. If you don’t bandage Coco right now, he’ll make sure you pay for it.”
I ignored her.
Furious, Chloe called her rich second-generation boyfriend. Soon enough, he was threatening to smash up my clinic and break my hands and legs so I’d be crippled.
What they didn’t know was that although the clinic looked empty, it was actually packed—every seat taken by unseen patients glaring at them.
When Chloe placed the injured Maltese on the counter, I immediately knew she had come looking for trouble. Narrowing her eyes, she sneered at me, “Rachel Evans, my patience is running thin. You’d better hurry up and bandage Coco’s wound.”
“Don’t give me that excuse about being busy. Your clinic’s empty—what the hell are you even busy with?”
“And don’t say you don’t treat animals. Not long ago you treated a stray black cat. I know all about it.”
“Sure, we’ve had our differences, but saving lives is a doctor’s duty. If you refuse me again, I’ll make sure this clinic of yours won’t survive.”
I still couldn’t be bothered to answer her.
On the surface, my little clinic looked empty, but in truth, it was overflowing with patients—patients Chloe simply couldn’t see.
The Maltese, however, could sense the hostile stares of these unusual patients. Trembling violently, it whimpered and even urinated in fear.
A few grim-faced spirits drifted behind Chloe. Their eyes glowed an eerie green, mouths wide open, razor-sharp teeth ready to rip into the back of her neck.
I shot them a furious glare and barked, “Behave yourselves! Get out if you dare act up here!”
The spirits shuddered, fear flashing in their eyes. Reluctantly, they pulled back their fangs and floated back to their seats to wait quietly.
But Chloe misunderstood.
She thought I had just yelled at her.
Fuming, she shouted, “You want me to get out? Fine! You’ve got guts. Just you wait.”
With that, she stormed out of the clinic, clutching the trembling Maltese.
She didn’t leave entirely, though. Instead, she stood at the entrance, calling her rich boyfriend again. From the look of it, she wasn’t going to be satisfied until she taught me a brutal lesson tonight.
I let out a weary sigh. Since I had taken over this clinic half a year ago, Chloe had been making trouble for me again and again.
Her family had already bought out the neighboring shops, planning to merge them into a large restaurant. My refusal to sell my clinic had severely hindered their money-making scheme.
So Chloe showed up every so often to cause chaos—enough times that even the police had been called in more than once.
A few days ago, I heard that Chloe Miller had started dating a wealthy heir. His family apparently carried great influence in Bayshore City.
The moment I learned this, I guessed Chloe would soon use her boyfriend’s connections against me. What I didn’t expect was how quickly she lost patience and came looking for trouble.
I could only sigh.
This clinic had been entrusted to me by my master, Gabriel Reed, on his deathbed. It held the dedication and effort of his entire lifetime. How could I ever sell it so easily?
Most importantly, if I gave up this clinic, what would happen to the unusual patients who showed up every night?
Some of them were missing limbs, some played with their own severed heads, others stitched together their torn bodies. Any ordinary person who saw these sights would be terrified out of their wits.
If the clinic disappeared, these spirits would have nowhere to go, no restraints to keep them in check, and chaos would erupt across Bayshore City.
As I sighed helplessly, I noticed a little boy wearing nothing but a vest climbing on top of the ceiling fan, laughing as he played.
I snapped irritably, “Ryan Hughes, get down here right now! If you break my fan again like last time, I won’t let you off.”
Ryan floated down obediently, blinking his big eyes, worry clouding his small face.
“Rachel, you’re not going to sell the clinic, right? If you do, we’ll all be homeless. Then we could only linger in the world of the living for seven days before being forced out. A lot of the others might lose control and lash out at people. That would bring disaster to the whole city.”
I sighed again. “Chloe has been coming at me more aggressively than ever lately. I can’t guarantee how much longer the clinic can stay open…”
Before I could finish, Ryan blurted out anxiously, “Then go ask our Hughes family for help! In Bayshore City, we’re second to none. My own brother is the one in charge of the family now. If you just go and say the word, no one would dare cause trouble for you again.”
Before I could reply, a crowd arrived outside the clinic.
Leading them was Chloe’s wealthy boyfriend, Adrian Hughes. He had brought along more than a dozen burly bodyguards. Reeking of alcohol, Adrian swaggered in, kicked the counter, and cursed at me:
“Bitch, how dare you refuse to treat my dog! Do you even know who I am?”
“Ever heard of the Hughes family in Bayshore City? I’m Adrian Hughes, eldest grandson of the current family patriarch.”
“Today, if you don’t treat and bandage my dog, I’ll smash your clinic and break your arms and legs. Even if you call the cops, it won’t help you!”
Looking at Adrian’s arrogance, then at Chloe’s smug, triumphant expression beside him, I just felt exhausted.
Couldn’t they stop courting death?
The spirits in the clinic glared at them with murderous intent, looking ready to pounce and tear them apart.
Especially Ryan, the mischievous little ghost boy. Standing on the counter, he glared fiercely at Adrian and cursed:
“How could our Hughes family produce such a disgrace of a descendant?”
“What was my brother thinking when he raised this brat?”
“A worthless heir like him will only bring disaster to our family. Tonight, I’ll carry out justice—even if it means dealing with my own kin!”
The moment the words left his mouth, Ryan Hughes lunged at Adrian Hughes.
I stopped the impulsive boy just in time. If Ryan really harmed Adrian here in the clinic, it would surely draw the attention of the Underworld Court.
This clinic stood at the boundary between the living and the dead, balancing on a fragile equilibrium. If a spirit attacked a living person here, the consequences could be catastrophic.
I had only been running this clinic for less than half a year. I couldn’t let my master Gabriel Reed’s lifelong devotion go to waste.
Adrian, of course, couldn’t see the unusual patients in the clinic, nor could he hear what Ryan had just shouted.
Snarling arrogantly at me, Adrian said, “Bitch, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”
“Don’t think I’m joking. I’ll give you ten minutes. If you don’t clean and bandage my dog’s paw, don’t blame me for what happens next.”
Chloe, clinging to his arm with a smug smile, sneered at me:
“Did you hear that? You’ve only got ten minutes. My boyfriend’s influence in Bayshore City is beyond your imagination. If you don’t want to spend the rest of your life crippled, you’d better get moving and treat Coco.”
I looked at the Maltese lying weakly on the counter and could only shake my head.
Its injury wasn’t serious. But when Chloe barged in earlier, the many spirits inside the clinic had all turned their cold eyes on the dog. The poor thing had been overwhelmed by the heavy aura of death in the room.
Animals can see what ordinary people cannot. Surrounded by so many spirits, the dog’s courage collapsed entirely. Its body convulsed violently—it was beyond saving.
I sighed softly. “I’m not a veterinarian. There’s nothing I can do.”
At my words, the Maltese gave a final shudder. The light faded from its eyes, and its breathing stopped.
Adrian froze, stunned, while Chloe’s eyes lit up with excitement.
Pointing at me, she let out a shrill, fake-anguished scream:
“Rachel Evans, this is all your fault! If you had treated Coco sooner, he wouldn’t have died!”
“You killed him!”
“This was my boyfriend’s most beloved pet. You’re dead this time.”
Then she turned to Adrian, feigning tears:
“Darling, Coco died so tragically. You have to make this bitch pay!”
Already drunk and enraged, Adrian hadn’t understood exactly how his dog had died. But Chloe’s pitiful wailing fueled his anger toward me.
With a sudden swing, he slapped me hard across the face and cursed, “You damned bitch! You killed my dog—I’ll never forgive you.”
“Even if God himself came down, he couldn’t save you tonight!”
He turned to his bodyguards and roared, “What are you waiting for? Smash this pathetic clinic to pieces!”
At his command, the dozen burly men stormed in and began smashing everything in sight.
The spirits in the clinic grew even more furious, the dark aura thickening until the lights flickered wildly as though the electricity was failing.
I hurried to restrain them. I couldn’t allow the spirits to harm the living. If they did, this clinic would truly be finished.
