Translator: CinderTL
The night deepened.
In the studio, Jiang Cheng sat alone in front of the computer, his fingers resting on the keyboard, occasionally tapping a key.
The screen was filled with names.
People who had recently gone missing in the city.
At a glance, there were dozens.
For a small, unprosperous city like this, it was a terrifying number.
Moreover, Jiang Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly. He suspected this was only a portion of the missing.
Some names, for various reasons, had not been registered.
This was no ordinary criminal case or simple disappearance.
Like his past self, they had walked through the Gate that only appears in dreams, but unlike him, they had lost themselves in the Nightmare and never returned.
He was accustomed to describing these missing people as "lost."
Not "dead."
Because it sounded warmer.
A strange reason.
But he found it fitting.
Tonight, the rain outside was heavy, pattering down as if the sky had been punctured, pouring down without end.
He had deliberately left the window open.
This way, he could clearly feel the intensity of the rain outside.
He had given Fatty the thick work coat. While it couldn't completely shield him from the wind and rain, it would at least allow him to find a hotel to stay in.
Fatty had money in his pocket.
He hoped Fatty wouldn't be stingy at a time like this.
Shifting his gaze from the rain outside, Jiang Cheng extended his hand, looking at the pattern of the Gate that had appeared on his left hand. A sinister aura began to spread around him.
It was as if something in the darkness was stirring.
This Gate didn't feel like it had simply appeared on his hand, nor did it feel like it had been drawn there. It was as if it had grown into his body, becoming one with him.
He wasn't sure how to understand this Gate or how to describe it. But the anomaly on his body reminded him of someone.
That middle-aged man by Xia Meng's side.
He had once told him.
The Nightmare is the projection of real history in the shadows. This twisted history has been stripped of light and beauty, leaving only regret, bloodshed, cruelty, and all sorts of negative emotions. And the Ghosts that kill are the products born from this Nightmare.
Every twisted history is an independent Nightmare, and every Nightmare gives birth to its corresponding Ghost.
That man had looked into his eyes and told him that these Ghosts... were the greatest benefit.
He still remembered the look in that man's eyes when he said those words.
Staring at the Gate on his hand, Jiang Cheng felt that the man hadn't been specific enough.
What he truly wanted to convey was this Gate on his hand.
And what lay beyond it.
In the dimly lit room, Jiang Cheng listened to the two distinctly different heartbeats coming from within his body. He knew that from this moment on.
Everything was different.
He, too, had been eroded by something.
That thing was inside him.
Quietly lying in wait.
Waiting for the moment to burst forth.
He could even feel that malicious gaze.
Because it felt familiar.
"Finally followed me out, huh..." Letting out a breath, Jiang Cheng leaned back in his chair, appearing relaxed, but the muscles beneath his clothes were tense.
"Wu?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he sensed a response from the entity within him. Another heartbeat, not his own, grew faster and clearer.
Eventually, it even overshadowed Jiang Cheng's own heartbeat.
Unclear if it was an illusion, he faintly heard a burst of laughter.
Not too loud, not too soft, as if it came from hell.
"Tap."
"Tap."
"Tap."
Footsteps echoed from the staircase, steady yet dragging, as if someone was shuffling down in slippers.
"Still not sleeping?" A gentle voice, like rippling spring water, caused Jiang Cheng to zone out for a moment before snapping back to reality.
The chill that had spread from the depths of his heart quickly dissipated.
The timing wasn't right yet.
The entity within him seemed unwilling to reveal itself.
Shifting his gaze to the staircase, he saw a graceful woman standing there.
She had changed into a wine-red nightgown, draped casually over her body, exuding an air of laziness.
Like a precious cat.
Lin Wan'er.
Also Jiang Cheng's boss.
Tonight, she had decided to stay, citing the heavy rain outside and her concern about driving alone and encountering danger.
A rather unconvincing reason. Jiang Cheng knew he couldn't gain any advantage over this woman, after all, everything he knew was taught by her.
How could such a woman ever be in danger? Even if she encountered those reckless individuals, it would be them who were in peril.
"Why aren't you sleeping yet?" Rubbing his temples, Jiang Cheng asked.
Too many things had happened recently, each filled with strangeness and conspiracy, leaving him overwhelmed. Now that Lin Wan'er mentioned it, he indeed felt tired.
Lin Wan'er looked at him, leaning one shoulder against the wall, the aura of a seductress spreading like the most lethal poison, "I can't sleep alone."
Jiang Cheng helplessly rubbed his face, seemingly trying to reawaken some spirit, and after a while, said, "Can you not be like this?"
Walking to the sofa, Lin Wan'er sat down, one leg lightly resting on the other, still glowing white even in such dim light.
But Jiang Cheng, as if accustomed to it, showed no interest.
He absentmindedly tapped on the keyboard in front of him, producing a "tap tap tap" sound.
"Actually... you'd better go back to sleep," Jiang Cheng exhaled and said, "I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me."
Lin Wan'er's leg swayed gently, her beautiful eyes slightly narrowed, as if waiting for Jiang Cheng's next words.
Compelled, Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and assured, "Even if I get sick, I'll keep working, I won't delay making money for you."
"Really?"
"Really!"
"Then why don't the recent accounts add up?" Lin Wan'er's lips curled, a beautiful light appearing in her eyes, "When you hosted Nan Jin and the others, you took a 9 thousand cut from the bar, but you didn't record it, at least... I didn't see it."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng cursed the bar owner in his heart for being dishonorable. They had agreed before, but he turned around and sold him out.
Next time he went, he must compile the bar owner's romantic affairs into stories, one a day, and tell them to his wife.
Extending a finger, Lin Wan'er gently tapped the armrest of the sofa with her fingertip. She didn't show any signs of impatience, but Jiang Cheng felt immense pressure.
"You gave it to Wang Fugui," Lin Wan'er's voice was calm, and the usual coquettishness in her tone was gone. Few people had seen this side of her.
But Jiang Cheng was an exception.
After all, he had been by her side all along, and some intrinsic qualities couldn't be hidden.
(End of the Chapter)
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