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 fireplace. 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 you come down? He glanced 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 explained 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 was comparatively 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 hours later.
Perhaps Man Li was already used to this. He lay down not on the couch but beside the fireplace. 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 place?
Do you mean they have completed the mission? Man Lis face darkened, but he still answered, Its improbable but not impossible.
Fatty cut in, But how does that explain the ghost we encountered last 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 and completed 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 black 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 bit complicated.
Okay. Jiang Cheng raised his head to say, Well assume Sister Nuan and Chen Xiaomeng have already escaped this place successfully. Well need to figure out how they did that.
Fatty stuttered and asked, But how come 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.
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