Translator: Cinder Translations
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After staying in the room for a short while, Xia Meng said she wanted to go check the painting. The task was nearing its end, and there might be new clues on it.
"Aren't you going to take a look?" Xia Meng gave the others a playful glance, seemingly implying, "Aren't you afraid I'll take all the clues for myself?"
Jiang Cheng couldn't be bothered to respond to her. The doctor remained unresponsive, and the already downcast Fatty didn't say anything either.
"Miss Chen, I'll accompany you," Chen Qiang volunteered.
Xia Meng gave him a longer look before nodding, "Alright."
After they left, the Fatty turned his head and asked Jiang Cheng, "Doctor, what you said about dealing with Steward Zhou and the others, is it true?"
"Based on the clues we have so far, it should be," Jiang Cheng answered.
The Fatty nodded, then let out a long sigh, looking up at Jiang Cheng, "Doctor, you don't have to worry about me. You should go check out that painting. This task is almost over, and if there are any real clues on it, I'm more concerned about Xia Meng and the others."
"Don't worry," Jiang Cheng said, "No matter what, they will have to deal with Steward Zhou's group. Without us, they wouldn't be able to manage."
At this point, Jiang Cheng clearly paused, his gaze lingering on the Fatty for a moment before subtly shifting away.
The Fatty didn't notice, his mind still preoccupied with the thought of seeking justice for the little beggar, as well as the face of the burly man with the black face holding the stick.
"Doctor," the Fatty suddenly spoke, as though thinking of something, he first glanced at the door and the windows before lowering his voice to ask, "You Qi was killed by An Xuan, right?"
"Mm." Jiang Cheng nodded, standing up to pour a glass of water for the Fatty. After handing it over, he continued, "I've examined You Qi's wounds. He was tortured to death. There are blood splatters below An Xuan's earlobe, which suggests he was wearing another layer of clothes over his costume when he killed You Qi, and afterward, he cleaned his face."
"But the timing was tight, so he missed a detail. He didn't notice the blood near his ear." The Fatty continued Jiang Cheng's line of thought.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng shook his head.
The Fatty looked at him in surprise.
"It's not that he didn't care," Jiang Cheng said, "He doesn't care whether we realize he killed You Qi. He just wanted You Qi dead. As long as it wasn't too messy, no one would expose him. After all, that would only bring trouble to himself."
After a moment of thought, the Fatty's expression changed. He looked up at Jiang Cheng, his mouth opening, but was interrupted by Jiang Cheng.
"You were going to say that, according to the rules, the dead You Qi would turn into a ghost and come back for revenge, right?" Jiang Cheng calmly asked.
The Fatty swallowed hard. He had seen similar scenes in past instances. The ghosts resembling dead teammates left a deep impression on him.
Their desire for revenge was even stronger than the ghosts in the main instance.
It was precisely because of this mechanism in the nightmare world that ensured, under normal circumstances, the intensity of player confrontations wouldn't exceed a critical limit.
"And tonight, it's not just You Qi who will come back for revenge, but a female ghost as well," Jiang Cheng looked at the Fatty and said, "When he killed You Qi, he likely took off his costume to avoid getting blood on it. Perhaps... he even completely removed the costume."
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath, "But whatever he did, he triggered a taboo in the task. So tonight, he's not just facing You Qi but the female ghost as well."
"He's targeted by two ghosts!" The Fatty felt a shiver down his spine, thinking that this man must be crazy. He stared at Jiang Cheng and asked, "Doesn't that mean he's doomed tonight?"
"Either way, tonight, the task ends," Jiang Cheng looked out the window where the sky had turned almost completely dark. He poured himself a cup of tea, took a small sip, and said, "We just have to wait."
"For him, the dawn will never come." After a pause, Jiang Cheng suddenly added.
Footsteps were heard outside the door. Since there was a small gap, Xia Meng, who had just arrived, walked to the door. The Fatty and Jiang Cheng both silently fell silent in tacit understanding.
"I suggest you take a look," Xia Meng said as she entered.
Chen Qiang followed closely behind and said, "Mr. Hao." He paused, then, with an odd look, added, "The painting..."
He glanced at the Fatty but didn't finish his sentence.
Jiang Cheng immediately stood up, instructed Xia Meng to stay with the Fatty, and took Chen Qiang to check the painting. Chen Qiang didn't refuse.
However, the Fatty couldn't shake the feeling that the way Chen Qiang and even Xia Meng were looking at him felt a bit strange.
Also, when he had asked to go with the doctor, Jiang Cheng had directly refused and left with Chen Qiang instead.
"What's wrong with that painting?" The Fatty asked Xia Meng, turning to her.
"Nothing." Xia Meng looked away, casually replying, "Wait for them to come back, and you can ask them yourself."
As the night fell, the Fatty's uneasy feeling grew stronger. Just as he was about to go find the doctor, the door opened. Jiang Cheng and Chen Qiang came back, walking briskly.
"Why were you gone for so long?" the Fatty asked with concern.
Jiang Cheng walked over to the table to sit down and replied, "There were a lot of clues in the painting, so we went through them one by one."
"Did you find anything?"
"Pretty much what we expected," Jiang Cheng replied calmly. "We should be able to finish the task tonight."
"Really?"
"Mm."
A spark lit up in the Fatty's eyes. Along with that spark, there was a growing anger deep within him. The doctor had said they would settle things with Steward Zhou's group in the end.
Chen Qiang glanced at the Fatty, then his gaze lingered on Jiang Cheng's side profile for a moment.
He didn't understand what the man, claiming to be Hao Shuai, was really thinking.
The painting had clearly shown the Fatty.
Even more frighteningly, the Fatty in the painting had a dark expression, and it was obvious that he wasn't alive. The chilling aura was so palpable that one could feel it through the painting.
When he first went with Xia Meng, he even briefly thought that the Fatty had already been killed by a ghost, and the one in the room was the ghost!
Just like when they had disguised themselves as Master Liao Zhi.
Not only the Fatty, but the painting also featured a maid dressed in traditional attire, probably in her teens. She was very cute.
The maid stood next to the Fatty, leaning toward him, holding a plate with a red-covered item on it.
It seemed like she was about to hand it over to him.
The object under the red cloth appeared somewhat round, about the size of a basketball. Chen Qiang took a deep breath, feeling that he had already guessed what was inside.
It was a human head.
(End of the Chapter)
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