Translator: Cinder Translations
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"By the way, doctor," the Fatty asked, "How did Chen Xia Meng find us?" He then squinted and cautiously asked, "It's not that Pi Ruan sold you out, right?"
"No."
Jiang Cheng briefly explained the situation, and it wasn't too complicated. From the looks of it, the Fatty seemed to have understood.
"Then the background behind Chen Xia Meng is pretty terrifying," the Fatty said with a worried face, "If I had known this earlier, we shouldn't have scared her in that nightmare mission. Now she's brought her brothers to take revenge."
"Don't you find it strange?" Jiang Cheng gave him a strange look, causing the Fatty to tense up. "If they just wanted to get rid of me, it wouldn't be such a hassle. I suspect Chen Xia Meng and the others have something else in mind."
"Doctor," the Fatty interrupted, his neck stiff, "If you're about to say that Chen Xia Meng likes you or something, I suggest you shut up."
"I saw the situation earlier," he continued. "If it weren't for your advantage as an orphan, she might have even dug up your ancestors' graves."
"Tsk," Jiang Cheng immediately became displeased.
"Creek—"
Before Jiang Cheng could argue, the door behind him creaked open. It seemed the door hinge was malfunctioning, as it let out a long, dying sound when it opened, which was somewhat grating.
The dying sunset streamed through the door, casting a long shadow of the person entering.
"Clack, clack, clack."
The sound of polished leather shoes tapping crisply ended as the person confidently sat down on the sofa. The Fatty stared at the visitor, his mouth hanging open as if a golf ball could fit inside.
"Continue," the middle-aged man with a scar on his lip gently sipped from his water cup, set it down, and calmly said, "I can wait."
It was the middle-aged man brought by Chen Xia Meng.
A wave of panic flashed in the Fatty's eyes. He had seen this man being taken away by the police, and not long ago, Jiang Cheng had just been released. How could he be here so quickly...
The next second, he immediately glanced at the door again. Fortunately, no one else had appeared yet.
Chen Xia Meng and the other young people were nowhere to be seen.
Unlike the Fatty's panicked state, Jiang Cheng didn't seem particularly surprised. He looked at the composed middle-aged man and asked, "Where's Xia Meng?"
"She didn't come," the middle-aged man answered. "I locked her in the car; otherwise, things would be much worse right now."
The middle-aged man stared into Jiang Cheng's eyes, then after a moment, asked, "You don't seem that surprised?"
"I am. You arrived earlier than I expected," Jiang Cheng replied.
"Really?" The middle-aged man smiled.
He smiled, and the Fatty's skin crawled. The middle-aged man's face was stiff and stern, and when he smiled, the scar on his chin pulled, making him appear rather terrifying.
"What exactly do you want from me?" Jiang Cheng casually picked up the scattered documents on the floor, dusted them off, and put them back in place.
"After a while, we'll enter the nightmare to complete a mission," the middle-aged man said succinctly. "We need someone like you."
"What's in it for me?" Jiang Cheng retorted.
The middle-aged man set down his cup. A subtle shift in emotion flashed across his chiselled face. "Once you're out, I can tell you more about the nightmare."
"If you're so capable, why don't you do it yourself?" While Jiang Cheng was indeed eager for information about the nightmare, he couldn't afford to lose momentum.
"Too many people know my face," the middle-aged man replied straightforwardly. He stood tall, straight as a spear, his posture sharp. After a pause, he looked up and examined Jiang Cheng. "You're a smart person. You know how to assess the situation. In the police station just now, you knew what to say and what not to say. Your skills are just barely sufficient."
Jiang Cheng folded his arms and leaned slightly against the desk, squinting. Finally, he smiled and said, "Looks like you've got someone else after you too."
The middle-aged man remained silent.
"Who are they?"
At these words, the middle-aged man leaned back on the sofa. The last rays of the sunset faded away, and the room, without the lights on, sank into dimness.
This atmosphere made the Fatty feel nervous, as if something significant was about to happen.
"Have you heard of... Deep Crimson?" The middle-aged man's tone suddenly turned cold.
Jiang Cheng's mind flashed with fragmented images when the words "Deep Crimson" were spoken. It was as if a door made of mirrors shattered in his mind.
However, this sensation lasted only for a moment, and after a brief pause, it dissipated like mist.
"No," Jiang Cheng steadied himself and answered.
"Ha—" The middle-aged man exhaled. He hadn't seen anything suspicious in Jiang Cheng's gaze, which was exactly what he feared.
"Those people are all lunatics."
The middle-aged man's eyes grew distant, as if recalling something from long ago.
"There's never a shortage of lunatics in the nightmare," Jiang Cheng observed the middle-aged man and after a moment said, "Only lunatics can survive the missions. They're driven mad by the nightmare."
The middle-aged man shook his head. "It's different."
"You mentioned them. It seems Deep Crimson is an organization," Jiang Cheng said. "It has many members, and this Deep Crimson organization is your enemy."
"I'm not sure how to explain it to you, but the word 'organization'... is too specific," the middle-aged man raised his gaze, locking eyes with Jiang Cheng, neither of them avoiding the other's stare. "In my understanding, Deep Crimson is more like a will. Its members are drawn in by this will."
"Will?"
"They are the product of all negative wills intertwining. For those trapped in the nightmare, Deep Crimson represents despair."
"Encountering them means death," Jiang Cheng frowned. "Is that how it is?"
"That would be the best outcome," the middle-aged man sighed. "Some people are hunted by them in the nightmare," he paused, seemingly thinking of something, then lowered his voice to a near whisper. "In ways you can't imagine."
(End of the Chapter)
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