《Nightmare Assault》 Chapter 1: Nightmare Chapter 1: Nightmare Tsk Madam, do you mind repeating what you said? Tsk Tsk Yes, but please Dont tell anyone about this. Especially my husband and my daughter! I understand. Then Can we start now? It all started with a phone call. It was a call from my little sister. The call was made at night three days ago. Her condition was strange. Her teeth chattered, and it sounded like she forced the words out of her throat. I asked if she was sick, but she didnt answer me. She only kept repeating that she had been having this same dream over and over. Dream? Yes. A dream. She said that she often dreamed about waking up in the middle of the night, leaving her bed, walking down the stairs and stopping before the basement door of her building. It was very special and real. It was so real that It didnt feel like a dream. But your sister still described it as a dream. Why? Because her building doesnt even have a basement! The scariest thing is when she stood before the strange door, she had the urge to open it. And? She disappeared. On the night she called me. So You came to me today because Doctor Jiang! Yes Please continue. I dreamed of the door too. Yesterday night. The recording ended, and the room fell into silence. Jiang Cheng sat before his office table and lowered his eyelids. The night newspaper of Rong City of that day sat on the table. Missing People Report: Hu Yan, Female 47. 160 cm tall. She has a square face and fair skin. Due to recent mental issues, she left home and disappeared at midnight on the 13th. She wasst seen wearing a pink silk nightgown. If seen, please contact His eyes skipped the contact info. On the left of the missing person report was a picture of a middle-aged woman. It was this woman who made the recording with him yesterday. Jiang Cheng didnt have the habit of reading the papers. The police dropped off the newspaper about an hour ago. The police followed the clues and discovered that Hu Yan hade to him one day before she disappeared. He told him honestly about Hu Yans mental status and even told them the story she told him. He even gave them his files and the recording as evidence. After finishing the interview, the pair of officers, one male and one female, left. The female officer with the ponytail turned to take a few more nces at Jiang Cheng. This man who was about her age was too calm, no matter when he was interviewed or when he was telling the absurd story. Jiang Cheng stood up to send them out politely. Then, he retook his head. Fingers tapped against the keyboard. Everyone resumed like normal. Night approached, and neons lit up the city. Jiang Cheng nced at the time at the corner of his desktop. He stood up and walked to his office door. He closed the outer ss door and then locked the inner door from the inside. After that, he took the time to brew some coffee. He walked to the sofa with his cup of coffee and sat down. He bought the sofa for his clients. Madam Hu Yan from yesterday and the two officers from an hour ago both sat on the sofa. The lustre of the leather had lost its sheen. The armrests were cracked. Jiang Cheng reached into the gap between the seats and fished out a recording pen. The blinking light showed that the pen was still recording. He fiddled with the device using his fingers, and the officers voice drifted out. Then, his voice followed. Jiang Cheng sipped on the coffee as he listened to the recording. Once the cup was empty, his conversation with the officers was also over. When he stood up from the sofa, his expression didnt change. He cleaned the coffee cup and dried it on the rack. He dried his hands and walked back to his table. When he passed the couch, he picked up the recorder. Business was slow recently, so Jiang Cheng had a deep impression of Hu Yan. Even though her story was strange, for Jiang Cheng, who had interacted with a number of patients with mild to medium paranoia, the structure of her story was more important. From his perspective, a normal patient would emphasise certain details, thus confusing them to grab other peoples attention. Hu Yans descriptions wereplete, and the details were on point. She even remembered she identally stepped on her daughters fuzzy slippers in her dream. The police also brought Jiang Cheng some new info. During their conversation, Jiang Cheng managed to surmise that Hu Yans disappearance had to do with one of her family members. In Hu Yans story, her little sister disappeared before she did. These two details confirmed the authenticity of Hu Yans sisters disappearance. On top of that was the missing person report given out by Hu Yans family. It said that Hu Yan had left her house in her thin nightgown. It was deep autumn. Based on Jiang Chengs understanding of the madam, she was not someone whod do something so stupid. This made Jiang Cheng believe that things were not so simple. Therefore Therefore To preserve his brain cells for tomorrow and to protect his handsome face, Jiang Cheng put on a beauty down and went to sleep. His office was split into two floors. The first floor was for business, and the second floor was his living space. The space around 30 cubic metres was somehow split into two rooms. As one went up the narrow stairs, one would enter Jiang Chengs living room. Beyond it was the bedroom. There was no bed in the bedroom, only a thin mattress on the ground. Jiang Chengy on the mattress. Theforter was pulled to his chin as he slept soundly. After some time, Jiang Chengs eyes flipped open. He stared at the ceiling as his pupils wavered. Momentster, his eyes narrowed into slits. He slowly sat up in bed. What was going on..? His mind was awake, and he could feel every part of his body, but he couldnt control his body. Strange palpitations surged from his heart like something had been opened. First, his left leg left his bed, and then his right left. He stood up robotically. While his brain was going into overdrive, his body moved on its own. Forward. Left, right, left right. He walked to the bedroom door like a zombie. Then the living room. His legs carried him down the wooden stairs. The old wooden steps made no creaking sound. Not only the stairs were silent. Jiang Cheng could not hear anything. The night was deadly silent. His eyes took in everything within his limited vision. The situation was dangerous and absurd. In the night, the familiar space looked unfamiliar. As his body took thest step, he saw a door standing before him. The door was pure ck. The door was embedded in the wall. Chapter 2: Game Start Chapter 2: Game Start Down the distance was a bus station. It was empty. There was no bus or workers on duty. The sky was cloudly and raining slightly. A small group of people gathered around the spacious tform. There were around five of them. They should be travellers. The age of the station was visible from the exposed brick tform and the decrepit roof that was leaking in ces. This meant that the travellers all gathered at the same corner to avoid the rain. Currently, the travellers were all looking in the same direction. In the rain, about 30 metres away, there was a man with an umbre. The man was motionless and had remained like that for ten minutes already. As the travellers whispered to each other, the man suddenly moved towards the tform. As he got closer, they confirmed that he was a man. He had a bnced body and a handsome face. He wore a jacket that was several sizes toorge for him and a pair of patterned sleeping pants and cartoon fuzzy slippers. The slippers were drenched from the rain. They squished with each step that he took. Jiang Cheng, who arrived there in his dream, put away the umbre and looked at the people gathered before him. A tiny and pure-looking girl asked carefully, Are you new? Dont ask stupid questions. A muscr man with a bushy beard nced at the girl. His eyes lingered on Jiang Chengs fuzzy slippers for a moment before moving away. He looked at Jiang Cheng like he was assessing his prey. Then, he added, An interesting newbie. Hes so calm even though hes here. There were five of them in total. Jiang Cheng temporarily didnt see anyone else. Other than the pure girl and the bearded man, there was a woman around 35 with a pair of thin lips. The woman had a beauty spot next to her lips, and her looks were average. There was a balding man around 50 who looked rather scious. Lastly, there was a young man who dressed like a government worker. His hair was smoothed down in ce. Different from the others, the young man appeared like he had just cried. There were traces of tears at the corners of his eyes. His body was also bent over abnormally. Jiang Cheng scanned their faces before settling on the bearded man, Where is this? We call it the dream realm because every visitor came here through their dream. The man answered. Through a ck iron door that doesnt exist. Jiang Cheng nodded. This was simr to his experience. What do we need to do? Based on the scenario, find the clues andplete the mission. Try to survive. He pointed at the rain and said, The dream realm is merely what the first people who arrived here called this ce. What is this ce and why is it here? We cant answer you because we also dont know. You only need to know that once you open that door in your dream, you might see a vige, a skyscraper, a forest, a snow field or even a wastnd. Everything that might appear in real life might show up behind the door. Everything in real life might show up behind the door? Jiang Cheng asked to confirm. Yes. Then, how is this ce different from our world or is the world behind the door our world? Jiang Cheng put forth a logical yet difficult question. Will you find another simr version of yourself in the real world? The bearded man said gruffily. His words sounded absurd but Jiang Cheng understood it. Do you mean someone had encountered their doppelganger in the world behind the door Yes. It was unclear if the man felt fear from talking about it or he felt it was a waste of time to discuss that with a newbie but he ended the subject. So, will we return to the real world once weplete the mission? The man nodded and turned back to the rain. The rain turned heavier. The whole world was a palette of grey. Newbie. The woman with the beauty spot suddenly turned to him and said, Youll be wiped out in the real world if you die here. Arent you scared? To be precise, youll disappear in real life, Jiang Cheng corrected. The woman slowly widened her eyes as she studied Jiang Cheng with interest. Youre both new but youre much more interesting than this trash who only knows how to cry. She gave the young man a side-eye. The disgust in her eyes was in to see. The young man shivered from her gaze. The woman scoffed before she turned back to Jiang Cheng, If you survive this scenario, I dont mind being friends with you. Jiang Cheng ignored her and turned to the bearded man. The man stood at the edge of the rain. His eyes wandered the horizon, and his brows were knotted in worry. Youre waiting for someone. Jiang Cheng concluded. The man turned around and gasped in shock, How did you know? Hmm I also know the person youre waiting for is a fatty with amazing dexterity. Newbie, Im more and more interested in you! The mans expression was beyond amazed. Theres indeed someone who is still not here. Thats why the mission hasnt started, but I want to know How did you tell? And you knew details like the person is a fatty who is dexterous?! Jiang Cheng didnt answer the man but walked to his side. He turned to a direction outside the station, cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, Hey Its safe here! Come out now! Were waiting for you! As he finished, a man bounced through the rain from a few metres away. As everyone looked on in awe, he raced towards the tform. His rotund body floated over the puddles and leaped into the air beforending gracefully on the tform. Everyone was thinking the same thing, What a dexterous fatty! Once the fattynded, he stared at the jacket Jiang Cheng was wearing. He was only wearing a khaki shirt and it was soaked. He was shivering from the cold. Can you No! Jiang Cheng instantly interrupted the fatty, and pulled the jacket tighter around his body. What is going on? The balding man asked from the confusion. We met on the road. I came to scout the way for him. The price is a jacket and an umbre. Jiang Cheng admitted. The shivering fatty didnt look so well but no one paid him any attention. Only the girl pitied him and lent him a thin shawl to put around his neck. Chapter 3: Bungalow Chapter 3: Bungalow Alright. Finally, everyone should be here. The muscr man took the leadership role naturally, The mission is about to start. Everyone, be ready. As if in response to the man, a ray of light came from the distance. As the light approached, it pierced through the darkness. A brand-new luxury bus slowly eased into the station. Talk less and observe more. Make sure everything is safe before you do anything. Do not go off on your own. Before the bus door opened, the muscr man lowered his voice to whisper a few more notes. The woman with the mole couldnt stand the mans attitude, so she chided, The rewards are proportional to the risks. If you want something, you have to pay something. At that moment, the bus door opened. A youngster jumped out. He had a crew cut and wore a blue shirt and bleached jeans. He looked in his early twenties. His mouth moved like he was chewing on gum. Sorry for the wait, dear travellers. I was dyed by the weather. Im so sorry. The youngster gave everyone a surprise once she spoke. She was a woman. The woman continued her self-introduction, It is my honour to be the guide of your journey this time. My surname is Zheng. You can call me Xiao Zheng or Guide Zheng. Guide Zheng, someone responded. No one called her Xiao Zheng. Alright. Lets get in the car. Guide Zheng said politely, The weather means that the journey will be slow, so we better keep a close eye on the time. Everyone got on the bus in the order of left to right. First, it was the muscr. Then, the woman with the mole, the young government worker, the balding middle-aged man, Jiang Zheng, the fatty andstly, the innocent girl. They realised there were other travellers when they got on the bus. A couple sat near the back. The girl was reading a magazine. Her boyfriend leaned against the window to rest as he listened to the music on his headphones. There was also a middle-aged woman and a boy sitting right behind the driver. They should be mother and son. However, the son appeared to be sick. His eyes wandered aimlessly. When Jiang Cheng walked past him, he noticed the boys fingers were bound with bandages. Guide Zheng advised everyone to find a seat. As the bus door closed, she sat on the right of the driver. The muscr man sat behind the mother and son. The woman with the mole sat behind Guide Zheng. Jiang Cheng chose to sit two rows behind the couple. Once he sat down, a giant shadow came over, Brother, lets sit together! Jiang Cheng lifted his head. As he expected, it was the fatty. He answered, Sure, but I prefer the aisle seat. Thats fine. I can squeeze inside. Half a minuteter, Fatty managed to squeeze into the seat. However, he still took up so much space that Jiang Cheng had to lean out slightly. The male worker tried to sit with the others a few times, but they all ignored him. In the end, it was the innocent girl who let him sit next to him. The middle-aged man sat in thest row on his own. Jiang Cheng turned back to look at him. He realised the mans face was extremely dark. Brother, can you tell me whats going on? Fatty leaned over to whisper, I was sleeping, and then I was here. Jiang Cheng ryed the story he got from the muscr man to Fatty after adding a few more details. Fatty was so scared that he almost cried. If I die here, my whole family will die in real life?! Thats right. Howe you dont look scared at all? Jiang Cheng turned around and replied in a straight tone, Because Im an orphan. The journey was peaceful, so peaceful that the male government worker thought he could survive this. However, the sudden brake shattered his dream. The inertia broke the ss window, and the shards flew into the bus. The bus ran into something. The young man curled up in his seat and couldnt stop screaming. He didnt stop until the muscr man dragged him out of the bus and smacked him on his face twice. If you dont want to die, shut the fuck up! He threatened. The male worker rolled up on the ground. He got up after some time and hid at the back of the team. The bus had crashed into a tree. The driver came down to check. The rain had caused half of the road to cave in. It caused the bus to slip and steer off the path. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. At most, there were just cuts from the shards. The bus was stuck, but Jiang Cheng looked around. It was no exaggeration to say that they were in the middle of nowhere. There was only a straight path forward that led to the unknown. The rain had lightened, but it was still raining. Travellers, Im so sorry. Guide Zheng came over, rubbing her hands. There were bits of blood on her arms. It looks like the trip today is not going to happen. She had already apologised twice in the few hours they had met, but they knew she didnt mean it. To quote the muscr man, she was only an NPC. How about this? I know theres a bungalow inside the forest. You can go there to seek shelter from the rain while we try to source another vehicle. When we find one, well go get you. Guide Zheng pointed at a forest not far away. Even Jiang Cheng knew this was not a good choice. However, the muscr man and the others epted it steadily. They walked towards the forest. The real mission had started. The atmosphere became more serious. Wait! Guide Zheng called after them. She ran back into the bus to grab some umbres. Dont catch the cold. Thank you. The road was so muddy that if they were not careful, theyd slip. The group walked for half an hour before a 3-story bungalow appeared before them. The bungalow was sheltered byyers of foliage. It was very hard to find it in the forest. Is this ce really habitable? The innocent girl asked softly. The bungalow was old. It hadnt been cleaned in years. Piles of fallen leaves collected around the front door. You can stay outside if you want. The muscr man walked through the rain towards the bungalow. Jiang Cheng looked at the man. His mood seemed to be shifting. Everyone knew that the girl was onlyining for the sake of it. However, Jiang Cheng picked up the scent of fear from the twosints and annoyance. After the rest followed, Fatty, who shared the umbre with Jiang Cheng, urged, What are you waiting for, brother? Lets go. Okay. No one answered the door. The muscr man gave it a soft push, but the thick wooden door eased open a gap easily. The door was not locked. When the front door swung open fully, the group had a clear view of the interior. The spacious living room looked old, but it didnt appear to be unusable. A thinyer of dust gathered on the ground and the rectangr dining table. Chapter 4: Time Chapter 4: Time The plush carpet wasid under the luxurious sofas. The inside of the firece was dark and ck. It appeared like there were ashes from burnt wood. Night had taken over this world. They shouldnt be able to see things so clearly, but the crystal chandeliers above their heads still shone. The refracted light cut the travellers into pieces. The bungalow still had a power supply. We should look around first. The muscr man pulled back his gaze on the chandelier. Stick together and dont split up. Soon, they found a lot of food in the dining rooms fridge. There were vegetables, grains, meat and even snacks. There was a basket of eggs in the deepest part of the fridge. They looked fresh, like they were ced there one hour ago. However, based on dust on the ground, that was impossible. The groups focus was not on that either. The man looked at the food, and his expression didnt change. Eventually, he merely said, At least we wont die from starvation. Suddenly, the sound of water came from behind them. Jiang Cheng looked around and saw the woman with the mole twist on the faucet. Clean water flowed out. She turned the faucet off and looked at the others before saying casually, We wont die from thrist either. After that, they found a lot of wood in a small room that felt like a storage. The woods were piled neatly on top of each other. The second floor was the living space. There was a main bedroom, a study, and two small bedrooms. At the end of the corridor was a locked room. It was clear that both the muscr man and the woman with the mole were interested in the locked room. However, neither of them made a move to fiddle with the lock. The stairs that led to the third floor were blocked by a locked ck iron door. The muscr man tried pushing it, but the door didnt budge. The group of people retreated to the first-floor living room. The group had stayed more than half a day in this world. They were cold and hungry, especially since they had just trekked through the forest. The muscr man assigned everyone jobs. He and the middle-aged man would go grab the wood to start a fire. The woman, Jiang Cheng and Fatty, would make dinner. The innocent woman and the young man would clean up the ce. Jiang Cheng looked at the table of ingredients in confusion. The woman smirked and then walked away. Thankfully, Fatty was a good cook. He showcased good knife skills and cooking skills. Soon, fragrant dishes were served. He even kindly fried an egg for everyone. The area around the living room sofa had been cleaned. Everyone sat around the firece and ate, holding their bowls. The fire in the firece crackled. After dinner, they started to discuss the mission. However, the discussion only ended with the muscr man and the woman with the mole arguing. This was inevitable. The mission had just started, and they had very few clues. The two of them were also the most opinionated. Based on the way they carried themselves, they hadpleted several missions already. The night deepened. The muscr man wanted everyone to sleep in the living room, but the woman insisted that they use the second-floor bedrooms. Her reason was that there might be clues there. In the end, the two left with dissatisfaction. The innocent girl chose to go with the woman. They walked towards the stairs. As they were about to get on the steps, the male government worker rushed to join him. Jiang Cheng believed that the two ps from the muscr man had scarred him. Just like that, the muscr man, the middle-aged, balding man, Jiang Cheng and Fatty stayed in the living room while the other three went upstairs to the bedroom. Idiots! The muscr man looked at them and cursed under his breath. The people in the living room were all dudes. There were three long sofas. One of them would take a sofa each, and thest person would stay up to keep vigil. The muscr man offered to take the first shift. Then, he took out a pocket watch from his chest. He flipped it on and ced it on the small table in the middle. Its around 10 pm now. The sun will rise around 6 am. Thats 8 hours. There are four people here. Each person will stay on watch for 2 hours each. That way, everyone will have ample time to rest. No one objected to it. The muscr mans arrangement was very reasonable. Just as the man finished, he saw Fatty look at the watch on the table with a strange gaze. Stop looking. The time is not urate. The man exined, Any watches or clocks brought into the dream realm would be broken. The only function it has now is to record time. The time on the watch was 4.18 pm. That was clearly untrue. Since Jiang Cheng and Fatty were both new, the muscr man added more exnations. He told them what kind of situation happening in the dream realm that vited normal scientific knowledge could be expected. What they needed to do was to look through the anomalies, search for the hidden clues, solve the mission and leave the dream realm. Jiang Cheng raised his hand. The muscr man looked at him and asked, Do you have a question? Since youve already escaped from the dream realm before, why do youe back? Because the dream realm will always be present. Once youve opened that dream, it will always be there for you until you die. By the way, The muscr man remembered something, The full name of the dream realm is the nightmare realm barrier. Barrier? Yes. It is like a barrier wall that separates the real world and the false world. No matter how heavily youve injured yourself in the dream realm, as long as you still have a breath left, you will be returned to real life unscathed. He chuckled bitterly, Isnt that an appropriate name? Then, how can we fully leave this realm barrier? The one who spoke was the balding man. His voice was hoarse and gave people an ufortable feeling. The muscr man nced at him and said, Dont ask stupid questions. Youre not new. You should know that your question is simr to asking which timeline this world is on. Its an unanswerable question. The middle-aged man darkened his face and stopped talking. Jiang Cheng raised his hand again. The muscr man was helpless as he turned to him, Just ask if you have a question. Theres no need to raise your hand. We should be sometime between the end of March and the middle of September in 2006, Jiang Cheng said sincerely. The muscr man was startled. The person who reacted simrly was the middle-aged man with his head lowered. Fatty also looked at Jiang Cheng in confusion. They had no idea what he was talking about. How can you tell? The muscr man asked. Jiang Cheng took out a small bag from his pocket. When he moved it closer, the rest could see that it was a small bag of bread. Jiang Cheng turned the bag over and pointed at a small detail, Production date 18 March 2006. Preservation Period: 6 months. Jiang Cheng opened the bag with everyone watching. He tore off a piece of the bread and tossed it into his mouth. He chewed for a while and swallowed. He thought about it andmented, It has a nice chew and is quite fluffy. The moisture is still there. Considering it was stored in the fridge, I believe were in the earlier months of 2006. Chapter 5: Nightwatch Chapter 5: Nightwatch The middle-aged man turned to look at the muscr man but was red back. The encounter ended awkwardly. The muscr man stood up and offered to start the watch. He urged the rest to sleep early. The muscr mans vigil would go from 10 pm to 12 midnight. There were 6 hours left after that. After discussing with the rest, Jiang Cheng would stay up from 12 midnight to 2 am; the middle-aged would take the shift from 2 am to 4 am; Fatty would stay up from 4 am to 6 am. The muscr man found a thick nket and settled down beside the firece. The me cast his face asionally in the shadow. Jiang Chengy on the sofa next to Fattys. The middle-aged man stayed on the other side of the living room, away from them. Brother, Fatty stretched his neck over to whisper, Are you asleep? Jiang Cheng turned to show Fatty his back. Jiang Cheng stayed up for the two hours the muscr man took the vigil. Other than the sound of wood burning, nothing happened. When it was time, the muscr man walked over to wake up Jiang Cheng. Be on alert when youre on the watch. Shout to wake us up if something happens. The muscr man added as if in worry, Those things have a higher chance of happening after midnight. What things? Jiang Cheng stood up to ask. The muscr mans face dimmed, but he still answered in a whisper, Supernatural things. After a quick exchange, the man took the sofa Jiang Cheng vacated. Jiang Cheng walked over to the firece and continued the shift. The surrounding was quiet. Other than Fattys asional snores, there was no other sound. The middle-aged man and the muscr man had their eyes closed. They looked like they were asleep, but Jiang Cheng suspected they were just pretending, like how he had been earlier. Two hourster, Jiang Cheng walked to the other side of the living room and shook the middle-aged man awake. They didnt have much time to talk. Jiang Cheng went back to sleep while the middle-aged man took a few sips from the bottle of mineral water and went to the firece. He added some firewood to the pile and sat before the firece. He held the pocket watch in his palm. The middle-aged mans experience was not as bountiful as the muscr man and the woman, but he had escaped twice from the mission. Therefore, he knew about the supernatural things the man mentioned and how scary they were. Simr to Jiang Chengs guess, the middle-aged man had been awake since the muscr man held watch. He was wary of bad things that might happen. One and a half hours passed, and nothing happened. During this period, he added more wood to the fire. The fire burned brightly. It warmed the middle-aged man as if it could chase the chill in his heart away. The two hours were soon up. His shift was over. He slowly stood up and turned to look out the window. Through the gap in the curtain, the sky appeared brighter. People in the nightmare were averse to the night and loved the day. The middle-aged man was no exception. As he worked the kinks in his limbs before calling Fatty, he suddenly had the urge to pee. It even caught him off-guard. He stared at the bottle of water Did he drink too much? The arrival of dawn made him feel better. He turned around. The toilet was in the corner of the living room. It was less than 20 metres from where he was. His eyes focused on the toilet, slowly changing. The sense of alertness slowly subsided. Following it was an inexplicable sense of familiarity and security. He licked his lips and turned to look at his sleeping mates. He did a mental calction. If he took a toilet break, he shoulde back in time to wake up Fatty. It should be fine. He pushed on his sses and slowly moved towards the toilet. He carefully opened the door and left it open. After all, it was all males in the living room. He gave it a good shake and felt better when it was over. To be honest, both his stamina and energy were at their limits after 6 hours of staying awake. After all, he was not young anymore. The middle-aged man sighed as he studied his tired face in the mirror. He removed his sses, twisted open the faucet and sshed his face with cold water. The chill cut through his senses. It woke him up. Just as he was about to take a second ssh, he nced from the corner of his eyes and realised there was someone standing behind him in the mirror reflection. The person sidled behind him without making any sound. Who is it?! The shocksted less than a second. Soon, the man calmed down. Even though he didnt have his sses on and couldnt see the persons face clearly, the rotund body exposed the mans identity. Its me. After hearing Fattys voice, the man calmed down. Then, he groused, Say something next time. Do not appear behind me so suddenly. The middle-aged man wiped his face with his sleeve. Then, he put his sses on. He turned around as he shook the water off his hands. The moment he fully turned around, the chill crawled from his feet to his head. Ice crystals seemed to form in his blood vessels. There was no one behind him. Where was Fatty? His eyes reddened. Subconsciously, he wanted to turn around to check the mirror, but he failed because somethingnded on his shoulders. The sun rose. The three who stayed on the second floor had the same system as the people on the first floor. A person took a shift to keep watch. The male worker at the corner of the bedroom just wanted to stretch and yawn when he was interrupted by a shrill scream. He was so shocked that he almost fell down from the chair. The woman and the girl who were sleeping on the bed were woken up by the scream. They shared a look and then rushed downstairs. Jiang Cheng and the muscr man stood beside Fatty. Fatty was slumped on the ground. It was clear where the scream came from. The three of them looked at the toilet in the corner. There was fear, anxiety and confusion. The woman with the mole looked around. When she failed to find the middle-aged man, her heart was prepared. She shook the innocent girls hand off and walked to the toilet alone. The toilet door hung open. She stood at the door and took a quick nce inside. Even though she was prepared, she sucked in a cold breath. The middle-aged man stood rigidly before the mirror. His body faced the door and away from the mirror. However, his head was twisted 180 degrees to look at the mirror behind him. In the mirror reflection, the middle-aged mans eyes bulged like they were about to fall out of the sockets. After they calmed down, the woman and then the muscr man moved to examine the middle-aged man. Jiang Cheng followed after watching for a few seconds. He stood outside the door to look in. The woman moved her hand away from the mans neck and concluded, A giant force snapped his neck. This was something evident. He was given the fright of his life right before his death, The muscr man added as he looked at the middle-aged mans eyes. Chapter 6: Taboo Chapter 6: Taboo After inspecting the body, the three exited the toilet. No one felt good dealing with such a creepy corpse. The time of death is within thest three hours. The muscr man nced at the pocket watch and said confidently, So, it was between 2 am and 5 am. How can you tell? The man nced at the innocent girl who asked the question. He told them about the night watch shift and showed her the watch. It showed that seven hours had passed. The person on duty after the victim was Fatty. Fatty had to pee before he took his shift, and it was he who discovered the body when he went to use the toilet. At that moment, Fatty crawled up shakily from the ground. He asked about the middle-aged man. The muscr man sighed, closed the toilet door and led everyone back to the firece. As a newbie, Jiang Cheng had said basically nothing. He had been listening and analysing. It was mostly the woman with the mole and the muscr man who did all the talking. Through the conversation, Jiang Cheng gleaned that no one would die for no reason in this world. The victim must have triggered some kind of taboo, and this taboo would most likely be the key clue to solving the mission. What did he do that we didnt? The male worker curled up between Jiang Cheng and the innocent girl. He was clearly frightened. He didnt want to die suddenly like the middle-aged man. The innocent girl frowned and said, Could it be that he had used the first-floor toilet? Is that the hidden taboo of this mission? That cant be. Fatty squatted there, hugged his knees and whispered, I used that toilet too, when we were searching the house yesterday. Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty and said, Then you better be careful. Your neck might be thick, but someone can still snap it with enough force. Fatty almost cried. The muscr man was not satisfied with Jiang Chengs attitude, but he only shook his head. They had all used the first-floor toilet, so it made no sense that the middle-aged man was the only one who died. Maybe its not our turn yet? The woman with the mole chuckled darkly, As you know, the ghost rarely kills consecutively in a short amount of time. The muscr man red at the woman, but he didnt counter her. So those things do exist Jiang Chengs guess was verified. The door that appeared in his dream was supernatural, and it was normal for ghosts to appear in a supernatural event. So, were fighting ghosts and not humans?! The male workers face paled. Everyone ignored him again. Since someone has died, this also means that this bungalow is our destination. The so-called trip is a lie. The appearance of that bus is to send us here. The innocent girl looked around, The issue is with this bungalow. What can the issue be? The innocent girl stared at Fatty, who asked the question and answered, For example, something bad could have happened here before. The bungalow looked luxurious, and it showed no signs of being damaged. It was indeed suspicious to have it abandoned just like this. Jiang Cheng agreed with the girls assessment. The muscr man walked to the front door, grabbed the doorknob and shook it hard. The door didnt budge. Were locked in. The ma tried thrice before turning around to say, It looks like this is really our mission venue. Before solving the mission here, we cant leave this ce. Since weve confirmed the location, we should split up to look for clues. Its already daylight. There shouldnt be any danger. Regardless, the middle-aged mans death was a warning bell, especially for the three newbies. To increase efficiency, they split into groups with a newbie led by an experienced survivor. Fatty paired up with the muscr man; the male worker stayed with the woman with the mole; Jiang Cheng joined the innocent girl. For the sake of safety, the search zone was limited to the first floor. The muscr mans group would handle the area near the front door and the living room. The woman and the worker would search the garage, which was slightly out of the way. Jiang Cheng and the innocent girl would focus on the kitchen and the dining room. Everyone was within each others line of sight so they could keep an eye on each other. With the earlier experience, the search this time was more thorough. Half an hourter, the three groups gathered around the firece again. By then, the sky was fully bright. We found this in the garage. The woman took out a thick hemp rope. A section had an eye-catching red on it. The muscr man took it over and gave it a yank. Then, he sniffed it, Its blood. He looked up at the woman. The woman nodded. I also found this behind a roll of wood. She opened her left hand. In the middle of her palm was a light green brooch. It had a maple-leaf shape. It felt like the owner was a kind girl. A girl was once tied up in the garage. What did you find? The woman turned to the muscr man. Come with me. The man walked to the front door, and the rest followed him. Standing beside the door, the muscr man touched around the wall. Jiang Cheng noticed a light blue switch hidden on the wall. The switch was hidden in the oil painting beside the door. It hid perfectly well in the painted blue sky. When the man pressed the switch, the wall on the right of the door opened a crack. There was a very well-hidden shoe cupboard inside. The cupboard had threeyers. The thirdyer was untouched, but the partitions of the first and secondyers had been shattered. All kinds of shoes were mixed together. After some arranging, there were two pairs of male leather shoes, a pair of red female heels and three pairs of female ts. The woman with the mole picked out one pair of ts and ced it beside the heels. These should belong to the same person. The remaining two pairs clearly belonged to a younger girl. All the shoe sizes matched. The thirdyer had a pair of male sports shoes sitting on it. Afterparison, it was far smaller than the male leather shoes. From what we can see so far, there was a family of four who once lived here. The father, the mother, and a son and a daughter. The innocent girl said, This coincides with theyout of the bedrooms upstairs. The main bedroom is for the parents, and the two smaller bedrooms are for the kids. Chapter 7: Draw Chapter 7: Draw Jiang Cheng had been on the second floor yesterday. It was, indeed, as the girl said. The separation of the boys and girls bedrooms was easy to tell. One was decorated with various plushes. The other had the wall covered with posters of various military weapons. There was even a military magazine on the table. The owner was a military fan. Then, the other two groups turned their attention to Jiang Cheng and the innocent girl. This family didnt have a peaceful family life. We found many broken tes and sses in the rubbish cans. Some of them have blood on them. Jiang Cheng said. The girl added, There are scratches on the wooden stair railings. We suspect they are left behind by scratching nails. This was a very important clue. They came to the stairs. With the girl pointing it out, they did discover the traces. The muscr man touched it, and his expression shifted, Yes. These are scratch marks. A family of four, an unhappy family, broken tes, scratch marks and a tied-up girl No matter how they parsed it, this looked like a family tragedy. A tormented girl once lived here. Then, what should we do next? The male government worker grumbled, Save that poor girl? No matter what happened here in the past, it is already in the past, and the change cant be changed. The woman with the mole said, What we should do is find the truth andplete the mission. But havent we found the truth? The muscr man shouted angrily, Are you dumb? How was the girl tortured? Who was her tormentor? Is the girl still alive? How can we end the mission without knowing these basic details? After being yelled at by the muscr man, the male worker shivered and stopped talking. The innocent girl looked at the male worker with pity. He was too weak and dumb. It was hard for him to survive on the mission. Even though he had survived once, the next time Groooo Everyone turned to the source of the sound. Fatty held his stomach embarrassedly, Erm Forget it. Weve searched the entire first floor. We should prepare for breakfast. After a high-tension morning, the muscr man was hungry too. As everyone prepared to make lunch, a voice came from behind them. We havent searched that ce. Jiang Cheng pointed at the toilet where the middle-aged mans corpse was. I believe there will be clues there. Hearing that, everyones expression turned severe. Everyone knew Jiang Cheng was right, but it was hard to persuade themselves to examine the toilet. After all, someone died there. Perhaps entering the toilet would trigger the death taboo. When they searched the ce earlier, everyone avoided that ce. In the end, rationality won over fear. The muscr man took a deep breath. Hes right. There might be clues there. Even though there might be risks, well all die if we dont solve the mission. The woman with the mole rarely did not object to it. She clearly understood the situation too, but she still said annoyingly, Then, whod go? Jiang Cheng cut in, Who has been to the first-floor toilet? Everyone raised their hands. Jiang Cheng counted and then continued, Then, everyone has the chance of having triggered the taboo. This is more than just searching for clues. This is also fighting for survival. The innocent girl frowned. Youre not saying that we should search the toilet together, right? The muscr man scratched his beard and nodded. The space is very small. If too many people fit in it, its very hard to move. Thats right. Jiang Cheng nodded. So I suggest a group of two. Then who volunteers? The male worker at the back asked. No one spoke. Alright. We can decide it via drawing. Its the fairest for everyone. Jiang Cheng shrugged. Okay! I agree. After some preparations, Jiang Cheng took out a few notes. Two of them were shorter. Jiang Cheng crumpled all of them before everyone. He ced them in his palm. The ones who get the shorter paper will go into the toilet. Everyone is fine with that, right? Yes. But Fatty looked at the paper rolls and swallowed. Why are there only five notes? There are six of us. The others noticed this problem and looked at Jiang Cheng with suspicion. Because Im not participating. Jiang Cheng admitted. Everyone was stunned and then became enraged. The muscr man yelled, Why? Who gave you the right? Because Ive not used the toilet. Youve been here one day and one night. You drank so much water. How could you not have used the toilet? The male owner yelled loudly as if he had found the vent he needed, You are merely trying to wiggle out of this! Just send him in alone! The woman with the mole stared at Jiang Cheng with unfriendliness. She scoffed. You have to pay to be cunning here. I know. Jiang Cheng said evenly, But I really have not entered the toilet, and I have proof. He raised his finger to point at the window. A wind blew and lifted a corner of the curtain to expose the two bottles behind it. One was full, and the other was half-full. They contained light yellow liquid. It shone under the dawn sun. Is that The male workers eyes widened. Thats right. Jiang Cheng nodded and admitted with embarrassment. I was scared to use the toilet because it was too dark, so I The muscr man looked at Jiang Cheng withplication, The woman, The male worker, The innocent girl, Fatty, You are so cunning! Since Jiang Cheng had not used the toilet and thus hadnt triggered the potential taboo, no one had anything to say. The other five drew their lots. Jiang Cheng observed from the side. It was the muscr man and the male worker who were picked. When the two opened the toilet door, the middle-aged mans corpse was gone. The toilet was small, so it was not possible to hide the dead body of a middle-aged man. This is not our normal world, The woman behind them said, Its normal to encounter inexplicable things. Get used to it. The muscr man didnt look surprised. The poor thing was the male worker. He hugged the door and cried until he was kicked into the toilet by the muscr man. The others waited out. The search was very efficient. They exited the toilet after five minutes. The muscr man held a white paper towel. They closed the toilet door and walked to the living room. The muscr man spread the paper open. It had a strand of hair inside. I found this inside the bathtub. It wasnt there yesterday. The muscr man was very careful. He didnt use his hand to touch the hair. The hair was long. It was probably from a female. Chapter 8: Male Model Chapter 8: Male Model Could it have belonged to the tortured girl? The innocent girl analysed the situation, The girl died from torture, and she morphed into a ghost. She was the one who murdered the middle-aged man before dawn. Her analysis was reasonable. Thats possible, but we need evidence to back it up. The muscr mans presence weakened after he left the toilet. One could even see cold sweat on his forehead. Jiang Cheng knew the man was not as calm as he presented. We should take a break to eat first, Someone suggested. The cooking was left to Fatty, and the innocent girl helped prepare the ingredients. Soon, the delicious meal was served. Even in that situation, the food was cleared. This proved Fattys capability as a cook. Are you a chef in real life? The muscr mans attitude towards Fatty softened after he sipped the warm soup. No. Fatty scratched his head. I took on odd jobs. Ive done quite a lot of things. What is everyones upation in real life? Its a kind of destiny for us to gather here. We might as well get to know each other. The muscr man put down the bowl and introduced himself again, The names Man Li. Im a bodyguard. MyMy name is Xie Yu. I work at an insurancepany, The male worker whispered. Im Chen Xiaomen. Im currently in college to studyw, The innocent girl said. It was the woman with the moles turn. Everyone thought shed scoff at them, but she said slowly, You can call me Sister Nuan. Im older than all of you. I work She chuckled mysteriously, Im in sales. Everyone looked at her. The woman was clearly not a normal merchant. Who knew what kind of stock she was selling? However, no one dwelled on this for long. They all turned to Jiang Cheng. They were more curious about him than they were about Sister Nuan. Jiang Cheng sat up straight and said directly, My name is Hao Shuai. Im a male model. A model? The innocent girl didnt seem to believe him. At a television station? Jiang Cheng slowly turned around and shot her a meaningful look. I work nights at KTV. Everyone looked at him in shock, but no one said anything. Everyone had their lives to live. Plus, Jiang Cheng did have the qualities to be in that field. The day in this world appeared to be short. They only chatted for a while before the sky darkened again. The muscr man walked to the window and looked around. Then, he walked back. Its not rainclouds. Its really getting dark. As he said, the sky dimmed half an hourter. The group sat around the firece. As they roasted the fire, they analysed the clues they had already gathered. For the sake of safety, they moved the wood they found in the garage to the living room. That way, they didnt need to leave the living room to grab extra wood at night. Fatty sat closest to the fire and would asionally toss a stick into the firece to keep it alive. The fire burned brightly. Chen Xiaomeng insisted on her analysis. She believed it was the other family members who tortured the girl to her death. The ghost at the bungalow was the girl. She seemed to be stuck to this hypothesis. Her voice would rise whenever she talked about this. It was a great contrast to her usual, gentle style. Considering the fact that she was studyingw, Jiang Cheng believed this was someone with a story. The rounds of discussion yielded no result. Instead, someone started to yawn. It appeared like Jiang Cheng wasnt the only one who didnt have a good nights sleep. Man Li stood up to work his numbing legs. He suggested, We should go to bed. His suggestion was quickly epted. Since the middle-aged man died on the first floor, everyone decided to sleep on the second floor. Xie Yu suggested in a whisper that everyone stay in the same room so that they could look after each other but he was quickly shut down by Sister Nuan. She said theyd risk missing something. Xie Yu widened his eyes in fear, but he didnt ask what Sister Nuan meant by something. Despite the discussion, everyone avoided the girls bedroom. They nned to split into two groups. One would sleep in the boys bedroom and the other in the main bedroom. Sister Nuan and Chen Xiaomeng were both females, so they naturally stayed together. They chose the main bedroom because that was where they slept the night before. Fatty insisted on staying with Jiang Cheng. Therefore, they took the boys bedroom. The remainder were Man Li and Xie Yu. Both of them wanted to stay with Sister Nuan because she had more experience and thus would provide them with a higher survivability. In the end, Sister Nuan and Chen Xiaomeng chose Man Li. They closed the door after they entered the room, leaving Xie Yu alone in the corridor. The chill winds blew. He hugged himself as goosebumps rose on his arms. He jogged to Jiang Chengs bedroom and knocked rapidly on the door. Its me! Open up! As Jiang Cheng slowly examined the room, he said, Didnt you want to push me alone into the toilet? You can take the room next door. Xie Yu looked at the room next door. The door appeared to move in the wind like something was about to jump out. It was the girls bedroom. Xie Yu was so scared. He almost cried, Im sorry. I was wrong. I shouldnt have said that. Please forgive me! Jiang Cheng sat down after he looked over the room. He twisted off the cap of a water bottle and took a light sip. He asked in a teasing tone, What did you call me again? Boss Hao! Boss Hao! Jiang Cheng nodded with pleasure. Boss Hao! Boss Hao! Fatty, Jiang Cheng sighed in satisfaction. He waved his hand to signal Fatty to open the door. As the door opened, Xie Yu rushed into the room like the wind. Then, he mmed the door closed. Xie Yu didnt even dare to breathe too loudly. He curled in the corner silently, afraid that Jiang Cheng would throw him out. You. Jiang Cheng raised his chin at Xie Yu, Take the bed. Me? Xie Yu said in disbelief. This was a single bedroom, so the bed was a single bed. In other words, only one of the three of them could sleep in the bed. The other two had to sleep on the ground or share the couch. Chapter 9: Under the Bed Chapter 9: Under the Bed He didnt think hed get the bed. Last night, he wasnt offered the bed in the master bedroom either. Do you not want it? No, no. Xie Yu was shocked. Thank you, Boss. Brother, then where do I sleep? Fatty asked Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng was irked that Fatty didnt call him boss, but he still replied, Youll take the couch, and Ill sleep on the ground. Fatty stood beside the bed and stared at Xie Yu, who was lying in bed. His eyes filled with resentment. Then, he turned around to tell Jiang Cheng, I think I can sleep in the bed. Jiang Cheng spread the mattress on the ground and wiggled into position. No. You cannot. Jiang Cheng and Fatty had to stay up to keep watch. Neither of them trusted the one in the bed. Jiang Cheng snatched the watch from Xie Yu since he wouldnt need it. He made a deal with Fatty that Fatty would stay up for the first three hours, and he would keep vigil for theter three. Then, what do you need me to do? Xie Yu wrapped himself in the nket and poked his head out to ask. I need you to sleep. Xia Yu shrunk back. Even his head was gone. He turned into a cocoon. Even though the bungalow had electricity, the supply was not stable. The lights above them flickered and would make this static sound. This was perfect for a horror movie. Jiang Cheng had no choice but to turn the lights off. They could see a general situation of the room using the moonlight that filtered through the window. Fattyy on the couch. He was fine during the first hour, but his eyelids started to fall. Even though he knew it was dangerous, he couldnt control him. In the end, his head tilted to the side, and he slumbered. It was a heavy sleep, but it shouldnt be long. At least when he woke up, the room was still dark. He rubbed his eyes and felt afraid. Someone slept beside the bed. It was Jiang Cheng. Xie Yu was still a cocoon on the bed. Everything looked normal. Even though Fatty was tired, he didnt dare to go back to sleep. To make matters worse, he suddenly wanted to use the toilet. The bedroom had an attached toilet, and it was 5 meters away from Fatty. It was very small, and it was cornered off with half-transparent ss. However, ever since the middle-aged man died in the toilet, Fatty had a mental and physical resistance to using the toilet. He didnt even want to go near it. He suddenly remembered Jiang Chengs solution! The water bottles! However, he soon sunk into a new pool of despair. Jiang Cheng tossed all the bottles into the trash can before he went to bed, and the trash can Fatty took a big gulp. The trash can stood quietly before the toilet door. Fatty had no choice but to slowly move towards the toilet. Every step was dangerous. He finally got close enough to the trash can. He immediately took the empty bottle out. However, before he could cheer for something, he saw something from the corner of his eye. He turned his head around and saw an arm reach out from the ss toilet door. In the main bedroom, Man Li suddenly sat up from the couch. Then, he ran to the door and put his ear on it. Whats wrong? Sister Nuan and Chen Xiaomeng sat up in bed. To prevent any idents, they didnt remove their clothes before getting into bed. They didnt dare to sleep too soundly too. Man Li hushed them. Sister Nuan and Chen Xiaomeng instantly shut up. The air seemed to freeze. About a minuteter, they heard a soft creaking sound. A door had opened. Several secondster, slow footsteps came from the corridor. Every step sounded like itnded in the water. Apanying it was a strange friction sound. It sounded like someone was dragging something heavy across the floor. The footsteps walked in a direction before disappearing. Man Li and the two womens faces paled. The footsteps disappeared down the corridor. The end of the corridor was a locked room and nothing else. Something must have happened! Who was the victim this time? Was it the chef Fatty, the cowardly Xie Yu or the strange Hao Shuai? In the other bedroom, inside the narrow toilet. Fatty widened his eyes, and his body couldnt stop shaking. He couldnt make any sound because a hand had been mped over his mouth. Jiang Cheng knelt beside Fatty. They were very close. It was Jiang Chengs hand that detained Fatty. Both of them stared outside the toilet door. The bedroom door was left open. Moonlight showered through the window. The bed was empty. Once he remembered the scene he saw, Fatty couldnt stop shaking. The figureying on the floor beside the bed slowly stood up. The animation was awkward, and the figure was abnormally bloated. This was clearly not Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng was inside the toilet. He was the one who dragged Fatty into the toilet and covered his mouth. The two knelt on the ground. They didnt dare to make any sound as they looked through the semi-transparent ss. Therge human shadow crawled under the nket through the exposed corner. It was unknown what had happened to Xie Yu. Despite the human shadows extreme movement, Xie Yu didnt respond or react in any way. The bed rocked silently, and the room suddenly became quiet. Jiang Cheng and Fatty didnt move. Eventually, the shadow crawled back out from the nket. Then, it took gradual steps towards the bedroom door. The sound of water was exceptionally loud in the silent night. Through the thin moonlight, Jiang Cheng saw the shadow dragging the nket and inside the nket He turned to look at the bed. It was empty. Fatty was so scared. Hisrge body trembled so much that Jiang Cheng almost lost control of him. Jiang Cheng had no choice but to pinch him. Fattys face reddened but at least he stopped shaking. After the sound of water and dragging disappeared outside the door, Jiang Cheng and Fatty still didnt move. They stayed in that pose until they heard the bedroom door open again. The first to enter was Man Li. Behind him was Sister Nuan and Chen Xiaomeng. They stuck close to the wall and carefully entered the room. Jiang Cheng finally let go of Fatty. The two exited the toilet. Fattys lips were still trembling, so it was up to Jiang Cheng to ry what had happened. He was sleeping when he was woken up by this chill. In his sleepy fog, he discovered a dark shadow underneath the bed Xie Yu was sleeping on. The shadow was on all fours with its joints twisted abnormally. It was slowly crawling out from under the bed. Chapter 10: Size Chapter 10: Size Jiang Cheng didnt make any sound as he quickly stood up to hide in the toilet. Therefore, the person Fatty saw sleeping on the ground beside the bed was not Jiang Cheng but the shadow that had just crawled out. After the real Jiang Cheng hid in the toilet, while Fatty was distracted, he dragged the man in. Chen Xiaomeng switched on the lights in the room. After the lights came on, everyone saw the mess on the bed and the puddle of water on the ground. The water spread from the bed to the bedroom door. The group walked to the door and realised there were water puddles in the corridor as well. The water continued until it ended before the locked door. Xie Yu was carried away by the ghost while inside the nket. The thought was horrifying. No one had any hope that he was still alive. Man Li tried to suppress the chill in his heart as he turned to Jiang Cheng, Did you manage to see the ghosts appearance? Fatty shook his head. He said the room was too dark, and he was Everyone knew that he was scared. After all, he was a newbie. It was understandable. Just as Sister Nuan was about to say something, Jiang Cheng suddenly said, Its that girl. What? The girl from the family of four. Man Li was shocked, How can you tell? After they reached the bungalow, they had not seen any pictures, so they should have no idea what the family looked like. Jiang Cheng lifted his head and looked at the locked door at the end of the corridor. The ghost was wearing a pair of female casual shoes. Ive seen them in the shoe closet before. Chen Xiaomeng said with a pale face, It looks like our hypothesis was right. The other family members tortured the girl and then killed her. Now, she is back for revenge. We have nothing to do with her death. Why did she target? Fatty thought back to what had happened earlier and was still scared. Sister Nuan scoffed, Are you going to reason with a ghost? Enough! Man Li cut in. Stop talking. Im going to go there to take a look. Whosing with me? He was talking about the locked room at the end of the corridor. The ghost disappeared before that door with Xie Yu. This was a very important clue. In the end, everyone decided to go together. It would be more dangerous if they split up. Plus, based on what Man Li and Sister Nuan said, the ghosts rarely killed consecutively. Different from before, Man Li only pushed the door lightly, and it opened. The lock had been unlocked. Behind the door was a small room. Since there was no window, they could only see a bit of the room through the light in the corridor. The room was about the boys bedroom. It was dark, and no one entered it. Jiang Cheng walked forward and searched the wall near the wall. Following a click, the lights in the room came on. Even though they were prepared, when they saw the room, they still sucked in a cold breath. There was a rolled-up nket in the middle of the room. A pair of feet dangled out weakly. Several secondster, Sister Nuan walked forward to slowly unroll the nket. Ah! Chen Xiaomeng covered her mouth. Xie Yu was snuggled inside the nket. His eyes bulged out, and his pupils widened. The muscles on his face spasmed. It was clear that he was dead. His hands froze in the shape of ws, guarding his chest. The veins on the back of his hands popped. Jiang Cheng walked forward to pull up a corner of Xie Yus shirt. His body was covered in wounds. They looked like whip wounds. There were a few spots of blunt-force traumas as well. His two hands were locked with handcuffs. Sister Nuan found a backpack nearby. The backpack had a vibe, a dagger, handcuffs, ropes and candles of varying sizes. Afterparison, the rope inside the backpack was simr to the rope found in the garage. Fatty stared at the bloody tools, and his voice trembled, Was Xie Yu tortured to death? No. Jiang Cheng stood up. The wounds on his body are too uniform. This means this was no struggle. In other words, he was already unconscious when he was tortured. I believe he was scared to death and then dragged here to be tortured. Corpse muttion? Jiang Cheng nodded. I believe so. Brother, can you not be so calm? Fatty almost cried. If I werent with you, based on your reaction, I would have suspected you were behind this. Jiang Cheng said righteously, Nonsense. Even though my workce also provides this kind of service, it is built on the basis of mutual agreement. Plus, we wouldnt go so far. Seeing the topic was about to be led astray, Man Li quickly jumped out to remind them to look for clues. However, Jiang Cheng pointed at the shoes Xie Yu was wearing, This is not right. He wasnt wearing these shoes earlier. Everyones gaze moved to the shoes. It was a pair of sports shoes. It was verymon. It didnt match Xie Yus appearance. Plus, the shoes looked too big for him. Man Li grabbed the knife Sister Nuan found in the backpack. He knelt on the ground and used the knife to cut through the shoces. He removed the shoes. Then, something shocking happened. There was another pair of shoes inside the sports shoes! This was a pair ofpressed leather shoes. Xie Yus feet were bent out of shape. It felt like his feet had been broken before the ghost put the sports shoes on him. Clearly, the leather shoes were Xie Yus own shoes. Is this the shoes of the boy? Chen Xiaomeng looked at the shoes and said, But the pair of sports shoes we found in the first-floor living room Jiang Cheng knew the thing that troubled her. Even though the two pairs of sports shoes looked simr, the sizes were so different. They didnt seem to belong to the same person. Is the shoe closet used to store the shoes the boy has had over the years? This pair is the one he wore when he was older. Jiang Cheng thought about it and said, Its possible, but I dont think the chance of that is high. Weve searched the whole bungalow. Did any of you find other shoes with this size? Everyone was silent. Then, Sister Nuan asked carefully, So you mean there are three males in this bungalow, the father and his two sons. Chapter 11: Stories Chapter 11: Stories Man Lis face dropped as if he had thought of something. He picked up the sports shoes and ran out. He rushed down the stairs. Everyone followed. Fatty and Jiang Cheng stayed at the back of the room. When they passed the boys bedroom, Fatty was dragged into it by Jiang Cheng. What are you doing? Fatty covered his body in fear. I want to inspect something. Why did you bring me with you then? Jiang Cheng opened all the drawers in the room. Then, he knelt down beside the bed and pulled out a pair of slippers from under the bed. He looked up at Fatty and said, Because Ill be scared if Im alone. Fatty, After that, Jiang Cheng and Fatty returned to the living room. The group was gathered around the shoe closet. All the shoes had been taken out and arranged neatly on the floor. Hearing their footsteps down the stairs, Man Li put down the pair of female casual shoes he was holding. Fatty noticed that everyone didnt look that great. Just as Chen Xiaomeng was about to say something, Jiang Cheng cut in, Did you figure out there are not only two boys but also two girls in this bungalow? Man Lis pupils trembled. He was about to say something, but he held himself. After some time, he asked darkly, Newbie, who are you? Dont waste time on these things. Tell us what you have found. Jiang Cheng put down the things and looked at him calmly. Man Li showed Jiang Cheng the two pairs of shoes. They were both female casual shoes. They were the same sizes, which was why they believed that both shoes belonged to the same woman. Man Li turned the shoes over. This pair on the left has severe wear on the outer left while this pair on the right has its wear focused in the middle. He looked up and into Jiang Chengs eyes. Shoe wear is rted to ones gait and this habit cant be corrected overnight. Therefore, these have to belong to two girls. There were two girls here. But why is there only one girls bedroom on the second floor? Chen Xiaomeng asked, And that bedroom only has a single bed. Jiang Cheng shook his head. The smaller bedrooms were both girls bedrooms, so naturally they each have one bed. What do you mean? I found this in the bedroom with all the military posters. Jiang Cheng took out the slippers he found under the bed. The size is rather small. You canpare it to the casual shoes. Man Li epted the slippers and ced them beside the casual shoes. Everyone could see clearly that these two pairs belonged to the same person. But isnt it a stretch to say that room belongs to a girl based on a pair of slippers? Perhaps the girl identally left her slippers there. Plus, based on the room decoration, it should be a boy who lived there. But a boy wouldnt use these. Jiang Cheng took out a bag from his pocket and handed it to Chen Xiaomeng. The girl lifted her brow once she saw the content. It was a pack of woman sanitary pad. I found that in the bedroom drawer. Theres more than one. Jiang Cheng exined. Sister Nuan looked at Jiang Cheng, So both of the bedrooms upstairs belonged to girls, and one of them was more tomboyish? Jiang Cheng nodded. Chen Xiaomengs eyes were unfocused. Then, where did the two boys stay? We only found three bedrooms in this bungalow. The main bedroom and the two smaller bedrooms. Could it be on the third floor? Fatty whispered, We havent been there. Sister Nuan shook her head. That shouldnt be. I looked around when we arrived. This bungalow only has windows on the first and second floors. It should be an attic on the third floor. Normally, no one would design a bedroom in a windowless room, especially considering how rich the owner of this bungalow was. Chen Xiaomeng seemed to realise something, and she said nervously, So those two boys were not part of this family. They were visitors! Man Li nced at her and corrected her, More like intruders. Jiang Cheng also added, And they were not boys but two adult men. Chen Xiaomeng shivered. Indeed, after the hypothesis was overruled, based on the two pairs of sports shoes that were left behind, one of them was closer in size to Jiang Cheng, and the other was bigger than Man Li. Jiang Cheng looked at the two pairs of sports shoes on the ground. When I first saw them, I was confused. They were so cheap and old. They were clearly different from the other shoes in the shoe closet. The people living here didnt seem like people whod buy cheap shoes. Silence reigned in the living room. The story turned from a family tragedy to a home invasion. Then, Fatty looked left and right and announced softly, So, two guys trespassed into this bungalow, killed the father and mother, imprisoned their two daughters and then killed them? Do you remember the water trail left behind by the ghost? Theres also a lot of long hair in the first-floor bathroom. Sister Nuan said, That means the ghost probably died from drowning. Xie Yu was frightened to death and then tortured. This would exin why the ghost would put the sports shoes on him. The ghost treated Xie Yu as one of the men who tortured and killed her. After they finished their analysis, it was already dawn. No one urged Fatty to cook. They ate some simple food, like bread. It was not that they felt sorry for Fatty, but they didnt have much time left. Jiang Cheng noticed that days were getting shorter in this world. Based on his calctions, after two more nights, the sun would never rise in this world again. What would happen after the day fully disappears? Fatty asked with his widened eyes. Jiang Cheng turned around and patted Fatty in constion, Dont worry Fattys pale face reddened slightly. Jiang Cheng finished, At most, the ghosts will start killing indiscriminately. Fatty, ??? The group walked down the second-floor corridor. They wanted to do a second search of the bungalow while there was still daylight. Chapter 12: Box Chapter 12: Box With the elementary analysis out of the way, their search was more targeted. Fatty stuck close to Jiang Cheng. Man Li grumbled that his big size was blocking peoples view and scolded him several times. Fatty ignored him and the others couldnt do much to him. Soon, they found something in the main bedroom. There was a solid wood picture frame hanging on the wall. There was an old picture in the frame. The picture had been soaked, and the background had yellowed. Only the family of four in the centre of the picture could be seen. The male and female owners stood in the middle. The mother had her hands on the shoulders of a girl with two pigtails. The girl stood obediently before her mother. The other, taller girl looked more rebellious. Her pants and sleeves were rolled up. Her thin arms were covered with tattoos. She stood beside the father and lifted her chin in defiance. It looked like this was the family that once lived here. The strange thing was all of their faces were blurred out, and so was the background. It was impossible to tell where the picture was taken. Chen Xiaomeng was stunned when she saw the picture, and then she said excitedly, I remember this picture wasnt there in the morning! This whole wall was unadorned in the morning! Sister Nuan was calmer. She was used to strange things happening in the dream realm. We probably found the right clues and triggered the progression of the plot. Man Li exined. Jiang Cheng looked at him, Kinda like a game? I suppose so. Then, they found a pair of pliers in the room where Xie Yus body was found. Beside the pliers was a squashed round tin box. It was the kind used to store candies. Fatty picked up the box and shook it. It made a rattling sound. What is it? Just as he wanted to use hisrge hands to twist the box open, Jiang Cheng held him back. Jiang Cheng grabbed him and stared at the pliers. His expression shifted. Whats wrong? Fatty was scared. Jiang Chengs expression slowly returned to normal and said, Nothing. I suddenly remember there might be more clues in the bedrooms, so Ill go there for now. Oh. Okay. Fatty nodded. He wanted to go with Jiang Cheng, but he was too curious about the contents of the box. Three seconds after Jiang Cheng left, Fatty finally opened the box. His eyes turned from curiosity to confusion and finally fear, Ah..! When Jiang Cheng returned with his hands over his ears, Fatty had stopped making any sound. Man Li covered Fattys mouth and tossed the shivering man to the side with annoyance. Jiang Cheng poked his head over and saw the box lying on the ground. A few milky-white buttons were scattered around the box. I knew there would be teeth. Jiang Cheng nodded with satisfaction. Man Li and Sister Nuan apparently had the same guesses because they didnt show much shock. However, Chen Xiaomengs face paled. Even her teeth chattered. Men are all pigs, Sister Nuan said coolly, Bunch of animals! Jiang Cheng heard that and looked at Man Li. Man Li was startled and then groused, Why are you looking at me for? Jiang Cheng shrugged and turned to the Fatty at the corner. He met thetters using gaze. Jiang Cheng scratched his head and turned away in embarrassment. There were no more clues. Jiang Cheng suggested they check behind the door on the third floor. Man Li stopped him and pointed out the window. It was almost dark. Exploring a new area in the dark was not a good idea. Therefore, everyone decided to stop the search and went to rest. Fatty thought that everyone would sleep together, considering the incident that happened the night before. However, Sister Nuan had no such idea. She even kicked Man Li out and mmed the door. Man Li stood before the main bedroom door with his nket and pillow like an abandoned husband. Its alright, brother. Fatty consoled him, You can sleep with us. That wont be necessary. Ill sleep downstairs. Then, Man Li carried his stuff and went downstairs. His footsteps echoed along the steps. Jiang Cheng turned back to the bedroom. Fatty thought about it and followed Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng switched on all the lights and then leaned on the door to listen to the movements outside. After a while, Jiang Cheng slowly moved away from the door and sat down on the couch. Brother, are we still sleeping here tonight? Fattys face was green as his eyes kept moving to the bed. The ghost came from under that bed yesterday night. Of course not. Im going to the studyter. Jiang Cheng admitted. Iming with you! About 10 minutester, the sky was fully dark. Jiang Cheng nced at his wristwatch, stood up and sidled to the door to open it. Then, he slipped to the other room, slowly eased the door open and fluttered into it. Fatty followed him. After they closed the door, they found chairs to sit on. Fatty wanted to open the lights but was stopped by Jiang Cheng. Fatty looked at the scary darkness around them and couldnt help but say, Cant you let me switch on the lights or else Ill feel like ghosts are everywhere. Jiang Cheng sighed andpromised. Fine. Fatty moved around and finally found the switch on the wall. As he was about to press it, Jiang Chengs voice floated from behind him, This way, the ghosts will definitely be able to find you. On the bed in the main bedroom, Chen Xiaomeng hugged a pillow and sobbed quietly. The ghosts in this mission were scarier than the ones in herst mission. Once she thought of the pliers and the teeth in the box, her body trembled. Sister Nuan sat on the couch. Her normal arrogance was gone. Chen Xiaomeng reminded her of her former self. Alright, stop crying. She said gently, You should be able to tell that the ghosts here only target men. Well be safe after chasing Man Li away. Chen Xiaomeng raised her head to reveal her red eyes. Doesnt this mean the three are in danger? Dont be silly. Our main concern is ourselves. Sister Nuan nced at the door and her face darkened. Then, she turned around to say after a pause. Remember. In the dream realm, the thing that is often the most dangerous is not ghosts but other humans. Chapter 13: Slippers Chapter 13: Slippers Humans? Chen Xiaomeng widened her eyes. Thats right. Sister Nuan subconsciously closed her hands around her cor and said darkly, Theyre scarier than ghosts. The fire in the firece crackled. The fire lit up the whole living room. Man Li, who was seated before the firece, had his face darkened. He knew why Sister Nuan had kicked him out. The two ghosts in the bungalow were murdered by two men, so their targets were male. The middle-aged man and Xie Yu were the perfect examples. With that in mind, Man Li grabbed two new firewood and tossed them into the firece. The fire burned harder. So far, the tragedy had been cleared up. In other words, the mission would end soon. However, that meant the ghosts would be more aggressive. Something would happen that night. The question was who would die. It was because of that he rejected Fattys idea of sleeping together. The chance of him being attacked if he was alone was . If he stayed with the other two, the chance would be 100 percent. And being targeted by ghosts Fear crossed his eyes. Ghosts rarely killed more than one person at one time, but it didnt mean that it wouldnt happen. Plus, he had his own n. He had confidence he could survive until morning if he stayed beside the firece. Based on current evidence, the ghost died from drowning, and there was a burning me before him. In the study, Fatty knelt in the dark and didnt dare to breathe. Eventually, he poked his neck closer to where Jiang Cheng was sitting, and he whispered, Do you think the ghost will know that were hiding here? Dont know. Fatty sighed in relief, Thats good. I meant I dont know, Jiang Cheng rified. After spending some time with Jiang Cheng, Fatty was used to being scared. He shivered for less than five seconds and could converse normally again. To be serious, brother, Fatty stared at Jiang Cheng. I know youre not a normal person. Last night, when the ghost appeared, I was so scared. I didnt know anything, but you still remembered what she wore. Youre not a model. Youre with the police, right? Hope appeared on Fattys face. However, Jiang Cheng nced at him. Do you think well survive if Im with the police or show the ghost my badge? Fattys hope was drenched again. He said helplessly, So, were done for? Jiang Cheng was about to answer when Fatty raised his hand to stop him. Im going to guess youll say Im the only one whos done for, right? Jiang Cheng shrugged. But, hetter added, But theres no need to be so pessimistic. There is still a chance to turn this around. Just as Fatty raised his head to say something, Jiang Cheng hushed him. Fatty immediately shut up. 1 minute 2 minute 5 minute 10 minutes passed but Fatty still heard nothing. Nothing changed in the study. He was extremely nervous and perked up his ears. Jiang Cheng stood up from his chair and nced at the study table. Fatty heard him mumble about theck of action. Brother, Fatty was so shocked that his voice changed, Are you waiting for the ghost? Shush. Jiang Cheng frowned as he headed to the door. Wait here. Ill go out to take a look. Fatty quickly ran after him. No. We need to stick together. Jiang Cheng and Fatty came to the corridor. The lights were still on, but they were very dim. Jiang Cheng didnt hesitate and went directly to the main bedroom. He knocked on it lightly. Several secondster, an alerted female voice said, Who is it? Its me. Jiang Cheng answered, Hao Shuai. What are you doing here? Jiang Cheng said seriously, I think something has happened to Man Li. Hearing this, the door opened up more, but it was only a gap. Sister Nuan only showed one eye. How can you tell? Jiang Cheng looked down the corridor where the stairs were and then added, Its not safe here. Can we talk inside? Sister Nuan looked at Jiang Cheng and Fatty for a while before nodding, Okay. The door opened. Sister Nuan stood behind it. They didnt switch on the light either. Once he heard that something might have happened to Man Li, Fatty became so nervous. He had no idea how Jiang Cheng came to that conclusion, but he chose to believe him. Jiang Cheng was the first to enter, and Fatty followed him. However, as he was about to enter the room, Jiang Cheng halted. He paused, and that caused Fatty to bump into him. Before Fatty could say anything, Jiang Cheng retreated to the corridor. At the same time, he pulled Fatty away with him. Sister Nuan had already opened the door for him. Get in. Why are you wasting time? She kept ncing down the corridor like something scary would appear there. I forgot something important in my room. Jiang Cheng suddenly said, Ill be back after I get it. Before Sister Nuan could react, Jiang Cheng grabbed Fatty and turned around. They rushed down the corridor. Fatty didnt think Jiang Cheng would be so strong despite his slender frame. He was practically dragged away by Jiang Cheng. His mind was nk. However, he was clever enough not to say anything. They came to the corner of the stairwell and the corner. Jiang Cheng pulled him into hiding. What did you find out? Fatty asked between breaths. He saw cold sweat drip down Jiang Chengs face. Jiang Cheng told him to be quiet as he leaned close to the corridor as if to listen. Several minutester, his face returned to normal. Somethings wrong with Sister Nuan, Jiang Cheng whispered. Fattys face trembled, What do you mean? She was wearing a pair of slippers. Slippers? Yes. Jiang Cheng nodded. I saw them when I entered the door earlier. He continued, We all know how dangerous this bungalow is. We could be chased at any time. Why would she remove her normal shoes and change into a pair of slippery slippers? Chapter 14: Escape Chapter 14: Escape This is not a holiday. Fatty thought of something, and he shook. So you mean the Sister Nuan we saw is a ghost? Im afraid so. Jiang Cheng nodded. If thats the case, the girl, Chen Xiaomeng Alright. Jiang Cheng interrupted him. Lets go to the living room. To avoid unnecessary misunderstanding, Jiang Cheng didnt hide his footsteps going down the stairs. However, when he and Fatty arrived, there was only the burning firece. Man Li was gone. Fatty was scared. Do you think something happened to him? Jiang Cheng looked around and said, Come out. Were humans, not ghosts. Then, a giant shadow stood up behind the couch. Man Li looked at them with alert. The knife in his hand glowed dangerously. Why did youe down? He nced at the stairs and then at Jiang Cheng, What about the other two? Something happened to them. Man Li stared at them suspiciously. Based on their predictions, women should be safe in this mission. Fatty quickly exined everything to him. Man Lis expression changed, and he sighed, In that case, something bad probably happened to them. Fatty wanted to say it was worse than that. They should hope they didnt find them like Xie Yu. Since ghosts had already attacked that night, it wasparatively safer for the rest. However, after what happened, even Fatty didnt feel sleepy anymore. You should rest. Jiang Cheng said. I wont sleep. Ill wake you two hourster. Perhaps Man Li was already used to this. Hey down not on the couch but beside the firece. No one knew if he was really sleeping or not. Furthermore, he kept the knife he found in the kitchen close to him. Beside the warm fire, even Fatty started to feel drowsy. He hadnt had a good sleep in a while. Only his determination kept him going. He sat on the couch, and the scene before him blurred. When he opened his eyes again, the sky was brightening. Man Li and Jiang Cheng were quietly discussing something. Jiang Cheng looked normal, but Man Li looked quite excited. Fatty moved, and the couch creaked. Jiang Cheng turned to look at him, Youre up. Fatty rubbed his face with some embarrassment, The suns up. Should we go up to check? Theres no need to hurry. We should wait until the sun is fully up first. Just like that, they waited for another half an hour. During this period, the trio ate some simple stuff like bread to stave off hunger. Then, Jiang Cheng announced that it was almost time. They took their things and headed upstairs. Man Li was still holding the knife he had yesterday. Jiang Cheng grabbed a rolling pin. Since there was nothing else left in the kitchen, he held the chopping board before him like a shield. The three slowly approached the main bedroom. By then, they had confirmed that something had happened to Sister Nuan and the girl. The door of the main bedroom was left half-open. It was very quiet. Jiang Cheng reached out to push the door fully open. Fatty raised the chopping board. They were ready to see two dead bodies or ghosts jumping out at them. But once the door opened, there was nothing inside. There were no bodies or blood. There were not even any signs of struggle. The bed was neatly made. Everything was arranged neatly. There was a silk robe left on the couch like the female owner had just left. Where are the people? Fatty asked with wide eyes. Jiang Cheng looked under the bed while Man Li checked the closet. Then, they examined the bathroom, behind the couch They then searched the other rooms, including the one where Xie Yus corpse was found. Nothing. Chen Xiaomeng and Sister Nuan disappeared. Jiang Cheng thought about it and suddenly asked Man Li, Is there a possibility that they havent died but have left this ce? Do you mean they havepleted the mission? Man Lis face darkened, but he still answered, Its improbable but not impossible. Fatty cut in, But how does that exin the ghost we encounteredst night? Jiang Cheng knew what Fatty wanted to say. Since the ghost took Sister Nuans appearance and appeared in Sister Nuan and Chen Xiaomengs bedroom, it had to mean that the two had been attacked. Before they met the ghost, Jiang Cheng stayed on the second floor. He didnt hear anyone move in the corridor, so Sister Nuan and the girl didnt leave their room. The windows in the bungalow were locked, so there was no chance of them escaping that way. Either the two had been killed by the ghosts, and their bodies had been hidden away, or the two had already left the dream realm andpleted the mission before the ghost arrived. With regards to how to leave the mission, Man Li shared his experience. Normally, after all the clues had been found, a ck iron door would appear. They would return to the real world through that door. However, he stressed that while the door could appear at any location, it wouldnt be at a secluded spot. It would be at a location crucial to the mission. Just like the door we pushed open in our dreams? Jiang Cheng asked. Man Li nodded. Yes. You can see it as the path that connects the real world and the dream realm. They returned to the first-floor living. Jiang Cheng sat on the thick carpet. Man Li and Fatty sat down opposite Jiang Cheng. The situation was a bitplicated. Okay. Jiang Cheng raised his head to say, Well assume Sister Nuan and Chen Xiaomeng have already escaped this ce sessfully. Well need to figure out how they did that. Fatty stuttered and asked, But howe I feel like theyve been killed? Jiang Cheng looked at him and said evenly, Thats meaningless. If you insist that theyve been killed, then all we can do is to wait for death. Fatty was scared by Jiang Chengs attitude and stopped talking. Man Li quickly nodded. Youre right. They must have found the way to leave! So Its now our turn. Jiang Cheng patted his pants and stood up. Chapter 15: Time Chapter 15: Time He nced out the window. The sunlight was blinding, but he knew that based on the previous calction, the morning would only stay for 3 hours. And half of the three hours had already passed. When the night descended again, their world would forever be dropped into the eternal night. We dont have enough time. We have to split up. Jiang Cheng looked around. Man Li, you can go alone. Fatty wille with me. We need to move fast and pay attention to things like keys. There might be clues behind that iron door on the third floor. However, Ive tried everything. Without the key, we arent opening that door. Okay. The two teams went to work. Since Jiang Chengs group had one more person, they would handle therger first floor. Man Li searched the second floor. Soon, the search bore results. Jiang Cheng found a piece of rope at an inconspicuous corner behind the staircase. One end of the rope was tied to the corner of the second-floor staircase. The other end extended to the first floor. Jiang Cheng ran up the stairs to examine the knot. The ce was where he and Fatty were hiding yesterday. There was no rope there yesterday. When Man Li heard them running up the stairs, he also walked out of the study, Whats wrong? Jiang Cheng pointed at the rope. Then, they returned back to the first floor and followed the rope. They walked to the end of the living room, and the small room where the wood was stored had its door open. Man Lis face dropped. I remember tying a rope between the door handle and the nail beside the door. Wheres the rope? Fatty walked into the room and picked up a rope from behind a stack of wood. The rope was snipped into two parts, and the cut was clean. Man Li took over and touched it. It was cut by a tool like a dagger. There was another door inside the small room. The wood before the door had been moved away. Jiang Cheng walked over and gave it a push. The door didnt budge. He looked through the ss on the door. It led to the back of the bungalow. There were some fallen leaves on the ground. However, due to the earlier rain, the ground was muddy. There were clear tire tracks in the mud. It is left behind by the bus. Fatty gasped. However, they were surrounded by woods. There was no path for a bus. Regardless, that was not important. The important thing was they knew how Sister Nuan and the girl left. Fatty learned from Jiang Cheng and shook the door heavily. The door didnt want to open. Stop doing that. Jiang Cheng said, You wont be able to open it. Fatty stopped, but he asked, If this door wont open, how do they leave? Man Li suddenly answered, Its the time. Time? Yes. Man Li looked at the confused Fatty and nodded. We have the wrong timing. The bus and the door will only work when the time is right. 3.07 am. Jiang Cheng said. Man Li looked at him in surprise and nodded. Youve thought of it too. What are you talking about? Fatty blinked. Why 3.07 am? Do you remember Xie Yus time of death? Jiang Cheng said, Back then, I looked at the clock. It showed 3.07 am. Fatty was shocked. But isnt time unreliable in this world. Man Li continued, Correct, but that doesnt mean we cannot use it as a frame of reference. On the night Xie Yu died, I heard a strange sound, and I also looked at the time. He took the pocket watch from his pocket and shook it before Fatty. It also showed 3.07 am then. However, not too long ago, I just nced at the time. It showed 6 am. In other words, all the clocks in the room would show 3.07 am at a specific moment. Fattys pupils trembled. He whipped his head at Jiang Cheng. So yesterday, you were waiting for the time to reach 3.07 am in the study! Because the ghost would show up then! Jiang Cheng showed no response, but Fatty continued, The ghost didnt show up, so you went to probe Sister Nuan. When you saw that Sister Nuan was still alive, you said Man Li was He suddenly stopped because Man Li was still standing there. The rest was simple. They returned to the living room. Jiang Cheng sat on the couch. Man Li stayed beside the firece. Fatty went to cook. After food, they gathered around. Man Li said he saw 6 tire threads behind the bungalow. In other words, the bus had been there for the past three nights. They had spent three nights at the bungalow already. The sky was fully dark. Man Li nced at the watch. Soon, just as Fatty was about to fall asleep, Jiang Cheng suddenly announced, Its time! Man Li stood up and put the pocket watch in his pocket. Everyone walked to the storage at the corner of the living room. Jiang Cheng and Man Li were very careful. After all, no one could confirm no ghost would show up near the end. Just as they entered the storage, the empty space behind the bungalow lit up. A bus drove over from the distance and then paused about 20 meters away from the bungalow. Man Li took a deep breath and then ced his hand on the door handle. He pushed. The door opened. Fatty was so excited. He almost cried. Man Li was the first to leave. Then, Fatty. Finally, Jiang Cheng. The bungalow was very warm, so when they first came out, they were shocked by the cold. Man Li pulled his coat around his body. Jiang Cheng did the same. Fatty could only hug himself. The three slowly moved towards the bus. It was the same people on the bus, the pair of couple, the pair of mother and son. They were all in their seats. Director Zheng stood on the bus and weed them with passion, Sorry for the wait, travellers. Were going home now. Home It was so captivating. Fatty wanted to get on the bus, but someone pulled him from behind. In that opening, Man Li walked past him and got on the bus. Fatty turned around and saw Jiang Cheng looking at the bus calmly. Whats wrong? Jiang Cheng didnt answer. Travellers, do you not want to go home? Director Zheng smiled and bowed slightly. She exposed the pretty rose tattoo on her slender arm, If yourete, you wont be able to go home. Chapter 16: Trap Chapter 16: Trap Man Li, who was on the bus, finally noticed Jiang Cheng and Fatty didnt follow him. He turned around and looked at them in confusion. However, Fatty was not in the mood to care about him because he realised Director Zheng was ring at Jiang Cheng. Her eyes turned vicious. A few seconds past, and since the driver didnt do anything, the bus door mmed closed. The speed was so fast that Fatty was shocked. The bus disappeared, and only two deep tire tracks were left. No! No! Fatty was scared by Director Zheng. His body couldnt stop shaking. Afterparing this to the incident with Sister Nuan, he gasped, That was a trap! Director Zheng was a ghost too! Jiang Cheng ignored Fatty. He saw the bus disappear and then whispered, Goodbye. Jiang Cheng returned to the bungalow and came to the iron door on the third floor. Fatty wanted to ask Jiang Cheng some questions, but he didnt have the opportunity. Jiang Cheng reached out, and the door opened. Jiang Cheng didnt open it. Instead, an arm from inside opened the lock. Its you! As the door opened, Fatty gasped. Chen Xiaomeng still looked pretty innocent. She pulled the door open. Jiang Cheng entered the door. After some hesitations, Fatty followed. As Sister Nuan said, it was a secret room on the third floor. There was no window. The only light source was two white candles the size of a babys arm. The candlelight showed that the room wasrge. It was evenrger than the main bedroom. A pure ck iron door was embedded in the wall. When he saw the iron door, Fattys heart rxed. The iron door gave him an indescribable strange feeling. It couldnt be fabricated. Im curious. How did you know it was a trap? Chen Xiaomeng sat on the chair and put her chin on her palm. Her other hand pointed behind the bungalow. She didnt look nervous. If anything, she looked excited. Of course, she was not talking to Fatty but Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng sat down across from her. Even though you decorated everything so truthfully by leaving the rope on the stairs and hiding them inside the storage to create the illusion that youve left through the backdoor, there were too many questions. For one, why would the ghost disguise itself as Sister Nuan to appear in the room after you left? Also, your bedroom was neatly arranged and set up. I dont believe the ghosts have the reasons to do that. Chen Xiaomeng smiled, But even so, you were still tricked by us to leave the bungalow. You merely didnt get on the bus at thest moment. Jiang Cheng shook his head. Thats wrong. Oh? Chen Xiaomeng smiled brightly until her eyes were crescents. How am I wrong? She only treated Jiang Cheng as a stubborn man. She hadnt encountered such an interesting person in a long time already. There are three points where you are wrong. One, I wasnt tricked by you to leave the bungalow. I left it voluntarily. Jiang Cheng exined, There are tire tracks on the mud at the back of the bungalow but no footprints. Therefore, you havent left the bungalow. Two, you are the only one trying to trick us. Sister Nuan is already dead. He then took out something the size of a button from his pocket. By then, Chen Xiaomengs smile had already disappeared. It was a rectangr button made from tortoiseshell. It was quite rare. I found it in the main bedroom. It still had some broken thread stuck to it. Jiang Cheng said, If I remember correctly, it came from Sister Nuans coat. I believe Sister Nuan was killed before I came to your room. This button flew out when Sister Nuan struggled with the ghost. After the ghost left, you cleaned up the room. Your purpose was to prevent us from figuring out Sister Nuan was killed and creating the illusion that you had escaped from the bungalow. Jiang Cheng shut up after that. Chen Xiaomeng was silent for a while before asking him, Then, what is the third point? Thest point, which is also the most important. Jiang Cheng straightened up and looked at the girl. Even Fatty felt nervous. I want to know who gave a girl, who has no looks, no body, no brain, like you the courage to trick me? He asked directly. Fatty was stunned. He knew to expect the unexpected, but even so, he was shocked. Time appeared to pause. Chen Xiaomengs mouth fell open. She couldnt say a word. Alright. Jiang Cheng leaned back in his chair and said, Now, its my turn to ask the questions. Go to hell! Chen Xiaomeng grabbed the china vase next to her and tossed it over. Jiang Cheng avoided it easily. Her face was red. She looked like she would fight Jiang Cheng to death. Jiang Cheng said calmly, Id advise you to calm down. This is a locked room, and were the only two people here. If you dont follow my instructions, some bad things might happen. Chen Xiaomeng chuckled mirthlessly. Are you threatening me? Fatty licked his lips. Brother, you two are not the only people here. Im here too. Jiang Cheng nced at Fatty and then added, Right. Theres also a Fatty here. Think about it. Chen Xiaomengs face paled. Then, she turned around to look at the door. Jiang Chengs voice started again, Dont even think about it. That door is 5 metres from you, and Im only 3 metres from you. I can easily catch you. Chen Xiaomengughed from anger. The door will open in less than 10 minutes. I dont think you can do anything to me. Jiang Cheng scratched his chin with interest. So there are ten minutes left. As he stood up, he revealed a meaningful smile. We dont need that long. 30 seconds will be enough. Fattys eyes widened. Chen Xiaomengs fists tightened. Eventually, she gritted her teeth and hissed, What questions do you have? Ask. Jiang Cheng smirked and sat back down. He looked a bit regretful. How did you open this door? Chen Xiaomeng red at him and huffed. After you left yesterday, the ghost that killed Sister Nuan dragged her body here. I followed it here. Chapter 17: Lies Chapter 17: Lies In other words, Sister Nuans body was still in the bedroom when I was there yesterday. Yes. She was just behind the door. At that point, Chen Xiaomeng paused to smile at Jiang Cheng, If you had taken a few more steps inwards, your body might have ended up here too. Jiang Cheng ignored her and continued asking, Where is Sister Nuans body? Chen Xiaocheng stood up and headed to the door. Jiang Cheng immediately followed, keeping a metre away from her. I cant run. The door is not open yet. Chen Xiaomeng scoffed. Jiang Cheng followed her and shook her head. Dont misunderstand me. I just feel much happier when Im close to you. Chen Xiaomeng pouted and ignored him. She walked to the wall and searched for a switch. Then, the room lit up. The light above them came on. At the same time, Fattys eyes almost jumped out of their sockets. The room was designed like a church. A huge cross hung on the wall. Sister Nuan was hanged on the cross upside down. It was clear that she was dead. The ce was stuffed with various kinds of torture devices. They looked medieval and creepy. Most of them were stained with blood. This was a torture room. The cross represents God, and the inverse cross represents the devil. Jiang Cheng looked at the devices emotionlessly. It looks like this was a family of Satanists. Fatty was shocked by the scene. Chen Xiaomeng looked at Jiang Cheng with interest. Sounds like youve already guessed that already. This kind of preparation couldnt be done in a short amount of time. Therefore, the owners of these torture devices could only be the bungalow owners and not the two poor intruders. When Fatty recovered, he looked at Jiang Cheng, In other words the real killers are the family and two men Jiang Cheng nodded. Havent you already met them? Fatty seemed to realise something, and he stuttered, It was the bus that ferried us here! The driver, the mother with the kid, the tomboyish female operator, the girl in the couple They are the family living here! Thats right. Chen Xiaomeng shrugged, The man in the couple and the big boy the mother was taking care of, they were the victims tormented by this family. Fatty thought back to the strange actions of the mother and son, as well as the couple did. For example, the man of the couple always had an eye mask on, and he remained motionless. The boy with his mother looked so scared even though he was with his mother It was hell on earth. The ghost wasnt back for revenge. She was merely continuing her sins in life. These habits couldnt be changed no matter what. When did you know the truth? Jiang Cheng looked at Chen Xiaomeng. After the ghost killed Sister Nuan, the picture we found on the wall suddenly became clear. She took out a picture. The wooden frame was gone. She probably tossed it away already. Jiang Cheng epted the picture. It was a portrait of the family. Jiang Cheng remembered every face in the picture. The background was this torture room. In the corner of the picture, there were two men. They were both chained. Since their heads were lowered, their faces couldnt be seen. However, they were dressed simrly to the two men on the bus. The door started to glow weakly, and the whole space trembled. The mission was ending. The door was opening. Why lie to us? How does that benefit you? Jiang Cheng steadied himself and asked onest question. Chen Xiaomeng was already used to the door shaking when it was about to open. While Fatty was holding the wall to stop himself from falling, she was already standing before the iron door. The iron door fully opened, and it revealed a world of fog. Jiang Cheng turned to look at Fatty behind him before walking into the fog. After a temporary phase of vertigo, Jiang Chengs body paused. He stepped on firm ground again. He looked down and saw the wooden floor. Everything became familiar. He took a deep breath. He had returned to his office. The sky outside the window was still dark. A bit of moonlight shone in. It was how he left it. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. It was made of rough material. Through the moonlight, it was revealed to be a folded piece of paper. He slowly opened it, but suddenly, his body froze. A hand silently fell on his right shoulder. The person had been waiting for him. Jiang Cheng slowly raised his hands. There are 200,000 inside the hiddenpartment in the third drawer of the office table. The drawer is locked. The key is inside the second tost cup in the kitchen. There was no sound. He paused and then continued, I only have so much money. If you want to rob me of something else, I suggest we go upstairs first. Theres only a mattress, so I hope you dont mind. The hand that held his shoulder shook, and then a loud voice said, Brother, this is a nice ce! Jiang Cheng turned around and grabbed the hand on his shoulder. At the same time, he twisted it behind the persons back and pinned the persons rotund body against the wall. Brother! Brother! Fatty hissed in pain. Jiang Cheng recognised the man and asked chilly, Why are you here? He nced at the location where the door was. Only a normal wall remained. Based on what Man Li said, if one survived the mission, the survivors would return to where they started in the real world or their own homes. But this was clearly not Fattys home. Fattys right shoulder almost snapped. He quickly exined, I was thinking about how good itd be if I could stay with brother when I crossed the door. Then, I ended up here. Probably we are fated Before Fatty could finish, Jiang Cheng cut him off, Stop joking. You just wanted me to bring you across the nightmare barrier. Chapter 18: Newspaper Chapter 18: Newspaper Going into the nightmare was not an isted incident. Fatty knew that too. He only survived the mission because he stuck with Jiang Cheng. He might not be as lucky next time. Fatty looked awkward after he was exposed. Jiang Cheng searched his body and found nothing special. He let Fatty go and switched on the light above them. Fatty leaned against the wall. As he rubbed his arm, he studied Jiang Chengs office. Brother, Fatty saw the patients records on the table and asked Jiang Cheng, Are you a doctor? Yes. In what field? Jiang Cheng walked to the office table and sat down, The field of resentment. Fatty bubbled his saliva like he wanted to say something, but he still shut up in the end. Based on Jiang Chengs requirement, he sat down across from him. The couch was old. The leather was cracked. The back could be pushed down easily to turn the couch into a bed. Sometimes, Jiang Cheng would direct his patients to lie there and help them rx. After some questions, Fatty revealed that his name was Wang Fugui. He had done many jobs, the most recent job being the driver of a long-distance transportation truck. Due to some reasons, he quit. His house was in the Swan City, not far away from the Banyan City. Fatty said it was his first time entering the nightmare world. Jiang Cheng asked why he was so neatly dressed and knew to carry an umbre with him. That was not how a normal person would dress when they went to bed. Fatty scratched his head and admitted that he got into a big fight due to a recent sry issue with his boss. Then, he was chased out of the employee hostel. He had no money for a hotel stay, so he decided to sleep overnight in a small garden, but Jiang Cheng knew that Fatty wanted to say he also had no idea why he would suddenly appear at that ce. Did you cross through a door too? Yes. Fatty nodded as his face paled. The door appeared on the wall of the garden, but I remembered there was not a door there. It was simr to Jiang Chengs experience. Everyone came to the dream realm through a door that didnt exist, but the difference was the location of the doors. Jiang Cheng nced at the time. It was dawn. He turned to Fatty and said officiously, You can stay here until morning, but after that, you have to leave. Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng with puppy eyes. Jiang Cheng didnt change his mind. He ignored Fatty after that. He sat down and took out the folded piece of paper from his pocket. He spread it out on the table. Fatty stretched his neck to look. In the end, he ran over to the other side of the table to see clearly. It was an article from a newspaper. The paper was yellow. Most of it was blurry. Jiang Cheng turned it around and saw a clear printed line: The Case of the Torture Mansion has been solved. The family of devils fell into theke and died. It contained details about the case. The family was a group of Satanists. The father pretended to be a tour bus driver and tricked many innocent passengers into his home in the forest. One of the daughters pretended to be a tour guide, while the other daughter fished for victims on the inte. The mother controlled the big picture. They trapped and tortured the victims at the bungalow. In just a month, the local police had received many reports of missing people. One of them was a pair of twins. Eventually, the police followed the trail of the missing people and found the hidden bungalow in the forest. However, the family managed to escape and carried with them three victims. Late at night, they drove the bus and escaped through a narrow, small path. Due to days of storm, part of the path had been washed away. The bus skidded off the road and fell into the river by the roadside. When they were found, the family of four and three victims had already drowned. This would appear to be the truth of the nightmare mission. However, there was more than that that caught Jiang Chengs attention. The article featured a picture of one of the victims. It should be released by the police. The picture mentioned that this victim couldnt be identified. The police hoped that anyone who had any clues would contact the police. From the picture, the victim was tall and muscr. The face had been blurred off. He wore a ck cor. The picture also showed a few of his effects. Fattys eyes moved down. He was startled when he saw a pocket watch. Then, he became agitated, Doctor, this is Jiang Cheng didnt allow him to continue. It does look like Man Li. The newspaper was dated 1st June 2006. It happened 14 years ago. Man Li died in the past. No wonder the police couldnt find anything about him. In other words Every dream realm mission is real?! The door sends us to the past to experience certain peoples experiences? Fatty gasped. Jiang Cheng thought about it, Its possible, but this is just one incident. Weve just experienced one nightmare to form any conclusions. Plus, theres one thing that you got wrong. Jiang Cheng folded the paper and told Fatty, Even if the door really did send us back into the past, the experience we had was the tragedy experienced by the victims or another nightmare. Fatty thought about it and agreed with Jiang Cheng. Since people called the ce the dream realm, each mission would put the yers in life-threatening danger. Sister Nuan and Man Li had cleared a few missions, but they still died. Doctor, Fattys lips trembled, Do you remember the water puddles everywhere around the house? Jiang Cheng nodded. The family died from drowning, so even after they became ghosts, they retained water. Fatty nodded with a pale face. Then, his eyes stared at the paper in Jiang Chengs hands. Seeing Jiang Chengs alert face, Fatty quickly exined, Doctor, dont get me wrong. I just want to know where you got this newspaper. Jiang Cheng shrugged. Chen Xiaomeng gave it to me. Her? Fatty was instantly suspicious. Doctor, I might not be as clever as you, but Im not that dumb. Shed rather burn this than give it to you. Chapter 19: Stockholm Syndrome Chapter 19: Stockholm Syndrome Jiang Cheng pretended to sigh. At first, I didnt get it too, but now that I think about it, she might have a slight Stockholm Syndrome. So I think Fattys heart dropped, What do you think? I think she might have fallen for me. Jiang Cheng said helplessly. Fatty, Jiang Cheng waited for a while, but Fatty said nothing, so he turned to ask, Why didnt you say anything? Fatty took a deep breath, Wait for me to take a drag of a cigarette to calm down first. Just as Jiang Cheng wanted to share his analysis of why Chen Xiaomeng had fallen for him, his stomach suddenly grumbled. Fatty instantly became spirited. He asked if Jiang Cheng was hungry and offered to cook. Jiang Cheng thought about Fattys cooking skills in the mission and nodded as he pointed at the kitchen. Fatty slipped away, leaving Jiang Cheng looking at the newspaper in interest. Jiang Cheng rarely cooked, so he only had frozen food and instant noodles. He bought them when they were on sale. Fatty worked hard for half an hour and finally produced two dishes. He fried the instant noodles. Jiang Cheng slurped down most of them instantly. Doctor, Fatty took a few bites of the noddles. Do you normally live here alone? Jiang Cheng swept the rest of the food into his te. Then, he wiped his lips. He nodded. Yes. And I have no interest in taking in a roommate. Fatty pouted and said, Doctor, dont be like that. Even though Im not as clever or as handsome as you, Ive done many jobs. I can help you somewhere. Jiang Cheng looked at the empty tes on the table and didnt answer. Fatty saw hope and became excited. He quickly said, Doctor, you dont need to make a decision now. Think about it. Im very useful! We can talk about this tomorrow. Jiang Cheng worked his sore shoulders. Im tired. Im going to bed. Fatty quickly cleaned up the table. The sound of water came from the kitchen. Doctor, you can go and sleep. Ill clean up everything and sleep on the couch. However, after Fatty was done with the dishes and came out of the kitchen, he saw Jiang Cheng sitting on the couch. He didnt seem to have moved. Doctor, Fatty asked, Is there a problem? Jiang Cheng studied Fatty and raised his brows. You can sleep upstairs with me. Im afraid of being alone. Fatty was startled. Then, he thought of something bad and instantly covered his butt, Doctor, Im not that easy! No? Fatty thought about it and said firmly, Of course! Alright. Jiang Cheng stood up and shrugged casually. He moved to the stairs. When he was about to disappear upstairs, he turned around to say, You should be careful at night. Then, he pointed at the wall opposite, The door in my dream appeared that. And I was different from you. I didnt enter the door. But a giant hand came out of the door to pull me inside it. Then, he went upstairs. After Jiang Cheng left, Fatty sat on the couch and stared at the wall anxiously. He couldnt tell if Jiang Cheng was being real or not. He was too unpredictable, but in a way, he was reliable because he did lead him out of the dream realm alive. Once Fatty closed his eyes, he felt like the door Jiang Cheng mentioned would appear, and the giant arm would reach out. Fatty stayed downstairs for less than five minutes before bouncing upstairs. Then, he ran into Jiang Cheng, who was leaning against the side of the stairs. It looked like he was waiting for him. Before Fatty could say anything, Jiang Cheng said, Youll take the living room. Ill sleep inside. Fatty looked behind Jiang Cheng. There was a door there that split up the small living room. The bedroom had to be inside. Doctor, Fatty said seriously, If youre scared of being alone, I can consider squeezing in with you. Jiang Cheng didnt feel like sleeping in bed. He looked at the ceiling. The scenes from the nightmare repeated in his mind. Fatty was outside the door. He suggested that Jiang Cheng keep the door open so that they could watch over each other. However, Jiang Cheng didnt think they needed that, so he rejected him. He not only closed the door but also locked it too. Based on the earlier experience, Jiang Cheng naturally thought of the missing Hu Yan and Hu Yans sister. Their disappearances probably had to do with the dream realm. Based on what Man Li said, those who died in the dream realm would go missing in real life. It would happen without reason. Hu Yans missing person report stated clearly that she was gone at midnight and wearing her light silk nightgown. Her husband, who was in bed with her, didnt even notice her gone. The middle-aged man in the first mission once asked the way to fully escape the dream realm. Man Li said that was a stupid question. Once the iron door appeared in your dream, you couldnt escape until you died. He thought about it, and he became drowsy. Jiang Cheng didnt resist anything and slowly closed his eyes. The stamina exhausted in the dream realm returned to his body, but the mental exhaustion didnt recover. Jiang Cheng slept soundly. In his dream, he heard some banging sound like his neighbour was doing construction. Even the floor shook. He turned around and covered his head with the pillow, and continued to sleep. In the end, the thing that woke him up was a knock on the door. Doctor, Fattys loud voice came from outside the door. Are you awake? Jiang Cheng sat up and walked to open the door. The living room was empty. Fatty was gone. Jiang Cheng went down the stairs. The phone showed that it was 11 am. Jiang Cheng didnt expect to sleep until noon. His head was still dull from the sleep. Chapter 20: Doctor Jiang Chapter 20: Doctor Jiang Fatty poked his head out of the kitchen when he heard the sound, Doctor, please sit first. The food will be ready soon. Jiang Cheng mumbled as he sat down on the couch. The experiencest night flickered in his mind, causing him a headache. He looked up and realised someone had cleaned up his office. The shelf where he put the patients file had shown signs of falling to the side, so Jiang Cheng wrapped it up with tape. The tape had been cleaned. The broken parts had been fixed with nails. Even the rust had been cleaned away. The messy wires on the ceiling and walls had been carefully arranged and pinned to where they should be. A foldeddder leaned against the wall. A piece of paper was squeezed in between, afraid that the rung of thedder would dirty the wall. An old newspaper sat on the table. On the paper was a hammer, a pair of scissors, ck electrical tape and metallic nails. These should be the source of the banging. Doctor. Fattys voice apanied the sound of water out of the kitchen. Do you eat spicy food? Ive made braised ribs. Sure. Jiang Cheng shouted, But dont put too much chilli. Im scared of breaking out cause Im still in my puberty. Fatty paused before resuming. Jiang Cheng was leaning on the couch when the phone in his pocket vibrated. He took out it and answered it. Doctor Jiang, A mans voice came from the phone. It sounded very young. Are you at your office now? Yes. Then, Ill head over now. The man said happily. Im just around. Ill be there in half an hour. Okay. Jiang Cheng nodded and hung up. Fatty walked out, holding the edge of the pot with some napkins. He rushed over and then quickly put the pot down. His fingers were red from the heat. When he saw Jiang Cheng look at him, he chuckled shyly. He said since he hadnt found a good cooking pot, he made do with a non-heat-resistant pot. Theres a kitchen cloth in the kitchen. Jiang Cheng said. Fatty was startled before he reacted that Jiang Cheng was referring to his hurt fingers. He couldnt help but be a little touched. His eyes watered. Doctor Jiang, thank But Jiang Cheng looked at the napkin he used and pouted, Do you think the napkins are free? Regardless, Fattys cooking was wless. Jiang Cheng alone ate half the pot of ribs and two bowls of rice. If Fatty hadnt moved fast to grab thest piece of rib, he might not even know what his own cooking tastes like. So, what do you think? Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng with anticipation. Doctor, my cooking is not bad, right? I dont mean to brag, but Ive once studied under the chef at Zui Xian Lou. Jiang Cheng put down his bowl and wiped away the oil on his lips. So-so. He suddenly burped and continued, But since youve worked so hard, I would feel bad not eating more. The light in Fattys eyes dimmed, like a child who didnt get the praise he wanted from the adult. He silently put away the pot and bowls and returned to the kitchen. The sound of water even managed to sound sad and despondent. Jiang Cheng looked at the table, which was so clean his reflections could be seen. He said, Fatty? The sound in the kitchen paused. Then, Fattys voice came out, Doctor, did you call me? I have a clienting, Jiang Cheng said calmly. So, I need you to Fatty sighed and replied, I know. Ill leave after I clean up everything. He paused, No matter what, thank you for saving me in the nightmare. Soon, Fatty walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands. Jiang Cheng leaned on the couch. He opened his eyes when Fatty passed by. Fatty picked up the coat hanging on the rack and put it on. As he was about to say something, Jiang Cheng interrupted him, Theres a supermarket nearby. They sell a lot of things, and they are cheap. Fatty frowned with confusion. I want to eat stew tonight. Jiang Cheng said shamelessly. Since stew takes time, you bettere back soon. Fattys confusion was reced by appreciation. He quickly nodded. Dont worry, Doctor. Fatty then disappeared like the wind. Jiang Cheng stood up and walked to the shelf. His finger scanned most of them before pulling one out. The record belonged to Hu Yan. The document recorded Hu Yans reaction when she was there. It was very detailed, including her habits of shaking her leg and looking in a certain direction. She was looking at the ce where the door would appear. Hu Wan disappeared after she dreamed of a door. Based on what she said, her little sister experienced the same thing. This was simr to Jiang Cheng but also different. At least Hu Yan and her sister could tell others about the dream regarding the door. The sister told Hu Yan on the phone, and Hu Yan told Jiang Cheng in person. In other words, they didnt enter the door when they dreamed of the door. It was different for Jiang Cheng and Fatty. They were in the dream realm once they dreamed of the door. When there was a knocking on the door, Jiang Cheng sat in the office. He flipped through another document and said without lifting his head, Come in. The door opened, and a very young man came in. He was in an Armani suit, a gold-edged shirt, a blue and white striped tie and a pair of brown leather shoes. They looked like they were handmade in Italy. Doctor Jiang, The young man smiled kindly. He slightly bowed, and he radiated charm. Jiang Cheng slowly put down the file and then nced at him, Pi Yuan, is it still about your girlfriend? Yes. The man smiled, This has troubled me so much. Why else would I be here, Doctor Jiang? Chapter 21: Pi Wan Chapter 21: Pi Wan When the two were chatting, Fatty came back holding bags of ingredients. Pi Wan was shocked to see Fatty. After Jiang Cheng slowly introduced Fatty as his friend, Pi Wan instantly weed Fatty like an old friend. Fatty was overwhelmed. Hello. Pi Wan grabbed Fattys free hand. Im Pi Wan. Nice to meet you. Fatty was very confused, so he turned to Jiang Cheng. As usual, he saw nothing on Jiang Chengs face, so he turned back to the young man before him. He said with some regret and shyness, Brother, Im sorry that you have this illness at such a young age, but Im not the doctor, and I cant help you. Pi Wans hand froze in mid-air. Fatty suddenly remembered he needed to go cook, so he said goodbye and disappeared into the kitchen. Jiang Cheng didnt dwell on this. He asked Pi Wan to sit back down and asked, How is your girlfriend now? Pi Wan sighed, Shes about the same, if a little worse than before. She keeps suspecting me of cheating on her. Pi Wan suddenly became agitated and stressed, Doctor Jiang, you know me. How could I be that kind of person? Hmm. Jiang Cheng took out a blue notebook and wrote something on it. I know. Then, Pi Wan started to pour out his heartache. He counted the sacrifices he had made for his girlfriend but only got misunderstandings in return. At one point, he even started to cry. After Fatty cleaned the ribs, he put them into the pot to boil. When the pot started to bubble, Fatty washed his hands and exited the kitchen. Pi Wan was still unloading his story. Jiang Cheng didnt show much empathy. He nodded and grumbled here and there to show that he was listening. Fatty was curious about Jiang Chengs work, so he pulled over a chair to sit down and observe. Both Pi Wan and Jiang Cheng had no issues with this. When he heard the story between Pi Wan and his girlfriend, Fatty couldnt help himself and wanted to console the man, but he was shot a gaze by Jiang Cheng. Fatty silently swallowed his words back. Doctor Jiang, Pi Wan was finally tired. As he rubbed the middle of his brows, he sighed, Thats the overall situation. My girlfriend suspects that I have an ulterior motive to be with her. Jiang Cheng closed the notebook and slid his pen into the spine. Doctor Jiang, please help me with my girlfriend. He stood up and asked Jiang Cheng sincerely, I beg you. Jiang Cheng nodded. Of course. Its my job. Pi Wan left with a heavy sigh. Once he left, Fatty leaned over, Doctor. The man is not bad. Even though hes rather forward, he is very concerned about his girlfriend. I wonder why his girlfriend would think he has an ulterior motive to be with her. Jiang Cheng pulled open the drawer and ced the notebook inside it. Is that what you think? Fatty blinked in confusion. Doctor, what do you mean? Jiang Cheng signalled Fatty to be quiet. A few secondster, the door opened again. Pi Wan strode in and said with apology, Doctor Jiang, my memory is getting worse. I almost forgot the most important thing. Its my girlfriends 80th birthday the day after tomorrow. You have toe! Jiang Cheng said evenly, Congrattions. Ill be there. After he got the answer, Pi Wan left happily. Fattys mouth was an O. When the door opened, Fatty noticed there was a young woman outside the door. She had on a white shirt, ck shirt and a pair of ck-rimmed ss. She was intellectual and sexy. After Pi Wan exited the door, he habitually put his arms around the womans waist and they left whileughing. Fatty silently picked up his shattered worldview. Jiang Cheng put away the files on the table and arranged them on the shelves. When he turned back, he saw Fatty was still staring at the door. A blue Audi zoomed away. What are you looking at? Jiang Cheng asked. Doctor, Fatty suddenly said, I dont want to work so hard anymore. I feel like his joy is very simple. Jiang Cheng thought about it and turned back to the shelf. He pulled out a few more notebooks with a few redbels. He opened one and turned to Fatty. He ced the rest under his armpit. Zhao Guiqin, He recited, An entrepreneur with nine bungalows and endless branded cars under her name. She is worth more than billions. She is currently 89 He lifted his head to look at Fatty, And single. Fattys lips trembled like he wanted to say something. Jiang Cheng nodded with understanding and then pulled out another note, Liu Niuma, andy with more than ten apartments. Shes 77 and also single. He put down the note and told Fatty seriously, She sounds young, but she has a serious illness. Plus, she has no next of kin. Fatty took a deep breath and said determinedly, Doctor, I think Im still young, and I can still make something of myself. Jiang Cheng tutted and put his notes away with some regret. Fatty followed Jiang Cheng and asked with confusion, Doctor, how did you get these peoples information? Are they your patients? I suppose so, Jiang Cheng shrugged. What illness do they have? Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty and said clearly, They are lonely and cold at night. Fatty shivered. Then, his eyes widened like he realised something, Was it you who introduced Pi Wan to his current girlfriend? Jiang Cheng scratched his nose with embarrassment. Thats my job as a doctor. I am very happy, seeing the smiles finally returning to their faces. Fatty, Doctor, tell me honestly. How much money youve taken from the richdies? Jiang Cheng ignored him and went upstairs alone. He was busy with something mysterious. Fatty calcted the time. The stew would need another hour before it was ready. He washed the greens he bought and peeled the potatoes and yams. He decided to stir-fry some shredded potatoes. Chapter 22: Qipao Chapter 22: Qipao The only w was there was only a dull fruit knife avable in the kitchen since Jiang Cheng almost never cooked. This meant that certain dishes couldnt be perfected. The shredded potatoes had to be potato pieces. Fatty didnt think Jiang Cheng would mind. After everything was ready, Fatty walked out of the kitchen. He picked up the tools and continued to fix the office. He took out a screwdriver that didnte from Jiang Chengs office and tightened the screws on Jiang Chengs movable shelves. He gave them a few whacks and then taped the corners together. Fatty shook the shelf to see whether it was stable or not when he spotted a blue outfit hanging among the clothes. It was quite well hidden. Fatty moved the other clothes and was shocked to realise it was a blue qipao. It had short sleeves and was made from actual silk. It had embroidery of peonies on it. It was clearly quite expensive. It even had a light fragrance on it. This was clearly a womans clothes. Fatty was immediately interested. At that moment, footsteps came from upstairs. A few secondster, Jiang Cheng appeared with a bucket of clothes. He saw Fatty looking at him strangely. What are you doing? Jiang Cheng carried the bucket with the overflowing clothes. Doctor. Fatty winked at Jiang Cheng as men tended to do, I found a qipao among your clothes! Hmm? Jiang Cheng frowned. It is blue in colour. The slit is up to here! He gestured with his hands. Fatty didnt mean any malice. Everything about Jiang Cheng was mysterious to Fatty. This was a joy of discovering someone elses secret. Jiang Cheng became serious. This intrigued Fatty even more. Finally, he managed to surprise Jiang Cheng. He became interested in Jiang Chengs exnation. Did you only find one? Jiang Cheng put down the bucket and rummaged through it, It shouldnt be. There should be a tight-fitting pink one and a white one with fringe. Jiang Cheng lifted his head to tell Fatty, Help me look. Fatty, ??? Jiang Cheng turned the bucket over to shake the clothes out. Fatty was shocked until his pupils widened. He thought the incident with Pi Yuan was the biggest shock of the day, but he was wrong. The clothes rolled out of the bucket. Fatty took a quick nce at them. Most of them were female clothes. There were all kinds of styles. The qipao he saw earlier was nothing. Fatty finally understood what kind of person he was with. He ultimately had underestimated Jiang Cheng. He not only managed to find a lover for someone like Pi Wan but he also was involved in the game himself. Why are you suddenly so quiet? Jiang Cheng asked. Fatty took a deep breath and reced the clothes to hide the qipao. Then, he turned to Jiang Cheng, Doctor, I feel either Im crazy or the world is crazy. Jiang Cheng looked around. I think youve misunderstood something. These clothes dont belong to those people you imagine. Im not Pi Yuan. I have my principles. Fatty covered his face and wanted the doctor to shut up. However, he didnt voice them. Fatty calmed down and asked, Then, who did these clothes belong to? Then, he seemed to realise something, and he looked better, Its your girlfriend, right, doctor? Then, Fatty looked embarrassed. That was the reasonable answer. What was he thinking? Honestly, Jiang Cheng looked handsome. As long as he didnt open his mouth, he looked like a normal person. Plus, he had a respectable job. No. Jiang Cheng shook his head. They belong to be myndy and my boss. She left these clothes here. Fatty shivered, and the way he looked at Jiang Cheng changed. Suddenly, his world copsed. Jiang Cheng left him be. He picked up the scattered clothes, hugged the bucket and went to the bathroom. There was a giant washing machine there. He walked out of the bathroom and grabbed the blue qipao. He looked around but failed to find the other two clothes he mentioned. He grumbled and left. Soon, the washing machine was turned on. Either the load was too much, or the machine was too old. The rumbling was very loud. It was hard to think the clothes woulde out clean. Fatty came to the door alone. He took out a cigarette and lit it up. His eyes were nk and lost. While the machine worked, Jiang Cheng took out the empty bucket and put it beside the stairs. Then, he looked at the narrow stairs and kicked the bucket closer to the corner. He turned around and saw Fattys mncholic profile. The face was filled with stories. Fatty, Jiang Cheng said naturally, I think I smell the ribs. See if its ready. Fatty dropped the cigarette and turned to the kitchen. When he passed by Jiang Cheng, he paused for a few seconds. His lips moved like he wanted to say something but he said nothing in the end. Soon, the meat fragrance filled the room. Fatty carried the pot over. Jiang Cheng ced a piece of cloth in the middle of the table. The pot settled on the cloth. Then, Fatty took out the potato dish and two bowls of rice. Chapter 23: Medicine Chapter 23: Medicine Doctor, After he saw Jiang Cheng finish the second bowl of rice, Fatty said, You can slow down. No one is going to steal your food. Jiang Cheng poured himself a bowl of soup and gurgled it down. He then put down the bowls and wiped his lips with satisfaction. By then, Fatty had barely finished half of his first bowl. Jiang Cheng asked with a concerned tone, Why arent you eating? Fatty looked at the two pieces of potatoes and some leaves floating in the bowl and slowly put down his chopsticks. Doctor, Im on a diet. Alright. Jiang Cheng nodded. I wont tell you to eat anymore. After the meal, Fatty went to clean the dishes while Jiang Cheng sat at the office table. The typing noise showed his carefree nature. Fatty came back to sit on the couch after he was done with the dishes. As he dried his hands, he asked Jiang Cheng about his job. Jiang Cheng answered easily. Fatty blinked in confusion, Doctor, I saw a lot of medicine in the kitchen cabs. Most of them are for physical wounds. There are also painkillers. Why do you keep so many of them? Jiang Cheng looked very healthy. Fatty felt like he even ate more than he did. The medicine was clearly not for him. To Fattys surprise, Jiang Cheng revealed a thoughtful look. Then, he went to the kitchen to grab a painkiller patch. Jiang Cheng opened the box and took a slip out. Then, he turned around to look at Fatty judgingly. He would lower his head to look at the patch too. Fatty was befuddled by his action. He suddenly had a bad feeling. Doctor, he asked in panic, Why are you looking at me like that? No reason. Jiang Cheng put away the patch and reced the box. Then, he sat back down at his table like nothing happened. Fatty thought about what had happened in the nightmare realm and shrugged. The afternoon passed like that. Since there was no customer, Fatty cleaned up the office and then fell asleep on the couch. When he woke up, the sky was already dark. Fatty rubbed his eyes and realised that Jiang Cheng was gone. When he failed to find Jiang Cheng in the kitchen, he woke up instantly. The sky was dark. The nightmare might descend at any moment. Without Jiang Cheng, Fatty would definitely die in the nightmare realm. Doctor? Fatty called out. There was no response. Fatty panicked. Just as he was about to go upstairs, the front door opened, and anky shadow fell in. Jiang Cheng entered the room with bags and then closed the door. Doctor! Fatty said excitedly, like he had seen hope. Where have you been? Jiang Cheng handed the bags to Fatty. Fatty saw that they were filled with medicine, the same kind he saw in the kitchen cabs. These are Medicine. Jiang Cheng removed his jacket and said, Put them in the cabs you saw in the afternoon. Doctor, why did you buy so much medicine? Jiang Cheng came to the shelf with the medical documents and pulled out a red document. As he flipped through it, he said, They wille in handy in the future. Fatty was confused. There were only two of them, and neither of them was injured. Suddenly, Fatty thought about the scene in the bungalow. His legs chilled. He wondered if Jiang Cheng was a crazy kidnapper like the family from the bungalow. These medicines were prepared for him to prevent him from dying during torture. The more Fatty thought about it, the more confirmed he was regarding his hypothesis. Jiang Cheng was just acting all this time. No wonder he saw through the familys conspiracy so easily. They were the same kind of people! Just as he tried to figure out the way to escape Jiang Chengs voice floated over, No one will be interested in trapping and detaining a fatty. Fatty whipped his head at Jiang Cheng. The man leaned against the table and flipped through his notes. He didnt even raise his head. Jiang Cheng turned another page and said, You can leave at any time. But I have to warn you. Once you leave that door, you are noting back. Can I really leave? Hearing that, Fatty hesitated again. The man before him was definitely different from normal, but he didnt seem like an evil person. A few secondster, Fatty made his decision, Doctor, I think Ill stay. That way, we can look after each other. He licked his lips and asked, But can you tell me what the medicine is for? Jiang Cheng sighed as if having solved a problem. He put away the file and lifted his head to look at Fatty, his eyes asking if he wanted to know. Fatty nodded consecutively. Jiang Cheng pursed his lips. After a serious consideration, he said, Okay. Ill tell you, but you cant tell anyone else. This is very important to me. Fatty was affected by Jiang Chengs words. He sat up straight and became serious, like he was taking an oath. He believed this had something to do with Jiang Chengs hidden illness. When facing Chen Xiaomeng, he mentioned only needing 30 seconds. Perhaps he was not lying. Fatty suddenly pitied the handsome man before him. God was fair. Everyone had a pain hidden deep inside their heart. Jiang Cheng suddenly became willing to share his secrets. Fatty then turned to Jiang Cheng with encouragement. Doctor, Im ready. You can start now. Okay. Jiang Cheng nodded. The bandage is to tie you up. The medical bandage is to seal up your mouth to stop him from calling for help. The painkillers will help keep you awake during the torture. I have two boxes of adrenaline here. They are so hard to find and very pricey. I might not use them on you. Jiang Cheng snapped his fingers like he had just thought of something. Right. I also prepared some hallucinogens to put in your water. Wait for me. Ill give them for you to drink. Fatty, ??? Chapter 24: School Chapter 24: School Doctor, dont scare me, please. Fatty shivered and said, I might lookrge, but I cant stand being scared. Jiang Cheng nced at him. Considering his cooking skills, he decided to stop scaring Fatty. He stopped talking. Ever since he joined Jiang Cheng, Fatty became a lot more adaptable. Soon, he bounced all over the ce again. Doctor, Fatty licked his lips and whispered, Do you think well enter the nightmare realm tonight? There was danger everywhere in the nightmare realm. The absurd yet realistic feeling was terrifying. Jiang Cheng, who was hanging theundry, paused. He thought about it and then replied, I dont think so. Even though our stamina fully recovered once we left the nightmare realm, the mental strain on us is still strong. Fatty understood Jiang Zheng. The mental energy exhausted in the nightmare realm wouldnt recover like the stamina. If this continued without stopping, they would eventually be drained by the nightmares. From what Man Li and Sister Nuan said, as scary as the nightmare was, it would always give the travellers a chance at survival. Thats good. Fatty sighed and then said, I wonder if I should keep staying up. Its pointless. Jiang Cheng shook his head. How many nights can you stay up? When your body cant sustain it anymore, youll fall asleep and instantly die in the nightmare realm. The word die chilled Fatty. He quickly said that he was just grumbling and he didnt really mean to do that. Do you want coffee? Jiang Cheng walked to the kitchen and asked Fatty. Fatty was shocked by the treatment, Thank you, doctor. Cling and ng came from the kitchen. Jiang Cheng took down two cups from the rack. American, Italian,tte or cappino? Fatty said awkwardly, Doctor, I dont know coffee. I normally go for the cheap 1-dor instant coffee at the supermarket. How about a cappino, then? Im sorry. Jiang Cheng said, Ive run out. Latte then. All out as well. American? Nope. Then, Italian. Fatty shrunk his head. Sorry for the trouble, doctor. Its no trouble. Jiang Cheng shouted, Because Ive run out of that too. Fatty was stunned. You have no American, Italian,tte and cappino? Then, what do you have? Instant coffee. Jiang Cheng walked out with two cups of coffee. But I have to correct you. Now, one pack of instant coffee is 1.50 dors and not 1 dor. The price has risen. If this is all you have, why did you ask me to choose? Fatty was confused. Jiang Cheng sat across from Fatty, sipped his coffee and borated slowly, Because life needs rituals. Fatty felt like it was pointless to argue with Jiang Cheng. He cleverly chose to shut up. Drink it while its hot. Jiang Cheng said, I didnt put too many drugs this time. Try it, and well have a frame of reference in the future. Fatty, The night deepened. The neon in the city lit up. Fatty cupped his chin and looked out the window in a daze. After experiencing the nightmare, he appreciated the simplicity of life. Jiang Chengy on the office couch and watched a horror film. He ate french fries with tomato sauce. He called Fatty to join him, but thetter didnt move. Jiang Cheng almost fell asleep after watching A Wicked Ghost. He opened his eyes and saw Fatty curl up on the couch, his hands over his ears. He looked very ufortable. Fatty saw that Jiang Cheng was awake, and his eyes shone like he had found his saviour, Doctor, what movie is this? How is the ghost so scary? After hearing Fattys exnation, Jiang Cheng understood Fatty wanted to switch off the movie when he heard a strange singing. He then was frightened by the appearance of Beauty Chu. The ghost you said is Beauty Chu. Jiang Cheng exined, Shes a poor woman suffering in the old age of China. Shes the inspiration behind Lu Xuns Paris La Traviata Chronicles. Fatty didnt understand what Jiang Cheng said. Jiang Cheng turned off theputer and went upstairs to sleep. Fatty said he felt a bit cold yesterday night, so Jiang Cheng found him a new mattress. As Jiang Cheng walked into the bedroom, Fatty told him that if Jiang Cheng was scared after watching the horror movie, they could sleep together. Instantly, the bedroom door mmed closed, and the door was locked. Fattyy down unwillingly. Jiang Cheng reminded him to put on his clothes and shoes before sleeping. Therefore, Fatty brushed his shoes in the morning and then bought a pair of running shoes when he was out shopping for ingredients. The office was rather secluded, and it was quiet at night. Jiang Cheng pulled the nket to his chin out of habit. His breathing was even. His physique was different from normal. He wasnt that sensitive to temperature and rarely fell sick. Sometimes, he felt like an emotionless robot. He slumbered. The sleep was deep as a strange melody echoed in his ears. It was not pop or ssical music. It was a genre he didnt recognise. The sound was born in the dark. Jiang Cheng felt everything leaving him. He seemed to sink into the ocean or walk into an endless tunnel. Despair and nothing else. There was a tearing sound like a ck cotton cloth had been shredded. Jiang Cheng started awake. He released he was standing at the corner of the first-floor office, and before him was a ck iron door. His body moved faster than his brain. He reached out to push open the door. After a spell of dizziness, his feet found the ground again. Before him, it was something that looked like a school. Thepound wasnt that big. A few buildings stood underneath the setting sun. It was quite romantic. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. He observed that it was around 4 to 5 pm in this world. Temporarily, he saw no one else, and the school gate was closed. He shielded his eyes from the sunlight. He nced at the school and then decidedly turned around to head down the other direction. Chapter 25: School Chapter 25: School There were buildings 2 and 3 stories tall across from him. There were businesses one would find around a school, like eateries, bookstores, inte cafes and so on. The inte cafe had good business, but the female boss who stood in front of the bookstore looked very pissed. Jiang Cheng walked to a cafe and paused at the door for a few seconds before walking in. There was no one on the first floor. He found the stairs and headed up to the second floor. He noticed that the window seats were all taken. Around eight customers turned their eyes to Jiang Cheng. Doctor! Fatty, who was squeezed into the corner, looked at Jiang Cheng with watery eyes, Its so good to see you here! Jiang Cheng was surprised to see Fatty there, but he only nced at him before turning away. That group appeared to be his teammates for this mission. It was more thanst time. There were eight, including Jiang Cheng. Hello. A man in a white suit stood up to greet Jiang Cheng, Youre amazing to be able to find this ce on your own. He was right that Jiang Cheng didnt choose this cafe randomly. Most of the surrounding buildings were low. The cafe provided the best vantage point. Furthermore, there was arge ss window on the third floor where one could easily look into the school. Jiang Cheng looked at the school outside the window before turning around, Is the school the location of the mission? It should be. The man in the suit shrugged, Ive already asked the waiter here. That is not a normal school but an art school. Just as the man was about to continue, a loud roar interrupted him, Where is this ce? Who are you? Im calling the cops! Jiang Cheng turned his head and saw a middle-aged man in a tank top yelling agitatedly. It appeared to be his first time in the nightmare realm. Weve told you what you needed to know. Its not our issue if you want to ept it or not. A young man with a cap leaned on the chair. He narrowed his eyes at the middle-aged man and suddenly chuckled, Im not your father, so I dont care whether you live or die. Im calling the cops. Im suing you for illegally detaining me! The middle-aged man growled, but Jiang Cheng knew at first nce that it was because he was scared. The middle-aged man should have known that this world was different from the real world, but his heart had been resisting it. Or else he could have chosen to leave instead of staying. There were three newbies this time. Other than the middle-aged man, there was a boy and a girl. The girl wore a set of cute dinosaur pyjamas. A white fluffy tail trailed at the back. Her face was so white that she might faint at any time. The man was better. However, based on what Fatty told himter When the man first arrived, he was worse than the middle-aged man. He threatened everyone present and even flipped the cafe table. Enough. The suited man said very naturally, Since everyone is here, we should go to the school. Must the school be the mission venue? The person who spoke was a woman in a qipao. She had on light makeup. Her body was amazing, but her appearance was normal. Not necessarily. The suited man smiled, But we should still try. We know that well only run into those things at the real mission venue. When the man mentioned those things, everyone became serious. The group left the cafe. Even the angry middle-aged man walked at the back silently. Fatty used this chance to get close to Jiang Cheng and whispered, Doctor, I was so scared when I came here and didnt see you. Jiang Cheng didnt waste time. How did you find the cafe? Fatty licked his lips and said shyly, I didnt find it. I descended there. I was standing on top of the third-floor table of this cafe after I opened the door. The school was disyed right before my eyes. Jiang Cheng nced at Fatty. After some time, he asked, What about the others? They arrivedter than me. Did they all start at the cafe? Not all. Fatty shook his head and then lifted his chin. The suited man wasforting the girl in the pyjamas. The white suit found the ce like you did. Jiang Cheng sucked in a breath. In other words, other than him and me, seven of you were born in the cafe. You even directly appeared on the third-floor table. Doctor, I cant refute that. Fatty looked calmer than the first time he was in a nightmare. At least he wasnt stuttering. But, please dont use the term, born. I prefer descended. Jiang Cheng tutted and was about to lecture Fatty when they arrived at the school gate. There was no one at the gate, but a smaller door at the side creaked. Then, a middle-aged woman walked out. She said she was the weing teacher who came to wee them. Since they didnt know the mission content and their identity, everyone chose to follow the middle-aged woman or the first NPC silently. Normally, the first NPC was there to help the yers understand the world-building and so on. Aftermunicating with the woman, they knew their roles. They were the camera crew from an entertainmentpany. They were invited by the school to shoot the schools imminent anniversary event. As the suited man said, this was an art school. They took in music students. The school was small but very famous. They had many celebrity alums, ording to the middle-aged woman. Yourpany has sent the devices over yesterday. The woman said, They are currently situated in the prop room. Dont worry. Can we go to the prop room then? The young man with the cap suddenly asked. He had turned his cap around. Something was embedded in the ear stud he had. It glowed under the sun. The woman stopped. When she saw the young man, her face darkened. No. Definitely not! Chapter 26: Rooms Chapter 26: Rooms Everyone was shocked by this sudden change. Fatty slithered back and pulled Jiang Cheng with him. The girl in the pyjama tripped and almost fell. The suited man casually pulled the young man back and walked to the woman. The smile on his face was warm and friendly, We were just asking. After all, the equipment is very fragile. We just want to make sure nothing gets damaged during the transportation process so that everything will proceed finely during the event. It had to be said that the man looked handsome and had a gift of the gab. Even the woman seemed infected by him, and her face returned to normal. She said with some embarrassment, Please dont misunderstand. What I meant was Its alreadyte, and the staff at the Prop Room probably has left work already. The suited man nodded with understanding. Of course. Then, we can look at it when its more convenient. Jiang Cheng studied the mans performance with no expression on his face. The suited man maintained a smile on his face as if he didnt know about the dangers of this world. Doctor. Fatty whispered, Do you also think that man is not a good person? Jiang Cheng nced at him. I dont know about that, but Im sure hes not a simple man. So Do we need to be cautious of him or not? Ever since thest mission, Fatty understood that danger came not only from the ghosts but also from your teammates. To his surprise, Jiang Cheng shrugged. Just treat him normally. People who stand out at the start of the mission can only be considered as not simple but not scary. The real danger is always hidden, just like a poisonous snake. Fatty narrowed his eyes and looked at theirpany. Suddenly, he felt like no one was trustworthy. He walked closer to the doctor. They were basically stuck together. The school wasrger than they thought. It was pretty too. The roads were decorated with lush trees. When they passed by a small garden, the garden was filled with blooms. If they were not in the middle of a mission, it was quite a nice stroll. The leading woman said very little. Thankfully, she answered every question they had, so they got some information about the school from her. The school was called Yu Ying Music Academy. It was an elite school. The school might be big, but there was a small student poption. A ss had less than 20 students. When they passed by the main teaching building, the woman purposely paused. However, when she realised Jiang Chengs group had no intention of taking a picture for a souvenir, she led them away. Since it was still time for ss, the whole schoolpound was empty. The woman led them to an old hostel building. It used the construction style from decades ago. It didnt fit with the modern atmosphere of the school. The old door axle creaked noisily. You can stay here. The middle-aged woman said expressively as she pointed down the darkness. If you want to eat, just go to the canteen. You have the employee cards so you can use both the student and staff canteen. Just avoid the lunch hour. The woman in the qipao hugged her arms and said, Is this ce even hospitable? Its so dirty. She looked at the wall with disdain. She fanned the air andined, It smells too. Its already nice that we have a ce to stay. Why so manyints? The young man with the cap suddenly cut in. To everyones surprise, it was the middle-aged woman who became the peacemaker, Dont worry. The ce doesnt look like much on the outside, but Ive cleaned all of your rooms. You can stay here without worry. Since the NPC had said that, they couldnt say anything else. It was clear that most people were not satisfied with this arrangement. Of course, their main concern was not the cleanliness but the oppressive nature of this building. Everyone could sense the ufortable presence, even just standing there. It was hard to describe. The building felt like it was alive, looking at them. The woman gave the suited man four keys. Jiang Cheng noticed that they were old copper keys. They were very hard to find nowadays. Each key had a white tape stuck to the end. A number was written on it with a blue pen. 404, 405, 406, 407. Four rooms. Jiang Cheng walked to open the door closest to the first-floor lobby. The moment the door opened, a cloud of rotten air wafted out. He quickly jumped back. After the air cleared, the scene inside could be seen clearly. There were two beds in the room, one on the left and the other on the right. There were celebrity posters on the wall, but they were faded. There were also two small tables. The hostel had been abandoned for a long time. The tables were stacked together and pushed against the wall. The room was scattered with trash and empty bottles covered in ayer of dust. The room only had half of a window. The other half was shattered by something, and the wind howled through the giant hole. All the rooms should have the sameyout as a twin bedroom. Jiang Cheng didnt casually enter this strange room. He backed away and asked the woman, There will only be eight beds in four rooms, but there are nine of us. Thats right, Fatty added, How do you expect us to sleep here? He wanted the woman to move them to another location. Even if they had to sleep on the ground of some ssroom, it was better than this ce. The woman revealed a mysterious smile. Ill have to trouble you tonight. Perhaps you wont need a ce to sleep after that. Fattys expression froze. Okay. Jiang Cheng said, Well stay here tonight. By the way, when is the ceremony? We need to prepare for it. Seven days from now. Jiang Cheng nodded. If we have time, can we tour the school? The suited man asked, Its so beautiful here. We wont have the chance to visit a ce like this. The woman thought about it and then answered with some difficulty. Okay. However, pay attention to the time. You have to return to your room before the sky darkens. Chapter 27: Guardian Angel Chapter 27: Guardian Angel I dont quite understand, the suited man said gently. Is there anything unusual going to happen after dark? The woman turned around and regarded him with a strange gaze. The man didnt avoid her gaze. He smiled at her until she moved her eyes away. Then, she turned and left. She didnt say anything. The middle-aged man with the tank top wanted to rush after her to ask for more details, but the woman turned around the corner and disappeared like a ghost. Where did she go? The middle-aged man asked in a trembling voice. He couldnt understand this world at all. If you want to know, you can keep on chasing after her. The young man in the cap said through the chewing of his gum. He shrugged at the man. Perhaps shell bring you with her. The middle-aged man could sense everyones dissatisfaction with him, so he stopped talking and stayed with the group. The deeper they went into the hostel, the clearer the strange feeling. The creepiness surrounded them. It was like there were pairs of red eyes staring at them from the dark. The damp air assaulted them. The smell of mildew was mixed with an unknown substance. Since the corridor was littered with trash, they had to move things around. The hostel building looked unpresentable. There were ck moulds and yellow stains on the walls everywhere. Strange material scabbed on the ground. The ce looked deserted. Doctor. Fatty frowned as he moved over. He wanted to say something but was stopped by Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng took a big step forward to move away from Fatty. The girl with the pyjama stayed in the middle of the group. Her eyes were red as she rubbed her shoulders and whispered, This ce feels wrong, like something bad has happened here. The young man touched his cap and scoffed, Isnt that a given? Why else would this ce be abandoned otherwise? What could have happened here? The middle-aged man shivered. The young man grinned with disdain and then purposely said in a creepy tone, Maybe someone has died here. Hearing that, a few people in the group trembled visibly. The girl in the pyjama started to cry. However, she tried her best to keep her crying to a minimum, afraid that it might attract the wrong attention. Regardless, this was not the real world, and no one was brimming with pity. Or rather, those who showed pity had already died in the missions. Even the suited man couldnt help but show a trace of disdain. However, he quickly wiped that emotion off his face. Jiang Cheng captured this detail. Brother in the suit! Jiang Cheng shouted. The man turned around in confusion, What is it? I think youre a good man. Jiang Cheng said sincerely. I think our chance of surviving is much higher with you in our team. Youre so nice and so willing to help others. The suited man was startled. He thought about it and couldnt understand why Jiang Cheng would suddenly say that. However, he enjoyed thepliment because it helped build his persona. Its nothing. The suited man lifted his chin and smiled. His hair was wellbed. Its not easy for us to meet. Ill do my best to lead everyone out of here safely. This was Fattys first time hearing Jiang Cheng praise someone. Instantly, a bad feeling entered his heart. Well said, Jiang Cheng gasped before turning to the newbies like the girl and the middle-aged man, This brother has stated his stance. Why dont you hurry up and stick with him? Hell protect you. Hes our guardian angel! The suited man, ??? Fatty, Why does this feel so familiar? Almost instantly, a group of people rushed to the suited mans side. The girl looked weak, but she was the first to reach the suited man and grab his left arm. The other newbie young man was slower and grabbed his right arm. The middle-aged man was slower to react because of his age. When he reached the suited man, he could only extend his arm to grab the mans cor. Just like that, the suited man was pushed to the front of the team. He couldnt reject them even if he wanted to. To make matters worse, he had tofort these people in his gentle tone. Eventually, they reached the fourth floor. The suited man finally got rid of the people suffocating, using the excuse that he needed to get the key. His face was red because those people sucked the oxygen out of him and because of Jiang Cheng. At that moment, Jiang Cheng looked at him with the deepest admiration. Okay. The suited man began, Since everyone trusts me, Ill divide up the rooms. The woman in the qipao and the girl in the pyjama stayed in Room 407. The two newbies, the young man and the middle-aged man with the tank top and a woman with dark skin, stayed in Room 406. The suited man and the young man with the cap stayed in Room 405. The suited mans smile brightened when he saw Jiang Cheng. Brother, I sense that you already knew thisrge brother beside you before this. In that case, you two can stay in Room 404. 4 was a taboo number. Undeniably, this was the suited mans revenge. Fatty was about to reject it when Jiang Cheng tapped his shoulders and said in an easy tone, Okay. Well follow the guardian angels arrangement. The suited man could hear the sarcasm, but he had to act like he didnt care. Even Fatty felt sorry for him. It was clear that not everyone was satisfied with the room arrangement, but the day was darkening. No matter what, they had no choice but to return to their rooms. After all, being inside a room was safer than staying out. Fatty received the key and opened the door. Even though he was mentally prepared, when he walked into the room, he was still stunned. Chapter 28: Tricks Chapter 28: Tricks The ce was very clean and neat. The bed was made, and the table was wiped clean. An unknown flower sat on the only windowsill. The flower was light purple in colour and radiated a mncholic feeling. Fatty sighed with emotions, Doctor, are we not like lotuses in this chaotic world? We dont know where we can take root because we might die in the next second. Perhaps. Jiang Cheng sighed, But at least youll be by my side. Fatty was touched, and his eyes watered, Doctor, I didnt expect wed be so close after only a few days together. Arent you touched that Im here with you during thest moments of our lives? Jiang Cheng looked at Fattys sincere eyes and said, Fatty, think about it. If you can survive, do you think the danger will kill me? Theres a high chance Ill die after you. Jiang Cheng continued, Therefore, dont you worry. If that dayes, Ill do my best to bring your ashes back to my office and pour you into my flower pots. With your size, the calcium in your body will be higher than normal. Fatty, We should search the room. Jiang Cheng inspected every corner of the room carefully. Other than a very small cupboard that he couldnt open, the ce looked normal. After ensuring that it was safe, Fatty copsed on the bed. At the same time, his stomach grumbled, Doctor, Im so hungry. However, it was already dark. Moving in the dark without any clues was stupid and dangerous. Furthermore, the woman who led them there warned them about moving in the dark. Jiang Cheng pulled out a big chocte from his pocket. It had a red wrapping. Fatty remembered it from his childhood. Where did you get that? Fatty jumped off the bed instantly, his eyes glowing. I got it while I was on the way. Jiang Cheng snapped off a piece and tossed it over. Fatty snatched it. Fatty took a small bite and then lifted his head to ask, On the way to the cafe? Fatty saw a lot of mini-markets around the cafe. However, he couldnt figure out how Jiang Cheng bought the chocte without any money. After they entered the nightmare realm, most of their belongings would disappear, including money. Jiang Cheng bit into the chocte and looked out the dark window. He said, I didnt buy it. You didnt buy it? Yes. Then, how did you get it? Fattys eyes widened like he realised something bad, Did you steal it? Nonsense! Jiang Cheng red at Fatty, It was the female boss of the minimarket who shoved it to me. I wanted to reject her, but she got mad at me. Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng with confusion, Doctor, can you tell me where you found this boss? I want to meet her too. Jiang Cheng put down the chocte and was about to get it with Fatty when Fatty gave up and sighed, Doctor, you distracted me again. We are in the nightmare realm. We might die tomorrow. Dont be so pessimistic. Jiang Cheng patted his shoulder, You might not even survive tonight. Fatty, Room 407. The girl with the pyjamas curled on the bed and hid her shivering body under the nket. Big sister, The girl looked at the woman in the qipao and asked in a trembling tone, Dont you think its cold? Even though Im under the nket, Im still so cold. Like Jiang Cheng, the first thing the woman in the qipao did after entering the room was to inspect the room carefully. Other than a brokenb found in the table drawer, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Even the trash can was very clean. If you want to talk to me to normalise the situation, Id advise you to save your breath. The woman in the qipao said in a cool tone, Its pointless and will distract us and lower our chance of survival. The girl cowered from the womans presence. She stopped talking, but her stomach still growled. Turn around and close the curtain, The woman ordered. The girls bed was next to the window. A blue curtain hung on the window. It was not big, but it was enough to cover up the whole window. The girl carefully reached her hand out and rapidly pulled the curtain close. Be more careful, The woman in the qipao warned, Bad things might happen if the curtain falls. The girl was scared, What bad things? The woman looked at her before turning her face away. She ignored her, walked to her bed and then crawled into bed. Doctor, Fatty asked as he watched Jiang Cheng move the mattress to the floor, Why are you sleeping on the ground when theres a bed? Then, Fatty seemed to realise something and pressed, Do you think the ghost wille out from under the bed too? No. Jiang Cheng set up his bed. He patted it a few times until a hole appeared before lying down. Im merely used to this. Fatty nodded. Even though he had not been to Jiang Chengs bedroom in the real world, he remembered Jiang Cheng telling him that he only had a mattress in his bedroom. By the way, Fattybed his hair. Doctor, why did you target the man in the suit? He paused before continuing, He hasnt been bad to us. I think what you did was meaningless, and you even made an enemy. To be honest, if you didnt do what you did, I dont think wed be assigned Room 404. Jiang Cheng looked at the ceiling. Then, he said slowly, Because he was the one who yed tricks first. Fatty was shocked as he sat up and asked, Doctor, what do you mean? Chapter 29: Voice Chapter 29: Voice After he got the four keys from the woman, he kept them in his left pocket. Jiang Cheng said calmly, Then, he kept his hand in his left pocket ever since. At the same time, he kept talking to distract us. Fatty felt rather dumb. He asked in alert, Did he do something to the keys? I cant tell for now. Jiang Cheng answered, I inspected the key. I saw nothing strange on it. Fatty nodded and exined to himself, Doctor, was that why you sent those people to him to interrupt him? Yes. However, Im not sure if I seeded or not. Fatty gritted his teeth. Doctor, this man looks nice on the surface, but hes actually so cunning. He even assigned us Room 404 as revenge. Ill take a quick nap. Jiang Cheng ignored him and turned around, Wake me up after an hour. Okay. Fatty took the watch Jiang Cheng tossed over. The watch was too tight for his wrist, so he held it in his palm. Even though he was not that sleepy, to prevent himself from identally falling asleep, he sat up and wrapped the nket around him. The night was quiet, like the school was dead. Fatty believed there were no students around them, or it wouldnt be so quiet. Once the one hour was up, Fatty left his bed to shake Jiang Cheng awake. Jiang Cheng slept so lightly that he was already awake when Fatty moved from his bed. However, he still waited for Fatty to shake him before he opened his eyes blurrily. After he sat up, he worked his neck and shoulders. He was used to the hard pillow at home, so the cotton pillow made him ufortable. Did anything strange happen? No. Fatty answered, Doctor, dont you worry. Ill wake you up even if I see a cockroach. You should know how alert I am. Jiang Cheng stood up and moved to the door. He didnt stick too close to it. He listened to the movement in the corridor. Then, he returned to his bed and leaned against the wall to listen to the movement next door. Doctor, Fatty said, They should be asleep. Its so quiet around here. Jiang Cheng looked at him and said nothing. He took the watch back and put it back on his wrist. Even though Fatty was no longer hungry after eating the chocte, he was thirsty. Another half an hour passed. Jiang Cheng thought it was about time and prepared to move. He told Fatty that no matter what happened, he had to pretend that he didnt know anything. Fatty was very confused, but he agreed due to his innate trust in Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng pulled out an old coin from the corner of the room. Then, he crawled back to his bed and slowly used the coin to scrape against the wall. He did this again and again. The sound was low, but it was very clear in the quiet night. What are you doing? The scraping sound caused Fatty to break out in goosebumps. Jiang Cheng didnt answer and kept scraping. Eventually, sounds came from next door. It was also very soft, but the uneven movement betrayed the persons panic. Their next door was Room 405, the room of the suited man and the young man with the cap. After a while, the sound of a door opening came from the corridor. It was followed by rapid and uneven footsteps. Hearing that, Jiang Cheng immediately stopped his action. He carefully removed the traces of the scraping off the wall and then tossed the coin back into the inconspicuous corner. However, the footsteps moved away from Jiang Chengs Room 404. Then came the sound of knocking and the voices of the suited man and the young man in the cap. Soon, the corridor became noisy again. Jiang Cheng acted like he had just woken up and slowly opened his door. His face was one of fear as he saw everyone outside his room, Whats wrong? Seeing Jiang Cheng, the man in the suit was startled, and then he asked curiously, Did you hear a strange sound? Strange sound? Jiang Cheng scratched his head, No. I just went to sleep. Its very quiet around here. No? The mans face darkened. Then, he added urgently, What about the fat guy in your room? Im here. Fatty heard him and poked his head out. Guardian angel, are you looking for me? In the urgency of the situation, the man didnt care about the term of reference. He asked directly, Im asking you. Did you hear anything strange? He paused before adding, A sound like a spoon scraping against something. Fatty widened his eyes and said, No. Ive been sleeping and heard nothing. Hearing their answers, other than the suited man and the young man in the cap, the others sighed in relief. Then, they looked at the suited man strangely. Only people in Room 405 heard that strange sound Did that mean they were the first to encounter those things? In other words, they would die first. Were going back, The woman in the qipao said. Then, she walked back to her room. The girl in the pyjama followed her obediently. The three from Room 406 saw this and decided to leave. After saying a few things, they ran back to their room too. The room door closed like they were afraid of something. Only the suited man and the young man in the cap remained. Their expressions were dark. Jiang Cheng leaned against the door with confusion. Then, he gasped as if he had just realised something horrid, Is hearing strange noises the condition to trigger the ghosts? How scary that is! Fatty, Jiang Cheng turned around and asked in a hurry, Did you really not hear anything? Fatty cooperated fully. Brother, I really didnt hear anything. What about you? I was asleep like the others. I didnt hear anything. Jiang Cheng shrugged and showed an innocent expression. Good. Fatty sighed, Then, we wont die. Then, the two closed the door, leaving the suited man and the young man in the cap standing under the dim lights in the corridor. Chapter 30: Doctor, Im Not Sleepy Chapter 30: Doctor, I''m Not Sleepy The young man in the cap appeared to be pissed. He raised his fist and darted at Room 404 like he wanted to punch the door. However, the suited man moved fast and held him back. The suited man stared at the door of Room 404, looked around and whispered to the young man, This isnt right. We should go back. After they returned to their room, the suited man closed the door and locked it. The young man peeled off his cap and tossed it on the bed. Then, he turned around and grumbled, Could it be the two in Room 404 who are behind the sound? A few deep scars were left on the mans head. Thergest one extended from the back of his head to the back of his ear. It was why he wore the cap. He was not as young as he appeared. He looked around 30 but dressed like a kid. The suited man leaned on the wall, and his face was dark. Then, he said, I dont think so. We just got here, and we dont know the conditions that trigger the ghosts. I dont think they have the guts to do something like that. He paused, Unless they are mentally challenged. The young man slowly calmed down. He was not dumb. He knew the suited man was right. Then, his face paled. If those sounds were not made by the other yers, then He looked at the suited man but couldnt finish his sentence. There was an unwritten world in the nightmare realm. Once the mission started, unless it were absolutely necessary, no one would bring up that term. For now, nothing has happened, so dont scare yourself. The suited manforted him. He removed the buttons of his suit and the top two buttons of his shirt. Then, he took a deep breath and told his friend, Theoretically speaking, Room 405 that we chose should be the safest. We have people on both sides. Room 404 sounds unlucky, and bad things might have happened there. Therefore, no matter what, well get firsthand news as long as we dont rush into troubles. The man in the cap added, We have to be careful. The thin one from 404 seems to be targeting you. The suited man smiled to reveal his pearly whites and said with derision, Ill be careful and find a chance to make him stay here forever. Since the man said that, the other didnt add anything else. After they discussed the night schedule, the man with the cap went to bed. After all, mental acuity was a deciding factor behind ones survival. Inside Room 404, Jiang Cheng didnt go back to bed instantly. Instead, he sat on the chair like he was thinking about something. Fatty felt like it was time for discussion, so he sat up in bed and asked, Doctor, do you think someone will die tonight? In thest mission, the middle-aged man died on the first night. His neck was basically twisted around. Fatty was the first one to find him. He was trying to use the toilet and almost peed his pants. The scary image still asionally appeared in his mind. I dont think so. Jiang Cheng thought about it and answered him. Fatty grumbled, Doctor, you said we wouldnt be in the nightmare realm tonight, and now, look at us. Jiang Cheng turned around to stare at Fatty, Fatty, I just remembered something important. Doctor, what is it? Fatty nodded naturally. Seeing Jiang Cheng acting so seriously, he believed he had found something crucial. You better be careful when you sleep tonight. You should pull the nket up to your chin. Jiang Cheng gestured as he spoke. Fatty was scared. He looked around and then wrapped the nket around him tighter. Then, he asked carefully, Why, doctor? Jiang Cheng stood up while pping his hands, That way, the ghost will have a space to strangle your neck when they visit you tonight. Fatty, Perhaps he pitied the shivering Fatty, Jiang Cheng volunteered to stay up to let Fatty sleep first. Then, they could switch. However, Fatty shook his head. Doctor, your story is so invigorating that now, whenever I close my eyes, I can see a ghosting for my neck. Im not sleepy at all. Since Fatty insisted, Jiang Chengpromised. They set a time, and he went to sleep. Fatty sat in bed. He pulled all the nkets around him, but that couldnt stop the chill in his heart. To be honest, he had a bad feeling the moment he stepped into this ce. However, even after he looked around, he couldnt exin where that feeling came from. For some reason, Fatty had a feeling that someone would die that night. There was no reason behind it. It was his intuition. Fatty switched about, but he couldnt find a position that felt safe to him. In the end, he propped the pillow up and leaned against the wall. At least he would see the ghosting for his neck from the front. Soon, Jiang Cheng started to snore. Fatty had to be impressed that he could sleep at a time like this. Compared to Room 404 and 405, Room 406 was more chaotic. Even though there were three in the room, they didnt trust one another. There were only two beds in the room, so one had to sleep on the floor or on the chair. There were two guys and one girl, but it was the girl who got the upper hand. The girl had a sharp ponytail, and her gaze was cutting. If Jiang Cheng were there, he would be able to tell from the womans rigid posture and the callous between her index finger and thumb that she was a practised expert. She might have used a gun before. However, the two men in the room couldnt tell that. They just knew that they couldnt offend her. This was not her first time in the nightmare realm, or she couldnt be so calm. The woman had the bed next to the window. She leaned against the wall and looked out the window. Perhaps a green face might appear there suddenly. The middle-aged man in the tank top and the other man entered the nightmare realm for the first time. They sat on the edge of the same bed and appeared very anxious. Chapter 31: Target Chapter 31: Target Erm The middle-aged man with the tank top looked at the womans side profile, and his lips trembled. When he opened his lips, he realised he didnt even know her name. He asked awkwardly, May I ask for your name? The woman nced at him and said lightly, Xu Wen. Her voice was unique. It sounded experienced and coarse. The womans willingness to answer gave the man some hope. He straightened his body, leaned forward slightly and said ingratiatingly, Miss Xu, nice to meet you. My name is Zhou Taifu. My family is in the jewellery business. Xu Wen turned around and looked at him with interest, Continue. Zhou Taifu licked his lips. I can tell that Miss Xu is not a simple person. You must have some experience dealing with this, so So you want me to protect you, and then youll pay me when were out of here? Xu Wen suddenlyughed, Is that it, Mr. Zhou? Zhou Taifu nodded quickly, Thats right, Miss Xu. As long as you can protect me until we leave here, Ill make sure that youre satisfied with the reward. Youll make sure Im satisfied? Xu Wen scratched her chin as if thinking. Seeing this, the man who sat next to the middle-aged man couldnt stand it anymore. He quickly added, Miss Xu, I hope you can help me too. Even though Im not as rich as Mr. Zhou, if I can leave here alive, I can give you everything I have. Oh? Xu Wen turned her head as if she was intrigued by the offer. Zhou Taifu was annoyed. He pointed at the other man and scolded, Miss Xu promised me first. Whats wrong with you? He turned to Xu Wen and said, Miss Xu, you only need to care about my safety. No matter how much this poor shod can pay you, Ill pay you double! No! He waved his hand, Ill pay ten times! Thats so generous of you, Xu Wen sighed. Zhou Taifu pressed his lips. He stood up in a shiver and said, Does this mean Miss Xu agrees? Xu Wen didnt answer but looked out the window. Then, she asked mysteriously, Jewellery merchant Zhou Taifu, what do you think the meaning of the nightmare realm is? Meaning? Zhou Taifu was startled. Was that important? Wasnt the most important thing to survive? Or negotiate the price. Xu Wen didnt even look at him. She gave the feeling that she didnt care about the answer he gave. This made him ufortable. However, he had a favour to ask of her, so he had to ensure it. Im in a very special business. Xu Wen exined slowly. She appeared very rxed. Some people will pay us to do some things. Of course, She added, Not in our country but in countries where there are wars. Therefore, some call us mercenaries. Her eyes lost their focus like she was reminiscing, That ce is very poor. The only thing that is of value to us is money, and we are willing to do anything for money. She paused. She lowered her head and repeated, And I mean anything. Zhou Taifu felt difited. He asked, Miss Miss Xu, what do you mean? Nothing. Xu Wen touched her hair. This normal action that would feature female beauty looked serious on her. The two men in the room had their hearts shiver. I just dont think its fair. She raised his head. The chills appeared in her eyes again. Her eyes swallowed all the light in the world. In real life, you can do anything you want with your money and power. However, please know that youre in the nightmare realm. The pride you own in the real world means nothing here. Therefore, please respect this ce and the rules here. Room 407. The girl in the dinosaur pyjama trembled in bed. The nket covered her fully. Only her eyes were exposed. Sister Qipao. She said worriedly, The sound is still there. Its like its only a wall away from us. The woman didnt look calm anymore. About ten minutes ago, the girl suddenly told her that she heard a strange scratching sound. This instantly reminded her of the sound the two in Room 405 heard. Could the thing have changed their target? She couldnt help but be worried. However, after she calmed down, she realised that was unlikely. If those things really targeted the people in Room 405, normally, they wouldnt change target. The only thankful thing was the woman in the qipao hadnt heard the scratching sound. No matter what, they couldnt stay in Room 407 anymore. The thing had targeted that room, and the girl in the pyjamas would most likely be the first victim. Little girl, The woman asked, Can you still hear the sound? She was confirming again. The girl nodded. She was so scared. But its not as obvious as earlier. It feels like the sound is moving. She pointed at the source of the sound. Her finger moved from the wall andnded near the woman in the qipao. Big Sister, The girl looked like she was about to cry, The sound ising from the top of your head. What?! The woman looked up, but it was empty. So far, she still heard nothing. The night was so silent. Her brain started to spin. Could they have gotten everything wrong? Those who could hear the sound would not be killed, and those who could not hear it were the real targets! The reason behind this was simple. If those who heard the scratching were the targets, then the two in Room 405 should have died already. In other words, if the people in Room 405 had already died, no one would have died anymore that night. So why would the sound of scratching still move around? Chapter 32: Fear Chapter 32: Fear The woman in the qipao couldnt sit still anymore. She stood up and walked to the door. Sister Qipao, The girl looked so scared. She wasnt going to be left alone in the room. Where are you going? She jumped down her bed, didnt put on her shoes and rushed over to the woman, stepping on the cold cement floor. Ill go check with the others and see if theyve encountered anything strange. She pretended to console the girl, Dont worry. Ill be back after I ask them about it. The girl seemed to be scared of the dark corridor. She thought about it and eventually said, Then, big sister, you have toe back quickly. Im scared being by myself. Okay. I promise you. After she took a deep breath, the woman slowly pulled open the door a small gap. The corridor was very quiet. If she didnt know the other rooms were inhabited, she would think she and the girl were the only people there. After confirming there was no anomaly, she opened the door and quickly slithered out. She didnt n to return to the room if she had her way. She shut the door with an audible click. Then, she quietly reopened the door and left a small gap to Room 407. If she encountered any danger, she could run back quickly. Furthermore, if she were taken in by the other room, Room 407, with the slightly open door, would be the ghosts best target. Her goal was Room 404. The people in Room 405 had heard the scratching. No matter what the sound represented, she was not going to take the risk. Plus, the two people in Room 404 didnt look like good people. The woman in the qipao was not naive. Therefore, she knew the suited man had been acting all along. There were no good people in the nightmare realm. Only those who died earlier orter. She didnt pick Room 406 because it had too many newbies. Newbies meant uncontroble factors. A careless mistake could mean death. Like most experienced yers, she didnt like newbies. On the other hand, she had high hopes for Jiang Cheng and Fatty. Jiang Cheng looked numb and a bit dull. However, she couldnt have a good read on him. To be honest, she had met dummies in the nightmare realm before, but none survived as well as Jiang Cheng did. Surviving a few nightmare missions taught her a lesson: too many people were good at acting. The two rooms were not far from each other. However, she was exceptionally careful, worried that she might wake something in the dark. Along the way, she kept her eyes on her surroundings. The door came closer and closer. She thought about reasons she could get them to open the door and for her to stay with them. The people inside were not dumb. She couldnt tell them she had heard the scratching sound. They would not let her in after hearing that. She paused and thought to herself. Suddenly, she was startled. It was already midnight. The lights in the corridor should be off. Why could she still see things so clearly? She looked around and soon found the light source. It was from a door that was left slightly ajar. Light seeped out. Her eyes trembled. Then, her eyes slowly moved up until she saw the room number. 407. 407! She shivered. How could it be 407? That was her room. She just came out of Room 407 She quickly turned around. Everything behind her was covered in darkness. Room 407, she had just left, had disappeared. As she expected! Those who didnt hear the scratching were the targets! The ghost wasing after her The fear triggered the womans need for survival. She knew that she couldnt give up until thest moment. If she yed this well, she could survive. There was rarely certain death in the nightmare realm. Everything was fair. The main thing she needed to do was to figure out if this new room was the real Room 407, or more precisely, was it a ghost or a girl waiting for her inside? Ghosts power couldnt be exined using logic or science. Therefore, the Room 407 before her could be the real Room 407. She decided to make a gamble. Perhaps the ghost hoped that she would not treat this as the real Room 407. After confirming that, she ran to Room 407. As she moved, the corridor behind her was consumed by darkness, like it had never existed. She knocked on the door but didnt enter the room. Who? A scared female voice asked, Who is it? It was the girl with the dinosaur pyjamas voice. It sounded so real. It was like she was going to die from fear the next second. Its me! The woman in the qipao answered quickly, Open the door! As she said that, she turned around to look. The darkness behind her approached her. Soon, it would reach her. Then she would be gone. If she was lucky, the rest of them might find a corpse somewhere. Quick! She mmed the door. Open this door! The girl inside was clearly frightened by this aggression. She started to cry. Through her tears, she asked if the woman was a ghost and pleaded to be left alone. The door is left ajar. Why do you need me to open it for you? Is it because youre a ghost, and you cant move the door on your own? The woman outside could even hear the bed creaking as the girl cried. The woman spoke through the door. Its really me. Im Sister Qipao, who left earlier. Please believe me She paused. Im entering the room now The crying didnt stop. She could imagine the girls helpless expression. It was so real. Therefore, the woman in the qipaoforted the girl as she slowly retreated. Then, she caught her chance and ran. The moment she ran, the crying inside the door disappeared. The light that came from the door also disappeared. It was reced by a tapping sound. Something moved on all fours and crawled out of the fake Room 407. It couldnt be the girl. The acting was good, but the woman still found ws. The woman in the qipao made sure that the girl in the dinosaur pyjamas didnt notice her purposely leave the door open a small gap because she wanted to betray her. So only the ghost would know the door was not fully closed. The ghost was cunning. However, the woman in the qipao was not easy to fool. Chapter 34: Discovery Chapter 34: Discovery The woman in the qipao resisted the fear and looked up. The next second, her expression froze. Her eyes bulged, and she fell forward. Her mouth widened, and she screamed involuntarily. A ck shadow shed before her eyes. The extreme pain onlysted for a second before everything became quiet again. A mist unfurled in the dark corridor, and it wouldnt dissipate. This was a quiet night, at least for Jiang Cheng and Fatty. When the scream urred, Fatty was still asleep. Two nkets were ced on him. He took Jiang Chengs advice and pulled the nkets up to his chin, only showing his pudgy face. At that moment, a sharp scream came outside their room, Someones dead! Fatty was so shocked that he almost fell down from the bed. Jiang Cheng took over the watch a few hours ago, so he was still awake. It was a woman who screamed. She sounded very young, and Jiang Cheng could recognise her voice. It was one of three newbies, the girl in the dinosaur pyjamas. Doctor. Fatty trembled as he tried to say something. Perhaps he had just woken up. He made no sense at all. In any case, Jiang Cheng told him to shut up as he moved to the door. It was not until he heard the footsteps outside that he opened the door. Fatty followed him with fear. Not far away, the girl was lying on the ground weakly. A lot of people crowded around the rooms door opposite the girls room. Blood oozed out of the door. It was brighteningly red. From the amount of blood, the fate of the people inside was not great. Fattys eyes wandered about. He paused for a moment and then whispered, The woman in the qipao is not here. Actually, Jiang Cheng had already noticed that before Fatty told him. Therefore, it was given who was the victim inside the room. The girl in the pyjama was so scared that she couldnt stop screaming. Fuck! The man in the cap was already annoyed. The girls screams didnt help the matter. After he cursed, he walked to the girl and gave her a p. After that, the whole world became quiet. The girl was pped to the ground. Shey there unmoving. However, her eyes shone with suffocating despair. This time, no one helped her. There was not even a word offort. Even the kind man in the suit ignored her. When they saw the blood, everyones true identity was revealed. In a way, the mission only started after someone died. Jiang Cheng and Fatty slowly approached the group. The rest also noticed theming. The man with the tank top gave way for them. This was a hostel room too, but it looked abandoned a long time ago. Even the window was broken. A pair of fair legs extended from the corner. The skin was dotted with blood. Jiang Cheng could confirm that it was the body of the woman in the qipao. When he first arrived, he noticed that the woman was wearing a pair of white silk stockings. Out of respect for the mission, he studied them for a long time. In the end, he surmised that the silk must have felt nice on her skin. Plus, her skin was fair, and sheposed herself well. She must have been trained before. The door was left half-open. He didnt know if the door was found like that or if someone purposely left it that way. In any case, he opened the door fully and was the first to walk in. Seeing then, Fatty trembled all over his body. He wanted to say something to stop Jiang Cheng, but he was toote. Jiang Cheng was already inside the room. He then lowered his head to focus on the corner. There was a female corpse ced near the corner of the room. Around the body was arge pool of blood. Blood was sttered everywhere. The table, dresser, walls and even the abandoned mattress were stained with blood. The floor of the room was uneven. The blood eventually pooled near the bed. The floor was made from cement. It was ufortably slippery. The womans face was against the floor. From his angle, there was no sign of outer injury or struggle. Therefore, it was hard to tell where the blood came from. Then, a few people joined Jiang Cheng. They were the suited man, the man with the cap and the other woman. When they saw the womans body, their faces hardened. Sometimes, getting the right guess was a pain. Fatty forced himself to enter the room. He stepped on a stop of blood and almost tripped. The pungent smell of blood and a light scent of decay mixed in the air. It triggered a lot of strange images in Jiang Chengs mind. This was his old habit. He shook his head to force the feeling back, but it only made things worse. In the blur, he took a step back. To his surprise, this triggered a chain reaction. The suited man, the man with the cap and the woman with the ponytail all took a step back. Whats wrong? The man with the cap asked. Jiang Cheng didnt even respond to him. He used his fingers to massage his temples. Then, he finally felt better. When he looked up, the three of them had already retreated to the door. Everyone was staring at him. They looked like they were ready to run at a moments notice. Whats wrong with all of you? Jiang Cheng frowned. The man in the cap looked him up and down. Realising there was nothing wrong with him, he answered, Nothing. We just thought you were a bit strange. He pursed his lips and then probed, Did you find something? No. Really? The suited man didnt believe him. Really. Jiang Cheng confirmed. I need someone to help me turn her body over. We might find some clues. He added, Who can help me? Everyone became silent after that. Even though investigating the corpse would not be lethal, people would still feel wary of handling a dead body. Chapter 35: Corpse Chapter 35: Corpse Just as Fatty was about to force himself to help Jiang Cheng, he caught Jiang Chengs gaze. The gaze told him to back off. Fatty shrunk his head. He also swallowed the words he was about to say. Jiang Cheng averted his eyes and stared at the suited man. The man looked awkward being stared at. His face paled as a bad feeling rose in his heart. Just as he was about to say something, Jiang Cheng interrupted him, Mr Guardian Angel, He said politely, Im going to need your help. The man looked at the corpse, and his lips twitched. At the same time, the woman with the ponytail and the man with the cap sighed in relief. However, their expressions were soon reced by worry. Me? The suited man frowned. Jiang Cheng nodded. Yes, you. The man in the tank top, the other man and the girl in the pyjama moved to the door, but they didnt dare to step into the room. Everyones attention was on the man in the suit. At that moment, the man thought about it and then epted. He and Jiang Cheng stood on both sides of the woman in the qipao. Jiang Cheng suggested they grabbed the womans shoulder on each side and then turned her over. After Jiang Cheng reached out to grab the womans shoulder, the suited man followed suit. Then, they worked together to flip the corpse over. The girl outside the door screamed. Her knees weakened, and she almostnded in a pool of blood. Even the mercenary woman, who had seen many gory things, couldnt help but frown. The womans state of death was harrowing. The scariest thing was her chin was missing. Her hollow mouth cavity was exposed, sinews, muscles and all. Something grabbed her by the head and then forcibly yanked her chin off. Seeing this, Fatty almost vomited. The womans elegant qipao was soaked in blood. The womans eyes were round and wide. She must have seen something scary before she died. Even in her death, her face was painted in indescribable fear. Her eyes were bloodshot. After the initial difort, the woman in the ponytail walked forward and knelt beside the corpse. Then she added, Her tongue is gone. Her voice was calm, like she was reciting a fact. However, her calmness made others ufortable. Is she dead? The man in the tank top shivered. Even though he already knew that fact, seeing it was different from acknowledging it. Everyone ignored him. Dying wasmon in the nightmare realm. The important thing was to figure out how she died. And from that, determine the missions taboos and avoid them. The blood was sprayed all over the walls, bed, dresser and even the ceiling. The scent of blood added an ominous tone to the mission. Someone probably grabbed her and then snapped her chin off. The woman with the ponytail concluded. She said someone, but everyone knew the culprit was a ghost. It was the ghost of the mission that killed her. After all, how could a human possess the agility and strength to do this? After that, the man in the cap crossed his arms and suggested they leave. Everyone agreed. Jiang Cheng nced at the woman for a few more seconds before he left too. They stood outside the door and exchanged thoughts about the womans death. However, even Fatty could hear that they were talking nonsense. After the crowd dispersed, the girl in the pyjama suddenly spoke and asked if they should bury the womans body. A red palmprint was branded on her face. She looked so pitiful. If this were outside, people might pity her, but this was the nightmare world. The suited man and the others ignored her directly. It was Fatty who pitied her and told her that she didnt need to mind details like that. The corpse might even disappear on its own. Once the girl heard that the dead body might disappear for no reason, she was more scared. However, this was not something Fatty would worry about. He merely told her the truth, as cruel as it was. The first NPC told them that the purpose of their journey was to take a video of the schools anniversary. The date was seven dayster. They still had six days to the big event. In other words, this was a time-gated mission. Due to the time constraint, everyone decided to go to the canteen for breakfast and explore the school. Since they were supposed to be media workers, they should explore the venue. They might find clues. Fatty suddenly reminded, Dont forget. Our video tools are still in the prop room. Jiang Cheng turned around to say, Then, we should separate and meet up in front of the prop room at noon. This was a reasonable arrangement, so no one said anything. Jiang Cheng and Fatty turned to walk down the stairs. The girl in the pyjamas ran over and followed them. The tail of her pyjama wagged about. It was cute. She probably wanted to try her luck because only Fatty responded to her earlier. After all, now that the woman in the qipao was dead, she was alone in Room 407. Its useless to follow us, Jiang Cheng said calmly, Its rtively safe in the day. If I were you, Id consider how to survive the uing night. The girl paused. Then, she suddenly ran in the other direction. The woman in the ponytail stood before Room 406 like she was thinking. The schoolpound wasrger than they thought. With the NPC leading the way yesterday, they didnt think much of it. But when they had to find the canteen on their own, it took quite some effort. Jiang Cheng was distracted along the way. He handed the pathfinding mission to Fatty. It was why the two werete and lost. Doctor, Fatty asked nervously, Did you discover something? Jiang Cheng didnt answer him directly but nodded, Lets eat first. Well talkter. Chapter 36: Second Puberty Chapter 36: Second Puberty The canteen was an individual two-story building. It was ratherrge but located in a secluded spot of the school. It was next to a small forest near the west field of the school. Near it were a few old buildings that looked like old housing. Jiang Cheng thought the ground floor was the student canteen, and the first floor was the cafeteria for the school employees. However, he entered and realised the first floor was split into east and west spaces by giant screens. The east side wasrger. Young kids moved around with trays. It looked like the student canteen. The west side was smaller and had fewer people milling about. This was probably the staff canteen. It was breakfast time, and people walked about. Young and fresh faces captivated Fattys attention. Doctor. Fatty took a deep breath and said with a flushed face. It feels nice to be young. I feel like a student here again. Jiang Cheng chided, I knew you were a Peeping Tom. I bet you were looking at girls when you were young too. Fatty thought about it and wanted to say something back. However, he had nothing to say, so he shut up. Jiang Cheng led Fatty to walk around the student canteen before they crossed the screen to the employee canteen. To Fattys surprise, none of their mission mates was there. Doctor, Fatty was confused, Dont they need to eat? They havent eaten since yesterday. Jiang Cheng answered, We passed by a convenience store when thedy led us to the hostel yesterday. They probably went there to buy some prepackaged food. Compared to this ce, the store will be quieter and thus poses a lower risk. Fatty reacted after a few minutes. He grumbled that the others were too cunning. They pushed them to this ce because it was the riskier location. Jiang Cheng seemed to have found a satisfactory spot. He sat down, and Fatty huffed and plopped down opposite him. Two points. Jiang Cheng raised two fingers and wagged them. First, I was not led here by them. I wont share the information I find with them unconditionally. Second, Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty, Dont call people cunning easily. Think about why youre so dumb first. Hearing that, Fatty shrunk rapidly, and his handsnded on his knees under the table. However, he had gotten used to Jiang Chengs insults. A few minutester, he recovered and asked Jiang Cheng, Doctor, should we eat something? Im so hungry. The two came to the counter. It had to be said that the school was good in certain areas. The food provided was all high-quality. Of course, it had to do with the expensive tuition. Art requires money. Sweet and sour ribs, fried fish, seafood porridge Jiang Cheng ordered a few dishes through the counter window and then took out his temporary worker card. After a beep, the auntie pushed the food through to them. Since he ordered many things, Fatty had to take two rounds to carry all the food. Isnt this a bit much? Fatty looked at the half-filled table and groused, Its not good for digestion to eat so much in the morning. Jiang Cheng stuffed a whole rib into his mouth. Then, he slurped the porridge and said, Im growing, so I need more food. Your puberty stopped ten years ago, okay? Fatty couldnt help it. Jiang Cheng put down his chopsticks and said seriously, This is my second puberty. It will only strengthen a specific part of my body! Fatty, Doctor, can you pipe down? After breakfast, Fatty suddenly realised he was not as nervous as before. He was even a bit excited. Why do you think the woman in the qipao died? Fattys expression became worried. Her chin was yanked off by the ghost. The thought was horrifying. Jiang Cheng had wolfed down the food earlier, and a fishbone was stuck in his throat. This caused his voice to change, You feel that its strange too? Fatty nodded, Shes not a newbie, so she should know its not safe outside at night. He paused and added, Plus, she was alone. Correct. Jiang Cheng said, Continue. Thats all I have so far. Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng and said humbly, Doctor, you must have figured out more than I do. Tell me. Jiang Cheng nced at the screen and turned back. First, its abnormal for her toe out alone at night. She probably encountered something, and it was very important to her that it involved her life. Fatty froze. He leaned forward to whisper, Do you mean she ran into ghosts? Possible, but the chance is low. At this point, Jiang Cheng stopped joking. He said, after some thought, Assuming she did run into ghosts, why didnt the ghosts kill her inside her room but chase her out to the corridor? Because the corridor is dark and secluded. Its easier for the ghosts to kill. Fatty answered instantly. Then, he frowned. This question was too easy. Jiang Cheng wouldnt ask a question so simple. Jiang Cheng nodded. He studied Fatty with an inscrutable gaze. Thats right. The corridor is dark and secluded. Its perfect for a ghost killing. And she did die there. Doctor, Fatty was more confused, What is your point? Jiang Cheng sighed, Fatty, think about it. Do you think the woman in the qipao wouldnt figure out something even you can think of? Fatty thought about it, Then, what did you think happened? Jiang Cheng pulled his gaze away like he was bringing himself back to the night of the womans death. If I were her, there was only one thing that could force me out of the rtively safe hostel room and enter the dangerous corridor. His eyes focused again as he looked at Fatty. Something seemed to flow in his eyes. That was because I knew I had already been targeted by ghosts. And if I didnt leave my room and enter the corridor, I would 100 percent die. Chapter 37: Same Side Chapter 37: Same Side Fatty gave it a quick thought and knew Jiang Cheng was right. Doctor, that might be the case, but none of us have seen the ghosts or know their habits. How can she tell she has been targeted? Jiang Cheng smiled, Do you remember the two from Room 405? Fatty frowned, The man in the suit and the man with the cap? Yes. Jiang Cheng nodded. Why couldnt they sleep wellst night? Wasnt it your fault? You scratched the wall with a coin to scare them. Then, Fatty paused. His pupils trembled like he realised something. Doctor, do you mean someone purposely tricked her into believing that she had been targeted by ghosts? If she didnt leave her room, shed die?! Jiang Cheng nodded and added, Thats not what I mean, but it is the most probable situation based on logical extension. But Fatty lowered his head to think, The woman didnt look like someone who could be easily fooled. When you did the thing, we had just entered our rooms. However, when the woman ran out, it was in the middle of the night. The pressure they faced waspletely different. Sometimes, you dont need to push too hard. You only need to nt the seed of suspicion and Jiang Cheng said slowly, The victim would do the rest. That is the trap for clever people. This is especially true in the nightmare realm, where logic is useless. Any suspicion will be erged indefinitely. Caution is a good thing, but when it turns into paranoia, itll only harm you. Fatty took a long time to digest Jiang Chengs words. Fatty only sighed when most of the people in the canteen left, Doctor, if, I say if, all the things you said were true, who was the one who exiled the woman to the corridor to be killed? Jiang Cheng didnt expect Fatty to use the term exile, but he felt that it was very fitting. What do you think? In terms of location, the girl in the pyjama, who shared the victims room, was the most suspicious. However, you also saw how inexperienced she was. Fatty continued, Then, it will either be the two from Room 405 or the woman with the ponytail from Room 406. When the mention of the woman in the ponytail, Fattys gaze darkened. He licked his cracked lips and said, I feel like she is not simple. For some reason, I feel ufortable around her. Its like her presence is choking me. Im okay when Im away from her. Its a killers aura. Jiang Chengs face turned interesting. Thats why. If you look closer, youll notice that her eyes are sharp and ruthless, like a sharpened de that can slowly cut you open. Jiang Cheng leaned on the stic chair and resumed, When I shook her hand, I noticed that her fingers were a lot more calloused than normal. When she moved, her elbows would involuntarily lower. Its to protect her ribs and to aid in situations where she needs to suddenly exhaust power. Clearly, she is very trained. Theres a high chance she has used a gun before and has killed. When we saw the womans body, she was the calmest. She even knelt down to discover that the victims tongue was gone. Jiang Cheng took a deep breath. A normal person wouldnt be able to do that. Fatty nodded heavily, Thats why it has to be her! Her room is right next to the victims! Jiang Cheng turned to look at Fatty for a few seconds. He didnt agree or disagree with him. He didnt understand why others kept jumping to conclusions when all he did was share a few of his observations. It was the same with Fatty and Man Li from thest mission. Whats wrong? Fatty was confused, Did I get it wrong? Was it really the suited man and the man in the cap? Fatty widened his eyes. But it shouldnt be. They were so frightened by you. How would they find the time to harm others? At that moment, there was a crisp sound that startled Fatty. It was the bell for ss. It was quick but loud. It rankled Fatty. Lets go. Jiang Cheng stood up. Well check other ces. Okay, doctor. The two walked around the schoolpound, which wasrger than it appeared. Since the students were in ss, the school didnt have many people walking around. There were only a few staff members lingering by. One thing that stumped Fatty was whenever they ran into the staff, thetter would look at them strangely like Fatty and Jiang Cheng were animals at the zoo. Doctor, When this happened for the third time, Fatty couldnt hold it in anymore, Did you notice them staring so weirdly at us? Jiang Cheng answered, Its certainly abnormal. I noticed it when we were at the canteen but back then, they were doing it furtively. Now, it has gotten a lot more obvious. Fattys throat trembled, and he uttered nervously, Could they all be ghosts? As time progresses, theyll show their true faces and finally kill all of us His voice dwindled from fear. Before he could finish, he had already scared himself. That shouldnt be the case. Jiang Cheng shook his head. Fatty needed reassurance, so he asked quickly, Why? Because thew wont allow it. Jiang Cheng replied, The thing you describe is brushing too close against our countrysw. If theyre caught, theyll be sent to the ck rooms. Fatty, ?? Ever since they met, Fatty often faced situations where he didnt know tough or cry. At that moment, his face twitched. Doctor, Fatty shivered. If I didnt know better, Id think youre on the same side as the things in the nightmare. At that moment, Jiang Cheng suddenly stopped moving. Chapter 38: Newbie Chapter 38: Newbie On the western side of the school, there was a convenience store. The old ss door was left half open. The poster of a K-pop artist was pasted on it. The sequined suit of the idol looked outdated in todays entertainment industry. The man in the suit lit a match and turned away to light up his cigarette. Then, he waved his hand to extinguish the match. The man in the cap stood on the step below him. He munched on the dry bread as he held a bottle of water. Staring at the poster on the door, the suited man scoffed as he blew the ring of smoke on the poster, Did we have such horrible taste back then? The man in the cap finished his bread and slurped the jam that lingered on his fingers. However, he didnt turn to the other man or the poster. Instead, he stared at a group of young girls, not far away. He eyed them like a hungry wolf. They were dressed rather lightly. One of the taller girls had long hair and kept throwing nces back at him. She held a cigarette between her fingers. Even though she tried her best to act natural, the awkwardness in her eyes sold her out. She just recently joined this group of bad girls. If only this is not the dream realm, The man in the cap licked his lips. The suited man lowered his head, fixed the button on his sleeves and chuckled, Dont kid yourself. Do you dare toe to a ce like this in real life? You can only hide in the sunless basement. The suited man chided him. Dont forget. The police are still looking for you. The mans words yanked the other man back. His smile disappeared. He wiped his left hand on his shirt and then tugged the rim of his cap down lower on his face. He stood in the shadows, only showing half of his chin. Dont need to be so scared. The suited mans voice carried an alluring tone. As he fixed his clothes, a peek of the tattoo underneath his shirt showed through. Ill keep your secret. He smiled, You know what I want. But neither of us knows who has it. The man in the cap grumbled. Then, well search the others one by one. We have a lot of time. The woman in the qipao is dead, so that means the chance of her having the thing is low. Even if she did have it, it had been taken by another person. The suited man seemed to have transformed into a demon at that moment. The man in the cap seemed to realise something. He looked up to stare at the suited man. Do you mean someone has designed her death? His pupils narrowed to give him a sense of cunningness. Thats right. The suited man nodded. Who is it? No idea yet. Could it be the woman from Room 406? The man in the cap suddenly became nervous, She has a strange presence. There are callouses all over her hands. Could she be a police officer? The suited man scratched his chin and uttered after a pause, Shouldnt be. Her presence is territorial and aggressive. A member of the police wont have that. The man in the cap sighed. Thats good. The suited man studied the man in the cap and joked, As long as you choose to work with me, it doesnt matter if shes a cop or not He leaned forward and grinned darkly, Because I wont let her leave this ce alive. He pinched his cigarette out and added sinisterly, Same for the two idiots in Room 404. Jiang Cheng sneezed heavily. Fatty hugged his elbows and asked with concern, Doctor, are you down with the flu? Jiang Cheng shook his head and looked around. No. Probably someone is thinking about me again and is going over how much they miss me. Fatty naturally ignored thetter half of the sentence. They had wandered for a long time at the school. They went from the canteen to the field on the west and then took another detour back. Doctor, Fatty asked curiously, Where are we going? I feel like youre just walking around aimlessly. Thats right. Jiang Cheng admitted generously, That is exactly what Im doing. Fatty was stumped. He was always confused by Jiang Cheng. Im done with the stroll. Jiang Cheng put his hand over his forehead to block out the sun. He triangted the direction and then pointed down a path, Lets go to the Prop Room to meet up with them. Everyone would meet up in front of the Prop Room before noon. That was already decided earlier. The journey was long, and Fattys heart started to worry again. He looked at Jiang Cheng many times. His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing. You wanted to know who killed the woman in the qipao, right? Jiang Cheng said calmly. It was like he was reciting a truth. Yes. Fatty nodded quickly. They were discussing this earlier but they were interrupted by the bell. It was the ghost who killed her. Jiang Cheng answered him. Fatty grumbled, Of course I knew that. I mean Its the girl in the dinosaur pyjamas. Jiang Cheng paused to look at Fatty. She used the womans fear of ghosts to make her leave Room 407, which caused her death. Even though Fatty was shocked by this hypothesis, he didnt question it. This was because he knew Jiang Cheng would never joke about this. How did she do it? Fatty became nervous, How how did a newbie like her do something like this? I temporarily cant answer your first question. Jiang Cheng uttered, But the second question is very simple. The girl is not a newbie. Everything that we saw, including her show of fear, screams, cries and weakness Even the dinosaur pyjamas that she showed up in They are all a part of her disguise. The suited man is ten times weaker than her in terms of disguise. He shrugged, Compared to the girl, he is a simpleton. Fatty slowly calmed down. He thought back to the girl in the pyjama. He couldnt find any loophole in his memory. Doctor, can you show me some evidence? Chapter 39: Transformation Chapter 39: Transformation Why did you wake up this morning? Fatty answered easily, I was woken up by the girl in the pyjamas scream. She was shouting so loudly. Yes. What did you see when you left our room? Everyone was surrounding a door. There was arge pool of blood on the ground He exined as he tried to remember. What about the girl in the pyjama? She Fatty thought about it seriously. She was slumped on the ground, shellshocked. She kept screaming until she was pped by the man with the cap. Do you remember where she was at the time? Yes. Fatty was still confused, but he answered, She was at the back of the crowd. He very clearly described the situation back then. Is that a problem with that? Of course. Jiang Cheng said evenly, Her location was wrong. The room where the woman was found had no room number, but based on the arrangement, it should be Room 414. In other words, of all our four rooms, Room 407 was closest to it. The sun was already up then. Normally speaking, the girl should have seen the pool of blood once she left her room. Why didnt she scream instantly at the door of her room? Why did she wait to start screaming when she was at the door of Room 414 and slump down there? Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty, Shes not blind. Fatty widened his eyes in disbelief. That was indeed suspicious. That was only the first point. Jiang Cheng didnt give Fatty a chance to speak. He continued, Secondly, as a newbie, this should be her first night, and her roommate was gone. Who gave her the courage to leave her room on her own? Wasnt she afraid? Jiang Cheng borated, If I were her, I wouldnt dare do that. What about the third? Jiang Cheng paused for a few seconds before adding, Someone has touched the victims body before we were there. Fatty thought about it and raised his head. As he opened his mouth, he heard Jiang Cheng say, I know what youre trying to say. The ghosts could have done something to the body, right? Fatty nodded. In thest mission, Sister Nuans body was dragged away by the ghosts and strung upside down on a cross. Xie Yu was wrapped in a nket and then tortured to death. But strangely enough, the woman only has one wound on her body, and that is her broken jaw. Jiang Cheng continued, However, the location of the buttons around her neck changed. Buttons? Fatty frowned. Yes. Jiang Cheng nodded. The woman had on a qipao that had three buttons around her neck. When we first met her, she only had the top two buttons buttoned up. When the people in Room 404 were scared out of their room, and she came out, she also had two buttons buttoned up. But all three buttons were buttoned up on her dead body. I do not think the ghost would be so kind to button up her dress after they killed her. He nced in the direction of the hostel. Therefore, the most logical exnation is someone has examined her body carefully after she died. But as the culprit tried to remove her trace, she missed this detail. Doctor, Fatty interrupted him, I agree with most of what you said, but this one button He paused, Couldnt the woman in the qipao have buttoned it herself? No. Jiang Cheng replied affirmatively. Why? Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and then cupped his chest. Simple. Because if she buttoned up all the buttons, she would have difficulty breathing. Fattys eyes brightened as he thought about the womans amazing proportions. Then, Fatty nodded vehemently. Doctor, you are so right! I fully agree with you! If these things are just logical hypotheses, then thisst point is the final nail in the coffin for the girl in the pyjama. Fatty suddenly felt like Jiang Cheng was like a God. He listened to him attentively. There are traces of blood on the bottom of her shoes. I noticed that when she copsed on the ground. I get it now, Fatty said excitedly. From her persona, she wouldnt have dared to step on the blood. Therefore, she has to be the one who has tempered with the body behind our back. She is acting before us! No. Jiang Cheng shook his head. The blood on the bottom of her shoes is not important. She could have identally stepped on the pool of blood. That is not concrete evidence. Fatty wilted because he got it wrong, Then, what is? Theres blood on the bottom of her shoes but not on the sides. Jiang Cheng worked his stiff neck. Helping Fatty was more troublesome than solving the case himself. The sides of her shoes are so clean, like they have been wiped. Fatty thought about it, and then everything was rified for him. Jiang Cheng was right. He and Jiang Cheng probably had blood on the sides of their shoes. He lowered his head. There was indeed blood on the sides of both his and Jiang Chengs shoes. Everyone who had entered the room would have it. After all, the womans blood had sshed everywhere. If the girl was not guilty, why would she purposely clean up her shoes? However, a new problem surfaced, Doctor, Fatty asked, Why would the girl do this? Killing a teammate was disadvantageous. Fatty, Jiang Cheng said darkly, Dont you think the girl in the pyjama resembles someone we know? Who? As Fatty said that, an image appeared in his mind. He said tremblingly, Do you mean the innocent girl?! Yes. Jiang Cheng nced at him, She said her name was Chen Xiaomeng, but I think thats a fake name. Fatty seemed to realise something. His lips trembled unnaturally, Then Jiang Cheng nodded. His expression became unnatural. He twisted open the bottle of water. He took a sip but didnt drink it. The girl in the pyjama is transformed by Chen Xiaomeng! Fatty shouted. Jiang Cheng identally swallowed the water in his mouth and started to cough violently. Chapter 40: Camera Chapter 40: Camera Doctor. Fatty scratched his chubby cheeks and said awkwardly, Do you mean the girl in the pyjama has the same goal as Chen Xiaomeng? Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes at him. Indeed. The two were rather simr. They both used the rules within the game to target their teammates. In thest mission, Chen Xiaomeng killed Man Li. If not for Jiang Chengs caution, he would have died too. Thinking about it, Sister Nuans death probably had something to do with that girl too. This time, the girl in the pyjama set a death trap for the woman who shared the same room with her. This had happened twice already. This was more than a coincidence. The girl in the pyjama was simr to Chen Xiaomeng in the sense that they had an ulterior motive. Considering the womans body had been searched, Jiang Chengs first guess was they were looking for something. Fatty came to the same conclusion. This thing must be very important for them to take such big risks. It was most likely rted to the nightmare realm. Could it be something that could help us escape the nightmare? Fatty guessed, This thing would be given randomly to one of us when the mission started. If the owner manages to survive until the end, they can leave without any danger. This mechanic is verymon in games. Jiang Cheng thought about it and then nodded. Its possible but not urate. If this thing can increase ones survival rate, then its more likely. They had no way to verify this, so they didnt dwell on it. They proceeded to the Prop Room. With Jiang Cheng leading the way, they soon arrived at their destination, which was on the other side of the school. It was a squat building with the sign of the Prop Management Centre hanging in the middle. It had a design from decades ago. The windows were fitted with rusted grille. The iron gate was so aged that the edges had curled up. Thankfully, the gate was not rusted because it had a thin aluminium coating. Time appeared to have stopped there. Fatty blinked andmented that when he was young, his grandmas house in the countryside looked just like this. Jiang Cheng looked around, said nothing and led Fatty over. Just as they were about to cross the front gate, the gate was suddenly opened from the inside. A womans face appeared before them. Come in. The woman spoke and turned around. She seemed to want them to follow her. It was the woman with the ponytail from Room 406. Her voice was coarse but not grating. Fatty had a strange feeling that the woman matched this environment. She fitted well with the darkening sun and the wet sand in the red y pots. Jiang Cheng nced at her, said nothing and followed her. The inside of the building wasrger than he thought. They crossed a sandy courtyard. Student tables and chairs were stacked up in the corner. They had been abandoned, and there was no point in fixing them. There was a broken ckboard leaning against the wall. The writing on it couldnt be seen that clearly anymore. Only the first andst characters could be made out. They were, respectively, No and Come. Doctor, Fatty called after Jiang Cheng softly, pulling him back from his reverie. Jiang Cheng pulled back his gaze. One of the rooms in the building was their destination. The woman in the ponytail, the middle-aged man with the tank top and the other man were all there. The girl in the pyjama stood at the back, looking frightened and cowed. She pulled on the edge of her pyjama, calcting her every action. However, the suited man and the man with the cap were not there. It doesnt matter how many of you are here. A male voice said. It was aged but powerful. It did not belong to any of their teammates. Ive said everything I need to. These are all the equipment sent over. I have nothing to do with them. I have not touched them. The lighting was not that good, so the two didnt see the man in the dark instantly. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. This was an elder, around 65. His skin was abnormally white. His body was hunched over unnaturally, but his gaze was sharp. The elder took a step towards Jiang Cheng. It was then that they realised there were some issues with the elders legs. He had a hard time walking, and he held a wooden cane in his left hand. Whats going on? Jiang Cheng turned to the woman with the ponytail. We came to take the equipment, but we realised something happened to the camera. The woman said concisely. Other than her, the others didnt look too good. The man in the tank top gritted his teeth like he wanted to beat up the old man. Fatty quickly rushed over to ask, What happened? The woman in the ponytail signalled the other guy to take the equipment over. After switching it on, the man pointed at the lens. It is tinted with water vapour. Fatty blinked, Is that a serious problem? The man sighed. Itll seriously affect the photography results. Its fine if there are only some vapours, but this is so damaged that the vapour has condensed into water droplets. At this point, its easier to buy a new camera. Is there no spare? There are, but this is already the best among the bunch, The man said with a sigh. They were there to film the anniversary, but something happened to the cameras. The man then leaned in to whisper, This is probably not an ident. Someone did this on purpose. He took out the camera bag and pulled the zipper open. There is a damp-proofingyer on the inside, and the bag itself is water-resistant. This level of damage wouldnt happen overnight without human tempering. Then, he nced at the elder. The meaning was clear. The elder didnt react. His eyes were zed like they were frosted. What about the two from Room 405? Jiang Cheng turned to the woman, Why dont I see them? No clue. The woman in the ponytail was the calmest. We didnt see them when we came here. They might be somewhere else, looking for clues. She emphasised the word, clues. And gave Jiang Cheng a meaningful profile. Chapter 41: Are We Sure? Chapter 41: Are We Sure? Jiang Cheng turned to meet the old mans eyes and then turned back away. Get the camera. He told the other man, Lets leave. Just as they were about to leave Wait. Hearing that, everyone paused and turned back. The elder shuffled over with difficulty. He held a ck bag in his hand. Since your camera is broken, you can use this for now. Before the man from Room 406 could react, the elder shoved the ck bag into his hands. The man had no idea what the elder meant, and he subconsciously wanted to push the bag back. However, the elder didnt give him the choice. He turned and returned back to the yard. Then, the gate closed with a creak. Inside the bag was a ck camera. The model was old, and some of the corners had been ground off to reveal the metal underneath. However, it was still usable. Fatty looked at the camera and grumbled worriedly, What is this? A reward we got for triggering some side quest? No. Jiang Cheng stared at the closed gate and shook his head. This is not a side quest. After all, the mission had exined at the start that the stuff they needed had been sent to the Prop Room. Therefore, they had toe here eventually. Perhaps the cameras were meant to be broken. In other words, everything that happened since they arrived at the building had been preordained. Like the woman at the start, the elder was also an NPC. His purpose was to deliver this camera to the yers. Hearing Jiang Chengs analysis, the man who held the camera was very scared. His body trembled, and he looked like he was about to drop the camera, like there was a ghost hiding inside it. No one came to console him. Constion was the cheapest thing, besides kindness, in the nightmare realm. It did nothing but to expose your stupidity. At this ce, stupidity was the original sin. Jiang Cheng walked over and took the camera. He examined it and ced it in the ck bag. Then, he slung the bag around the mans neck. He patted his shoulder. Dont be scared. Focus on the positive. I think youll be fine. The man remained startled for a full second. This was the first time he had felt warmth from another human since he had arrived in this strange dream world. And he saw sincerity in the eyes of this man. Thank you The man said with shaking lips. Just as the man was about to say something else, Jiang Cheng shrugged, No need to thank me. I just think you can survive. Whether you will or not in the end is up to you. After all, I thought two people could survive in myst mission, but one of them had their head pried off, and the other didnt even have their head left. Everyone, ??? Alright. Fatty was worried that Jiang Cheng might be antagonised, so he quickly changed the subject, Now that we have the camera, what should we do next? The woman with the ponytail thought about it and said, We should take a few pictures of random people in the school and see if theres any problem with this camera. This was undeniably a clever move. After all, no one knew if using the camera would trigger the ghost. It was best to test it on the students. Coincidentally, a few female students walked out of the prop building. They were dressed quite fashionably. The man took out the camera, knelt on the ground and wanted to take their picture. Is this really a good idea A voice came from behind them. It was weak and gentle. Everyone turned. It was the girl in the pyjamas. She lowered her chin like she knew her suggestion wouldnt be epted. However, she gathered her courage and continued, After all, they are innocent. We are the outsiders. Her voice dwindled. Just as Fatty was about to praise this girl for her good acting, the man in the tank top jumped out. Fatty believed his name was Zhou Dafu. He started to scold the girl greatly. He kept repeating things like if she wanted to die, she didnt have to drag everyone down with her. It was clear that the man with the camera was annoyed as well. However, his attention was more on the woman with the ponytail. Clearly, she was the one who gave the final say. However, the woman was not in a hurry to speak. Her eyes scanned the girl in the pyjamas. The judgement in her eyes shed, but Jiang Cheng captured everything. The confusion in his heart also lessened. Ladies and gentlemen. The voice of the suited man came. He was as suave as ever. Now is not the time for argument. He walked out of a small path in the forest. The man with the cap followed him with a dark face. Jiang Cheng saw where the man came from. The forest was rather robust. The path was hidden in the forest. We said wed gather at noon. Fatty was the first to say, Where have you been? The man with the cap scoffed and was about to retort when he was interrupted by the suited man, Thank you for the concern. We encountered some things. We rushed over once we solved those. I hope the original n hasnt been interrupted. Thankfully, no. Jiang Cheng replied, Since you werent here on time, we thought He paused before adding shyly, You have to understand that this is the dream realm, Mr. Guardian Angel. Anything can happen. Once you werete, we assumed you were dead. The smile on the mans face froze. What do you mean by that? It was unclear what the man with the cap had gone through. His expression was ugly when he arrived. Once he heard Jiang Cheng, he rolled up his sleeves. Dont misunderstand. Jiang Cheng waved his hands and hid behind the woman with the ponytail. He looked scared. I do not mean to insult you. I merely suspect you are not humans! The fuck Since the situation was spiralling, the woman with the ponytail had to step forward. Out of everyones expectations, she chose to side with Jiang Cheng. She told the suited man and the man with the cap. I believe his suspicion is not unfounded. You need to prove to us you are not ghosts. Chapter 42: Names Chapter 42: Names The suited mans face was dark, but he still suppressed his anger. How do you want me to prove that? The woman answered, That is a problem you need to solve. They agreed to meet at the Prop Building. The woman NPC stressed this ce, so this ce must be important. Therefore, it would be extremely dangerous as well. The suited man and the man in the cap didnt want to take this risk, so they chose to show up after everyone else. Even Zhou Taifu could see that. The way everyone looked at the suited man and his friend chilled. I have an idea. Jiang Cheng jumped out from behind the woman with the ponytail. We all know that ghosts are inexplicable presence in the missions. They are scary, creepy and hungry for blood They are amalgamations of everything that is negative. As he said that, he sidled closer to the suited man and his friend. This angered the man in the cap a lot. What is your point? He couldnt help but ask. Jiang Cheng licked his lips. I mean The biggest difference between humans and ghosts is that thetter has no emotions. They cant control themselves. In contrast, humans can control their actions and emotions at any time. He raised his head to look at the suited man with admiration, I believe the real Guardian Angel will be able to do that. The suddenpliment made the suited man cautious of Jiang Chengs intention. He frowned as he looked at Jiang Cheng, So Before he could finish, Jiang Cheng raised his right hand. He didnt have the time to react, and he felt a burning sensation on his left cheek. He couldnt believe what had happened. He was just pped Jiang Cheng dared to p him! But, soon, he realised how wrong he was. Jiang Cheng dared to p him more than once! His right cheek burned to pair with his left cheek. His two cheeks swelled at a visible speed. He touched his handsome face with his trembling fingers. He pounced at Jiang Cheng like crazy. He roared, Im going to kill you! Jiang Cheng immediately turned and ran. Fatty shouted at the others, who were stunned, Run! The man in the suit is a ghost! He paused and then added, He cant control himself anymore! This incident only ended after the man in the cap detained the suited man. The man in the cap whispered something in the other mans ear, and he gradually calmed down. He shot Jiang Cheng a fiery gaze and then ignored him. After that, the man in the cap exined on the twos behalf why they werete. They ran into the schools discipline teacher when they were looking for clues at the education building. The teacher chatted with him and told him to bring the equipment to the music ssroom on the fourth floor of Building C. There was a rehearsal there. Is there a specific time? The woman in the ponytail asked. The man with the cap nced at his wristwatch. No. She told us to find you, and we should go there together. Just like that, the group was led by the man in the cap to Building C. Along the way, they traded information. However, just as Jiang Cheng predicted, there was nothing worth trading. Instead of information, it was more like they were exchanging their experience in the nightmare. Doctor. Fatty walked up to Jiang Cheng and whispered to him. Dont you feel like this is simr to a media ss? He spat and continued, I remember we would be served with extra homework to write down the lessons wed learned after watching the movie. Jiang Cheng thought about it. I do remember that. One time, our ss teacher identally pulled from his own C drive, and the wrong movie yed. From then on, we had no more media sses. Fatty, By the way, Zhou Taifu, who walked at the back, suddenly cut in, What do you work as in real life? Why not be friends since we manage to meet here? Fatty nced at him and said unwillingly, What do you do? Im Zhou Taifu. Im a jewellery merchant. He pulled on his few wisps of hair to look more formal. Some of you should have heard of me before. It was clear that the man was rich in real life. He was also very proud of his identity. Since Zhou Taifu had started this topic, everyone yed along. The man in the cap was called Luo Yi. It was an obvious fake name. He apparently ran a supermarket. The suited man was called Zhen Jianren. He said he worked at a famousw firm. At his young age, he was already the vice president. After hearing the mans name, Fatty was stunned for a second. Jiang Cheng hummed. Doctor, Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng. Tell me honestly. Did you think of something? What are you two talking about? Zhen Jianren wanted to smack Jiang Cheng and Fatty to death. Nothing. Jiang Cheng quickly exined, Brother Jianren, please dont misunderstand. We just thought your mother had given you the perfect name. The woman in the ponytail burst outughing. She found Jiang Cheng to be very interesting. Whats your name? The woman looked at Jiang Cheng and asked, What do you do? She might look normal but she had a sharp presence. This was something not a normal woman could muster. The names Hao Shuai. Jiang Cheng answered honestly, You can refer to me by my name, or you can call me handsome. Im a male model. Im currently working at Butterfly KTV. Fatty, A model? The woman was more intrigued by Jiang Cheng. The ones on magazines? No. Jiang Cheng said directly, The ones who rely on their stamina and love from big sisters. Chapter 33: Chase

Chapter 33: Chase

The woman in the qipao was certain that with the girl¡¯s courage, she wouldn¡¯t leave the bed, much less check the door after she left. She didn¡¯t have much time to think. The strange noise came from behind her like centipedes. As the sound approached her and was about to catch up to her, the light suddenly appeared before her. Different from the other light sources, the light was very bright and carried a warm feeling. It was like a ray from heaven. It was a door, a half-open door. A familiar face appeared behind the door. Jiang Cheng stood there. Behind him, a round head poked out. Fatty looked at her unblinkingly. Then, his pupils trembled like he had seen something terrifying. The woman in the qipao knew that Fatty probably saw the thing chasing her. Fatty spoke to Jiang Cheng anxiously, but Jiang Cheng ignored him. Eventually, Fatty became so anxious that he skipped over Jiang Cheng to close the door. This caused the woman in the qipao to worry. ¡°Don¡¯t close the door!¡± She shouted loudly. The door before her was her only hope. She could sense the cold presence of the thinging from behind her. Thanks to Jiang Cheng stopping Fatty, the woman managed to squeeze through the gap in the door. Jiang Cheng stepped back, and the woman shed with Fatty. Caught off guard, Fatty tumbled to the ground. The next second, the woman in the qipao mmed the door close. She was saved¡­ Strangely enough, once the door closed, the rapid footsteps in the corridor disappeared. The night returned to silence again. Holding the door, the woman gasped for air. Her body shook endlessly. By then, Fatty had gotten up from the ground. He rubbed his bruised shoulders and stomach. His eyes shone with dissatisfaction and confusion. Inparison, Jiang Cheng was calmer. He studied the woman and waited for her to catch her breath before asking about what had happened. The woman took a deep breath and calmed down. She slowly turned around and met Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze. ¡°Thank you.¡± She nodded. Her hair stuck to her face, and she looked rather haggard. It only took a few seconds to run from her Room 407 to Jiang Cheng¡¯s Room 404, but this period felt so long for the woman. It was a life-or-death chase. Jiang Cheng lifted his chin. ¡°Tell us. What did you run into?¡± He paused before adding, ¡°You are safe now, so I need you to give us the details.¡± Jiang Cheng stayed a safe distance away from the woman in the qipao, probably because he still had suspicions about her identity. The woman didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with that. Honestly, she was shocked that Jiang Cheng would let her into his room. Even though she was saved because of it, her impression of Jiang Cheng worsened. Of course, she didn¡¯t show the disdain on her face. This was because if she were in his shoes, she would not let someone being chased by a ghost into her room. It was like inviting the wolf into her room. Furthermore, one couldn¡¯t tell if the person being chased was a ghost or a human. Therefore, the best solution was to pretend not to hear anything. After the woman settled down, she started to tell the story in her room with the girl with the pyjama, including the fake Room 407 that appeared to trick her and the thing that chased after her. She didn¡¯t say it was a ghost who was chasing her, but that was a given. After hearing that, Fatty frowned, ¡°So¡­ ording to you, those who heard the scratching sound were not targeted, but those who didn¡¯t hear the scratches are the ghost¡¯s real targets¡­¡± The woman nodded with her pale face, ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°That¡¯s strange,¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and announced. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m wondering the goal behind it.¡± Jiang Cheng exined, ¡°Did the ghost make the sound to scare its target?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s question raised the woman¡¯s intrigue. She curled her hair out of habit and then turned to look at the door. Then, her body chilled as she realised something. Her blood froze over. Only her brain was working. The scene from a few minutes ago shed in her mind. Just as she was about to be captured by the ghost, it was Jiang Cheng who pulled open the door to save her. Jiang Cheng, who was behind her at that moment, pulled the door open for her. But she remembered¡­ all the doors didn¡¯t pull in but could only be pushed out from the inside¡­ Damn¡­ The next second, Jiang Cheng¡¯s eerie giggle came from behind her. The serenity in his eyes disappeared to be reced by suppressed madness. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking?¡± Jiang Cheng asked darkly. The woman in the qipao trembled, and she was rendered speechless. Fatty also spoke up. His tone turned sharp and twisted, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking?¡± ¡°Speak! Why did you stop speaking?¡± In the end, the voice became so shrill that it could pierce through one¡¯s eardrums. Venom, hatred and resentment¡­ were entangled together. It was a woman¡¯s voice. The woman was not old, but her voice was filled with hatred. The woman in the qipao could not stand it anymore. She wanted to open the door, but the door was welded shut. It didn¡¯t move. As the sound behind her crept up to her, she turned around and screamed. By then, the clean room had already changed. The wall was corroded by mould. A bunch of ckened stuff piled together. The broken furniture was scattered around the room. The moonlight shone in through the window. There were traces of blood on the ground. The room radiated the presence of abandonment. Jiang Cheng and Fatty disappeared. As the woman¡¯s expression changed from fear to confusion, she heard a strange sound. It sounded like teeth grinding or giggling. It came from above her head. Chapter 43: Shoot Chapter 43: Shoot Hao Shuai, is it? The woman nodded. Ill remember you. Its pointless remembering my name. Jiang Cheng said seriously, You need to remember my call number. Its High-ss Group, No. 49. Then, it was the womans turn. Her name was Xu Wen, an international rtions expert. She often spent her time overseas, and when she returned to the countryst, she was yanked into a nightmare. This was her fourth mission. Soon, the girl in the pyjamas small voice came. Her name was Zhang Yinyin. She was a kindergarten teacher. She was still an intern. Finally, it was the man with the camera. He was the only newbie other than Zhou Taifu. His appearance made him look honest and simple-minded. Hello. He began, My name is Long Tao. Im currently a movie extra. Fatty was thest one. Just as Fatty was prepared to introduce himself, Jiang Cheng cut in, His situation is rather special. He has no name because His eyes zed over with sadness, He is an orphan. Did he lose his parents when he was young? Zhang Yinyins face coloured with pity. You can call him Fatty. Jiang Cheng said, I hear thats what people at his orphanage call him. Fatty, Soon, the group arrived at the education building. asionally, youthful girls walked out from the door. This is the ce. Zhen Jianren announced, Lets go in. The inner space wasrger than Jiang Cheng thought. ssrooms lined both sides of the corridor. Singing and music came out of them. Even though there was an elevator, everyone collectively chose the stairs on the right. Therge music ssroom was at the end of the fourth-floor corridor. When they got closer, a woman in high heels ran over to them. The woman was about thirty and had on light make-up. She asked directly, Are you the media people? After getting an affirmation, the woman sighed. After some exchanges, the woman exined that she was there on the discipline teachers order to intercept the team of camera people. That day was the first day of rehearsal. Xu Wen thought about it and asked, How many rehearsals will there be before the official event? Three, The woman answered easily. When will it start? We can start now. Then, the woman invited them into the ssroom. It was called a ssroom but it looked more like a hall. Under the spotlight was the stage, and upon the stage were students in costumes. asionally, people hustled about to adjust the lighting and other stuff. It was clear that the school valued this anniversary. Please. The woman went to talk to the person in charge of the venue and waved at the group of yers, You can set up here. The group fixed the camera. Long Tao chose the exact spot. After all, he was in the film industry. We need four different recordings from this rehearsal. The woman exined politely. She adjusted her hair. The first three recordings will be of the choirs from three sses, and thest recording will be of thebined choir of the three sses. Okay. Jiang Cheng nodded. When he returned to his spot, Jiang Cheng took over the camera bag and took out the camera ced at the Prop Centre. When Fatty saw this, he was confused. Why did you take that out? This cameras lens was foggy. It could still be used, but the video would be heavily impacted. I have nothing better to do anyway. Jiang Cheng took out the camera and aimed it at the stage. He adopted multiple angles and looked rather serious. Out of Fattys expectations, when Zhen Jianren and Xu Wen saw Jiang Cheng take out the camera, they both walked over. Jiang Cheng worked his shoulders and shook the camera at Zhen Jianren. Do you want to give it a try? Zhen Jianren backed off. However, he kept his attention on Jiang Cheng. The singing of the first ss soon ended, and they got off the stage in order. The students from the second ss took the stage. Since there was a tripod, Jiang Cheng didnt need to hold the camera constantly. He aimed the camera at the stage and studied the students. They wore the same uniform of pure white blouses and navy blue skirts. There was a silk ribbon around their cor. The well-fitted dresses entuated the young girls waists. The pleated skirts lent them an academic air. Jiang Chengs gaze swept over them. He would asionally meet the girls eyes. The difference was the girls would instantly look away, but Jiang Cheng would keep on gawking. As the second ss got off the stage and no one was paying them any attention, Fatty came over to whisper, Doctor, what are you doing? Jiang Cheng pouted, What do you mean? Are you insinuating Im doing something bad? Fatty, Doctor, Im mighty impressed. You have the time to joke at a time like this. Jiang Cheng said without looking at him. I dont think the NPC will ruin our equipment for no reason. Therefore, I suspect there is a problem with this. Fatty was shocked. What kind of problem? I still dont know. He turned his head. You dont need to worry about this camera. Focus on the other camera. Make sure nothing happens to it. Fatty nodded quickly, Got it. Soon, the third ss ended their performance. The final choir was about to say. At that moment, Long Tao, who was responsible for the camera, frowned. He held his stomach, and he started to sweat. Lou Yi, who was beside him, was the first to discover this. Whats wrong? I have stomachache. Long Tao stammered with difficulty, I probably ate something wrong in the morning. Zhou Taifu looked at the stage filled with people. There were staff milling about it, picking through different-coloured wires and stuff. It was for the final adjustment. Cant you hold it in? Zhou Taifu was rather annoyed. The hall gave him a bad feeling. Everyone there looked normal, but he felt weirdly affected. As for why, he couldnt pinpoint it. Well go back after were done with the shooting! I dont think thats possible. Long Taos body trembled. Sweats dripped down his face. Its too painful. This might be a rpse of my enteritis. Chapter 44: Beat Chapter 44: Beat There were no better options. In the end, it was Xu Wen who approached the woman who waited for them earlier. The woman looked awkward and then told them with some difficulty that the male toilet on that floor had been dmissioned, but if Long Tao didnt mind Long Taos face paled from the sudden pain. Clearly, he didnt mind. The woman led him to the bathroom. Xu Wen had Zhou Taifu and Zhang Yinyin follow them. Even though Zhou Taifu didnt want to, he didnt dare to offend Xu Wen. He had no choice. Zhang Yinyin looked as fearful as ever. Soon, thest choir began. The girls from the three sses walked around and found their spots on stage. Their singing was soft but prating. With the guidance of the maestro, the song slowly reached the chorus The sound of heels clicking against the tiles echoed. The woman walked very fast. On the one hand, she was worried about Long Tao. On the other hand, she still needed to rush back to the rehearsal. After all, it was on her shoulders if something went wrong. After turning the corner, the woman paused and pointed down the corridor, Keep on going, and youll see the toilet. This ce is rather secluded, so not many wille here. She turned around to look at Long Tao, With your friends standing watch, youll be fine. Thank you I still have things to do, so I cant stay. The woman turned around and left. She checked her phone as if she had something urgent to do. After the woman left, the atmosphere chilled. Zhou Taifu grumbled and urged Long Tao to hurry up. Im going. Long Tao just took two steps when he stopped and turned back to plead. You have to wait for me. You cant leave on your own. Sure, sure. Zhou Taifu waved his hands impatiently. Long Tao finally went ahead. The bathroom was further than he thought. It was at the end of the left corridor. Along the way, he passed many ssrooms, but they had been abandoned for a long time, visible from the dust on the door handles. This made him ufortable. It was like he was a guest sent back in time. He suddenly became curious about this schools past. The more he thought about it, the more drawn into the history he was. Endless scenes were awakened in his mind. He walked blindly ahead. His footsteps echoed in the empty corridor like a man on a death march. He was finally there. Along the way, he was very alert. He was worried that a door would suddenly open and a demon would jump out. Even when he was standing before the toilet door, his heart was still racing. On the left was the girls bathroom and his destination. He took a deep breath. Is anyone there? There was no answer. The ce was deathly quiet. The moment he was about to step into the bathroom, his right eyelid twitched. He paused. This reminded him of a horror movie he watched many years ago. He forgot the movie title, but a scene stuck in his mind. The female main character was tricked into entering the bathroom. Then, she lost her lower body. She had her eyes gouged out by the ghost waiting in the bathroom because she couldnt escape. Based on his understanding, he was basically in a horror movie, and they were the chosen main characters. Therefore He slowly backed away and turned to look behind him. It was the male bathroom. The male bathroom obviously had been abandoned for a long time already. The light blue iron door was left ajar. The paint was peeling in ces to reveal the rust underneath. Inparison, the female toilet was much better preserved. The door was left wide open. The inside was decorated with white tiles. From what he stood, he could even see the clean sink. There was a bottle of hand sanitiser ced in the corner. The giant mirror reflected the gentle light. It was overly set up. This raised his caution. Without hesitation, Long Tao opened the iron door of the male bathroom. The creak of the axle was sharp, but he didnt care anymore. If anything, this meant that the ce was safe in his mind. This was a trap. If he listened to the woman and entered the female bathroom, hed be in danger. This confidence followed him as he finished his business. He lifted up his pants with satisfaction. However, before he exited the cubicle, he heard a strange sound. Dong Dong Dong. It was not loud and not close to him. Long Tao looked up at the yellowed ceiling. The sound seemed toe from above. He paid attention to it and realised the sound had a certain rhythm. The rhythm was strangely captivating. Long Tao tapped his feet along with it subconsciously. Drum beats? No Long Tao tried to ce it. The sound was harder than a drum. However, he didnt know that many instruments to identify it. Dong Dong Dong! The rhythm picked up. Each beatnded on Long Taos heart. He shivered uncontrobly. The rhythm became clearer and stronger until thest Dong. This sound woke up Long Tao. Because thisst beat was different from the others, it came from the opposite side. The female bathroom! Why would someone perform in the female bathroom? Could it be that thing? The rhythm began anew, and it soon paused outside the male bathroom. Long Taos body froze because he realised something. Building C only had four floors, and he was on the top floor. So how could the sound have originated from above? Support Lonelytree with the price of a coffee per month: /lonelyman Chapter 45: Lost Chapter 45: Lost The first cubicle door was pushed open. Long Tao closed his hand over his mouth. He didn¡¯t dare to make any sound. The bathroom was not that huge. It only had five cubicles. The cubicle was not tall. If one stood on tip-toe, one could easily look in. He was curling up inside the fourth cubicle. Dong¡­ Dong¡­ The second and third doors were pushed open. The strange sound paused outside his cubicle. Time froze at that moment. Long Tao made the decision to shove the door open and charge out. The cubicle next door suddenly opened. It was the innermost cubicle. The old axle creaked creepily. The thing skipped over the cubicle he was in¡­ A few secondster, the thudding sound resumed. The thing left the bathroom, and the strange sound faded away. It left?! Long Tao¡¯s legs weakened, and he copsed to the ground. The relief he felt was indescribable. Half a minuteter, he forced himself to stand up. It had nothing to do with courage. He was worried that the thing might return. He leaned on the door and listened to his surroundings. Then, he slowly eased the door open. The bathroom was empty. Long Tao felt a burst of joy. He quickly slithered out of the cubicle and headed to the exit. He walked on his top toe so that he wouldn¡¯t make any sound. The exit came closer and closer¡­Just as he was about to step out of the bathroom, a sudden chill enveloped him, causing him to shiver. He had never experienced that before. Almost subconsciously, he turned around. His neck felt like it creaked like a rusted screw. There was¡­ nothing behind him. There was no ghost. As he sighed in relief and wanted to pull his gaze back, his eyes swept the mirror in front of the sink. He felt as if he was struck by thunder. The mirror in the male bathroom was covered in dust and cracks. However, these were not important to Long Tao. His pupils trembled. Through the reflection in the mirror, he saw a pair of legs floating above his head! A wind picked up in the enclosed space, and the legs swayed. Long Tao shook. He lifted his head slowly. He saw a pair of red and venomous eyes. The eyes were hidden in a thick curtain of ck hair. They were like pairs of knives. Long Tao opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His mouth continued to widen until it was much bigger than humanly possible. The corners of his lips tore, and blood spurted out. With ast crack, everything returned to silence. A drop of blood dripped into the wide-open eyes of the dead. ¡­ ¡°What is taking him so long?¡± Zhou Taifu looked down the corridor and grumbled. After a while, Zhang Yinyin added, ¡°His stomachache is probably very bad.¡± Then, she said as if to herself, ¡°But he has indeed taken a bit too long.¡± This gave Zhou Taofu a bad feeling. He extinguished the cigarette between his fingers. He frowned and suddenly felt the corridors around him be eerier. ¡°How long has he been gone?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Zhang Yinyin sounded so fragile, ¡°It has to have been at least twenty minutes.¡± Zhou Taifu¡¯s face darkened. He ran towards the music ssroom. Zhang Yinyin appeared to be frightened by Zhou Taifu. She asked in a hurry, ¡°Mr. Zhou, where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get reinforcements.¡± Zhou Taifu said without turning his head, ¡°You wait there!¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t dare to!¡± Zhang Yinyin also knew things were not right. She quickly followed Zhou Taifu. The two walked faster until they ran. It was like the one who wasst would be caught by the ghost. The rehearsal just ended. Jiang Cheng and the rest were packing up the stuff. Zhou Taifu was used to an easy life, so he was already exhausted from a short run. In the end, it was Zhang Yinyin who told everyone everything. ¡°Neither of you went to check on him before you came back?¡± Lou Yi asked. After all, no one expected the ghosts to appear in the day. Plus, there were so many people there. ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡± Jiang Cheng stood forward. ¡°We still don¡¯t know anything.¡± Even though that was what he said, he also thought things were not looking good for Long Tao. ¡°Do you know the bathroom¡¯s location?¡± Xu Wen asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Zhou Taifu nced at the stage, and he asked weakly, ¡°Should we bring that woman?¡± He was talking about the woman who weed them at this building. In other words, Zhou Taifu wanted to sacrifice this woman. Suppose Long Tao were fine, then great. If something happened to him, the woman would be the one to die first. ¡°Hah.¡± Zhen Jianren, who had not said anything until then, scoffed, ¡°I¡¯d advise against that. Don¡¯t find trouble in this world.¡± Jiang Cheng and Xu Wen agreed with him on this matter. They silently moved towards the exit. To their surprise, the woman they were talking about came over and asked directly, ¡°Where is your friend?¡± Everyone was silent. The woman¡¯s face changed as she became more nervous. Her hair was wet with sweat, and it stuck to her face. ¡°Did something happen to him?¡± Hearing this, Xu Wen¡¯s expression changed. Just as she was about to say something, Jiang Cheng cut in, ¡°It¡¯s fine. His body was too weak from the stomachache, so he went back to resting first.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The woman¡¯s face became ruddy again. A team of students walked over. One of them wore a round-rimmed sses. The girl¡¯s sharp gaze wandered everywhere beforending on the woman, ¡°Teacher Feng?¡± The woman responded. She told Jiang Cheng¡¯s group that she still had something to do, so she had to leave for now. Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°Okay. We can return on our own. ¡°When is the next rehearsal?¡± The question seemed to stump the woman. She thought about it before saying, ¡°We need the superiors to decide on that first.¡± After she left, the group headed to the bathroom where Long Tao was. Their faces paled. Even Zhou Taifu and Zhang Yinyin, who had been there, felt that something was wrong. Chapter 46: Imprints Chapter 46: Imprints The corridor was too deep and quiet¡­ like it had no ending. They didn¡¯t feel that way when thedy was leading them, but this looked like the typical start of a horror flick. When they turned thest corner, the group reached the end of the corridor. The left was the female bathroom, and the right¡­ Jiang Cheng saw the rusted, half-ajar door, and a curious expression crossed his brows. ¡°Here.¡± Xu Wen raised her chin to point at the male bathroom, ¡°Go in and check.¡± No one questioned her because everyone smelled the scent of blood. The closer they got to the door, the stronger the scent. In the end, it was Luo Yi who pushed the door open further. The moment he did that, he jumped back. The bathroom was very dim. None of them entered the bathroom instantly but waited to get used to the dark environment. Slowly, the scene inside the room rified. Zhou Taifu, who was forced to the front, slid down to the floor. Zhang Yinyin¡¯s lips paled from fright. Her teeth kept trembling, and she couldn¡¯t say anything. Long Tao was standing before them with his head slightly raised. His body was frozen and he looked like he had just been hauled out of a blood pool. Like the woman in the qipao, his chin was gone. The exposed gum was ugly and ring. The broken teeth were chipped in the flesh. They were like maggots wiggling. Fatty felt like the content of his stomach churning around. There was spray-patterned blood everywhere. Blood was on the mirror, sink and even the mouldy ceiling¡­ Clearly, the murder happened in an instant. Long Tao¡¯s chip was snapped off. The trace of tearing was visible. One could even see the oesophagus and other broken fragments. Xu Wen was the first to walk forward. Jiang Cheng followed her. The two were very careful to pick where to put their feet. The sound of the shoes against the pool of blood was slippery and eerie.The corpse¡¯s arms dangled weakly. Jiang Cheng examined the body and realised the victim¡¯s arm muscles were very tense. There was no sign of struggle, and the scene was well-preserved. ¡°Doctor.¡± Fatty said stutteringly, ¡°Look at¡­ his eyes.¡± The corpse¡¯s eyes were round, and the brows were raised at an exaggerated angle. The victim must have seen something extremely scary before he died. Even after death, his face disyed an indescribable terror. ¡°His tongue is missing too,¡± Xu Wen pulled back her hand and announced in a calm voice. One couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was a result of her interacting with dead bodies often. It was normal to die in a nightmare. What they needed to do was to figure out the cause of death and the taboo behind it. Zhou Taifu, who looked better, said in a hurry, ¡°Why¡­ Why is he in the male bathroom? He should be in the female bathroom.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Zhang Yinyin added weakly, ¡°I remember thedy asking him to use the female bathroom.¡± Lou Yi scratched his chin and said, ¡°Could it be that Long Tao found something dangerous in the female bathroom, so he went to use the male bathroom?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng looked around. ¡°Long Tao never even entered the female bathroom.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your evidence?¡± Jiang Cheng nced at the person lightly and shrugged, ¡°If he really discovered something in the female bathroom, do you think he would be given the chance to escape the female bathroom and enter the male bathroom?¡± ¡°Perhaps the ghost purposely chased him from the female bathroom to the male bathroom.¡± Zhen Jianren smiled snidely, ¡°No one can tell.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s attitude annoyed him. Jiang Cheng shrugged again. ¡°If our Guardian Angel insists on that, I won¡¯t argue with it.¡± ¡°I also think Mr. Hao has a point.¡± Xu Wen thought about it and continued, ¡°Now, we need to confirm this ghost¡¯s identity and figure out its story.¡± Zhou Taifu was visibly shaken. ¡°Are¡­ are you kidding? Why are we looking for the ghost? Can¡¯t we just hide? The mission will end in seven days!¡± Lou Yi licked his lips and chuckled, ¡°The nightmare always has some naive people. This is very troubling because naivete can¡¯t hide stupidity.¡± Zhou Taifu was angry. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Mr. Zhou Taifu,¡± Lou Yi turned his cap to the side to reveal the knife wound on his forehead. This changed his presence fully, ¡°Are you sure you can leave this ce safely after seven days.¡± Zhou Taifu looked at the man who had shed his disguise. The evilness in his eyes was not an act. At that moment¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± Jiang Cheng knelt down and observed the corner of the bathroom. Hearing that, the group walked over. They followed Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze and noticed an irregr imprint on the ground. It was hard to discover if one wasn¡¯t paying very close attention. ¡°What is this?¡± Fatty asked. The imprints were near Long Tao¡¯s body. They looked like they were left behind by some kind of animal. Xu Wen touched the prints. They were still fresh. They were easy to differentiate from the old stains on the ground. ¡°They look like hoof prints.¡± Xu Wen concluded after a few more observations. ¡°Probably a goat or a ram.¡± Fatty widened his eyes. ¡°Are¡­ you saying a goat tore off his chin?¡± This was too preposterous. Xu Wen ignored him. She lowered her head to follow the direction of the prints. She realised that the thing that left behind the prints took some time walking around the bathroom. The group pushed open the cubicle doors and found some faeces in the fourth cubicle. They were fresh. They should belong to Long Tao. ¡°He was killed after he just pooped and wanted to leave the cubicle.¡± Fatty shivered. This was a clear conclusion. Even though they were prepared, the group became solemn after the second victim appeared. There were two reasons behind this. One was the strange deaths of the woman in the qipao and Long Tao. Two was that mysterious ram. Chapter 47: Clever Chapter 47: Clever ¡°His jaw is gone,¡± Luo Yi observed. His expression was curious as if he were confused. Momentster, he added, ¡°Just like the woman who died earlier.¡± They failed to locate the woman¡¯s jaw at the crime scene. Zhou Taifu shivered as if he was reminded of something scary. He said with shivering lips, ¡°It¡¯s the ghost¡­ It¡¯s the ghost who took their jaws!¡± It was an obvious thing to say, but it still made the atmosphere darker. Jiang Cheng stood beside the corpse. He was deep in thought. Xuan Wen noticed him and walked over to ask, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged as he finished his reverie. He stared at the body and then said, ¡°Pay attention to his eyes.¡± Long Tao¡¯s eyes were almost popping out of their sockets. His pupils widened. His eyes were red with blood and thick with fear. He looked up with exaggeration. His death was horrifying, but this time, someone noticed something else. At the same time, Xu Wen and Zhen Jianren picked up something. They lifted their heads to look at the ceiling. The ceiling was empty. The spot where the lightbulb should be was empty but for a bunch of wires as well as a pool of mysterious, yellow stain. Xu Wen adjusted her breathing and pulled her gaze back. This was not unfamiliar¡­ It was the same as when they found the woman in the qipao. Before they died¡­ thest thing they did was look up. They couldn¡¯t understand and resist the existence that appeared above them. They had been in this world for less than twenty-four hours. Of the nine people, only seven remained. Two people had died, but the group still had no idea how they died. The strange ram hoove prints were not actual evidence.The atmosphere was oppressive as they headed back. Fatty wanted to say something but was shut down by Jiang Cheng by his gaze. When they returned to their room, the first thing Fatty did once the door closed was to rush to Jiang Cheng¡¯s side, ¡°Doctor, the ghost here can kill people in the day! This is too scary!¡± Jiang Cheng sat on his bed and nodded. ¡°It looks like the ghost in this mission is different from thest mission. They operate differently.¡± Fatty licked his licks and looked up. When he realised everything was fine, he continued, ¡°Do you think the ghost came from the ceiling?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the door. ¡°No clue, but at least the warning bell has been rung with two people dead. The danger mighte from above us.¡± Fatty wrapped his arms around him as he tried to stay calm. ¡°Then, what should we do now?¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Fatty was stunned. ¡°Wait for?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to Fatty. There were things Fatty couldn¡¯t understand in his eyes. Finally, he answered, ¡°For the next person to die.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Jiang Cheng ignored him andy down on the bed. He pulled the nket to his chin and closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Don¡¯t wake me before 5.¡± ¡­ Room 406. After Long Tao died, Zhang Yinyin took his spot. The girl refused to return to Room 407. She didn¡¯t even mind sleeping on the ground. She curled up in the corner. Perhaps it was cold or fear. Her body kept shaking. The chair she leaned against creaked noisily. Zhou Taifu dominated a whole bed. His eyes kept looking around. He kept looking at the door and the ceiling. He was very nervous. ¡°Big sister,¡± Zhang Yinyin¡¯s voice shook from terror. She looked at Xu Wen carefully. ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared?¡± Xu Wen looked over the video recorded in the camera. She heard the girl and answered casually, ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Seeing how calm big sister is, I thought big sister is not afraid of those things.¡± As if influenced by Xu Wen, Zhang Yinyin slowly calmed down, and she stopped shaking. There was a light of hope in her eyes. Xu Wen nced at Zhang Yinyin and smiled, ¡°Little sister, ghosts aren¡¯t as scary as you think. They represent the purest evil, but they are logical. Unlike¡­¡± Zhang Yinyin asked in curiosity, ¡°Unlike what?¡± ¡°Unlike some people who are so good at disguise that they kill without warning.¡± At this point, Xu Wen¡¯s gaze shifted. It shone like a moon in the dark. She stared at Zhang Yinyin and continued, ¡°Therefore, I¡¯m more scared of humans than ghosts.¡± ¡­ Room 405. The man who called himself Lou Yi dropped his cap on the table. He paced around the room anxiously. ¡°Stop it.¡± Sitting on the chair, Zhen Jianren rubbed his temple. ¡°You¡¯re making me dizzy.¡± The words pricked Luo Yi. He stopped and said agitatedly, ¡°Haven¡¯t you discovered it? The mission this time is very strange. This is only the second day, but the ghost has already started killing during the day.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Zhen Jianren nodded. ¡°This is the unavoidable truth. It¡¯s cruel but real.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking for agreement!¡± Zhen Jianren sighed. ¡°Okay. I know what you want. After this mission is over, I promise I¡¯llplete your favour.¡± He smiled, ¡°And you can¡­ live under the sun again.¡± Hearing this, Luo Yi¡¯s face brightened. He sat down before Zhen Jianren and sighed, ¡°Tell me. You¡¯re clever. You should have seen something.¡± Zhen Jianren massaged his neck. Compared to Luo Yi, he was there for a holiday. ¡°The thing is with Xu Wen.¡± ¡°I knew it¡­¡± This was within Luo Yi¡¯s prediction. But he still asked, ¡°How can you be sure it is not with the two from Room 404? They are very suspicious.¡± Zhen Jianren shook his head. ¡°It won¡¯t be them. Hao Shuai is too high-profile. Someone with the thing will not do something this stupid.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t he be acting?¡± Luo Yi frowned. ¡°Do not question me.¡± Zhen Jianren raised one finger and revealed a confident smile, ¡°You should know that no one is able to trick me!¡± He paused and suddenly realised Luo Yi was looking at him strangely. At the same time, a burning sensation came from his face. He was reminded of something. ¡°He¡¯s just an idiot!¡± He hissed, ¡°A giant idiot!¡± Chapter 48: Video Chapter 48: Video At five sharp, Fatty walked over to tap Jiang Cheng lightly on his shoulder. ¡°Doctor, it¡¯s about time to wake up.¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his eyes and sat up. He was very tired, so he slept soundly. ¡°Did something happen?¡± He stretched as he asked. ¡°The people from Room 406 came to look for you,¡± Fatty said. Jiang Cheng turned around as his gaze sharpened, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up? And, how could you open¡­¡± Fatty could guess what he was about to say, so he quickly exined, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Doctor. I¡¯ve tested them. They are fine!¡± ¡°Tested them?¡± Jiang Cheng felt his head getting heavier. ¡°That¡¯s right, doctor.¡± Fatty said confidently, ¡°I also suspected his identity, so I asked him to bark three times like a dog to test him.¡± After he paused, he continued, ¡°Doctor, you knew how scary the ghosts are. Therefore, I believe the ghosts would disdain doing something like that.¡± Jiang Cheng frowned. ¡°And then?¡±Fatty shrugged, ¡°He did bark, but it sounded very unwilling. And it was not that urate.¡± Taking a deep breath, Jiang Cheng changed the topic, ¡°What did he say after he came in?¡± ¡°Doctor, you misunderstand. I didn¡¯t let him in.¡± Fatty suddenly became serious. He leaned over to whisper, ¡°Because I was scared this could be a shameless ghost.¡± Jiang Cheng gave Fatty a side-eye before tutting at the end. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty looked at the door and asked in fear. ¡°Do you think¡­ it was a ghost?¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. ¡°No.¡± Fatty groused, ¡°You were asleep, so how could you know?¡± ¡°Fatty.¡± Jiang Cheng stood up to pat his shoulder. ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d start praying that it wasn¡¯t a ghost.¡± ¡°Doctor, please don¡¯t say that. You made me scared.¡± Fatty swallowed and whispered back. Jiang Cheng thought about it and said seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as I¡¯m here¡­¡± Fatty raised his head expectantly. Jiang Cheng resumed, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to bring your ashes out with me.¡± ¡°...¡± Before the sky darkened, Jiang Cheng left and headed to Room 406. The corridor was silent. The ends of the corridor were drawn out by the setting sun. A rotting smell lingered in the air. Fatty followed him carefully. He wished he could get stuck to Jiang Cheng. When he passed by Room 405, Jiang Cheng paused. Fatty clearly panicked, but he still controlled his volume as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Jiang Cheng replied swiftly and continued to Room 406. However, before he could knock, the door opened. A face wearing a cap appeared before him. The rim of the cap was pressed very low, hiding a pair of murky eyes. It was Luo Yi from Room 405. Jiang Cheng looked into the room. Every breathing person was there. Xu Wen nced at Jiang Cheng andmented, ¡°You were thest one to arrive.¡± She sat beside the bed, her body straight as an arrow. Zhen Jianren leaned back in his chair. When he saw Jiang Cheng, his face turned up with a scowl, but he said nothing. ¡°Miss Xu.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Xu Wen and said calmly, ¡°I heard you were looking for me.¡± ¡°Earlier, I had him go find you, but your friend didn¡¯t open the door.¡± Xu Wen then nced at Zhou Taifu, who curled up on the bed. The meaning was clear. The simple conversation got Fatty excited. His eyes glowed andplimented Zhou Taifu, ¡°Brother, you were so good at mimicking a dog¡¯s bark!¡± Zhou Taifu¡¯s face darkened immediately. After all, he was a rich man in real life, and he had his pride. However, he understood his current situation. Therefore, other than his ugly expression, he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Enough.¡± Xu Wen cut off Fatty and moved her eyes back to Jiang Cheng. She looked at the ck camera bag he was carrying, ¡°Let me check the camera.¡± Jiang Cheng handed the camera over. ¡°I¡¯ve examined it. There¡¯s nothing unique about it.¡± Xu Wen epted the camera and studied it closely. Zhen Jianren shot Luo Yi a look. Zhen Jianren walked to Xu Wen¡¯s side to observe the recordings. Luo Yi turned around and kept an eye on Jiang Cheng. At the same time, Jiang Cheng grabbed the other camera in Room 406 and looked through the videos. It was the camera lent to them by the elder at the prop building. Fatty leaned over and hid behind Jiang Cheng. He narrowed his eyes. He did this because if there was something scary, he could close his eyes instantly. The four videos were quite short. It was a rehearsal, so a lot of steps were skipped. This meant that all the videos added up to just slightly more than twenty minutes of footage. After watching the video, Xu Wen put down the camera, and her expression was calm. As Jiang Cheng said, there was no valuable clue. Other than the angle, the videos taken by the two cameras were the same. Was her hypothesis wrong from the start? She couldn¡¯t help but question herself. However, based on her experience, it would make sense for there to be ack of clues in the two cameras given by the NPC. She even suspected that Long Tao¡¯s death had to do with him being the cameraman. After all, in the missions before this, there had been no example of the ghost killing the yers in the day on the second day. This was very abnormal. She got no results. She took a deep breath and nced at Jiang Cheng subconsciously. To her surprise, Jiang Cheng was looking at the recording with a strange expression. In her mind, she had never seen this expression on the man before. ¡°Mr. Hao,¡± Xu Wen began. Jiang Cheng ignored her as his focus was fully trained on the camera. His right finger pressed the buttons asionally. With the reminder from Xu Wen, everyone noticed how strange Jiang Cheng was acting. Everyone surrounded him and realised Jiang Cheng was repeating the same part of the video¡­ Zhou Taifu was very confused. He had to ask, ¡°What¡­ are you doing?¡± Jiang Cheng ignored him too. He raised his head and looked into Xu Wen¡¯s eyes. Thetter was stunned by the sharpness of his gaze. ¡°How many people are in the first choir?¡± Almost subconsciously, Xu Wen rewinded the tape she had and soon answered, ¡°16.¡± ¡°What about the second choir?¡± ¡°15.¡± ¡°The third?¡± ¡°17.¡± Then, Jiang Cheng slowed raised the camera he was holding. The video was paused at the moment when all the choir groups were on stage, singing together. Xu Wen stared at the screen. She saw the girls¡¯ uniforms and their long hair. The next second, her pupils trembled as something registered in her mind. There were¡­ 49 girls on stage. Chapter 49: Order Chapter 49: Order ¡°Who¡­ is the extra person?¡± Lou Yi noticed the problem. However, Zhang Yinyin reacted faster than he did. She grabbed the other camera. Half a secondter¡­ ¡°No.¡± She put down the camera as her face paled. The words she said were unsettling. ¡°There are only 48 girls in this video.¡± Zhou Taifu, with a shivering body, stared at the camera Jiang Cheng was holding. His pitch rose involuntarily, ¡°You mean¡­ one of the cameras captured the ghost?!¡± No one answered. This was undeniable. The only thing that helped when he said the truth out loud was to ease his anxiety. Things were not different from what they predicted. The two cameras had something more about them. Namely, the camera given by the NPC could capture things that the naked eye couldn¡¯t see. No one said anything. The atmosphere was scarily oppressive¡­ ¡°Alright.¡± Lou Yi stood forward. He shared a look with Zhen Jianren. When thetter didn¡¯t stop him, he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t need to be so pessimistic. At least we¡¯ve found the ghost in the mission.¡± He paused before adding, ¡°Now it¡¯s time to confirm the ghost¡¯s identity.¡± Xu Wen continued, ¡°How do you n to do that?¡± ¡°We¡¯llpare the two videos and pinpoint the additional person. That¡¯s the ghost¡­¡± Lou Yi was confused as he looked at Xu Wen. After all, Xu Wen was not a newbie. Why would she ask a question like that? Jiang Cheng handed the camera over to Luo Yi. ¡°Then, go ahead.¡±Even though he was confused, Luo Yi epted the camera and started to find out who the extra person was. After some time, Luo Yi frowned as he noticed something. Fatty asked him what was wrong. He didn¡¯t answer and turned to grab the other camera from Zhang Yinyin. The other camera was normal, but the video was blurry because the lens was foggy. ¡°How¡­ is this possible?!¡± Xu Wen nced at Luo Yi. She was as peaceful as Jiang Cheng. He paused both videos at thest choir segment to see who the extra one was. However, he failed. Luo Yi¡¯s eyes burned as hepared the girls one by one from the first row to thest, from the left to the right. However, no one was missing. The result was that everyone who had appeared in the first camera showed up in the second camera¡­ There was no one extra. However, this was impossible. There were 49 people in the first video and 48 in the second. Jiang Cheng had already noticed this when he saw the strangeness in numbers. He assumed this was caused by the limitations in the mission. ¡°Enough.¡± Zhen Jianren stopped Luo Yi. Thetter¡¯s mental state was getting unstable. There might be other dangers hidden in the videos. After the cameras were removed from him, Luo Yi¡¯s state rapidly lowered as if he were being drained. After sending Luo Yi to bed to rest, Zhen Jianren gritted his teeth at Xu Wen. ¡°What should we do now?¡± After all, he determined the thing was with Xu Wen. ¡°Mr. Hao.¡± Xu Wen turned to Jiang Cheng, ¡°What do you think?¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and answered, ¡°Since the ghost has appeared in this method, I believe she should be a student here and has been a part of the choir.¡± He paused, ¡°Well, she was part of the choir.¡± ¡°She had deep resentment after she died, so she came back to the rehearsal and repeated her experience.¡± Zhang Yinyin frowned and said. Jiang Cheng nced at her. He felt like she had already changed from before. ¡°Perhaps hatred is more appropriate than resentment.¡± ¡°Do you remember what the woman who led us to the rehearsal said?¡± Xu Wen raised her head to say, ¡°She knew something was wrong when Long Tao was in the toilet for a little longer.¡± Fatty nodded vehemently. ¡°That¡¯s right. I was so scared.¡± ¡°So¡­ She must know something.¡± Zhou Taifu scratched his chin. ¡°We can start with her. When we see her next, we can test her to figure out what is happening.¡± The man appeared to have changed. He could follow along with everyone¡¯s thoughts and propose his exnation. After that, things became simpler. Based on the known clues, everyone came up with a simple plot for this mission. The ghost was a student at this school. Female. Died due to uncertain reasons. It had to be something bad, or she wouldn¡¯t be a ghost. Compared to simple murder, this was more like a premeditated revenge. Xu Wen even suggested that the girl might have been raped, killed and then dismembered. Interestingly enough, the school was predominantly female. Even the security force was female. This was very abnormal. However, if the school started to change their hiring policy after a rape and murder incident had happened at school, everything made sense. ¡°Therefore, our job should be to identify the girl.¡± Jiang Cheng sat on the chair and looked very professional. ¡°Now, I will assign everyone their task. First,¡± he stressed, ¡°One team should go investigate the four teams of the choir. ¡°Then, another team should mix with the students to see if there¡¯s another rumour among the student body.¡± He paused. ¡°If Xu Wen were right, the school would definitely cover up the incident. However, the stories would definitely spread among the students.¡± He took a deep breath and looked around. ¡°Then, it¡¯s the prop building. After all, this camera that captured the ghost came from there. Therefore, we need a team to return there¡­¡± At this point, everyone¡¯s face dimmed. They could ept the first two tasks, but this one¡­ Once they thought of the old man¡¯s pale face, they felt ufortable. ¡°I agree with your arrangement.¡± Xu Wen¡¯s expression brightened. She looked into Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes. Momentster, her lips moved, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, it was Zhen Jianren who scoffed, ¡°You¡¯re cunning. As you set up the tasks, you send other people to the prop building.¡± Someone else agreed, ¡°That¡¯s right. The prop building is the most dangerous. You can go. I won¡¯t go!¡± As if worried about being voted out, Zhou Taifu raised his voice. ¡°I¡¯m fine with either of the first two tasks but not thest one!¡± Chapter 50: Acting Chapter 50: Acting ¡°I¡¯m not going either,¡± Luo Yi leaned on the bed. His face had more colours. He was with Zhen Jianren, so naturally, they stood on the same side. Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng worriedly. The situation was not good for him. But¡­ ¡°You misunderstand.¡± Jiang Cheng said evenly, ¡°No one is forcing you to go to the Prop Building. If none of you want to go, I¡¯ll go.¡± Fatty shivered when he heard that. He looked at Jiang Cheng. He even thought that he was imagining things. However, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t look like he was joking. He sat up straight, and his eyes were serene. He was fearless, reliable and stable. He stood out from the other calcting members. No one expected Jiang Cheng to take on this task himself. Zhen Jianren shared a swift look with Luo Yi. They both showed incredulity. They couldn¡¯t guess what Jiang Cheng was nning. ¡°Now, it¡¯s your turn.¡± Jiang Cheng resumed, ¡°Who will find the woman from the rehearsal?¡± He turned to the other side, ¡°Who will find the students?¡± Momentster¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll find the woman.¡± Xu Wen suddenly spoke. The way she looked at Jiang Cheng changed, ¡°I know where we can find here. Plus, I canmunicate with her easier than the others.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Zhang Yinyin and Zhou Taifu were happy to follow her. Zhou Taifu even stood up to stand behind Xu Wen.Since Jiang Cheng shouldered the task of going to the Prop Building, Zhen Jianren¡¯s expression became strange. He couldn¡¯t help but suspect the situation. However, everyone¡¯s attention was pulled away from Jiang Cheng and shifted to him. He could only grumble, ¡°Then, we¡¯ll interact with the students.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Jiang Cheng stood. ¡°Then, it¡¯s decided. We¡¯ll split up tomorrow.¡± They didn¡¯t waste time on warnings like stay safe. As the sky darkened, they returned to their rooms. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty rushed over as the door closed. ¡°What are you doing? The Prop Building is clearly the most dangerous.¡± He asked, ¡°Why did you volunteer?¡± He couldn¡¯t understand Jiang Cheng at all. Jiang Cheng casually opened the mineral water, took a small sip, tore open the chocte bar, and munched on it. After doing all that, he told Fatty leisurely, ¡°There are dangers with meeting the woman and the students as well.¡± Fatty widened his eyes, ¡°Are they the same?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Jiang Cheng sat on the bed and chewed on the chocte. Then, he added, ¡°If you think it¡¯s too dangerous, you can join Xu Wen¡¯s team.¡± Fatty suddenly stood up. His brows scrunched together, and his face was red. Jiang Cheng only then realised howrge Fatty was. He blocked all the light froming through. ¡°What kind of person do you think I am?¡± Fatty huffed like he had been humiliated, ¡°As long as Doctor is still alive, I¡¯ll not leave you.¡± Jiang Cheng stopped munching. ¡­ Room 405. Zhen Jianren¡¯s face was dark. Luo Yi didn¡¯t look much better. One stood, and one sat. Luo Yi looked worried. Luo Yi bit his lips and suddenly stood up. He dumped the cigarette on the ground and said coldly, ¡°What is that Hao Shuai nning? Why would he volunteer to go to the Prop Building?¡± Luo Yi couldn¡¯t get it. ¡°Even an idiot will know that ce is dangerous!¡± Half a secondter, Zhen Jianren responded. His nervousness disappeared. He returned to how he originally was. He was exquisite, wless and kind. ¡°He must have his reason.¡± ¡°What reason?¡± ¡°Do you still remember what the woman said during the rehearsal?¡± Zhen Jianren said without looking at Luo Yi. ¡°She said the principal wanted to check the recordings and confirm the next rehearsal time.¡± Luo Yi didn¡¯t understand why the man brought this up. He barely remembered this. If Zhen Jianren didn¡¯t bring it up, he would have forgotten about it. ¡°What is¡­¡± Zhen Jianren nced out the window. ¡°But no one came until now.¡± Luo Yi suddenly grasped the meaning. If the school valued the event so much, they should have sent someone to im the cameras already. And that principal mentioned by the woman¡­ ¡°Therefore¡­ the whole thing is a lie.¡± Luo Yi gasped, ¡°The real purpose is for us to focus on the videos because only we can see the videos!¡± Zhen Jianren tossed away the cigarette butt. He waved his other hand to disperse the smoke before him. His nails were manicured. They reflected the warm light. Despite his appearance, he was the one who was the decision-maker in this room. He stared at the dark green iron cupboard before him. He extended his left hand and slowly pulled the drawer out before pushing it back in. There was nothing inside it. He knew this very well, and he was not surprised. He repeated this action mechanically. Apanying the motion was the grating sound of friction. Luo Yi hated this. However, he said nothing and merely frowned. He knew this was the man¡¯s habit. Most people would do a lot of repetitive and meaningless actions when they use their brains. Some writers would scratch their heads. Zhen Jianren¡¯s habit was to open and close something, like a drawer, repeatedly. This might have to do with his past experience. However, Luo Yi was not interested in that. Finally, the annoying sound stopped. Luo Yi looked at Zhen Jianren seriously. This meant that thetter hade to a conclusion. ¡°There are two possibilities.¡± Zhen Jianren focused his eyes. ¡°The people in Room 404 have found clues that we haven¡¯t. This clue is very important, and they are willing to risk their lives for it.¡± Luo Yi thought about it. ¡°Then, what is the second one?¡± ¡°The people in Room 404 have reached some kind of agreement with the woman from Room 406.¡± Zhen Jianren nced at his roommate. ¡°They have started to work together. ¡°And¡­ they were acting earlier.¡± Luo Yi¡¯s pupils trembled. Chapter 51: Handprint Chapter 51: Handprint The next morning, just as the sun came up, the door of Room 405 opened a small gap. Luo Yi, behind the door, looked around before turning to nod at Zhen Jianren behind him. Then, Luo Yi moved to allow Zhen Jianren to squeeze past him. The duo went out. They were very silent. The surroundings were quiet. The people in Room 404 and 406 were still asleep. Luo Yi looked down the corridor. The first ray of the sun hadn¡¯t arrived. A mist enveloped them. An unsettling air permeated the situation¡­ Just as Zhen Jianren was about to turn around to close the door, his eyes were attracted by something. He frowned as he turned his face to it. The next second, he froze and a cold sweat dripped down his back. There was a handprint left on the door. The redness was still bright. It was ring. This was a bloody handprint! The scariest thing was the fingers of the handprint were twice as long as normal fingers! Luo Yi also discovered the handprint. His eyes bulged, and his body trembled. He lost the power of speech. It was hard to imagine such a scary character was just outside their door not too long ago. They might have tried to open their door¡­ ¡°Go get some water,¡± Zhen Jianren growled in a low voice. ¡­Bang! Bang! Apanying the knocking was Jiang Cheng¡¯s satisfying groan. He was rollingfortably on the ground in his underclothes. The sunlight filtered through the window. Everything was peaceful and nice. ¡°Fatty.¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. The light shone on his juicy and bouncy butts. ¡°Don¡¯t you think I look just like azy angel?¡± Fatty opened the door and grumbled, ¡°Doctor, do you have no shame?¡± ¡­ Behind the door were the three from Room 406. Xu Wen stood closest to the door. The scene inside the room surprised her. She looked like she was going to war. However, Jiang Cheng, who should have been the most nervous, appeared like he was on holiday. ¡°Miss Xu.¡± Jiang Cheng gasped in mock shame, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I was meditating.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled up his pants. ¡°Is there anything I can help you with?¡± Xu Wen looked awkward for a moment before she became serious again, ¡°Mr. Hao, please take care of your safety on this journey.¡± ¡°You too,¡± Jiang Cheng replied. ¡°The people in Room 405 have left.¡± Xu Wen turned her head to point at the other door. ¡°Have they been here?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then, we shall go.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± Zhang Yinyin was thest to leave. She looked into Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes like she wanted to read something there, but she clearly failed. ¡°Miss Zhang,¡± Jiang Cheng invited her, ¡°Do you n to join us?¡± Zhang Yinyin was startled. When Jiang Cheng took a step towards her, she took a step back. After realising how awkward she was acting, she turned to look at the path where Xu Wen had left. She was shocked to realise the woman had disappeared. ¡°You have to be careful. I¡¯m going with them.¡± She said hastily before running to catch up to her teammates. Jiang Cheng looked at her running figure, and his smile faded. Seeing Jiang Cheng liked this, Fatty became alert, too. ¡°Doctor, did you discover anything?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think she¡¯s simr to someone we know?¡± Jiang Cheng repeated this question. ¡°Do you mean¡­ Chen Xiaomeng?¡± Fatty remembered this. ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and said seriously, ¡°They have the same goal.¡± Fatty shivered. He remembered Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s tactics. If Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t been there, she would have been the only person to leave thest mission alive. Poor Man Li fell into her trap. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty gasped in shock. ¡°Is Zhang Yinyin¡¯s goal to kill all of us?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s their minor goal. Their ultimate goal¡­ is me.¡± Fatty was stunned, ¡°Do they want to kill you?¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated for a long time before admitting, ¡°In a way.¡± He looked out the window. His gaze blurring. Fatty hadn¡¯t seen Jiang Cheng like this, radiating pessimism. Fatty couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Don¡¯t be so sad, Doctor. I believe we can leave here alive!¡± Jiang Cheng sighed and shook his head. ¡°No. You don¡¯t understand this kind of woman. They¡¯d rather destroy the things they can¡¯t have¡­ They have always been like this.¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± ¡­ At the main education building, two figures slithered down the corridors. Luo Yi was still hung up on the bloody handprint incident. He was clearly distracted. Zhen Jianren was also not as calm as before. Sweat dampened his hair. If the scratching on the first night could be exined as a coincidence, then the bloody handprint was evidence that they had been targeted. Before they left, they checked the doors of Room 404, 406 and 407. Only their room had the handprint. Why? Had they triggered some kind of taboo that caused the ghost to target them, or was it an issue with Room 405 itself? ¡­ There were so many questions. The known clues were limited. Since they knew they had been targeted, the only solution was to make a move before the ghosts, find the clues and end the mission. They had to race with time. Some risks were inevitable. ¡°What is that ghost?¡± Luo Yi¡¯s shaky voice came from behind. ¡°To be able to leave behind a giant handprint and a hoof print.¡± Zhen Jianren was annoyed, ¡°Shush!¡± He interrupted, ¡°Even if we know the answer, it¡¯s pointless.¡± The only good thing was he managed to remove the handprint with a wet cloth before the people in Rooms 404 and 406 woke up. If they had seen it, his situation would be much worse. Those who had been targeted would be ostracised in a mission. His tie was gone. Zhen Jianren looked more like an evil gambler at that moment. Indeed, he decided to make a bet. Luo Yi had chosen to give up. He was a sadist. In their world, the lonely school girl walking home and the officedy on the streets at night were his targets. He called himself the stalker of the night. Chapter 52: Names Chapter 52: Names He had a primal urge he couldn¡¯t control. He was a killer with a nickname called the Rainy Frog. His first victim was the doctor who diagnosed him with a sexual repressive problem. He still remembered that night clearly. It was a rainy night. The female doctor got out of the car alone. She was so captivating under the umbre, walking under the streetlights. Her figure looked so alluring. Ever since then, she would always appear when hemitted his deranged murders. He thought that he was strong, both mentally and physically¡­ Until he met the man before him, Zhen Jianren. His target back then was an intern at a famousw firm. She was youthful and pretty. She had a hint of ice-cold beauty about her. After Luo Yi put on his disguise, he created an opening by asking her for directions. Through their conversations, he found that feeling again. After he exined his situation, disdain appeared in the woman¡¯s eyes. First, it was polite rejection, and finally, it became derision and disgust. After a lot of patience, he finally saw the woman again. However, to his surprise, everything he did was calcted by the woman¡¯s colleague at the samewyer firm, Zhen Jianren. In the quiet underground garage, he was not the only predator. The gentleman was as muscr as a tiger after he removed his suit. He easily took Luo Yi down. His leather shoes stepped on his face¡­ The delicious prey had stars in her eyes, and she couldn¡¯t wait to fall into Zhen Jianren¡¯s arms. Hero saving the damsel¡­ It was a tired trope. At that moment, Luo Yi couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of the disgust on the female doctor¡¯s face when she first told him about his issues.But¡­ ¡°Hey,¡± Zhen Jianren looked down on him with an interesting look. ¡°Do you want her?¡± He was stunned. The woman was stunned, too. Luo Yi tried to speak but he couldn¡¯t do it. The sweetness of blood exploded on his tongue. ¡°Oh.¡± Zhen Jianren smiled, ¡°I forgot.¡± He moved away his feet so that Luo Yi could breathe again. ¡°Yes!¡± His eyes glowed as blood dripped down his chin. ¡°I¡¯ll surrender her to you but you have to follow me somewhere after you¡¯re done.¡± Zhen Jianren tilted his head, giving no care to the girl¡¯s fear. He was waiting for Luo Yi¡¯s answer. ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask where we¡¯re going?¡± Zhen Jianren was intrigued. Something otherworldly danced in his eyes. At that moment, Luo Yi, who thought he was crazy, felt fear. He suddenly realised that his crimes were nothingpared to the man before him. Zhen Jianren put away his smile. Before Luo Yi could answer, he said, ¡°It¡¯s nightmare.¡± He sighed. He turned and walked into the darkness. ¡°I¡¯lle back for you.¡± The man¡¯s voice came from the darkness. After that incident, Luo Yi¡¯s life was infested with strangeness. Unlike usual, he buried the girl¡¯s body deep in the mountain. He even moved to another city. He never showed such fear facing the police, but when he thought of that man¡­ he had to admit he had be the prey. The calmness and madness in the man¡¯s eyes were not something he could rival. He took a few odd jobs and rented an underground room at Warm Home Apartments from a single elder. He was used to having his day and night inversed, so darkness and dampness were no issue for him. The issue came on the first night. It started to rain. Following the rain was a pair of leather shoes. ¡°Hello.¡± The man was still wearing a white suit. The long umbre stem dangled to his side as it dripped water. He raised his head to show the familiar smile on his face. The madness in his eyes was astonishing. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ back for you.¡± Luo Yi¡¯s mind copsed. He didn¡¯t even think about resisting or escaping. Zhen Jianren sat down and showed him a video. It was from that night at the garage. There was only Luo Yi and the woman. Everything that happened next was like a dream. He was led to a strange world by Zhen Jianren. There was the purest sin there. And a door that shouldn¡¯t exist. The nightmare realm¡­ that was what they called it. At this ce, he was Zhen Jianren¡¯s aid, and in return, Zhen Jianren helped him resolve the crisis in his real life. Zhen Jianren had superhuman thinking skills, deep connections and powerful friends. It was due to Zhen Jianren that Luo Yi managed to escape thew. They worked together to survive many missions. However, this time¡­ Luo Yi felt that even Zhen Jianren was stumped. Luo Yi looked at Zhen Jianren, who was seemingly in thought. Zhen Jianren stopped. ¡°Time is running out. We need to split up.¡± He turned to tell Luo Yi. ¡°Split up?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to Year 3 ss 1, and you¡¯ll go to Year 3 ss 2.¡± Zhen Jianren ordered, ¡°Remember our identities. Do not raise their suspicion.¡± The girl¡¯s choirs were all from Year 3. Luo Yi¡¯s expression shifted, ¡°Isn¡¯t that too dangerous? Aren¡¯t you afraid we¡¯re going to attract the ghost¡­¡± He didn¡¯t need to finish. ¡°I know what you want to say.¡± Zhen Jianren said, ¡°I wish we had time to check the sses one by one, but we don¡¯t have time!¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Our biggest enemy is time! We¡¯ve been targeted!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Luo Yi nodded. He turned to leave. ¡°Wait!¡± Luo Yi turned back around. ¡°If the students ask for your name, how will you answer?¡± Zhen Jianren asked. Luo Yi was startled before he answered, ¡°I¡¯ll say, Luo Yi. It¡¯s a fake name anyway.¡± Zhen Jianren shook his head. He looked into Luo Yi¡¯s eyes and said slowly, ¡°You¡¯ll tell them your name is Zhou Taifu.¡± Luo Yi¡¯s eyes widened before he nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± He added, ¡°What about you? ¡°Fatty said he¡¯s an unnamed orphan, and Hao Shuai is probably a fake name, too. You also can¡¯t use Xu Wen.¡± Luo Yi advised. ¡°Zhang Yinyin is a girl¡¯s name, or you could have used that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Zhen Jianren told him, ¡°We¡¯ll meet at the building entrance two hourster.¡± ¡°Cool.¡± Luo Yi hurried to leave. Zhen Jianren didn¡¯t move. He watched Luo Yi leave. Then, his nervous expression returned to normal. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me because I already have a name¡­ It¡¯s Luo Zhanfei.¡± Chapter 53: Night Chapter 53: Night After leaving the hostel, Xu Wen¡¯s group headed to the south side of the school campus. Zhang Yinyin stayed a safe distance behind. The ce was rather deste. They didn¡¯t encounter anyone other than a few girls out on morning exercise. The girls skipped over Zhang Yinyin and Xu Wen as they stared at Zhou Taifu. The man couldn¡¯t help but shiver. ¡°What¡­ are they going to do?¡± Zhou Taifu only had a tank top, and his face was as white as paper. Thankfully, the girls only watched from a distance. They didn¡¯t do anything out of line. Zhou Taifu swallowed silently. This world was too scary. If he were alone, he¡¯d¡­ He didn¡¯t dare to think about it. They paused at the end of the road. Before them was a volleyball court. The surrounding fences were rusted. There was no one at the court. Dust particles danced under the morning rays. A wet smell permeated the air. It was like it had rained the day before. The court used old cement ground. There were faded white painted to mark the lines. Most of the was gone. Only the bare rods remained. Next to the fences were seats. The stic seats cracked from exposure to the elements. Clearly, this court had long been abandoned. Zhou Taifu nced at Xu Wen, who brought them there. His eyes glowed with confusion. Zhang Yinyin looked like she was about to say something. However, her expression turned strange when she noticed that Xu Wen had turned into an alley. The alley was barely a road. It was a small path made from pebbles. It was wide enough for one person. Soon, the trio lifted their heads, and a building identical to their hostel appeared before them. Zhou Taifu couldn¡¯t help but swallow nervously. Unlike their hostel, this ce was not abandoned. Some of the windows were decorated with potted nts. Some had a clothesline. This ce was upied. ¡­The interior of the ce was simr to their hostel. Xu Wen easily found the room she wanted to find and knocked on the door. The echo was hollow. The old axle creaked. The young face that appeared behind the door was a great contrast. The woman looked at them with shock, ¡°It¡¯s you?!¡± Xu Wen smiled, ¡°Teacher Feng, sorry for disturbing you.¡± It was the woman from the rehearsal. The woman stood at the door as if hesitating whether to invite them into the room. ¡°Teacher Feng,¡± Xu Wen pointed inside the room. ¡°Do you mind if we go in to rest our feet?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± The woman looked troubled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Xu Wen nodded and walked past her. The woman subconsciously moved away. Zhang Yinyin followed. Thest was Zhou Taifu. He examined the room. The room was simr to theirs, but only the woman stayed there. There was only a single bed. The other space was upied by the woman¡¯s personal objects. A hanger hung from the dresser hook. A few underclothes hung from it. They seemed to be just cleaned. Clear water stains pooled on the dark cement floor underneath it. The woman sat on the bed and stared at the three of them. Just as Xu Wen was about to say something, the woman cut her off, ¡°I know what you want to ask.¡± Zhou Taifu was stunned. Then, the woman lowered her voice as if afraid that something would hear her, ¡°Did¡­ some of you encounter those things?¡± ¡°Please continue.¡± Xu Wen didn¡¯t deny or confirm. Then, she took out her notebook. However, the woman seemed to confirm something. She asked nervously, ¡°Is that person alright?¡± Xu Wen thought about it. Their jaws were gone, so¡­ However, to simplify the situation, she nodded, ¡°They¡¯re alright.¡± ¡°Goodness. Then, he¡¯s really lucky.¡± The woman grabbed her clothes in fear. Then, she nced at Xu Wen and said carefully, ¡°After yesterday¡¯s rehearsal ended, I suspected something like this had happened, seeing how frantic your group was acting. Actually, quite a few of the teachers here have encountered those things¡­¡± Her voice dwindled. Xu Wen stopped writing and raised her head. ¡°Does that include you, Teacher Feng?¡± The woman shivered. Finally, she nodded. She continued, ¡°Yes¡­ It happened during the first year I came to this school. It was a normal day. I left the office with the other teachers once the ss was over. Since I didn¡¯t live locally, I requested to stay at the staff hostel. The canteen handled all the food. However, that day, I ate at the canteen and only discovered I had left my keys in the office drawer once I got back to the hostel. I was panicking because it was darkening.¡± At this point, she paused to exin, ¡°There are many unwritten rules at this school. One of them is not to wander around the campus at night, especially not around Block C. But¡­¡± The woman¡¯s face paled, ¡°My office was at Block C.¡± Zhou Taifu trembled involuntarily. ¡°Back then, I just transferred here.¡± The woman said, ¡°I heard of the saying, but I didn¡¯t know why. I had asked the other teachers about it, but they didn¡¯t wish to borate on it. They merely told me that those were the rules that I had to follow.¡± ¡°But you still went back for your keys.¡± Xu Wen looked into the woman¡¯s eyes. After all, the plot had to continue. ¡°Indeed.¡± The woman sighed. She turned to look out the window as if she didn¡¯t want people to look into her eyes. ¡°When I arrived at Block C, the sky was fully dark.¡± After a pause, she added, ¡°So was that building. ¡°It was a prating darkness. It felt like¡­ something was consuming the darkness. Can you understand how that feels?¡± The woman held Xu Wen¡¯s gaze. She suddenly became agitated. ¡°That building¡­ It was alive! It was waiting¡­ for me to walk into it!¡± ¡°Please calm down.¡± Xu Wen was not led astray by the woman. She looked at her and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s morning, and you¡¯re not at Block C. You are safe.¡± After a long time, the woman seemed to struggle from the grip of memory. She nodded and her lips pursed unnaturally. Chapter 54: Rainy Night Chapter 54: Rainy Night ¡°It was raining that night.¡± The woman said, ¡°The rain was pouring. Although I had an umbre, half my body was wet. When I put the umbre away and rushed to Block C, I realised the door was locked by two thick iron chains.¡± Zhou Taifu¡¯s face dropped when he heard that. He turned to say something to Xu Wen, but thetter didn¡¯t even acknowledge him. ¡°I was so nervous. I had just moved here and had no close friends. I was too embarrassed to ask the other teachers for a room to stay overnight. Just to try it out, I gave the door a push. Maybe the guard made a mistake and forgot to use the lock¡­¡± At this point, the woman¡¯s expression shifted. Xu Wen stopped writing and looked at the woman expressionlessly. ¡°It sounds like a mistake was made.¡± The woman eventually nodded. ¡°Yes. Both locks were open. It felt like someone had left them purposely as such. Back then, I was only thinking about grabbing the key. I didn¡¯t think about anything else. I opened the door and ran to the office.¡± ¡°Where was your office?¡± Xu Wen raised her head. ¡°Third floor.¡± The woman added, ¡°Room 304.¡± Xu Wen jotted it down. This might be something important.¡°The whole building was so quiet. All the ssrooms were dark. Only the emergency lights were on. The corridors looked so creepy.¡± Zhou Taifu was drawn into the story. When the woman reached these scary points, he became anxious. ¡°I had to use the shlight on my phone. I ran to the third floor. I opened the office door, rushed in and locked it. I didn¡¯t know why I did so. If I had to exin it, it must be intuition.¡± Zhang Yinyin, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, ¡°What did you find?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± The woman shook her head. ¡°Even now, I have no exnation. It felt wrong. That sound¡­ That sound¡­¡± Xu Wen stopped writing. The way she looked at the woman finally changed. ¡°Sound?¡± Zhou Taifu curled up between Zhang Yinyin and Xu Wen. He asked weakly, ¡°What¡­ what sound?¡± ¡°Footsteps.¡± The woman turned to answer Zhou Taifu. ¡°It was the sound of me running. Since it was so quiet, the running footsteps echoed so clearly. But¡­¡± Her expression shifted. ¡°The sound of the footsteps sounded off! ¡°It was not just my own footsteps!¡± The woman gasped. ¡°Do you mean someone was following you?¡± Xu Wen frowned. The woman shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t see anyone else.¡± ¡°Then, how did you know the footsteps sounded off?¡± Zhang Yinyin continued. Her tone was gentle. With her cute looks, she easily gave people a good impression. ¡°It was probably just your imagination.¡± She consoled her. ¡°The creepy atmosphere amplified your fear. The other footsteps you heard might just be the echo of your own.¡± What the woman said next caused Zhang Yinyin¡¯s smile to freeze. ¡°Impossible!¡± The woman whipped her head. Her eyes were bloodshot. ¡°I was wearing sports shoes that night. The other footsteps were made by heels!¡± Zhou Taifu froze for a few seconds before chills ran up his spine. ¡°However, all the sounds disappeared once I closed the office door. I hid behind the door, not daring to move. I stayed to listen for about ten minutes. It was indeed very quiet outside the door. I switched on all the lights in the office.¡± ¡°Did you stay overnight in the office?¡± The woman shook her head slowly, ¡°I did think about it. But¡­ I changed my mind.¡± She nced out the window. Her brows twitched unnaturally. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t have the guts. The building gave me a strange feeling. I didn¡¯t want to stay there for one second more. After I found the key, I stopped to think for a long time. In the end, I chose to leave. I thought about using my shlight and then ran without stopping to the exit. However, as I gathered my courage and attempted to leave, the phone in the office rang. You might not feel it now, but at the time, I almost fainted from fear. ¡°I hesitated, but eventually, I moved to the phone. Thankfully, I recognised the number it showed. It was a call from the security department. After I answered the call, I found out they were calling because they saw the lights in the office of Block Ce on. They called because they wanted to see what was happening. I almost cried. That was the happiest to get someone¡¯s call. After they found out the situation, they told me to stay inside the office. They woulde to fetch me.¡± Xu Wen¡¯s expression darkened, but it soon disappeared. The woman didn¡¯t notice it. ¡°And then?¡± ¡°Soon, I heard a series of rushing footsteps. There were three to four people. Then, someone knocked on the door. When I opened the door and saw them, I felt like I was being reborn. My tears couldn¡¯t help but fall. ¡°The leading person was a man. He was bald and quiterge around the waist. He looked tough. There were two people behind him. They were both females. They were in guard uniforms. They instantly berated me, questioning me why I was viting the school rules. ¡°I was too stunned to do anything but to apologise profusely. I did trouble them. The weather was not helping. ¡°Other than that, I didn¡¯t want to report my incident to the school board. I just moved here, and I didn¡¯t want to give a bad impression¡­ ¡°They pitied a new teacher like me, so they didn¡¯t scold me much. However, the bald leader kept ncing down the dark corridors as if he were wary of something. ¡°He was the one who berated me the most.¡± The woman thought of something, ¡°I kept on repeating that I didn¡¯t want to live anymore. He was exaggeratingly scary. ¡°Then, they told me to pack up my stuff and prepare to leave. But as I moved to leave, I suddenly remembered I left my umbre inside the office. I turned to fetch it¡­¡± At this point, she paused. She looked at the people before him with a paling face. ¡°I suddenly noticed something.¡± The woman¡¯s body started to tremble unnaturally. Her pupils slowly narrowed. She said the rest with great difficulty. ¡°They¡­ the guards didn¡¯t carry any umbres. They didn¡¯t have raincoats either. Their uniforms looked brand new. Their clothes were not wet at all.¡± Chapter 55: Print Chapter 55: Print ¡°On top of that¡­ the woman was wearing a pair of red high heels!¡± At this point, Xu Wen and Zhang Yinyin shared a look. They were immediately reminded of the sounds of heels cking the woman mentioned earlier. Could it be¡­ The woman didn¡¯t give them the time to think. She continued, ¡°It was then that I started to suspect their real identities. Even though I just came here not too long ago, I had interacted with the people from the security department a few times. I had never seen these people before. Furthermore, the guards are not allowed to wear high heels during work hours. ¡°I purposely took things slow, telling them that I needed to look for some stuff. They waited for me outside the door. However, the leading man¡¯s attitude worsened,¡± The woman stressed, ¡°He started to scold me again. As afraid as I was, I insisted that I would not leave until I found the things I needed.¡± ¡°They remained outside the door and didn¡¯t enter the office, right?¡± Xu Wen asked. The woman asked as surprise coloured her face. ¡°That¡¯s right. I couldn¡¯t figure it out. The door was open, but they refused toe in. They would rather wait outside.¡± ¡°And then, what happened?¡± Zhang Yinyin cut in, ¡°How did you escape?¡± ¡°When I realised they wouldn¡¯t barge into the office, I started to calm down. I used the excuse of using the department chair¡¯s room. I actually went in to hide.¡± At this point, the woman paused to exin, ¡°That office was huge. All the teachers from the same department worked there. There was a singr, isted room, and it was the department chair¡¯s room. I didn¡¯t pay attention to them. My mind was made. I would enter the chair¡¯s room and use her phone to call the other teachers for help.¡°The chair¡¯s room had arge mirror on the door. She fixed it there to examine her appearance. When I opened the door halfway, the mirror¡¯s angle reflected the office entrance. I took a nce¡­¡± The woman suddenly stopped. Xu Wen noticed the woman slowly widening her eyes as they filled with fear. Zhou Taifu was almost crying from fear. ¡°Why did you stop there? What¡­ did you see?¡± ¡°There were¡­ four people standing at the door.¡± The woman breathed heavily. She sounded like a broken air-conditioner. Zhang Yinyin frowned instantly. This differed from her expectations. Xu Wen also stopped writing as she stared at the woman before her with confusion. After some time¡­ ¡°All of them are missing their chins,¡± The woman raised her head and borated with rity. ¡­ ¡°Doctor.¡± Fatty sipped on the millet porridge and praised Jiang Cheng, ¡°You are so amazing! How did you know the two from Room 405 would stealthily wipe away the handprint?¡± Jiang Cheng chewed and slowly spat out a piece of fish bone. He found the fried fish delicious after trying it yesterday, so he ordered it again. ¡°Those targeted by ghosts in the mission will be abandoned,¡± Jiang Cheng exined, ¡°This mission is not easy. He can¡¯t solve it on his own.¡± ¡­ A few hours ago¡­ Around 4 to 5 am. It was still dark outside the window. Fatty leaned on the wall, sleeping happily. Suddenly, his neck chilled. He jolted awake, thinking that a ghost hade to strange him. ¡°Doctor!¡± Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng, who was holding a water bottle and judging him. He suddenly felt embarrassed. He stammered, ¡°I swear I was up on guard duty. I just fell asleep seconds ago.¡± Jiang Cheng was toozy to argue with him. He only told him to be quiet and follow him. Fatty shook his fuzzy head. He got out from the bed and pulled back a corner of the curtain. He nced out the window and turned back. He said with confusion, ¡°It¡¯s not even dawn yet. Wouldn¡¯t it be too dangerous to go out?¡± Jiang Cheng had already packed. ¡°Either youe with me, or you can stay here alone.¡± Fatty thought about it and nodded. ¡°Okay then. Doctor, you have to be careful.¡± Just as Jiang Cheng was about to leave, he suddenly paused. Then, he swivelled around and whispered to Fatty, ¡°By the way, as I woke up earlier, I believed I saw a human shadow under your bed.¡± Fatty woke up instantly, ¡°??¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged, ¡°It could be my imagination.¡± How could Fatty keep on sleeping? He immediately moved away from his bed. ¡°Doctor,¡± He was scared, but he didn¡¯t dare to speak too loudly, ¡°Please don¡¯t scare me. I might berge, but my heart is tiny.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Jiang Chengforted him. ¡°Think of the positive things. Even if it¡¯s a ghost, it might be here to kill you. Perhaps it¡¯s just here to break your limbs, pull out your teeth and turn you into a mascot.¡± Fatty instantly ran to grab his coat. ¡°Doctor, please¡­ I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Jiang Cheng never wanted to force anyone. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Fatty shook his head. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t go with you, I don¡¯t think I can stay here anymore.¡± ¡°Fine then.¡± However, to Fatty¡¯s surprise, they didn¡¯t leave the building. In fact, they didn¡¯t stray far from their room. They paused before Room 405. Using the dim light, Fatty saw Jiang Cheng take out a small white bottle from his pocket. It was amon medicine bottle. Then, a long wait came. Fatty¡¯s mission was to be Jiang Cheng¡¯s lookout. His eyesight was not bad. When he was at school, he could spy the answer from his friend two rows away during exams. His neck turned around with great agility. He was like a human radar. An unknown burst of wind blew through the corridor. It moved the things in the corridor and some of the doors. It formed a strange cacophony. Jiang Cheng instantly poured the contents of the bottle into his right hand. With his sharp eyes, Fatty saw that it was a slightly sticky and dark liquid. Apanying it was a familiar smell. It was sharp with a hint of sweetness. It was blood! His pupils trembled. He watched Jiang Cheng smear the blood over his palm and then leave a light handprint on the door of Room 405. A clear handprint was left on the door. Fatty¡¯s eyes widened. Then, Jiang Cheng used more of the blood to continue his drawing. He extended each of the fingers to twice their normal length. Chapter 56: Portrait Chapter 56: Portrait When they went back to the room, Fatty still hadn¡¯t recovered from the shock. However, he didn¡¯t dare to speak too loudly since it was still dark. ¡°Doctor, why did you do that?¡± ¡°No reason.¡± Jiang Cheng grumbled as he wiped his hands with a wet cloth, ¡°I feel like they¡¯re being toozy, so I¡¯m giving them some pressure. This is for their own good.¡± Fatty was used to Jiang Cheng¡¯s bullshit. He asked, ¡°Then, the blood¡­¡¯ ¡°It is as you think,¡± He shrugged, ¡°I borrowed it from Long Tao.¡± Fatty¡¯s expression was indescribable. He hesitated and then talked as if to himself, ¡°Doctor, I guess you want to create the illusion that they¡¯ve been targeted by the ghosts. If they don¡¯t solve the mission, they¡¯ll die first.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Fatty licked his lips and followed behind Jiang Cheng, ¡°I can understand that. However, a handprint should be enough. Why extend the length of the fingers?¡± He looked at the man with confusion, ¡°Is there a meaning behind that?¡± Fatty seemed to think of something and snapped his fingers, ¡°You want to disrupt them and make them think the killer has a giant hand! Is that why?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Jiang Cheng scratched his head with embarrassment. ¡°Mainly, I saw there was some left in the bottle, and I didn¡¯t want to waste it.¡±Fatty¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°...I thank you for Long Tao.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± After using two bottles of water, the smell of blood lightened. Jiang Cheng flung the water away and crawled back to bed with satisfaction. ¡°Doctor,¡± After a while, Fatty called out softly, ¡°Are you asleep?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng answered clearly, ¡°I dreamed of Long Tao. He said that he couldn¡¯t eat without his chin. He wanted to borrow your chin for two days before returning it to you. I was begging him on your behalf, but you woke me up.¡± Jiang Cheng flipped over. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. He will take some time to arrive.¡± ¡°My doctor¡­¡± Fatty said through tears. He wanted to sew Jiang Cheng¡¯s mouth shut, ¡°I beg you to shut up.¡± There were still two hours to dawn. Jiang Cheng believed Fatty wouldn¡¯t be able to fall back asleep after hearing his story. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty asked secretively, ¡°I have a question to ask you. I just thought of it.¡± He lowered his voice even more, ¡°Weren¡¯t you afraid of being attacked by ghosts when we were in the corridor earlier? After all, the woman in the qipao died in the corridor.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled on the nket to cover his lips. It dampened his voice. Fatty could barely hear him clearly. ¡°I was not scared because she died in the corridor.¡± Fatty widened his eyes. ¡°What did you say, doctor?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Jiang Cheng turned back. ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Okay, doctor,¡± Fatty nodded. ¡°Sleep well. I¡¯ll wake you if there¡¯s anything.¡± Then, Fatty didn¡¯t disturb Jiang Cheng anymore. He crossed his legs and sat on his bed. If one didn¡¯t see it in person, one wouldn¡¯t believe Fatty could cross his legs. If Jiang Cheng saw this, he would make a huge deal out of it. ¡­ In the canteen, Jiang Cheng sucked on his teeth with ease. Most of the students had gone to ss. Only a few were there eating ate breakfast. Fatty¡¯s brows were folded together when he remembered that they were going to the Prop Building to gather clues in a bit. ¡°Doctor,¡± He moved his eyes away from a young female student, ¡°When will we go there?¡± He blinked his little eyes and suggested, ¡°Should we go at noon? At least the Yan energy will keep those things back.¡± Jiang Cheng nced at him. ¡°Do you remember when did Long Tao die?¡± Fatty¡¯s face dropped. Jiang Cheng was right. Long Tao died near noon. It looked like time didn¡¯t have much influence on the ghost¡¯s power in this mission. Fatty started toe up with other excuses. Heined darkly, ¡°Doctor, why did you volunteer when you knew how dangerous this would be?¡± He sighed, ¡°Never mind. I won¡¯tin anymore. When are we going?¡± Jiang Cheng raised his head. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°The prop building!¡± Fatty gasped. ¡°Did you get amnesia?¡± ¡°Even you know that ce is dangerous. Why are we going there?¡± Fatty was stunned. He stammered, ¡°No. Doctor. Didn¡¯t you decide this yesterday?¡± He paused, ¡°Zhen Jianren and Luo Yi will go to find the students, and the trio from Room 407 will find the woman from the rehearsal. We¡¯re going to the prop building.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded as if the memory just came back to him, ¡°You were talking about that. I did remember saying that. I was just talking nonsense.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jiang Cheng used the spoon to stir the tofu, but he didn¡¯t n to eat it. ¡°The prop building is clearly very dangerous. Only idiots will go there.¡± Fatty felt his brain burning up. ¡°Then¡­ how are we supposed to answer the others?¡± His worry was not unfounded. Later, they would meet up to exchange information. If his group couldn¡¯te up with anything¡­ ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty leaned over to persuade him, ¡°I think we shouldn¡¯t trick people on this. If we go back empty-handed, they will not forgive us.¡± ¡°Who said we will go back empty-handed?¡± Jiang Cheng smiled. For some reason, Fatty¡¯s right eyelid twitched when he saw that smile. ¡°Doctor, stop kidding.¡± Fatty pressed on his right eye. Jiang Cheng became serious. He lowered his eyes and looked at Fatty seriously, ¡°We went to the prop building in the early afternoon. However, before we got to the front door, we saw a woman from a distance. The woman had dishevelled and a hunchback. She was very strange. The woman had an abnormallyrge hand. ¡°We didn¡¯t dare to approach, so we hid and observed her from a distance. Soon, the woman walked away. Then, we realised she had been drawing a picture. ¡°It was the portrait of a person.¡± Jiang Cheng blinked. Fatty was strangely captivated by Jiang Cheng¡¯s story. He asked Jiang Cheng, ¡°Whose portrait was it?¡± Jiang Cheng gave a long sigh and raised his brow. ¡°Zhen Jianren.¡± Chapter 57: Rain Chapter 57: Rain ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Luo Yi turned to Zhen Jianren beside him and asked. Not too long ago, they reunited at the front of the main education building. They were exchanging information when Zhen Jianren suddenly paused. He lifted his head to look around. His eyes were sharp with alertness. Luo Yi sensed something as well. He followed Zhen Jianren¡¯s gaze and looked around. Before them was a sizeable garden with a pond in the middle. The pond was dry and cordoned off by a low fence. Red bricks were used to build a flower plot to the right of the fence. Further to the east was a small forest. Due to the season, the leaves had all fallen. One could see through it easily. Other than the asional students and staff passing by, nothing was out of ce. Luo Yi looked at Zhen Jianren with confusion. His lips moved. Before he could say anything, thetter said with worry, ¡°Earlier that moment, I had a bad feeling.¡± The constant worry and action exhausted Luo Yi. He gathered his focus and whispered, ¡°From which direction?¡± Zhen Jianren eventually shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know. In any case, we¡¯ve been targeted. We need to find the clues and escape this ce.¡± ¡°What is our n next?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll split up.¡± Zhen Jianren stood up. ¡°You go to the files room and see if you can find anything on the girl they mentioned. I¡¯ll notify the others. ¡°We¡¯ll meet up at Block C¡¯s music ssroom at 2 pm.¡±¡­ Zhen Jianren was thest one to arrive. As he entered the canteen, he saw Jiang Cheng and Xu Wen¡¯s groups squeezed at the same table. Fatty saw him instantly. He waved him over, ¡°Mr. Guardian Angel, we¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡± Xu Wen shared the information she had from Teacher Feng Lan. When Zhen Jianren heard that Feng Lan was once trapped in the office and all of the guards that came to save her had no chins, Zhen Jianren suddenly spoke, ¡°It looks like what I found out was the prelude to your story.¡± He and Luo Yi went to Year 3 ss 1 and 2 to learn more about the situation. Both sses participated in the rehearsal. In the video, the female ghost appeared beside them. Based on what Zhen Jianren heard, there was a rumour among the students of this school. It was rted to the music ssroom in Block C. The music ssroom was wildly different in the day and at night, ording to the rumours. The ce was so chilly that even if it were in the middle of the summer, one would shiver from the chills inside it. The strangest thing was one couldn¡¯t fend off the chill no matter how manyyers one wore. Because¡­ the chill came from one¡¯s heart. It was particrly obvious on rainy nights. At this point, Zhen Jianren nced at Xu Wen, something inscrutable in his eyes. After all, in thetter¡¯s story, a rainy night was featured as well. That night, Feng Lan, who just moved to this school, encountered something she would never forget: Four bloody ¡®people¡¯ with missing chins stood outside the office, staring at her. ¡°What happened on that rainy night?¡± Xu Wen asked coolly. It was clear that this aloof woman was not as calm as before. The cool tone was to hide her rising fear. The clues were shattered, and time was running out. ording to the legend, if one came to Block C and walked up the staircase, when one was about to reach the fourth floor, something strange would happen. The stairs that had 48 steps would gain one extra to reach 49 steps. Then, one¡¯s surroundings would change. The walls, the floor, the corridor, the ssrooms¡­ Everyone would look brand new, like time had been reversed. One would encounter some people there. Zhou Taifu swallowed nervously, ¡°What kind of people?¡± ¡°Every kind.¡± Zhen Jianren looked into Zhou Taifu¡¯s eyes, ¡°Teachers, students, and even¡­ people in the guard uniforms.¡± Zhou Taifu trembled uncontrobly. He turned to Xu Wen for help, but the woman didn¡¯t acknowledge him. ¡°You haven¡¯t mentioned the music ssroom,¡± Jiang Cheng reminded him. Zhen Jianren moved his eyes away, ¡°They said that if you push open the door to the music ssroom, you¡¯ll see a girl inside. She¡¯d be dancing continuously. Her dance will be amazing, and everyone will be led to her tempo. Once the song is over, the girl will stop to ask you some questions, but you mustn¡¯t answer her.¡± Fatty frowned. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because if you do, something bad will happen.¡± Zhen Jianren remembered that when the girls told him these things, their voices were so soft that he could barely hear them. However, he still heard what the girls said. They said if you answered the girl, you¡¯d be trapped here forever like the others¡­ Once Zhen Jianren said that, everyone¡¯s face dropped. Jiang Cheng believed that there was where the woman in the qipao and Long Tao had gone. ¡°Was the girl¡­ dancing ballet?¡± Zhang Yinyin spoke after a long silence. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡­ It would appear that this girl was the source of this music. After the ghost was confirmed, the hoof prints at the crime scene could be exined. They were not hoof prints but the prints from ballet slippers. The ghost was dancing ballet as she killed the woman in the qipao and Long Tao. The scene would have been absurd and scary. Regarding this time, they confirmed two rules¡­ or the taboos of this mission. One, when the ghost appeared, one should not answer her questions. If possible, do not make any noise. Two, when they had to go to the music ssroom in Block C, everyone had to stay together. Unless necessary, one shouldn¡¯t move around at night. ¡°What about your partner?¡± Zhou Taifu looked around nervously, ¡°Did he¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Zhen Jianren interrupted him. ¡°He went to the files room to see if he could find out anything about the girl. He¡¯ll meet up with uster.¡± Fatty cut in darkly, ¡°Is it okay for Brother Luo Yi to go alone? Won¡¯t it be too dangerous?¡± ¡°Thank you for your concern,¡± Zhen Jianren smiled, ¡°I have confidence in my friend. But¡­¡± His eyes moved away from Fatty and fell on Jiang Cheng. He said with a trace of malice, ¡°What did you find at the Prop Building?¡± Chapter 58: Mockery Chapter 58: Mockery Hearing that, Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression became unnatural. His eyes wandered about as if he wanted to hide something. Soon¡­ ¡°Hao Shuai,¡± Zhen Jianren scoffed, ¡°Everyone is waiting for you!¡± ¡°Did you not go because you were scared?¡± Zhou Taifu stared at Jiang Cheng. The way thetter acted confirmed his thoughts. His voice rose to a sharp pitch, ¡°You promised us!¡± Xu Wen spoke up. She stared at Jiang Cheng and said slowly, ¡°Both of our teams havepleted our tasks. Mr Hao, you should abide by¡­¡± Jiang Cheng finally stopped hesitating. He gritted his teeth. ¡°I am always a man of my word. I naturally will not shy away from the promise I¡¯ve given you, but¡­¡± He titled his head at Zhen Jianren, his eyes glowing with sympathy. He sighed before pulling his gaze back and slowly shaking his head. Then, the rims of his eyes reddened. Everyone was so confused. The most confused was Zhen Jianren. After all, he was thest person Jiang Cheng looked at. He was suddenly reminded of the bad feeling he felt earlier. Was it about this? ¡°Why did you look at me and sigh?¡± Zhen Jianren started to feel uneasy. Fatty came over. He patted Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder to console him. Then, he looked at Zhen Jianren helplessly.¡°Brother Guardian Angel,¡± Fatty said with pain, ¡°Originally, we didn¡¯t mean to tell you, but since you¡¯ve asked, we won¡¯t hide it from you. You¡­¡± Fatty bit his lips, ¡°Should be prepared.¡± Zhen Jianren¡¯s anxiety was amplified. However, he maintained calmness on the surface. He had no idea what Fatty was talking about. He also didn¡¯t trust Fatty and Jiang Cheng implicitly. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Zhen Jianren frowned and warned sternly, ¡°Just say it. Don¡¯t y tricks.¡± Just as Fatty was about to craft a story, a hand reached over to cover his mouth. ¡°Let me.¡± Jiang Cheng looked better, but his tone was stillced with pain. Zhang Yinyin looked at Jiang Cheng with amusement, as if she wanted to peel his face off. ¡°After we had breakfast, we went to the Prop Building. At the time, the gate was wide open, and the yard was empty. The old man was not around. There was no one there. Therefore, we decided to sneak in to find clues when no one was around. ¡°We searched a lot of rooms. There were broken tables and sports equipment like basketballs. Until¡­¡± Jiang Cheng paused and looked around nervously, ¡°Until we found that room.¡± Fatty instantly cooperated by shivering. ¡°Wh-what room?¡± Zhen Jianren asked softly. Jiang Cheng waved for the man not to interrupt him. He said with hesitation, ¡°The room was very hidden. We found it via pure ident.¡± His eyes seemed to hollow in memory, ¡°Actually, we found it as if propelled by something. When we neared that room, our hearts palpitated.¡± Fatty shook even harder. ¡°He¡¯s right. The feeling was hard to describe. It was like someone was grabbing my heart.¡± He touched his heart. His expression was severe. ¡°We eventually found our way to that room. The door had two locks. They looked very old.¡± Xu Wen had to ask, ¡°Were they chain locks? The one that has many links?¡± Jiang Cheng nodded quickly, ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Xu Wen¡¯s face shifted, but she didn¡¯t borate. She was reminded of Feng Lan¡¯s experience¡­ The two chains that locked the door to Block C. Could they be connected? Jiang Cheng continued. ¡°As we approached, our hearts raced even more. We slowly eased our steps. We didn¡¯t dare to make any sound.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s story was so detailed that everyone felt they were there. ¡°It was then that we heard a sound that we couldn¡¯t describe.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Zhou Taifu gasped in shock. ¡°Was there a couple inside?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng exined, ¡°There was only a woman inside. I saw her through the gap in the door.¡± Jiang Cheng resumed, ¡°Or rather, more urately, a female student. She wore a school uniform, which was very dated. Her hair was put down. Her back was arched, and her posture was inexplicable. ¡°We didn¡¯t dare to get too close. We hid behind the door and spied on her. ¡°Soon, the girl left in a strange gait. Then, we realised she was bent over as such because she had been drawing a picture.¡± ¡°Drawing?¡± Zhen Jianren frowned. ¡°More precisely, it was a portrait,¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his voice and turned to look at Zhen Jianren, ¡°It was a portrait of a person.¡± ¡°What person?¡± ¡°You should ask who.¡± Jiang Cheng corrected him. Zhen Jianren blinked. He had a prediction of the answer, but he still asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± Jiang Cheng took a deep breath. ¡°It was¡­ you.¡± Everyone turned to Zhen Jianren. The ce was silent like a bomb had exploded. There were gazes of shock, confusion¡­ and even, joy. Different expressions appeared on different faces. There were a lot ofyers. However, there was amon strand¡­ and that was fear. At that moment, fear was the purest. Inside a dark room, a ghost was drawing the portrait of a man¡­ The thought was spine-chilling. ¡°Could it be¡­¡± Zhou Taifu suggested through trembling lips. ¡°Is he the ghost¡¯s next target? The people who have been drawn will die, is that it?¡± Xu Wen and Zhang Yinyin said nothing. Zhen Jianren pressed his lips and his face was pale. He stared into Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes. And then¡­ Heughed. It was aughter that was released after a great suppression. It started slowly and it eventually grew to be quite exaggerated. His eyes filled with mockery. Xu Wen and Zhang Yinyin also understood the problem. They looked at Jiang Cheng with iciness. Fatty¡¯s heart dropped. Damn¡­ They were exposed¡­ While Fatty panicked, Jiang Cheng evenly and patiently raised his right hand. He uttered in a firm tone, ¡°Her left hand was twice as big as mine.¡± Theughter suddenly ceased. Chapter 59: Office Chapter 59: Office Along the way, the team was quiet. Zhou Taifu grabbed the clothes he borrowed and walked to the right of the team. He nced asionally at Zhen Jianren beside him. Thetter was silent with a dark face. In great contrast was Jiang Cheng. With a puffed chest, he walked at the front, leading the way for the group. Fatty followed closely behind him. Xu Wen and Zhang Yinyin stayed at the back of the group. The former was better, but thetter changed tremendously. Her sense of helplessness disappeared to be reced by a cool gaze. Things were moreplicated than she thought. She couldn¡¯t tell how authentic Jiang Cheng¡¯s story was. However, what she could confirm was the portrait, and the ghost should be real. Especially the detail of the ghost¡¯s hand¡­ She still remembered how Zhen Jianren froze when he heard that the ghost had a hand twice the size of a normal human. His arrogance disappeared instantly, and the fear in his eyes was evident. This confused her. Zhang Yinyin had two guesses. First, Zhen Jianren and Luo Yi managed to gather some extra information on the female ghost and found out that her right hand was abnormal. Of course, they didn¡¯t n to share this piece of information with the rest. Second, and more directly, they¡­ had seen this ghost before. That was how they knew her physical appearance. Zhang Yinyin¡¯s eyesnded on Zhen Jianren¡¯s back, and her eyes chilled. Could it be¡­ on him? ¡­ Before the team split up, they received the notification that the second rehearsal would be at 2 in the afternoon. They were told to be present. The venue was the same, the music ssroom at Block C. The group was on the way to Block C.Luo Yi was missing. Based on what Zhen Jianren said, he went alone to the files room to investigate the female ghost. Before they reached Block C, they saw a person from a distance. She stood before the entrance to Block C. She paced around nervously. Fatty recognised the person instantly. ¡°You¡¯re finally here.¡± When the woman saw Jiang Cheng¡¯s group, she moved to wee them. It was the same woman who weed them during the previous rehearsal. Xu Wen said her name was Feng Lan. ¡°Your friend is in a conflict with the guards.¡± Feng Lan said anxiously, ¡°He is now detained. The school is preparing to call the police on him.¡± ¡°Is it Luo Yi?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know his name.¡± Feng Lan looked out of sorts. As she exined the situation, she urged everyone upstairs. ¡°He wears a cap and has a few scars on his forehead.¡± That was definitely Luo Yi¡­ Furthermore, everyone else was present. ¡°What was the source of the conflict?¡± Zhen Jianren asked, even though he knew. After all, Luo Yi was on his side. He would not abandon him unless necessary. ¡°I don¡¯t know the details.¡± Feng Lan was distracted. Her answer was vague. ¡°But I heard it was because he stole something. He was discovered by a passing student. She contacted the guards.¡± At this point, she hesitated before saying, ¡°He was caught on the fifth floor of Block C. Technically, there are only a few empty file rooms there. The ce has been abandoned for years. What was he doing there?¡± No one answered. ¡°Where are they now?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°Third Floor Block C,¡± Feng Lan led the way, ¡°Room 304.¡± Everyone halted. There was a room on their right. Even if Feng Lan didn¡¯t say it, they saw the que on the door. It was white characters with a blue background. The number 304. Based on theyout, it was an office. However, the reason they remembered it was because this room was featured in Feng Lan¡¯s story. Standing outside, they could hear the sound of arguinging from within. ¡°How many times do you need me to say it?¡± Someone howled. Then, there was a table-mming sound and the sound of chairs moving. It sounded heated. Zhen Jianren¡¯s face froze. It was Luo Yi¡¯s voice. ¡°You better go in to exin the situation,¡± Feng Lan stood at the door and turned around, ¡°If the police arrive, things will be so much worse.¡± As if sensing their presence, everyone inside the office turned to the door. The office was old. A few dark wood tables were joined together. Around three to four teachers could work together at the same table. The tables were rather messy, with stacks of books and stationery. A fewrge paper boxes were ced in the corner. The costumes for the rehearsal poked through the gaps in the boxes. Luo Yi sat on the chair next to the paper boxes. There were three middle-aged women standing or sitting near him. They wore vicious expressions on their faces. They had on the security guard uniform. ¡°Teacher Feng, these are¡­¡± The leading woman said unkindly. ¡°They are the media people hired by the school to shoot the anniversary.¡± Feng Lan quickly introduced them, ¡°So is this gentleman. I think there are some misunderstandings.¡± ¡°It is a misunderstanding!¡± Luo Yi became agitated when he saw his teammates, ¡°I needed to use the bathroom. I just found my way there, incidentally!¡± The leading woman scoffed, ¡°There are so many bathrooms on the campus. Why did you have to go there?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± The argument escted, but the people outside the door didn¡¯t n to enter the office to help. No one even said anything to mediate. To be more precise, they made no sound. They only stood there and watched the situation with detachment. ¡°You¡­¡± Feng Lan frowned as she urged, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go in to help him?¡± Her answer was obtuse gazes and a long silence. The cold sweat¡­ slid down Fatty¡¯s cheeks. But he didn¡¯t move. The people inside didn¡¯t expect this. Even the sound of argument lowered. Both sides¡­ were separated by a door. They stared at each other. Eventually, Jiang Cheng moved. He pulled open the bag on his shoulder and pulled out the camera. He aimed it at the office. Before the people inside could react¡­ There was a click. He took a picture. The next second, everyone crowded around the camera. The camera Jiang Cheng had was given to him by the old man at the Prop Building. Its function had been found. It could capture ghosts on film. The picture became clear. When they saw it, everyone¡¯s expression slowly returned to normal. Fatty sighed and raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his face. Everyone in the picture looked normal. There was nothing out of ce. The lead security woman widened her eyes. She didn¡¯t understand what just happened. Chapter 60: Pictures Chapter 60: Pictures ¡°Sir.¡± Feng Lan widened her eyes at Jiang Cheng¡¯s camera, ¡°What are you¡­¡± ¡°Who allowed you to take pictures?!¡± The leading guard shouted loudly. She huffed as she headed to the door. She clearly suspected Jiang Cheng wanted to use the picture to make a big deal out of this. She had seen simr news before. She was about asrge as Fatty. If they really bought, the three female guards could take down the whole group. As the female guard stepped out of the office, Jiang Cheng raised the camera and then erased the picture before her eyes. The woman was startled, surprised that the man was quite understanding. ¡°It¡¯s all a misunderstanding.¡± Zhen Jianren was the first to speak. He rxed when he saw the woman leave the office, ¡°My friend was just lost.¡± He asked directly, ¡°Was anything missing from the rooms?¡± The woman turned back to nce at Luo Yi. She thought about it and said, ¡°No.¡± Zhen Jianren followed it up, ¡°Since nothing is missing, how can he be a thief?¡± Another woman walked over. She was thinner than the leader but more muscr. She had a baton around her waist. Her voice was rough. ¡°We don¡¯t wish to make this a big deal. This is our superior¡¯s intention.¡± The woman sighed helplessly. ¡°Which superior?¡± Xu Wen suddenly asked.The woman hesitated. In the end, she felt like it was fine to reveal the information. ¡°It¡¯s Director Lee.¡± ¡°Director Lee is our educational admin director.¡± Feng Lan looked surprised as she exined the situation, ¡°She has been with the school for many years. I hear she is crucial to the school¡¯s development. Her words are very influential here.¡± Director Lee¡­ Everyone remembered this name. She sounded like another important NPC. ¡°Where is Director Lee?¡± ¡°She is not here,¡± The leading guard answered. ¡°But we wish to bring our friend with us.¡± Zhen Jianren bowed kindly. He looked at the woman, ¡°We¡¯re invited by the school to shoot the anniversary. There is a rehearsal this afternoon. I don¡¯t want to create any unnecessaryplication due to this dy.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± The female guards looked pressed. She knew about the anniversary. The school had an anniversary every decade. It was very important. All the leaders of the school would attend it. They couldn¡¯t bear the consequences if they dyed such a huge event. However, it was Director Lee¡¯s orders for them to handle this transgression seriously. Feng Lan saw the difficulty faced by the guards, so she said, ¡°How about this? Let him go so he can attend the shoot. If you can find actual evidence to prove that he¡¯s a thief, you cane to detain him.¡± ¡°What if he runs away?¡± Thest guard said darkly. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on him,¡± Feng Lan promised. After some contemtion, the female guards agreed. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll have to trouble you,¡± The leading guard said, ¡°Teacher Feng.¡± Then, she waved at Luo Yi, allowing him to leave. Luo Yi rushed to the group¡¯s side. After Zhen Jianren thanked the guards, the group quickly left. Zhang Yinyin stayed back on her own. She walked very slowly. When she was far from the group, she swiftly took out a small thing from her pyjamas. It was a small mirror. The mirror was irregr and had sharp edged. It looked more like a shard from a bigger mirror. She raised the mirror and observed the female guards inside the office through the reflection. Soon¡­ She sighed slightly. Thankfully, the things that she worried about didn¡¯t happen. As she was about to put the mirror away, she caught something from the corner of her eyes. In the mirror, there was a giant face. The giant face slowly approached to dominate the whole mirror! The scariest thing was the face¡¯s jaw was hanging open! She screamed. With a tremble, the mirror fell to the ground and shattered. Jiang Cheng, who stood behind her, closed his mouth. He scratched his chin and said with dissatisfaction, ¡°Miss Zhang, I just wanted to borrow your mirror to study the back of my throat. I think it¡¯s burning up because I¡¯m entering puberty, but¡­¡± Before Jiang Cheng finished, the rest of the group came back. Xu Wen stared at Jiang Cheng and Zhang Yinyin. Then, she focused on the startledtter. ¡°What happened?¡± Xu Wen asked coldly. ¡°No¡­nothing¡­¡± Zhang Yinyin shivered. ¡°Then, why did you scream?¡± Zhou Taifu already had issues with Zhang Yinyin. Her sudden scream almost caused him to fall down the stairs. ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng actively helped Zhang Yinyin. ¡°Miss Zhang didn¡¯t mean to do it. She was too unsettled. Don¡¯t me her.¡± At that moment, someone noticed the glinty shards on the ground. Some people frowned. Feng Lan nced at her watch and eximed, ¡°It¡¯s already 2.10 pm!¡± The rehearsal was the main mission. No one dared to bete. They ran to the music ssroom on the fourth floor. Even though there was only one-floor difference between them, the office and the music ssroom were located at opposite ends of the building. They sounded closer than they were. When they reached the door, there were already students from the student council waiting for them. When they saw Feng Lan, they sighed. ¡°Teacher Feng,¡± A girl with round-rimmed sses ran over, ¡°We¡¯re just waiting for you. Teacher Wu said they had already tested the equipment. We can start at any moment.¡± She spoke quickly. They were running out of time. She groused, ¡°Teacher Wu hasined multiple times already.¡± ¡°You can tell everyone that we¡¯re here. We can start in five minutes.¡± The girl nodded and entered through the door. ¡°I¡¯ll check on the other teams andpare the name lists.¡± Feng Lan turned to tell Xu Wen. She had a good impression of the woman. Xu Wen was pretty but not in a way that would threaten other women. She looked calm and reliable but was not talkative. ¡°Okay.¡± Xu Wen nodded expressionlessly. Feng Lan prepared to leave. After she took a few steps, she turned to look at Luo Yi like she had something to say. However, she said nothing. After Feng Lan left, everyone turned their gazes consciously and subconsciously to Luo Yi. It was not a coincidence that she was caught. The education admin director probably was rted to the ghost. However¡­ everyone was most concerned about¡­ What did Luo Yi find out? Had he figured out the ghost¡¯s identity or the truth behind her death? Chapter 61: Disappearance Chapter 61: Disappearance Luo Yi felt difitted being stared at by everyone. In the end, it was Jiang Cheng who stepped forward to move them towards the rehearsal. They would talk about the restter. They pushed open the door, and the group was confused by the scene they had seen. In the giant music ssroom, there were a lot of people. A lot of students skipped ss to be there. There were youthful faces everywhere. However, there was an anxious undercurrent. Groups of girls were gossiping. The student councils were tired, trying to maintain order. It was not until the teacher who handled the lighting shouted that the situation calmed down slightly. There were two cameras. Jiang Cheng held a camera that could capture the ghosts. Xu Wen carried the other. Jiang Cheng looked at everyone. ¡°Does anyone want to volunteer for this job?¡± The tripod beside them had been set up. No one reached for the camera, and no one spoke. Everyone knew that Long Tao died not long after he used that camera to record the previous rehearsal. Zhang Yinyin sneaked a nce at Jiang Cheng silently. She was caught by Jiang Cheng. He straightened his neck and looked at her. He asked in a loud voice, ¡°Miss Zhang, do you wish to volunteer?¡± ¡°No, no¡­¡± Zhang Yinyin quickly shook her hands. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡­ With the previous experience, the progress was much smoother. The choirs of the first three sses soon ended. Thest group choir¡­ began.Xu Wen pulled down the camera bag and took out the other camera. Then, she opened the other tripod and ced it beside the first camera. She adjusted the angle so that all three sses would show up in the lens. The three sses moved around, standing criss-crossed on the stage. In their simr uniforms, height and hair style, they all looked like the same person. Their voices were soft and strong, depending on the conductor. When thest turn in music passed, the song reached the climax¡­ The atmosphere of the group was in direct contrast of the venue. Zhou Taifu¡¯s face was white as he stared at the screen. He couldn¡¯t stop shaking, ¡°Where¡­ Where is it? When did she disappear?¡± The two cameras showed the same image. There were 48 people on stage. The extra person¡­ ghost was gone. Zhen Jianren gritted his teeth, yanked the camera over and turned towards the door. He took the camera that could capture the ghost. The second rehearsal ended. The students and the staff left. When they left the music ssroom, they noticed there was a camera trained on them from the corner. Jiang Cheng¡¯s exnation was they were collecting some behind-the-scene footages. ¡°Thank you,¡± After sending away thest batch of staff, Feng Lan dragged her tired body over. She nced at Luo Yi to confirm that he was still there. Then, she turned to Xu Wen, ¡°Miss Xu.¡± Her tone was strange, ¡°Can I¡­ talk to you in private?¡± ¡°We can talk here,¡± Xu Wen said lightly. ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°Is that inconvenient?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Feng Lan quickly shook her head. She nced down the corridor. Most people were gone. The few left weren¡¯t paying them much attention. She turned back to whisper, ¡°Have you¡­ been to the Prop Building?¡± Xu Wen¡¯s expression shifted for a moment before returning to normal. ¡°Yes. Before we came here, we went there because our equipment was ced there.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go there again,¡± Feng Lan looked anxious. ¡°Why?¡± When this was mentioned, Zhen Jianren couldn¡¯t stand still anymore. After all, he was drawn by the ghost. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Just promise me you won¡¯t go there anymore. The people in the school usually avoid that ce.¡± Feng Lan¡¯s voice dwindled even more, ¡°The school supervisors will not be happy to know that you¡¯ve been there.¡± Xu Wen thought about it and nodded, ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave for now. You should go back to rest.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± After Feng Lan left, Zhen Jianren raised the camera and aimed it at Feng Lan¡¯s back. There was nothing anomalous. They had taken pictures of everyone present, but they couldn¡¯t find that extra girl. The ghost¡­ appeared to have disappeared. Zhen Jianren¡¯s face darkened. He was targeted. He could end up like the woman in the qipao and Long Tao at any moment. Xu Wen stood forward and told him, ¡°Let¡¯s go back. This is not the ce to chat.¡± It was 3 in the afternoon. Since the sun was still out, Jiang Cheng argued that he wanted to go to the canteen. He was already excited for food when the menu was revealed at noon. At 4 pm, the canteen would serve dishes like ck-pepper steak, Sichuan chicken, braised meat and so on¡­ ¡°Go and make your order,¡± Zhen Jianren found a table to sit at. He just wanted to go to the market and buy some bread to fill his stomach. However, Jiang Cheng told him that it might be hisst meal. Zhen Jianren¡¯s hands trembled, and his chopsticks almost fell to the ground. ¡°You eat.¡± Zhen Jianren put down the chopsticks. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± The others didn¡¯t have much appetite either. They only took a few bites. Only Jiang Cheng enjoyed the meal. He finished two big bowls of rice and even got a takeaway of duck heads as supper. ¡°I¡¯m very impressed.¡± Zhou Taifu walked behind Jiang Cheng and was almost crying, ¡°How can you even eat at a moment like this?¡± Strangely enough, the disappearance of the ghost unsettled them more than her appearance. ¡°What does my appetite have to do with the ghost?¡± Jiang Cheng held his takeout with one hand and arge iced tea with another. He added, ¡°I¡¯m eating for me and not for the ghost.¡± Zhou Taifu thought about it and realised he couldn¡¯t refute him. After they returned to the hostel, Xu Wen stopped Luo Yi. When everyone looked at him, Luo Yi¡¯s nervousness was apparent. He sat on the chair in Room 406. He was surrounded by everyone. ¡°I know what you want to know.¡± Luo Yi sighed, ¡°But you¡¯re going to be disappointed. The file rooms have nothing, just old books and files.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?!¡± Luo Yi nodded, ¡°Yes.¡± Xu Wen showed no expression, but her tone chilled, ¡°Then, why did they capture you?¡± Chapter 62: Rules Chapter 62: Rules ¡°You should ask them and not,¡± Luo Yi pouted. ¡°What did Department Head Li talk to you about?¡± Luo Yi frowned. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°Thedy who asked for you to be arrested.¡± Zhou Taifu exined, ¡°Her surname is Li, and she is the department head.¡± Luo Yi looked more confused. ¡°There¡¯s no such person. Only the three female guards came to catch me. You saw them earlier.¡± Fatty sucked in a cold breath. This didn¡¯t feel right. However, no one could do anything since Luo Yi insisted on them. Clearly, no one believed him. They were sure he had hidden something from them. In the end, they parted ways unhappily. On the way back to the room, Zhen Jianren leaned on the door to listen. After ensuring no one was eavesdropping, he walked to Luo Yi¡¯s bed and sat down. He lifted his chin and ordered, ¡°You can speak now.¡± But¡­ ¡°I have been telling the truth.¡± Luo Yi shrugged helplessly. ¡°There is really nothing there. I was about to leave when the female guards came and caught me. They shut the door and then jumped on me without saying anything. Then¡­ you guys came.¡±¡­ Jiang Cheng dumped the munched bones into the bag and turned to tell Fatty, ¡°Fatty, help me open the bottle of iced tea. My hands are too oily.¡± Fatty twisted the lid and passed the bottle over. Jiang Cheng gurgled down the drink and sighed with satisfaction. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng continued his battle with food as he asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat?¡± Fatty shook his head, his face colouring with worry. Soon, he lifted his head to ask, ¡°Doctor, do you think Luo Yi was telling the truth?¡± Jiang Cheng put down the food, thought for a while and nodded, ¡°He should be.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to lie.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°Since they thought they had been targeted by the ghost, their most imminent mission is to leave this ce. Under such a circumstance, they wouldn¡¯t do anything that would harm the team''s benefit. They would wish the other teams could find the clues and end the mission. ¡°You can see it like this.¡± Jiang Cheng turned to where Room 405 was and said seriously, ¡°Zhen Jianren and Luo Yi are now our most loyal dogs.¡± The unusualness of his metaphor aside, Fatty agreed with Jiang Cheng. ¡°Doctor,¡± He continued to ask, ¡°Then why did the ghost suddenly disappear?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression shifted slightly. He paused as if to give the ghost some respect. After a while, he answered, ¡°The only thing we can confirm now is this is not a good thing. We have too few clues. I can¡¯t tell for sure, but I believe it has to do with the rules.¡± Fatty widened his eyes, ¡°The rules?¡± Man Li had mentioned something simr. However, he died before he could borate further. His corpse was posted in the newspaper for his family toe to im him. ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°Each mission has its own rules. The rules not only bind us but also the ghosts. As the time limit approaches, the rules blur. Take this mission as an example. During the first rehearsal, the ghost has to be caught on camera. In other words, the ghost had to appear in the music ssroom at a fixed period of time, or the plot couldn¡¯t progress. ¡°However, you also knew what happened this time.¡± Jiang Cheng resumed, ¡°The ghost disappeared, and we have no idea where she went.¡± ¡°Since the time limit is part of the rules, will we be eliminated by the rules once the time is up?¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The most logical arrangement is for the ghost to break all the limitations the rules impose on it. The shackles will loosen more as the time passes. In the end, it will appear before all of us and kill all the survivors. Everyone will die, and the mission will end.¡± Fatty shivered. He swallowed nervously, ¡°Doctor, actually, you didn¡¯t need to go into details. I just wanted to know how to survive.¡± ¡°Fatty¡­¡± Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng. Suddenly, he felt the man before him was different from normal. He hesitated before asking carefully, ¡°Yes, doctor?¡± ¡°Do not leave this room no matter what happens tonight.¡± ¡°O¡­okay.¡± Fatty had no idea why, but he agreed. Jiang Cheng pulled his gaze back to look out the window. The night appeared to be darker than normal. Dark clouds drifted in from the distance. It was eerily dark. It would be another rainy night¡­ Jiang Cheng stared out the window. Something inscrutable lingered in his eyes. He slowly turned around to say, ¡°Go to sleep. I¡¯ll stay up tonight.¡± ¡­ The night darkened. There was no thunder or lightning. Thete autumnal rain arrived. The rain was neither light nor heavy. The raindrops pattered on the window. Fatty curled up in bed, only exposing his eyes. He looked around with alert. The wind blew in from some unknown corners. It howled down the corridor, making the sound of the dead crying. Fatty couldn¡¯t sleep at all. Jiang Cheng on the mattress hey on the ground, munching on the leftovers. Half of his was hidden in the dark. His eyes were dimmer than the night. Fatty had a strange premonition that was very strong. Someone¡­ would die that night. The darkness in the room was palpable. The only light source was the camera next to Jiang Cheng. The camera screen flickered constantly. It should be ying a video. However, there was no sound. The whole building was silent. Room 405, Room 406¡­ Too silent. Jiang Cheng finished hisst bite, pulled out a wet towel and wiped his hands. Finally, he slowly stood up. ¡°Fatty,¡± He called softly as if knowing that the person was still awake. The thing that scared Fatty the most was Jiang Cheng¡¯s even tone. He had never seen the doctor like this before. Jiang Cheng paused before adding, ¡°Something happened¡­¡± Fatty climbed up immediately. He looked towards the door and window, but he found nothing out of ce. Then, something struck him, and a chill ran through his spine. He raised his head mechanically and looked up at the ceiling. Chapter 63: Shadow Chapter 63: Shadow The night deepened. However, one could still see the endless stains on the ceiling. Other than the stains, there was nothing else. Fatty pulled his gaze back and looked at Jiang Cheng with confusion. His lips moved before he said carefully, ¡°Doctor, I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s midnight.¡± Jiang Cheng held the camera, but his gaze was on the door. Fatty was confused. ¡°No one died¡­ yesterday,¡± Jiang Cheng announced. Fatty¡¯s body trembled. He stared at Jiang Cheng and had to ask, ¡°Doctor, isn¡¯t it a good thing that no one dies?¡± ¡°Good.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s face was devoid of expression, ¡°But it¡¯s not normal.¡± ¡°Is it only normal for people to die every day?¡± Fatty raised his pitch. ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded in confirmation, ¡°At least one per day.¡± They had spent three days on this mission. The woman in the qipao died on the first night, and Long Tao died on the second day afternoon. This was the fourth night, but there was no third victim. Despite the twists and turns, everyone had returned to the hostel safely. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty uttered softly, ¡°Perhaps the ghost took a break.¡± Jiang Cheng ignored him.Then, Fatty consoled him, ¡°Doctor, you¡¯ve already done your best. Don¡¯t give yourself too much pressure.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the camera in his hands again and again. Zhen Jianren had taken down the video of the entire music ssroom. All the students and staff were there. However, the ghost was nowhere to be seen. It was as if¡­ the ghost had disappeared. Click! The light in the room suddenly came on. Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze sharpened as he turned to the door. The light switch was beside the door. Fatty, who stood beside the switch, was startled by Jiang Cheng¡¯s sharp gaze. ¡°Doctor,¡± He quickly exined, ¡°I also felt like something was wrong, so I figured it was better for us to switch the lights on.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and agreed. With Fatty¡¯spany, at least he wouldn¡¯t be bored. However, as he lowered his head to check the video again, his body froze. The light above his head shone and emitted a yellow light. He looked down and saw the small ball of shadow underneath him. It was like a mist that wouldn¡¯t fade away. Fatty noticed the anomalous way Jiang Cheng was acting. He quickly asked, ¡°Doctor, what¡¯s wrong?¡± There was no answer. ¡°Doctor?¡± Fatty asked again. The anxiety in his heart amplified. Just as he was about to lose his mind¡­ Jiang Cheng suddenly moved. He put down the camera, grabbed the ck camera bag and put the camera inside it. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng packed up his stuff and said, ¡°Pack up now.¡± ¡°Doctor, I don¡¯t have much to pack. They¡¯re all on my clothes.¡± Fatty looked at the inky darkness outside. His lips trembled. His eyes swirled with confusion, ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t it too dangerous to leave at a moment like this?¡± He was still befuddled. After all, it was Jiang Cheng who told him that he couldn¡¯t leave the room no matter what happened that night. Jiang Cheng picked up the trash on the ground, gulped down his iced tea and put the bag of trash behind the door. Then, he removed his jacket and pants. Fatty watched as Jiang Cheng stripped down into his boxers. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty widened his eyes, ¡°What are you¡­¡± The next second, Jiang Cheng slipped under the nket like a fish. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng stretchedfortably. ¡°Quickly pack and shut off the light. I¡¯m going to bed now.¡± ¡­ That night was torture for Fatty. He had a lot of questions, but Jiang Cheng slumbered just like that. He suspected Jiang Cheng was acting. The man might suddenly jump up and drag him away. Therefore, he waited patiently for a whole night until footsteps came from outside their room. ¡°Who is it?!¡± Fatty asked alertly. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± The person answered, ¡°Luo Yi.¡± It was Luo Yi¡¯s voice and¡­ Fatty looked out the window. The sun was up. Jiang Cheng poked his head out and said blurrily, ¡°Let him wait. I¡¯m not used to putting on clothes in front of men.¡± Fatty ryed Jiang Cheng¡¯s meaning, ¡°Wait a minute. We still haven¡¯t woken up.¡± There was a hiss from outside the door. Luo Yi was losing his patience. ¡°Why do youe to us?¡± Fatty asked. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a meeting in a minute in my room to discuss what to do next.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Luo Yi heard the answer and left. He still needed to inform the people in Room 406. At that moment, the door of Room 404 suddenly opened. Jiang Cheng poked his head out and shouted, ¡°Brother Luo Yi, please wait!¡± Luo Yi turned around and was confounded seeing Jiang Cheng act like this. ¡°Can we move the meeting to my room?¡± Jiang Cheng said confidently, ¡°Or else I¡¯d feel like I¡¯m not being respected.¡± Luo Yi was stunned, not expecting this answer. Then, he nodded. ¡°Alright. Then, you better clean up your ce.¡± Twenty minutester, everyone gathered at Room 404. It rained the night before, but the weather was nice in the morning. The first ray of the sun cut through the clouds. It showered into the room. Through the open window, one could smell the freshness of the world after a rain. Due to Luo Yi¡¯s reaction the day before, the people in Room 406 didn¡¯t give him much attention. Zhou Taifu didn¡¯t even hide his suspicion. As the mission neared its end, the atmosphere tensed. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time left.¡± Luo Yi¡¯s expression was dark. He felt the ostracisation. However, he didn¡¯t exin himself. ¡°Do we need you to say that?¡± Zhou Taifu grumbled. Since Xu Wen sat beside him, he sat up straighter, ¡°When the ceremony starts, we¡¯ll all die here!¡± Luo Yi paled. Zhen Jianren nced at Zhou Taifu, and he chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Mr. Zhou is too optimistic.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll survive until then?¡± Zhen Jianren pulled on the buttons of his shirt and stared at him. ¡°The ghost disappeared during the second rehearsal. This means that it haspleted some kind of metamorphosis. The former rules can¡¯t hold it back anymore. ¡°I believe the third rehearsal is ourst chance. If we can¡¯t finish this mission before then, we¡¯ll all die!¡± Fatty swallowed and asked timidly, ¡°Then, does anyone know when the third rehearsal is?¡± No one answered. Fatty felt better. ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Xu Wen suddenly volunteered. She pulled out a red phone from her pocket and shook it, ¡°Feng Lan just told me that ten minutes ago.¡± Then, her expression shifted slightly. ¡°The venue is the same. The time is¡­ midnight.¡± Chapter 64: Lock Chapter 64: Lock ¡°Midnight?¡± Zhou Taifu gasped. Zhen Jianren was right. Their time was almost up. The third rehearsal was theirst chance. ¡°We currently have three leads.¡± Xu Wen exined, ¡°First, it is that department head Lee. We haven¡¯t seen her before, but she has been observing our every move. I believe she knew everything that happened back then. ¡°Second is the music ssroom in Block C. It is the first and only ce we¡¯ve captured the ghost on film. That ce must be very special to the ghost. ¡°Third is the prop centre,¡± Xu Wen turned to Jiang Cheng, ¡°Mr. Hao said he encountered a drawing ghost there¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded sincerely as he pointed at Zhen Jianren. ¡°He was the subject! Actually, the ghost was quite a good painter.¡± Zhen Jianren red at him. ¡°Can you stop pointing at people?¡± Xu Wen¡¯s patience was drying when dealing with these two. She continued her analysis, ¡°The clues should be among these three. We¡¯ll split up since we don¡¯t have much time left.¡± Xu Wen¡¯s suggestion was reasonable. Jiang Cheng and Fatty would find department head Lee to find out more information. Xu Wen¡¯s group would sneak into the music ssroom when it was not in use. Zhen Jianren and Luo Yi would search the prop centre. The mission was reaching its end. No one cared which ce was more dangerous. If they couldn¡¯t end the mission before the uing midnight, everyone would die. After that, Xu Wen¡¯s group left.When Zhen Jianren reached the door, he paused. Then, he suddenly turned to Room 404 like he just realised something. Confusion slowly coloured his eyes. He frowned¡­ like something was missing. ¡°Brother Guardian Angel!¡± Jiang Cheng called after him kindly, ¡°When you find your self-portrait, remember to pay attention to the lower right corner!¡± Zhen Jianren¡¯s thought was interrupted. His face dropped, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Luo Yi also turned to look at Jiang Cheng strangely. Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and sat up straight. He became very serious. Zhen Jianren couldn¡¯t help but be worried. Jiang Cheng¡¯s presence made him very ufortable. Fatty sensed something familiar. ¡°You might find the ghost¡¯s name there,¡± Jiang Cheng said. Zhen Jianren¡¯s pupils narrowed. Then, he became excited, ¡°You mean¡­ the drawing might be signed?¡± He said to himself, ¡°That way, we can know the girl¡¯s name! And through that¡­¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. ¡°No. I simply hope you¡¯d die knowing what¡¯s happening.¡± ¡­ The path after the rain was muddy. Zhen Jianren¡¯s footsteps squelched as he walked on it. The drawing grasped his mind like a nightmare once Jiang Cheng mentioned it to him. ¡°Do we really need to go there?¡± Luo Yi asked. Zhen Jianren stared ahead, ignoring Luo Yi, ¡°Do we need to discuss that?¡± Luo Yi shut up. When they passed by the convenience store, they bought some bread, water and ham. They ate as they walked. They had been hungry since the night before. Zhen Jianren rubbed his temples. Since yesterday, he had been dominated by this bad feeling. It was like a pair of eyes had been watching him. The prop centre was rather secluded, situated beside the old field. The field was long abandoned. After the rain, it was more like a swamp. They walked around the field and tried to pick the cleaner paths. However, their shoes still got dirty. Finally, they stopped. Zhen Jianren looked up. The sign still said very clearly, Prop Building. The gate was wide open, but there was no one around. ¡°Is no one here?¡± Luo Yi frowned as he looked around. ¡°At this time, they should be at the canteen.¡± Zhen Jianren thought about it and shook his head. ¡°Unlikely. Based on Xu Wen¡¯s description, the old man was pale and limping. This ce is very far from the canteen, and the road is very slick. He wouldn¡¯t have gone there.¡± ¡°You mean¡­ he is still here?!¡± ¡°Most likely.¡± Luo Yi became serious, ¡°This old man doesn¡¯t feel like a normal NPC. He should be an important character.¡± Zhen Jianren and Luo Yi walked around the ce. They noticed thisrge ce only had one entrance. There was a small side door, but it had been sealed up with wooden boards. When they returned to the front door, they walked forward. They didn¡¯t enter but stayed outside to observe. Plus, there was a lock on the door. They held their breath and waited. The ce was deadly silent. ¡°What should we do?¡± Luo Yi whispered. Standing there, Zhen Jianren felt more anxious. Xu Wen said an old man stayed there. So far, this was the only male character they had encountered at this school. Zhen Jianren nced at the front door. There was a very thick chain with a ck lock. Luo Yi became nervous as well. Standing there, he couldn¡¯t help but reminded of the painting ghost¡­ and the bloody handprint. ¡°Strange¡­¡± Zhen Jianren suddenlymented. Luo Yi lowered his voice to ask, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Where does this old man normally live?¡± ¡°He should live here,¡± Luo Yi nced around. When they interviewed the students, they found out that some of the teachers chose to stay at the school after they retired due to many reasons. They found other jobs, such as hostel managers, librarians, and so on. The old man should be one of them. ¡°But¡­¡± Zhen Jianren pointed at the door and said, ¡°The lock is on the outside.¡± Luo Yi was startled. Then, he frowned. That was indeed suspicious. If the old man lived there, the lock should be on the inside. Why would it be on the outside? Unless¡­ Zhen Jianren suddenly remembered the side door. The door was nailed shut from the outside. It was covered in finger-thin nails. ¡°He is not staying here willingly,¡± Zhen Jianren turned to Luo Yi and concluded, ¡°He¡¯s being imprisoned here.¡± Chapter 65: Do You Want to Live? Chapter 65: Do You Want to Live? Luo Yi thought about it and agreed with his partner. He studied the giant lock. ¡°But¡­ who would imprison him here and why?¡± ¡°It has to be the higher staff who is behind this.¡± Zhen Jianren said, ¡°As for why¡­ We¡¯ll have to ask him.¡± ¡°Now?¡± Luo Yi shrunk his neck. Zhen Jianren nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Luo Yi turned to Zhen Jianren and frowned, ¡°If he¡¯s really imprisoned here, why doesn¡¯t he run or call the police?¡± Zhen Jianren halted. Clearly, Luo Yi¡¯s words reminded him of something. Several secondster, Zhen Jianre pursed his lips and looked at the empty yard. ¡°I think I know why the old man is limping¡­¡± Hearing that, Luo Yi shuddered. ¡­ Zhou Taifu grabbed the clothes he borrowed as he tailed Xu Wen carefully. Zhang Yinyin stayed a distance away from them.¡°It¡¯s so cold¡­¡± Zhou Taifu grumbled softly. At the same time, he saw Xu Wen frown from the corner of his eyes, so he astutely stoppedining. The trio said nothing along the way. Zhou Taifu didn¡¯t have breakfast, so he was cold and hungry. When he passed by the convenience store, he jogged in and bought three warm soy milk. When he rushed out, holding the three cups, the female students lining up stared at him strangely. Zhou Taifu took a sip, and colour returned to his face. ¡°Miss Xu,¡± He suggested tentatively, ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit dangerous for us to go to the music ssroom? Why don¡¯t¡­ we call Feng Lan to join us?¡± Feng Lan seemed to know the school''s history. Plus, Zhen Jianren had tested her with the camera before. She was not a ghost. Xu Wen moved up the steps, avoiding the puddles on the ground. She didn¡¯t like getting wet. It reminded her of the time she spent in the South East Asian Rainforest with her mates. Just as Zhou Taifu thought his words had fallen on deaf ears, Xu Wen¡¯s voice returned, ¡°The ghost in this mission has changed. Feng Lan was not a ghost yesterday, but that doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s not a ghost today.¡± Zhou Taifu was shocked and said, ¡°No¡­ Can that happen?¡± At that moment, Xu Wen, who walked in the front, stopped. Then, she slowly lifted her head. It was an unfamiliar building before her. It looked more impressive than Block C, where the music ssroom was. After Zhou Taifu steadied himself, he looked at the building and scratched his head with confusion. ¡°Where are we?¡± Zhou Taifu asked before turning to Xu Wen, ¡°Aren¡¯t we¡­ supposed to go to the music ssroom?¡± He paused before adding, ¡°That¡¯s at Block C.¡± ¡°It looks like we were going the wrong way.¡± Zhang Yinyin suddenly chuckled. There was something ufortable about the way she was acting. Zhou Taifu turned to her and realised the girl was also staring at him. ¡°Then, you can go to Block C on your own.¡± Zhang Yinyin removed the cap of her dinosaur pyjama. She had a sharp bob. Her sweetness and innocence was gone. ¡°In any case¡­ we¡¯re at our destination.¡± No matter how dumb he was, Zhou Taifu finally reacted. He stared at Zhang Yinyin and gasped, ¡°Are we not going to the music ssroom in the first ce?¡± Xu Wen slowly turned around. She looked past Zhou Taifu to study Zhang Yinyin. Eventually, she said, ¡°Do you want to live?¡± It was said with zero emotion. ¡°Who are you to question me?¡± Zhang Yinyin shot back. ¡°Hand over the thing, and I will consider cooperating with you. ¡°Then¡­ all of us can live.¡± Xu Wen shook her head. ¡°I said¡­ Do you want to live?¡± Zhang Yinyin¡¯s face chilled. The woman before her was a lot more difficult to fool than the woman in the qipao. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zhang Yinyin grumbled darkly. Xu Wen was still as unfazed as ever. ¡°I have something important to do. It¡¯s very dangerous, and I can¡¯t allow any room for mistakes. I can bring you with me.¡± She paused, ¡°If you want to live.¡± Zhang Yinyin chuckled again, ¡°Who do you think you are to assume I¡¯d be under your control?¡± ¡°So¡­¡± Xu Wen asked, ¡°Do you not want to live?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think¡­¡± Zhang Yinyin suddenly paused. The condescension froze on her face. The next second, blood poured out of her mouth. She choked on her words. She slowly turned around. A killer¡¯s face looked back at her. ¡°You¡­¡± Her eyes filled with disbelief. Zhou Taifu wiped the de on his tank top. His action was perfect. He looked like he had just ughtered a chicken and not a human. Zhang Yinyin swayed and copsed. Her consciousness faded. Blood poured out of her wound. ¡°What should we do with her body?¡± Zhou Taifu put away the dagger and nced at Xu Wen, ¡°Should we search it?¡± Xu Wen looked down on the dead Zhang Yinyin. Her dinosaur pyjama would soon be dyed by blood. ¡°No need.¡± Xu Wen shook her head. ¡°This ce is secluded enough. The corpse will soon disappear.¡± Then, she added, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear her? She thought the thing was with me.¡± Zhou Taifu frowned. ¡°Then, who has the thing?¡± Only two teams remained. Jiang Cheng and Fatty, as well as Zhen Jianren and Luo Yi. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Xu Wen shrugged, ¡°Those teams will probably fail and die. ¡°We didn¡¯t have the upper hand this time, but once they all die,¡± her eyes chilled, ¡°The thing will naturally be ours next time.¡± Zhou Taifu straightened up and nodded unwillingly, ¡°I suppose.¡± Throughout this mission, Zhou Taifu kept his back bent forward. It made him look cowardly and pretentious. However, as he straightened himself, one could even see the muscles around his limbs. ¡°I think we should move her corpse into the forest,¡± Zhou Taifu licked his lips as he looked around, ¡°I fear some students or teachers might discover her and cause us trouble.¡± Xu Wen shook her head. She looked around and uttered, ¡°Unnecessary. Didn¡¯t you notice that there are fewer and fewer students and staff on campus?¡± Chapter 66: Explanation Chapter 66: Exnation ¡°Is it because the mission ising to an end?¡± Zhou Taifu frowned. ¡°That should be the case.¡± Xu Wen nced at the education block before them, and a trace of anxiety appeared on her face. ¡°We murdered someone right before their eyes, but no one responded.¡± ¡­ Two hours ago, in Room 404. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty was shocked as he saw Jiang Cheng pull a camera out from under the bed, ¡°When did you put this there? I didn¡¯t even know.¡± Jiang Cheng held the camera and clicked on the screen. ¡°Are you ming me? I¡¯ll tell you one week in advance next time.¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± However, Fatty was already immune to Jiang Cheng¡¯s jabs after hanging out with him for so long. He soon wiggled over. ¡°Doctor, when will we depart?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll wait a bit more.¡±¡°But time will not wait for us.¡± Fatty nced out the window anxiously. The sky was light. The other groups had already left. ¡°The time limit is tomorrow midnight. If we fail to find the clues by then¡­¡± At that moment, Jiang Cheng¡¯s body shook uncontrobly, interrupting Fatty. Fatty stared at Jiang Cheng, and he realised how pale Jiang Cheng was. ¡°Doctor, are you alright?¡± Jiang Cheng silently put down the camera and slowly returned to normal. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng began slowly, ¡°I know why there wasn¡¯t any death yesterday.¡± The change in the subject was so sudden that Fatty needed time to catch up. He asked in a whisper, ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng passed the camera over. Due to the angle, the video focused on the people¡¯s legs and feet. Fatty frowned, not knowing what Jiang Cheng meant. Until¡­ He saw a pair of sports shoes among the seven pairs of legs. The person was walking on tip-toe. The gait was extremely light. ¡°This is¡­¡± Fatty gripped the camera as he stared at the screen. He gasped, ¡°Luo Yi?!¡± He suddenly realised something, ¡°The person who died yesterday was Luo Yi! The current Luo Yi¡­ is a ghost!¡± Fatty whipped his head towards Jiang Cheng. Thetter was looking through the videos, deleting them as he went. ¡°You¡­ you knew this yesterday, right?¡± Fatty said agitatedly, ¡°That was why you dared to sleep so openly yesterday night. You knew where the ghost was!¡± Jiang Cheng shot him a meaningful nce. Fatty shrunk his neck back. ¡°Doctor,¡± After a while, Fatty grumbled, ¡°My brain is not as good as yours. If you think of something next time, can you tell me? I was so worried yesterday night that I couldn¡¯t even sleep.¡± Jiang Cheng packed up his stuff. He put the camera into the bag and flung the bag over his shoulder. ¡°Two points. ¡°One, I only had a hypothesis yesterday night. It was only verified moments ago. ¡°Two,¡± Jiang Cheng put a half-eaten chocte in his pocket and turned around to sigh, ¡°Fatty, think about it. If I told you the truth yesterday night, would you be able to sleep?¡± Fatty thought about it and had to agree with Jiang Cheng. If he knew that the ghost was sleeping next door, he possibly couldn¡¯t even close his eyes, much less sleep. Fatty adjusted his emotions quickly. He shoved everything useful into his pocket and told Jiang Cheng, ¡°Doctor, what should we do next?¡± After all, the ghost had already infiltrated their group. Jiang Cheng thought about it and continued, ¡°Temporarily, this ghost shouldn¡¯t have time toe for us. He¡¯s with Zhen Jianren, and they¡¯re at the prop centre.¡± Fatty pursed his lips and said without mncholy, ¡°It sounds like things are not good for Brother Guardian Angel¡­¡± Jiang Cheng was not interested in men, and he couldn¡¯t care less about what would happen to Zhen Jianren. He only hoped that Zhen Jianren could buy him more time. The weather after the rain was not bad. Fatty pulled on his jacket, but the cold still crawled under his skin. Whenever the wind blew, raindrops descended from the trees'' foliage. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty followed Jiang Cheng. They walked in a single file. ¡°Where are we going to find Department Head Lee?¡± ¡°Why are we finding her?¡± Fatty was used to the way Jiang Cheng thought. ¡°Doctor, I know this is another one of your tricks. You¡¯re going to scam a person again, aren¡¯t you?¡± Jiang Cheng huffed with dissatisfaction. Momentster, Fatty said with difficulty, ¡°Doctor, the pair from Room 405 is probably dead. However, I think Xu Wen from Room 406 is not bad. She even actively shared the information with us.¡± He paused. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good to scam her. If we cooperate with her¡­¡± Jiang Cheng paused and turned to stare at Fatty. Thetter felt a chill run up his spine. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty shivered, ¡°What is it?¡± Jiang Cheng continued to stare at him. Right as Fatty was about to burst, Jiang Cheng asked, ¡°Do you like her?¡± Fatty was confused. After he snapped back, he answered embarrassedly, ¡°Doctor, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like her,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded like he had confirmed something. He continued to ask, ¡°Then, do you know her?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Then, you must understand her,¡± Jiang Cheng lifted his neck. ¡°No.¡± Fatty shook his hands. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. I met her for the first time here. I swear I haven¡¯t seen her in real life before.¡± Fatty raised his hand to swear. Jiang Cheng was acting so strangely that Fatty was scared. A few secondster, Jiang Cheng suddenly smiled. He reached forward to pat Fatty¡¯s shoulder. Just as Fatty thought everything was fine, he felt a powerful yank around his cor. The next second, Jiang Cheng stared down at him with his dark eyes. ¡°I¡¯m curious. Why would you swear for a stranger whom you profess not to know? You¡¯d even bet your life on it¡­¡± Jiang Cheng uttered, ¡°I want to hear your exnation, Fatty.¡± Chapter 67: Mirror Chapter 67: Mirror ¡°This ce¡­¡± Luo Yi carefully walked behind Zhen Jianren as they explored the prop centre. They jimmied the lock and got in. They perked up their ears to listen to the surroundings. The interior wasrger than he thought. The ce looked simple on the outside, but once they were inside and had taken a few turns, they were lost. The intersecting brick walls were more than four meters tall. They looked like they were ready to pierce the sky. Zhen Jianren had to show Jiang Cheng some respect. The other party managed to infiltrate this ce and retreat safely after they encountered a ghost. He had trouble just finding his bearing. The only thing that made him feel better was there was someone with him. The ghost would only kill one person based on his current observation. In other words, if they encountered the ghost, one of them could survive. Naturally, Zhen Jianren would be the survivor. The reason was simple. He was cleverer than Luo Yi. Plus, Luo Yi¡¯s real name had already been exposed: Luo Zhanfei. The ghost in this mission was very special. Zhen Jianren believed she would not ignore this detail. They looked through the rooms one by one. Most of them were used to store old tables and chairs as well as abandoned sports equipment. Based on the thickyer of dust, they had been there for a long time already. At that moment¡­ There was a rustling sound from nearby. The gait was different from a normal gait. The person should be using a rather heavy cane. The bottom of the cane asionally knocked against the ground, making a loud sound. At that moment, it sounded like calls from hell. It was the old man. Zhen Jianren¡¯s heart tightened. Since he still didn¡¯t know the old man¡¯s identity, he decided avoidance was the better solution. He turned to find Luo Yi but realised he was alone. Luo Yi¡­ was gone. There was no better solution, so Zhen Jianren rushed to find a random room to hide in. He tried a few doors, but they were all locked. Zhen Jianren started to panic as the footsteps neared. He was in a dead-end. The brick walls were too tall for him to climb over them. Plus, he didn¡¯t have time to climb over them. Zhen Jianren cursed Luo Yi internally for wandering off at a moment like this. Just as the old man was about to turn the corner and see him, Zhen Jianren heard a strange scratching sound.He turned to the source. An old door near him opened a crack. It was thergest room at the end of the corner. The footsteps gradually approached. A few secondster, the old man with the cane would discover him. This was the most direct threat. Inparison, the sudden open door didn¡¯t feel like much of a threat. Zhen Jianren made a decision and rushed to the room at the end of the corridor. He carefully opened the door. Dust particles danced in the air. The floor was covered in grim and dust. The dustyer was even. The ce felt frozen in time. The room lookedrger than it appeared from the outside. There were red curtains everywhere. It felt like a hall that was abandoned. Since there was nothing out of ce, Zhen Jianren slipped in and closed the door. There was a red wooden box near the door. The box was huge. It was empty. Even though the room wasrge, there was no cover. Once a person came in, Zhen Jianren would be seen immediately. With no other choice, Zhen Jianren hid inside the box. He held his breath and listened. The footsteps moved into a nearby room. Then, there was a sound of things being moved. The sound was grating. It sounded like the old man was moving the furniture around. About ten minutester, the old man was done and left. After the footsteps disappeared, Zhen Jianren sighed in relief. As he was about to open the box¡­ Thud thud thud. There was a strange sound in his ears. It sounded like it was just outside the empty hall. Zhen Jianren¡¯s heart fell. He tried to focus on the sound. He realised the sound had a definite tempo to it. The tempo was strangely alluring. His feet involuntarily tapped along to it. His pupils shrunk before his body started to shake. The thudding sound became more intense and lively. Zhen Jianren gritted his teeth. He could imagine the girl dancing gracefully. The sound¡­ was the ballerina¡¯s pointe shoes hitting the ground. The ghost¡­ was outside! The strange sound stopped outside the box he was in. Time froze at that moment. The door creaked open. The old axle groaned. The ghost didn¡¯t open the box. The dancing sound faded away. She left?! The feeling Zhen Jianren felt couldn¡¯t be described with words. Energy left Zhen Jianren, and he slumped inside the box. Suddenly, there was a series of quick, rushing footsteps. This time, Zhen Jianren was not that nervous. He had already opened the box a gap and saw Luo Yi carefully entering the empty hall. Zhen Jianren lifted up the lid of the box and sighed, ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Luo Yi jumped in fright. He sighed when he saw it was Zhen Jianren, ¡°You scared me. Just now, I¡­¡± He shivered as fear crossed his eyes. ¡°Do you know what I saw earlier?¡± ¡°You saw the ghost¡­¡± Zhen Jianren answered weakly. The incident had drained him. After he jumped out of the box, the two leaned against the door and rested. Zhen Jianren finally had the time to examine this strange room. He pulled back the corner of the red curtain. He discovered there was arge mirror behind the curtain. He lowered his head and used his shoes to wipe away the dust. The dust covered up a sturdy wooden floor. There were wooden rods on the other end of the room. Zhen Jianren recognised them as barre. Dancers used them in ballet training. This was a dance ssroom. Just as Zhen Jianren was caught in his thought, he caught the mirror from the corner of his eyes. In the mirror, he was standing straight. Luo Yi was beside him, standing on tiptoe. His shoulders slumped unnaturally. And his jaw¡­ Zhen Jianren¡¯s eyes widened. He had no jaw. The lower half of his face was bloody. A pair of creepy eyes stared right at him through the reflection in the mirror. Chapter 68: Partner Chapter 68: Partner Irregr and rapid footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. The pair moved up the stairs as they scanned their surroundings. ¡°Are you sure this is the ce?¡± Zhou Taifu¡¯s pretentiousness was gone. His tone was gravelly and worldly. His gaze was as sharp as a knife. Beside him was naturally his partner, Xu Wen. They were also lovers. Unlike normal romance, they didn¡¯t meet in a bar or online. They met in a swamp deep inside Southeast Asia¡¯s rainforest. Bullets were the background music to their tale. White maggots crawling out of skulls witnessed their love. They were both mercenaries. They worked for whoever gave them the most money. It could be the government, the gueris, private employers, tribal leaders. In the swampy hole that was dirty and damp, they made the promise that they¡¯d return home and open a small supermarket market whenever they collected two billion dors. They would have a nice, peaceful life. But¡­ As the money piled up, their name became more popr in the industry. Employers like people like them. They were silent and efficient. They would do any kind of job, from defending a country to kidnapping a defenceless old man. They would kill armed soldiers and small children. The money kepting, and heads kept rolling. The corpses piled inside the swamp, and blood coloured the stones. A rain woulde and wash away everything, including their sins. Two billion, three billion, four billion. Eventually, they forgot their initial promise. They blossomed in the murders. The thrill of the hunt overpowered everything else. Human lives were theirs to take. Only then could they be perfectly at ease. They leaned together underneath the giant tree. The smell of blood lingered in the air, mixing with the scent of gunpowder. Shrapnel and broken body parts were scattered around them. Blood dripped down the leaves like rain. The world was silent and red. It was at that moment that they understood.They didn¡¯t want money. They wanted this satisfaction that could only be garnered from iming another human¡¯s life. However, mercenary work was not enough to satisfy them anymore. It was far from enough until they pushed open an unfamiliar door in their dreams. ¡°Are you sure this is the file room?¡± Zhou Taifu frowned and asked for the second time. His mercenary background sharpened his instinct but also made him very stubborn. ¡°Yes.¡± Xu Wen looked around. All the other doors were locked. The ce looked deserted. ¡°I¡¯ve asked Ma Lan. I had to persuade her for a long time before she told me the truth.¡± Zhou Taifu turned to her. ¡°Could Ma Lan have lied to you?¡± Xu Wen thought about it and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We should be careful.¡± She pulled out her phone to nce at the time. ¡°Move faster. Zhen Jianren wouldn¡¯t be able to buy us that much time. If he drags the other students and staff here¡­¡± Zhou Taifu grinned wickedly. ¡°If they dare toe, they won¡¯t get to return.¡± ¡°Try not to kill.¡± Xu Wen¡¯s face darkened, and she said seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t forget about the rules here.¡± ¡°Fine. I guess.¡± After they turned the corner, a strange room appeared before them. From the outside, the room was about four times the size of a normal ssroom. However, it was fitted with a rather new metallic door. It looked like it had been fitted less than half a year ago. Inparison, the other doors were rusted and old. At the same time, their faces changed. Zhou Taifu asked in a chilly tone, ¡°Do you smell that?¡± Xu Wen nodded. She looked at the door. ¡°It¡¯s the smell of blood.¡± Something¡­ happened inside. Zhou Taifu shielded Xu Wen behind him. He used his left hand to open the door, and with a flick of his wrist, a dagger appeared in his right hand. After years of being together, Xu Wen naturally protected his back. The moment the door opened, Zhou Taifu jumped back. The door creaked noisily, but there was no danger. Instead, they were hit by a palpable wall constructed by the smell of blood. Someone was leaning against the wall inside the room. His head faced the door, and his feet faced the wall. Based on his clothes, this was Luo Yi. ¡°I knew it¡­¡± Xu Wen said coolly. She didn¡¯t look surprised. Like Jiang Cheng, she noticed something off with Luo Yi. When they had the meeting in Room 404, she noticed the camera Jiang Cheng should have looked after was gone. She looked around silently. Then, she pretended to tie her shoces and found the camera hidden under the bed. The camera lens faced outside. Jiang Cheng sat beside the bed and hid the camera from view with his legs. At the same time, Xu Wen frowned slightly. She figured out why Jiang Cheng was doing this. There was a ghost among them. It would perfectly exin why no one had died and the ghost disappearing even though they were approaching the end of the mission. She sat up back naturally, showing no reaction. Who could it be? Her brain turned. She eliminated Jiang Cheng and Fatty. If Fatty were the ghost, Jiang Cheng wouldn¡¯t need to gather everyone in his room to test them. He would be the first to run¡­ if he didn¡¯t die first. Then, she eliminated the three in her room. They had always been together. The ghost didn¡¯t have the time to kill and rece any one of them. So¡­ only the duo from Room 405 remained. Xu Wen nced at Zhen Jianren and Luo Yi from the corner of her eyes. No matter how she studied them, she couldn¡¯t see anything wrong with them. When Luo Yi heard the analysis about the ghost, fear was in his eyes. Xu Wen was suddenly inspired and turned to Zhang Yinyin. The girl was very sensitive. It didn¡¯t take her long to notice Xu Wen¡¯s eyes on her. The moment their eyes met, both women turned away instantly. After they left Room 404, Xu Wen¡¯s group returned to Room 406. When they were cleaning up, Xu Wen saw a glint of something in Zhang Yinyin¡¯s hand. When she tried to look closer, the thing was gone. She walked over casually, leaned into Zhang Yinyin¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°Your little piece of mirror can reflect ghosts, right? I saw you use it yesterday.¡± Zhang Yinyin paused. Xu Wen resumed, ¡°We¡­ already have a ghost among us.¡± Chapter 69: Finger Chapter 69: Finger It was through the mirror that Xu Wen and Zhang Yinyin confirmed Luo Yi¡¯s identity. He was a ghost. The real Luo Yi had been killed. Xu Wen and Zhang Yinyin didn¡¯t spend a second mourning his death because they were instantly onto the next issue. When¡­ did Luo Yi die? And where? The answers were clear¡­ They remembered Zhen Jianren said that Luo Yi had gone to the files room alone while the rest of them met up. Clearly, he encountered the ghost there and was reced. This would exin why Luo Yi came back and said he found nothing in the files room. The ghost¡­ wouldn¡¯t reveal the information rted to her. ¡­ Zhou Taifu entered the room first. The file room wasrge. There was a wooden office table where Luo Yi¡¯s corpse was. There was a chair that was so old that its leather had been worn off. There was a thinyer of dust on everything. The room was thin and long in shape. Deeper in the room were rows of deep green shelves. A few of the shelves closer to them were stocked with light blue notebooks. The shelves further away had rows of man folders. It was hard to tell how deep the room went. The room couldn¡¯t be infinitely long, but the lighting was bad to tell clearly. The only working window of the room was next to the office table. There should be other windows deeper into the room but they were probably sealed up or covered by thick curtains. The shadowy environment caused Zhou Taifu to feel ufortable. His n was to find the clues and leave as quickly as possible. Xu Wen walked in behind him. Her gait was so soft, like she was afraid of waking up something. As she crossed the threshold, she searched for the light switch near the door. Click!She flicked the switch, but nothing happened. ¡°This ce has been vacated for so long that the lights are probably not working anymore.¡± Zhou Taifu looked up and concluded. Xu Wen moved towards the window. She did this for two reasons. First, she wanted to keep an eye on Luo Yi. Second, it was safer in the light. Luo Yi leaned on the ground peacefully. His upper body was drenched in blood. His cor was torn apart, and his body was contorted unnaturally. His left arm was broken around the elbow, and his forearm was twisted behind his back. He seemed to have struggled before he died¡­ Since no one turned him over, she couldn¡¯t get a good look at his eyes. ¡°Look.¡± Zhou Taifu knelt down to study the dead Luo Yi. ¡°What does this tell you?¡± Xu Wen took a closer look at the corpse and then at the office table. Luo Yi¡¯s head faced the door while his feet faced away from the door. ¡°He was attacked when he was about to leave¡­¡± Xu Wen observed, ¡°It was why he had copsed in this pose.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Zhou Taifu nodded. ¡°His chin is also gone.¡± Xu Wen studied Luo Yi¡¯s profile. ¡°This appears to be the ghost¡¯s mo, but¡­¡± Zhou Taifu touched where Luo Yi¡¯s elbow was broken, and he winced. ¡°It was snapped through brute force. The bones near the joint are all shattered.¡± Xu Wen looked down the arm. When she saw the palm, she paused. ¡°Look. Even his fingers¡­¡± Zhou Taifu used his hand to pick up Luo Yi¡¯s hand. Half of Luo Yi¡¯s hand was soaked in blood. ¡°His fingers have all been snapped in half!¡± Zhou Taifu gasped. Then, he moved to check Luo Yi¡¯s right hand. Other than some blood, his right arm and hand were perfectly fine. ¡°I remember Luo Yi was¡­ left-handed,¡± Xu Wen stared at the body and said. Zhou Taifu turned to look down the room. He watched the rows of folders. They appeared sinister in the dark. ¡°I think I got it.¡± Zhou Taifu began, ¡°Luo Yi found something about the ghost. As he was about to leave, he was attacked. In the struggle, the ghost smashed his left arm. The ghost crushed Luo Yi¡¯s left fingers because the man was holding the folder rted to the ghost with his left hand.¡± Xu Wen nodded. ¡°That should be the case.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Zhou Taifu gritted his teeth and said angrily, ¡°The folder has been taken by the ghost. It might have been destroyed already. This lead is gone.¡± Then, they had to go to the Prop Room or Block C. Neither option seemed that enticing. At the Prop Room, the ghost probably had already killed Zhen Jianren and was waiting for them. ¡°Don¡¯t be so pessimistic.¡± Xu Wen uttered slowly, ¡°I believe even if it was the ghost who took the folder, I don¡¯t think she would destroy it. We will find it somewhere else.¡± Zhou Taifu frowned. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The rules.¡± Xu Wen nced at Luo Yi before turning to meet Zhou Taifu¡¯s eyes. ¡°I believe the rules won¡¯t allow the ghost to do that. Or else she could have easily ended Luo Yi before he found the clues. Why would she need to wait for him to find the clues before making her move? ¡°In fact, if she could ignore the rules, she would have destroyed the clues at the start of the mission. Wouldn¡¯t that be easier for her?¡± Xu Wen asked. Zhou Taifu looked better, hearing that. He stood up. ¡°Do you mean the rules do not allow the ghost to do so?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Xu Wen answered, ¡°We both know that even though the ghosts have different interests, killing methods and powers in different missions, there is one thing that is simr across all of them. They are limited by the mission rules.¡± Xu Wen paused before adding, ¡°Even though the rules will loosen as the mission nears its end, they are not invincible until the veryst moment of the mission. ¡°In other words, they can only hide the clues deeper and cannot eliminate them from the source.¡± Xu Wen turned to Zhou Taifu and said seriously, ¡°This is the way the mission requests of us to survive.¡± Zhou Taifu thought about it and agreed with Xu Wen. ¡°Then, based on your analysis, where do you think the ghost would have hidden the folder?¡± Zhou Taifu scratched his chin, ¡°Could it be the music ssroom, the prop building, or somecepletely unrted?¡± Xu Wen stared at her lover and broke into a smile. ¡°No.¡± She looked down at the deeper parts of the file room and said slowly, ¡°If I were the ghost¡­ I¡¯d put the folder back where it was found.¡± Chapter 70: Files Chapter 70: Files Zhou Taifu, who stood before the shelf, looked rather awkward. Xu Wen stood beside him. The ce was dark. The only light source was Xu Wen¡¯s phone. Their faces were hidden in the dark. ¡°How can this be?¡± Xu Wen studied the scene before her. Her thin brows furrowed. The calmness in her expression was gone. The shelf had fouryers. Other than the topyer, the other three had been ransacked. A lot of folders were scattered on the ground. Zhou Taifu knelt down to touch some of the folders. The folders had no dust on them, so this was recent. In other words, Luo Yi was the culprit. He probably found the clues about the ghost there. However¡­ the pair searched the ce again and found nothing. Zhou Taifu slowly stood up and uttered, ¡°It looks like the ghost has taken the clues.¡± This was the situation that he was most unwilling to ept. Tomorrow night was the time limit. They didn¡¯t have much time left. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Xu Wen stopped hesitating and turned around to leave. Zhou Taifu ran after her. He asked with hesitation, ¡°Where are we going? The Prop Centre?¡± ¡°Block C, the music ssroom.¡± After the door closed, the duo soon disappeared down the corridor. Silence returned. A few minutes passed. There was a minute scratching sound. A closed door eased open a small gap. This door was opposite the file room. It looked perfectly inconspicuous. Soon, a bloodshot eye appeared in the gap. The eye looked about. Then, the person turned around to whisper, ¡°Doctor, they¡¯re gone.¡±Jiang Cheng stood up from a dusty rattan chair. He patted the dust away from his bust. A man folder was squeezed under his armpit. Upon closer inspection, there was blood on the corner of the folder. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng with admiration and respect, ¡°You are amazing. How did you know they¡¯de here?¡± ¡°Luo Yi had been reced. They naturally would figure out he had died in the file room. It wouldn¡¯t take a genius to figure out he died because he found something inside the file room,¡± Jiang Cheng answered simply. ¡°But¡­¡± Fatty hesitated before raising his head to ask, ¡°They had no camera. How could they tell Luo Yi had been reced by a ghost?¡± Jiang Cheng held the folder. The seal had been broken. Clearly, Luo Yi had seen the thing inside. ¡°It¡¯s the mirror.¡± Jiang Cheng turned the folder over and shook it. A small notebook slid out. Jiang Cheng flipped through it as he shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ve seen Zhang Yinyin use it. They could use the reflection to identify the ghosts.¡± Hearing the mention of Zhang Yinyin, Fatty suddenly realised he had not seen her earlier. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty looked at the door and said strangely, ¡°Zhang Yinyin has separated from them.¡± Jiang Cheng stared at the notebook as he answered, ¡°She is probably separated from this world.¡± Realising something, Fatty gasped, ¡°Do you mean¡­ she is dead?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fatty was suddenly, ¡°But the ghost¡­¡± ¡°The ghost didn¡¯t do it.¡± Jiang Cheng closed the notebook, and his expression shifted, ¡°It¡¯s Xu Wen and Zhou Taifu.¡± He looked at the door as if he could see through it. ¡°It¡¯s almost time.¡± Even though he had no idea what Jiang Cheng was talking about, Fatty felt like it was something important. Plus, he knew that even if he asked Jiang Cheng, thetter wouldn¡¯t exin it to him. The man was extremely weird and conceited. Fatty still couldn¡¯t say he fully understood Jiang Cheng. For example, on the way there, Jiang Cheng held him by his cor. Through the way Jiang Cheng looked at him, Fatty thought he was going to be killed. ¡°Doctor,¡± He carefully changed the subject. He poked his head forward to stare at the notebook Jiang Cheng was holding, ¡°What is written there?¡± Jiang Cheng passed the notebook over. The book was small. It was thin too. The cover was decorated with gilded letters that said, ¡®ss 09 Dance Major Student Files.¡¯ As Xu Wen predicted, after the ghost killed Luo Yi, she took back the folder and ced it back where it was. Unfortunately, Xu Wen and her lover spent too much time killing Zhang Yinyin. This meant that Jiang Cheng had the opportunity toe to the file room before them to snatch the clue. They even managed to scurry into the room opposite the file room to hide when they heard the footsteps on the stairs. This room should be an office. It was small but had all the amenities. Jiang Cheng looked around. The only window in the room was blocked by a deep-coloured curtain. Only a bit of light could filter through. A brown bookshelf stood by the wall. Beside it was a white water dispenser. The dispenser was dry. Around five empty bottles sat around it. The empty bottles were toppled over. They were so dirty that one couldn¡¯t tell what colour they originally were. A few y pots were arranged in a neat row under the windows. The nts inside them had all wilted. Behind Fatty was a wooden coat hanger. A few clothes hung from it. A calendar sat on the office table. Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t seen a paper calendar in a long time. He picked up the calendar and realised thest page paused in December of 09. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty noticed this too. ¡°The owner of this office probably left in a hurry. They didn¡¯t even take anything with them.¡± December 09¡­ Jiang Cheng seemed to be thinking. Fatty held the folder and mumbled to himself, ¡°Does this school even have a dance major?¡± Fatty remembered this was a music academy. At least, that was what the first teacher they met told them. ¡°Yu Ying Elite Music Academy doesn¡¯t have a dance major, but Yu Ying Elite Art Academy does,¡± Jiang Cheng answered, ¡°That is the predecessor of this school.¡± Fatty was startled. ¡°It¡¯s exined in the notebook,¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged. Fatty looked through the notebook and found the name Yu Ying Elite Art Academy. ¡°When did they change their school name?¡± ¡°Ten years ago. I found some folders dated year 10 in the file room. By then, the school had changed its name to Yu Ying Music Academy.¡± Fatty seemed to sense something. The sudden name change, the abolished dance major, the mystery case¡­ everything appeared to suggest a bigger conspiracy. And they were all rted to the female ghost who was dancing ballet. ¡°I know! The girl¡¯s death has kickstarted the series of tragedies!¡± Fatty said with confirmation. Chapter 71: Picture Chapter 71: Picture Based on the files from the file room, there were only two sses in the dance major in 09. The first ss had eleven students, and the second ss had nine students. While Fatty checked the information for ss One, Jiang Cheng turned the pages to ss Two. ss One focused on modern dance, and ss Two was for ballet. The first page was a group picture. The second ss had nine students. They were all girls. They looked so young. They just joined the school, their eyes glowing with anticipation for the future. Nine girls posed in front of their ballet uniform while a few teachers stood behind them. Based on the background, they should be in the studio. There was a wall of mirrors. There was the barre beside the mirrors. The picture looked normal. After the picture came the pages of information on the students. However, there were only eight pages while there should be nine. One page had been torn off. There were uneven bite marks at the root. ¡°Why is there a page missing?¡± Fatty frowned and asked directly. Clearly, someone had purposely removed that page, and Fatty instantly thought the culprit was Luo Yi. Fatty turned to thest page. It was another group picture. There was a small row of words underneath the picture. Fatty had to lean forward to see what was written. Graduation Picture of 09 Dance Major ssic Ballet ss Two. The lower right corner showed that the picture was taken on December 09. Graduation¡­ Fatty stared at the word, and then, his eyes widened. ¡°Doctor!¡± He turned around to gasp, ¡°That¡¯s not right! They entered the school in 09, so how did they manage to graduate in the same year?¡± Then, he suddenly paused. He thought of something and whipped his head to look at the office table and the calendar on it. The calendar also paused on December 09. Could it be¡­¡°Continue,¡± Jiang Cheng walked over and interrupted Fatty¡¯s thought. Thetter moved his focus back to the notebook he was holding. The graduation picture looked normal, but slowly, Fatty¡¯s eyes coloured with confusion. There were only eight students in the graduation picture. Needless to say, the missing girl should be the one whose information had been torn away. Fatty clearly thought of that as well. Hepared to the two group pictures and soon found the ¡®missing¡¯ girl. The girl had a very sweet smile. Even back then, she was already a beauty. She would definitely grow up to be a stunner. Jiang Cheng took out the camera and took pictures of all the information that he thought was useful. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty said with a frown, ¡°I think the missing girl should be the ghost. She died for some reason and became a ghost.¡± Jiang Cheng put down the camera. ¡°Is she the only one who has disappeared?¡± Fatty was startled. Then, he scanned the two group pictures again. Soon, his face paled. In the pictures¡­ other than the girl, there was another person who had gone missing. It was the only male in the first group picture. He stood in the back corner, very inconspicuous. He looked like an instructor. ¡­ ¡°Miss Xu,¡± Feng Lan¡¯s voice came. It sounded weird, ¡°Is the thing that important? We¡­ we can go there tomorrow¡­¡± She sounded scared. Xu Wen and Zhou Taifu followed her. Their footsteps echoed down the empty corridor. They were in Block C, moving up the stairs. ¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡± Xu Wen said, ¡°During thest rehearsal, we lost a camera lens. It should still be in the music ssroom.¡± Her tone was polite, but it had an undercurrent of boorishness. Feng Lan looked pressured, and she stopped talking. Since they couldn¡¯t find anything in the file room, the duo decided to move to Block C¡¯s music ssroom. Out of safety considerations, Xu Wen called Feng Lan to join them. She was a teacher there, so she was familiar with the ce. Furthermore, they could send her in to scout ahead if there was anything dangerous. Seeing how cautious and scared Feng Lan was, Zhou Taifu was annoyed. He knew that Feng Lan was somewhat interested in his lover, Xu Wen. Due to her experience, Xu Wen exuded a handsome air. With her short hair, she cut a formidable figure. When they first entered Feng Lan¡¯s hostel, he had already noticed the posters on her wall. Different from other young females who would have male celebrity posters on the wall, Feng Lan¡¯s wall was covered in posters of female celebrities. They were mostly celebrities with low poprity. However, they all had short hair and sharp temperaments. They would be called handsome more than pretty. One of them had a side profile that was 90 percent simr to Xu Wen. The fact that Feng Lan was willing to apany them to Block C was another proof of her affection for his lover. Since they arrived at Block C, they had not encountered anyone. Zhou Taifu studied the closed doors, and he had a bad feeling, ¡°Teacher Feng,¡± He lowered his voice, ¡°Is there no ss for today?¡± It was not yet dark. The ce was overwhelmingly quiet. ¡°I have no idea.¡± Feng Lan looked nervous. She reached into her pocket to grab the keys. However, the jangle of the keys frightened her instead. ¡°The schedule is managed by the other teachers.¡± She pinched the key and focused on walking. She just wanted to help them find the missing lens and then leave. ¡°But¡­¡± Feng Lan hesitated. She turned around and spoke as if to herself, ¡°It is a little weird. This ce¡­ is a bit different today.¡± Chapter 72: Disappearance Chapter 72: Disappearance Xu Wen¡¯s brows furrowed. She stopped to stare at Feng Lan, ¡°What did you say?¡± Being stared at by Xu Wen, Feng Lan became awkward. She instinctually thought that she had said something to annoy Miss Xu. Afraid of being misunderstood, she shook her hands embarrassedly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Miss Xu. We¡­ we should move faster. It¡¯ll be troublesome when it¡¯s dark.¡± Perhaps it was still in the day. The entire Block C had no lights on. This caused Feng Lan to trip on the stairs as she led the way in the dimness. If Xu Wen hadn¡¯t moved fast to help her, she might have fallen. ¡°Thank¡­ you, Miss Xu.¡± Feng Lan held Xu Wen¡¯s arm. Her cheeks flushed as she gripped Xu Wen¡¯s hands harder. ¡°Be careful,¡± Xu Wen reminded her. ¡°Okay.¡± The meaningless conversation between the two irritated Zhou Taifu. After they reached Block C, something had been bothering him. It made him short-tempered. He pulled out the dagger and slid it into his sleeve. He pressed it under his wrist. He looked around, ready to deal with any situation. They came to the fourth floor of Block C. The music ssroom was on this floor. Out of safety concerns, Xu Wen decided to take the long detour. This meant that they had to take two more turns and a longer walk to reach the music ssroom. The corridor that led to the ssroom gave them the impression that it would go on forever. The corridor seemed to end in a blurry mist. And¡­ they were slowly walking into the mist. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Feng Lan apologised softly. She looked at the toilet beside them and looked fidgety. Zhou Taifu¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°We¡¯ll go to the ssroom and leave after we find the lens. We¡¯ll be out soon. Then, you can¡­¡±Feng Lan held her stomach, and her face paled. ¡°Mr. Zhou, I¡¯m sorry. Please wait for me.¡± Then, she ran into the toilet, leaving Zhou Taifu and Xu Wen outside. Using the toilet there¡­ reminded them instantly of Long Tao. His open eyes when he died and his missing jaw. Zhou Taifu lowered his voice, ¡°What should we do now?¡± The human mind wandered in extreme silence. The anxiety festered, corroding their minds. Xu Wen looked around. ¡°Come in first.¡± They entered the female toilet. This toilet wasn¡¯t where Long Tao died. This toilet was at the intersection of two corridors. The amenities were better kept. The sinks were clean. Bottles of hand sanitiser were provided. A ck leather rope was dropped at the corner. It was not unusual, but it stood out from the pure white sinks. Xu Wen believed some girls identally left it there. A giant mirror sat on the wall. The mirror had a gilded edge. A frame was built around the edge and then fitted with ayer of wooden varnish. It gave off afortable feeling. The floor wasid with marble tiles. It was so clean that people could see their reflections in them. There were two rows of cubicles inside. There were around ten cubicles, and they were painted deep blue. They looked clean. The doors of the cubicles were raised around 15 centimetres off the ground. A perfume of jasmine lingered in the air. Compared to the male toilet where Long Tai died, this toilet was better in size, cleanliness and decoration. However¡­ Xu Wen and Zhou Taifu didn¡¯t look rxed. They kept the toilet door open and stood to the right of the sinks. They could see the entire interior from their vantage point. If there were any danger, they could run at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Miss Feng,¡± Xu Wen called out at the rows of cubicles. Every cubicle door was closed. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t confirm Feng Lan¡¯s exact location. Especially since¡­ she hadn¡¯t heard any sound after she entered the toilet. This was very abnormal. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Zhou Taifu stared down the toilet, and his tone became nervous. Xu Wen took a step towards the cubicles. She slowly bent down, tilted her head and looked into the cubicles through the gap under the doors. Normally, she should be able to see the legs of the person inside the cubicle. To her left, she only saw the toilet seat. She turned her head to the right. The first cubicle, second cubicle¡­ She made her way down the rows¡­ Until she came to thest cubicle¡­ None¡­ Feng Lan seemed to havepletely disappeared! Feng Lan jumped up instantly. Just as she was about to use her hands to signal her partner to run¡­ The door of the cubicle on her right suddenly creaked open. Then, there was the sound of the toilet flushing. Feng Lan walked out on tip-toe. This almost scared Xu Wen to her death. Zhou Taifu was confused. He asked in an usatory tone, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer when we called you earlier?¡± Xu Wen was toote. In their initial hypothesis, they believed the condition for the ghost to kill was for her victim to make some noises. Just as Xu Wen covered her mouth and was saddened to see her lover¡¯s imminent death, Feng Lan bowed at her. Then, she lifted her head with shyness, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I knew Miss Xu came in to look for me out of concern. However, it¡¯s impolite tomunicate while on the toilet, so¡­¡± ¡°Is that why you didn¡¯t say anything?¡± Zhou Taifu was stunned. He felt like something was wrong with this woman¡¯s head. ¡°Hmm.¡± Feng Lan nodded. Then, she realised Zhou Taifu was in the toilet with them. Her expression turned embarrassed. ¡°Mr. Zhou, why¡­¡± She looked at the toilet door with confusion. The door was open, so she could see the sign on the door. They were in the female toilet. ¡°I¡­¡± Zhou Taifu didn¡¯t know what to say. In the end, it was Xu Wen who cut in. She calmed herself down and said lightly, ¡°I was the one who told him toe in to help me.¡± Xu Wen looked into Feng Lan¡¯s eyes, ¡°I called your name so many times, but you didn¡¯t answer. I was worried¡­¡± She didn¡¯t continue, but a trace of concern poured out of her eyes. Even though it was fleeting, Feng Lan caught it. Stars lit up in her eyes. Chapter 73: Strange Chapter 73: Strange ¡°Oh, right.¡± Feng Lan¡¯s heart pounded rapidly, and her cheeks flushed. Her fingers twined together, and she tried to say calmly, ¡°Thank you, Miss Xu.¡± Zhou Taifu looked at Feng Lan who had forgotten he was there and was speechless. Xu Wen didn¡¯t like this situation. Therefore, she changed the topic. She turned and urged, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Miss Feng.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As Feng Lan walked past him, Xu Wen took a step forward to look into the cubicle Feng Lan just vacated. The door was open so she could look into it clearly. A few secondster, her tense face rxed. She finally understood everything. There were two footprints on the rim of the white toilet bowl. Feng Lan should be squatting on the toilet bowl. That was why Xu Wen didn¡¯t see her legs through the gap in the door. ¡°Miss Xu?¡± Feng Lan was almost out of the toilet when she realised Xu Wen was not with her. She turned around and saw Xu Wen standing before the cubicle. ¡°Coming.¡± Xu Wen reacted and walked away. ¡°What were you looking at?¡± ¡°I think I saw a rat.¡± Xu Wen lied with ease. She acted frightened as she patted her chest, ¡°I am so scared of those things. I was dazed by it.¡± Perhaps because she was an NPC or because she was blinded by affection, Feng Lan epted this excuse. Zhou Taifu sighed. If only all the NPC in the missions were so easily-fooled. As they were about to leave, Feng Lan suddenly ran to the sink, switched on the faucet, dampened her hands and squeezed the sanitiser. Zhou Taifu and Xu Wen watched her. They were d that they found Feng Lan to be their guide. At least, in this matter, they were better than the groups from 404 and 405.Speaking of¡­ Xu Wen and Zhou Taifu thought of Jiang Cheng and the words he said. Things like the ghost¡¯s hand was twice his size, he was in his puberty and so on. Zhen Jianren was probably dead. They wondered how Hao Shuai and Fatty were doing. Whether they had found Department Head Li and what information they had gotten from her. Or had they been killed? The mission was about to end. The ghost would only be stronger. Anything could happen during this period. If the ghost broke through all the limitations the rules had imposed on her, they would all die¡­ Xu Wen remembered a senior saying that half of the nightmare missions ended with the death of everyone. In the nightmare realm, one requires both ability and luck to survive. Hopefully¡­ she looked at herself in the mirror. Her throat trembled involuntarily. Just as Feng Lan delicately wiped her hands, the three of them raised their heads at the same time. There was a strange reaction as all of them met the gazes of their reflections in the mirror. It was a very strange feeling¡­ especially considering where they were. As time passed, Zhou Taifu noticed his reflection turning unfamiliar. His skin paled like his blood was draining away. His body was turning uncontrobly cold. He was someone who was very resistant to cold. Or rather, he was very resistant to temperature changes. His experience in the rainforest and Siberian desert provided him with great assassination skills and a powerful physique. However, both were useless at that moment. He stared at his reflection dully. His consciousness seemed to have departed from his body. Heart palpitations echoed in his ears. His pupils narrowed. Life force escaped from his muscr body. Distortion, silence, coldness, hatred¡­ And the endless darkness that threatened to swallow him. His world became deprived of light and hope¡­ He fell headfirst into the deep sea. He was enveloped by bubbles, but they did nothing to buoy him up¡­ There was a crisp snap, causing the dark world to vibrate. Zhou Taifu frowned slightly. There were a few more snaps. When Zhou Taifu recovered, he was standing upright before the mirror. His face¡­ he touched his face with confusion. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± His face was hot from pain. Then, he realised his cheeks in the mirror were burning red. They were covered in clear palm prints. The next second¡­ Another giant pnded on Zhou Taifu¡¯s face. He had juste to. His legs wobbled, and he almost fell over. Xu Wen, who stood to his side, rolled up her sleeves. Sweat poured out of her forehead. ¡°Mr. Zhou is awake!¡± Feng Lan¡¯s voice shouted. There was a hint of confusion mixed in the joy. Earlier, when they were about to leave the toilet, Zhou Taifu suddenly paused before the mirror like he was possessed. No matter how they called or shook him, he didn¡¯t move. His eyes were dead as he stared at his reflection. It was very weird. Xu Wen reacted quickly. When she realised normal methods couldn¡¯t wake up Zhou Taifu, she instantly gave him two big ps. It was not until blood oozed out of his lips that Zhou Taifu finally woke up. Xu Wen finally rxed. Her concern for Zhou Taifu was real. If this happened to someone else, she would have left already. However, she kept her relief in her heart. She didn¡¯t show anything on her face. ¡°I¡­¡± Slowly, Zhou Taifu¡¯s soul returned to his body. He moved his neck left and right. He realised his body was rather stiff. He looked at Xu Wen with befuddlement. ¡°What happened to me?¡± Xu Wen nced at the mirror before quickly turning away. ¡°This ce is strange. We should leave.¡± Xu Wen grabbed his arm and pulled him away. His limbs were still numb, so his movement was inordinate. When Xu Wen leaned into Zhou Taifu, she whispered everything to him. When Zhou Taifu heard what happened to him, he felt a chill run up his spine. Had he¡­ been targeted by the ghost? Chapter 74: Womans Ocean Chapter 74: Woman''s Ocean Or were there other secrets in Block C? Regardless, this was not good news for them. He couldn¡¯t figure out why the ghost didn¡¯t go for Fatty and Jiang Cheng but him. ¡°Stop overthinking,¡± Xu Wen stared ahead with caution. ¡°From now on, unless necessary, don¡¯t touch anything.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Zhou Taifu¡¯s face was pale as he had just recovered from the fear. ¡°There are things we have to¡­¡± Xu Wen shot Zhou Taifu a look. Thetter followed Xu Wen¡¯s gaze and noticed a small, frail frame. Feng Lan walked in the front, using her phone to shine the way. She reminded them in a whisper, ¡°Miss Xu, Mr. Zhou, it¡¯s a bit dark ahead. Be careful of where you step.¡± ¡°You better worry about yourself¡­¡± Zhou Taifu said under his breath. Creak¡­ Creak¡­ Inside the female toilet at the intersection, there was the sound of friction. It was not loud, but it had a captivating power. It was the sound that could make one lose their soul. The silent wind coursed through the toilet. The ck leather rope left by the sink moved. It turned and tumbled towards the ground. However, before it could hit the floor, the rope halted in mid-air. It was like an invisible hand had caught it. A few minutes ago, Xu Wen, Zhou Taifu and Feng Lan left in a hurry. They were in such a hurry that they didn¡¯t notice that while the two women had left, Zhou Taifu¡­ The sky darkened. The female toilet blurred. Everything became a ck silhouette. Everything was crushed and embedded into the darkness. Glints of light blinked in the mirror. It was from a dagger. The dagger was held by a shadow whose face was hidden. ¡­Fatty stared at the only man in the picture, and various scenarios entered his mind. The dead ballet dancer, the missing male teacher, the graduation in two terms, the change of school name, and the lifeless graduation picture¡­ Thebination of these clues led to a tragedy. ¡°Doctor,¡± There was a heaviness in Fatty¡¯s voice, ¡°I believe that male teacher did something to the girl. The girlmitted suicide from shame and came back to haunt the school after her death. ¡°This incident would have affected the school¡¯s reputation and future. Therefore, to cover this up, they changed the school name, cancelled the dance major and swiftly graduated the attending ss. This would exin why we hadn¡¯t encountered a single man at this school. The school must have stopped hiring male teachers after that incident.¡± Fatty lifted his head like he just understood something, ¡°Also, Doctor, if you remember, the school¡¯s security and canteen are all staffed by females.¡± Fatty licked his lips. ¡°Other than us, this ce only has women. It¡¯s a sea of women.¡± Jiang Cheng tilted his head to look at Fatty. The thing in his eyes made Fatty feel small. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty used his hands to hold the file. He uttered nervously, ¡°Just say what¡¯s on your mind. Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡± ¡°Why did you lick your lips?¡± Jiang Cheng asked seriously. Fatty was confused. He frowned, and his fatty cheeks folded together. ¡°Doctor, what do you mean?¡± ¡°Why did you lick your lips when you said this school is filled with women?¡± Jiang Cheng repeated. ¡°Did I?¡± Fatty was stunned. ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, repeat the phrase, this ce is a sea of women.¡± ¡°Other than us, this ce only has women. It¡¯s a sea of women.¡± Fatty paused and then licked his lips. ¡°Look!¡± Jiang Cheng pointed out, ¡°You did it again!¡± Fatty, ¡°...Doctor, I don¡¯t think now is the time to discuss whether I lick my lips or not. This situation is bad. Something horrible probably happened to that girl. That¡¯s why she¡¯s so resentful.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. ¡°Wrong.¡± ¡°Wrong?¡± The way Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng changed. Thetter viewed things differently. Fatty believed he had discovered something. Fatty frowned and probed, ¡°Doctor, do you think the issue is not with the girl?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng still shook his head. ¡°I mean, your earlier sentence was wrong.¡± ¡°Is it still about the lips licking?¡± Fatty huffed. ¡°No. Before that.¡± ¡°Before that?¡± Fatty blinked and said slowly, ¡°Other than us, this ce only has women. It¡¯s a sea of¡­¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Jiang Cheng cut him off. He leaned forward and said in a special tone, ¡°This school does not only have women. Other than us, there is another man.¡± Fatty was silent. Then, a pale, wizened face appeared in his mind. There was indeed another man. But Fatty instinctively eliminated him¡­ because he was too old and he was limping. He didn¡¯t have the ability or the motive. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty said awkwardly, ¡°Do you think that person¡­ can still¡­¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged, ¡°I hit pubertyte, and I still have pimples. Perhaps his puberty is eventer than mine. He might look old but is physically young.¡± Fatty had to say, ¡°Doctor, you are a special case. I don¡¯t think we can find another case like you in another 100 years. Please don¡¯t overestimate the old man. Plus, if he were half as cunning as you are, he wouldn¡¯t end up in his current state.¡± Unfortunately, the man stood at the corner in the group picture. The equipment back then was also not that good. The man¡¯s face was unclear. That was all the clues. They didn¡¯t need to stay to discuss further. They put away the camera and the files and prepared to leave. The camera only had 10 percent battery left. The battery icon was red. They looked through the camera bag and couldn¡¯t find the charger. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jiang Cheng patted the bag. ¡°It looks like we have to go to the Prop Centre. We might get the charger from the old man.¡± ¡°Doctor, your optimism is inspiring,¡± Fatty grumbled. ¡°I fear we might lose our lives before we can get our hands on the charger.¡± Jiang Cheng, who had walked ahead, suddenly paused. The confused Fatty looked past Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng had pushed the door open earlier. The scene outside the door stunned Fatty. Chapter 75: Friends Chapter 75: Friends Three female guards with wide shoulders stood at the door. Their faces were cold. It was hard to tell how long they had been there already. ¡°Thieves¡­¡± The leading guard waved the ck baton she was holding. She gritted her teeth from anger. They had seen the three guards before at Room 304 in Block C. They were the ones who caught Luo Yi. Back then, Fattyughed at Luo Yi, saying that he couldn¡¯t outrun a few middle-aged women. He realised he was wrong. A few secondster, he heard Jiang Cheng take in a deep breath and shout, ¡°Fatty! Run!¡± Fatty reacted to the order. He charged out the door. Hisrge body gave him a lot of power. The charging Fatty was like a rolling tank. But¡­ Facing Fatty, the two guards didn¡¯t even move. The leading guard only put one foot out to move forward to block Fatty. Fatty mmed into her. The woman took half a step back. Her face didn¡¯t even change. However, Fatty was sent flying back from the rebound. He tasted blood in his mouth. Fatty¡¯s soul almost departed from this collision. It reminded him of his ident when he was riding a motorcycle. Fatty staggered a few steps before copsing at the corner. Everything in his eyes had multiple copies. The female guards appeared to have grown several few more limbs. He tried to turn his head because he was still worried about Jiang Cheng. He wanted to see if Jiang Cheng managed to escape. In his mind, he was weirdly confident in Jiang Cheng. This man definitely had a way to escape. Once he escaped, he woulde back to save him. He was a man with a soft heart but a sharp tongue. Whenever they were in danger, he would¡­ Fatty¡¯s eyes watered from the firm bond he and Jiang Cheng shared. ¡°Doctor¡­¡± He called out softly. The figure before his eyes flickered. He saw a familiar figure being surrounded by three guards. The figure did not panic and stood with his back straight. He removed the camera and then his jacket. As Fatty widened his eyes, thinking that Jiang Cheng was about to show his true power, he saw Jiang Cheng raise his hands. Then, Jiang Cheng went down on his knees. He asionally pointed at Fatty, his mouth mumbling something,Fatty had to focus a long time before he could hear anything clearly. ¡°He stole the thing. He came up with the idea. I was merely his lookout.¡± Jiang Cheng knelt on the ground and sold Fatty out with great sincerity. ¡°Big Sisters,¡± He patted his chest in the guarantee. ¡°I can be your witness to send him to jail!¡± Fatty almost spat out blood. His world turned ck, and he fainted. Through Jiang Cheng¡¯s instructions, the guard found the lost files on Fatty. ¡°It looks like he is indeed innocent¡­¡± The leading guard looked down on Jiang Cheng. Her eyes bubbled with warmth. The man before her was quite good-looking, and he had a schrly air. ¡°You should get up first. As for how to deal with this¡­¡± The woman hesitated before adding, ¡°We¡¯ll have to refer to the school admin.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for troubling Big Sisters.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes glinted with innocence. He stood up and wiped away the dust on his knees. His actions caused one of the women¡¯s cheeks to flush. However, she quickly turned away because she was embarrassed. She was almost 40. How could she¡­ Just as she turned back, something unexpected happened. Jiang Cheng came close to her. He held her arm gingerly and massaged it gently. ¡°Big Sister,¡± Jiang Cheng raised his head. There were stars in his eyes. ¡°Why is your arm injured?¡± ¡°It¡­ It¡¯s alright.¡± The woman pressed her lips. ¡°The action was too sudden, and I identally¡­¡± Jiang Cheng whipped his head back and huffed at the fainted Fatty, ¡°This is all this fat man¡¯s fault. How can he cause injury to Big Sister? How about¡­ we throw him from this floor and avenge Big Sister?¡± The guard was stunned. They were on the fifth floor. If they did that, Fatty would die. The unconscious Fatty convulsed. ¡°Before you throw him down, you should give him a few stabs.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression became disgusting. ¡°Aim it at his liver. That way, even if he survives the fall, he¡¯ll be incapacitated for his life!¡± ¡°Never mind. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s suggestion shocked the guards. They initially wanted to interrogate them, but they persuaded Jiang Cheng not to harm Fatty instead. ¡°You don¡¯t look like a bad person, unlike this fat man¡­¡± The leading guard said to broker peace. ¡°Just let it be. He didn¡¯t steal anything important. Just leave. Don¡¯t do this again!¡± ¡°Are you going to let him go just like that?¡± Jiang Cheng insisted, ¡°You should reconsider it¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± The leading guard became impatient. ¡°If you don¡¯t leave, then we¡¯ll leave!¡± Then, she led the other two women and left. Based on their footsteps, they went downstairs. They left in such a hurry that it felt like they were the thieves. They were just the security guards. They worked there for the sry. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t go as far as Jiang Cheng suggested. If they really injured someone, the school would not help them. If anything, the school would push them out to be the scapegoat. They were still clear-minded. After the footsteps faded away, Jiang Cheng walked to Fatty¡¯s side. Just as he was about to p Fatty awake, there was a creaking from behind him. It sounded like a door¡­ opening. Behind him was¡­ the files room! Anything that came out of that ce wouldn¡¯t be as easy to deal with as the guards. Was it the ghost? Or the dead Luo Yi? Jiang Cheng broke out in a cold sweat. For the second time that day, he raised his hands slowly. Regardless of who it was, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t handle them alone. Plus, he was the one being ambushed. The chill enveloped him. He could hear the other party¡¯s heavy breathing. Gradually, a shadow appeared on the wall opposite Jiang Cheng. Chapter 76: People Chapter 76: People The shadow looked slender and normal. At least the head was not detached from the body. Jiang Cheng stared at the shadow and didn¡¯t dare to move. ¡°Get up.¡± The person said. When Jiang Cheng heard the voice, his body trembled. It was a young voice. The person was female and probably around thirty. Her voice was deep like she was talking in a low register on purpose. Jiang Cheng slowly stood up. He didn¡¯t say anything or turn around. He didn¡¯t even move one step. ¡°You can turn around now,¡± The woman said. Jiang Cheng hesitated, ¡°Then, you have to promise you won¡¯t kill me.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± The woman said, ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that is not enough,¡± Jiang Cheng raised his hands higher. His hands were ced higher than his head. He thought about it and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you swear on it?¡± The woman started to cough violently. When the coughing petered away, she continued, ¡°That sounds so troublesome. I should just kill you.¡± Jiang Cheng instantly turned around. ¡°Never mind. You don¡¯t need to swear. Based on your voice, I know you¡¯re a beauty. Beauties never lie because they have horrible ends if they do. I once knew a beautiful sister. She was crushed by machinery because she lied.¡± The woman was silent before saying, ¡°Actually, you can open your eyes.¡±Jiang Cheng kept his eyes closed, and he sidled over to Fatty. He kicked Fatty. When he heard a mumble from the man on the ground, he asked Fatty, ¡°Fatty, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Fatty said blurrily as if he had just woken up. Then, his voice filled with panic. ¡°Who is this woman? Where are the three security guards?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. After a while, he repeated, ¡°Fatty?¡± ¡°Doctor, I¡¯m here.¡± Fatty climbed up shakily. He didn¡¯t even pat away the dust on his body as he stared at the strange woman. He had never seen this woman at the school before. ¡°Fatty, are you alright?¡± Jiang Cheng asked for the third time. ¡°Doctor, I¡¯m fine.¡± Fatty seemed to remember something, and he groused. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t sold me out, I would have felt better.¡± ¡°Are¡­ you still alive?¡± If not for the strange woman, Fatty would have continued toin. He nced at Jiang Cheng, ¡°Doctor, can you act normal? You are not blind¡­¡± Fatty suddenly stopped talking. He realised Jiang Cheng kept his eyes closed until he answered him for the third time. ¡°Then, I feel more at ease.¡± Jiang Cheng opened his eyes and sighed in relief. Fatty realised something, and he looked like a hurt woman. Jiang Cheng studied the woman before them. Her body was wrapped in a beige coat. Her proportions were not as stunning as the woman in the qipao. Strangely enough, she wore a giant mask on her face. The mask covered half of her face. Plus, the mask looked thick because she sounded like she was gasping for air every time she breathed. She wore sunsses that blocked the upper half of her face. ¡°Who are you?¡± Fatty asked. The woman turned her face. ¡°This is Fatty, so you¡­¡± The woman turned back to Jiang Cheng, ¡°Must be Mr. Hao Shuai.¡± ¡°And you are?¡± After being in society for so many years, Jiang Cheng knew that observing a woman¡¯s hand made it easier to determine her age rather than her face. However, that was pointless for this woman. Most of her hands were hidden in her sleeves. Her fingertips were rough, and there were minor callouses around her joints. The woman clearly had a good life. This was clear from her appearance and presence. Jiang Cheng knew a few of such women. ¡°My surname is Li.¡± The woman introduced herself as ¡°Li Yanwei.¡± Jiang Cheng frowned. Then, he asked, ¡°Are you the school¡¯s Education Department Head Li?¡± The woman nodded. Her expression was hidden by the mask. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Her voice was strange. It did not belong to a woman her age. Jiang Cheng was confident she was over 30. ¡°You are Department Head Li?!¡± Fatty frowned. Clearly, he didn¡¯t believe a woman this young would already rise to the position of department head. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t believe it either. However, he was persuaded by logic. As part of the mission, Department Head Li had to show up. She had been mentioned so many times by the other NPCs, so she must be important. The mission was ending in a day. It was time for her to show up. The first NPC to mention her was Feng Lan. If they couldn¡¯t find Department Head Li around the file room, Jiang Cheng would locate Feng Lan. Jiang Cheng predicted that they would run into Department Head Li there, especially after the three guards showed up. Based on Luo Yi''s statement, the three guards reported directly to Department Head Li. Jiang Cheng purposely said those things to the guards to make matters worse so that the guards couldn¡¯t handle it on their level. Then, they would have to report it to their superior, Department Head Li. However, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t expect the guards to be so cowardly and let them go just like that. Even though he predicted Department Head Li¡¯s appearance, he didn¡¯t think she would show up in this manner. He nced at the woman and then at the files room behind Department Head Li. A hypothesis slowly formed in his mind. When did she arrive? Did shee with the guards? Jiang Cheng quickly denied this idea. The reason was simple. If the guards knew she was there, they wouldn¡¯t have let them go so easily. People had to act like they treated their jobs seriously when their superiors were around. In other words, Department Head Li was inside the file room before the guards arrived. Then, when? As he thought about it, Jiang Cheng¡¯s face darkened. When Fatty saw this, his body started to tremble. Fatty gasped internally. ¡®Is this woman a ghost?¡¯ Jiang Cheng came upon a scary thought. Could this woman have arrived earlier than he thought? Earlier than the guards. Earlier than Xu Wen and Zhou Taifu. Even¡­ earlier than him! She had been hiding in the deep darkness of the file room, sensing everything¡­ that happened among the humans and the ghosts. Chapter 77: Chen Yao Chapter 77: Chen Yao ¡°Her name was Chen Yao,¡± Department Head Li stared at Jiang Cheng before saying. Fatty just woke up, and his brain wasn¡¯t working yet. He asked subconsciously, ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The missing girl in the files.¡± The woman suddenly paused. She turned around and resumed in an oppressed tone, ¡°Or the ghost you¡¯re looking for.¡± Once she said the word ghost, Fatty and Jiang Cheng shared a look. There were some NPCs who could sense the supernatural, like Feng Lan. However, Department Head Li was the first to point out the existence of a ghost so directly. Jiang Cheng looked at her and asked, ¡°Do you know her?¡± Based on known clues, the girl met the incident about ten years ago. The woman must have worked for quite some time at the school to have reached her current position. They might¡­ have interacted. Fatty seemed to havee to the same conclusion. He asked with hesitation, ¡°Have you¡­ met her? Or was she your student?¡± The woman¡¯s face was shielded by the mask and sses, so they couldn¡¯t see her expression. However, her voice fluctuated. She was not as unfazed as she appeared. Fatty had more confidence in his guess. The woman lifted her head. Fatty felt like he was staring into the abyss when he looked into the woman¡¯s sses. He shivered involuntarily. ¡°I was her ssmate,¡± The woman admitted. Fatty widened his eyes.Jiang Cheng hesitated before covering it naturally. He looked at the woman, nodded and asked in an even tone, ¡°Year 09 Dance Major Ballet ss Two?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Department Head Li nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡± Fatty recovered and said agitatedly, ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing you in the ss picture.¡± Fatty quickly regretted it. No one could have recognised the woman in her current appearance. Furthermore, the picture was taken ten years ago. The woman moved her gaze to Fatty. Thetter¡¯s face instantly paled. Thankfully, Jiang Cheng spoke up to pull back her attention, ¡°Can you give us more details?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± The woman began, ¡°I was not in the picture because I joined the ss in the middle of the semester. I majored in ssical music before that. I transferred to balletter.¡± The woman held Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze and took a slight step back to allow them to pass into the dark files room. ¡°The room has my files. You can check if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. ¡°We believe you.¡± With the prior incident, Fatty cleverly chose to remain silent. He perked up his eyes. ¡°Why did you switch majors?¡± Jiang Cheng continued to ask. ¡°Is it¡­ rted to Chen Yao?¡± The woman lifted her head as if reminiscing. Then, her face started to scrunch up. The wrinkles around her eyes deepened with hatred. ¡°Chen Yao¡­ is a bitch!¡± Jiang Cheng quickly looked around, especially at the corners where the sun couldn¡¯t reach. Then, he stated, ¡°Don¡¯t say that. From my perspective, she¡¯s a good person. Perhaps she had her reasons!¡± ¡°I think Brother Hao is right.¡± Fatty finally caught up. As he mumbled, he moved towards the ce with the sun. He said in a sincere tone, ¡°I think she¡¯s quite pretty and doesn¡¯t look unreasonable. There must be a misunderstanding.¡± Seeing that there was no response, Jiang Cheng and Fatty finally rxed. ¡°Misunderstanding?¡± The woman seemed to be angered by their words. Her whole body shook, ¡°The bitch seduced my fiance. How is that a misunderstanding?¡± Jiang Cheng scratched his chin and said after a few seconds, ¡°Is your fiance Chen Yao¡¯s dance teacher?¡± There was a man who disappeared from the picture. The woman¡¯s chest rose and fell. She took some time to adjust her emotions. This incident impacted her a lot. Even though ten years had passed, she held onto the hate. She took a deep breath, and her chin moved imperceptibly, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What is your fiance¡¯s name?¡± Fatty asked. ¡°Su Yu.¡± Jiang Cheng frowned. ¡°Is it the old¡­ I mean, the male teacher at the Prop Centre?¡± The woman seemed to be shocked to realise Jiang Cheng knew that. She nodded slowly. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s my fiance.¡± Based on that, the two didn¡¯t seem to proceed with the marriage. The culprit appeared to be the missing girl, Chen Yao. Fatty suddenly had an impression that this woman¡­ was like a cobra hunting for its prey. The thought frightened Fatty. He swallowed silently and moved behind Jiang Cheng. However¡­ Jiang Cheng moved faster than he did. He was already behind Fatty and only revealed a small part tomunicate with the woman. While he was engaged in the conversation, he kept his eyes on the surroundings. After spending so much time with Jiang Cheng, Fatty had a basic grasp of his n. Jiang Cheng was probably nning his exit should the negotiation fail. ¡°How did Chen Yao die?¡± Jiang Cheng cut to the point. Once Fatty heard this question, he became nervous. He was scared that the woman would grin and admit that she was the killer. In Fatty¡¯s mind, this was when the antagonist made their long speech and would kill them since they figured out too much and so on¡­ Even though there were two of them, since Department Head Li dared to show up alone, she must have made some preparations. Fatty studied the woman. His eyes frowned deeply. The woman gave him a strange feeling. It was not like she was missing a limb or anything, but her movement was uncoordinated¡­ or even mismatched. It was like¡­ her upper body and lower body were pieced together from two different individuals. Chapter 78: Solo Chapter 78: Solo ¡°Doctor¡­¡± Fatty started shivering again. He whispered under his breath to warn Jiang Cheng. However, when he felt a pinch around his waist, he shut up again. Jiang Cheng¡¯s meaning was clear. Fatty consoled himself. If he could see the issues with Department Head Li, Jiang Cheng could as well. He probably had figured out how to escape. ¡°How did Chen Yao die?¡± Jiang Cheng asked again. Department Head Li raised her head. The face under the sses felt unfamiliar to them. Soon, the coarse voice rang, ¡°She hanged herself.¡± ¡°Was it a suicide?¡± The woman nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± To be honest, Fatty didn¡¯t trust the woman before them. Chen Yao might be real. She could be the ghost who came back. But¡­ Fatty pursed his lips as sweat trickled down his neck. Who could say the woman before them was not Chen Yao? She could be the ghost. Fatty wanted to grab Jiang Cheng''s camera to test his theory. He had just extended his hand when he received a murderous look from Jiang Cheng. Fatty trembled and pulled his hand back. When Fatty took another look, Jiang Cheng reverted to normal. Thetter looked at the woman, and the edges of his lips were tight as he waited for the answer. ¡°Chen Yao was a new student from 09,¡± The woman began slowly. Her coarse voice instantly brought them back in time. ¡°I was a grade older than her. I was her senior. I was the hostess during their batch¡¯s icebreaker ceremony. She performed during the event. That was how we met. She was very beautiful. She could dance and sing. She was radiant during the event and grabbed many people¡¯s attention. I noticed her grace and talent in ballet, so I suggested that she switch to ballet as her major.¡± She paused before exining, ¡°She joined the school to attend the contemporary dance major.¡±¡°Dance ss One?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°Yes.¡± The woman nodded. ¡°That is the biggest regret of my life.¡± Her voice was low, and her lips arched into a strange curve. She personally sent her love rival to her fiance¡­ Fatty thought no wonder her hatred is so deep. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t say that out loud. He nodded along with the woman on the surface. ¡°It was fine at first. I was proven right. Her progress in ssical ballet is far greater than that of contemporary dance. In just a month, her steps, posture and so on¡­ reached a very high level already.¡± She continued, ¡°Even my fiance had great praises for this girl. Some of the teachers even said in private that¡­ Chen Yao was born for ssical ballet. ¡°The students of batch 09 were very lucky. They entered the school for less than half a year when it was the school anniversary. All the staff, students and even alumni would be there. Some of them were famous celebrities, agents and producers. You might not understand this, but for art lovers like us, an opportunity like this is extremely important. It was more important than studies. Some of the greatest talents died in obscurity because they didn¡¯t get the stage to shine.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded and said in agreement, ¡°I know about the entertainment industry. The field is extremely cruel. A good person could easily lose himself after a few years rolling in it.¡± The woman looked at Jiang Cheng with interest, ¡°Were you part of the industry?¡± Fatty wanted to cry for Jiang Cheng. Why did the man have to say something? If he didn¡¯t answer correctly, both of them would die, and no one could collect their corpses¡­ Then again, their corpses would probably mysteriously disappear. ¡°You can say that.¡± Jiang Cheng righted his body and undid a few of his buttons. He appeared calm. Fatty shivered, and a bad feeling rose in his heart. ¡°I was the star of the night show.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded officially. ¡°Do you understand that? It means that I will not look at the others once I am named by our guests.¡± The next second, Jiang Cheng slowly extended his right hand and gripped it into a fist. He looked so severe that Fatty thought he was swearing an oath. Fatty was stunned. His teeth chattered. He had no idea what was wrong with Jiang Cheng. How did the situation change so quickly? Then, Jiang Cheng said, ¡°They said there was nothing with me except my high price!¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± The woman was confused by the turn in the conversation. She reacted after some time. The first thing she did was to move away from Jiang Cheng. ¡°Mr¡­ Hao,¡± The woman was embarrassed for the first time. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think we¡¯re talking about the same thing. We¡¯re artists. You¡­ No, you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m an artist too,¡± Jiang Cheng grumbled, ¡°I¡¯ve sacrificed so much for art!¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± ¡°Mr. Hao¡­¡± The woman took such a deep breath that her mask bent at the sides. ¡°In any case, we are different.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°I know what you mean.¡± The woman believed that she would never reach a consensus with Jiang Cheng, so she returned to the earlier subject. At that moment, Fatty felt a trace of change. The strange atmosphere that apanied the woman had weakened by a lot. Her actions were more coordinated. She felt less like a puppet and more like a human. Fatty seemed to realise something and turned to Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t change. He responded asionally to the woman with interest. However, Fatty still noticed the glint on Jiang Cheng¡¯s forehead. It was a bead of sweat. It glided down the edge of his eye. In just one minute, Jiang Cheng¡¯s forehead¡­ had been covered in beads of sweat. ¡°Due to Chen Yao¡¯s rapid improvement, the school wanted her to perform during the anniversary.¡± The woman gritted her teeth. ¡°It was a solo dance. A very rare opportunity.¡± ¡°And then?¡± Jiang Cheng prompted. The woman lifted her head. Through the sses, one could sense the venom in her eyes. ¡°She gave up on the chance. She said¡­ She hoped to find a dance partner!¡± Chapter 79: Plan Chapter 79: n Even Fatty could guess who Chen Yao wanted to ask to be her dance partner. It was her teacher and Li Yanwei¡¯s fiance, Su Yu. Li Yanwei¡¯s tone started to tremble uncontrobly. Just telling the story was torture for her. ¡°From that moment onwards, Chen Yao kept trying to get close to Su Yu using the excuse of dance practice. She tried to dy their training during the day so that she could get Su Yu to stay overnight to apany her during practice at night. She made chances for them to be alone. ¡°The higher-ups valued the sess of this performance. Su Yu also just joined the school. He had been looking for a chance to prove himself. Plus¡­¡± Li Yanwei gritted her teeth, ¡°Who would have thought an innocent girl would have such a plotting heart? ¡°I was definitely blind back then!¡± Jiang Cheng and Fatty listened quietly. They didn¡¯t say anything and they stoppedforting her. Compared to her experience, her words offort would have felt empty. Li Yanwei calmed down for a few seconds before resuming, ¡°As the interactions between the two became more intimate, and some of the physical interactions were beyond normal teaching, Su Yu started to feel something was wrong. Chen Yao¡¯s feelings for him had gone beyond what was appropriate. Realising this, Su Yu started to distance himself from Chen Yao. He was fearful of her. He dyed as many training sessions as he could. He stopped going to the dance ssroom at night to train with Chen Yao.¡± At this point, Jiang Cheng suddenly interrupted, ¡°Where is the dance ssroom?¡± ¡°Block C.¡± Li Yanwei looked at Jiang Cheng and said pointedly, ¡°You¡¯ve been there before. It¡¯s the music ssroom used for rehearsals. ¡°After that incident, the school was pressured to dissolve the whole dance course. All the male staff was let go, and the dance ssroom was sealed. It was not untilst year when the new school admin came that the ce was modified into the current music ssroom.¡±Fatty asked hesitantly, ¡°Chen Yao¡­ killed herself in that music ssroom?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Li Yanwei nodded. Veins popped on her exposed forehead. She looked scary. ¡°Chen Yao had lost her mind! Since her seduction failed, she resorted to threats! She threatened Su Yu that if he didn¡¯t break up with me and get with her, she would¡­ tell the whole school that Su Yu tried to assault her sexually!¡± Fatty frowned, clearly not believing this. Li Yanwei suddenly paused. After a long time, she said, ¡°However, Su Yu wouldn¡¯t submit. He admired Chen Yao but only as a student. He firmly rejected her. ¡°On a rainy night, Chen Yao waited for Su Yu alone in the dance ssroom. Since Su Yu didn¡¯t show, she hanged herself. Her corpse was discovered the next day by the patrolling guards. Based on ourter analysis, Chen Yao suffered from mental illness. This twisted her mind and personality. She got lost in a mutated love, and it led her to this end.¡± Li Yanwei shook her head. Her expression wasplicated. Fatty wanted to say something, but he didn¡¯t know where to begin. ¡°By the way,¡± Li Yanwei looked at them and sighed. She changed the subject, ¡°Where are the others who were with you?¡± ¡°They¡­¡± ¡°Three of them are confirmed dead.¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted Fatty and said naturally, ¡°Chen Yao murdered them.¡± Fatty was shaken. He nced at Jiang Cheng in shock. Could they share that with an NPC? He was still worried that Li Yanwei before them was Chen Yao in disguise. She might suddenly turn on them. However, Li Yanwei didn¡¯t look shocked. She nodded and asked calmly, ¡°All the dead have their jaws taken away, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Li Yanwei was silent before adding, ¡°She still can¡¯t let it go.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Like I said, she once reported Su Yu to the staff to force him to ept her. She imed that Su Yu tried to make hical advances on her. However, she didn¡¯t expect the school guards to be there when she tried to seduce Su Yu in the dance ssroom. It was due to the testimony of the few guards that Su Yu¡¯s name was cleared. Karma got her in the end,¡± Li Yanwei said with some relief. ¡°The innocent persona she tried to maintain at school was ruined. Everyone talked behind her back. The school cancelled her dance. There were even rumours that they were going to expel her.¡± Such an ending was within the two¡¯s expectations. ¡°It sounds like her artistic life was over,¡± Fattymented. ¡°It¡¯s more than that.¡± Jiang Cheng scratched his chin. ¡°For a girl, her whole life was over.¡± In the dim corridor, a fog of mncholy settled. Fatty didn¡¯t approve of the girl hungering after another woman¡¯s fiance and creating false rumours. However, he also felt pity for Chen Yao, considering her ending. Fatty was a conflicting person. ¡°That¡¯s why I said these are all Chen Yao¡¯s revenge.¡± Li Yanwei said, ¡°Not long after Chen Yao¡¯s death, all the guards who stood up for Fu Yu met unfortunate ends.¡± Thinking about the incidents back then, Li Yanwei shrunk her neck, and her nerves pulled tout. Jiang Cheng and Fatty heard about the security guards from Xu Wen, who heard it from Feng Lan. The two threads finally converged. ¡°Other than the guards, did anyone else get harmed?¡± Li Yanwei nodded. ¡°A few teachers and two students from the instrumental majors.¡± Fatty asked, ¡°Did they also join in Chen Yao¡¯s expose?¡± ¡°In a way,¡± Li Yanwei answered, ¡°The teachers said that they once saw Chen Yao acting flirtatiously around her teacher and purposely leaned her body on him during practice. ¡°The two students were the music apaniment to their dance. They joined the rehearsal. Their statements¡­ were simr to the teachers.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it, ¡°How many people were harmed in total?¡± ¡°Nine people,¡± Li Yanwei said confidently. Chapter 80: Sunglasses Chapter 80: Sunsses ¡°Do they die in the same way?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What about the time of death?¡± Jiang Cheng pressured. ¡°People started to die the day after Chen Yao¡¯s suicide. It was the guards.¡± Li Yanwei nodded as she said, ¡°It only stopped¡­¡± She thought about it and then added as if struck by inspiration. ¡°Before the third rehearsal! That¡¯s right!¡± She reminisced, ¡°It has to be before the third rehearsal! Because of her incident, the preparation was on a time crunch. Some of the bigger performances had veryte rehearsals. The third rehearsal started at midnight!¡± She said agitatedly, ¡°I remember it very clearly!¡± Midnight rehearsal¡­ Nine deaths in total¡­ Fatty calcted in his mind. Based on what Xu Wen said, the imminent rehearsal would be at midnight. Coincidentally, there were nine travellers for this mission. Fatty¡¯s face paled. Was the tragedy from ten years ago going to repeat itself? ¡°Miss Li,¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly said. Fatty¡¯s thoughts were interrupted. He turned to look at Jiang Cheng. This strange man was his lifesaver. He didn¡¯t know about the rest, but he was sure Jiang Cheng was going to live. Fatty pressed his lips, and he swore to hold onto Jiang Cheng. ¡°Even if I die, I will die with the doctor!¡± When Li Yanwei turned her head to him, Jiang Cheng asked in a gentle tone, ¡°Do you mind if I call you that?¡±Li Yanwei pulled Fatty back to reality. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Miss Li,¡± Jiang Cheng put his buttons back on and said, ¡°I have an offensive question. I hope you won¡¯t mind.¡± Li Yanwei¡¯s brows twitched. A few secondster, she continued in her even tone, ¡°Do ask.¡± Jiang Cheng tilted his head. ¡°If what you said about Chen Yao is true, and she killed out of vengeance. Then¡­¡± He lifted his head to look at Li Yanwei¡¯s eyes behind her sunsses, ¡°Why are you still alive? As Su Yu¡¯s fiance, I can¡¯t figure out a reason for her not to kill you. Why did she leave you be?¡± The atmosphere froze. Fatty didn¡¯t even dare to breathe. This was too sudden. Fatty thought Jiang Cheng was about to act dumb and leave this woman behind first. Standing between the two, Fatty felt a lot of pressure. He tried to move his legs, but he realised they were numb. The next second¡­ The woman lifted her hands to remove her sunsses. At the same time, Fatty¡¯s face started to drain of colour. Behind the sses were not eyes but sunken holes! There were centipede-like scratches around the sockets. It looked like something had yanked her eyeballs out with the fiercest method. ¡°If Mr. Hao thinks this is her kindness for not killing me, I¡¯d rather she kill me.¡± Li Yanwei started at Jiang Cheng and said coolly. ¡­ Xu Wen walked beside Zhou Taifu. The frail-looking Feng Lan walked in front on her own. She asionally turned back to warn Xu Wen to be careful. Suddenly, they came across a puddle of water. The puddle was quiterge, and it was in the corridor that they had to use to reach the music ssroom. Xu Wen asked Feng Lan if they could take another path. Thetter thought about it and said it would be difficult and they would have to wait for the next day. Xu Wen stared at the puddle, and her throat moved. It gave her a very bad feeling. The dim corridor seemed to have lost the protection of light. The puddle rippled from their movements. The ripples moved down the corridor, but they didn¡¯t ripple back¡­ like the corridor had no end. Should they wait for tom¡­ Her conviction wavered for a second, but her gaze soon sharpened like she was on the battlefield. Time would not wait for them¡­ The anomalies were getting more obvious. When the ghost finished herst mutation, she would be so much stronger. The limitations on her were weakened by the minutes. If they continued to wait, their survival chance would be infinitely smaller. She rejected Feng Lan¡¯s suggestion with a valid excuse. She said that the lens would be ruined if it were exposed to the water. Feng Lan didn¡¯t suspect anything. The sound of sshing water reverberated down the empty corridor. The ripples cut everything in the reflection into shreds. The ce was so silent that they could hear each other¡¯s heartbeat. ¡°Miss Xu, please be quick,¡± Feng Lan said after she took out the key to open the door to the music ssroom. In the dark, her face seemed to take on an unfamiliar quality. Feng Lan poked her head in to look around the music ssroom. Then, she walked back. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I¡¯ll join you.¡± She whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll wait here.¡± ¡°Where is the light switch?¡± Zhou Taifu asked. The sky was dark, and the music ssroom was huge. Without lights¡­ Zhou Taifu slowly looked around. Therge silhouettes of instruments were like monsters. A bad feeling festered. ¡°Mr. Zhou,¡± Feng Lan sounded worried, ¡°You can¡¯t switch on the light. Block C is supposed to be off-limits at these hours.¡± She paused before adding, ¡°If you switch on the lights, the guards will see it ande over to check.¡± Zhou Taifu thought about the female guards and cancelled his thoughts. If they got into a fight, the female guards wouldn¡¯t be able to fight the two former mercenaries, but there was an unwritten rule in the nightmare¡­ Unless necessary, one shouldn¡¯t attack teammates or NPCs, or there would be horrible consequences. That was why they waited until the mission was almost over before they killed Zhang Yinyin, the unstable stable around them. She was too dangerous to keep around. If not for Xu Wen¡¯s warning, Zhou Taifu might have been harmed by her already. The pair had a quick discussion and decided to leave Block C before the night fully arrived. Chapter 81: Stay Chapter 81: Stay Thankfully, the music ssroom was designed at a rising elevation. The puddle stopped on the lowest level. They wouldn¡¯t need to step in water after they walked up the stairs. The sshing sound almost drove them nuts. Zhou Taifu shook the water out of his shoes and looked around. He subconsciously lowered his voice, ¡°This ce is too big. We won¡¯t have time to search every nook and cranny.¡± ¡°Just try for now. We¡¯ll discuss further if we can¡¯t find anything.¡± Xu Wen didn¡¯t want them to split up. The darkness consumed everything. They started with the left-hand side. There were a lot of props ced there. They should be for the rehearsal. They didn¡¯t want to move everything everywhere, so they left them there. When they realised that they had less than thirty hours to the third rehearsal at midnight, they moved a lot faster. They found nothing after a quick search. They continued to move forward. Xu Wen used her phone as a shlight, and Zhou Taifu borrowed a small shlight from Feng Lan. She had it around her keychain. The light was weak but it was smaller than nothing. Zhou Taifu moved around carefully. There were a lot of electrical wires on the ground. They were extremely colourful, looking like some absurd spiderweb. He kept his gait light to prevent tripping. Ten minutes passed, but the two had only managed to search a small area. Their progress was so slow. ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡± Zhou Taifu straightened himself. ¡°We need to split up a little to cover more ground.¡± Xu Wen had no better choice. She could only nod and answer, ¡°Then, you better be careful. Call me if there¡¯s anything, and.¡± She said seriously, ¡°There are a lot of hidden corners in this room. Be careful around those spots.¡± Zhou Taifu nodded. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll stay within ten meters of each other.¡± Just as Zhou Taifu was about to turn to the other side to continue the search, Xu Wen suddenly shouted at the door. ¡°Miss Feng!¡±A few secondster¡­ ¡°Miss Xu¡­¡± Feng Lan¡¯s reply came from the door. Based on her voice, she was extremely scared. ¡°Please¡­ Can you hurry up? This ce is so dark.¡± Xu Wen felt better hearing Feng Lan¡¯s reply. She made a signal at Zhou Taifu, and thetter left to search the other side of the ssroom. The pair were racing against time. Slowly but surely, they didn¡¯t pay attention to the distance between them, and the distance between them grew. The strange atmosphere corroded their minds. They became more agitated. Zhou Taifu rolled up his sleeves. He moved a suspicious-looking cupboard, but in the end, he found nothing. The cupboard was fine. So were the drawers of the cupboard. A sudden sound of friction grabbed Zhou Taifu¡¯s attention. He looked around. Other than Xu Wen¡¯s phone which was flickering, nothing was out of ce. ¡°What sound was that?¡± He frowned. As he resumed his search, he heard it again. It caused him to almost jump. It was not the sound of a door axle but the sound of a rope being stretched to its limit. As a former mercenary, he was good at assassination. He once used his hands and a rope to strangle someone to die. When the person struggled in his arms, the rope made this exact sound. He didn¡¯t be flustered. He turned to Xu Wen and asked in a loud voice, ¡°Did you hear anything?¡± The light from Xu Wen¡¯s side shook. Then, her voice replied, ¡°No.¡± Hearing her even tone, Zhou Taifu sighed in relief. ¡°Be careful.¡± He looked around and warned his lover. The ce was dimmer than before. The earlier silhouettes had dissolved into shadows. Zhou Taifu took out a pack of cigarettes. He bought it when he bought the soy milk in the morning. He was not addicted to cigarettes, but he had a fascination with them. It was thanks to the mosquitoes of the rainforest. The older soldiers there rolled their own cigars and added a type of shredded leaf to the tabasco. One puff would make a person keep their eyes open for a whole day. He once asked his senior the name of the nt. The old soldier smiled through his rotten teeth and said it was a local leaf called Sang Jiji. It was also known as Death Grass. The nt only grew in the soil where a lot of corpses were buried, and the corpses needed to be fresh. The soldier grabbed his hand and said that he once saw the grass grow out of a dead man¡¯s arm. Zhou Taifu shivered then. The nt started as a small bud. Then, it absorbed the nutrients from the corpses¡¯ blood and flesh. A mature nt could be 20 centimetres tall. It was bloodred, making it visible from afar. ¡°We¡¯re smoking the flesh of the dead,¡± The old soldier put away his smile. He stared down the distance. His eyes contained something Zhou Taifu didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Kid,¡± The old soldier said without looking at him, his voice ruined from years of smoking, ¡°Listen to me. Leave this ce while you still can. Don¡¯t evere back.¡± ¡°But¡­ I have only gotten half of my pay.¡± Zhou Taifu made an excuse. ¡°I¡¯ll return home to marry and live a peaceful life once I¡¯m done with thistest mission.¡± The old soldier saw through his lie. He sighed and said nothing. The rough cigarette burned between his fingers. The me was as red as blood. His nostrils filled with the scent of blood. After the soldier finished smoking, he stood up and left without saying anything. He carried the AK 47 that had broken for who knew how many times already. His pants were so dirty that no one could tell their original colour anymore. The pant legs squelched noisily against the muddy ground. As Zhou Taifu stood up to leave, he saw from the corner of his eyes there was a b of stone the old soldier was sitting on earlier. He took a closer look and released it was a gravestone. It was carved with localnguage. The carving had been corroded by time. Zhou Taifu was unfamiliar with the localnguage. He could only read some of them¡­ ¡°Those¡­ with bloody hands¡­ will never return.¡± Chapter 82: Start Your Performance Chapter 82: Start Your Performance Staying¡­ Drowned in his memory, he subconsciously struck a match. The small fire danced. The wisp of smoke rose. The past surfaced in his heart. The broken, pained or fearful faces danced before his eyes. People with tattered clothes knelt before him helplessly. They cried and begged the man before them to let them live. Zhou Taifu enjoyed this feeling. He was like God, holding the fate of the humans beneath him. He was propped up on the pedestal by the lowly humans who could only prostrate before him. The next second, there was a pop, and then, the lifeless bodies slumped to the ground. The sound was so melodious. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­¡± Zhou Taifu¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he started to cough violently. The images of his memory cracked and then shattered. He stared at the lit cigarette in his mind. His eyes twitched involuntarily. The familiar scent pulled at his nostrils¡­ Sang Jiji! No, it was Death Grass! The cigarette was mixed with Death Grass! However, he was not in the rainforest¡­ How could this be? While he was in extreme fear, there was a light from the corner of his eyes. It was near the wall. He seemed to be drawn towards it. He took deliberate steps towards it. He knelt down and realised it was a wrinkled piece of wallpaper. Due to the moisture, the corner of the wallpaper curled up to reveal the reflective object underneath. He reached out to peel the wallpaper back further. There was¡­ a giant mirror behind it. It was almost half his height. He couldn¡¯t tell how wide the mirror was, but it was definitely wider than it was tall. Due to the mist, the mirror was unclear. Zhou Taifu started at his blurry reflection and felt like he couldn¡¯t recognise himself. In his panic, he moved his gaze away. At the corner of the mirror, a few notes were pasted. He stood up and pulled them down. There were words written on the back of the notes. They looked like the handwriting of a quiet and obedient girl. This was a girl¡¯s diary. He didn¡¯t know why the pages were pasted there.He read through the pages one by one. Slowly, his reading speed picked up, and his face shifted. When he read thest sentence of thest page, Zhou Taifu¡¯s eyesnded on the signature on the bottom right. His eyes jumped. ¡°Chen Yao¡­¡± Even though he hadn¡¯t heard this name before, based on the clues in the diary, he managed to piece together part of the plot. Half of the puzzle¡­ had been revealed. Just as he was about to turn around and inform Xu Wen about the clues he had just found, he suddenly realised that the surroundings around him had be absolutely quiet. He instantly looked around. He saw only darkness. The light from Xu Wen¡¯s phone was¡­ gone. He looked at the door. The light from Feng Lan¡¯s phone was gone as well. It was like he was the only living person left in the huge music ssroom. He didn¡¯t call out either of their names. He knelt down and switched off the mini shlight he had. He held his breath and melted into the darkness. He was sure that something must have happened. Chills came from his forehead. He couldn¡¯t tell what had happened to Feng Lan, but there were only two reasons why Xu Wen had switched off the light on her phone. First, she found a ghost close to her, and she shut off the light to hide herself. Second, his heart winced. Perhaps¡­ Xu Wen was already dead. Regardless, one thing was certain¡­ the ghost must be close by. The sudden creak numbed his scalp. The sound was extremely close. It couldn¡¯t have been more than five metres from him. He resisted the fear in his heart. His eyes scanned the dark surroundings. Nothing. Nothing¡­ The sound¡­ where did ite from? ¡°CREAK¡± He froze. He heard it clearly this time. The strange noise¡­ came from behind him! But¡­ wasn¡¯t it the mirror behind him? He turned around slowly as if giving himself the time to prepare. His eyes bulged, and his face paled. Clearly, he was scared. Even though he was scared, he confirmed that the reflection in the mirror was himself. Just as he was about to sigh in relief, he nced from the corner of his eyes and saw that there was a blurry shadow behind his reflection. The shadow was higher than he was. The shadow swayed. This time, Zhou Taifu saw everything clearly. His eyes slowly widened until they almost fell out of his head. His mouth widened, but no sound came out. It was a dead body. It was strung by the neck, hanging from the ceiling! She wore a pair of white ballet slippers, and she was en pointe. A chilling wind appeared in the enclosed space, causing the corpse to sway. The noose made the familiar sound again. CREAK After that, the music ssroom returned to deafening silence. ¡­ The sky was already dark. The campus didn¡¯t have many streetlights. Each light only covered a small area. Under amp, two figures ran side-by-side. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty asked with hesitation, ¡°Do you think Li Yanwei can be trusted?¡± Jiang Cheng replied instantly, ¡°Not even a little bit.¡± Fatty paused and looked at Jiang Cheng questioningly. He thought Jiang Cheng would say that she was partially believable. He didn¡¯t expect him to deny her credibility so directly. ¡°Please start your performance,¡± Fatty urged sincerely. Jiang Cheng rushed ahead as he wagged his four fingers, ¡°Four points.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Fatty called out. He searched his pockets and found a notebook and a pen. Then, he prepared everything and said, ¡°Go ahead, Doctor.¡± Jiang Cheng tutted at Fatty. ¡°First~¡± Jiang Cheng began dramatically. Fatty felt like Jiang Cheng enjoyed this role a little bit too much, ¡°Ten years ago, Li Yanwei was just a student here. How could she help switch Chen Yao¡¯s majors just like that? Is she the headmaster¡¯s daughter? ¡°Secondly, as she said, the anniversary is highly important. The solo dance would be a highlight performance. Could a new student like Chen Yao demand to change the performance and get a new dance partner because she wanted to?¡± Fatty listened as he wrote in the notebook. He didn¡¯t quite get it, but he didn¡¯t interrupt Jiang Cheng. He kept his questions for after ss. Chapter 83: Paper Chapter 83: Paper ¡°Furthermore,¡± Jiang Cheng smiled as he pulled on the camera bag strap. ¡°Did Chen Yao need to use this method to threaten her teacher? Risking her reputation and her life?¡± He shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re not in a webnovel.¡± Just as Fatty wanted to interrupt to praise Jiang Cheng, thetter added, ¡°You also saw Chen Yao in the picture. I¡¯d say she¡¯s barely good enough for me. I¡¯m the best host of my nightclub. Who is Su Yu? Do you think the beauty wants the beast that badly?¡± ¡°Doctor!¡± Fatty wanted to seal the man¡¯s lips with tape. ¡°There¡¯s no other people here. Can you stop acting?¡± Jiang Cheng grumbled with dissatisfaction. ¡°What¡¯s the fourth point, Doctor?¡± Fatty prepared to continue writing in his book. The small pen looked so cute in hisrge hand. Jiang Cheng huffed proudly, ¡°The fourth point is the most exciting and the most important.¡± He lowered his voice, ¡°Li Yanwei said she transferred to the ballet major. Do you remember?¡± Fatty thought about it and nodded. ¡°She did say that.¡± ¡°Have you wondered why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably for Su Yu.¡± Fatty scratched his chin with the end of the pen. ¡°If my boyfriend were seduced daily by another girl, I would have to be present to stop it.¡±Jiang Cheng silently moved to the left to introduce some distance between them. ¡°However, Li Yanwei didn¡¯t mention anything rted to this experience,¡± Jiang Cheng said with giddiness, ¡°Chen Yao, Li Yanwei, and Su Yu, the three of them were in the same ss. The thought of it is so juicy!¡± Fatty¡¯s hand paused. ¡°If I didn¡¯t remember wrongly, Chen Yaomitted suicide after Li Yanwei transferred to the ballet ss.¡± Jiang Cheng stared down the night with mncholy. Fatty seemed to understand something. He put away his notebook and pen. ¡°Doctor, if that¡¯s the case, Chen Yao would never forgive Li Yanwei¡­ Then, is it possible that Li Yanwei is already dead?¡± Fatty¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°And Chen Yao is controlling her as a ghost to trick us! Her goal is to kill all of us!¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head slowly, ¡°Unlikely.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng paused and turned to look at Fatty. His gaze carried an immense power. Fatty didn¡¯t even dare to breathe. ¡°Because we are still alive.¡± Jiang Cheng said evenly, ¡°That¡¯s the best reason.¡± ¡­ There was no wind and no sound. There was only chill and silence¡­ as well as the endless darkness and fear. Xu Wen looked around, and her throat trembled. Shey on the ground motionlessly. Zhou Taifu¡¯s prediction was not wrong. Xu Wen switched off the shlight on her phone because she discovered the ghost. The scariest thing was when she discovered the ghost, the ghost was silently hanging behind Zhou Taifu. As Zhou Taifu moved, her hanging body followed him. Xu Wen loved Zhou Taifu, but that didn¡¯t mean she was willing to die with him. Being targeted by the ghost in the nightmare usually meant death. Xu Wen would not be so stupid to die with Zhou Taifu because it was meaningless. She believed if Zhou Taifu were in her shoes, he¡¯d do the same thing. She stayed on the ground as she watched the ghost tear off Zhou Taifu¡¯s jaw. Then, the ghost dragged Zhou Taifu¡¯s corpse and slowly entered the mirror. The ghost moved with absolute grace. She was like a proud swan. The ghost¡­ disappeared. For a while already. Xu Wen moved her body and climbed up with ease. She didn¡¯t make any sound. The air around her wasn¡¯t even disturbed. She arched her waist and slunk towards the exit. She moved on tip-toe to ensure that she made the minimal sound. She didn¡¯t even look towards the mirror, worried that something bad might happen. She just wanted to leave and move as far away from this ce as possible. She kept her head lowered to pay attention to the stuff on the ground just in case she knocked over some. Suddenly, she halted. On the ground, right across from the mirror, there was a ball of white stuff. She checked this path when she first arrived. This ball of white stuff wasn¡¯t there earlier. Did¡­ the ghost leave it behind? Her thoughts were interrupted. She thought back to Zhou Taifu¡¯s moment of death. He waved his right arm and leaned forward. It looked like he was trying to throw something her way. Could it be¡­ She stared at the white ball. She couldn¡¯t control herself as she picked it up. It was a ball of paper. She could tell from the sense of weight and touch. She didn¡¯t read it instantly but continued to move towards the exit. The door was left slightly open. There was no lighting from outside. She had no idea if Feng Lan had gone into hiding like she did or if she had been killed already. Xu Wen perfectly maintained her force and left the music ssroom without making a single sound. The biggest challenge next was the giant puddle right outside the door and in the corridor. She watched her steps and tried to keep the water as still as possible. As she reached the corner and was about to sigh in relief, a ssroom door beside her suddenly opened. A handnded on her shoulder. If she were on the battlefield, she had more than ten ways to deal with this. However, at that moment, she froze from fear. Blood drained from her face. Until¡­ ¡°Miss Xu,¡± Feng Lan¡¯s voice was at a very low volume. She sounded like she had been crying. ¡°Earlier¡­ Behind Mr. Zhou¡­¡± Xu Wen turned around to cover her mouth, ¡°If you want to live, shut up and follow me.¡± Xu Wen¡¯s sharp order stunned Feng Lan. Feng Lan followed her obediently like a timid mouse. They waded through the puddle and slowly moved away from the music ssroom. The night had fully taken over the ce. Small swirls asionally appeared in the water like a deep ocean. Xu Wen had a very peculiar feeling in her heart. It was unrted to fear. It was pure confusion as if she had forgotten something very important. And that thing¡­ was very close to her. Like she could touch it if she reached out her hand¡­ SPLASH Xu Wen shivered. Caught in her thoughts, she failed to control the weight of her step. She stumbled in the water. She suddenly realised something. Since she left the music ssroom, she didn¡¯t hear the sound of Feng Lan¡¯s feet moving through the puddle. Only her own squelching footsteps could be heard echoing down the corridor. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Chapter 84: Chance Chapter 84: Chance At the corner of the stairwell in Block C, two figures, one thin and one fat, stood there. They stared at the ground not far away. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty felt something on his tongue, and his tone was uneven, ¡°This is¡­¡± About two metres in front of them, a broken army on the ground. From their perspective, they could see the shattered bones and twisted sinews at the spot where the arm was torn off. ¡°It¡¯s Xu Wen.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. Fatty moved his eyes to look at the surrounding walls. There was a lot of blood sttered on the floor, walls and ceiling. Even though they didn¡¯t see Xu Wen¡¯s actual body, it was no longer important. Once they turned this corner, they would reach the music ssroom after walking for a while. Fatty stretched his head and looked into the darkness. He said contemtively, ¡°So¡­ Xu Wen was ambushed and killed on her way to the music ssroom.¡± Jiang Cheng studied the sides of the corridor. ¡°No. She left the music ssroom and was killed when she reached this ce.¡± Fatty frowned. Just as he was about to ask Jiang Cheng how he came to that conclusion, there was a ringing around them. It was the ringing of a phone. They lowered their heads and realised the ringing came from the centre of the palm of the broken arm. It was a red phone. Since its colour was so close to blood, they didn¡¯t notice it earlier.Fatty was so scared that he almost fainted. Thankfully, Jiang Cheng was there. Jiang Cheng walked forward and pried off the stiff fingers. He picked up the phone, put it beside his ear and answered. The air seemed to freeze. Due to the distance, Fatty could tell that it was a woman speaking in an unusual tone on the other end of the line. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Jiang Cheng spoke after some time, ¡°Xu Wen¡­¡± Jiang Cheng nced at the broken arm and said calmly, ¡°She¡¯s beside me. She¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s too preupied to answer the phone.¡± Then, Jiang Cheng moved away for a few steps, covered his mouth with his hand and whispered in reply. Fatty wanted to follow him, but Jiang Cheng stopped him with his gaze. Fatty came alive after they left Block C. He bombarded Jiang Cheng with questions. ¡°Doctor, who called earlier?¡± Jiang Cheng ced the phone in his pocket. His pocket bulged. Who knew what was inside it? ¡°Feng Lan,¡± Jiang Cheng answered easily, ¡°She said Xu Wen asked her out to discuss something important. She has been waiting for Xu Wen for two hours already, but she hasn¡¯t shown up.¡± Of course, she didn¡¯t show up. Xu Wen was already dead. Suddenly realising something, Fatty became nervous, ¡°Doctor,¡± He asked stutteringly, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a ghost pretending to be Feng Lan to call us?¡± Jiang Cheng scratched his chin. ¡°Unlikely, but we can¡¯t rule out that possibility.¡± ¡°Then, you better be careful,¡± Fatty said with concern. ¡°Answering the call might be the ghost¡¯s condition. You might be targeted already.¡± Jiang Cheng turned around to tap Fatty on his shoulder. He said with tears in his eyes, ¡°My good brother, you don¡¯t need to worry about me. I¡¯ve thought of that and came up with a solution in advance.¡± Fatty was even more impressed by Jiang Cheng. He believed he was very lucky to run into Jiang Cheng in the nightmare realm. He also reached out his hand to pat Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Doctor, what did you do?¡± ¡°Feng Lan asked for my name in the end,¡± Jiang Cheng uttered slowly, ¡°I said my name was Wang Fugui.¡± Fatty aka Wang Fugui, ¡°Doctor, how can you do that to me?!¡± ¡­ Under the old apartment building, the woman breathed into her cupped hands. She was not tall, but she had paid some attention to her appearance. Pink swarf wrapped around her neck. She looked very cute. Light blue jeans were paired with a pair of white leather shoes. The edges of her shoes were lined with small red hearts. She had been waiting there for a long time already, but her target didn¡¯t show up. The sky darkened, and the temperature dipped. She pulled her hand out of her pocket. Staring at her phone, her eyes blurred. ¡°Miss Xu¡­¡± She whispered to herself. ¡°Why would a man have the phone I gifted you¡­¡± Gripping the phone, her eyes chilled. She stared down the distance, and her lips were pressed into a tough line. ¡°Wang Fugui¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng asked, ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± After Fatty and Jiang Cheng left Block C, they walked along the path with no streetlights to the Prop Centre. When they passed by the cafeteria, Jiang Cheng smelled the fragrance of meat. In the name of preparing ast meal for Fatty, he pulled Fatty towards the cafeteria. He even offered to foot the bill. ¡°This doesn¡¯t feel right,¡± Fatty observed the empty cafeteria, and his face paled. There was no one there, but all the lights were on. Hot food was served at the counter. The two walked into the kitchen. The door was not closed. A few chef uniforms were left on the back of the chairs. Everything was arranged neatly. It felt like everyone decided to leave moments before they arrived. Jiang Cheng lifted the pot lid, and the meat stew bubbled inside. The fragrance wafted out. Jiang Cheng studied the stew and thought of something. He found a cleandle from the nearby cupboard and gave the soup a taste. Fatty was shocked by Jiang Cheng¡¯s action. He had no idea what he was doing. Then¡­ ¡°Hng¡­¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s face grimaced. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty shouted, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He turned to the pot. Based on his years of experience watching horror movies, the soup was probably poisoned. But¡­ why would the ghost resort to poison? Just as Fatty pondered how to save Jiang Cheng, thetter suddenly spoke. ¡°Hot! Hot!¡± Jiang Cheng opened his mouth wide. He used his hand to fan his lips. ¡°Hot?¡± Fatty¡¯s eyes widened. After a while, Jiang Cheng took a bowl from the counter and poured himself a generous portion of stew. He asked Fatty, ¡°I¡¯ll serve it and let it cool for now.¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± He turned to Fatty. ¡°Don¡¯t you want one?¡± Fatty was silent. Then, he said seriously, ¡°Doctor, have you wondered¡­ that it¡¯s not a coincidence that you¡¯re an orphan?¡± Chapter 85: The World Outside Chapter 85: The World Outside The meal wasvish. Perhaps because it was free. Jiang Cheng took a serving of everything. Jiang Cheng had a braised chicken thigh in his mouth while he peeled off the shell of a crabfish with his fingers. The shells on his te piled up like a small mountain, ¡°Fatty, you should eat some.¡± Fatty sighed. He was helpless around Jiang Cheng. He had no appetite, so he picked up a piece of cornbread and munched on it slowly. ¡°Doctor,¡± He looked around and whispered, ¡°Do you think¡­ This is the real world?¡± It sounded like Fatty had been holding this question in his heart for a long time. He pressed his lips and continued, ¡°If it¡¯s not¡­ Howe everything here feels so real? But¡­¡± ¡°But if it is, how can we exin the supernatural events that are happening, right?¡± Jiang Cheng spat out the bones. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jiang Cheng used the free napkin and looked Fatty, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it before. If the essence of the nightmare realm is an aberration of time and space, every time we push open the door, wee to a ce that someone has experienced in their real life.¡± Fatty was confused, ¡°Doctor, what do you mean?¡± ¡°If everything is in the past, we can¡¯t change the ending anymore. In other words, our arrival doesn¡¯t affect this world.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t get it¡­¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted him. He stared at the door.¡°But we¡¯re changing this ce, aren¡¯t we? Look around us. How can a ce like this exist in the real world? This ce¡­¡± He paused, and his tone shifted, ¡°It¡¯s like it has been specially prepared for us.¡± Fatty¡¯s pupils narrowed. ¡°You mean someone has prepared this world for us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t have enough evidence to support my hypothesis.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled out two clean napkins, folded them and put them in his shirt pocket. He was careful and precise. The man gave Fatty the feeling of a robot. His every axle and gear was operating perfectly. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s sudden words startled Fatty. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty nodded. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°Have you ever wondered¡­ about the outside world?¡± Jiang Cheng stared at the door and breathed out a deep sigh. ¡°The outside world?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled his gaze back. It had something Fatty couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°I mean ces outside this school, beyond the street across the school. I mean¡­ somewhere even further away. ¡°What kind of ce¡­ would that be?¡± Fatty hadn¡¯t considered any of these before. He finally realised his difference from Jiang Cheng. Most people only focused on how to survive the current mission. Their goal was close. They did everything they could to live and leave. However, Jiang Cheng¡¯s sight was beyond that. He pondered about things beyond the surface level. For example, the nightmare realms and the rules within the missions. The real rules. Fatty was an honest man. Both in life and in his work, he was a follower of rules. He didn¡¯t demand or dare to ask for more than what he was given. However, he was not dumb. It was undeniable that Jiang Cheng had opened a new door in his mind. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Fatty lowered his head in shame. Then, he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought of these things.¡± Then, there was silence. Beep, beep, beep. Fatty heard the sound of beeping. He looked up in confusion. Jiang Cheng was sitting upright and calling a number through the phone he was holding in his right hand. The tes and leftovers had been pushed to the side. There was a piece of paper in front of Jiang Cheng. The paper was a page torn from a book. There was a tear line down the side. The paper contained a lot of names, and the names were linked to phone numbers. Fatty widened his eyes, ¡°This is¡­¡± He recognised the piece of paper. The material of the paper was simr to the graduation book they found in the files room. Jiang Cheng ced the phone beside his ear. He was silent, and Fatty didn¡¯t even dare to breathe. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak, but Fatty realised that as the call proceeded, Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression slowly changed. As curious as he was, he didn¡¯t interrupt Jiang Cheng. He had known from past experience that as befuddling as Jiang Cheng was, he was extremely reliable. At least it was because of Jiang Cheng that he was still alive. Soon, Jiang Cheng closed the phone. He put the phone and the paper back into his pocket. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty asked urgently, ¡°What did the other person say?¡± Jiang Cheng stood up and slung the camera bag over his shoulder. ¡°The call didn¡¯t go through. The number is not within the service area.¡± Fatty was stumped. How could that be? He didn¡¯t count the time, but he was certain that Jiang Cheng had been on the call for more than one minute. Would he keep the call going for so long¡­ if the call didn¡¯t go through? Despite his question, Fatty cleverly didn¡¯t push the issue. He knew Jiang Cheng had his reasons. After their time together, Fatty formed a basic trust with Jiang Cheng. Even though Jiang Cheng would say things like he was the best host at his nightclub, Fatty still found him trustworthy. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jiang Cheng packed his stuff and announced as he walked away. Fatty caught up to him. ¡°Doctor, are we going back to our hostel?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng stood at the cafeteria entrance and pointed down the side. ¡°We¡¯re going to the Prop Centre.¡± Fatty¡¯s face dropped. ¡°But¡­ It¡¯s already dark. If we go now¡­¡± ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng turned around and asked seriously, ¡°Have you met a student after we left the files room?¡± Fatty thought about it, and then he trembled, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Do you know why?¡± Fatty had a bad feeling. ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng lifted his head to look at the night sky. The sky was dim and dark. There was no moon or stars. ¡°The sun is not going toe up again¡­¡± Jiang Cheng answered. Chapter 86: Wooden Door Chapter 86: Wooden Door Jiang Cheng¡¯s words reminded Fatty of many bad things. In thest mission, the world also sunk into the eternal night when the mission was ending. The school campus was silent. The asional bug chirping from before had already disappeared. Jiang Cheng and Fatty stopped wasting time. They hurried to their destination. Along the way, Fatty¡¯s face was scrunched together. He looked at Jiang Cheng and opened and closed his mouth many times. In the end, he uttered anxiously, ¡°Doctor, do you think the others have been killed?¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and replied, ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Hearing that, colour returned to Fatty¡¯s face. ¡°Perhaps one or two have been captured by ghosts.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°Their limbs have been yanked off, and they are being kept as pets.¡± Fatty almost cried hearing that. After twenty minutes of hurrying, they saw the building that was sitting alone on the empty field. It shouldn¡¯t have been that visible in the dark, but there were two giant rednterns hanging in front of the front yard gate. Thenterns emitted crimson light. They were the eyes of a giant beast, staring at the approaching humans wickedly. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty hid behind a tree, and his voice rose in pitch, ¡°What are those twonterns?¡± Jiang Cheng knelt beside Fatty. He had his hand on the branches and looked at the Prop Centre through the gap. ¡°Thank you, Fatty.¡± Fatty was startled. He asked curiously, ¡°Why are you thanking me?¡±¡°Thank you for telling me those are twonterns.¡± Jiang Cheng replied without looking at him. ¡°Or else I wouldn¡¯t have known.¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± They observed for almost ten minutes. The Prop Centre was very quiet. Other than the twonterns, nothing had changed. After being shot down by Jiang Cheng, Fatty was a lot more careful with his words. He tried to avoid stating the obvious, ¡°Doctor,¡± He licked his lips. ¡°What do you n to do next?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go over to check it out first,¡± Jiang Cheng said. When they approached the gate, they discovered more anomalies, actual evidence that something was not right. A giant chain locked the gate from the outside. It shone darkly and looked very firm. ¡°Strange¡­¡± Fatty¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Why are the chains locked from the outside?¡± Jiang Cheng stood there to think. ¡°Come,¡± He turned around to say, ¡°We¡¯ll walk around the ce.¡± Fatty turned his head back with every few steps. He was scared that the gate would suddenly open and a ghost would jump out. Soon, they found a side door hidden in the bush at an inconspicuous location. This was a wooden door. It looked battered and old. The edges were spotted. However, the thing that grabbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s attention was¡­ that the door was sealed shut from the outside with wooden boards. The door was surrounded by nails that were the size of thumbs. Jiang Cheng walked forward and gave the door a slight push. It didn¡¯t even budge. Fatty caught sight of a yellow corner of something near the ground. It was stuck under the door. He slowly edged it out. He realised it was a yellow piece of paper that had been folded many times. ¡°Doctor,¡± He carefully opened the paper and called Jiang Cheng over, ¡°Look.¡± Bright red paint was used to draw on the piece of paper. The brush strokes were intentional. It was not a doodle. There was handwriting on the sides of the drawing, but Fatty couldn¡¯t read it. Jiang Cheng stood there and looked up at the door. He slowly knelt down. Soon, Fatty heard a deep sigh. Fatty followed his gaze. He realised that the yellow papers were stuck in the door gap. Strangely enough, all of them were folded into standard triangles. Fatty¡¯s hand that held the yellow paper shivered. A bad feeling rose in his heart. ¡°It looks like something bad has once happened here.¡± Jiang Cheng announced firmly, ¡°This is a Daoist talisman. They are stuck here to suppress the ghost.¡± Fatty had thought of that as well. He didn¡¯t voice it because he was scared. The next second, Fatty tossed the paper away. ¡°Doctor,¡± On the way back, Fatty looked like he was about to hang onto Jiang Cheng, ¡°This is so scary. Just how strong is the ghost that so many talismans are shoved under the door?¡± Fatty¡¯s heart was still racing. Based on existing clues, Fatty shared his thoughts, ¡°Could Chen Yao have returned to be together with Su Yu because she didn¡¯t have that chance to do that when she was alive due to Li Yanwei? ¡°She knocked on Su Yu¡¯s door daily. Out of fear, Su Yu got these talismans, hid himself in the Prop Centre and refused toe out.¡± Jiang Cheng frowned. ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t he leave this school? He¡¯ll eventually be found if he stays here.¡± Jiang Cheng pressed, ¡°Plus, Su Yu is just the manager of the Prop Centre. He is too low on the position of the school admin to be able to utilise talismans everywhere at this ce. He must have gotten permission from the admin.¡± Fatty frowned deeply. Then, his eyes shed. He looked at Jiang Cheng, ¡°Doctor, do you mean it was Li Yanwei who had allowed this?!¡± By then, they had returned to the front gate. Before Jiang Cheng could answer, there was a strange sounding from inside. Fatty and Jiang Cheng held their breath. They hid behind a small wall. As the surroundings became quiet, the sound became clearer. It sounded like a snake hissing. But, just as the two were about to lean closer to the gate to take a closer look, there was a click from the gate. Chapter 87: Keeper Chapter 87: Keeper There was something behind the gate! This discovery chilled Jiang Cheng and Fatty. The next second, Jiang Cheng wondered how long that thing had been hiding behind the gate. Was she there when they arrived? That thing¡­ had been waiting to ambush them. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty tried to suppress his fear. However, he couldn¡¯t stop hisrge body from shaking. ¡°Could this be¡­ Chen Yao? Is she waiting for us?!¡± His teeth were chattering, and he wasn¡¯t making much sense. ¡°We should go back.¡± Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng, and his sense of security disintegrated. ¡°If we go in tonight, we¡¯ll definitely die. We¡¯ve been discovered by the ghost.¡± ¡°Will we be safe tomorrow?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to look at Fatty. There was only fear in his eyes. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t like or understand this kind of people. In his eyes, danger and fear were two separate things. Danger referred to the event itself, but fear was a response to the event. However¡­ fear wouldn¡¯t resolve the danger. If anything, it would exacerbate the danger. Therefore, Jiang Cheng almost never had the feeling of fear. When it tried to surface, he would eliminate it. He would not influence his teammates because of his fear. ¡°You can go back.¡± Jiang Cheng told Fatty, ¡°I will stay here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re staying?!¡± Fatty was stunned. The situation couldn¡¯t be clearer. The ghost was behind the gate, and she was ready. If the ghost had a weapon, he could imagine the ghost holding a sharpened de and having a giant grin on her face. ¡°The sun will note up again, so there¡¯s no tomorrow for me.¡± Jiang Cheng said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll not stop you from leaving. Since I¡¯m staying, the ghost temporarily will not go find you. Therefore, you can return to our bedroom safely and enjoy onest peaceful sleep.¡± ¡°Last¡­¡± The word pulled at Fatty¡¯s heart. If Jiang Cheng really died there, he would be left alone¡­ Fatty knew that he would be fully under the ghost¡¯s control. Perhaps Jiang Cheng was not joking earlier. He might be chosen by the ghost to keep as a pet. His limbs would be pulled off and then kept barely alive. ¡°So¡­¡± Jiang Cheng climbed out from behind the low wall. Under the red light, his eyes glowed. He asked Fatty, ¡°What is your decision?¡±Fatty took a deep breath and answered firmly, ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you, Doctor.¡± They inched towards the gate. Fatty suggested that they find a more secluded spot to climb over the wall. Using the front gate was¡­ ¡°Since we¡¯ve already been discovered, the ghost will follow us wherever we go,¡± Jiang Cheng said simply, ¡°Plus, we¡¯ll not be familiar with other spots.¡± Jiang Cheng had his reasons. If they ran into a ghost at an unfamiliar and dark spot, it would be more dangerous. The closer they got to the gate, the stronger the anxiety in Fatty¡¯s heart. However, when he looked at Jiang Cheng beside him, he didn¡¯t feel as scared anymore. Jiang Cheng stood before the gate silently. He seemed to be sensing the things around him. Fatty noticed there was a broken wooden spot near the middle of the iron gate. He held his breath to take a look. It was a keyhole. However, the lock mechanism had been removed for some reason. Only the keyhole remained. Fatty couldn¡¯t resist the urge to see what was behind the gate. He slowly leaned forward. Strangely enough, hisrge body didn¡¯t make any sound as he moved. He tried to steady his mind. The picture of a scary female ghost didn¡¯t appear. There seemed to be a white mist inside the Prop Centre¡¯s yard. The mist was heavy and blurred everything. ¡°But¡­¡± Fatty paused, ¡°Why is the mist slightly yellow, and why does it carry multiple floating red lines?¡± Curiosity imed him, and he leaned closer. Suddenly, the mist in the yard trembled. Then, the mist retreated, and the dark red light shone in. As the mist moved back, Fatty had a better look. His eyes changed from initial confusion to shock and finally fear. The horror in his mind exploded. That was not mist! It was the white of the eyes that were filled with hatred and envy! It was¡­ the ghost¡¯s eyes. The whites of the eyes were murky yellow and covered in blood capiries! The thing behind the gate assumed the same posture as Fatty earlier. They were leaning on the gate¡¯s keyhole and peeped out. There was only the rusted gate between Fatty and the ghost! ¡°Ah! Ah¡­!¡± Fatty almost lost his soul. He stumbled and copsed to the ground. He crawled away. He only had one thought in his mind. Run! He had to run as far away as he could! Even if he had to die tomorrow, it was better than dying at the hands of the ghost! However, to Fatty¡¯s surprise, Jiang Cheng darted forward and pushed open the gate. The gate was locked, so it didn¡¯t fly open. Regardless, the chain still shook. The gate opened a gap, and through it, Jiang Cheng finally had a good look at the thing behind the gate. Even a man as calm as Jiang Cheng felt ripples across his heart. It was a man holding himself upright with a cane. His head was flung to the side. Half of his body was standing inordinately. His clothes were fitted but strangely old. He looked like an old ragdoll. He was the manager of the Prop Center and Li Yanwei¡¯s alleged fiance, Su Yu. He was the main actor in the incident from ten years ago and the person where all the clues converged. Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyesnded on Su Yu¡¯s face. His face was abnormally white. Even though he realised that in the morning, at that moment, his face was inhumanly pale. However, the scariest thing was his eyes. The pupils had already disappeared. Pale yellow whites floated in his eye sockets. His gaze overflowed with hatred. Was he¡­ still a human? Was Su Yu¡­ the real ghost? They had been tricked¡­ Just as Fatty was about to faint, he saw Su Yu crawl towards them with an extremely preposterous gait. He looked like a limping spider¡­ Chapter 88: Su Yu Chapter 88: Su Yu Su Yu wiggled his body to squeeze through the gap. His wilted arm reached out to grab Fatty¡¯s feet. His eyes glowed with a creepy light. Fatty stamped his feet helplessly. Just as he thought he was about to die, he suddenly heard a boom. Half of Su Yu¡¯s body had crawled out of the door. However, his head tilted out of a sudden. He slumped to the ground like the energy had been sucked out of his body. Only his thin fingers twitched weakly. Fatty widened his eyes. He saw Jiang Cheng standing beside Su Yu from the corner of his eyes. Jiang Cheng raised the second flower pot way above his head and mmed it down. BANG! Even the fingers stopped moving. The sessions of shock were too much for Fatty to handle. His vision blurred, and soon, he fainted¡­ When we woke up again, he realised he was already inside the yard and leaning against a pir. Before him was a sand pit. In the middle of the pit was a chair. It was a school chair. It was not tall and had a back. It was very sturdy. A person was tied to the chair: Su Yu. Fatty woke up the instant he saw Su Yu. He moved his sore neck to look for Jiang Cheng. Soon, a rustling sound approached him. Jiang Cheng appeared from a corner. He carried a round stuff on each of his arms. When he got closer, Fatty recognised them as two red flower pots. ¡°Doctor!¡± Fatty said excitedly. Jiang Cheng looked at him and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Fatty had many questions, but he didn¡¯t know where to start. In any case, the doctor was amazing. He caught a ghost with just two pots.Jiang Cheng seemed to see through Fatty¡¯s concern. He ced the pots on the ground and then pointed at Su Yu, ¡°He won¡¯t be waking up any time soon. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Doctor!¡± Hearing that, Fatty cried loudly. ¡°You are so brave to smash the pots against the ghost¡¯s head!¡± Jiang Cheng halted. Then, he looked at Fatty strangely, ¡°You need to check your eyes. He¡¯s a human, not a ghost.¡± ¡°How can that be? He was acting so much like a ghost! He tried to grab me!¡± Fatty shook his head. ¡°Hey!¡± Jiang Cheng walked forward to smack Su Yu¡¯s face. ¡°Wake up. We have questions for you.¡± Fatty stood up and ran over. After he woke up, Su Yu didn¡¯t look as scary as before. His hands were tied behind the chair, and his legs were bound together. He looked like he was going to faint again. ¡°You bunch of shameless aplices¡­ You deserve to die!¡± He hissed weakly, but the hatred was still present. ¡°This is so confusing.¡± Fatty widened his eyes. He confirmed that Su Yu was a human and not a ghost. After all, his head was bleeding from being hit twice. Jiang Cheng found a towel and tied a bow around Su Yu¡¯s head. No matter what Fatty asked, Su Yu repeated the same curses. He was heavily resentful. The themes of his curses included aplices, perverts, possession, dog, Chen Yao¡­ and Li Yanwei. ¡°He¡­ hehe¡­¡± As blood slid down his face, Su Yi chuckled coolly, ¡°You¡¯re all the same. None of you can escape. ¡°Chen Yao wille for you¡­ ¡°Just wait for your death. You¡¯ll get nothing from me¡­ She¡¯ll never forgive any of you.¡± Fatty swallowed nervously. It was undeniable that Chen Yao was the ghost. As for the other things Su Yu said¡­ ¡°You misunderstood us.¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted. ¡°We are not on the same side as Li Yanwei. We just want to figure out the truth and clear up the dead¡¯s name.¡± Fatty concurred, ¡°That¡¯s right. Our friends are the same. We are the agents of justice.¡± Su Yu lifted his head, and his lips tore open. His voice was coarse. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d be tricked? Do you think I don¡¯t know you¡¯ve been targeted by Chen Yao? How much longer¡­ do you think you can live? Li Yanwei, that bitch¡­¡± Jiang Cheng tutted with impatience. He told Fatty, ¡°I need you to leave me with Brother Su Yu. I need to have a private chat with him.¡± Fatty nced at Su Yu before leaving obediently. Only Jiang Cheng and Su Yu remained in the yard. Fatty didn¡¯t dare to go far. He hid in a nearby house. This was where Su Yu stayed. There was an old table and a semi-clean bed. There was no light in the room. There was only a white candle. A giant ss was ced on the table. Fatty walked over in curiosity. A few pictures were ced under the ss. They were all pictures of a couple. They wore matching dance costumes. Their movement was graceful and lively. They looked very much in love. The man was Su Yu, and the woman¡­ Fatty¡¯s eyes fell open. It was Chen Yao. The simple pictures coagted to form a story. Fatty realised something. He turned and left when he bumped into Jiang Cheng, who came looking for him. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty spoke very quickly, ¡°I know the truth now. You were right. Li Yanwei was lying. Su Yu was not seduced by Chen Yao. They were in love. Li Yanwei was the third party!¡± Jiang Cheng nodded emotionlessly. Fatty was confused. Then, it dawned on him. He probed, ¡°Doctor, has Su Yu¡­ confessed everything?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fatty sighed andmented, ¡°You must have exhausted a lot of energy to get him to speak.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Jiang Cheng touched his chin. ¡°The two pots did most of the work.¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± As Jiang Cheng ryed Su Yu¡¯s confession, Fatty¡¯s eyes widened even more. He didn¡¯t think Su Yu would be so cooperative. He left no stone unturned. He even handed over the diary Chen Yao had gifted to him. His actions were a direct contrast to the manly posturing he showed off earlier. ording to Su Yu, the person with mental issues was not Chen Yao but Li Yanwei. She used her identity as the headmaster¡¯s daughter to rule over the school. She forced herself between Su Yu and Chen Yao. She was crazy and highly possessive. Since Chen Yao refused to break up with Su Yu, Li Yanwei spread rumours around the school to ruin Chen Yao¡¯s reputation. Chapter 89: Dont Come Back Chapter 89: Don''t Come Back Chen Yao was unable to clear her name so she was pushed to her end. The testimonies were naturally fabricated by Li Yanwei. The guards, teachers and two students were all bought by Li Yanwei. They all died to Chen Yaoter on. Chen Yao tore away their jaws and pulled out their tongues. That was her revenge for them lying. After Chen Yao died, Li Yanwei trapped Su Yu at the Prop Centre. He managed to escape one time, but he came back because Chen Yao¡¯s soul was still there. Therefore, he sneaked back. However, he was discovered by Li Yanwei¡¯s subordinates. The images of the three female guards appeared in Fatty¡¯s eyes. He shivered involuntarily. After he was caught again, Li Yanwei confiscated his phone and ordered the guards to break his legs to prevent him from leaving. Then, she had her people send him food every day. He was treated¡­ like a dog. When Su Yu said these things, he was on the verge of a breakdown. The chains on the front door and front gate as well as the talismans, were Li Yanwei¡¯s doing. They were there to prevent Su Yu from meeting with Chen Yao even in death. Fatty gritted his teeth after hearing this. ¡°How bad can a woman be?¡± Jiang Cheng reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notebook. This was Chen Yao¡¯s present to Su Yu. Thetter had been taking good care of it. Fatty slowly turned it over. Sunny 19th September It is a background knowledge ss today. I learned a lot from Teacher Su. I feel so happy. Rain 24th SeptemberIt was raining out. The original performance was cancelled. Everyone felt sad, but Teacher Su encouraged us, telling us that there would always be a next opportunity. Cloudy 29th September Our first official performance was a sess! Teacher Su is such a gentle person. Rain 12th October ¡­ Su Yu was featured in every dairy entry. It was clear how important this man was to Chen Yao. Fatty continued reading, and then, he narrowed his eyes. ¡°Doctor,¡± He held the diary, ¡°Why is there only half? Where¡¯s theter half?¡± The diary was torn apart in the middle. Only the first half remained. The time paused on the day of October 27th. ¡°Apparently, it has been taken by Li Yanwei.¡± Jiang Cheng answered, ¡°Her mind has be so twisted that she can¡¯t stand anything by Chen Yao being around Su Yu.¡± Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng and asked with confusion, ¡°Doctor, I can understand taking away the diary, but why did she only take half of it?¡± Jiang Cheng nced at Fatty with a meaningful gaze. He didn¡¯t answer him but turned around to head towards the yard. At the same time, his voice came over, ¡°Come with me.¡± Fatty carried half the diary and followed Jiang Cheng. They walked past the yard. Fatty was shocked to see Su Yu was still tied to the chair. His head was lowered. It was hard to tell if he was sleeping or if he had fainted again. There was soil around the chair and pieces of the pots. After turning two corners, they arrived at a very narrow corridor. The corridor was very long and lined with many doors. This should be a warehouse because the windows of the rooms were very small. Living beings wouldn¡¯t stay there, only objects. Fatty walked cautiously. The wall was very high. He lifted his head, and it looked like the sky had been split open. ¡°Doctor,¡± He whispered, ¡°This ce is so dark.¡± In the end, Jiang Cheng pushed open a wooden door. The inside was dark, but the space wasrge. One could probably dance in it. ¡°Do you remember the ckboard we saw when we came herest?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. Fatty poked his head into the room and looked around. ¡°Do you mean the one that was in the yard? If you didn¡¯t mention it, I probably would have forgotten about it.¡± Jiang Cheng scanned the room. He walked in when nothing jumped out at them. ¡°Yes. Su Yu said Chen Yao wrote something on it for him.¡± Fatty gasped in disbelief, ¡°It was Chen Yao?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. He seemed to notice something. His gait lightened as he slowly moved down a fixed direction, ¡°Do you remember what was written on it?¡± ¡°I think it was¡­¡± Fatty tried to remember it. Soon, he said uncertainly, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I think the first word was Give¡­ and thest word was not very visible. I can¡¯t remember.¡± He scratched his head. Back then, he didn¡¯t pay much attention to the ckboard. ¡°Thest word was back.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly spoke. Then, he pulled down a piece of fabric. Behind it was the ckboard. One corner was cracked. Fatty paused. He recognised it as the one they saw before. As expected! The first word was Give. Thest word was Back. Just as Jiang Cheng pulled the red cloth away, Fatty felt an eerie wind touch his face. It was so chilling that Fatty confirmed the words were left by the ghost or Chen Yao. Fatty stared at the board. He felt that something was wrong, but he couldn¡¯t put his fingers on it. Jiang Cheng slowly said, ¡°Give back¡­¡± ¡°Is Chen Yao here to give back what was given to her?¡± Fatty became spirited. ¡°Doctor, this does look like a message left by Chen Yao for Su Yu. It¡¯s a message of love. She¡¯d give back the love he had given her by taking revenge for the two of them.¡± Before Jiang Cheng said anything, Fatty continued, ¡°The mission is cleared up now. The real killer is Li Yanwei. Ten years ago, she framed Chen Yao to obtain and possess Su Yu. Chen Yao died because of her. After Chen Yao became a ghost, she came back to take revenge on those who had wronged her. This is karma.¡± Fatty scratched his chin and said in a powerful tone. ¡°Doctor, it looks like the key is Li Yanwei. I remember Chen Yao killed herself in the music ssroom. Perhaps we can capture Li Yanwei and send her to the music ssroom.¡± He rambled a lot, but Jiang Cheng squatted before the ckboard and said nothing. Fatty groused, ¡°Doctor, what do you think?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t move. His voice travelled over. Plus, his voice was different from normal. This made Fatty feel a bit weirded out. ¡°Don¡¯t you think¡­ the sentence is iplete?¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Fatty moved around to check the sentence from different angles. Eventually, he had to admit that something was not right. Based on the sizes of the first andst words, there should be two more words in the middle, but they have been wiped off. ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± Jiang Cheng took out the bottle of water from his bag. He poured some in his palm. He dipped his finger in the water and wrote on the board. Fatty¡¯s eyes changed from confusion to shock¡­ and, finally, disbelief. Jiang Cheng wrote down two words between Give and Back. They fitted perfectly. ¡°Fuck!¡± Fatty gasped, ¡°The whole sentence is: Give my life back!¡± Chapter 90: Tasteless Chapter 90: Tasteless How could that be?! Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t have that much of a reaction. He slowly stood up. Half of his face was hidden in the dark. His voice was as calm as usual. ¡°Fatty, have you wondered what Su Yu was doing when Chen Yao¡¯s name was dragged through the mud?¡± Fatty¡¯s eyes narrowed and then suddenly widened. He was enlightened. Without the testimony from the direct ¡®victim¡¯, how could people believe the usations so easily? ¡°He¡­¡± Fatty¡¯s lips trembled. ¡°He was part of the usation! He¡­ was involved! He gave the false testimony that Chen Yao seduced him!¡± In other words, he was a crucial reason why Chen Yaomitted suicide. ¡°But¡­ why?¡± Fatty¡¯s eyes flowed with befuddlement, ¡°Why would Su Yu do that? Does he not like Chen Yao?¡± ¡°Chen Yao was so young and beautiful. How can he not like her?¡± Jiang Chengmented. ¡°However, it was clearly illogical to give up on the headmaster¡¯s daughter for a nameless girl.¡± Jiang Cheng paused before adding, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken¡­ Li Yanwei perhaps is not lying.¡± ¡°Doctor, I don¡¯t understand what you mean,¡± Fatty admitted it honestly. ¡°From the beginning until the end, Li Yanwei is also a victim. She has been tricked by Su Yu. In her eyes, it was Chen Yao who seduced her fiance. ¡°Because¡­ that was what her fiance told her.¡± Fatty seemed to get it. His eyes skipped over Jiang Cheng to stare at the ckboard.¡°I believe this is the truth.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was aloof and distant, like that of a storyteller. ¡°Li Yanwei was right. She and Su Yu were a couple. However, due to Li Yanwei¡¯s identity, their love could not be revealed at school. This led to the chance for Su Yu to seduce Chen Yao.¡± Fatty was in disbelief. ¡°You mean it was Su Yu who seduced Chen Yao?!¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°Li Yanwei said she helped move Chen Yao into Su Yu¡¯s ballet ss, which was probably true as well. She was merely concerned with Chen Yao¡¯s talent. Plus, the school¡¯s anniversary wasing. If Chen Yao could have a great showing, her teacher, Su Yu, who just joined the school, would gain a lot of recognition as well. She was merely trying to help her fiance.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head and sighed, ¡°She is not evil. She is just dumb.¡± Jiang Cheng raised his head. His eyes shone with a warm glint. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking. Why were the guards, teachers and the two students killed, but Li Yanwei merely had her eyes dug out? ¡°I think Chen Yao knows the truth. She merely hated this woman for being so blind in love and being so trusting of the bastard, Su Yu. The fake witnesses were not hired by Li Yanwei, but Su Yu. Li Yanwei is still clueless about everything. ¡°It¡¯s quite easy to understand why Su Yu would want to do that. He probably did cross the line after being rebuffed by Chen Yao many times. Before Chen Yao exposed him, he decided to take the initiative and take down Chen Yao. He turned the facts upside-down and said that it was Chen Yao who came on to him. ¡°Since he was a teacher and he had a girlfriend, he had to reject her sternly. However, Chen Yao refused to ept his rejection. He turned himself into a victim and Chen Yao into a wicked woman. ¡°That is why he only dared to show us the first half of the diary,¡± Jiang Cheng turned to look at Fatty, ¡°I believe thetter half of the diary would be filled with Chen Yao¡¯s disgust with Su Yu.¡± ¡°I agree with you, Doctor,¡± Fatty nodded consecutively. ¡°Also, the so-called swapping of a solo dance into a couple dance was probably Su Yu¡¯s doing as well. He wanted to create more chances to be private with Chen Yao so that he could make his moves,¡± Jiang Cheng concluded. Fatty said with condescension, ¡°This animal! I knew normal people would not practice dancing until sote at night! Why would a girl request something like that? This is all Su Yu¡¯s dirty doings!¡± At this point, Fatty¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Doctor,¡± he gasped, ¡°Have youe to this conclusion way before this?¡± Considering how much Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t hold back when he smacked Su Yu with the flower pots, Fatty felt that he was right. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. Fatty took that as a silent yes. Fatty turned to head back to the yard to give Su Yu another lesson. At that moment, a handnded on Fatty¡¯s shoulder. Fatty jumped. Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice travelled over, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± In the nightmare realm, he had to listen to the Doctor to survive. That had be a mantra for Fatty. He froze instantly. Slowly, he realised something was not right. His eyes moved to the door. He was shocked to notice that the door had been shut without them realising it. ¡°It was Su Yu¡­¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his voice, ¡°Who told me the ckboard is here.¡± Fatty¡¯s brain spun as his throat moved. He remembered the ckboard was in the yard thest time they were there. However, it had been moved to this room. The person who moved it was clearly¡­ Su Yu. This was a trap! Su Yu probably predicted that they woulde to find him. At the same time, another question came to Fatty. Where were Zhen Jianren and Luo Yi? Based on their arrangement, they should be at the Prop Centre. But Fatty had not seen them. Luo Yi was confirmed to be a ghost. So did Zhen Jianren die as well? Due to fear, the fats on Fatty¡¯s body wiggled. The certain thing was they had been scammed by Su Yu and trapped in this unusual room. When he entered the room, Fatty paid attention to the door. The wooden door had be fragile from time. It was too weak to stop him and Jiang Cheng. Chapter 91: Surprise Chapter 91: Surprise Tick. There was the sound of water dripping in the room. It was very soft, but Jiang Cheng and Fatty captured it in the quiet room. They turned to the source of the sound. It came from a dark corner of the room. It felt like a mist separated them from it. Jiang Cheng contemted for a few seconds before walking towards it. Fatty reached out his hand to stop Jiang Cheng, but he failed to grab even Jiang Cheng¡¯s shirt. He gritted his teeth and followed Jiang Cheng. First step, second step¡­ Fatty¡¯s heart rose to his throat. As he came closer to the corner, he saw the source of the dripping. It was a giant¡­ red wooden box. It had a ssical look. The four corners were framed with copper. It was probably several thousand years old. In Fatty¡¯s memory, thest time he saw something simr was when he visited his grandmother in the countryside. Tick. There was another drip. He looked down. A wooden rack was ced under the box, raising the box about 20 cm aboveground. Fatty immediately noticed the pool of water underneath the box. No¡­ it was not water. It was blood! It was confirmed by the scent. After experiencing so many horrors, Fatty didn¡¯t react that much this time. If the extent of Su Yu¡¯s trap was just scaring them with a pool of blood, Fatty was fine with it. However, that was clearly not the case.Just as Fatty observed the pool, a drop of blood leaked out of the bottom of the box. Itnded into the pool, creating a small ripple. Something inside the box was bleeding¡­ Fatty stared at the box as many horrible images filled up his mind. As he was frozen by imagination, Jiang Cheng walked forward and removed the lid of the box with one fell swoop. Once Fatty had a clearer look, he sucked in a cold breath. Inside the box¡­ was Zhen Jianren. Or, more urately, it was Zhen Jianren¡¯s dead body. His limbs were bent like origami so that his whole body could fit into the box. One of his elbows was snapped fully backwards. However, the scariest thing was Zhen Jianren¡¯s eyes. They were missing. There were holes in his head. Fresh blood gurgled out of them before dripping down the nose of his bridge. Just like Li Yanwei, his eyes had been dug out by Chen Yao. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty asked in a shaking voice, ¡°Why did others have their jaws taken away, but he had his eyes gouged out?¡± Half a beatter, Jiang Cheng slowly answered, ¡°His eyes were not dug out by Chen Yao.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Fatty was startled. He looked at Jiang Cheng with confusion, ¡°Doctor, do you mean¡­¡± Cutting him off, Jiang Cheng reached into the box to pull out one of Zhen Jianren¡¯s hands. Fatty saw that the hand was smothered in blood. The hand gripped tightly into a fist as if holding something firmly. Jiang Cheng slowly pried his hand open. Out of curiosity, Fatty leaned forward to look. The next second, his face paled. He saw two milky-white spheres in Zhen Jianren¡¯s palm. They were¡­ eyeballs! One of them rolled out of the hand,nded on the floor and rolled towards Fatty. It knocked against Fatty¡¯s shoes and stopped moving. Fatty was so scared that he could not speak. His legs wobbled, and he wanted to sit down. However, his remaining rationality told him that if he did, he might sit on Zhen Jianren¡¯s eyeball. Fatty somehow stomached his fear. He didn¡¯t make any sound or do anything crazy. ¡°He¡­ dug his own¡­¡± Fatty stared at Zhen Jianren¡¯s hand. His world was shattered. He couldn¡¯t imagine what would prompt his former teammate to do this. It was so scary¡­ Zhen Jianren, Xu Wen and Zhang Yinyin¡­ Among them, he was like amb. Even though he wasrge in size, his experience, intellect, and madness were several leagues behind them. He suddenly thought of something and looked at Jiang Cheng. Thetter was examining the other eyeball in the dead man¡¯s hand. Fatty almost lost his breath when he saw Jiang Cheng squeeze the eyeball like a stress ball. If his teammates were monsters, then¡­ what was the Doctor? This was the man who manipted and controlled all the monsters! For example, Zhen Jianren¡¯s little trick was instantly exposed by Doctor when the mission started. He was basically Jiang Cheng¡¯s target. Zhen Jianren lost many nights of sleep due to the coin, the handprint on the wall, and the ghost¡¯s drawing of him. Fatty looked at Zhen Jianren in the box with pity. After he died, he had no idea he had been tricked so many times. Zhen Jianren appeared to be a clever person. Unfortunately, he ran into Jiang Cheng. At that moment, Fatty noticed Zhen Jianren¡¯s hand, which held the singr eyeball, suddenly twitched. Fatty was about to open his mouth to warn Jiang Cheng. The next second, the hand suddenly surged forward to grab Jiang Cheng¡¯s wrist. ¡°Doctor!¡± Fatty shouted. Jiang Cheng appeared to be surprised as well. He stood there, not moving. As Fatty looked on in fear, Zhen Jianren wiggled his dead body loose and slowly stood up in a miraculous and scary manner. In desperation, Fatty tossed the water bottle he had held at Zhen Jianren, who hade back alive. It would appear¡­ this was Su Yu¡¯s trap¡­ However, Fatty had yet to learn how the man had managed this. The bottle hit Zhen Jianren squarely on his head. Itnded with a dull thud. However, it was just an empty water bottle. It did nothing but make Zhen Jianren¡¯s body sway slightly. Zhen Jianren opened his mouth. The blood that leaked out of his eye holes flowed into his mouth. Just as Fatty thought Zhen Jianren was about to bite and end Jiang Cheng¡¯s life, a voice that sounded like someone was drowning pleaded, ¡°Save me!¡± The standing Zhen Jianren wailed in pain, ¡°I¡¯m not dead¡­ Cough¡­ I¡¯m still alive!¡± Blood bubbles floated out his lips. In the dark and unknown environment, this situation made it impossible for people to think clearly. Chapter 92: Medium Chapter 92: Medium However, what Jiang Cheng did next shattered Fatty¡¯s understanding of the man. He looked at the bloody face calmly. He patted Zhen Jianren¡¯s hand. ¡°I know you¡¯re still alive. You have a pulse.¡± Jiang Cheng was very persuasive. Zhen Jianren was not as agitated as before. ¡°Let go of me first. Let me check your wounds,¡± Jiang Cheng added. Zhen Jianren breathed uneasily. It was unclear whether it was from pain or from what Jiang Cheng said. In any case, he slowly let go of Jiang Cheng¡¯s wrist. The two bloody hollows looked at Jiang Cheng as if cing all of his hope on Jiang Cheng. However, as his hand left Jiang Cheng, Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng very serenely undo the camera bag around his waist. Then, he wound the strap several times around his hand. Fatty had no idea what Jiang Cheng was doing¡­ Until Jiang Cheng waved the bag like a mace. With Fatty looking on in shock, he smashed the bag right into Zhen Jianren¡¯s face! The unprepared Zhen Jianren wobbled. He was smacked back into the box. His high nose bridge copsed. Blood poured out again. Jiang Cheng ran to close the lid back on. He turned around to shout at Fatty, ¡°Run!¡± Before Fatty could react, Jiang Cheng had already reached the door. Just as Jiang Cheng raised his feet to kick the door down, a sound entered their ears. Dong. Dong. Dong. The sound was soft. It was strangely captivating. Jiang Cheng put down his leg.Fatty was worse. He froze and didn¡¯t move. Even though he couldn¡¯t move, his brain was still churning. He perked up his ears to listen. He realised the sound had a certain rhythm to it. The rhythm was alluring. As he listened to it, Fatty realised his numb feet started to tap along to it. Drum beats? No. Fatty processed it in his mind. This was heavier than the drum. However, he was not familiar with musical instruments and could not identify them. Dong! Dong! Dong! The tempo picked up. Every beatnded on his heart. He swallowed subconsciously. The quick rhythm became clearer and clearer. Thest thud shook Fatty awake. Even Jiang Cheng¡¯s body trembled involuntarily. The two of them raised their heads simultaneously. Complicated emotions crossed their eyes. Thisst thud¡­ was different from the earlier sounds. This sounded like¡­ it came from right behind them! Fatty turned around slowly. A dark red curtain hung on the wall that was several metres away from him. Clearly, the thing that made the sound¡­ was hiding behind the curtain. What could it be? His pupils danced around. Was it Chen Yao? Or was it¡­ Something like Zhen Jianren? He couldn¡¯t even tell what Zhen Jianren was anymore. The strongest sense of oppression dried Fatty¡¯s throat. He didn¡¯t move as if he had surrendered. On the other hand, Jiang Cheng darted forward to pull the curtain back. Behind it¡­ Fatty widened his eyes. It was a giant mirror. However, the thing that truly caught his attention was the reflection in the mirror. It was a woman standing on tiptoe. Even though they could only see her back, it was clear that the woman had perfect grace and control of her body. The woman stood in a ce that resembled a dance studio. Her posture was straight, but she stood facing away from the mirror. Under the dim light, she was perfectly still. ¡°It¡¯s Chen Yao¡­¡± Fatty said. The appearance of the ghost caused Fatty¡¯s mind to go nk. The image in the mirror showed the music ssroom before it was modified. By then, the mirror had lost its normal uses. Instead, it became the medium to connect two different spaces and times. The time outside the mirror was the present. The time inside the mirror was ten years ago. As time passed, Fatty slowly picked up other details inside the mirror. There were more than one ¡®people¡¯ inside the mirror. Several shadows stood around. They worshipped Chen Yao, who stood in the middle. Light poured out of the mirror. It was not strong. It was as weak as the light from a mini shlight. Through this weak light, Fatty could see several people in guard uniforms and two students standing among the mass of shadows. His eyes slowly moved. From left to right, until he saw a man¡¯s face. It¡­ was Zhou Taifu! The mini shlightnded beside his feet. Like the other victims, his eyes looked up strangely. Something above his head must have caught his attention right before he died. Clearly, he was not merely frightened to death. His death was brutal. Everyone in the mirror¡­ had lost their jaws and tongues. Blood sttered before their chest, creating a bloody feast. Even though this was not the first time he saw a dead body, having so many corpses appear in such a ritualistic manner still gripped Fatty in fear. He could barely breathe. As feelings returned to his feet, Fatty moved towards Jiang Cheng robotically. He felt safer around Jiang Cheng. ¡°Doctor!¡± Fatty was about to seek aid from Jiang Cheng when thetter rewarded him with a p to the face. Jiang Cheng had such control of his force that right before the palm reached Fatty¡¯s face, it moved to cover his mouth so that Fatty wouldn¡¯t make any sound. Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng with fear. He had no idea what he did wrong. Was he not supposed to go over to Jiang Cheng? He realised Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes were wandering around the mirror. And¡­ he noticed seriousness on Doctor¡¯s face. This truly frightened Fatty. In his mind, Doctor was someone who would always handle the situation cavalierly. Sometimes, he¡¯d make jokes about the ghosts or the victims. Fatty immediately turned back to the mirror. Instantly, his face dropped. The centre of the mirror¡­ was empty. Chen Yao¡­ was gone! Through Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression, Fatty knew that even Jiang Cheng had no idea where Chen Yao had gone. What was scarier than the ghost appearing? It was the ghost disappearing¡­ You¡¯d have no idea where they might reappear next. The strongest fear¡­ came from the unknown. CREAK The two turned at the same time because they heard a strange friction sounding from behind them. It sounded like a rope straining under the weight of its object. Chapter 93: Beautiful Eyes Chapter 93: Beautiful Eyes There was nothing¡­ behind him. That did nothing to squelch the fear in Fatty¡¯s heart. He followed Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze and saw a shadow on the wall. He didn¡¯t know how to describe it. It was very, very tall. It looked like it was being strung up by something to hang in the air. The shadow swayed. CREAK Fatty¡¯s eyes trembled as epiphany dawned on him. It was¡­ a hanging person! However, there was nothing next to the shadow. It was Chen Yao¡­ Chen Yao left the dance studio ten years ago to reach this room¡­ through a mirror. The scariest thing was they couldn¡¯t see her with their naked eyes. CREAK The shadow moved again. Strangely enough, it had moved closer to them. Under such extreme conditions, Fatty couldn¡¯t tell whether the movement was his own imagination or was it reality. In any case, Chen Yao¡¯s appearance portended the ending of this mission. The shadow moved faster and faster. Fatty was covered in a cold sweat. He didn¡¯t dare to blink. He could confirm that the shadow was moving towards them in an inscrutable manner to kill them. They¡¯d end up like the corpses inside the mirror.With that in mind, Fatty¡¯s eyes wandered to the mirror subconsciously. He saw something terrifying. The dead people in the mirror had wandered over to the mirror. Pairs of lifeless eyes looked at them. Venomous, twisted, crazy¡­ They were like hands trying to grab him. Fatty was so scared that he wanted to scream. However, with Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand over his mouth, he could only make some muffled noises. Jiang Cheng clearly had noticed the anomaly behind him as well. His gaze scanned the surroundings. Based on the other yers¡¯ introduction and their understanding of the nightmare, the mission would not send them to a dead-end. There had to be a way out. However, as the time progressed, that exit would be narrower. Where was the exit¡­ The shadow reached less than three metres from them and it was picking up speed. In less than half a minute, no, at most 20 seconds, the shadow could touch them. Fatty couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. His survival instinct overwhelmed everything. He shot pleading gazes at Jiang Cheng. The shadow was opposite the door. If they moved fast enough, they could rush out of the room in time. However, Jiang Cheng was unfazed. He didn¡¯t seem to care about the others. He was extremely self-centred. This would lead to his death¡­ at least, that was what Fatty thought. Jiang Cheng looked around until he suddenly stopped. It was a big, red wooden box. The lid that he had closed earlier was open, and Zhen Jianren, who was supposed to be inside¡­ was gone. A thick pool of blood remained on the ground. There was a blood trail that started from the box and ended at the front of the mirror. It was as if¡­ something had dragged Zhen Jianren into the mirror. A glint shed in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes. The palpable friction sound began again. It was extremely close. Fatty struggled loose from Jiang Cheng¡¯s grip. He grabbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s wrist and tried to push him out of the room. However, to his consternation, he failed to budge Jiang Cheng. Thetter appeared to be rooted to the ground. If anything, Fatty was pulled along by Jiang Cheng. He was shoved backwards and fell onto the mirror. The mirror did not shatter. Nothing scary came to snap his jaw. He opened his eyes in nervousness and realised that he was outdoors. Underneath his feet was the sandpit. He pushed his palms against the sand and quickly got up. ¡°Huh?¡± Fatty was confused. He slowly lowered his head to look at his palms. Other than sand, they were also covered in¡­ sticky blood. He looked around him dumbly. He almost yelped, spotting a bloody corpse beside him. His first reaction was that the Doctor had been killed for saving him. Just as he wanted to kneel down to try to save Jiang Cheng, thetter¡¯s voice came from behind him, ¡°That¡¯s Zhen Jianren¡­¡± ¡°Doctor!¡± Fatty was overjoyed. By then, he knew that the doctor was right. The mirror looked scary, but it was the real exit. If they had gone towards the door, they would have lost their lives. After figuring that out, Fatty stared at Zhen Jianren on the ground. He asked, ¡°Doctor, how did he die here?¡± Jiang Cheng was silent before adding, ¡°He crawled out on his own.¡± Fatty was shocked. ¡°How did he manage that in his state?¡± ¡°It was because of his unique state,¡± Jiang Cheng uttered calmly, ¡°That he was able to escape.¡± Slowly, Fatty got it. ¡°Doctor, do you mean¡­ it was exactly because he lost his eyes that he was not affected by those images and managed to crawl out?¡± Jiang Cheng nodded and turned back to look at the room they had just escaped from. Fatty did the same. He realised with a shock that the door was wide open and¡­ the dark red curtain inside the room was still closed. Hisrge body shivered. Fatty took a lot of time to process this. ¡°Therefore¡­ what we saw earlier was all an illusion?¡± A blood trail was evident outside the door. Zhen Jianren left it behind when he crawled out. It hit Fatty. Luo Yi was a ghost. Zhen Jianren followed Luo Yi into his trap and somehow managed to survive the trap and get out. The way the ghost murdered people was to use mirrors to cause people to see illusions. In the end, they would be killed inside the illusion. He thought back to the earlier victims. The hostel room where the woman in the qipao died had a blurry mirror; Long Tao died in front of the male toilet¡¯s sink and mirror; Luo Yi died in the files room¡­ which had a rectangr mirror on the wall. Mirrors¡­ were the real taboo of this mission. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty said with fear. ¡°Then, does this mean we also have to¡­¡± He looked at the dead Zhen Jianren with his missing eyes. ¡°If you want to dig out your eyes, go ahead.¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m not doing that.¡± A few secondster, he added, ¡°I have such beautiful eyes. So manydies were captivated by my eyes. They said I have miraculous eyes. They saw me in their dreams¡­¡± ¡°Doctor¡­¡± Fatty wished to sew the man¡¯s lips together, ¡°Brother Zhen is right here. Can you please show him some respect?¡± Chapter 94: Does It Hurt? Chapter 94: Does It Hurt? Fatty suddenly realised Jiang Cheng was holding something like a staff in his hands. Fatty narrowed his eyes and noticed it was simr to Su Yu¡¯s cane. ¡°Doctor, this is¡­¡± ¡°When I got out, I saw this thing stuck in Brother Zhen Jianren¡¯s body.¡± Jiang Cheng poked the end of the staff into Zhen Jianren¡¯s body, trying to recreate the scene for Fatty. ¡°Look.¡± He squeezed the staff into the flesh. He looked at Fatty and gestured, ¡°It was¡­ right here.¡± Ignoring his inhuman action, Fatty raised his brows. ¡°Do you mean¡­ he was not killed by the ghost but Su Yu who was guarding outside the realm of illusions? He poked Zhen Jianren to death?¡± Fatty questioned. Jiang Cheng scratched his chin. Then, he raised the cane and poked Fatty at lightning speed. Fatty was unprepared. The cane stabbed him right in his buttcheek. ¡°Doctor!¡± Fatty rubbed his butt, ¡°Why did you poke me?¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged and asked slowly, ¡°Did it hurt?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Fatty thought about it and answered honestly, ¡°Not really.¡± It was then that he realised the ends of the cane had been worn out by constant usage. Therefore, it was¡­ very dull. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty cried with excitement, ¡°I understand now. This is a fake weapon! The dull cane can¡¯t poke someone to death!¡±Jiang Cheng looked at him with confusion, ¡°Finding that out got you so excited?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fatty nodded. ¡°Unfortunately, I believe this is the murder weapon. Since the killer could murder a person with a blunt cane, the power and technique required is not avable to a normal individual.¡± He pointed at the corpse on the ground. ¡°Look. There is only one fatal wound on the body. It¡¯s at the back of the heart. I suspect the killer was hiding behind the wall and then ambushed Zhen Jianren.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head, ¡°The killer didn¡¯t act like a dance teacher, but more like a professional killer.¡± Fatty thought about it and raised his head. ¡°Doctor, now that you mention it, I remember seeing those killed by Chen Yao in the mirror. There were the security guards, teachers, students¡­ and people like us. There were more than ten of them.¡± Jiang Cheng turned around to look into the room that had faded into the shadows. ¡°There were fifteen people, not including Chen Yao.¡± He said firmly. Clearly, other than the nine who died ten years ago, the rest were their teammates. Fatty believed he understood Jiang Cheng. His face became worried. ¡°In other words, there¡¯s another person alive other than us?!¡± The woman in the qipao, Long Tao, Luo Yi and Zhen Jianren. They had seen the dead bodies of these four so they could be eliminated. Therefore, the candidate could only be among Xu Wen, Zhou Taifu or Zhang Yinyin. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty suddenly said, ¡°Zhou Taifu should be dead. I saw him in the mirror. There was a shlight beside his feet. I saw him clearly.¡± Actually, when Jiang Cheng mentioned a professional killer, the first person that came to Fatty¡¯s mind was the mysterious Xu Wen. Even though they had not seen Xu Wen¡¯s body, they saw her broken arm at Block C. Based on the cut surface and the wounds on that arm, the culprit was the ghost. Therefore, Xu Wen was most likely dead. The only possibility left was Zhang Yinyin. They had no idea where she went. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty hesitated, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible that Zhang Yinyin has been hiding all this while?¡± Jiang Cheng stared at the cane thoughtfully. At this point, time was meaningless. Jiang Cheng said that the sun would not rise again. That was true. Fatty stared at the dark night. The fear in his heart exploded. ¡°What should we do next?¡± Fatty lowered his voice. ¡°Personally, I think something is definitely wrong with the music ssroom. We¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll head to the music ssroom,¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t waste time. Fatty followed and realised he couldn¡¯t keep up with Jiang Cheng¡¯s speed. ¡°Are we not bringing Su Yu with us?¡± He chased after Jiang Cheng to ask, ¡°He has to be able to help us solve the mission.¡± ¡°He is already at the music ssroom,¡± Jiang Cheng answered. Fatty paused, and then, his eyes brightened. He said to himself, ¡°I get it now, Doctor. Since Zhang Yinyin can use the cane to kill Zhen Jianren, she must have found Su Yu. Su Yu is a key character in this mission, so she must have taken him with her. They could have only gone to the music ssroom. That is where Chen Yao hanged herself and the location for the third rehearsal.¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. Perhaps he thought Fatty was talkative. When they passed the yard, Fatty realised Su Yu, who should be tied to the chair, was gone. The rope was cut. One end sat on the chair, and the other endnded on the ground. Fatty moved lighter as they left the Prop Centre and rushed to the music ssroom. The mission details had been rified. It started with a sexual crime and ended in a lie. The result was the death of more than ten people. ¡°Doctor!¡± Fatty¡¯s voice travelled far. ¡°There¡¯s one thing that eludes me. Why didn¡¯t Chen Yao kill Su Yu even though she had killed so many people? He is the one who deserves to die the most!¡± He questioned innocently, ¡°Did the talismans really work?¡± Jiang Cheng replied slowly, ¡°It¡¯s the rules¡­¡± That was not the first time Fatty heard that term. Whenever they had something they didn¡¯t understand, Jiang Cheng would say that it was due to the mysterious rules. Fatty suspected Jiang Cheng just didn¡¯t want to tell him the truth. ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­¡± Fatty pressed, ¡°I know that if I were Chen Yao, I would have done everything in my power to kill Su Yu.¡± ¡°There is no absolute dead-end in the nightmare realm. The rules have given every entity a way out.¡± Jiang Cheng nced at Fatty beside him. His tone became unfamiliar. ¡°By every entity, I mean participants like us¡­ and locals of this realm, like the ghosts.¡± Fatty raised his head in shock. ¡°Ghosts?¡± ¡°If we intend to use the term mission, then it means we¡¯re not the only party with missions. Su Yu and Chen Yao both have missions toplete. ¡°Our mission objectives ovep and intertwine. But there is one unifying factor,¡± Jiang Cheng stopped moving. Before them was a giant and dark building. ¡°We are all limited by the rules.¡± Chapter 95: Questions Chapter 95: Questions The music ssroom was located on the fourth floor of Block C. Standing there, they could see the windows of the music ssroom or the former dance ssroom once they raised their heads. Maybe it was psychological, but it felt different when they returned to this ce. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t enter the building directly. He stared at the dark Block C and said, ¡°I believe the third rehearsal is the end of our time limit. If we figure out the truth, we can end the mission.¡± He added, ¡°By that I mean¡­ our mission.¡± Fatty couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What about the other people¡¯s missions?¡± Then, Fatty felt like it was too vague, so he rified, ¡°I mean¡­ What about the missions for people like Su Yu¡­ and the ghost?¡± Su Yu¡¯s mission was easy to understand. It was to stop the travellers from finding out the truth, escape the ghost and then survive. What Fatty was curious about was¡­ Was Su Yu¡¯s mission time limit different from theirs? ¡°Do you remember what the woman who led us to the hostel at the start of the mission said?¡± Jiang Cheng provided a hint. ¡°Do you mean the anniversary?¡± Fatty widened his eyes. ¡°Is that when Su Yu¡¯s mission will end?¡± ¡°That will exin why Chen Yao hasn¡¯t killed him until now. Compared to taking revenge, she cares more about her reputation. She will pick a suitable time to expose the truth, and I can¡¯t think of a better time than during the anniversary.¡± Jiang Cheng resumed, ¡°Of course, Su Yu will die after that.¡± Fatty figured out many things that confused him before. He took a long time to digest the information. ¡°Doctor, is that why you said earlier that¡­ no matter what we do, whether we are here or not, we can¡¯t affect the results that have already urred in this world. What we can influence is limited to the process. In other words, no matter if weplete our mission or not, Su Yu will die to Chen Yao in the end,¡± Fatty paused with a worried face. A few secondster, he said, ¡°And that death will happen during the school anniversary.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips curled. His face, which was hidden in the dark, gripped Fatty¡¯s heart. ¡°The past cannot be changed. All we can do is to survive and change¡­ our own endings.¡±At that moment, Jiang Cheng¡¯s image expanded in Fatty¡¯s heart. He was powerful and mysterious. Jiang Cheng straightened his back. Just as Fatty thought Jiang Cheng was about to give some inspiring speech¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t die.¡± Jiang Cheng puffed out his chest. ¡°So manydies became VIPs because of my face. I can¡¯t let them down.¡± Fatty shivered. He almost pped the man. ¡­ Block C. Fourth Floor. The music ssroom. The empty ssroom was dark. Two silhouettes could be seen in the dark. One was seated, and the other was standing. The seated one looked so scared. The thin andnky body trembled as blood flowed down his forehead. Some blood leaked into his eyes, making it painful every time he blinked. However, he didn¡¯t dare to close his eyes. He stared ahead fearfully. There was a giant mirror¡­ before him. The mirror was misty, like the fog of hell had risen. No. He was not seated. Both of his legs had been brutally broken! He was kneeling before the mirror like a pious disciple. The chilling gazes wandered over his body. ¡°Let¡­ let me go.¡± He opened his lips and pleaded in a low voice. Blood oozed out of his lips. It was clear that the man was heavily injured. Bruises covered every inch of his body. The woman beside him was unmoved. If anything, she found him annoying. She kicked the man in the stomach, causing him to spit out another mouthful of blood. The woman was very agile, but her action was stuttery like her bnce was affected. She reached out her left hand to tighten the bandage around her right arm. The pain lingered on her face for one second. Then, she reverted to bing the Asura from hell. Xu Wen didn¡¯t mind losing an arm. After all, once she cleared the mission, she could return to the real world, and all the injuries would be healed. But¡­ She bit on her thin lips, and her eyes blurred. Her lover would never return again. She pulled out the few pieces of paper Zhou Taifu tossed her before he died. The pages were wrinkled, but the content could be read clearly. This was Chen Yao¡¯s dairy. Even though there was only thetter half of the book, Xu Wen had alreadye to a conclusion based on all the clues she had found so far. Su Yu was a liar. He raged after failing to make sexual advances on Chen Yao. He told a giant lie, not knowing that it would open the gate to hell. More than ten lives perished because of him¡­ This mission was impossibly hard. Including her, three people were still alive. However¡­ she would be the only person to leave this nightmare alive. Only then would she be able to grasp that thing in itspleted version. She stared at her stump. Perhaps she was crying, or perhaps she wasughing. It was because of the thing that she managed to survive the ghost¡¯s ambush. If she didn¡¯t have that thing, she¡­ would be with her lover already. She never had any regrets because regrets would never solve any problems. However, this time, she had a regret. She regretted not warning Zhou Taifu when she first saw the ghost. She shrunk back. Fear took over her at that moment. After all¡­ she didn¡¯t know if that thing was really useable. If she were given a second chance¡­ Unfortunately, there was no second chance in the nightmare realm. She had seen many impressive people fall in the nightmare realm because of a small mistake. The nightmare realm was unlike the rainforest or the Siberian desert. The dangers here were like hidden snakes. They would strike when you thought you were safe. That was the horror and the charm of the nightmare realm. She was one of the few who voluntarily entered the nightmare¡­ Slowly, she raised her head. The fog in the mirror dissipated to reveal the many pale faces. It¡­ had finally arrived. Chapter 96: Lifeline Chapter 96: Lifeline When Jiang Cheng and Fatty sneaked to the fourth floor and opened the door to the music ssroom, they were surprised by what they saw. From the outside, the room was perfectly dark. However, looking in, the inside of the room was showered with a dim light. Fatty peeked further into the room. He found the source of the light. The whole wallpaper was brutishly peeled away to expose¡­ the giant mirror behind it. The light poured out of the mirror and into the ssroom. The two slightly opened their eyes. A great performance was being held inside the mirror. The leading girl on stage stood on tip-toe and swayed gracefully. Her dance was dreamlike but lively. More than ten dancers twirled around her. Some were clumsy, while others were agile. They all worshipped her. The strangest thing was that there was no sound. It felt like they were watching a silent film. Compared to the prima donna, the dancing skills of the apanying dancers were hard to describe. One of them was a middle-aged man with a gut belly. His giant size didn¡¯t match the style of ballet at all. As he turned around, Fatty¡¯s pupils shook. Zhou Taifu¡­ Even though the blood on his chin had dried, the giant wound was still looking ghastly. Fatty moved his stiff neck to look down the row. The once-lively faces were as emotionless as death. The woman in the qipao, Long Tao, Luo Yi, Zhen Jianren, Zhou Taifu, and¡­ Zhang Yinyin! Zhang Yinyin was dead. It was clear who the other survivor was. However, no one really cared about that then because they saw that Xu Wen was already seated under the stage, being one of the two audiences of this performance. The other was the bloody Su Yu. Of course, they were also in the mirror world, the world from¡­ ten years ago. Fatty¡¯s mouth hung open for a long time before he squeezed the sentence out, ¡°So¡­ this is real third rehearsal¡­¡± This was not a question but a confirmation.Jiang Cheng watched the absurd performance in the mirror. A few secondster, he walked forward. Fatty hesitated and followed him. When Jiang Cheng reached out to touch the mirror, something miraculous happened. The mirror rippled like water. The next second, he was inside the mirror. Fatty did the same. He gritted his teeth and went in. Fatty opened his eyes and looked around in disbelief. The ce looked different from the music ssroom but upon closer inspection, he realised that the basic framework was simr. The dance ssroom was turned into a music ssroom after that incident. Who would have thought that the mirror would separate two spaces that were ten years apart. When Xu Wen noticed the two uninvited guests, her face darkened. Out of hope, Su Yu made some muffled noises when he saw Jiang Cheng and Fatty appear out of thin air. Xu Wen had knocked out most of his teeth. If not for the towel stuffed in his mouth to stop the bleeding, he would have bled out already. It was not that Xu Wen was cruel. She didn¡¯t want to do this either, but Su Yu was too disobedient. When the familiar face appeared in the mirror, Su Yu acted like he had been possessed. He started to struggle madly. He even tried to bite Xu Wen¡¯s neck. Jiang Cheng slowly walked over, acting like he had just seen Xu Wen, ¡°Miss Xu.¡± He ced his hand on the back of the seat and said in a happy tone, ¡°It¡¯s great to see you here.¡± He looked at Xu Wen¡¯s broken arm, and his eyes paused. ¡°Your arm¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Xu Wen replied. ¡°It¡¯s great to see Mr. Hao and your friend too. I thought you two¡­¡± The two of them started chatting like old friends. Fatty was toozy to watch them act. He didn¡¯t dare to admire the performance on stage. Therefore, he could only stare at the dying Su Yu. Thinking back to what he had done, Fatty suddenly became incensed. He went forward and smacked the back of the man¡¯s head. BUZZ The silent space suddenly vibrated. This frightened Fatty. He thought he did something wrong. There was a sh of light. A door materialised at the back of the stage. A light mist surrounded the door. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. It was a pure ck iron door. At that same time, they realised that all the ¡®actors¡¯ on stage had stopped moving. They turned their backs on the audience. It was very strange. Thankfully, Chen Yao¡­ didn¡¯t move. She stood in the centre of the stage as if waiting for something. As for what, Fatty didn¡¯t know. Jiang Cheng might know, but Fatty knew it was not the time to ask questions. ¡°Mr. Hao,¡± Xu Wen turned to Jiang Cheng, ¡°The door¡­ has appeared.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m waiting for you, Miss Xu.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded with sincerity. ¡°My parents taught me the virtue ofdies first.¡± Fatty, ¡°???¡± Xu Wen took a deep breath. They knew this was the most dangerous moment. To reach the iron door, one had to pass through the procession of ¡®actors¡¯. It would not be easy, but the way to leave was right before her. She had to give it a try. Xu Wen pulled Su Yu over and dragged him through the ground. ¡°Mr. Hao, you don¡¯t me taking him with me, right?¡± She took a step away from Jiang Cheng and Fatty. ¡°Of course.¡± Jiang Cheng said generously, ¡°Miss Xu, please.¡± Su Yu left a giant trail on the ground. Xu Wen still paid attention to Jiang Cheng at first, but after she got onto the stage, her focus was on the actors. These were once fresh, living humans. She passed them one by one. The door got closer until only Chen Yao stood between her and the door¡­ Su Yu was so frightened. He tried to say something but no voice came out of him. Xu Wen dropped Su Yu before Chen Yao, who stood facing away from them. The next second, something surprising happened. Chen Yao¡¯s figure blurred and then disappeared. At the same time, the bloody Su Yu also disappeared. As expected! Figuring out the truth and bringing Su Yu to the former dance ssroom to hand him over to Chen Yao¡­ That was the hidden lifeline in the mission. The door was within her reach. After the initial joy, Xu Wen paused. Heartlessness appeared in her eyes. ¡°Only¡­ one person needs to leave this ce alive.¡± Chapter 97: Save? Chapter 97: Save? ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty¡¯s throat moved, and he asked anxiously, ¡°Aren¡¯t we going?¡± For him, Chen Yao¡¯s disappearance meant that the mission was over. The time they had inside the door was limited. If they didn¡¯t leave through the door within the time limit and return to their world, they would stay inside the door forever. He had once discussed this topic with Jiang Cheng. What would happen if they were forced to stay behind? Jiang Cheng wore headphones back then. He watched something sneakily on hisputer. He looked so animated. Therefore, he didn¡¯t pay Fatty much attention. ¡°You¡¯d be killed by an unknown force¡­¡± That was what Jiang Cheng said. The reason he provided was that since the past couldn¡¯t be changed, the realm travellers that intruded into the world would be wiped out without a trace. That was the easiest method to fix everything. Fatty shivered. He licked his lips. ¡°Then, in what way would we be killed?¡± ¡°Not sure.¡± Jiang Cheng answered, ¡°Maybe you¡¯d die as you walk around and turn into dust. Of course, if you¡¯re lucky, your corpse might remain.¡± He added, ¡°But not a full corpse, though.¡± ¡°Are you talking about¡­ Man Li?¡± Fatty remembered that when they left their first nightmare realm, they saw an article about Man Li in the newspaper. The paper said his dead body was notplete. ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng removed his headphones and told Fatty, ¡°Don¡¯t disturb me. I¡¯m studying.¡± Fatty stood up helplessly. As he left, he asked, ¡°Doctor, are you watching videos on psychiatric treatments?¡±¡°You can say that.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes glowed. ¡°But, mainly, I¡¯m studying the moves.¡± ¡°Moves?¡± Fatty turned around with confusion. Jiang Cheng straightened up and became serious. ¡°After all, you know that I¡¯m the star. I need to use these powerful moves to nurture the empty hearts of those sisters!¡± Fatty was startled. Then, he ran towards Jiang Cheng. ¡°Doctor, I also wish to learn. After all, it¡¯s my childhood dream to be a good psychiatrist¡­¡± ¡­ As time passed, Fatty became more anxious until he noticed Xu Wen had stopped. He had no idea what Xu Wen was up to. Did¡­ she not want to leave? The two parties were close enough that Fatty wanted to go forward and ask her directly. However, Jiang Cheng stopped him with his eyes. After all¡­ the people who disappeared were Chen Yao and Su Yu. There were still 15 creepy figures on stage, facing away from them. They kept their heads lowered and said nothing. ¡°Mr. Hao.¡± Xu Wen turned around and said in a reasonably loud voice, ¡°The door is disappearing. You need to get over now.¡± ¡°Doctor, we¡­¡± When Fatty met Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze, his voice disappeared. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t threaten him, but his eyes told him that he needed to shut up instantly. Then, Jiang Cheng moved his eyes away in an unrted direction. Fatty followed his gaze after he calmed down. It was the mirror. Through the mirror, there was another simr iron door inside the music ssroom. It was a dark ck door enveloped by a dim light. Fatty widened his eyes. Xu Wen noticed their strange actions. Her original n was to lure them over to her. After all, the actors stood between them. Based on her analysis, the actors would only allow those who brought Su Yu over to leave and would kill the others without hesitation. But now¡­ Just as she moved her gaze to look where Jiang Cheng and Fatty were looking, her line of sight was blocked by someone¡¯s back. The person was tall. The white suit was covered in blood. She instantly knew who this was. Zhen Jianren¡­ The next second, the confusion in Xu Wen¡¯s eyes was washed away by fear. Why was he there? Shouldn¡¯t he be with the other actors? The scene rippled again. With Jiang Cheng guiding him, Fatty moved through the mirror and returned to the music ssroom. The door¡­ was before them. This door gave Fatty a different feeling. For some reason, he understood this door was real. They had to go through this door to return to their world. The door in the mirror¡­ was fake. It was thest and most fatal trap. He swallowed slowly. His eyes moved towards the mirror. That other door was open. Xu Wen was on the ground. She crawled on all fours. The fear in her eyes was palpable. When she noticed Zhen Jianren, she immediately rushed towards the door. However, to her despair, when she opened the door, she didn¡¯t see her familiar home but¡­ Zhen Jianren¡¯s back. How could that be? Her mind was nk. How could he be in the door? What about the other Zhen Jianren behind her? Suddenly, pain erupted in her ankle. Zhen Jianren, in the door, held a cane like ance. Thence pierced through Xu Wen¡¯s ankle. He was so agile that it surprised even the professional Xu Wen. Blood squirted. One drop entered Xu Wen¡¯s gaze. After she copsed to the ground, Xu Wen crawled like crazy. Zhen Jianren followed her slowly with his back turned. It was like a horror movie. The wrist that held the cane turned and spun. The robotic action made no sound. The other ankle was punctured. The bone crunch was audible. ¡°Ah! Ah¡­¡± The scream echoed. Xu Wen was a professional killer, so the pain must be unimaginable to make her scream. Through the mirror, she saw Fatty and Jiang Cheng as well as the other door. At that moment, she knew she had chosen the wrong path. ¡°Save me!¡± Xu Wen pleaded. Her handsome face was coloured with despair. She crawled towards the mirror. Her words were unclear due to the blood in her mouth, ¡°I beg you¡­ Save me¡­¡± The mirror separated two worlds. The two could see what was happening inside the mirror, but they couldn¡¯t hear anything. ¡°Doctor!¡± Fatty gasped, ¡°She¡­ in the mirror¡­¡± Someone pushed him on his shoulder. ¡°You should leave.¡± Jiang Cheng offered, ¡°I¡¯ll go save her.¡± Chapter 98: Discuss Chapter 98: Discuss ¡°What?¡± Fatty stared at Jiang Cheng as if he didn¡¯t know him. Jiang Cheng jogged towards the mirror. Fatty gave it some thought. He knew that he was of no help even if he stayed. He would only add to Doctor¡¯s burden. Therefore, when the door opened, he gritted his teeth and rushed out. Light shimmered. Fatty¡¯s feet found purchase. When he opened his eyes, he was already back in the familiar studio. Outside the window was a silent night. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty looked like he regretted not stopping Jiang Cheng, ¡°Why did you choose to be uncharacteristically nice in the end?¡± Jiang Cheng moved through the mirror and sessfully dragged the heavily wounded Xu Wen out. Zhen Jianren followed them like a puppet, but he didn¡¯t attack them. Jiang Cheng carried Xu Wen, allowing her to lean on him. ¡°Miss Xu, are you alright?¡± Xu Wen was dying. Her remaining arm was pierced by the cane. One could even see the white bone deep inside her wound. Both her legs and her arm were incapacitated. She was truly handicapped. If she wanted to leave that ce alive, she had to rely on Jiang Cheng. ¡°Thank¡­ you, Mr. Hao.¡± Xu Wen gasped hungrily. The pain almost caused her to faint. She didn¡¯t expect the man woulde back to save her. She was calling for help earlier out of survival instinct. ¡°Thankfully¡­ Mr. Hao¡­ You didn¡¯t follow me earlier.¡± Xu Wen hissed from pain, ¡°Or else¡­ I would have dragged Mr. Hao down.¡± Jiang Cheng saw sincerity in her eyes. The real door buzzed. It was about to disintegrate. The door was closing. ¡°Mr. Hao,¡± Xu Wen urged, ¡°We¡­ should go. The door is closing.¡± ¡°No need to rush.¡± Jiang Cheng wiped away the blood from Xu Wen¡¯s face and said kind-heartedly, ¡°I have some questions for Miss Xu. I wonder if Miss Xu has time for me or not.¡±Xu Wen¡¯s heart shook. Jiang Cheng continued, ¡°It should be Chen Yao who tore off Miss Xu¡¯s arm. However, I¡¯m curious. How did you escape from her?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°I suggest you tell me the truth and not waste our time.¡± Jiang Cheng said gentlemanly. He looked at the door and reminded her, ¡°The door¡­ is not going to stay here for long.¡± ¡°I obtained something that can block the ghost¡¯s attack!¡± Xu Wen admitted. ¡°Hmm?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes shone. He started to search Xu Wen¡¯s body, ¡°Where is it?¡± Xu Wen had no energy to resist. She could only shake her head. ¡°It can only be used once. I¡¯ve used it.¡± Hearing that, Jiang Cheng pulled back his hands. He said honestly, ¡°Miss Xu, I swear on my parents¡¯ name that I do not wish to steal that thing from you. Even if you show me, I¡¯ll return it to you.¡± He resumed, ¡°I am merely curious.¡± ¡°Mr. Hao, look at me.¡± She uttered weakly, ¡°Do I still need to lie to you? If that thing is still usable, will I end up in this state?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t linger. He asked, ¡°What is that thing?¡± ¡°A¡­ piece of paper.¡± ¡°Newspaper?¡± ¡°No.¡± Xu Wen swallowed the blood back in her throat. ¡°It¡¯s merely a piece of nk paper.¡± ¡°Where did you get it?¡± ¡°From¡­ myst mission.¡± ¡°I also cleared myst mission,¡± Jiang Cheng asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I get it?¡± Xu Wen¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Does it¡­ require all of my teammates to die for me to get this life-saving item?¡± ¡°How did you know?!¡± Xu Wen coughed on her blood. Something shed in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes. He suspected that earlier. Normally, the greatest chance for them to clear the mission was to work together. However, certain people didn¡¯t work with that goal in mind. For example, Chen Xiaomeng in thest mission, Zhang Yinyin, Zhen Jianren and Xu Wen in this mission¡­ He scratched his chin and asked with interest, ¡°So¡­ was it you who killed Zhen Jianren?¡± Xu Wen sensed coldness from Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes. She shivered involuntarily, ¡°He¡­ was the one who wanted to kill me. I merely defended myself!¡± How could a blind man who was injured and could only crawl kill a professional killer? This lie was so fake. ¡°This means that¡­ you¡¯ll be killed by the people you killed if you are careless in the nightmare realm.¡± Jiang Cheng mumbled to himself, ¡°Is that right?¡± Xu Wen¡¯s face paled. When Zhou Taifu died, she saw through the fog a hand reach out of the mirror. The dagger pierced into the back of Zhou Taifu¡¯s heart. After that, Zhou Taifu¡¯s jaw was yanked off, and he was carried into the mirror by Chen Yao. He died the same way Zhang Yinyin did. Zhou Taifu¡¯s real killer was Zhang Yinyin¡­ who was already dead. Sensing Jiang Cheng¡¯s suspicion of her, Xu Wen changed the topic, ¡°Mr. Hao, if you bring me away with you, I¡¯ll give you money¡­ a lot of money!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in money¡­¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head slowly. His eyes wandered over her body sciously. He licked his lips. Xu Wen understood the message. Her tone softened and became ambiguous, ¡°Of course¡­ If Mr. Hao is willing to save me, I can also¡­¡± Jiang Cheng chuckled with satisfaction, ¡°Anything can be discussed.¡± Xu Wen purposely leaned her body closer to Jiang Cheng. She normally presented herself with sharpness. When she acted seductively, she was uniquely alluring. ¡°Mr. Hao.¡± She blinked slowly. ¡°What kind of person are you? Where can I meet you in real life?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng gasped in audible shock, ¡°Does Miss Xu n to find people to hunt me down?¡± Xu Wen was embarrassed since her inner thoughts were being exposed. She quickly exined, ¡°No. That¡¯s not what I think. If Mr. Hao doesn¡¯t trust me and doesn¡¯t want to meet in person, give me your ount, and I¡¯ll¡­¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s face was inscrutable. Her voice became tinier and tinier. ¡°Mr. Hao.¡± Xu Wen was inly begging, ¡°I know that is an alias. I don¡¯t even know your real name. After we leave this ce, I can¡¯t even find you or threaten you! What am I going to do with a fake name?¡± However¡­ ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly said, ¡°My real name is Jiang Cheng.¡± Xu Wen was stunned. Then, a chill enveloped her. The next second, Jiang Cheng grinned widely, ¡°Well, you know my real name, Miss Xu. You are a threat now.¡± Chapter 99: I Dream Therefore I Am Chapter 99: I Dream Therefore I Am A soft push nudged her shoulder. Xu Wen tipped backwards. In her eyes, everything slowed down. Jiang Cheng stood there quietly. His smile faded into the dark. ¡°No¡­¡± Herst words were clogged by the blood that flooded her mouth. A cane pierced her heart from behind. She fell back into the mirror. On the other side, Zhen Jianren had been waiting for a long time. The cane was slowly pulled out. Life flowed out of Xu Wen¡¯s eyes. She convulsed violently before¡­ letting go. Xu Wen¡­ was dead. Zhen Jianren dissolved into a ck mist and disappeared into the mirror. The door buzzed loudly. Jiang Cheng took a huge stride forward. A few seconds before the door copsed, he walked through it. After the familiar sense of vertigo, he found his footing. He saw his office and a rotund figure. ¡°Doctor!¡± Fatty rushed over happily, ¡°You gave me such a fright. The door is about¡­¡± He nced at the door. The ck door cracked and then disintegrated into dust. Only the normal wall remained. Jiang Cheng sighed, looking quite dispirited. Fatty guessed something and consoled him, ¡°Doctor, you¡¯ve tried your best. Furthermore, that woman was not a good person anyway.¡±Jiang Cheng waved to stop Fatty, ¡°It¡¯s not wise to speak ill of the dead. Even if Miss Xu is not with us anymore, it¡¯s not good to talk behind her back.¡± ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty was impressed, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be such a moral person.¡± Jiang Cheng looked out the window. A half-moon hung in the air. Mncholy traced the surroundings. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng began slowly, ¡°No matter their identities, backgrounds, and experiences, everyone in the nightmare realm is pitiable. We are like rootless lilies in the chaotic world. We can¡¯t see the start and can¡¯t fathom the end. If we can help, we should help. Saving a life is the greatest deed.¡± Jiang Cheng said sincerely, ¡°Do you understand?¡± Fatty stared at Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng frowned, ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡± ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty opened his mouth, ¡°I wish Brother Zhen Jianren were here to hear you say those words. He¡¯d be so happy that he¡¯d probably split open his coffin and use the coffin board to cook a stew for you to eat.¡± Jiang Cheng tutted and looked at Fatty. ¡°Fatty, I feel like you¡¯ve improved tremendously.¡± ¡°Have I?¡± Fatty scratched his head shyly. Then, he whispered, ¡°Actually, I can feel it too.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°So, you can attempt the next mission on your own.¡± He turned around and walked up the stairs. Just as Fatty recovered and was about to exin it to Jiang Cheng, thetter¡¯s words travelled down the stairs. ¡°By the way, I forgot to tell you. Chen Yao came back with me. She is probably going to stay with us for a few days. Be careful when you use the toilet at night. After all, she¡¯s a girl, and we¡¯re gentlemen.¡± Fatty, ¡°???¡± One minuteter¡­ Fatty hugged the nket and knocked on Jiang Cheng¡¯s bedroom door. ¡°Doctor, are you asleep?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Fatty pleaded. ¡°If you can¡¯t fall asleep, I can apany you.¡± ¡°You should apany Chen Yao.¡± Jiang Cheng turned over in his bed. ¡°She has been alone for so many years. It¡¯s not easy for her.¡± That night, Fatty slumbered while gripped by extreme fear. In his dream, Chen Yao came to grab his neck. Thankfully, she was fought off by a man in ck. Fatty cried and thanked the man. However, the next second, the man in ck pounced at him. He also came at Fatty¡¯s neck. He yelled, ¡°Your neck is mine and mine alone!¡± The man¡­ had the Doctor¡¯s face. Fatty was scared awake at 5 am. To fix his rtionship with Jiang Cheng, he nned to make a date porridge. He remembered Jiang Cheng saying that he just hit puberty, so dates were perfect. Fatty washed his face with cold water. Then, he used the extremely blunt fruit knife to cut the leftover vegetables into strips. He mixed the strips of vegetables with some condiments to make a simple sd. Fatty saw a bag of frozen fermented mustard greens in the fridge, but Fatty thought theycked nutritional value. Plus, he believed Jiang Cheng had eaten too many of those already. Fatty thought Jiang Cheng was quite pitiable. Based on the way he conducted himself, Fatty thought Jiang Cheng would be quite rich. However, after some time together, Fatty realised Jiang Cheng could barely feed himself. Jiang Cheng once mentioned casually that before he met Fatty, he only had two meals per day. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll cook some ribs for Doctor this afternoon¡­¡± Fatty thought to himself, ¡°Doctor liked it a lotst time.¡± Well, Doctor technically seemed to like everything. Fatty had been paying for the groceries from his own pocket. Jiang Cheng merely asked him perfunctory once. Then, he unwillingly pulled out a few ten-dor bills from his pocket and gave them to Fatty. However, when Fatty came to the market and wanted to pay, he realised only the first andst bills were 10. The rest were 5 and 1. To make matters worse, one of the ten was a fake! Even though Fatty tried to exin it, the auntie who sold the meat red at Fatty like he was a scammer. She drilled into his soul until he left. Calcting the time the porridge would need to boil, Fatty left the office with a vegetable basket. He found it in the kitchen. He also didn¡¯t understand why Jiang Cheng would have a vegetable basket since he never cooked. The vegetables at the morning market were fresh and cheap. Fatty purposely took a long detour to avoid the auntie who sold him the ribsst time. Fatty was still quite embarrassed. After buying the ribs, Fatty passed by a seafood stall. Fatty picked a fish that was quite fresh. He nned to make a fish soup that night. He wandered for a long time, waiting for the fish to die. Once it died, the price would drop. That was the rule. Fatty paced around the stall, asionally poking the fish he wanted. Eventually, the fish stopped moving. The uncle packed up the fish and grumbled that it was Fatty who poked the fish to death. Even if he didn¡¯t, he would have angered the fish to its death. Chapter 100: Ribs Chapter 100: Ribs When he reached home, the porridge was ready. Fatty looked through the lid. He went upstairs to wake up Jiang Cheng. When he was only halfway, he heard sounds from the bathroom. When he turned around, the bathroom door opened, and Jiang Cheng walked out with his hands on the top of his pants. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty greeted him happily, ¡°You¡¯re up so early. Have you had breakfast?¡± Jiang Cheng raised his head to stare at Fatty¡¯s face. A few secondster, he nced at the open bathroom door and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡± Fatty believed Jiang Cheng misunderstood him. He quickly corrected, ¡°Doctor, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± He added, ¡°I made porridge for you in the morning. Then, we¡¯ll have ribs in the afternoon.¡± When he heard the word ribs, Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression brightened. At first, he wanted to use Chen Yao¡¯s name to scare Fatty even more, but considering all that he had done, Jiang Cheng decided against it. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll give you face and eat some porridge.¡± Jiang Cheng said, walking towards the office. Perhaps they were having ribs in the afternoon. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t finish the pot of porridge on his own and left quite a lot for Fatty. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty swallowed the porridge in his mouth and waved his hands. ¡°I have enough. I really can¡¯t eat anymore.¡± ¡°Porridge is good for your body.¡± Jiang Cheng grabbed Fatty¡¯s bowl and filled it up again. He personally ced it before and said, ¡°It¡¯s better than eating meat.¡± Fatty sensed something and asked sincerely, ¡°Doctor, are you worried that I¡¯d fight you for ribs in the afternoon?¡± Jiang Cheng acted angrily. ¡°Ridiculous! I am a respected doctor, an angel in white! How can I do something like that?¡± Fatty was taken aback. In his heart, he knew how abnormal Jiang Cheng was. If he could stay away from triggering him, it was the best. Or else, he might take about his glory in the KTV centre again. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty interrupted him and led the topic in a direction Jiang Cheng would be interested in. ¡°Doctor, do you want the ribs braised¡­ or stewed with vegetables?¡± After he dropped that question, Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression changed. He slowly sat down and thought deeply. Fatty took a long sigh. Jiang Cheng was never this serious in the nightmare realm.Eventually, Jiang Cheng raised his head to ask, ¡°Do we have garlic in the kitchen?¡± Fatty nodded. ¡°Yes. I have some leftovers from thest time I bought them.¡± Jiang Cheng decided, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll have them with stew. Peel the garlic, wash them and dice them. Add some soy sauce and vinegar. There¡¯s also a bottle of fragrant oil in the fridge.¡± He mumbled, ¡°That¡¯s a good dip.¡± ¡°Do you want spring onion andtro?¡± Fatty recorded in his notebook. Jiang Cheng tapped his chin. ¡°A little goes a long way. However, remember to stir-fry the spring onion to emit its fragrance first.¡± Fatty put down his notebook and stared at him, ¡°Doctor, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re asking for a bit too much?¡± ¡°You have to understand,¡± Jiang Cheng admitted openly, ¡°We¡¯re different. After all, I depend on my face. If the sisters abandon me for the e on my face¡­¡± Fatty left before he could finish. Soon, he returned to clean up the dishes on the table. The faucet ran freely. Jiang Cheng walked to his office and sat down before hisputer. He found the familiar website and surfed through it happily. Fatty poked his head out of the kitchen, ¡°Doctor, are you freeter?¡± Jiang Cheng closed the site and answered, ¡°Tell me what you need from me, and I¡¯ll decide whether I¡¯m free or not.¡± Fatty ced the tes, bowls and chopsticks back in their ces. He was very detailed. He cleaned up the kitchen to prepare for lunch. He used the tablecloth to wipe down the surfaces. He cleaned and dried the cloth. After he was done with that, he walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands. ¡°Do you want some coffee, Doctor?¡± Fatty asked. Jiang Cheng tapped his finger on the office table, ¡°A cup of hazelnut cappino, thank you.¡± Fatty hissed, ¡°Doctor, are you still asleep? Do you not know about your own condition?¡± His voice floated out of the kitchen. ¡°Even for the instant coffee, you only have one pack left.¡± Fatty shook the pack and stressed, ¡°You¡¯ll have half, and I¡¯ll have half.¡± Fatty sat across from Jiang Cheng. He held up the cup and sipped on the coffee, ¡°Doctor,¡± he asked curiously, ¡°I don¡¯t think this is how you should live. Could it be¡­¡± He seemed to understand something. He huffed indignantly, ¡°Are the richdies not paying you for your pimping services?¡± ¡°I repeat,¡± Jiang Cheng sat up and uttered seriously, ¡°I am doing what I¡¯m doing out of concern for their mental health. Please do not desecrate my holy upation with your ugly words.¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his head. He stirred the cup before pulling the spoon out and ced it to the side. He held up the cup and took a ginger sip. Then, he moaned with great satisfaction. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty said awkwardly. He licked his lips and pointed at Jiang Cheng¡¯s cup, ¡°It¡¯s just a cup of instant coffee that¡¯s 7.50 per pack. I don¡¯t think it deserves such a treatment. Of course, if you think you need a sense of ceremony in your life, forget I said anything.¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a side-eye. ¡°You won¡¯t get it. After all, I¡­¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Fatty stopped him in his tracks. He looked at the door and then turned back to Jiang Cheng. He suddenly became serious and lowered his voice, ¡°To be honest, Doctor, there¡¯s one thing that I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°What is the thing that those people were searching so hard for in the nightmare realm?¡± Jiang Cheng blew on the coffee and continued casually. Fatty couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes. Chapter 101: Anticipation Chapter 101: Anticipation ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty was shocked, ¡°How did you know?¡± Jiang Cheng nced at Fatty, ¡°What is your opinion?¡± Fatty¡¯s expression became anxious but quickly returned to normal, ¡°Doctor, I remember we¡¯ve discussed this question before¡­ When we were in the nightmare realm. At the time, you said that thing should be rted to clearing the mission¡­¡± ¡°Continue.¡± Jiang Cheng sipped the coffee, ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t get it. Since some of them already have the thing to help them solve the mission, why did most of us die?¡± Fatty¡¯s eyes shed with confusion, ¡°Was the mission too difficult? Or was our hypothesis wrong?¡± For Fatty, the first and second missions were no different. If not for Doctor, he would have died in both. ¡°Doctor, to be honest, I believe our teammates were quite capable.¡± Fatty reminisced, ¡°Xu Wen, Zhang Yinyin, and that¡­¡± He reached out two fingers to point at his eyes. He grimaced. ¡°That Zhen Jianren. He¡­ dared to do that to himself. That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, so Fatty didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. Before the former, Fatty felt like he was a piece of nk paper. However, this mission changed his mind. He overestimated himself. He was more like a piece of wastepaper. He even had the impression that Jiang Cheng in the nightmare realm was the real Jiang Cheng and the one before him¡­ was just a puppet with the shell of a doctor. While Fatty was thinking, Jiang Cheng raised his head to look at the door. A few secondster, Fatty heard footsteps. They were crisp. It was the sound of heels clicking against the marble floor. The footsteps stopped before the door. They were followed by three rhythmic knocks. The person clearly had the intention of announcing their arrival. ¡°Pleasee in,¡± Jiang Cheng said.The door opened. The sun was rather blinding. Fatty shielded his eyes and could barely see a human shape. Slowly, when his eyes adjusted, Fatty was starstruck. From the bottom, he saw a pair of long, sexy legs. They were practically shining. Thedy wore a pair of silver heels encrusted with diamonds. The gems refracted the light beautifully. ¡°Doctor Jiang,¡± The new arrival said in a melodious tone, ¡°Our boss would like to invite you to a party.¡± The woman dressed like a secretary and looked around twenty. She had a white shirt and an extremely short ck pencil skirt. She wore a pair of ck-rimmed sses. A light smile decorated her face. She was knowledgeable and sexy. Fatty finally reacted. He had seen this woman before¡­ It was when Brother Pi Wan was there. She was Brother Pi Wan¡¯s secretary! ¡°Miss Lin,¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even stand up. He merely nced at her, ¡°I remember the birthday party is tomorrow.¡± ¡°Tomorrow is the official party.¡± Miss Lin bowed slightly and answered politely, ¡°We are only inviting some special guests today. CEO Pi¡­ hopes that Doctor Jiang will give him face.¡± The woman had light in her eyes. Fatty¡¯s soul was hooked by the woman¡¯s every movement. He couldn¡¯t help but envy Brother Pi Wan. He regretted it slightly. Perhaps¡­ Thendy known as Liu Niuma, whom Doctor introduced him to, was a nice person. She was aged and rather sick but she looked like someone he could spend his life with. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Lin. I have an appointmentter,¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was unusually calm. Fatty even caught the distance and aloofness in it. Fatty looked at him with confusion. He wondered if Doctor had been swapped by a ghost. To his surprise, Miss Lin seemed to have anticipated this answer. She smiled, ¡°CEO Pi knows it¡¯s wrong to take up Doctor Jiang¡¯s time. Therefore, he has prepared apensation for Doctor Jiang. There¡¯s a red packet for Doctor Jiang.¡± Then, Jiang Cheng stood up and removed his wrinkly jacket. He grabbed a suit and put it on. As he put on the tie, he said, ¡°CEO Pi is too kind. Since Miss Lin is here in person to invite me, I can¡¯t tell you the reason for saying no.¡± While Fatty was still in shock, Jiang Cheng¡¯s left hand very naturallynded on Miss Lin¡¯s waist. He leaned to whisper something into Miss Lin¡¯s ears, causing thetter¡¯s face to burn red. The two leaned on each other and left withughter. Fatty stood at the door alone, watching the blue Lamborgini drive away. This scene felt very familiar. After that, Fatty stood before the phone and removed the patient¡¯s files from the racks. He flipped through them. ¡°Liu Niuma, 13042888888......¡± ¡°Zhao Guiqin, 13886666666......¡± ¡°Ou Yang Guifang¡­¡± With trembling hands, he pressed the first digit¡­ As the phone dialled, his heart burned with anticipation for his new life. ¡­ The sun settled. When Jiang Cheng returned with his belly full, the sky was already dark. Under the dim light, Fatty curled up on the couch alone. He looked like a sad puppy. The ce didn¡¯t smell of food. After Jiang Cheng left, Fatty didn¡¯t cook. The ribs and fish were all kept neatly in the fridge. Only one light was open in the room. Jiang Cheng walked over to switch on the tablemp. Then, he removed his suit, which smelled of perfume. After that, he seemed to realise something. His hands paused and took the suit back. He smashed it into a ball, shoved it into a bag and kicked it into the cupboard under the office table. After doing all that, Jiang Cheng emitted a long sigh. Fatty didn¡¯t say a word. Jiang Cheng walked over and sat down beside Fatty. He nced at the office table and asked, ¡°None of them picked up?¡± Fatty was so depressed that he wasn¡¯t even shocked anymore. After all, the patient¡¯s files with the interests of all the richdies were ced on Jiang Cheng¡¯s table. Anyone could see them. Fatty hung his head and said nothing. Someone knocked on the door. Jiang Cheng stood up to open it. A man carrying sixrge bags walked in. ¡°Mr. Jiang Cheng?¡± The man confirmed as he looked at the delivery order. ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng epted the bags. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Fatty¡¯s nostrils twitched. The fragrance was that of seafood. They were¡­ Jiang Cheng ced the bags on the table before Fatty. ¡°I ordered some seafood. Try them.¡± Chapter 102: Envy Chapter 102: Envy The stic bag opened to reveal boxes upon boxes of cooked seafood. At a cursory nce, there were lobsters, crabs, fish and so on¡­ ¡°Doctor¡­¡± Tears were rolling in Fatty¡¯s eyes. He suddenly felt it didn¡¯t matter if he couldn¡¯t find a sugar mommy as long as he had Doctor. ¡°Eat them while they¡¯re still hot.¡± Jiang Cheng patted Fatty¡¯s back. ¡°Thank you, Doctor!¡± Fatty loved seafood the most. Unfortunately, they were expensive so he didn¡¯t get too many chances to eat them. He grabbed a crab and snapped it in half. When he saw the overflowing crab roe, the unhappiness from earlier was gone. Jiang Cheng nced at the door. The deliveryman was still there and hadn¡¯t left. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Jiang Cheng questioned. The man smiled and said in a polite tone, ¡°Mr. Jiang, you¡­¡± He rubbed his hands, ¡°Haven¡¯t paid!¡± The crab that was about to enter Fatty¡¯s mouth paused. Jiang Cheng was startled. ¡°Pay for what?¡±¡°The seafood, of course,¡± The man was shocked too. The way he looked at Jiang Cheng changed, ¡°Four crabs, one lobster, onerge prawn¡­ The total is 1070.¡± The man showed the receipt to Jiang Cheng. ¡°Haven¡¯t these been paid?¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°I told them to pack it up for me as a takeaway.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Jiang,¡± The man didn¡¯t seem to believe Jiang Cheng. His tone hardened. ¡°Today was a private party. All the food was fixed. We didn¡¯t provide takeaway services. Yours is considered extra delivery.¡± The next second, Jiang Cheng moved to snatch the crab away from Fatty and then pieced the broken crab back together. After he ced everything back in their boxes, he shoved the stic back to the deliveryman. ¡°I don¡¯t want them anymore.¡± He raised his neck and said proudly. Deliveryman, ??? Fatty, ??? Then, before the man could react, Jiang Cheng chased him away. A water sound came from the kitchen. As Fatty washed his hands, he said, ¡°Doctor,¡± He sounded embarrassed, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t get to eat crabs, but you shouldn¡¯t trouble that brother.¡± He flung his hands dry, ¡°I¡¯ve been in his ce before. Delivery jobs are not easy. You have to withstand the weather, and when you encounter unreasonable customers, you might even need to cover the fees yourself.¡± He added in a whisper, ¡°That crab earlier probably cost him his sry for two days.¡± Jiang Cheng sat before theputer. The typing sound ryed his insouciance. Fatty sighed. He knew the Doctor didn¡¯t hear him at all. This was a man who was extremely self-centred and rarely listened to others. He washed his hands with the dishwater three times until he couldn¡¯t smell the seafood on his hands anymore. Then, he walked out while wiping his hands. It was not that Fatty didn¡¯t want to use a normal hand shampoo, but Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t have that. Fatty didn¡¯t know why, but it probably had to do with money. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng removed his headphones and grumbled, ¡°Use less dishwater liquid. Just use tap water to wash your hands in the future!¡± ¡°I know, Doctor.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll still have more dishes to washter. What a waste¡­¡± After he put the headphones back on, he grumbled. Fatty frowned, not knowing what he meant. Someone knocked on the door again. Fatty ran to get it. It was still the same deliveryman from before. However, the man¡¯s face was piled up with smiles. ¡°Is Mr. Jiang here?¡± His eyes skipped over Fatty to look inside the office. ¡°He is here.¡± Fatty was confused. He lowered his voice to ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, brother? Did your boss refuse to take the food back¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Jiang Cheng!¡± The man shouted excitedly when he saw Jiang Cheng, ¡°Pleasee over here!¡± Fatty turned around to look at Jiang Cheng with confusion. Thetter removed his headphones and sauntered over. The man handed the bag of seafood and then patted his body as if searching for something. ¡°Don¡¯t need to look for it.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°I have a pen. Just give me the bill.¡± The man smiled ingratiatingly. He handed the bill over. Jiang Cheng expertly signed it. ¡°Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Jiang.¡± The man couldn¡¯t stop smiling, ¡°I just epted the delivery job. I¡¯m sorry for failing to recognise you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± The man left. Fatty sat before the table filled with seafood. His brain was filled with question marks. What just happened? ¡°Eat.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice floated over. He sat back in his office and typed on hisputer carefreely. ¡°They won¡¯t be good once they¡¯re cold.¡± Fatty picked up the crab that was cracked and then pieced together. He was reminded of thement Jiang Cheng said earlier¡­ ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty had to ask, ¡°Did you know he woulde back? And who paid the bills? What did the man mean by not recognising you?¡± His eyes widened, ¡°Do you often go to those ces?¡± One single signature could make up for a food bill that was over 1000¡­ Even though the number was not high, it was Fatty''s monthly food budget. ¡°I guess you can say that.¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t ignore Fatty. He recorded something on hisputer. ¡°I¡¯m familiar with the restaurant¡¯s boss. We¡¯re old friends.¡± ¡°No wonder¡­¡± Fatty was quite agile with his fingers. Soon, the shell of the prawn was gone. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty said through oily lips. He opened the can of free Coca-C. ¡°I envy you for having so many rich friends.¡± Fatty did mean that. He had been in the society for years. He once dreamed of getting rich overnight and knowing many rich friends. However, the one thing good about Fatty was that even though he was envious, he didn¡¯t hate those who had things that he didn¡¯t. His old colleague, who drove transportation trucks for long-distance, liked to purposely brush against branded cars and used therge size of the truck to scare and scam them for money. He imed that those people often got rich from scamming the poor. He was only taking back his money¡­ Fatty disagreed with him. He believed most people were kind people. They merely worked harder. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty raised his head to ask Jiang Cheng, ¡°Did your friend work extra hard to finally get the chance to manage a restaurant?¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it. ¡°Not really. He did work so hard for one night. The next day, the original owner gave him the restaurant. I was there when the transfer was made.¡± Jiang Cheng snapped his finger. ¡°Actually, you know that person too. It¡¯s Pi Wan.¡± Fatty almost choked on the lobster. Chapter 103: Key Chapter 103: Key After settling the rest of the seafood, Fatty washed his hands and sat down across from Jiang Cheng. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty began hesitantly, ¡°You¡¯re free now, right?¡± Jiang Cheng leaned on the chair and picked his teeth. His other hand swiped through the short videos. The women in the video danced happily. His face slowly turned red. ¡°They should be asleep at this hour. They won¡¯t answer your calls¡­¡± Fatty was confused. He reacted after a while. He quickly exined, ¡°Doctor, I¡¯m not talking about the richdies. I want to ask you¡­ about the missions.¡± Jiang Cheng provided the most basic respect when he heard the term mission. He turned off his phone and ced it on the table. After seeing this, Fatty also became serious. He straightened himself and leaned forward, ¡°Doctor, I still have the same question. What does the clue represent? Who had it in the previous mission?¡± Jiang Cheng raised his head. The way he looked at Fatty shifted. Fatty¡¯s first reaction was to look away as if¡­ he was hiding something. ¡°Continue.¡± Jiang Cheng lifted his chin with interest. His fingers that tapped the table stopped. Fatty pressed his lips. He continued in a severe tone, ¡°Since Zhang Yinyin physically searched the woman in the qipao¡¯s body, it means the clues are something physical and not verbal messages. Plus, when she did this, the mission just started. Therefore, the clue was not found in the mission, but someone carried them into the mission.¡± He continued his analysis, ¡°The thing should be small. Otherwise, Zhang Yinyin¡¯s action of unbuttoning the qipao couldn¡¯t be exined. The qipao is a tight-fitting outfit so if the thing was hidden by the woman, it should be very small or¡­¡± Fatty suddenly stopped. He looked at Jiang Cheng with aplicated gaze.¡°Or it¡¯s extremely thin.¡± Jiang Cheng naturally continued. He leaned back andy on the couchfortably. From Fatty¡¯s perspective, half of his face became hidden in the dark. ¡°Like¡­¡± He gestured with his hand, ¡°A piece of paper.¡± Fatty¡¯s eyes trembled. As he expected¡­ He was not a genius, but he was not dumb. When he was on the mission, he was too focused on staying alive to think about anything else. He easily overlooked those strange anomalies. However, after he left the mission and reyed the mission in his mind, the strange points surfaced. Fatty had to admit that Jiang Cheng was very clever. His performance in this mission was beyond admirable. He controlled the rhythm of the mission and basically had everyone within his palm. Fatty admitted that everyone, including Zhang Yinyin, Xu Wen, Zhen Jianren and Luo Yi¡­ was extremely hard to deal with. However, they all died. In contrast, the doctor who had Fatty as a burden was left unscathed. The person who had the clues was not the others but Doctor. The clue was the newspaper Chen Xiaomeng gave Doctor. Of course, Fatty didn¡¯t believe Chen Xiaomeng had given Doctor the newspaper. She wasn¡¯t so kind. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty was stunned for a long time before he continued, ¡°You already knew about the newspaper being the clue?¡± Jiang Cheng took a sip of the water. What he said next confused Fatty, ¡°If I knew that beforehand, do you think I¡¯d carry the newspaper with me?¡± Fatty frowned. ¡°So¡­ It was because of that newspaper that we were dragged into the second mission?!¡± Fatty still had questions regarding how theynded on the second mission. The thing he could confirm for now was no matter how scary the nightmare was, it would leave the yers a lifeline. The nightmare wouldn¡¯t allow an absolute death. That was the rule. However, the reality was they were dragged into a second nightmare after not even 24 hours had passed since they survived the first one. Even though one¡¯s physical wounds would be healed whenever one left the nightmare realm, one¡¯s mental exhaustion wouldn¡¯t heal. In this case, they were exposed to mental torment for multiple days and rested for less than a day before they were tossed into another torment. The scariest thing was they would die if they failed the mission. Then, they would disappear mysteriously in real life. No matter how strong a person was, they couldn¡¯t sustain being tormented mentally for a prolonged period of time without any space for rest, even if that person was Jiang Cheng. Fatty didn¡¯t think he could survive a third mission at this moment. ¡°That newspaper is the key to starting that mission,¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was even and cold. Fatty rarely encountered Jiang Cheng like this. His face was strangely unfamiliar when he was not joking. It caused Fatty to sit up straighter. A wall of pressure hit him, causing him to have difficulty breathing. ¡°Chen Xiaomeng¡­¡± Fatty¡¯s face was red, and his breathing became uneven, ¡°So¡­ that newspaper was the reward from the first mission, and Chen Xiaomeng got it.¡± Since Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer, Fatty knew that he was right. Then, everything else could be guessed. Jiang Cheng, who was also new, didn¡¯t know how to use the newspaper. Therefore, he kept it on him and went to sleep. He didn¡¯t expect the newspaper to initiate a new round of nightmares. Just like what Jiang Cheng said, the newspaper was a key. However, different from the first mission when they were passively dragged into it, they actively entered the second one. In other words, having the key meant having the authority in the nightmare. It felt like a lot of things were flowing through Fatty¡¯s mind, but it only took him less than ten seconds to figure things out. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty pursed his lips, ¡°When did you realise this?¡± Jiang Cheng nced at him. ¡°Realise what?¡± ¡°The clues¡­¡± Fatty¡¯s throat moved and gave a small hint, ¡°That they didn¡¯t have the clues, but you have it on you¡­ The newspapers.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and said, ¡°Probably around when we realised there was a ghost among us.¡± ¡°Luo Yi?¡± Fatty thought back about the situation then. Chapter 104: Limit Chapter 104: Limit That night, Doctor warned him that he shouldn¡¯t leave the room no matter what happened. He remembered Doctor¡¯s gaze when he said that. However, not long after that, thetter slumbered like nothing was going on. He was sofortable that he changed so many poses while he slept. It impressed Fatty greatly. Doctor probably had figured out the clue was the newspapers by then. It was why he was so fearless. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty leaned over and asked curiously, ¡°I¡¯ve read that newspaper. It only recorded the details of the bungalow murder. But¡­¡± He lifted his head, ¡°How is that rted to the school mission?¡± Jiang Cheng turned his head to look out the window. The day was darkening. There were car honks in the distance. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer directly. Fatty¡¯s body reacted badly to this. He was the most anxious when Jiang Cheng suddenly became quiet. As time passed, he realised the separation that existed between them even though Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t express it explicitly. Fatty knew that they were not on the same level. If Jiang Cheng were willing, Fatty was allowed to join his life. However, if he were not, Fatty would have no ce in his life. Thankfully, before the string in Fatty¡¯s heart snapped, Jiang Cheng opened his mouth. ¡°The content of the newspaper changed. The earlier articles disappeared. The taboo rted to the school mission appeared in the nk spaces.¡± Confusion shed in Fatty¡¯s eyes. He sensitively captured the keyword. Taboo¡­ and not the clue. ¡°The ghost in the mission couldn¡¯t kill repeatedly at the same ce.¡± Jiang Cheng announced. Fatty widened his eyes and thought back to the mission. The woman in the qipao died in the hostel; Long Tao died in the male toilet; Luo Yi died in the file room; Zhen Jianren died at the Prop Centre; And Xu Wen¡­ died inside the mirror world. Indeed, after all of them were listed out, it was clear that no two people died at the same ce. It was probably why the Doctor was so confident about falling asleep. After all, the woman in the qipao had died there already. Fatty licked his dry lips. ¡°Are there¡­ other taboos?¡±¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. He looked into Fatty¡¯s eyes. ¡°But you don¡¯t need to know.¡± Fatty hesitated for one second when he heard that. However, he quickly let go. He nodded. ¡°I understand, Doctor.¡± He knew that with Jiang Cheng¡¯s ability, it would be very easy for him to lie to him. Since he said so, he must have his reasons. Other than his stories about the KTV, Jiang Cheng was very reliable with his words. The conversation should have ended already. Fatty stood up and prepared to fill up Doctor¡¯s cup of warm water. However, when his hands touched the cup, his body trembled violently. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng, his eyes glowing with anticipation, ¡°Was the newspaper the reward from the first mission?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, what about the reward from thistest mission?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he looked at Fatty nkly. The atmosphere became serious. Fatty seemed to realise something. He didn¡¯t dare to move. A few secondster, he slowly searched through his body. He first unzipped his jacket and then turned out his pockets¡­ Finally, inside the pocket that was the most hidden, he took out a piece of yellowed paper. It looked like newspaper. The edges looked torn. Fatty didn¡¯t even open it and honestly passed it over and ced it on the table before Jiang Cheng. To his surprise¡­ Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even nce at the newspaper. His eyes were still on Fatty. His eyes were as calm as the sea. Being stared at like that, Fatty felt like his soul was about to depart from his body. His legs couldn¡¯t stop shaking. He was about to kneel. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty pouted, ¡°Please believe me. I really didn¡¯t know this was on me. If I knew, I would have taken it out earlier. I didn¡¯t¡­ mean to keep it for myself¡­¡± Fatty said sincerely. He almost swore. Thankfully, Jiang Cheng moved his gaze away. Fatty instantly started to gasp for air. The pressure from earlier almost crushed his lungs. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Even his back was wet. He looked at Jiang Cheng nervously, like a student who had made a mistake. Jiang Cheng picked up the paper. He didn¡¯t open it and kept it directly in his pocket. Fatty, who saw this from the corner of his eyes, had his heart chilled. However, he had no exnation. Doctor had saved him innumerable times in the nightmare. Without the Doctor, he would be dead already. However, this happened¡­ even though he didn¡¯t mean it. ¡°Doc¡­¡± He began, but as he raised his head¡­ The chair grated against the floor. Jiang Cheng stood up. He eased the wrinkles of his shirt and then left without turning back. His footsteps echoed up the stairs. It felt like he was stepping on Fatty¡¯s heart. Fatty waited for a while until no sound remained. He slowly moved around. He knew that this was his own fault. He was not friends with Doctor, especially since they met in the nightmare realm. Doctor had done everything to take him in. If he put himself in Doctor¡¯s perspective, what would he think? He would suspect that Fatty was nning to keep the treasure for himself. Trust¡­ had a limit. Plus, this involved a life-and-death situation. Fatty came to the second floor. He stood before the temporary bed that he had made. He sighed. He quietly packed up his stuff. Doctor didn¡¯t chase him out, but he was too ashamed to stay. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t have too many things. Fatty carried his bag and looked at this ce, which was starting to get familiar. He left a note on the bedroom door. It reminded Jiang Cheng of the fish and ribs in the fridge. The ribs couldn¡¯t be kept for long. Just as Fatty turned to leave, the bedroom door suddenly opened. The shadow was elongated on the floor. ¡°If you didn¡¯t hand that over tonight, guess what would have happened?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was as cold as ice. ¡°Dead Fatty?¡± Chapter 105: Old Man Chapter 105: Old Man Fatty¡¯s leg paused. Then, his whole body froze. That¡¯s right. If he didn¡¯t notice the newspaper that was stuck to his body and went to bed like normal¡­ What would happen? He would be like Jiang Cheng from the night before. He would be dragged into the nightmare realm and¡­ be a Dead Fatty like Jiang Cheng said. The bag that he packed dropped to the ground. The iced tea bottle rolled out of the bag until it knocked against the wall. ¡°Doc¡­ tor¡­¡± His face was drained of colour. He turned around shakingly. He noticed the bedroom door was closed. The note he stuck on the handle was gone. A few secondster, Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice came from inside the door, ¡°Don¡¯t disturb me tomorrow morning.¡± His voice was muffled as if he was already under the cover. ¡°I want to see the ribs on the table by 11 am.¡± He continued, ¡°Don¡¯t forget about the dipping sauce. Remember to fry the ingredients first.¡± ¡­ Fatty was even more obedient than Jiang Cheng required. After he woke up in the morning, he moved around so slowly that he barely made any sound. His gait was light as he moved down the stairs. He went to the morning market to purchase some yams. He peeled them and cut them into short pieces. He ced them in the pot with the ribs. He also bought some cucumbers. He marinated them with salt, soysauce and vinegar to make into a cold sd for Doctor. Fatty calcted the time perfectly. He started cooking at 8 am so he¡¯d wake Doctor up at 10.50 am. The rest of the time he spent cleaning. In a pair of stic gloves, he started to clean Jiang Cheng¡¯sputer, table and so on¡­ Fatty picked up Jiang Cheng¡¯s keyboard and frowned. The only unlocked drawer had two rolls of tissues inside it. He was very detailed. He cleaned even the corners. He had a cleaning job before, so this wasn¡¯t hard for him. It merely took time. As he knelt on the ground with a bottle of cleaner and washcloth, footsteps came from the stairs. Fatty raised his head to see Jiang Cheng turn the corner. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty greeted him passionately. ¡°You¡¯re so early. It¡¯s only 10 am. The ribs are not ready yet.¡±Jiang Cheng looked like a zombie. He swayed as he entered the bathroom beside the stairs. After the sound of running water, Jiang Cheng said slowly, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I can wait.¡± ¡°Thank you, Doctor.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s half-asleep state changed when he had the first bite of the ribs. Thanks to the long cooking time, the meat fell off with a pick of the chopsticks. Jiang Cheng picked arge piece of meat, dipped it in the sauce and then ate it. Fattydled a bowl of soup for Jiang Cheng and said, ¡°Doctor, it¡¯s hot.¡± He added, ¡°Don¡¯t need to hurry. No one is fighting you for the food.¡± Jiang Cheng finished the pot of stew in less than half an hour. After lunch, Fatty started cleaning the kitchen. Jiang Cheng leaned on the couch and picked his teeth. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes happily, ¡°You¡¯re freeter, right?¡± The sound of the running faucet stopped. ¡°I¡¯m free, Doctor,¡± Fatty wiped his hands with the towel. ¡°Do you need me for anything?¡± ¡°I need you to go out with me in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Okay, Doctor.¡± Before they left in the afternoon, Jiang Cheng cleaned up nicely. He had a handsome face. With a good set of clothes, he looked like an elite of society. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty looked down at himself and hesitated, ¡°Do you think¡­ I should go change?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to meet a client,¡± Jiang Cheng adjusted his tie and interrupted Fatty, ¡°Not a rich woman.¡± When they reached the street, Fatty had more opinions. He thought the client would send a vehicle to get them or they¡¯d get a cab, but Jiang Cheng led him to the bus stop. Fatty looked around and asked, ¡°Doctor¡­ are we taking the bus?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Fatty continued, ¡°I don¡¯t have any change, do you?¡± At the mention of money, Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze darkened. His eyes leapt over Fatty to focus on the corner of the street. Fatty followed his gaze. He saw an old man limping their way with a cane. The old man had a tattered coat with a worn-out cor. One of his legs was broken. He leaned against the wall as he shuffled forward. His eyes were murky. He was clearly blind. The elder held a chipped bowl in his hands. There were some small changes in it. The elder was a beggar. As the old man made his way down the line of people waiting for the bus, they gave the old man a wide berth. Only a few tossed some coins into the bowl, making a clinging sound. Condescension was clear in everyone¡¯s eyes. The old man reminded Fatty of his grandfather. His heart dropped. Soon, the old man was about to reach Fatty and Jiang Cheng. He raised his head and lifted the bowl. He said in a sad tone, ¡°Thank you, kind sirs. I haven¡¯t had¡­¡± As Fatty¡¯s eyes reddened and he was about to pull out some paper notes¡­ As Fatty looked on in shock, Jiang Cheng reached out naturally to search through the bowl. In the end, Jiang Cheng two cleanest coins and held them in his palm. The old man was stunned. He felt the bowl in his hand getting lighter. He instantly knew what had happened. His dirty face burned with anger. He used his hand to grab Jiang Cheng by his sleeves. His mouth opened to reveal rows of ck and yellow teeth. Just as Fatty thought Jiang Cheng was going to be taught a lesson, Jiang Cheng coughed slowly. It was a normal cough, but it froze the old man. Then, the wrath on his face receded. The expression on his face turned into fear, like he had recognised the man before him. The hand that held Jiang Cheng¡¯s sleeves let go. He quickly used his hand to cover the top of his bowl. With Fatty watching, the old man grumbled under his breath and walked away. Chapter 106: Ping An Inn Chapter 106: Ping An Inn They came back from the client¡¯s ce, but Fatty¡¯s brain was still nk. He nced at Doctor, who was silently fighting the sweet and sour fish, and his throat trembled. He was not a human¡­ At least not someone he could understand. After dinner, Jiang Cheng surprisingly rolled up his sleeves and cleaned up the dishes. This shocked Fatty so much that he quickly stopped him and gasped, ¡°Doctor, what are you doing?¡± This made him feel like he was going to be reced. ¡°After you clean up, go to bed.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and added, ¡°We¡¯ll sleep together. You need to set the rm. Wake me up at midnight.¡± ¡°Are you going out sote at night?¡± Fatty was confused. However, he was used to Jiang Cheng not exining himself. After a quick clean-up, the two went upstairs to rest. Fatty thought that he had the chance to sleep in the bedroom, so he changed into a new set of pyjamas. Jiang Cheng stared at his new pyjamas, tutted audibly and mmed the bedroom door closed. Fatty¡¯s first rule of survival was to listen to Doctor. He applied that in real life too. He set two rms before falling asleep. While his brain was still blurry, he was woken up by the rms. He shook himself awake. Then, he went to knock on Jiang Cheng¡¯s door. To his surprise, the door was not locked. With a soft push, it opened. Fatty didn¡¯t enter but stood obediently outside the door. ¡°Doctor,¡± He extended his neck to whisper, ¡°It¡¯s time. Are you awake?¡± Jiang Chengy t on his mattress. He looked so peaceful that he could be dead. ¡°No.¡± His eyes remained closed, but his lips moved, ¡°I¡¯m still asleep.¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± However, Fatty knew that Doctor didn¡¯t set this time for no reason. He swallowed and probed, ¡°Is someoneing?¡±Jiang Cheng continued to ¡®sleep¡¯. ¡°A client?¡± Fatty followed this thought¡­ Then, his eyes trembled. What kind of client wouldn¡¯te in the day but had toe at night? Fatty was instantly reminded of the book of rich women on the shelf. Doctor said it was a book on the list of who would get sick from loneliness at night. The way he looked at Jiang Cheng changed. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t care about this. He turned over the nket and slowly sat up. Then, he stood up. While Fatty stood there, he removed his pyjamas and put on a tracksuit. Fatty stared at him with befuddlement. Slowly, an idea came to him. His eyes bulged, ¡°Doctor, are we¡­¡± ¡°Have you had enough sleep?¡± Jiang Cheng nced at him as he knelt down to tie his shoces. ¡°I hope you have because we are not sleeping anymore tonight.¡± ¡°We just came out of a nightmare!¡± Fatty was about to copse. ¡°Calm down.¡± Jiang Cheng stood up and took out the piece of yellow paper. After inspecting it, he put it back in his pocket. ¡°I don¡¯t n to bring you with me.¡± ¡°Doctor, it¡¯s not that. You¡­¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng crawled back into his bed. The warmness caused him to moan. He pulled the nket up to his chin. ¡°I¡¯m resuming my sleep.¡± Fatty knew he couldn¡¯t do anything to stop Jiang Cheng. Perhaps¡­ Doctor had his own ns. ¡°Doctor, you have to be careful.¡± He thought about it and reminded him. ¡°Also, don¡¯t try to save anyone this time. Just look after yourself.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Jiang Cheng slowly closed his eyes. ¡°Fatty, close the door when you leave. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± In the dark, Jiang Cheng¡¯s breathing was slow and even. Gradually, he really fell asleep. In the dream, he dreamed that he slowly stood up and walked down the stairs. He opened the ck, iron door again. When he opened his eyes, the scene changed. There was a dim oilmp above his head. Perhaps it was the wind or the wick. The me flickered. The ceiling was very low. Through themp, Jiang Cheng saw the many spiderwebs around the room. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t see any spiders. He disliked those things with many legs and fuzzy bodies. The ce was low and shadowy. His nose moved. There was¡­ a strange scent. He was not unfamiliar with this smell. He slowly lowered his head and confirmed his location. ¡°...¡± He was in a rather cramped toilet. It was very dirty too. The walls around him were stained with unknown yellow substances. Before him was a fragile, wooden door. The lower parts of the door had signs of being charred. He held his breath, pushed the door and walked out. After a few steps, he saw a green door. He opened it and entered a ce that looked like a lobby. The floor was ck. It was probably cement¡­ Or something else. In any case, it was cheap and rough. The tables and chairs were aged. The table closest to him was cracked. It was covered with stains that couldn¡¯t be removed even with a lot of polishing. In Jiang Cheng¡¯s impression, he had never been to such a ce. He had only seen it in movies or dramas. They were drama pieces about the 70s or 80s. This time, he had gone back a lot further in time. He stood there and looked around. He was inside a ratherrge inn. The floor he was on contained the inn¡¯s in-house restaurant. He found the inn¡¯s name at a conspicuous spot. An Ping Inn. After he confirmed his surroundings, it was time to meet up with his teammates for this mission. They should be around the inn. There were only so many people eating. Of the ten tables, only three were seated. He scanned them. Everyone lowered their heads to eat. No one paid him any attention. He moved down a direction. There was no door but a white curtain as a partition. As the only private booth of this restaurant, it was quite simple and crude. As he pulled back the curtain, seven gazes shot at him. Jiang Cheng was not embarrassed and walked in to pull out a chair to sit down. The people inside were dressed differently from the others from this era. They were like Jiang Cheng, who came from several decadester. There were five males and three females, including Jiang Cheng. Chapter 108: Good Friend Chapter 108: Good Friend Everyone looked past him to the next person. This was an old man with white hair. He looked older than seventy. However, he looked spirited and he exuded confidence. ¡°Bei Qian,¡± The old man nodded slightly, ¡°I¡¯m a professor at the art school. My speciality is Chinese Paintings.¡± The elder had great temperance. The next was the Bushy Haired Fatty. He began cautiously, ¡°My name is Ben Fu. I¡¯m a programmer. I¡¯m 28 but I started my job early. I have been a programmer for 10 years already.¡± Then, he lowered his head and whispered, ¡°Other than my professional work, I don¡¯t have much expertise.¡± He knew that in this era, his skill was probably worthless. Jiang Cheng stared at the man and said, ¡°You¡¯re lying! I haven¡¯t met a programmer who is not bald!¡± He pointed at the man¡¯s head, ¡°How can you have such great hair?¡± Ben Fu shuddered. He quickly removed his wig and shook it to prove himself. ¡°This is a wig. In the third year of my work, I had already started¡­¡± Everyone started to rx when they saw Ben Fu¡¯s Mediterranean pattern baldness. Then came the turn for the dutiful woman and the seductive woman. The dutiful woman was a standard housewife, and her name was Lee Lu. She had a blue-cor husband and a three-year-old daughter. She normally stayed at home, cooking, cleaning, and gardening. She was a home-ec expert. However, she was not good at anything else. The seductive woman¡¯s self-introduction was very simple. Her name was Yu Man. She easily admitted that she worked in nightclubs. She pressed her lips and blew a kiss at the men. Jiang Cheng¡¯s blood boiled. Zhou Rong¡¯s eyes dimmed.Priest, painter, programmer, nightclub hostess and a housewife¡­ So far, no one was impressive. He needed people with specific expertise like detective work, analysis, mathematics¡­ and so on. What are these? He ced his hope on thest two, or rather, thest man. Slowly, Zhou Rong¡¯s eyes burned. As Thousand Cities¡¯ youngest president, he rose to power with his urate observational skills and eye for talent. This enabled him to make a name for himself on the stock market. He believed the man before him¡­ was not simple. Even if he was just sitting there, he exuded an imposing presence. He profiled Jiang Cheng with his expertise. The man looked younger than twenty. Even though he looked passable, his fashion sense was normal. He didn¡¯t look like he came from a good background. His actions were sharp and immediate. He didn¡¯t have any extra habits like chin-scratching or lips-licking. This meant that the man was constitutionally strong. He was not nervous in the nightmare realm. The most impressive feature about Jiang Chang was his pair of eyes. It contained 70 percent self-confidence and 30 percent condescension. Combining that with his attitude meant that he didn¡¯t mind anyone present, including Zhou Rong. What kind of a person was this¡­ Zhou Rong was greatly intrigued. He had a feeling this man would be the key to solving the mission. These thoughts crossed his mind in mere seconds. Then, he calmed down and turned to the woman who was supposed to go next. Chen Xiaomeng nced at a book ced on the windowsill expressionlessly. The book was old and covered in dust. The cover was heavily damaged. Only a few characters of the title could be discerned. One was Condor, and the other was Hero. Chen Xiaoming smirked and raised her head, ¡°You can call me Dragon Lady. I¡¯m a student of Law. I¡¯m currently an intern at aw firm.¡± Dragon Lady¡­. Everyone knew that was a name pulled from the famous novel Legend of the Condor Hero, but no one said anything. Names were just titles. Zhou Rong ced more importance on a person¡¯s value. A student ofw¡­ that was not bad. He turned his gaze to thest person. Everyone else did the same. Jiang Cheng slowly sat up. The pressure he let off caused some to shiver involuntarily. This confirmed Zhou Rong¡¯s thoughts even further. Chen Xiaomeng felt a gaze on her. When she looked over, Jiang Cheng had already pulled his eyes back. Fear suddenly shed in her heart¡­ like something bad was about to happen. ¡°Hello,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°I¡¯m Dragon Lady¡¯s good friend, Yi Zhiping.¡± Yi Zhiping was another character from the same book. He was said to have a crush on Dragon Lady. Once he said that the ce became silent. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s face changed drastically from confusion to shock and, finally, anger. Her lips were white. She jumped up in anger. ¡°Nonsense!¡± Zhou Rong was not interested in the couple¡¯s quarrel. He was only concerned about Jiang Cheng¡¯s value. He had to step forward to control the situation. He quickly asked Jiang Cheng, ¡°Mr. Yi, what¡¯s your upation?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a model.¡± Jiang Cheng said proudly. ¡°I work the night shifts too, but I¡¯m different from her.¡± He pointed at Yu Man and chuckled derisively, ¡°I¡¯m from the high-end group. Do you understand? I will not appear unless I¡¯m booked. It¡¯s impossible for a normal customer to see me.¡± Zhou Rong, ¡°???¡± Everyone, ¡°???¡± Yu Man, ¡°...¡± Chen Xiaomeng, ¡°This man is crazy. Don¡¯t believe him! I don¡¯t even know him!¡± Just as Jiang Cheng was about to exin himself to prove that he was a sought-after host, the sound of argument came from outside the booth. It started slow, but it became more agitated. It was soon apanied by a woman¡¯s crying and the sound of the tables shing. The attention of the people in the booth was sessfully distracted. Zhou Rong moved to pull the curtain back. The person who was crying was a middle-aged woman around 40. The woman stood in the middle of the lobby. A tan man was chasing her out. His attitude was brash and rude. ¡°How many times have I told you already? I have not seen them!¡± The man had on a dirty apron. As he shoved the woman out, he threatened, ¡°If I see you sneak into this ce again, I¡¯ll break your legs!¡± The middle-aged woman refused to leave quietly. The man became irritated. He subconsciously reached for the wooden club behind the door. Chapter 107: Familiar Face Chapter 107: Familiar Face He looked from left to right and scanned the people before him. Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes narrowed when he saw thest woman. The woman looked young and was dressed young too. She had on a beige top and a green dress. She exuded grace with a little naughtiness. She had barely any make-up on. She looked like someone who had just graduated from school. Youthfulness lingered on her face. The woman was very silent. Her eyes radiated the illusion of weakness and naivete. Yes¡­ An illusion. This was because Jiang Cheng could sense the hostility deep within her eyes. It almost pierced him. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t expect to encounter a familiar face. Chen Xiaomeng¡­ It was the innocent-looking high-school student from the first mission. After a brief meeting of the eyes, they both moved away subtly. Due to the new arrival, the atmosphere became interesting. For a moment, no one spoke as they observed quietly. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re quite lucky.¡± A graceful man around 40 smiled. His voice was convincing and kind. ¡°Everyone is very calm. We don¡¯t have any newbies this time. This should be easier.¡± When Jiang Cheng entered the booth, he had already noticed this man. He was handsome and well-dressed. With a pair of silver-rimmed sses, he stood out. He held his forehead andughed sadly. He said that he was paired with four newbies in hisst mission. When the mission started, the two of them started to fight since they were unable to ept the truth. They fought so hard that it attracted the police and almost deviated from the plot. ¡°Will the police¡­ show up in the missions?¡± It was a woman who spoke. She acted very casually. She was very normal-looking. She looked around 35. She had wrinkles around her eyes. The man seemed to read the woman¡¯s mind. He smiled, ¡°Even though they were police, they did not intervene with our plot. If anything, they offered valuable aid.¡± Hearing that, the light in the woman¡¯s eyes dimmed. It looked like¡­ getting the police¡¯s help to clear the mission was impossible.¡°How long you¡¯ve been here already?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°I arrived around ten minutes ago,¡± A fat man with bushy hair answered. When everyone turned to him, his voice lowered. ¡°I pushed open the door, and here I was.¡± ¡°By here, you mean¡­¡± ¡°This booth.¡± He pressed his lips and pointed to the footprints on the table. He said embarrassedly. ¡°I walked out the door and ended up standing on the table.¡± Jiang Cheng tutted. He couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of his Fatty at home. Did the Nightmare Realm have some deals with fatties? How else could he exin the spawning locations of the fatties being so premium every time? For thest mission, Fatty spawned on the coffee shop table, facing the school. In contrast, Jiang Cheng spawned in the toilet. ¡°What about the rest of you?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to the rest. There were a variety of answeres. Some spawned in the kitchen, beside a boiling pot. Someone spawned in the bed of the inn. ¡°Brother,¡± The fatty with the bushy hair reacted and said with a grin, ¡°Only you spawned in the toilet.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned back against the back of the chair. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Then, he continued in a suspicious tone, ¡°Didn¡¯t you spawn on the table?¡± Bushy Hair looked at him with clear confusion. ¡°Arge friend of mine also spawned on top of a table in thest mission,¡± Fatty nced at him. Bushy Hair hesitated. ¡°And?¡± ¡°Never mind.¡± Jiang Cheng became serious. ¡°The mission is more important. I need to go back to visit him on the seventh day of his death when his soul is supposed to return.¡± Bushy Hair Fatty, ¡°???¡± Even though the elegant man tried to bring the topic back, Bushy Hair Fatty was affected. Based on what Elegant Man said, they were currently in a town called An Ping. The town was small. Even in this era, it was considered backwards. The inn they were in was the only inn in town. It had three floors. They were on the first floor, where the inn-operated restaurant was located. The second and third floors were bedrooms. After that, he exined where he got the information. He hadn¡¯t left the inn. He garnered the information from the inn customers and the boss. ¡°It looks like this is the venue of our mission,¡± Chen Xiaomeng appeared collected, very different from when she was on the first mission. A condescending chuckle echoed. It was followed by a seductive voice, ¡°Do you wish to die? How can you conclude that based on the current situation?¡± Jiang Cheng followed the voice. A voluptuous woman leaned against her chair. Charm flowed through her eyes. She was like a snake. Chen Xiaomeng was about to retort. ¡°Stop arguing.¡± Elegant man frowned. No wonder the man said hisst mission was affected due to the disharmony within his group. He was hinting at these two women. Based on the smell of firepowder, they probably had been at it before Jiang Cheng arrived. ¡°The situation is unclear. It doesn¡¯t help to fight among ourselves,¡± Elegant Man advised. He yed the role of the leader like Fan Li did in the first mission. However, his leadership skills were clearly better than Fan Li¡¯s. After he spoke up, the woman and Chen Xiaomeng quieted down. This made Jiang Cheng take another look at the man. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll have to trouble everyone to introduce themselves,¡± Elegant Man began, ¡°Your upation, your title, your field of expertise and so on¡­¡± He paused before adding, ¡°This is very important.¡± To be an example, he started by saying, ¡°My name is Zhou Rong. I¡¯m the vice president of Thousand City Organisation. I¡¯m very good at data analysis.¡± He didn¡¯t give the others the chance to say no. He looked at the person beside him. It was a middle-aged man with a thin and weak body. He was in official attire. However, his small eyes couldn¡¯t hide his fatigue. He withered under Zhou Rong¡¯s gaze and answered quickly, ¡°I¡¯m Jiang Zhongyi. I¡­ I am an intern priest. I¡¯m good at¡­¡± Chapter 109: Yi Zhiping Chapter 109: Yi Zhiping Just as he was about to swing the club, someone gripped the club from the other end. He turned around in confusion. A well-dressed man appeared behind him with a smile. ¡°Brother Liu,¡± Zhou Rong held the club and asked, ¡°What is making you so angry?¡± The tanned man¡¯s surname was Liu. He was the boss of An Ping Inn. He was also the chef. Zhou Rong had met his wife before. She was responsible for registering guests. Seeing Zhou Rong, the man hesitated. However, he still didn¡¯t put the club down. He huffed, ¡°Brother Zhou, this has nothing to do with you. Leave it be.¡± Just as everyone thought Zhou Rong would do more, he let go and nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± The woman was unceremoniously chased out. She cried like her world had ended. However, the boss didn¡¯t cross the line since Zhou Rong intervened. At least he didn¡¯t use the club to harm the woman. He only chased her out with words. When most people¡¯s attention was on the boss and the woman, Jiang Cheng was looking around. Chen Xiaomeng red at him like she wanted to skin him alive. Chen Xiaomeng followed his gaze and noticed a table of customers. Different from the rest, that table of customers was very calm. They didn¡¯t even nce at themotion. They kept their heads low and focused on eating¡­ like they were used to what was happening. She pulled her gaze back. When she saw Jiang Cheng again, thetter seemed to sense something. He also looked back and slowly blinked at Chen Xiaomeng. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes widened. She saw Jiang Cheng shimmying his body shyly, acting like a new bride with her husband. A spark coursed through her body, and Chen Xiaomeng felt like vomiting. After themotion, things soon returned to normal. The customers resumed eating. Boss Liu probably felt embarrassed. After chasing the woman away, he returned to the kitchen.¡°What is this?¡± Ben Fu knelt down and picked up a piece of paper. The paper was small. It should be a torn corner from a bigger piece of paper. There were many simr pieces on the ground. Zhou Rong thought about it and said, ¡°Pick them all up. We¡¯ll try to piece it back.¡± Half an hour ago, when Jiang Cheng first arrived, the floor was very clean. He was sure these paper pieces weren¡¯t present then. Therefore, they probably had to do with the middle-aged woman. The team ignored the other NPCs. After a quick sweep, they gathered around a table in the middle of the restaurant and pieced the pieces together. It was¡­ a portrait. Since they were missing a few pieces, only a brief silhouette could be seen. But the subject in the portrait was definitely a man. ¡°Could this be the woman¡¯s husband?¡± Jiang Zhongyi suggested, ¡°He went missing for some reason. The woman came here with a portrait to find her husband.¡± Considering the conversation between the boss and the woman, that was totally possible. ¡°However¡­ that doesn¡¯t sound like something to chase someone out for.¡± Lee Lu shrunk her neck and nced at the kitchen as if worried that the boss might hear her. ¡°It¡¯s one thing to chase her out, but why tear up her portrait?¡± Indeed, that was a bit much. The cavalierness of the other customers was unusual too. Ben Fu looked at the two tables closest to them. Then, he hesitated, ¡°Should we ask¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Zhou Rong and the elder, Bei Qian, said at the same time. The two shared a look. In the end, it was Zhou Rong who exined, ¡°The situation is too unclear for us to tip our hands.¡± Yu Man smiled charmingly at him and said in a teasing tone, ¡°Does Mr. Zhou wish for us to ignore this lead? Perhaps¡­¡± She curled a finger around her hair. ¡°This is the real way to trigger the mission.¡± Then, Zhou Rong took a step back and bowed, ¡°Miss Yu, if that¡¯s what you believe, go ahead.¡± His attitude was direct. If she didn¡¯t believe him, she could take the risks. Yu Man instantly looked awkward. She shut up. She was not dumb. She knew the risks involved. She said those things only because Zhou Rong hadn¡¯t given her face earlier. But¡­ she was still stumped by Zhou Rong. Thankfully, Bei Qian came forth and said a few words to smooth things over. Bei Qian suggested that they leave the inn and search for the clues outside. If the middle-aged woman were really looking for someone, she would have visited more ces than An Ping Inn. They could use this angle, which was less risky. Everyone agreed. Only Jiang Cheng disagreed. This handsome man was a unique presence. He stood in an unseriously manner. He leaned forward and stood on tip toe. His eyes were fixed on a spot and he looked rejuvenated. Since Ben Fu stood across from him, he was the first to notice this. He followed Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze with confusion¡­ until he saw Yu Man¡¯s chest. Yu Man probably came directly from the nightclub to the nightmare realm. She only wore a sheer wine-red dress. The tulle¡­ barely hid her good figure. ¡°Do you like what you see?¡± A voice asked. Ben Fu was so distracted that he nodded subconsciously and licked his lips. Just he felt his head chilled. As he pulled his eyes back, Jiang Cheng stood before him with an angry huff. Jiang Cheng grabbed his wig in his left hand and arched his right hand to smack Ben Fu right on the back of his head. This smack almost dazed Ben Fu. ¡°You pervert!¡± Jiang Cheng was taller than Ben Fu. He looked down on him quite literally, ¡°How dare you salivate after the beautiful Miss Yu?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Bei Qian sighed helplessly. ¡°We better focus on the mission.¡± Then, Jiang Cheng let go of Ben Fu. After the group left An Ping Inn, they wandered around aimlessly. Ben Fu held the back of his head, probably scarred by Jiang Cheng and walked at the back of the group. Jiang Cheng confiscated his wig. It hungzily on the back of Jiang Cheng¡¯s pants pocket. Apparently, it was punishment for his perversion. Jiang Cheng used this opportunity to get close to Yu Man. He asionally leaned forward to whisper into the woman¡¯s ear. Yu Man chuckled happily. The two had a lot of fun. Chapter 110: Little Ravine Village Chapter 110: Little Ravine Vige Jiang Cheng ignored the hateful gazeing from behind him. The more Chen Xiaomeng stared at Jiang Cheng¡¯s face, the greater her will to strangle him. An Ping Town wasn¡¯t big. The inn was situated in the middle of the town. Soon, they reached the edges of the town. An elder leaned against the fence, a tobo pipe hanging on his lips. By his looks, the elder lived a hard-pressed life. His clothes were old and had many patches. His pant legs were stuck with mud. His two slightly open eyes appeared murky. Perhaps he was blind. The fence behind him was dirty and uneven. Probably, it was used to keep livestock. However, only unkempt hay mixed with mud still remained. The wind carried over a horrible stench. Bei Qian studied the old man. With his hands behind his back, he walked forward naturally. Chen Xiaomeng saw this and wanted to follow but she was stopped by Zhou Rong. Bei Qian leaned on the fence beside the old man. Soon, the two elders of simr ages started to chat. Eventually, the elder became more enthusiastic. He even turned around to gesture at the space inside the fence as if he were introducing stuff to Bei Qian. Ten minutester, Bei Qian said goodbye and left. The simple old man called after him and took out a wrinkled, self-rolled tobo roll from his dirty pocket. He wanted to give it to Bei Qian. Bei Qian thanked him and rejected him. The elder was very stubborn. He insisted. Bei Qian nodded and had to thank the old man again. Then, he returned to his team. ¡°Elder Bei,¡± Zhou Rong asked, ¡°Is there any clue about that woman?¡± Bei Qian nodded. He ced the tobo roll on his lips, but he didn¡¯t light it. He seemed to be reminiscing about that era. ¡°The woman is not from this town but from the nearby vige.¡± He began slowly, ¡°She arrived here about half a month ago. She said it was to find her missing husband. She started to look for him with a few portraits. She appeared a bit loose in the head. Everyone in the town knows of her.¡± Jiang Zhongyi leaned forward and whispered, ¡°Did her husband disappear in this vige?¡± Bei Qian shook his head. ¡°No. He disappeared in the woman¡¯s original vige.¡±Ben Fu, who had not said anything, frowned. ¡°Since he didn¡¯t go missing here, why did shee here to search for him?¡± Ben Fu¡¯s question was the same one on everyone¡¯s minds. It was very logical. Everyone turned to look at Bei Qian. It was impossible for him not to realise this simple issue. After a short silence, Bei Qian paused and turned in a fixed direction. His eyes focused on a winding, mud road. Perhaps it had rained the night before. The path was filled with holes and mud. The path led to a mountain. At the foot of the mountain was a verdant forest. The day was dimming, but no birds were returning. There was no sound of bugs or animals. The mountain and the forest were strangely quiet¡­ like they were dead. Zhou Roing seemed to realise something. He looked at Bei Qian strangely. ¡°Did she¡­e from a vige inside the mountain?¡± Bei Qian nodded and ryed the message, ¡°The brother told me to ignore that woman and not pit her. No matter what our reason being here was, no one could intervene with the issues at that vige.¡± Everyone¡¯s hearts fell. The mission¡­ was finally here. The sun set faster than they thought. Before they returned to the inn, the sky was already almost dark. In this unfamiliar world, darkness exuded a sense of death. Everyone moved faster. The streets that looked familiar in the day became so eerie at night. The buildings hid in the blurry darkness. They were like ghosts in disguise, trying to eat someone. The nightlife back then was less active than it was in the present. This was especially true in this backwards town. Once the sky was dark, everyone went back to sleep. Theck of nightlife meant that a rise in the birth of newborns. Of course, only Jiang Cheng pondered such an issue. Everyone else was focused on hurrying back to the inn. Thankfully, An Ping Ann was a signature building in the town. Big, rednterns were hung at the four corners of the inn. It was captivating in the dark. When they got closer to the inn, they were shocked to see that the inn was still open. In fact, there were a few people standing at the front door. There were around nine of them. The boss they saw in the afternoon blocked the door. His face was red. He held a wooden club. He seemed to be arguing with the group. The sound of argument travelled far in the silent night. As the group got closer, the people who were arguing with the inn boss noticed them. Then, the whole group rushed at them. ¡°You all are here to help us, right?!¡± A man around 60 was supported by the other men around him as they shuffled over. He was clearly the leader. Everyone looked up to him. ¡°I¡­ am the leader of Little Ravine Vige. Cough¡­ My surname is Liu.¡± The man, who called himself the vige leader, was very excited to see them. Once he grabbed Zhou Rong¡¯s arm, he refused to let go. He seemed to have decided the travellers were there to save them. He was so shaky, and he was greatly emotional. The people around him started to cry as well. Zhou Rong was very calm. He didn¡¯t say yes or no. He merely said, ¡°Leader Liu, what is happening¡­¡± The tall man beside him said excitedly, ¡°We heard that you¡¯ve arrived at An Ping Town. Therefore, the vige leader led us to wee you!¡± The man was at least 2 meters tall. He was at least a head taller than Jiang Cheng. He was tanned and extremely muscr. The crimson-redntern entuated the lines of his muscle. The thinnest among them was Jiang Zhongyi. He shivered involuntarily. He suspected that the man could crush him to death with his hands. Through their conversation, they confirmed that this group came from the Little Ravine Vige situated in the mountain, which was mentioned by the old man by the fence earlier. They came to An Ping Town to ask for help. This ¡®help¡¯... was probably rted to the mission. Since the mission venue had been confirmed, they could start moving. They made a promise to the vige leader. They would meet at the entrance of the inn tomorrow morning before heading to Little Ravine Vige. Chapter 111: Woman Chapter 111: Woman After a quick introduction, the vige leader began to corral his people to leave. At that moment, Jiang Cheng suddenly called out, ¡°Vige Leader!¡± When they turned around, Jiang Cheng pointed at the night sky. ¡°Is it alright for you lot to travel back up the mountain sote at night?¡± ¡°We¡­¡± The leader looked awkward, but he quicklyughed to cover it. ¡°Thank you for your concern, little brother. I think we might stay somewhere close overnight.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t youe and stay with us?¡± Jiang Cheng offered naturally, ¡°You can tell us more about your vige at night.¡± At that moment, the young people around the vige head had their faces change. In the end, it was the vige head who smoothed things over, ¡°Thank you, little brother. We¡­ can¡¯t impose on you. You should rest. We¡¯lle fetch you early tomorrow morning.¡± After saying that, the vige head and his group left in the hurry like something scary was chasing after them. After the vige head¡¯s group disappeared into the dark and the travellers turned around into the inn to rest, they realised the inn boss was standing at the door, staring at the vige head¡¯s group silently. When the travellers got closer, they realised there was an indecipherable strangeness in the boss¡¯ eyes. There was disgust and also¡­ barely discernable fear. ¡°Brother Liu,¡± Zhou Rong noticed this too. The inn boss clearly knew the vige head and his people. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t like them, or else he wouldn¡¯t have stopped them from entering his inn. Combined with the woman whom they encountered in the afternoon and the old man at the fence, the people of Little Ravine Vige were not weed at An Ping Town. It was not a specific person who was targeted but the whole vige. What happened¡­ to this vige to cause this? The boss seemed to wake up from a dream after being called by Zhou Rong. He shuddered involuntarily. The travellers noted this. ¡°Brother Liu,¡± Zhou Rong was very friendly. He purposely nced at where the boss was watching earlier. He acted openly curious. ¡°What were you looking at?¡±The boss hesitated as he pressed his lips. Then, he uttered quickly, ¡°Come in first. We¡¯ll talk about it inside.¡± After thest person entered the inn, the boss immediately closed the door. Then, as if still worried, he found a wooden stick to block the door. After that, the boss looked slightly relieved. He carefully looked out through the gap in the door. Then, he pulled back. ¡°Why did you get yourself entangled with those people? Who are they to you?¡± The boss looked at them andmented unkindly. ¡°We¡¯re back to visit our families.¡± Jiang Zhongyi was closest to the boss, so he came up with a random excuse. ¡°We have been out for many years. This time, we came back to find our rtives in that mountainous vige¡­¡± To their shock¡­ ¡°You lie!¡± The boss¡¯ face darkened instantly. He looked like he was about to swallow Jiang Zhongyi. ¡°No one is willing to return to that vige anymore,¡± The boss said nervously as he stared at Jiang Zhongyi. He squeezed every word out of his teeth. ¡°Everyone who has that wish is already dead!¡± Jiang Zhongyi froze awkwardly. In the end, it was Bei Qian who came to his rescue. ¡°Boss,¡± Bei Qian spoke slowly but imposingly. He looked the boss in the eyes and said sincerely, ¡°To be honest, we have received a request to solve an issue at the Little Ravine Vige.¡± The boss didn¡¯t inquire further. He seemed to know already what that issue was. He said anxiously, ¡°Old Master, you shouldn¡¯t have done that. Do you think it¡¯s wise to get involved with the issue at the Little Ravine Vige? ¡°It¡¯s a curse!¡± The boss waved his fists agitatedly as veins burst on his neck. ¡°Those who died with indignation have returned to demand reparation from the Little Ravine Vige!¡± Zhou Rong studied the boss. He reaction contained more than traces of fear. There was also a sense of anger. Something terrible and immoral must have happened at the Little Ravine Vige before this. This incident led to the so-called curse and made the neighbouring viges show hostility towards the people of Little Ravine Vige. Even if that person was a pitiful woman looking for her missing husband. Zhou Rong asked, ¡°What exactly happened¡­ at Little Ravine Vige?¡± With a sigh, the boss pulled over a chair and sat down. An oilmp sat on the table. Its me danced in the wind. ¡°The origin of the incident started twenty years ago.¡± His voice took on a hint of mncholy. ¡°Little Ravine Vige is situated in the middle of a mountain. It is isted and slow to develop. Generations of the vigers rely on mountain fishing and hunting to survive. ¡°However, many years ago, the monastery downstream collected funds to build a dam. The fishing industry was heavily affected. These viges were greatly influenced. The situation has not improved. It has only gotten worse.¡± He sighed and shook his head. ¡°What kind of sane woman would willingly marry to such ces? ¡°However, a vige can¡¯t survive without the fairer sex. Furthermore, family lineage is very important. Therefore, someone in Little Ravine Vige came up with the idea of lying to get women to marry and move there.¡± The boss scoffed. ¡°They called it lying, but it was no different from kidnapping. ¡°The women were not dumb. After they were brought to Little Ravine Vige, they realised the situation was different from what they were told. Therefore, they all bonded together and demanded to go home. Some even tried to sneak away from the vige. ¡°However, fate was not on their side. There was no escape. Every family had a single man¡­ Every family needed a womb. ¡°No matter where they escaped to, hell waited for them.¡± Chen Xiaomeng stood beside the boss. She astutely noticed that when the boss mentioned these things, sharpness appeared in his eyes. His two fists tightened. He pitied these women and what happened to them. ¡°What happened after that?¡± Yu Wan asked softly. She was no longer as cavalier as before. She was paying respect to those women who suffered so many years ago. ¡°No secrets can be kept forever.¡± The boss ced his hands on the table and sighed, ¡°In the end, the police followed a trail of evidence and found the women hidden in this mountainous vige. Many people came that day. There were the police and many anxious parents who had their daughters stolen away from them. ¡°When the girls¡¯ parents saw the horrible state their daughters were in, they pushed past the police line in their anger. They grabbed the main kidnapper from the police¡¯s detention and beat him to death on the spot. ¡°I heard that it was very gory. The flesh was mixed into the dirt. Not even aplete corpse remained.¡± Chapter 112: Sides Chapter 112: Sides The boss paused like he was thinking back to that tragedy. His expression was coloured with fear. He epted the bowl of water from Zhou Rong. He gulped it down and finally calmed down. Chen Xiaomeng leaned forward and asked, ¡°So¡­ is Little Ravine Vige cursed by those dead women?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The boss nodded. ¡°Not long after the police left, people started to go missing from Little Ravine Vige. At first, no one connected the two, but as more people went missing, people realised this was the dead womening back to take revenge. Especially¡­¡± The boss¡¯ voice trembled, ¡°When they found the men¡¯s bodies.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with their bodies?¡± It was Ben Fu who asked this question. His body curled up. He was both curious and scared. ¡°The bodies¡­ were in a horrible state.¡± The boss pulled his coat around him like there was a sudden chill. ¡°I heard some of them had their eyes and noses gouged out. There were others that were dismembered and had their limbs hung from the trees. There was one case where the man was fully skinned, and his skin was folded neatly and ced under the tree¡­ It was horrid. ¡°Just imagine. Could a human be behind these atrocities?¡± The ghosts and curses had to be real. After all, for the travellers, that was the core of their mission. CREAK. A voice came from behind. They turned to look. There was a light in the dark. A woman carrying an oilmp slowly walked down the stairs. She looked pale and wore simple clothes. Zhou Rong recognised her easily. She was the boss¡¯ wife. The wooden stairs were so old that they moaned as the woman stepped on them.The boss seemed to be very scared of his wife. Once he saw her, he jumped up and told the travellers, ¡°Listen to me. No matter your reason, do not get entangled with those people from that sted vige!¡± He studied Zhou Rong¡¯s clothes and said rapidly, ¡°I can see that you are not normal people. However, the issue in that vige is not easily solved. The Little Ravine Vige has dropped a lot of money to deal with the curse over the years. However, once those people who were hired entered the mountain, they were never seen again.¡± The boss gritted his teeth as he made a decision, ¡°You need to rest tonight. Tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll send you away from the backdoor. The food and amodation is free. Please leave as soon as possible and don¡¯te back.¡± The boss was an honest person. He didn¡¯t wish the travellers to die from the curse. However, he didn¡¯t understand that solving the curse was their mission. Once they failed to do that within the time limit, the travellers would all die. Of course, they couldn¡¯t tell the boss that. After saying these, the boss left with his wife. Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes lingered on the wife¡¯s tummy. Under themon clothes, the woman¡¯s stomach was slightly bulging. She was probably pregnant. This could exin why the boss was so anxious when he saw the woman walking down the stairs alone. After the boss and his wife left, everyone sat around the table to discuss the next course of action. They naturally wouldn¡¯t heed the boss¡¯ advice. However, regarding what to do next, there were two different parties. With Bei Qian as the leader, one team was more conservative. They would not head to Little Ravine Vige tomorrow but stayed at An Ping Town to collect more news. They would wait for a more mature time before heading to the vige. However, Zhou Rong was on the other side. He suggested they went up to Little Ravine Vige as soon as possible. Even though there was no clear time limit, it was better toplete the mission sooner thanter. Plus, An Ping Town was not the mission venue. The possibility of finding more clues was low. The two parties refused to back down. In the end, someone suggested a vote. The suggestion was approved. Jiang Zhongyi raised his hand. ¡°I support Elder Bei Qian¡­ We should gather as much information as we can or¡­. We risk our lives.¡± Once he finished, Yu Man hugged her chest and scoffed, ¡°I agree. If you want to go tomorrow, you can go. I¡¯ll stay.¡± She gave Zhou Rong a side-eye, clearly taunting him. There were also two who sided with Zhou Rong: Chen Xiaomeng and Lee Li. Lee Li appeared soft and timid, but she was adamant about going to Little Ravine Vige. This caused many to change their impression of her. Only Jiang Cheng and Ben Fu hadn¡¯t said their piece. Their decisions would decide the destination of the group. None of them were newbies. They knew the importance of sticking together. Ben Fu felt a lot of pressure being stared at by both teams. He knew himself well. He was a follower. He survived so long by being lucky and picking the correct leader. He knew that he couldn¡¯t afford to offend anyone. ¡°I¡­ surrender my vote.¡± He looked around and whispered. Bei Qian nced at him and said nothing. However, Zhou Rong looked at him chillingly. Ben Fu didn¡¯t dare to meet his eyes. He quickly lowered his head to look at his feet. Then, only Jiang Cheng was left. His vote was very important. Bei Qian chimed in, ¡°Little brother,¡± His voice was soft, but it gave off a reliable feeling, ¡°Your choice might decide whether we live or die. I hope you consider the weight behind it.¡± Since Bei Qian spoke, Zhou Rong had to say something too. ¡°Mr. Yi,¡± He looked at Jiang Cheng, ¡°I believe you know how precious time is during the mission. Even though my choice is riskier¡­¡± Jiang Cheng sat in the middle and enjoyed this feeling of being valued. He slowly raised the cup to his mouth. When he realised it was empty, he frowned and tutted audibly. Jiang Zhongyi astutely filled up the cup for Jiang Cheng. After taking a satisfactory sip, Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. He looked at Jiang Zhongyi with a smile and said, ¡°I support¡­¡± Jiang Zhongyi was so excited his face was red. ¡°I support Zhou Rong,¡± Jiang Cheng turned his head. ¡°After all, the Dragon Lady is my good friend. We¡­¡± He looked at Chen Xiaomeng seriously. ¡°We were once a couple.¡± Chapter 113: Impressive Fatty Chapter 113: Impressive Fatty The group, ¡°???¡± Chen Xiaomeng was stunned for a few seconds when her pupils trembled. ¡°Hao Shuai¡­ I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± The situation became chaotic. Thankfully, a conclusion had been reached. Tomorrow morning, they would follow the vige leader to the mission venue, Little Ravine Vige. Since a decision had been made, while Bei Qian¡¯s group was not satisfied, he still epted the result. The night wasing. It was time to rest and prepare for the day after. Mountain trekking for a few hours was not somethingmon for people living in the city, especially for people like Ben Fu and Bei Qian. No one could guarantee they would live until tomorrow. Zhou Rong was in a good mood because his suggestion was epted. He started to n everyone¡¯s sleeping arrangements. Based on what he said, the boss had provided them with four rooms. Other than one room on the third floor, the three other rooms were on the second floor. Zhou Rong spawned in one of the rooms on the second floor. He spawned in bed and saw the ceiling once he opened his eyes. He was in Room 208. The adjacent rooms, 207 and 209, were their rooms for the night as well. The wife had already given Zhou Rong the keys. The trouble now was that there were five males and three females. Clearly, one of the rooms would house one female and one male. However¡­ Everyone¡¯s gaze involuntarily floated to Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng. Their rtionship was intriguing. ording to Jiang Cheng, they were a couple, but the girl insisted that they didn¡¯t know each other. Interestingly enough¡­ it wasmon for people to hide their rtionships in the nightmare realm. It was very rare for people to openly showcase their rtionships. This raised suspicions. When they were asked to share one room, Jiang Cheng shrugged and said he didn¡¯t mind. To everyone¡¯s surprise, Chen Xiaomeng didn¡¯t reject this arrangement. However, she requested that they have the room on the third floor. The others sighed in relief. The room on the third floor was separated from the rest. It was more dangerous. The arrangement was done. Zhou Rong stayed in the room he spawned in, Room 208. Jiang Zhongyi stayed with him. Bei Qian and Ben Fu stayed in Room 207. The two women stayed in Room 209. Chen Xiaomeng and Jiang Cheng had Room 307. Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s room was right above Bei Qian and Ben Fu¡¯s room. They entered the room. The room looked old. The nkets had a few patches but thankfully the ce was clean. The broken wooden table was dustless. The boss probably cleaned it often.Jiang Cheng jumped on the bed shamelessly once he entered the room. After some rolling about, he assumed a strange pose. He looked at Chen Xiaomeng, who was standing with a dark face, and asked shyly, ¡°Do you want to shower first, or should I?¡± Chen Xiaomeng had aplished her goal, so she was not in a hurry. She looked at Jiang Cheng like he was dead. Then, she asked coolly, ¡°Where is the thing?¡± Jiang Cheng asked purposely, ¡°What thing?¡± ¡°The thing you stole from me!¡± ¡°Oh, you mean the piece of newspaper!¡± Jiang Cheng acted like he just remembered it. ¡°But, didn¡¯t you say it was a present for me? Back then, you fell for my good looks and wanted to im my body. Due to the time constraint, we didn¡¯t have the chance for a deep, physical connection. Therefore, you gave me the newspaper as the evidence of your admiration for me¡­¡± His eyes glowed as he patted the bed. ¡°Come! Your chance is now!¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± Chen Xiaomeng almost fainted from anger. She pulled out a rope she found downstairs. It was probably used to tie up the livestock. She pulled on it. It could probably be used to strangle Jiang Cheng. However, once she pulled out the rope, Jiang Cheng cowed. He immediately sat up straight and adjusted his clothes. He acted very gentlemanly. At that moment, through the room¡¯s dim lighting, he looked quite handsome. ¡°There¡¯s no need for violence,¡± Jiang Cheng pouted, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to your orders.¡± ¡°Hand over the newspaper!¡± Chen Xiaomeng lowered her voice. She also didn¡¯t want to make a big deal out of this. If the others downstairs knew that they had something like this, things would be soplicated. Naturally, she wouldn¡¯t let Jiang Cheng go, either. However, she couldn¡¯t deal the fatal blow. Killing one¡¯s teammate would trigger the rule¡¯s revenge mechanism. She had made the decision to borrow the ghost¡¯s hands to kill Jiang Cheng. She would circumvent the rules and eliminate this annoying man! This man looked harmless, but Chen Xiaomeng, who had finished one mission with him, knew that Jiang Cheng was extremely cunning. If he hadn¡¯t been there for the previous mission, she would have reaped greater rewards. ¡°I was going to return the newspaper to you.¡± Jiang Cheng curled up sadly, ¡°But I don¡¯t have it. Someone snatched it from me.¡± Chen Xiaomeng frowned, ¡°What?¡± ¡°The culprit was a fatty.¡± Jiang Cheng huffed and used Fatty, ¡°It was therge man from ourst mission mission. I had no idea how he found my real-life address, but he did and forced me to give the newspaper to him.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s body shivered as he thought back to that ¡®incident¡¯. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to give him at first, and he started to beat me! I had no choice but to surrender the newspaper to him.¡± Then, Jiang Cheng looked at Chen Xiaomeng with concern. He added, ¡°If you run into him next time, you have to be careful!¡± He tightened his fists. ¡°It¡¯s best if you can kill him and don¡¯t give him the chance to react!¡± Chen Xiaomeng frowned and thought about it. In her impression, the fatty was a timid durd. Other than his cooking skills, he was not good at anything. Was he¡­ that impressive? When Jiang Cheng ryed these things, he looked so sincere. He didn¡¯t seem like he was lying. Plus¡­ Chen Xiaomeng had to admit that there were many people who acted weak and innocent in the nightmare realm despite not being so. Furthermore, it had only been three days since that mission. In thatst mission, she used her own method to verify that Hao Shuai was indeed a newbie. She didn¡¯t think a newbie could use three days to understand the usage of the newspaper. Therefore, based on her analysis, Jiang Cheng probably told the truth. Chapter 114: Nightmare Chapter 114: Nightmare However, out of habit, she still stared into thetter¡¯s eyes and tried to make herself look as imposing as possible. ¡°If I realise you¡¯re lying to me, you¡¯ll know what will happen!¡± ¡°I¡¯m an orphan if I lie to you!¡± Jiang Cheng raised his right hand to swear. After so long, Chen Xiaomeng was tired. She pointed at Jiang Cheng with the rope and said, ¡°You, get out of the bed.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Jiang Cheng looked unwilling but had to surrender to Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s power. He slowly rolled out of the bed. ¡°Why are you acting like this?¡± Cheng Xiaomeng felt her rage burning when she looked at him. ¡°I am not doing anything to you!¡± Jiang Cheng thought for a few minutes. Then, he looked at Chen Xiaomeng with a mysterious gaze. He shimmied shyly. ¡°Be a little courageous. I¡¯m not as soft as you think.¡± Chen Xiaomeng, ¡°...Do you wish to sleep outside the room?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Jiang Cheng gathered his courage and huffed, ¡°There¡¯s only one bed here. Why do you have to keep it and not me? I want to sleep in bed too. My body is very fragile. If I get ill from sleeping on the ground, thedies who love me will never forgive you. You better consider your decision.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve considered this a lot.¡± Chen Xiaomeng turned and pointed at the door. ¡°I¡¯ll give you two choices. One is to shut up and sleep on the ground. Two, get out of this room now!¡± ¡°If you let me sleep in bed, I can reveal some information to you.¡± Jiang Cheng subtly changed his method. He raised his brows. ¡°About this mission.¡±Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s expression shifted. She gave Jiang Cheng a once-over and then nodded, ¡°Sure, but I warn you. Don¡¯t try to lie to me.¡± Jiang Cheng bounced over to Chen Xiaomeng. When he was shot a warning nce, he moved back. ¡°I feel like something is not right with Lee Lu,¡± He whispered. Chen Xiaomeng nced at him, clearly wanting him to continue. ¡°Lee Lu said she was just a normal housewife and had a working-ss husband and a three-year-old daughter. She had a personality that matched it.¡± Jiang Cheng added, ¡°In our discussions, she had never actively given any opinions. She showcases a ssic follower personality. ¡°However, when it came to whether we should head to the Little Ravine Vige tomorrow, she became a different person. She was even forceful.¡± Jiang Cheng nced at the door and continued, ¡°That didn¡¯t match her at all. She should be supporting Bei Qian, not Zhou Rong.¡± Chen Xiaomeng nodded and became serious, ¡°So¡­ you suspect she has some other clues that led her to make this decision.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When Chen Xiaomeng turned back to check where Jiang Cheng was standing, thetter was gone. Instead, there was a human bulge in the bed. ¡°We should get to sleep.¡± Jiang Cheng poked his head out of the nket and called Chen Xiaomeng happily, ¡°Late sleep is not good for your skin.¡± Chen Xiaomeng walked over and resisted the urge to pull Jiang Cheng out of bed. She whispered, ¡°Do you think she has the thing?¡± ¡°That, I¡¯m not sure. I just think she¡¯s acting strange.¡± Jiang Cheng wiggled in bed. Then, as Chen Xiaomeng looked on in shock, Jiang Cheng pushed his clothes and pants from under the nket. He ced them neatly beside the bed. He turned to look at Chen Xiaomeng with anticipation. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s face was cold, and she raised her leg. Before he was kicked, Jiang Cheng rolled to the side. Chen Xiaomengy down without removing her clothes. The me of the oilmp slowly dimmed. While Chen Xiaomeng was falling asleep, she felt someone move beside her. It was a giant movement, making the whole bed vibrate. She instantly sat up and red at Jiang Cheng, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s head was inside the nket, and his voice was muffled. ¡°I had a nightmare. It was scary.¡± Having a nightmare inside the nightmare realm¡­ Was it like Inception? Chen Xiaomeng felt that it was scary, but since it was happening to Jiang Cheng, she felt a bit of excitement. She closed her eyes, and then¡­ CREAK CREAK CREAK Jiang Cheng convulsed like he was sick. This scared Chen Xiaomeng. Even though they hadn¡¯t reached the Little Ravine Vige, the mission had already started. Jiang Cheng was the first to be targeted. Instantly, Chen Xiaomeng rolled away and got out of bed with great expertise. At this moment, one could easily tell the difference between a newbie and an expert. After Chen Xiaomeng left the bed, she instantly moved to the door. During the whole process, she didn¡¯t make a sound. Her first reaction was to verify her hypothesis. In this mission, if someone had a nightmare when they were sleeping, they were in danger. Just like how Jiang Cheng was. The man was curled up in the nket, and his body rose and fell heavily like a fish out of water. The old bedframe creaked noisily like it was about to break at any moment. For about a minute or shorter, Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s heart was pulled taut. Just as she considered leaving, Jiang Cheng suddenly became quiet. The whole room became silent. The small light danced. Dust fluttered in the air. Jiang Cheng¡¯s sigh came from the bed. He reached out his hand to scratch his hair, and then he turned over with peace on his face. It was like everything he did was a simple exercise or¡­ a game. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s pupils trembled when she realised she had been fooled by Jiang Cheng. The fury in her heart could not be contained. She stomped forward and kicked at the thing in bed. She didn¡¯t hold back. She sent Jiang Cheng flying to the ground. Then¡­ Jiang Cheng slept on the ground, wrapped in a nket. He had no pillows except the pile made from his clothes. Chapter 115: Petrification Chapter 115: Petrification In the morning, when Chen Xiaomeng went to use the bathroom, Jiang Cheng sneaked onto the bed and used the same tactic as the day before. Without surprise, he was caught by Chen Xiaomeng. Since she had the rope on her, she whipped Jiang Cheng with it. Jiang Cheng wanted to evade, but he failed to do so due to positional issues. His arm was whipped, and it instantly turned red. ¡°I¡¯m warning you.¡± Chen Xiaomeng threatened him harshly, ¡°Don¡¯t think about ying any tricks or¡­ I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Jiang Cheng immediately became obedient. Then, Chen Xiaomeng left. Based on the direction of the sound of her footsteps, she should have gone downstairs. Yesterday, they decided to meet up on the first floor to wait for the vige head to arrive and bring them to Little Ravine Vige. After Chen Xiaomeng left, Jiang Cheng stood upzily and then went to use the bathroom. In the mirror, the welt on his arm was very conspicuous. His expression turned wicked. He caught a rope from the corner of his eyes. A towel or a washcloth hung from it. He reached out to undo both ends of the rope. Pinching them in his hands, he felt like it was just perfect. After walking down the rotting wooden stairs, Chen Xiaomeng came to the first floor. A few people sat around the roughly-hewn wooden table. A pot of porridge was ced on it. Her eyes scanned everyone there. She realised that everyone was there except Jiang Cheng and herself. Even the seating arrangement was very detailed. Bei Qian sat to the left. His supporters, Jiang Zhongyi and Yu Man, sat beside him. Zhou Rong¡¯s party was their direct opposite. Lee Li lowered her head and ate quietly. Ben Fu was there too, but he didn¡¯t look very good. His face was pale, probably because he didn¡¯t have a good sleep. Chen Xiaomeng hesitated before walking over todle herself a bowl of porridge. Then, she took a seat at the adjacent, unupied table. She took a tentative sip. The porridge was different from the ones she was used to. It had a lot of rough millet, and some unspecified pebble-like substances would asionally get stuck in her teeth. Suddenly, she felt many strange gazes directed her way. They came from different directions. Out of instinct, she raised her head and met one of them. It came from Jiang Zhongyi. He was staring at her with an indecipherable gaze. However, when he saw her looking back at him, he quickly lowered his head guiltily. At the same time, the other gazes disappeared.Chen Xiaomeng was confused. She didn¡¯t read any threat from Jiang Zhongyi¡¯s gaze. If anything, she saw confusion and even¡­ admiration. What happened to these people? She thought to herself. She had a bad feeling. Before she could dwell on it, she heard intermittent footstepsing from the stairs. She turned and saw Jiang Cheng slowly walking down the stairs. However¡­ he was moving very strangely. He had one hand on the railing and the other on his waist. His gait was weak, and his figure trembled. It looked like he was physically drained. As more people looked at him, Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression became more pronounced. His face was pale but different from Ben Fu¡¯s paleness, and there was a shyness in Jiang Cheng¡¯s paleness. As if afraid of their gazes, Jiang Cheng kept his head cowed as he shuffled over to Chen Xiaomeng. At that moment, the group could no longer hide the shock in their eyes. It was the same for Bei Qian. He gave the two a quick once-over. He was greatly impressed. He was surprised that the two youngsters would be so daring to do ¡®that¡¯ in this situation. Chen Xiaomeng couldn¡¯t have imagined the expressions on the faces of the tenants in the three rooms underneath them when Jiang Cheng was having a ¡®nightmare¡¯. All of them lifted their heads in unison to stare at the extensively vibrating ceiling. The creaking of the bedframes echoed in their ears. To heighten their admiration, earlier¡­ in the morning, they heard the familiar creaking again. Even though it was not as extended as the night before, it was still highly animated. At the time, Jiang Zhongyi was brushing his teeth. He was so agitated that he almost snapped his toothbrush. Ben Fu swallowed nervously. He admitted that Chen Xiaomeng was pretty and had simr thoughts, but he would never have the guts or the mood to showcase such intimacy in the nightmare realm. He tossed his gaze at Jiang Cheng. Internally, he admired Brother Yi Zhiping. ¡°Can you help me prepare a bowl?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Chen Xiaomeng with innocence and pity. Before Chen Xiaomeng could react, he added, ¡°It hurts over here. I¡¯ve overworked it.¡± He held the back of his waist. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s face dropped. It was then that she realised why everyone was looking at her that way. Chen Xiaomeng shot daggers at Jiang Cheng. However, her fury onlysted for a moment. Suddenly, she smiled. Her smile was seductive. She reached out to smooth down Jiang Cheng¡¯s clothes and ruffle his hair. Her actions were intimate. ¡°Told you not to push yourself.¡± Her smile was innocent yet alluring. It really captivated Ben Fu. She mumbled audibly, ¡°It¡¯s a known fact that you¡¯re quick and weak in that matter. Why did you push yourself?¡± She tapped the man¡¯s chest shyly. She blushed and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of dying from exhaustion?¡± Everyone revealed an understanding expression. Then, they looked at Jiang Cheng with a mixture of pity and disgust. Chen Xiaomeng slid her hand down Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. This action that appeared intimate to others was actually a way for Chen Xiaomeng to punish Jiang Cheng. Only Jiang Cheng knew that Chen Xiaomeng was secretly pinching his ear. She used such strength that she almost pulled his ear out. Chen Xiaomeng looked Jiang Cheng in his eyes. Her eyes danced with mockery. However¡­ Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t get angry. Instead, he looked more pitiable as he said weakly, ¡°You said as if it was not your fault. You wanted to try something new every time!¡± Chen Xiaomeng halted. Jiang Cheng huffed, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to because I was too shy, so you threatened me like usual!¡± He unwillingly rolled up his sleeve to reveal the bruise on his arm. ¡°Look at what you did!¡± He sobbed softly, ¡°This is what you did. You whipped me. Last night, you even suggested candle y. Thankfully, I hid all the candles beforehand or else who knew what you would have done!¡± Chen Xiaomeng was petrified. Chapter 118: Enter the Village Chapter 118: Enter the Vige The vige head was helpless but he didn¡¯t dare to offend Jiang Cheng. He shot a look at the tanned man who was holding an umbre above his head to move to Jiang Cheng¡¯s side. It was not until Jiang Cheng was right under the shade that he revealed a satisfied expression. ¡°Miss Yu!¡± Jiang Cheng invited Yu Man to join him. They walked side by side. Perhaps they had simr professions. They seemed to have endless topics. Jiang Cheng would lean into the woman¡¯s ear, causing the woman tough and blush. Then, the two would turn to look at Chen Xiaomeng funnily. Then, they would share another iprehensibleugh. Chen Xiaomeng was annoyed. She turned her head to stop seeing him. The mountain roads were harder to trek than they thought. The trip was supposed to be a few hours long, but they only saw the vige in the distance when the sky was almost dark. The vige head shuffled on his cane. He stood on a natural rocky perch and looked at the vige. Lamentation coloured his eyes. The group slowly stopped. The mountain vige looked serene under the setting sun. It was shrouded in a sacred veil. The ck-and-white roof tiles shone through. Smoke rose out of the chimneys. They were like snakes slithering through the mountain forest. It looked as picturesque as a Chinese ink painting. Even though he was on a mission, Bei Qian, who was a painter, was impressed by the scenery at Little Ravine Vige. A clear stream winded through the vige. Green pebbles slowly appeared underneath their feet. The green-pebbled road led to the vige. The vige was notrge. It probably had around 100 families. After the vige head scattered the following vigers, only Jiang Cheng¡¯s group and the tanned man who held his umbre remained. The group came to a courtyard. Well, instead of a courtyard, it was more like a few low brick houses being surrounded by fences and made to look like a courtyard. The vige head entered the ce first, probably to set up the sleeping arrangements. The travellers didn¡¯t follow him but stayed outside the way. Jiang Cheng looked around curiously before his eyes settled on therge pans ced in the yard. The pans were lined along the fence. They hadrge sweet potatoes in them. The potatoes had wet mud stuck on them. They looked like they had just been dug up. They suddenly heard arguments in local dialect. Momentster, the vige head came out with a sad face. One of the doors inside the yard was open and a woman¡¯s face appeared. Zhou Rong noticed the woman holding a wooden club that had a charred end. She looked aloof and hostile. The vige head looked awkward. His mouth hung open for a moment, but he had to exin, ¡°The family head is not here. It¡¯s inconvenient. Why¡­ don¡¯t we check the other houses?¡±Every family rejected them but for different reasons. In the end, the vige head had to take them to a secludedpound courtyard. This was a real courtyard. Its architectural style was much morevish than the other houses in the vige. However, it was quite old. As they pushed open the wooden door, the axle creaked. There were three houses in the yard. Arge house sat alone to the west. The front door was closed with a ck, old-fashioned copper mortise lock. The vige head led them to the smaller of the two rooms to the east. The interior was quite clean. The door opened to a small living room. In the middle was a stove made from unrecognisable material. Inside the stove, there was coal ash. The vige head seemed to be very familiar with this ce. He easily found some charcoal inside a bamboo basket leaning against the wall. Then, the tanned man walked in from outside, holding a bundle of firewood that seemed to have mysteriously appeared. With both of them cooperating, the fire inside the stove started to spark. They sat around the stove and enjoyed the warm. The fatigue from the journey melted away. The man who followed them was very reticent, and his eyes were dull. After the me stabilised, he carried the charcoal and firewood to the house next door and started a fire. The vige head said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to stay here for the night.¡± He pointed around him, ¡°This housees with two bedrooms, one on each side. Two people can stay in one room. Therefore, one house can amodate four people. The other four can sleep in the house next door.¡± Bei Qian interrupted. He looked at the old man. ¡°It¡¯s fine. All of us can stay in this one house.¡± The vige head didn¡¯t expect this. He paused for a few moments and thenughed awkwardly, ¡°Of course. It is as master wishes¡­¡± Then, he thought of something and corrected himself, ¡°I mean, masters¡­¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a side-eye but said nothing. The vige head licked his lips. ¡°Now, can you tell us what has happened here?¡± Yu Man sat before the fire. The me cast her profile in a seductive way. She smiled, ¡°You didn¡¯t ask us here for the countryside scenery, right?¡± No one brought up the inn boss¡¯ warning. There was no one trustworthy in the nightmare, be it the NPCs or the teammates. The vige head swallowed nervously. When he saw the tanned man return, he stood up, closed the door and eased a wooden log through the handles to use a lock. Then, he sat back down. His expression changed drastically. It was a mixture of fear, regret and helplessness. ¡°Do you¡­ believe in ghosts?¡± He raised his head to ask. The travellers groaned internally. They wished they could skip this introduction part of the mission. They wanted to get to the core of the plot! However, they were also worried that they might miss some clues. Therefore, Zhou Rong nodded. ¡°We do. Spirits are everywhere around us.¡± ¡°But, I¡¯m talking about¡­ Ghosts!¡± The vige head continued with difficulty, ¡°The kind who would kill without remorse.¡± At this point, for some unknown reason, everyone felt a chill. It happened so suddenly that even the me in the stove was affected. Under everyone¡¯s scrutiny, it dimmed. Chapter 117: Master Chapter 117: Master At points of stress, the boss¡¯ head shook. In that quick moment, Zhou Rong managed to catch the face of the person who stood before the boss. He was startled. Then, he shrunk back like he was greatly shocked. He carelessly knocked into the candlestick with his arm. Just as the candle was about to hit the ground, a hand swiftly grabbed it. Then, it expertly ced it back on the candlestick. Jiang Cheng pulled on Zhou Rong. With his eyes as a signal, the two of them retreated. They squirrelled into a random room. The moment the door closed, there was a soft creak. It sounded like a heavy door had been pushed open. Momentster, there were quick and heavy footsteps. The person paused for a while before sprinting to the door where the two were hiding. There was a jingling sound. Zhou Rong¡¯s heart tightened. He didn¡¯t expect the boss to have spare keys. The lock sprung, and the door was pushed open. Footsteps shuffled in. Then, there was a loud rummaging. However, he was meant to fail because Jiang Cheng and Zhou Rong were hiding in Room 307, right opposite Room 308, where the boss was. The boss searched the room for a while. He left because he failed to find anyone. He returned to the hidden room. After a quick sound of friction, silence returned. However, Jiang Cheng and Zhou Rong both didn¡¯t move and minimised their breathing sounds. One minute, two minutes¡­ when the third minute was almost up, there were footsteps outside the room. The sound was very close to the two. There was another sound of friction. Then¡­ there was silence again. Zhou Rong and Jiang Cheng still didn¡¯t move. Five minutester, this whole process repeated again. Then, the two silently left the room. However, they didn¡¯t go downstairs to meet up with the rest but came to the corner of the second floor. ¡°Mr. Zhou.¡± Jiang Cheng acted very scared and whispered, ¡°What did you see earlier?¡± Zhou Rong looked more fearful than Jiang Cheng. However, he was not acting. His breathing hadn¡¯t even returned to normal yet. Earlier, when he was hiding behind Room 308, he saw through the door the hatred-filled face of the boss. His normal, friendly demeanour was gone. He was holding a sharp knife. If they were discovered, their ending was predictable.¡°In the hidden room¡­ Other than the boss, there is another woman.¡± Zhou Rong¡¯s face paled when he thought back to what he saw, ¡°It was not his wife, but it was a woman. She¡­ was sitting on a wooden chair. Half of her face looks like it has melted away. There¡¯s only one eye and nose. The lips and others¡­ are all gone!¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Mr. Yi.¡± Zhou Rong suddenly grabbed Jiang Cheng by his wrists, ¡°I know you¡¯re not a normal person. You should have noticed it too. This mission¡¯s difficulty is higher than those we have been through. We don¡¯t even have a newbie this time. That¡¯s a great evidence of the high difficulty.¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak. He still looked scared but prompted Zhou Rong to continue. Zhou Rong said rapidly, ¡°I wish to cooperate with you, Mr. Yi.¡± He swallowed nervously, ¡°I¡¯ve sessfully passed five missions, and this is my sixth.¡± He looked at the stairs. ¡°However, this mission might be harder than all my previous five missionsbined. We haven¡¯t reached the domain, and this is already happening. I have a bad feeling.¡± Ignoring Zhou Rong¡¯s not-so-subtle gloating, Jiang Cheng asked directly, ¡°What do you mean by domain?¡± Zhou Rong was clearly startled. He looked at Jiang Cheng with suspicion, but only for a moment. Then, he reverted to normal. ¡°It means the range of area that the ghosts can influence and move around in.¡± ¡°Do you mean An Ping Town is not within the domain of this mission¡¯s ghost?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. Zhou Rong nodded. ¡°I believe so.¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t ask why he¡¯d think that because they didn¡¯t have time. If they stayed up longer, the others might get suspicious. Plus, it was unnecessary. This was within his knowledge blindspot. He couldn¡¯t verify Zhou Rong¡¯s words. In that case, he¡¯d rather not say too much. He shot Zhou Rong an inscrutable gaze. He didn¡¯t agree or reject Zhou Rong¡¯s suggestion to work together. ¡°Let¡¯s go down,¡± he said naturally. The two said nothing about what they saw. They only mentioned they couldn¡¯t find the boss. ¡°Then, why were you two up there for so long?¡± It was Chen Xiaomeng who asked. She red at Jiang Cheng. She wanted to attack him. ¡°Were the two of you¡­¡± Chen Xiaomeng mentioned suggestively. She even used the innocent Zhou Rong to nder Jiang Cheng. Hearing this, Ben Fu¡¯s eyes burned. ¡°My dear Dragon,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Chen Xiaomeng passionately as he mumbled, ¡°What are you talking about? You have to know how¡­ exhausted I was yesterday night.¡± Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes darkened. She almost coughed up blood. ¡°Dear experts!¡± The vige head stood outside the door. He finally waited for the two toe down. However, the couple instantly got into a quarrel. They didn¡¯t look like they had any intentions of going to Little Ravine Vige. This made him nervous. When everyone turned to him, he smiled with his few loose teeth. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. The mountain roads will be hard to travel at night. Should we¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll depart now.¡± Hearing that, the vige head and the vigers were so happy. Along the way, Bei Qian walked with the vige head. The two elders chatted about the local customs and cultures. Jiang Cheng followed them and listened attentively. Chen Xiaomeng tried to find an opportunity to be alone with Jiang Cheng so she could strangle him, but Jiang Cheng could read her thoughts. He would find apany even when he used the bathroom. One time, he even asked Yu Man along. They returned 15 minutester. ¡°So¡­ the vige is squeezed between two mountains.¡± Bei Qian asked the vige head to confirm. ¡°That¡¯s right, master.¡± The vige head respected Bei Qian a lot. He even held a paper umbre to shield him from the sun. Jiang Cheng nced at him and grumbled. ¡°I¡¯m hot too! I need one of the young men to hold an umbre above my head!¡± The vige head was stumped. ¡°Little brother¡­¡± Jiang Cheng ced his hands on his waist and huffed. ¡°Wait. Why do you call him a master but call me a little brother? ¡°I¡¯m a very powerful master too!¡± Chapter 116: White Candle Chapter 116: White Candle Ben Fu couldn¡¯t hold his nosebleed in anymore. He went to block it with his hands, causing his hands to be bloody. It was very chaotic. Momentster, everyone tossed interesting looks at Chen Xiaomeng. When Chen Xiaomeng reacted, she pulled out the rope in anger. Just as she was about to punish the bastard, a loud gasp came from the crowd. They stared at the rope Chen Xiaomeng was holding as if Jiang Cheng¡¯s statements had been verified. Ultimately¡­ before the vige head arrived, Chen Xiaomeng only took a few sips of the porridge before she lost her appetite. Jiang Cheng finished three bowls and even all the appetizers. In the end, he even purposely asked Chen Xiaomeng if she wanted to eat more porridge. He only stopped when hatred oozed out of the girl¡¯s eyes. The vige head and his people only stayed before the door and didn¡¯t dare toe into the inn due to their unhappy interactions with the boss from the day before. They looked around nervously. When Zhou Rong saw the vige head, he stood up and walked towards him. ¡°Please wait a moment,¡± Zhou Rong said, ¡°I¡¯ll find the boss to return him the room keys and then we¡¯ll go with you.¡± The wrinkles on the boss¡¯ face folded from happiness. ¡°It¡¯s no rush. It¡¯s our vige¡¯s good karma that you are willing toe visit us.¡± Hearing that, Yu Man, who was sitting cross-legged on the chair, scoffed, ¡°If the vige really has good karma, they wouldn¡¯t have fallen into its current state.¡± Of course, her voice was only loud enough to be heard by those close to her. Lee Li frowned but said nothing. They waited a while longer, but the boss still hadn¡¯t appeared. They hadn¡¯t seen the boss or his wife since that morning. Zhou Rong woke up the earliest. However, he only opened his room door, stood before it, and waited for the other room doors to open before going down the stairs with the group. The porridge was ced there before any of them arrived. Beside the pot of porridge were eight sets of utensils. They were clearly meant for the travellers. Jiang Cheng slowly swallowed hisst bite. His gaze never left the staircase. Chen Xiaomeng was the same. She was waiting. The boss who promised that he would see them off hadn¡¯t shown up. In contrast, the vige head and the other vigers had already arrived at the inn.The sun was up. Zhou Rong, who held the keys, was getting impatient. He stood up and headed upstairs. Before he reached the stairs, a figure chased after him from behind. ¡°Mr. Zhou,¡± Jiang Cheng approached him with friendliness. ¡°Let me go with you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Considering Jiang Cheng¡¯s show of support yesterday, Zhou Rong had a good impression of him even though he knew Jiang Cheng was not as simple as he appeared. They searched the second floor but couldn¡¯t find the boss and his wife. The result was the same on the third floor. They were also surprised that the inn only had eight guests, which were all of them, staying overnight. ¡°Could they have gone out?¡± Jiang Cheng offered, ¡°I heard from a Fatty that the vegetables at the morning market are cheap and fresh. Many restaurant owners like to make purchases there in the morning.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Zhou Rong went along with it. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll have to ce the keys on the counter. That way, they¡¯ll see the keys when they return.¡± Jiang Cheng pped his hands. ¡°As expected of Mr. Zhou. That is a brilliant idea!¡± Zhou Rong frowned with confusion. Jiang Cheng continued, ¡°I¡¯m like a candlepared to Mr. Zhou, who is the sun. I am so tiny and miniscule.¡± He pointed at the candlestick at the end of the corridor. Zhou Rong, ¡°???¡± As confused as he was, Zhou Rong still looked down at where Jiang Cheng was pointing. The third floor was smaller than the second floor. It only had ten rooms. They were lined down both sides of the corridors, five on each side. There was only one stair, and the other side of the corridor was a dead-end. For lighting, a candlestick hung from the wall. The pale white candle burned solitarily. It felt like they were at an altar. Zhou Rong only noticed this candle and the location of the candlestick at this moment before he was too busy looking for the boss and his wife earlier. The location of the candlestick was rather weird. It was situated perfectly right in the middle of the wall. This meant that the coverage of the me was limited. Then, his eyes narrowed. The wall didn¡¯t look right. It was painted ck. This meant that the already dim third floor appeared even darker. Standing at the stairs, it felt like they were looking down at the entrance to hell. The people in this era should be quite superstitious. It would be quite rare for them to use ck paint. The next second, Zhou Rong¡¯s pupils shrunk. With his great sight, he spotted the me tremble. Then, he felt a breeze caress his cheeks. It was very soft¡­ He looked around. All the doors on this floor were closed. Where did the winde from? Discovering issues was not his strength, but analysing issues was. He immediately pulled out information he had on this inn. The inn had three floors. From the outside, the inn looked perfectly angr and symmetrical. The size and length of the third floor were simr to the first and second floors. However, based on his memory, there were 14 guest rooms on the second floor and ten guest rooms on the third floor. That shouldn¡¯t be the case. In other words¡­ there was most likely a hidden space behind that ck wall. And the boss and his wife were hiding inside. He didn¡¯t exin anything to Jiang Cheng. He slunk over to the wall and stood there. He licked his index finger and traced it around the wall. Soon, he sensed a breeze against his finger. He followed along the line and found a gap. The gap was actually quite discernible. It was due to the ck wall and the dim lighting that one had trouble noticing it normally. The gap wasrge enough for Zhou Rong to poke his head through directly. He swallowed and did so. The space on the other side was quiterge. There was a white candle that was identical to the one outside inside the hidden space. Under the dim me, he saw a familiar back. The person wore a dirty apron. It was the boss. His body moved as he gestured wildly. Due to the angle, Zhou Rong couldn¡¯t see who the boss was talking to. He could only see their legs. The feet were rtively small. They didn¡¯t look like they belonged to the boss¡¯ wife. Chapter 119: Chill Virtue Pond Chapter 119: Chill Virtue Pond With the vige head¡¯s description, the dark history of Little Ravine Vige slowly unravelled. His voice was hoarse as history danced about. Compared to the hearsay provided by An Ping Town¡¯s inn boss, the vige head¡¯s story was more detailed. He even included the names of the women and the horrible incidents that befell them. Even though these happened some time ago, they sounded harsh to the ears. Humans who lived under the sunlight of civility could never imagine the torture these women had been through being trapped in the dark dungeons. ¡°Therefore¡­¡± Lee Li began carefully, ¡°The women who died with hatred came back for revenge.¡± This was not a question but a statement. The inn boss had confirmed that. However, the vige head shook his head with a scared face. ¡°Not the women.¡± He shivered, ¡°She is the only one!¡± ¡°Who is she?¡± Chen Xiaomeng leaned forward. ¡°It¡­ It¡¯s the woman kidnapper who was beaten to death by the parents who had their daughters stolen!¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± Jiang Zhongyi frowned deeply. He stared at the vige head and asked, ¡°The main culprit the police caught¡­ It was a woman?!¡± The vige head nodded. His eyes trembled unnaturally, but he continued, ¡°She was the one who tricked all the women intoing to this vige. She looked young and could gain those women¡¯s trust very easily.¡± ¡°What was her name?¡±¡°Zhao Xiaongmei.¡± ¡°Are you telling me the ghost that has been killing everyone is this main culprit from back then, Zhao Xiangmei?¡± Yu Man widened her eyes.¡± The vige head sighed, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But¡­ why her?¡± Yu Man pressed, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense for the ghost to be one of the women who were tricked here?¡± Every traveller had the same question. Why did the culprit who deserved her ending return as the ghost and not the innocent women who were kidnapped? The vige head naturally saw the question in everyone¡¯s eyes. He exined, ¡°The ghost can¡¯t be one of those women. Even though they had suffered¡­ none of them died.¡± He sighed, ¡°How can a living person be a ghost?¡± Zhou Rong hesitated and then asked, ¡°Are you sure none of them died?¡± ¡°I am,¡± The vige head nodded with determination. ¡°When the police came, they did a full report. Twenty-nine women were kidnapped. Twenty-one were trapped in the vige, six were sold to other viges, and thest two were detained at home due to their pregnancies. They are all still alive today.¡± Then, he exined in an indecipherable tone, ¡°After all, for the vigers, they were valuable assets. They were cultivated with a lot of money¡­¡± After a while, Ben Fu asked, ¡°That ghost¡­ when did it first appear?¡± The vige head knew what he was thinking. ¡°When the vigers realised that people were getting killed one after another, they also suspected one of the women killed themselves after they were rescued and came back as a ghost to haunt us.¡± The vige head looked at them. ¡°However, we did a thorough investigation. All twenty-nine of them are still alive.¡± ¡°Then, the ghost can only be the sole woman who died, the main culprit, Zhao Xiangmei,¡± Zhou Rong concluded. The vige head seemed to remember something and whispered, ¡°That is basically a confirmed fact.¡± His eyes darted about. The sound of the wind made him jump. ¡°We¡­ We also found Zhao Xiangmei¡¯s corpse near a stone que. There¡¯s a sentence behind it written in blood¡­¡± At this point, he found it difficult to continue. Jiang Cheng tilted his head. He nced at the muscr, tanned man. He realised that the man had also curled up in fear. ¡°Was it a curse?¡± Jiang Cheng grumbled, ¡°Things like murdering all the chickens in the vige, the vigers will give birth to sons with no xxx and so on¡­¡± The vige head, who was so caught in the fear, didn¡¯t hear Jiang Cheng¡¯s rumblings until he heard the word, curse. Then, he nodded vehemently, ¡°Yes. It has to be a curse!¡± The others were already immune to Jiang Cheng¡¯s attitude. Ben Fu even looked forward to Jiang Cheng¡¯s nonsensical words to ease the tension. ¡°Where is the stone que?¡± ¡°It¡¯s beside the back mountain¡¯s deep pond,¡± The vige head added softly, ¡°Zhao Xiangmei¡¯s corpse was also dumped into that pond in the end.¡± Chen Xiaomeng stared at the vige head and asked sharply, ¡°I remember you saying that Zhao Xiangmei was taken away by the angry parents and then beaten to death. In that case, when did she have the time to leave behind a bloody curse on the que?¡± Everyone looked at the vige head, waiting for his exnation. The atmosphere chilled. ¡°Yes. Zhao Xiangmei was taken away.¡± The vige head said with confusing mncholy. ¡°However, she was not beaten to death on the spot. Instead, she was merely heavily injured and fainted. The parents thought she had died. ¡°After the parents left, Zhao Xiangmei woke up. ¡°Around the evening, some of the vigers realised she was still alive. She extended her broken arm to ask for help. She pleaded through bloody lips. However, no one was willing to help her. They just watched even though¡­ some of them had just bought some women from her the day before. ¡°I heard that she groaned in pain for the whole night. She only died the next morning.¡± The vige head pressed his lips. ¡°She died with her eyes open. One of her eyes was stabbed blind. It looked like a bloody hole. Her face was cut by roof tiles. Her four limbs were bent out of shape. ¡°No one knew how she managed to write down that bloody curse. Her limbs¡­ should be unusable. But she did it. And¡­¡± The vige head raised his head, and his pupils shook. ¡°Her curse came true!¡± After hearing the whole story, things became clearer. From Zhao Xiangmei¡¯s perspective, these vigers who let her die were indeed hateful. When the vigers needed her, they smiled at her. However, when she needed it the most, they abandoned her easily. They even worried that she would drag them down. ¡°Her corpse¡­¡± Lee Lu bit her lips. ¡°Her corpse was dumped into the pool by the vigers on the second day.¡± The vige head looked at Lee Lu. ¡°By then, she was already dead. ¡°Right. The pool has a special name. It has been there for a long time already. It is called the Chill Virtue Pond. In the earlier generations, the pond was used to execute women who didn¡¯t abide by female sensibility. ¡°Once these women were discovered, they would be trapped inside pig cages and then tied with stones and thrown into the pool as the whole vige watched on.¡± Chapter 120: Compound Courtyard Chapter 120: Compound Courtyard ¡°A deep pool, huh¡­¡± Bei Qian mumbled to himself. Even though they were from modern times, they knew of the culture of this historical era from movies and dramas. They were not fully shocked. ¡°She was the main culprit. Even if she died, didn¡¯t the policee to search for her body?¡± Zhou Rong asked the vige head, ¡°Or else who could prove that she really had died?¡± When Zhou Rong asked that question, his eyes casually wandered over to Jiang Cheng as if anticipating thetter¡¯s response. However, he was disappointed. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes as he poked the fire. He was asfortable as azy cat. Zhou Rong pulled back his gaze helplessly. He thought the vige head¡¯s description of Zhao Xiangmei would make thetter think of someone¡­ namely, the scary woman who was hidden inside An Ping Inn¡¯s hidden room. A hypothesis appeared in Zhou Rong¡¯s mind. ¡®Is it possible that Zhao Xiangmei didn¡¯t die but survived through some miracles and was saved by An Ping Inn¡¯s boss?¡¯ Even though that sounded crazy, Zhou Rong, who had been through five missions, knew that everything was possible in the nightmare realm. The only thing now was to find the evidence or clues to support his hypothesis. ¡°Zhao Xiangmei is really dead,¡± The vige head sighed. ¡°I can guarantee you that. Because¡­ when they tossed her corpse into the pool, her body was as cold as ice. I touched it, and I was haunted by nightmares for days. She no longer had the body temperature of the living.¡± Zhou Rong pressed, ¡°Then¡­ where is her body now?¡± ¡°Down at the bottom of Cold Virtue Pond.¡± ¡°Did the police not assign people to salvage her body?¡± It was Ben Fu who spoke. He hugged his knees. He looked like a kid listening to ghost stories. The vige head shook his head. ¡°You are not familiar with the back mountain pool. It¡¯s a very strange ce. The water temperature is always cool, no matter the season. Things or people who waded into it would disappear without a trace.¡± He licked his lips. ¡°The elders in the vige said that the pool is connected to hell.¡±Chen Xiaomeng scoffed. She didn¡¯t know if that was true, but there was clearly something wrong with this vige. ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll head to the pool to see it for ourselves.¡± Zhou Rong spoke. Then, he added, ¡°Is the que with the curse still there?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The head nodded. At this point, the silent, tanned man suddenly leaned over to remind the vige head awkwardly, ¡°Chief.¡± Then, he shot a nce out the window. Everyone looked out. The sky was fully dark. The vige head suddenly became very anxious. He thought he hid it well, but everyone saw through him. ¡°Perhaps the vige is not safe at night.¡± Zhou Rong turned his head back and smiled at the vige head, trying to gauge his reaction. ¡°Erm¡­ Masters, you should rest early. We won¡¯t disturb you any more.¡± The vige head stood up rapidly. He shared a look with the tanned man. The man quickly packed up their things. After he was done, the two left in a hurry. Before the vige head left, he promised he¡¯d bring them to the back mountain pool the next morning. He also warned them to stay indoors at night and not wander anywhere. He didn¡¯t say why. Then, the travellers had a quick meeting. Zhou Rong insisted on going to the back mountain pain, believing that there were clues there. Bei Qian was still more conservative. He suggested they stay in the vige to gather information first. They could visit the poolter. Then, he provided a very scary but reasonable assumption. ¡°Perhaps going to the pool or witnessing the bloody curse on the que will trigger the murders.¡± He nced at everyone. He sounded confident and reliable. ¡°Is¡­ that possible?¡± Ben Fu¡¯s face paled. He, who was a fence-sitter, immediately sided with Bei Qian. Just as they were arguing whether they should head to the pool, Jiang Cheng suddenly raised his right hand. It was less than ten seconds from the first person noticing him to everyone stopping their arguments to look at him. Zhou Rong was confused. ¡°Mr. Yi, do you have something to say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Jiang Cheng put down his hand and then looked around. ¡°I just think this yard is quite strange. It looks like it has been abandoned for some time already, but there are signs that peoplee here to clean it often.¡± There was no shortage of clever people in the group. They instantly understood what he meant. From the outside, this courtyard did look destitute. The front gate was old. The ground that was used for flowers was overgrown with wild grass. However, from the inside, that was not the case. There were charcoal ashes in the stove, and there were a few bamboo baskets filled with charcoals leaning against the walls. The tanned man arrived at this ce empty-handed. However, he soon showed up with a bundle of firewood. This meant that there was a storage room for firewood near this yard. All these proved that someone stayed at this ce often. And¡­ Jiang Cheng stood up and pulled open one of the bedroom doors. The room was rather dim, but one could still see a few in nkets stacked neatly on top of the y bedframe. The nkets had a few patches, but they looked clean and didn¡¯t smell. Yu Man lowered her head. Her face flickered against the fire. ¡°In other words¡­¡± She began slowly, ¡°The people who stay here won¡¯t help with cleaning the yard. They are just sleeping here and do not n to take root in this vige.¡± Once she said that, Bei Qian, Zhou Rong and Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes glowed. Didn¡¯t that¡­ describe them perfectly? They were there for a case. Therefore, they naturally wouldn¡¯t move to stay at Little Ravine Vige. There was no reason for them to clean the yard and water the nts. They just needed a ce to rest their heads. Zhou Rong looked at the rest. ¡°Do you remember what the inn boss said?¡± ¡°Those¡­ exorcism experts who went missing?¡± Jiang Zhongyi widened his eyes. Everyone¡¯s eyes shed with fear. So¡­ did those experts whom the vigers hired once stay in this courtyard, and then¡­ they all mysteriously disappear? And never to be seen again. Chapter 121: Lets Go Together Chapter 121: Let''s Go Together ¡°Come,¡± Bei Qian stood up with a dark face. ¡°Let¡¯s go check the other house.¡± The two houses were not far from each other. Since the tanned man had already started the stove in the other house, they were greeted by warmth once they entered the ce. This made the travellers feel a bit more at ease. After a quick scrutiny, they confirmed that both houses had almost the sameyout. There was a small living room in the middle, and one bedroom to the east and west. Other than that, there was nothing out of ce. ¡°We¡­¡± Jiang Zhongyi asked, ¡°Are we sleeping here tonight?¡± Bei Qian looked around. He stood at the entrance and looked out into the yard for a long time. He suddenly said, ¡°We¡¯ll split up to sleep tonight. Four people will stay here, and the other four will sleep in the other house.¡± Jiang Zhongyi thought that he had heard wrong. They had just said that there might be some issues with this ce, so why¡­ Zhou Rong¡¯s face chilled. His personality was theplete opposite of Bei Qian¡¯s. However, he shared the elder¡¯s view on this matter. He nodded. ¡°I agree with Elder Bei.¡± Zhou Rong pointed at the entrance, ¡°Look. You can easily see into the front yard from here, and this house also offers an unobstructed view of the other house.¡± Zhou Rong turned to thergest building in the courtyard. ¡°And the other house offers a great view of the backyard and that construct.¡± The other building was not referred to as a house because it was too big. It wasrger than the two smaller housesbined. It stood to the western side alone. It morphed into a gigantic shadow at night. That shadow gave off a strangely unsettling presence. ¡°We¡¯ll split up to upy these two houses. Each house will have someone staying up to keep vigil. We can cover more ground this way. And we can warn each other if there¡¯s anything dangerous.¡± Zhou Rong stared at the shadow of therge building. He made a lot of sense. At that moment, an awkward sound came from the back. Everyone turned. Chen Xiaomeng, who stood at the back, looked down with shame. It was as if the sound of the stomach grumbling had nothing to do with her. She could not be med. They had trekked through the mountain for the whole day. She only had a few mouthfuls of porridge in the morning. The fact that she didn¡¯t say anything until then was impressive already. Most people looked at her gently and kindly. The only exception was¡­Pushing away Ben Fu, who blocked his way, Jiang Cheng ran to Chen Xiaomeng exaggeratedly. He asked, ¡°Little Dragon, are you hungry? Do you want me to find something to eat for you?¡± Chen Xiaomeng was annoyed just looking at him. She hissed through gritted teeth, ¡°Move. I¡¯d die than eat something from you.¡± Jiang Cheng straightened up. He very naturally pooled out some sweet potatoes from his pocket and nodded. ¡°Is that so? Then, I feel more assured now.¡± The others were stunned as they saw Jiang Cheng pull out one after another sweet potato from his bulging pockets. They had no idea Jiang Cheng had been keeping a store of them inside his clothes. However, who really cared about that since there was food to be had? Everyone sat around the fire obediently. They watched as Jiang Cheng slowly ced the potatoes around the me to toast. There were eight sweet potatoes of varying sizes, but they all looked delicious. When the smell of roasted potatoes permeated the ce, some found it hard to think. Ben Fu was even scared that the ghost might suddenly appear to steal the potatoes from them. Thankfully, his worry dissipated once the roasted sweet potatoes were ready. Even Bei Qian, who was so collected, swallowed subconsciously. They resisted the urge to fight for the food and waited patiently for Jiang Cheng to share it. After all, Jiang Cheng was the one who risked stealing¡­ I mean, borrowing the sweet potatoes. Jiang Cheng found a rtively clean cloth, wrapped his hands with it and rapidly picked up a sweet potato. With a slight nudge, the golden inside was revealed. Zhou Rong¡¯s throat trembled violently. He had never thought a sweet potato could be so alluring. ¡°Elder Bei,¡± Jiang Cheng handed it over with a smile, ¡°This is for you.¡± Bei Qian was startled. Then, he quickly stood up and bowed sincerely. He epted the precious sweet potato. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Yi.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Jiang Cheng started to divide the sweet potatoes. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Yi.¡± Lee Lu said with sincerity. In the end, only two sweet potatoes remained. There was the bigger one and the smaller one. The smaller one was burnt so badly that it was barely edible. Only Yu Man and Chen Xiaomeng hadn¡¯t had their share. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s stomach growled louder, affected by the fragrance. However, she still turned her head away stubbornly. She refused to look at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Only two sweet potatoes remained.¡± Jiang Cheng held one in each hand. He didn¡¯t seem to think they were hot. ¡°How shall I split this?¡± ¡°Naturally, Mr. Yi can make all the decisions.¡± Yu Man¡¯s eyes burned with passion. Even her words had a hook to them. Jiang Cheng nced at Yu Man, who was syed out on the floor with grace and poise. Her chest was practically out. She left nothing to the imagination. Then, Jiang Cheng said with red cheeks, ¡°Then, we¡¯ll split it ording to size.¡± He handed therger potato to Yu Man and the much smaller one to Chen Xiaomeng. With Lee Lu consoling her, Chen Xiaomeng barely managed to rein her anger in. When she was done eating and had the energy, she would strangle the bastard to death. However, just as Chen Xiaomeng was ready to ept the sweet potato, something unexpected happened. Jiang Cheng pulled his hand back and then split the already small potato into two. After a quickparison, he handed the smaller part to Chen Xiaomeng. He munched on the other half with clear enjoyment. ¡°This is much better.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. This clear act of bullying didn¡¯t get much reaction from the others. They were busy digesting their food. Plus, this was the nightmare realm where chivalry meant nothing. There was only the need for survival. ¡°Alright.¡± Zhou Rong wiped his hands and was the first to stand up. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. We should rest.¡± They needed rest after a long time. They didn¡¯t feel it earlier but now that things had settled down somewhat, fatigue caught up to them. It was time for a sleeping arrangement. While the group pondered what to do with the couple, Jiang Cheng and Chen Xioameng, thetter, who had finished her sweet potato, stood up as she wiped her hands. She looked at Jiang Cheng. Her previously chilling face warmed up. ¡°Mr. Yi,¡± She smiled and said intimately, ¡°Why don¡¯t we sleep together tonight?¡± Chapter 122: Follow Chapter 122: Follow It was very quiet at night. Ben Fu was curled up by the fire inside the house on the eastern side. He was the night watch for this house. He was on the second shift. The first shift was Yu Man. There was no talk of chivalry here. Everyone had to create value for the team. The same old rules applied. Everyone would stay guard for two hours and then wake up the next shift. He stared at the female-style watch ced before him. His shift was almost done. There were twenty minutes left. It was time for him to wake up the next shift, Bei Qian. Ben Fu slowly stood up and worked out the kinks in his body. He rubbed his calves. He had been seated for so long that they felt a little numb. He yawned and nced casually to the side. There was arge hole in the window. It allowed a perfect view of the courtyard gate. However, his casual nce made his heart jump. He saw a familiar face in the dark. Even though it was just a sh, he confirmed that it was Zhou Rong. Zhou Rong was facing away from him. He was close to the fence beside the gate. His tall body was hunched over as he acted suspiciously. There was another figure beside him. Ben Fu stared at the other person. His pupils shook. It was Yi Zhiping! What were these two doing in the middle of the night? He immediately thought back to the things that happened at the inn earlier that day. Zhou Rong and Yi Zhiping went upstairs alone with the excuse of returning the keys, but they stayed more than ten minutes upstairs. At the time, he already thought it was weird. Based on what he was seeing, Ben Fu believed the two hade to some kind of agreement. Ben Fu might have been cowardly, but he was not dumb. His first thought was that the two had found some clues, or else they wouldn¡¯t risking out at night¡­ without telling the others. After thinking about it for a few seconds, he made a courageous decision. Without alerting the others in the room, he silently removed the wooden club blocking the door and silently moved towards the two. Zhou Rong and Yi Zhiping were very cautious. They chose a difficult path and kept their bodies close to the ground so that they¡¯d fade into the night. The more they acted like this, the more Ben Fu thought something was up with them.To thetter¡¯s surprise, they didn¡¯t leave the yard. Instead, after taking a big circle, they came to the abandoned building. Ben Fu¡¯s throat moved. He hid inside arge bush. He moved away the branches and looked out. He saw Zhou Rong move his mouth. Then, Yi Zhiping nodded with a serious face. The two found the location of the window and leapt through it. This shocked Ben Fu. He didn¡¯t think they would be so daring. The building gave him a very bad impression. He couldn¡¯t put his finger on it, but it scared him. Half a minute after the two disappeared into the building, Ben Fu silently moved closer. He carefully picked the spot to put his feet, afraid that he¡¯d step on some crackling leaves or branches. At this point, he had to admire the two experienced travellers. Their movement was basically soundless. He hid under the window and took a deep breath. Then, he stood up and peered through the window swiftly. He happened to capture Zhou Rong and Yi Zhiping disappearing right around the corner of the stairs. Ben Fu frowned¡­ Could the clues be upstairs? He stared at the spot where the two disappeared. It waspletely dark, like a monster¡¯s maw that consumed everything that got too close. At the same time, veins popped on his hands that held onto the window frame. Ben Fu seemed to have turned into a different person. Conflict and madness appeared in his twisted gaze. He was preparing himself to make a braver choice. He wanted to follow them to see what was going on. Even though the thought was brave, it was pointless. He was just a normal person. He could sense the condescension from his teammates. His teammates, this time, were much more capable than his previous teammates. This was both a good and bad thing. Based on his understanding, the difficulty of this mission was higher since there was no newbie. In other words, no many among them would survive. Maybe three or four of them would survive¡­ He pressed his lips. He didn¡¯t see himself as one of them. He was too weak, so weak that he wouldn¡¯t know he had walked into a trap willingly. Therefore, to survive, he had to seek another method. ¡®Zhou Rong and Yi Zhiping are capable people. They dare to take this risk because there has to be an important clue inside. Perhaps this clue can help me survive,¡¯ Ben Fu thought to himself. He was not scared of being discovered because someone from hisst mission revealed that killing one¡¯s teammate would lead to something terrifying. Therefore, even if he was discovered, the two didn¡¯t dare to do anything to him. If anything, they would be in his hands if they didn¡¯t want the others to hear about their little escapade. In other words, there was a high return for this action. He stopped hesitating. After listening for a while and noticing nothing, he tried several times and finally pulled himself over the window. When he was inside the building, he realised the ce was more luxurious than he thought. Inparison, the two houses they stayed in were like the toilets of this ce. However, the ce was extremely dark. He could barely see the space before him. He found the wall and then slowly moved along it to the stairs. DONG! His focus was on the stairs, so he didn¡¯t realise his legs would knock into something. Even though it was not loud, it was conspicuous against the absolute silence. Ben Fu froze up. He perked up his ears to listen for noises from upstairs. There was no sound from upstairs. It was like the two had disappeared into thin air. Of course, that wouldn¡¯t happen. Ben Fu believed they had gone into hiding once they heard the sound he made. At this point, Ben Fu stopped hiding his footsteps. He bounced up the stairs. The moment his head poked up the stairs, Ben Fu¡¯s nervous face became red. He slowed down to make himself look more confident. ¡°What are you doing here? It¡¯s already sote at night?¡¯ Ben Fu moved towards the two. Zhou Rong and Yi Zhiping stood not that far away from him. They looked at him coolly. Their arms hungzily, and they were silent. Ben Fu frowned. This was not what he expected. He paused and then raised his courage to ask, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking?¡± Then, he saw Zhou Rong and Yi Zhiping slowly raise their right hands in unison. They pointed at themselves. Then, their heads suddenly tilted to the right as if their necks couldn¡¯t support the heads¡¯ weight anymore. CRACK Ben Fu turned and ran. Chapter 123: Shame Chapter 123: Shame Even if he was not clever, he knew something with wrong with Zhou Rong and Yi Zhiping. Even if they were not ghosts, they had been controlled by ghosts. Perhaps¡­ they already died once they stepped into this building. He quickly turned around to run down the stairs. He suddenly halted. A ball of shadow appeared on the previously-empty staircase. His heart was gripped. Then, a strange thought appeared in his mind. Could the two be pointing at this ball of shadow earlier? Before he could dwell on it, the dark clouds outside the window parted, and the bright moonlight shone in. Ben Fu got a good look at the thing. It was not a shadow but a person kneeling on the ground. ¡­ ¡°Did you see who it was?¡± Zhou Rong whispered. Jiang Cheng, Chen Xiaomeng and Jiang Zhongyi squeezed behind the door. They didn¡¯t open the door fully but only looked out through a small gap. Jiang Zhongyi swallowed nervously. He said uncertainly, ¡°It¡­ appears to be Ben Fu.¡± Earlier, he was the one staying guard. Compared to Jiang Cheng, who had the previous shift, he was very nervous. He would go to check out the door every few minutes. About ten minutes ago, as he looked outside again, he caught a figure sneaking through the night. Due to the angle, before he could catch a better look, the shadow disappeared from his line of sight. In the panic, he only saw the figure from the back and believed it was Ben Fu. ¡°What should we do?¡± Jiang Zhongyi turned to Zhou Rong out of habit. ¡°Should we inform the others?¡± Zhou Rong didn¡¯t answer because he was thinking. Zhou Rong was more concerned about how Ben Fu got the guts to leave the house alone at night. The vige head even warned them from doing so before he left. Ben Fu might be a bit silly, but he was not stupid. Therefore, there had to be something else.¡°Mr. Yi.¡± Zhou Rong lifted his head to ask Jiang Cheng, ¡°What is your opinion?¡± Earlier, Jiang Cheng¡¯s face was unnatural. It was a mixture of conflict, regret and some confusion¡­ None of these escaped Zhou Rong¡¯s eyes. He believed Jiang Cheng had found something. Jiang Cheng scratched his chin andmented, ¡°What a waste of sweet potato¡­¡± Zhou Rong, ¡°???¡± Jiang Zhongyi, ¡°???¡± Chen Xiaomeng, ¡°I told you there¡¯s something wrong with his brain¡­¡± After Zhou Rong calmed down, he tried to understand his words from another perspective, ¡°Mr. Yi.¡± He said rapidly, ¡°Do you mean¡­ Ben Fu¡­¡± ¡°If that was the real Ben Fu, he either found some clues, or he was attracted by something,¡± Chen Xiaomeng nced at Zhou Rong impatiently, ¡°But the result is the same either way.¡± Jiang Zhongyi¡¯s face was pale. He knew what Chen Xiaomeng meant. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s a second possibility,¡± Chen Xiaomeng said coolly, ¡°If that Ben Fu was a ghost, the goal was to lure us out.¡± Jiang Zhongyi wiped away cold sweat from his forehead. Who would go out sote at night? CREAK The old axle creaked like an old scissors. It snipped Jiang Zhongyi¡¯s soul. As his eyes widened, Jiang Cheng opened the door and walked out. Following him were Chen Xiaomeng and Zhou Rong. He quickly looked out. He noticed the door of the other house also opened. Bei Qian, Yu Man and Lee Lu stood at the door. They looked bad. This was especially true for Lee Lu. Even through the distance, they could see her body shaking. After a few seconds, Jiang Zhongyi quickly ran after the others. He¡¯d rather die than stay in the house alone. Now that everyone had appeared, the person earlier was probably the real Ben Fu. ¡°I¡­ am a very light sleeper.¡± In the crowd, Lee Lu¡¯s voice trembled. Even the warmth from the stove couldn¡¯t chase away the frost around her heart. ¡°I heard the sound of wind, so I woke up to see what was happening. I was surprised to see the door open. By then, Ben Fu¡­ was gone!¡± After hearing that, Bei Qian¡¯s face darkened. Then, he said, ¡°Ben Fu should be drawn away by the ghost. It¡¯s probably over for him.¡± Other than that, they couldn¡¯te up with another reason why he¡¯d leave on his own. After all, the mission had just started. It would be rare for him to find the critical clue and clear the mission instantly. However, it was toote now. Thankfully, none of them were newbies. Even though there were emotional fluctuations in their eyes, at the end of the day, they were d that it was not them. Dying in the nightmare realm was verymon. What they needed to do was to analyse the mission taboos so that they would not be the next victim. The good thing about them being experienced yers was that no one suggested something stupid like going to find Ben Fu. They gathered in a singr room to rest. They closed the door and sat around the stove. Two people stayed up to guard the ce. The shift would change every half an hour to ensure that everyone had enough time to rest. Just like that, they waited for the sun to rise. Zhou Rong pushed open the door when they heard footsteps outside the door. It was the vige head and the tanned man. The man had a shoulder pole. The pole had baskets on both ends. The baskets were covered with cloth. Fragrance floated out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The vige head started with an apology, ¡°Masters, you must be hungry. Come and eat!¡± Underneath the clothes were stacks of steamed buns. They were slightly yellow in colour. Upon closer inspection, they were poking out at spots. In this era, white flour should be a luxury item. The vigers probably had to give up a lot just to make these buns from rough grains. After they said their thanks, they grabbed the buns to eat. The other basket had a ck urn. A split-open gourd apanied it. It was probably a waterdle. After they had their fill, they went to scoop the water to drink. Everyone ate and drank quietly. The vige head¡¯s eyes wandered around the group. His mouth opened a few times, but in the end, he only said a few perfunctory words. Chen Xiaomeng leaned against the window and munched on her bun. Actually, when the vige head appeared, she noticed that the vige head was surreptitiously doing a head-count. He even tried a few times to extend his neck to look into the two houses. The vige head knew that they were missing one person but he didn¡¯t bring it up on purpose. Chen Xiaomeng narrowed her eyes. Chapter 124: Disappearance Chapter 124: Disappearance ¡°Vige head!¡± Someone ran in from outside, shouting, ¡°Something happened in town again!¡± The vige head¡¯s wandering eyes focused. He turned to Bei Qian, who he assumed to be the travellers¡¯ leader. ¡°Experts,¡± He asked in panic, ¡°Where is the fat friend among you?¡± Bei Qian slowly swallowed the bun and answered calmly, ¡°We don¡¯t know. He was gone when we woke up this morning.¡± The tanned man, who previously had a dull expression, had his face pale with fear like he just remembered something scary. The vige head sighed. He waved at the vige who just arrived, ¡°What happened in town?¡± Clearly, he already knew what had happened. He just wanted to the viger to ry the incident to the travellers. ¡°A corpse appeared in town again. The body was strung up on the tree. The stomach has been torn open. Internal organs like intestines and heart pour out¡­¡± The man¡¯s voice dwindled as fear dominated his eyes. ¡°Go and figure out if anyone has gone missing in the vige,¡± The vige head told the tanned man. Before the man could leave, the other vige stopped him. ¡°I¡¯ve done that beforeing here.¡± He looked at the travellers carefully. ¡°No one from the vige is missing.¡± Therefore, the victim was most likely Ben Fu. The vige head¡¯s expression was severe. He hesitated. After all, he was the one who invited the masters over. They had been in the vige for less than a day, and one of them had already gotten a horrible death. He didn¡¯t know what to say. The atmosphere froze with awkwardness. Thankfully, Bei Qian slowly began, ¡°Vige Head Liu, you don¡¯t need to me yourself. We¡¯ve considered the risks beforeing here. Plus, Ben Fu left on his own without informing anyone. This is not your fault.¡± The vige head looked better. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. It¡¯s our carelessness that causes this to happen to your friend. We¡­ we¡¯ll try to make it up to you?¡±Yu Man scoffed, ¡°How do you n to do that?¡± ¡°Double!¡± The vige head raised his head with determination, ¡°We¡¯ll double the payment I¡¯ve promised you! The additional money will be consideredpensation for the fat friend¡¯s family!¡± Chen Xiaomeng studied the old man over 60. The determination in his eyes was palpable. Zhao Xiangmei had truly driven Little Ravine Vige up the wall. While everyone was distracted, Jiang Cheng shoved the remaining buns into his clothes. It made his chest look everrger than Yu Man¡¯s. The tanned man looked at the bun in his hand, and his throat wobbled. Jiang Cheng thought about it and took a bun out of his clothes. He slipped it to the tanned man. The man pressed his lips and nodded honestly and thankfully at Jiang Cheng. After doing that, Jiang Cheng turned around and slowly raised his right arm. ¡°I have a question.¡± When everyone¡¯s eyes were on him, Jiang Cheng asked, ¡°How did Ben Fu¡¯s corpse end up in town when he disappeared from this vige? ¡°Did that happen with all the previous cases?¡± Zhou Rong was reminded of the woman who ran into the inn, holding the portrait. Based on the elder by the fence, the woman¡¯s husband also disappeared from this vige. However, she went to the town to search for him. The vige head sighed and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. The corpses of the people who disappeared from this vige would always end up around An Ping Town.¡± ¡°But¡­ why?¡± Lee Lu held two buns. The confusion was in in her eyes. ¡°To be honest, we have no idea.¡± The vige head frowned. ¡°Perhaps¡­ Zhao Xiangman wanted everyone in town to know what the vigers did and how they treated her so many years ago?¡± However, that was not a strong enough reason. ¡°When can we make a move?¡± It was Zhou Rong who spoke. He looked at the vige head with judgement. ¡°We want to examine the body.¡± When the vige head understood that he meant they were nning to head back to An Ping Town, he looked rather difited. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. We¡¯ve sent people to retrieve the body. I believe¡­ they¡¯ll be backter.¡± ¡°Will the town police let you im the body? This is a murder case.¡± Jiang Zhongyi¡¯s question was quite sensible. However, the vige head didn¡¯t seem to hear him. He ordered everyone to pack up and told everyone to be ready to head to the back mountain pool. They were going to check the cursed message left behind by Zhao Xiangmei. Jiang Zhongyi, who was ignored, was confused. He took a few strides forward. When he nned to repeat his question, something was stuffed into his mouth. It wasrge and soft. It was a steamed bum. ¡°Eat more buns.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled back his hand. ¡°It¡¯s good for brain development.¡± Jiang Zhongyi was startled. He didn¡¯t dare to offend someone like Jiang Cheng. There were many who lost their minds in the nightmare realm. However, not many survived despite having lost their minds. Plus, he had the answer already. Perhaps the town police already knew of the vige. They decided to let Little Ravine Vige handle this mess themselves. Naturally, this couldn¡¯t be revealed to the public. Since the travellers didn¡¯t have anything, they didn¡¯t need to pack. With the vige head leading the way, they moved towards the back mountain. They followed the pebbled road and headed deeper into the vige. When they reached the vige yesterday, it was already dark. Therefore, they didn¡¯t have the chance to observe their surroundings. This made them have the misconception that the courtyard they stayed at was in a secluded ce. However, they realised that the courtyard was actually right in the middle of the vige. The green-pebbled road that paved the way out of the yard perfectly split the vige into two sides. However, the side that was closer to the two houses they spent the night was mostly abandoned. There were empty houses with broken doors. Some had rotten fences and fields. The wind blew, and there was a strange creaking sound. The original vigers that lived there were probably killed by Zhao Xiangmei, or they had moved. After all, the risk of staying was death. As if reading their thought, the vige head, who walked in front with a cane, whispered, ¡°After that incident, the police arrested all the men who purchased the kidnapped women. They were judged and sentenced, but¡­¡± He paused. ¡°They all disappeared while in prison.¡± Chapter 125: Qian Family Chapter 125: Qian Family ¡°The police suspected it was a premeditated group prison break and sent people to guard our vige. However, we really didn¡¯t know everything. ¡°In the end, it was a merchant from An Ping Town who came to make another police report. He said he saw a lot of corpses hanging in the forest not far from An Ping Town. The ground was flooded with blood, and the corpses were heavily mutated. At first, the merchant thought they were cut-up livestock.¡± ¡°Were they the men from the prison?¡± Jiang Zhongyi asked nervously. The vige head took a while and answered, ¡°Yes. However, once the men in the prison werepletely wiped out, the vigers started to disappear. ¡°Those who interacted with Zhao Xiangmei were targeted. She massacred the entire Qian Family.¡± At this point, the vige head realised he brought up a new character. His tense body rxed slightly as he changed the topic. He started to exin the situation. The vige head back then had the surname Qian. The Qian Family was the biggest family in the area. Back in that era, theserge families fully controlled the viges on the outskirts of the city. In other words, the Qian Family supported Zhao Xiangmei''s activities both on the surface and below. However, when they were questioned by the police, the Qian Family instantly threw Zhao Xiangmei under the bus. That wrote their future death sentence. The Qian Family was the first family to be hit after all the prisoners perished. Therge family was shattered, and only a few survivors remained. The survivors escaped from the vige and were never heard from again. Most of the empty houses before the travellers were left behind by the Qian Family. ¡°Did really no one survive?¡± Lee Lu hugged her body. She still hadn¡¯t recovered from Ben Fu¡¯s death. ¡°No.¡± The vige head shook his head. Zhou Rong looked around. There was a building about 100 metres to their left. It looked like a temple. However,pared to the nearby buildings, it was even more dpidated. From afar, he noticed there was a giant hole in the front door. The windows made from paper were broken down. The ce was dark.¡°What is that ce?¡± Zhou Rong stopped and asked the vige head. Seeing the building, the vige head¡¯s eyes coloured with memory. He sighed, ¡°That was the Qian Family¡¯s ancestral hall. After the Qian Family fell, no one came to take care of it anymore.¡± Chen Xiaomeng looked at the ce. She believed none of the vigers dared to get close to it, much less take care of it. They chatted as they walked. Time passed by quickly. After the sun was fully out, the pebbled road ended, and they entered a valley. The mountain roads here were different from the ones that led to the vige. This road was more bumpy. Everyone had to rely on each other to move forward. The vige head said that this path had been abandoned for a long time. The original path had been washed away by a flood, so they had to use this rarely-trekked path. ¡°How¡­ much longer?¡± Jiang Zhongyi¡¯s stamina was worse than that of Bei Qian and Lee Lu. He was already panting heavily. The scent of blood came out of his throat. Holding the cane, the tanned viger helped the vige head. Then, he said, ¡°We¡¯re there.¡± He moved away the branches. Then, arge space appeared before them. A mountain spring was hidden inside the mountain valley. Mountains rose around it. Giant trees rose into the sky. Nature appeared to wish to swallow this pool up. Bei Qian looked around before staring down the distance. The meandering mountains formed a line that seemed to stretch indefinitely. ¡°Strange¡­¡± He suddenly said. Jiang Zhongyi was closest to him, and he heard Bei Qian¡¯s mumblings. He looked at the elder and frowned. ¡°How is it strange?¡± Bei Qian ignored him and turned to the vige head, ¡°Elder, when was this pool discovered?¡± ¡°It was a long time ago.¡± The vige head coughed twice and licked his dry lips. ¡°It¡¯s definitely more than 100 years ago. No one know the exact time now.¡± Jiang Cheng carefully walked to the side of the pool. He knelt down and reached out to feel the water. Then, the spine assaulted his nerves. He shivered involuntarily. He didn¡¯t expect the water to be so cold¡­ and the pool was not even frozen. ¡°This pool is very cold.¡± The tanned man said. When Jiang Cheng snuck him a steamed bun, he had a good impression of Jiang Cheng. He reminded him, ¡°You have to be careful. There¡¯s no saving you if you drop in.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled his hand back. He looked at the deep water and asked, ¡°Are there fish here?¡± ¡°Fish?¡± He didn¡¯t seem to understand the question. His thick brows were furrowed. This pool was once used to drown unfaithful women. At least a hundred years had passed. There were at least 100 corpses in the pool. Plus, Zhao Xiangmei¡¯s corpse was in there too. Why would someone want to fish there? ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He answered honestly, ¡°Probably¡­ not.¡± The pool was so cold that touching it would drain one of one¡¯s energy instantly if one fell into it. One time, a blind olddy came to Little Ravine Vige. She had a snake-headed cane. She was apparently quite famous. Based on her words, Cold Virtue Pool carried the resentment of the women who died there. Once someone fell in, they would be bogged down by the resentment. The tanned man didn¡¯t understand all that. He only knew that this ce was very dangerous and they had to stay far away from the pool. This pool¡­ was cursed. ¡°Ah Da!¡± The tanned man suddenly heard the vige head call him. He answered and ran over. He listened to the vige head obediently. The ce was very slick and wet. The vige head probably wanted to lead them to the stone with the curse next. Jiang Cheng lowered his head to stare at the cold pool. The pool was about several hundred cubic metres in size. The water quality was clear. However, the closer it got to the centre, the deeper the colour. The centre of the pool seemed to absorb light. After staring at it for some time, Jiang Cheng felt dizzy. Suddenly, many strange images appeared in his mind, and he felt an urge to jump into the pond. He resisted the urge. For a moment, he saw a woman¡¯s face in the dark pool water. When he tried to get a closer look, all he saw was darkness. He saw a reflection in the pool from the corner of his eyes. A human silhouette appeared behind him. It looked like a woman from the silhouette. The woman raised her leg as if to gather energy. Chapter 126: Disciple Chapter 126: Disciple ¡°Help!¡± Jiang Cheng screamed without hesitation. The silent atmosphere was shattered. Many footsteps came towards him. The tanned man had just left, so he was the first to arrive. His eyes widened as he stared at the couple beside the pool. Jiang Cheng slowly turned around to meet Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s hatred-filled eyes. By then, she had pulled back her leg, not at all intending to kick Jiang Cheng into the water. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The vige head and the rest finally arrived. Seeing the two by the pool, they asked in fear. The vige head started to regret bringing them there. The ce looked eerie. He prayed that nothing bad would happen. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Jiang Cheng replied calmly, ¡°I saw a woman¡¯s face in the water earlier. But I probably got it wrong.¡± Jiang Cheng said it with nonchnce, but it affected the vige head greatly. He became nervous, and his lips trembled. ¡°A face¡­¡± ¡°Yes. A woman¡¯s face.¡± Jiang Cheng turned to look at Chen Xiaomeng. Slowly, his face turned into a grimace, like he had just discovered something. Everyone spotted this, and all turned to look at Chen Xiaomeng. Naturally, they couldn¡¯t see what was wrong with her. While thetter was stumped, Jiang Cheng screamed, ¡°My God! Her face is the exact same as the one in the water earlier!¡± The crowd was silent for a few seconds before exploding. The tanned man and Jiang Zhongyi, who were closest to Chen Xiaomeng, quickly darted back. The vige head reacted even faster. He dropped his cane and ran. He felt better when he was beside Bei Qian.After he calmed down, he took the cane from the tanned man. He held the cane, leaned slightly forward and returned to how he normally was. ¡°Ki¡­ Master!¡± The vige head¡¯s pupils trembled. He quickly asked, ¡°Are you sure that the face in the pool is simr to this girl¡¯s?¡± Chen Xiaomeng scoffed, ¡°If you¡¯re willing to trust this madman, be my guest. Where is the stone que with the curse? I want to see it.¡± Bei Qian knew the strange rtionship between Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng. He didn¡¯t dwell on this and turned to tell the vige head to lead the way to the stone que. Due to the moss and lichen, everyone walked carefully. A few minutester, the group came to the giant tree. The tree was so huge that five people were required to hug it fully. The canopy covered the sky. Only ck shadows could be seen under the canopy. Great vines crawled along the tree trunk to form a natural. The vige head swallowed and walked forward alone. He used his cane to poke around the roots. Then, some of the wilted nts were pushed away to reveal a corner of the que. Even though the que was shrouded in shadow, it glowed green. Once they got close, a strange feeling wrapped around their hearts. They were not unfamiliar with this feeling. In the previous missions, they had the same feeling whenever they got close to an important clue. So¡­ they were at the right ce. Zhou Rong¡¯s eyes burned. They cleaned away the nt on the que. The bloody message on the back of the que was harrowing. The handwriting was messy. Some of the characters ovepped. This showed that the writer was too weak to care about penmanship. Also, based on what the vige head said, by then, Zhao Xiangmei was basically blind. The bloody message looked brand new. They radiated Zhao Xiangmei¡¯s hatred and despair. One would feel dizzy staring at it for too long. ¡°In the end, Zhao Xiangmei¡¯s corpse was discovered lying before this thing. When she died, her hand was pressed against the stone que¡­¡± The vige head stood at the side, an inscrutable expression on his face. Jiang Zhongyi stood alone, far away from the que. The heart palpitation hadn¡¯t receded. He reached one hand into his shirt to make a cross in front of his chest. He was a devotee. However, that didn¡¯t happen until half a month ago. Since he escaped thest mission alive, he became very religious. He remembered clearly that the setting of hisst mission was a catholic church. When he was chased by the ghost, a giant cross fell from the ceiling to slow the ghost. That was how he survived. It was from then on that his heart found a ce called home. He entered God¡¯s sanctuary and received the blessing of the sacred light. Humanity was too weak. Only light could fight against devils. Chen Xiaomeng knelt before the que. She touched it thoroughly. Her expression was devoid of expression. Suddenly, her face shifted. ¡°Vige head,¡± She turned to ask, ¡°Did the vigers try to destroy the stone que before?¡± The vige head was startled. Then, he admitted, ¡°Yes. When the rumours of the curse started, the men in the vige were angry and unwilling. They chose eight strong men and departed on a sunny day, carrying tools, ck dog¡¯s blood and cocks to destroy this que. ¡°They thought the curse would stop once the stone was destroyed.¡± At this point, the vige head choked. His eyes rimmed with red. ¡°The leader¡­ was my elder brother.¡± ¡°What¡­ happened to them?¡± Lee Lu asked softly. ¡°They disappeared.¡± The vige head rubbed his eyes. The wrinkles on his face deepened. ¡°Their bodies were also found around the town. It was a horrid spectacle.¡± ¡°Where are their bodies buried?¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly asked. Zhou Rong opened his mouth and then closed it. He was thinking about that too. Over the years, the number of people killed by Zhao Xiangmei was astronomical. However, they didn¡¯t see any cemetery near the vige. The vige head¡¯s face dropped. It was the viger who came bearing the news who huffed, ¡°What burial? We just burnt them all. ¡°If any family dared to conduct a burial, the graves would be dug up the next day, and the bones and corpses would be strewn everywhere. Then¡­¡± His face chilled. ¡°Tragedy would befall the other family members.¡± Chapter 127: Yes Chapter 127: Yes One could imagine Zhao Xiangmei¡¯s resentment that she even went after the dead bodies. Bei Qian studied the stone que for a long time. His eyes lingered on the bloody message. The elder looked very experienced. ¡°Was Zhao Xiangmei a local of Little Ravine Vige?¡± Bei Qian turned to ask the vige head. ¡°No.¡± The vige head shook his head. ¡°The old Vige Chief Qian picked her up from outside. No one knew from where.¡± For the travellers, the situation was not optimistic. A traveller had already been killed, but so far, they hadn¡¯t obtained any useful information about the ghost. Other than her name and her gender, they knew nothing about her. The NPCs for this mission were quite¡­ unreliable. They only kept stressing how scary and terrifying the ghost was. ¡°We¡­¡± The vige, who came with the news, probed, ¡°Can we leave now?¡± He was ufortable even just standing there. If not for the vige head¡¯s order, he wouldn¡¯t even be there that day. The vige head nced at him. He was telling him that he was not the decision-maker but the expert that came from outside. Therefore, the man turned to look at Bei Qian with puppy eyes. By then, Bei Qian had already copied down the curse on a piece of cloth. He stood up, looked around and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The man instantly turned and left. The vige head and the tanned man hurried to follow. They moved so much faster than when they came. Jiang Cheng walked at the back of the team. When he was about 10 meters away, he suddenly turned back to look. It was an instinct thatpelled him to do so. He could sense a resentful gaze staring at him. Venomous, twisted, mad¡­ these were the words Jiang Cheng would describe the feeling he got. His eyes slowly moved to the pool. Under the ck water, there was a pair of crimson eyes. When Jiang Cheng met the eyes, a strange feeling rose in his heart. It was like¡­ something had been bound within him. He quickly averted his gaze. He ran to catch up to Chen Xiaomeng. He patted the girl¡¯s shoulder and pointed at the centre of the pool. ¡°Look. What is that?¡± But¡­ Chen Xiaomeng didn¡¯t look at where he was pointing. Instead, she regarded him with an amused gaze. Then, she leaned in to whisper into his ear. ¡°Mr. Hao Shuai, congrattions. You¡¯re the winner.¡± As a smile was about to bloom on her face, a gasp exploded in her eyes.¡°What the fuck!¡± Jiang Zhongyi stared at where Jiang Cheng was pointing. His eyes were practically falling out. ¡°What is that?¡± Everyone turned when they heard Jiang Zhongyi. However, the pair of eyes mysteriously disappeared. Instead, there was a pool of indelible ink in the middle of the pool. ¡°Idiot!¡± Chen Xiaomeng cursed under her breath. At that moment, Jiang Cheng was smiling. He looked at Chen Xiaomeng, puffed out his chest that was stuffed with steamed buns and sauntered away proudly. ¡°Dragon¡­ Lady.¡± Jiang Zhongyi came to Chen Xiaomeng and asked nervously, ¡°Did you see anything? I saw there were¡­¡± ¡°I saw nothing.¡± Chen Xiaomeng turned and left. Jiang Zhongyi watched Chen Xiaomeng leave. He had no idea how he had offended her. He was so confused. The journey back was uneventful. There was a stretch of slippery road. Lee Lu tripped and identally bumped into a tree. She twisted her right left. Either the mountain had a different time flow, or the nightmare realm¡¯s time was different from normal. When they returned to the vige, it was almostte afternoon. The vige head said that he still had something to do, so he ordered the tanned man to send the travellers back to the courtyard. He also added that someone would send food overter. ¡°Will there be meat?¡± Jiang Cheng captured the vige head and asked. The vige head¡¯s face turned awkward. Then, he nodded with determination. ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng let him go. After they returned to the courtyard, they didn¡¯t rest but gathered in a house to have a meeting. Zhou Rong helped the wounded Lee Lu very gentlemanly. Thetter blushed as she thanked him profusely. Bei Qian took out the copied curse and spread it on the table. ¡°Zhao Xiangmei was not a simple person,¡± His first statement grabbed everyone¡¯s attention. Jiang Zhongyi was still resistant to the message even though it was in copied form. His expression was strange. ¡°Are there any issues¡­ with these words?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing Elder Bei Qian meant that not only did Zhao Xiangmei know words, but she might also have received a great education.¡± Zhao Rong scratched his chin. ¡°Indeed.¡± Bei Qian nodded. He looked around and continued, ¡°Even though the handwriting is a mess, I can tell the writer¡¯s calligraphy background from the strokes. Plus¡­ I noticed a few obtuse words in the curse.¡± He slowly straightened up. ¡°Considering the era and environment we¡¯re in, what kind of youngdy could receive such a wonderful education?¡± Yu Man narrowed her eyes. ¡°Someone from the city.¡± ¡°More than that.¡± Bei Qian said, ¡°She should be from a schrly and rich family.¡± ¡°But why would such a person be involved in human trafficking?¡± Jiang Zhongyi didn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Plus, Zhao Xiangmei didn¡¯t sound like the name of a rich family¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s simple. Zhao Xiangmei is a fake name.¡± Chen Xiaomeng replied, ¡°As for whether a rich family¡¯s daughter would be involved in human trafficking¡­ I fail to see any corrtion.¡± Then, she gave Jiang Cheng a side-eye and scoffed, ¡°After all, there are many well-dressed animals.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at her dumbly as if he didn¡¯t understand her. Before the situation escted, Bei Qian pulled the attention back to the case and steadied his reputation. He regarded Jiang Cheng seriously and asked out of politeness, ¡°Mr. Yi, do you have great ideas that you would like to share with us?¡± He didn¡¯t really expect or even want a response from Jiang Cheng. But¡­ Jiang Cheng seemed to have found the chance he had been waiting for. He rubbed his hands and licked his lips, ¡°Since you¡¯ve asked so politely, then I shall oblige¡­¡± Bei Qian, ¡°??¡± Chapter 128: Hong Hong Chapter 128: Hong Hong Once he said that, even Zhou Rong, who was normally very collected, said awkwardly, ¡°Mr. Yi¡­ is still so humorous.¡± Jiang Cheng put his hands on his waist. ¡°I don¡¯t understand it. Why would Vige Head Qian hand over such an important and under-table task to an outsider? Isn¡¯t he afraid of betrayal?¡± His words awakened the minds of many. Previously, everyone¡¯s focus was on Zhao Xiangmei¡¯s identity. However, Yi Zhiping¡¯s statement made people wonder about the rtionship between Vige Head Qian and Zhao Xiangmei. The room became silent. Indeed, kidnapping was a serious crime. How could they trust an outsider to conduct this task? Lee Lu suffered the pain from her ankle and said, ¡°Could it be¡­ that Zhao Xiangmei¡¯s husband was from Little Ravine Vige? Then, she could be considered half a local.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a possibility.¡± Zhou Rong considered it. None of them were newbies. They sensed that this mission was more difficult than normal. One day and one night had passed. They had not advanced the plot in a meaningful way, but they lost a teammate. This wouldn¡¯t do¡­ Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes as he looked out the window. ¡°The sun is not fully set yet. I think we should split into two teams. One team will stay here to wait for the food, and the other team will enter the vige and take a look around.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t that be too dangerous?¡± Jiang Zhongyi asked timidly. His worry was not unfounded. The vige was ultimately in the mountains. The sky might darken suddenly. If they failed to return before nightfall, idents might happen. Bei Qian nodded. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll have to trouble Mr. Yi.¡± He looked at Jiang Cheng with great concern. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about this ce. I¡¯ll stay back to tussle with the vigers.¡± Jiang Cheng tutted as he gave Bei Qian a once-over. This pretentious old man was on the same level as Zhen Jianren. They were equally shameless.¡°Elder Bei has to be careful too,¡± Jiang Cheng responded with concern too. After that, it was time to decide the team. Lee Lu had a sprained ankle, so she had to stay. Yu Man didn¡¯t want to walk around, so she stated directly that she would stay behind. Including Bei Qian, three of them wanted to stay behind. ¡°I¡¯ll go out to take a look,¡± Zhou Rong nodded at Jiang Cheng and announced. To everyone¡¯s surprise, Chen Xiaomeng also chose to explore the vige. Therefore, each group had three members. Only Jiang Zhongyi hadn¡¯t made a choice. Normally, there should be more people going out to look for clues than those staying behind. Even though Jiang Zhongyi also wanted to stay, he pouted and said with a bitter expression, ¡°I¡­ I will go with you¡­¡± It was clear that he was unwilling. To his surprise¡­ ¡°We don¡¯t need you.¡± After Jiang Cheng said that, he didn¡¯t even look at him and left with Zhou Rong and Chen Xiaomeng. Jiang Zhongyi was very appreciative, but he didn¡¯t dare to show it too obviously. The only thing that made him ufortable was the way Chen Xiaomeng nced at him before she left. Her gaze was cold and distant, like¡­ she was looking at a dead body. Jiang Zhongyi was frightened by his own thought. He shook his head quickly. When he raised his head next, the group was already gone. The setting sun hung on the top of the mountain. They walked along the small vige road. Smoke asionally rose through the chimneys. Even with the curse, many vigers chose to stay. The green-pebbled road seemed to create two separate worlds. On one side, the doors and windows were shattered or closed. The houses were abandoned. On the other side, even though the houses were old, there were signs of life like small vegetable patches in the yards. Poverty was the mainstay of this ce. Emigration of the younger generation would spell the doom of this ce. The mountain was too rocky for agriculture. Chen Xiaomeng seemed to read Jiang Cheng¡¯s thoughts. As she studied the vegetable patches, she scoffed, ¡°Even if the vigers can self-sustain with these grown foods, will Zhao Xiangmei let them be?¡± At its core, Zhao Xiangmei was the scourge of this vige. The group wandered around aimlessly. Jiang Zheng looked around. Zhou Rong wanted to find a chance to be alone with Jiang Cheng. He didn¡¯t expect Chen Xiaomeng to join them. ¡°Who is that?¡± Zhou Rong said with alertness. They followed Zhou Rong¡¯s gaze. Behind the yard fence not far away, a small head poked out. It was a girl. She looked around seven. She wore a light green cotton skirt. Her blinking, innocent eyes studied them openly. She probably thought that she was very well-hidden. After Zhou Rong found her, she appeared panicked. She jumped down from the fence, turned around and prepared to run back home. However, suddenly, she paused and stared at Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng smiled at her. He extended his palm to reveal a wrinkly steamed bun. The girl swallowed hard. Then, things became a lot simpler. Jiang Cheng sessfully used the bun to lure the girl out. They chose a shadowy spot to sit down. ¡°What is your name?¡± Chen Xiaomeng asked. ¡°Hong Hong.¡± The girl munched on the bun. She ate so fast that she finished half of it in seconds and almost choked on it. When they sat closer, the group discovered the girl was overly thin, and her skin was sallow. ¡°Is that your house?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The girl nodded. She licked the bits of bun from her fingers. Her house was the one with a vegetable patch in the yard. ¡°Who else lives there?¡± Zhou Rong interrupted. The girl licked her lips. After their brief interaction, the girl became more courageous around the travellers. She nced at Jiang Cheng who was biting on another half of a steamed bun. She reached out her hand. ¡°Give me your bun, and I¡¯ll tell you.¡± After Jiang Cheng gave her the half, the girl¡¯s eyes glowed with happiness. She salivated tremendously. However, she resisted the urge to bite into the bun as something came into her mind. She carefully ced half of the bun into her skirt pocket. ¡°There¡¯s no one else.¡± The girl lowered her head. ¡°Hong Hong is the only one left.¡± She stared at her feet. She looked so pitiful. Her eyes brimmed with sadness. When she thought her acting had fooled them, she felt a pull on the back of her neck, and her feet left the ground. Jiang Cheng lifted the girl into the air like he was holding a kitten. Then, he snatched half the bun back from the girl and shoved it back into his own clothes. ¡°Then, you have had more than enough to eat.¡± Jiang Cheng huffed, ¡°Why should I give you more? I¡¯m not your dad.¡± Chapter 129: Trade Chapter 129: Trade Regarding Jiang Cheng¡¯s action, Chen Xiaomeng and Zhou Rong did not do or say anything to stop him. In fact, if Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t do that, they had their own methods to make the girl speak. The girl¡¯s home might be old, but based on the dry chilli hanging under the eaves and the vegetables growing in the yard, there were clearly adults in her family. The girl didn¡¯t expect Jiang Cheng¡¯s attitude to turn so quickly. Her eyes reddened for real this time. Just as she was about to cry, she heard Jiang Cheng say slowly, ¡°If you dare to cry, I¡¯ll have this aunty ruin all the vegetables in your family¡¯s yard.¡± Hearing that, the girl didn¡¯t dare to cry. For her, this threat was far more effective than beating her up. After all, her family relied on those vegetables to survive. From when she had her memory, her life was apanied by hunger. ¡°No.¡± The girl¡¯s eyes blurred with tears, but she didn¡¯t dare to let them fail. Her small face scrunched up. ¡°Mom¡­ nted those. Please¡­ don¡¯t destroy them.¡± Jiang Cheng ced the girl back on the ground. She wanted to run, but she knew that while she could run, the vegetables at her home couldn¡¯t. So, she dropped that idea. ¡°How about we discuss this?¡± Jiang Cheng bent down to look into the girl¡¯s eyes. ¡°For each question that you answer, I¡¯ll give you half a steamed bun.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The girl stared at him and replied timidly. ¡°Are you and your mother the only members of your family?¡± ¡°And grandma.¡± The girl pressed her lips. ¡°But grandma is very sick. Mom has to go up the mountains to pick herbs for her.¡± ¡°Where is your dad?¡±The girl looked up at Jiang Cheng. Something swirled in her eyes. Jiang Cheng took out half the steamed bun from before. He shoved it back into the girl¡¯s pocket. The girl instantly said, ¡°Hong Hong hasn¡¯t seen father before. However, mom said that father has left for the big city. When Hong Hong is older, father will be back and buy many steamed buns for Hong Hong.¡± The girl¡¯s eyes glowed, but the other¡¯s eyes dimmed. The steamed bun was probably the limit of this girl¡¯s imagination. Plus, everyone knew that she wouldn¡¯t wait until the day her father came back home. Her father¡­ had probably been killed by Zhao Xiangmei already. ¡°Are your mother and grandmother at home?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. The girl nodded. It was then that Zhou Rong suddenly realised the sun had mostly set. Night would soone. Jiang Cheng pulled out another bun and handed it to the girl. ¡°We¡¯re going back now.¡± He added, ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you tomorrow afternoon. Same old rules. Half a bun for one question answered.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± The girl stared at the whole bun and asked Jiang Cheng, ¡°Why did you give me an extra half?¡± ¡°Consider it the down payment.¡± Jiang Cheng turned and ran back to their courtyard. Just as the sun fully set, the three entered the yard. A ck pot was ced on the old wooden table. There were also a few sets of chopsticks and bowls. ¡°Mr. Yi.¡± Lee Lu greeted them warmly, ¡°Come and eat. The soup is still hot. The vige head just had people send it over.¡± Zhou Rong scanned the ce. Only Lee Lu sat around the fire. ¡°Where are Bei Qian and the rest?¡± ¡°Elder Bei and Jiang Zhongyi said they wanted to take a walk around this courtyard.¡± Then, Lee Lu¡¯s eyes widened as it dawned on her. ¡°Did you not see them when you came back?¡± Naturally, they didn¡¯t¡­ ¡°When did they leave?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°About¡­ 15 minutes ago.¡± Lee Lu¡¯s face paled as she understood the severity of the situation, ¡°They left before they had the chance to eat.¡± Chen Xiaomeng turned to reopen the gate. Lee Lu looked out. The sky was already fully dark. Darkness hid a lot of dangers. Something must have happened to them since they hadn¡¯t returned after so long. However, based on what Lee Lu said, they left 15 minutes ago. In other words, they would have seen the sky darkening when they left. They wouldn¡¯t have gone far. They should have been dyed by an abrupt incident¡­ Or, something had stopped them froming back. The only thing that could grab their attention so¡­ that was nearby. At the same time, a sh crossed the three¡¯s eyes. A building appeared in their heads. It was right inside this courtyard. The abandoned and sealedrgest building. ¡°Miss Dragon Lady,¡± Zhou Rong told Chen Xiaomeng rapidly, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to stay to apany Miss Lee. Mr. Yi and I will go take a look.¡± This time, Chen Xiaomeng didn¡¯t insist on following them. She agreed easily. Lee Lu nodded apologetically. Her injury made her a burden. Zhou Rong pulled open the door and was about to leave. ¡°Mr. Yi, we better hurry¡­¡± However, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even move. He stared at Lee Lu and Chen Xiaomeng. Then, he said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I stay? I¡¯m better at taking care of people.¡± He paused. ¡°After all, I¡¯m a doctor.¡± Chen Xiaomeng scoffed and exposed him. ¡°Please show some respect to the upation of doctor. They will not ept you as one of them.¡± Just as Jiang Cheng was about to argue with Chen Xiaomeng, the group heard a loud sound. It was very dull, like something heavynding on the ground from an elevation. It didn¡¯t¡­ sound far away. The three immediately ran over. Even though Lee Lu was also curious, she knew that she would only drag them down, so she stayed. A few secondster, there was a scream. The scream was hoarse and deep. The screamer should be old. The three knew that it was Bei Qian. Everyone wondered what could have happened to make the reliable senior scream like this. Jiang Cheng rushed into his house to grab the oilmp on the table. Then, he rushed towards the scream. Zhou Rong followed him. After some thought, Chen Xiaomeng also followed. Their hypothesis was correct. The two went to the abandoned building in the yard. The scream came from there. The light from the oilmp barely did anything to chase away the darkness. They slowly slunk forward. Nervousness festered in the air. Jiang Cheng suddenly paused. He took a deep breath, and his eyes sharpened. He smelled blood. However, the thing that worried him even more was Bei Qian. His scream onlysted for a quick moment before disappearingpletely. The surroundings became deathly quiet. Chapter 130: Dinner Chapter 130: Dinner Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s gait slowed down. She remained in the range of the light. She also noticed something was wrong and wondered if this was a ghost¡¯s trap. The giant building rose before them. Everything appeared as ck silhouettes. It felt like they could move at any moment. As they approached the building, suddenly, Zhou Rong heard a strange sound. It sounded like fabric rubbing against branches or stones. He turned to the source. A few secondster, his eyes widened. Under the corner of the wall, there was a shrunken, wrinkly face! Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng discovered it as well. Bei Qian was no longer as proud as before. His eyes were bloodshot, and he closed his hands over his mouth. He hid in the corner, his body shivering. Thankfully, other than some dirt, they couldn¡¯t detect any wounds on his body. In other words, the blood came from someone else. Bei Qian¡¯s gaze was transfixed at one spot. Jiang Cheng moved the oilmp to where Bei Qian was looking at. It was the window. There was a small tree in front of the window. The tree was split in the middle. A branch protruded out, forming a natural spike. At that moment, a body was hanged from the tree. The branch pierced in from the mouth and exited through the lower body. The stomach was shed open. Organs fell out with blood. It was Jiang Zhongyi¡­ His dangling hand gripped a roughly-hewn, wooden cross that had been dyed red. Zhou Rong was stunned. This scenario was heavily coloured by religion. If he were not in the nightmare realm, he would have thought he had returned to the Dark Ages. Due to the angle, they couldn¡¯t see Jiang Zhongyi¡¯s eyes. Zhou Rong slowly raised his head. He noticed that the second-floor window had been shattered. Some wooden splinters extended outwards. It looked like Jiang Zhongyi jumped out from the second-floor window. Then, he was unlucky enough to impale himself on the tree branch. However, this was in the realm of nightmares, and Jiang Zhongyi was not dumb. If he merely carelessly fell from the second floor, the falling power wouldn¡¯t be enough to have an entire person skewered. This felt more like Jiang Zhongyi was shoved out the window by a giant force.After that, Bei Qian, who slowly recovered, exined the situation. About half an hour ago, the vige head sent people over to deliver food. It was the tanned man from before. The man didn¡¯t say much. He put down the things and left. However, Bei Qian noticed something unusual. By then, the sky was darkening. The vigers had shown how much they feared the night. Even if the tanned man ran at full speed, he wouldn¡¯t reach his home before the night came¡­ unless¡­ Bei Qian didn¡¯t make a fuss. He told Lee Lu to stay and brought Jiang Zhongyi with him. They tailed the tanned man and wanted to see what was going on. As they expected, after the man left their courtyard, he made a U-turn and came to a secluded part of the fence. There was a hole in the fence. He entered the courtyard again. Then, he walked straight to the abandoned building. He entered the building by jumping through the window. Seeing this, Bei Qian suggested that they return and wait for everyone before deciding what to do next. However, Jiang Zhongyi insisted that this was the best chance to look for clues. If they missed this opportunity, it might note again. Bei Qian couldn¡¯t argue with him, so he went along with it. Jiang Zhongyi entered the building while Bei Qian stayed out to keep watch for him. He even told Jiang Zhongyi to be careful. A trace of sadness and regret appeared in the old man¡¯s eyes. The group knew he was bullshitting. With Jiang Zhongyi¡¯s timid nature, he wouldn¡¯t have entered the building alone. Bei Qian must have threatened and confused him to make him enter the building. They had no way to deal with the corpse. If they wanted to carry the corpse with them, they had to saw off the tree. The group made a quick observation and decided to leave. There had to be something wrong with this isted building. When they returned and told Lee Lu that Jiang Zhongyi was dead, she looked sad. However, when Lee Lu heard that there was something suspicious about the tanned man, Lee Lu¡¯s expression changed dramatically. Then, she rushed out the door and started puking. The others were unfazed. After all¡­ only Lee Lu ate the food brought over by the man. It was meat soup. Yu Man leaned against the door. The many incidents brought nervousness to her face. They had been in the vige for one day and one night but they had lost two teammates already. She went to the other house to light the stove and carried some charcoal back. The group decided to stay together that night. Since there were only three males and three females left, the sleeping arrangements were easily-decided. Jiang Cheng unwillingly took out a few steamed buns from his clothes. Yu Man and Lee Lu stared at them until their eyes fell out. He originally nned to give each of them half, but before he could do that, Chen Xiaomeng snatched everything from him. Thus, each person had a steamed bun. For this, Jiang Cheng grumbled for a long time. ¡°Something must be wrong with that building,¡± Lee Lu said with a pale face. After her vomit session, she looked so frail and weak. Bei Qian sat down and shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s more than just that building.¡± He raised his head. ¡°Consider this. With this courtyard¡¯s central location and the fadingvishness of the ce, who could have afforded to stay here?¡± ¡°The bigger families of Little Ravine Vige,¡± Chen Xiaomeng tossed a wood into the me. ¡°Like the Qian Family who had a vige head.¡± The rest didn¡¯t need more than that to understand the meaning. Before Jiang Zhongyi¡¯s tragedy, some of them had already suspected the origin of this courtyard. Bei Qian merely brought it to the surface. ¡°If this really were the Qian Family¡¯s courtyard, it would exin why Zhao Xiangmei would kill people here.¡± Lee Lu said, ¡°She might have confused us as the Qian Family members.¡± Then, this brought up another issue. The current vige head didn¡¯t tell them this was the former Qian Family home. He also didn¡¯t warn them of the risk of staying here. This made the vige head a suspect too. After all, based on the words of An Ping Inn¡¯s boss, the experts hired by Little Ravine Vige had all mysteriously disappeared. Those experts had once stayed in this courtyard. Simr to the travellers. After a quick discussion, they came up with three points of interest. First: Who was this courtyard¡¯s previous owner? Second: Zhao Xiangmei¡¯s real identity. Third: Why would the ghost hang the corpses around An Ping Town after killing them? They had asked the vige head about the second and third questions, but they didn¡¯t get any valuable information. However, the vige head had to be able to answer the first inquiry. They decided to question him the next morning. Actually, there was a fourth issue that no one wanted to bring up¡­ There had to be a clue hidden inside thatrge building that shared their courtyard. Chapter 131: Illness Chapter 131: Illness As usual, there had to be people who stayed up to keep guard at night. Since so many things had happened, they decided to have a pair each shift. One male and one female. That way, each room would have at least two people. In the nightmare realm, those who were left alone would be targeted more often than nothing. That was their experience. Jiang Cheng was lucky enough to be paired with Chen Xiaomeng. They sat around the fire. The mes ced Jiang Cheng¡¯s face in alternative lightness and darkness. He narrowed his eyes out offort. He stretched his body like a cat. Chen Xiaomeng studied him with interest. Her eyes were as sharp as a surgical knife. In her mind, she had already dissected the man into pieces. There were many things she thought she had read this man, but reality proved her wrong. There were not that many people who proved troublesome for her in the nightmare realm. Some of them were extremely agile, and others had professional knowledge. A few of them had great analytical minds¡­ Of course, most of the time, they had abination of the above. However, Jiang Cheng was definitely an exception. He was not perfect. He was undeniably¡­ shameless, cunning and had no bottom line. He had no sense of morality. Normally, people would try to appear as positive as possible in the nightmare realm. Even if they weren¡¯t, they would disguise themselves as such. However, Jiang Cheng was proud of being shameless and negative. He would spare no effort to talk about his experience as the top pick at the Karaoke Centre and so on¡­ Then, he would appear so strangely confident. No one knew what he was thinking or could predict what he would do next. That was the scariest. Due to the nightmare realm, Chen Xiaomeng went to study psychology. She suspected that Jiang Cheng was not acting. He was naturally such a person. He seemed to have an antisocial personality disorder. People with this order would often have inscrutable moods. They were aloof and were experts at lying and manipting others. They couldn¡¯t empathise with other¡¯s pain and wouldn¡¯t submit to the bindings of societal morality. Thus, they often did things that normal people couldn¡¯t ept. The scariest thing was they were often highly aggressive and cold-blooded. Even though Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t shown that side, Chen Xiaomeng was certain that she wasn¡¯t wrong. This kind of people was very dangerous as teammates and enemies because you could never prepare for them. Regarding these people, making them disappear forever was the best option. That was what that person once told Chen Xiaomeng¡­ And he was never wrong. At that moment, Jiang Cheng lifted up and met her gaze. Once their gazes touched, Chen Xiaomeng turned away. It was not because she was scared, but¡­ Jiang Cheng tossed her a ¡®If you know, you know¡¯ type of look.¡°They should be asleep already.¡± Jiang Cheng pouted and looked at Chen Xiaomeng shyly as if he was anticipating what would happen next. ¡°I¡¯m too tired to put up a resistance. You can do whatever you want to me.¡± Chen Xiaomeng took out a rope. She made a noose that could fit Jiang Cheng¡¯s head perfectly. Jiang Cheng suddenly straightened up. He said with great justice, ¡°Don¡¯t always be like this. I¡¯m not so easily strangely.¡± He lowered his voice and leaned forward, ¡°Think about it. If you fail to strangle me at your first attempt and I make some sounds to wake up the rest, guess what I¡¯ll tell them.¡± Chen Xiaomeng raised her brows. ¡°Since you couldn¡¯t get me when I was alive, you nned to defile my body after I¡¯m dead.¡± He pointed at Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s nose. ¡°You, you, you¡­ you are not human!¡± ¡°Stop wasting my time.¡± Chen Xiaomeng hissed through her teeth. She didn¡¯t dare to shout, ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I want to live.¡± Jiang Cheng blinked his innocent eyes. ¡°I¡¯m different from you. No one cares about you, but if I fail to return, so manydies will cry.¡± ¡°Then, you can go into their dreams and tell them to burn more paper money for you.¡± Chen Xiaomeng felt like they couldn¡¯tmunicate normally. Jiang Cheng huffed. ¡°They would rather use my death as an excuse to get drunk and then find some other men. I know them too well.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t understand your current situation.¡± Chen Xiaomeng stared at Jiang Cheng. ¡°You just arrived here. Do you know how the mechanism works here? Do you know the nightmares need to be triggered?¡± Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s voice was luring and soft, ¡°I can teach you all these, but you have to cooperate with me.¡± The sudden creaking sound interrupted Chen Xiaomeng. The door opened, and Lee Lu walked out, wrapped in her clothes. Due to their interaction, Chen Xiaomeng leaned close to Jiang Cheng. She was even leaning towards him. It was harder to say there was nothing between them. Lee Lu saw them, and her face turned red. Her lips opened, but she didn¡¯t know what to say. Thankfully, Jiang Cheng opened his mouth. Lee Lu looked at Jiang Cheng appreciatively. No matter what he said, she would go along with it. She didn¡¯t mean to intrude upon them. She just wanted to use the bathroom. ¡°Erm¡­ Next time, remember to knock.¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his head as if he wanted to hide something. His cheeks were burning as he adjusted his cor. He made it look like someone had yanked on his cor earlier. Lee Lu was startled. Then, her face burned redder. Even though she was the eldest and she had a family, perhaps it was the issue of background; she was very conservative. Her head lowered, and she whispered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just needed to use the bathroom¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to disturb you.¡± ¡°Do you need to use the toilet?¡± Jiang Cheng acted like he also wanted to change the subject. Lee Lu nodded carefully. Even though they knew how dangerous the outside was, certain things couldn¡¯t be avoided. Furthermore, the house didn¡¯t have an indoor toilet. Lee Lu must have had a long internal struggle before making this decision. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded kindly before adding, ¡°Get Dragon Lady to go with you.¡± Chapter 132: Fire Chapter 132: Fire ¡°This¡­¡± Lee Lu looked happy. Even though the ghosts rarely killed consecutively, if someone were to apany her, it was the best. Lee Lu pressed her lips and looked at Chen Xiaomeng with anticipation. Chen Xiaomeng slowly stood up. Actions speak louder than words. ¡°Thank you, Miss Dragon Lady.¡± Lee Lu leaned forward, her eyes glowing. Chen Xiaomeng said lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t need to thank me. You should thank Mr. Yi.¡± Then, she turned naturally to Jiang Cheng and smiled, ¡°After all, Mr. Yi is such a gentleman. He wouldn¡¯t let us two girls go on a risk on our own, right? He would, of course, apany us.¡± Chen Xiaomeng blinked, ¡°Am I right, Mr. Yi?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Jiang Cheng puffed up his chest. Then, Jiang Cheng removed the wooden stick that blocked the door. As the door opened, the night breeze surged in, cutting like shes. They didn¡¯t expect the temperature difference between night and day to be so different. Jiang Cheng covered his face with one hand and used his other hand to hold the door still. He turned to tell Lee Lu and Chen Xiaomeng, ¡°Get moving. Don¡¯t go too far. I¡¯ll help you keep watch.¡± ¡°Are you going to stand here? Is that how you¡¯re going to help us?¡± Chen Xiaomeng raised her voice. ¡°What else do you expect?¡± Jiang Cheng said innocently. Then, he took another step into the house. Lee Lu was about to pee on the spot. She didn¡¯t have time to argue with them. She hugged her clothes and dashed out. Then, Chen Xiaomeng followed her. She nced at Jiang Cheng before leaving. The two didn¡¯t go far. They found a spot with bushes. The courtyard had been abandoned for so long that the wild grass had reached a person¡¯s waist. Jiang Cheng strained his eyes to look at where they were. Lee Lu shook several times before kneeling down. Only her head was exposed above the grass. Chen Xiaomeng stood about 3 meters away, between Lee Lu and Jiang Cheng.She had a n. If something happened, she¡¯d turn and return to the house. Lee Lu would be the perfect bait because she was injured and was in the middle of relieving herself. Half a minuteter, Chen Xiaomeng gasped audibly as if she noticed something. Lee Lu was already very anxious. When she heard Chen Xiaomeng, she froze. ¡°What¡­ what is happening?¡± Lee Lu asked worriedly. When Jiang Cheng heard Chen Xiaomeng, he didn¡¯t turn to where Chen Xiaomeng was looking but continued staring at Chen Xiaomeng¡­ Until he heard Lee Lu¡¯s screams. ¡°Fire!¡± She didn¡¯t suppress her voice. It was piercing in the night. Then, rapid movements came from the room behind Jiang Cheng. Yu Man, Zhou Rong and Bei Qian appeared. They gathered behind the wooden door and tried to look out. None of them had the intention of leaving their room. Through the corner of the broken window, they saw sparks down the distance. Zhou Rong¡¯s eyes trembled. ¡°That¡¯s the Qian Family Ancestral Hall.¡± He was certain. ¡°Why is it on fire?¡± Bei Qian saw that the fire was getting stronger. There was a crash. He believed it was because the structure of the ancestral hall was charred, causing the building to crumble. ¡°But that ce should be abandoned. Why would there be a spark over there?¡± he mumbled to himself. They passed by the ancestral hall that afternoon. All the houses near it had been abandoned. The timing of this fire¡­ Chen Xiaomeng and Lee Lu ran back. Lee Lu¡¯s ankle was sprained, so she limped. The fear on her face was palpable. Zhou Rong turned to the direction of the vige. This fire was huge, but there was no response from the vige. This made him suspect that no human was staying in the vige. ¡­ The next day, as the sun rose, the group came to the burned Qian Family Ancestral Hall. The sprawling building became unrecognisable overnight. There were ashes scattered everywhere. Only the original brick structure remained. However, they were as ck as charcoal. There were lingering embers. A burst of wind picked up the ash. No one was around. Clearly, the vigers didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with the Qian Family. Zhou Rong chose a rtively clean path, avoided the dangerous bricks and led the group forward. They stood in the ruins. The ancestral hall wasrger than they thought. It was around 200 cubic metres. They habitually spread out to look for clues. Lee Lu was the only exception due to her injury. A hint of sadness appeared in Yu Man¡¯s eyes as she stood there. It was as if she was standing in a sea of fire. Heat waves undted around her. A few twisted human shadows flickered in the sea of mes. Their blood-curdling screams echoed in her eyes. The fire from one year ago took several of her best friends and the man she loved and loved her the most. For a girl from a broken family, being bullied was verymon. She drank, smoked and got tattoos¡­ She broke a bottle to fight with the students from the other school. The teachers and even the headmaster had given up on contacting her family. They knew that she had an alcoholic father and a sick and mentally unsound mother. She didn¡¯t like her home. She hated the small room under the stairs with a lot of flyers. She hated her mother¡¯s helpless and murky eyes. She hated everything. However, that didn¡¯t stop her from being an ace student. She was often in the top 5 of her school. Compared to the ¡®bad students¡¯ she hung out with, she was already the valedictorian. They couldn¡¯t understand. Why would a girl who skipped sses, had boyfriends and got into fights study so well? When did she even find time to study? They were in fights together, skipped sses together and were punished together. They would never guess what this girl who chewed on gum while she was being lectured by the headmaster was thinking¡­ Chapter 133: Sea of Fire Chapter 133: Sea of Fire Actually, the girl didn¡¯t understand it herself. She gave everything she was and she didn¡¯t know how to pull back. But¡­ she didn¡¯t want to be like that. She eventually became the version of herself that she hated the most. She became a drunkard, like her father. After high school, she got into an okay university. Before she got the chance to get to know her university mates, she started to disappear from sses. Even her roommates spread rumours about her since she often stayed outte at night. She didn¡¯t get angry when she heard the rumours. She merely ¡®identally¡¯ showed off her expensive luxury items like cosmetics and jewellery, earning everyone¡¯s hatred. She did it because she liked it, not because she hated them. She thought she would live meaninglessly and die meaninglessly. Until¡­ she met that man. He was her senior who was one year older than her. He was a student counsellor assigned by the university for the new students. He was assigned to her hostel room. It was a cloudy day. The weather forecast said that it would rain, but it never did. The rolling clouds flew low in the sky like they would drop heavy rain on the earth at any moment. She was outside of university at an inte cafe. Her typing sound echoed in the empty cafe. She was called back by the university counsellor. It was a woman several years older than her. Her words were often harsh, but she was not a bad person. The counsellor would scold and warn her every time she did something bad. Coincidentally, these were the two things she couldn¡¯t care less about. When she reached her bedroom door, she heard her loudest roommate listing out her sins. They even said that she might be crazy and aggressive. She paused outside the door and didn¡¯t head in. The girl who shared the top bunk with her spoke up. She sounded like she was defending the girl, but she was hinting heavily that the girl was a prostitute because¡­ ¡°Have you seen that in person?¡± The senior¡¯s voice was clean, unlike her roommates. Her roommates were silenced. ¡°I¡­ I heard it from others, but it has to be true.¡± The girl countered. Her voice was melodious and gentle, as if she was trying to seduce the senior, ¡°Senior, you can ask the other students from our course.¡± ¡°If her roommates don¡¯t know the truth, why would I ask the others?¡± The senior¡¯s tone was firm and confident. ¡°I¡¯ll just spread more rumours.¡°The university counsellor told me that she¡¯d usually return at this time. I¡¯ll wait for her here.¡± Everyone had a sacred idol in her heart. Yu Man thought she would not, but once she opened the bedroom door, her mind changed. ¡°Is it Xia Wanan?¡± The senior wore a pair of spectacles. He was clean, gentlemanly, and kind. He held a file and studied it seriously. Then, he smiled, ¡°Hello. My name is Han Jingnian.¡± Their rtionship became just like that. After Yu Man, or Xia Wanan, met Han Jingnian, she felt like her world changed. She got to know some new friends and felt life again. However, a real nightmare came to destroy everything. During their graduation trip, she, Han Jingnian and their closest friends were sucked into the nightmare realm. They came to an unfamiliar world. However, after they explored the world further, Xia Wanan¡¯s pupils trembled violently. She¡­ had returned to her childhood city. It was as if someone had rewound time. Everything was as she remembered. Then, their experience was simr to most travellers. They were targeted by an extremely scary ghost. Their friends were killed off one after another. She was so scared that she gave up. Thankfully, Han Jingnian was always there to shield her. Han Jingnian was extremely clever. With just a few clues, he found the exit that was inside an underground bar. However, when they reached the exit, the ghost caught up to them. The ghost blocked them from reaching the iron door. Their hope was vanquished. Screams exploded in the dark. Another friend was killed. The fog around the ck door thinned. A voice in her heart told her that it was the sign of the door disappearing. Once the door disappeared, they would be trapped in that world forever. Then, they would witness a fate worse than death. The helplessness that she experienced when she watched her father beat her mother with his belt gripped her heart. She thought she had escaped from this nightmarish city, but the nightmare realm sent her back. Despair undted. She could sense the malice radiating from the ghost that crawled on the ground. At a critical moment, there was a sh. Han Jingnian, who was beside her, lit up his coat and tossed it out. The alcohol around them caught the mes instantly. The fire also held the ghost back temporarily. The door was right before them. Even though their surviving friends were slightly far away, they had enough time to run over. However, what happened next overturned Xia Wanan¡¯s understanding of Han Jingnian. He grabbed the bottle from the bar and smashed it against the ground. Instantly, a line of fire spread and cut off their friends¡¯ path to the exit. Their friends were soon engulfed by the mes. ¡°Listen to me.¡± Han Jingnian grabbed her by her shoulders and said with serious eyes. ¡°This nightmare will always continue. Since you¡¯re here, you¡¯ll never leave. The only thing you can do is to survive.¡± Their friends cursed them as the fire consumed them. However, these didn¡¯t affect Han Jingnian. ¡°Remember. Do not trust anyone in the nightmare realm.¡± He took in a deep breath. His voice changed. ¡°And¡­ if possible, try to make yourself the only survivor.¡± He spoke quickly. ¡°After you leave, you¡¯ll find something extra on you. No matter what it is, take good care of it. It¡¯ll help you survive in your next nightmare.¡± Chapter 134: The Qian Family Chapter 134: The Qian Family Then, she was pushed by a soft force, and she stumbled out of this world. Back then, her brain was nk. When she walked through the door, something awakened within her. She turned back and saw Han Jingnian, who was pierced through the chest by the ghost and strung in the air. Each mission¡¯s ghost was unique. This ghost would only attack when the preys had their bodies turned. Therefore¡­ of the two of them, only one would be able to reach the door and escape. The scenery before her shifted and she returned to the camp they had at the foot of the mountain. However, she was alone at the spacious camp. Han Jingnian was dead. Everyone¡­ was dead except her. Caught in her memory, she wandered about aimlessly. Suddenly, she tripped on something, and it made a sound. She lowered her head and spotted a ck brick. The bricks were scattered about her. Some were adhered to their previous structure. There was a wall where she was standing. It copsed in the fire. Staring at the ck brick, a strange feeling rose in Yu Man¡¯s heart. She slowly knelt down and moved the still-warm bricks away. A few wooden ques were sheltered underneath. She wiped away the ash and saw the gilded words, Qian Jianguo. ¡°Are these the ceremonial ques of the Qian Family members?¡± Bei Qian darted over. He stared at the thing Yu Man held strangely. Zhou Rong bent over to pick up the other two wooden ques. They had the names Qian Jianse and Qian Jianxiu. Based on the names, these three should be from the same generation. Chen Xiaomeng looked around. The fire yesterday night was so strong. It had consumed everything but, somehow, spared the three ques. This was clearly unreasonable. ¡°Ah!¡± The sudden scream interrupted Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s thought. Subconsciously, she lowered her body and reached for her waist. Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes narrowed. It was Lee Lu who screamed. Her pale fingers pointed at Yu Man, ¡°Miss¡­ Yu¡­ Your hand¡­¡± Blood leaked out between Yu Man¡¯s fingers that held the que. She turned it over, and they realised with shock that there was a fresh bloody handprint on the back of the que. The blood was still fresh. It dripped asionally.¡°This appears to be Zhao Xiangmei¡¯s doing.¡± Bei Qian scratched his beard. ¡°Her goal is to lure us here to find the ques of these three people.¡± ¡°Did these three do something to her?¡± Lee Lu questioned softly. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°But no matter what they did, they are dead now,¡± Lee Lu frowned. She stared at the three ques unnaturally, ¡°Is she unable to forgive them even after death?¡± ¡°Or they are involved in something heinous that still has an impact today,¡± Chen Xiaomeng said casually, ¡°Like covering or obfuscating the truth.¡± With limited clues, they knew that they wouldn¡¯t reach any conclusion. Therefore, Bei Qian suggested they carry the ques with them and figure out what to do next. ¡°Okay!¡± Jiang Cheng was the first to agree. Then, he turned to Yu Man, ¡°Hurry and hand them over to Elder Bei. He¡¯s the oldest and know about these things.¡± Bei Qian¡¯s body shook. On their way back, they ran into the vigers. The leading vige head had a hard-set face like it was his home that was burned. ¡°Experts!¡± When he saw the travellers, the vige head¡¯s eyes glowed, ¡°We went to the court yard to find you. We didn¡¯t expect you to be here.¡± ¡°We saw the Qian Family Ancestral Hall catch on firest night, so we came to look.¡± Zhou Rong said calmly, ¡°We might find some clues.¡± ¡°What kind of clues can be found here?¡± The vige head asked. ¡°That is hard to say,¡± Jiang Cheng walked forward. He extended his neck and whispered, ¡°Do you have any idea regarding the firest night?¡± The vige head was innately afraid of Jiang Cheng. For some reason, he felt ufortable around him. He eventually said, ¡°What¡­ happened? What did you figure out?¡± Jiang Cheng smiled and mentioned a name wordlessly. The vige head almost exploded, ¡°Zhao Xiangmei?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Jiang Cheng praised the vige head. The vige head almost fainted. Thankfully, the man behind him was quick to support him. At that moment, Bei Qian took out the three ques. He interrupted, ¡°Vige Head Liu, do you know these people?¡± Qian Jianguo, Qian Jianse, Qian Jianxiu¡­ After a while, the vige head¡¯s eyes finally focused. He looked at the ques, and his voice was weakened. ¡°They are all Vige Head Qian¡¯s children. Qian Jianguo and Jianse were the old vige head¡¯s son, and Qian Jianxiu was his youngest daughter.¡± ¡°Were they killed by Zhao Xiangmei?¡± ¡°The brothers were,¡± The vige head gasped for air. Then, he resumed, ¡°Not Qian Jianxiu. She died from smallpox when she was young.¡± Zhou Rong thought about it and asked, ¡°How many children did the old vige head have?¡± ¡°Four.¡± ¡°So, thest one¡­¡± ¡°That would be the eldest son, Qian Jianye. He also died.¡± The vige head licked his cracked lips. His eyes dimmed, and he sighed, ¡°He was also killed by Zhao Xiangmei. That generation is all gone.¡± No one was interested in their deaths. They were more interested in why the three ques were purposely left behind when the entire ancestral hall was burned down. Furthermore, the que of the eldest son, Qian Jianye, was gone. The vigers didn¡¯t dawdle for too long. They carried some tools and headed to the ancestral hall to put out the embers just in case it grew into a forest fire. Before they left, the vige head remembered something and told the travellers apologetically, ¡°It was alreadyte when we went back home yesterday night. Therefore, we didn¡¯t arrange for anyone to deliver food to you.¡± He said in fear, ¡°Experts, please forgive us!¡± Lee Lu¡¯s body shook heavily. Then, she rushed to the nearby bush, bent over and started to dry heave. The vigers looked at her with confusion. She was perfectly fine earlier. Why¡­ Then, they turned to look at the men among the travellers with an interesting gaze. Chapter 135: Hatred Chapter 135: Hatred Jiang Cheng slowly turned around to look at Bei Qian. The vigers were stunned before they also turned to look at Bei Qian. Bei Qian, who was confused, widened his eyes. A few secondster, Jiang Cheng suddenly shouted, ¡°Congrattions, Elder Bei!¡± The vigers paused. Then, as if a switch had been turned on, they all congratted Bei Qian. ¡°Master, congrattions!¡± ¡°This is very impressive at your age!¡± ¡°...¡± Bei Qian waved his hands to rify his rtionship with Lee Lu. ¡°I¡¯m not. This is¡­¡± Chen Xiaomeng enjoyed this. After all, she didn¡¯t like Bei Qian. In the end, it was Zhou Rong who ¡®kindly¡¯ reminded the vigers that there were still embers around the Qian Family Ancestral Hall. It was then that they left. Just as Bei Qian wanted to demand an exnation from Jiang Cheng, Lee Lu stumbled back. As she sensed everyone¡¯s gaze on her, she was befuddled, ¡°What happened?¡±Bei Qian had to swallow his words. The culprit, Jiang Cheng, was insouciant. He shoved his hands into his pockets. He narrowed his eyes and followed the group back. Before they entered the courtyard, they could see through the gaps in the fence that Jiang Zhongyi¡¯s corpse had disappeared. ¡°It probably disappeared this morning.¡± Zhou Rong stood beside the yard door and analysed, ¡°We left in such a hurry, and the sky was so dark. No one noticed it.¡± ¡°Could his body be sent to a spot around An Ping Town?¡± Lee Lu asked. Everyone frowned. Even though that was illogical, that should be the case. What obsession Zhao Xiangmei had with An Ping Town was that she would spare no effort to carry the dead bodies to somewhere near An Ping An after each of her kills. They entered the yard and saw a ck pot on the table. It looked old. They removed the lid, and the fragrance of food wafted about. It was a pot of corn porridge. The vige head sent it over that morning. The porridge was still hot. However, since it had been out for some time, it was a bit sticky. However, they were not in a position toin. They sat around the pot,dled a bowl each and started to discuss the mission. ¡°Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s a meaning behind Zhao Xiangmei¡¯s action of transporting the bodies to An Ping Town?¡± Bei Qian slowly took a sip of the porridge. Then, he lifted his eyes and scanned the rest. He looked so mysterious. ¡°Elder Bei,¡± Lee Lu held the bowl with both hands and asked carefully, ¡°Have you discovered something?¡± Perhaps it was the earlier incident. Bei Qian felt ufortable whenever he heard Lee Lu, much less meeting her eyes. ¡°It is very weird.¡± Zhou Rong continued, ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ she¡¯s sending a message to the people of An Ping Town.¡± Lee Lu seemed to realise something. ¡°Could it be that some of the surviving Qian Family members have escaped to An Ping Town to hide?¡± Her voice became excited as if her guess was correct: ¡°Zhao Xiangmei is sending them a message. She will find and kill them!¡± At the same time, an inscrutable emotion crossed Zhou Rong¡¯s eyes. He cavalierly nced at Jiang Cheng. He realised thetter was sneakilydling himself another bowl of the porridge when no one paid him any attention. Zhou Rong took a deep breath and ignored him. ¡°The Qian Family Ancestral Hall has been destroyed, but the three siblings¡¯ ques have been purposely left behind. This has to be a message too.¡± Yu Man lowered her voice. ¡°Zhao Xiangmei wants to tell us that while most of the Qian family members have died, these three are still alive. And¡­¡± She paused, ¡°They are currently hiding in An Ping Town.¡± ¡°But¡­ If she knew they were hiding in An Ping Town, based on her power, it wouldn¡¯t have been hard for her to find them. Why would she resort to scare tactics like this?¡± Lee Lu asked, ¡°Won¡¯t it be easier for her to kill them directly?¡± Zhou Rong nced at her. ¡°She is limited by the rules in the mission. She can¡¯t kill as freely as she does in Little Ravine Vige as she does in An Ping Town. I guess she can¡¯t even enter An Ping Town.¡± Lee Lu nodded and followed this train of thought, ¡°So¡­ The exit this time will appear once we find the three siblings in An Ping Town and hand them over to the ghost, no, Zhao Xiangmei!¡± She looked at the rest for confirmation. However, they all subconsciously averted their eyes. Bei Qian¡¯s expression was the strangest as if he had something to hide from her. Then, Lee Lu realised it was rash for her to say such things. Finding a few humans and handing them over to the ghost to kill¡­ Even though they were in the nightmare realm, that was a bit over the line. Thankfully, no one was hung up over this. The death of two teammates ced a lot of pressure on them. After breakfast, Zhou Rong suggested that they moved in groups for better efficiency. After a quick discussion, they would be split ording to gender. Lee Lu looked at her ankle with worry. It had been some time since she injured herself but her injury showed no sign of healing. If anything, it had gotten more serious. It was even more swollen. Chen Xiaomeng walked over and patted her shoulder. She told her that she¡¯d look after her. Lee Lu thanked her and apologised. The two groups left the courtyard. Jiang Cheng¡¯s group nned to walk around the vige. The women would venture deeper into the vige and explore Little Ravine Vige in more detail. They especially wanted to know if the courtyard they were staying in was rted to the Qian Family. And the strange building in the yard. When they first arrived, they noticed that some houses were only upied by women. Their husbands were probably killed by Zhao Xiangmei. These widows were Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s group¡¯s focus. They might know some secrets. However, Chen Xiaomeng also had something she wanted to figure out. When the vige head first brought them to the vige and was finding them a ce to sleep, they encountered a woman who red at them from behind the door. There was no fear in her eyes but thick hatred. Her instinct told her that her hatred might not be directed at the travellers. Chapter 136: Path Chapter 136: Path ¡°Elder Bai,¡± Zhou Rong turned around and asked with interest, ¡°Which path do you suggest we take?¡± Bei Qian walked with a cane given to him by the vige head. The cane had intricate wooden carvings. The top was a rare money toad. He smiled, ¡°Since Mr. Zhou has alreadye to a decision, why ask? I¡¯m too old. Tomorrow belongs to young people like Mr. Zhou who is great at everything¡­¡± Jiang Cheng deliberately coughed twice and touched his throat. He made him seem like his throat was ufortable. Bei Qian ignored him. The group reached a scenic spot. They could see a winding river circting around the vige. The river was clean and clear. Fishes swam through the stream. It was beautiful. Bei Qian studied the scene before him casually as if he had forgotten about the dangers of the mission. Zhou Rong was the same. He looked down the distance. The boundary between the forest and the mountain blurred. Everything was a verdant delight. The tension melted away. This became a nature appreciation journey. Zhou Rong and Bei Qian were secretly fighting. It was as if the person who appeared more cavalier and at ease would have a better chance of surviving. Bei Qianmented on the ce''s feng shui. ording to the undting mountains, there had to be an important grave in the valley. Even if it didn¡¯t belong to an emperor, it would at least belong to a general. Then, he shared his experience journeying around the world with his mentor. He had seen many ces, but there were not many that couldpare to the picturesque nature of this ce. Zhou Rong smiled thinly, ¡°It sounds like Elder Bei hasn¡¯t been to many ces then. This is nothingpared to the true treasures of the world.¡± Bei Qian didn¡¯t take the bait. He leaned the cane by the bench and stood on the slope. His silvery hair fluttered in the wind. ¡°The young only see the woods and mountains for what they present, but at my age, you¡¯ll see them as manifestations of the origin of the world.¡± Bei Qian stood against the wind. It was as if he was the only one awake in a slumbering world. The two started this as a joke, but eventually, they got into a realpetition. Just as they were about to start a forum based on this, they were interrupted by a strange sound. It was the sound of liquid sshing into the water.They turned around and saw Jiang Cheng standing beside the stream. His waist thrust out, and then, after a few seconds, the man¡¯s body shook. Bei Qian and Zhou Rong widened their eyes. Even after Jiang Cheng pulled up his pants and walked back to them, they hadn¡¯t recovered from the shock. Jiang Cheng looked at them and then gasped. He leaned forward, looked around carefully and whispered, ¡°Do you think I¡¯d be fine for that?¡± ¡­ When they left, the sun was at its zenith. The sun baked them warmly. The three unanimously chose a path that would lead them away from the vige to return to the courtyard. That way, they wouldn¡¯t run into Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s group. Of course, no one shared their intention. When they returned to the familiar yard, the three headed to the abandoned building, and the strangeness of the building became more pronounced. The three stood under the building. Even when the sun shone on them, they felt no warmth. If anything, there was a constant chill. Zhou Rong shivered. Ben Fu, who died on the first night, disappeared around this building. Yesterday afternoon, Jiang Zhongyi died after he entered this building. Based on Bei Qian¡¯s testimony, the tanned man entered this building after delivering the ¡®food¡¯ and didn¡¯t show up again. For now, all the clues pointed to this mysterious building. They were waiting for the sun to be fully up before exploring this ce. Even though it was still risky, they had to do something. The mission this time was different from before. It had no clear time limit. From a different angle, it exposed the difficulty of this mission. Plus¡­ this mission didn¡¯t have any newbies. The possibility of a group wipe was real. These forced them to explore this building. They were ready to sacrifice one person. As for who that was¡­ it depended on themselves. They didn¡¯t work with the three women due to an unspoken reason. Based on the current clues, the ghost only targeted the guys. Even Lee Lu, who was injured and had been left alone multiple times, was still alive. Therefore, if they called along the women, the women wouldn¡¯t share the men¡¯s risk, and they would even get to have the clues they found¡­ it was unfair. Zhou Rong¡¯s face was stern. He asked, ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bei Qian nodded coolly. ¡°Hmph!¡± Jiang Cheng huffed. Then, the three chose the window that was furthest from the window Jiang Zhongyi used to enter the building. They used Bei Qian¡¯s cane to clean the splinters around the window. The three jumped in one after another. Zhou Rong was surprisingly agile. Hended without sound. After that, it was Bei Qian. Ultimately, he was older. With Zhou Rong¡¯s help, he still managed a rather smoothnding. However, when the two nned to grab Jiang Cheng, they realised he was gone. The two panicked. Bei Qian reached his neck out the window. After a while, he found Jiang Cheng curling up silently under the window. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bei Qian was angry, but he didn¡¯t dare to shout. His face was red from suppressed anger. Jiang Cheng was silent. He only stood up about ten secondster. He scanned the space inside the window. After he ensured everything was normal, he brushed away the dust on his clothes and leapt through the window. As hended, he told the two who were ring at him. ¡°I was afraid that the ghost might show up to block our exit. So, I waited to make sure that didn¡¯t happen. You are wee.¡± Chapter 137: Shell Chapter 137: Shell Zhou Rong took a deep breath and was silent. Bei Qian couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. He chuckled chillingly, ¡°Mr. Yi sure is considerate.¡± But since they were all in the building, he couldn¡¯t do anything to Jiang Cheng. He had to let it be. They scanned the ce. Perhaps it was theyout or it was the decor. Even though it was noon, the ce was very dim. It was like the ce had on a dusty filter. The three didn¡¯t dare to split up. Therefore, after Zhou Rong confirmed the direction, they moved towards the spot where there was light. Like before, Zhou Rong was in front, Bei Qian was in the middle and Jiang Cheng took up the rear. The floor was old cement floor, so it wouldn¡¯t creak like a wooden floor. However, no one really believed they could hide from the ghost¡­ if she was present. It was more of a self-constion. They entered a room that looked like a living room. It was spacious. Zhou Rong came to a wooden board that had some light shine through. He used some force to pry the board away. With the sunlight streaming through, the visibility got a lot better. The decor was ssical. There were wooden chairs with intricate carvings and a table that was solid and heavy. The table was pushed to the corner. Bei Qian walked over, intrigued. He studied the table and touched it. A few secondster, he frowned, ¡°Locust tree wood?¡± ¡°Locust tree?¡± Zhou Rong followed behind him and looked at the table. It was clear that he didn¡¯t understand wood. He asked seriously, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s from a locust tree?¡± Bei Qian nodded. There was fear in his eyes. For a painter, especially one who specialises in Chinese painting, one would often visit the countryside to gather inspiration. There was a saying in the countryside, ¡°Locust tree should never be used to make a coffin.¡± In Chinese culture, the locust tree was also known as the dead people tree. It might be superstition, but locust tree furniture was often seen as taboo. During burial, people would also carve items from old locust trees and ce them far away from the burial sites to draw away the negative energy. In Little Ravine Vige, which was clearly superstitious, why would they keep arge locust tree table in their home? Did they try to curse themselves?Plus, the cement of the tree was problematic too. It was at the darkest and dampest corner of the room. It was bad Feng Shui. Bei Qian¡¯s eyes shed with confusion. However, this confusion was reced by fear. ¡°Not good!¡± Bei Qian let out a low howl, ¡°This house is not meant for the living!¡± Once he said that, he regretted it. Even though he wasn¡¯t loud, considering the surroundings, if someone or something was nearby, they would have heard him. To Bei Qian¡¯s surprise, neither Zhou Rong nor Jiang Cheng moved to stop him. They didn¡¯t even look at him. Instead, they looked around nervously. Bei Qian instantly shut up. He also looked around. The wooden board Zhou Rong pried off the wall earlier had magically returned to the wall, blocking the sunlight. The board was fixed in ce with more than thick nails. Bei Qian turned around. To his despair, the window they used to enter this building¡­ had disappeared. The benefits of experienced yers were showcased at that moment. None of them screamed due to this sudden change. They searched each other out and moved close to the wall. At least that way, the ghost couldn¡¯t ambush them from behind. As time passed, their breathing became quieter. Zhou Rong had the habits of meditation. He was curled up at the corner. If not for his wandering eyes, one would suspect he had fallen asleep. Bei Qian, who lost hisposure earlier, had also calmed down. He was a professional painter. Whenever he started a new painting, he would enter a Zen phase. It was to clear his mind. Inparison, Jiang Cheng was more amateurish. He merely leaned against the wall and stopped moving. His chest didn¡¯t even move. In a way, he hid the best among the three. He melted into the shadow. However, his leg muscles were tensed. Different from Zhou Rong and Bei Qian¡¯s silence and passiveness, he had other ns. ¡°Du¡­ Du¡­¡± A sound suddenly floated by. It was slow and powerful¡­ It was also strangely familiar. Jiang Cheng searched through his memory back. The next second, Fatty¡¯srge face appeared. He could imagine how scared Fatty would be if he were there. Then, the connection was linked. Jiang Cheng¡¯s pupils narrowed. He finally understood what the sound was. It was¡­ the sound of chopping. It was the sound of the cleaver hitting the chopping board. Just from the sound alone, one could know that the cleaver was not a normal one. It should be a bone cleaver that could easily cut through bones and marrows. Someone¡­ was chopping stuff inside the strange building! Using a giant cleaver! Zhou Rong and Bei Qian were not young masters. They also realised the source of the sound. They turned towards its direction. It was from the other side of the room. There was¡­ a slightly open door. The sound came from behind the door. Some light streamed through the gap in the door. Zhou Rong¡¯s throat moved. Bei Qian didn¡¯t look too well. As experienced yers, they wouldn¡¯t lie by telling themselves that it was just a normal housewife cooking in the kitchen. It was more likely a scary ghost chopping something with a giant cleaver. But¡­ what was this something? What was being chopped? The thoughts entered Zhou Rong¡¯s mind. He had no idea, but he was sure they wouldn¡¯t be vegetables. Ghosts probably wouldn¡¯t be interested in those. It had to be meat¡­ As for what kind of meat¡­ At that moment, he suddenly remembered something that had happened to Lee Lu the previous day. She ate a bowl of meat soup. Chapter 138: Picture Chapter 138: Picture And the ¡®viger¡¯ who delivered the meat soup returned to this building in the end. So¡­ Zhou Rong¡¯s face darkened further. At that moment, a hand suddenly reached out to tap him. It almost made him scream. He whipped his body around and saw Jiang Cheng¡¯s serious face. Jiang Cheng pointed behind Zhou Rong. Zhou Rong started. Then, he swallowed nervously. He slowly turned around. There was a small, wooden picture frame hanging on the wall behind him. The frame was old and covered in dust. The surroundings were too dark, so no one noticed it earlier. Zhou Rong frowned and carefully removed the frame. The wooden frame had already shown signs of decay. He used his hand to gingerly wiped away the dust on the picture. It was a group picture with six people. The couple who sat at the front was a pair of an old married couple. Behind them stood four middle-aged men. Clearly, they were the couple¡¯s sons. The elders looked normal, but their clothes and appearance were clearly not. The elderly woman was rather thin and had a shrivelled face. Her eyes were lifeless. She wore gold rings and bangles around her hands. A pearl ne strung around her neck. The elderly man sat upright in his chair. He had on boots with animal fur and carried a pipe. His small eyes narrowed cunningly. One nce and one could tell this was the man of the family. The four men behind them were tall,rge and muscr. One carried a hunting rifle. One carried an abacus. One carried a book. One wore a light blue floral apron. Due to ack of care, some of their faces couldn¡¯t be seen clearly anymore. Overall, this family gave off a bad first impression. They should be the bullies of this vige. The travellers were instantly reminded of the Qian Family. But¡­ Bei Qian frowned. It didn¡¯t match up. Based on what the vige chief said¡­ The Qian Family had four children but it was three sons and one daughter. The youngest daughter died when she was a baby¡­ Wait a minute¡­ Zhou Rong suddenly raised his head as if he had just realised something. He turned to the door. The strange chopping sound¡­ had disappeared.The travellers were acting so out of ce. They were all experienced yers. How could their attention be so distracted by a picture when the threat of the ghost was so close to them? Bei Qian looked distressed. He walked over and stared at the picture frame Zhou Rong was holding. His eyes burned with a greedy me. It was like he was going to snatch the picture for himself the next second. It finally dawned on Zhou Rong. There was probably something wrong with this picture. It was an important clue rted to the ghost. Jiang Cheng nudged forward to block Bei Qian¡¯s view of the picture. A few secondster, Bei Qian blinked like he had just woken up. When he came to, his eyes returned to normal. He instantly understood what had happened. Jiang Cheng reached out to grab the frame, opened it, took the picture out, folded it and stuffed it in his chest. Bei Qian and Zhou Rong were stunned. It was true that the picture was a clue but no one was sure if taking away the picture might attract the ghost¡¯s wrath or not¡­ not to mention, the ghost was literally one door away from them. If they were attacked, Jiang Cheng would definitely die. Even though the sound had disappered, the three were certain that the ghost was still in the house because a chilling aura kept seeping out of the door. They were experienced yers. They had simr feelings when around ghosts in the past. Zhou Rong didn¡¯t even dare to breathe. He couldn¡¯t understand it. Based on his observation, the ghost definitely knew they were there. Then, why didn¡¯t she attack them? Bei Qian was as tensed as Zhou Rong. He looked around with panic. Sincest night, he has been observing this building. He knew very well where the doors and windows were. That was why he dared to enter this building. Based on his memory, about four meters to the left of the slightly open door, there was another door that could lead outside. However, it was currently shrouded in darkness. Even though the ghost had sealed up the windows, she couldn¡¯t do anything to the doors. The nightmare realm always left them with a way out. He believed there was a 50 percent chance that the door would lead him to safety. At that moment, the door finally opened. Through the dimness, a broken and hunched-up figure appeared at the door. The moment it did, the chill gripped the trio. The ghost¡­ finally showed up. It was toote to turn and run. If they did so, there was an even higher chance they would be targeted by the ghost. The travellers held their breath. At that moment, they could only pray¡­ Pray that they were not the ghost¡¯s first target. In the nightmare realm, the ghost rarely attacked multiple people at once. If one were not the ghost¡¯s main attack target, one had a high chance of escaping. The three tried to move as close to the wall as possible. Zhou Rong, who was at the forefront, felt a lot of pressure. His body started to shake uncontrobly. The ghost¡¯s face appeared like it had been applied with the blur filter. However, from its posture and mannerisms, it should be a woman. The way she moved was very strange. It was like a worm wiggling. It seemed to suggest that all the bones in her body had been broken. After leaving the kitchen, she surprisingly didn¡¯te after the three but slowly wiggled to the left. After she moved for a few metres, there was a click. Then, a ray of light pierced in. The three were blinded for a moment. Then, the door mmed shut. The ghost¡­ left. The three didn¡¯t dare to budge. They finally epted this reality a few minutester. Bei Qian¡¯s face was filled with disbelief. He tried to ask in the calmest tone possible, ¡°Has¡­ she left?¡± Zhou Rong took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°It appears that way.¡± ¡°Did she not notice us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably because we didn¡¯t trigger the mission taboos.¡± Zhou Rong corrected him. His eyes never left the door as if worried that the ghost might decide to return. He continued, ¡°If we reacted too loudly when we heard the sound or saw her¡­¡± Indeed, if they had a newbie with them, they would have turned and run or lost their mind. Chapter 139: Prints Chapter 139: Prints ¡°Since the ghost has left, we need to hurry up.¡± Zhou Rong looked around. The anxiety in his heart amplified. ¡°We¡¯ll split up. I¡¯ll search the kitchen.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay here just in case the ghostes back.¡± Bei Qian volunteered immediately. Then, they both turned to Jiang Cheng. The only option left was the second floor. Clearly, they wanted him to search the unknown location. ¡°Exciting!¡± Jiang Cheng was excited. Zhou Rong almost shouted from Jiang Cheng¡¯s reaction. Bei Qian had it even worse. Due to his age, he suddenly felt a spot of wetness in his pants. ¡°Then¡­ we¡¯ll have to trouble Mr. Yi.¡± After saying that, the pale-faced Zhou Rong left. He headed to the kitchen door. The ghost exited this door earlier. The chopping sound also came from the kitchen. Bei Qian was innately scared of Jiang Cheng. This man¡­ didn¡¯t seem to be mentally sound. To prevent himself from being bogged down by Jiang Cheng, Bei Qian chose to stay away from him. Jiang Cheng moved to the staircase. He didn¡¯t go upstairs immediately. After some thinking, he suddenly knelt down and ced his ear on the wall next to the stairs. Due to the line of sight, Bei Qian couldn¡¯t see him anymore and naturally assumed Jiang Cheng had gone upstairs. There was a thinyer of dust on the floor. Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes scanned up the stairs. There were conspicuous spots where the dust had been disturbed. He narrowed his eyes and got up the steps silently. He chose a spot with a good vantage point and knelt down. He¡­ discovered a few shoeprints. They looked unclear and messy, like¡­ they were left behind when people were escaping in a panic. Based on what Bei Qian said earlier, they should have been left behind by Jiang Zhongyi before he died. Jiang Cheng carefully analysed the prints. He soon confirmed that the prints belonged to more than one person. They came from two people. Based on the sizes, they should be two male adults. Jiang Cheng was immediately reminded of Ben Fu, who had gone missing the first night. It was very likely that he had been there and was attacked by the ghost there.Just as Jiang Cheng was about to move around to study the other prints, he nced at something from the corner of his eyes. His body paused. He spotted another shoeprint. It was at the spot where he was about to move to next. This print was clearly different from the other two. It was a lot smaller and narrower. It was left behind by a female. Jiang Cheng looked down. To the side of the spot where he was standing, there was a sign of dust disturbance. It suggested that¡­ there was once a woman who was doing the same thing as Jiang Cheng was doing. She chose to upy the same positions to observe the shoeprints on the stairs. A different emotion appeared in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes for the first time. He raised his head to scan the shadowed corner of the staircase. Then, he backed down the stairs slowly. As he turned around, he caught a face at the kitchen door. It was Zhou Rong. However, his face was whiter than before. Bei Qian had also returned. Jiang Cheng pretended to have returned from the second floor and had found nothing. ¡°How was it?¡± Bei Qian looked at Jiang Cheng and whispered. Jiang Cheng shook his head with disappointment. Bei Qian licked his lips and nced at the stairs. Then, he asked in a pointed tone, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I hear any footstepsing from upstairs earlier? Was Mr. Yi too scared and didn¡¯t actually go upstairs?¡± Hearing that, Jiang Cheng moved away and gestured at the stairs, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go up and look for yourself.¡± Bei Qian nced at the dark end of the staircase, and his lips dried. ¡°Wait¡­ I think you shoulde in to take a look.¡± Zhou Rong suddenly interrupted. He sounded like he was suppressing a vomit or something. At the same time, a lingering scent of blood floated out of the kitchen. Bei Qian¡¯s face darkened when he thought of something. In the end, he moved over with Jiang Cheng. Zhou Rong moved away to let them into the kitchen. Bei Qian entered first, and Jiang Cheng was behind him. Once they entered, they were hit by a thick stench of blood and the horrible smell of meat decay. On the floor was a ck stone stove. The part that was connected to the cement floor was thered with a thickyer of yellow mud. There were a few china bowls ced in the corner. Most of them were chipped. There was also a giant basin covered with a wooden lid. The stovetop was bloody¡­ like a butcher¡¯s corner. Zhou Rong clearly had taken a look inside the basin earlier. Therefore, when he lifted the lid this time, he only took a deep breath. However, Bei Qian¡¯s face drained of colour. Inside the basin¡­ were pieces of minced meat. Some of them with strange colours should be internal organs. The scariest thing they spotted among the meat was a finger with broken bones and attached skin. Bei Qian, who was the frailest, started to vomit. Jiang Cheng danced away at the first notice. Zhou Rong reacted slower. When he wanted to evade it, the vomit had already hit his shoes. The vomit mixed with the blood on the cement floor. Even though the blood hadn¡¯t dried, it had turned viscous. Once stepped on, the blood would make a squishy sound. Anyone who stepped on the blood would leave behind a print. ¡°Hmm?¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly said. Zhou Rong instantly looked at him. Before he could say anything, thetter warned in a whisper, ¡°Did you hear that?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Bei Qian was scared. ¡°It came from upstairs.¡± Jiang Cheng turned to the door and said, ¡°Stay here. I¡¯ll go take a look.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Zhou Rong followed him. However, he felt a pull on his arm. ¡°Mr. Zhou.¡± Bei Qian looked weak, but he held onto Zhou Rong tightly. He whispered, ¡°Let him go on his own. It¡¯s safer for us¡­ I mean¡­ The ghost ising back. We should look for clues here.¡± During their swift interaction, Jiang Cheng had already left the kitchen. Zhou Rong slowly turned around to look at Bei Qian¡¯s worried face. A few secondster, Zhou Rong smiled, ¡°Okay.¡± Zhou Rong started to move backwards, ¡°I¡¯ve already found some clues.¡± His gait was strange. He was also suddenly so much firmer and stronger. Bei Qian was practically dragged away by him. Chapter 140: Choices Chapter 140: Choices Bei Qian widened his eyes in fear. He suddenly realised that he couldn¡¯t shake Zhou Rong loose. Thetter gripped him like a vice. He was instantly reminded of Jiang Cheng, who had chosen to flee. Then, inscrutable fear floated in his eyes. ¡°Mr¡­ Mr. Zhou,¡± He practically begged as his body trembled uncontrobly, ¡°How about we go find Mr. Yi? He¡¯s just outside. I think he has found a clue.¡± Zhou Rong was standing in the corner of the kitchen. The ce was strangely dark. Beside him was a vat that was abnormallyrge. The vat¡¯s surface was rough. A ck pot was ced on top of it to cover it. ¡°There¡¯s no need to hurry,¡± Zhou Rong said, ¡°Come and check out the clues I¡¯ve found first.¡± When he spoke, there was a whiff in his tone as if there was a hole in his windpipe. Zhou Rong lifted up the heavy-looking ck pot with one hand. Bei Qian, who had no choice, was forced to look into the vat. The inside was inky ck. It was filled with an unknown liquid. Just as he frowned, a string of bubbles appeared in the liquid. Then, a pale face floated up to the surface. The eyes were so wide that they almost popped out. The mouth was agape. From the expression, one could tell the person was scared to death before he drowned. However, this was not important to Bei Qian because¡­ this was Zhou Rong¡¯s face. And Zhou Rong¡­ was standing beside him. Just as he was about to scream, a cold glint shed before him. The next second, his world turned upside down. During hisst moment, he saw a twisted figure holding a giant knife in his hand. ¡­ Jiang Cheng lightened his steps after leaving the kitchen. He came to the door and grabbed the handle. He tried it. The door was locked. He gave up the idea of leaving from the door. He turned to look at the dark staircase. He hurried towards it. As he carefully climbed up the wooden steps, he heard the sound of an object falling in the kitchen. The object should be spherical. Itnded on the ground and rolled a few times before stopping. Jiang Cheng moved faster. The windows and doors on the first floor had been sealed by a mysterious power. He came to the second floor to try his luck. After all, the nightmare realm wouldn¡¯t seal up all the exits. If he sought no way out, he would set a fire and see if that¡¯d help. Earlier, he had already noticed the problems with Zhou Rong. His movement was weird. Plus, when he walked backwards, the footprints he left behind were highly questionable. They were merely dots, as if he was walking on tip-toe. This was clearly suspicious.Theyout of the second floor was wildly different from the first floor. The whole second floor was a giant room. There was no partition. One could see everything clearly. Due to the lighting, the visibility was also better. A bright window was about 10 meters away from Jiang Cheng. With a dash, he could reach it instantly. However, Jiang Cheng decided to look around first. The second floor wasn¡¯t that high up. However, this was the nightmare realm. No one could guarantee he wouldn¡¯t be injured if someone pushed him out the second-floor window. If there was something like a tree outside the window, he might end up as a human skewer, just like Jiang Zhongyi. He slowly scanned his surroundings. The decor was rtively simple. This was once a study. There was a wooden partition near the wall. Next to it was an old arm-chair and an officious-looking table. There were brushes, inkstones, and other calligraphy tools on the table. A dusty rocking chair sat in the corner. A few strange-looking stones were ced next to the stairs. They looked weirdly out of ce. Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t linger on these things until he saw arge dresser. The dresser was designed like its modern counterpart. However, the material was more solid. However, the dresser also gave off an ufortable feeling because¡­ its surface was covered in scratch marks. Some were long and some were short but all of them gouged deep into the wood. When he saw the marks, a despairing image appeared in Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind. CREAK The sound of a door opening came from downstairs. Normally, the sound shouldn¡¯t travel to Jiang Cheng¡¯s ears so clearly. It was too purposeful. Clearly, the ghost was behind this. The kitchen door was opened. Then, there was a long and slow rustling sound. Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He could imagine the boneless body slithering on the ground. It appeared that Bei Qian was gone, and he hadn¡¯t slowed down the ghost for long. TAP! The ghost stepped on the stairs, moving towards Jiang Cheng. He was presented with two choices. One, jump out the window. Two, hide in the dresser. Hold his breath and pray. A normal person would undeniably choose the first. After all, once they jumped out the window, it would mean escaping from the building. The ghost would probably chase after them in daylight. Plus, the scratched dresser was too difiting. The worst possibility was there were two ghosts in this building. And the other one¡­ was hiding inside the dresser. Once someone opened it, the ghost inside would ambush the victim. Time was ticking. The ghost¡¯s footsteps had appeared at the corner of the stairs. Apanying it was a grating sound of friction. It sounded like a sharp de cutting through the rough cement wall. It was the ghost! She dragged along her broken body, holding the giant de. She was slowly approaching him. She was like an experienced hunter, ying with her trapped prey. Chapter 141: Neighbour Chapter 141: Neighbour Jiang Cheng believed he was normal, so he abandoned the window and chose the dresser where most victims would die in horror movies. He took a deep breath and pulled open the right dresser door. Thankfully, no ghost jumped out. He instantly crawled into it. At the same time, the strange footsteps came to the second floor. The difference between the two was less than a few seconds. After Jiang Cheng calmed down, he slowly suppressed his beating heart. Soon, his breathing also returned to normal. He sucked in a big breath and held his breath. After the footsteps came to the second floor, the frequency became quicker. They headed in a certain direction. Based on the location, the ghost probably went to check the window. A gap was left in the dresser door. Jiang Cheng leaned over to check outside. He noticed a broken figure outside the dresser. As he expected, the figure was dragging along a scary cleaver. The ghost wiggled her body, but she was fast unexpectedly. In just a few blinks, she arrived at the window. The next second, Jiang Cheng widened his eyes. He saw how the ghost exposed her bony arm and then tore off the window¡­ That¡¯s right, just like how one would tear down a poster on the wall. The window¡­ was fake! The ghost huffed angrily when she realised her conspiracy had been exposed. Then, she tore the extremely-realistic ¡®window¡¯ into pieces. Jiang Cheng frowned as he was reminded of the various tools on the second-floor study table. If he was not mistaken, Jiang Cheng also saw multi-coloured small cans. They were like paint cans used by the older generations. Even Jiang Cheng was impressed by the talent of the ghost. She managed to paint out a ¡®window¡¯ and ce it on the wall. If someone tried to escape through the window¡­ The consequence would be deadly. Probably, the ghost would crawl out from the ¡®window¡¯. It was totally possible in the nightmare realm. After shredding the window, the ghost looked around. She instantly locked onto the conspicuous dresser. With a swing of her body, she appeared before the dresser. There was only a thin door between her and Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng curled up in the corner. The ghost raised her arm, and the sharp nails shed like lightning. The force was enough to yank off a human head. However, it failed to break the thin and fragile wooden dresser door. It only left a scratch mark on it. It was as Jiang Cheng expected. This dresser was the only lifeline. It was the scary scratch marks thatpelled Jiang Cheng to believe that this was the way to survive in this situation. Based on his observation, the dresser might look fragile but the material was solid. A normal person would have a hard time leaving such deep scratch marks¡­ therefore, the culprit had to be a ghost. Why would the ghost scratch the dresser? What was her goal?Jiang Cheng¡¯s first reaction was to guess that there were people hiding inside, and the ghost wanted to get to them, so she attacked the dresser. The most important thing was the dresser was still not destroyed after being attacked by the ghost multiple times. What did this prove? ¡®Congrattions on finding a safehouse!¡¯ the notification appeared in Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind. After experiencing a few missions, Jiang Cheng knew that even though the ghosts represented extreme resentment, it didn¡¯t mean that they had no self-consciousness. They retained their habits in life and might even have obsessions from when they were still alive. The best example was how they were often going after those who harmed them. They could even disguise themselves as the travellers and then lure the travellers to trigger the taboos to kill them. Bei Qian¡¯s incident was the best example. Jiang Cheng only managed to survive because he reacted quickly. The ghost shed the dresser madly from the outside. The red eyes hidden in the dark felt familiar. Jiang Cheng, who was hidden inside the dresser, was serene and calm. Even though there were dangers everywhere in the nightmare realm, the rules were ubiquitous. Plus, the rules did not only apply to the travellers but also to the ghosts in the mission. Within the rules, the travellers and ghosts could do anything they wanted. For example, Jiang Cheng found a safehouse during the mission. Therefore, based on the rules, the ghost couldn¡¯t harm him no matter what. Even if he started singing while he was inside the dresser, the ghost couldn¡¯t do anything to him¡­ given that he didn¡¯t leave the dresser. That was the power of the rules. Jiang Cheng was a reasonable person. He believed the rules were a good thing. He also hoped sincerely that both the yers and the ghosts would respect and follow the rules. Just as Jiang Cheng prepared to probe the ghost¡¯s bottomline, he suddenly heard a low groan. That was not a sound the ghost could make. Jiang Cheng¡­ slowly turned to look beside him. The dresser had two doors, one on the left and the other on the right. Jiang Cheng was behind the left door. There were independent spaces behind each door. There was a wooden partition between them. In other words, Jiang Cheng had no idea what was happening in the space behind the right door. The dresser shook violently as the ghost attacked it. Even though Jiang Cheng knew this was an illusion, the dresser still shook up a lot of dust. Jiang Cheng felt his throat be ufortable. Clearly¡­ it was the same with the person in the space next door to him. There was another person hiding in the space beside him! Considering the third set of footprints on the stairs, Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. The ghost did not persist for long. About one minuteter, the ghost gave up. Her bloodshot eyes overflowed with unwillingness. However, she couldn¡¯t do anything against the rules. She could only turn and leave. The pping footsteps moved down the stairs before disappearing. After the ghost left, the atmosphere became weird. The other person was already inside the dresser before Jiang Cheng arrived, so they definitely knew about Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng realised their presence. Both parties said nothing. Jiang Cheng pushed open the door immediately after the ghost had left. He didn¡¯t move to check who his neighbour was or find a path to escape. Instead, he silently moved a wooden table to block the right door of the dresser. Worried, he moved the partition to support the table. Chapter 142: I Swear Chapter 142: I Swear After doing all that, Jiang Cheng slunk over to the real window. He tossed the brush out and then watched it closely. The brush arced through the air¡­ andnded safely. It was not crushed in the air by some mysterious power. Not only that, Jiang Cheng also found a rope near the window. One end of the rope was connected to the bent iron hook, and the other end slid down the window. It would seem like the person hiding inside the dresser used this route to sneak into this building to explore and evade the ghost on the first floor. DONG The sudden sound attracted Jiang Cheng¡¯s attention. It came from the dresser. The person inside probably noticed something was wrong and wanted to get out. The dresser door knocked on the table that blocked it. Jiang Cheng pulled on the rope to test it out. Then, he crossed one of his legs over the window. He turned around, took a deep breath and shouted at the staircase, ¡°Hey! Someone is stuck inside the dresser!¡± Instantly, a blurry shadow shed up the stairs. Jiang Cheng kicked against the wall, slid down the rope andnded firmly on the ground. Then, Jiang Cheng put the rope away. It made him feel better. The silencested for a few seconds before there was a giant explosion. It sounded like the dresser exploding. Jiang Cheng¡¯s other hypothesis was verified. There was no permanent safe house in the mission. It was bound by rules too. For example, the dresser looked fortified, but it was built on the premise that the ghost was only guessing that there was someone inside. She didn¡¯t know for sure. Jiang Cheng¡¯s shout eliminated that guess. Since that premise had changed, the safe house was no longer safe. Jiang Cheng curled under the window and calcted the time. He was waiting for the ce to calm down. Then, he¡¯d climb back with the rope and see if he could salvage something from the corpse of his mysterious neighbour. BANG! A figure leapt through the air. The old window frame cracked. Shards of ss and the person careened down from the second floor. The person was very agile. Even though they dropped from the second floor, they only staggered for a moment when theynded before righting themselves. At that moment, they felt a wind rushing from behind their head. Then, their world became ck.Jiang Cheng dropped the wooden club. He narrowed his eyes and walked forward. Then, he dragged the unconscious Chen Xiaomeng to a secluded corner. Other than a bruise on the back of her head, Chen Xiaomeng had some minor scratches on her body. She probably got them when she jumped out of the window. Jiang Cheng examined her body closely but couldn¡¯t find the thing he wanted. ¡°Where is it hiding?¡± Jiang Cheng pouted as he searched her body. He eventually touched something strange through her clothes. Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes glowed. ¡­ Eventually, Chen Xiaomeng slowly woke up. When she opened her eyes, she saw Jiang Cheng¡¯s handsome face. She was lying on her side in the room. Jiang Cheng stayed beside her with concern. Chen Xiaomeng shook her head as if the knock to her head made her lose her memory. ¡°Does your head still hurt?¡± Jiang Cheng kindly moved a bowl of water to her lips. ¡°You were being hunted by the ghost earlier. Thankfully, I saved you. You swore to marry me. I didn¡¯t agree with it. You forced¡­¡± Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s mind was blurry. She was thirsty. She leaned forward to take a sip, but¡­ She winced and spat the water out. Then, she gasped for air. Her face twisted from pain. The water¡­ was boiling! There was a ck pot on the stove outside the door. The water inside it was gurgling from the heat. Chen Xiaomeng woke up instantly. She didn¡¯t get mad. Instead, she started to search her body. Momentster, her face became as cold as ice. ¡°Where is it?¡± She asked Jiang Cheng angrily. Jiang Cheng replied innocently, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Stop acting! That photograph!¡± Jiang Cheng found a picture near Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s private parts. It was simr to the picture Jiang Cheng found. It had two elders and their four sons. However, the difference was Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s picture had seven people in it. There was¡­ one more woman. The question was: Why were there two variations of the same picture inside the building? Jiang Cheng took out the picture slowly and shook it before Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s face, ¡°Where did you find this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t return it to you.¡± Jiang Cheng stood up, put the picture away and slowly walked out the door. ¡°I¡¯ll ask the others.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Chen Xiaomengughed. She narrowed her eyes like a wolf, ¡°I also wish to know how they will react after they find out you have this thing. Will they choose to cooperate with you or find a chance to kill you and then steal it?¡± Jiang Cheng paused. Just as Chen Xiaomeng thought she had won the argument, Jiang Cheng walked back to tie her up. ¡°What¡­ what are you doing?¡± Chen Xiaomeng panicked. She was good, but Jiang Cheng was powerful. Plus, she was injured. It didn¡¯t take long for Jiang Cheng to tie her up. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s heart quivered when she saw the smile on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m warning you.¡± She warned, ¡°You¡¯ll be punished if you kill your teammates in the mission.¡± She added, ¡°That punishment extends to those who harm others against their will!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Jiang Cheng said openly, ¡°I¡¯m just going to haul you back to the building. When the ghost deals with you, I¡¯ll search for more clues.¡± Chen Xiaomeng would think this was a bluff if someone else had said this, but the man before her was unpredictable. Chen Xiaomeng would feel a rare trace of fear when she faced him. ¡°I can tell you about the picture,¡± Chen Xiaomeng surrendered, ¡°But you have to promise to give it back to meter!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Jiang Cheng swore. ¡°I promise to return it to you. If I don¡¯t, I, Wang Fugui, will die from bleeding from all orifices!¡± Chapter 143: Strange Chapter 143: Strange Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes twitched. She said, ¡°You can just die normally. There¡¯s no need to die from heavy bleeding from all orifices.¡± Jiang Cheng ignored her. ¡°Where did you find this picture?¡± ¡°On the second floor.¡± Chen Xiaomeng said, ¡°It was inside the dresser I was hiding in. There was a picture frame that it came in. However, I threw it away because it was too troublesome.¡± ¡°A wooden frame?¡± Jiang Cheng gestured, ¡°About yay big?¡± Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes dimmed. A few secondster, she realised something. Before she could ask anything, Jiang Cheng took out another simr¡­ well, very simr picture. Her pupils shrunk. There were only six people in this picture! A woman was missing. ¡°Is this the thing you guys found on the first floor?¡± Chen Xiaomeng asked. ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. ¡°I found it first. It had nothing to do with the other two.¡± Chen Xiaomeng pursed his lips. She looked at Jiang Cheng with untrustworthiness. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Jiang Cheng raised his brow. ¡°You¡¯re wondering why I would volunteer the fact that I have another picture.¡± Chen Xiaomeng responded with silence.Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t mind it. He continued, ¡°The ghost in this mission is very weird. Based on my understanding, the ghost rarely kills consecutively. However, you saw it personally. If not for me, she would have killed three people in quick session.¡± Chen Xiaomeng stared at him, ¡°Do you¡­ want to cooperate?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Mr. Yi is so clever and cunning. I don¡¯t know if I can help you with anything.¡± Chen Xiaomeng was ufortable because she was tied up. Plus, she was dissatisfied with Jiang Cheng. ¡°If you haven¡¯t already discovered something, would you risk exploring that building?¡± Jiang Cheng smiled. After some thought, Chen Xiaomeng asked, ¡°What is your condition?¡± ¡°After the mission is over, I want to be the first to leave.¡± That was Jiang Cheng¡¯s bottom line. Chen Xiaomeng nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Then, what is Miss Chen¡¯s condition?¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡± Chen Xiaomeng said honestly, ¡°I just want to befriend Mr. Yi. I hope we can meet up in person after we leave this ce.¡± Then, she added seriously, ¡°I have a lot of information about the nightmare realm that I can share with Mr. Yi. Of course, I hope someone like Mr. Yi can provide some services to me in return.¡± Jiang Cheng scoffed, ¡°Stop joking! I know your goal. You want to figure out my location and then hire people to kidnap me so you can keep me for yourself.¡± Chen Xiaomeng, ¡°...¡± ¡°Let me ask you.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned over to look into Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes. ¡°Where are Lee Lu and Yu Man?¡± ¡°Still searching for clues in the vige.¡± ¡°Why did you split up from them?¡± ¡°Untie me first.¡± Chen Xiaomeng said coolly, ¡°I¡¯m too ufortable to answer your question.¡± Jiang Cheng undid the knots. Chen Xiaomeng tried to search for an opening to counter as she massaged her numb limbs. ¡°Stop looking.¡± Jiang Cheng said derisively as he rolled up the rope. ¡°I¡¯d advise you to think about it twice before you do anything. If you fail, what kind of consequences there¡¯ll be.¡± After he said that, Chen Xiaomeng became more obedient. As she worked out the kinks in her arms, she said calmly, ¡°A viger told us that this yard we¡¯re staying in was once the Qian Family¡¯s home.¡± Jiang Cheng ced the two pictures on the table. The characters and positions of everyone in both pictures were the same¡­ except for the extra woman in one of them. Clearly, the woman was the anomaly. Chen Xiaomeng leaned over. After all, the ghost was their biggest threat. Jiang Cheng was iparable to the ghost. ¡°This woman should be the Qian Family¡¯s youngest daughter, who was rumoured to have died young, Qian Jianxiu.¡± Chen Xiaomeng pointed at the woman, ¡°They hid their picture because they were afraid that the vigers might discover she was still alive.¡± It looked like the Qian Family actually sent the daughter out of the vige and told the vigers that she died from illness. As for why, Jiang Cheng believed it had to do with Little Ravine Vige¡¯s culture. The female poption at this vige was too low. Too many young men needed to marry. Soon, the daughters became more like moving wombs than actual humans. Vige Head Qian didn¡¯t want his daughter to suffer so he sent her out of the vige with the excuse that she was sick. Many yearster, a woman by the name of Zhao Xiangmei returned to Little Ravine Vige. She started a human trafficking ring. She kidnapped the women from outside the vige and sold them to the men in the vige. Zhao Xiangmei¡­ was the former Qian Jianxiu. Everything made sense then¡­ Why Zhao Xiangmei hated the Qian Family¡­ Because she was a member of the Qian Family. However, when the police came, the Qian Family threw her under the bus without hesitation. They made Zhao Xiangmei the main culprit. They stood and watched as she was beaten to near death by the woman¡¯s parents. The Qian Family had never lent her a hand. In the end, they even dumped her corpse into the Cold Virtue Pool, which represented shame. It would be weird if Qian Jianxiu didn¡¯t have a lot of resentment. ¡°Therefore¡­ Zhao Xiangmei, no, Qian Jianxiu, aimed the spear of revenge at the Qian Family,¡± Chen Xiaomeng said slowly, ¡°And the Qian Family was almost wiped out.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it. ¡°That sounds reasonable, but¡­ Why didn¡¯t Qian Jianxiu once target the women she kidnapped or their parents who beat her up? After all, she was basically beaten to death.¡± ¡°Perhaps her family¡¯s betrayal hurt her more than physical pain.¡± Chen Xiaomeng sighed. ¡°I just thought it was weird.¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged. ¡°If I were her, I would have murdered everyone who I hate. Be it the Qian Family or the women and their parents¡­ I would have killed all of them. After all, I¡¯m already dead. What can happen to me? I¡¯ll torture those who harm me a lot but deliver swift deaths to those who harm me a little. Then, I¡¯ll light up the entire Little Ravine Vige with a giant fire!¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s face burned from excitement. Chen Xiaomeng broke out in goosebumps. She confirmed her earlier assessment of Jiang Cheng. He was sick, mentally sick. Anti-social personality often showcased an extremely strong desire for revenge. They would do things that were against social boundaries to achieve their goals. Chapter 144: Uncle Chapter 144: Uncle Jiang Cheng noticed the sunlight on his shoulders. He turned around and realised the sun was already almost down the mountain. From the moment they infiltrated the Qian Family¡¯s main house to now, it shouldn¡¯t be more than two hours. They entered therge building at noon. How did the sun set so fast? ¡°We don¡¯t have much time left.¡± Chen Xiaomeng nced at the setting sun. ¡°As the mission nears its end, the anomalies in the world we¡¯re in will be more obvious.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. That matched his previous experience. The day became shorter until the world sank into eternal night. ¡°Do you still remember our earlier hypothesis?¡± Chen Xiaomeng said rapidly, ¡°The ghost disyed her victims around An Ping Town because someone she wanted to kill was hiding in that town. ¡°To end this mission, we have to find that person.¡± ¡°Someone from the Qian Family,¡± Jiang Cheng said. Chen Xiaomeng nodded. ¡°That should be the case. The vige head said that the former Vige Head Qian had three sons and they all died to the ghosts. However, based on the family pictures, he should have four sons! Thest one should be hiding in An Ping Town! ¡°Once we find him and send him out of An Ping Town, I believe this mission will be over.¡± Jiang Cheng frowned.Chen Xiaomeng looked at him and gasped, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you pity the man?¡± In Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s mind, someone with an anti-social personality wouldn¡¯t care about their family, much less strangers. They had no pity. ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. ¡°I believe the ghost is not looking for a he but a she.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Then, Jiang Cheng shared the scene that he saw at An Ping Inn with Chen Xiaomeng. Thetter was stunned. ¡°Are you saying there¡¯s a woman with a ruined face hidden in the secret room on the third floor of An Ping Inn?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That is why you wasted so much time with Zhou Rong upstairs that time.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng huffed indignantly. ¡°I wanted to tell you all, but Zhou Rong denied it. He threatened me that if I breathed a word about this, he would punish me and thene after the rest of you.¡± Chen Xiaomeng, ¡°...¡± Jiang Cheng waited for a while and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to thank me?¡± Chen Xiaomeng rolled her eyes at him. ¡°The reason you¡¯re telling me this now is because An Ping Inn is a ce with valuable clues. There are great risks involved. You want me to go with you to share the risks. If anything, you should thank me.¡± Jiang Cheng tutted, ¡°I think I should send you back to the ghost. How can you think of me like that?¡± ¡°Stop wasting time.¡± Chen Xiaomeng crossed her legs. She radiated an imposing aura. ¡°What do you want to do next?¡± Suddenly, Jiang Cheng jumped up as if he just remembered something. This shocked Chen Xiaomeng quite a bit. She thought the ghost was after them. ¡°I still have a date.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°I almost forgot.¡± ¡°A date?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng filched the two pictures and ran out. ¡°I¡¯ll be going. You can do whatever you want.¡± Then, Jiang Cheng disappeared from the courtyard. Chen Xiaomeng gritted her teeth and followed him. The two pictures were too important. The sunsetsted longer than Jiang Cheng anticipated. He followed the pebbled path and reached a simple yard. There, he saw the familiar figure standing under the tree, looking around. ¡°Hong Hong,¡± Jiang Cheng greeted her, ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± To Jiang Cheng¡¯s surprise, the girl didn¡¯t react as friendly asst time. She stood motionlessly and had a strange expression. Chen Xiaomeng caught up to them by then. When she saw Hong Hong, she scolded Jiang Cheng for his shamelessness. Hong Hong¡¯s frozen hands gripped the edge of her cotton shirt. She said unnaturally, ¡°You need to stop looking for me. Mom said that I¡¯m still young. There should be distance between¡­¡± At this point, Hong Hong appeared to forget her lines. She pulled on her braids anxiously. ¡°There should be distance between males and females.¡± Chen Xiaomeng walked over with a smile. Compared to Jiang Cheng, she was indeed more approachable. She took out a fruit from her chest. Who knew when she got it? She teased Hong Hong, ¡°Big sister is not a male. Can we be friends?¡± Hong Hong stared at the fruit with great desire, but she didn¡¯t move. Until¡­ CREAK The yard gate opened. Chen Xiaomeng and Jiang Cheng looked over at the same time. A properly dressed man walked out. He looked around 35. He wore a yellow top and a pair of green pants. He appeared quite spirited. He waved at Hong Hong. Hong Hong took one farewell nce at the fruit. Then, she ran back into the yard and stood close to the man. Then, the man raised his head to smile at Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng, ¡°You must be the experts hired by the vige head. Thank you foring here to help us.¡± Chen Xiaomeng studied him. ¡°And you are..?¡± The man rolled up his sleeves as he walked into the vegetable patch in the yard. He dealt with the weeds with ease as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m Hong Hong¡¯s uncle. I came today to help with the yard. Hong Hong¡¯s mother has a hard time looking after Hong Hong on her own. Now that she is sick, I shoulde to help her.¡± ¡°It must be hard for you.¡± Chen Xiaomeng nodded. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± The man answered, ¡°Hong Hong¡¯s mother has it harder than me. I haven¡¯t been here to help her in a while already.¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes and changed the subject, ¡°I heard that Hong Hong¡¯s grandmother is sick. How is she now?¡± At this point, the man sighed. Dark clouds surrounded him. He resumed, ¡°Hong Hong¡¯s grandmother suffers from her seasonal illnesses. It¡¯s especially serious this year. She can¡¯t even speak or get up from bed anymore.¡± ¡°That serious?¡± Jiang Cheng aimed to walk into the yard. ¡°I know a bit of medicine. Let me see if¡­¡± The man instantly moved to stop him. ¡°We appreciate the expert¡¯s good intentions. However, Hong Hong¡¯s grandmother¡¯s condition is veryplicated. The vigers have already sent her to the city. The medical system there is better. It¡¯s much better than the vige doctors we have here.¡± ¡°Then, Hong Hong¡¯s mother should be home, right?¡± Jiang Cheng asked with concern, ¡°I¡¯m a doctor from the city. I should be able to help her.¡± Chapter 145: Conspiracy Chapter 145: Conspiracy ¡°The vige doctor has been here,¡± The man exined, ¡°Hong Hong¡¯s mother is fine. The doctor said that she needed to rest a lot before he left.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the closed door. He nodded with some regret, ¡°Then, we¡¯ll be leaving.¡± ¡°Please.¡± ¡­ On the way back, Chen Xiaomeng nced at Jiang Cheng. Thetter appeared confident and inscrutable. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with that man.¡± Chen Xiaomeng began, ¡°Hong Hong looks like she¡¯s scared of him. Plus, a girl her age wouldn¡¯t know about the distance between males and females. He probably taught her to say that.¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes to block the setting sun. ¡°Of course. Or else why would he choose this hour to work on the vegetable patch? Clearly, he saw us and hurried over to Hong Hong¡¯s home.¡± The sun was setting, and the night would soon arrive. The night was a nightmarish existence for the vigers. However, the man chose this hour toe to work in the small field? Clearly, this was suspicious. Chen Xiaomeng added, ¡°Based on his appearance, he is not a farmer. His pair of leather shoes are practically shining.¡± A well-dressed strange man said that he came to Hong Hong¡¯s ce to help with the gardening. At that point, both stopped talking. Since they had seen through the man¡¯s fake identity, the next step was to predict his goal. This was very simple. He was there to monitor them. The man¡¯s real goal was probably to prevent them from interacting with Hong Hong¡¯s family to gain valuable information. The vige head was most likely behind this.Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s group¡¯s movement in the vige had alerted them. Along the way, the nearby houses were old and decrepit, but from the vegetables andundries in the yard, one could tell that they were still upied. However, there had been no signs of human life at all. Chen Xiaomeng paused and whispered, ¡°Do you know¡­¡± ¡°I do,¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted. ¡°How do you know what I was about to ask?¡± Chen Xiaomeng gasped. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t stop moving. ¡°You can¡¯t figure out why there are still so many men in the vige if the ghost kills one to three men every few days for the past twenty years.¡± Chen Xiaomeng widened her eyes. ¡°But you get it now, right?¡± Jiang Cheng nced at her. Chen Xiaomeng took a deep breath. She took in the vige around her. ¡°It¡¯s the vige head.¡± She looked at the courtyard of the Qian Family with the building that was conspicuously taller than the rest of the vige. ¡°The vige head purposely situated us in the Qian Family¡¯s courtyard because the ghost¡¯s targets are the people from the Qian Family. Once we stay there, the ghost will murder us, thinking that we¡¯re parts of the Qian Family. This will ensure the safety of the other vigers. ¡°That is the secret behind the survival of Little Ravine Vige. I believe the vige head will invite some outsiders to stay in the Qian Family yard at set intervals of time. In the end, they would be killed by the ghosts.¡± This matched the information they gathered in An Ping Town. Outsiders kept going missing around Little Ravine Vige. The woman who went to search for her husband at the inn didn¡¯t dress like the locals. Her husband was probably an outsider tricked into entering Little Ravine Vige. This would exin why An Ping Town¡¯s people detested Little Ravine Vige¡¯s people so much. Just as the elder from the town said, they should stay away from the people from the mountain vige. They represented¡­ misfortune. Jiang Cheng studied the woman before him with interest. He was not averse to bad people because they had their reasons to walk on the other side of thew. He hated idiots because idiocy had no excuse. Thankfully, Chen Xiaomeng was not dumb. She was much better than the two dummies, Zhou Rong and Bei Qian. This was why Jiang Cheng chose her. In the nightmare realm, good people and bad people might die, but dumb people will definitely die. ¡°Do you know how to leave this vige?¡± Chen Xiaomeng raised her brow. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Chen Xiaomeng smiled, ¡°Because I do.¡± ¡°Do you n to leave now?¡± ¡°Do you wish for the vigers to turn on us first before leaving?¡± Chen Xiaomeng shrugged. She took out the fruit and took a bite. The fruit looked small, but it was very juicy. It made Jiang Cheng so hungry. ¡°We can leaveter. I want to check out Hong Hong¡¯s home.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your choice.¡± Chen Xiaomeng tossed the core away. When they returned to the courtyard, it was already dark. The charcoal in the houses were still burning but there was no one around. Yu Man and Lee Lu hadn¡¯t returned. ¡°Where are they?¡± Chen Xiaomeng asked. ¡°How would I know?¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged, ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who was grouped with them this afternoon.¡± Needless to say, something had happened to them. However, it was unclear if they encountered the ghost or the vigers. If it were thetter, they would have been detained. Jiang Cheng had been pondering this issue of bnce. So far, much evidence had proved that the ghost in this mission wouldn¡¯t kill females. However, this didn¡¯t mean that the female yers were safe. Based on Jiang Cheng¡¯s understanding, the nightmare might seem absurd, but it ran on aplicated and careful mechanism. Every traveller had the same chance at survival. Perhaps the ghost would favour the fairer sex, but under the fairness of the rules, the female yers would attract malice from other parties. He could imagine the consequences of two beautiful young women losing their way in Little Ravine Vige. They wouldn¡¯t die, but they would wish that they had died. Chen Xiaomeng realised that too. As a female, her face darkened. ¡°When we return to Hong Hong¡¯s ce at night, pay attention to the surroundings. If we can save them, our risks at An Ping Inn will be lowered.¡± Jiang Cheng tutted. Chen Xiaomeng was uninterested in Lee Lu and Yu Man¡¯s survival. However, she did hate the vigers¡¯ actions. She would choose to save them because they still had value as trap testers. She valued rationality above emotions. Jiang Cheng was very satisfied. Inparison, Jiang Cheng was reminded of the Fatty at home¡­ He was often useless and stood in his way¡­ But damn, was he a good cook. Chapter 146: Exciting Chapter 146: Exciting Jiang Cheng¡¯s stomach growled. It caused Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s suppressed hunger toe back. Other than the porridge they had in the morning, they hadn¡¯t eaten anything for the day. The vige head appeared to have forgotten about them. After all, they were just bait. It was unreasonable to waste so much food on them. As Chen Xiaomeng nned to rest, Jiang Cheng went to his sleeping spot, rummaged under the nket and pulled out two sweet potatoes. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Thankfully, I hid twost time.¡± Jiang Cheng held a potato in each hand and said with satisfaction. He carefully ced the potatoes beside the stove. He tossed bits of charcoal into the oven. He lit up the fire, and it warmed his body. Chen Xiaomeng swallowed twice and moved to sit down beside him. They were not afraid of being ambushed by the vigers. It was already nighttime. The vigers would be hiding. Plus, Chen Xiaomeng and Jiang Cheng were at the Qian Family Courtyard. No one from the vige would go there. The fire crackled. Soon, the outside of the potatoes was toasted. Chen Xiaomeng didn¡¯t say anything and grabbed one of them with her cloth-wrapped hand. She picked the one that wasrger. Jiang Cheng was slower. Clearly, they were hungry. Chen Xiaomeng at least peeled the skin before eating. Jiang Cheng ate it with the skin. After Jiang Cheng finished his potato, he stared at half of the potato Chen Xiaomeng held. Thetter immediately shoved everything into her mouth. As she munched on it, she rewarded Jiang Cheng with a victorious smile. Thankfully, the vigers left them with a vat of water, or else they¡¯d need to find water. ¡°When will we make our move?¡± Chen Xiaomeng, who was sated, suddenly felt Jiang Cheng¡¯s face didn¡¯t look that annoying anymore. ¡°A bitter. At least until most of the vigers are asleep first.¡± Jiang Cheng poked the me with a wooden stick. That way, the fire wouldst longer. There was no inte or phone in that era. The poverty was something normal people couldn¡¯t imagine. There was not much to do at night but to sleep. The ckness in the sky was like an iron lid. It felt oppressive. The vige in the dark was as silent as the cemetery. They had stayed in the vige for days but hadn¡¯t heard the sound of countryside animals like chickens or dogs.In the Little Ravine Vige, there appeared to be only people who survived in fear and luck. When it was almost time, Jiang Cheng woke Chen Xiaomeng, who maybe was pretending to be asleep. They prepared everything and opened the door. They left the Qian Family Courtyard. They followed the trail and returned to Hong Hong¡¯s ce. They were very careful and didn¡¯t alert anyone. Chen Xiaomeng appeared to have experience in espionage. When they reached Hong Hong¡¯s family yard, she nodded at Jiang Cheng and told him that they were not followed. The yard door was wooden and looked rough. It would creak whenever it opened or closed. Therefore, they decided to leap over the fence. The fence was low anyway. Chen Xiaomeng easily leapt over with a running start. She was agile and quick. Shended softly. When she turned back to check on Jiang Cheng, thetter found a hole in the fence and wiggled through like a caterpir. However, when he realised Chen Xiaomeng was looking at him, he instantly straightened up and patted away the dust on his clothes, pretending to be cool. They slunk over to the house. There was a wooden door with light seeping through. They moved to peek through the gap. The house was notrge. It was very simple. A low wooden table was ced near the stove. An oilmp sat on the table. A woman about 30 sat cross-legged. With the weak light, she was patching some clothes. Above the stove hung a basket weaved from bamboo. The basket held a pair of ck iron scissors, needles, threads and some other stuff. Perhaps it was the chill. The woman had a nket around her lower body. The warming stove was ced in the middle of the house. The spot around it was clean. That was a sign that the stove hadn¡¯t been used for a while already. The only source of light and warmth was the oilmp. Everything showcased the poverty in this family. The woman should be Hong Hong¡¯s mother. They hadn¡¯t seen Hong Hong and her grandmother. They should be asleep, considering the time. The house had more than one room, so they might be next door. Chen Xiaomeng ced her hand on the door when she felt a poke on her side. She turned to Jiang Cheng¡¯s scious face. He pointed at himself and whispered, ¡°Let me go in first?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Chen Xiaomeng asked with her eyes. Jiang Cheng licked his lips. His face was red. ¡°It¡¯s not often I get to visit a widow at night. It¡¯s quite spicy.¡± Chen Xiaomeng, ¡°...¡± Even through the night, Chen Xiaomeng could see the excitement on the man¡¯s face. The next second, Jiang Cheng shoved the door open. Before the woman could react, he rushed forward to grab the woman by her throat. The inertia knocked the woman back, crashing her body into the cupboard behind her. Thanks to the nket, the collision sounded like a heavy book falling to the ground. Chen Xiaomeng slithered in and closed the door. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t let go. He watched the woman¡¯s face turn pale from asphyxiation. His emotions didn¡¯t waver. The woman was so scared that her body kept shaking. She didn¡¯t even think about resisting. All she could do was widen her fearful eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you a few questions.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was cold and even. ¡°You can either nod or shake your head. If you do anything else or call for help, I¡¯ll kill you immediately, and then I¡¯ll deal with your daughter, Hong Hong.¡± His face flickered in the light. ¡°Do you understand?¡± The woman was startled for a moment. Then, she nodded crazily. Chapter 147: Mother Chapter 147: Mother Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s attention was fully on Jiang Cheng. She looked at the man¡¯s profile silently. The sharpness exhibited by the man after he entered the house was beyond her expectations. For a moment, she really thought Jiang Cheng would kill the woman. In the nightmare realm, she had met many extremely evil people. Most of them were made crazy by the missions. However, Jiang Cheng was different. The evil in him¡­ was innate. She had no doubt that if the woman resisted, he would live up to his threat and kill her. ¡°Is the man from the afternoon still around?¡± The woman widened her eyes in fear. Her lips couldn¡¯t stop trembling. Jiang Cheng slowly eased his grip around her neck. She gasped for air, and she shook her head heavily. ¡°Was he sent here by the vige head?¡± The woman nodded. ¡°Are there other people here other than you?¡± The woman was startled and then shook her head vehemently. ¡°Think about it first before answering,¡± Jiang Cheng cracked his knuckles. In the woman¡¯s eyes, the handsome man was the devil. His thin lips moved. Every detail was reflected in her eyes. ¡°If I find anyone else here, the consequence will be bad.¡± The woman teared up. In the end, she had to nod. Mncholy filled her eyes. ¡°I will slowly let go now.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at her and uttered slowly, ¡°But if you scream¡­¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t need to finish to drive the point across. He slowly let go. Then, he asked in a growl, ¡°Who else is at home?¡±¡°My daughter, Hong Hong¡­ and Hong Hong¡¯s grandmother.¡± When Jiang Cheng entered the house, he noticed a door blocked off by a nket hung on the wall. He turned his head and asked the woman, ¡°Are they in there?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The woman answered. Then, she anxiously wanted to add something but Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t give her the chance. He said, ¡°As long as you answer me honestly, they will be fine.¡± The woman swallowed cautiously. She didn¡¯t look old, at most 30. However, she was pale and fragile. There were wrinkles around her eyes. The frostbites on her hands were conspicuous. The pressure of life suffocated the poor woman, especially since she lived in this vige. After confirming the sound didn¡¯t draw anyone else over, Chen Xiaomeng walked over. She maintained a distance from Jiang Cheng. She did not like the man¡¯s actions. ¡°We have some questions for your mother.¡± Chen Xiaomeng stared into the woman¡¯s eyes. The woman shook her eyes and silently wept, ¡°You can¡¯t. My mother¡¯s throat is ruined. She can¡¯t speak.¡± ¡°She can write.¡± ¡°Mother is illiterate.¡± Chen Xiaomeng took a deep breath. She felt like her patience was being exhausted. Every second they wasted meant extra danger to their lives. They had to rush back to An Ping Town and finish the mission before the vigers realised they were gone. At that moment, the woman noticed the changes in Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s face. She quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what you want to ask. My mother has identally revealed some details about that to me before.¡± Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes shed, ¡°How do you know what we want to ask?¡± The woman sighed and nced out the window with fear as if worried that there were people listening in. ¡°What else can it be?¡± She whispered, ¡°You¡¯re pigs captured by the vige head. So, you must be here to know more about the female ghost.¡± ¡°Pigs?¡± This was Chen Xiaomeng hearing this term. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a long story. In any case, it has been a while since the ghost has murdered any of the local vigers.¡± The woman pressed her lips. ¡°The deaths only involve outsiders like you who are invited over by the vige head. It¡¯s outsiders like you who die in ce of the locals. Therefore, you are referred to as pigs to be ughtered.¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. ¡°Does the whole vige know about this?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The woman nodded. Then, she noticed the man¡¯s gaze change, and she became nervous. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t approve of this. Some of the other vigers didn¡¯t approve of it as well. But¡­ there are no other choices. You saw it this afternoon. The vige head has all of us under his control. He doesn¡¯t even allow us to interact with outsiders!¡± ¡°What do you know about the ghost?¡± ¡°The ghost is very vicious, but she only targets the people of the Qian Family, especially the men. Therge Qian Family has been practically wiped out.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes darted out. She continued in a dark tone, ¡°They all said the ghost¡¯s name is Zhao Xiangmei. She was the human trafficker who tricked the women toe to this vige. She was beaten to death, but¡­¡± Chen Xiaomeng instantly said, ¡°But what?¡± ¡°But my mother didn¡¯t agree.¡± The woman raised her head. ¡°They said Zhao Xiangmei left a bloody curse on the stone que beside the mountain pool before she died. However, my mother said that from what she knew¡­ Zhao Xiangmei was illiterate!¡± How could an illiterate person write down a bloody curse? Jiang Cheng stared into the woman¡¯s eyes. His gaze rippled, ¡°And your mother is¡­¡± The woman bit her lips. ¡°My mother is one of the 29 women kidnapped by Zhao Xiangmei.¡± The atmosphere tensed. ¡°Since your mother suspects Zhao Xiangmei is not the ghost, who does she think is the real ghost?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°No idea.¡± The woman shook her head. ¡°But it has to be one of the 29 women.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t all of them been rescued?¡± Chen Xiaomeng frowned, ¡°Did someone die?¡± It was the vige head who told them about this. Then again, he was a liar. ¡°No.¡± The woman studied Chen Xiaomeng. After some time, she added, ¡°All 29 of them are still alive.¡± Chen Xiaomeng widened her eyes. However, Jiang Cheng seemed to understand something. He scratched his chin. ¡°Your mother suspects that Zhao Xiangmei managed to disguise herself as one of the 29 victims to escape the punishment of thew. The woman who had her identity stolen by Zhao Xiangmei was instead beaten to death by the mob of angry parents, who were too riled up to identify the falsehood. After that, the victim came back as a ghost due to resentment.¡± This time, it was the woman who was shocked. She hadn¡¯t said much but the man had already guessed almost everything. ¡°Do you have evidence?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the woman and raised his chin. Chapter 148: Memory Chapter 148: Memory ¡°When Zhao Xiangmei was arrested, my mother was present,¡± The woman exined, ¡°Based on her memory, Zhao Xiangmei was captured at the Qian Family courtyard. She was already heavily injured. Her body was covered in blood. Her hair was matted with blood and mud. Her face was scratched. She was practically unrecognisable.¡± ¡°Even so, they should be able to recognise her voice, right?¡± Chen Xiaomeng questioned. The woman shook her head. ¡°There appeared to be some issues with her throat. She could not make any sound, much less speak. ¡°Just as the police brought the kidnapped women over to have them identify whether she was the real Zhao Xiangmei, someone riled up the crowd to beat up Zhao Xiangmei. The parents of the kidnapped women exploded. They charged over the cordon line and took her away.¡± Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng knew what happened next. The woman, who was assumed to be the human trafficker, was beaten to almost death and dumped near the Cold Virtue Pool. By then, she only had onest breath in her. At this point, Chen Xiaomeng and Jiang Cheng shared a look. They had been to the Cold Virtue Pool. It was hidden deep in the mountains. Even the young locals would have a hard time finding the way there. How did the parents of the kidnapped women know the way there if that was their first time at Little Ravine Vige? Clearly, they had a guide. The Qian Family swapped an innocent woman¡¯s identity with that of their daughter, Qian Jianxiu. That would exin how all 29 kidnapped women were alive, and there was still an extra ghost. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. He already knew Qian Jianxiu¡¯s hiding spot. It was at An Ping Inn! The woman in the hidden room with the ruined face¡­ was the culprit from twenty years ago. She was the daughter of Vige Head Qian, Qian Jianxiu!She was the person the ghost was looking for! This would exin why the ghost would leave the bodies around An Ping Town after killing them. This was a silent threat. Jiang Cheng thought back to the pair of red eyes he saw at Cold Virtue Pool. The resentment was pouring out. She was tortured when she was alive, and she had to suffer the ignominy after she died. No wonder¡­ Chen Xiaomeng could empathise with the woman further. She couldn¡¯t imagine what she would do if this happened to her. She was originally a carefree young miss. Then, she was tricked and kidnapped to this countryside vige. She was raped and bullied. Finally, the police she waited for arrived. However, before she could rejoice, her face was ruined, her throat was destroyed, and she was finally beaten to death by a mob that included her own family. It was hatred that supported her will until now. It was pure hatred. When she dragged her broken body to leave behind the bloody curse on the stone que, the nightmare for Little Ravine Vige began. The formerly weak and fragile woman became the scariest ghost. No one knew how much anger could be store in hernky body. She walked in the darkness as she dragged those who had harmed her into the abyss. Jiang Cheng could imagine the pain and fear those men felt before they died. They would kneel to beg for mercy. They would scream and struggle¡­ What a beautiful image¡­ He couldn¡¯t help butugh. To fight sin with sin was the true meaning of justice. Since the sun tolerated sin, then let darkness mete out justice. The woman widened her eyes at Jiang Cheng. She had no idea why the man wasughing¡­ Plus, it made him look scarier. At this point, she shivered. Chen Xiaomeng studied Jiang Cheng¡¯s side profile. There was something in his eyes that shared the nature of the night. ¡°Continue.¡± Jiang Cheng stoppedughing. He looked at the same. There was an unmistakable emotion in his eyes. It was¡­ joy. Being stared at by Jiang Cheng, the woman¡¯s breathing became uneven. She didn¡¯t even notice that since Jiang Cheng startedughing, she had been holding her breath. ¡°When my mother saw the bloody message on the stone que, she was even more certain of her guess. She said that even though Zhao Xiangmei put on airs, she was definitely illiterate. She couldn¡¯t have written down that message:¡± The woman was very nervous. ¡°So, the woman who died was definitely not Zhao Xiangmei. ¡°Back then, there were so few women who knew words. There was none in the vige. Therefore, that woman had to be one of the girls taken from outside.¡± ¡°Does your mother know who among the women knows how to write?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. The woman shook her head, ¡°No. The women were kept apart after they were brought here to prevent them from encouraging each other to flee.¡± ¡°Did your mother tell the others about this?¡± The woman sighed. A hidden anger crossed her eyes. ¡°Of course she did. She couldn¡¯t bear to see a woman who shared her fate suffer. She didn¡¯t want Zhao Xiangmei to escape punishment either. ¡°She told everyone about this, but no one believed her. This was especially true after the Qian Family told the vigers that the main culprit, Zhao Xiangmei, was dead, and her corpse was dumped into the Cold Virtue Pool. ¡°Vige Head Qian and some men of the Qian Family might have been taken in by the police, but back then, the Qian Family still had full control of the vige.¡± The woman exined, ¡°My mother couldn¡¯t sleep or eat because of this. She became sick and had to stay home to rest.¡± The woman¡¯s tone chilled. ¡°One day, when I came back from the field, I saw a few members of the Qian Family and the vige doctor in my home. They imed that they were there to treat my mother. ¡°I didn¡¯t trust them at all. I chased them away. In the end, they didn¡¯t resist and left. ¡°Once they left, I noticed dried medicine stains around my unconscious mother¡¯s lips. There were also deep traces on her pillow. I checked the stove and discovered a washed bowl. ¡°From then on, my mother lost the ability to speak, and she couldn¡¯t move her lower body anymore. She was bedridden, and she was silenced,¡± The woman said through gritted teeth. Chapter 149: Steamed Bun Chapter 149: Steamed Bun The woman¡¯s mother was silenced. The Qian Family sessfully sealed her lips. This reminded Jiang Cheng of the beaten poor woman who couldn¡¯t speak. Her throat was ruined by the Qian Family to prevent others from hearing her. It was the same despicable tactic. The plot had been rified thus far but there was still one detail that was missing, the ghost¡¯s identity. However, the Qian family was almost wiped out, and there were not that many survivors, such as Hong Hong¡¯s grandmother. Their lead was cut off. The woman slowly sat up and said, ¡°I heard my mother once mention that the police had done a written record with all the kidnapped women. The police recorded the precise time of their kidnapping and what they experienced in this vige. This record should still be around somewhere.¡± Chen Xiaomeng quickly asked, ¡°Do you know where this record is?¡± ¡°Not the exact location,¡± The woman replied uncertainly, ¡°But I believe the townw enforcement office should have a copy of it. After all, Little Ravine Vige is under An Ping Town¡¯s jurisdiction.¡± After getting the information they needed, the two prepared to leave. ¡°By the way,¡± Chen Xiaomeng asked, ¡°Have you seen or heard the other vigers mention two other women who came with us?¡± ¡°Why?¡± The woman widened her eyes, ¡°Did two females from your group disappear?¡± ¡°Yes.¡±¡°When did this happen?¡± ¡°This afternoon.¡± The woman¡¯s face paled as the possibility dawned on her. ¡°That is bad. The ghost rarely goes after women.¡± Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng understood what she didn¡¯t say. Lee Lu and Yu Man had probably already been attacked by the vigers. ¡°Understood.¡± Chen Xiaomeng only nned to save them if it was convenient. If she had to risk her life to save them, it was pointless. In fact, leaving them with the vigers might buy them more time. Then, they moved to leave. ¡°Where are you going?¡± The woman chased after them. She reminded them, ¡°The vige head will gather people to capture you tomorrow. You have to be careful. Leave this ce as soon as possible.¡± Chen Xiaomeng thought about it. ¡°We¡¯ll head to the back mountain pool to stay low. We¡¯ll see if there¡¯s any clue we can find there.¡± The woman considered it, ¡°Okay. You have to be careful. If you¡¯re caught, the vigers will definitely deliver you back to the Qian Family Courtyard.¡± Just as Jiang Cheng was about to leave, he turned to tell the woman, ¡°If there¡¯s a chance, you should move away from this vige.¡± The woman shook her head with a bitter smile, and she said nothing. The two figures melted into the night. The woman returned to her seat beside the stove. At that moment, the door covered by the hung nket opened. A small face poked out, ¡°Mom!¡± The woman was startled. When she realised it was her daughter, she calmed down, but she still said sternly, ¡°Shush or you¡¯ll wake your grandma.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Hong Hong stood at the door and tried to look out the window. ¡°What are you doing? Why don¡¯t you go back to bed?¡± The woman asked. Hong Hong¡¯s eyes dimmed. ¡°Mom.¡± She paused, ¡°They have left.¡± The woman was startled. Then, she nodded. ¡°Yes, they have.¡± ¡°Can¡­ they really leave this ce?¡± The woman looked out the window at the night sky. She sighed, ¡°Who knows?¡± ¡°What about us?¡± Hong Hong suddenly turned around. ¡­ The two moved swiftly through the dark. They didn¡¯t choose to travel on the even pebbled path because it would create sounds. They treaded on the muddy road beside it. It was safer. The two cooperated wlessly. Once they left Hong Hong¡¯s home, they said nothing and headed to the vige entrance. As for Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s statement of going to the back mountain pool, neither of them believed it. The back mountain was in an opposite direction of An Ping Town. Should the woman betray them and expose their destination to the vige head, or if she were threatened by the other vigers, they wouldn¡¯t be followed. Do not trust anyone in the nightmare realm. Chen Xiaomeng heard that many times. ¡°Are you sure you can find the way back to the town?¡± Jiang Cheng hid in the bush not far from the vige entrance. He nced at Chen Xiaomeng beside him, who was staring at the vige. Even though they believed that the vigers wouldn¡¯t dare to move around at night, there could always be idents. They were set up in a good ambush spot. One had to pass by the vige entrance to leave or enter the vige. ¡°If you don¡¯t trust me, you can go on your own,¡± Chen Xiaomeng said coolly. The breeze was chilly at night. The path was also wet. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s clothes stuck to her skin. Her lips were white from the cold. Jiang Cheng did not fare any better. However, he was self-hypnotising. He convinced himself that he was still back in the room, sitting next to the roaring fire. Soon, Jiang Cheng¡¯s face miraculously gained colour. They watched for a while. Other than the howl of the wind, nothing happened. Chen Xiaomeng, who was shivering from the cold, couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. With her back arched, she slowly moved away from the vige entrance. Jiang Cheng followed her like a jumping doe. His gait was lighter than hers. Thankfully, they reached the field in front of the vige entrance safely. There was another giant stone about twenty meters ahead. After they passed by the stone, they would have left Little Ravine Vige. Just as Chen Xiaomeng was about to rush forward, Jiang Cheng suddenly charged at her to hug her. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s pupils shook. Vengeance shed in her eyes. She subconsciously wanted to throw the shameless man over her shoulder and then snap his neck. However, Jiang Cheng said something that froze her. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± He warned her, ¡°There are mines.¡± Chapter 150: Professional Chapter 150: Professional A taut rope was pulled before her ankle. It was about ten centimetres off the ground. It was barely visible in the dark. One end of the rope went into the bush, and the other end disappeared into the nearby dirt mount. This was a trigger trap mine. Even though it was roughly made, it served its purpose. Chen Xiaomeng poured out in a cold sweat. No wonder the vige head didn¡¯t arrange for anyone to guard their ce at night. He had already set up a mine on the necessary path to leave the vige. Thankfully¡­ The two carefully skipped over the rope and looked around. That seemed to be the only trap. Just as Chen Xiaomeng tried to discern the path back to An Ping Town, she realised with shock that Jiang Cheng was gone. She whipped her head around and saw Jiang Cheng crawling on the ground. He followed the rope and cautiously unearthed something from the ground. Then, he took out something from his pocket. He was very professional. He was busy for a few minutes before standing up. Then, he had something ck in his hand. Chen Xiaomeng looked at Jiang Cheng like he was an alien! He went back to defuse the mine?! She didn¡¯t understand why he was doing this. Then, it dawned on her. She watched as Jiang Cheng cradled the mine like a baby. He jogged back to the vige and buried it at the vige entrance. Then, he used the grass to hide the rope. After he was done, Jiang Cheng ran back happily. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chen Xiaomeng swallowed like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she chose to keep quiet. The two moved in the direction picked by Chen Xiaomeng.The two picked up speed as they entered the forest. After all, since wild animals would run around the forest, it was impossible for the vigers to set mines there. Their physique was stronger than most. Based on their speed, they could reach An Ping Town before dawn. Strange noises came from the forest. It sounded like passing animals or people following them. ¡°What is your actual profession?¡± Chen Xiaomeng asked lowly. Jiang Cheng thought about it. ¡°I have many professions. It depends on what my clients like. I prefer to be a doctor.¡± He said excitedly, ¡°Because the white coat has many pockets that I can use to keep the tips.¡± Chen Xiaomeng, ¡°... Why didn¡¯t the mine blow you up earlier?¡± Jiang Cheng tutted with annoyance. ¡°Since you are a host, how do you exin your mine setting and defusing abilities?¡± Chen Xiaomeng looked at him with alertness. ¡°I don¡¯t think host training includes those.¡± Jiang Cheng said mysteriously, ¡°I learned those on my own. I purchased teaching videos online. A single lesson teaches setting up mines. If you pay a bit more, you can learn how to defuse them. Theye in a discount package.¡± Chen Xiaomeng felt a headacheing from it, so she stopped chatting with Jiang Cheng. ¡°It¡¯s actually really simple,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°If you want, I can rmend you the website. Why don¡¯t you give me your number? I¡¯ll message you the informationter.¡± Chen Xiaomeng scoffed. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not so that you can triangte my location in real life and capture me?¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged, ¡°With your looks and proportions, even the cheapest hostess club wouldn¡¯t want you.¡± Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s face was red from anger. Suddenly, she wasn¡¯t so cold anymore. They walked for half an hour before they left the forest. They stood at the foot of the hill and looked at An Ping Town, which was not far away. It was around 2 am. The town was silent. Some homes had white or rednterns hanging out. They swayed in the wind. Chen Xiaomeng looked at thenterns and she narrowed her eyes. ¡°Could thesenterns be rted to the ghost?¡± She whispered. Jiang Cheng scanned the town and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± They had encountered families with dogs in town before, so they gave up infiltrating the town at night, just in case it tipped off the enemies. They decided to find a ce to hide along the edge of the forest. The ce was low and had many natural covers. They would wait for the sun toe up and return to town. Their goal was to find a copy of the police record and identify the ghost. Then, they would decide if they would head straight to An Ping Inn or do something else. All the clues pointed at An Ping Inn. If this was the mission¡¯sst venue, it had to have more hidden dangers. ¡°I have a feeling¡­¡± Chen Xiaomeng, who was squeezed between the stone and the tree, suddenly said, ¡°Tomorrow will be thest day. The sun will note up again after tomorrow.¡± Jiang Cheng shivered exaggeratedly, ¡°So scary.¡± Chen Xiaomeng looked at the man, who didn¡¯t look scared at all. Her curiosity about this man reached its peak. What kind of man was he? What was his living environment? What was his real job? She had no idea what the man was thinking at all. However, there was one thing that she was certain of, and that was his ability. He appeared cavalier and insouciant, but he was actually very detail-orientated. When he encountered any trouble, he was decisive and would not harbour any guilt afterwards. Instead of a human, he was more like a precise machine. He had no additional emotions. Other than the asional jabs, he had no visible emotional fluctuations. So far, he had shown a strange obsession with having a KTV host as his job. During their two missions together, he had spared no effort to introduce that as his upation. Plus, he exuded great pride when doing so. Chen Xiaomeng guessed this had to do with Jiang Cheng¡¯s childhood. Perhaps his family was involved in this business. A person¡¯s childhood was instrumental in shaping one¡¯s personality. The influence was often irreversible. Those who had anti-social personality often faced trauma when they were young. The constant negative triggers numbed the victims¡¯ hearts. Eventually, they became twisted and detached. Chapter 151: Local Topography Centre Chapter 151: Local Topography Centre When Jiang Cheng realised Chen Xiaomeng was looking at him, he suddenly covered his chest, ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Chen Xiaomeng started. She didn¡¯t want to have any interaction with this pervert outside of the mission, so she changed the subject, ¡°Where do you think the record copy will be stored?¡± ¡°The police station,¡± Jiang Cheng answered easily. ¡°Do you mean to go to the police station to steal stuff?¡± Chen Xiaomeng raised her brow. This was clearly not a wise choice. The police weren¡¯t familiar with them, so they wouldn¡¯t lend them the copy for no reason. It might cause a misunderstanding. ¡°Then¡­ We can try the town¡¯s files centre.¡± Jiang Cheng scratched his chin. ¡°A town of this size should have one. They should have another copy, but it might not be as detailed as the one at the police station.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Xiaomeng nodded. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time left. I suggest we split up. You can go to the files centre to look up the woman, while I¡¯ll head to An Ping Ann. When you figure out more about the woman, we will meet up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Jiang Cheng adjusted his posture and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Even though An Ping Inn sounds more dangerous, don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking. Before I return with the files, you will not enter the inn. Instead, you¡¯ll stay near it in the pretext of keeping watch over it.¡± Chen Xiaomeng, who was exposed, looked innocent. However, internally, she was cursing Jiang Cheng. It was almost impossible to take advantage of this man. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯d do!¡± Chen Xiaomeng said indignantly, ¡°Then, what do you suggest we do?¡± Jiang Cheng leaned over to whisper, ¡°How about we swap?¡±Chen Xiaomeng rejected it without a thought, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m dumb? No.¡± Then, she added, ¡°Because you are too shameless and cunning.¡± After a long discussion, the despicable pair finally reached a gentleman¡¯s agreement. They¡­ would not split up. Furthermore, they had to ensure the other party was within one¡¯s field of sight. After all, one could easily end the mission by triggering a key clue near the end of the mission. Neither of them had a good night¡¯s sleep. Chen Xiaomeng was too ufortable due to the cold and the moisture. Jiang Cheng was kicked several times by Chen Xiaomeng due to his loud snoring. In the end, neither slept. Jiang Cheng walked around within a limited range. He worked his numb limbs and pulled out a matchbox from his pocket. Then, he took out a roll of cigarette from his other pocket. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes glowed. She recognised this as a present from the town¡¯s elder to Bei Qian. With a hiss, the roll was lit. Chen Xiaomeng stared at him. Before she could say anything, Jiang Cheng¡¯s dissatisfied voice began, ¡°Are you going to control my smoking habits too?¡± Chen Xiaomeng suddenly forgot what she wanted to say. The sky lit up blurrily. A cockerel¡¯s hooting came from the town, followed by barking. The town slowly came alive. A few men, carrying baskets and dressed in cotton clothes, appeared at the edge of the town. ¡°We¡¯re too conspicuous with our current appearance.¡± Chen Xiaomeng hid behind a lush bush and looked around. Jiang Cheng was behind her. Jiang Cheng thought about it. ¡°We¡¯ll enter the town and see if there are anyundry lines nearby. We¡¯ll borrow some of the clothes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Things went smoother than they expected. Just as they reached the town¡¯s edge, they saw a door open and quickly hid. The person who walked out was ady around 40, looking sleepy. She carried a wooden basin. She ced it on the ground, took out the clothes and hung them on the simple clothesline in front of the door. After that, she yawned, returned home and closed the door. After waiting for half a minute, Jiang Cheng darted out, snatched the washed clothes and returned to the bush. Ignoring Chen Xiaomeng, he directly changed before her. With the change of clothes, the two lookedpletely different from before. Thankfully, both of their shoes were dark in colour and were stained in mud. Those didn¡¯t need to be changed. Then, it was time for official business. Little Ravine Vige¡¯s vigers should have noticed their disappearance by then. They had around four to five hours. Jiang Cheng was assigned the job of asking around about the files centres. He went to pick some wildflowers and munched on them. Then, he thered the juices over his face. Just like that, a handsome man became an overworked and tired local farmer. Chen Xiaomeng resisted the disgust in her heart and did the same. Thankfully, An Ping Town was more open than Little Ravine Vige. There were asional merchants who woulde to town to purchase local supplies. Therefore, it was not strange to find new faces in town once in a while. Jiang Cheng chose a man who owned an oil store and came back with the news. An Ping Town had a local topography centre. It was about a 20-minute walk due east. As they departed, Chen Xiaomengmented worriedly, ¡°We¡¯ll probably end up with nothing. Normally, local topography centres will only record nearby geographical changes and not civil cases like the missing woman case at Little Ravine Vige.¡± ¡°That might not be the case.¡± Jiang Cheng was optimistic, ¡°That might just be a name. The ce might store general files.¡± He added, ¡°This is not our era. The categorisation of work and records won¡¯t be that precise.¡± Chen Xiaomeng silently agreed with him, but she still chided him, ¡°I¡¯m surprised someone like you would know so much.¡± ¡°This is nothing.¡± Jiang Cheng puffed up his chest. ¡°If you are rich enough to register for a VIP membership at my workce, I¡¯ll show you even more things that I know of.¡± Chapter 152: Flaw Chapter 152: w ¡°Fine.¡± Chen Xiaomeng smiled, ¡°Give me the address. I¡¯ll register a membership to see if it¡¯s as great as you make it out.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Jiang Cheng said easily, ¡°Give me your phone number first.¡± He continued shamelessly. ¡°After all, I¡¯m from the high-ss group. Not everyone can meet me. You have to book me in advanced.¡± Chen Xiaomeng shrugged and sighed in regret. ¡°Never mind then. I hate trouble.¡± The two walked and talked along the way. There were quite a bit of people on the street. However, since they had changed, no one paid them any attention. They turned a few corners and entered a two-story building. The ce was rather isted. A wooden board hung from the pir beside the front door. The board said Local Topography Centre. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Chen Xiaomeng raised her head. The door was open. The two stood outside for a while before walking in. The interior was quite spacious but simply decorated. A few long wooden tables greeted them once they entered the door. It was the reading corner. There wererge wooden shelves that were as tall as a human. The shelves were stacked with files. A worker appeared to be sleeping on one of the tables. A few traditionally bound books were scattered around him. Jiang Cheng went to tap his shoulders, ¡°Brother, wake up.¡± The man, who looked around twenty, opened his eyes blurrily. It was unclear what drained him so the night before. ¡°You¡­¡± As he began, Jiang Cheng interrupted him with a stern look. His voice was even and cold, ¡°Who gave you the right to sleep during working hours?¡± The man¡¯s drowsiness disappearedpletely. He thought Jiang Cheng was his superior who came to supervise the ce. Plus, Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng looked too sophisticated to be from the town. The man before him was dressed normally, but he exuded an aura that made him superior to others, especially from the curl of his lips. The young worker had encountered officials from the county before. They had the same presence as this man did. It was not easy for him to get this cushy job. He had to use a lot of connections. Therefore, he quickly stood up and put on a respectful expression. ¡°You¡­ No. What do you need?¡± The worker probed carefully. He pretended he couldn¡¯t recognise the superior who hade privately to supervise the centre. However, his attitude was a lot better.¡°Do you know Little Ravine Vige?¡± Jiang Cheng took the worker¡¯s seat. It was still warm. The worker was startled for a moment. Then, he nodded slowly, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Kid, you have a good eye.¡± Jiang Cheng studied the man and narrowed his eyes. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve already guessed our identity.¡± ¡°You¡¯re superiors sent by the county government.¡± The worker said in a whisper because he assumed the superior¡¯s identity had to be hidden. He licked his lips. ¡°We received the notification not too long ago. We didn¡¯t expect you toe so soon. And¡­¡± The man smiled, ¡°In this manner.¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t rify. He leaned on the chairfortably and lifted his chin. ¡°There was a horrible case at Little Ravine Vige twenty years ago. Do we have the record here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The worker ran to the dark corner of the ce. He took out adder and ced it before a secluded shelf. He took down a book from the highestyer. Then, he jogged back and handed the book over. ¡°Sir, it¡¯s all here. It might not be too detailed. You¡¯ll have to visit the police station for that.¡± Seeing this, Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng frowned. This was bad¡­ Jiang Cheng was still smiling as he epted the book with one hand. His other hand reached into his pocket to grab a sharpened iron piece. Chen Xiaomeng shook her wrist. A hairpin slid into her palm. She casually looked around, but she was really scanning the surroundings. The case at Little Ravine Vige happened twenty years ago. It was the definition of a cold case. To be honest, the case was older than the worker. The record book was ced at the topyer of a secluded shelf, and one had to use thedder to reach it. This meant that not many people would check it out. However¡­ this dull-looking worker managed to locate the record instantly and urately without needing to check any other references¡­ Jiang Cheng¡¯s first reaction was that they had fallen into a trap. The vige head from Little Ravine Vige had assigned people to this local topography centre as well. However, since they were in the open and the enemy was in the dark, Jiang Cheng was d to drag this out. Chen Xiaomeng didn¡¯t go on the offensive either. Jiang Cheng smiled as he flipped through the book. It did record the case from twenty years ago. He read through it quickly. The information was simr to what they had grasped so far. Thetter pages had the name, origin and kidnapping location of the 29 women. Most importantly, their future movement after they were rescued. Jiang Cheng looked through the pages. Chen Xiaomeng guarded him to deal with sudden idents. The worker widened his eyes to look at them. When Jiang Cheng reached thest page, his finger paused. The page had the record of a woman called Su Yin. She was 21 years old. She was a student from the big city who majored in arts. Most importantly, ording to the records, after she was rescued, her face was ruined, and her voicebox was destroyed. Since she came from a prestigious local family, they couldn¡¯t ept this incident happening to her. They refused to take her back. They gave her money and told her to leave. The book didn¡¯t record what happened next. It only said that she stayed near An Ping Town, but there were no specifics. This was probably to protect the woman from further harm. Jiang Cheng closed the book and studied the worker. Even though he was young, his disguise was perfect. Even Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t notice the w at first. ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly asked the man. The worker was stunned. He was curious about the man¡¯s shift in tone. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ It¡­¡± He hesitated as his eyes moved towards the book. ¡°Are you interested in this case?¡± Jiang Cheng waved the book. ¡°No.¡± The man quickly shook his hands. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m curious why so many peoplee to research this case recently.¡± Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes shed, ¡°Did someone elsee to check out this file recently?¡± Chapter 153: Truth Chapter 153: Truth ¡°Yes.¡± The worker nodded. ¡°It was someone who was sent here by the county police. They requested to see this file too.¡± ¡°When did this happen?¡± ¡°About an hour ago.¡± The worker looked at the book and said, ¡°The sun just came up then. I was still sleeping. Someone woke me up by knocking on the door. The person barged in and demanded to see this file. This happened so long ago. I researched for a long time before I found it. I had just put it back when you showed up.¡± The worker touched his nose awkwardly, ¡°If I had known about this, I wouldn¡¯t have put it back and saved myself the trouble.¡± ¡°Who came?¡± Chen Xiaomeng asked. The worker blinked with confusion. ¡°It¡¯s someone from the county police with the uniform. They also carried a cloth bag.¡± ¡°I mean, what do they look like?¡± Chen Xiaomeng realised something, and she uncontrobly raised her voice, ¡°Is it a man or a woman?¡± ¡°A woman,¡± The worker replied instantly. ¡°Woman¡­¡± Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng shared a look. ¡°One or two women?¡± The worker couldn¡¯t understand why they would want to know about this but he felt like it was something important so he quickly uttered, ¡°Only one woman entered the centre, but I¡¯m not sure if she had apanion waiting for her outside or not.¡±¡°Do you remember if she has anything special about her appearance?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± The worker frowned with difficulty, ¡°She wore a cap with arge rim. I was¡­ focused on my research. And the sun just came up¡­ I wasn¡¯t paying attention.¡± A woman who came to An Ping Town¡¯s local topography centre alone to ask about a kidnapping case at Little Ravine Vige twenty years ago¡­ Jiang Cheng¡¯s face darkened. He was instantly reminded of Yu Man and Lee Lu. Even though they came in the police uniform, they could easily be swiped. Chen Xiaomeng clearly came to the same conclusion. She asked swiftly, ¡°Do you remember which direction she took when she left?¡± ¡°I do remember that.¡± The worker pointed out the door. ¡°She turned right at the door.¡± Chen Xiaomeng instantly stood up. ¡°Wait.¡± Jiang Cheng called after her. He then scanned the worker, causing thetter to break out in goosebumps. ¡°Did she do anything else when she was here?¡± Jiang Cheng asked sternly. ¡°She also read the viger¡¯s records of Little Ravine Vige,¡± The worker answered carefully, afraid that he might identally offend his superior. Chen Xiaomeng paused. ¡°Where is the viger record?¡± Jiang Cheng tapped the table lightly. The worker immediately went to look. In less than a minute, the viger''s record of Little Ravine Vige appeared in Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand. He looked through it quickly. However, half a minuteter, Jiang Cheng¡¯s pupils narrowed. He found a familiar name in it: Liu Chunyi. Beside it was his role: the vige head. He was Little Ravine Vige¡¯s current vige head and the person who invited the travellers to Little Ravine Vige. However, the thing that garnered Jiang Cheng¡¯s interest was not that but the bracket behind Liu Chunyi¡¯s name. Inside the bracket was the vige head¡¯s second name¡­ Qian Jianguo. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s face dimmed. She was reminded of the three ques inside the Qian Family Ancestral Hall: Qian Jianguo, Qian Jianse, and Qian Jianxiu. So, the current vige head of Little Ravine Vige was the son of the previous Qian Vige Head. However, he had changed his name to avoid the ghost. No wonder¡­ His actions were exinable now. Su Yin burned down the hall but left behind the ques of these people to remind the travellers that these three were still alive. Based on the viger¡¯s record, the Qian Family had five children. The eldest and second sons died for unknown reasons. The third son, Qian Jianguo, changed his name and became the new vige head of Little Ravine Vige. Qian Jianse was the fourth son, and he¡­ Jiang Cheng turned the page and realised that the page should contain the information on Qian Jianse was gone. The root of the page had uneven teeth. Clearly, someone had torn the page off. ¡°Bastard.¡± Chen Xiaomeng cursed. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t mind the worker and took out the picture he found in the Qian Family Courtyard. After someparisons, Jiang Cheng confirmed that the hunter with the gun was Qian Jianye, the merchant who was the second son was Qian Jianlin, and the third son was Qian Jianguo with the books. His name was now Liu Chunyi, and he was the current vige head of Little Ravine Vige. The only person left was the fourth son, Qian Jianse, who was wearing a light blue apron in the picture. ¡°That¡¯s the boss of An Ping Inn,¡± Chen Xiaomeng whispered. She remembered that the boss also had the surname Liu. He wore an apron often and was a good cook. He managed the inn and looked after his little sister, Qian Jianxiu. This meant that the argument he had with the vigers of Little Ravine Vige was just a show put up by the siblings to trick the travellers. Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and let it out. That should be the entirety of the case. Then, they stopped wasting time and left. The worker, who was visited by two batches of VIPs, sighed in relief. He prayed that he would not lose this job. ¡°But it¡¯s so strange.¡± The worker cleaned the table as he grumbled to himself, ¡°Why do they have strange ents? Is that a hiring requirement now?¡± He shook his head. He wiped the table until it shone. After leaving the topography centre, Chen Xiaomeng and Jiang Cheng hurried to An Ping Inn. They thought that Lee Lu and Yu Man were trapped at Little Ravine Vige, but reality proved them wrong. One or maybe both of them had already left Little Ravine Vige. Chen Xiaomeng hadn¡¯t felt fooled like this in a long time already. She really lost her groove this time. ¡°Who do you think this could be?¡± Chen Xiaomeng asked, ¡°Or are both of them working together?¡± Jiang Cheng also became serious. ¡°It should be a solo work. Two people will be too obvious.¡± He analysed. ¡°Plus¡­ Do you think the vigers will let us go so easily if no one is left behind?¡± Chapter 154: Scheme Chapter 154: Scheme Chen Xiaomeng thought about it and agreed with Jiang Cheng. Images of Lee Lu and Yu Man appeared in her mind. ¡°Stop wasting time. We¡¯ll find out the truth soon enough,¡± Jiang Cheng paused. An Ping Inn had entered his view. There were not that many three-story buildings in town. The time flow of this world became more corrupted. The night became incredibly long and the day suspiciously short. They didn¡¯t spend that much time inside the topography centre, but it was already noon when they exited it. The pedestrians acted strangely, like they were soulless puppets. Even the hawkers by the streets were like the moving dead. One might not be that strange but the whole world was acting like so. Jiang Cheng had experienced this before. It always happened when the mission was about to end. The two stopped when they were a certain distance from An Ping Inn. The inn gave off a strange vibe. They moved to a spot where they could look at the front of the inn. The inn¡¯s front door was closed, and all the windows were shut. A sign that said that the inn was resting for the day could be seen. Clearly, something was out of sorts. ¡°The vige head might have hurried here.¡± Chen Xiaomeng observed the surroundings. She turned to Jiang Cheng, ¡°They might be waiting for us inside.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly asked, ¡°Where do you think our friend might be now?¡± ¡°Friend?¡± Chen Xiaomeng instinctively wanted to reject that term, but she couldn¡¯t deny its veracity. ¡°She might have already been captured,¡± She said directly. Since the culprit, Qian Jianxiu, was hiding here, An Ping Inn was the final destination for all the nightmare realm travelers. The vige head would surmise as much. ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it. ¡°From the fact that she has torn off that page, she might be hunting the surviving yers like us.¡± Chen Xiaomeng raised her brow, ¡°What is your point?¡±¡°Since you have noticed the issues with An Ping Inn, why wouldn¡¯t she?¡± Jiang Cheng felt something was wrong the more he studied the inn. Then, he added, ¡°If I were her, I would have stayed nearby and waited for some idiots to explore the inn for me first. I¡¯ll go after I¡¯m sure the ce is safe.¡± ¡°But she is not you.¡± Chen Xiaomeng refuted him directly, ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll give up such a precious opportunity. Both of us know that the longer this drags out, the more dangerous it is for all of us.¡± Chen Xiaomeng had a point. Once the vige head gathered enough people to set up an ambush, it would be impossible for them to do anything to survive. The mysterious woman would know that too. ¡°In that case, you can go ahead. I¡¯m not going!¡± Jiang Cheng acted timidly. Chen Xiaomeng was annoyed. The man before her was cautious, but overly cautious would be the death of him. No matter what, when she noticed this w in Jiang Cheng, she sighed in relief. Finally, he was acting like a normal person. ¡°Then, you can wait here for death toe!¡± That was thest thing Chen Xiaomeng told Jiang Cheng before she left. Jiang Cheng harrumphed with dissatisfaction. Even though Chen Xiaomeng nned to enter An Ping Inn, she wouldn¡¯t do it without preparation. Jiang Cheng¡¯s words were not senseless. She walked around the inn and didn¡¯t find any trace of their ¡®friend¡¯ or the vigers. Then, she sneaked over to a wall beside the inn. After ensuring there was no one around, she pushed the window. To her surprise, the window opened. The room was dark. She let her eyes get used to the darkness before leaping in. She was very agile. Incidentally, this was the private booth the travellers first gathered when they arrived. The space was small. A round table was ced in the middle, surrounded by seven chairs. However, the door was closed, hence the darkness. She didn¡¯t move once shended. She didn¡¯t make any sound as she perked up her ears. Her advantage was her powerful hearing. When it was absolutely quiet, she could even hear the heartbeat of the people around her. This almost-superhuman ability enabled her to survive many missions. She stayed quiet for a minute. Other than the wind outside the window, there was no other sound. It was as if¡­ the ce was dead. She held her breath and slowly moved to the door. She eased the door open for a small gap. The lobby was deserted as well. Even the door to the kitchen was closed. She wondered if the boss had heard wind of the situation and had escaped with his sister. As she nned her next move, she heard a sounding from behind her. She immediately whipped around. A head poked through the window. Jiang Cheng looked around sneakily. He, too, was surprised by the darkness. Then, he seemed to notice Chen Xiaomeng. His cheeks turned ruddy. His leg crossed the window, followed by his whole body. After hended, he snaked over to Chen Xiaomeng and said with concern, ¡°I thought about it. I¡¯d be so worried if you¡¯re in here all alone.¡± This instantly reminded Chen Xiaomeng of what Jiang Cheng had said earlier, ¡°If I were her, I would have stayed nearby and waited for some idiots to explore the inn for me first. I¡¯ll go after I¡¯m sure the ce is safe.¡± And this idiot¡­ Chen Xiaomeng didn¡¯t want to admit it, but the truth was right before her eyes. She had done so many preparations and even chose a secluded spot to infiltrate the inn. She didn¡¯t expect Jiang Cheng to be so shameless. Jiang Cheng nced at the door. Then, he whispered to her, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared.¡± He continued, ¡°Ladies first. I¡¯ll follow behind you. I¡¯ll watch your back.¡± Chen Xiaomeng stared at the y pot underneath the window they had just hopped through. She suddenly had the urge to m it into Jiang Cheng¡¯s head. Chapter 155: Friend Chapter 155: Friend Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s face darkened. The sharp end of a hairpin slipped out of her left sleeve. Jiang Cheng was silent for a few seconds before he suddenly said, ¡°I was joking to ease the mood.¡± He raised his head to say officiously, ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± Chen Xiaomeng put the hairpin back and moved to let him through. Jiang Cheng silently moved through the door. He looked out through the creak. Pressured by Chen Xiaomeng, he slowly opened the door. He waited a little bit before leaving. The whole inn was silent. They didn¡¯t walk up the stairs but nned to examine the first floor. After all, if they went upstairs and they were ambushed, they would be stranded upstairs. Chen Xiaomeng stayed about two metres away from Jiang Cheng. She had made the decision that if there were really an ambush, she would abandon Jiang Cheng and rush to the third floor to grab Qian Jianxiu. In that case, she only hoped that Jiang Cheng could buy her more time. They checked the bathroom first. After all, Jiang Cheng spawned there, so the ce was special to him. Due to the lighting issue, the ce was dark. The low ceiling was covered in cobwebs. Brown stains appeared at the corners. There was also a horrible stench. They opened all the cubicle doors, and they were empty. They shared a look and retreated. Then, they came to the kitchen door. That was the only location they hadn¡¯t explored on the first floor. If they hadn¡¯t found anything there, there was a high chance the vigers would not have arrived at An Ping Town. That would be good news, but they didn¡¯t look happy. That would also mean that their friend had seeded and might have already left the world through the door. Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and opened the kitchen door. The creak snapped their heartstrings. Chen Xiaomeng red at Jiang Cheng, ming him for making such a loud noise. However, Jiang Cheng knew that this was not his issue. He didn¡¯t use much force. Someone had tampered with the door. Regardless, this had already happened. They slipped into the kitchen. A sharp iron de appeared in Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand, and Chen Xiaomeng had a hairpin. A few seconds passed, and nothing changed. Chen Xiaomeng was confused. Jiang Cheng seemed to understand something. He walked deeper into the kitchen. Chen Xiaomeng turned to close the kitchen door and maintained a safe distance from Jiang Cheng.The kitchen wasrger than they thought. After walking past a row of ckened pots, there was a room used to store firewood. Bundles of firewood were stacked neatly inside. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s face darkened. She got a sniff of something unpleasant. It was blood. After Jiang Cheng entered the room, he moved a bundle close to the wall. Chen Xiaomeng frowned. From her perspective, a pair of exposed feet was revealed. Jiang Cheng slowly knelt down. He removed the light blue floral apron that was used to cover the victim¡¯s face. Naturally, it was the inn boss, Qian Jianse. His body was ced in a fetal position. His arms were tied behind his back. The cloth was stuffed into his mouth. His eyes were wide. Blood was all over his body. It looked harrowing. Chen Xiaomeng found two more corpses in the small room. One of them was a pregnant woman. They had seen her before. She was Qian Jianse¡¯s pregnant wife. The other was a young man. He looked prepubescent. They hadn¡¯t seen him before. From his clothes, they suspected he was the inn¡¯s waiter. All three of them had their necks sliced. The cut was clean and smooth. Jiang Cheng stood up and walked to the window that was blocked by a bamboo curtain. He yanked off the curtain. Light flowed into the room. The two carefully examined the three corpses. They realised that other than the fatal cut on Qian Jianse¡¯s neck, there were many irregr wounds on his body. Combine that with his bound hands and stuffed mouth, and it was quite clear that he was tortured before his death. The culprit was their ¡®friend¡¯. The goal of the torture was to get information from him. As the room brightened, they found a light trail of bloody footprints on the oily floor. The prints led outside. They followed the prints and arrived at the corner of the kitchen. The ce was very secluded. A few bamboo brooms were piled up there. There was also arge water vat. There was also where the footprints disappeared. Chen Xiaomeng became alert. She suspected that was where their friend was hiding¡­ To her surprise, Jiang Cheng strode forward and moved the brooms away. He found a hidden door behind the water vat and the brooms. The door was only high enough to allow a squatting adult to crawl through. The door had a copper door ring on it. Jiang Cheng held his breath. When he pulled on the ring, he quickly hid behind the vat. Thankfully, nothing shot out from behind the hidden door. Then, he carefully poked his head out. Light filtered out of the door. An exquisite candle stand was ced at the corner. A white candle burned quietly on the stand. A small woodendder appeared in Jiang Cheng¡¯s view. There were bloody footprints on thedder steps. Jiang Cheng silently moved back to Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s side. ¡°Last time when I met you at the Qian Family¡¯s abandoned house, how did you get in there?¡± Chen Xiaomeng didn¡¯t want to answer him at first, but Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression was different from before. She even sensed a threat from him. She couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind his question, but she still answered it, ¡°I climbed to the second floor using the rope.¡± ¡°Have you not been to the first floor?¡± ¡°No. I was still searching the second floor when I sensed someoneing. You guys triggered the ghost and¡­¡± Chen Xiaomeng didn¡¯t continue. Jiang Cheng knew what happened next. He narrowed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s Lee Lu.¡± Chen Xiaomeng blinked. ¡°Her?¡± ¡°Yes. I found a set of small footprints on the staircase of the Qian Family¡¯s old house.¡± He looked at Chen Xiaomeng. ¡°I thought you left them there. Now I know that I was wrong.¡± Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes glowed. It dawned on her. Lee Lu used the excuse of a sprained ankle to stay back to guard the Qian Family Courtyard alone. Only she had the time to explore the Qian Family¡¯s old house without raising any suspicions. Chapter 156: Hidden Room Chapter 156: Hidden Room ¡°Then, Yu Man¡­¡± Jiang Cheng paused before saying calmly, ¡°She probably has been detained by the vige head. Or she is dead.¡± It wasmon for teammates to die in the nightmare, but the culprits were mostly ghosts. NPCs being the culprit was rare. Chen Xiaomeng didn¡¯t want to imagine Yu Man being captured by the vigers. She¡¯d rather that Yu Man had died. ¡°Stop thinking so much.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice drifted over. ¡°If you have the time to think about others, why don¡¯t you focus on yourself? No matter what has happened to Yu Man, that is not something you and I can change anymore. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to end up like her, snap out of it. Find the clues and leave this ce.¡± Chen Xiaomeng let her guard down for a moment due to her empathy as a fellow woman. After a short hesitation, the determination returned to her face. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jiang Cheng held the iron de and was the first to crawl into the hidden door. Chen Xiaomeng followed behind him. The space was very small. They had to bend over to keep moving. However, this was the reason why Jiang Cheng was not as nervous. He believed Lee Lu wouldn¡¯t pick this ce to set up the ambush. After turning a few times, the path finally sloped upwards. Jiang Cheng counted the number of steps in his heart until they reached the end of thetter. There was a board above his head. The board was attached with a simple iron bar. Based on the number of steps, they should be on the third floor of the inn. Both of them realised that behind this board would be the hidden room where Qian Jianxiu was. Everything hung in the bnce. Jiang Cheng put his hand on the bar and turned to look at Chen Xiaomeng. Chen Xiaomeng nodded to show that she was ready. After taking a deep breath, Jiang Cheng opened the board and slipped out. He quickly moved to allow the space for Chen Xiaomeng to crawl out. Chen Xiaomeng quickly followed.Even though the room was dark, Jiang Cheng instantly realised that they were not in the hidden room. Instead, they were in Room 307, one of the rooms assigned to them at the start of the mission. The hidden door was built under the wooden table. The door was so well-hidden that once it was closed, one would have a hard time noticing it. Chill crawled over their hearts. Who would have thought that their room would have a hidden path in it? Should the boss decide to kill them after they were soundly asleep¡­ At the same time, something dawned on Jiang Cheng. No wonder the boss came to Room 307 with the knife after he realized there was someone behind the hidden room door. He was not only suspecting them but also wanted to check if the hidden door had been exposed. The bloody footprints disappeared in this room. Chen Xiaomeng and Jiang Cheng split up to check the hiding spots like the bathroom and closet. They didn¡¯t find anything. They opened the room door. A single candlestand stood at the end of the corridor. The stand was fixed in the middle of the wall, meaning that its candlelight would have limited reach. Behind that wall was Qian Jianxiu¡¯s hidden room. Chen Xiaomeng frowned. The two of them carefully moved down the corridor. Chen Xiaomeng, who maintained a metre distance from Jiang Cheng, paid attention to their surroundings. In her mind, the rooms near them might open, and people might charge out at any moment. They eventually reached the end of the corridor. The wall was dark. Even with the candlelight, it was anxiety-inducing. Chen Xiaomeng swallowed nervously. Jiang Cheng found the gap on the wall. With a light press, the hidden door eased open slightly. This made them sigh in relief. The thing that worried them the most was their inability to open this door. They had found all the clues. If all of their work were to go to waste because the door refused to open, they would die from pure anger. Jiang Chengtched his fingers onto the gap and pulled. The hidden door was heavier than he anticipated. He didn¡¯t want to make too big of amotion, so after widening the gap, Jiang Cheng carefully peeked through it. The inside was dark. The white candle that Zhou Rong saw earlier was gone. He could only see some blurry, ck silhouettes. Those appeared to be sets of furniture. He scanned the room. He noticed there was a pir-shaped object leaning against the back of the hidden door. It was about half the height of a human. However¡­ As he focused on this thing, a glint shed in the dark. At the pivotal moment, Jiang Cheng leaned back. Soon after, a dagger stabbed at the spot where Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes were earlier. If he were slower by a second, the dagger would have entered his eye socket. After the failed attempt, the dagger slunk back. Then, the hidden door shut with a bang. Everything happened in mere seconds. When Chen Xiaomeng rushed over, the hidden door was closed, and the gap couldn¡¯t be found anymore. ¡°Bastard!¡± Chen Xiaomeng kicked the door. The door was thicker than they thought. It didn¡¯t even vibrate from the kick. Jiang Cheng climbed up from the ground. Clearly, this was another one of Lee Lu¡¯s schemes. The pir-like thing behind the hidden door should be Lee Lu. Jiang Cheng was wondering why Lee Lu, who had shown that she was extremely cautious, would leave behind a gap in the hidden door. It was another trap. This time, the door was perfectly shut. It probably wouldn¡¯t be hard to find the mechanism to open the hidden door but theycked time the most. A few seconds after the door closed, the thing that worried them the most happened. CREAK¡­ Chen Xiaomeng and Jiang Cheng¡¯s hearts skipped a beat. The door¡­ had appeared. There was a dim purplish glow that shed. The iron door appeared inside Qian Jianxiu¡¯s hidden room. This game was, in a way, over. Lee Lu was the final victor. She undeniably had gotten all the rewards. The only thing Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng could do was enter the hidden room and return to their world before the door disappeared. They could forget about the mission rewards. Their goal should be survival. Just as they pondered how to reopen the hidden door, there was another loud crash. It came from downstairs. It sounded like someone had burst through the front door. It was followed by many footsteps. ¡°Ol Fourth!¡± The blood-curdling scream almost shattered Jiang Cheng¡¯s eardrums. That was the shout of the Little Ravine Vige¡¯s vige head. If he hadn¡¯t heard it in person, Jiang Cheng wouldn¡¯t have believed the old vige head could scream so loudly. Clearly, he had discovered Qian Jianse¡¯s dead body. Chapter 157: Normal People Chapter 157: Normal People A few secondster, heavy footsteps came from the staircase. They sounded like many pairs of boots. They came upstairs. Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng were passive. They would be soon trapped by the vigers on the third-floor corridor. Chen Xiaomeng and Jiang Cheng moved at the same time. They ran towards Room 307 which door was still open. Chen Xiaomeng grabbed the wooden chair beside the table and smashed it against the window. The chair flew out the building andnded with a thud on the ground. Chen Xiaomeng hoped that would grab the pedestrian¡¯s attention. However, when she looked out the broken window, her heart chilled. The pedestrians continued on like nothing was out of the ordinary. The hawkers kept shouting. Two women carrying grocery baskets walked past the broken wooden chair as if they couldn¡¯t see the chair dumped in the middle of the road. It was so strange. However, this was the nightmare realm. Jiang Cheng yanked the nket, swiped the oilmp and rushed back into the corridor. Chen Xiaomeng followed him. After all, they both knew that it would be worse for them to be trapped in the room. At that moment, a fewrge men came up the stairs. There were six of them. They had tanned skin. The leading man had a beard and hostility on his face. Jiang Cheng recognised two people behind him. When the vige head led the people to put out the fire at the Qian Family Ancestral Hall, these two were part of the group. However, they looked rather pitiful now. They had ashes on their faces, and their bodies were covered in small scratches. One of the men had a bloody leg. The wound was bound with bandages to stop the bleeding. They stared at Jiang Cheng with hostility. However, when they looked at Chen Xiaomeng, the hostility disappeared and was reced by a baser desire. Chen Xiaomeng gripped the hairpin.¡°San Yazi!¡± A voice with suppressed anger came from the stairs. The vige head appeared on the top of the stairs, supported by the tanned man who had always been by his side. Jiang Cheng had once given him a steamed bun. The crowd spread apart. The vige head stood in the middle with an angry visage. His fake kindness had fallen away. He just wanted to cut Jiang Cheng into pieces. The vige head stared at Chen Xiaomeng. She would have to die too, but not before they had their fun. ¡°Dad,¡± the man with the beard had bloodshot eyes. ¡°They¡¯ve blown big brother into pieces, and second brother is heavily injured¡­¡± Qian Jianguo, or the vige head, hissed, ¡°They have killed your fourth uncle as well. Go! Kill the man and capture the woman! ¡°The person who murders the man will get the woman!¡± The men became excited and charged forward with howls and jeers. Even though they were injured, the mountain people had great stamina. Their eyes popped with veins. Some of them weren¡¯t even armed. Perhaps they didn¡¯t think they needed weapons to deal with two normal people. However, Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng were not normal people. The corridor was so small that even though there were a lot of vigers, only three could fit in the corridor. A muscr man in a brown shirt waved his fist at Jiang Cheng. In the man¡¯s mind, Jiang Cheng would faint or even die after taking his fist. However, just as he thought that victory was his, the man before him flickered and evaded his punch. Then, a sh appeared before his eyes. He paused as he felt something warm around his throat. Blood spurted out. Some of them even hit the ceiling. The life in the man¡¯s eyes faded away. He knelt and fell to the floor, never getting up again. Jiang Cheng¡¯s de glowed red. Everything happened in mere moments. The other man who charged at Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even notice this. His ropy arm swung at Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t move and took the punch head-on. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t react, but the man¡¯s face changed. He felt like he was hitting a tree. While the man was stunned, Jiang Cheng elbowed the man in his chest. The man floated backwards. He was knocked into the wall behind him. His heart stopped for a moment. Something fell out of his clothes. It was a shredded part of a woman¡¯s attire. It was ck withcy trim. It was so delicate that it didn¡¯t look like it was manufactured in this era. Jiang Cheng¡¯s de, aimed at the man¡¯s heart, halted. Something spread in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes. His pupils shrunk. There was a sh, and the man lost his right arm. Just as he was about to scream, the de urately cut into the joint connecting his arm and shoulder. It squeezed into the bones. The tissues were shredded. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t hold back as he saw through the tendons. The horrible scream echoed in his ears as Jiang Cheng elegantly wiped the blood from his face. On the other hand, Chen Xiaomeng was also done with her opponent. It was the bearded man. Based on their conservation, the bearded man was the vige head¡¯s son. The man¡¯s target had always been Chen Xiaomeng all along. However, Chen Xiaomeng was not a defenceless woman. After a few rounds, the girl urately severed the man¡¯s limb nerves. The man slumped on the ground like a cripple. ¡°San Yazi!¡± The vige head also cried blood. He only had three sons. His eldest son was blown up by the mine at the vige entrance. His second son was caught in the st and was crippled from the waist down. Now, his third son¡­ ¡°Dad¡­ Help¡­¡± Before the bearded man could finish, he was interrupted by a scream. Chen Xiaomeng used the back of her heels to grind the man¡¯s thumb. The three muscr men were disposed of in mere minutes. This was something the vigers didn¡¯t expect. Even though there were many of them, Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng had the vige head¡¯s son as their hostage. The next second, with everyone looking on in shock, the expressionless Jiang Cheng picked up one of the lifeless men by his head and smashed his head firmly into the wall. Chapter 158: Trade Chapter 158: Trade ¡°Dong!¡± The man¡¯s head bled. A fresh blood imprint was left on the wall. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t n to stop. Again and again, fresh blood was sprayed on the wall, and it dyed the wall red. It was like a gory painting. Jiang Cheng let go of the man¡¯s hair. The mess of a humannded on the ground like a pile of wet mud. Half of the man¡¯s head copsed. White and red substances mixed together and flowed about. Jiang Cheng wiped his hands on his shirt and turned to look at the vigers. His eyes were calm before the storm. Everyone was stunned by Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s actions. Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze was so scary that no one dared toe forward. They thought they were cruel and heartless. They murdered anyone who exposed the truth about Little Ravine Vige. A lot of victims were buried in the Qian Family Courtyard. However, at that moment, they realised that they were like kids before this man. The cruelty was buried in his bones. ¡°You¡­ how are you?¡± Chen Xiaomeng whispered to him. She didn¡¯t think Jiang Cheng was injured. She was asking this mainly because she wanted to alleviate her anxiety. The pressure Jiang Cheng that flowed out of him suffocated him. Jiang Cheng looked at his hands. He rubbed his fingers together. ¡°It¡¯s quite sticky.¡± Chen Xiaomeng chilled. ¡°How much longer do you wish to keep this guy?¡± He turned to the bearded man curled up on the ground. After witnessing Jiang Cheng¡¯s actions, the bearded man started to y death. He resisted the pain and made no sound. Hey on the ground like a dead pig, but he was still discovered. His heart was about to jump out.¡°You¡­ You can¡¯t kill me!¡± The bearded man shouted. ¡°My father is the vige head. If you kill me, my dad will never forgive you!¡± Jiang Cheng smiled to reveal his pearly white. ¡°As if I¡¯ll forgive your father.¡± Chen Xiaomeng frowned with concern. This man was clearly spiralling. Even though the vigers were surprised by their brutality, they still had the venue and a number¡¯s advantages. If Jiang Cheng actively attacked the vige head, even if he had six arms, he would be overwhelmed and die horribly. Chen Xiaomeng didn¡¯t mind Jiang Cheng dying, but now was not the time. Once Jiang Cheng perished, she would be next. ¡°Don¡¯t be rash.¡± Chen Xiaomeng tried to stop him. She said softly, ¡°We¡¯ll keep him alive for now. After the hidden door opens, you can do whatever you want to him.¡± The vige head couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. This was his only son left who could extend his lineage. This was extremely important for people of that era. The vige head shouted in a coarse voice, ¡°Please don¡¯t harm my San Yazi. If you let him go, we can discuss anything.¡± Chen Xiaomeng was worried that Jiang Cheng would give some strange conditions, so she immediately cut in, ¡°We can let him go. Tell us how to open this door.¡± Something shed in the vige head¡¯s eyes. Chen Xiaomeng warned, ¡°Don¡¯t y tricks!¡± She moved the hairpin to the bearded man¡¯s eyes. It scared the man so much that he almost peed. He begged his father to agree to the traveller¡¯s demands. ¡°This¡­¡± The vige head hesitated. ¡°That¡¯s fine. But you have to let him go first.¡± Chen Xiaomeng scoffed. She used the hairpin to pin the bearded man¡¯s hand to the ground. The scream was sharp. The vige head was flustered. ¡°Enough! For the sake of fairness, we¡¯ll send two people to help you open the door. That¡¯s fine, right?¡± He licked his cracked lips. ¡°After they open the door, return my son to me.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then, just one person!¡± The vige head¡¯s face darkened. It was clear that this cunning old fox¡¯s patience was thinning. Chen Xiaomeng took a deep breath. ¡°Deal!¡± She believed she could deal with one person. Once the hidden door opened, she would enter the hidden room and pass through the iron door. As for what Jiang Cheng wanted to do, that had nothing to do with her. The vigers whispered among themselves. Chen Xiaomeng narrowed her eyes. Soon, a person walked over. Jiang Cheng stared at him expressionlessly. It was the man who carried the food for them. Jiang Cheng had sneaked him a steamed bun before. The tanned man was clearly different from the others. There was no madness in his eyes. Instead, they were as calm as Jiang Cheng¡¯s. He rarely spoke. When Jiang Cheng gave him the steamed bun, the man only smiled at him. He was about two metres tall. He was fit. His muscles bulged under his clothes. As the man walked over, Chen Xiaomeng felt a lot of pressure. The vigers clearly had some ulterior motives, but Chen Xiaomeng had no better option. She picked up the bearded man and dragged him to the door. She was very cautious. Jiang Cheng poured the oil inside the oilmp onto the nket. Then, he took out a box of matches. His actions caused the vigers to panic. The whole inn was made of wood. If there were a fire, the consequences would be unimaginable. Jiang Cheng¡¯s meaning was clear. If they yed any tricks, they would die together. The vige head¡¯s face darkened. The tanned man slowly walked over. He pulled up his shirt to show that he was not armed. This also indirectly showed off his awesome muscles. He was incredibly strong. When he reached the travellers, Jiang Cheng even had to lift his head to look at him. The tanned man slowly turned around to show that there was no hidden weapon on his back. Then, he walked to the ck wall. He knelt down and poked at a spot in the corner. The wall shuddered, and a crack opened. The hidden door¡­ moved. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s face brightened. The tanned man took a step back to let Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng open the door for themselves. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking,¡± Jiang Cheng stared at him. ¡°You will ambush us when we try to open the door.¡± Chapter 159: Man Chapter 159: Man The man didn¡¯t react to the provocation. His clear eyes looked down on Jiang Cheng. With his height, Jiang Cheng was rarely looked down on by others. ¡°Open the door.¡± Chen Xiaomeng also sensed something was wrong. She aimed the hairpin at the bearded man¡¯s temple and threatened, ¡°Quick!¡± The vigers subtly moved towards them. There was only a few meters between them. ¡°Try to take one more step forward.¡± Jiang Cheng turned to the vigers. Unlike Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s threat, Jiang Cheng¡¯s warning was effective. The vigers instantly froze. All of them gazed at the tanned man. Jiang Cheng lit a candle by borrowing the me from the candlestand. His meaning was clear. The tanned man was so tall that his head almost touched the ceiling. His face glistened in the light. However, he didn¡¯t attack the travellers. He walked forward, eased his fingers into the gap and slowly pulled the hidden door open. This alone showed that he was much stronger than Jiang Cheng. ¡°Back off now!¡± Chen Xiaomeng shouted. The man looked at her and silently took two steps back. Jiang Cheng pulled over the copsed bearded man to use him as a shield. He had Chen Xiaomeng enter the room first. Then, he dragged the bearded man towards the hidden door. The vigers started to move as well. They slowly approached the travellers. Jiang Cheng found himself in a conundrum. If he wanted to drag the bearded man into the hidden room, then the hidden door needed to be opened wider. However, if he did that, he would need the tanned man¡¯s help again. He couldn¡¯t guarantee what he¡¯d do. At the same time, the feeling of desperation intensified. That was a sign that the iron door was about to disappear soon. Lee Lu had already returned to the real world. That also exined Yu Man¡¯s ending.¡°Close the door quick!¡± Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s voice came over. Jiang Cheng stopped hesitating. He tossed the bearded man at the tanned man and slipped through the hidden door. His actions were smooth. However, as he tried to close the door, a shadow charged at him like a tank. Even though Jiang Cheng was prepared, he was still knocked more than 2 metres away. This showed how strong the force of the collision was. In the dark, a figurended on the ground and grunted like a ughtered pig. That was the bearded man. The two-metre-tall figure stood, blocking the hidden door. It looked like he ignored the bearded man that was tossed at him. Instead, he rammed the bearded man into the hidden room with him. The most awkward thing was the iron door¡¯s spawn location. It was on the wall next to the hidden door. The tanned man stood there like an imprable wall. This was bad¡­ Chen Xiaomeng instantly made her move and charged at the tanned man. She could sense the vigers¡¯ hatred through the hidden door. If they surged into the hidden room, everything would be over. In that case, Chen Xiaomeng decided to make her move first. While the tanned man was still adjusting to the dark, she leapt into the air. She decided to use the hairpin to poke out the man¡¯s eyes. However, she underestimated him. The wind howled. While Chen Xiaomeng was still in the air, the tanned man moved hisrge arms. He moved so fast that his figure blurred. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s heart chilled. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t have time to save her and could only watch as the tanned man¡¯s hand reached towards her. It would be easy to imagine what would happen next. With a punch like that, the thin Chen Xiaomeng would easily have at least ten of her bones broken. Then, she would hope that she had died. The bearded man who was acting dead had his eyes lit up. The next second¡­ There was the sound of a sharp instrument piercing through the skin. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s attack didn¡¯t miss. Her hairpin pierced through the man¡¯s palm. On the other hand, the fist didn¡¯tnd on Chen Xiaomeng. At thest moment, the fist turned into a palm and gingerly plucked Chen Xiaomeng from the air. Then, with Chen Xiaomeng looking on in disbelief, the tanned man carefully put her down. When the tanned man heard the footstepsing from outside the hidden door, he bumped behind him. The hidden door closed with a m. Chen Xiaomeng looked at the tanned man curiously, wondering why he was doing this. The man pulled out the hairpin from his palm. He wiped it on his clothes and handed it back to Chen Xiaomeng. He said nothing throughout this process. ¡°Asumu!¡± The bearded man who witnessed this was about to lose his mind. He cursed, ¡°You fucking bastard! Who pitied you and your mom when you had no one else to turn to back then? And gave you some food to eat? ¡°It was my father! The vige head of Little Ravine Vige!¡± He was so agitated that his face was red. Blood flowed out of his wounds. ¡°Is this how you repay him? You¡­¡± He stopped talking then because Jiang Cheng had gone to kick him in the chin. ¡°You¡­¡± Chen Xiaomeng looked at the tanned man¡¯s face as if trying to find an answer there. ¡°The vige head and the rest¡­ did bad things.¡± The tanned man shook his head. Even though his voice was coarse, his eyes were exceptionally clear. He lowered his head like a kid who was caught doing a bad thing. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t kill people.¡± He paused before adding. ¡°Many people. I told him before, but he didn¡¯t listen. He can¡¯t keep making the same mistake. Before my mother returned to eternal life, she told me that everything we do would be recorded. The debts will be cleared eventually.¡± His voice was pious. The iron door buzzed. It was about to disappear soon. Jiang Cheng thought about it and pulled out the iron de as he walked towards the bearded man. The bearded man knew what he wanted to do, so he crawled desperately to the corner. However, he couldn¡¯t be faster than Jiang Cheng. The tanned man stopped him. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill him. He is the vige head¡¯s only son.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him, ¡°But what about you?¡± The man shook his head with eptance. He pointed above. ¡°Everything is part of the debt. It is unavoidable.¡± The bearded man, who had his chin kicked in, grumbled incoherently. He seemed to agree with the tanned man. Jiang Cheng thought about it. ¡°How about this? You can turn around, and I¡¯ll give him a swift sh. You can pretend not to see anything. Then, the debt will be on my head and not yours.¡± The bearded man was stunned for a few seconds. Then, he mumbled even louder. He pped against the ground like a fish onnd. Chapter 160: Revenge Chapter 160: Revenge The tanned man stood before Jiang Cheng, and his actions spoke louder than words. ¡°We need to hurry,¡± Chen Xiaomeng urged. The door buzzed louder. The faded mist around the door leaked away. In less than half a minute, the door would be gone. It was unclear what the tanned man did to the door. No matter how the vigers screamed and rammed into the door, the hidden door didn¡¯t budge. ¡°There¡¯s a hidden door in there. You can leave using that.¡± The tanned man pointed at the room corner. Arge closet sat there. The closet was simr to the one in the abandoned building at the Qian Family Courtyard. ¡°You¡¯ll see the door once you open the closet. Follow the passage and you¡¯ll exit through the cake shop on the next street over. The vige head only left two people there to stay guard. They can¡¯t stop you,¡± He spoke quickly. The mist curled around the iron door beside the hidden door. Light streamed through the gap, but the tanned man didn¡¯t seem to see it. This should be a limitation caused by the nightmare rules. While Jiang Cheng was thinking, Chen Xiaomeng rushed towards the iron door. Every second in the nightmare realm was filled with danger. They had to return to the real world to be safe. There was no farewell. The light shed, and Chen Xiaomeng disappeared into the door. The tanned man was stunned. From his perspective, the woman ran into the wall and then¡­ disappeared! Did she phase through the wall? Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t have the time to exin the situation. He looked into the tanned man¡¯s eyes and nodded. ¡°Take care.¡± Then, he also ran into the door. However, when one of his legs crossed the threshold, he paused. His expression shifted because he remembered something. They didn¡¯t discover Qian Jianxiu or the ghost.Since the iron door had appeared, it meant that the mission was over. Perhaps Lee Lu had already finished off Qian Jianxiu for them, but they didn¡¯t find her body. Suspicionpelled Jiang Cheng to look back as he walked through the door. At that moment, time stopped. Everything he saw was in slow motion. The closet in the corner slowly opened a crack. A red eye appeared behind the crack. The next second, the closet door opened. A bloody corpse toppled out. Itnded on the floor, and blood sshed everywhere. It was a headless body. A twisted figure appeared inside the room. The snapped arms cradled a bloody head. The shadow howled with joy and anger. Then, it charged at the hidden door. The hidden door was shredded like a piece of paper. The vigers¡¯ curses vanished. Instead, they were reced by screaming and the sound of the human bodies being torn apart. It was hell in the corridor. Somehow, Jiang Cheng could look through the wall and examine what was happening inside the corridor. Perhaps it was because he was half inside the iron door. Blood fell like rain. There were broken limbs everywhere. Those who tried to hide in the inn rooms weren¡¯t spared. She caught a man who was hiding under the bed. She dragged him out and grabbed him by his shoulders. As the man screamed, she tore him in half. The whole inn was filled with murderous intents. The ghost had arrived with her extreme malice to punish those who had sinned. No rules could hold her back anymore. At that moment, she was invincible. It suddenly dawned on Jiang Cheng. This was why the ghost hadn¡¯t shown up before this. It was because of the rules. Once the ghost showed up, all of them had to die. The ghost was also waiting. If they hadn¡¯t entered the iron door within the time limit, or if they had opened the closet out of curiosity, they would have died. Inversely, if they didn¡¯t touch the dresser, the ghost hiding inside it couldn¡¯t harm them. She could only watch them leave. The ghost wouldn¡¯t let you go because you helped them with their revenge. Like what Fan Li said in the first mission, the ghosts represented pure malice. The only thing that could constrict them¡­ was the rules. One lived inside the rules and died outside of them. While Jiang Cheng parsed the information rted to the rules in his mind, the massacre in the corridor halted for now. Only the vige head, the bearded man and the tanned man remained. The bearded man was so scared that his eyes rolled back. The ghost picked up the man who had peed himself and shook him at the vige head. The vige head was not much better. He leaned against the wall weakly, but the life had drained out of his life. He knew that this day woulde. As the tanned man said, the debts eventually had to be cleared. CREAK¡­ With the vige head as her witness, the ghost fixed the bearded man with one hand and grabbed the top of his head with another. Then, she started to twist. A chilling sound came from the man¡¯s neck. Blood spluttered out of his lips. The bearded man stared at his father, asking for help. However, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do that for long because his head was twisted 180 degrees around. His head drooped as life left him. The vige head red at the ghost. It was like he was the one out for revenge and not the ghost. The ghost took her sweet time. She met the vige head¡¯s gaze. The fire in her eyes could raze the world. Killing the vige head couldn¡¯t satisfy her anymore. Qian Jianxiu was tortured until she barely looked human. The ghost¡¯s goal had been achieved. She lifted her arm. She was a few metres from the vige head, but she could somehow touch him. This illogical scene caused Jiang Cheng to frown. The hand that shook from excitement caressed the vige head¡¯s chest. She felt his heart pumping from fear. The twisted figure cackled. Jiang Cheng could feel her palpable excitement. The ghost wasughing. However, as the ghost turned her fingers into ws to dig out Qian Jianguo¡¯s heart, a thick wooden stick fell from the sky and shattered the ghost¡¯s hand. The next second, the ghostly hand regrew on the ghost. Jiang Cheng¡¯s pupils shrunk as he saw the tanned man guarding the vige head with a wooden stick. Chapter 161: Asumu Chapter 161: Asumu The tanned man was determined. Hisrge body perfectly shielded the vige chief behind him. Normally, five men wouldn¡¯t be his match, but unfortunately, his opponent was a ghost this time. This was an existence that he couldn¡¯t really understand. The ghost didn¡¯t attack directly, as if she was deep in thought. ¡°Vige chief,¡± The tanned man stared at the twisting figure and whispered under his breath, ¡°How are you?¡± The hand that held the cane shivered. The tanned man was not as calm as he appeared. Actually, he was taken by surprise when the ghost first appeared. He only came to minutes ago when the ghost wanted to go after the vige head. The vige head had a few moments to take his breath. His eyes glowed slightly, ¡°Asumu!¡± He gasped heavily, ¡°What are you doing? Why didn¡¯t you leave?¡± Hearing this, Asumu¡¯s grip on the staff tightened, and he didn¡¯t move. ¡°You are different from us!¡± The vige head said desperately, ¡°There is no blood on your hands. Leave! I told you to leave!¡± The vige head hit him weakly on his arm. He still didn¡¯t move. Instead, he adjusted his posture to better shield the vige head as he nudged him towards the staircase. ¡°Asumu!¡± The vige head yelled, ¡°If you do this, no one can escape. She will not let me go. Your mom was right. Every debt is recorded, and eventually, they have to be cleared!¡± A pair of bloody eyes stared at them. The ghost somehow didn¡¯t make a move. She only watched coolly as Asumu led the vige head to the staircase.Suddenly, the peaceful stalemate was shattered. The twisting figure charged over. Asumu bumped into the vige head to send him down the stairs. Then, he waved his staff to face the ghost. ¡°Go!¡± Asumu shouted. On one side was a thin figure about 1.5 meters tall, and on the other side was a two-meter-tall giant waving arge wooden stick. The battle ended in mere seconds. Asumu¡¯s eyes blurred. Then, he saw a headless body holding a wooden stick fall with a thud. The twisting figure stood at the top of the stairs, staring at the old man who copsed on the steps. The old man¡¯s silvery hair was matted. Thest ray of light in his eyes was gone. He stared at the ghost¡¯s hand and mumbled, ¡°Asumu¡­¡± The ghost let go. Arge human head rolled down the steps until it stopped beside the vige head. The pair of determined eyes stared at the vige head. The mouth was agape as if still screaming. The old man reached out his trembling hands to cradle the head in his arms like it was the most precious treasure in the world. ¡°Asumu¡­¡± Tears fell down his face. In his eyes, this stubborn and honest man was his fourth son. He was even closer to the vige head than his three biological sons. His three sons showered him with honeyed words, but he knew that they couldn¡¯t wait for him to die so that they could inherit his position. Only this silly child followed him daily. He was a quiet man and only asked for a roof over his head and meals on his table. He contributed a lot. When the vige ground the soybeans, the tanned man worked harder than the donkey that they borrowed from the neighbouring vige. He never cked off and neverined. The man practically grew up before his eyes. Simr to his mom, he was not a local. They came from a teau far away. Apparently, they had to escape their home. They begged for food along the way. They identally stepped on the beartrap set by the vigers. They were discovered by an old hunter of Little Ravine Vige the next day. Beside the unconscious woman, there was Asumu, the child, and the corpse of a wolf. The wolf tracked the blood. Wolves were highly intelligent. They knew where the traps were. When the hunter checked the trap, they would often merely find the animal¡¯s broken leg. The rest of the prey had already been taken away by the wolf. However, the wolf sought the wrong target this time. It underestimated the power of the kid around 10. The kid had a chokehold around its neck and strangled it. Seeing this kid with clear eyes, the vige head felt a rare moment of kindness. Therefore, he decided to take him in. Asumu¡¯s mother passed away from illness not too long after that. Based on the vige doctor, she had suffered too much on the journey, and her body couldn¡¯t take it anymore. As Asumu grew older, the vigers sighed that the blood of those on the prairie was ultimately different from the mountain folks. Before he reached adulthood, he was already around 1.9 metres tall. Even the tallest males in the vige could barely reach his chest. The vige head¡¯s eldest son, who had the worst temper, sought out a fight one day when he was drunk. He riled up the local vigers and decided to teach Asumu a lesson. Asumu only knew how to evade. If he couldn¡¯t evade, he¡¯d take the hits. When the vige head returned and saw the wounds on Asumu, his heart pained. He told Asumu not to tolerate his son too much. Asumu took that literally. He picked up the eldest son and tossed him into the pigsty. The vige head¡¯s heart pained even harder. His eldest son was bedridden for four months. His legs would automatically weaken when he saw Asumu. However, Asumu was never one to hold onto grudges. He treated everyone the same, but he always cared deeply for the vige head. The vigers often grumbled that the vige head could sit in his position so squarely because of Asumu. His three biological sons were useless tapeworms. ¡°Asumu,¡± The vige head tried to have a heart-to-heart with Asumu every time they drank. He asked what kind of woman Asumu liked so he could kidnap a wife for him. Killing men and keeping the women. They had done this for years already. However, Asumu shook his head every time. In fact, he¡¯d persuade the vige head to stop the operation. This meant that the vige head never had a good time drinking with Asumu. Theoretically speaking, Asumu was young and tough. He was not bad-looking either. There had to be girls who liked him. Unfortunately, he was from Little Ravine Vige. No one would be willing to send their daughters to this ursed ce. Not even widows would consider that. Naturally, Asumu had stayed single¡­ until his death. The vige head caressed Asumu¡¯s face. He looked like he was possessed. Chapter 163: Source Chapter 163: Source ¡°How did it go?¡± Fatty jogged over. ¡°Did it go well?¡± Jiang Cheng was silent. He suddenly asked, ¡°How long was I gone?¡± Fatty thought about it, ¡°About twenty minutes.¡± He added, ¡°I know it¡¯s not long. This ce is so cold at night. I just got up to change into thickeryers. And¡­ I heard noisesing from downstairs. I came to look, and it was you.¡± Hearing that, Jiang Cheng had a better understanding of the nightmare realm. He definitely did not spend twenty minutes in the nightmare realm. After all, he did sleep for a bit before entering the door. After eliminating that time, Jiang Cheng probably only spent a few minutes in the nightmare realm. However, he had spent days in the realm. Clearly, the time flow of the two realms was different. The channel that connected them was the ck iron door. Fatty stood beside Jiang Cheng. He noticed the change in Jiang Cheng¡¯s emotions. He appeared to be in a low mood, and he didn¡¯t even wish to chat. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty swallowed and probed cautiously, ¡°Are¡­ you alright?¡± ¡°Did something happen when I was gone?¡± Fatty thought about it and answered seriously, ¡°No.¡± ¡°After you entered your bedroom to sleep, I stayed guard outside your door. I didn¡¯t notice anything.¡± He continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t even see you leave your bedroom, but you showed up here.¡± Jiang Cheng took another sip of the water. ¡°What about sounds?¡±¡°This¡­¡± Fatty hesitated. Jiang Cheng looked at him. Fatty didn¡¯t look like he was purposely hiding anything. It was more like he was uncertain about this and didn¡¯t know how to exin it. ¡°Just try your best,¡± Jiang Cheng prompted. ¡°Doctor, actually¡­ I kinda predicted when you were about to leave the nightmare realm,¡± Fatty stuttered. Jiang Cheng frowned. His hand that held the water paused, ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to describe it. It was like a shot of electricity phased through my brain. It was¡­ weird. In any case, I knew that something must have happened. Considering you were already in the nightmare realm, I suspected you were about to exit it.¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. Fatty¡¯s mouth opened like he remembered something. However, his voice lowered involuntarily, ¡°Doctor, when I was a taxi driver, I used to get very sleepy on the night shift. At night, I purposely searched for a broadcast that discussed the supernatural. I thought it could help keep me awake. That night, their topic was ghosts, or rather, how to encounter them. ¡°They had a few guests on. They all had seen ghosts before. I remember the first guest was a student. She said she encountered a ghost by inviting the ghost over using the Pen Spirit game. Then, her friend who yed with her broke her leg the next day. Apparently, it was rted to the game. ¡°I didn¡¯t believe that.¡± Fatty exined, ¡°This person said she was a student, but she sounded about 40. I believed she was an actor found by the radio station.¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t interrupt him. He knew Fatty must have his reasons to say these things. ¡°The second guest said he carried a bowl of half-cooked rice and waited at a road junction. He tapped on the bowl continuously.¡± He swallowed, ¡°He said he saw ten thin shadows. They suddenly appeared. They all died from hunger. He even stressed that the tapping mustn¡¯t stop, or the ghosts would attack the summoner.¡± Then, Fatty mentioned other urban stories like chanting the name before a mirror at midnight, using an umbre at home and so on. Jiang Cheng frowned. His patience was running thin. He was not there to listen to these stories. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty pouted, ¡°Let me finish.¡± Jiang Cheng looked into his eyes and swallowed his words. He rarely saw Fatty use this gaze before. He caught fear in Fatty¡¯s eyes. Fatty took a deep breath. ¡°Then, the hosts called thest guest. ¡°It was a senior. I could hear that he was physically ill. He had to stop to take breaths when he talked. ¡°The method he talked about was¡­¡± Fatty lifted his head to look at Jiang Cheng, ¡°Brain waves. ¡°I did some research on thister, and he¡­ No¡­¡± Fatty frowned as he picked his mind. His logic became confusing, ¡°Until now, I¡¯m not sure if the senior is a he or a she. They have a damaged voice box. The person spoke very slowly, but it was hard to understand their words. I only caught thest few words they said. ¡°They said, if you want to see ghosts, you have to match the wavelength of their brain waves. ¡°In other words¡­¡± Fatty raised his head, ¡°When you wish to see a ghost, a ghost might be right by your side already.¡± Fatty remembered how the hosts and guests who were making fun of the senior caller suddenly became so silent when they said that. Because¡­ the topic of their program that night was how to meet a ghost. Based on this caller¡¯s logic, they might have incidentally summoned a ghost to their side! ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty¡¯s expression was hard to describe. He looked at Jiang Cheng and uttered heavily, ¡°After a long time after that, I realised something. ¡°That night, the senior¡¯s speech was unclear. I thought it was their voice box. But¡­¡± Fatty shook from fear, ¡°Thinking back¡­ It could be because something was close to them and due to their simrity in brain waves¡­¡± ¡°It caused a disturbance to the radio waves,¡± Jiang Cheng said coolly. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Fatty nodded vehemently. To Fatty¡¯s surprise, Jiang Cheng¡¯s face also took on a strange countenance. This was because he was reminded of something. In the recording with Hu Yan, who came to seek assistance at the very start, there was a lot of static in it as well! Chapter 164: Review Chapter 164: Review Jiang Chengy on his bed alone at dawn. He snuggled his hands into his nket, cing them stably between his chest and stomach. Fatty still slept in the living room outside the bedroom. The key difference was Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t close the bedroom door. Fatty was really scared. He tossed and turned on the couch. In the end, he moved the couch to the bedroom door. That way, once he opened his eyes, he could see Jiang Cheng inside the room. However, this scared Jiang Cheng instead. Once he turned his head, he could see a giant head outside his bedroom door and, sometimes, a wide pair of eyes staring at him. Thankfully, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t pay Fatty much attention. His breathing evened out, and he fell asleep. Seeing how soundly Jiang Cheng slept, Fatty felt safer. Or rather, he felt safer whenever he was around Jiang Cheng. Fatty¡¯s eyelids started to droop, and his consciousness blurred. In the morning, a strange sound woken up the sleeping Fatty. He turned around, and several secondster, he opened his heavy lids. In his eyes, Jiang Cheng in the bedroom was gone. The sleepiness vanished. Fatty sat up instantly. CREAK The sound came from downstairs. Momentster, Fatty found Jiang Cheng downstairs. Thetter was moving the cabs that held the patient¡¯s records. Fatty astutely went to help. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty applied force, and he said, ¡°You can leave jobs like this to me. You don¡¯t need to do it yourself.¡± After that, Fatty went to use the bathroom and then rushed into the kitchen to prepare Jiang Cheng¡¯s breakfast. Fatty woke upte, so he only prepared two simple bowls of cereal and a ss of milk. Worried that hecked nutrients, he boiled two eggs for Jiang Cheng. After Jiang Cheng ate everything, Fatty felt much better.¡°Doctor, are you full?¡± Fatty asked as he cleaned the table, ¡°Do you want me to fry an egg for you? I bought a nice BBQ saucetely.¡± ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± ¡°Then, Doctor, you should rest.¡± Fatty carried the dishes to wash them in the kitchen. The first thing Fatty did when he came downstairs was to boil the water and pour the hot water into the pink Peppa the Pig thermos Jiang Cheng often used. Therefore, Jiang Cheng could brew himself a cup of coffee as he rested. He picked up the coffee cup and took a sip. He enjoyed the vour of the cheap, readymade coffee exploding on his tongue. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly asked, ¡°What day is it today?¡± Fatty¡¯s voice travelled through the sound of dishes and water. ¡°Doctor, it¡¯s Friday.¡± ¡°Is it the end of the month?¡± ¡°Doctor, you have such a good memory!¡± This was what Jiang Cheng admired about Fatty the most. Even though he was cowardly, he was adaptable. As long as he didn¡¯t die, he would wake up to be a brand-new Fatty. Fatty shouted from the kitchen, ¡°Doctor, do you want to have sweet and sour fish or fish stew for lunch? I¡¯m going to start prepping now!¡± Jiang Cheng took another sip of the coffee and answered, ¡°Sweet and sour. Fish stew uses too many ingredients.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Fatty took out the fish he had bought the day before from the fridge. Fatty prepared the fish and washed his hands until they didn¡¯t smell of fish anymore before he left the kitchen and approached Jiang Cheng. He sat down on the couch opposite Jiang Cheng obediently. He didn¡¯t say anything. He ced his hands on his knees and stared at Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng toyed with his phone and then put it down. Then, he closed his eyes as if to think. Fatty licked his lips. The nervousness in his eyes couldn¡¯t be hidden. ¡°I didn¡¯t get the mission reward.¡± Jiang Cheng lifted his eyes and said, ¡°Someone left the door before I did.¡± Fatty blinked with incredulity. ¡°Also,¡± Jiang Cheng ced his hands behind his head. ¡°I encountered a familiar face this time.¡± Fatty blinked, ¡°Was it that innocent girl, Chen Xiaomeng?¡± This time, it was Jiang Cheng¡¯s turn to frown. ¡°How did you know that?¡± He thought about the theory of brain waves they shared yesterday. Could it be that the nightmare realm had sent brain waves to Fatty¡­ ¡°Doctor, we¡¯ve only experienced two missions.¡± Fatty knew Jiang Cheng had misunderstood him, so he said awkwardly, ¡°Other than the two of us, the only survivor is Chen Xiaomeng.¡± Jiang Cheng, ¡°...¡± ¡°Doctor, that is not important. Quick. Tell me more about the mission,¡± Fatty urged with curiosity. At the same time, he filled up Jiang Cheng¡¯s cup. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t disappoint and filled him in. It was to be said that Jiang Cheng was a talented storyteller. The already interesting story became an epic tale. Of course, he was the only main character. Plus, in his story, there were three women who fought for his attention. Fatty was a rapt audience. When Jiang Cheng mentioned the part where he moved the mine that the vigers had set up for them, Fatty had to praise, ¡°No wonder Doctor is an orphan. How could a normal person think of something like that?¡± Jiang Cheng tutted and gave Fatty a side-eye. Fatty instantly exined himself, ¡°Doctor, I mean to say that you were very clever.¡± He had to coax Jiang Cheng for a long time before the story continued. Furthermore, Fatty promised that he¡¯d add more dishes for lunch as an apology to Jiang Cheng. When he heard Asumu¡¯s story, Fatty was silent. His eyes even turned red. He had a lot ofpliments for Asumu. When he heard that the ghost murdered Asumu, his pity for the female ghost dropped. ¡°Then again,¡± Fattymented, ¡°This woman called Lee Lu is very impressive. She managed to trick you and Chen Xiaomeng and set up so many things to kill you.¡± Of course, Jiang Cheng and Chen Xiaomeng also fought among themselves. However, there were not many people who could pull one over them. At this point, Fatty narrowed his eyes. He bounced over to Jiang Cheng and asked in a wicked smile, ¡°Doctor, I have a question.¡± Jiang Cheng nced at him, signalling him to continue. Fatty swallowed. His cheeks reddened from excitement, ¡°When you spent the night alone with Chen Xiaomeng¡­ did nothing happen?¡± Chapter 165: Reason Chapter 165: Reason ¡°Something did happen,¡± Jiang Cheng answered shamelessly. Fatty licked his lips and asked with a cunning smile. ¡°Doctor, can you give me more details?¡± ¡°She asked me about the piece of newspaper.¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged. ¡°When she realised I was too good for her, she went back on her words and demanded the paper back.¡± Fatty was confused. Then, he blinked and whispered, ¡°What happened after that?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty. He didn¡¯t say much, but his eyes ryed a lot of information. Fatty¡¯s throat moved. He suddenly had a bad feeling. ¡°I told her you snatched the paper from me.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned back in the chair and looked at Fatty. ¡°Remember toe up with a story to go with that, or else you¡¯ll find her very hard to deal with when we run into her next.¡± ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty¡¯s cheeks shook. ¡°Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s a reason why you¡¯re an orphan?¡± They ended the conversation soon after. The conversation was not a joyful one, especially on Fatty¡¯s part. This was visible from Fatty¡¯s reaction following that. After breakfast, Jiang Cheng sat at the office table to work. He pulled out the records of a few patients and called their families to ask for their updates. However, sounds like banging or chopping would alwayse from Jiang Cheng¡¯s end. Fatty was preparing fish and cutting meat extremely loudly. However, those who didn¡¯t know would assume Jiang Cheng was dismembering a body. Jiang Cheng had no choice but to ask Fatty to have a chat during lunch. Jiang Cheng nned to try to seek reconciliation with Fatty over the dining table. His n was tovish praises on Fatty. However, once the dishes were served, the fire within Jiang Cheng dwindled. Fatty split every dish ¡®fairly¡¯ into halves.For example, the chili fried chickens. Jiang Cheng¡¯s dish was filled with chilies and Fatty¡¯s dish had all the chickens. The same went for the sweet and sour fish. Fatty had the fish body and Jiang Cheng had the fish head. Jiang Cheng ate a few bites and finally couldn¡¯t resist the urge to reach his chopsticks towards Fatty¡¯s bowl. To his surprise, Fatty silently slid all the meat into his mouth and silently chewed on them. Jiang Cheng stared at Fatty¡¯s chubby cheeks and his mouth flooded with saliva. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Chengmented with passion, ¡°I remember you were once a sous-chef at Huang He Restaurant, right? Your cooking skill is amazing. I¡¯m sure if you stayed at that post, you¡¯d be the main chef eventually.¡± ¡°Doctor, you got it wrong.¡± Fatty didn¡¯t even look at him. ¡°I was a cleaner at Huang He Restaurant. I was responsible for cleaning the toilet.¡± Soon¡­ ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± Fatty stood up and cleared away the table. ¡°I still need to wash the dishes.¡± Fatty carried his tes and returned to the kitchen. A few secondster, the sound of tes clinging could be heard. Jiang Cheng looked down and saw the half of sweet and sour fish Fatty had left in his bowl. After lunch, Jiang Cheng went upstairs to rest. After all, he just exited the nightmare realm. He exhausted a lot of energy. After clearing three nightmare missions, he started to gain a sense of the taboos or the rules¡­ First, there was a different world behind each door. These worlds were real in a way. They were like pieces of history plucked out from a period in time by the hand of God. No matter what they did, they could not change the story¡¯s ending, only the process. Second, the nightmare realm had its own rewards and punishments system. The punishment system was the ghost. Jiang Cheng cared more about the rewards. So far, he knew that one would be able to obtain a piece of nk paper if one managed to clear the mission as the only surviving traveller. Based on what he had learned, this paper could defend against the attack of the ghosts. Of course, this effect was not permanent. Once it was used, the paper would disappear. This information was revealed to him by Xu Wen. She survived the ghost¡¯s attack with this nk paper. With this in mind, Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. He was reminded of Chen Xiaomeng. In the Qian Family¡¯s abandoned home, Chen Xiaomeng managed to escape from the ghost despite being locked inside the closet. That could not be exined by pure luck. She probably used the paper. That would exin why Jiang Cheng managed to find a clue item, the family portrait, but not the white paper when he searched her bodyter. From their interactions in the first mission, Chen Xiaomeng was an expert at killing her own teammates. If Jiang Cheng were not in her team, she would have another reward in the bag. She was much stronger than Xu Wen so naturally she would have more nk papers. Jiang Cheng decided to attempt the mission alone because he wanted to try to see if he could score the paper himself. However, Lee Lu intercepted the reward. Jiang Cheng was not arrogant enough to n to kill his other teammates, but he could search their bodies for some good stuff. Chen Xiaomeng was the best example. Unfortunately, he was toote, or the piece of nk paper would be his. Third, and this was a point that still confused Jiang Cheng, the connection between the newspaper and the nk paper in terms of them being mission rewards. Nevertheless, he could tell that the nk paper was more useful than the newspaper. After all, the nk paper could save lives. However, to say the nk paper was unanimously better than the newspaper would be false. This was because they served wildly different purposes. The nk paper was used to save lives while the newspaper recorded clues about the missions. For example, if one had to choose, for an average person, the chance of one surviving might be higher if one chose the newspaper. After all, the nk paper¡¯s protection was not permanent. If they couldn¡¯t find their way out of the mission through analysis and clues, they would eventually be murdered. And their endings would be more painful than death. For normal travellers, the nk paper could only dy the inevitable. They would have to die in the end as well. However, for experienced travellers like Lee Lu and Chen Xiaomeng, the situation was not the same. Chapter 166: Brown Sugar Water Chapter 166: Brown Sugar Water They were innately strong. Normal traps wouldn¡¯t work on them. If they had the protection of the nk paper, the result was clear. That was why Chen Xiaomeng hated Jiang Cheng so much. This bastard not only stole the newspaper clue from her in the first mission but also caused her to waste a precious protection talisman in thetest mission. If someone had done this to Jiang Cheng, he would have dug up their ancestral grave. Fourth was the brain waves mentioned by Fatty. Jiang Cheng had been pondering about the construction mechanism behind the nightmare realm and the way it absorbed the travellers. Fatty¡¯s words triggered something in his mind. A pure ck recording pen was ced beside him. It contained a conversation between him and Hu Yan. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. The conversation was unclear due to the constant static. However, the strange thing was the static only appeared when Hu Yan spoke. In the record, Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was very clear. ¡­ Jiang Cheng¡¯s afternoon nap didn¡¯t go well. To be precise, he hadn¡¯t had a wink until his phone rm rang. Symptoms of overexerting his brain appeared. He suffered from this issue a long time ago. He shook his head to try to wake himself up. Soon, it would be time for his appointment with his client. He normally didn¡¯t refer to them as patients because if they were all normal people, he would have no job. He appreciated these people. He walked to the staircase and was about to descend the stairs when he encountered Fatty, who wasing up the stairs with theundry. When Fatty saw Jiang Cheng¡¯s pale face, he put down theundry and asked, concerned, ¡°Doctor, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head wordlessly. Fatty seemed to understand something. The mission must have taken a toll on the doctor¡¯s body. His eyes brimmed with worry. ¡°Do you need me to drive you to the hospital?¡±¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. He looked a lot more haggard than before. His voice was not as powerful as normal. ¡°I¡¯ll recover once I have some rest.¡± Fatty instantly helped Jiang Cheng get down the stairs. Then, he aided him onto the couch. Jiang Cheng appeared so fragile. When Fatty supported him, he felt Jiang Cheng¡¯sck of strength. Even his body was shaking. He had never seen Doctor like this before. Jiang Cheng curled on the couch. His eyes lost their usual glow. Fatty poured a ss of hot water for Jiang Cheng. Then, he rushed back into the kitchen as if he had just remembered something. He rummaged through the kitchen. The moment Fatty disappeared from Jiang Cheng¡¯s line of sight, thetter stopped shaking. Not only that, colours returned to his cheeks. His eyes danced with joy and bliss. Thissted for a few minutes until Fatty rushed back with a bowl in hand. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty¡¯s voice was anxious from worry, ¡°Drink some brown sugar water. I hear from the girls that it¡¯s very good for recovery.¡± The ailing Jiang Cheng leaned on the couch. He looked like someone who clung stubbornly to life despite the pain. Jiang Cheng coughed weakly. He tried to evade eye contact with Fatty, but his voice was low. All these became signs of internal injury in Fatty¡¯s eyes. ¡®Doctor told me he was fine because he didn¡¯t want me to worry.¡¯ Just like that, Fatty sessfully fooled himself. After drinking the brown sugar water, Jiang Cheng looked better. His cheeks reddened slightly. ¡°Doctor, do you feel better now?¡± Fatty blinked. ¡°Thank you, Doctor,¡± Jiang Cheng tried to move his limbs gingerly. ¡°I¡¯m much better. I don¡¯t feel as cold.¡± Fatty finally rxed. In his mind, the best medicine was to eat good food. Therefore, he asked what Jiang Cheng wanted to eat that night. He¡¯d prepare them. Jiang Cheng hesitated. Then, he whispered, ¡°Buttered lobsters, dry wok duck, M little lobsters, five chilli chicken with corn¡­¡± He swallowed. He stared at Fatty and added, ¡°If it¡¯s possible, can you make a cabbage and rib soup? The other dishes are too oily.¡± Fatty thought about it and stood up. ¡°Doctor, we should just go to the hospital.¡± In any case, Jiang Cheng was clearly much better. Considering the great improvement in his appetite, Fatty¡¯s worry disappeared. Fatty chatted with Jiang Cheng for a while before he left to buy the ingredients at the market. The fishmonger fromst time was not bad. Fatty wanted to see if he could get another dying fish. He nned to make fish stew for Jiang Cheng to improve his physique. However, just as he reached the front door, he heard tapping footstepsing from outside. Then, there was knocking on the door. Jiang Cheng moved his body and said, ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened obediently. A strange man walked in. The man was covered in a long white robe and had on arge pair of sunsses that almost covered his face. Fatty thought the man was mentally ill. Until¡­ ¡°Doctor Jiang!¡± The man¡¯s voice was heavily recognisable. He greeted Jiang Cheng happily. Fatty instantly realised who this man was. Pi Wan! ¡°Brother Fatty is here as well!¡± Pi Wan also greeted him. Fatty was a bit overwhelmed. Fatty looked at Pi Wan¡¯s getup, his face coloured with sadness. ¡°Brother Pi Wan, why are you dressed like you¡¯re going to a funeral? Did your girlfriend die?¡± ¡°What nonsense!¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted, ¡°This is Saudi Arabia¡¯stest fashion.¡± Fatty¡¯s face burned with embarrassment when he realised he had made a fool of himself. Thankfully, Pi Wan was a very easygoing person. He smoothed things over with augh. He exined that the robe was a present from an Arabic client. It was normal that Fatty wouldn¡¯t recognise it at first nce. This action increased Fatty¡¯s affection towards Pi Wan. Pi Wan might not be considered a conventionally moral person, but he was easy to get along with. However, someone had to say something to ruin the mood. ¡°If his girlfriend really dies, he¡¯ll be dressed in all red.¡± Jiang Cheng said calmly as he took a sip of the brown sugar water. Chapter 167: Aid Chapter 167: Aid Pi Wan pulled a chair over and sat across from Jiang Cheng. He didn¡¯t feel awkward. However, before he said anything, Jiang Cheng shot a nce at him, ¡°Talk to me after you remove the sunsses.¡± Fatty felt that Jiang Cheng¡¯s demand was rather impolite. He found a ce to sit, but it was further from the two. He was worried about interrupting the Doctor. Pi Wan hesitated when he heard Jiang Cheng¡¯s request. Then, he removed the sunsses unwillingly. This time, Fatty was stunned. Pi Wan¡¯s not-that-handsome face was covered in scratches. Most of them were located on the right side of his face. They looked like nail scratches and were just starting to scab. The thing that shocked Fatty the most was Pi Wan¡¯s left eye. It was so swollen that Pi Wan could barely open it. Clearly, he was punched. Fatty was confused. He looked like a respectable man. Why would he be beaten up like this? However, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t seem surprised. He leaned on the couch and studied Pi Wan slowly. He seemed to be used to this situation already. He picked up the cup, took a sip of the water and ced the cup back. ¡°Tell me. What is it this time?¡± Pi Wan pouted, ¡°It¡¯s about the small asset under my girlfriend¡¯s name! ¡°This time, it¡¯s her two granddaughters and¡­ her useless grandson!¡± Pi Wan seemed to remember the beating, and his lips shivered from anger, ¡°They invited me to the hotel in the name of reconciliation, but look at what happened!¡± He pointed at his face. ¡°They are so cunning! They wish to ruin my face so that my girlfriend will stay away from me!¡± He gritted his teeth and huffed, ¡°In their dreams!¡± The more Fatty listened to him, the more he understood. Pi Wan was trying to feed off his girlfriend! However, this was the Doctor¡¯s territory. Fatty understood that. He knew he couldn¡¯t intervene when it was rted to the Doctor¡¯s business. After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Cheng naturally shook two fingers. ¡°Two points.¡±Fatty and Pi Wan sat up straight. Fatty instinctually searched for pen and paper. ¡°First,¡± Jiang Cheng shot Pi Wan azy ce, ¡°6 hundred million is not a little asset.¡± Fatty was startled. Then, his face twisted from how his mind was limited by poverty. ¡°Second,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned forward, which put a lot of pressure on Pi Wan. Jiang Cheng looked into thetter¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Haven¡¯t I reminded you not to get greedy?¡± Pi Wan swallowed and whispered, ¡°Doctor Jiang, I followed your advice. I only asked for the amount you advised me to. I didn¡¯t ask for more!¡± Jiang Cheng frowned, ¡°How was the contract drafted?¡± ¡°It said that if something bad happened to my girlfriend, her assets would be split in a ratio of 3 to 7. I¡¯ll only ept the part that I deserve,¡± Pi Wan said. Fatty¡¯s eyes were green. He instantly understood why the Doctor said that Pi Wan would be dressed in red if something happened to Pi Wan¡¯s girlfriend. The 30 percent of six hundred million is 18 million! Endless dor signs appeared in Fatty¡¯s mind. He couldn¡¯t envision the amount of wealth that was. Even if he earned 6000 a month, he would work 3000 years to earn that amount of money! And that was for not doing much on Pi Wan¡¯s part. Now that Fatty thought about it, if he were Pi Wan and something happened to his girlfriend, he would do more than wear red. He might hire a celebration troop or something like that. Jiang Cheng was silent for a while. Then, he lifted his head to ask Pi Wan, ¡°Did you ask for the 70 percent?¡± Pi Wan was confused. ¡°Of course. Is that not how much I deserve?¡± Jiang Cheng, ¡°...¡± Fatty raised his hand. He didn¡¯t want to say anything, but he couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. ¡°Brother Pi Wan.¡± Fatty pressed his lips. ¡°There¡¯s still time for you to run. It¡¯s hard to sayter.¡± Fatty could see that Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to get involved in Pi Wan¡¯s business. However, Pi Wan kept begging him. Then, Pi Wan¡¯s eyes darted about, and he leaned in to whisper in Jiang Cheng¡¯s ears. Jiang Cheng¡¯s face reddened. Then, he looked at Pi Wan as if to confirm something. Pi Wan blinked multiple times as if in confirmation. ¡°Fine!¡± Jiang Cheng sat back down and sighed. ¡°I am¡­ too good of a person.¡± ¡°Doctor Jiang, you are more than that!¡± Pi Wan quicklyunched into the praises. ¡°You are a great doctor and incredibly handsome!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Jiang Cheng waved his hands. ¡°I¡¯lle up with a solution before tomorrow regarding this. Just wait for my news.¡± ¡°Thank you, Doctor Jiang,¡± Pi Wan bowed deeply. Fatty suspected that his presence had limited Pi Wan. If he were not there, Pi Wan might kowtow before he left. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll have to trouble Doctor Jiang,¡± Pi Wan wiped his hands with excitement, ¡°Since you¡¯re busy, I won¡¯t trouble you anymore¡­¡± Pi Wan turned around and walked to the door. He was familiar with Jiang Cheng. He didn¡¯t like people who rambled without benefits. Jiang Cheng grabbed a man folder from the couch and uttered, ¡°Wait.¡± Pi Wan instantly stopped and turned around. ¡°Doctor Jiang, is there anything else?¡± ¡°I need your help with something.¡± Jiang Cheng handed the folder to Pi Wan. They were not close enough for Pi Wan to grab the folder, so Pi Wan jogged forward and epted the folder with an exaggerated gesture. He opened it and found a few drawings. They were portraits of women. They were pencil sketches. The strokes were simple and sharp. There were four sketches. Pi Wan looked through them with interest. Then, he looked up and asked with confusion, ¡°These are¡­¡± ¡°They are sketches of two women.¡± Jiang Cheng shot him a look, ¡°The first three portraits are of the same woman. The first two portraits show her in different outfits, and the third portrait shows how I imagine she¡¯d look with sses on.¡± When he saw the sketches, Fatty¡¯s eyes widened. He recognised Chen Xiaomeng instantly. He was greatly impressed by Jiang Cheng¡¯s drawing skills. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s likeness appeared on the papers. They were about 90 percent simr. Chapter 168: Amazing Chapter 168: Amazing Pi Wan held the drawings respectfully with both hands. He looked at Jiang Cheng with confusion. ¡°Doctor Jiang, you want to¡­ look for these people?!¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°See if you can find these two women through yourwork.¡± ¡°Are they in Rong City?¡± ¡°No clue.¡± Jiang Cheng answered, ¡°They could be in any city.¡± Pi Wan pouted as he studied the drawings, ¡°It¡¯s fine if they are close, but it¡¯ll be much harder if they live far away.¡± He ced the man folder under his armpit and asked, ¡°Do you have any other clues like their identities, hobbies and careers?¡± Finding someone using just their portrait was like finding a needle in a haystack. ¡°No.¡± Pi Wan¡¯s face scrunched up. ¡°At least I have nothing concrete,¡± Jiang Cheng added, ¡°But I have some hypotheses. You can use them as references.¡± Pi Wan nodded. ¡°Please.¡±¡°The woman in the first three drawings is between 18 to 23. She¡¯ll most likely be attending university with a major in the sciences.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned back as hepleted the profile on Chen Xiaomeng, ¡°Her results are good but not amazing enough to appear on the university website. She often asks for dismissals from sses. She shares a normal rtionship with her teachers and coursemates. She is used to being alone. And¡­¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Pi Wan, who wrote rapidly in his notebook, ¡°She will not live in the public hostel arranged by the university. Her surname is most likely not Chen.¡± Fatty thought about it and was surprised that he could understand some of what Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I have less information on the second woman. She should be between 25 and 35. Her fingers are calloused with strong muscles. She should be a musician who ys instruments like the piano. She does not like the spotlight.¡± Jiang Cheng paused before adding, ¡°I believe she has experience ying in big events and has a rtively stable career. You should try to focus on careers like private piano tutors or piano tuners. Her surname is most likely not Lee.¡± At this point, Fatty was d that he had chosen to follow Jiang Cheng. With the Doctor¡¯s brain, it was impossible for their teammates to kill them in the nightmare realm. He started to wonder if he should add some dishes for lunch. Pi Wan, who turned another page, had no change in his expression. He was used to this. He raised his head to ask, ¡°Doctor Jiang, after we find them¡­¡± ¡°That has nothing to do with you.¡± Pi Wan was not offended. He ced the notebook and the drawings into the man folder. ¡°Understood.¡± He didn¡¯t waste time. He turned and left. Before he left, he remembered there was another person in the room, so he turned around to greet Fatty before leaving. After Pi Wan fully disappeared from his view, Fatty nced at Jiang Cheng who was lounging on the couch. His eyes glowed with admiration. ¡°Doctor!¡± He licked his eyes, ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡± Jiang Cheng worked his stiff neck and took another sip of water. The afternoon sun showered evenly on his face. For a moment, Fatty was moved. He suddenly felt like he could see through the man¡¯s disguise and saw his true fatigue. He was mysterious, regal and illusive¡­ Even his frazzled hair seemed toe alive. He was like a beast that roared against the world. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng slowly spoke. Fatty was shocked, ¡°Doctor, I¡¯m here!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say I¡¯m amazing in the future anymore, got it?¡± Fatty¡¯s throat moved. His heart almost jumped out. ¡°After all, you have not seen me in the presidential suite at night,¡± Jiang Cheng became excited as he reminisced about that glorious night, ¡°I was the only person who became official without fully passing my internship period. I once¡­¡± Just as Jiang Cheng was about to regale Fatty with his tales at the Karoake Centre, the door suddenly opened, and Pi Wan poked half his body in. Fatty was guarded. ¡°Why are you back?¡± Jiang Cheng was dissatisfied with the interruption. ¡°Doctor Jiang,¡± Pi Wan smiled, ¡°I saw Boss Lin¡¯s car outside. I wanted to know if she has been here today.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then, I shall leave you alone. Ignore me and¡­ continue,¡± Pi Wan shrunk back and bowed. With his sunsses and white robe, Fatty thought he was a robber. With this interruption, Jiang Cheng lost his mood. He adjusted his clothes and curled up on the couch, his lips grumbling with annoyance. Fatty didn¡¯t stay. He grabbed the vegetable basket and left to purchase ingredients. Jiang Cheng, who was left alone, rested for a while. Then, he took out his phone. He didn¡¯t search for his familiar Japanese girlfriends but clicked into his photo album. He looked at thetest photos. To be precise, they were four sketches. He clicked on one of them. It featured a young girl in a Bohemian skirt. There was a sense of spirituality in her youth. She looked innocent. Jiang Cheng slowly zoomed in on the picture until only a pair of eyes showed up on the screen. Through the screen, two pairs of eyes met. The afternoon sun slowly retreated. Everything reverted to silence. ¡­ BUZZ A hand grabbed the phone. Instantly, an anxious voice came through, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you attend the examination? Professor Sun is even calling me now!¡± The girly on a giant bed and was wrapped under a pure white nket. Her long hair spread on the pillow like an octopus. As she yawned, she slowly came back to her senses. ¡°Uncle Gong, I¡¯m sick.¡± ¡°Stop it. That¡¯s what you saidst time!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m really sick this time!¡± The girl shamelessly coughed a few times. Uncle Gong sounded powerless against the girl. He sighed, ¡°Fine. But no more next time¡­¡± ¡°By the way,¡± The girl cut him off. She sat up in bed. ¡°Uncle Gong, how¡¯s the thing I told you to dost time?¡± Chapter 169: Beauty Chapter 169: Beauty ¡°Still no news for now.¡± The man¡¯s voice was thick and heavy. ¡°We¡¯ve investigated all the patients who have been discharged from the mental asylums near the capital recently. We do not find the person you describe.¡± ¡°Expand the search.¡± A sh crossed the girl¡¯s brows. ¡°And¡­ He might have a fat guy following him.¡± ¡°A fat guy?¡± The man smiled sadly, ¡°That is nothing special. There are fat people everywhere.¡± ¡°But this fat guy is different.¡± The girl was reminded of Fatty¡¯s agility, which didn¡¯t match his size. She took a deep breath. ¡°This fat dude is extremely agile. Pay attention to that.¡± The man on the other end of the phone was startled. He didn¡¯t get it. How agile could a fat guy be? The girl hung up. Therge bedroom became quiet again. The girl pulled her hair into a simple ponytail and jumped down from the bed. She ignored her slippers and walked to the floor-length window with her bare feet. She pulled back the curtain, and the afternoon sun shone on her face. The girl narrowed her eyes and looked out. She only had on a thin wine-red slip. Her skin was fair and almost breakable. Her figure was small but fit. She was not afraid of any Peeping Toms because there was only an azureke before her eyes. A few minutester, she turned to a spot about two meters to her left. There was a wooden easel there. An animal fur rug was spread on the hardwood floor. A sketch was ced on the easel. It was the sketch of a young man. The sketch showcased the painter¡¯s exceptional skill. With just a few strokes, the man¡¯s essence was captured. His appearance was wless, the kind rich women would easily fall for. The girl leaned against the window and studied the portrait until her gaze turned cold. ¡°Mr. Yi,¡± A smile lit up her face. ¡°You better hide well.¡±¡­ Achuu! People thronged about the market. Fatty carried the basket and looked around. So far, he had sneezed more than twenty times already. When some of the pedestrians saw him, they quickly put on their masks. ¡®Is Doctor thinking about me?¡¯ That was what Fatty thought, but he was quickly frightened. ¡®Why is he the first person whoes into my mind?¡¯ That idea was too scary. Fatty hugged the basket and hurried. He believed that the static field of the market was bad, and it affected his thoughts. After walking around, Fatty bought small seafood like shellfish and so on. Then, he bought a fish at the same old stall. This time, the purchase went smoothly. When the boss saw him, he instantly hauled out a dying fish, ¡°Just take this one. Don¡¯t need to wait for it to die. I¡¯ll sell you for the price of a dead fish.¡± Fatty was not that shameless. He wanted to reject it. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He licked his lips. ¡°I can wait.¡± ¡°Stop waiting. You¡¯re wasting the fish¡¯s time.¡± When he spoke, the boss had already packed the fish, ced it on the scale and handed it to Fatty. Then, he sighed, ¡°It is just a fish. It doesn¡¯t deserve the torture.¡± ¡°Then¡­ Thank you, boss.¡± ¡°Come back again.¡± Fatty carried a basket of vegetables, bags of fish and shellfish, and a bag of chopped ribs. He was on his way back to the office. This was more than enough for a great meal between him and the Doctor. Fatty spent a long time outside. It was not that the journey was long, but there were too many unreasonable hawkers at the market. Either they didn¡¯t allow for haggling, or they didn¡¯t allow Fatty to pick the ingredients he wanted. There was even one stall that didn¡¯t ept fake money. Fatty carefully put away the fake ten dors Jiang Cheng gave him just in case it flowed into the market to harm others. When he took a turn, Fatty realised he was already not far from the office. Before he reached the office, a racecar zoomed past him. Then, it slowly parked in front of the office. Seeing this, Fatty jogged over and shouted at the driver, ¡°This is a private parking lot. Please find another spot to park.¡± When Fatty just arrived, this spot was empty too. Even Pi Wan was not allowed to use this parking spot. Every time, he¡¯d ask his secretary to search for the parking lot for a long time. That was the rule. That was what the Doctor told Fatty. Then again, it was probably the Doctor who set up the rules. Fatty frowned but the driver didn¡¯t give him face. After the car was parked, the door flew open. Fatty¡¯s pupils shuddered. It was a woman who got out of the car. She was more than a woman¡­ Fatty searched his mind for vocabry that could be used to describe her, but he failed. ¡°The fuck!¡± Fatty let slip. The woman wore a light-coloured qipao. The qipao perfectly entuated her figure. Her hand that carried the car key created a beautiful arc in the air. Her long hair was pulled into a bun. An exquisite Luo Yun hairpin secured the bun in ce. It added to her allure. Her fragrance drifted about. Fatty felt like he had been transported back to the era of concubines and consorts. He understood why so many kings would surrender their kingdom and power for the smile of a woman. The woman had on make-up, but there was nothing plebeian about her. Fatty couldn¡¯t image how she¡¯d look when she smiled. She would probably take people¡¯s souls away. The woman ignored the stunned Fatty and walked up the stairs to the office door. She didn¡¯t knock and walked in naturally like the office was her home. Chapter 170: Boss Lin Chapter 170: Boss Lin Fatty didn¡¯t even have the time to stop her. Fatty carried his basket and jogged up the stairs. As he entered the office, he was stunned by what he saw. Jiang Cheng and a woman who was in her 50s sat on the couch together. They were hugging each other. Jiang Cheng asionally patted her back and whispered into her ears. At that moment, Fatty felt his world collpase. Due to his focus, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t notice the woman in the qipao and Fatty walk in at first. It was fine when Jiang Cheng saw Fatty, but when he saw the woman in the qipao, his expression shifted, and he immediately let go of the auntie who was weeping in his arms. However, he forgot about one thing. The auntie needed hisfort and refused to let go. The situation was quite awkward. After sending away the emotional auntie, Jiang Cheng jogged back. Throughout this whole incident, the woman in the qipao and Fatty didn¡¯t move. The former was unfazed, and thetter was stunned. Jiang Cheng pouted and finally squeezed out the question, ¡°Have you¡­ just arrived?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been here awhile.¡± The woman¡¯s voice was as clear as spring water. ¡°Since you were so busy, I didn¡¯t interrupt you.¡± Fatty sucked in a cold breath. This tone¡­ felt so strange. Jiang Cheng shot Fatty a gaze. Thetter understood the meaning. He carried the basket into the kitchen. Then, loud noises of cutting came out as if saying that you guys could say whatever you wished because I couldn¡¯t hear you over themotion. Even so, Fatty perked his ears high, worried that he might miss anything interesting. The situation couldn¡¯t be clearer. This impossibly beautiful woman was the Doctor¡¯s GIRLFRIEND! It would be a lie to say that Fatty was not jealous, but for the most part, Fatty was happy for him. The Doctor had a good job and was handsome and clever. Other than his need to ramble about nonsense, he was a good man. Fatty could admit that if he were a girl, he¡¯d choose someone like the Doctor.He hid in the kitchen for an hour. He even resisted the urge to use the bathroom to give Jiang Cheng and the beauty more time together. The fish stew bubbled. Fatty focused on preparing the dinner. When everything was ready, he carried the dishes out of the kitchen. Then, he saw the beauty sitting at the office table, and Jiang Cheng pulled over the chair to sit across from her. Fatty was familiar with this scene. When he was being lectured by his superior in his formerpany, it was about the same. Plus¡­ Fatty saw the neatly arranged stacks of money on the office table. ¡°This month¡¯s ie is lower than before,¡± Jiang Cheng admitted. The woman nodded. ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it. ¡°A few of the rich clients went on a group trip to South East Asia. They might be back next month.¡± ¡°Names?¡± The woman picked up a pen and grabbed the notebook that Jiang Cheng viewed as his treasure. She jotted down the names on a random nk page. ¡°Qian Zhenmei, Sun Youcai¡­¡± The beauty wrote the names down expressionlessly. It was clear that she treated this as work. Could it be¡­ Fatty¡¯s eyes shuddered. He was reminded of the words Brother Pi Wan said when he came by the second time that day, ¡°Is Boss Lin here? I saw her car outside.¡± Boss Lin! This woman in the qipao was the Doctor¡¯s boss! Fatty instantly connected the clues. Hadn¡¯t he found many female qipaos in the office before? How could he forget about that? So those qipaos¡­ Fatty looked at the beauty and felt like they matched. Regardless, it was true that Boss Lin and the Doctor were a good match. They both had striking appearances. Fatty carefully ced the dishes on the table before the couch. This was the ce he and the Doctor used for dinner when they were alone. Just as he wondered if he should call them for dinner, Jiang Cheng noticed him and said, ¡°The food is ready.¡± Fatty added, ¡°Yes. Should¡­ should we eat first? And then¡­¡± Before Fatty could finish, the beauty and Jiang Cheng moved to the table, picked up the chopsticks and started to eat. They were so in rhythm that it felt like they were of the same brain. Fatty looked awkward. He only brought two sets of utensils, so he ran back into the kitchen to grab another set for himself. This meal was the quietest meal Fatty ever had in his life. The doctor and the beauty didn¡¯t speak and he was too flummoxed and afraid to start any topic. Throughout the dinner, zero words were said. After dinner, Fatty cooped up in the kitchen to wash the dishes. The dinner startedte, so when they finished, it was already 10 pm. The sky outside was as dark as ink. As Fatty wiped his hands, he wondered what was the rtionship between the Doctor and Boss Lin. They had to be more than employees and employers. How else would he exin the harsh living situation of the Doctor, considering how stingy he was? Fatty was suddenly reminded of the first time he met the Doctor. It was their first nightmare mission together at thevish bungalow in the forest. The family was a bunch of lunatics who liked to capture and detain people, especially the two girls who were just over twenty. Fatty shivered as he remembered the shadows that crawled out from under the bed. Was the Doctor detained there by Boss Lin too? As ludicrous as it was, the idea imnted itself in Fatty¡¯s mind. Perhaps this was a trade¡­ A strange conclusion took over his mind. He was reminded of the clothes Boss Lin left at the office. Some of them were intimates¡­ Fatty shivered even harder. ¡°Fatty!¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice came over from upstairs. Fatty dropped the towel and hurried upstairs. His eyes coloured with suspicion when he saw the Doctor and Boss Lin in the bedroom. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng began, ¡°Tonight, you shouldn¡¯t sleep in the upstairs living room. You¡­¡± ¡°Understood, Doctor. I¡¯ll sleep downstairs.¡± Fatty nodded vehemently. He was not as dumb as that. ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep downstairs. You two can sleep in the bedroom together.¡± He added, ¡°My neck feels a bit stifftely. I think sleeping on the couch can help fix that.¡± Chapter 171: Division Chapter 171: Division Fatty didn¡¯t seem to understand the Doctor. He looked at thetter with confusion. When he finally reacted, he felt like cracking open. ¡°What?¡± Fatty let slip. ¡°Alright. I still have something to do, so I¡¯ll go now.¡± Jiang Cheng hurriedly escaped from the bedroom. Fatty was left behind with a beauty in the qipao. ¡°Wait.¡± The calm voice said. Jiang Cheng hurriedly pushed open the bedroom door but he instantly froze. He unwillingly turned around to look at the beauty. Fatty was also observing her, but he didn¡¯t dare to look at her directly, only from the side of his eyes. His throat moved. The woman stood beside Jiang Cheng¡¯s old mattress. Her frost-like face suddenly melted with a smile. ¡°Join me.¡± Fatty, who heard that, felt his cheeks burn. His heart jumped faster than drums. Jiang Cheng hesitated a long time at the door. In the end, he walked back unwillingly. The woman watched him. The brightness in his eyes made spring even pale in colour. Fatty was stunned. However, to Fatty¡¯s confusion, the Doctor didn¡¯t look happy, but he looked like he was about to be executed. Perhaps¡­ Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t like to be forced. If not¡­ Then, the Doctor¡­ His pupils trembled, and he was reminded of the stamina issue the Doctor often mentioned. Could that be a sign of boasting to hide one¡¯s weaknesses? With that thought in mind, Fatty started to pity the Doctor. Before Fatty could figure it out, Jiang Cheng stopped beside him. After taking a deep breath, he told the woman, ¡°My body is not goodtely,¡± He added, ¡°Take it easy.¡± The woman smiled brighter, ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Fatty felt his blood boil. However, the next second, Fatty¡¯s blood chilled. The woman in the qipao didn¡¯t even look at him and chopped Fatty¡¯s neck with her hand. Fatty¡¯s eyes darkened, and he forgot about everything. Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty, whonded on the mattress with a thud, and he tutted.The woman stared at Jiang Cheng. Her eyes glowed with charm. With the dim environment and the woman¡¯s figure-hugging qipao, Jiang Cheng¡­ felt nothing in his heart. The woman stared at him and shrugged with disinterest. She raised her hand again. ¡°Wait!¡± Jiang Cheng made a pause gesture with his hands. The woman really stopped. Then, she put her hand down. She looked at Jiang Cheng as if waiting for him to speak his mind. Jiang Cheng turned his neck to the right side and sighed, ¡°This side is better.¡± The next second, he also fell on the mattress¡­ Right on top of Fatty. The next morning, Jiang Cheng was woken up by a blood-curdling scream. The voice entered his left ear and exited his right, shattering his brain. The thing that entered Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes was a naked Fatty. Thetter covered his fair skin and looked at Jiang Cheng in fear. If Fatty weren¡¯t Fatty, based on the normal script, Jiang Cheng would be pulling over the pillow toy on it. He¡¯d light a cigarette and then said slowly, ¡°Things have already happened¡­¡± However, this was not a script. It was the reality. Therefore, Jiang Cheng shot Fatty a harsh look. Thetter astutely shut his mouth. Jiang Cheng was in the same state of undress. However, he had the nket wrapped around him so he didn¡¯t look so exposed. ¡°Clean up.¡± Jiang Cheng ordered normally, ¡°Put on your clothes and get out of my bed.¡± Fatty looked at him like he deserved an exnation after the thing that had happened to him. The room was chilly, so Fatty rushed to put on his clothes. When he was almost dressed, Jiang Cheng got up. As Jiang Cheng pulled off the nket, Fatty¡¯s eyes focused. He saw a qipao inside the mattress! It was the one worn by the beauty yesterday! Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t care about it. He rolled up the qipao and tossed it into the clothes basket at the side. Fatty stood on tip-toe and saw many simr qipaos inside the basket. Fatty suddenly remembered cellr division in biology. He disagreed with his biology teacher, who said that only cells couldmit cellr division. After all, he felt like he had split open and divided at that moment. The next second, Jiang Cheng, who was dressed, pulled him back to reality, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. Nothing you see is real.¡± He paused, ¡°That is how I console myself. Then, you¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Fatty widened his eyes, ¡°Does she treat you like this often?¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it, ¡°Not that often. About once every month. Normally, it¡¯s when shees to check the ounts at the end of the month. If she discovers anything unusual, this will happen. ¡°Then, she¡¯ll use the opportunity to rummage through the office to see where I¡¯ve hidden the stuff.¡± Fatty, ¡°???¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty, ¡°If you have the free time, take care of yourself.¡± Fatty frowned with confusion. Jiang Cheng pointed at his neck and asked, ¡°Does it not hurt?¡± The question reactivated the pain receptors in Fatty. He reached for his neck and realised it was swollen. It was so swollen that he couldn¡¯t even turn his neck. He had gotten a stiff neck from bad sleeping posture before, but this was much worse. It was so painful that Fatty groaned continuously. One of their necks was titled to the left and the other to the right. They helped each other down the stairs. Each step was torture. After they reached downstairs, Jiang Cheng abandoned Fatty and walked into the kitchen. Then, he came out with arge bag. He turned over the bag, and the boxes of medicine tumbled out. Fatty instantly recognised this as the Doctor¡¯s stockpile. Jiang Cheng urately pulled out an anti-inmmatory patch from the pile. He opened the package and stuck it on Fatty¡¯s neck. The refreshing scent of mint spread out. Fatty instantly felt better. Jiang Cheng stared at Fatty for a moment and then unwillingly opened another pack. The reason was that one patch was not enough to cover Fatty¡¯s neck. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty unwound on the couch and moaned withfort, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to use one?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait.¡± Jiang Cheng cleaned up the pile of medicine. ¡°The medicine that hasn¡¯t expired is in another bag.¡± Chapter 172: New Map Chapter 172: New Map After the series of impacts, Fatty suddenly felt like it was nothing, even if the patch on his neck had expired. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty tilted his head to ask, ¡°Is that woman your boss?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What is her name?¡± Jiang Cheng applied his own patch and sat down across from Fatty, ¡°Lin Wan Er.¡± Fatty thought about it. The name was normal, but her actions¡­ At this point, Fatty shivered, and he asked in fear, ¡°Will shee back after this?¡± Jiang Cheng slowly answered, ¡°No. At least not for another month.¡± He thought about it and then edited himself, ¡°Normally she won¡¯t.¡± The mention of the woman made Jiang Cheng feel ufortable. Fatty could sense that the Doctor was purposely avoiding topics about Lin Wan Er. His eyes darted about. ¡°Fatty.¡± Jiang Cheng stood up to interrupt him. ¡°Have you ever wondered what we can gain from the nightmare?¡± The abruptness of this question confused Fatty, who was still thinking about Lin Wan Er. He blinked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±¡°Are the nk paper and newspapers everything to it¡­¡± Jiang Cheng seemed to be talking to himself. The usage of the papers was clear. The former could save lives, and thetter could provide clues, but¡­ was that all? Fatty was silent. He looked at Jiang Cheng. He knew that once Jiang Cheng proffered such a question, it meant that he already had an answer or a reliable hypothesis. ¡°Be it the white paper or the newspaper, their uses are limited to the nightmare missions. It¡¯s not hard to obtain them, but there¡¯s only one chance to use them.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty, ¡°Isn¡¯t that too harsh? ¡°In other words, you work so hard to gain these things, but you might still die even if you use all of them, so¡­ why still enter the nightmare realm? The risks are much higher than the rewards.¡± Fatty hesitated, ¡°Doctor, it¡¯s not our choice whether we enter the nightmare realm or not¡­¡± Suddenly, Fatty paused. He was reminded of thest time the Doctor entered the nightmare realm. As long as one had the newspaper, one could enter the nightmare realm rted to its content! Furthermore, one could trigger the mission much earlier than normal. Fatty finally understood what the Doctor meant. The Doctor¡¯s words were not that urate. His question was more like, why would people actively enter the nightmare realm? It had no benefits but to move the nightmare mission initiation time forward. Would someone do something so dumb? However, people did do that. And what they needed to do was to figure out why. Fatty narrowed his eyes. These people must have their own reasons, and the reasons had to correspond to the risks they might face! After all, the ghosts were not the only thing that could kill a traveller in the nightmare realm. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng like he had realised something, ¡°Could their goal be collecting the nk papers and newspapers to sell to rich people who might need them?¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, ¡°It¡¯s possible, but that can¡¯t be the majority.¡± Then, Jiang Cheng shared his thoughts. He believed choosing to enter the nightmare realm of one¡¯s own volition might lower the nightmare mission¡¯s difficulty or it might dy the arrival of the next mission. Fatty nodded in agreement. However, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t agree with these guesses. He still hadn¡¯t reached the core of the issue. ¡°Alright, Doctor,¡± Fatty consoled him, ¡°No matter what it is, one day we¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Jiang Cheng raised his head to look at Fatty. With his crooked neck, he looked very funny. Fatty was tickled by him. ¡°Doctor,¡± Heughed, ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll figure it out one day,¡± Jiang Cheng announced, ¡°But whether you can survive until that day is questionable.¡± Fatty instantly stoppedughing. Fatty spent the next few days in fear. He was worried that the Doctor¡¯s words mighte true. Jiang Cheng also received karma for scaring Fatty. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng chewd on the fish expressionlessly, ¡°Did you use the vinegar as soy sauce?¡± ¡°Did I?¡± ¡°Try it yourself.¡± Simr events caused Jiang Cheng to lose his sleep. He threatened Fatty that if this happened again, he would start purchasing take-outs, and Fatty would have to pay for everything. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty cleaned the tes as he poked his head out of the kitchen, ¡°You can forget about take-outs. We don¡¯t have the money.¡± Jiang Cheng, who was studying one of his patient¡¯s files, shuddered and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t you still have some? I saw a few notes on youst time!¡± Fatty sighed. Jiang Cheng instantly realised something. He asked, ¡°Did those get taken as well?¡± Fatty nodded in pain, ¡°I had them in my pocket before Boss Lin came. After she left, I couldn¡¯t find them anymore.¡± Chen Xiaomeng and the rest wouldn¡¯t have imagined that Jiang Cheng, who was in his element in the nightmare realm, would have such a limited life in the real world. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty asked, ¡°After this meal, we¡¯ll have to survive on the frozen food in the fridge. I checked earlier. A lot of them had their expiry dates worn away, so I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± ¡°You can save the trouble,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°They were already expired when I bought them.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t Boss Lin give you a sry?¡± Fatty grumbled. ¡°She does,¡± Jiang Cheng answered, ¡°But that¡¯ll not happen until a few dayster.¡± ¡°Then, what do you normally do at a time like this?¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and took out his phone. He made a call, ¡°Pi Wan, please respond if you receive this message.¡± And then¡­ Fatty rubbed his tummy and burped blissfully. The table was filled with empty dishes of seafood shells and bones. The thing that satisfied Fatty the most was the fridge. It was now stuffed with ingredients. They were hauled over from the five-star restaurant kitchen with an order from Pi Wan. The two went to bed after they had their fill. Fatty slept in the living room, and Jiang Cheng slept in the bedroom. In his dream, Jiang Cheng dreamed that he slowly stood up and his body uncontrobly walked to the first floor, and a ck iron door appeared before him. As the light shimmered, suddenly, his feet found purchase. In the dark, he could only recognise that he was inside an empty building. He held his breath. His ears¡­ There were sounds of¡­ waves? Chapter 173: Ambush Chapter 173: Ambush This was¡­ the sea. He didn¡¯t even need to think twice. He couldn¡¯t imagine ake creating waves of this intensity. Furthermore, the salty air agreed with him. He temporarily didn¡¯t see any teammates. He had no idea if Fatty came with him or not. Screaming or wandering around aimlessly in an unknown situation could be fatal. Even though the mission just started, Jiang Cheng got on all fours and hid in the dark. This building was strange. From his perspective, the domed ceiling was tall. At least he couldn¡¯t see the ceiling from the ground. The walls looked like steep cliffs. The way he could tell it was not an actual cliff was because he caught signs of human carving. Some of the walls also had exposed smooth marble surfaces. Copsed pirsy scattered all around him. Some of them were as thin as a person¡¯s thigh, while others were asrge as coliseum pirs. One of the reasons Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t move was because of these pirs. They looked like they had fallen from a high spot before crushing into pieces. Jiang Cheng was close to piles of rubble. Once he moved, he¡¯d make noise. Jiang Cheng had a feeling that he was not the only person there. There were others hiding in the dark. They could be friends or enemies. Regardless, Jiang Cheng nned to hide until the very end. His eyes scanned the darkness. After his eyes adjusted, Jiang Cheng realised he was not in actual darkness. The darkness was created by a lightyer of mist. Since the mist was ck¡­ He slowly waved his hand. The ck mist before his eyes dispersed, and he had a clearer view of the stone pir before his feet. The pir was carved with many unknown patterns. The top of the pir cracked andnded beside him. It was the carving of a¡­ Jiang Cheng frowned. The sea, wind and water had exhausted its original shape. Jiang Cheng had to say the carver meant for it to be a creature. Regardless, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t recognise it.It had fish scales but also avian wings. It also had ance-like tail. What was it? Thest time Jiang Cheng saw something like this was in a fantasy mobile game. Back then, he thought the game dev was ying a prank on the yers by throwing random things together and calling it a day. CREAK The sudden sound flustered Jiang Cheng slightly. He turned to the sound, and he saw the light. Eventually, the gap opened wider and more light streamed through. Jiang Cheng closed one eye and used his other eye to look at the light. He needed his eyes to get used to the light as soon as possible so that both of his eyes wouldn¡¯t be blinded at the same time. Soon, he realised the light gap was a door. It opened a gap because someone pushed the door open. ¡°This door is so heavy¡­¡± A familiar voice said. Even though it sounded powerful and even experienced, Jiang Cheng knew that the owner was acting. He was the cowardly Fatty. Once the door opened fully, the inside of the building became brighter. The ck mist was chased away. Jiang Cheng slowly stood up, facing away from the light. ¡°Someone¡¯s here!¡± Someone shouted. The voice was shrill, but it was undeniably male. Fatty¡¯s eyes glowed when he saw Jiang Cheng. He opened his mouth, ready to greet the Doctor. However, he soon realised something. He put away his excitement and regarded Jiang Cheng as if he were a stranger. Thankfully, everyone¡¯s attention was on Jiang Cheng, and no one noticed the change in him. It looked like¡­ these were their teammates this time. Jiang Cheng studied the group. He wondered why he was always thest one to be found by the group¡­ just like an orphan. Just as he was about to take a step forward to embrace the group, he paused. He heard a sound that was different from the waves. It was very close! It was just behind him! He instantly turned around. There was a young man with a handsome face standing beside the pir. He was probably one or two years younger than Jiang Cheng. When the young man realised that he had been spotted, he nodded at Jiang Cheng and smiled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I hope I didn¡¯t scare you.¡± A few strands of hair fell down the young man¡¯s forehead. His eyes looked through Jiang Cheng the gap in his bangs. His gentle face entuated his cultured upbringing. He was like a young master from the wuxia novels. He should be an ancient costume enthusiast. Even though his clothes were fitted, he carried him with a fluttery air. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jiang Cheng replied calmly. The young man sighed in relief, like he had been forgiven. He nodded apologetically at Jiang Cheng before turning to the rest of the group. Jiang Cheng looked at the giant pir beside the young man. When he first arrived, he checked his surroundings. He made sure there was no one around before he started studying the stone pir and carving before him. Back then, he also checked this stone pir behind him. There was no one around it then. In other words¡­ Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. This young master probably slunk to Jiang Cheng¡¯s back while the waves were roaring to cover his movement. Fatty and the rest walked over. Including Jiang Cheng and the young master, there were eight travellers for this mission. There were four males and four females. One of them was a man about two metres tall. The man stood behind a girl in a Loli outfit. The girl¡¯s head only reached the man¡¯s waist. From Fatty, Jiang Cheng found out that they were extremely close to the sea. This strange building was about 100 meters away from the shore. There were no other buildings nearby. The building backed into a steep cliff, and the other side faced an endless forest. In other words, if one wanted to leave the ce, one had to climb up the cliff, trek through the forest, or find a boat to brave the sea. Jiang Cheng looked at a tanned and thin woman. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± The woman lookednky, but she was extremely athletic. However, her body was covered in tiny scars. Some of them were even bleeding. ¡°I tried to climb up the cliff to have a better vantage point,¡± The woman answered honestly. Clearly, she had failed. ¡°The cliffs around here are too worn out by the seabreeze. There are too many spots that cannot support the human weight,¡± The woman said as she looked out the door. Chapter 174: Shipwreck Chapter 174: Shipwreck Jiang Cheng followed her gaze and saw the steep cliff she mentioned. The cut surface looked like it had been sliced by an axe. ¡°Do you mean to leave this ce?¡± Jiang Cheng pulled back his gaze to ask. Be it the woman¡¯s action to scale the cliff or the previous mention of the jungle-trekking, they revealed the group¡¯s intention to leave this ce¡­ not the nightmare realm but this area where they spawned. ¡°Yes.¡± Someone answered. Jiang Cheng turned to him, ¡°Why?¡± He didn¡¯t get it. They had just gotten there and hadn¡¯t even started exploring. However, they were already in a hurry to leave. Did they discover a source of danger or something? Everyone turned to a woman on the right. Clearly, she was the one who expressed the wish to leave. The woman looked like she was over 50. She wore a string of pearls, and her hair hung about inzy curls. She looked normal. However, different from her everyday way of dressing, her eyes radiated extreme pressure. She was not someone that was easy to get along with. However, Jiang Cheng, who answered her gaze, was unfazed. The next second, the woman opened his lips and gave Jiang Cheng an answer that he never would have guessed. ¡°I¡¯ve been here before.¡± The woman didn¡¯t mind the strange look she got from Jiang Cheng. She continued. The young master behind Jiang Cheng looked interested as well. ¡°Back then, the ship we were on met a horrible storm. The ship tipped over. We spent a whole night on the rescue boat. On the next morning, we discovered thisnd.¡± ¡°Is this thatnd?¡±¡°Yes.¡± The woman nodded. ¡°We approached its shore using the boat.¡± At this point, the woman stopped talking as if she was reminded of something. ¡°What happened after that?¡± Fatty couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°We fired a triangtion signal using our equipment. Then, we were rescued by a passing ship.¡± She concluded, ¡°In any case, we need to find a way to leave this ce immediately.¡± Was it that simple? None of the travellers was dumb. If it were that simple, the woman wouldn¡¯t urge them to leave so urgently. ¡°When did this happen?¡± ¡°20 years ago,¡± The woman answered clearly. ¡°20 years,¡± the young master smiled gently, ¡°Your group had a triangtion signal device back then?! And it was found after a shipwreck?!¡± The woman raised her head. She looked at the young master and then at Jiang Cheng. She felt like they shared the same gaze. ¡°It was probably not a simple shipwreck.¡± The young monster shrugged. ¡°Young man,¡± The woman began. Her presence at that moment confirmed Jiang Cheng¡¯s suspicion. ¡°I advise you to channel your focus on how to escape this ce and not try to figure out something you shouldn¡¯t know. Otherwise, even if you leave this ce alive, people will track you down when you¡¯re outside.¡± That rified things in most people¡¯s hearts. If the woman were not lying, she definitely had an interesting background. She was probably on a secret mission back then. There was no shipwreck. Her team arrived at this ce and encountered something inexplicable. That would exin why she was so desperate to leave when she returned to this ce. In fact, the woman might be the sole survivor of the incident back then. ¡°That is something we¡¯ll worry aboutter.¡± The young master looked into her eyes. ¡°Now, I just want to know what happened and how to leave this ce.¡± The woman looked at the young master, Jiang Cheng and the rest. The situation was clear. If she didn¡¯t exin the entirety of the situation, it would be hard for her to escape. This was not their normal world where thew guided everything. Only rules mattered. The consequences of angering one¡¯s teammates were severe. ¡°You will regret this.¡± The woman made onest struggle. ¡°No. You will regret this,¡± Another woman with a leather coat shrugged, ¡°If you don¡¯t spill the beans.¡± The coat she wore was covered in nails. She wore ck boots that reached her knees. Her legs were long and fair. She looked like a punk biker. ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me.¡± The woman replied, ¡°At my age, I¡¯ve seen everything. There are two bullets lodged in my shoulders that haven¡¯t been removed. What can you do if I don¡¯t want to tell you? Kill me?¡± The woman was not bluffing. The travellers could sense the woman¡¯s burning murder intent. She didn¡¯t mind death. In her eyes, the other travellers were probably nothing more than little kids. ¡°No one wants to do anything to you.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°Everyone just wants to live. Think about this. If someone else among us has the amount of information you have but refuses to share it, what will you do? ¡°We have no interest in the confidential stuff,¡± Jiang Cheng continued, ¡°We just want to survive. After all¡­¡± His eyes suddenly watered, and his voice caught. The woman, Fatty and everyone else looked at him strangely. He didn¡¯t look like a newbie, so why was he¡­ Jiang Cheng grabbed the woman by her hands, and tears swirled in his eyes. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I die, but I have a bedridden mother at home. My father died early. She raised me on her own. I¡­¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s sudden plea was shocking. Even though he had the acting chops, the rest of the travellers didn¡¯t buy it. They all thought he was lying. Just as Fatty thought Jiang Cheng would fail, thetter seeded. It was unclear if the woman was really touched or if she found pity within her heart¡­ She revealed to them the details of the mission, excluding the sensitive parts. ¡°Back then, we received an emergency mission,¡± The woman slowly went down memoryne, ¡°We were told one of our country¡¯s guest ships had encountered a shipwreck. ¡°We instantly had an emergency meeting. After assigning the rescue groups and supplies, we departed for the location of the shipwreck. ¡°At the time, I was responsible for confirming the ship logistics. Normally, we would depart after we checked all the supplies. However, that mission was so rushed. Everyone was in a hurry. The supplies were not even packed individually in a waterproofyer. Instead, they were shipped out collectively in dark green containers.¡± Chapter 175: Confidential Chapter 175: Confidential ¡°Some of us on the ship noticed something was wrong because the scale of the supply protection was abnormally high. Even the internal departments of our unit were not allowed to check the supplies. ¡°However, we were trained to follow the orders without any questions. Therefore, after a simple preparation, our boat departed. ¡°The thing we didn¡¯t expect was¡­¡± The woman suddenly paused, ¡°We reached international seas around early morning. It was the time for the shift change. I just finished my shift on deck. When I passed by the containers on the deck to return to my cabin, I heard sounds from the containers. ¡°The sounds were not loud, but they were very special.¡± She remembered, ¡°It sounded like something sharp grinding against the metallic shell. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what came over me. I was taken over by a sense of curiosity. I slowly moved over. As I neared the containers, my curiosity became more intense. Then, I had the urge to open the container.¡± At this point, the woman revealed the expression of regret. Even though she quickly covered it up, the other travellers captured it. ¡°And then?¡± The woman who climbed the cliff asked. ¡°When I woke up next, I was already in custody.¡± The middle-aged woman sighed. ¡°A man sat across from me. He stared at me coolly. I had never seen him before. He was around 50 years old and was dressed casually. There was no rank orbel on his shoulders and cor.¡± ¡°Was he not from your ship?¡± ¡°No.¡± The woman shook her head. ¡°But I could sense that he was of the same faction as us. However, his ranking was much higher. After that, our ship captain was sent down by two people, and the way our captain treated the man showed the importance of his identity.¡± The woman pointed at her shoulder, ¡°Our captain has two bars and four stars.¡°They interrogated me about certain things, but back then, I were too light-headed to remember anything.¡± As for why the woman couldn¡¯t remember anything, everyone understood why. ¡°Then, I was hauled out by two people. They wore helmets and dark green sses that I hadn¡¯t seen before. I couldn¡¯t see their eyes, but I could sense their cold gazes. ¡°I was confused. I wondered why there were so many unrecognisable characters on the ship. I was brought to the big conference room. Along the way, we passed by the deck. I realised four of the containers were open. Groups of people were moving stuff. There were a lot of guards. ¡°They were transporting wooden boxes of varying sizes. They looked so heavy that four people were needed to move each box.¡± Everyone narrowed their eyes. The wooden boxes probably had things like weapons and ammo. But¡­ this was international seas. One ident could lead to a world war. What kind of situation required this kind of reaction? ¡°When I was looking that way, the person who escorted me shoved me with his gun. It was so sudden that I fell. I grabbed the nearest thing to save my fall. It was arge green waterproof cloth. ¡°I yanked the cloth off. It was a cannon underneath. ¡°However, it was not the kind that fired cannonballs. The cannon was equipped with arge trident. It was about 2 metres long.¡± ¡°A whaling cannon?!¡± Someone gasped. Everyone turned to the sound. The person who gasped was little Loli, who had said nothing until then. The woman nced at her. She didn¡¯t confirm or deny it. She merely added, ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell the situation on the other side of the deck, but on my side, there were 4 to 5 objects covered under simr dark green waterproof cloths.¡± The young mastermented, ¡°Your boat has great tonnage.¡± ¡°Please continue, ¡°Jiang Cheng nodded. The woman paused. ¡°I was brought to thergest conference room. When the door opened, I noticed all the sailors were there. Everyone was so nervous because they jumped at the sound of the door opening. ¡°The man around 50 who I saw earlier stood at the most conspicuous spot. He was surrounded by armed personnel. ¡°I looked at the man beside me. I realised his finger was on the trigger and¡­¡± The woman took a deep breath, ¡°The gun safety was not on. ¡°The mysterious man took a folder from another man. He opened it before all of us. The folder only contained one piece of paper. He read from it and announced an immediate control of the ship. ¡°Everyone on the boat, regardless of their rank, has to follow his orders. ¡°He initiated a martialw. Everyone had to abide by his orders unconditionally. ¡°Contact with the outside world was cut off, andmunication devices were not allowed. At least two people would be assigned to patrol the important locations at all times. ¡°Any vitors would be punished by martialw!¡± When the woman exined these things, she was calm and even. She was merely reciting the truth. The woman sighed, giving herself and the others a chance to breathe. ¡°He got the captain and the leaders of the various departments to stay behind. The rest was chased away by the people with guns. ¡°Then, he took out another piece of document. It was rted to our mission.¡± Everyone realised that this was not a simple sea rescue. It was a highly confidential military mission. From the mission details and the confidentiality uses that were exemplified, the order probably came directly from the highestmander in the capital. The woman was also very clever. Her story contained many vague spots that obfuscated the details that might pinpoint the characters and setting of her story. She didn¡¯t mention any locales or names. She made it sound more like a webnovel plot than anything. This was protection for the woman and the other travellers. Chapter 176: Communication Chapter 176: Communication ¡°I believe you would have guessed by now that¡­¡± The woman sighed, ¡°This was not a shipwreck incident. Or rather, it was not a simple shipwreck incident. ¡°The man took out thest document to exin the situation.¡± The woman failed to control her emotions, and her voice shook, ¡°We lost four ships there. One of the ships was our current ship¡¯s sister ship. ¡°That ship belonged to the same department as we did, and the ship was parked at the same port. ¡°The incident happened half a month ago. I was sleeping at the time. I was suddenly woken up by the siren asking us to gather. The next morning, the sister ship departed with the sailors on it. However, none of us paid much attention to it. After all, emergency missions were normal for us. ¡°But eventually, some of us noticed something was wrong. They were¡­ gone for too long.¡± The woman exined, ¡°However, due to the technological limitation at the time, we rarely ventured too far out into the sea. ¡°Normally, a ship would have to return to the port for resupply after a week, but they were gone for almost half a month. There was no news at all. Then, the rumours started to fly. They said that something had happened to them. ¡°The people at the guard station mentioned that some of them saw a car secretly enter the admin building of our port base at night. It was a pure ck car, and the headlights were not switched on. It was clear that they were trying to be stealthy.¡± Realising that she had strayed from the topic, the woman cleared her mind and continued, ¡°The source couldn¡¯t be confirmed anymore. I believe even the man back then had no better idea. We only knew that there was something wrong with that particr part of the sea. The superior sent two more ships to the area to examine it. ¡°However, we instantly lost contact with those two ships the moment they entered that area of the sea. ¡°This time, even the superiors could sit idly by anymore. They instantly sent our sister ship for follow-up, and the ship was filled with armed members. However, things happened to them as well.¡°It happened on the second day they arrived at that mysterious spot. At midnight, themunication channel suddenly became disrupted. The channel was filled with static noises.¡± Jiang Cheng frowned slightly. He found this to be weirdly familiar. ¡°And then?¡± Someone urged. The woman nced at her. The person instantly shut up. ¡°Then, our sister ship also disappeared in that zone. The ship and the people on it all disappeared.¡± Just as everyone thought this was a story that was going nowhere, the woman baulked. She didn¡¯t look fine. Her neck turned red, and her breathing became heavy. Her lungs sounded weirdly hollow. ¡°He¡­ He broadcasted a recording.¡± The woman tried to speak, ¡°It was thest recordedmunication before they disappeared.¡± ¡°What was on it?¡± The biker woman asked. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be heard clearly. It was too chaotic. There were gunshots and screams everywhere.¡± The woman¡¯s mental condition was not right, but no one interrupted her. ¡°Thest person who was recorded was the ship captain. I know him. I remember him screaming¡­ It¡¯s hell! The door of hell is opening! ¡°Do note any closer! ¡°The scariest thing is¡­ after all the screams and gunfires stopped, we heard a spine-chilling sound. ¡°It was¡­ the sound of crunching!¡± The woman was focused on the story. Her story caused everyone to shiver. It was hard to imagine how the group of people heard the recording live back then. Fatty¡¯s face was pale. He had no idea what he had done to deserve to hear such a horror story. ¡°Is¡­ is it over?¡± Fatty hugged his body and trembled. He felt so chilly that he subconsciously moved towards the sun. The woman ignored him. Instead, she looked at Jiang Cheng and then at the young master. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. He sighed internally that the woman was not simple. The young master beside him was not easy to deal with either. He even suspected that if Fatty¡¯s group didn¡¯te at the time that they did, they might open the door only to see either him or the young master alone. The chance of it being thetter was higher. The next second, the woman slowly opened her lips. She uttered in a strange tone, ¡°At the very end of that recording, there was a strange sound.¡± The woman tried to find words to describe it, but she failed. She shook her head and said with confirmation, ¡°In any case, it was not a sound from the natural world. It was made by something that was alive, just like you and me!¡± After saying that, the woman was enervated. Her body tipped back. Thankfully, Jiang Cheng was quick enough to catch her. He then ced her against the stone pir to rest. After all, the woman was quite old already. While they waited for the woman to recover, the rest of them split up into groups to explore this sole building and its environs. The Loli girl and the 2-metre-tall man clearly knew each other. They chose to explore the ruin on the left side of the building. Then, they left. The group watched them leave. Then, it was the biker girl and the climbing girl. They probably didn¡¯t know each other, or at least that was how it seemed on the surface. After a briefmunication, they chose the opposite direction from the Loli girl. They chose the right side. The ce had a better vantage point and lessplicated geography. After that, Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes met the young master¡¯s gaze. Thetter seemed to be waiting for him. The young master nodded with a smile. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to go along with that big brother.¡± He turned to Fatty and added, ¡°Mind going as a group to take a look around?¡± Fatty couldn¡¯t be happier to be grouped with the Doctor. Just as he was about to say yes, Jiang Cheng cut in, ¡°I don¡¯t like him. You can go with him.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the eyes hidden behind the bangs and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll stay to look after thisdy.¡± Chapter 177: Chen Ran Chapter 177: Chen Ran The young master¡¯s eyes wandered between Jiang Cheng and Fatty. Then, he smiled, ¡°I¡¯m afraid my connection with the big brother won¡¯t be as close as yours with him. We might miss some details if we work together.¡± Fatty was startled, and his heart shrunk. He didn¡¯t expect the man to realise that he actually knew the Doctor. ¡°Enough.¡± It was the woman who leaned on the stone pir who spoke. Between heavy breaths, she lifted his eyes painfully, ¡°All of you can go together. I wish to be alone.¡± Then, she harrumphed, ¡°I¡¯ve said everything I can say. It¡¯s been so long. I can¡¯t remember the rest.¡± She paused. ¡°It¡¯s pointless even if you stay around me. I have nothing else to add.¡± It was then that Fatty realised the Doctor and the young master had the same n. They wanted to get a chance to be alone with the woman and get her to reveal more information. Fatty was not dumb enough to believe that the woman had told them everything. Based on what she said and the fear she had shown, the things that happened back then happened on their ship as well. They were attacked by some unknown creatures or forces. The survivors floated to this ind. From the looks of things, her experience on the ind was not great, or she wouldn¡¯t have asked to leave so quickly. In other words, dangers existed not only on the sea but also on the ind. At this point, Fatty looked around. If he had to pick out the strangest thing on this ind, it would be this building. From the outside, therge building looked like themon cathedral in Western movies. It wasrger than a church. Arge spire stood on the domed top. It was like a de that pierced into the sky. The mottled walls looked aged and corroded by the sea wind. The ce had an ancient air. The building looked like it came out of an apocalyptic movie. It should inspire and impress. However, Fatty only felt oppressed. Even when he stood under the high ceiling, he felt very oppressed, as if a heavy stone were ced over his heart. His breathing became difficult. The stone pirs were scattered everywhere. The floor was cracked and pebbles were everywhere. One had to be careful with each step. The broken pirs created a strange lighting effect. It felt like an indescribable thing was hidden in the alternative shadows, itching to make a move. Fatty couldn¡¯t imagine whether it was just his imagination. The woman slowly closed her eyes, as if she was resting. However, the rest understood this meant that the conversation was over.¡°Big brother,¡± The young master suddenly said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay with thedy? I¡¯ll go with the other brother.¡± His tone was gentle. A smile always hung on his face. ¡°After all, only the two of us haven¡¯t seen the outside before.¡± Fatty turned to Jiang Cheng. Then, he heard the familiar voice say, ¡°Fine.¡± They left towards the door. Fatty watched them leave. Their footsteps faded away. The woman¡¯s eyes opened. Fatty didn¡¯t notice this because his attention was on the Doctor and the young master. He wondered what would happen between them. The woman kept her head lowered. Her hidden eyes stared at a spot less than half a meter away from her feet. There was a piece of protruding pebble. The pebble had a strange shape like it had been peeled off from a bigger part. The surface had the carving of scales about the size of a human palm. As the sun ray shone on it, the scales rippled as if they were¡­ alive. The woman quickly closed her eyes again. ¡­ Different from the tension that Fatty imagined, the moment the young master and Jiang Cheng left the building and walked on the white sandy beach, they had a cheerful conversation. ¡°What is brother¡¯s name?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°Chen Ran,¡± The young man tilted his head and smiled at Jiang Cheng. ¡°What about you?¡± The wind picked up the young master¡¯s bangs to reveal his phoenix-shaped eyes. He looked like an ancient schr. ¡°The name is Hao Shuai! Or extremely handsome!¡± Jiang Cheng turned to the wind. His hair was a mess. He announced proudly. The young master was taken aback. Then, he took another look at Jiang Cheng. He hesitated and said, ¡°What a good name.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all my friends say.¡± Jiang Cheng was very satisfied. ¡°They say I match my name perfectly!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ What is Brother Hao¡¯s opinion on this situation?¡± The young master couldn¡¯t handle it anymore and directly cut to the crux of the issue. They were at the beach where everything could be seen clearly. There was no need to be secretive. Jiang Cheng lowered his voice, ¡°It¡¯s definite that the woman hasn¡¯t revealed everything. The key issues like what they have encountered and what happened to the survivors after they arrived at the ind have been left out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The young master nodded. ¡°She also didn¡¯t mention how she left this ind thest time either.¡± The man chuckled, ¡°I suspect it¡¯s more than just a gag order from the government.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. Something shed in his eyes. The young master didn¡¯t miss it. He shrugged helplessly. ¡°Brother Hao, don¡¯t overthink it. It was just my gut feeling. It¡¯s unreliable.¡± The young master turned towards the cathedral-like building and sighed, ¡°Just like this building. It gave me the feeling that it was alive. When I was inside it, I felt like I was in the stomach of some giant beast. It was hard to breathe.¡± Chapter 178: Stone Door Chapter 178: Stone Door AIZ The sound and the wind grabbed their attention. Someone stood to the right of the building¡¯srge door. He jumped and waved at the two of them. It was Fatty. ¡°Looks like they have discovered something,¡± The young master said. On the way back, Jiang Cheng nced at the forest. The edge of the forest was about 100 metres from the building. The trees at the fringe were smaller, but the deeper one went, the taller the nts. From the beach, one could see the canopy of the trees that were more than 10 metres tall. The whole forest was enveloped in a strange atmosphere. The gap between the trees was small. From where he stood, it felt like the ce was surrounded by a ck mist. It reminded him of the mist that inside the building at first. It was ck and shapeless. It would disperse with a light wave of the hand. Seeing the Doctor and the young master, Fatty rushed towards them. He said rapidly, ¡°Hurry on in. They found something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. Fatty nced at the young master and then back at Jiang Cheng. He answered, ¡°A hidden door.¡± With Fatty leading the way, the three of them met up the rest at a secluded corner. The bikerdy was whispering to the climberdy. The Loli nced at them with annoyance. The tall man stood behind her. The man might look tall, but he didn¡¯t feel imposing. Jiang Cheng had heard his voice before. He sounded quite feminine. When therge man realised Jiang Cheng was looking at him, he was flustered and turned away with embarrassment.The Loli girl noticed this and tapped the man¡¯s hand. She stood on her tip-toe and tried her best to say something to him. The aged woman sat on a broken pir about 4 meters away from the hidden door. She said nothing. Due to the light, one couldn¡¯t see her expression. When the group saw them, the biker woman and the climber woman moved away to reveal the door entirely. This was a stone door. Since they were on the left side of the building, this should fall within the Loli girl and the tall man¡¯s search perimeter. However, based on the situation, the door was probably found by the climber and biker women. Technically, this should not be something serious. After all, the mission had just started. Plus, the stone door was closed. The stone door was formed from worn-out stone. It had traces of polishing. The overall colour was dark. It looked slightly red under the light. It gave off the feeling that the stone door had been soaked in blood and then hauled out. Even though it had been cleaned off, the blood had already seeped into the stone. Fatty was frightened by this thought that appeared in his mind. He took a deep breath to move closer to the Doctor. Ever since he entered this building, he would be surprised by various thoughts that somehow bubbled up in his mind. He massaged his temples. Maybe it was the fear that caused these thoughts to assault his mind. It was because the woman¡¯s story was too scary. The young master turned to look at the two women by the door. ¡°Have you tried it?¡± ¡°We tried to push it together,¡± The climber woman answered, ¡°But the door didn¡¯t even budge.¡± She added in a lower voice, ¡°I don¡¯t think it can be opened that way.¡± After all, this was an old door. Even if it could be pushed open, who knew how much strength was required? Jiang Cheng moved forward to feel along the door. The young master took a step back to check the nearby pirs and stone piles to see if there were any hidden mechanisms. Just as Fatty was about to be hit by the story told by the woman again, Jiang Cheng hummed in confusion. This grabbed everyone¡¯s attention. Jiang Cheng took a step to the left to be closer to the door. He looked at the door perpendicrly. A few secondster, he switched to 3 to 4 different angles. In the end, he walked away with a confused expression. ¡°What did you discover?¡± The biker woman asked. They had studied the stone door before they came. They didn¡¯t discover anything special. This was a normal stone door. ¡°There¡¯s something on the door.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°It should be something like a carving. You can feel it with your fingers, but you can¡¯t see it.¡± Just as he finished, everyone pounced forward to rub their hands on the doors. Then, their faces brightened with colourful expressions. There was indeed a carving, but it was very light. They were not visible but could be felt. The young master thought about it and then bent over to grab some dirt from the ground. He showered it on the door. Instantly, the traces appeared. It was a creature with a pair of antlers and the body was covered in scales. The most curious thing was the thing had two pairs of bat wings. The one on the top wasrger than the one on the bottom. The creature didn¡¯t have any limbs. The spots where the limbs were had fish gills-like organs. If Jiang Cheng had to describe it, the organs were probably an evolutionary path as aquatic creatures becamended creatures. Perhaps it had been worn out, or it was not drawn. There was no organ that looked like an eye. Instead, there was a mouth that was almost the size of its face on its head. ¡°What is this?¡± The climberdy screamed. Her eyes widened. So far, she had finished five missions. She had encountered many crazy things, but this was the craziest so far. Before this, they faced actual ghosts. Most of them were evil ghosts who were out for revenge. A small part was mentally unhinged before they died. They became crazier after death. But this time¡­ Her throat moved. She was reminded of the recording the aged woman said. The people in the recording were clearly attacked by something. Most importantly¡­ the thing came from the sea. Chapter 180: Suspicion Chapter 180: Suspicion Was this the thing that assaulted them? Everyone was silent. They knew the issue. It was a scoff that broke the silence. Everyone turned to the young master¡¯s handsome face. He looked at the organism on the door and shrugged, ¡°You people don¡¯t really believe this thing exists, right? ¡°Everything in the mission is based on something that has happened in real life. In other words, everything here can be traced back to something real in real life. None of you are newbies, so you should know whether I¡¯m lying or not.¡± The young master continued, ¡°Plus, this creature¡¯s physical make-up and its shape are clearly not based in reality. This ce¡­¡± He looked around, ¡°It should be something like a church or a ritual ground. It¡¯s clearly human-made. I believe the creators are humans who live by the ocean. ¡°In the history of humankind, people survive based on their geography. For the natives here, the ocean is their source of life. ¡°When the fishing is good, everyone can survive. When the catch is bad, they will have to starve. ¡°Over time, they would develop an admiration for the mysterious sea. They would attach the source of the natural tragedy and great waves to the anger of the sea. The sea is given a life and bes a person with emotions like you and me. ¡°Because humanity needs something unusually strong to sustain their admiration,¡± He added, ¡°Or to be a source of their respect and fear! ¡°The strongest and most ancient emotion of humanity is fear. The strongest feares from the unknown. The sea, the deep sea, is one of the few unknowns on Earth.¡°I believe that is the reason behind the construction of this building. They should perform rituals to appease the Sea God here to pray for a good catch and safety.¡± The young master¡¯s speech was inspiring. His words were like a ray of light, tearing apart the travellers¡¯ fear of the unknown. First of all, if the enemy were the ghost, they could end the mission by fulfilling their wishes. If the enemy were this unknown creature on the stone wall, what else could they do? This thing should only exist in the minds of novelists. Slowly, someone spoke. It was the Loli who hadn¡¯t spoken much. ¡°So you mean¡­ this thing is not real, but it¡¯s from the manifestation of the people who had lived here to hold their hope and fear?¡± When she said that, her eyes wandered over to the aged woman hiding in the dark. She stood there silently like a statue. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The young master nodded. ¡°For example, you can find cave paintings of natural elements like fire, wind and thunder that humans back then couldn¡¯t control.¡± He paused. ¡°Also cave paintings like ferocious beasts.¡± The young master provided everyone with a new direction. Gazes wandered around the aged woman. Could¡­ the woman have been spinning a yarn for her specific reasons? At first, her story was harrowing, but once they dissected it further, her story had a lot of loopholes. The setting and characters were unclear. The source was a recording that they hadn¡¯t heard before. Plus, the woman had hidden many details due to confidentiality. Of course,ter, she said that she¡­ had forgotten many things. Perhaps she had been lying all along. She was trying to confuse them! There was no shipwreck, and she was not a secret agent. She was just another traveller trying to survive. After all, they were in the nightmare realm. When they first met her, she insisted that they leave this ce as soon as possible before they even had the chance to explore the ce. This was unimaginable in the nightmare realm. Plus¡­ The woman said she had been there before. In that case, she would have recognised the church and knew that the stone door was a part of it. It was impossible to miss. When they split up for the exploration, she could have mentioned the stone door. However, she didn¡¯t. It was the others who found the stone door. Some thought that the woman had lost her mind since this was her first time in the nightmare realm. She was just rambling. A lot of information, both true and false, entered everyone¡¯s mind. They needed toe to a decision as soon as possible. The young master nced casually to his side. He noticed Jiang Cheng was whispering to Fatty. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t look nervous or contemtive. In contrast, Fatty looked like his brain was going into overdrive due to the information Jiang Cheng was feeding him. The young master didn¡¯t have the time to deal with them because his target was the aged woman. He didn¡¯t need to pressure her. He only needed to nt the seed of suspicion. ¡±Doctor,¡± Fatty widened his eyes. ¡°You mean everything this man, who looks prettier than you, has said is fake?! ¡°He did it to¡­ malign the aged woman in the eyes of the others to force her to reveal everything that she knows?!¡± Jiang Cheng red at Fatty. Clearly, he was annoyed that Fatty said the young master was prettier than him. However, after a while, he still exined, ¡°Yes. However, it¡¯s unrealistic to get her to reveal everything. He¡¯ll get as much as he gets. Probably enough to make the rest stop suspecting her.¡± ¡°In other words¡­¡± Fatty¡¯s body trembled as his eyes wandered to the stone door, ¡°That thing¡­ is real?!¡± Jiang Cheng looked as well. He didn¡¯t answer Fatty but said lightly, ¡°Back then, we still haven¡¯t found this door.¡± Fatty was confused. Then, he froze. The Doctor was right. When the woman shared her story¡­ they hadn¡¯t found this door, much less the mysterious creature on it. So¡­ How did the woman know about the danger in the sea ande up with the story that they were attacked by unknown creatures that came from the ocean? Chapter 181: Hidden Room Chapter 181: Hidden Room It was clear that everyone wanted to get more information from the aged woman but thetter sat on the stone pir and said nothing. It was her silence or rather hostility that made the rest didn¡¯t dare to force her. Everyone wanted to get her to speak, but no one wanted to be the bad guy to force her. After all, that person might be taken revenge on by her. If what the woman said was true, then her survival chance would be very high. After all, this would be her second time there. ¡°What should we do now?¡± Someone asked. The travellers were silent. Everyone knew that there had to be a secret behind this stone door. If they couldn¡¯t find the mechanism to open it, they had to brute force it. But¡­ who would do that? Sometimes, it was not a good thing for there to be too many clever people. If they were newbies or not so clever, they¡¯d be ramming themselves into the door already. Of course, the chance of them being killed by the monster was also high. A mysterious wind picked up to blow away the dust on the door. The carving of the creature blurred. This was good. It lowered the mental pressure on the group. The stone door was weaker than they thought. The four men picked up a medium-sized stone pir and rammed it into the stone door. The door didn¡¯t open like a normal door but fell back like a domino. It raised up a lot of dust. The moment the door fell, the four immediately retreated. The dust eventually settled to reveal the secret behind the door. It was a stone stairs. From their angle, all they could see was the stairs curving upwards into the dark. The young master waved away the dust and turned to the women. He nodded. ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡±That was the agreement before the men took down the door. The men would knock down the door, and the women would explore the space behind it first. In the nightmare realm, everyone was treated equally. When death was right before their faces, chivalry was nothing. The three women gathered unwillingly together. Clearly, each one of them had their own plot. No one knew what was at the end of the winding stairs. The unknown was the scariest. The tall man slowly walked towards the Loli girl to apany her. When he was discovered, the girl shot him a look. The tall man instantly froze up and pouted sadly. This confused Fatty tremendously. Just as everyone¡¯s attention was on the darkness behind the door, a figure shed across everyone¡¯s eyes. The aged woman strode into the stone door. Everyone quickly followed her once they reacted. It felt strange walking on the stone steps. It was as if they were not walking on a normal staircase but a history buried in time. This history might be one that would not be recorded. It was hard to tell if it were done on purpose or worn away by time. There were parts of the stairs that were chipped and broken. If one looked through the holes, one could only see darkness. Looking at it for too long and one might be drawn into it. They stayed close to the wall and took deliberate steps. Jiang Cheng used his fingers to feel the walls. The walls were carved with hard-to-understand patterns. It could be more of the same creatures on the wall, or it could be something elsepletely. Finally¡­ they reached the end of the stairs. There was another stone door, but it was left open. Even though it was not fully opened, the gap wasrge enough for an adult man to squeeze through. The aged woman slipped through it without any hesitation. As Jiang Cheng watched the woman disappear behind the door, something inscrutable crossed his eyes. The young master followed the woman. Only Fatty had a bit of trouble. With the young master pulling him from the inside and Jiang Cheng pushing him from the outside, Fatty finally squeezed through the gap. Fatty knew that he was a burden, so he swore to Jiang Cheng that he¡¯d go back and lose weight. Jiang Cheng, who had just gotten through, gave him a side-eye and tutted. Inside the stone door was a space of about 20 cubic metres. It was shaped like a dome. Based on their observation of the outside of the building, they were probably at the top of the ceiling. The walls were no longer normal stone but they were made from mika-like crystals. In a way, they looked like stained ss. They should be of a certain thickness because the ce was quiet. They could barely hear the wind. Different spots of the wall shone differently. It was not conspicuous, but it was there. Jiang Cheng took a few more nces, but he couldn¡¯t figure out the secret behind it. There was a rack about half a human tall in the middle of the room. The rack was fully white. It felt unique to one¡¯s touch. It had great heat conduction. It didn¡¯t feel like it was made from stone or metal. A vesselrger than a basin was ced on the rack. After blowing away theyer of dust, milky-white coagnts were left inside the vessel. The young master touched them and pressed them between his fingers. He then sniffed them and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fat.¡± Jiang Cheng very generously did a lot of things. His oily hands eventually hauled up a rope of an unknown material. The rope was covered in burned oil. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t seem to mind the oil. Everyone looked at him with admiration. They were at the top of the building. The room had half-transparent walls. The centre of the room had a vessel with oily residual and a ck rope¡­ With all the evidence, the function of this room was clear. It was a lighthouse. ¡°Is this building a lighthouse?¡± Fatty thought of that too. The device in the middle of the room was a super giant candle. The young master smiled, ¡°The big brother is right but not urate. Only this room is the lighthouse, but not the entire building.¡± ¡°Who would build such a big lighthouse for no reason?¡± Jiang Cheng mocked. ¡°The builders might be backwards, but they are not dumb.¡± Fatty felt embarrassed, and he suddenly wanted to cry. Even the young master, who was an outsider, treated him better than the Doctor. Chapter 182: Guests Chapter 182: Guests ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty said in a voice that only he and the Doctor could hear. ¡°Hmm?¡± Jiang Cheng raised his head. ¡°Can you stop rubbing the oil on your hands onto my body?¡± ¡°Tsk,¡± Jiang Cheng pulled back his hands, which were already much cleaner. ¡°So stingy.¡± ¡°Come over here and look!¡± The biker woman shouted. She stood beside arge wooden rack. The group walked over and realised the rack had many baskets, which came with lids. However, the lids had been removed and dropped on the ground. The baskets contained bundles of firewood. They also found cloth-like material in one basket. ¡°These should be used to make torches,¡± Jiang Cheng concluded. He pulled out a few sticks and tied the cloth around them. Then, he dipped the stick into the vessel with the oil. A torch was thus made. They even found a few flints under the vessel. ¡°What is this?¡± Fatty, with his sharp eyes, found a rather sizeable regr stone propped up against the wooden rack. Due to their simrity in colours, the travellers didn¡¯t notice it at first. Fatty tried to move it but it didn¡¯t budge. Jiang Cheng and the young master noticed this. They tried to help him. However, due to the angle, they failed as well. ¡°Move.¡± The Loli girl appeared behind them. They turned and saw the tall man. The man¡¯s face reddened being stared at by the three. As the three moved away, he took their spot. It didn¡¯t appear like he used much force to move the stone. As the stone was moved, a gust of strong wind gushed into the space.The young master blocked his eyes with his hands. His expression suggested that he had expected this. This was a small window. It was rectangr and worked as a kind of vantage spot. It faced the sea. After their exploration, the sky outside had darkened. The travellers lit up a few more torches for the lighting and to ward away the cold. After all, it was very cold. Everyone subconsciously huddled together. Only the aged woman stayed alone to the side. Her face hid in the dark. Fatty wanted to call her over, but before he could do so, Jiang Cheng smacked his face, silencing him. The temperature continued to plummet. ¡°Should¡­ we light that thing?¡± The climber woman said through chattering teeth. She was an athletic person but even so, the chill was unbearable. It was worse for the others. ¡°Yes,¡± Jiang Cheng was the first to agree. The others looked at him with envy because¡­ ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes withfort and whispered, ¡°Hug me tighter. I still feel the wind.¡± He was fully embraced by Fatty. The Loli girl was enjoying the same treatment. The tall man doted on her like a butler. In the end, the young master stood up. He worked the kinks out in his body, pulled over a burning torch and walked to the vessel with the oil. As everyone blocked their eyes or turned their heads away, a roaring me surged up. The room was instantly lit up. The lighthouse¡­ came on. Apanying the me was a curious fragrance. After a whole day of working and no food and water, the travellers were captivated by the scent. ¡°What smell¡­ is this?¡± The biker woman opened her mouth greedily. Fatty swallowed. ¡°Could this be ambergris? I hear the thing is very magical.¡± The young master shook his head, ¡°Ambergris doesn¡¯t smell like this. Plus¡­. The colour of the wax doesn¡¯t fit. Ambergris residue is slightly yellow or even ck.¡± As the temperature rose, Jiang Cheng slipped away from Fatty¡¯s arms. As he stood up, he nced out the window. The next second, he froze. Through the small window, he saw that the previously dark and empty sea had lit up. Buildings of different heights were arranged neatly. Spots of light moved around. A city¡­ appeared on the sea! ¡°How¡­ can this be?¡± The biker woman moved to the window, and her face paled. The climber woman swallowed nervously and whispered, ¡°Is this a mirage?¡± Then, as if to convince herself, she continued, ¡°Mirages not only appear in deserts but also the sea¡­¡± Then, she paused. Her eyes widened. This was because she saw the light spots leave the city, form a line, and slowly move towards the lighthouse. The city on the sea couldn¡¯t be seen that clearly, but it wasn¡¯t far from where they were. Despite the line being disorderly, it didn¡¯t take long for them toplete ? of its journey. ¡°One will stay behind to guard the lighthouse. The rest will go down.¡± At this moment, it was the Loli girl who gave the orders. ¡°I¡¯ll stay,¡± The biker woman immediately volunteered herself. The rest didn¡¯t hesitate. They grabbed the torches and went down the stairs. Technically, two people stayed behind. The aged woman hadn¡¯t moved from her spot. She didn¡¯t even move to the window to check out the city. One person staying behind was also to keep an eye on this woman. The biker woman astutely left her be. It felt like they had taken a long time to get up the stairs, but it took much less time to get down. At least before the light spots arrived, the travellers managed to work together to close the building door. Then, they extinguished the torches and split up to hide in the dark. Fatty stayed with the Doctor. The Loli girl went off with the tall man. The remaining young master and the climber woman paired off. The three groups formed a triangle. Fatty and Jiang Cheng hid behind a broken pir. Through the gap, they could see the front door clearly. The rustling approached and eventually stopped before the door. Then, there was knocking. It was heavy and dim. The thing that knocked on the door was very strong. No one moved as six pairs of eyes stared at the door. ¡°Is someone there?¡± A human voice began. The voice was mixed with heavy breathing, and the pronunciation was not clear. ¡°We¡¯re from ck Stone Town,¡± The human voice continued, ¡°We saw the light at the lighthouse.¡± Chapter 183: Betrayal Chapter 183: Betrayal The building was silent, as if it was deserted. Suddenly¡­ ¡°Mayor!¡± A sharp voice came from the other side. It was hard to tell the owner¡¯s gender. ¡°They are over there!¡± Jiang Cheng and the rest turned to the voice. They discovered it was where the Loli girl and the tall man were hiding. It was hard to say if the tall man did it on purpose or not. He hid among two small rocks. Hisrge body was practically exposed. He was immediately discovered by the neers. After the tall man was discovered, he looked flustered. In the end¡­ he stood up obediently. This meant that the girl beside him was exposed as well. There were many shadows near the broken window, ncing into the building. At least¡­ they looked like humans. The leader was a muscr man around 40. He was about asrge as the tall man. His golden, curly hair was eye-grabbing. He carried a rodgun on his back. After the tall man and the Loli girl were discovered, Jiang Cheng and the young master¡¯s hiding became meaningless. The neers had a torch each. Since they knew that there were people hiding around, once they searched the area, the travellers would be easily exposed. With the neers¡¯ stature, the travellers would be overwhelmed quickly. When the travellers walked out one after another, the golden-haired guy¡¯s eyes glowed. He exined to them that he was the temporary mayor of ck Stone Town, which was not far away. When they saw the lighthousee on, they knew that someone had returned to this ce again. When Jiang Cheng heard the term again, his eyes shed. The golden-haired man was very polite. They stood outside the door. They didn¡¯t throng the travellers with their advantage in number. The young master and the rest also talked to them through the window.¡°What do you mean by again?¡± The young master asked, ¡°Have you met others like us?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The golden-haired man nodded and sighed. ¡°However, you¡¯re unlucky enough toe here while lost.¡± The Loli girl interrupted, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this ce?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± The golden-haired man¡¯s face turned with fear as if he just remembered something. A few secondster, he continued in a whisper, ¡°In any case, this is a desecrated ce. Everyone who has been here will be cursed.¡± ¡°What kind of curse?¡± Behind the golden-haired man, a strangely dressed man moved forward. The people on the sides moved away and showed great respect. ¡°Your light will be taken away, and you¡¯ll fall into eternal darkness. You¡¯ll crawl through the meandering ruins. Maggots will munch on the carcasses around you. You¡¯ll feel pain, but you¡¯ll never die. Your soul will be trapped in the shell. You¡¯ll watch it rot helplessly. You can only prostrate yourself before its throne to beg for its mercy. The former traitors used blood¡­¡± A hymnal voice echoed. The travellers couldn¡¯t discern the gender of the strangely-dressed individual. His body was covered in a ck robe that had strange patterns. As Fatty stared at the patterns, something strange happened. He saw the patterns move. They curled like snakes before pouncing at him. However, the moment before they couldtch themselves to his face, everything disappeared. The strange man should be a priest-like character. His words were a prediction. They carried a mysterious and helpless allure. After the strange man was done, the young master and the Loli girl frowned in consternation. Only Jiang Cheng nced at the mysterious man and turned to the golden-haired man. He straightened his neck to say, ¡°Come. Please trante.¡± The man was startled and opened his mouth, ¡°I thought it had already been exined¡­¡± The young master interrupted them. He nced at the strange man and the golden-haired man, ¡°Do you mean we¡¯re the traitors?¡± The man nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Anyone who enters this building is viewed as a traitor, and they will be cursed.¡± ¡°Who have we betrayed?¡± The golden-haired man was silent again. Clearly, he knew the answer, but he didn¡¯t dare say it. It was as if saying the thing¡¯s name was a desecration. ¡°Alright.¡± The young master switched the topic. ¡°Now, let¡¯s talk about you. Where did youe from?¡± ¡°ck Stone Town,¡± A young man raised the torch to answer. ¡°We¡¯re all from ck Stone Town.¡± Earlier, Fatty felt like these people were very strange. Their voices were one thing, but¡­ Then, his eyes shook. He realised what the problem was! These people¡¯s lips didn¡¯t match their words! It was like watching a dubbed movie. However, this phenomenon was horrifying in real life. Fatty believed that they were not humans but ghosts! Or they were puppets controlled by ghosts. He tried his best to silently warn the Doctor. However, before his trembling hand could reach the Doctor, thetter grabbed his arm naturally and gave it a light squeeze. Fatty instantly stopped shaking. The young master thought about it, ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Why is your city floating on the city? And why does it only show up at night¡­¡± The tall man suddenly spoke. His voice was thin, like he was a boy who hadn¡¯t undergone puberty. Before he could finish, the girl beside him kicked him in his shin. The atmosphere tensed. The sudden appearance of the city was suspicious. These people were equally suspicious. The direct question would cause tension. After all, they still didn¡¯t know if they were allies or enemies. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The golden-haired man sighed and addressed the travellers, ¡°Our city is as you can see. It floats on the sea and will only appear at these hours.¡± He paused. ¡°Because, like you, we¡¯re also cursed by it.¡± The Loli girl couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Have you been inside this building?¡± The golden-haired man and the rest had their faces sunken. Their eyes dimmed. It was hard to describe. However, Fatty could sense the heavy helplessness and despair from them. Eventually, the golden-haired man lifted his head. ¡°We built this building.¡± The Loli girl was startled. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°To¡­ survive.¡± Chapter 162: Trap Chapter 162: Trap After losing three sons and Asumu, this caused the old man¡¯s mind to copse. He lowered his head and mumbled things that no one understood. In the end, even the mumbling stopped. The vige head, who lost his heart, slid down the wall. A giant hole in his chest gurgled out blood. A red line moved down the yellowed wall. His head was gone too. The figure flickered and she appeared in the hidden room. Three human heads were casually dropped on the ground. The vige head, Qian Jianxiu, and¡­ Asumu. Asumu¡¯s headnded less than a metre away from Jiang Cheng. His head was at least twice as big as the other two heads. Due to the angle, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t see his head, only his hair that was matted with blood. Blood flowed through the ck floor. The twisting figure opened the closet using her impossibly flexible arms. She walked in, and the closet closed with a creak. She left. Then again, what else could she do if she stayed? She got her revenge. This was a release for her. Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of the women at Little Ravine Vige. He thought of the hostility and tiredness on their faces. This kind of life was a torture for them. Some of them already had a dead heart. Even if they could leave Little Ravine Vige, nothing would ever be the same. The stigma they would receive from society atrge would be the second knife above their necks. Suddenly, Jiang Cheng felt something strange. It was as if¡­ there was a pair of eyes on him. He instantly turned to the closet. The closet doors were firmly shut, and the hidden room was unusually quiet. Then, he slowly moved his gaze to search around the hidden room. It was covered by a mysterious halo. Jiang Cheng guessed this was the iron door¡¯s blessing. Every piece of furniture was where it should be. They were dusted with strange light. This hidden room¡­ no, this hostel should be devoid of living humans. But¡­ who was staring at him then?Jiang Cheng slowly pulled his eyes back. At that moment, a sh crossed his eyes. Then, his body froze. He finally found where the gaze came from. It was¡­ Asumu! His tilted heady on the ground. His eyes were widened, and his mouth was agape. He stared at Jiang Cheng like he still had things he wanted to say. A decapitated head would not get Jiang Cheng to react like this, but this was different because he remembered Asumu¡¯s head was supposed to look away from him. So¡­ How? He looked at Asumu¡¯s eyes in confusion. Jiang Cheng knew that something was wrong. He tried to move his eyes away, but he found that he couldn¡¯t do that. Asumu¡¯s eyes were like a dark, cold pool. It was strangely freezing but one couldn¡¯t move one¡¯s eyes away. His mind was affected, and his right leg started to move uncontrobly as if trying to move away from the iron door and back into the mission world. It was a strange feeling. He knew what was happening and what he needed to do, but his limbs were not under his control. This was bad¡­ This reminded him of another location¡­ The Cold Virtue Pool. He realised that he was already in a trap. She hadn¡¯t left. She was still there. Plus, she could see him or at least sense him. However, due to the limitations of the rules, she couldn¡¯t harm him, who was inside the door. However, she could lure him out by messing with his mind. There was one thing that was certain. Once he left the iron door, he would die. He tried to bite his tongue, hoping to use the pain to awaken himself. However, no matter how hard he bit, he couldn¡¯t get out of her mind control. The scariest thing was he didn¡¯t feel any sting of pain. The ghost was slowly taking over his mind and consciousness. Asumu¡¯s head was the trapid down by the ghost. Whenever his consciousness built up a wall, the defence would be shattered. His head felt like exploding. Asumu¡¯s voice echoed in his ears. He pleaded with Jiang Cheng not to abandon him. Then, he asked Jiang Cheng toe back to help close his eyes. Jiang Cheng¡¯s right leg slowly approached the edge of the light. His struggle was not meaningless. He was buying them. The iron door wouldn¡¯t be there forever. Once the time was up, he would return to the real world. Therefore¡­ he only needed to survive until then. How much longer that would be, he had no idea. The time flow there couldn¡¯t be understood in a conventional way. However, Jiang Cheng refused to die there like this. Then, he heard a crisp, shattering sound. The next second, his eyes darkened. A thing that was barely human stood less than 20 meters away from him. She had a broken face. She stood facing him. The right side of the face was rtively fine, but the left side was cracked. A broken spectacle hung from her right ear. The exposed teeth were caved in. The tooth was embedded into the red flesh, like a group of maggots. It was clear that the left side of the face was beaten out of shape. Jiang Cheng guessed the weapons included stones with sharp edges. Jiang Cheng felt ufortable. This should be the actual ghost. Hidden behind the curtain of tousled hair, a pair of red eyes red at him. Jiang Cheng knew that if he left the door¡¯s halo, he would be beheaded directly. The next second, the scene around him started to swirl. A powerful force pulled Jiang Cheng back. After the familiar sense of vertigo, his feet found purchase. He was back in his office. He swayed and almost fell to the floor. Before he could turn his head, the iron door behind him disappeared. He took a deep breath. He moved his numb legs to pour himself a ss of water. The water was warm. As the warmth flowed down his throat, he felt much better. He didn¡¯t hide his existence, so it didn¡¯t take long for a small series of steps toe from the stairs. Jiang Cheng could imagine the cautious Fatty moving down the steps. He must have heard themotion downstairs and came to check on it. ¡°Doctor?¡± Fatty¡¯s voice came before his person. ¡°Is¡­ that you?¡± Jiang Cheng took another sip of the water and said, ¡°No.¡± Fatty, by then, had poked hisrge head from the corner of the stairs. When he saw Jiang Cheng on the couch, his expression brightened. ¡°Doctor, you¡¯re so fast! You¡¯re back in the time I used to change my clothes!¡± Chapter 184: Sound Chapter 184: Sound ¡°Mayor! Mayor!¡± A shout came from the back of the group. The golden-haired man turned around. The person who shouted was a man in a leather coat. He carried a bag of an unknown material on his shoulder. Shuriken-like items were stuck in the bag. The edges shone coldly. Jiang Cheng and the rest turned to the man. The man looked worried and pale. ¡°Mayor.¡± He didn¡¯t even acknowledge the travellers. His eyes were fixated on the golden-haired man. ¡°Listen!¡± The crowd instantly quieted down. Jiang Cheng and the others held their breaths. They didn¡¯t notice or hear anything. However, the citizens of ck Stone Town were affected, and the atmosphere was weird. Slowly, the golden-haired man seemed to sense something, and his eyes narrowed into a line. ¡°How¡­ Why did it arrive so soon this time?¡± A man next to the golden-haired man said. He looked so scared. ¡°It is here¡­¡± The golden-haired man suddenly announced. The Loli girl patted the tall man¡¯s hand on her shoulder as ifforting him. Then, she shot an usatory gaze at the golden-haired man. She didn¡¯t like those who liked to scare others. She felt that it was very dumb. ¡°Who ising?¡± The Loli girl asked evenly, ¡°Please rify yourself.¡± However, the golden-haired man was too flustered. He didn¡¯t look at the girl but at the young master, ¡°We have to go now. Look after yourself. And!¡± He turned around as he shouted, ¡°If you want to remove its curse, you have to make sure that the light of the lighthouse doesn¡¯t go out. Once when the light from there is relit will its anger be appeased! Then, you¡¯ll have the chance to survive!¡± When he said that, the people around him had already disappeared. Only spots of light in the dark remained. The lightspots looked like they¡¯d be consumed by the darkness at any time.The golden-haired man raced towards the city above the sea. His speed was quick. Soon, the light of the torches melted together to a blurry spot. Fatty thought back to the fear on the golden-haired man and the citizens¡¯ faces. It didn¡¯t feel like they were acting. He subconsciously wanted to get the Doctor¡¯s opinion. However, when he saw the Doctor, he started to worry. Jiang Cheng looked at the city on the sea calmly. The city lights danced in his eyes. However, to Fatty¡¯s confusion, the city reflected in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes was much clearer than what he saw. Fatty was stumped. Jiang Cheng suddenly moved his gaze and caught Fatty staring at him. Fatty finally reacted. His first reaction was to swallow nervously. ¡°Tsk,¡± Jiang Cheng stared at him and mocked, ¡°I knew someone was staring at me when I was sleeping. This time, I¡¯ve finally caught you!¡± Fatty almost cried, ¡°...Doctor, can you be more serious?¡± He pointed at the sea, ¡°Did you not hear the man? We¡¯re cursed. If the lighthouse dies out, it¡¯s over for all of us.¡± At that moment, the young master walked over. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he asked, ¡°Did you hear any voices earlier?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No.¡± The Loli girl walked over and held the tall man¡¯s hand. Due to their height differences, the girl had to raise her hand in the air to amodate the man. The tall man realised that the travellers were exposed because of him, so he arched his body and moved about carefully like a cat. He curled up behind the Loli girl as if no one could see him if he did that. Fatty stared at the strange duo. An inappropriate thought appeared in his mind. The Loli girl appeared to be holding a pet and not a human. The Loli girl looked at Jiang Cheng, Fatty and the young master. She shook her head. ¡°Neither did I.¡± However, based on what they saw, the golden-haired man and the citizens were clearly frightened by some sound. They escaped before finishing their words. ¡°It¡¯s probably not a specific fear of a sound,¡± The young master said, ¡°It¡¯s something that made the sound.¡± He paused as he nced at the sea. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear him? It¡¯s¡­ing¡­¡± The young master was a gifted storyteller. He was rying a simple thing, but it was very convincing. ¡°Therefore, the thing he mentioned was the important thing.¡± He sighed in relief, ¡°It might be rted to the source of the curse.¡± ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± Fatty asked, ¡°Do we keep the me in the lighthouse on like what they said?¡± After that, Fatty paused and looked at the rest. He lowered his voice, ¡°But those people feel so strange. They might be ghosts trying to trick us.¡± A city that suddenly appeared on the sea. A group of citizens came to visit with torches. An unknown curse. An empty and ruined cathedral. And¡­ It. These elements would make a good story. Everything that had appeared overturned their understanding. Based on their knowledge, everything that appeared in the mission had to have happened in real life, but these¡­ ¡°Should we go back first?¡± Fatty suggested. Just as the trio aimed to walk towards the hidden door, the tall man who dragged the Loli girl paused. She turned around with confusion to look at the obedient man. The man¡¯s hand that held her tightened that it even hurt her slightly. The next second, the man knelt down and leaned close to her ear, ¡°Big Sister¡­ The sound that they mentioned¡­ I heard it.¡± Chapter 185: Hidden Room Chapter 185: Hidden Room With the light from the torches, the eerie staircase felt much better. Of course, the premise was no one was purposely trying to make it creepy. They carefully avoided the crumbled parts. Fatty basically stuck himself to the wall and edged forward like a crab. However, this made things difficult for Jiang Cheng, who nned to do the same thing. Therefore, he turned around to whisper something in Fatty¡¯s ear. The next second, Fatty immediately jumped away from the wall. He looked at it like it was a monster. ¡°Stop touching it,¡± Jiang Cheng whispered, ¡°You might wake up the thing inside the wall with your touch.¡± Based on their previous observation, some unknown patterns, like the one on the hidden door, had been carved into the wall of the staircase as well. They should be the work of the same craftsman. The creepy creature appeared in Fatty¡¯s mind. His throat moved. The Loli girl and the tall man walked at the back. They lowered their torches so they could see the steps clearly. When Fatty was halfway up the stairs, he stopped to take a breath. He turned back to look. The duo wasgging about ten metres behind. They walked very slowly. Fatty thought that the two were very brave. If it were him, he wouldn¡¯t dare to stay so far away from the group. Jiang Cheng leaned on the wall. He seemed to be resting too, but his chest rose and fell evenly. There was no sweat on his face. However, just as the young master also stopped to turn to look at him, Jiang Cheng changed. First, he coughed, then he gasped hungrily for air. His red was so red, like he was about to die. Fatty, ¡°...¡±The young master raised the torch and exposed the mysterious smile on his face. ¡°Brother Hao, it looks like you need more physical training.¡± Jiang Cheng gasped as he shook his hands. Fatty almost died from cringe. In the end, Jiang Cheng cleared his throat ostentatiously. He continued in a weakened voice, ¡°Brother Chen, you have no idea, but I¡¯m different from the rest of you. I was pulled into the nightmare in the middle of work.¡± He patted his chest and pushed his crotch forward. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m so tired.¡± Fatty frowned when he heard that. He had a bad feeling. The young master didn¡¯t seem to understand Jiang Cheng. A few secondster, he asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t enter the nightmare in your dream?!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then, how¡­¡± ¡°My work is different from yours.¡± Jiang Cheng ground his waist around. ¡°I earn money by lying down.¡± ¡°Lying down¡­¡± The young master was startled. His curiosity in Jiang Cheng reached its peak. Just as Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes and waited for the young master to ask the fated question so that he could gloat, Fatty suddenly walked over and urged, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up. It¡¯s not safe here.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The young master nodded. He nced at Jiang Cheng and left¡­ ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng, who was miffed, ¡°We should go too.¡± Then, without waiting for Jiang Cheng to reply, he walked past him. Standing before the second stone door and feeling the warmth and light that came through the gap, the group sighed in relief. The climber woman, who had done nothing, was the first to crawl into the door. Momentster, just as Jiang Cheng was about to take revenge on Fatty, who was trying to squeeze through the door, a scream came from inside. It was the climber woman. Jiang Cheng paused and pulled Fatty away from the door. Fatty was stunned from being yanked back. He had a new understanding of the Doctor¡¯s strength. Jiang Cheng and the young master moved away from the stone door. Neither of them entered the door. They moved to both sides with surprisingly great teamwork. The scream happened once and stopped. This was clearly abnormal. The young master faced the door and whispered, ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­ am fine.¡± The climber woman¡¯s voice drifted out. Her voice was trembling from fear. However, there was also shock from discovering something inexplicable. ¡°Come in. They are gone!¡± The woman said. No one outside the door moved. Everyone held their breath. The climber woman¡¯s voice suggested that she moved inside the room. Jiang Cheng suddenly asked, ¡°Miss Yi, what did you see when we were in the same group?¡± The movement inside suddenly paused. Jiang Cheng and the young master moved back further. Thetter nced at the staircase behind them, looking for an easy exit. The next second, rapid footsteps approached the door. Before they could react, the climber woman pushed half of her body out. She urged, ¡°Get in here!¡± She added bitterly, ¡°Plus, I was in the same group with this gentleman earlier.¡± She pointed at the young master. ¡°And my surname is not Yi. I¡¯m a human! But¡­ Juste in!¡± When everyone entered the room, they were shocked to realise that the biker woman and the aged woman¡­ were gone. The room was only so big. Where could they have disappeared to? ¡°Could it be those people?¡± Fatty said, ¡°While they distracted us downstairs, another group sneaked up there to snatch the women.¡± ¡°No.¡± The young master denied it instantly, ¡°There is no sign of fighting here. The two wouldn¡¯t have been captured without resisting. They aren¡¯t that dull.¡± The young master continued, ¡°Discounting any supernatural exnation, they probably left voluntarily.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s assume that is true,¡± Jiang Cheng continued naturally. He studied the room. ¡°Let¡¯s think of why.¡± ¡°They could have encountered some dangers and had to leave,¡± The climber woman suggested. That was the only possibility she could think of. After all, someone could havee there for the me and warmth. ¡°Or they could have discovered something important.¡± Jiang Cheng scratched his chin, ¡°And wanted to go downstairs to inform us.¡± Chapter 186: Escape Chapter 186: Escape Fatty suddenly reacted and raised his head. He hesitated, ¡°Could¡­ they have heard something?¡± Based on the golden-haired man and the others¡¯ reaction, they had heard something that instilled them with great fear. ¡°You mean, you can hear sounds that normal people can¡¯t hear by being inside this room?¡± The climber woman asked. At that moment, everyone held their breath. It was as if once they kept quiet, they could really hear something. Outside the window, the city floating on the sea was still covered in lights. asionally, a spot of light moved through it. It should be someone with a torch. Ayer of light mist surrounded the city. Among the waves, the city appeared very mysterious. A few secondster, Jiang Cheng and the young master narrowed their eyes. They really heard something! It was a weak but rapid breathing sound. It came from inside the room. In other words, there was someone else other than them inside the room! The two quickly triangted the source of the breathing. It was from the basket that previously held the bundle of wood. The young master approached it with the torch raised while Jiang Cheng held the extinguished torch as a club. This was where the experience of the veteran travellers was shown. No one panicked and assumed their roles quickly. Jiang Cheng, the young master and Fatty surrounded the basket. The Loli girl, the climber woman and the tall man guarded the only exit. The young master reached out his hand and pulled off the lid from the basket. They were greeted by a twisted face. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Fatty gasped.The aged woman was curled up inside the basket. Her face was green and twisted from fear. Her two hands covered her mouth. Her eyes were bulging. When he saw the woman, Fatty was instantly reminded of Xie Yu from the first mission. What scared the woman so? Plus this basket¡­ Fatty studied it for some time. He didn¡¯t think it could fit an adult. How did the aged woman get into it? There were many who shared Fatty¡¯s thoughts. In their hurry, they forgot to check the capacity of the baskets. This was their mistake. Jiang Cheng worked together with the young master to help the woman out. She seemed to be catatonic from fear. Other than shivering, she kept her hands over her mouth. When Jiang Cheng held the woman¡¯s arm, he realised the woman was extremely thin. Her skin basically only wrapped around her bone. They held the woman to the side and eased her to the ground. She was still shaking. Her eyes were unfocused. Everyone looked at her strangely. The biker woman tried to close the room door but was stopped by the Loli girl. The group formed a circle around the aged woman. They looked through the other baskets and searched the rest of the room but failed to find the biker woman. ¡°Where is the other woman?¡± The climber woman asked. Her patience with the aged woman was running thin. She grabbed the woman by her cor and yanked her off the ground. ¡°I¡¯m asking you! Where is she? Did you have her killed?¡± Many people were not killed by the ghosts in the nightmare realm. Instead, they were harmed by other travellers. The young master hurried forward to separate the two. The climber woman shoved the aged woman angrily to the ground. The woman copsed and looked like she was about to die. Her eyes were dull. ¡°It is here¡­¡± The woman suddenly uttered, ¡°Everyone will die.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Fatty¡¯s voice changed from fear. He looked nervously around. ¡°Who is here? Is somethinging over?¡± ¡°I can hear its voice.¡± The woman suddenly became animated. Her voice became shrill. ¡°It is calling me! Yes! ¡°It has recognised me!¡± The woman appeared to be possessed as she rambled to herself. She spoke faster and faster as she conversed with someone inside her body. ¡°I should have died here many years ago with them!¡± The woman widened her bloodshot eyes and shouted, ¡°Not only me. It must have sensed them as well! They are not dead! Everyone is still alive! No. You! All of you are still alive, living inside my body!¡± The womanughed and cried. It was unhinged. ¡°It is waiting for us, waiting for us to return. No one can escape! No one!¡± Suddenly, the woman tilted her head and copsed to the ground. After a short hesitation, the young master went forward and checked the woman¡¯s breath. Then, he touched her neck. He turned around and sighed, ¡°She has fainted.¡± With the woman¡¯s physical condition, it was unsurprising that she had fainted. After settling the woman, the rest sat in the circle to discuss what to do next. ¡°Is there really a voice?¡± Fatty licked her lips and nced at the unconscious woman. ¡°She said she heard it.¡± ¡°She might have lost her mind.¡± The climber woman huffed, ¡°I suspect she¡¯s behind the disappearance of the other woman.¡± The young master smiled, ¡°But this crazy woman hasn¡¯t seen the people from ck Iron Town.¡± The climber woman¡¯s face froze. He was right. This aged woman hadn¡¯t met the people from ck Iron Town and didn¡¯t know what they said. However, their words were so simr¡­ especially their reaction to this ¡®voice.¡¯ The woman said she heard the voice too. The ¡®voice¡¯ probably existed, but most people couldn¡¯t hear it. To make things more helpless, the only traveller who could hear the voice had fainted. Even if she hadn¡¯t, her mental condition was not fit. ¡°How about this? We should rest for now.¡± The young master nced at the city on the sea, ¡°I¡¯ll take the first shift. Then¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a whale song,¡± The Loli girl whispered. Her voice was light but undeniable. She nced at the tall man who knelt beside her. She patted his hand and turned around to face the other travellers. ¡°That voice is the song of the whales. Normal people can¡¯t hear it, but he can.¡± Chapter 187: Poor Thing Chapter 187: Poor Thing Seeing how confused Fatty was, Jiang Cheng exined, ¡°Whale songs are also called whale words. They are the sounds whales make tomunicate with each other. Due to the low frequency, it¡¯s hard for normal people to hear them.¡± Fatty looked at the tall man with curiosity. The man stayed close to the Loli girl obediently. His personality was a great contrast to his appearance. After realising many people were looking at him, he lowered his head nervously. The Loli girl rubbed his hand to console him. Considering the man¡¯s mysterious actions, the young master seemed to realise something. ¡°Is he¡­ your family?¡± The young master asked. The Loli girl ruffled the tall man¡¯s hair and looked at him with great gentleness. ¡°He¡¯s my little brother.¡± The Loli girl pointed at her head. ¡°We are twins, but¡­ My brother is special. He relies on me a lot.¡± Fatty finally understood the reason behind the man¡¯s various strange actions. To put it simply, the man was mentally challenged. ¡°However, he also gains some special abilities because of it,¡± The young master smiled, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind me calling him Rain Man.¡± The Loli girl shrugged, ¡°Up to you.¡± ¡°In other words¡­ the people from ck Iron Town were frightened after they heard the whale song.¡± Fatty widened his eyes, ¡°The it they mentioned¡­ is a fish?¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head, ¡°No.¡±Fatty sighed in relief. He could ept the concept of a nightmare realm filled with ghosts. After all, ghosts were people before they died. They had their ideals and intentions, but a fish¡­ Jiang Cheng patted Fatty on his shoulder, ¡°Whales are mammals and not fish.¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± The climber girl stared at Jiang Cheng. She couldn¡¯t understand how this pretty-looking man could still joke at a time like this. Did he want to die? Clearly, this whale was not amon whale. As for what it really was, none of them had any idea. However, one thing was certain. This whale must have something to do with the curses. The night deepened. The night was different from the ones they had experienced. Looking through the small window, the darkness outside was not still but had a sand-like quality. This ce was so inexplicable. Had it really existed in real life? The tension spread. Everyone was thinking. Fatty once suspected that the Loli girl was lying about the whale song. He didn¡¯t know about the young master, but Fatty was sure the Doctor wouldn¡¯t be so interested in a lie. Therefore, he believed the Loli girl was telling the truth¡­ or at least part of it. ¡°We¡¯ve been here for so long, but we still don¡¯t know each other¡¯s name.¡± The young master looked at everyone. ¡°I feel so impolite.¡± The young master continued, ¡°Why don¡¯t I start? The name¡¯s Chen Ran.¡± The biker woman widened her eyes and blurted out, ¡°You¡¯re Chen Ran?!¡± Chen Ran blinked and asked in disbelief, ¡°Do you know me?¡± However, his disbelief became gloating in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes. Fatty noticed the way the Doctor looked at Chen Ran had changed. He had seen this gaze before¡­ on Discovery Channel. When the male lions spotted a newpetitor among the pride, they would reveal this gaze. Fatty was certain that the Doctor thought the young master was purposely stealing his thunder before the girls. The biker woman¡¯s face darkened. Eventually, she answered, ¡°No. I just feel that the name is familiar¡­ like I¡¯ve heard it somewhere before.¡± The young master nodded. He didn¡¯t pursue this but turned to the next person. It was the Loli girl. The girl lifted her head. Her ck eyes shone on her cute face. Different from the start, she emanated a chilling aura. ¡°My name is Su Xiaoxiao.¡± When she turned to the tall man beside her, her eyes softened a lot. It was clear that they shared a good rtionship, ¡°This is my little brother, Su An.¡± The young mastermented, ¡°Miss Su is amazing to join your brother in the nightmare.¡± ¡°We¡¯re used to it.¡± Su Xiaoxiao said lightly, ¡°We only had each other since we were young.¡± Then, she adjusted her brother¡¯s clothes so he¡¯d look more presentable. The man didn¡¯t dare to look at the others, but he sneakily gave his big sister a big smile. Then, he mimicked his sister and adjusted her clothes. ¡°What do you do for a living?¡± The biker woman felt that the sibling was very weird. ¡°I don¡¯t do anything. The inheritance I got is enough for us to survive. My only wish is to look after my brother.¡± The next was the biker woman. She said her name was Liang Long. She was a rock climbing instructor. She was once a professional rock climber. Then, she looked at the next person. Fatty didn¡¯t hurry to speak because thest time he did, the Doctor said that he was an orphan. Instead, he nced at the Doctor. When he noticed that the Doctor was too distracted thinking about something, Fatty sighed in relief. Then, he rehearsed the speech that he had prepared for himself. The moment he opened his mouth, the Doctor¡¯s voice began. ¡°His situation is rather special. He has no name because¡­¡± Jiang Cheng pressed his lips, and his eyes shone withpassion, ¡°He is also mentally-special. However, different from the big brother,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed, ¡°He is merely dumb. He doesn¡¯t have any special powers.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°You can call him Fatty. I hear that¡¯s what the people at the orphanage refer to him as.¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± Chapter 188: Aged Woman Chapter 188: Aged Woman Once Jiang Cheng finished speaking, Fatty felt everyone¡¯s eyes on him change. The climber woman, Liang Long, subconsciously moved away from him. ¡°It looks like Brother Hao and Brother Fatty know each other.¡± Chen Ran raised his brows and asked naturally, ¡°Did you twoe here together?¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. Su Xiaoxiao and Chen Ren stared at Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. They were clearly curious about him. So far, even though Fatty hadn¡¯t done much, he didn¡¯t look like someone with mental challenges. Or was his issues¡­ intermittent? Liang Long studied Fatty up and down as if she were studying a new species. However, Jiang Cheng quickly drew her attention. The rest of them were the same. His self-introduction was too special. High-end group, nightshift, tips¡­ For things like making money while lying down and others that couldn¡¯t be exined without breaking thew, Jiang Cheng uttered them proudly. With the interruption from Jiang Cheng, the tension was almost halved. After they calmed down, they were hit by pangs of fatigue and hunger. They had been in that world for almost a day already. They hadn¡¯t had anything to drink or eat. ¡°We should rest.¡± Chen Ren said, ¡°I¡¯ll take the first shift, and then¡­¡± ¡°Have another person join you.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°The situation here is tooplicated. Let¡¯s hope we won¡¯t wake up tomorrow to find another person missing.¡± They still hadn¡¯t found the biker woman. Probably nothing good happened to her.Chen Ran thought about it and nodded. He scanned everyone, and his eyesnded on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. He smiled. ¡°Can I trouble Brother Hao to guard the first shift with me?¡± However¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t take the first shift.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°I¡¯m different from the rest of you. I was dragged here while I was in the middle of work. My stamina cannot be lowered. I need to rest.¡± Chen Ran¡¯s eyes widened. Then, he turned to Fatty. However, before he could say anything, Jiang Cheng grumbled, ¡°You have to leave Fatty to me. I¡¯m cold at night. I can¡¯t sleep properly if I don¡¯t hug him.¡± Simrly, Liang Long rejected Chen Ran with the same excuse. Only Su Xiaoxiao and Su An remained. It was visible that Chen Ran didn¡¯t wish to be paired with them. It was evident from his expression. ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll have to trouble Miss Su to apany me,¡± Chen Ran said in the end. ¡­ Fatty, who leaned against the wall, was woken up to take over the shift. Jiang Cheng beside him was curled up in the cornerfortably. Framed by the light, his slightly open eyes emanated a special aura. Liang Long sat on the other side. Fatty and Jiang Cheng¡¯s earlier actions confused her, so she didn¡¯t n to approach them further. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty whispered, ¡°Do you think there¡¯s an issue with Chen Ran?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fatty nced at where Chen Ran was. Chen Ran was in the shadows. Only his silhouette could be seen. It was hard to tell if he was asleep. Fatty pulled his gaze back and continued, ¡°I think no one likes him. Liang Long appears to have heard of him before. I wonder what she has heard.¡± Fatty paused. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing good, or else why would she look like she¡¯s afraid of him?¡± Bad news travelled faster than good news. Chen Ran must have done something bad in the nightmare realm. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty kept going, ¡°I know why you suggested two people being on one shift; they can monitor each other. I also understand why you want Su Xiaoxiao and Chen Ran to be in the same group. It¡¯s because Su Xiaoxiao is also not simple, right?¡± Fatty became excited because he felt like he had hit the nail on the head. ¡°It looks like she has been through many missions before. To make it even more impressive, she has survived with her brother.¡± ¡°How impressive is that?¡± Jiang Cheng grumbled, ¡°I¡¯ve survived so many times with you around!¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± ¡°But what you mentioned is just a small part.¡± Jiang Cheng sat up. ¡°The main reason is this ce.¡± ¡°Doctor, what do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Where did the woman disappear from?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°This ce.¡± ¡°Be more specific.¡± ¡°This room. No, this lighthouse,¡± Fatty corrected himself. Jiang Cheng shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Did you notice something?¡± Fatty asked nervously. He looked around to make sure no one was spying on them. ¡°Doctor?¡± Jiang Cheng leaned back and continued slowly, ¡°I¡¯m still not sure. I¡¯ll tell you when I¡¯ve figured it out.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Fatty.¡± Fatty was stunned. He thought the Doctor had changed his mind. He rubbed his hands. ¡°Doctor, you can tell me. I¡¯m listening.¡± Jiang Cheng raised his head to nce at a figure almost curled up into a ball. ¡°Be careful of that aged woman.¡± He paused and warned Fatty, ¡°If we ever get separated, do not get close to her. Do not trust anything she says.¡± Chapter 189: Good People Chapter 189: Good People Even though the Doctor often didn¡¯t take things seriously, Fatty knew that once he did, things were very severe. And if the Doctor thought it was severe¡­ Fatty¡¯s throat moved. People would die. Fatty was not surprised that the aged woman was questionable. The thing that surprised him was the Doctor¡¯s attitude. He even mentioned the possibility of them being separated. Why? This was Fatty¡¯s third mission with the Doctor. Ever since they entered the nightmare realm, they had never been separated. To be more urate, Fatty had always stuck to the Doctor. He knew that his safety zone had the Doctor as the centre. Once he left the Doctor¡¯s line of sight, his head would probably be yanked away. He would never leave the Doctor¡¯s side, no matter what. The Doctor didn¡¯t look like someone who¡¯d chase him away either. Therefore¡­ The only thing Fatty could think of was they might be forcibly separated due to some outside forces. With that in mind, Fatty subconsciously turned to the aged woman. As his head moved¡­ ¡°Fatty!¡± Jiang Cheng said suddenly. Due to his high focus, Fatty was startled. However, before he could ask why the Doctor called him, he suddenly sensed a strange gaze from the corner where the aged woman was hiding! The next second, a trace of fear dominated Fatty¡¯s eyes. He resisted the urge to turn back to look. He moved his stiff neck to look at the Doctor. Thetter curled up in the corner, and his eyes were closed¡­ as if he were asleep. ¡­ ¡°Brother Hao¡­¡± Under Fatty¡¯s surveince, Chen Ran stood up and looked out the window. Then, he walked over to summon the Doctor, who was sleeping in the corner.After a while, the Doctor slowly opened his eyes and was startled when he saw Chen Ran. It was as if he had just woken up. His expressions were varied. It started with blurriness since he had just woken up. Then, it turned into embarrassment from identally falling asleep. He opened his lips, not knowing what to say¡­ Chen Ran noticed this and said, ¡°Brother Hao is probably too tired. It¡¯s normal to try to get a little nap in.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. As Chen Ran helped him up, Jiang Cheng patted away the dust on his clothes. Hemented shyly, ¡°How was Brother Chen¡¯s rest?¡± ¡°It was not bad. Thank you for asking.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± ¡­ Fatty observed the fake dance between the two, and the cringe made him curl up physically. If he were not mistaken, these two old foxes were both pretending to be asleep. He was probably the only person who had time to sleep yesterday night. No, there was one more person. Fatty slowly moved his gaze to stare at Su An, who leaned against Su Xiaoxiao. The man slept so well that he snored. He suddenly felt that it was not easy for the Doctor to have to carry him through the missions. The ageddy woke up but she looked bad. She rocked herself in the corner. Her lips trembled as if she were whispering to herself. ¡°Hey,¡± Liang Long stood before the window. ¡°ck Stone Town¡­ is gone.¡± To be more precise, when the sun came up, the city on the sea disappeared. The calm sea rippled. The sea and the sky formed the same horizon. With the start of a new day, the sea seemed to have forgotten all the memories from the day before. ¡°Have you noticed it?¡± Liang Long whispered, ¡°The sunrise here is extremely fast. The night changes into a day in the blink of an eye.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t exaggerate,¡± It was Su Xiaoxiao who spoke. Her voice was a suppressed calmness. It was unsettling. She raised her eyes at Jiang Cheng. ¡°It took around 20 seconds for the ck mist to fade away.¡± ¡°Do you think there is no actual night here, but it is a false phenomenon created by the ck mist?¡± Fatty couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°You can say that.¡± Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s words stunned Fatty. When he was paired off with Jiang Cheng, he still couldn¡¯t stop shaking. They exited the cathedral and walked along the shoreline. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty asked, ¡°Is Su Xiaoxiao telling the truth? Is she lying to me?¡± ¡°No. She¡¯s not lying,¡± Jiang Cheng answered easily. Fatty looked at him, clearly waiting for his exnation. ¡°This is an easy lie to expose. As long as one of us pays attention the next morning, we¡¯ll be able to confirm the veracity of her words.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the sea. The wind seemed to carry his voice away. Fatty nodded. ¡°Then, it looks like Su Xiaoxiao is not a bad person. She¡¯s willing to share her information with us. That¡¯s different from the people we¡¯ve met before.¡± ¡°Do you mean¡­ the whale song?¡± Jiang Cheng turned around. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Fatty nodded confidently. ¡°After all, she didn¡¯t need to tell us that. Think about it. If she didn¡¯t say anything, we wouldn¡¯t have known about it until now!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because she¡¯s not dumb,¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a side-eye. ¡°It has nothing to do with her kindness.¡± Fatty was confused. ¡°Doctor, I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point for her to know about the whale song alone?¡± Jiang Cheng turned the question back to him. ¡°Can she figure out what made the sound, or can she deal with it? ¡°She can¡¯t do anything. She doesn¡¯t even know how the biker woman disappeared! ¡°This kind of isted information is useless because it only provides a general direction. It¡¯s better to share it with the others and borrow the team¡¯s power to solve it. ¡°Using the team to split the risk.¡± Jiang Cheng told Fatty, ¡°That¡¯s how a normal person should act.¡± Fatty pursed his lips. Then, his eyes rimmed with red. Jiang Cheng frowned, ¡°Why are you crying?¡± ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty pouted, ¡°Sometimes, I feel like we¡¯re not the same species. I feel like I¡¯m one segment behind the evolution pathpared to you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed as he patted Fatty¡¯s shoulder infort, ¡°Be more confident. You feel like that because it¡¯s true.¡± Chapter 190: Suspect Chapter 190: Suspect They had been in the world for one day and one night already. They hadn¡¯t had a drink of water, much less food. If this continued, they¡¯d die from thirst before the monsters came to them. Therefore, the travellers decided to split up to find food and water. They also had to be wary of the curse mentioned by the people from ck Stone Town. Therefore, someone had to be left behind to keep the fire going. Considering the biker woman¡¯s disappearance, the ce felt chilly even during the daytime. In the end, other than the aged woman, two people would stay behind. Su Xiaoxiao volunteered to stay behind with her little brother. However, Jiang Cheng and Chen Ran denied her. The reason was that Su An had a strong sense of observation. He might discover something new if they went out to search. In the end, it was Chen Ran and Liang Long who stayed. When Liang Long heard about this, she was unsettled. She wanted to fight it. However, Jiang Cheng led Fatty and left. Su Xiaoxiao nced at Chen Ran and the woman in the corner. Then, she also left with her brother. Liang Long looked like she was about to follow them when she felt a gazeing from behind her. She froze and eventually sat down obediently. Chen Ran was still smiling. He faced the aged woman. A great sense of danger slowly crawled over Liang Long. ¡­ Jiang Cheng led Fatty along the shoreline. The wavespped against their feet. Their feet made mulching sounds as they walked along the beach.Jiang Cheng stared at their feet and then at the ocean. His brows furrowed. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty asked curiously, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°This sea¡­ is so clean¡­¡± Jiang Chengmented. ¡°You¡¯re right. Look at how nice the sand is.¡± Fatty used his feet to nudge theyer of sand. The danger aside, this was a perfect vacation spot. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed as he studied their footprints in the sand. ¡°It is now low tide. The tidal t has been exposed. Normally, those who live by the sea wille out to scour the beach for small sea creatures that are trapped in the ts.¡± He pointed at the great sandy expanse, ¡°But look at this. There isn¡¯t even an empty shell, much less crabs or fish. This sea¡­ appears to be empty.¡± Fatty blinked. Then, he nodded vehemently, ¡°Doctor, now that you mention it, I did feel like the sea was overly clean when I first got here!¡± This was definitely abnormal. Fatty¡¯s face dropped. ¡°Doctor, do you think this is a sign that something is going to happen?¡± He licked his lips and looked around. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of things like this before. Fishermen along the shore would discover some anomalies, and soon after, a big tragedy would happen.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head, ¡°That¡¯s different. You¡¯re talking about signs before a big tsunami. Tsunamis are caused by tectonic movement in the sea floor. This will lead to anomalies like deep sea creatures such as whalesnding themselves on the beach to die. That is theplete opposite of what we have here.¡± Fatty swallowed nervously. He asked softly, ¡°Doctor, what are you thinking?¡± The anomaly was clear. For people like Jiang Cheng, anomalies meant clues. In the nightmare realm, he was not afraid of anomalies. If anything, he would be scared when everything was too normal. Jiang Cheng scratched his chin in thought. When Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything, Fatty pleaded, ¡°Doctor, if you have thought of something, please share it with me. I¡¯ll be honest. I¡¯m a bit scared now¡­¡± Jiang Cheng rarely didn¡¯t use this chance to tease him. He said directly, ¡°Two situations. One, this ce is affected by some unknown power.¡± Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Then¡­ what about the second situation?¡± Jiang Cheng sighed and looked at Fatty¡¯s eyes. Thetter was taken aback. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng began slowly, ¡°I suspect this is not our world.¡± Fatty¡¯s brain stopped working for a few seconds before his body started to shake. The Doctor¡¯s words upended their understanding of the nightmare realm. In their original hypothesis, the nightmare realm existed for real. It was a part of human history that was clipped out by an unknown force. No matter what the travellers did or said in the nightmare realm, it wouldn¡¯t affect the ending of the real-life incident. The only thing they could affect was the process. However, if the nightmare world was not the real world¡­ If it was just a superfluous dream, then naturally, it wouldn¡¯t need to follow the logic of the real world. Therefore¡­ The nightmare world was inexplicable! In other words, no matter what they did and whether they found the truth or not, their only ending was death. Their deaths could be fully illogical. Tsunamis, earthquakes, or monsters could suddenly appear out of thin air to tear them apart¡­ It was all possible. After all, dreams had no sense of logic. ¡°Doctor¡­¡± Fatty¡¯s teeth chattered. His eyes widened. ¡°Do you¡­ mean we¡­¡± Jiang Cheng nced at him. ¡°That is the most extreme example. The reality is probably not that bad. At least our previous missions have traces of logic to them. Perhaps¡­¡± Jiang Cheng began but didn¡¯t continue. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty said, ¡°Please exin it to me. At least let me die with rity.¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated, ¡°What I meant to say was¡­ Maybe¡­ This ce is merely an expression of the real world¡­¡± ¡°An expression?¡± Fatty stared at Jiang Cheng. He clearly didn¡¯t understand it. ¡°In a way, our world does exist, but this is not our world. Instead, it is¡­¡± He paused before saying, ¡°A projection of the normal world.¡± Chapter 191: Forest Chapter 191: Forest ¡°You can understand this ce as a projection of the real world formed under certain conditions,¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at the shadow on the beach. ¡°To make it easier to understand, you are the real world, and this ce is your shadow.¡± Fatty thought for a long time before saying, ¡°So¡­ Even though this ce is not our ce, the two worlds share a symbiotic rtionship.¡± ¡°Symbiotic rtionship¡­¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and shook his head, ¡°That implies that both parties coexist with each other, and one can¡¯t survive without the other. But¡­¡± He looked at Fatty, ¡°If I fire a bullet at your shadow, will you die?¡± His example was easy to understand. The things that happened here would not affect the real world. ¡°Doctor,¡± Momentster, Fatty digested the information the former had given him. He frowned, ¡°But¡­ how is this different from what you said earlier? Even if you¡¯re right and this is a projection of the real world, how does that affect anything?¡± Fatty blinked, worried that the Doctor might misunderstand him. He added, ¡°I mean, can we draw any unique inference from that?¡± ¡°Since this ce is a projection, there is a high chance it has to follow the rules of our world,¡± Jiang Cheng looked out at the wide ocean. ¡°That is very important.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled back his gaze and turned to the other side, ¡°We¡¯ll check that side.¡± ¡­ Based on the n earlier, Fatty and Jiang Cheng would search the shore while Su Xiaoxiao and Su An would handle the forest. The main goal of their mission was to search for water sources and food. Their throats were parched. If not for the need to exchange information, none of them wanted to speak.Jiang Cheng¡¯s group walked along the cliff. Fatty used the stone to knock against the wall. He noticed the stone wall had been severely corroded by the sea wind. If he applied some force, sheets of rocks would fall out. This verified Liang Long¡¯s statement that it was impossible to scale the cliff, especially without professional tools. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty, who hid in the shades, asked, ¡°Could this be an abandoned ind?¡± Other than the giant forest, it didn¡¯t seem like they could go anywhere. They couldn¡¯t see the Su siblings near the forest. It was unclear if they had gone to hide or they had entered the unusual forest. Fatty didn¡¯t get a response from Jiang Cheng. He followed his gaze and asked softly, ¡°Doctor, do you think there¡¯s an issue with this forest?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, what about Su Xiaoxiao¡­¡± ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes at the forest. ¡°Do you remember the path the aged woman led you guys on earlier?¡± Fatty blinked, ¡°Do you mean before we found you and Chen Ran?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We encountered each other by the shore. The aged woman was in the water,¡± Fatty thought back, ¡°Then, we walked around the shore. She was the one who led us to the cliff and told us to give climbing it a try¡­¡± ¡°In other words, she¡¯d rather climb the precarious cliff than get close to the forest.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. It sounded like he had confirmed something. He looked at the forest with a mysterious gaze. Fatty lowered his voice, ¡°Is there a problem with the forest?¡± ¡°There are problems everywhere. The lighthouse, the sea, the cathedral¡­ but the forest is stranger and more dangerous.¡± Jiang Cheng replied, ¡°That¡¯s why the aged woman chose to avoid the forest directly since it is her second time here. I believe the batch of people who found their way here back then had encountered something in the forest.¡± Hearing this, Fatty¡¯s face shifted. The Doctor¡¯s suspicion was not unfounded. However, he didn¡¯t reveal everything. Back then, the batch of people must have encountered something inexplicable in the forest, and maybe only the aged woman survived. It would exin why the aged woman would choose to ignore the forest so firmly. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty¡¯s face paled. He took a long time to squeeze the words out through his trembling lips, ¡°Then¡­ will Su Xiaoxiao and her brother die in there?¡± ¡°Not sure.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was emotionless, ¡°However, I believe that even if they return, they will achieve the same result as we do.¡± Fatty repeated Jiang Cheng¡¯s words to himself. Then, he raised his head, ¡°Doctor, do you mean they¡¯lle back with no food and water as well?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But¡­ why?¡± Fatty couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is the goal of this mission to starve us to death?¡± Ever since he had entered the nightmare realm, Fatty had imagined his own ways of death, like being decapitated by ghosts or strung up to bleed to death. However, he had never considered dying from starvation or thirst. It was¡­ too mundane. He was pondering if he¡¯d survive munching on barch. Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng. For some reason, no matter what kind of situation they were in, as long as the Doctor was by his side, Fatty felt like they could survive everything. Suddenly, he heard a coarse voice. ¡°Fatty,¡± the Doctor began again. Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice made him feel unfamiliar. He thought he had heard him wrongly due to his nervousness. ¡°Doctor¡­ I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Do you remember what the aged woman said?¡± Jiang Cheng paused. ¡°From yesterday night.¡± Fatty thought about it. He said hesitantly. Things were so weird that Fatty remembered them quite well. ¡°She said it ising. She heard the voice, and then she imed that everyone would die!¡± Fatty swallowed nervously. It scratched his throat, ¡°She said there was something calling her. She should have died here with the rest of them!¡± The images from yesterday night appeared in Fatty¡¯s mind. The woman¡¯s ghastly visage, her shrill voice¡­ They cut on his nerves like a saw. The pain gripped his head. Thinking about the woman¡¯s condition, Fatty was drawn in by some unknown forces and slowly lost his mind like how the aged woman did. Chapter 192: Save Us Chapter 192: Save Us ¡°No!¡± Fatty gripped his head and shouted, ¡°Not only me, but it must have sensed them too! They are not dead! Everyone is still alive!¡± Subtly, Fatty¡¯s words changed. ¡°Everyone is still alive! No. You¡­ You are still alive¡­ Haha¡­ Living inside my body¡­¡± ¡­ When he opened his eyes again, Fatty realised he was lying on the sandy beach. The wavespped at his feet. He jumped up with fright. ¡°Are you normal now?¡± It was the Doctor. Fatty turned around and realised the Doctor was lying not far away from behind him. He was rxing inside a newly dug sandpit, using a leaf of an unknown tree to block the sunlight from his face. If not for the nightmare realm, Fatty would think he was on a holiday. ¡°Doctor, what is¡­¡± ¡°How do you feel?¡± Jiang Cheng removed the leaf. His eyes narrowed from the blinding sun. He told Fatty, ¡°If you¡¯re fine, stand up and walk around.¡± Before he knew what happened, Fatty decided to listen to the Doctor. He stood up and walked around. Then, he followed Jiang Cheng¡¯s instructions and stomped his feet a few times. ¡°Doctor, I¡¯m sure I¡¯m fine. Nothing is wrong with my body.¡± He straightened his numb legs and asked confusedly, ¡°I just want to know what happened. Why am I here all of a sudden? Weren¡¯t we by the cliff?¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and said, ¡°You fainted, and I carried you here.¡±¡°Is that all?¡± Fatty blinked with suspicion. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± Fatty looked around andmented helplessly, ¡°Doctor, we¡¯re the only ones here, so stop joking. With yourziness, why would you possibly carry me here?¡± There was a nk spot in his memory. Thest thing he remembered was the Doctor asking him a question. And then¡­ he remembered nothing after that. When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on the beach. Fatty saw Jiang Cheng open his mouth again, and his heart boiled. He had a feeling that this part of his missing memory was very important to him. If he could find it, certain things would be¡­ ¡°You sure think highly of yourself,¡± Jiang Cheng mocked him, ¡°Carry you? In your dreams. I dragged you here like you¡¯re a piece of log.¡± Fatty looked beside him. There was a trail in the sand that looked like a snake had slithered through. It moved from his feet to the cliff. There were a fewrge holes along the trail. These must have been made when the Doctor was annoyed with dragging him and dumped him on the ground. He probably kicked him to roll around like a barrel. ¡°If you are still alive,e with me to check out the forest,¡± Jiang Cheng huffed, ¡°If you¡¯re not alive¡­¡± ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Even though Fatty didn¡¯t go into the ocean, his body was drenched by the waves. Jiang Cheng purposely chose a path that was inside the shade of the cliff. The breeze caused Fatty to shiver. ¡°Why are you staying so close to me?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, ¡°If you¡¯re cold, go under the sun.¡± Fatty jogged beside Jiang Cheng and shook his head, ¡°No, Doctor. I¡¯ll feel much blissful staying close to you.¡± Jiang Cheng tutted with annoyance. Fatty had his own hypothesis regarding his memory loss. However, it all surrounded the nightmare realm. He had too few clues to make sense of anything. Thankfully, the Doctor was by his side during that period. Perhaps the Doctor had captured something. At this point, Fatty pressed his lips and looked at the Doctor. They had moved along the cliff and came to the edge of the forest. Based on what the Doctor said, when he was unconscious, he didn¡¯t see the Su Siblings exit the forest. The prospects were not good for them. Standing there, Fatty really felt the strangeness of the forest. The forest was sprawling, but there was no sound at all. There was no chirping or the skittering of small animals. The forest was¡­ deadly quiet. Every nt and tree in his sight was normal, but when paired together, there was something unsettling about them. His gaze travelled deeper into the woods through the gaps in the trees. The strange feeling grew stronger. When Fatty realised something was wrong and wanted to pull his eyes away, he realised he couldn¡¯t do it. The darkness inside the forest was like a gooey liquid. Once stuck, one couldn¡¯t pull away from it. He felt his whole body sinking into it¡­ His world was reced by darkness like he had sunken into the deep sea. Fatty suddenly widened his eyes. A beautiful melody swam around his ears. It was melodious and epic. He hadn¡¯t heard anything like this before, but at the same time, he realised what this sound was¡­ Whale song! It was the whale song the others had mentioned! Underneath the majestic song, he heard a dull exploding sound. It was slow and powerful. It was the heartbeat of this whale. He came to that conclusion subconsciously. Pressure poured down on him and shattered the darkness before him. Fatty woke up the next second. His back that was blown dry by the wind became wet with cold sweat again. He¡­ heard it too¡­ The whale song. ¡°Back away!¡± Fatty was snapped out of it by a loud growl. He turned to the source and was knocked off his feet by a powerful force. The thing that knocked him over wasn¡¯trge but was very powerful. After all, hisrge size was not just for show. After he was knocked down, his assant straddled him. Fatty was pinned to the ground. Fatty was seeing doubles. Eventually, he saw his assant. ¡°Doctor?¡± He gasped. Jiang Cheng ignored him. He stood up and looked at the forest. Two figures stumbled out as they supported each other. It was Su Xiaoxiao and Su An. ¡°Save us!¡± When she saw Jiang Cheng, Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s weakened eyes burst with a bright glow. However, the glow was swiftly extinguished. Her body tilted sideways. The siblings copsed right at the edge of the forest. Chapter 193: Strange Chapter 193: Strange Su An¡¯srge body copsed straightly. He didn¡¯t even try to struggle or grab the trees around him. It looked like he had already lost his consciousness. It was Su Xiaoxiao who had been dragging him out of the forest. She didn¡¯t give up. Fatty, who saw this scene, moved his throat. Then, he turned to Jiang Cheng. Before he said anything, he saw Jiang Cheng race towards the Su Siblings. A few secondster, Fatty reacted. He also ran over to help. Jiang Cheng picked up the small Su Xiaoxiao and threw her at Fatty like she was a bag. Then, Jiang Cheng hauled up Su An and ran¡­ like there was something chasing after them inside the forest. After what happened earlier, Fatty¡¯s fear of the forest had reached its peak. He didn¡¯t take another nce. He carried Su Xiaoxiao, turned and ran. Even though Jiang Cheng was carrying Su An, he was as fast as if he was flying. Fatty almost couldn¡¯t catch up to him. They ran until they reached the cliff. Instantly after they stopped, Jiang Cheng started to examine the sibling¡¯s injuries. Su Xiaoxiao looked fine. She suffered from light surface injuries. Most of them were caused by trekking through the forest. Her eyes were shut. If not for her rapid breathing, she looked like an exquisite doll. Su An¡¯s situation was worse. Other than the surface wounds simr to Su Xiaoxiao, there was a gash underneath his left rib and waist. Blood dyed his clothes. Fatty helped remove Su An¡¯s clothes. Thetter¡¯s clothes were sticky with blood and dirt. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty gasped audibly, ¡°What is this?¡± Jiang Cheng, who was checking the wound under Su An¡¯s left rib, frowned. He lifted his head and turned to where Fatty was pointing. The next second, his pupils trembled violently.There was a bloody hole near Su An¡¯s right shoulder. There was a ck scorch mark around it. As Su An breathed weakly, some blood oozed out of it. That was¡­ a bullet wound! Someone fired a gun in the forest! Hearing that, Fatty¡¯s face shook. Then, he gathered his courage to kneel on the ground. He examined Su An¡¯s right shoulder again. Eventually, he asked, ¡°Doctor¡­ Do you mean they ran into someone with a gun¡­ Or something with a gun in the forest?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. Old information was deconstructed, and new information was filed in his eyes. ¡°Doctor!¡± Fatty seemed to remember something, ¡°Could it be the aged woman¡¯s teammates? They are not dead and are inside this forest!¡± In the aged woman¡¯s story, a group of people suddenly took over the boat before the shipwreck happened. Plus, they had a lot of weapons and ammo with them. The ship even had whaling cannons. The clues slowly connected. Fatty¡¯s face paled. He croaked, ¡°The ship is meant to kill that whale! The shipwreck was not an incident. It was done by that whale. It is¡­ guarding this ce! They¡¯re here this time to kill it!¡± Fatty was close to a breakdown. After he heard the whale song, Fatty¡¯s impression of the whale underwent a huge change. Now, he¡¯d rather face a devilish ghost than this whale. Thinking back to that impressive and hollow song¡­ Could a human really stand up to something like that? Jiang Cheng shook his head. Then, he gave an answer that stunned Fatty, ¡°You¡¯re not urate. They¡¯re not here to kill it but to capture it.¡± He paused and turned to the sea. Fatty¡¯s heart chilled. Just as he thought about saying something else, Jiang Cheng slowly stood up to look at Su Xiaoxiao. Thetter had her head titled to the side. Her eyes were closed. ¡°You can keep on acting to eavesdrop on us.¡± Jiang Chengmented evenly, ¡°But I¡¯m telling you. We haven¡¯t dressed your brother¡¯s wound. His blood¡­ is about to flow until it¡¯s dry.¡± Instantly, Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s eyes flew open. She stood up unsteadily. However, based on her condition, she was awake for a while already. She didn¡¯t waste time and ran to Su An. After examining his wounds, she tore off her jacket into strips to bandage Su An. Fatty checked where Su Xiaoxiao was lying. There was a sharp stone. However, he remembered there was nothing there when he put Su Xiaoxiao there earlier. This bloody woman¡­ After she used her jacket, Su Xiaoxiao looked at Fatty and then at Jiang Cheng. She reached her hand out at thetter, ¡°Give me your clothes.¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes and didn¡¯t move. ¡°Give me your clothes!¡± Su Xiaoxiao ordered, ¡°If you want to know what¡¯s in the forest,¡± She paused and threatened, ¡°If something happens to my little brother, we¡¯ll all die.¡± ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty, ¡°Give her your clothes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want his. His is dirty. I want yours!¡± Su Xiaoxiao demanded, ¡°Quickly!¡± Since Fatty had been dragged on the ground for more than 100 meters, his wet clothes were covered in sand and pebbles. However, the rejection still hurt. Jiang Cheng grabbed Fatty¡¯s clothes and threw them on Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s face. He mocked, ¡°Take it or leave it.¡± Su Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t waste time. She shredded Fatty¡¯s outside. Then, she bandaged her brother. Her actions were so smooth that it suggested this was not her first time doing this. Then, Fatty moved forward to help move Su An to a rock that shielded them from the wind. Due to blood loss, Su An¡¯s face and lips were white. Fatty didn¡¯t think Su An had a high probability of survival. After all, theycked food, water and medical supplies. Su Xiaoxiao sat down beside Jiang Cheng. She looked so young for her age. Fatty nced at her. She didn¡¯t look like she was a pushover. Without any preamble, Su Xiaoxiao began, ¡°Something is strange about this forest.¡± Chapter 194: Guardians Chapter 194: Guardians ¡°We became lost not longer after we entered the forest. Perhaps being lost is normal for you, but my little brother will never get lost.¡± She seemed to remember something, and her face paled, ¡°My little brother¡¯s way of thinking is different from normal. He is used to marking people and objects with numbers. In the forest, he¡¯d keep on marking special things with numbers.¡± She paused before adding, ¡°It¡¯s not marking things in a clockwise manner¡­¡± ¡°Sorry to interrupt,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°But I have no interest in your little brother¡¯s talent. I just want to know about the forest.¡± Su Xiaoxiao nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to describe this forest to you. In any case, this forest is not something you and I can understand. My little brother seems to understand it, but sadly, he can¡¯t express himself easily. I do know that he has been stressing one specific point,¡± Su Xiaoxiao suddenly sat up. Then, her presence changed. ¡°He said¡­ that this forest is alive.¡± ¡°The forest¡­ is alive?¡± Fatty blinked his eyes. He was reminded of the ck mist he saw between the trees. The thing was like a swamp. One couldn¡¯t move one¡¯s eyes away after seeing it. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Su Xiaoxiao looked at the forest and then quickly looked away, ¡°At least in my brother¡¯s understanding, when we run into the same tree at different points in time, he¡¯d give the tree a different number.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned on the rock, but his eyes were on the forest. ¡°Do you mean¡­ in your brother¡¯s perspective, the tree is no longer the same tree you guys encountered earlier?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Fatty asked, ¡°Did any change happen to the tree?¡± ¡°No.¡±¡°How did you get injured?¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly asked. When she heard that question, Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s body trembled. However, she controlled it well and soon returned to normal. ¡°We were lost in the forest until we reached one spot¡­¡± She suddenly halted. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t urge her. He knew that it was not that she had mmed up, but she was searching for suitable words. ¡°Was it¡­ an altar?¡± Su Xiaoxiao raised her head. Fatty was stunned. He wondered why Su Xiaoxiao was asking them. Why would they know what they had encountered in the forest? ¡°Give the specifics,¡± Jiang Cheng prompted. ¡°It¡¯s a giant stone path that is circr and has a diameter of around 10 metres.¡± Su Xiaoxiao searched her memory, ¡°It is pure white. It is surrounded by graves.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it, ¡°Based on my knowledge, no civilisation has the culture of building graves for sacrifices. They will only remove the sacrifices¡¯ heads or body parts.¡± ¡°Let me finish,¡± Su Xiaoxiao was not dissatisfied. She was just too nervous that she didn¡¯t want to bring up this part of her experience, ¡°The graves are around the round te, but the te is stacked with various bones.¡± She swallowed, ¡°Some from humans and others from¡­ some creatures.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at her. He could sense the fear in her. He understood the woman was not only scared by the graves and the bones but also something else. This was clear from her choice of words. Some creatures¡­ Why not animals? That would be more logical. ¡°What did you see among the pile of bones?¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his voice. Su Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t expect to ask that directly. She lifted her head. Her trembling eyes stared into his eyes as if trying to capture something from them. Clearly, she failed. Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes¡­ only reflected her shadow. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they are. But they are not creatures from our world,¡± Su Xiaoxiao said tremblingly. ¡°They are so strange. Some look like lizards and frogs, but they are so muchrger than normal. 2 meters¡­ No, they should be three meters or evenrger¡­ Some of them even have wings on their backs!¡± Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s face paled. ¡°They seemed to havee from several million years ago¡­¡± Jiang Cheng was silent before saying, ¡°Trust me. Things like that didn¡¯t exist several million years ago.¡± Su Xiaoxiao was too agitated, and it worsened her lung injuries. She started to cough violently. As she wished to continue and describe the strangest thing, she realised Jiang Cheng was slowly standing up. It was hard to describe. For a short moment, she seemed to notice the shadow of something on Jiang Cheng. What was it? Or¡­ who was it? The familiar feeling soon disappeared. However, Su Xiaoxiao never suspected her feelings like she never suspected her little brother¡¯s judgement. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, the things on the altar,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. When he turned back, everything returned to normal, ¡°Came alive, right?¡± Fatty was stunned. Even though Su Xiaoxiao was shocked, she didn¡¯t lose herposure. She knew that Jiang Cheng had seen the wounds on Su An, especially the gunshot wound on his back. ¡°Other than the creatures you mentioned, the people on the altar came alive.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°Some of them had guns, and it was them who hurt your brother.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fatty¡¯s brain finally came back alive, ¡°Do you mean¡­ those bones came back alive and shot your little brother?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Su Xiaoxiao answered Fatty, but her attention never left Jiang Cheng. There was something about him that grabbed her. It was a sense of familiarity. ¡°I believe you would have guessed by now,¡± Su Xiaoxiao said, ¡°Those people are the aged woman¡¯s teammates. However, they died in the forest due to mysterious reasons. Their bones were ced on the altar. At certain moments, those things wille back alive, and¡­¡± Su Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t continue, but for the man before her, it was unnecessary. The forest was like the ind¡¯s self-defence mechanism. Once an outsider entered it, the forest altar would be activated. Then, it was ughter time for the revived soldiers. The killed ¡®visitors¡¯ would be included in this defence mechanism to be new ¡®guardians¡¯. Fatty found this hard to believe. Could this really exist for real? Didn¡¯t the Doctor say this was a shadow of the real world? Since it was a shadow, then¡­ it meant such a ce existed in the real world. Then that ce also had an altar. And the altar¡­ was piled high with bones. That was impossible¡­ Right? Chapter 195: Methods Chapter 195: Methods While Su Xiaoxiao took care of Su An, Fatty leaned close to Jiang Cheng to whisper, ¡°Doctor, is she telling the truth?¡± After being scammed by his teammates many times, Fatty lost his trust in others. He only trusted the Doctor. He didn¡¯t even trust himself. ¡°I feel like she answered too easily,¡± Fatty nced at the siblings. Su Xiaoxiao knelt down to wipe her brother¡¯s face. Fatty continued, ¡°I assumed we had to use more intense methods to pry open her mouth.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty with condescension. Fatty was different from before. He had been corrupted. Where was the innocent Fatty that he knew? ¡°Plus, what is this altar she was talking about¡­¡± ¡°She should be telling the truth,¡± Jiang Cheng ended Fatty¡¯s ramblings. As he tightened his shoces, he nced at the Su Siblings, ¡°Now, her wish to end the mission is greater than anyone else. That way, her little brother can live. As for the rewards, she probably doesn¡¯t care about it anymore.¡± ¡°Doctor¡­¡± Fatty was anxious about the Doctor¡¯s words, but he tried to remain calm, ¡°Why would you believe that he is her brother? She could have lied. You saw it yourself. Even though the man isrge, his brain is duller than mine,¡± Fatty pointed at his head. ¡°Perhaps he was tricked here by Su Xiaoxiao. She used him to confuse us.¡± Jiang Cheng tutted and gave Fatty a once-over. ¡°Fatty, tell me the truth. Did the nightmare do something to you when I was not paying attention?¡± ¡°Doctor, even when you¡¯re here, the nightmare hasn¡¯t been kind to me,¡± Fatty pouted. ¡°Two points,¡± Jiang Cheng sat up and shook two fingers, ¡°First, no one will have time to confuse others when one¡¯s life is being threatened. Second,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°How do you exin the gunshot wound on Su An¡¯s shoulder?¡± Fatty paused, but he opened his mouth again as if he wanted to argue more. However, Jiang Cheng stopped him. He pinched Fatty¡¯s cheeks and patted them. ¡°Fatty.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.¡°Doctor, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Fatty widened his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re handsome when you¡¯re working hard,¡± Jiang Cheng said sincerely, ¡°But don¡¯t push yourself too hard because¡­ you don¡¯t have a brain like mine.¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± It had been at least five hours since they left the cathedral, but the sun above them was still shining. The light was blinding. Time seemed to lose its meaning. Jiang Cheng curled up behind the rock. Su Xiaoxiao carried her brother over. Some sun was okay, but too much was damaging. Fatty used the time to check on Su An. Thetter was still unconscious. However, the strange thing was that Su An¡¯s white face had regained its colour. His wound stopped bleeding. Su Xiaoxiao used the sand to wipe away the blood on her hands and then sat down beside Jiang Cheng. The two didn¡¯t speak. One nced at the sea, and the other¡¯s eyes nked. Fatty felt like he had seen this scene in a television drama before. A couple would do this before they broke up. After a while, Fatty couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He was worried that the sky would suddenly darken. It would be dangerous for them if they stayed outside. The things in the forest and the people from ck Stone Town might appear. Actually,pared to the things in the forest, Fatty felt that the people from ck Stone Town were more suspicious. How innocent could the people who lived in the city that only appeared at night could be? ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Fatty raised his hand, ¡°When¡­ will we go back?¡± Jiang Cheng nced at Su Xiaoxiao. Thetter didn¡¯t react. ¡°Just a while longer,¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. He looked at the cathedral. The door was open. The inside seemed to be thick with mist. ¡°Are you waiting for something?¡± Fatty blinked as he seemed to understand something. ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡± Su Xiaoxiao jumped down the rock. As small as she was, her proportion was nice. Fatty was assigned the role of carrying the unconscious Su An. Jiang Cheng and Su Xiaoxiao walked in the front. Fatty followed them from behind. Before they entered the building, Jiang Cheng and Su Xiaoxiao paused. Then, they stepped into the darkness. The inside of the building was old and broken. There were traces of passing time everywhere. The two slowed down so that Fatty could keep up with them. When they passed by a broken pir, Jiang Cheng halted, causing Fatty to almost bump into him. ¡°Who is it?!¡± The next second, Su Xiaoxiao took out a sharpened rock. A figure slowly walked out from behind the pir, ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Chen Ran began lightly, ¡°It¡¯s just me.¡± Fatty stared at him. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing in the building, so I came out to take a look,¡± A light smile appeared on his lips. ¡°It¡¯s better than sitting around, right?¡± He looked at Su An on Fatty¡¯s back and gasped exaggeratedly, ¡°What happened to him? Did¡­ something happen?¡± Clearly, Chen Ran had noticed them when they entered the building. He hid in the dark, but he pretended to have only seen them now¡­ ¡°When did you get out here?¡± Su Xiaoxiao asked. ¡°About that¡­¡± Chen Ran tapped his head and smiled, ¡°Not long after you left.¡± Even though he sounded polite, it was filled with taunting. Fatty nced at the Doctor and Su Xiaoxiao. He noticed that neither of them had any special expression as if they knew Chen Ran would abandon his post. Fatty then realised the issue. It was the aged woman! The Doctor had once warned him that he had to be careful of the woman. He didn¡¯t specify why but Fatty was reminded of the things she said when she went crazy. She said that everyone was still alive and they lived inside her body. In her body! He lifted his head. He was reminded of the missing biker woman who was previously in the same room as the aged woman. ¡°Everyone,¡± Chen Ran smiled, ¡°Now, we¡¯ll head upstairs together. If something simr happens again, then¡­¡± He paused and then shrugged helplessly, ¡°We might turn to some uncivilised methods.¡± Chapter 196: Witness Chapter 196: Witness The shoes made a dull sound as they stepped on the stone steps. Chen Ren volunteered to carry the injured man. This was out of Fatty¡¯s expectation. However, he epted it with joy. After all, carrying such arge man up the stairs was not an easy task. Chen Ran¡¯s heavy footsteps proved that. Su Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t say anything, not even the simplest thank you. She merely stuck close to Chen Ran, like she was his bodyguard. There was no trust in the nightmare, and one had to be cautious of sudden kindness. Fatty followed Jiang Cheng. His eyes studied Chen Ran and Su Xiaoxiao, who walked in front of them. ¡°Doctor,¡± He leaned over to whisper, ¡°This is not right. Liang Long is not an idiot. After the biker woman disappeared, why would she volunteer to stay with the aged woman? Isn¡¯t she scared that¡­¡± Fatty¡¯s feet wobbled when he thought about the woman¡¯s twisted face and the words she had said. ¡°Of course, she¡¯s scared.¡± Jiang Cheng said, but his eyes never left Chen Ran and Su Xiaoxiao. He seemed to have seen through something. Fatty was confused. ¡°Then, what is going on?¡± As usual, he didn¡¯t get an answer. After some time together, Fatty had a basic understanding of the Doctor¡¯s personality. He was someone who was strict with others and easy-going with himself. He never answered questions that he didn¡¯t want to. Fatty even believed it depended on the Doctor¡¯s mood. The Doctor might even harm those who asked him questions that he didn¡¯t like. However, none of these shook the Doctor¡¯s position in his heart. After all, the Doctor was the reason why he could survive until now. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly said, ¡°Hide behind me.¡± Fatty shivered, and his face paled. He basically teleported behind Jiang Cheng. He looked around nervously. If possible, he¡¯d shrink himself and stay in the Doctor¡¯s pocket. ¡°Doctor, did you discover something?¡± Fatty was so scared that his voice changed, ¡°Does ite from in front of you?¡±Then¡­ Jiang Cheng sighed and said, ¡°Now, I don¡¯t need to worry about being ambushed from behind.¡± Fatty, ¡°???¡± After being tormented by the Doctor for a period of time, Fatty felt like he had gotten much stronger mentally. This time, he was scared for only a minute before he returned to normal. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty walked past Jiang Cheng and then turned around to whisper, ¡°Chen Ran is very impressive.¡± He paused. ¡°Su Ran is at least 200 pounds. However, we¡¯re climbing up the stairs, and Chen Ran¡¯s speed hasn¡¯t even changed.¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes and huffed, ¡°Not only that, his breathing hasn¡¯t been disrupted either.¡± Fatty swallowed nervously, ¡°Doctor, I know a master. ording to him, there are two types of experts in this world. ¡°The first relies on hard Qi. They focus on the maniption of external force. They can attack and defend. Muay Thai is a perfect example. ¡°The second relies on skills. They focus on the strength of their inner force. Chen Ran has to be this type. I fear we might not be able to take him down even if there are two of us.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly paused. Then, he stared at Fatty until thetter felt his heart chill. ¡°Two points.¡± He shook his fingers in front of Fatty¡¯s eyes. ¡°First, stop reading so many webnovels. They are not good for your brain¡­¡± Jiang Cheng harrumphed, ¡°Second, I¡¯m more than enough to deal with him.¡± ¡°Doctor, I know you¡¯re strong, but¡­ it¡¯s not the same,¡± Fatty advised him kindly, ¡°For me, unless it¡¯s absolutely avoidable, we shan¡¯t provoke him.¡± ¡°Provoke him? Why would I do that?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him with confusion, and Fatty was befuddled. ¡°That will only give him the time to react. We¡¯ll ambush him. You¡¯ll distract him, and then I¡¯ll use the opportunity to go for his eyes. Then¡­¡± Jiang Cheng reached out his right hand to aim at a mock individual¡¯s crotch. He gripped his fist hard. Fatty shivered uncontrobly. Jiang Cheng chuckled, ¡°I¡¯ll make his girlfriend cry every night.¡± Fatty shut down the chat with the Doctor. ¡­ ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Chen Ran stopped before the stone room of the lighthouse. He nced behind him to ensure that Jiang Cheng and Fatty were also there. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll have to ask everyone to be my witness,¡± he said with a smile. As if worried about what might happen next, Su Xiaoxiao told Chen Ren to ce the unconscious Su Ran against the wall. Su Ran leaned against the wall. ¡°You guys go in,¡± Su Xiaoxiao said without raising her head, ¡°I¡¯ll stay to apany my brother.¡± Chen Ran grinned. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not appropriate, Miss Su. Since we¡¯re all witnesses, it¡¯s best that we¡¯re all present.¡± He turned to Jiang Cheng. ¡°I believe Brother Hao shares my sentiment.¡± Even though his tone was polite, even Fatty could hear the threat behind it. He turned to the Doctor. In his mind, Jiang Cheng hated others when they talked to him like this¡­ ¡°Brother Chen has a point,¡± Jiang Cheng continued naturally, ¡°Miss Su shoulde with us.¡± Chen Ran was the first to enter the stone door. Then, he picked up the unconscious Su Ran to join him. Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s face was cold as she was forced to follow. Fatty was pushed through by Jiang Cheng, who entered the roomst. The next second, everyone¡¯s eyes shifted. Fatty¡¯s hair almost stood on end. His back started to pour out with cold sweat. There was no one inside the stone room. Both Liang Long and the aged woman were gone! The big stone that blocked the window was moved away. Sea breeze surged into the room. Outside the window was the peaceful and blue sea. Fatty¡¯s teeth chattered noisily. A strange aura spread inside the room¡­ Jiang Cheng stayed close to the door so he could have an easy escape. However, Chen Ran looked asfortable as he had returned home. He walked around the shelves towards the square window. There were a few baskets beside it meant for woods. Chen Ran ced his hand on a basket and rubbed the lid gently. Then, he turned to the other three and regarded them with an ufortable smile. ¡°Now¡­ it¡¯s time to witness the moment!¡± Chapter 197: Joke Chapter 197: Joke The lid was lifted off to reveal a shocked face. It was Liang Long! Her limbs were tied, and she was forced into the basket. A cloth was stuffed in her mouth. Her eyes widened, but she couldn¡¯t make any sound. However, that was not urate. She made a weak mumbling sound, but it was overwhelmed by the wind. ¡°It looks like Miss Liang is a lucky one.¡± Chen Ran looked down at her. His eyes studied her like she was a piece of art. Jiang Cheng interrupted him by walking forward to pull off the lid of the other basket. As expected¡­ it was the aged woman. However,pared to Liang Long, who was wrapped like a present, the aged woman only had a thin cloth bound around her wrists. It didn¡¯t look hard for her to struggle loose. The aged woman still looked out of it. Her eyes were hollow, like her soul had been sucked away. Her lips trembled as she mumbled things that no one understood. ¡°Crazy¡­¡± Su Xiaoxiaomented coolly. Fatty¡¯s throat moved. Then, the way he looked at Chen Ran changed. He didn¡¯t think this gentle-looking man would use his teammates as experiments¡­ and he did it so openly! His goal was clear. The tied Liang Long was the experiment or, rather¡­ the bait¡­ To test whether the biker woman had been¡­ Jiang Cheng removed Liang Long¡¯s gag. Fatty thought Liang Long would go into a rampage to curse Chen Ran, but¡­ he heard nothing. The rescued Liang Long didn¡¯t even dare to look at Chen Ran. Her limbs were numb from being tied up for so long. However, even so, she still struggled to move away from Chen Ran to hide in the corner that the aged woman had upied earlier. Her body couldn¡¯t stop trembling. Chen Ran was at ease. He didn¡¯t be flustered or awkward due to the way his teammates looked at him. Fatty¡¯s eyes shed, and something was rified. No one Liang Long didn¡¯t leave with Chen Ran. The Doctor said that she wouldn¡¯t dare. Liang Long wouldn¡¯t dare to stay with the aged woman alone!But she was forced! Chen Ran controlled her or did something to her. He tied her up and left her beside the aged woman. If they returned to find Liang Long gone or dead¡­ Then, they could confirm a threat in this mission as the aged woman. Then, everyone would know what would happen next. It was, as Chen Ran said. They had to do something unbing. It was either to throw the aged woman into the sea or chase her into the forest. The threat had to be eliminated, or they¡¯d all die. ¡°Is this the method you mentioned?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the aged woman and then at Chen Ran. Chen Ran narrowed his eyes. His eyes seemed to reflect something. Fatty sensed the tension. He was afraid that there would be conflict. He silently swiped a wooden club beside the wall and hid it behind him. Then, he pretended to watch. As Fatty¡¯s heart pounded, he noticed a glint from the corner of his eyes. He turned around with confusion. He noticed the fading light came from Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s sleeves. There was a clear budge on her woollen sweater. To Fatty¡¯s confusion, Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s gaze was on the Doctor. After taking in a cold breath, Fatty understood the situation was moreplex than he thought. As amazing as the Doctor was, he would probably go for a tie with Chen Ran. But, if Su Xiaoxiao also aimed for the Doctor¡­ Fatty tightened his grip on the club. He¡¯d make the move first if things went awry. The atmosphere tensed. Suddenly, Chen Ran opened his eyes. His lips curled up mockingly. He patted the dust on his sleeves and said, ¡°It looks like Brother Hao doesn¡¯t like this method. I should have asked.¡± Then, he turned to the shivering Liang Long and bowed gentlemanly. ¡°Miss Liang, it was just a joke. I hope you don¡¯t mind it.¡± Liang Long shook harder. Jiang Cheng pulled his gaze back. He nced at Su Xiaoxiao casually. Thetter¡¯s body tensed. However, Jiang Cheng easily moved his gaze away. ¡°Look¡­¡± Fatty pointed out the window, and his voice sharpened. Jiang Cheng took two steps back to the wall before looking out the window. He didn¡¯t need to do that because shadows had appeared in the previously bright room. The only source of light was the me in the middle. The sky¡­ darkened again. Due to Fatty¡¯s warning, everyone noticed something unusual¡­ about the night. Chen Ran raised his brow. The night was different. After Fatty¡¯s warning, the world outside dimmed. It took less than 10 seconds. Everyone saw it clearly! The ck mist surged forward like locust and covered up the bright sky. The ck mist came from everywhere. This was not the real night but a strange mist. After Fatty saw the ck mist, his gaze dulled. The mist brought him a sense of familiarity. The fear that came from his heart gripped his body. His lips opened like he wanted to say something, but he held it in. He turned to the Doctor. The Doctor¡¯s face was hidden in the dark, but he couldn¡¯t see the Doctor¡¯s eyes. He wanted to tell the Doctor that he was not unfamiliar with the mist. The mist deep inside the forest¡­ was of the same origin. The darkness of the mist was like an endless swamp. One would involuntarily sink into it. Fatty had that experience before. Thankfully, the whale song echoed in his ears at the nick of time. Fatty was startled. He suddenly realised something. It was the whale song that broke the mist¡¯s control on him. How could that be? Shouldn¡¯t the whales be¡­ ¡°Friends, snap out of it.¡± Chen Ran pped. His eyes shone with excitement. He grinned. ¡°Our old friends areing!¡± Outside the window, on the ck sea, a winding trail of light was hurrying towards the lighthouse. Chapter 198: Invitation Chapter 198: Invitation No matter what, they had to go down to meet their guests, or they¡¯d be trapped inside the lighthouse, which would not be good for them. If the enemy controlled the staircase, they would be entrapped. Chen Ran studied them openly with a barely discernible smile on his lips. ¡°We¡¯ll stay,¡± Su Xiaoxiao announced. She was naturally referring to herself and her brother. She knew that her brother couldn¡¯t go through any more torment. Plus, no one knew what would happen next. After Su Xiaoxiao said that, Liang Long¡¯s eyes brightened slightly. Based on what the people from ck Stone Town said, the ce became like this due to a curse, and the way to undo the curse was to ensure that the me in the lighthouse kept burning. For now, they had no reason to believe the people from ck Stone Town were lying to them. Therefore, it was crucial for some of them to stay behind. This was very important. After helping Su Xiaoxiao move Su An to a corner, Chen Ran walked out of the room. He was followed by Jiang Cheng and Fatty. Lastly, Liang Long climbed up from the ground. She nced at the aged woman inside the basket and moved away quickly. When they were alone, even though the aged woman didn¡¯t do anything to her, she was¡­ scared. It was fear that had no reason. If she had to exin it, she would call it instinct. As she thought about it, she hurried down the stairs. When they came to the first floor, the group with the torches arrived. The two groups looked at each other through the window. The leader of the other party was still the golden-haired man. However, there were more people who came this time. Reflected by the torches, the tritons and spears on their shoulders shone. Liang Long had a bad feeling. The golden-haired man¡¯s eyes wandered among them. Then, he sighed, ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve encountered certain things as well and lost some people.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Chen Ran nodded. Fatty didn¡¯t dare to stay too close to the window. He nced out at the sea through the window. The lights of the city glowed. However, it was hidden by theyer of mist. He opened his mouth and asked timidly, ¡°What is going on with the ck mist? Why is the night here¡­¡± The golden-haired man interrupted him, ¡°This is not the ce to speak. Please follow us to ck Iron City to take a look. We haven¡¯t interacted with outsiders for a long time already.¡± The man chuckled sadly, ¡°The townspeople will be so happy to see you.¡±Chen Ran narrowed his eyes at the man. ¡°Okay.¡± Fatty was startled. Why would he agree to that? Wasn¡¯t he afraid that this was a trap? Liang Long shared Fatty¡¯s thoughts. After what happened earlier, she was more anxious than Fatty. Perhaps in her mind, she was still an experiment for Chen Ran. The two ced their hope on Jiang Cheng, but¡­ ¡°Then, please lead the way,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded at the golden-haired man. As they moved towards ck Stone Town, Fatty¡¯s head buzzed. He had no idea why the Doctor also agreed to this. Did he discover something? Liang Long didn¡¯t follow them. She rejected them firmly with the excuse that she¡¯d stay to find more clues. Fatty actually wanted to do the same but he was worried about the Doctor so he forced himself to follow them. On the way to ck Stone Town, Fatty had a greater understanding of this world. Wavespped at their feet. A pure ck road led the way for them. The road was around four metres wide and winded its way to the city on the sea. So, the citizens of ck Stone Town didn¡¯t walk on water but on this strange path. When he walked on it, Fatty felt like he¡¯d sink at any moment. Fatty lowered his head to observe everything. This ck path appeared to be connected to the ubiquitous ck mist. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty sidled up to the Doctor and grumbled in a low voice, ¡°What were you thinking? Why did you agree toe with them?¡± He looked around and said, ¡°This ce feels wrong. I suspect Chen Ran has colluded with the people from ck Stone Town to harm us.¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. He seemed to be watching his surroundings. His voice travelled to Fatty, ¡°Don¡¯t you find it strange that we can¡¯t find a bit of water and food on such a bit ind?¡± Fatty had pondered that but he reached no conclusion. Theoretically speaking, since they were close to the sea and the forest, they should not face any hunger or thirst issues. However, that happened in this world. At this point, Fatty¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°Doctor, do you think this is part of the mission¡¯s settings?¡± He added, ¡°The mission limits our food and water source to force us toe to ck Stone Town¡­ Some important clues can be found there!¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve survived without water and food for a day already. I don¡¯t know how much longer I can survive that. Instead of dying from dehydration, why not use our stamina when we still have it and check this ce out? Plus¡­¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly lowered his voice, ¡°Do you think those people will let us go if we don¡¯te with them?¡± Fatty¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°Look at their number and the weapons on their backs.¡± Jiang Cheng pointed out, ¡°Do they look like they were going to ask us politely if we refused them?¡± The people who came to the lighthouse were young men. Most of them wore leather clothes that were made from unknown creatures. Their exposed body showed rock-solid muscles. Most of them were more than two metres tall¡­ Fatty shivered nervously. Such a group was not normally sent out to invite guests. They were to force people into submission. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± The golden-haired man suddenly halted. The city before them was submerged in a sea of light. Chapter 199: Child Chapter 199: Child The size of the city was beyond Fatty¡¯s expectations. Even when he stepped on the uneven street, he still couldn¡¯t get over his shock. The buildings were made from stone and had age to them. Some of the edges had been worn out by time. Two deep wheel tracks cut down the middle of the street. They were formed by prolonged use. The lines perfectly split the city into two. Jiang Cheng observed his surroundings as he walked. Time left behind some unique traces of this strange city on the sea. Other than the traces of time, another thing that unsettled him was the overly bright lights. When they first arrived, they could barely open their eyes. Fatty was so blinded that he almost tripped on the road. Thankfully, Jiang Cheng reacted fast enough to grab him. At that moment, Jiang Cheng noticed there was ayer of green stuff under Fatty¡¯s feet. It looked like moss. ¡°You must be tired,¡± The golden-haired man turned around and said in a warm tone, ¡°The townspeople have prepared some food, knowing that you¡¯reing. If you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± ¡°Then, we¡¯ll have to thank the mayor.¡± Chen Ran ced his hands in his pockets. The golden-haired man nced at him and nodded, ¡°Pleasee with me.¡± Surrounded by the group of men, the travellers were led to a tform. The ce was huge. Fatty believed it was half the size of a football field. There were a lot of people there. There were people of both genders, and all gazes. Their eyes scanned the travellers like thetter were exotic pets. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty whispered, ¡°I feel like we¡¯re animals at the zoo.¡± He paused, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, he¡¯d soon throw food at us so they can have fun watching us fight over food.¡± After he met the Doctor, Fatty developed a bad habit. Whenever he was nervous, his mouth started to lose control and say things that didn¡¯t make much sense. He suspected he had been corrupted by the Doctor. The good thing was this greatly lowered his nervousness. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng replied in a simrly soft voice, ¡°If I tell you that they might tie you up and roast you over a fire and slice open your flesh, will it affect your current mood?¡± Fatty shut up immediately. Blood drained from his face. Under the golden-haired arrangement, the crowd dispersed to find ces to sit. It was then that Fatty realised there were many stone tables made from piles of stone hidden behind the crowd. It was not tall, about the height of one¡¯s upper thighs. The stone table wasden with tes of fish, shells and prawns.¡°Please,¡± The golden-haired man chose the table in the middle and sat down. The three travellers sat down across from the man. They sat on grass mats. Chen Ran still looked very at ease. Fatty nced at him. His alertness peaked. A woman came over with urns. She filled up the bowls before them, and the weing ceremony officially began. Fatty stared at thergest crab in the middle bowl, and he swallowed hungrily. However, he didn¡¯t dare to do anything before the others. What if the food was poisoned? Chen Ran started to crack open a crab and munched on its meat. Then¡­ Fatty saw a hand appear within his vision. The hand grabbed thergest crab¡¯s right pincer. The hand shook the crab and dropped it before Fatty. ¡°Just eat,¡± Jiang Cheng said. Fatty instantly followed the order. There were always two women serving them. Once the drink was finished, they¡¯d refill it instantly. Once the tes were empty, they¡¯d refill it with fruits and vegetables. The only negative was there were no fruits and vegetables. Fatty frowned as he drank the wine. He had no idea what the ingredient behind the brew was, but it had a fishy stench. Chen Ran finished two crabs and nced at the golden-haired man. ¡°I believe the mayor didn¡¯t invite us here just to eat and drink.¡± The golden-haired man put down his cup. He didn¡¯t eat much. Most of the time, he drank quietly. He looked troubled. ¡°You are the chosen ones. Only you can save us from the curse.¡± His gaze was as heavy as ever. ¡°Of course. You will also be saving yourself. After all, if you don¡¯t solve the curse, you can¡¯t leave this ce.¡± Chen Ran leaned back and said casually, ¡°Then, please tell us more about the curse.¡± With the mention of the curse, Fatty put away the crab. ¡°We¡¯ll have to start from several decades ago,¡± The man sighed, ¡°Our ancestors began their lives by the ocean. It was around that forest. They sustained themselves mainly by fishing.¡± The golden-haired man added, ¡°Of course, hunting in the forest supplemented them greatly as well¡­ That was until one day, a family had a boy.¡± At this point, the man¡¯s expression changed. His voice also trembled. ¡°No. That was not a human. It was¡­ the devil! The devil!¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes, and Chen Ran¡¯s fingers that tapped the table paused. Devil¡­ that was not a termmonly used by fishermen but more by people in religious settings. Jiang Cheng was reminded of the strange building by the sea¡­ ¡°Ever since its birth, everything changed. Shipwrecks kept happening. Even when the weather was great, there would be a sudden storm to capsize our ships! ¡°Even those who went into the forest to collect berries would run into identally. Eventually, everyone who entered the forest disappeared! ¡°Then, we gathered our best hunters to investigate the forest. However¡­ the same things happened to them! They never returned! ¡°Until¡­ several days ago!¡± The golden-haired man started to shake uncontrobly, like something was haunting him. His cup sshed wine on his body. Chapter 200: Flood Chapter 200: Flood Infected by the emotions of the golden-haired man, the three became serious. Even Chen Ran became less aloof. ¡°What happened?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. The man pursed his lips before downing another gulp of alcohol. The woman who served them didn¡¯t move forward to refill his ss for some reason. ¡°A few dayster, the people who were supposed to guard the edge of the forest suddenly charged into my home and told me that the people who went missing¡­ had returned.¡± ¡°Returned?¡± Fatty widened his eyes. Jiang Cheng nced at Fatty. Thetter immediately shut up. ¡°That¡¯s right. They returned,¡± The golden-haired man paused. ¡°No matter what, that was great news. The elders had their kids back, and the women had their husbands back. The children¡­ had their fathers. ¡°That night, we had a feast to celebrate the return of the warriors. The town was so joyous. Everyone took out their best wine. The men were not allowed to leave until they were drunk. While they drank, they told us about the things they encountered in the forest¡­¡± At this point, the man¡¯s memory became hazy. It could be his problem or an issue with the men who came out of the forest. In any case, based on the mayor¡¯s recollection, not long after the hunters entered the forest, they encountered a rare storm that caused a sh flood. Back then, they were in a lond. They didn¡¯t have any spots to hide in. The flood came suddenly. Those who didn¡¯t manage to hide were swiped away. When the flood was over, they did a headcount and they realised one of them was missing. The person was a young hunter, but he was very experienced. He was one of the leaders of the team.The hunters were from the same town, and naturally, they wouldn¡¯t leave anyone behind. Therefore, even if the chances were not favourable, they still followed the trails to find the man¡­ or rather, his body. The chance of someone surviving after being swept away by a mountain flood was close to zero. They only wanted to carry the corpse home to give him a proper burial. By then, they had given up searching for the people who disappeared before. Based on what they encountered, those people probably ran into a flood as well. However, to their surprise, as they followed the flood trail, they came to a ce they hadn¡¯t been to before. They were deep inside the forest, and they found a giant stone te. The te was pure white, and strange light floated above it. The stone te was buried underground earlier. The flood washed away the mud and revealed the te. The hunters noticed there were fruit trees around the te. The fruits were unimaginably sweet. A small river wound by the te. The river was so clear one could see the fish in it¡­ The men¡¯s tale about the stone te stunned the people at the celebration. The hunters even forgot that their original goal was to search for the missing townspeople. Then again, it was not hard to understand why they¡¯d be so interested in that ce. They noticed it was harder and harder to find food in the sea. The strange stone solved that problem of theirs. Plus, it was a ce with great water source. It was not a bad location to migrate to¡­ Without much discussion, everyone agreed that the hunters would lead them into the forest to check out this te the day after. That night, the mayor was so happy that he drank a little too much. He was carried home before the feast was over. When he was lying in bed, someone smacked him on his face. The person was very anxious as he called the golden-haired man¡¯s name. However, as the golden-haired man opened his eyes, his alcohol-addled brain woke up instantly. The person who woke him up knelt before him. He was covered in mud. Only a pair of bloodshot eyes red at him. Even so, the man recognised him. It was the young man who was supposedly carried away by the flood. But¡­ wasn¡¯t he dead? As the golden-haired shivered from fear, the young man spoke. ¡°Mayor,¡± He cried, ¡°We encountered a flood. Other than myself, the rest of the team died!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡­ At this point, Fatty was the same as the mayor. His heart rose to his throat. If the hunters who came back did not lie, then the young man was a ghost. But what if the young man was telling the truth? Then, Fatty confirmed that the young man who sneaked into the mayor¡¯s room should be telling the truth or else¡­ Fatty nced at the golden-haired man. Thetter probably wouldn¡¯t be there to tell them this story. A chill rose in his heart. The stone te was such a strange and scary thing. In Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s description, they also encountered a white te. The te was stacked with bones. Plus, the white bones were reanimated to ughter the people near the stone te. The things that the Su Siblings encountered were probably the men who had ¡®returned¡¯ from the forest in the golden-haired man¡¯s story. What were they? Ghosts? Fatty thought about it and decided against it. They didn¡¯t match Fatty¡¯s understanding of ghosts. They were more like strange creatures who were brought back to life through some power. It was as if there was something darker controlling them, but Fatty had no idea what. The golden-haired man didn¡¯t exin what happened next after the feast, but from his eyes, the town had a tremendous change after that night. The next thing he said was, ¡°I led the remaining men in the town¡­¡± The torches caused the man¡¯s face to flicker. When he opened his mouth next, he sounded like there were gravels in his throat, ¡°We found the stone te. The ground around it was barren. The ground was dark red in colour, as if soaked in blood. The stone te¡­¡± He paused. His eyes were so red that one would assume they¡¯d start to bleed, ¡°It was filled with corpses of the townspeople! All those who went missing were there!¡± Chapter 201: Priest Chapter 201: Priest Chen Ran¡¯s reaction was intriguing. He held the cup, but he didn¡¯t drink from it. He swirled it asionally, showing more interest in the cup than the man¡¯s story. No one minded Chen Ran. Jiang Cheng was deep in thought. Fatty was greatly drawn into the golden-haired man¡¯s story. With a deep breath, the man¡¯s emotions slowly calmed down. Even though it was a long time ago, the memory of it was still fresh in his mind. ¡°All dead¡­¡± Jiang Cheng repeated to himself. The golden-haired man paused and looked at the darkness around them. Eventually, he said coolly, ¡°If only they were just dead.¡± Fatty pressed his lips. He predicted what happened next. Jiang Cheng took a quiet sip of the bitter wine. He put the cup down and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°When we wanted to approach the stone te to take back the corpses of our friends and family, something happened,¡± The golden-haired man answered, ¡°We were attacked.¡± ¡°By¡­ the dead?¡± The man looked at Jiang Cheng. He wanted to glean something from his eyes, but he failed, ¡°That¡¯s right. They somehow came back to life and attacked us madly. ¡°Less than one-third of us managed to escape. The scariest thing was after they killed us, they brought the fresh corpses and ced them on the stone te.¡± The golden-haired man¡¯s breathing became urgent again. ¡°You can¡¯t imagine it. Some of us were practically torn apart. The revived vigers were immeasurably powerful. They could tear through the human bodies with their bare hands.¡°Plus¡­ the broken bodies somehow were reanimated not long after they were ced on the stone te. Their wounds disappeared as if they were never there to begin with.¡± ¡°How does that rte to the building you built?¡± Chen Ran looked right at the man, ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± Fatty swallowed nervously, ¡°Can the building¡­ repel certain things?¡± ¡°No.¡± The golden-haired man shook his head, ¡°A priest helped us build that ce. The priest¡¯s ship sank near the ind. The priest was the sole survivor. We found the priest on a wooden board near the sea. ¡°The priest was supposed to go on a mission on the other side of the ocean. After we shared the things that happened inside the forest, the priest said this was predestined. The reason the divine spared his follower was because the divine wanted the priest toe to us. ¡°The priest said that the stone te in the forest was an altar. It is used to serve a creature of deep misfortune slumbering in the deep sea. However, the priest said¡­ it might have already awakened. ¡°The revived people¡­ were the products of its curse. If this continued, none of us would survive. We were too weak to resist it. We had to build a great building and borrow the power of the church to fight it and undo the curse.¡± Church¡­ Fatty thought back to the building. Even though he didn¡¯t get it, the ce did match his idea of a great cathedral. ¡°It looks like that didn¡¯t work,¡± Jiang Cheng said directly. He looked around. This strange city on the sea was these people¡¯sst sanctuary. Plus¡­ they didn¡¯t see any priests. ¡°We built the building as requested,¡± The man looked down the distance. ¡°As long¡­ as long as the lighthouse¡¯s fire keeps burning, we¡¯ll find salvation. ¡°But¡­ on thatst day! Something happened to the priest¡­ ¡°The priest was killed by the devil!¡± The golden-haired man¡¯s eyes shrivelled with fear. ¡°No. It was more than that. The devil ate the priest!¡± Devil¡­ Fatty remembered thest time the mayor used this term, and it was to describe a newborn child in the child. ¡°That was not a child. It was the devil!¡± The man growled, ¡°It ate the priest! Everything we had done to counter the curse was wasted! The devil first killed its parents. Due to sympathy, the priest took it in. However, while the priest was breastfeeding the devil¡­¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Both Chen Ran and Jiang Cheng stopped him at the same time. ¡°The priest is ady?!¡± The man was shocked as if this had never been an issue. He nodded. ¡°Yes. The priest was ady. The devil took advantage of her motherly instinct and then ate her.¡± Chen Ran nced at Jiang Cheng before nodding at the golden-haired man, ¡°Noted. Please continue.¡± After a long time, the man walked out of his memory. For a moment, he seemed to age a lot. He leaned forward to look into his empty cup. ¡°After the priest died, the lighthouse went out. The curse exploded. Thend crashed, and the sea level rose. Our original town was taken over by the curse, and it became a city floating on the city. ¡°We live our lives in the ck mist and cannot see the sun again. We have to hide in the darkness and fog. We can only leave for shore when the ck mist envelopes thend.¡± ¡°In other words, you can only see us and move onto thend when the ck mist takes over the whole area?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, how does the world look like when it¡¯s daytime for us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a world of ck mist. The mist covers our small city on all sides. We¡¯re surrounded by the sea, but it is not the sea. No one dares to enter the sea because those who tried had all disappeared. We could only use the most traditional methods to fish for some seafood to maintain our lives.¡± The man nced at the tes on the table. He said with sadness, ¡°These are the best we can offer.¡± Jiang Cheng and the rest looked around. Other than their table, the other tables only had a few tes of seafood. Some of them didn¡¯t even look like normal fish. Life was very hard for these people. ¡°Then, what about the thing¡­ in the forest¡­¡± Before Fatty could finish, he was interrupted by the golden-haired man. He sounded rxed for the first time. ¡°We¡¯ll have to thank the priest for that.¡± Chapter 202: Knowledge Chapter 202: Knowledge ¡°Even though the curse has spread, the presence of the building can hold the curse back to a certain degree. The strange things in the forest can¡¯t get close to our city. Of course, when we go onnd, we¡¯ll never go near the forest.¡± ¡°In other words, other than some limitations, your life here is not that different from when you were on the ind,¡± Jiang Cheng said slowly, ¡°For example, you¡¯ll experience the same stages of life like birth, ageing, sickness and death. Is that right?¡± ¡°If theck of daytime and the shortage of food don¡¯t count in your eyes, you¡¯re right,¡± the golden-haired man said directly. ¡°And the way to undo the curse is to light up the lighthouse and keep it going?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± The man thought about it and shook his head. ¡°The priest didn¡¯t say. She only told us how to undo the curse. However, I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t take long.¡± Chen Ran ced one hand on the table and looked at the golden-haired man, ¡°Since the priest managed toe up with the solution to the curse, she must have recognised the source of the curse. ¡°What¡­ is it?¡± Chen Ran asked.At this point, Fatty¡¯s expression became serious. He had heard the strange whale sound. Regarding the source, he had developed a¡­ curiosity. No, Fatty rejected the term. He was too tiny to fathom the identity of the source of the whale song. It had to be something way beyond their understanding. It was something from the imagination of a bard or from apletely unknown dimension¡­ To be honest, Fatty didn¡¯t quite believe in undoing the curse with the mes of the lighthouse. However, he¡¯d still do it because if he did nothing, he would panic. Thankfully, the Doctor was there. Fatty nced at the Doctor with anticipation. He realised the Doctor looked very serious as he listened to the golden-haired man. However, his hands¡­ Fatty¡¯s throat moved. He discovered the Doctor was silently moving the fat crab legs to the edge of the stone table before stowing them into his pocket. The Doctor was like a squirrel, storing food in preparation for the winter. ¡°We are unclear about its name, but ording to the priest, no one can view its true form directly. One scale on its body is asrge as a small mountain. Its teeth are like steep cliffs. Standing on its front and back, one would be able to see the sunrise and sunset of the same day. It is something beyond mortal understanding. Humans can only prostrate before it. ¡°With a slight shake of its body, the cliffs under the sea will be crushed by it. Every single breath it takes will raise enormous waves. ¡°It has no emotions because every life is as frivolous as an ant in its eyes.¡± These ramblings of a religious nut somehow resonated with the travellers. When they heard this, they seemed to have entered a time where science held no power. Witches were burned on the stakes, and crows circles above their heads. There was no light in the dark. As Fatty slowly sank into the dark imagination, the sound reappeared. It was majestic and loud¡­ it brought up the openness of the sea. When Fatty recovered, he was already on the way back. Chen Ran walked in the front, holding the torch. The Doctor was beside him. He turned back, and the bright town slowly blurred. How did he not know when they left ck Stone Town? Different from when they arrived, the people from ck Stone Town didn¡¯t apany them back. Fatty thought about it and realised it was because of worry. They were worried that once the ck mist disappeared, they wouldn¡¯t be able to return to ck Stone Town. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty whispered, ¡°Do you think they were telling the truth? Does¡­ that thing really exist?¡± Jiang Cheng led the torch low. Fatty could only see the lower part of his face and not his eyes. This made him ufortable. ¡°Doctor?¡± Fatty waited for a moment before asking again. Jiang Cheng suddenly stopped. This caused Fatty to stop as well. The Doctor raised his head in the shadow. Fatty blinked and did the same. The torch at the front¡­ had been snuffed out. Other than the light from the lighthouse, they were surrounded by darkness. Chen Ran¡¯s voice came from the dark. His voice was unclear. ¡°I believe Mr Hao has figured it out too.¡± Chen Ran continued, ¡°The church, the priestess¡­¡± He chuckled, ¡°Only the baptised males can receive the holy iron. Even though many followers don¡¯t follow the bible, the church has to, especially¡­ in that dark age. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ve encountered something incredible this time,¡± Chen Ran¡¯s eyes somehow glowed in the dark, ¡°Mr Hao¡­¡± ¡­ The pile of firewood crackled and burned. There was an athletic figure shielded in the light. However, the person was curled up in a ball and looked so helpless. Liang Long knelt on the floor, alone on the first floor of the lighthouse. It was exceptionally quiet. After separating from Jiang Cheng¡¯s group, she didn¡¯t go back to the room with the me. She chose to stay down here. Even though the ce was dark and quiet¡­ whenever she thought of that aged woman, she felt ufortable. Something was wrong with her. Liang Long was certain of that. Plus, if she needed to go back, she had to walk up the dark staircase alone. Anything could have happened to her there. With this in mind, she tossed another piece of wood into the fire. Thankfully, the first floor had some scattered tree branches other than the stone pirs. Or else she¡¯d have to rely on her torch to wait for the three to return. In an instant, her thought was dominated by a man¡¯s face. She shivered. It was Chen Ran¡¯s face¡­ She had long since heard of this man. She initially heard it from a former teammate. Even though that teammate survived the nightmare realm, she lost her mind when she returned to the real world. She kept repeating the name, Chen Ran. The smallest stimulus could trigger her fear. She sealed herself up. She curled up into the smallest ball and squeezed herself into tight spaces. Chapter 203: Disciples Chapter 203: Disciples When Liang Long heard about the girl again, she was already dead. She saw her corpse. She was stuck into a dresser the size of a child. Her eyes were open, and her body was gaunt. The doctor said¡­ she died from a sudden heart attack, but Liang Long knew the true culprit was Chen Ran. Because¡­ inside the dresser were a lot of carved words. They were maddening and twisted¡­ Each word carried endless fear and hatred. They were Chen Ran and the disciples¡­ Liang Long¡¯s body shook. How did the disciples get involved? A sudden crack snapped Liang Long out of her reverie. She quickly retreated into the shadows. She lowered her body and hid behind a broken stone pir as she looked around nervously. Her first reaction was the people from ck Stone Town had returned because the sound she heard came from the door. Even though she had closed the front door, they could still jump through the window. Even though the lobby was huge, there were a lot of hiding ces provided by the broken statues and shattered pirs. Of course¡­ that was if the thing that made the sound was human. She held her breath as she nced around. Using the light from the fire, she noticed the geography of the lobby was moreplicated than she thought. There were more stone pirs and statues than she realised. She blinked with confusion¡­ But something didn¡¯t feel right. She had purposely picked this spot because it was to the right of the building. Her line of sight was clear, and it would help her take stock of her surroundings. When did the other objects appear? It suddenly hit her. Stone statues? Her eyes slowly scanned the statues. A scary thought appeared in her mind. The statues were of different sizes. The bigger ones were four metres, and there were also two metre ones. The only simrity was all the statues looked scary. Some of them had fish bodies and wings. Some looked like an amalgamation of lizard and toad¡­ They looked like some mythical creatures. Their creator must be¡­ quite entric or mad.Just as she was about to pull her gaze back to search for the intruder, something caught her attention from the corner of her eyes. Something moved. She turned around, and her heart rxed. She let out a long sigh. It was a stone statue. It was less than two metres. It was barely noticeable among the rest. The statue was chipped and cracked. With a touch, it might crumble. However, the thing that unsettled her was the statue had a pair of symmetrical, insectoid eyes that seemed to follow her every move. ¡°It¡¯s just a statue¡­¡± Sheforted herself before forcing herself to look around. She moved to the fire. She slowly stood up to look out the window. However, her body suddenly froze. ¡°Why am I standing up?¡± Earlier, when she was seated by the fire, she could nce out the window without moving from the seated position. It was one of the reasons why she picked that spot. So why did she need to move this time? She turned to the window and realised why. A strange crawling statue blocked part of her sight. Then, as the reality dawned on her, Liang Long¡¯s teeth started chattering. She moved her stiff neck. She was greeted by a scene that she¡¯d never forget in her life. All the stone statues within her sight had titled their necks to stare at her. ¡­ Beside a dying pile of fire, arge figure stood there. His shadow was reflected on the ground. ¡°Could Liang Long have escaped because she was scared?¡± Fatty asked nervously. Jiang Cheng knelt on the ground as if he was studying something. Then, he stood up and said, ¡°She couldn¡¯t have escaped in the dark, right?¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at a secluded corner where a burnt stick was. It was one of their makeshift torches. They wrapped the cloth around one end of the stick and dipped it in the fat. When they came down the stairs, four of them carried one torch each. Even though there were dry sticks on the ground, having a torch was much more useful. Jiang Cheng took a few more steps. Thanks to his nose, he caught a very special scent. He found a puddle less than two meters from the firece. The puddle was small, but the smell was pungent. Fatty bounced over. He made sure he was always within three metres of the Doctor. ¡°Did Liang Long¡­ leave this here?¡± Fatty didn¡¯t phrase it like a question. He thought Liang Long was quite careful. If it were him, he wouldn¡¯t stray too far away from the fire either. There were not that many things that could be offort in the nightmare realm. The warmth of the fire was one of them. ¡°Since she even chose to pee here, she wouldn¡¯t have left for no reason,¡± Fatty pinched his nose, ¡°She must have encountered something that pushed her to leave.¡± ¡°Or she might have died beside the fire,¡± Chen Ran said. Fatty, who stood closest to the fire, was scared. He moved away from Chen Ran. He went to Jiang Cheng and whispered, ¡°Doctor, do you think the people from ck Stone Town have caught her?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng answered easily. Fatty blinked. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t figure out why they¡¯d do that.¡± Jiang Cheng exined, ¡°Do they want to get information from her? But why her? We delivered ourselves to them. Why would they waste time going after Liang Long? ¡°Or do you think Liang Long is more precious than the three of us?¡± Fatty gave it some thought and nodded. ¡°Mr Hao,¡± Chen Ran¡¯s voice came from behind. ¡°Look at what I found.¡± A metallic athletic watch appeared in his hand. He pointed at his feet, signifying that was where he found it. Chen Ran shrugged, ¡°It looks like luck has run out for Miss Liang.¡± Chapter 204: Stairs Chapter 204: Stairs ¡°Liang Long, she¡­¡± Fatty stared at the watch Chen Ran held and his face shuddered, ¡°Was she captured by something? Is that why she left her watch here?¡± Fatty looked around nervously, ¡°Could¡­ it be the same thing that captured the biker woman? The biker woman also disappeared inside the lighthouse, and now¡­¡± ¡°There are many strange things around here.¡± Chen Ran narrowed his eyes. He tossed away the watch and then walked to the side before kneeling down. Chen Ran was half-hidden in the dark. Fatty didn¡¯t want to follow him. Ever since he arrived at the nightmare realm, his fear of the dark had peaked. However, he was not the group''s decision-maker. The Doctor was. Even if the Doctor told him to go back to ck Stone Town, he¡¯d¡­ well¡­ he¡¯d think about it. ¡°Come.¡± Jiang Cheng looked around and told Fatty, ¡°Let¡¯s go back first.¡± Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng and then at Chen Ran, who was kneeling in the dark as if asking what they should do with him. ¡°Brother Chen Ran, have fun,¡± Jiang Cheng shouted politely, ¡°We¡¯ll head back for now.¡± Hearing that, Chen Ran stood up and strode over. Fatty was very wary of this man. He was as shameless as the Doctor, and¡­ he was equally pretentious. ¡°Brother Hao sure likes to joke,¡± Chen Ran was basically stuck to Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. Thetter could even sense his breath. ¡°I¡¯m worried about the two of you going back alone. We should stick together.¡± Jiang Cheng looked into his eyes before he suddenly pulled Fatty over. Fatty was so caught by surprise that he almost tripped. ¡°Sure,¡± Jiang Cheng said in his mocking tone, ¡°But you cannot stay too close to this fatty.¡± He paused before adding, ¡°He is mine.¡± Chen Ran nced at the two of them and grinned, ¡°Understood.¡±The three of them carried a torch each. Chen Ran was requested to walk in front because he resembled Jiang Cheng¡¯s teacher, who was killed in a car ident. Back then, Jiang Cheng was a kid, so he felt more secure around a figure of authority. Fatty walked at the back. He was very anxious. He remembered the stories Jiang Cheng told him when they encountered each other one time when he came up to use the toilet at night. He still remembered the many stories, like the debate in the underworld and the staircase that wouldn¡¯t end. The story was about a female office worker who worked overtime until it waste at night. Then, herpany lost its power. She walked down the stairs alone. However, no matter how far she walked, she was still stuck on the 18th floor. In the end, she decided to skip down the stairs. She then realised there was a woman who had a severed waist on her back. The ghost wasying on the woman¡¯s back, covering her eyes with her hands. Actually, the woman was constantly moving, but she was not walking down the stairs. Instead, she was pacing down the dark corridor towards an abandoned elevator well¡­ the ghost¡¯s ce of death. After hearing that story, Fatty couldn¡¯t go back to sleep. He always felt like there was something on his back. However, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t have slept more soundly. He even snored. This caused Fatty to be scared to use the elevator alone¡­ especially at night. The Doctor¡¯s stories kept appearing in his mind. He kept feeling like there was someone following him. He turned his head every few steps. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty said weakly, ¡°Can you slow down? I don¡¯t think I can keep up.¡± Jiang Cheng slowed down to whisper to him, ¡°Fatty, I fear if we go too close, we¡¯ll be caught up by the thing behind you.¡± Fatty instantly shut up. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t encounter any danger when they reached the second stone door. Chen Ran narrowed his eyes as he entered the lighthouse room. The me was still going strong. The warmth enveloped Fatty. Everything was normal within. Su An was quietly sleeping in the corner. Su Xiaoxiao guarded the door alone. However, the ageddy had crawled out of the basket. She was curled up between the two baskets. Su Xiaoxiao was very alert. From the fact that she didn¡¯t react when everyone entered the room, she had clearly heard their footsteps before they entered. It was not until Fatty was squeezed into the room and everyone started to sit down that Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s face shifted. She nced at the door. She didn¡¯t ask anything, but she knew something must have happened to Liang Long. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jiang Cheng went to feed the fire. Fatty followed him wordlessly. Chen Ran shared the story with Su Xiaoxiao with interest. He emphasised everything they saw at ck Stone Town and the venue of Liang Long¡¯s disappearance. ¡°Where is her watch?¡± Su Xiaoxiao suddenly asked. Chen Ran grinned, ¡°Lost it.¡± ¡°Lost it?¡± Su Xiaoxiao widened her eyes. ¡°Miss Su, please believe me.¡± Then, Chen Ran nced at Jiang Cheng, ¡°Of course, based on Mr Hao¡¯s prediction, Miss Liang is most likely dead. Therefore, I don¡¯t think we need to preserve the watch. The chance of us returning it to Miss Liang is very low.¡± He shrugged. It was normal for people to die in the nightmare realm. Su Xiaoxiao stopped focusing on Liang Long and turned her attention to ck Stone Town. At least they knew the basics of the curse and the origin of this strange building. Su Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t hide her discovery inside the forest. Her goal was to end the mission as soon as possible. Even though her brother¡¯s condition had stabilised, no one knew how long he could hold on without medical attention. Fatty looked at the three of them before chiming in, ¡°Therefore, the people from ck Stone Town are telling the truth. We only need to keep the me here burning to survive this mission.¡± Su Xiaoxiao, who was speaking, suddenly paused. Then, she nced at Fatty curiously. Fatty was nervous from her stare. ¡°How old do you think the golden-haired man was?¡± Jiang Cheng asked calmly. ¡°Probably¡­ around 35,¡± Fatty answered. ¡°However, in his story,¡± Jiang Cheng raised his head to look at Fatty, ¡°He has been the town mayor for several decades already.¡± Chapter 205: Dream Chapter 205: Dream ¡°I asked him whether the people in ck Stone Town would age and die like those in real life,¡± Jiang Cheng continued, ¡°And he told me yes.¡± Chen Ran looked at Fatty and chuckled, ¡°I can verify what Brother Hao said.¡± He tossed the dry torch behind him and patted away the ash on his hands. ¡°I heard that too.¡± Fatty tried to digest their words. A few secondster, his face darkened. ¡°So¡­¡± Fatty¡¯s eyes widened with fear. ¡°The mayor and the rest¡­ They are already¡­¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t escape from those things like the mayor imed¡­¡± Jiang Cheng paused to figure out the right term. ¡°Assimtion.¡± He nced at Fatty. ¡°Yes. None of them have managed to escape their friends and family who had been revived. They were killed, ced on the altar and were revived. They retain their memories, so they continue to live in ck Stone Town,¡± He resumed, ¡°Just like when they were still alive. ¡°The difference is they will never grow old. Their lives are frozen in thest moments of their lives.¡± ¡°They can never escape from the city on the sea.¡± Su Xiaoxiao looked out the window. ¡°The ce is a prison for them.¡± Fatty¡¯s brain stopped because this was too much information. After a while, he turned to the door and asked blurrily, ¡°So¡­ Keeping the lighthouse burning will not aid us to escape the nightmare, will it? ¡°That is only beneficial to them from the ck Stone Town!¡± Fatty hissed, ¡°They¡¯ve lied to us!¡± ¡°We still can¡¯t confirm whether the me in the lighthouse can help us escape the nightmare or not. However, one thing is certain. Doing this is definitely beneficial to ck Stone Town.¡± Jiang Cheng nced at the city on the sea. It was covered in lights. It appeared very lively.Fatty felt very difited. The people who chatted with them and invited them to meals¡­ were not humans. The city floating on the ocean¡­ was a ¡®dead city¡¯. The ¡®night¡¯ outside the window was like a swatch of ink. After a long day, Jiang Cheng returned to his old spot and leaned against the wall to rest. Fatty astutely came over. Hisrge body rolled into a ball. ¡°Doctor, you can go to sleep. I¡¯ll stay guard for the night.¡± ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Jiang Cheng answered without opening his eyes. ¡°The sky will brighten in another 2 to 3 hours. I¡¯ll sleep when the sky is bright.¡± ¡°Then¡­ thank you, Doctor.¡± Fatty didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. Since the Doctor told him to sleep, he would sleep. He would never go against the Doctor¡¯s words in the nightmare realm. Fatty chose a spot close to the Doctor to ensure that the Doctor could see him at all times, especially his neck and back. His jacket had been shredded to make bandages for Su An. All he could do was to curl up as small as possible. Thankfully, the mes kept the room warm. To be honest, Fatty also didn¡¯t want the mes to go out. Heid down and realised his head faced Chen Ran. His body was hidden in the darkness, which the mes couldn¡¯t reach. Fatty couldn¡¯t tell if the man was asleep¡­ or staring at him. Why would Chen Ran stare at him? The Doctor was a better choice. Fatty swallowed nervously. His body turned around involuntarily so that he wouldn¡¯t face Chen Ran. However, the next second, he caught another gaze from the corner of his eyes. When he realised that, Fatty shivered involuntarily. It was a bodily reaction. It was like a natural instinct a prey had when in the surroundings of its predator. A face slowly reached out of the dark. The aged woman¡¯s bloodshot eyes stared at him. Then, a ruby-red tongue reached out of her lips. It licked around the lips. That night, Fatty squeezed up to the Doctor. He realised why the Doctor wouldn¡¯t fall asleep. If he did, the aged woman, Chen Ran and Su Xiaoxiao could easily take advantage of that. If they wanted to harm them, Fatty and the Doctor¡¯s heads would easily roll. Fatty had many strange dreams that night. Some of them were absurd. He dreamed of a pure white giant stone path. People surrounded it as they chanted something. Boiling blood was sshed on the te. It was ringly red. A strange painting was carved on the te. The fresh blood flowed through the grooves, making the painting look clearer. Slowly, his eyes widened. This was a creature he had not seen before. Just as the painting was about to bepleted, Fatty was smacked awake. He shuddered. The person who woke him upy down unceremoniously. ¡°Wake me up in two hours.¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes. He cushioned his head on his arms. ¡°Stay here. Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± Fatty did his best to stay beside Jiang Cheng. When it was about time, he patted Jiang Cheng, ¡°Doctor, it¡¯s time to wake up.¡± ¡°Doctor?¡± Fatty called him three times before Jiang Cheng opened his eyes. After that, Jiang Cheng slowly sat up. After a while, he stood up and moved his limbs. Fatty suddenly pitied the Doctor. He was clearly tired. His eyes had some blood vessels in them. ¡°Where are they?¡± Jiang Cheng looked around. Only the aged woman and Su An, who was still weakened but awake, remained. Thetter leaned at the corner. Hisrge eyes kept studying Jiang Cheng. Su Xiaoxiao and Chen Ran¡­ were gone. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty said softly, ¡°They said they were going around to look for clues. They told us to stay behind to look after the fire and¡­ Su An and that woman.¡± Chapter 206: Fragments Chapter 206: Fragments Jiang Cheng turned and walked away. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty jogged to follow him. He frowned and asked, ¡°If we leave, what¡­ about them?¡± ¡°They can do whatever they want.¡± Jiang Cheng answered as he walked down the stairs, ¡°I¡¯m not their parents. Why should I care?¡± Fatty thought about how innocent Su An was and how he needed a parent¡­ ¡°When did they leave?¡± Fatty replied, ¡°One hour ago.¡± ¡°Did they leave together?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng slept when the sky brightened. In other words, they left one hour after he slept. This timing was very interesting. From Jiang Cheng¡¯s understanding, they left after they confirmed he had fallen asleep, or else they could have waited for him to wake up and leave together. Based on what Fatty said, they didn¡¯t say anything when they left. They only told Fatty to stay behind at the lighthouse.¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty stayed close to the wall. Out of consideration, he brought a torch with him. ¡°I feel like there¡¯s something wrong with Su Xiaoxiao.¡± ¡°Continue.¡± Jiang Cheng walked ahead. ¡°Why would she leave her little brother behind with¡­ that aged woman?¡± Fatty shivered, thinking about how that woman looked the night before. Fatty swallowed nervously, ¡°Isn¡¯t she worried something might happen to him?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice travelled back. Fatty licked his lips. He answered in a lower volume, ¡°I believe she either had noticed some important clues that could end the mission early for her to take the rest¡­ or Su An wasn¡¯t her little brother, to begin with. Now that the situation is so dangerous, she has decided to abandon him.¡± Fatty still had his suspicions about the identity of the Su Siblings. ¡°It¡¯s the first.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°But she didn¡¯t notice anything. It was Chen Ran. Chen Ran was the one who persuaded her to abandon her brother and explore the clue with him.¡± ¡°How would you know that?¡± Fatty was confused. Jiang Cheng paused. ¡°Fatty, think about it. If Su Xiaoxiao had discovered a crucial clue, would she have waited until now to do something about it? ¡°How much longer can her brother hold on? ¡°Chen Ran has found some important clues and approached Su Xiaoxiao. Su Xiaoxiao needs his clues, and he needs Su Xiaoxiao to take the risk for him. They need each other.¡± ¡°However, Doctor, you also know that Su Xiaoxiao is not dumb,¡± Fatty was shocked. ¡°She is not dumb.¡± Jiang Cheng slowly exined, ¡°But she had no choice. I believe the clue revealed by Chen Ran had to be very specific and urate, or Su Xiaoxiao wouldn¡¯t agree to take the risk.¡± They chatted as they walked. Soon, they came to the first-floor lobby. Even though the ce was scattered with broken pirs and statues, it was not hard to see how impressive this ce once was. Liang Long¡¯s strange disappearance made Fatty wary of this ce. He looked around carefully. Even though there was daylight, due to the geography of the ce, there were still spots fully shrouded in darkness. It was as if ck mist wouldn¡¯t disperse at certain locations. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty asked softly, ¡°Could Chen Ran have found something at the spot where Liang Long disappeared? The ce where he found the watch.¡± Fatty didn¡¯t get the chance to borate when Jiang Cheng walked to that spot. Soon, they found the watch Chen Ran tossed away casually around a burned-out campfire. However, other than that, Fatty didn¡¯t find anything else. There was no blood or shreds of clothing. There were only dust, rocks and broken statues. Jiang Cheng slowly stood up. With the watch¡¯s location as the centre, he slowly looked around. Fatty noticed the Doctor frown. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty was nervous, ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer him. He walked to the dead campfire. He climbed on a nearby broken pir and looked around. Fatty didn¡¯t dare to disrupt him. He waited patiently. Eventually, Jiang Cheng jumped down from the pir. ¡°Doctor¡­¡± Fatty had just opened his mouth when he was interrupted by Jiang Cheng, ¡°Fatty, did you notice something has changed about this ce?¡± Fatty blinked. He looked around. After a long time, he whispered back, ¡°Doctor, I don¡¯t really get it.¡± He probed, ¡°Did you¡­ discover something?¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his head to think. Suddenly, his gaze focused. He walked back to the ash of the campfire and turned to Fatty, ¡°Give me the torch.¡± Fatty immediately followed the order. With the aid of the torch, they could see clearly. There were fragments of stone porcin in the ashes. Jiang Cheng picked up the fragments. The fragments¡¯ colour and material were simr to the stone pirs and statues around them. It felt like they had been peeled off from them. The fragments had a strange arc. They looked like the shoulder armour used by ancient warriors. The handiwork was not great, but they wererge. Jiang Cheng studied the fragments. Then, he discovered¡­ or rather, sensed something. He moved the fragments closer to his face and then lightly twitched his nostrils. The next second, a fishy smell entered his nose. Jiang Cheng whipped his head and looked around. Then, his breathing quickened. Fatty rarely saw this expression on the Doctor. He was so scared that his face paled. He followed the Doctor¡¯s eyes and looked around. However, other than the darkness, he noticed nothing else. After a while, he opened his lips to say weakly, ¡°Doc¡­¡± ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice shuddered. He took a deep breath and let it out, ¡°Stick close to me. We¡­ are leaving.¡± Fatty practically stuck to Jiang Cheng¡¯s back as they moved away. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t run, but Fatty had to shuffle a few times to keep up with him. The Doctor must have sensed some kind of danger to react like this. However, the thing that confused Fatty was¡­ what was the danger? Plus, based on how the Doctor was reacting, the danger was very close to them. Chapter 207: Unfamiliar Chapter 207: Unfamiliar Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression recovered slightly when they exited the building and bathed under the sun. Fatty turned around to nce at the building. His heart wouldn¡¯t stop pounding. It was a strange feeling. He didn¡¯t see or hear anything but he was still affected by the Doctor. He pulled back his gaze to look at the Doctor. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, the Doctor cut in, ¡°Did Su Xiaoxiao and Chen Ran say where they were going?¡± Fatty thought about it and shook his head. ¡°No.¡± Fatty suddenly asked, ¡°Could they have gone into the forest?¡± Looking at the verdant yet lifeless forest, Fatty was averse to it. He had personally experienced the strangeness inside the forest. The mist inside the forest was like a quicksand. He didn¡¯t want to experience that ever again. However, they failed to find Chen Ran and Su Xiaoxiao. The beach was empty, and so were the cliffs. Therefore¡­ The result was clear. While the Doctor was asleep, Chen Ran and Su Xiaoxiao entered the forest. ¡°Come,¡± Jiang Cheng headed to the forest, ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out.¡± Even though Fatty really wanted to persuade the Doctor against this, it was clear that the forest had a very important secret about this mission. It might be rted to its source. After all, everything strange happened after the white te was discovered. It was the case for both the assimted ¡®zombies¡¯ and the curse. Fatty also wondered what exactly the curse was. And the things from ck Stone Town¡­ what was their goal? The closer they were to the forest, the stronger the bad feeling in Fatty¡¯s heart. The forest was the start of everything. At the same time, it was the most dangerous part of this mission. Fatty froze as something came to him. He asked, ¡°Doctor, if the stone te is really that dangerous¡­ how did Su Xiaoxiao and Su An manage to escape earlier? After all, so many from ck Stone Town had been¡­¡±Jiang Cheng ignored Fatty and entered the forest. The rustling sound entered his ears. It sounded like wild cats scratching on the bark. Fatty was stunned. Why was the Doctor acting so strange? However, that thought onlysted for a moment. Then, he ignored the resistance in his heart and followed the Doctor. They slowly moved deeper into the forest. As they progressed, the resistance in Fatty¡¯s heart became more conspicuous. He stared at the Doctor¡¯s back, and an indescribable unfamiliarity surged in his heart. Even though the Doctor never exined his actions normally, he was being overly rash that day. Slowly, Fatty¡¯s expression shifted as a brave thought appeared in his mind. It was not just brave. It was horrifying. It caused his legs to shiver. More importantly, if his guess were correct, it would be his day of death. The forest would be where he died. Since Su An and Su Xiaoxiao might have been ¡®assimted¡¯, what about the Doctor? Could he have been assimted too? Based on Fatty¡¯s understanding of the curse, one didn¡¯t need to personally see the stone te to be affected by the curse. There might be other ways. The missing Liang Long and the biker woman might not be dead. They might be caught by the things from ck Stone Town. And that aged woman¡­ She was clearly suspicious. Fatty¡¯s mind floated further and further. Complicated clues piled up in his mind. They be entangled with each other, which leads to the formation of a new hypothesis. His brain was a mess. Even though he thought for a long time, it only took up a moment in real life. That was all. Because¡­ the Doctor in front of him had turned around. He stood there and nced at Fatty with an inscrutable gaze. Then, his neck started to twist at an impossible angle. ¡­ Someone narrowed their eyes. The salty breeze touched her face. The bangs on her forehead fluttered in the wind. It did nothing to take away her cold beauty. ¡°They have entered the ce.¡± Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s voice began. There was no warmth and emotion. She turned to nce at Chen Ran, who was still looking at the forest. She added, ¡°Mr Chen, your n has seeded.¡± Chen Ran pulled back his gaze before focusing it on Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s exquisite face. He grinned, ¡°Miss Su is being too kind. This is not just my handiwork.¡± He paused before adding, ¡°You have contributed too.¡± Su Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t say anything in response. One should always ce oneself first in the nightmare realm. Plus, Su An might not be able to hold on much longer. She knew what kind of person Chen Ran was. The risk of working with him was extremely high. To be honest, she had a better impression of Hao Shuai than Chen Ran. However¡­ one¡¯s impression changed with understanding, especially, after Chen Ran showed her what he had found. It was a very crucial clue. It was¡­ a carved painting. It was behind a broken stone pir that they always passed by. It was across from the stone door that they first broke down. There was nothing around the pir. No one expected the clue to be somewhere so obvious, so they ignored it. ¡°Mr Chen, I wish to know how you noticed this painting.¡± Her eyes glowed with¡­ not hostility but curiosity. Even though the stone pir was obvious, the carving was not. The pattern was carved into the stone. One could barely notice it without using water or dust to reveal it. Chen Ran¡¯s lips curled up exaggeratedly. He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and shook it before Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s face. ¡°Miss Su,¡± He smiled, ¡°Do you have any more questions?¡± Chapter 208: Scam Chapter 208: Scam ¡°So that¡¯s why,¡± Su Xiaoxiao smiled, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll have to depend on Mr Chen. As long as my little brother and I survive, I don¡¯t care who walks out of the door first.¡± Chen Ran widened his eyes in mock surprise, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Miss Su even want to fight for it?¡± ¡°No.¡± Su Xiaoxiao lowered her voice and said officially, ¡°I don¡¯t want to make enemies out of a mad person, or rather¡­ a group of mad people.¡± Chen Ran narrowed his eyes. He was used to being called this. He might even enjoy it. He slowly pulled up a grin. It was like an art piece slowly copsing. ¡°You are a disciple,¡± Su Xiaoxiao stared at Chen Ran¡¯s face, ¡°You are¡­ Deep Red¡¯s people.¡± Chen Ran¡¯s grin grew even bigger. The two¡¯smunication ended then. Chen Ran led the way forward. Su Xiaoxiao followed him at a two-meter distance. Strangely enough, their original n was to trick Jiang Cheng and Fatty into believing they had entered the forest. They wouldn¡¯t be able to help themselves and enter the forest. In reality, Su Xiaoxiao and Chen Ran had been hiding in the first-floor lobby until Jiang Cheng and Fatty left. They then came out and watched Fatty and Jiang Cheng enter the forest. Be it Su Xiaoxiao or the people from ck Stone Town, everything started with the white te. That was how the curse started. If they didn¡¯t examine the te further, they would feel uneasy. That led to another problem. Who would be the first to examine the te again? Su Xiaoxiao and Su An entered the forest earlier because they didn¡¯t know about the stone te. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t enter the forest no matter what. Furthermore, she didn¡¯t get close to the stone te. At least she hadn¡¯t touched it with her hand.Therefore¡­ other teammates to test the trap were very important. They purposely waited for Jiang Cheng to fall asleep. Then, they made up an excuse to leave. Before they left, they told Fatty that they should stay behind to guard the lighthouse. Su Xiaoxiao ced her little brother¡¯s safety as a bet. She was betting that Jiang Cheng wouldn¡¯t see through their trap. As for Fatty¡­ Neither of them considered him a problem. Based on their experience, strange things in the nightmare were not good things. In other words, good things would not appear in the nightmare. Therefore, their n was to follow behind Jiang Cheng and Fatty, who would scout the way for them. Based on what the people from ck Stone Town said, the strange te was hidden deep inside the forest and hard to find. However, for the travellers, no matter how secluded a location was, as long as it was crucial to the mission, it would be found, or the mission couldn¡¯t progress. It was a part of the rules. In fact, it probably wouldn¡¯t take them long to find the strange stone te. Soon, Su Xiaoxiao and Chen Ran came to the edge of the forest. Chen Ran still had a strange expression, but Su Xiaoxiao was different. She had just escaped from this nightmarish forest. Now, she was heading back to it. No matter how she tried to rationalise it, it was hard to ept. This forest was the nightmare of the nightmares. Being close to it made her worried and anxious. She had a feeling that if she entered this forest again¡­ She would not be able to leave it again. ¡°Miss Su,¡± Chen Ran¡¯s voice interrupted her thoughts. He smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to lead the way.¡± Chen Ran¡¯s expression, emotions and appearance were not threatening but when they were paired together, it made him an annoying and oppressive presence. Su Xiaoxiao hated being threatened, but she had no choice but to submit this time. ¡°Mr Chen,¡± Before Su Xiaoxiao entered the forest, she turned around to stare into Chen Ran¡¯s eyes, ¡°I assume having one group of scouts¡­ is enough.¡± Chen Ran widened his eyes like he didn¡¯t understand her words. ¡°Miss Su, what are you talking about? We¡¯re partners!¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re right.¡± Su Xiaoxiao stepped into the forest. Chen Ran paced around before following her. Su Xiaoxiao followed the direction in her memory to approach the stone te. They would be there to witness the progress of assimtion and even the origin of the curse. Su Xiaoxiao suddenly had a strange feeling. Su Xiaoxiao and Chen Ran¡­ and even the two before them¡­ were the sacrifices for this forest. It was very appropriate because Su An did say that the forest¡­ was alive. The forest watched them enter it batch after batch. They were all sacrifices for the forest. Maybe the forest was not the full extent of it. There was also the unpredictable, indescribable ¡®it¡¯ that the people from the ck Stone Town mentioned. After Chen Ran and Su Xiaoxiao entered the forest, the edge of the forest sank into silence again. However, a few minutester, the death-like silence was broken by irregr sounds. An agile figure slithered down a tall tree. He let go of his arms on the tree trunk, and hended firmly on his feet. The figure nced in the direction where Chen Ran and Su Xiaoxiao disappeared. His eyes rolled. Then¡­ ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty¡¯s shaky voice came from the top of the tree. He was so scared, but he didn¡¯t dare to talk too loudly. He was afraid of luring over the things inside the forest. ¡°How am I supposed to get down?¡± Fatty was afraid of heights. He was at least 5 metres off the ground. With his size, if he fell, having broken bones would be a positive result. Whenever he looked down, his stomach shrunk. In the end, it was Jiang Cheng who used a special method to help Fatty get down the tree. ¡°Doctor,¡± Before Fatty could steady himself, he tossed Jiang Cheng an admiring gaze. ¡°You¡¯re amazing. How did you know the two were acting to trick us into the forest?¡± Jiang Cheng took a deep breath. ¡°Fatty, if I tell you¡­ I had thought of their trick, but they used it before I could. Would you believe me?¡± Fatty nodded vehemently, ¡°Of course, Doctor. Anything you say makes sense.¡± Chapter 209: Memory Chapter 209: Memory ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly told him, ¡°Do you¡­ want to climb back up the tree?¡± Jiang Cheng and Fatty had been following Chen Ran and Su Xiaoxiao. The deeper they went into the forest, the stronger the sense of strangeness they felt. Every tree around them looked the same, but a feeling of absurdity exuded from them. This grabbed Jiang Cheng and Fatty¡¯s attention. The two chose a random tree and studied it closely. The longer they studied it, the stronger that feeling. It was like¡­ the tree was constantly changing. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty swallowed, ¡°Do you feel it too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng scratched his chin. ¡°In my subconscious, this tree is changing, but my eyes are telling me that it is not.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Fatty nodded consecutively. He wasn¡¯t as erudite as Jiang Cheng, but he experienced the thing Jiang Cheng just described. The tree¡­ was transforming, and the transformation was irreversible and non-repetitive. At least, that was what it felt like in their senses. ¡°Stop looking at it.¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted Fatty before walking away, ¡°Let¡¯s follow them. We¡¯ll need to check out the stone te first.¡± Along the way, Fatty stayed close to the Doctor. A few times, thetterined that Fatty was blocking his way, but Fatty brushed it off. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty sidled up to Jiang Cheng shamelessly, ¡°Don¡¯t you think our rtionship is so good that we¡¯re basically one person?¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. ¡°If you don¡¯t always remind me that I¡¯m an orphan, I might believe you.¡±Fatty quickly shut up. Ever since he knew the Doctor, Fatty felt like his brain could more easily ignore things. If this happened in the past, his mind would be nk, and he¡¯d freeze. Now, even though he was scared, he could function normally. For example, he still slept wonderfully even though he was constantly stared at by the aged woman. He merely didn¡¯t have a good dream. If this was in the past, this was unimaginable. He had evolved! He could even find time to argue with the Doctor while in the midst of danger. This was something he did subconsciously. Every time he had a friendly exchange with the Doctor, he would not feel as nervous. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty whispered, ¡°Should we move faster? With Su Xiaoxiao leading the way for them, they are probably faster than us.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head, ¡°No. It¡¯s too quiet here. If we move faster, we¡¯ll be discovered.¡± ¡°Then¡­ Doctor, they will reach the stone te before us. If they do and don¡¯t see us there, won¡¯t our n be exposed?¡± Fatty asked. ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Jiang Cheng exined, ¡°After all, the stone te is very strange. Or rather¡­ No one knows the effect the stone te might have. Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s description is too surface-level. I have a feeling the stone te is not that simple.¡± ¡°Raising the dead is too simple?¡± Fatty couldn¡¯t understand the Doctor. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly asked, ¡°What is your opinion about the people from ck Stone Town?¡± Fatty was startled before stammering, ¡°Do you mean¡­ the assimted things?¡± He blinked, not understanding the Doctor¡¯s question, ¡°What opinion can I have?¡± ¡°Do you think they know they are creatures of assimtion?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°They¡­ should,¡± Fatty said with hesitation. This question had an unequivocal answer. Fatty had to be careful. Soon, he understood why the Doctor asked this. This involved the purpose of the things from ck Stone Town. Fatty didn¡¯t have more time to think because Jiang Cheng continued, ¡°Fatty, I believe they do know. Even if they didn¡¯t earlier, they will figure out the difference in their bodies in these few days. ¡°Most important is their memory rted to that stone te. ¡°If they have forgotten they were revived by the stone te, why would they remember everything else about the stone te? It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Fatty thought about it and nodded. ¡°Indeed. If their memory about the stone te is wiped, then their memory about the stone te should not exist.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Jiang Cheng borated, ¡°Now, consider this. If the people from ck Stone Town realise that they are not real humans but monsters with human bodies and emotions. Then¡­¡± Jiang Cheng turned to Fatty, ¡°Why would they undo the curse? In other words, they are still alive now because of the curse. However, once the curse is undone¡­ what will happen to them?¡± Fatty¡¯s eyes slowly widened with fear. ¡°They¡­ will turn back into corpses!¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Jiang Cheng gave a vague answer, ¡°In any case, they won¡¯t turn into anything good. To be frank, I think if I were them, I¡¯d maintain the status quo because at least I would still have a life. However, once the curse is gone¡­¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t finish the sentence, but Fatty got the gist. ¡°So¡­ Their goal isn¡¯t to destroy the curse!¡± Fatty gasped, ¡°Everything they¡¯ve told us is a scam!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. However, there has to be a reason why they¡¯ve lied to get us to keep the lighthouse burning,¡± Jiang Cheng nced at Fatty strangely, ¡°Or else they wouldn¡¯t waste so much effort to put on such a show to get us to do that.¡± ¡°What reason?¡± ¡°Put yourself in their shoes.¡± Jiang Cheng moved away from the branch that blocked his way and slowed down, ¡°If you were them, what would be your greatest hope?¡± ¡°I would want to escape from ck Stone Town, the ce where I can¡¯t ever feel the warmth of the sun!¡± Then, something dawned on Fatty, and he said excitedly, ¡°Therefore¡­ Doctor! They just want to escape from the cage that is ck Stone Town. They don¡¯t want to undo the curse! ¡°The curse¡­ and escaping from ck Stone Town are two different things!¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. What he said next froze Fatty to the ground, ¡°Fatty, do you really think they found the stone te on ident?¡± Chapter 210: Deep Red Chapter 210: Deep Red Inside the lighthouse, the me in the middle burned wildly. The woken-up Su An curled up at the corner. Hisrge body was covered in bandages. Thankfully, he was not that sensitive to pain. Even the giant w mark under his ribs only made him frown. He lowered his head and asionally nced at the stone door. He was waiting for Su Xiaoxiao. Before his sister left, she whispered in his ear that she¡¯d be back soon. In Su An¡¯s world, there were only two kinds of people: his sister and people who weren¡¯t his sister. His sister was his only family and the only person who could understand him. They had amunication system that no one would understand. He was not as dumb as he appeared. Only his sister knew how amazing her brother was. He had a power that others couldn¡¯t even fathom. Empathy¡­ It was not empathy between humans. Instead, he could empathise with anything alive. He could fathom their feelings and thus understand them and their situation. The other party could be a fierce tiger or an inconspicuous grass. Su Xiaoxiao noticed her brother¡¯s ability identally. When they were young, Su Xiaoxiao brought her brother to the aquarium to watch the dolphins performance. The performance was great. However, after the performance, Su Xiaoxiao suddenly realised her innocent young brother was crying profusely. Back then, he could barely express himself. He cried and told her, ¡°Big sister¡­ those big fish are so sad. They are hungry.¡± Simr incidents kept happening. Su An would pick up wildflowers and scolded Su Xiaoxiao, ¡°They were frightened by you. You even stepped on them.¡± The most dangerous time was at the zoo. Su Xiaoxiao wasn¡¯t paying attention, and Su An somehow entered the tiger¡¯s cage. Instantly, he was surrounded by several tigers. However, the tigers didn¡¯t attack. Arge tiger came over. It exuded majesty and strength. This tiger was clearly the pack leader. If not for the other visitors and the workers stopping her, Su Xiaoxiao would have joined her brother already. However, such a beast stopped after it approached Su An. Then, everyone present saw an unbelievable scene. The boy, around 7 or 8, shuffled his way to the tiger. Then, like petting a house cat, he scratched the tiger¡¯s ears and touched its head.The next second, the tiger pulled Su An, who was barely the size of its head, into its embrace. Then, as it brushed against him, it made a crying sound that was all too human. After they left the zoo, Su An sat in the car and slowly told his sister, ¡°Big sister, that big cat said that was not its home¡­¡± He lowered his head and pinched his fingers. ¡°It just wanted to go home.¡± Su Xiaoxiao stepped on the brake. It was at that moment that Su Xiaoxiao had to admit her little brother was not as useless as other people made him out to be. If anything¡­ he was more amazing than they could ever fathom. After that, Su Xiaoxiao tried to use her own method to understand her brother¡¯s world. She slowly understood that in his eyes, nothing was what it seemed. What he saw¡­ was close to their essence. Su Xiaoxiao also noticed that her brother liked to number things that interested him, like the cup that he drank from or the potted nt on the windowsill. They were strings of strange,plicated numbers. Su Xiaoxiao hired crytologists to decipher Su An¡¯s world but it was to no avail. The experts told Su Xiaoxiao that the numbers her brother wrote were mostly random numbers. They had no logic to them and thus couldn¡¯t be deciphered. However, Su Xiaoxiao ignored them. After giving them the payment, she had the butler send them away. It was then that Su Xiaoxiao realised her brother¡¯s understanding of humanity was very strange. In his subconscious, he¡¯d categorise human beings into colours, from light to deep. For example, Su Xiaoxiao had tried this before. For Su An, newborns were pure white. As they got older, their colours would deepen. Their maid was white, and their butler was light grey¡­ Su Xiaoxiao even found a serial murderer for her brother. In his understanding, the killer was a light red. It was Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s hypothesis that the more innocent a person was, the lighter their colour would be. The more dangerous a person was, the deeper their colour would be. From white to red¡­ The redder one¡¯s colour, the more she needed to be on alert. This power was¡­ immensely helpful in the nightmare realm. It turned her brother into a human radar. No matter how natural one¡¯s disguise was, it was pointless in Su An¡¯s eyes. However, the sad thing was due to an issue with his ability tomunicate, sometimes, Su Xiaoxiao couldn¡¯t grasp her brother¡¯s meaning. Plus, Su An¡¯s power would sometimes lead to issues that she couldn¡¯t decipher. For example¡­ the aged woman in this mission. When they first met, Su Xiaoxiao told her brother to check all of them. Back then, the aged woman was white with flecks of grey in Su An¡¯s eyes. She was simr to their butler. However, Su An gave a different analysis not long after that. The aged woman had turned from white to pure white. Based on his words, it was purer than white¡­ Then, was it colourless? Did that mean the aged woman was more innocent than a newborn? She couldn¡¯t get it. The biker woman was grey. Liang Long was white with flecks of red. Chen Ran¡­ was an extremely rare deep red! This result stunned Su Xiaoxiao. She had never encountered something like this. She used her channels to gather information about the nightmare realm and its yers. She found out about an organisation. It was called Deep Red. Their members were known as the Disciples. Not many people knew about them. However, those who had encountered them and somehow survived only had one thing to say about them. They were all crazy¡­ Chapter 211: Colours Chapter 211: Colours Using her resources, she found a yer who had encountered them. She was a woman around 40. She managed a sizeable techpany in real life. Her constitution was sharpened from decades of working in the business world. Based on Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s understanding, her background was extremelyplicated. She had a part in many grey businesses. However, such a strong person strangely lost her mind not long after encountering the Disciples in the nightmare realm. She had the semnce of a life being taken care of by her family, curled up in bed all day. Any external stimulus would cause her to sweat in nervousness. Her lips trembled endlessly as she mumbled things that no one understood. Not long after Su Xiaoxiao visited her, she died. Her cause of death was unknown. A long time after that, Su Xiaoxiao managed to find out from her friend inw enforcement that the woman¡¯s death was permanently sealed in the system. No one was allowed to read up on it. Other than that, the experienced forensic doctor who was responsible for the woman¡¯s case resigned. Soon after that, he disappeared from the world. Su Xiaoxiao sensed something abnormal. However, she stopped using her resources to investigate because she was worried that she¡¯d be dragged into it. In any case¡­ this mission not only had Chen Ran but also Hao Shuai. The shock he gave her was not smaller than Deep Red¡¯s Chen Ran. This was because, in Su An¡¯s eyes, the colour he represented¡­ was even stranger. When she asked for her brother¡¯s judgement, Su An was rarely silent. Then, he slowly reached out to point at the window. Back then, they were inside the lighthouse. There was nothing outside the window but the silent night. Su Xiaoxiao blinked before turning to her brother. She didn¡¯t get it. Then, it dawned on her. Her brother meant to say that the man¡­ was ck, like the night.She never knew this colour existed in her brother¡¯s world. What did ck represent? Was it because his heart was dark, or was his danger rating higher than Chen Ran¡¯s red? Or¡­ was it because her brother couldn¡¯t read him as well and used a special colour to categorise him? Su Xiaoxiao had no clue. One thing was for sure. Hao Shuai was not simple. Furthermore, Deep Red¡¯s Chen Ran showed interest in him as well. Or¡­ it could be a sense of danger between the same species, so much so that he needed her to cooperate with him to trick Hao Shuai and Fatty into the forest to find the stone te. The strangeness of this mission was undeniable. Even her teammates were of a high calibre. The missing biker woman and Liang Long were experienced yers. ¡­ In the silent stone room, there was a sudden strange soon. Su An, who was curled up at the corner, shivered. CRACK! The sound urred more frequently. They were like drumbeats. It sounded like a creature with a hard exoskeleton stretching its body. As strange as that analogy was, that was what Su An was thinking. He lifted his head carefully and met a pair of bloodshot eyes. In the dark corner, the aged woman extended her neck to reveal a twisted face. The pair of bloodshot eyes stared at him. Her mouth opened, and a thin tongue twirled around the cracked lips. Her purplish lips were covered in dry cracks. As the tongue moved over them, they started to bleed. Su An¡¯s eyes narrowed. It¡¯s here! The whale song echoed in his ears again. Hollow, lonely and deep¡­ It gave the feeling of looking through the thick icyyer of the north pole under the sea. However¡­ the next second, the ice cracked open. The blinding light shot into his mind. Su An blinked himself awake and realised he was still in the stone room. The blinding light was from the me in the middle of the room. Su An moved his gaze away from the aged woman to the wall behind her. There was¡­ the aged woman¡¯s shadow. The shadow flickered due to the me. It became taller andrger. The cracking sound came from the shadow. It was originally the aged woman¡¯s size, but then, it grewrger andrger¡­ until it wasrger than the stone room itself. It shook and trembled on the wall, radiating a strong sense of misfortune. The aged woman didn¡¯t move, but somehow, her shadow¡­ slowly approached Su An. One step¡­ Two steps¡­ Two colours intertwined in Su An¡¯s eyes. One was the aged woman¡¯s grey colour. The shadow on the wall was pure¡­ or rather transparent. Su An used his heart to sense the thing that left the shadow on the wall¡­ it was something that his eyes couldn¡¯t see. What was it? He had no idea, but he was not scared because this creature was no different from the tigers he encountered when he fell into their enclosure. He stood up and puffed up his chest. He extended his hands at the empty space before him as if waiting for the giant cat to nuzzle against his neck. In the warm stone room, only the aged woman remained. She hid in the inconspicuous corner. A strange light shone in her eyes. Apanying that was a brutish and horrifying¡­ munching sound. ¡­ ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chen Ran narrowed his eyes. He was always 2 metres away from Su Xiaoxiao. That way, if something happened, he¡¯d have plenty of chance to react. However, Su Xiaoxiao suddenly stopped moving without warning. She clutched her chest, and sweat poured down her forehead. Her body trembled. ¡°What¡­ is going on?¡± He gasped for air. Then, she whipped her head back to look in the direction of the cathedral. ¡°My brother¡­ Something bad has happened to him!¡± ¡°Impossible,¡± Chen Ran shook his head. ¡°Miss Su saw the clues I shared. Your brother will be fine¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s pupils shook. ¡°I know something bad has happened to him! I can sense it!¡± Chapter 212: Scouts Chapter 212: Scouts ¡°Oh?¡± Chen Ran raised his brows. Su Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t have the mood to argue with him. She said directly, ¡°We¡¯re biological siblings, and we grew up together. I can sense¡­ when he¡¯s in danger.¡± Chen Ran thought about it and looked deeper into the forest. Then, he turned around with a smile. ¡°Does this mean¡­ Miss Su wishes to break the promise?¡± Once he said that, Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s trembling body froze. She could sense the chill from his words. It was like a heart that aimed at her heart. ¡°No,¡± Su Xiaoxiao answered instantly. She calmed down. She looked at Chen Ran and said, ¡°No matter what my little brother¡¯s situation is, it¡¯s toote for me to rush back now. If we can find the clues about the stone te, there might still be hope for my brother.¡± Chen Ran nodded with approval. ¡°Miss Su is so clever!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Su Xiaoxiao turned around to head deeper into the forest, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up. We haven¡¯t spotted the two along the way. They might have found the stone te already.¡± Chen Ran pulled out the hands that he had in his pocket. He grinned, ¡°I¡¯ll follow Miss Su¡¯s instructions.¡± About half an hourter, they finally found the strange white te. Chen Ran knelt down and hid behind a lush bush. Su Xiaoxiao hid behind a tree around three meters away from him. Only half of her face was exposed. They were quietly waiting for their prey to take the bait.Chen Ran¡¯s eyes scanned the te¡¯s surroundings. It was as how Su Xiaoxiao described it to him. The stone te sat in the middle. It was piled high with bones. Around the te were endless graves. Weapons likences and tridents were scattered around the graves. It was so strange. The location of the te was also inexplicable. They were deep inside the forest and quite a distance from the edge. Why would¡­ they go through the trouble of carrying people here to be buried? The soil around there had a curious, deep red colour. Chen Ran grabbed a handful to give it a sniff. The smell was revolting. Chen Ran narrowed his eyes. Clearly, the people from ck Stone Town had lied to them. The stone te wasn¡¯t exposed by a flood. There was arge in around the stone te. There were no nts. In fact, the in was practically barren. A mountain flood wouldn¡¯t be able to form here. Everything there¡­ looked humanmade. Chen Ran¡¯s mouth split open. Things¡­ were bing more interesting. Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s anxious voice travelled over, ¡°Why¡­ haven¡¯t those two shown up?¡± She was flustered due to her worry for her little brother. Chen Ran lifted his head to the sky. The sky was dark. Chen Ran pulled his gaze back to focus on Su Xiaoxiao. Su Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t notice this as she was still nervously looking around. ¡°Miss Su,¡± Chen Ran suddenly spoke, ¡°I believe¡­ Those two have been here already.¡± ¡°They have been here?! Where?¡± Su Xiaoxiao widened her eyes. Chen Ran reached out his hand to point at the white te, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, they¡¯re over there.¡± ¡°Do you mean they¡¯ve died?¡± Chen Ran didn¡¯t say anything. Something strange shed in his eyes. When Su Xiaoxiao looked at him, the light in his eyes disappeared. ¡°I believe so,¡± Chen Ran sighed. He lowered his voice, ¡°Based on the clues I have, this stone te shouldn¡¯t be so quiet.¡± Su Xiaoxiao thought about it and nodded, ¡°You¡¯re right. When I came herest time, it was not so quiet. Now, the te¡­ feels like it¡¯s resting after it has been sated.¡± Chen Ran shrugged and walked out of the forest, ¡°Therefore¡­ Miss Su, we¡¯re running out of time.¡± His voice sounded like it was distorted, ¡°The sky is darkening.¡± That was Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s weakness. Once the sky darkened, she wouldn¡¯t be able to leave this forest alive without her brother¡¯s help. She gritted her teeth and left her hiding spot. She walked towards the te. As she passed by the graves, she tried to ignore them. However, she couldn¡¯t stop herself. Strange patterns and lines appeared in her mind. The two got closer to the stone te. Chen Ran slowed down. His gentle gaze watched Su Xiaoxiao slowly approach the te. A strange glow lit up his eyes. ¡­ ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty held a branch with leaves as cover. His watery eyes nced through the gaps. ¡°They are moving.¡± Jiang Cheng hid behind arge mossy stone. He continued to observe Su Xiaoxiao and Chen Ran. Fatty swallowed, ¡°Doctor,¡± His voice contained great shock, ¡°You¡¯re amazing! How did you know they¡¯d check out the stone te themselves after failing to see us show up?¡± In Fatty¡¯s eyes, this was not a clever decision. However, the Doctor was not surprised. Without looking at Fatty, he replied simply, ¡°It¡¯s getting dark. They can¡¯t afford to wait any longer.¡± Fatty asked, ¡°If I were them, I¡¯d keep waiting. Aren¡¯t they throwing their lives away doing this?¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged, ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Fatty was startled and blinked. ¡°Do they have any more trump cards? The kinds that can save their lives?¡± Then, it dawned on him. ¡°Do they have the nk paper?¡± Jiang Cheng gave Fatty a side-eye. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I know it¡¯s not two people who are throwing their lives away. It¡¯s just that silly girl. ¡°Do you really think we¡¯re the only ones being used by Chen Ran as scouts?¡± Chapter 213: The Tempest Chapter 213: The Tempest ¡°Doctor, do you mean Su Xiaoxiao is also¡­¡± Fatty quickly understood Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng was still looking around. ¡°Don¡¯t just ask me everything. This is Chen Ran¡¯s intention. He wants to use us to scout the way, and Su Xiaoxiao is his backup.¡± ¡°This man is so twisted,¡± Fatty cursed, ¡°Does he even treat us as humans? If he falls into my hands, I¡¯ll¡­¡± ¡°Shut it,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°Stop dreaming. First, he¡¯ll never fall into your hands. Your brain is barely a bowl of beanspared to his. ¡°Second, what is your rtionship with Su Xiaoxiao? Do you like her or her body?¡± Jiang Cheng nced at Fatty, causing thetter to shiver, ¡°The reason Su Xiaoxiao cooperates with him is to survive. To survive, she¡¯ll eventually kill us. Do you get it?¡± Fatty nodded nervously, ¡°Yes. Yes. Doctor.¡± After the dressing down, Fatty said awkwardly, ¡°I was just¡­ rambling. You know me, Doctor.¡± Jiang Cheng ignored him and continued to observe Chen Ran and Su Xiaoxiao. Fatty didn¡¯t dare to speak anymore. He pretended to be a tree. ¡°Something¡­ is not right.¡± Su Xiaoxiao frowned when she was less than 10 meters away from the stone te, ¡°Their bodies are not here. Plus¡­ all the bones on the te are yellow and old.¡± Chen Ran shrugged, ¡°Get closer. We¡¯ll check.¡±¡°No.¡± Su Xiaoxiao shook her head. ¡°My brother and I got too close and triggered the te¡¯s mechanismst time. All the skeletons on the te came alive.¡± She rolled up her sleeves to show the scars. ¡°The wounds on my and my brother¡¯s bodies are caused by the revived creatures.¡± Chen Ran curved his lips and smiled at Su Xiaoxiao. ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Su Xiaoxiao stared at him. Her eyes narrowed as if she had predicted what would happen next. ¡°Miss Su,¡± Chen Ran tilted his head innocently. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll need you to showcase the incident for me again.¡± Su Xiaoxiao widened her eyes and demanded loudly, ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡± Chen Ran sighed helplessly, ¡°Miss Su, if you can¡¯t satisfy such a simple request of mine¡­¡± Chen Ran grinned wider. ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t be partners anymore.¡± Su Xiaoxiao instantly made her move. A wooden danger shot out of her sleeve. She knew she had to strike first¡­ especially facing an opponent like Chen Ran. If she gave him a chance, she¡¯d die. She had no idea how physically powerful Chen Ran was, but she was confident in herself. She had hired professional mercenaries to train her before. She was a female, so she focused on technique. She was great atunching close-quarter ambushes with hidden daggers. Her stab didn¡¯t aim at Chen Ran¡¯s eyes and throat, which were hard to hit. Instead, she chose his stomach. Once he was heavily injured, it would be easy for her to kill him or run away. Even though killing in the nightmare would cause one to be haunted by the victim¡¯s ghost, she didn¡¯t have much choice at that moment. If Chen Ran didn¡¯t die, she would die. But¡­ The match ended quicker than she thought. She watched as her dagger was about to hit his stomach. Chen Ran was still grinning at her. However¡­ she missed. Then, a jolt of pain spread from her stomach. She wasunched into the air by a powerful force. Chen Ran¡¯s palm smacked into her stomach. Then, she was mmed into the ground from the air. As shended, she coughed out blood. Chen Ran looked down at her like she was a dying dog. The pain caused her to curl up. Several ribs had snapped. The bones cut into her lungs. Every time she breathed, blood would squirt out. Chen Ran shrugged innocently, ¡°Miss Su, what are you doing?¡± He knelt down and pped the girl¡¯s face, which was pale and bloody. Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s body shivered nonstop. Chen Ran reached out to grab her dagger. ¡°Hmm?¡± Chen Ran paused. The girl refused to let go. ¡°Such stubbornness¡­¡± Chen Ran stood up and stomped on Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s wrist, which held the dagger. The sound of bone snapping was music to his ears. He couldn¡¯t remember how many times he had done something like this. However, every time he did this, it would excite him like it was his first. He was obsessed with piano, but he didn¡¯t like the soft and feminine songs. He loved the tunes that would make people¡¯s blood vessels explode, like Beethoven¡¯s The Tempest. The world exploded in his ears. Whenever the song yed, he¡¯d feel like he was walking into a storming city. The streets were empty. He looked up into the sky. The rain threatened to swallow him. However, thetter parts of the tune were disgustingly boring. How could it end with a mncholic note¡­ Beethoven was unforgivable¡­ just like the stupid woman before him. He took a deep drag of the scent of blood. He then leaned down to snatch away Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s dagger. Her wrist had been bent out of shape. ¡°Hmm?¡± Chen Ran frowned. He failed again. Su Xiaoxiao closed both of her hands around the dagger. Even though she shivered from pain, she didn¡¯t let go. Chen Ran suddenly lost interest in the mission because the small woman intrigued him. He hadn¡¯t met such a cutie in a long time already. Be it muscr men or experienced, worldly women, once they fell into his hands, they would only shiver out of fear. They could barely speak. Confidence became a luxury. He knelt on the ground and leaned his body as close to Su Xiaoxiao as possible. He wanted to hear what this stubborn woman¡¯sst words were. Chapter 214: Cooperate Chapter 214: Cooperate Bubbles of blood burst out of Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s lips. The broken ribs made it hard for her to breathe. Chen Ran was excited. He didn¡¯t want to miss out on anything as he leaned close to Su Xiaoxiao. He licked his lips. ¡°Miss Su, why don¡¯t you guess what I¡¯m going to do to you next?¡± He swallowed happily as his grin widened. The joy in his eyes couldn¡¯t be suppressed, but he still said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll first chop off one of your arms and toss it onto the stone te. It¡¯ll be wonderful if I can get what I want, but if not¡­¡± He paused, ¡°We still have the other arm and two legs.¡± Chen Ran smiled to reveal his perfect teeth, ¡°Of course, I believe Miss Su¡¯s luck wouldn¡¯t be so bad that we¡¯ll have to use your entire body. What do you think, Miss Su?¡± Chen Ran didn¡¯t like to kill in the nightmare because it¡¯d trigger the karmic rules. He merely loved to torture. The way people pleaded for mercy always made his heart move. This was because only at such moments would these people understand the preciousness of life. He would even be kind enough to throw his dying teammates into the door back to the real world. His goal was not to torture people. In fact, the torture was a method to reach his true purpose¡­ Corrections! Certain people were too weak. They came to the nightmare realm, encountered some anomalies and already started to cry and demand to go home. They were unwilling to take any risk. There were too many despicable characters who waited to enjoy the results. They became the ves of fear. If the team encountered a big problem, some of them might even be scared that they¡¯d choose suicide. Whenever Chen Ran encountered people like that, he¡¯d detain them and then slowly torture them. He¡¯d first slice open their blood vessels and have them watch their fresh blood leak out of their wrists. Their blood would eventually dye the nts and ground around them¡­ Chen Ran didn¡¯t get it. Whenever this happened, those people who cried about wanting to die would beg him not to kill them. What a bunch of hypocrites. They showed no respect for life at all. Of course, he¡¯d satisfy them in the end. However, before he dragged them to the iron door, they would have to suffer first. Chen Ran¡¯s habit was to cut off their four limbs. This made it easier to transport them.When they returned to real life, their missing limbs would be returned to them. This property of the nightmare realm satisfied Chen Ran. He didn¡¯t mind people calling him crazy because the term was not negative. This was merely a concept of perception. Crazy meant not being understood by the world. Just like Beethoven, Van Gogh and Nietzsche¡­ They were called crazy because the world couldn¡¯t understand them. However, time was great because time would slowly uncover the truth. After Beethoven used The Tempest to counter Bach, the world of music had a categorical change. Van Gogh created those blood-pumping hues of blue after he lost his ear. And¡­ Nietzsche. Chen Ran¡¯s eyes flowed with admiration. Arrogant and stubborn, the ideal of pessimism was Nietzsche¡¯sbel. In Chen Ran¡¯s eyes, his flirtatious rtionship with Salome, his falling-out with Wagner and his end at an asylum¡­ did nothing to blot out the brilliance of his grand statement at humanity, ¡°God is dead.¡± The lonely didn¡¯t stay alone because they wanted to but because they couldn¡¯t find their kin. Chen Ranughed as tears fell down his eyes. Nietzsche¡¯s tragedy happened to him. Nietzsche failed to find what he was looking for, but¡­ he did. Deep Red¡­ That was his home. ¡°Miss Su,¡± Chen Ran looked up at the sky, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. If there¡¯s nothing else you wish to say, we¡¯ll have to¡­¡± Su Xiaoxiao moved slightly. Chen Ran looked at her with interest. She clearly reacted to what he said. Did she have something to tell him¡­ ¡°My little brother¡­¡± Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s sentence was cut off by the cough. Some of the blood sttered on Chen Ran. Neither of them minded it. She said with difficulty, ¡°Is he¡­¡± ¡°Miss Su, please don¡¯t worry.¡± Chen Ran interrupted her. He leaned to her ear and whispered, ¡°Your brother is mostly likely dead. Even if he¡¯s not, he will be when I go back there.¡± Hearing that, Su Xiaoxiao coughed out more blood. Her breathing made her sound like a leaking fan. Chen Ran was satisfied with her reaction. Chen Ran had decided to keep her alive. After all, it was rare to encounter such an interesting person. He anticipated their next meeting. Perhaps¡­ after she lost her little brother as a burden, she¡¯d be even more interesting. ¡°Miss Su, please straighten your right arm,¡± Chen Ran picked up a randomnce around the grave. He tried its sharpness. ¡°The weapons here are not that great, so please cooperate with me. It¡¯ll be better for both of us.¡± Chen Ran was looking for an angle to cut into Su Xiaoxiao when he heard a grating sound. He put away thence and looked down at the dying Su Xiaoxiao. Even though it was soft and obstructed by the flood of blood, he could hear it clearly. She wasughing. Even though she was about to be dismembered and killed, this woman was stillughing. ¡°Even if you can kill me, you can¡¯t win him,¡± Su Xiaoxiao croaked. ¡°Who?¡± Chen Ran raised his brow, ¡°Do you mean that Hao Shuai?¡± ¡°Do you¡­ really think I trusted you?¡± Su Xiaoxiaoughed harder. Her whole body trembled from pain due to theughter, ¡°Why don¡¯t you guess why we haven¡¯t seen them yet?¡± Chen Ran put away the weapon. His eyes that looked at Su Xiaoxiao darkened. ¡°It looks like I¡¯m not the only person Miss Su has chosen to cooperate with.¡± Chapter 215: Deal Chapter 215: Deal ¡°Where¡­ are they?¡± Su Xiaoxiao curled up in pain. Chen Ran¡¯s palm strike was surprisingly strong. It damaged her heavily. Plus, her wrist was broken. Every movement brought her great pain. ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question¡­¡± After the growl, Chen Ran¡¯s madness was taken over by a murderous intent. He didn¡¯t expect his prey to have tricked him. Plus, his prey used her life to slow him down. Su Xiaoxiao stopped talking. She merely chuckled lowly. Since she was in a fetal position, Chen Ran had the impression she wasughing so hard that she had to hold her stomach. He walked forward and broke Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s ankle with a stomp. The sound it made wasn¡¯t as melodious as he wanted. Su Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth. She sucked in a cold breath but didn¡¯t make a sound. Her blood soaked the ground underneath them. Both of them didn¡¯t notice the strange thing happening around them. The blood was drawn by some strange power to approach the stone te. The moment the blood touched the te, a red light suddenly expanded. It became a dome to cover the entire stone te and its nearby space. There were a lot of cracking noises. Chen Ran narrowed his eyes at the white stone te that was covered by the blood mist. The noises¡­ came from the pile of bones on the te. They were shivering and grinding against each other. In his subconsciousness, he heard a shrillughter, one that preluded the hunt. The bones¡­ seemed like they were about to stand up in the next second. Then, something strange urred. Flesh gathered around the pale bones. It became a scene from hell. Chen Ran took several steps back. The murderous intent in his eyes slowly dissipated. Then, he was assaulted by dizziness. Strange images appeared before his eyes. Some were branded into his brain. A giant wooden boat, the weapons on their shoulders, thences, the inscrutable symbols¡­Many strangely dressed people stood in a circle. They held each other¡¯s hands. They prostrate on the ground. They cried, and theyughed. Women in unusual ceremonial clothes poured fresh blood on their bodies. Crows circled above them. Underneath their feet were corpses of seagulls¡­ The images were injected into Chen Ran¡¯s brain. He couldn¡¯t forget them even if he wanted to. At the same time, he felt a strong sense of unwillingness and hatred. In the next second, Chen Ran¡¯s eyes suddenly glowed. He smiled and looked at Su Xiaoxiao, who was rendered speechless and dull by the inexplicable images. ¡°Miss Su, I¡¯ll have to leave first. Enjoy yourself.¡± Then, before the flesh fully attached itself to the bones, Chen Ran turned and ran into the forest. Fatty, who was nearby, had been fully dominated by the shocking images in his mind and the gory scenes urring on the stone te. He didn¡¯t even notice Chen Ran had left. He remained in this state¡­ until the Doctor appeared in his sight. Jiang Cheng ran towards Su Xiaoxiao at a very fast speed. Fatty, who reacted, instantly wanted to stop him since the things on the stone te had already started to stand up. Fatty gritted his teeth and ran to catch up to the Doctor. As he entered the bloody dome, Jiang Cheng felt a huge pressure on him. He rushed to Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s side to examine her wounds. Fatty soon joined him. Su Xiaoxiao was lying prone on the ground. Her one arm and one leg were bent in an unnatural angle. ¡°You can¡¯t move on your own,¡± Jiang Cheng lifted his head and said directly, ¡°With your injuries, I can¡¯t bring you with me.¡± Su Xiaoxiao moved slightly. Then, she nodded, ¡°I know.¡± For some reason, when he heard that, Fatty felt sorry for the woman before him. ¡°What did Chen Ran tell you?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t waste time. After all, the things on the stone te were taking shape. They¡¯d start the massacre stone. Time was limited. Su Xiaoxiao sat up, withstanding the pain. However, with the broken parts of her body, it was hard to do so. Fatty stared at her wounds and her bloody chest. His heart went out to her. However, this strong woman stared at Jiang Cheng and refused to speak. ¡°Other than trusting me, you have no other choices,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°If you help me, I¡¯ll try my best to save your brother.¡± Su Xiaoxiao swallowed the blood in her mouth. She croaked, ¡°Deal! ¡°There¡­ is a clue on the side of the right pir outside the first stone door. There¡¯s a painting carved on it.¡± Su Xiaoxiao nced at the stone te and spoke quickly, ¡°Also, it was Chen Ran who triggered this mission. He has the clue newspaper article.¡± ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty noticed the struggling corpses on the te. ¡°We need to leave, or none of us can leave anymore!¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Su Xiaoxiao. His lips moved, but Su Xiaoxiao cut him off. She used one hand to cover her stomach to stop the blood from flowing. ¡°I know¡­ what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed and nodded. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll have to trouble you.¡± After that, he pulled Fatty, and the two raced towards the forest. The strange humanoid creatures on the stone te had fully awakened. At first, their actions were sluggish. However, they slowly regained control of their bodies. Su Xiaoxiao used thest of her energy to grab thence Chen Ran dropped on the ground. She stood up with difficulty. Just as the first creature was about to leave the stone te, Su Xiaoxiao shuffled to the te¡¯s side. The next second, she tossed away thence and jumped at the stone te. The flesh on the bones fell off again. The piles of bones crashed to the ground. The dome of bloody light around the space rewound. Everything reverted to how it was¡­ like no one had ever been there before. Chapter 216: Do You Feel Uncomfortable? Chapter 216: Do You Feel Ufortable? Fatty, who had charged into the forest, kept constant attention on the situation behind him. After the things on the stone te revived, they wouldn¡¯t let them go so easily. The Doctor¡¯s serious expression proved that. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty asked without stopping, ¡°Why aren¡¯t those things chasing after us? Plus¡­ the red barrier has disappeared as well.¡± Jiang Cheng ran fast. As Fatty turned his head around, Jiang Cheng moved another few metres ahead of him. ¡°If you really want to know, you can turn back to look.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice entered Fatty¡¯s ears. It didn¡¯t sound that clear because they were running. Jiang Cheng only slowed down when they reached the edge of the forest. Fatty gasped for air as he followed the Doctor carefully. His beady eyes looked around. The Doctor was worried about something. He knew that Chen Ran might be lying in an ambush at the edge of the forest. The Doctor kept Su Xiaoxiao alive to lure him out. Based on the conversation between the Doctor and Su Xiaoxiao, it was Chen Ran who initiated this mission. He had the newspaper article with the clue. No wonder he looked so confident. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty leaned over to ask, ¡°Could Chen Ran have obtained all the clues?¡± ¡°No clue.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Fatty suddenly shut up because he noticed Jiang Cheng tense up. Thetter¡¯s eyes were focused in a specific direction. Fatty followed his gaze. A handsome figure sauntered out from behind a tree, ¡°Brother Hao, Big Brother,¡± Chen Ran put his hands in his pockets and grinned, ¡°Long time no see.¡± Fatty looked around to find a weapon. Even a wooden club or a stone would work. Chen Ran left a deep impression on him. Su Xiaoxiao was a trained fighter, but she was like a toy in Chen Ran¡¯s hands. Just as Fatty thought they were about to fight¡­¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you guys.¡± Chen Ran asked concernedly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have entered the forest.¡± He smiled, ¡°So, did you find anything?¡± Fatty was startled. He wondered if Chen Ran had lost his memory or if he had schizophrenia. ¡°We didn¡¯t discover much.¡± Jiang Cheng replied lightly, ¡°We found the white te, which could have been called an altar. We also watched a show near it.¡± Chen Ran raised his brow, and his grin grew wider, ¡°A show?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Two conceited idiots worked together to scam their friends. Unfortunately, their scam was exposed. In the end, they had a falling out. One died, and the other escaped.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Chen Ran and sighed regretfully, ¡°It¡¯s a shame that Brother Chen has missed it.¡± Fatty shivered when he heard that. He had to admire the Doctor¡¯s way of scolding people. ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Chen Ran narrowed his eyes. ¡°Based on what Brother Hao said, it was a shame for me to miss it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to inform you if I run into such idiots again.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll have to trouble Brother Hao.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Fatty¡¯s brain buzzed. It felt like a beehive had been stuffed in it. Even as he walked back with Jiang Cheng and Chen Ran, he still hadn¡¯t recovered. It confused him. The two were like two lions in the same territory. However, things changed in an instant. Jiang Cheng hugged Chen Ran¡¯s neck, and Chen Ran cupped Jiang Cheng¡¯s waist. They were like brothers who met after years of missing each other. ¡°Brother Chen, what¡¯s your opinion of this mission?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him with passion and kindness. Chen Ran thought about it and answered, ¡°Based on what Brother Hao said, the white stone te should be a kind of altar. Its use is to revive the dead. ¡°Of course, the things that got revived can¡¯t be called humans anymore. They are merely monsters in human skins.¡± Chen Ran hugged Jiang Cheng¡¯s waist tightly. He smiled, ¡°What about Brother Hao? What do you think?¡± ¡°My opinion is not as worthy as yours.¡± Jiang Cheng replied, ¡°I¡¯m too ashamed to share it because I¡¯m still not certain of it.¡± ¡°Is it because you¡¯re missing some clues?¡± Chen Ran asked with intrigue. ¡°Yes.¡± Chen Ren nodded and said sincerely, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you entered the forest before this. I didn¡¯t dare to enter it to search for you. Therefore, I only walked around the edge. However, somehow, I stumbled across some clues. ¡°It¡¯s on the stone pir close to the first stone door. It¡¯s a carved painting.¡± Chen Ran smiled, ¡°Who would have thought there¡¯d be a clue there? If I didn¡¯t walk around out of boredom, I would have missed it.¡± Jiang Cheng gave Chen Ran a thumbs up. ¡°Brother Chen is definitely not a cunning man. You are willing to share such an important clue. If I didn¡¯t know you well, I would thought you¡¯re a bastard who has the newspaper article with the clue and uses it to scam others!¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Brother Hao sure likes to joke.¡± Fatty could see Chen Ran¡¯s face darken. His grin became ghastly. His right eye kept twitching. Fatty once asked the Doctor in private if he was beaten up when he was in school. Fatty believed that if one of his ssmates had the Doctor¡¯s sharp tongue, they would be beaten up all day, every day. However, the Doctor imed that he was well-respected by his peers and the teachers. Fatty had personally experienced the Doctor¡¯s mad tongue. Therefore, he dropped the issue. After all, Jiang Cheng also imed that he used his charm to take over Chen Xiaomeng, causing thetter to voluntarily give him the newspaper article. ¡°Is this the clue?¡± Jiang Cheng knelt before the stone pir. Chen Ran nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Momentster, Chen Ran added, ¡°Brother Hao, can you move your arm away from my neck?¡± Jiang Cheng pulled Chen Ran in. Thetter had to kneel down with him. It was very ufortable. ¡°Does it make you ufortable?¡± Jiang Cheng gasped in shock. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it.¡± Chen Ran shrugged. Then, he shot a nce at Fatty who was hiding in the side. He smiled, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Big Brother might feel ufortable seeing us like this.¡± Chapter 217: Stone Paintings Chapter 217: Stone Paintings ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± Fatty waved his hands, ¡°My heart is bigger than you think.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Chen Ran narrowed his eyes at Fatty. Thetter moved his eyes away. The pressure exuded by Chen Ran was not lower than that of the Doctor. As for why the Doctor was doing this, Fatty had a brief idea. The Doctor was worried that Chen Ran might ambush him from behind when he was studying the clues, so he dragged Chen Ran along. Su Xiaoxiao''s words were a bit inurate. There was more than one painting on the stone pir. There were many paintings. They depicted different scenes but were interconnected. Fatty¡¯s attention was drawn to them instantly. The carving was done hastily, but it didn¡¯t eclipse the carver''s innate talent. Every painting had a clear construct. Overall, Fatty felt that the carver was in great fear, or they were forced toplete the painting under certain conditions. There were nine paintings, and they were spread out in a web manner. The first eight paintings could be examined freely, but thest painting¡­ Fatty blinked. It was only carved halfway. Two-thirds of the iplete painting was blurred out. Only the lower right corner could be seen. Fatty swallowed. He walked around Chen Ran to take a closer look. It was¡­ a person. A person in a strange outfit. The person was curled up and hiding in a small corner. It should be a woman. At that moment, Fatty shivered involuntarily. He was instantly reminded of the olddy hiding inside the lighthouse. However¡­ when he focused his attention and looked at thest painting, the curious sense of familiarity disappeared. The carving of the human only consisted of a few strokes. Their outfit and gender couldn¡¯t be discerned. However, in that split second, Fatty confirmed the person in the carving was the aged woman. Why? Fatty gasped for air. Hisrge body also shuddered. He tried to control himself from acting too strangely, but it was hard to do. He had no idea when the carving was created. However, based on the damage from corrosion, it was at least several hundred years ago. So, that aged woman¡­ How could she¡­ Has she existed since then?Then, was she still human? Fatty instantly wanted to warn the Doctor about the woman, but Chen Ran was right there. He couldn¡¯t openly talk about it. The Doctor and Chen Ran were attached to each other like a pair of Siamese twins. ¡°Did Brother Hao discover something?¡± Chen Ran narrowed his eyes to ask. Jiang Cheng stood up and thought for a while. ¡°I still can¡¯t be sure. I think we better go upstairs to check first.¡± When he heard that, Fatty¡¯s hair stood on end; he felt like Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s bet had failed. Su An was probably dead. Or rather, he had disappeared mysteriously with the biker woman and Liang Long. All of that had to do with the ageddy. Once the suspect was confirmed, everything that confused him before had a reasonable exnation. Earlier, he discussed with the Doctor why the aged woman was the only survivor when all of them were caught in a shipwreck. Plus¡­ based on the Doctor¡¯s understanding of the nightmare, everyone¡¯s chance of survival when first entering the nightmare should be close to each other. How could there be a yer who entered the same map for the second time? None of them made sense ording to the mechanism of the nightmare. However, Fatty found the answer. The aged woman was not a yer. To be more urate, she should be a very special NPC who could attack the yers indiscriminately. Thinking back to how the aged woman was ring at him the night before and the red tongue that licked her lips, Fatty started to shiver again. His legs were about to buckle. ¡°AH!¡± The next second, Fatty jumpedically into the air. When he recovered and turned around, he saw Jiang Cheng¡¯s left arm around Chen Ran¡¯s neck and his right¡­ poked Fatty¡¯s waist. ¡°Doc¡­¡± ¡°Move.¡± Jiang Cheng ordered, ¡°We¡¯re going up to look. You¡­ can follow behind us.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Fatty obediently walked behind Jiang Cheng and Chen Ran. He finally had a clearer understanding of the contest between the two. Jiang Cheng¡¯s arm that was draped around Chen Ran¡¯s neck was bulging with muscles like he¡¯d snap thetter¡¯s neck in the next second. It was the same for Chen Ran. His hand looked intimately curled around Jiang Cheng¡¯s waist. However, Chen Ran was clearly applying force based on the veins that popped on his skin. Fatty took a deep breath and tried to focus. It was only a matter of time until they turned on each other. The battle would be ended in a moment. After all, once the Doctor lost, he wouldn¡¯t be Chen Ran¡¯s match. The staircase was dark. They couldn¡¯t find the torches they had dropped earlier. Fatty followed them carefully. The stairs went up in a spiral. The middle was a hole that fell straight down. Everyone tried their best to stick closer to the wall. Fatty was considering the possibility of helping Jiang Cheng shove Chen Ran down the middle. The fake interaction came to an end. Chen Ran and Jiang Cheng slowly moved up the steps. Neither of them spoke. The atmosphere was tense. As they approached the lighthouse, Fatty¡¯s blurry illusion about the truth was rified. When they returned from ck Stone Town the night before, the Doctor shared with him the issues he had discovered. Back then, Fatty had no idea. However, at that moment, Fatty realised how scary the Doctor was. Of the issues brought up by the Doctor, a few left a deep impression on him. The Doctor said that when they were brought to share the table with the mayor, there were still four more empty spots. In other words, the people from ck Stone Town assumed there¡¯d be seven ¡®guests¡¯. How did theye to that conclusion? Was it a mere coincidence? After all, when the travellers first met the people from ck Stone Town, the townspeople had only seen six of them. The second time, they only saw the Doctor, Fatty, Chen Ran and Liang Long. In the end, only three of them epted the invitation to ck Stone Town. However¡­ what if the people from ck Stone Town managed to figure out their overall number through some records or unknown channels? In fact, the townspeople not only knew how many travellers there were in total but also that one of them wasn¡¯t a human. It was why they didn¡¯t prepare her share of food. Thinking back to how the aged woman was looking at him greedily, Fatty¡¯s pupils shrunk, and a horrifying thought appeared in his mind. Chapter 218: History Chapter 218: History ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice interrupted him. When he recovered, he had already arrived at the second stone door. Chen Ran had already separated from the Doctor. They stood on each side of the door. ¡°Wait for me outside,¡± Jiang Cheng ordered in a raising tone, ¡°I have something to do with Brother Chen inside. If I don¡¯t call for you, don¡¯t interrupt us.¡± Fatty was startled. His brain was still stuck on his previous hypothesis. However, due to his innate trust in the Doctor, he still nodded. ¡°Take your time. I can wait.¡± Chen Ran grinned and stared at Fatty, ¡°Then, we¡¯ll have to trouble Big Brother to wait.¡± ¡°What trouble is that?¡± Jiang Cheng grumbled, ¡°If it¡¯s troublesome for anyone, it¡¯s for me!¡± Chen Ran tilted his head to nce at Jiang Cheng. Then, he didn¡¯t say anything else and slipped through the stone door. After Chen Ran left, Fatty jogged over to Jiang Cheng¡¯s side and whispered urgently, ¡°Doctor, are you sure you¡¯ll be fine on your own? The inside¡­¡± Jiang Cheng turned towards the concerned Fatty, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He patted his waist and grinned, ¡°Don¡¯t you know how impressive I am? I¡¯m the karaoke¡¯s¡­¡± Fatty automatically eclipsed what Jiang Cheng said next. He still warned the Doctor to be careful. Once he shouted for him, he¡¯d run in to help.¡°Be on alert.¡± The Doctor stared at the stairs they took. His mocking expression disappeared. He said a few secondster, ¡°There¡¯s something down there.¡± Fatty slowly widened his eyes. ¡­ ¡°Brother Hao,¡± Chen Ran looked at Jiang Cheng, who carefully slipped through the door. He smiled, ¡°What are you doing? Are you afraid someone might ambush you from behind the door?¡± Jiang Cheng patted his clothes and said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Brother Chen. When I was young, I was bitten by a dog hidden by the door.¡± He looked around. Other than the aged woman curled up on the ground¡­ Su An was already gone. However, different from the previous two individuals, they were certain that Su An disappeared from this room. He was too heavily injured to move. Therefore¡­ both of them turned at the same time to the aged woman in the corner. It was clear who the culprit was. Both of them were not dumb. From the stone te to the carvings on the stone pirs, they had recovered most of the plot. It had to be said that the history of ck Stone Town was moreplicated than they thought. The story told by the ¡®things¡¯ at ck Stone Town was a total lie. They were not the locals. Jiang Cheng already had suspicions about that at the beginning. How could the locals of this ind have the technology to mass-produce iron instruments? They were invaders whonded on this ind through giant boats. It was simr to those whonded at Plymouth on the Mayflower. The first carving on the stone pir recorded the origin of these invaders. The waves were huge. The invaders identally discovered this ind. After encountering the shipwreck, their ship crashnded on the beach of the ind. The innocent locals aided them kindly, giving them amodation and food. Soon, the invaders got close to the locals or the former citizens of ck Stone Town. That was depicted in the second painting. The groups in different outfits gathered together. They appeared to be dancing with the sea in the background. In the third painting, some were cutting trees while the others were climbing around the beached wooden ship. It looked like they were helping to fix the boat. However, the strange thing was that both the groups fixing the ship and cutting the trees were locals in their strange garbs. The invaders were gathered in a hidden corner, muttering to themselves as they pointed at the forest. Clearly, they had found something. It was because of this discovery that they became unwilling to leave ck Stone Town. If anything, they had some other thoughts. In the next painting, the perspectives were no longer singr. The pen strokes became more deliberate. On a dark night, a long team gathered outside the vige. They departed silently and entered the forest. The carving depicted the night by usingparisons. On the left, we have the team entering the forest. On the right, the carving showed a group of people sleeping quietly in bed. The group that entered the forest was made up of locals. The sleeping group was the outsiders. The locals chose to enter the forest at midnight to avoid alerting the outsiders. Plus¡­ a few of them in the middle of the group carried a wooden board. A persony on the board. An arm dangled weakly in the air¡­ The person was dead. The locals didn¡¯t use any torches and silently carried a dead person deep into the forest. It was strange. However, the stranger thing was the outsiders in the carving. They were lying on the bedfortably. However, a vertical line was gouged into the spots where their eyes should be. It gave them snake eyes. They were not monsters. Jiang Cheng believed what the carver wanted to express was that¡­ the outsiders were pretending to be asleep. All of them knew what was happening outside. The next painting verified that. The next painting was drawn from a peeping angle. In the middle of the painting, a group of strangely dressed people surrounded a giant stone te. Some of them held hands. Some were kneeling. Some were crying. There was a personying on the stone te. Then, a woman in a white dress slowly walked out of the stone te. The carving of thisdy was more detailed than the others. Even the pleats on her dress could be seen clearly. The locals approached her respectfully to hand her an urn-like vessel. The woman epted it and raised it above her head. Then, she tipped it over. There was blood inside the vessel! This was not a suggestion. The carver painted blood for this part. The blood didn¡¯t lose colour due to time. In fact, it was still as fresh as the day the blood was collected. Chapter 219: Attraction Chapter 219: Attraction It was not hard to surmise that the people of ck Stone Town were conducting some kind of ritual. The woman yed the character of a priest. In the next painting, the style suddenly changed. A giant, horrifying monster appeared on the white stone te¡­ It had sharp and twisted horns, a muscr body, fish-like gills, and two bat wings protruding out of its scaly back. Its most terrifying feature was its giant maw that could swallow a person whole. When they saw this, Chen Ran and Jiang Cheng were silent. They were not unfamiliar with this creature. They saw it once on the first stone door. ¡°Brother Hao.¡± Chen Ran looked at Jiang Cheng as if he could see through him. ¡°There are 35 people in the group who enter the forest.¡± Jiang Cheng stared at the aged woman. Then, he corrected, ¡°It¡¯s 36. You forgot about the dead person.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Chen Ran smiled. When they entered the forest, 35 living people carried a dead person. When they left the forest, the wooden board was empty, and there were 36 people in the group. With what they saw near the stone te¡­ the power of this ritual was clear. Resurrection¡­It could revive the dead. Reviving the dead, this miracle somehow happened. Jiang Cheng could imagine how shocked the invaders, who possessed basic medical knowledge, must have felt when they encountered this. It had fully inversed their worldview. Then, the seed of greed started to grow in their hearts. Not many could resist the offer of immortality. They were no different. The following paintings proved that. They started to interact more with the locals to get more information about the secrets of the altar. Plus, they stopped caring about fixing the boat. Instead, they channelled their focus into how to unveil the altar¡¯s secrets and then how to use it and the locals to serve them. As time passed, the locals realised that the outsiders¡¯ interest in leaving the ind dwindled. Inversely, their interest in the forest greatly increased. Therefore¡­ Conflict was inevitable. The trigger was a child. It was a child of the outsiders. He seemed to have caught a rare disease. His mother carried him in her arms as he was dying. A group of outsiders huddled around the woman and her child as they came to thergest building in town. Eventually, an elder walked out of the building. The elder¡¯s clothes were more exquisite than the other townspeople. Jiang Cheng believed he was the tribal leader or the mayor. In the painting of the locals sneaking into the forest at night, it was this elder who led the group. At first, both parties were rather gentle. However, things took a quick turn for the worse. Their expressions changed until an argument erupted. Townspeople rushed in from all sides. More outsiders gathered as well. They removed the weapons from the ship. Thence-like weapons glowed coldly. The thing colder was the outsiders¡¯ gazes. It was not hard to guess that they hoped the elder would use the altar¡¯s power to help the child. Perhaps in their minds, since the altar could revive the dead, it could definitely save a dying person. Of course, the premise was the locals were willing to help them. However, the elder firmly rejected them. In the final painting, the elder looked enraged. He pointed at the fixed ship that was parked by the shore. His meaning was clear. He wanted the outsiders to leave as soon as possible. In the end, they parted unhappily. On that night, the umted greed and desire finally exploded. Even though there were fewer outsiders than the locals, they had better weapons. They split into teams of ten. They took down the local guards easily. Then, they yanked the sleeping locals out of their homes and corralled them to the square in the middle of the city. It was the square where Jiang Cheng was invited to the feast. Soon, the elder was hauled to the leader of the outsiders with his hands tied behind his back. The helpless locals were demanded to kneel on the ground. The outsiders watched over them like prison wardens. The identities of the saved and the saviour disintegrated. They were no longer people who needed help but a bunch of bandits. Everyone knew that the request to save the boy was merely an excuse. The death of the boy would mean nothing to them. He was, at most, just an experiment. For the ¡®civilised¡¯ outsiders, the boy was just a valid request. It was hard to tell how the negotiation went. However, based on the paintings, after a few locals lost their heads, the elder chose to submit. With him leading the way, the locals and their kidnappers departed into the forest. The outsiders brutally punctured the local¡¯s shoulders and strung them together with a rope. They held the weapons and prodded the locals along. Different from the locals, who were filled with fear, the outsiders exuded fanaticism and desire. No one could escape death, but it didn¡¯t stop people from trying. And now¡­ the chance was right before them. How could they be calm? The inspiration brought by science was swept away by the shock of a divine revtion. The women tied to the post¡­ The people around the pyre pointed at them. The women were not afraid of hell because they were already in hell. The fire burned as the spectators looked on with admiration and awe. Soon, the elder led them to the stone te. The crowd started to boil. The thing so many people looked for was within their reach. Before the ritual started, the elder tried to warn them again. However, no one listened to him. When a muscr outsider ced his weapon around the neck of a trembling girl, the elder shut up with a sigh. Then, the elder personally epted the dying child from the woman. He walked to the stone te and respectfully ced the boy down on the altar. Then, he picked him up and carried him steadily near his chest. Chapter 220: Elder Chapter 220: Elder The woman in the white dress appeared again. Both Jiang Cheng and Chen Ran had a deep impression of the woman. She had never appeared in ck Stone Town or the group as they headed into the forest. She materialised out of thin air. She had a special connection with the white stone te. As the woman appeared, the ritual officially began. The elder was the first to kneel. The other locals who were captured followed. The low crying became the main rhythm. Various images appeared in Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind. They were from different angles. It was as if he had travelled back in time and was watching everything from the townspeople''s perspective. A giant figure appeared above the white te. Even without lifting its head, it was around 5 meters tall. The majesty it exuded was indescribable. The scales on its body had sharp reflections. Even if it merely stood there, it was as gorgeous as the greatest product of nature. No one knew what it was, but everyone had to submit to its presence. The outsiders were taken over by fanaticism. They werepelled to kneel to shower this unknown creature with their greatest respect. Everything¡­ changed in that moment. To everyone¡¯s surprise, the child that was ced on the stone te didn¡¯t get better. Instead¡­ he was consumed by the strange creature. There was a series of harrowing munching sounds. The child¡¯s tendons, bones and skin¡­ were crushed by sharp teeth. Everyone was shocked. It was not until the creature disappeared from the stone te that someone screamed. The woman on the stone te used the corner of her sleeve to wipe at her lips like a gentlewoman after dinner.Devil¡­ The woman changed in the outsiders¡¯ eyes. She¡­ calmly ate the child. She had to be a devil! A light red halo appeared. A bloody barrier surfaced around the edge of the stone te. The barrier expanded to envelop the locals and the outsiders. The outsiders¡¯ eyes turned red. The unknown power was corroding theirst bit of rationality. Their fear of the creature and the mysterious altar turned into greed and anger. ¡°Kill her!¡± Someone shouted among the crowd. Their remaining rationality was overshadowed. The outsiders charged forward with the weapons. Some of the locals moved to stop the outsiders, but it was pointless. Soon, the localsy in pools of blood on the ground. Their blood dyed the ce red. Blood could be squeezed out of the soil. The woman lifted her head. Her eyes were clear, as if she couldn¡¯t see the ughter that was happening around her. As the leader of ck Stone Town, the elder was thest to be killed. Before that, one of the outsiders sliced his granddaughter in half. He poked one half of her body with his de and tossed the other half onto the stone te. He wanted to know if someone with only half her body left could still be resurrected. The elder¡¯s eyes were red. He red at the bandits with gripped fists. The hatred in his eyes was palpable. However, momentster, the elderughed. As the outsiders¡¯nce was about to pierce his chest, the elder turned and ran. With difficult steps, he charged at the white stone te. As his hands touched the stone te, something incredible happened. From his arms, it looked like the blood in his body was boiling. Terrifying boils appeared on his skin. His flesh fell off in pieces until only white bones remained of his arms. Even then, he didn¡¯t let go. The outsiders slowly approached. Only madness remained in their eyes. Since¡­ the woman allowed the devil to eat their child. Then¡­ they¡¯d eat the woman. Disgusting saliva dripped down their gaping mouths. Perhaps¡­ they¡¯d gain the woman¡¯s mysterious power after they ate her. The power of immortality¡­ The outsiders¡¯ eyes bulged. Their hands that held the weapon popped with veins. They surrounded the stone te. The woman stood there quietly. The bloody mist fluttered the corner of her dress. Her pure white dress was stained with minor sprays of blood. She stood there unfazed, as if she had nothing to do with the things around her. The cruel outsiders and the locals who sacrificed themselves to protect her were the same to her. There was no anger or sadness. Instead of calmness, it was more like detachment. Everything in her eyes was a manifestation of history. The wheels of history moved forward. The flesh crushed underneath the wheels was just a sh in the pan. After all, new flesh would eventually take the ce of the old ones. The dying elder whipped his head around. His face had half-fallen away to reveal his skull. Even his voice had taken on a hollow quality. His lips were gone. The elder cackled as blood tears flowed down his face like an inmate in hell. Jiang Cheng frowned. The elder¡¯s unbridledughter echoed in his mind. This was not strange. Certain clues in the nightmare could affect people¡¯s minds. Those with a weak mind could be swayed if they encountered the clues without warning. In any case, the thing that confused Jiang Cheng was the emotions he captured from the elder¡¯sughter. His whole n was ughtered, and his kin was brutally tortured before his eyes¡­ It was understandable if the elder lost his mind and startedughing. Hatred, anger and helplessness were emotions Jiang Cheng could understand. However, none of these emotions was present in the elder¡¯sughter. In fact, hisughter was coloured by¡­. A sense of release. Yes. Release. Like an inmate who had been released after serving the end of his sentence. The flesh disintegrated. The elder¡¯s bone copsed on the stone te. His round skull rolled on the te until it bumped against the woman¡¯s feet and stopped. His hollow eye holes stared at the woman usingly. Chapter 221: Mutation Chapter 221: Mutation Layers of human shadow rushed to the stone te. The leading man pierced the mysterious woman through her chest. Blood sprayed like wine. It dyed her dress red. Some blood alsonded on the invaders¡¯ lips. The woman didn¡¯t resist. She watched as the invaders cut her with their weapons. Then, they pounced at her like hungry wolves as they munched on her body. Those who didn¡¯t get the chance could only surround the outer circle. They licked the blood that flowed out and grinned with satisfaction. Everything happened under the bloody mist. The scene looked like an oil painting. Under the night, it radiated a feeling of sadness and istion. Chen Ran enjoyed the influence the carving applied to their subconscious. He didn¡¯t think the invaders did anything wrong. The only thing that he felt was not enough was theck of good background music. Such a religious and satanic image was not paired with great music. It was¡­ such a waste. It was like you were on a holiday at the beach. The azure seapped before your feet. The waiter walked over silently. Everything was so peaceful. However, the next second, the professional waiter raised the tray of the best caviar in the world and smashed it into your face. That was how Chen Ran understood the painting. This was clearly not something Jiang Cheng, who was still struggling to put food on the table, could understand. The woman was flooded by the heavy waves of human shadow. Throughout this process, she didn¡¯t struggle or make any noise. Jiang Cheng forced himself to look away from the woman. His eyes moved along the edges of the stone te. He was not a hunter. This was his survival instinct. This painting brought him great difort. He could sense a feeling of dissonance underneath the sense of difort. For Jiang Cheng, the difort was the impact brought by the image. After all, cannibalism was no longer an epted action in the modern society. However, the dissonance meant that there was something wrong with the picture. Then, his pupils narrowed. He found it¡­Something was wrong with the people around the stone te! No. Not those people¡­ But that woman! The stone te was filled with people. Some were eating her flesh, but the majority were not as lucky. They stayed around the stone te and knelt greedily on the ground to lick at the blood. Rudimentary calction put around ten people on the stone te. Around a hundred people were surrounding the stone te. The whole te was red. Where did so much bloode from? There was only one woman, the elder and half of the woman of the girl on the stone te. So¡­ Wait! When Jiang Cheng saw the little girl¡¯s broken body, Jiang Cheng had to stop. He saw¡­ the edge of the girl¡¯s lips curl up. She¡­ was smiling?! The body of the girl who was brutally sliced into two was smiling?! The next second, Jiang Cheng¡¯s breathing became heavy despite how stable he was mentally. The man who was dismembered, the woman who was disembowelled, the elder who was beheaded, the children who were covered in blood¡­ Everyone who was killed¡­ was smiling. Their pale faces were coloured by blood, but it didn¡¯t affect their creepy smiling faces. The scariest thing was Jiang Cheng could feel that their smiles came from their hearts. They didn¡¯t hate the people who butchered them. If anything, they were thankful to the people who killed them. Thankfulness. Why? A cracking sound echoed in Jiang Cheng¡¯s ears. The image in his mind started to change. The bloody barrier started to move. His heart shook. He sensed that something was about to happen. The next second, everyone on the stone te copsed on the ground. They rolled around in the blood like they were in extreme pain. Their mouths were wide open, like they were screaming. However, even if they tore their mouths open, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t hear them. A middle-aged man, who was convulsing on the ground, stared at his arm. The skin on his arm slowly bulged until¡­ his skin turned red and translucent. The next second, a thick bone spur pierced through his skin. A set of fishgill-like skeletal constructs appeared on the man¡¯s arm. The mutation spread like a disease. A young boy¡¯s back was torn apart. The flesh under his skin blurred. The exposed spine was thicker than that of an adult man''s. Then, a pair of bloody wings spread along the spine. The boy monster screamed and fell to the ground. Some of them had sharp horns poking out of their heads. The others grew two long appendages that would make it easier for them to crawl. Some of them had mutated to be monsters that were more than two meters tall. The pain of the mutation was clear. The mutated people bit each other to vent their pain and unwillingness. Jiang Cheng¡¯s fists were so tight that his fingers were pale from theck of blood. The scene before his eyes turned his world upside down. This was not a sacrifice¡­ but an evolution, like the angels of Gomorrah. The difference was that these people''s evolution ignored all kinds of rules. From the angle of evolution, they would be considered failures. They didn¡¯t fit the requirement for the most basic biological survival. The meaning of their existence was to taunt some kind of power. It was to challenge the official religions, to show them that there was still hell on earth. After the blood mist dissipated, the ugly creatures started to move towards the forest. Their size wasrge, but they were strangely slow, like babies learning how to walk. Soon, all of them disappeared from the stone te. Jiang Cheng stared in the direction of where they had left. It was the direction of the sea. Instantly, the image described by the aged woman appeared in his mind. The ships were mysteriously attacked, and there were heavily armed units on the ships. Thest recorded call by the captain after they were attacked. He shouted, ¡°It¡¯s hell! The door of hell has opened!¡± So¡­ this was why. Chapter 222: Threat Chapter 222: Threat It was these things that assaulted the aged woman¡¯s ships. The ugly creatures attacked the passing ships in groups at night. Considering their appearance, it would be shocking if they didn¡¯t feed on human flesh. Normal ships would have a hard time escaping from. Even though these creatures looked sluggish onnd, based on the appearance of their evolution, they were most likely aquatic creatures. In the sea, they would have nopetition with theirrge bodies and strong spines. Jiang Cheng even wondered if bullets could cause them any harm. He could imagine it. In the dark sea, these creatures silently climbed up the side of the ships. When they appeared before the sailors, their reactions were probably simr to those of the captain. They would suspect that these creatures came from hell. Jiang Cheng had no idea if they hade from hell, but he knew that he was in deep trouble. In the next painting, they saw the change of the suns and moons. The waves swallowed ck Stone Town into the sea. The altar was not a treasurednd that could enable resurrection. It was a cursednd! The poor invaders paid heavily for their silly mistakes! It was a trap! The things that confused them previously were slowly connected. He remembered his first encounter with the people from ck Stone Town at the cathedral. A man who looked like the priest chanted something. ¡°Your light will be taken away, and you¡¯ll fall into eternal darkness. You¡¯ll crawl through the meandering ruins. Maggots will munch on the carcasses around you. You¡¯ll feel pain, but you¡¯ll never die. Your soul will be trapped in the shell. You¡¯ll watch it rot helplessly. You can only prostrate yourself before its throne to beg for its mercy. The former traitors used blood¡­¡±Now, it made sense. It was a description of the victims. They were sealed inside the shells of the monsters. They had to live dirty, sunless lives. They could only move around at night. They prayed for salvation and forgiveness. The current residents of ck Stone Town were the invaders who once killed the locals. Due to the curse, they were transformed into monsters. Their only hope was to undo the curse. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. He suspected these creatures couldn¡¯t even kill themselves. At the same time, Jiang Cheng had a deeper understanding of the stone statues on the first floor of the cathedral. Jiang Cheng confirmed that they were alive. Liang Long was most likely attacked by them. Ever since they came here, the stone statues started toe alive. It was not that clear at first, but the change was much more pronounced now. As the mission neared its end, more stone statues started toe alive. The stone statues were people from ck Stone Town. As for why they were petrified and why they would appear at the cathedral, that was still an unknown. Earlier, whenever Jiang Cheng passed by the lobby, he¡¯d sense strange gazes on him. He once seriously considered this problem, but due to the limitations of the clues, he couldn¡¯t figure it out. The answer only surfaced after Liang Long disappeared. The piece of rock Jiang Cheng picked up had traces of sticky liquid that reeked of the sea. ¡°Brother Hao.¡± Chen Ran¡¯s voice interrupted Jiang Cheng. He looked at Jiang Cheng and smiled, ¡°So¡­ what do you think?¡± He shrugged casually, but the sharpness in his eyes was not fake. He was looking for ws. If Jiang Cheng had not been mistaken, Chen Ran would have also just escaped from the influence of that unknown power, or else he would have taken the opportunity to go after him. He wouldn¡¯t wait. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jiang Cheng calmed his mind and asked. Chen Ran grinned. He said directly, ¡°Su Xiaoxiao is dead. Su An has already been¡­ So only the three of us are left. ¡°Have you wondered what the way to survive this mission is?¡± Jiang Cheng stared at him coldly. He didn¡¯t answer because Chen Ran clearly had more to say. Chen Ran shrugged and continued, ¡°If you ask me, there are two steps we need to do to survive this mission. The first step is simple. We¡­¡± He smiled as he pointed at the aged woman in the corner. ¡°We kill her. She is one of the threats. At least we know that Su An and maybe the missing biker woman died at her hands. ¡°Based on my experience, eliminating the threat is the key to solving the mission.¡± Then, Chen Ran stopped talking. He pushed his hands into his pockets and stared at Jiang Cheng exaggeratedly. Jiang Cheng raised his chin. ¡°Please go on. I want to hear what Brother Chen¡¯s second step is.¡± Chen Ran¡¯s grin was so wide that it was ufortable. ¡°This second step.¡± His tongue licked his lips greedily, ¡°Might be a bit more troublesome.¡± ¡°Go on.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°Due to the inconsistency in the clues, we don¡¯t know how the aged woman¡¯s death might impact us. The mission might end¡­¡± He smiled, ¡°Especially for her murderer.¡± ¡°Therefore, we have to select ab rat among the three of us, just like what you did to Su Xiaoxiao.¡± Jiang Cheng scratched his chin. ¡°Is that right, Brother Chen?¡± ¡°Brother Hao sure is clever.¡± Chen Ran chuckled. ¡°Then, who does Brother Chen think can take on this huge responsibility?¡± Jiang Cheng asked formally. He lowered his voice as if hoping that their conversation wouldn¡¯t be heard by a third person. Chen Ran narrowed his eyes and then pointed at the stone door. Clearly, Fatty was the best choice. Even though he was cowardly, he was obedient and tame. With some push from the Doctor and some brainwashing, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to control him. Jiang Cheng scratched his chin and nodded as if agreeing. ¡°That will prevent us brothers from turning on each other.¡± Chapter 223: Lose to Me Chapter 223: Lose to Me After saying that, Jiang Cheng voluntarily walked to the stone door. He just took two steps when he turned around to tell Chen Ran, ¡°Isn¡¯t Brother Chen going toe with me?¡± Chen Ran licked his lips and smiled, ¡°If Brother Hao removes his hands from his pockets, then I might go with you.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and grumbled, ¡°Is that so?¡± He slowly pulled his hand out. A dagger with a wooden hilt was hidden under his wrist. Chen Ran couldn¡¯t help but smile. Jiang Cheng also smiled. The two handsome men looked at each other and smiled in the dim room. The me reflected their shadows on the wall. As the wind picked up, their shadows flickered. It even felt flirtatious. ¡°Don¡¯t mind this.¡± Jiang Cheng worked his shoulders and waved the dagger around, ¡°Su Xiaoxiao gifted me this because she had a crush on me and didn¡¯t hope something bad would happen to me.¡± Chen Ran narrowed his eyes. Then, he asked, ¡°Do you two¡­ know each other before this?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. His eyes shone, ¡°It was just a quick romance. Brother Chen is not familiar with my personality.¡± He leaned forward and acted mysteriously, ¡°I don¡¯t like women who are too forward. I prefer them to be more passive.¡± He swallowed before adding, ¡°It¡¯s the same for men.¡± Chen Ran eventually nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± Jiang Cheng widened his eyes in shock. ¡°What do you understand? Do you¡­¡± His mouth opened, and his eyes wandered over Chen Ran¡¯s body. After some time, Chen Ran said, ¡°Is Brother Hao not going to consider my suggestion anymore?¡±¡°I can¡¯t help it.¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged shamelessly, ¡°You know the nature of my rtionship with that Fatty. How can I do what you suggest?¡± Jiang Cheng swallowed and probed, ¡°Actually¡­ why don¡¯t Brother Hao apany me for two nights? Then, I¡¯ll be able to tell for sure.¡± Chen Ran took a deep breath. Then, he slowly pulled his hands out of his pockets, ¡°In that case, I shall not trouble Brother Hao anymore.¡± He smiled, ¡°Looks like it¡¯s easier for me to deal with both of you at once.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When Chen Ran opened his hands, Jiang Cheng looked awkward. He saw Chen Ran had daggers hidden in both of his hands. Their quality and craftsmanship were much better than the one he had. ¡°Wait!¡± Right before Chen Ran attacked, Jiang Cheng suddenly caved. ¡°I have a suggestion!¡± He said judiciously, ¡°I think we¡¯re both great men who are rare in this world. Therefore, I suggest we drop our weapons. What do you think of bare-fistedbat?¡± Jiang Cheng hollered, ¡°Let us solve this issue in the manliest manner.¡± Chen Ran ignored him and kept attacking. He had studied under a master who researched the Hashashin thrust technique. Therefore, he had a great mastery of timing and strength. On the day of his graduation duel, he blinded his teacher. He still remembered his teacher lying on the ground in a pool of blood. He said that death was the final refuge of an assassin. He thanked his beloved student for only destroying his eyes. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Chen Ran bowed before he left his master¡¯s dojo. He was very confident in dealing with Jiang Cheng. However, he preferred watching friends and families kill each other. He liked to watch their hesitation after they heard his suggestions. They were like pitiful prey. They needed to learn fear and how to bow to life. His understanding of correctional was simple and effective. He never tried to convert them with words. He didn¡¯t have the time or the patience. He was more used to using physical methods to crush their bodies, spirits and souls. Rebirth is only possible in destruction. He never banked on the man before him to betray his teammate. That was merely a test he set up to see how much surprise the man could bring him. Chen Ran sensed something special in the man. Chen Ran grinned wider. It was the taste of Deep Red. He had the potential to be a Disciple. As they crossed swords, the man who called himself Hao Shuai gave him more surprises. He had great strength, but his mastery of the dagger was clearly not there. The scale of victory had been decided from the start. It was merely more troublesome for Chen Ran. He very kindly left behind wounds on thetter¡¯s arms and legs. Thest cut was on his face. It was not deep, but it was enough for blood to leak out. His coat fluttered open. Chen Ran handsomely pulled his daggers back. Around his waist were sheaths for daggers. ¡°Brother Hao,¡± Chen Ran turned to smile at Jiang Cheng, ¡°You still have the chance to consider my earlier suggestion.¡± His smile warmed, ¡°Our deal still stands.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned against the wall. He was not heavily injured but that was because Chen Ran had been holding back. His right hand that held the dagger trembled. The wound on his right hand urately sliced through the muscles he used to hold the dagger. He sighed deeply. Chen Ran tilted his head at him. His pretty eyes seemed to speak. ¡°Can you give me a moment?¡± Jiang Cheng coughed twice as if his throat were caught. ¡°Just ten minutes.¡± Chen Ran shook his head lightly, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then¡­ Five minutes?¡± ¡°Not even one minute.¡± Chen Ran regarded him and sighed, ¡°Brother Hao, you need to make a choice now. You have to be theb rat or the big brother outside.¡± He smiled, ¡°Stop hoping that the big brother wille to save you. He probably is in more than enough trouble himself.¡± ¡°You mean the paintings you left on the ground outside, right?¡± Jiang Cheng gasped for air. ¡°You can give up on that. I¡¯ve ruined those paintings. Because you used the fuel here to make the paintings, he might be trapped in illusions, but not for long.¡± Jiang Cheng felt pain trying to straighten his arm, so he tipped his chin at the me in the centre. ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡± The next second, Jiang Cheng suddenly straightened his waist and spoke to Chen Ran confidently, ¡°Are you not satisfied to lose to me, the great Hao Shuai?¡± Chapter 224: Arrogance Chapter 224: Arrogance With a startle, Chen Ran raised his left arm as he stared at Jiang Cheng. He asked exaggeratedly, ¡°Brother Hao is not talking about this, right?¡± There was a neat cut around Chen Ran¡¯s left arm. It was not serious. It was around 5 centimetres long. Some blood oozed out of it. The red formed a great contrast to Chen Ran¡¯s pale skin. The blood pooled and dripped to the ground. However¡­ the man before him was incapacitated, and he just happened to be cut once. Why would the man say that he had won? Suddenly, Chen Ran¡¯s pupils shrunk. He looked at the me in the middle of the room. The me danced. A light and strange fragrance filled the air. ¡°Hah.¡± Chen Ran slowly put down his arm. He narrowed his eyes and sighed as he looked at Jiang Cheng, who grinned wickedly at him. ¡°The dagger¡­ is poisoned.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Chengughed maniacally at Chen Ran, ¡°That is true, but I didn¡¯t do anything to it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Su Xiaoxiao.¡± ¡°Right again.¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged. ¡°She didn¡¯t think you were so dumb. She had also seen through the secrets of the me. The fuel contains hallucinogenic elements. Her only mistake was that she was too weak. Plus, she was too distracted by her little brother. If she could cut you once with her dagger, then you¡¯d be the one who was left on the stone te.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled, ¡°Brother Chen, do you know how dangerous that would be?¡± Something had to be wrong with the me in the lighthouse, or else the things from the ck Stone Town wouldn¡¯t stress it so much. After Liang Long disappeared, Jiang Cheng understood its secrets. Jiang Cheng captured a familiar scent at the spot where Liang Long disappeared. It was the fragrance that was emitted after the milky-white substance inside the firepot had burned. They knew that this fragrance could greatly slow down one¡¯s brain and silence one¡¯s emotions. If his guess was not wrong, Liang Long dug out some of the fuel to study it in private. However, it was too dark on the first floor at night. She lit up a pinch of the fuel. The fuel provided a lot of heat and could burn for a long time.It was this action that awakened the monsters that slumbered in the walls. That led to her death. From that, it was clear what the goal of the things from ck Stone Town was. It was to use the fragrance to awaken their ¡®friends¡¯. Liang Long did it by ident. Based on Jiang Cheng¡¯s calction, if they kept the fire burning for days, most of the stone statues in the lobby would awaken. Then, it¡¯d be over for them. Chen Ran, with his superhuman physique, started to feel dizzy. He was unwilling to copse. The strange things in the nightmare sure were¡­ Chen Ran stumbled backwards and bumped into the wall. He leaned against it. His body slowly slid down. He still wanted to struggle, but his body didn¡¯t allow him anymore. ¡°Ke Ke Ke¡­¡± A strange voice came from the corner. Chen Ran tried his best to turn his head. He saw a twisted and excited face. The old woman poked her head out of the gap. She stared at the immobile Chen Ran happily. She was waiting and gathering her strength, like a spider waiting for her prey to weaken. The aged woman opened her mouth. A long and red tongue licked around her lips. The strange voice came from inside her throat. She sounded like an old woman hacking up her lungs before she died. With that sound and her expression, it was clear that she was the ghost of this mission. Jiang Cheng agreed with Chen Ran¡¯s hypothesis. Chen Ran was clever and was a very good fighter. However, he was too arrogant. If he didn¡¯t hold back in their fight, Jiang Cheng would have died already. Just like he suspected, this aged woman wasn¡¯t a yer but a very special NPC. The dangers of this mission came from two sides. One was external, or the things from ck Stone Town. Based on Jiang Cheng¡¯s observation, those things couldn¡¯t enter the cathedral¡­ or once they did, they¡¯d be turned into stone. That was the origin of the statues in the lobby. The other was internal, or this olddy who first appeared as their teammate. Based on what Fatty said, they encountered this olddy by the sea. Therefore, if the seaside cathedral was a safehouse from the things from ck Stone Town, the aged woman was the threat inside the sanctuary. She was there to punish the yers who were too cowardly. Therefore¡­ Chen Ran¡¯s sudden voice grabbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s attention. ¡°Brother Hao,¡± His voice was weak, but the ease of his tone was still there. Chen Ran narrowed his eyes. Due to the drug, he could only barely lift his chin. He chuckled, ¡°How¡­ do you n to use me?¡± Use¡­ For the others, this might be the rumblings of a madman, but Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t think so. He knew Chen Ran was not a simple character. At least, their mental frequencies aligned to a certain degree. Other yers like Liang Long would have stressed how he¡¯d be punished if he harmed his teammates in the nightmare realm. ¡°Do¡­ you wish to borrow my hands to kill this sted woman?¡± Chen Ran asked. Jiang Cheng scratched his chin. Even though the wounds on him were not lethal, every small movement he made was extremely painful. ¡°Nah. I won¡¯t trouble you to do something so easy. What if that is the way to leave the nightmare?¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°Then, wouldn¡¯t that just help Brother Chen escape? I n to leave you here.¡± He added, ¡°I need you to verify something for me.¡± Jiang Cheng had been observing the aged woman. She was very interested in the helpless Chen Ran. Her tongue was almost touching his face. However, she didn¡¯t make a move. Instead, she kept ncing at Jiang Cheng impatiently. Chapter 225: Goodbye Chapter 225: Goodbye As expected¡­ This aged woman was a hidden threat in the mission. She was an NPC and was limited by the rules. She could only make a move when she was alone with another yer. ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Leaning on the wall, Chen Ranughed weakly. Jiang Cheng ignored him. Compared to Chen Ran¡¯s death, Jiang Cheng was more concerned about how to survive. Plus¡­ it was too quiet outside. He wondered if Fatty had encountered some troubles. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Chen Ran¡¯s voice floated over. Jiang Cheng frowned as he turned around. Could he have more things to say? Even though he knew it was just a waste of time, Jiang Cheng still paused to stare at this problematic man as if waiting for him to continue. ¡°Brother Hao,¡± Chen Ran grinned, ¡°Are you¡­ leaving just like that? Aren¡¯t you worried this thing is not going to work on me for long, and I¡¯d recover and stab this olddy to death?¡± He lifted his head with difficulty. His eyes still glowed with arrogance. It was like¡­ their positions had been switched, and he was the one who had cornered Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng stared at him. ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°I suggest you do not hold kindness in your heart.¡± He coughed a few more times. His face was red. There was a clear issue with his breathing as well. The strange substance thered on the dagger seemed to possess other effects. ¡°You better take away my daggers and chop off my arms. It¡¯s best¡­ if you can take away my legs too.¡± A few secondster, Chen Ranughed through gasps of breaths. ¡°If possible, I need you to dig out my eyes and sever my tongue. Turn me¡­ into a person who can¡¯t see, fight and run away.¡± He suggested, ¡°That¡¯s the safest.¡± ¡°What kind of hatred do you have with your body?¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. The danger rating of Chen Ran greatly increased in his heart. There was nock of mad people in the nightmare realm. This ce was a theme park for them. However, Chen Ran was a unique brand of madness.Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t expect this man to be harsh to others and harsher to himself. When their eyes met, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t see fear in his eyes. He was open regarding his impending doom. Be it good or bad people, their morality had no connection to their survival. The only thing that could help their survivability was a calm and clever brain. And¡­ luck. That was very important. ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you. If you or your fat friend outside fall into my hands, what will happen to you.¡± Chen Ran answered. He sounded very persuasive. ¡°You have the knife. With such a feast before you¡­ aren¡¯t you really not going to take a taste?¡± Chen Ran struggled to lift his head. The madness in his eyes was palpable, ¡°This chance won¡¯t always present itself. Trust me.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Take it while it¡¯s still in your hands.¡± Jiang Cheng walked forward, and the dagger arced before Chen Ran¡¯s eyes. Hot blood sttered on the wall. Then, Chen Ran¡¯s world sank into the darkness. ¡°Goodbye,¡± After snatching the two daggers from Chen Ran¡¯s coat, Jiang Cheng stood up and left. The aged woman¡¯s eyes danced with excitement. Her snake-like tongue licked the blood on Chen Ran¡¯s face. As he wished, his eyes were damaged, but the grin on his face grewrger. As Jiang Cheng slipped out the door, he could hear Chen Ran say, ¡°Goodbye.¡± Jiang Cheng found Fatty outside the stone door. Fatty looked like he was catatonic from fear as he curled up in the corner. He covered his mouth tightly as if worried that something might hear him and get him. Seeing Fatty like this, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t walk over directly. He stayed to observe him before slowly walking over, ¡°Fatty,¡± He whispered. Hearing the Doctor¡¯s voice, Fatty was stunned before he lit up like he had found his saviour. ¡°Doctor, you have no clue what happened. Not long after you went into the room, some strange sounds came from downstairs. Something tried to climb up the stairs!¡± Jiang Cheng looked down the stairs. The stairwell was so dark that he couldn¡¯t see anything. Plus, he also had no clue if Fatty was telling the truth or if it was an illusion caused by the things Chen Ran had done. Jiang Cheng was more keen to believe it was thetter. The mission was near its end. If there were really something hiding in the dark, Fatty would be dead already. ¡°Don¡¯t fixate on it.¡± Jiang Cheng patted his shoulders. ¡°It should be an illusion. If they were real, they wouldn¡¯t be able to resist your fleshy meat.¡± Fatty chose to believe the Doctor. He swallowed and pulled his gaze away from the dark steps. He didn¡¯t even dare to breathe. When he turned and saw the wounds on Jiang Cheng, he gasped, ¡°Doctor, you¡¯re injured!¡± ¡°These won¡¯t kill me.¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted him and rubbed his face with the back of his hand, ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with Chen Ran. We¡¯ll enter the room to view the results in a bit.¡± Fatty¡¯s face glowed and said excitedly, ¡°Doctor, did you manage to ambush him?!¡± Jiang Cheng tutted and red at Fatty, ¡°What ambush? He clearly couldn¡¯t beat me in a fight. I¡¯ll tell you the truth. I even held back by only using one arm and one leg in the fight.¡± Fatty didn¡¯t care about the details because he was used to the Doctor rambling. He lowered his voice to ask, ¡°Doctor, do you mean the aged woman¡­ will deal with him for us?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then¡­.¡± Fatty asked, ¡°What should we do after that?¡± Jiang Cheng used the time to catch Fatty up on his understanding of this mission. Fatty shivered multiple times. He looked at the Doctor and said weakly, ¡°Doctor, I can understand that the woman is an NPC¡­ but isn¡¯t it a bit too much to say that she¡¯s a part of the curse?¡± Fatty regarded him with confusion, ¡°Plus, you said that woman in the white dress at the stone te¡­¡± ¡°The priest,¡± Jiang Cheng added. ¡°Yes, the white-dressed priest is the aged woman. What do you mean by that?¡± Fatty blinked at him. ¡°I saw her clearly at the stone te. She was incredibly beautiful and young. She didn¡¯t look like the aged woman at all!¡± After spending so much time with Chen Ran, Jiang Cheng suddenly had a whish when interacting with Fatty. ¡°It has nothing to do with their looks.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. His tone became severe. ¡°You can understand it¡­ as a kind of inheritance.¡± Chapter 226: Deal Chapter 226: Deal ¡°Inheritance?¡± Fatty widened his eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded as he paid attention to their surroundings. He exined to Fatty, ¡°You saw what happened to the white-dressed priest, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Fatty nodded. ¡°She died horribly. She was eaten by the invaders.¡± Fatty¡¯s cheeks shuddered as he thought back to the images ced in his mind. Cannibalism in the modern day was¡­ ¡°But the curse is still here,¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly said. Fatty blinked. His thick brows were furrowed together. ¡°Doctor, I don¡¯t get it¡­¡± Jiang Cheng sighed and changed the subject, ¡°Have you ever wondered how the actual aged woman managed to escape in the past?¡± He paused, ¡°All of her teammates died in the forest. The forest had no supply of food and water.¡± ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty looked scared, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve thought about that. Didn¡¯t you mention that¡­¡± The aged woman once mumbled that those people who had gone missing were still alive. They lived inside her body. From the looks of things, she wasn¡¯t lying. She had eaten those people. Furthermore, on the night the biker woman disappeared, Jiang Cheng noticed astutely that everyone¡¯s stomach was grumbling from hunger except for the aged woman. Her face was hidden in the dark. Her eyes glowed slightly. She was not thirsty and hungry. Fatty was startled as something dawned on him. His brain spun quickly. He thought back to the scenes he saw in the forest a few hours ago. After the original mayor of the town epted the child, he ced the child on the stone te. Then, the child was eaten by the ¡®monster¡¯ summoned by the priest. The crunching and munching sound still scared Fatty.Crack. Creak. Fatty¡¯s pupils trembled. This was not part of his memory, but¡­ he whipped his head to the stone door. The horrifying crunching sound came again¡­ It came through the stone door. It was simr to the sound the monster summoned by the priest made! As expected, the Doctor was right. The aged woman was the former white-dressed priest, or at least they had simr powers! The scary monster was hiding inside them! It was an inheritance. The aged woman was the sole survivor, not because of how strong she was, but because she was lucky enough to be chosen as the new vessel. Yes, vessel! Fatty didn¡¯t even know why this term appeared in his mind. However, it was undeniable that it was very suitable. The ¡®monster¡¯ that triggered the curse was hiding inside the old woman. It was the source of the curse. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty¡¯s voice changed from excitement as he grabbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s arm. ¡°I know. We have to kill this old woman to end this mission! She is the source of the curse. The things from ck Stone Town exist on the basis of her power.¡± He swallowed quickly, ¡°Once the aged woman is dead, I believe the things from ck Stone Town will perish too!¡± Compared to Fatty¡¯s excitement, Jiang Cheng was calmer. He pushed Fatty¡¯s hands away. Thetter touched his nose awkwardly. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty hesitated before probing, ¡°Was I wrong?¡± ¡°Not that.¡± Jiang Cheng frowned. He stared at Fatty, ¡°What you said was 90 percent simr to what I was thinking.¡± ¡°Then, why do you look so troubled?¡± Fatty was confused. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Jiang Cheng answered honestly, ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling I have. Even you can reach this conclusion. That makes me feel like I¡¯m missing something.¡± He added, ¡°Something very important.¡± Fatty, ¡°...Doctor, is that apliment?¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Jiang Cheng waited until the crunching sound ended. ¡°Let¡¯s go in and see.¡± ¡°Okay, Doctor.¡± Jiang Cheng walked to the door and paused. Suddenly, he moved away, ¡°Fatty, I¡¯ll push you in first or else it¡¯ll be hard to get you through the door.¡± ¡°Doctor, don¡¯t be like that. If you want someone to scout the ce for you, just say it,¡± Fatty mimicked Jiang Cheng and said mockingly. ¡°Okay. Come in,¡± Fatty whispered from inside that everything was safe. However, Jiang Cheng still waited for another minute before he moved through the gap in the stone door. This caused Fatty behind the door to grumble with dissatisfaction. Chen Ran, who was supposed to be leaning against the wall¡­ was gone. Only the aged woman, who curled up at the corner with a satisfied smile, remained. As if knowing that her disguise had been exposed, the aged woman lifted her brow. Her wilted hand rubbed her belly as if calming down something inside. Fatty felt a chill surging to his brain. He believed his fleshy body looked more delicious to the woman than Jiang Cheng''s fit body. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty didn¡¯t even dare to look at the aged woman. He continued with trembling lips, ¡°Why do I feel like she¡¯s staring at me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Jiang Cheng just started when he was interrupted by Fatty, ¡°Doctor, I beg of you to stop talking in circles. If not, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have the chance to listen to you anymore.¡± ¡°Two choices,¡± Jiang Cheng ignored the aged woman¡¯s gaze. Based on his observations, unless one was alone with the aged woman, thetter couldn¡¯t do anything to them. He didn¡¯t think he or Fatty was worth the aged woman breaking the rules. ¡°First, you¡¯ll go and give her a stab.¡± Jiang Cheng took out a dagger. Then, he thought about it and corrected himself, ¡°No. Two or three stabs! I¡¯m afraid that if you deliver too many stabs, she might get mad.¡± Fatty nced at the aged woman. He was rewarded with a re that caused his legs to wobble. ¡°Doctor, I pick the second choice.¡± He cried sadly, ¡°Doctor, to be honest, I haven¡¯t even butchered a chicken before. Whenever I go shopping, I pick fish that have just died. I don¡¯t dare to touch those that are still alive.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Jiang Cheng grinned. Chapter 227: Conscience Chapter 227: Conscience Fatty was stunned since Jiang Cheng agreed so readily. ¡°Doctor,¡± His lips trembled, ¡°The second choice is¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll stay and wait,¡± Jiang Cheng answered. Fatty sighed. He thought he was scammed again. ¡°When the things from ck Stone Town reappear at night, you¡¯ll go interact with them and try to get information from them.¡± Jiang Cheng looked out the window and said encouragingly, ¡°Since the mission is about to end, I believe they¡¯ll have a lot more anomalies. Go and take a trip around town and tell me what you see.¡± Fatty froze. Then, he gasped, ¡°Am I supposed to go alone?¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t your conscience hurt to drag me along, considering how dangerous it is?¡± Just like that, they lit up some torches and picked up a few spares. Then, they went downstairs to wait. Of course, they didn¡¯t use the white substance in the vessel this time. Fatty prayed that ck Stone Town wouldn¡¯t appear after dark, but reality smacked his face. The city not only appeared¡­, but the townspeople also gushed out like waves. More than a hundred people came out of ck Stone Town to march their way. Their perception was not wrong. These strange creatures could sense things that happened on the travellers¡¯ side, but they had no idea how, whether it was through the stone te or the aged woman. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty pouted, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m cruel, but if we go down now, we¡¯ll most likely die. In that case, why don¡¯t we do something to the woman?¡±¡°Then¡­ do you want to do that?¡± ¡°Doctor, I can¡¯t do this. Don¡¯t force me.¡± Fatty almost cried. On one side, there was a monster army in the skin of humans. On the other side¡­ there was the monster itself. This problem would kill him. Jiang Cheng took a deep breath. He looked at the torches moving on the sea. ¡°Trust me onest time. Follow me down. I have something to verify.¡± ¡°Doctor, this is different from before. If you¡¯re wrong¡­ this is really ourst time.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Since the Doctor insisted, Fatty didn¡¯t say anything else. After all, the Doctor easily took down Chen Ran. He might be able to handle the whole town of fish-human creatures too. With that in mind, Fatty felt calmer. ¡°Doctor,¡± Before they left, Fatty silently pointed at the aged woman who curled up in the corner. ¡°Are¡­ we just leaving her here?¡± After realising the woman was staring at him, Fatty quickly pulled his finger back as if afraid that she might bite him. Jiang Cheng thought about it. ¡°Tie her up.¡± After they tied the woman up and shoved her into the basket, the two left. While Fatty helped the Doctor, he identally brushed past the woman¡¯s stomach. He realised her stomach was bulging. He was so scared that he jumped back. Armed with torches, the two walked down the stairs. Using thisst opportunity, Fatty asked the Doctor a lot of questions¡­ like what was his view of ck Stone Town. The Doctor answered that ck Stone Town did exist in real life, but it wouldn¡¯t be at the surface of the sea but at the bottom of the sea. The fact that it only surfaced at night probably had to do with the stone te. These ugly things used ck Stone Town under the sea as their base. They assaulted the ships that passed by. They made sure there was no survivor. It was how their secrets had remained until now. Of course, somerger organisations knew about them. However, they probably only knew that ships would always go missing mysteriously around this part of the sea. ¡°In other words, for the normal people, the things from ck Stone Town appear as monsters?!¡± Fatty asked. ¡°I believe so.¡± ¡°Then, why do we¡­¡± ¡°See them as humans?¡± Jiang Cheng nced at him. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same thing. The rules have limited me. We can¡¯t see their real appearance, or how did they charm us?¡± Jiang Cheng said naturally. ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t this a bit too unfair to us?¡± Fatty grumbled, ¡°They have all the advantages. Even though we were chosen to experience this world, we had been given no benefits. Even if we have the white paper or the newspaper, we have to ensure we can survive first.¡± ¡°Two points.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly said harshly, ¡°Fatty, how can you still not get it? The rules are not just meant for us. Everything in this mission, even the single de of grass in this game, has to abide by the rules. ¡°Let me ask you,¡± He turned around to lean into the wall, ¡°What will happen once those things from the town encounter humans if we¡¯re not in the nightmare realm?¡± ¡°The humans will be dragged away and eaten,¡± Fatty replied easily. ¡°However, they didn¡¯t do that to us, at least not at first when they met us.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°They even invited us to a feast and told us about the curse and their experience. Of course,¡± he added, ¡°It¡¯s also true that they lied to us. You can understand this world as a highly realistic RPG game. Everyone has a role to y. We can only act within the perimeters of our given roles. This applies not only to the yers but also to the NPCs. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing.¡± Jiang Cheng turned to Fatty. The torch he had shadowed his face. For a moment, Fatty couldn¡¯t recognise him. ¡°Without the rules, do you think¡­ we can appear victorious over the strange things we¡¯ve encountered?¡± Jiang Cheng asked lightly. This simple question hit the softest part of Fatty¡¯s heart. The family of four from the first mission, the girl with the broken jaw from the second mission¡­ and the man-eating monsters in this mission. If they were not bound by the rules, they would be unstoppable. No matter how clever one was, one wouldn¡¯t be able to fight against them. Their existence was beyond current humanprehension. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Fatty gasped for air. ¡°Does this mean the rules have been set up to protect us?!¡± Jiang Cheng turned away silently. Chapter 228: Surrounded Chapter 228: Surrounded Jiang Cheng¡¯s theory sounded eptable. In fact, for the yers, his theory should be very good news. However, Fatty didn¡¯t look overjoyed. If anything, he looked like he was frozen solid with fear. Since he interacted with the nightmare, there was an unresolvable question in his mind. Who or what was responsible for the construction and mechanism of the nightmare realm? Clearly, they had a consciousness. They kept exploring the difference between humans and the anomalies before arriving at a rtively rational red line, and that red line¡­ was the rule! They ensured that the yers, who were on the weaker side, would have the chance to resist the anomalies in a fair environment. That way, they wouldn¡¯t be instantly killed when they encountered the anomalies that were usually far stronger than human beings. From this perspective, the thing that created the rules¡­ should be a human. After all, the rules were kinder and more epting to the humans. However, if the creator were a human, how would he manage to do all these things, and what would his purpose be? What was the goal behind this extremely cruel selection¡­ Wait! Fatty¡¯s eyes shone. Selection¡­ How could the terme to him so naturally? This was not the first time something like this had happened. He looked at his hands. He suddenly felt like he didn¡¯t know himself anymore. He felt the same way about the Doctor recently. No! Something must be wrong somewhere! Beads of sweat slid down his cheeks. The fear of this mission and the impending monsters was swept away by a stronger and purer sense of peculiarity. The monsters and creatures were infinitesimally smallpared to this feeling. Why? Why was that?He could feel something in his body had been edited, like his codes had been corrected. His skin was not changed, but something deeper inside his body had. Was it his soul¡­ Fatty was frightened by the thought that suddenly bubbled up. He had discussed this with the Doctor before. They both agreed that the rewards were extremely hard to get. Plus, even if one had them, one would only have a smidge of advantage in the nightmare. So¡­ why would so many people willingly jump into the nightmare realm? Some of them even used the newspapers to enter the nightmare before the others. Had they lost their minds? They couldn¡¯t be. Therefore, the only exnation was they must have gained a lot of benefits from the nightmare realm. The benefits were so good that they were lured to enter the nightmare realm repeatedly. It was the same for Chen Xiaomeng, Xu Wen and Chen Ran¡­ As for what that benefit was, Fatty had no clue, but he felt that he was close to figuring it out. Very close. When he recovered, he realised the Doctor was guarding beside him, squeezed between Fatty and the wall. This touched Fatty. The Doctor might have mocked him aplenty, but the Doctor was really kind to him. He had a soft heart. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty slowly nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jiang Cheng widened his eyes. Then, he added in a natural tone, ¡°Chen Ran, what are you doing here?¡± Chen Ran?! Fatty was so scared that he almost jumped out of his skin. Chen Ran was dead, and his bones were munched on until they were gone. Why would he reappear there? Seeing how scared Fatty was, Jiang Cheng sighed in relief. He silently put down his raised leg. ¡°What were you doing just spacing out?¡± Jiang Cheng grumbled, ¡°I almost kicked you down the stairs. Do you know that?¡± Fatty finally reacted. There was a reason why the Doctor had ced himself between Fatty and the wall. If he didn¡¯t react the right way to the Doctor¡¯s exmation of Chen Ran, the Doctor would really send him flying down the stairs. ¡°Doctor, I¡¯ve figured out many things. Listen¡­¡± ¡°Is it rted to this situation we¡¯re in?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Perhaps, but it¡¯s not directly rted.¡± ¡°Then, I don¡¯t have to hear about it.¡± Jiang Cheng cut him off and looked down the stairs into the darkness. ¡°We can talk about it after we survive this.¡± ¡°Okay, Doctor.¡± Then, Fatty followed Jiang Cheng honestly. The two slowly moved down the steps. They walked out of the first stone door, and Fatty¡¯s heart rose to his throat. Jiang Cheng suddenly paused. Fatty bumped into him from behind. ¡°Doctor,¡± He looked around and whispered, ¡°This ce¡­ is so quiet.¡± The surroundings were empty. They expected throngs of ¡®townspeople¡¯ to surround the windows and doors. However, they were not there. This surprised Fatty, who was prepared to run back up the stairs. Based on the calction of the time, the ¡®townspeople¡¯ should have them surrounded already. Fatty subconsciously moved closer to the Doctor to pull on him. However, as he touched the Doctor¡¯s body, Fatty was stunned. Then, he started to shiver. Because the Doctor was doing the same, he saw something simr to despair in the Doctor¡¯s eyes¡­ Fatty immediately went down on all fours. He looked around, but there was mere emptiness around them. ¡°Doc¡­ Doctor¡­¡± Fatty was so scared that even his voice changed, ¡°Don¡¯t scare me. I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly reached out to grab Fatty¡¯s arm. Then, he moved mechanically towards the entrance. Fatty was confused. However, out of his trust in the Doctor, he gritted his teeth and didn¡¯t make any sound. They were halfway there when he realised the lobby was not only quiet but also extremely empty. The stone statues were all gone. When they were about 10 meters from the entrance, Jiang Cheng suddenly stopped moving. Fatty was shaking like a leaf in the wind but he didn¡¯t dare to say anything. Standing there, he could look through the broken windows at the sea and ck Stone Town above the sea. He couldn¡¯t see the ¡®townspeople¡¯. Where had they gone? To the stone te in the forest? Fatty believed that was possible. However, as he turned to Jiang Cheng, he noticed thetter¡¯s eyes were fixed on a small emptynd outside the cathedral. Today, they were greeted by a rare full moon. The wispy moonlight spread on the ground. It reflected the shadow of some unknown creature. Its upper body was cylindrical and thick. A smaller sphere bulged out of its lower body¡­ Then, Fatty watched as the shadow shuddered. With a horrifying sound, the shadow grew a pair of wings on its back. Jiang Cheng grabbed Fatty and raced towards the forest. The sounds of scratching appeared above their heads. It was apanied by the pping of broken wings. They chased after Jiang Cheng and Fatty. Chapter 229: Familiar Chapter 229: Familiar The ¡°locals¡± from ck Stone Town had given up on their disguises. They started to hunt down the survivors of the mission mercilessly. Fatty never thought he could run so fast. All the stone statues hade alive! They joined the ¡°locals¡± and went into hiding by hanging themselves upside down on the ceiling of the first-floor lobby. The function of the cathedral as the safehouse was gone. That was why the Doctor insisted on running out. The swiping of ws and the pping of wings chased after them. Fatty wanted to turn his head around to look, but he didn¡¯t dare. He was scared that once he saw their true appearance, he¡¯d lose his will to survive. The ugly monsters were not as sluggish as they appeared. They moved quickly like wolves. The situation became better after they entered the forest and had the cover of the trees. ¡°Doctor, the building¡¯s limitations on them appear to have disappeared,¡± Fatty stammered. His face was pale. Jiang Cheng scouted the way ahead. He moved the bushes. He frowned like something was troubling him. This made Fatty worried. The sound of friction and branches breaking came from all around them. The strange things also followed them into the forest. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty jogged down the path Jiang Cheng opened. His lips opened and closed. He looked like he had something to say, but he didn¡¯t know where to start. ¡°Just say what¡¯s on your mind.¡± Jiang Cheng said without turning around. ¡°If not, you might not have the chance in the future.¡± Jiang Cheng stopped hesitating and whispered, ¡°Doctor, I was thinking¡­ Since the cathedral¡¯s limitations on them are gone, why didn¡¯t they attack us when we arrived at the lobby?¡± He swallowed and moved faster, ¡°If they made a move, then we wouldn¡¯t have the chance to leave the cathedral.¡± Jiang Cheng chose a perilous path. It was easier for them to hide their tracks. Furthermore, the strange things hadrge figures that would make climbing through the forest harder for them. Compared tond travel, they should be more familiar with the sea.Jiang Cheng ced his feet on a low ground. After ensuring it could hold his wait, he continued forward, ¡°It¡¯s a hunt.¡± ¡°A hunt?¡± Fatty was startled. He was not unfamiliar with this term. When he was young, he was raised by his grandparents from the countryside. Eachzy afternoon, his grandfather would sit on the rattan chair and tell him stories. Every time, Fatty would try to squirrel away, but he managed to remember quite a few things over the years. The hunt was a historical event in Chinese history. It wasmon for ancient royal families. It was a group activity. To be specific, the hunters would surround the prey from all aside and then collectively hunt them down. ¡°Are they trying to corral us towards the stone te?¡± Fatty gasped. ¡°Other than that, I can¡¯t think of any other reason.¡± The wounds Jiang Cheng suffered severely limited his movements. The bushes would aggravate his wounds. ¡°Doctor, I think you¡¯re not wrong when you said this is a hunt, but I feel like¡­¡± Fatty thought about it, ¡°Their goal is not just to kill us.¡± Fatty grabbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s arm, ¡°Doctor, don¡¯t you think this scenario is very familiar?¡± Jiang Cheng paused. He slowly leaned down to hide himself behind arge rock. He turned to Fatty, ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°Do you still remember what we saw near the stone te?¡± Fatty spoke quickly. ¡°Do you mean¡­ when the invaders shoved the locals to the¡­¡± Fatty licked his lips and nodded. ¡°Yes. Doctor, think about it. The invaders gathered the locals at one spot and then chased them into the forest. Then¡­ around the stone te¡­ Isn¡¯t that simr to what is happening to us now?¡± Fatty hinted. Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty. His eyes swirled with things thetter didn¡¯t understand. ¡°You¡¯re right. This is too simr not to be rted.¡± Fatty looked out through the gaps in the bushes. He sighed. ¡°But I can¡¯t figure out what their goal is.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned on the rock. The rustling sound around him annoyed him. The mission was ending. The strangeness of the forest was thicker than before. It might be affecting his thoughts. However¡­ he raised his head. Fatty fared a lot better. Even though he looked scared, his mind was clearer than normal. There was clearly a connection between the two hunts that were several hundred years ago. But¡­ Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes glowed. What was the connection? How could one survive? Many clues appeared in his mind. They were categorised into different parts to be parsed and analysed¡­ The meaningless ones were eliminated. Older ones were given another view. Until¡­ a bloody face appeared in his mind, the image froze. It was the girl¡¯s face. She was normal-looking. A smile froze on her bloody face. Her body was cut into two parts. It was the mayor¡¯s granddaughter. Then, many smiling faces bloomed in his mind. All of them were murdered brutally, but all of them smiled creepily before they died. They were the original locals of ck Stone Town. They were grinning like their ploy had seeded. The information crowded Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind. It almost exploded. The next second, he raised his eyes and calmed down. He found the connection between the two. He also understood why the monsters were corralling them. The monsters didn¡¯t want to kill them. Their real goal was to chase them to the stone te so that they could be killed, just like¡­ the ¡®locals¡¯ who died with a smile. They just wanted salvation. This was a cycle¡­ Chapter 230: Goodbye Chapter 230: Goodbye ¡°Fatty.¡± Jiang Cheng patted thetter on his shoulders, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Fatty widened his eyes, ¡°Where?¡± ¡°The stone te.¡± ¡°The stone te?¡± Realising he was being too loud, Fatty lowered his voice again. ¡°Doctor, those people are trying to push us there.¡± Based on Fatty¡¯s understanding, if they followed those things¡¯ intentions, they would most likely die. ¡°This is no longer something we can decide,¡± Jiang Cheng said. Fatty knew the Doctor was right. Those things had started to surround them from all sides. If they didn¡¯t want to be captured, they had to run deeper into the forest. However¡­ this was no different from suicide. As the sounds came more constantly around them, they started to hurry deeper into the forest. A few minutester, a webbed palm of an amphibian creature smacked the rock where Jiang Cheng was resting earlier. It glowed with a sinister light. More creatures about three metres tall appeared from everywhere. They hurried along the small path. They left behind disgusting trails of liquid on the trees and stones. Fatty and Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t face any obstruction as they moved to the stone te. When they arrived, the stone te looked brand new. The bones, dead bodies and blood were all gone. If one didn¡¯t know what the stone te was for, one might assume it was a work of art. It was entirely white. The te had a milky glow. Fatty studied the te. Somehow, he had a feeling that the stone te was alive. He controlled his gaze to look at the Doctor. The Doctor scanned the stone te slowly as if searching for something. Fatty really didn¡¯t want to disturb him, but they didn¡¯t have the time. Strange creatures started to appear around them. They had deep green skin. Some of them had sharpened webbed feet. Others had wings on their backs. However, based on their size, it was unlikely that they could fly. They slowly surrounded their prey. At that moment, Fatty somehow calmed down. He took a deep breath. The pressure he had been under finally found a ce to vent. ¡°Doctor,¡± He smiled bitterly, ¡°It¡¯s over now.¡±¡°Yes.¡± The Doctor looked like he was still thinking. He didn¡¯t seem to notice the monsters that slowly approached them. Fatty felt sorry for this man. How could he still not give up at a time like this? Even if he figured out something, it would be useless. They had no more time. Strangely enough, Fatty was a very cowardly person. He was afraid of death and also pain. One time, he was chatting with the Doctor while he was cutting the ingredients. He identally cut himself. It was a small cut. Jiang Cheng wouldn¡¯t wince if it happened to him. However, Fatty grumbled about it for a long time. He med the Doctor for distracting him. That day, he cooked one dish instead of the promised three. However, he didn¡¯t feel anything at that moment. He felt like he was merely going on another journey. He was so calm that he didn¡¯t think he was being himself. He merely felt sorry, not for himself but for the Doctor. For all his ws, the Doctor was a great person. It was because of him that he managed to survive until now. He believed that if the Doctor hadn¡¯t had to look after him, he would have left this mission already. After all, even Chen Ran and Su Xiaoxiao had fallen under the Doctor¡¯s hands. Someone like him shouldn¡¯t die. If he were given enough time, he might even figure out the secrets behind the nightmare realm. He had inexplicable confidence in the Doctor. The Doctor shouldn¡¯t die. If one should die, it should be a burden like him. After a long time, he still asked, ¡°Doctor,¡± His throat was dry. Those things were very close to them. ¡°Can you tell me your name?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything by that, Doctor,¡± He smiled sadly, ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for so long. I still don¡¯t know your name. It¡¯s quite a shame.¡± ¡°I have no name,¡± Jiang Cheng replied, ¡°I¡¯m an orphan.¡± ¡°Then, your surname¡­¡± ¡°I picked a random one.¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± Other than his brain, Fatty admired the Doctor¡¯s ability to weave nonsense and disrupt people¡¯s ns. He nned to say goodbye to the Doctor. In Fatty¡¯s mind, they might even hug each other and die in each other¡¯s arms. However, that disappeared with a few words from the Doctor. No wonder he was an orphan¡­ Some ridiculous thoughts crossed his mind. Fatty realised the Doctor had a huge influence on him. If this were in the past, he would have an issue just standing at this moment, much less trying to have a moment with the Doctor. ¡°Hmm?¡± Fatty seemed to realise something. He looked at the Doctor, who was still scanning their surroundings. The Doctor¡­ He asked, ¡°Doctor, do you remember something?¡± ¡°I guess you can say that.¡± The Doctor pulled Fatty to his side because the things started to encroach on them. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve found a way.¡± Fatty became excited. He was energised, ¡°Then, what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go!¡± Jiang Cheng continued to look at him. Fatty saw something that he didn¡¯t want to see in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes. It didn¡¯t take Fatty that long to understand it, ¡°Doctor¡­¡± He said tremblingly, ¡°Is it¡­¡± ¡°My way can only ensure one person leaving,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°It might work for two people, but the risk will be very high. If it fails, no one will be able to leave.¡± Blood drained from Fatty¡¯s face. His hope was dashed again. His lips were blue. ¡°If you tell me you wish to go with me,¡± Jiang Cheng paused, ¡°Then I¡¯ll try to bring you with me, but I hope you¡¯ll understand that it is very risky and not worth it.¡± The monsters were so close that they could sense the stink on them. Jiang Cheng stared at Fatty. Then, he said in a very formal tone, ¡°So¡­¡± Fatty lowered his head. ¡°Doctor, you should go.¡± He raised his head. His expression was not one Jiang Cheng expected. Even though the sadness in his eyes couldn¡¯t be hidden, he tried his best to smile. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to have known you, Doctor.¡± Chapter 231: Moonlight Chapter 231: Moonlight ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty pointed at the things that surrounded them and said, ¡°Do you need me to lure those things away?¡± His method had to do with the stone te, and he needed more time. ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng said directly, ¡°I need your help to activate the stone te for me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Fatty only shuddered when the dagger cut open his palm. He stopped moving and took a deep breath. He pressed his bloody palm to the stone te. Instantly, the red mist bloomed. It enveloped the stone te, Jiang Cheng and Fatty. The moon in the sky became a blood moon. The ritual¡­ had started. When the red glow appeared, the surrounding monsters¡¯ eyes turned red. The joy flowed out of their eyes. They charged forward fearlessly. When they touched the red halo, they copsed like they were poisoned. No¡­ It was more like they were sshed with acid. Their skin started to melt away. Then, it was followed by their flesh. They rolled around in pain. Their white bones were slowly exposed. It was very gory. However, more monsters rushed away to join their kin. The madness and the joy in their eyes were overbearing. However, Fatty¡¯s attention wasn¡¯t on them because¡­ he saw a thin figure appear on the stone te. It was the aged woman! She had appeared¡­ It looked like the Doctor was right. It was an inheritance. The ageddy didn¡¯t die like her former teammates because she was selected to be the new vessel. This curse couldn¡¯t be solved. Batches of ¡®invaders¡¯ would be prompted to kill the ¡®locals¡¯ to be the new ¡®locals¡¯. Then, they would wait in pain for the next patch of ¡®invaders¡¯ to help them seek salvation. This was a cycle. It was endless. The key to the cycles was the strange creature inside the aged woman. And now¡­ the new cycle was about to begin. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty turned around, ¡°And¡­¡± He paused, gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Does this mean I¡¯ll be eaten too?¡±Jiang Cheng looked at him and said nothing. ¡°I understand.¡± Fatty nodded. As he pulled his gaze back, he leapt onto the stone te. His blood slid down his fingers and dripped on the pure white ground. It spread on the te. The aged woman still had a twisted smile. Her snake-like tongue swirled around her lips. Fatty had seen this gaze before. Before she ate Chen Ran, she was like this as well. Fatty didn¡¯t expect he¡¯d experience something simr one hour after that. A giant shadow appeared beside the olddy. Her shadow became twisted. There was nothing there, but she left behind a giant shadow with horns and a giant tail on the stone te. There should be a strange, giant thing before him, but Fatty couldn¡¯t see anything. Even so, he could sense the horrible chill that exuded from the thing. ¡°Goodbye, Doctor,¡± Fatty faced away from the Doctor and slowly closed his eyes. ¡°Goodbye,¡± Jiang Cheng whispered back. The next second, Fatty¡¯srge body was picked up from the ground. His two legs struggled a few times in the air. Then, with a loud crack, the legs stopped moving. After that, he was swallowed. When that was over, the aged woman turned her gaze to Jiang Cheng. She licked her mouth hungrily¡­ as if Fatty was not enough to sate her appetite. Jiang Cheng turned around to look at the monsters who rushed into the red mist and turned into bones. He frowned with disgust. It was about to be over. Less than ten monsters struggled in the pool of blood. Jiang Cheng suddenlyughed. He turned around to regard the aged woman. He sighed. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll make it easy for you.¡± Then, before the aged woman and the invisible monster, he cut his eyes and leapt onto the stone te. Then, the creepy munching sound became again. However, the aged woman stoppedughing. Her face was dark. ¡­ One hour ago¡­ On a bed made of solid wood, someone opened his eyes. He was a very handsome young man. His presence was as warm as jade. His light brown eyes looked harmless and weak. He looked like someone who needed protection. He didn¡¯t hurry to sit up. Instead, he moved his stiff neck. Then, he narrowed his eyes to study the ck ceiling. A few minutester, he slowly sat up. This was an unusuallyrge bedroom. It was impossible to tell the personality of the owner because the room was practically empty¡­ other than the bed. The man left the bed and walked to the side of the bedroom. There was a wooden double door about three metres tall. cing his hand on the doorknob, the man suddenlyughed. No one would have thought such a gentleman would look so ghastly when heughed. Two sides of his mouth opened to reveal his pearly whites. The wooden door with rose carvings opened. The faded light showered on the young man. He narrowed his eyes. Outside the door was a giant space. A few rows of unique seats were arranged neatly. A sad piano tune floated around his ears. It was Moonlight Sonata. The intense third part was about to begin. There was a piano about ten meters in front of him. The soft spotlight shone down on it. The ce exuded the sensibility and beauty of the Baroque era. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± The piano stopped to be followed by a woman¡¯s voice. Chen Ran grinned and studied the woman. ¡°Am I the only one who thinks¡­ that tune is only suitable at a funeral?¡± The woman¡¯s fingers danced on the keys as if to show off¡­ Or maybe she had nothing else better to do. ¡°Does it really matter to you?¡± Chen Ran¡¯s grin grew wider. ¡°Mister is waiting for you,¡± The woman turned to him for the first time. Hermon face and everyday appearance couldn¡¯t match the expensive piano, but they both¡­ had this mysterious aura. ¡°Is it¡­ to ask about that person?¡± Chen Ran raised his brow exaggeratedly, ¡°Mister sure does care a lot about him.¡± Chapter 232: Memory Chapter 232: Memory ¡°Watch your words,¡± The woman looked at him, ¡°Or you¡¯ll die.¡± Chen Ran turned around and left. He walked to the door at the corner of the music hall. Chen Ran caressed the doorknob before suddenly saying, ¡°If my memory serves me right, you¡¯ve met him before, right, Number 7?¡± Chen Ran tapped his forehead and smiled, ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry. I forgot¡­ I should be calling you¡­ Miss Lee Lu now.¡± ¡­ ¡°Wuwuwu¡­¡± ¡°Alright. Stop crying.¡± ¡°Wuwuwu¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± ¡°Doctor¡­ You have no idea.¡± Fatty copsed on the ground. His snot and tears were all over his face. His body trembled as he wept. ¡°It was so scary. You didn¡¯t see how big that mouth was! It was this big!¡± He gestured with his hands. He cried harder. He had exhausted the roll of toilet paper Jiang Cheng had given him earlier. The rolled-up paper was everywhere. ¡°Doctor, can you get me another roll?¡± Fatty said through red eyes, ¡°How could you be thinking about saving money at a time like this? Don¡¯t you feel bad?¡±¡°You¡¯re still alive, right?¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can weigh yourself. Not one gram of you is missing.¡± ¡°Doctor, karma will eventuallye for you.¡± Fatty curled up on the ground. He had figured it out. The Doctor probably was toying with him when he said he could only ensure one person¡¯s safety. He was probablyughing on the inside. The more he thought about it, the angrier Fatty became. He pointed at Jiang Cheng, ¡°You¡­ are really horrible!¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged again because Fatty¡¯s words didn¡¯t affect him at all. Jiang Cheng¡¯s attitude only became better when Fatty went to the fridge and threatened to throw all the ingredients out. Jiang Cheng quickly ran to hand him another roll of paper. After some back and forth, Fatty got up from the ground, and the two chatted while sitting on the couch. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty asked, ¡°So, being eaten by that ghost¡­ No, by the thing summoned by the aged woman is the way to clear the mission?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, doesn¡¯t that mean all of us have cleared the mission?¡± Fatty blinked. ¡°Well, other than Liang Long.¡± Liang Long died to the strange statues. Other than her, the others died to the aged woman, including Su Xiaoxiao. Of eight people, seven survived¡­ Wasn¡¯t that a bit too generous? As scary as the process was. ¡°How is that possible?¡± Jiang Cheng picked up the water ss and took a big gulp. Then, he wiped his lips, ¡°If that¡¯s true, you can do nothing and wait to die to survive the mission.¡± Fatty looked at him with confusion, clearly waiting for an exnation. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes and tapped his empty ss. Fatty huffed, ¡°Doctor, that¡¯s enough. I still haven¡¯t fully forgiven you for what you did to me!¡± Jiang Cheng tutted and grumbled unwillingly, ¡°Do you still remember the voice we heard?¡± ¡°The whale song?¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± He smiled. ¡°Not everyone heard it. I believe those who didn¡¯t interact with the stone te or the aged woman wouldn¡¯t capture that elusive song.¡± Fatty thought about it and lifted his head. Before he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by Jiang Cheng, ¡°You wanted to ask why Su An was the first to hear the song, right?¡± Fatty kept nodding. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know.¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged, ¡°Who can exin everything in this world?¡± In Fatty¡¯s eyes, the Doctor was quite easygoing about this. However, when he thought about what the Doctor did to him, thetter¡¯s image became ugly. ¡°Doctor, does that mean the biker woman¡­ and Liang Long has really died? But those who were eaten after them didn¡¯t die?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Fuck. Then, we were too nice to Chen Ran. If I have known¡­¡± ¡°Fatty.¡± Fatty¡¯s whining stopped. He looked at Jiang Cheng. He knew that thetter was serious. Fatty was honestly quite scared of the Doctor when he was serious. ¡°Do you really think we managed to catch him?¡± Fatty slowly opened his eyes and gasped, ¡°Doctor¡­ do you mean he was purposely caught by you?¡± Jiang Cheng held the ss. It was already empty, but he didn¡¯t put it down. He yed with the rim of the ss. Fatty swallowed and said carefully, ¡°Then, Doctor, he¡¯s too scary. I mean more than his physical ability,¡± He paused, ¡°There¡¯s also his ability to manipte the human hearts.¡± Fatty continued, ¡°Wasn¡¯t he worried that we¡¯d really kill him? Even though we¡¯d be targeted by the rules¡­ this had happened in the nightmare realm before. Just look at our mission before this one. ¡°Why would he dare to bet¡­¡± ¡°That no longer matters.¡± Jiang Cheng nced out the window. ¡°The point is he has won the bet.¡± Fatty knew the details he had to pay attention to when hemunicated with the Doctor. Therefore, when the Doctor said that, he knew that the Doctor had realised something. ¡°Doctor,¡± He came over to ask, ¡°What have you found?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty and then eventually said, ¡°It¡¯s impossible for him to know about our habits in such a short amount of time we¡¯ve spent in the nightmare.¡± Fatty swallowed nervously, ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him seriously, ¡°I suspect he knows me¡­ he might have interacted with me in real life.¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± Fatty was stunned. ¡°Doctor, you have such a great mind. If you¡¯ve seen him, you wouldn¡¯t have forgotten about him. Plus, it¡¯s so hard to trick someone like you.¡± Fatty added with embarrassment. ¡°Doctor, you saw what he looked like. He¡¯s almost the same as you. It¡¯s hard not to notice someone like him in real life.¡± With Fatty looking on, Jiang Cheng leaned back on the couch, ¡°As long as I was conscious, naturally, he wouldn¡¯t be able to trick me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Fatty was confused. ¡°I have lost a part of my memory.¡± Jiang Cheng curled up in the dark, ¡°I can¡¯t remember it¡­ no matter what.¡± Chapter 233: Strange Chapter 233: Strange ¡°Doctor, are you talking¡­ about amnesia?¡± Fatty blinked. Then, he mumbled as if to himself, ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Jiang Cheng stared at Fatty. Fatty swallowed. The Doctor was clearly waiting for an exnation for his reaction. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty began awkwardly, ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand. Based on my many years of reading webnovels, normally, people who have no parents, a demanding beautiful boss and a calm and brilliant mind¡­¡± Fatty added excitedly, ¡°That is clearly the life of a main character! Plus, Doctor, you¡¯ve lost your memory! Doctor, don¡¯t you get it? You have the buff of the plot armour. You won¡¯t be dying any time soon!¡± ¡°Even so¡­ that is my plot armour,¡± Jiang Cheng tilted his head. ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m your best sidekick!¡± Fatty¡¯s previous worry disappeared, and he said proudly, ¡°In other words, your plot armour will extend to me as well. How often do you see the main character¡¯s sidekick dying?¡± Jiang Cheng nced at Fatty and went upstairs to sleep. Fatty jogged after the Doctor. After all, the happiness of the rest of his life was tied to Jiang Cheng. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jiang Cheng frowned. Fatty hugged his nket and stood at the bedroom door. His face was filled with anticipation. ¡°Doctor,¡± He said happily, ¡°I feel like I was injured today. You have topensate me.¡± Jiang Cheng was silent and then said, ¡°Get lost.¡±¡°Okay, Doctor.¡± Just as the bedroom door closed, Fatty turned around to stop it. ¡°Wait, Doctor.¡± Seeing the change in Doctor¡¯s expression, Fatty said quickly, ¡°There are certain things that I still don¡¯t understand about the previous mission. Main Character Doctor, can you exin them to me, or I won¡¯t be able to sleep,¡± He pleaded. Jiang Cheng thought about it and kept the door open. Fatty quickly asked, ¡°Doctor, how did you figure out the solution to leave the mission was to be eaten by the aged woman?¡± He paused, ¡°Is¡­ that question too hard?¡± ¡°Who was the first person to be eaten?¡± Jiang Cheng leaned against the wall. ¡°The biker woman,¡± Fatty answered instantly. ¡°Think about it first.¡± Fatty was startled. After a long silence, a light shed through Fatty¡¯s eyes. ¡°It was the child who was ced by the elder on the stone te.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. What happened after the child was eaten?¡± ¡°Then¡­ the curse started! The locals were butchered, and the invaders morphed into the new locals¡­ Then, they waited for the next batch of invaders to arrive¡­¡± Fatty spoke faster. The smiles of the butchered appeared in his mind. They represented freedom. Then, there were the murderers. They lost their minds after the child was eaten. It was the curse. The bloody light that bloomed influenced them. ¡°It¡¯s a cycle.¡± Jiang Cheng nced out the window. The night felt more silent than before. His tone was tainted by mncholy. ¡°A new cycle was initiated. This meant the end of the previous cycle.¡± ¡°So¡­ one has to sacrifice one¡¯s life to end the cycles?¡± Fatty¡¯s lips trembled, ¡°But not to the locals and the revived stone statues, but to the aged woman¡­ Or rather the monster possessing the aged woman? ¡°The aged woman was this generation¡¯s priest, simr to the white-dressed woman from the previous generation. They served the same use, which was to ensure the continuity of the curse.¡± Fatty swallowed nervously, ¡°Is that right, Doctor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Fatty sighed. He felt ashamed of the distance between him and the Doctor. If he were to challenge this mission alone, he would definitely die. ¡°Plus, the things from ck Stone Town have also warned us.¡± Jiang Cheng said lightly, ¡°They said that a demonic child was born in the town and ate the priest who advised them to build the church.¡± Fatty thought about it and nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Then, it dawned on him. He looked at Jiang Cheng, ¡°So¡­ that was also a hint! However, it has been distorted. It was not the demon that ate the priest, but the demon took over her body!¡± He gasped with admiration, ¡°Doctor, you¡¯re amazing!¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. He looked at Fatty¡¯s face. In the former¡¯s eyes, there was sadness. ¡°It was not entirely my hypothesis.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°I only figured half of it out. With just the parts I had figured out, I didn¡¯t have full confidence.¡± Fatty paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Doctor, do you mean¡­ Chen Ran?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. He didn¡¯t mean to hide this fact. In the duel, he was fully within the calctions of this young man who was about his age. Plus¡­ he sensed something familiar and strange in Chen Ran¡¯s eyes. That was why Jiang Cheng destroyed Chen Ran¡¯s eyes. This was because¡­ Jiang Cheng felt a sense of disgust towards that familiarity¡­ and perhaps even fear from the bottom of his heart. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty noticed the anomaly on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. He seemed to be trying his best to suppress something. He looked pained. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Momentster, the familiar Doctor returned. Fatty blinked. He was confused. However, he still grasped the time to ask a few more questions. Based on his understanding, the Doctor would only answer people¡¯s questions based on his mood. When he was in a good mood, he might reward you with a few words. If he were in a bad mood, he might not utter a single word to you for no reason. He was worried that the Doctor would suddenly leave and close the door on him. ¡°Doctor,¡± He asked rapidly, ¡°Do you still remember the milky white fuel inside the lighthouse? What was that?¡± He heard from the Doctor that the fuel would emit a strange smell after it was burned. It had hallucinogenic properties on people and could awaken the nearby stone statues. Liang Long died because of that. Plus, both Su Xiaoxiao and Chen Ran made a big deal out of the fuel. Jiang Cheng was silent for a while. Then, he said, ¡°It should be the fat from some kind of creature.¡± Fatty twitched his nostrils. ¡°Doctor, do you still remember it? The thing smelled so great after it was burned. Plus, you wouldn¡¯t feel so hungry after sniffing it after a while.¡± Chapter 234: Island Chapter 234: Ind ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t wish to dwell on this issue. He merely nodded. For Fatty, it was already a gift that he could return alive. He looked at the Doctor and asked thest question, ¡°Doctor, you also heard the whale song, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± He moved his body closer to the Doctor. He looked quite funny with how careful he was, ¡°What creature do you think made that sound?¡± Fatty frowned as his voice involuntarily lowered, ¡°Doctor, I don¡¯t know why, but I have a feeling it was not the monster that killed us who made that sound. It didn¡¯t have the size for it.¡± Fatty licked his lips. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the whale song a few times. I was shocked each time. You might not believe me, but it felt like the song echoed directly into my soul. My body trembled with it every time. Plus¡­ I could hear the creature¡¯s heartbeat.¡± He was so deep in his memory that he didn¡¯t notice the change in the Doctor¡¯s expression, ¡°The heartbeat was very slow but powerful. I could even imagine the heart expanding as it pumped the blood. I think¡­¡± Fatty raised his head as he looked at the Doctor with fear, ¡°Perhaps on this issue, the things from the ck Stone Town weren¡¯t lying.¡± ¡°Continue.¡± After a long time, Fatty heard the Doctor¡¯s voice. For some reason, the Doctor¡¯s voice unsettled him. However, Fatty didn¡¯t dwell on it, and he continued, ¡°Doctor, do you still remember their description of it?¡± Fatty frowned as if he was caught in a mental conflict. On one hand, he wished to forget everything about the mission since it was already over. On the other, the thing that made the whale song kept appearing in his mind. It was as if¡­ the things that happened in that world¡­ were not over yet. Curiosity and fear weaved together in his heart. He didn¡¯t know what he hoped to gain from the Doctor, but if he didn¡¯t voice this out, the strange feelings in his heart might crush him. He kept involuntarily repeating the mumbling that he had heard before. ¡°No one can witness its true appearance. Each scale on its body is the size of a small mountain. Its sharpest teeth are like the steepest mountains. One can see the sunrise and sunset by standing on its front and back. It is beyond humanprehension. Humans can only prostrate before it¡­¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s face was hidden in the dark. His inky eyes appeared to be darker than the night. Fatty¡¯s words clearly affected him, not because Fatty¡¯s words exined something but¡­ because they helped him remember the things he had forgotten. ¡°Do you remember¡­ what Su Xiaoxiao said?¡± He said lightly. Fatty was taken aback. The Doctor¡¯s words felt strange to his ears. It sounded like the Doctor just wanted to talk, but he knew the Doctor was not that kind of person.¡°What do you mean, Doctor?¡± Fatty asked instinctively. ¡°Do you remember what Su Xiaoxiao said,¡± Jiang Cheng repeated, ¡°About her younger brother?¡± ¡°Su An?¡± The Doctor ignored him and continued, ¡°Su Xiaoxiao said when her brother was in the forest, he¡¯d use his own method to number andbel each tree and each rock.¡± ¡°Yes, Doctor,¡± Fatty replied, ¡°I do remember that. She also said that in her brother¡¯s perception, they¡­ I mean, those trees and rocks kept changing¡­ like they were alive.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head as he sighed, ¡°I think what Su An really wanted to express was not that they were alive, but they were constantly¡­ moving. Since they kept changing their positions, everything in the forest was different from how they were one second ago in his perception.¡± Fatty slowly widened his eyes. He didn¡¯t really understand the Doctor, but he caught a sense of something in his words¡­ The scent of the truth. ¡°Have you considered this?¡± Jiang Cheng continued, ¡°Since that ind was a projection of the real world, something simr to it would exist in real life.¡± His words were not hard to understand. ¡°In that case, why haven¡¯t we heard of something like that in the real world?¡± Jiang Cheng continued, ¡°After all, if such a strange ce existed, with the power and size of the organisation behind that aged woman, they could have afforded even the biggest loss. They would not hesitate to send troops to explore the unknown due to the meaning it represented.¡± Fatty was not used to the Doctor being so serious. The thing that unsettled him the most was the Doctor¡¯s dark eyes that stared at him from the dark. The Doctor seemed to have many things to say¡­ but something held him back. Was it because Fatty was too stupid to understand them? Fatty didn¡¯t think so. He had a feeling, or rather a guess, that¡­ the Doctor didn¡¯t want to drag him into the whirlpool because the Doctor was having a bad time escaping it himself. ¡°So¡­¡± Fatty¡¯s lips trembled. ¡°They can¡¯t find the ind.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice took on a strange tone as well. ¡°The aged woman¡¯s expedition was probably thest time they encountered that ce.¡± Fatty widened his eyes, ¡°How¡­ is that possible?¡± In Fatty¡¯s recollection, the ind was huge. It could fit an entire city. The organisation behind the aged woman possessed energy and technology that he couldn¡¯tprehend. Nothing on Earth would escape its eyes. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng stared into his eyes before he closed the door. ¡°I believe the ind doesn¡¯t exist on the surface of the sea anymore.¡± Chapter 235: Deep Water Chapter 235: Deep Water The moment the door closed, Fatty wanted to call after the Doctor, but the sudden chill interrupted everything. Fatty¡¯s hand hung in the air. Bits of memories surfaced in his brain. He remembered walking with the Doctor by the sea. The Doctor stared at the white waves and said, ¡°This sea¡­ appears to be empty.¡± This statement was so shocking that what the Doctor said next escaped his notice. As the waves rose and fell, the Doctor said slowly, ¡°There¡¯s an issue with the waves here as well.¡± The problem was not the waves but¡­ the ind. There was finally an exnation for the exploding heartbeats that came from the deep sea. Fear, madness, panic¡­ Fatty experienced too many emotions in a few seconds. Compared to the Doctor, he was a rather emotional person. However, his ability to control his emotions was much worse than that of the Doctor. He felt congested in his chest, like someone had knocked him to the ground and then ced a b of stone on it. His chest waspressed. He knelt on the ground, hugged his head and gasped for air. Was he¡­ still in the world that he knew? Did the anomalies infiltrate this world, or¡­ did he pull the corner of the curtain back and manage to take a glimpse of the truth behind this world? Perhaps¡­ the world behind the door was also real. Maybe it was not as the Doctor predicted. What they did inside the door was a repetition of the past. No matter what they did, they couldn¡¯t change the course of history¡­ But he was sure of one thing. The door had started to change them! Because¡­ Fatty grabbed his hair with one hand. His other hand was raised shakily to his face. He stared at the hand. A surge of unfamiliarity rose in his heart. The next second, it spread throughout his body.¡­ Jiang Chengy on the bed. The nket was brought to his chin. His breathing was even, like everything was at peace. His hands were ced before his chest. He stared at the ceiling like someone was hanging there. If someone were there, that person would have Chen Ran¡¯s face. ¡°Brother Hao, you don¡¯t need to overthink. It¡¯s just a feeling of mine. My feelings are never urate.¡± ¡°Just like this building, it gives me the feeling that it is alive. When I¡¯m inside the building, I feel like I¡¯m inside the stomach of a monster. I have trouble breathing.¡± ¡°You have the knife. With such a feast spread before you, do you¡­ really not want to give it a try?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t always have a chance. Trust me¡­ while you still have it.¡± Everything the man said travelled through Jiang Cheng¡¯s ears. The man¡¯s microexpressions when he said those things. His lips opened to reveal his white teeth. He was arrogant and confident. Especially¡­ when he was staring at him. Jiang Cheng felt like he had seen that before. Perhaps it was not Chen Ran but someone very simr to him. But¡­ who was it? Why were they looking at him like that? Waves of pain came from the deepest part of his brain. He slowly closed his eyes in the dark. ¡­ Jiang Zhou. Late night. There was a secluded house in the east city beside Han Jiang. Near the tall and closed iron gate, the middle-aged man inside the security booth was tapping on his phone out of boredom. An old dogy beside him. The old dog was quite astute. It knew the owner of this manor didn¡¯t like noisiness. Therefore, it made no sound in the night¡­ unless there was something unusual, like¡­ now. It stood up and perked up its ears. Its fur shimmered. However, someone smacked its head with a rolled-up magazine the next second. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± The night guard couldn¡¯t stand it. As he scanned through his phone, he lectured, ¡°I trusted youst time and went to find the butler. I was scolded by him. Do you still want to trick me this time? If you keep doing this, I¡¯ll eat your food tomorrow!¡± The middle-aged man huffed. He was very satisfied with this job. He was paid well, and there was not much to do. Who wouldn¡¯t like a job like that? If he lost the job because of a job¡­ The old dog jumped on its front paws and wed at the door as it barked. This frightened the man. He quickly ran over to try to control the dog. However, the old dog appeared to have gone mad. It growled, and saliva dripped down its jaw. It was the samest time. Thest time this happened, he assumed there was a thief who had broken into the manor. He let the dog out and snatched the baton before following the dog. However, the dog ran to the manor¡¯s front door steps and kept barking at it. The barks summoned the butler. The butler scolded the middle-aged man and the dog. Perhaps he had imagined it. The middle-aged man sensed something strange. It was a feeling he had. He felt like the building before him was slightly different from normal. However, he studied it for some time but couldn¡¯t figure out what was different. The butler¡¯s warning snapped him back to reality. If this happened again, he would be fired. In the end, it was the appearance of the manor owner that settled this issue. The owner was a beautiful woman. She wore a light-coloured tracksuit. She didn¡¯t look old. She appeared like a teenager. ording to what he heard, thedy¡¯s parents passed away a long time ago. However, they left behind a huge inheritance. Based on his senior colleague, thedy had a younger brother. However, he was rarely seen because he had a brain issue. Normally, the pair of siblings rarely left the manor. Eventually, some harsh rumours about them started to circte. The woman appeared as serene as usual. She also said nothing. She only ordered the butler to handle everything so her brother could get his rest. The middle-aged man was sent away by the butler. When he returned to his booth, he realised it was 1 am. However, the woman was in a tracksuit. Was she exercising? By herself? It was so strange¡­ Perhaps that was the lifestyle of the rich. He closed the door and was ready to teach the old dog a lesson when he noticed the old dog had stopped barking. In fact, it went to hide under the bed. A horrible stench travelled out from under the bed. Chapter 236: Infiltration Chapter 236: Infiltration It peed¡­ The middle-aged man looked under the bed at the old dog, who was shivering. The man¡¯s first reaction was not to lecture the dog but to look out the window at the big manor. Slowly, a confused feeling floated up in his eyes. A few secondster, he seemed to sense something. His pupils narrowed. His trembling pupils were filled with fear. Inside the attic that was like a fortress, arge figure tried to curl into a small ball in the hidden corner. He hugged himself closely¡­ just like when that person did those things to him. His tears fell silently. With red eyes, he stared at the wall before him. He was waiting for the only person with warmth toe to him. ¡°Big sister¡­¡± He wept with a hoarse voice. If the middle-aged guard were there, he¡¯d noticed thisrge man was simr to the old dog shivering under the bed. Just as the iron door was about to disappear, the door opened again. A small figure appeared at the door. Instantly, the man curling up in the corner had his eyes lit up. He jumped up and stumbled towards the figure. His heart settled when he had the figure in his arms and when he could feel the warmth of that person. ¡°Sister¡­¡± The person was tired, but she still raised her hand to gently caress the man¡¯s face, ears and hair. She smiled, ¡°Stop crying. Sister is back¡­¡±The bear-like man cried harder. The woman sighed helplessly. This would happen whenever the siblings departed from the nightmare and reunited in real life. ¡°If you don¡¯t let go,¡± Su Xiaoxiao chuckled, ¡°Your sister won¡¯t be able to breathe anymore.¡± Hearing that, Su An quickly let go. He knelt before her. The concern in his eyes was palpable. Hisrge body formed a giant contrast with his watery eyes. The man looked so cute like this. She smiled and pinched his nose. Su An grinned and revealed a silly smile. Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s love for her brother was undeniable. After their parents passed away, the siblings relied on each other in thisrge manor. It was the same in the nightmare realm. ¡°Sister,¡± On the night the biker woman disappeared, Su An whispered many things to Su Xiaoxiao as he leaned on her. Su Xiaoxiao took some time to fully understand him. He said that the aged woman was white with bits of grey, but her shadow was pure white or even transparent. The aged woman and her shadow¡­ were separate entities. Su An noticed something was wrong with the aged woman when they first arrived. However, what he observed still shocked Su Xiaoxiao. How could one¡¯s shadow be¡­? Plus¡­ ording to her brother, he didn¡¯t sense any malice from the shadow. That was why she was willing to leave him behind and go with Chen Ran. However¡­ the real thing that shocked and brought her despair was Su An¡¯s next revtion. He looked at her weakly and continued to express himself. Su Xiaoxiao looked at him strangely until thetter nodded in confirmation. Then, Su Xiaoxiao shivered. Fear spread through her. She lowered her head to stare at her feet. Her legs trembled uncontrobly. She tried to stop it. She hoped to regain control of herself before the other travellers noticed it. Clearly, she had failed. It was at that moment that Chen Ran targeted her. Based on her brother¡¯s description, they were sitting on a giant object. To be specific, it was a living creature with its own consciousness! In her brother¡¯s perception, it represented ckness. It was the same ckness that tainted the man called Hao Shuai. As she tried to control her emotions, she asked her brother how big this¡­ creature was. Her brother became unusually quiet as he sunk into deep thoughts. Eventually, he slowly lifted his hands to make a strange gesture. Su Xiaoxiao blinked as the chill course up her spine. The way her brother framed the way was different from others. Based on his description, he was talking about an iceberg. In other words, the ind that floated on the sea was merely the tip of an icebergpared to the entire creature. It was scary¡­ Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s mind was flooded with broken memories. Some of them were meaningless screaming and howling¡­ All of them exuded a strange sadness. Su Xiaoxiao gasped for air like she was drowning in dark and oppressive water. Helpless, silent and alone¡­ She could even sense the heavy gazeing from behind her. The thing was staring at her¡­ Endless darkness enveloped her and infiltrated her. She was destroyed and reforged. She seemed to lose something. Some new things started to awaken in her body. She stumbled backwards. Her brother subconsciously went to grab her, but she harshly pushed him back. She leaned on the wall where the iron door was moments ago. Sweat fell like rain. ¡°Sister.¡± Su An looked at her nervously. He didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m just tired.¡± Su Xiaoxiao rambled quickly as she stumbled to her bedroom. Before Su An could react, Su Xiaoxiao had already entered her bedroom and closed the door. Su An was left alone in the giant attic¡­ No! He was not alone! Su An¡¯s dim eyes lit up. He stared at where his sister was standing earlier. His eyes slowly moved to the wall beside it¡­ There was a shadow there that was simr to his sister. The next second, the shadow disintegrated. Chapter 237: Good Things Chapter 237: Good Things If Su Ran were in his sister¡¯s room, he would notice that the gasping woman before therge woman would appear so unfamiliar to him. The moonlight shone in from outside the window. It was a rare full moon. Su Xiaoxiao¡¯s shadow lingered on the wall. The shadow slowly twisted¡­ like something alive was trying to crawl out of it. ¡­ The sunlight filtered into the small office. It felt warm. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty lifted his head, ¡°Please move.¡± Jiang Cheng harrumphed as he stood up from the chair. Then, he walked over to the couch with the blue book that recorded his clients¡¯ needs. He started to study it. ¡°Be quick.¡± Jiang Cheng sipped on the brewed coffee and uttered slowly. Fatty, who sprayed the cleaning solution on the office table, answered, ¡°Doctor, just give me a second. I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes withfort as the taste of the coffee exploded on his tongue. The premade coffee couldn¡¯t satisfy him anymore. Normally, his economic standards wouldn¡¯t allow him the chance to enjoy the top Ethiopian coffee. This was Pi Wan¡¯s gift. The fridge was filled with his other gifts. Fatty stared at the beef with marbled lines and gasped. He had seen such meat at Huang He Lou before. They were sold in grams. Therefore, Jiang Cheng waved his hands and demanded they have grilled beef that afternoon. ¡°Doctor,¡± As Fatty cleaned the back of the chair, he turned to ask, ¡°Did something good happen today? It feels like you¡¯re in a very good mood.¡±Jiang Cheng thought about it and regarded Fatty seriously, ¡°I¡¯m going to do something tonight.¡± He stressed, ¡°Something very important.¡± Fatty¡¯s joyful expression was gone. Then, he also became serious. He was actually not that happy. He was merely trying to keep himself busy to forget what had happened before¡­ and the strange hypotheses that flooded his mind. For these problems that he couldn¡¯t solve and understand, Fatty¡¯s solution was to put them to the side. After all, life goes on. Fatty¡¯s attitude became more official. He stared at the Doctor. ¡°Doctor, are you nning to enter that door again tonight?¡± Even though he knew the Doctor wouldn¡¯t ept his suggestion, he hesitated and said, ¡°Doctor, I suggest you take a longer rest.¡± He paused, ¡°I feel¡­ like there are some things in the nightmare that still need¡­¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with the nightmare. It¡¯s something private.¡± Jiang Cheng yawned loudly. Fatty, ¡°...¡± ¡°Then, do you need me to do anything?¡± He probed. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even look at him as he closed the book. He looked out the door and shook his head. ¡°No. Just stay home and guard it for me.¡± ¡°Okay, Doctor.¡± Based on the difficulty of the nightmare, since they had just left one, it was unlikely they would be dragged into another that night. Of course, if the Doctor carried the clue newspapers, it would be different. They had figured out that was an active way to enter the nightmare. However, even if they wanted to do that, they couldn¡¯t because they had no such thing left on them. The only clue newspapers had been exhausted by the Doctor. They passed the morning in rtive levity. Those who had experienced nightmares would gain a new appreciation of life. Different from what Fatty initially predicted, he was not overwhelmed by fear and lost all hope in life. If anything, he had a more meaningful life¡­ At least, that was the case for the Doctor. He first helped the Doctor clean the rooms and fix the shelves and chairs in the office. Then, he arranged the mess of the electrical wires. Then, he set up a bnced and nutritious diet for the Doctor. The only sad thing was the beef was dyed to the night due to some unstoppable reason. The Doctor sent the diced beef into his mouth. It was so hot that he frowned. However, based on the bliss on his face, the Doctor was very satisfied with the dinner. Or else he¡¯d provide at least some critiques. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned on the couch and shouted at Fatty, who was cleaning the kitchen. ¡°Fry the remaining steaks for me. I need them to be 10 percent cooked.¡± He thought about it, ¡°Don¡¯t waste such a good raw ingredient.¡± ¡°How about you eat them raw, Doctor?¡± Fatty shouted back, ¡°Since we don¡¯t have sea salt and ck pepper, you can pair them with rice and this half-a-pack of chilli sauce.¡± With Fatty¡¯s help, Jiang Cheng looked much better. He didn¡¯t eat too much during dinner. He put down the fork unwillingly when he was about 70 percent full. After counting the number of diced beef left, he went to the kitchen, opened the fridge and looked around. After Fatty finished cleaning, he yawned. He went upstairs to sleep. However, just as hey down, the surrounding darkness still caused him to shiver. He couldn¡¯t help but imagine the possibility of him being dragged into the nightmare and how he could survive. The nightmare was a hard-to-understand concept for Fatty. If he had to make aparison, it was a little bit like taking a ne ride. The chance of him getting into a nightmare was as low as he was caught in a ne crash. Of course, in that case, the chance of him surviving the ne crash and the nightmare was equally low. At this point, Fatty cleverly chose to pick up his nket and move downstairs. He spread it on the couch andy down. From his perspective, he could see the Doctor easily. He instantly felt safer. With many reminders from the Doctor, Fatty now pulled the nket up to his neck whenever he slept. ording to the Doctor, this would give him a chance to struggle if the ghost came to grab him by his neck. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty¡¯s muffled voice came from under the nket, ¡°It¡¯s not good to do heavy exercise after food. One of my friends died from that.¡± Jiang Cheng, who was doing one-handed push-up, flinched. Then, he stood up, worked his neck and stared at Fatty. Chapter 238: Beep Chapter 238: Beep ¡°Howe all your friends have horrible endings?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. He remembered Fatty mentioning his friends being run over by a car, being cheated on and jumping from a building. This was highly unusual. ¡°Doctor, don¡¯t say that.¡± Fatty reached his arm out of the nket to scratch his head embarrassedly. Then, he shoved his arm back under the nket, ¡°I have lost contact with some of my friends, so I have no idea how they are doing now.¡± Jiang Cheng said seriously, ¡°You better don¡¯t reach out to them. You¡¯ll find it hard to exin when you find out all of them are already dead.¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± After a few more sit-ups, Jiang Cheng stood up. He removed the tank top he wore, balled it back and threw it to the side. He looked thin, and he had defined abs and muscles. He was not like the gym rats who had bulging muscles, but he was well-proportioned. Fatty looked at him until his eyes glowed. He was extremely envious. Jiang Cheng posed before the mirror and studied his body. He narrowed his eyes and then turned around to smack himself on his butt. Seeing how his butt bounced, he revealed a mysterious smile. This reminded Fatty of what the Doctor said when they were in the school mission. ¡°Fatty,¡± The Doctor asked him, ¡°Don¡¯t you think I look like azy angel?¡± Fatty felt like something was wrong with the Doctor. He seemed to be extremely satisfied with certain parts of his body.A few minutester, the Doctor received a call. Fatty noticed how excited he was. The Doctor kept nodding, and his eyes were practically glowing. Fatty rarely saw the Doctor like this. Most of the time, he was sedated and tired. So far, only one person could elicit such a reaction from the Doctor. She was the Doctor¡¯s boss and the true owner of this psychiatrist''s office, Lin Wan Er. The Doctor was powerless before the beauty in the qipao. She dealt with Fatty alongside the Doctor. She even took his small change with her. Could it really be her? Just as Fatty tried to perk up his ears to eavesdrop, Jiang Cheng ended the call. With Fatty watching, Jiang Cheng bounced to the table, sought out a key and opened the lowest drawer. He took out a well-wrapped package. He opened it before Fatty¡­ Fatty¡¯s eyes bulged. It was a¡­ uniform. It was pure white and looked new. It was simr to the Doctor¡¯s usual white coat, but the quality was much better. It was a ttering cut. Interestingly enough, it only had two buttons near the waist. The buttons were rimmed with silver. They resonated with the golden tassels around the shoulders. The suit would catch people¡¯s eyeballs at a darkened dance floor or private room. The Doctor put on the coat without wearing anything underneath. He told the stumped Fatty, ¡°I¡¯m going out.¡± He chirruped happily, ¡°I mighte homete tonight.¡± BEEP! BEEP! Car honks came from outside the window. For some reason, Fatty sensed impatience in them. Jiang Cheng jogged to the door and rushed out. The next second, Fatty darted up from the couch and rushed to the window. He peeked out. There was a blue race car parked outside the building. He saw the Doctor hop into the car and take the passenger¡¯s seat. He looked handsome doing it. It was a car brand that Fatty couldn¡¯t recognise. Other than the Doctor and the driver, there were four women in the car. Three of them were squeezed at the back. They chatted happily with the Doctor once he got on. One of them practically pounced on the Doctor. Amidst theughter and chatter, the race car zoomed off. Fatty stood dumbly before the window. The buzzing sound echoed in his mind like bells. ¡°I have something important to do tonight.¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with the nightmare. It¡¯s private.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a model¡­¡± ¡°I work at the KTV¡­¡± ¡°Do you understand? You can¡¯t even see me without reservations¡­¡± Fatty cursed under his breath. So¡­ the Doctor was telling the truth all along, but no one believed him. They all thought there was something wrong with the Doctor or it was just his way to distract them. Fatty spent the night with anxiety. He thought he had grasped a basic understanding of the Doctor after spending some time together. However, reality gave him a p. This also showed him the difference between him and the Doctor. They were not from the same dimension. The Doctor dragged his tired body home at 3 am. He was startled when he opened the door and saw Fatty, who was curled up alone under the nket. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± The Doctor, who reeked of alcohol and perfume, asked. He looked around and said, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be entering another nightmare tonight. The chance is low.¡± He had some to drink, but he was still rtively sober. Thanks to the lights, the lipstick prints on his cheeks were conspicuous. There were other ambiguous marks around his corbone. One of his buttons was missing. It was clear how much fun he had. He seemed to be in a good mood. He strode over to Fatty and sat down. Then, he reached into his coat to pull out a thick stack of money. Then, like a magician, he continued to produce money from various parts of his body. As he counted the money, he emitted an indescribableugh. ¡°Phew¡­ Thankfully, the manager didn¡¯t check so thoroughly together,¡± He cheered as he put the counted bills away. Chapter 239: Rescue Chapter 239: Rescue ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty opened his mouth. A few secondster, he said with difficulty, ¡°If I remember correctly¡­ escorting is illegal in our country, right?¡± Before Jiang Cheng could answer, Fatty continued, ¡°I saw it on the television before. The escorts hugged their heads and knelt neatly beside the wall. Then, they were sent away in a ck car.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡± Jiang Cheng raised his brow and said condescendingly. It was then that Fatty realised there was a lipstick print at the end of the Doctor¡¯s brow. He didn¡¯t notice it earlier due to the light. Fatty¡¯s face twisted together. If the Doctor were arrested at this moment, he wouldn¡¯t be able to exin himself. The scratch marks on his exposed skin and his clothes were great evidence. Sensing Fatty¡¯s gaze on him, Jiang Cheng pulled his clothes tighter for safety reasons. ¡°It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking.¡± He exined, ¡°Those girls are in their rebellious phase. I¡¯m doing this to rescue them.¡± Fatty pointed at the lipstick prints on his face, ¡°Is this how you rescue them?¡± ¡°This is just the methods, not the goals.¡± Jiang Cheng said calmly, ¡°You have to understand that I¡¯m an angel in white. If I can rescue them, I don¡¯t mind how many sins I need to suffer.¡± He rubbed the lipstick marks on his face, and they only became smudged. Fatty, ¡°...¡± ¡°Did you think I went to drink and have fun?¡± Jiang Cheng sighed and said officiously, ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I was trying to understand them from their perspective. As a psychiatrist, I need to understand the lifestyle of my patients. I¡¯m not as happy as you think I am. It¡¯s all an illusion.¡± Jiang Cheng naturally stacked up the paper bills and shoved them into his pocket. From Fatty¡¯s perspective, the Doctor¡¯s pocket bulged. ¡°Every treatment session for me is pain. The emptiness and loneliness reflected in every lost girl¡¯s eyes are a whip on my body.¡± Jiang Cheng gripped his chest and frowned with pain, ¡°I could only numb that pain with alcohol. Traditional treatment will onlyplicate things. What I need to do is to approach them at an equal level, like befriending them,¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes burned, ¡°Friends who could show each other everything. ¡°To do that, I do what they do. I experience their joy and happiness. Then, I find the core of their issues. I expose it, awakening them from their slumber.¡±For Jiang Cheng, it sounded like saving these girls was his only purpose in life. Fatty¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Doctor, did you manage to save them then?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Jiang Cheng moved his bodyfortably, ¡°But I feel like I¡¯m almost there.¡± ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty said awkwardly, ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to exin yourself to me. I can understand it. Even though our conditions are not the best, you don¡¯t need to learn from Brother Pi Wan. We can still¡­¡± Jiang Cheng lifted two fingers. Fatty instantly shut up. He knew that the Doctor was about to start his lecture again. Jiang Cheng shook his fingers, ¡°First, I¡¯m not the same as Pi Wan. I¡¯m of a higher quality than him. Second, I¡¯m not just focusing on the rich widows. My client¡¯s average age is quite young. ¡°Onest thing,¡± He said, ¡°Tonight¡¯s team only consisted of young misses. I don¡¯t know anything about the richdies. Thosedies will not go around town in a race car. It¡¯s too conspicuous. They normally use ck high-ss vans. The windows are all blocked out. They have multiple car tes. ¡°Plus, they will not frequent crowded ces like the KTV. They normally pick clubs with exclusive memberships. New members will have to get invitations from existing members.¡± ¡°How is that knowing nothing about them?¡± Fatty stood up with agitation. In just one night, the Doctor¡¯s image in Fatty¡¯s heart turned upside-down from a high-end talent to a high-end service talent. Even the next morning, Jiang Cheng felt Fatty¡¯s gaze on him was unusual. It felt like Fatty wanted to say something, but he didn¡¯t know where to start. There was also derision in his eyes. Through his years of experience, Jiang Cheng believed Fatty was in a state of self-doubt. After breakfast, Jiang Cheng received a call. The voice on the other side of the phone was clearly happy. However, Jiang Cheng was reserved and professional. After ending the call, Jiang Cheng turned around. He told Fatty, who was fixing the loosened couch in the corner, ¡°Fatty, clean up the ce. Someone ising.¡± ¡°Okay, Doctor.¡± Half an hourter, the clicking of heels came from outside the door. It was from several pairs of heels. They paused before the door and knocked on the door politely. Jiang Cheng blew at his cup of coffee, sipped it and said slowly, ¡°Pleasee in.¡± The door opened. A fewdies who looked gorgeous and rich walked in. They looked like mothers who had taken good care of themselves. ¡°Doctor Jiang,¡± The leader was ady who wore long boots and a camel shawl. She nodded at Jiang Cheng, ¡°Thank you for helping me out with Nuan Nuan.¡± ¡°It¡¯s part of my job,¡± The Doctor answered normally. ¡°After the driver fetched her home yesterday, she chatted with me. We¡­ hadn¡¯t chatted like that in a long time already,¡± The woman¡¯s eyes reddened, ¡°In any case, thank you so much, Doctor Jiang.¡± Chapter 240: Friends Chapter 240: Friends After the leading woman finished, the other women also rushed over to thank the Doctor. It was clear that they were sincere. Fatty stood in the corner, and his eyes widened. These women were probably the mothers of the young girls fromst night. There were four girls, and now, there were four women. It matched. ¡°Madam Qin,¡± Jiang Cheng put down his coffee cup and turned to regard the richdies, ¡°Based on my observation of Nuan Nuan, she is not as you described.¡± The leading woman was startled. Then, she probed, ¡°Doctor Jiang, you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s clear that even though she appears to be happy at the nightclub, that is only on the surface. As the night went on, she would subconsciously frown, move her sses and so on,¡± Jiang Cheng continued, ¡°These are all signs that she felt ufortable at the nightclub. ¡°She doesn¡¯t like those ces, but she is trying her best to make herself look like she belongs there. What she really needs ispany.¡± Jiang Cheng concluded, ¡°She is very lonely.¡± The woman¡¯s face shifted. Then, she opened her mouth as if to argue but she was cut off by Jiang Cheng. He looked into the woman¡¯s eyes. ¡°Having breakfast with her two times in a week is notpany. That is more like charity.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was calm, ¡°Just like how people would feed stray dogs several times a week as they pass them by as they go to work. ¡°However, she is not a stray dog.¡± He paused before stressing, ¡°You are her mother.¡± The woman¡¯s expression darkened. She was rich and well-respected¡­ To hear someone critique her like that was notfortable. However, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t care about her feelings. Jiang Cheng turned to another woman, ¡°Madam Lu,pared to Nuan Nuan, your daughter¡¯s conditions are moreplicated.¡°She is overly sensitive. The changes around her make her anxious and worried. She is used to sitting at the same spot, walking the same path and drinking the same brand of alcohol. When she leaves afortable situation, she will lose herposure. Even a change in her friend group will make her strangely anxious.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the woman whose expression was shifting, ¡°What shecks is a sense of security. ¡°The cause of this can be traced back to her childhood. I believe something happened when she was very young. Primary school,¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it, ¡°Or perhaps even earlier. ¡°In her conversations with me, she purposely blurred out this part of her childhood. However, she had clear descriptions of earlier parts of her childhood. Selective amnesia,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°Those with PTSD will have this symptom.¡± Different from the first woman, the seconddy nodded in confirmation. ¡°When she was seven, I separated from her father. We were so caught up in the divorce that neither of us had the time to look after her, so we had to drop her off at a boarding school.¡± The woman didn¡¯t hide her past. Other than Doctor Jiang and Fatty, who looked like the cleaning guy, the other threedies were her good friends. They knew about each other misfortunes. They had the same goal¡­ which was for their daughters. Due to the four mothers¡¯ influence, the four girls formed a group. They might have fought, but they were very close to one another. Based on the woman¡¯s appearance, the boarding school she found for her daughter must be a great private school but not everything could be solved by money. When the girl needed her mother the most, she was left behind. It wouldn¡¯t be hard to imagine that she would feel abandoned. She would curl up in bed at night, hiding from the world. The helplessness weighed down on her. The woman told Jiang Cheng that her daughter often threw tantrums for no reason. She barred her mother from entering her room. They had a lot of arguments because of this. After the nannies cleaned away her clothes, her daughter locked herself in her room and didn¡¯t leave. She didn¡¯t even want to meet the psychiatrist her mother hired. Due to their circles, the daughter got to know Pi Wan. Then, under thetter¡¯s rmendation, she got to know Doctor Jiang. Reality proved that Pi Wan was quite reliable¡­ despite his bad reputation. Then, the Doctor shared his thoughts with the other two women. The Doctor¡¯s analysis was logical and based on facts. He also made it easy to understand. At least Fatty understood him. As he followed the Doctor¡¯s analysis, he seemed to enter the girls¡¯ hearts. The leading girl¡¯s name was Nuan Nuan. Due to ack ofpany, she was very lonely. It was her habit to appease everyone she met and try to assimte into their lives¡­ no matter how much it inconvenienced her. She was afraid of being alone, so she tried to make herself friends with everyone. The second girl¡¯s name was Shi Jia. Since she was ignored by her parents when she was a child, shecked security. Any changes in her life would unsettle her. That included the friends she had, ces she had been and so on. For her, her room was herst sanctuary. Anyone who entered her territory would ruin her sense of security. The nanny who strode into her room and the psychiatrist who came to her door unsettled her. Compared to them, this handsome young man, who called himself Pan An and who set the location of their first meeting at their favourite bar, was very cute. Plus, he loved the same kind of alcohol brand that she liked. He was reticent. Unless someone talked to him first, he never tried to talk down to them. He understood their boundaries. He sat in the corner alone as he shook the winess filled with wine. The light red of the wine reflected the faces of the slightly drunk girls. Chapter 241: Heart Knot Chapter 241: Heart Knot ¡°Mr. Jiang,¡± The girl¡¯s timid voice came over. Nan Jing was different from others. The influence of alcohol on her appeared to be limited. She couldn¡¯t even tell how many sses she had taken. She was also the only girl among the group to refer to Jiang Cheng as Mr Jiang instead of Jiang Pan An, Little Cutie and so on. Jiang Cheng pulled his gaze back to look at her. Nan Jing¡¯s face, which was hidden in the dark, became redder. However, she still gathered her courage and asked calmly, ¡°Mr. Jiang, what¡­ are you thinking about?¡± Light flowed through her eyes. She had a pair of beautiful eyes, like her mother. However, different from thetter¡¯s ice-gay gaze, there was cowardice and innocence in her eyes. There was also caution and wariness. Some said alcohol was poison, but for Nanjing, only this poison could make her open her heart. She had a rare mental disease, an avoidance personality disorder. She had low self-esteem and was extremely sensitive to negative criticism. Such patients faced great troubles in society and the workforce. Theycked social ability and were afraid of rejection. Therefore, they had a hard time making the first step to building a rtionship with others. This kind of patient would showcase shyness and cowardice that were not suitable for their age when they were young. They would be easily frightened by sudden noises. Different from Madam Qin, who focused everything on her work and ignored her daughter, Nan Jing¡¯s mother cared deeply about her daughter. She even gave up her job at a bigpany to take care of her daughter. She was involved in her daughter¡¯s appearance, school, hobbies and even lifestyle. She tried her best to turn her daughter into the best artwork. Nanjing was the best in her studies, painting, piano and dance. Compared to her mother¡¯s excitement in the front row when Nan Jing went on the stage to receive her des, Nan Jing was detached and emotionless.Instead of saying her mother loved her, her mother loved to¡­ control her. She wanted Nanjing to pursue a ¡®perfect¡¯ life. When she was very young, Nan Jing¡¯s mother had a dream of being an actor before she took over the family business. She dreamed of appearing on screen to showcase her best self before the door. However, her dream was shattered, and she poured her focus into her daughter. Nan Jing had no idea if her mother saw her former self in her or not. However, Nan Jing knew that even if her mother did not, she would force Nan Jing into the mould that would fit her mother¡¯s former dream. Forceful¡­ that was Nan Jing¡¯s impression of her mother. She had to do whatever she said. She had to follow her rules. She had to achieve the goals she set. That was the only way her mother would love her. She only loved Nan Jing, who was under the spotlight. The ugly duckling that was beyond the spotlight did not deserve her mother¡¯s love. The extended anxiety and high pressure pushed her into a cycle of self-doubt. Her mother¡¯s controlling nature didn¡¯t help. She always heard her mother questioning her why she couldn¡¯t be a little bit better. If she could do that, she¡¯d be closer to her mother¡¯s dream. But that was her mother¡¯s dream¡­ not hers. She didn¡¯t care about herself on the screen. She even feared it. For her, the boring numbers and cold chemicals were more interesting to her. She just wanted to be a normal person. She wanted to live a peaceful life and love someone who loved her the same way. Being stared at by Mr. Jiang, Nan Jing¡¯s heart shook. The former¡¯s silence made her worry that she had offended him. DING! The crisp sound tingled as the two sses clinked. Under the light, the wine shone like blood. Before Nan Jing reacted, Jiang Cheng touched their sses together. ¡°Mr. Jiang¡­¡± Nan Jing was startled. After she reacted, she was flustered like a child who did something wrong even though she had no idea what. That was what she thought at that moment. Jiang Cheng took a quick sip of the wine and sat up on the couch. His presence didn¡¯t match the surroundings. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for someone,¡± He said. Due to the dim lighting, she could only see his eyes. The noise around them was going out of control. However, looking into the man¡¯s eyes, she had a strange thought. It was like¡­ the noise around them had faded away. She was floating on an iceberg around the sea. She was standing, and she was looking down at him, but it felt like she was looking up at him. He just sat there, but he was different from the rest. Not too long ago, he was having a lot of fun drinking with them, but the next second, he shrunk into silence. He sat alone in the corner silently. He put away his ws to wait for his next batch of prey. ¡°What kind of people?¡± She found herself asking. However, the next second, she panicked. They had just known each other for a few days. Her question was too forward¡­ She saw the man ce the empty winess on the marble table upside down. His fingers arched beautifully through the air. ¡°I was waiting for someone who was willing to share the ss of wine with me,¡± Jiang Cheng answered as he raised his eyes, ¡°Miss Nan Jing.¡± Chapter 242: Iceberg Chapter 242: Iceberg No one was clear what happened between them. However, when Shi Jia¡¯s consciousness faded, she took a casual nce, and her eyes suddenly focused. The next second, she immediately turned to tap her two friends beside her. Nuan Nuan was already asleep from the alcohol. Shey on the other girl¡¯s shoulder. However, she was still rudely shaken awake. She woke up blurrily and looked at where her friends were pointing. The images before her eyes slowly ovepped and rified¡­ until. ¡°What the fuck!¡± The person who gasped was a girl called Jin Xizhen. She was of Chinese and Korean descent. A biker¡¯s leather coat hung loosely on her body. She had short hair. A snake skull tattoo was visible on her exposed corbones. A cobra poked out of the skull¡¯s eye socket. It was hissing. Even though she was the youngest in the group, she acted like she was the leader. Whenever she talked about big issues and great ideas, the other three girls merely smiled. They didn¡¯t expose her, or they¡¯d embarrass her. She was the one who provided the ride that night. The thing that troubled Xizhen¡¯s mother was her precious daughter appeared to be¡­ gay. Calls from her private school to talk about fighting and truancy were normal. The thing that really troubled her family was the headmaster¡¯s call about the fact that Xizhen¡­ was teasing another girl at school. And it had happened more than once. Thankfully, Jin Xizhen hadn¡¯t shown any romantic interest in her three close friends. Stuck in the bar seat, the very nice Nuan Nuan shook her head to clear her mind. She confirmed that her sight was not wrong. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Nuan Nuanmented, ¡°I¡¯ve gone blind.¡± Shi Jia pressed her lips. ¡°Me too.¡±Nan Jing, who was the shiest among them, was straddling Jiang Cheng¡¯s legs. She held a winess in one hand while she held his face in the other as she looked into his eyes. The light couldn¡¯t reach them. The scene looked so seductive. Jiang Cheng took a sip of the wine. Then, he leaned close to Nan Jing¡¯s ear. His lips moved. The next second, Nan Jing was taken aback. Beads of tears fell out of her eyes. She wrapped Jiang Cheng¡¯s neck in her arms. Thetter struggled for a moment before embracing Nan Jing back. The winess fell to the ground. The red liquid flowed on the ground. The other three witnessed Nan Jing''s different emotions. She cried to Jiang Cheng like a wronged child. Then, she became silent. Her beautiful eyes seemed to contain another world. ¡°What is wrong with Nan Jing?¡± Xizhen blinked. She had quite a bit to drink, but she was still reasonably sober. Then, she stood up and swayed over, ¡°Let me go and see.¡± However, before she could take another step, she was yanked back by two powerful forces. ¡°You¡­¡± Xizhen swallowed back the urge to vomit. She looked at her friends in confusion. ¡°Trust me. Don¡¯t go over there.¡± Shi Jia addressed the confused Xizhen even though her attention was on Nan Jing. She continued, ¡°If you still want Nan Jing to talk to you.¡± From the beginning, Jiang Cheng yed the role of a listener. He rarely spoke or offered his opinion. Over the years, Nan Jing had received too much burden, me and education. So many people ruled her life in the name of helping her, but no one was willing to sit down quietly and listen to what she had to say. Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t remember how long the conversation was. Thankfully, it was alreadyte. Those who stayed were mildly drunk, and no one paid them any attention. Nan Jing hung her head like she waspletely drained. She was not drunk, but with the explosion of emotions, it felt like she had had too much to drink. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Jiang,¡± She whispered, ¡°I¡¯ve said too many things I shouldn¡¯t. I hope that didn¡¯t cause you any trouble. I can¡¯t even remember where I was I. Do you¡­¡± ¡°Do you have cash?¡± Jiang Cheng raised his head. His eyes were kind and gentle, but it caused the girl¡¯s heart to wince. Eventually, Nan Jing reacted. She pulled over her bag. She dumped its contents on the table. An expensive lipstick rolled on the table and fell to the ground. Nan Jing took out her wallet. There was a small stack of paper bills. She didn¡¯t have the habit of carrying cash. She handed all the bills to Jiang Cheng and looked at him with blinking eyes. Jiang Cheng put down the winess. With Nan Jing and the three girls watching, he pulled off the bill on the top. He ttened it on the table and added creases to it. His fingers moved nimbly like a butterfly. His skin was reddened by the alcohol. The light shone on his face to highlight his sharp brows. Jiang Cheng grabbed a wine bottle by its neck. His tapered fingers slowly opened. Then, Nan Jing¡¯s eyes widened. She saw¡­ a rose blooming on the neck of the bottle. Then, her body trembled uncontrobly. She suddenly remembered what the man said earlier. Due to her mother¡¯s strict education, she was always ostracised at school. She was unrealistically perfect. Her shyness made her very unapproachable. She didn¡¯t have any romantic experience, much less receive a gift like roses. Even the prettiest princess wanted a prince. As the bills slipped from Nan Jing¡¯s hand, more roses appeared on the bottle. Soon, a sea of paper roses appeared before her eyes. ¡°Miss Nan Jing,¡± Jiang Cheng slowly stood up. While the other three watched dumbly, he slowly bowed to Nan Jing, ¡°Happy birthday.¡± Chapter 243: Found! Chapter 243: Found! Nan Jing¡¯s gaze never left the man for the whole night. Eventually, the club closed, and she appeared to have woken up from a dream. Everyone had something to drink, so their families sent drivers to fetch them. Nuan Nuan, Shi Jia, and Xizhen bid them farewell and quickly left. Actually, Xizhen still wanted to stay, but she could sense the death re of Shi Jia and Nuan Nuan. ¡°Mr. Jiang,¡± Nan Jing wasn¡¯t in a hurry to leave. The driver, with the white gloves, stood obediently beside her, ¡°It¡¯ste. Let¡­ the driver send you home.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t reject her. ¡°But please wait a moment. I need to greet a few friends of mine first.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded and left. Nan Jing didn¡¯t look away even after he disappeared around the corner. The driver hid his emotions well, but he was still confused. It was about 3 am, so there were few guests left in the bar. Jiang Cheng walked past the waiters and pushed open an inconspicuous door in the corner. The room was covered in smoke. A balding man sat in afy chair. A cigarette dangled from his lips. The copper tin before him was already overflowing with cigarette butts. A few empty cans of Red Bull were left on the table. There was also a roll of tissue paper. It was clear that the man didn¡¯t care about his appearance. The buttons of his shirt even went into the wrong hole. ¡°Brother Jiang,¡± The man changed when he saw Jiang Cheng. He sat up to make himself look more formal.¡°Hmm.¡± Jiang Cheng sat down naturally. Clearly, he was familiar with this ce. The man didn¡¯t waste time. He made a call. A few minutester, there was a knock on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± The man shouted. A waiter walked in respectfully. ¡°Director Gong, we¡¯ve checked Brother Jiang¡¯s table. The paper rose is 2900 each, and the alcohol¡­¡± Suddenly, he paused. He looked at Jiang Cheng probingly as if waiting for something. ¡°Brother Jiang,¡± Director Gong smiled widely and said, ¡°Should we follow the deal fromst time?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have the usual. I¡¯m in a hurry.¡± ¡°Of course. Of course.¡± The man was so happy that his eyes disappeared from his smile. He nodded quickly and ordered the waiter to prepare everything. He was familiar with Jiang Cheng¡¯s habits. He didn¡¯t like cards and preferred cash. Director Gong was actually simr to Pi Wan. He relied on his wife to build this bar. Even though he was the boss, the bar''s finances were all in the hands of his wife. Soon, the waiter returned with stacks of new bills in his hands. Jiang Cheng directly used the cash-counting machine in the room to check everything. Then, he shoved the money into his coat and left. After saying goodbye to Jiang Cheng, Nan Jing, who sat in the back of the car alone, lowered her head. She carried a bouquet of paper roses. The paper quality cut her hands slightly¡­ just like how real roses would. However, Nan Jing didn¡¯t mind. She touched the paper petals as the face of that man crowded her mind. ¡°Mr. Jiang¡­¡± She mumbled to herself. ¡°Hehehe. 86, 87, 88¡­ 90.¡± Jiang Cheng knelt on the steps that led to his office. He counted the bills many times. Then, he grinned and emitted a horrible crackle. He stopped himself when he realised how loud he was being. Then, he shoved the money into different parts of his clothes before sauntering into the office. When the richdies came to find him the next morning, he was still a bit drunk. Fatty watched as Jiang Cheng rudely exposed them. The way the four girls had turned out was closely rted to the four women before them. They sacrificed their daughters¡¯ happiness to achieve their own supposed standards. ¡°Doctor Jiang,¡± A ratherrge woman finally couldn¡¯t help herself anymore. Her face was red from being lectured and mocked by a man who was younger than them and who had no social standing for so long. ¡°First, we appreciate your help with our children, but we don¡¯t think you¡¯re better than we are in terms of educating kids. First, you have no children of your own. ¡°What I want to tell you is, even though our methods are harsher than normal, they will thank us in the future. They will eventually understand our pain and reasoning. We are the ones helping them get a headstart at the starting line. Society is cruel. Only harsh education can ensure that they can achieve victory in the fights in the future.¡± As she proffered her philosophy, Jiang Cheng merely sipped his coffee silently. When she was done, he put the cup down. ¡°Do you know why your daughter likes girls?¡± The woman was startled. She frowned, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because men are often brutish and not gentle,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed and looked up, ¡°Just like you.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The conversation ended in a not-so-peaceful atmosphere. It was clear that the four women approved of Jiang Cheng¡¯s ability, but they couldn¡¯t ept the way he spoke. This was especially true with Xizhen¡¯s mother, whose face was green. However, they were helpless. Their daughters refused to see the doctors they found before. Only the man before them was the exception. After thedies left, Fatty leaned over and hesitated before saying, ¡°Doctor, I feel like you should adjust the way you speak,¡± He pressed his lips, ¡°After all, they are your clients, and they are here through Brother Pi Wan¡¯s introduction¡­¡± Suddenly, he mmed up because the Doctor had turned to look at him. ¡°Are you trying to teach me how to do my job?¡± Jiang Cheng said. It was not a question but a statement. Fatty quickly raised his hands in surrender. ¡°No, Doctor.¡± As Fatty shook in his boots, the sudden phone ring saved him. Jiang Cheng sat up and walked to the office table to answer the call. ¡°Doctor Jiang,¡± Once the call was connected, Pi Wan¡¯s recognisable voice came through, ¡°We¡¯ve found the person you asked me to locate!¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 244: Fear Chapter 244: Fear ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°It¡­ is that girl,¡± Pi Wan smiled, ¡°Coincidentally, I have a few business friends in the capital. I asked them to look around, and one of them actually found her.¡± Since Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t reply, Pi Wan added awkwardly, ¡°But at the end of the day, it is all thanks to Doctor Jiang. The girl was indeed a university student. She majors in science. She often applies for sick leave and doesn¡¯t stay in the university hostel. She doesn¡¯t seem to have any friends.¡± Pi Wan added, ¡°By the way, her name is Xia Meng.¡± ¡°Where is your friend now?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was even and cold. He didn¡¯t sound happy at all. ¡°I told him to hurry back to Rong City. Based on the time, he should be getting off the ne now.¡± Pi Wan thought about it and continued, ¡°He¡¯lle to me first, and then I¡¯ll bring him to your office so you can ask him the details¡­¡± ¡°Does he know the address of your office?¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted. ¡°Yes,¡± Pi Wan answered. However, he quickly reacted. Even though Doctor Jiang could not be called normal, he was being extra abnormal that day. Then, Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice travelled over, ¡°When he gets off the ne, call him and send him to my ce directly.¡± Pi Wan blinked, ¡°Doctor Jiang, what about me¡­¡± ¡°Leave yourpany now. Use a substitute ID to find a hotel to stay in. Don¡¯t bring your phone. Pay with cash. Don¡¯t drive and hail a cab.¡± He paused, ¡°Call me with the hotelndline at 6 pm. Let it ring for four times and then hang up. I¡¯ll call you back. If you don¡¯t receive my call in the next five minutes, leave the hotel immediately and go to the police station. Use your connections to request witness protection.¡±Pi Wan could have his life because of Jiang Cheng. Therefore, he followed Doctor Jiang¡¯s words subconsciously. Since he was not as clever as Jiang Cheng, he rarely questioned the orders. Based on his understanding of Doctor Jiang, his tone meant that this was not a small issue. It might even threaten his personal safety. ¡°Got it, Doctor Jiang.¡± Before he hung up, Pi Wan heard Doctor Jiang¡¯sst message, ¡°Tell your friend that my name is Hao Shuai.¡± After Jiang Cheng put down the phone, Fatty leaned over with wide eyes. ¡°Doctor, did something happen?¡± Like Pi Wan, he rarely saw the Doctor like this, especially when he used the name Hao Shuai. In Fatty¡¯s memory, he only used this name in the nightmare realm. ¡°Fatty,¡± Jiang Cheng cut off his thoughts, ¡°I have a friending soon. I need you to go for a walk. Visit the market. Don¡¯te back until I call you to.¡± ¡°Okay, Doctor.¡± Just as Fatty nned to change and leave, Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice came from behind him. ¡°Fatty.¡± Fatty turned around in confusion. ¡°Be careful.¡± After Fatty left with the basket, Jiang Cheng sat silently before his table. He leaned on the back of his chair. He stared at the clock and then picked up his phone. He tapped on the screen. The light that shone through the window became sharper. The warm morning light was gone. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes like he was resting. Footsteps echoed from outside the door. Then, there was knocking. The person was quite gentle. The rhythm was quick and powerful. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± The door was not locked. As the door opened, a shaft of light shone in. The next second, the sun was cut off by a female figure. The bohemian dress danced in the wind. The girl wore a sunhat with a ck bow. The chin lifted to reveal a young face. ¡°Mr. Hao,¡± Chen Xiaomeng smiled, ¡°Long time no see!¡± There was a middle-aged man with graying hair who followed Chen Xiaomeng. His gaze was sharp. Even when he was just standing there, his presence was dangerous. With his permission, two young men entered the office and started to search the ce. They came from upstairs with arge work outfit. It was Fatty¡¯s. Chen Xiaomeng nced at the clothes and nodded at the middle-aged man. Then, one of the young men left with the clothes. It appeared like there were more of them outside the door. They probably had started their search for Fatty. From the start, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t move. His phone was ced at the corner of the table. The middle-aged man¡¯s gaze never left him. Jiang Cheng understood that he was not one to be trifled with. Chen Xiaomeng leaned on Jiang Cheng¡¯s table. She revealed her two mrs and asked exaggeratedly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared now that you¡¯ve been found by me?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Jiang Cheng answered simply. Chen Xiaomeng smiled brighter. Her eyes curved joyfully like a fox whose tricks had seeded, ¡°It¡¯s unlike Mr. Hao to employ those non-professionals to track me down.¡± She slowly took out a piece of paper and spread it on the table. It was the portrait of Chen Xiaomeng Jiang Cheng gave Pi Wan. The drawing of Chen Xiaomeng was cute. ¡°Since I know Mr Hao likes me in this kind of outfit, I came dressed like so,¡± She said with a smile. She shrugged and sighed, ¡°But now that you¡¯re in my hands, your ending¡­ probably won¡¯t be so good. I hope you¡¯re prepared.¡± Jiang Cheng deted like a balloon. He looked like Chen Xiaomeng as if he¡¯d ept any punishment she had for him. Seeing the expression on Jiang Cheng, thetter was greatly satisfied. After all, the bastard had threatened her more than once in the nightmare realm. One time, he even knocked her unconscious. She ced her palms on the table and looked down at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Then, how do you think I should punish you?¡± She grinned mischievously, ¡°Mr Hao, who is in the wrong?¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it seriously. Then, he leaned forward and said in a volume that only the two of them could hear, ¡°I don¡¯t have a bed here, but there is a mattress upstairs. If you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± Chapter 245: Present Chapter 245: Present Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s face darkened from anger. She gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to stab the man. She didn¡¯te so far as to be taunted by him. Then, her expression brightened when she thought of something. ¡°Right.¡± She pped her hands. ¡°I¡¯ve brought some presents with me this time.¡± She epted the package handed over by the middle-aged man. She opened the package, took out the items, and showed them to Jiang Cheng one by one. A pair of pincers. Several red candles. And an unfriendly-looking¡­ whip. The handle of the whip glowed with oil. ¡°I know Mr Hao likes these things. Since we came in a hurry, we didn¡¯t have much prepared. Please forgive me.¡± She blinked and asked, ¡°So¡­ which one should we start with?¡± The middle-aged man frowned. He watched the girl grow up. He knew she had a vindictive personality, but¡­ this had crossed the line. It was his people who discovered the person sent over by Pi Wan. The person clearly didn¡¯t have any investigative experience. His people didn¡¯t do much, and he had already told them everything. Not only that, he even offered to work for them. Based on what he said, the businessman called Pi Wan was also doing this on someone else¡¯s orders. Incidentally, at that moment, the person received a call from Pi Wan. Pi Wan gave him an address and told him to go there directly. A man called Hao Shuai was waiting for him. When Chen Xiaomeng heard the name, she gave the orders to change direction immediately. They would skip Pi Wan ande to find this person called Hao Shuai. Even so, they still stopped at a convenience store to buy some stuff. There were several candles and pliers. Then, as they rode past a rather deserted road, they encountered a donkey cart that was hauling some melons. Chen Xiaomeng shouted for them to stop. Then, she insisted on buying the whip from the old farmer who used it to move the donkey. In the car, Chen Xiaomeng rubbed the whip in her hands. A glow shone in her eyes, like something exciting shed in her mind. To be honest, his impression of the young man at the table was not bad. At least he didn¡¯t look like a criminal and should be¡­ unrted to those people. If he were, his tactics wouldn¡¯t be so amateurish.With something in his mind, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes viciously. He agreed to apany the girl because he was worried that she¡¯d run into those people. He had personally experienced how scary those people were. ¡°Miss Xiaomeng,¡± Jiang Cheng sat up. ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to do this. Think about it. Our cooperation in the nightmare realms is not too bad. Plus¡­ I¡¯ve said you many times.¡± He straightened his neck. ¡°I am your saviour.¡± Chen Xiaomeng didn¡¯t want to waste her breath on him. ¡°You stole my stuff and threatened me, so¡­ you need topensate me. If you know what¡¯s good for you, hand over the stuff you¡¯ve gathered from the nightmare.¡± Chen Xiaomeng hissed, ¡°After I beat you up, I can consider letting you go.¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged innocently, ¡°I have nothing.¡± Chen Xiaomeng was startled. Based on her prediction, Hao Shuai was quite a character. He should have collected a lot of good stuff from the nightmare realm. ¡°Nothing?¡± Chen Xiaomeng stared at him, trying to gauge if he was lying or not. ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. Chen Xiaomeng flung the whip and grinned, ¡°It looks like you won¡¯t be honest until you¡¯ve tasted some punishment.¡± At that moment, the young man, who left earlier, returned. He whispered something into the middle-aged man¡¯s ear. Then, the middle-aged manughed. He looked at Jiang Cheng, ¡°We¡¯ve invited your fat friend too.¡± Then, he shot a look at the young man beside him. The young man turned to leave. When he came back to the room, he had a familiar basket in his hands. The rattan handle of the basket was broken. Based on the broken part, it looked like the basket was broken in a tug of war. The middle-aged man epted the basket and slowly walked towards Jiang Cheng. He ced the basket down in the middle of the table. ¡°Young man,¡± His eagle eyes radiated a lot of pressure. He said slowly, ¡°If you don¡¯t want anything to happen to your friend, I suggest you cooperate.¡± Jiang Cheng lifted his head to stare at this imposing man. Then, he said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to bluff. Fatty is not with you. He has escaped.¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s eyes were like the sea. Jiang Cheng¡¯s probes didn¡¯t cause any ripples. Then, heughed, ¡°Young man, should we make a bet?¡± He wore an official grey suit. He was about 180 cm tall. He had a clear scar near his lip. He had a majestic aura even just standing there. The corner of his suit lifted slightly to reveal the tattoos on his skin. Before Jiang Cheng could answer, the man said, ¡°One minuteter, I¡¯ll have you see his ear.¡± His casual stance and lifting lips showed that he was calm and serene. Someone like him didn¡¯t need to lie. Even if he lied, he¡¯d do everything to make the lie a reality. ¡°You still have half a minute left,¡± Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes were crescent. She was in a great mood. She leaned on the table. Her posture was sexy. ¡°Uncle Gong rarely makes a move personally. That Fatty is lucky,¡± She smiled. Jiang Cheng eventually nodded, ¡°You¡¯re right. Do it.¡± Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s smile froze. Even the middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment. However, he quickly returned to normal. ¡°That Fatty lives with you, and you two enter the nightmares together. You two clearly share a good rtionship.¡± The man¡¯s tone was chillier than before. ¡°Do you really don¡¯t care about his death?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t even ensure my own safety. Why do I care about him?¡± Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. ¡°I keep him around to do the work around the office and help me scout the way in the nightmare realm.¡± He huffed, ¡°I¡¯m not his dad. I have no responsibility to keep him alive.¡± Chapter 246: What are you Waiting For? Chapter 246: What are you Waiting For? Hmm¡­ He was not wrong. ¡°My people failed to capture that fat man,¡± The middle-aged man stared at Jiang Cheng, ¡°He is¡­ very agile.¡± ¡°Exceptionally agile.¡± ¡°However, you might not realise how much he cares about you even though you only treat him like a tool.¡± The middle-aged man turned to the young man beside him. The young man spoke up, ¡°After we realised the fat man had escaped from the market, he sneaked back to this ce. He is currently hiding in the rooftop of the building opposite here to observe the situation in this office.¡± The young man pointed at an old residential building. It had been abandoned for a while already. It was a good vantage spot. However, Fatty, who didn¡¯t have anti-recon experience, didn¡¯t realise such great vantage spots would expose him easily. He probably wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. After all, while he was slippery, he was useless in a fight. Since he was exposed, it was only a matter of time until he was caught. ¡°Therefore¡­ do you n to murder us both?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the man. The middle-aged man looked back at him, ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to the young man who spoke earlier. ¡°There is a unique smell on him. It¡¯s chlorine mixed with disinfectant. You are not familiar with this ce. Therefore, after you kill us, you¡¯ll take our bodies away. However, the journey is long. To prevent our bodies from reeking, you¡¯ve prepared the disinfectant cocktail to cover the smell.¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s eyes glowed slightly. He didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Continue.¡±¡°I believe your best solution is to strangle us with ropes.¡± He paused, ¡°That will make the crime scene cleaner. It will be easier for you to make it look like we have disappeared. However, I¡¯m curious about one thing. This ce doesn¡¯t have that many cameras, but they are still there. Plus, there are private cameras set up by local shops. How can you be sure the police won¡¯t be on your tail? You drove here in more than one car. Hiding your presence will be a big problem,¡± He lifted his head to ask, ¡°How do you n to solve all these problems?¡± ¡°Mr. Hao doesn¡¯t need to worry about that for us.¡± Chen Xiaomeng lifted her skirt, worried that the rough edges of the table might cut her skirt. ¡°Since you¡¯re so stubborn, you can die a stubborn duck.¡± She pretended to be thinking, ¡°This should be ourst meeting, so I should call you Jiang Cheng.¡± In their previous investigations, they found out certain things about Jiang Cheng, like his real name. ¡°Uncle Gong, it¡¯s gettingte. Send him on his way,¡± Chen Xiaomeng crossed her legs as she sat on the couch. She took out her phone to y on it. Uncle Gong¡¯s methods were clean and quick. Several minutester, they¡¯d leave with Jiang Cheng¡¯s body wrapped in the carpet. Then, this man would disappear from the world and the nightmare realm. It was the same for Fatty. Uncle Gong held the whip and looked down at Jiang Cheng. To his surprise, the young man didn¡¯t show any emotions rted to fear in his eyes. At the same time, he didn¡¯t put up any resistance. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to try to fight back?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t move a muscle as the rope wound around his neck. This surprised the middle-aged man. Based on what the girl said, Jiang Cheng was quite a fighter. He had once taken down tworge men at once. The middle-aged man had been wary because he suspected the man¡¯s surrender was an act. He was waiting for them to put their guard down before making an ambush. However, the man still didn¡¯t do anything even though the noose was already around his neck. ¡°Young man,¡± The middle-aged man sighed with pity, ¡°You are not bad. Unfortunately, I cannot tell if you¡¯re on our side or if you¡¯ll ultimately be corrupted. You have immense potential, so¡­ I can¡¯t risk letting you live. Or else you might threaten Meng Meng in the next nightmare.¡± He paused. Then, he started to tighten the rope. ¡°If you want to me someone, me yourself for angering someone you shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Just as the rope was about to touch Jiang Cheng¡¯s skin, he suddenly screamed. The middle-aged man paused. He was not a merciful person, but for this young man, he had the greatest patience. Based on his observation and the girl¡¯s description, the young man was exceptionally talented. He was cautious and determined and didn¡¯t suffer from guilt. He was born to be a killer. ???????¦¥?? ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± The middle-aged man sighed. Jiang Cheng slowly extended his finger to press the phone on the other side of the table. The message on the screen popped into the middle-aged man¡¯s sight. ¡°Hang on. We¡¯ve confirmed your location. We¡¯ll be there in ten minutes.¡± That message was received ten minutes ago. The middle-aged man¡¯s pupils trembled. The next second, the office door was kicked down. Police officers rushed in. One of them had a sharp ponytail. She waved her gun around and shouted, ¡°Put down your weapons!¡± The two young men were knocked over. Chen Xiaomeng was female, so she was treated better, but she was detained too. Even her phone fell to the ground. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­¡± Jiang Cheng struggled with his hands on the rope. The veins popped on his forehead. His pupils rolled like a flopping fish. He mmed into his chair. ¡°Stop!¡± The policewoman aimed her gun at the middle-aged man. ¡°Release him¡­ Or I¡¯ll shoot!¡± A police officer slowly moved through the suspect¡¯s blind spot. ¡°Save me¡­ Cough¡­¡± Jiang Cheng gripped the rope. He yed the role of a poor victim to perfection. The awkward thing was that the middle-aged man had already raised both his hands in surrender, but Jiang Cheng was still acting. Chapter 248: Organisation Chapter 248: Organisation Jiang Cheng guessed that they had found something in the cars driven over by Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s group. There were probably ropes, carpet that could wrap up two people and items like disinfectants. The police would know more than he did about what those things meant. However, they didn¡¯t find things like guns or else the situation would be more intense than this. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes as he weighed the situation in his mind. When he left the police station, the sky was almost dark. He rushed home at 5.55 pm. He heard the phone ring at 6 pm punctual. It rang four times, no more and no less. He sighed. It looked like Pi Wan was temporarily safe. When those people heard the name Hao Shuai, they instantly changed their target away from Pi Wan. When he got Pi Wan¡¯s call that he had found Chen Xiaomeng, he knew instantly that this was a trap. Because¡­ it was too easy. If Chen Xiaomeng could be that easily found by amateurs like Pi Wan and his friends, she would have died in the nightmare realm already. Based on Jiang Cheng¡¯s understanding, once the nightmare mission started, it would never stop. In other words, the missions would keep hounding you, and the fight in the nightmare realm would extend into the real world. After all, the rewards were real. Be it in the nightmare or in real life, once the owners were murdered, you could obtain the good stuff from them. This was like looting in video games. Compared to the many variables in the nightmare realm, this would be simpler in real life. For someone like Chen Xiaomeng, Jiang Cheng thought of a suitable term: Fishing. The fight in the nightmare realm could easily move to the real world. When you found your former teammates, you were already on the hook. The fisher would follow the trail to eliminate you and the organisation behind you. Compared to the limited number of yers in the nightmare missions, there were no limitations in the real world. For example, if Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t seen through Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s n that day and called the police beforehand, he would have died already. He¡¯d be wrapped up in the carpet in the trunk and moved back to be kept as spoils of wars. Chen Xiaomeng was someone who¡¯d do something like that. The middle-aged man with her was not a simple character either. Even Jiang Cheng had no confidence in taking him down in a one-vs-one fight. After this incident, Jiang Cheng had a new understanding of the realm of nightmares. Some of his existing hypotheses were confirmed.Based on the familiarity shown by his teammates, they clearly had been in the nightmare for some time already. This was especially true from Chen Ran. His understanding of the nightmare was already in a scary state. That was impossible for him to achieve on his own. That meant that there had to be an organisation pushing and training him behind him. Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s appearance that day also confirmed that. There were yers in the missions who sought each other for reliance in the real world. As time progressed, this phenomenon became more obvious, and they became more professional. This was how new yers became veterans. Other than the yers¡¯ experience, it would be rted to the ¡®organisations¡¯ that would provide them with aid. These organisations would not be as simple as he thought. Jiang Cheng¡¯s face darkened. The water¡­ was surprisingly deep. At 6.04 pm, Jiang Cheng picked up the phone and called back. It only rang once before it was answered. The person on the other side was very cautious. Jiang Cheng only heard weak but rapid breathing and no talking. ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. Such cowardice had to be representative of Pi Wan. ¡°I am so scared!¡± Pi Wan cried. ¡°Doctor Jiang, you have to know this hostel doesn¡¯t even have an attached bathroom. There is only a shared bathroom. I had no choice and had to use the mineral water bottle¡­¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted him, ¡°It¡¯s fine now. You can go back.¡± ¡°Go back where?¡± Pi Wan was stunned. ¡°Go back to where you came from.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Also,¡± Before he put the phone down, Jiang Cheng reminded him, ¡°Don¡¯t contact that friend anymore. If hees to find him, send him off with some money.¡± Pi Wan blinked with confusion, ¡°Doctor Jiang, did you somehow offend you?¡± He swallowed nervously, ¡°He is actually a very nice person. He just doesn¡¯t like to speak. He is very good at his job, and his mouth is very tight!¡± Pi Wan said embarrassedly, ¡°Doctor Jiang, you know me. I wouldn¡¯t have him find the person for you.¡± Jiang Cheng scanned the messy office and the overturned couch. He took a deep breath, ¡°If you have the chance to see him again, remember to call me.¡± Pi Wan suddenly sat up straight. He nodded. ¡°Doctor Jiang, do you have a job for him?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°I want to test how tight he is.¡± The conversation ended in an awkward atmosphere. Jiang Cheng sat for two minutes before he shouted at the stairs. ¡°It¡¯s fine now. You cane out.¡± Then, arge head poked itself out from the second floor. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty asked excitedly, ¡°Are you alright?¡± Jiang Cheng drank the water the policewoman poured for him earlier in the day, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Fatty bounced down the stairs. The buttons of his shirt were missing. Only the frayed threads were exposed. The buttons were probably yanked off when he was being pursued. ¡°How are you?¡± Fatty, who had scratches on his arms, felt relieved when he saw the Doctor. As he rubbed his arms, he smiled, ¡°As long as the Doctor is fine.¡± He pointed out the window, ¡°Actually, I was in that building opposite. I saw how many they were. I snatched¡­ I mean, I borrowed a woman¡¯s phone to call the police. I didn¡¯t think the police would react so quickly. I just hung up, and they have already arrived.¡± ¡°It looks like I¡¯ll have to thank you this time.¡± Fatty scratched his head and smiled dumbly, ¡°Doctor, you¡¯re wee. As long as you¡¯re alive.¡± Chapter 247: The Past is Like the Wind Chapter 247: The Past is Like the Wind ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. You¡¯re safe now.¡± The policewoman with the ponytail poured a ss of warm water for Jiang Cheng. However, thetter didn¡¯t take it. He was shivering on the couch. He hugged his knees, and his eyes flickered with anxiousness. Seeing this, the woman sighed. She ced the ss lightly on the coffee table. ¡°You are safe now.¡± The woman was very gentle as if afraid of triggering the young man, ¡°What happened here? Who are they? Why would they want to harm you?¡± She paused before cing her hand over Jiang Cheng¡¯s arms. Jiang Cheng trembled so hard. She couldn¡¯t imagine the mental trauma that the young man had been subjected to. After her patient constion, Jiang Cheng slowly walked out of his trauma. He was still timid because he didn¡¯t dare to look at Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s group. He took a nce at them and quickly looked away. Then, he lowered his head again. His thin body shivered even harder. ¡°If you don¡¯t tell us anything, these people might find an opening and escape from the judgement of thew.¡± The tone of the woman was much better for Jiang Cheng than when she dealt with Chen Xiaomeng. So far, Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s group had said nothing. This was especially true for Chen Xiaomeng, who only stared daggers at Jiang Cheng. The policewoman was startled. She lowered her head and realised the cowardly young man had ced his hand on hers. He rubbed them slowly. Normally, she¡¯d respond immediately with a smack. However, at that moment, she felt relieved. This meant that¡­ the young man had started to ept her. And it was she who helped him walk out of the trauma. He was still young and deserved a better life¡­ ¡°Beautiful sister,¡± Jiang Cheng raised his head. His voice was soft and gentle. However, his words stunned her, ¡°Actually, they are not bad people. They are Xia Meng¡¯s family, and Xia Meng¡­¡± Jiang Cheng pressed his lips. His eyes revealed a strange feeling. There was shyness and cowardice. Perhaps even guilt about the past. A few secondster, it dawned on the policewoman. She blinked at Jiang Cheng and then turned to look at the pissed Chen Xiaomeng. ¡°Is¡­ she your girlfriend?¡± She asked. The young man and young woman matched each other in the presence and looks. This added a different meaning to this case. Hatred born from love. ¡°You misunderstand. It¡¯s not like that.¡± Jiang Cheng seemed to see through the woman¡¯s thoughts. He quickly rified, ¡°We don¡¯t really know each other. One night, we joined a mutual¡¯s party and had too much to drink¡­¡± At this point, Jiang Cheng paused. His cheeks reddened. His eyes looked around nervously. The room silenced. The two officers who were recording Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s information and inspecting the room stopped their work. They turned and looked at the shy Jiang Cheng and the pale Chen Xiaomeng. The officers were young. They looked at each other and saw the understanding in each other¡¯s eyes.Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s face was drained of blood. Her lips trembled. If not for the middle-aged man holding her back, she would have lost control already. The policewoman had a brief idea based on the gathered information. This case was due to the ¡®romantic¡¯ altercation between Jiang Cheng and Xia Meng. They did something under the influence of alcohol. After some failedmunications, things escted to this state. ¡°Sister Wei,¡± An officer walked over with a bag. ¡°Captain Liu called us to hurry up. We have more people missing in the north of the city. They are running low on manpower.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The woman closed her book. ¡°Have you taken everything?¡± ¡°They are all here.¡± The man tapped his bag. ¡°Brother Liu has the others. He¡¯s taking down the car tes outside.¡± ¡°Watch over them. We¡¯ll depart soon.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± The woman turned to Jiang Cheng, ¡°You need toe with us. We still have some questions for you.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Jiang Cheng stood up weakly. He looked like he¡¯d lean on the policewoman, ¡°Beautiful sister, can I travel in your car?¡± He blinked. ¡°Why?¡± The woman asked. ¡°I feel safer with you by my side.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Okay.¡± On the way, the situation was different from what Jiang Cheng had imagined. The young officer drove the car, and the policewoman sat in the passenger¡¯s seat. In the back, other than Jiang Cheng, there were two tanned and very serious¡­ male officers. They squeezed Jiang Cheng between them. Due to theirrge size, Jiang Cheng could barely move. Even so, he tried to look at the policewoman, ¡°Beautiful sister, I think the incident today is a misunderstanding. Can you not punish them too much?¡± The policewoman closed her blue book. She looked at Jiang Cheng as if to say she didn¡¯t expect him to be so kind. ¡°We can¡¯t decide that,¡± The woman sighed, ¡°But they should be charged quite heavily considering they came armed with guns.¡± ¡°Little brother, don¡¯t be too innocent,¡± The young driver turned the car into the left path. He said, ¡°This is not a crime of passion. They came premeditated. In their cars¡­¡± The policeman who sat to the left of Jiang Cheng coughed. The young officer instantly shut up. The atmosphere changed. ¡°Do you use your mouth to drive?¡± The policewoman¡¯s tone became severe. It waspletely different from before. The new officer was so scared that he shrunk his neck. ¡°If not, shut your mouth,¡± The woman ended. Chapter 249: Consciousness Chapter 249: Consciousness ¡°By the way, Doctor,¡± Fatty asked, ¡°How did Chen Xiaomeng find us?¡± He blinked and probed, ¡°Did Pi Wan sell us out?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng exined the situation to him. Things were not thatplicated. ¡°Then, Chen Xiaomeng¡¯s background is quiteplicated.¡± Fatty grumbled sadly, ¡°If I knew that, we shouldn¡¯t have tricked her in the nightmare. Now, she ising after us with her people.¡± Jiang Cheng showed two fingers. Fatty pouted, ¡°The Doctor, you can just say it. The girl is already in our territory. Why do you still have the mood to lecture me?¡± ¡°First, we didn¡¯t actively trick her. She was the one who wanted to scam us first.¡± Regarding this, Fatty had no issues with it. If not for the Doctor¡¯s suspicious nature, they would have died with Sister Nuan and Man Li in the first mission already. ¡°What about the second point?¡± Fatty asked curiously. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange?¡± Jiang Cheng nced at Fatty, causing thetter to shiver. ¡°If she just wants to deal with me, she doesn¡¯t need to do so many things. I suspect Chen Xiaomeng¡­¡± ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty interrupted him, ¡°If you wanted to say Chen Xiaomeng did this because she likes you, I¡¯d advise you to save your breath. I saw everything earlier. If you were not an orphan, I suspect she would have dug up your ancestral grave.¡±¡°Tsk.¡± Jiang Cheng tutted angrily. Before Jiang Cheng could argue with him, the door behind them opened. The axle seemed to have broken. The screech was long and ufortable. The setting sun extended the person¡¯s shadow. The leather shoes tapped cleanly across the floor. The new arrival took the seat at the couch calmly. Fatty looked at the guest with an open mouth. ¡°Continue,¡± The middle-aged man with a scar on his lips took a light sip of the water. ¡°I can wait.¡± He was the middle-aged man who followed Chen Xiaomeng. Fatty¡¯s eyes exploded with fear. He saw this man being hauled away by the police not too long ago. The Doctor had just been released. How did he¡­ The next second, he turned to the door. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t see the others. Chen Xiaomeng and the other young people didn¡¯t show up. Different from the flustered Fatty, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t show much reaction. He looked at the stable middle-aged man and asked, ¡°Where is Xia Meng?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯te with me.¡± The man answered, ¡°I have locked her in the car or else things would spiral so quickly.¡± The man looked into Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes, ¡°Howe you don¡¯t look surprised?¡± ¡°I am surprised. You came here earlier than I thought,¡± Jiang Cheng replied. ¡°Is that so?¡± The man chuckled. Hearing the chuckle, Fatty broke out in goosebumps. The middle-aged man was a serious person. Once he smiled, it tore at the scar on his lips. It made him look scary. ¡°Tell me your conditions.¡± Jiang Cheng picked up the files that had scattered to the floor and patted away the dust. Then, he ced the files back. ¡°She¡¯ll be entering another nightmare soon. I hope you can apany her,¡± The man said sinctly. ¡°Xia Meng?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The middle-aged man nodded, ¡°I need you to protect her.¡± ¡°What benefits will that get me?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. The man put down the ss. He growled with impatience, ¡°I won¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°You sure are generous.¡± Jiang Cheng red at him. ¡°That is my bottom line.¡± The middle-aged man nodded. ¡°Since you¡¯re so amazing, why don¡¯t you go with her?¡± Jiang Cheng challenged. ¡°There are too many people who know my face. We need a new face.¡± The man didn¡¯t hide anything. He straightened himself like a spear. Then, he said, ¡°You are the perfect fit. Your body and brain are just right enough.¡± Jiang Cheng hugged his arms and narrowed his eyes. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve been targeted.¡± The middle-aged man didn¡¯t speak. ¡°Who is the other party?¡± The man leaned back on the couch. The sun was setting but the room had no light. Everything was enveloped in a dim light. This made Fatty nervous. ¡°Have you heard of¡­ Deep Red?¡± The man¡¯s tone shifted. For some reason, when the man said those two words, fragmented memories appeared in Jiang Cheng''s mind. There was a door made from mirrors¡­ that suddenly shattered. Then, everything dissipated like the mist. ¡°No.¡± He calmed himself down. The middle-aged man sighed. He didn¡¯t see anything that made him wary in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes. That was the thing that worried him the most. ¡°They are all insane.¡± The middle-aged man leaned back in his memory. ¡°The nightmare realm doesn¡¯tck crazy people.¡± Jiang Cheng countered. ¡°Only the insane can survive the nightmares. They are forced to be crazy.¡± The man shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s different.¡± ¡°You said they. It sounds like Deep Red is an organisation.¡± Jiang Cheng scratched his chin. ¡°And it has many members. Plus, Deep Red has a bad history with you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to describe it. However, the term organisation¡­ is too concrete.¡± He looked at Jiang Cheng. Their eyes met, but no one looked away, ¡°From my understanding, Deep Red is more like a consciousness. Its members are all recruited by this consciousness.¡± ¡°Consciousness?¡± ¡°The consciousness of destruction, madness, violence, berserk, murder¡­¡± The man paused before adding, ¡°They are the product of all the negative consciousness. ¡°For those in the nightmare, Deep Red represents despair.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll die once you encounter them,¡± Jiang Cheng frowned, ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°Death is the best ending,¡± The man sighed, ¡°They like to hunt and torture others in the nightmares.¡± He paused to think about something. Then, he added in a whisper, ¡°In manners you can¡¯t even imagine.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 250: Infiltration Chapter 250: Infiltration ¡°They are tortured until they are dragged out on the ground and tossed out the door like bags of trash.¡± The middle-aged man rolled up his sleeves to reveal the scar on his arm that was like a centipede. ¡°They will return to the real world safely and then¡­¡± He nced at the door. The night was falling. ¡°Majority of them will mentally copse and choose to end their lives.¡± He added, ¡°Before the next nightmare arrives.¡± It was hard to imagine, but the fear instilled by Deep Red was stronger than the nightmare realm. The middle-aged man turned to Jiang Cheng with his eagle eyes. It felt like the dark night was his real domain. Jiang Cheng moved his lips. ¡°What about the minority of them?¡± The middle-aged man was startled. Then, his pupils narrowed. Eventually, he said, ¡°Young man, you are sharper than I thought.¡± ¡°You said the majority of them,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°So I assumed.¡± ¡°Not bad,¡± The man nodded. ¡°There is a small batch of them. They were so small that we had stupidly neglected them before.¡± The middle-aged man took a deep breath, ¡°They¡­ were chosen by Deep Red.¡± ¡°To join them.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. This was not a hard guess. It was hard to gather a group of mad people in the real world, but it was not hard to do that in the nightmare realm. The middle-aged manughed. There was mncholy and sadness in them. ¡°No.¡± He leaned forward. ¡°They are chosen¡­ to infiltrate this world.¡± Both Jiang Cheng and Fatty were stunned. Fatty was instinctually afraid of the word infiltration, especially since the infiltration agent was unknown.¡°Alright.¡± The middle-aged sat up straight and told Jiang Cheng, ¡°Young man, I¡¯ve given you the price. You need to give me a reply now.¡± Several secondster, Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°Deal.¡± The middle-aged man didn¡¯t look surprised. He slowly stood up. After he straightened his suit, he turned to leave, ¡°Don¡¯t need to contact me. When the time is right, I¡¯lle find you.¡± As he was about to disappear into the night, Jiang Cheng stopped him, ¡°Wait.¡± The middle-aged man ¡­ We are unable to load the verification. Please unblock any scripts or login to continue reading. Verify below to continue readinglogin to continue reading. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 251: Cool Chapter 251: Cool Under the night, inside an inconspicuous ck car, there was a small burst of me. It revealed a scarred face. The facial features were sharp, especially the pair of eyes that was hidden in the dark. The middle-aged man lit up a match to light the cigarette on his lips. After taking a deep drag of the smoke, the middle-aged man threw away the extinguished match. The crackling of the cigarette was amplified in the dark and small space. He leaned on the chair. He was alone in the car. An old ck-and-white phone was ced before him. The middle-aged man took out a phone card from his side pocket and plugged it into the phone. After he switched on the phone, he had to wait for it to activate. He clicked into the contact list. There was only one recorded number. The number sat there waiting¡­ like an elder who had lost his ability to move. He took a deep breath and called the number. After waiting for a while, the call was connected. ¡°He said yes.¡± Before the other party could say anything, the middle-aged man said, ¡°I¡¯ve contacted the people inside. I believe with them there, Miss will be fine.¡± Heavy breathing came from the other side. The middle-aged man frowned. He could sense the coldness from his breathing. ¡°It has been a while¡­ since the appearance of such a person.¡± Finally, someone spoke. However, the voice was unusually cool. It was mixed with static. It sounded more like a digitally-doctored voice. It was even, chill and had no emotions. ¡°Yes.¡± The middle-aged man answered respectfully, ¡°Based on the news we had, Deep Red is deeply interested in him. They have tried to approach him in the nightmare.¡± He paused, ¡°More than once. ¡°But, please don¡¯t worry. This time, we are very well-prepared. Miss¡­¡± ¡°Gong Zhe,¡± The other party suddenly said. The middle-aged man paused. He subconsciously sat up straight, like a general facing his emperor. The muscles of his upper body bulged, filling up the suit. He was far more powerful than Jiang Cheng thought.¡°Keep an eye on this man.¡± The voice continued, ¡°No matter the price, do not let him be corrupted by Deep Red. If necessary¡­¡± Several secondster, the robotic voice showed emotions when he said, ¡°You can give up Meng Meng.¡± Gong Zhe¡¯s pupils trembled. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was not given the chance. ¡°We are running out of time,¡± The voice sighed, ¡°We cannot suffer¡­ such a loss.¡± The middle-aged man lowered his head and nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± His voice was coarse. Without any ceremony, the call ended. The phone card was removed, and the middle-aged man¡¯s world returned to silence. He sat in the car alone. Many broken memories with fire and blood surged out of his mind. He was one of the survivors of that incident, simr to the person on the other end of the line. Therefore¡­ they knew how scary the people they needed to face were. He slowly raised his arm. The exquisite sleeve with golden thread slid down his wrist. As his muscles bulged, the centipede-like scar on his arm seemed toe alive. Not many people knew of his past, just like no one knew that the scar started at his wrist and extended to his heart. The sh almost cut him in half. It was the phone vibration that interrupted his thoughts. Naturally, it was not from the old phone. It was from the new phone in his pocket. He took out the phone. The number that showed up moved him. He answered the call. Before he spoke, he heard an explosive roar, ¡°Uncle Gong, where is that little bastard now? ¡°Get away from me!¡± Xia Meng shouted. The shout was not directed at him but at someone near her. He could hear other people¡¯s voices in the background. The middle-aged man had to smile. When he left, he locked Xia Meng in the car and told his people to guard her. He told them not to let her out. However, it seemed like the girl still managed to trick her way out. Of course, it was more likely that she had threatened them. The first thing she did after escaping was to seek revenge on Jiang Cheng. What a pair¡­ The middle-aged man sighed. ¡°Today, I¡¯m going to skin him and pull out his nerves to use as a jumping rope!¡± Xia Meng cursed. Ever since she met Jiang Cheng, her luck went downhill. She had been scammed so many times. She would never forgive him. ¡°Alright.¡± The middle-aged man consoled him, ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll hurry over. I have something to discuss with you.¡± Then, he added in a more serious tone, ¡°This is not our territory. If you really cause any big trouble¡­¡± The girl ended the call. The middle-aged man held the phone. He didn¡¯t know if he wanted to call back or not. He looked awkward. In the end, the ck car drove away and entered the endless traffic. Soon, it disappeared. ¡­ ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty stretched his neck to stare at Jiang Cheng, ¡°Eat slowly. No one is going to fight you for the food.¡± Jiang Cheng was about to enter the nightmare again, and he would face the unknown Deep Red. Fatty cooked each meal like it was thest for the Doctor. Fatty didn¡¯t skimp on the Doctor¡¯s st meals¡¯. The Doctor didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. He snapped off a leg from the crab and threw it to Fatty. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty picked up the crab leg with embarrassment. He held it but didn¡¯t eat it. ¡°You should eat first. I¡­ I will eatter.¡± Jiang Cheng looked up. With a prawn in his mouth, he mumbled, ¡°Who said that was for you?¡± Fatty was startled as he looked at the crab leg. ¡°Help me peel off the shell.¡± Jiang Cheng ordered, ¡°So I can eat faster.¡± Fatty, ¡°...¡± After that, Fatty cleaned up the kitchen. He didn¡¯t have the mood to clean up the messy office. After all, it was unknown if the owner would return alive or not. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty swirled the cup in his hand and asked, ¡°Has that man contacted you?¡± Chapter 252: Depart Chapter 252: Depart Jiang Cheng spat out the shell and wiped his fingers with the wet napkin, ¡°Not yet.¡± Fatty looked worried. Even the crab leg didn¡¯t look that delicious anymore. He looked at the Doctor like he was going to die. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty sounded sad. He hesitated and said, ¡°It has been three days. Why is there no news at all?¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Jiang Cheng raised his head. He frowned and stared at Fatty¡¯s big face. ¡°Why does it feel like you¡¯re sad that I¡¯m not going to die?¡± Jiang Cheng reminded him, ¡°Even though I¡¯m an orphan, even if I don¡¯te back, you are not inheriting my stuff!¡± He paused before raising his voice, ¡°I¡¯d advise you to stop thinking about that!¡± Fatty looked like he was about to cry. Even though he knew there was something wrong with the Doctor¡¯s brain, the fact that he was still thinking about inheritance at this point was maddening. Furthermore, the Doctor didn¡¯t have anything left to be inherited. ¡°Doctor, please shut up,¡± Fatty said, ¡°I¡¯m only concerned about you. This time, I won¡¯t be there to help you. You¡¯re facing this next mission alone.¡± ¡°Who said I¡¯m going alone?¡± Jiang Cheng puffed his cheeks. ¡°Can Xia Meng be considered a teammate?¡± Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng with confusion, ¡°Doctor, I have a statement that you might not like to hear. She wants to kill you more than the ghosts do.¡± Jiang Cheng said naturally, ¡°Won¡¯t you be there too?¡± ¡°Me?¡±¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t youing with me? Are you that heartless to let me go alone?¡± Fatty came to his senses and blurted, ¡°The fuck!¡± However, that was pointless to Jiang Cheng. He only used a few words to convince Fatty. He provided a few examples. If he were not there, Fatty might be drawn into a separate nightmare mission. He could be captured and dismembered by the ghosts cause he¡¯d be alone. Fatty¡¯s face paled mainly because that was not impossible. He knew himself very well. The reason he could survive so long was all because of the Doctor. Even though the Doctor was very annoying, he was reliable. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty licked his lips and looked at Jiang Cheng with shiny eyes. ¡°I might have expressed myself wrongly earlier. Actually, I¡¯ve already decided to go with you.¡± He paused, ¡°Because I¡¯m worried about you.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°Then, why did I hear that you were asking about whether this office is rented or not and how the utility bill was when you were buying stuff from thedy boss of the candy store next door?¡± Fatty was startled before he screamed, ¡°Lies! These¡­ are all lies!¡± His neck was red from agitation, ¡°Doctor, how can you not know the kind of person I am? I¡­¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Jiang Cheng finished the seafood porridge and narrowed his eyes. He wiped his mouth and then his hands. Then, he stood up. ¡°Fatty, you should know me.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed and said in a mysterious tone, ¡°Which beauty around these several hundred metres¡­ doesn¡¯t know me?¡± In any case, the inevitable happened. It was the fourth day after the middle-aged man left. The day was as beautiful as usual. Jiang Cheng had a female guest around 30 that morning. The two had a great chat. Then, he invited her upstairs to chat. He chased away Fatty, who was watching wilderness survival techniques on his phone. Ever since he found out he¡¯d be joining the Doctor on the mission, Fatty had to learn many things. He watched wilderness survival videos in the morning and read detective novels in the afternoon. After dinner, he¡¯d go out for a run. Before the day darkened, he¡¯d use the Doctor¡¯sptop to watch horror films to train his courage. Sometimes, when he couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, he¡¯d watch some sis. BUZZ The Doctor¡¯s phone on the table rang. Jiang Cheng was hiding in the bathroom. It was unclear what he was doing. Fatty had no choice but to grab the phone to find the Doctor in the bathroom. Several minutester, Jiang Cheng pushed open the door. Fatty, who was studying, nced at the Doctor. Then, he couldn¡¯t pull his eyes back. From the Doctor¡¯s severe expression, Fatty knew that¡­ it had arrived. ¡°Doctor¡­¡± He opened his mouth slightly. ¡°Get packing,¡± Jiang Cheng turned to walk up the stairs. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving in a bit.¡± Fatty was confused before chasing after Jiang Cheng. He asked in a hurry, ¡°Doctor, where are we going?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know when we¡¯re there.¡± Their luggage was simple. To hide themselves, neither of them wore the clothes they had worn in the nightmare realm. After locking the office door, Jiang Cheng led Fatty to a nearby warehouse market. The ce had many stalls that sold clothes. There was a big crowd, and the goods they sold were cheap. Jiang Cheng and Fatty picked out clothes that were suitable for them. The clothes were stretchable and light. They also bought some good shoes. After all, no one wanted to have their shoes broken down while they were being chased by the ghosts. Then, they hopped in a cab and left the city. The destination was rather secluded. The driver kept ncing at them, worried that they would rob him. ¡°Why do you keep staring at us?¡± Fatty grumbled, ¡°We are going to pay.¡± ¡°It¡­ It¡¯s nothing.¡± The driver smiled. ¡°Things are uneasytely. You can¡¯t be too careful.¡± Sensing that they were not bad people, the driver became more at ease. ¡°Friends¡­ are you two locals?¡± The driver asked. ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng answered. ¡°Are you going back to the city at night?¡± ¡°It depends.¡± The driver thought about it and eventually said, ¡°Friends, listen to me. If there¡¯s nothing important, don¡¯te back here again.¡± Chapter 253: Rental Story Chapter 253: Rental Story Jiang Cheng pulled his gaze back and focused his attention on the driver for the first time. ¡°Why is that?¡± The driver swallowed nervously. The ce was deserted, but the road was straight. He didn¡¯t need to worry about a random car appearing from nowhere. The driver nced at the rearview mirror and whispered, ¡°You are not locals, so you might not be familiar with this. Recently, Rong City¡­ is not that peaceful. Several people have gone missing already. Their bodies are not even found. It is frightening.¡± The driver continued before the two said anything, ¡°My friend¡¯s son works inw enforcement,¡± He licked his lips, ¡°I¡¯m sure you know what that means. His son hasn¡¯te home for weeks already. He said that everyone¡¯s holiday leave has been cancelled. Even those who are currently on leave are being called back to Rong City.¡± This driver apparently had good news sources. Jiang Cheng and Fatty¡¯s eyes shifted. Both of them were reminded of the nightmare missions. Jiang Cheng even thought of the young officer¡¯s conversation with the policewoman in the police cruiser. ¡°How did they disappear?¡± Jiang Cheng appeared intrigued. He leaned forward. His tone was different from before. His eyes glowed with curiosity and fear. Since the Doctor had done all the acting, Fatty didn¡¯t do much. He sat there quietly and became an extra. The driver became excited when he found a captive audience. He said mysteriously, ¡°No one knows the details. I hear even the police don¡¯t know anything. However, I believed everyone disappeared at night.¡± He paused. His tone took on a dark hue, ¡°Some of them were sleeping at home, and the next morning, they disappeared. Isn¡¯t that horrifying? Plus, there were other people in their homes at the time! It is cursed!¡± The driver turned the steering wheel. The car veered into a shortcut. ¡°Are you exaggerating?¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°These things get exaggerated as they go through the rumour mills. Things will sound impossible near the end¡­¡± Before he could finish, Jiang Cheng was interrupted by the driver, ¡°Little Brother,¡± The driver lowered his voice even more, ¡°Those things might be hearsay, but I have one incident that is 100 percent real.¡± The driver whispered, ¡°We drivers have a chatgroup. It¡¯s easier for us to keep track of each other. There are around ten of us in the group. Something happened to a brother among us. He is around 40.¡± ¡°Did he go missing?¡±¡°Yes.¡± The driver nodded. ¡°On the night three days ago. He runs the night shift. That day, he yed mahjong with people in the morning, and he couldn¡¯t stay awake at night. Around midnight, he wanted to find a ce to rest. He just wanted to take a quick nap.¡± The driver exined, ¡°However, he disappeared.¡± ¡°How did you know that was when he disappeared?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. It was not that he wanted to challenge the driver, but he found a loophole in the story. Based on what the driver said, the missing driver disappeared when he was alone. So how did he know so many details? The driver sighed, ¡°I was one of his mahjong partners that morning. Simr to him, I work the night shift. Weck human power that day, so I¡­¡± At this point, the driver suddenly remembered something and changed his tone, ¡°No, no¡­ I mean, he dragged me along.¡± After realising the two passengers didn¡¯t act any strangely, he calmed down and continued, ¡°That day, after we left, it was around 6 pm. We went to have dinner before starting work. ¡°We chatted through the walkie-talkie as we drove that night. It was to keep each other awake. As you know, this career has its downsides. As long as we¡¯re on the road, our families worry about us. ¡°When it was around midnight,¡± He thought about it before confirming, ¡°That¡¯s right. It is around midnight. I remember it because the station program that I usually listen to started then. ¡°At that moment, he said that he was tired, so I advised him to go home to rest. He didn¡¯t agree. He hadn¡¯t picked up anyone, so he couldn¡¯t end his job yet. Therefore, I told him to park by the side to take a quick nap. I reminded him to find a location where the cameras wouldn¡¯t catch him. After a while, he told me that he had found the perfect spot. It was behind a dumpling restaurant. ¡°He was quite happy with the spot. He said it was quiet, and no one came to disturb him. I even told him to send me the coordinates because I might be able to use that spot in the future. He told me to wake him up after one hour. People would being out of bars and barbeque shoes around then. The business would be better.¡± ¡°As I ferried people around, I forgot about that promise. I only remembered it two hourster. I quickly called him, but no one answered. I thought it was because he was too soundly asleep. I didn¡¯t think much of it. My passenger happened to want to go somewhere near the dumpling restaurant, so after I dropped the passenger off, I decided to check up on him.¡± Suddenly, the driver paused. Fatty was intrigued, but since the Doctor didn¡¯t say anything, he didn¡¯t urge the driver. After a long sigh, the driver slowly decelerated the car. It seemed like he was preparing himself. ¡°But when I rushed over there, his car was empty.¡± He paused, ¡°He was not in his car. ¡°At first, I thought he left his car to use the toilet. I stood beside his car and gave him another car. But¡­ his phone rang inside the car. The phone was in the driver¡¯s seat. The screen lit up!¡± His breathing became urgent. Even Fatty was frightened. ¡°What happened after that?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°I went to open the driver-side door. I realised it was locked.¡± Then, he raised his voice, ¡°That was not normal. As I said, the spot was secluded and hidden. Why would he leave his phone behind and walk away?¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 254: Start Chapter 254: Start ¡°Did you call the police?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. The driver nodded. ¡°Yes. I called his wife first. He didn¡¯t go home. His family didn¡¯t know where he went.¡± Fatty licked his lips. He hugged his chest. The driver¡¯s story gave him a bad feeling. He felt a chill. Even the sun that shone on him felt cold. ¡°Because of this, I stayed at the police station until the sun came up. I was still scared even after I went home. But¡­ the next morning¡­¡± The driver¡¯s voice trembled like he just remembered something. His lips turned a strange green colour. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Jiang Cheng said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s all over now. Please continue.¡± Fatty realised the Doctor¡¯s words did work. The driver calmed down, and he slowly returned to normal. ¡°There was news from the police station the next day. They said they managed to pull surveince video from near the dumpling restaurant. Based on the video, his taxi didn¡¯t move after it was parked there. No one exited the vehicle. He¡­ disappeared while inside the car! ¡°The driver¡¯s seat was pushed back. There was a leather jacketid on it. It was as if¡­ someone was sleeping on the jacket and then suddenly disappeared!¡± The driver failed to control his emotions when he said thest sentence. It had a huge impact.Fatty had started to break out in goosebumps. The chill enveloped him. Perhaps he had imagined it. It felt like a giant had covered him, and it was slowly closing in. The strange feeling suffocated him. Jiang Cheng suddenly said, ¡°You can drop us off here.¡± ¡°What?¡± The driver looked around. He checked the GPS and asked, ¡°Brother, we are still some ways away from the destination. This is in the middle of nowhere. Are you sure¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not often that we get to visit the countryside, so we want to walk around,¡± Jiang Cheng answered. It was clear that the driver was not satisfied with this. Along the way, they didn¡¯t encounter other cars or people. This ce was secluded. It would be hard to find another passenger to ferry back to the city. Thankfully, his current passengers paid him quite a bit. Before he left, Jiang Cheng turned around to ask, ¡°What is the name of your missing friend?¡± The driver counted the money several times before he answered unwillingly, ¡°Qin Dongguo.¡± After the doors closed, the taxi drove away, leaving behind a calm Jiang Cheng and a confused Fatty. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty looked left and right, ¡°Where are we? Aren¡¯t we¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng took out a phone from his pocket to send a message. After leaving the taxi, Fatty felt warmer. The sun wasfortable as it shone on him. It felt like there were two seasons inside and outside the car. Fatty stared at the Doctor before saying hesitantly, ¡°Doctor, that driver was so strange.¡± He was used to the Doctor not responding. He stared at where the taxi had disappeared and continued, ¡°He knows too much about his friend¡¯s disappearance. He said he got news from the station the next day¡­¡± He licked his lips. ¡°But shouldn¡¯t things like that be confidential? He¡¯s just a taxi driver. Why would the police keep him in the loop?¡± Jiang Cheng put down his phone to look at Fatty. The things in his eyes worried Fatty, ¡°Doctor, just say what¡¯s on your mind.¡± Fatty shivered, ¡°Your stare is making me ufortable.¡± ¡°Continue,¡± Jiang Cheng prompted, ¡°What else?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± Fatty thought about it, ¡°The driver gave me a strange vibe¡­ But I can¡¯t really pinpoint it.¡± Fatty scratched his head, ¡°I guess it¡¯s my instinct.¡± A race car zoomed over from the distance. It raised up a dust storm. Fatty covered his mouth and nose. Slowly, the abandoned road became crowded. More cars passed by. There were even some bikes. There were hawkers who tied bundles of items on the back of their vehicles. The engines roared as they moved past the two. The drivers covered their faces with cloth. They were hawkers going to town to sell their wares and those returning from the night market. Several minutester, Fatty¡¯s pupils shrunk. Jiang Cheng sighed. He continued in a tone that confused Fatty, ¡°Life has returned¡­¡± It dawned on Fatty. He finally knew what that strange feeling was. It was the nightmare realm. The scent of the nightmare! The strange feeling that encircled the driver was simr to cunning and irrational NPCs as well as ghosts in the nightmare realm. But¡­ how could that be possible? Weren¡¯t they in the real world? They came out of the Doctor¡¯s office. The sun was up. He could feel the sun¡¯s rays on him. They didn¡¯t fall asleep. He looked up. The rays blinded his eyes. He could feel the wind on his skin. The feeling couldn¡¯t be more real. So¡­ what happened? Too much information curled in his mind. He had a feeling that he was close to the key point, but the feeling disappeared. It felt like he had grasped at the mist. Soon, a ping from the phone interrupted Fatty¡¯s thought. He turned around to look at the Doctor pleadingly. Jiang Cheng got a message on his phone. ¡°Doctor Jiang,¡± Pi Wan still sounded as energetic as ever, ¡°I¡¯ve asked my friend to check the car te you sent over. It belongs to a taxi. The driver disappeared three days ago. The case is still unsolved. The car is now in the policepound.¡± Pi Wan thought of something and added happily, ¡°I¡¯ve sent you the driver¡¯s detail.¡± Jiang Cheng clicked open the file. The driver¡¯s name was Qin Dongguo. He was a Rong City local. Jiang Cheng scrolled through the file until a picture appeared on his screen. Jiang Cheng¡¯s finger paused. When Fatty leaned over to check the picture, his face dropped. His brain buzzed. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 255: Building Chapter 255: Building That driver earlier¡­ was Qin Dongguo. The man who had gone missing. Plus, the car that they just exited from. Based on what Pi Wan said, the car was still in police impound. How could it be on the road? Was it a coincidence? Fatty¡¯s teeth chattered. Everything that happened earlier was scarier than the nightmare simply because¡­ they were in the real world. This was the world that belonged to them! This was not the world that would only appear after they fell asleep and pushed open the ck iron door. He had a strange feeling that the barrier between the nightmare realm and the real world was slowly being corroded. The boundary between the two blurred. If the boundary were not restored, those things in the nightmare would one day descend on the real world. Just like what just happened. He couldn¡¯t imagine that¡­ No, he forced himself not to imagine that. If the Doctor didn¡¯t tell the driver to stop and allowed Qin Dongguo to keep driving, where would they end up? Would there be a ck door at their destination? Or would it be a location beyond theirprehension? He remembered how he felt when he was in the car. It was like he was inside a coffin. Even the sun couldn¡¯t warm his skin. That feeling didn¡¯t belong in the real world. The words the middle-aged man told the Doctor suddenly appeared in Fatty¡¯s brain. It stuck into his brain like a needle. It was clear and sharp, as if the middle-aged man was standing before them. ¡°There is a minority of people,¡± The middle-aged man said, ¡°They will be selected by Deep Red.¡± He leaned forward, ¡°To infiltrate this world.¡± Fatty¡¯s throat moved, and his lips opened. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he closed his mouth. Beside him, the Doctor made a call. ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± When the call was answered, the Doctor ordered calmly, ¡°Send a car to fetch us now. I¡¯ve already sent you the location.¡± He paused, ¡°You wille in person. If I don¡¯t see you in the car, all of our deals are off.¡± Then, Jiang Cheng hung up. He didn¡¯t wait for the other party¡¯s response.Fatty astutely kept his mouth shut. He knew the Doctor was not in a good mood. He had almost never seen the Doctor like this before. Especially since he knew who the Doctor called. It was the middle-aged man. In less than 20 minutes, an inconspicuous ck car stopped before them. The driver had very good driving skills and parked perfectly. Jiang Cheng walked forward, opened the passenger door and got in. Fatty was startled. He opened the car door on the back. However, he paused before he got it. Then, he started to feel ufortable. He swallowed nervously. There were also fear and awkwardness. There was a girl in baseball cap and sports attire in the back. The girl crossed her legs. Her eyes scanned Jiang Cheng before turning to Fatty. Her sharp gaze studied him like it was dismembering him. Xia Meng patted the seat beside her and smiled. Her smile was creepy to Fatty. ¡°Come on.¡± She grinned, ¡°Dead Fatty.¡± Fatty turned to the Doctor for help. However, thetter¡¯s attention was not on him. In the end, he had no choice but to get into the car. He curled up at the edge of the car and tried not to have any interaction with Xia Meng. He didn¡¯t even look at her. However, Xia Meng leaned over to him. She took out a rope from behind her. She probably got it from the uncle who drove the donkey. It was taken away as evidence by the police earlier but it had been returned to her. Before they arrived, she had already made an agreement with Uncle Gong. Jiang Cheng still had his uses, so she couldn¡¯t harm him. However, Fatty was not within the scope of the agreement. After all, Fatty also threatened her back then. She touched Fatty¡¯s arm, causing thetter to quickly move back. He stuck to the door. He looked like he would jump out of the car once he was touched again. Xia Meng looked even more intrigued. Just as her eyes curled into crescents, Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice came from the front. Ever since he got in the car, he hadn¡¯t said a word. It was the same for the middle-aged man. The two were as silent as wooden logs. ¡°Those who targeted you,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°Have found me too.¡± The joking expression on Xia Meng¡¯s face disappeared. She turned to Jiang Cheng. She never looked as serious as she did then. After a long time, she asked, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°You heard me,¡± Jiang Cheng said coolly. The middle-aged man was silent. Actually, he had already guessed this when he received Jiang Cheng¡¯s call. After Jiang Cheng described the situation, the atmosphere in the car dropped. Xia Meng¡¯s eyes glowed. She wanted to say something, but before she could, she felt a gaze on her. She looked up and met Uncle Gong¡¯s eyes that had just wandered away. ¡°They are moving faster than I thought.¡± The middle-aged man began. Fatty frowned. He turned the steering wheel. The car entered a narrow path. It was clear that people rarely used this path. The car bounced nonstop from the bad road conditions. They drove for a while longer until they encountered a few sandbags on the road. The bags were bulging and looked like they were filled with pebbles. It was undeniable that they were there as roadblocks. As expected, when they stopped, a few youngsters came out of the nearby trees. Without saying anything, they removed the sandbags. The car continued to move forward. Before them, a tall building appeared. Chapter 256: Enter the Door Chapter 256: Enter the Door ¡°Get down.¡± The middle-aged man was the first to descend once the car was parked. Fatty was the second. He moved faster than Jiang Cheng. It was like something was hunting him. Jiang Cheng opened the door and looked around. He realised they were in a vi. The ce was huge. It had a stone fence. However, the mottled walls suggested that it was old. The ce was secluded. He didn¡¯t even know such a ce existed. Fatty bounced over to Jiang Cheng and whispered, ¡°Doctor, where are we?¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. He narrowed his eyes at the middle-aged man. Even though Xia Meng appeared to be well-respected, it was clear that the middle-aged man was the true leader. After the middle-aged man got out of the car, a young man instantly got on and drove it away. A panel opened on the side of the building to reveal a dark, cavernous space like a garage. The car drove it, and the panel closed again. All the traces were removed. The vi gates slowly moved. With a clunk, the rusted door shut, sealing hope and sun outside. Fatty¡¯s throat shivered. He wanted to say something but cleverly shut his mouth when he saw Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. Eventually, thest ray of the sun sank down the horizon, like a dying man taking hisst breath. The old vi¡¯s shadow stretched down the horizon. The middle-aged man walked into the vi. Jiang Cheng moved around 2 meters behind him. Fatty jogged to keep up with the Doctor. The vi looked abandoned. As they walked in, they saw many workers still cleaning up the ce. The group came to the real leather couch and sat down. Before them was a clean marble table. It reflected the cups of water ced on it. Jiang Cheng reached out to pick up one. The temperature from his fingers was just right. He took a small sip. He then held the cup instead of setting it down. The warmth from the cup chased away the chill he experienced earlier. ¡°It looks like this is the ce.¡± He looked up. The middle-aged man didn¡¯t say anything. His aura was imposing. Eventually, he nodded. ¡°Yes. You can start preparing after dinner.¡±¡°Do¡­ you n to enter the nightmare here?¡± Fatty finally reacted. These people worked so hard to turn this ce into a fortress because they wanted to turn this ce into a base. ¡°Not me.¡± The middle-aged man turned to Fatty, ¡°Just you.¡± Even though the Doctor had already stressed that he¡¯d join him in the mission, when the middle-aged man said it, Fatty confirmed it. After all, it looked like the Doctor was also under the middle-aged man¡¯s control. Fatty knew that the Doctor was holding a ball of fire. After they were in the nightmare mission, Xia Meng wouldn¡¯t have a good time. ¡°You have the clue newspapers,¡± Jiang Cheng said calmly. Even though Xia Meng was close to him, his attention was on the middle-aged man. After all, he was the only source of danger. ¡°Yes.¡± The man nodded. This was not hard to guess. The newspapers could open the corresponding door. Jiang Cheng experienced that during the school mission. Back then, he had just experienced his first mission. The frequency with which he tackled the mission almost killed him. He didn¡¯t request to check the newspapers. After all, he was not going alone. The precious Xia Meng was going with him. Based on the middle-aged man¡¯s personality, if Xia Meng perished in the mission and he survived, he probably wouldn¡¯t survive in the real world. After a simple dinner, the middle-aged man led Jiang Cheng, Fatty and Xia Meng to arge room on the second floor. The vi had three floors. So far, only the first floor had people milling about. They had a simple meeting. They listened to middle-aged man catching them up on the things they needed to pay attention to in the mission. Regretfully, the middle-aged man only mentioned a little bit about Deep Red, that Jiang Cheng cared the most about. He only said that Deep Red would intervene in this mission, but the depth of infiltration, the members and so on were all unknown. The middle-aged man nced at his watch. ¡°It is 10 pm now. Half an hourter, I¡¯ll start to clear out this vi. Everyone, including me, will leave.¡± Before he left, the middle-aged man nced at Xia Meng, who was purposely avoiding him. He sighed and extended his hands. Fatty watched in confusion, not knowing what they were doing. A few secondster, Xia Meng unwillingly took out a piece of newspaper from her bra. The middle-aged man epted it and handed it to Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng epted it without hesitation. ¡°Do take care of her.¡± The man nodded. Jiang Cheng stared at him and said, ¡°I hope you will still abide by our promise when we return.¡± The middle-aged man looked at Xia Meng before he left. After the wooden doors closed, only Jiang Cheng, Fatty and Xia Meng remained. Different from what Fatty anticipated, Xia Meng didn¡¯t look as arrogant as before. She sat on thergest bed in the room. She red at Jiang Cheng and the newspapers he held. ¡°Doctor,¡± Fatty slunk over. He stared at the newspaper, ¡°Is this thing fake? Why is it so easy?¡± He kept shooting nces at Xia Meng. He wanted to know why she didn¡¯t keep the newspaper and gave it to them. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t worry as much as Fatty did. He left Fatty and came to Xia Meng. He tilted his head and narrowed his head. With a scious smile, he ced the newspapers next to his face. ¡°It¡¯s still warm.¡± Chapter 257: Transmigration Chapter 257: Transmigration After a short but intense resistance, Jiang Chengid on the bed honestly. However, he didn¡¯t take therge bed, only the small one. Fatty was lucky enough to be given the big bed, but heid along the edge. Xia Meng slept at the centre of the big bed. The trio had a harmonious time. As the time ticked by, Fatty, who didn¡¯t n to fall asleep, started to feel sleepy. Then, he couldn¡¯t remember anything after that. He sat up in bed. The light grey mist enveloped him. He memorised the location of all the furnitures in the room but currently, only their silhouettes remained. The scariest thing was he was alone. The Doctor and Xia Meng were gone. He left the bed like a zombie. He opened the door and walked down the European-style stairs. His steps were unusually clear. He took onest turn and looked up. There was a ck door on the wall before him. He stumbled towards it. When he opened his eyes again, the light around him was blinding. It took him some time to get used to the view. He believed he was in some kind of inn. Not a modern hotel, but¡­ the inn from wuxia films. He was lying on the wooden bed with carving. The pillow was made with wood. It was high on both ends. There was a soft cushion in the middle. Everything around him looked ssical. A small and squat wooden table was not far from him. A few dark colored chairs were ced around it. There was a teapot with a sharp spout on the table. Around the teapot were several old teacups. The door was the wooden door used in period pieces. The upper part was covered in ayer of paper, the kind you could poke through with some force. There was a rack behind the door. A yellowed bronze mirror hung on the top. On the bottom of the rack was a small basin with water. It was probably for the guest to wash themselves. He looked to the side and noticed a clothes rack. There were some towels hanging from him. The towels were frayed. In conclusion, this was a well-constructed wuxia-themed hotel. At least from Fatty¡¯s perspective, nothing looked out of pl¡­ We are unable to load the verification. Please unblock any scripts or login to continue reading. Verify below to continue readinglogin to continue reading. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!