Jane Sterling hesitated for a long while before resolutely accepting the mission.
She spoke firmly into the empty air.
"I accept!"
The mechanical voice in her mind rang out again.
[Host has accepted the mission. Good luck.]
With that, the voice disappeared.
Jane Sterling adjusted the small bag on her back and strode resolutely toward the People's Hospital.
Following the system's instructions, Jane Sterling arrived in the main lobby of the People's Hospital.
She found the spot the system had described—a place called the Feedback Center, tucked away in a remote corner.
A silver-white key lay conspicuously on the stark white desk.
At this hour, the hospital lobby was nearly empty.
This was a high-end hospital, so it was usually quiet and not very crowded.
Now, in the middle of the night, it was even more deserted.
A bone-chilling air permeated the space. Jane Sterling, growing frightened, didn't bother to examine the key's shape. She just snatched it and ran for the elevators.
The 34th floor...
'If I'm not mistaken,' Jane Sterling thought to herself, 'this is the Presidential Ward.'
Only the wealthiest people in all of Aethelgard could afford to stay there. A single night cost over a hundred thousand.
After arriving on the 34th floor, Jane Sterling stepped hesitantly onto the landing.
The 34th floor had only a few rooms, and two men in black were standing guard at the door of one of them.
They were wearing cool-looking sunglasses, even this late at night.
Jane Sterling guessed this must be the location for her mission.
She hesitated, but began to walk forward.
Suddenly, she heard a cold, elderly voice from behind her.
"My, what a pretty young lady. Fair skin, long legs... If she could become my grandson's wife, I could die in peace."
The sudden words made Jane Sterling jump in fright.
She whipped her head around to see an old man standing before her. He was dressed in a burgundy Tang suit and had a full head of white hair, but his eyes were still bright and full of spirit.
If there was one thing different about this old man, Jane Sterling thought, it was that his skin was a little too pale to be normal.
Seeing that it was a person, Jane Sterling patted her chest in relief.
"Sir, you scared the life out of me! What are you doing here so late at night?"
Then it dawned on Jane Sterling. "Oh, I know. You're a patient from that room over there, right?"
Jane Sterling sighed in relief. 'I was just scaring myself.'
The old man in front of her looked at Jane Sterling, momentarily stunned.
He stretched out his hand and waved it in front of her face.
"You can see me?"
The old man was so surprised that he instinctively took a step back.
Jane Sterling found this rather funny. She scratched her head, her voice taking on a lighter tone.
"Sir, what are you talking about? I'm not blind, of course I can see you! Are you the patient from that room? Let me help you back. You shouldn't be wandering around on your own this late at night."
With that, Jane Sterling stepped forward to help the old man walk back to the hospital room.
But to her shock, SWOOSH! Her hand passed right through the old man's body, and she stumbled, falling to the side.
'Oh my god!'
'What's going on?!'
Jane Sterling snapped her head up, her gaze fixed on the old man, who now wore an indescribable expression.
A wild idea suddenly exploded in her mind.
Suddenly, Jane Sterling felt her legs go weak.
'I just want to find a corner and collapse...'
'No way...'
'Don't tell me the system's mission is to deliver something to a dead person?'
Jane Sterling was trembling all over as she struggled to her feet.
Looking at the pale but kindly old man, she faintly noticed that his body was actually translucent.
She could see the color of the carpet right through him.
In that instant, Jane Sterling realized what she had encountered.
She froze, as if rooted to the spot.
'Oh, heavens!'
'How could I run into something so absurd and unbelievable?'
'Did I anger the heavens? Is this my punishment?'
'I've been fearless my whole life, but the one thing I've always been terrified of is the supernatural!'
'Oh, heavens, please, I'm begging you, just make this ghost go away!'
'Don't scare my fragile little heart anymore!'
"Child, why are you holding the key I was going to give to my grandson?"
When the old man spoke, Jane Sterling flinched.
She glanced at the silver-white key in her left hand, her whole body shaking.
"I... Weren't you the one who told me to give this to your grandson...?"
The old man's face lit up in realization. "Oh, so you're the one! In that case, quick, quick, hurry and help me give this to that brat, Drew Thorne!"
As he spoke, the old man started to move forward to grab Jane Sterling's arm.
YELPING in fear, Jane Sterling immediately jumped back several steps.
Her cry instantly attracted the attention of the bodyguards at the room's entrance.
The bodyguards immediately approached and found Jane Sterling cowering in a corner.
"Who's there?!"
Seeing a living, breathing person, Jane Sterling scrambled over to his side.
Trembling, she held up the key. "Someone asked me to deliver something to the person inside."
The bodyguards exchanged a look, then one of them nodded and knocked gently on the hospital room door.
"Young Master, there's someone here to see you."
After a long moment, a hoarse, deep voice replied from within.
"Come in."
The bodyguard immediately opened the door to the room.
"Please go in."
Still trembling, Jane Sterling took tiny, shuffling steps into the hospital room.
The old man in the Tang suit trailed closely behind her, entering the room as well.
Once inside, Jane Sterling was struck by how spacious the room was.
'This wasn't a hospital room, it was a luxurious presidential suite!'
A huge hospital bed stood in the center of the room.
To the side, a handsome man in a suit was sitting, his eyes red-rimmed.
When the man saw her, he stood up and wiped his eyes.
He walked over to her, looking her up and down.
He asked quizzically, "Miss, can I help you with something?"
He thought for a moment; he was pretty sure he didn't recognize the woman before him.
Drew Thorne was the founder and president of a private investigation firm.
He was constantly surrounded by either beautiful, elegant society wives or their equally graceful, willowy mistresses.
He had never seen such a refreshingly pure and innocent young woman, someone who seemed completely untainted by the world.
'Could she have been referred by a friend to hire him for a case?'
Either way, he wasn't in the mood right now.
"I'm sorry, miss, but I'm not discussing work right now. An elder in my family is in critical condition. I hope you can understand."
He said, offering a strained, apologetic smile.