Translator: Cinder Translations
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Jiang Cheng looked at him and said in a slow, steady tone, "I hope you understand, I'm saving you. Nightmares only have a beginning, no end, and the people here..." He smiled meaningfully, "They all have some peculiarities."
"Miss Chen is interested in you," he suddenly said.
Chen Qiang widened his eyes in confusion.
"Your skin," Jiang Cheng said, raising an eyebrow toward the human skin drum. After giving Chen Qiang a knowing look, he turned and entered the door.
Realizing what had been said, the fear in Chen Qiang's eyes nearly became palpable, but when he wanted to ask more, Jiang Cheng had already left.
The door began to shimmer, and the humming sound grew increasingly shrill.
It was about to collapse.
There was no more time for hesitation. Chen Qiang followed the example of those who had disappeared earlier and rushed through the door.
"Thud."
"Thud."
"Thud."
Slowly opening his eyes, Jiang Cheng saw nothing but darkness above. It wasn't total darkness, but rather a faint, lingering glow.
He could see the ceiling, but it was blurry.
He heard the ticking of a clock's hands and... breathing.
Very close.
Right next to him.
Turning his head, it was indeed the big face of the Fatty.
"Doctor," Fatty said with an excited expression, "You're awake!"
Frowning slightly, Jiang Cheng tried to move his body, then sat up. He didn't understand why Fatty was so excited.
Was it because something happened to An Xuan? It wasn't him.
After a moment, Fatty seemed to realize something, and angrily said, "I just came out, and then Xia Meng told me this instance has restrictions, only two people can survive."
"She also said that anyone left behind will be specifically killed by ghosts." Fatty quickly shivered as he recalled the situation, saying, "I think with your mouth, Doctor, your tongue might be ripped out."
Jiang Cheng moved his neck and lazily glanced at Fatty, feeling that recently, Fatty always had something to say between the lines, but he hadn't caught any concrete evidence.
"Where's Xia Meng?" Jiang Cheng asked.
Fatty turned his gaze, and in the corner, there was a blurry figure sitting and looking at them.
The moment Jiang Cheng noticed the figure, he immediately rushed over.
"Meng Meng!" Jiang Cheng leaned affectionately toward her, grabbing Xia Meng's arm and lifting her up. "Are you okay? I was so worried!"
Xia Meng had been deep in thought when Jiang Cheng suddenly rushed over, interrupting her train of thought.
"Don't touch me!" Xia Meng growled, trying to push him away.
Jiang Cheng clingily stuck to her, rubbing against her as he said, "That night in the nightmare, you didn't say that." He looked at her with starry eyes, emotionally saying, "You pulled on my belt, called me 'little cutie,' and said you'd take care of me for the rest of my life. Were you lying to me?"
Fatty stared as Jiang Cheng stuck to Xia Meng, and they spun around the room looking for something.
"Heh." Xia Meng scoffed, "Do you think by taking me hostage, we'll be helpless against you?"
"What are you saying, Meng Meng?" Jiang Cheng scanned the room but couldn't find anyone lying in ambush.
He tightened his grip on Xia Meng's arm, ensuring she couldn't escape, while his eyes roamed the room. In his other hand, he gripped a steel pen.
The metal pen cap had been removed, and the sharp silver tip faintly reflected light in the darkness.
"Do you still not know how I feel about you?" Jiang Cheng turned his head and said with a pitiful tone.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Knock.
Knock.
Two clean knocks, without delay.
Jiang Cheng tightened his grip on Xia Meng, angrily. Xia Meng raised her leg and kicked Jiang Cheng sideways, but he quickly dodged and even took the opportunity to grope her.
"If you try that again, you might not know where I'll touch." Jiang Cheng said with a grin.
Xia Meng's leg froze for a moment.
At that moment, Fatty rushed over, and the two of them trapped Xia Meng in the middle.
Jiang Cheng shifted his gaze to the door and casually asked, "Who is it?"
A moment later, the three of them sat on the sofa downstairs. As usual, Xia Meng sat unwillingly in the middle, with Jiang Cheng on the left and Fatty on the right.
Fatty kept a vigilant eye, looking around.
Across from them sat a young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, rubbing his eyes, with a helpless expression. "Actually, you don't need to do this," he said, looking into Jiang Cheng's eyes. "Mr. Gong already gave instructions before leaving, you can leave safely."
After a pause, he added, "Anytime."
"Actually, I'm fine," Jiang Cheng turned to look at Xia Meng, his gaze suddenly softening. Xia Meng immediately had an ominous feeling.
"The main reason is that Meng Meng can't bear to leave me!" Jiang Cheng said with a sing-song tone, "She has to personally send me home, watch me lie in bed, only then will she feel at ease."
Half an hour later, a black sedan left the villa, followed by a black nanny car.
After hitting the highway, they sped toward the city.
Knock.
Knock.
After two knocks, the door opened, and a respectful person walked into the room, slightly bowing, and said to the man standing by the window, "Mr. Gong, they've left."
"As you said, they took the young lady hostage." He paused, a glint passing through his eyes. "They used the pen we left behind."
After a long pause—
"Did you make contact with those people?" A deep male voice echoed. The young man with glasses subconsciously shrank down.
"They contacted us," the young man said respectfully. "The people they sent suffered losses. Two people, only one came back."
"What do we know about the enemy?"
The young man hesitated and adjusted his glasses. "Mr. Gong, the time was too short. They're still investigating."
Noticing the slight change in the middle-aged man's demeanor, the young man quickly added, "But one thing has been confirmed: they are not formal members of Deep Crimson. They're just their fanatic worshippers."
"From the results, they seem to have some potential, but fortunately, they haven't been corrupted by them, or else..." He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.
What he needed to do was compile the information.
As for analyzing it and drawing conclusions, that wasn't his concern.
After he left, only the middle-aged man remained in the large room.
Standing by the window, the vast night outside seemed like a pool of stagnant water.
Silent, lifeless.
Gradually, his tower-like body trembled, his breathing grew heavier, and his labored gasps sounded like a wild beast out of control.
Turning his head, a grotesque face appeared in the reflection of the glass. High cheekbones, thin blood vessels climbing around the eyes, and blue veins on the forehead like dragons.
"Is it... coming again?"
(End of the Chapter)
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