Translator: Cinder Translations
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The middle-aged man turned his head to look at the burly man, not expecting to be met with a fierce glare in return. The situation ended in a slightly awkward atmosphere.
The burly man stood up and said it was too late to chat. He would take the first watch and urged everyone to rest early.
He was on watch from 10 PM to midnight, leaving 6 hours remaining.
After some discussion, Jiang Cheng would take the watch from midnight to 2 AM, the middle-aged man from 2 to 4 AM, and the fat man from 4 to 6 AM.
The burly man moved a thick mat and sat around the fireplace to warm himself, the flames casting flickering shadows on his face.
Jiang Cheng lay on the sofa next to the fat man, while the middle-aged man was a bit farther away at the other end of the living room.
"Brother," the fat man leaned over and whispered, "Are you asleep?"
Jiang Cheng turned over, presenting him with his back.
During the two hours the burly man was on watch, Jiang Cheng remained alert, and thankfully, nothing happened apart from the sound of burning wood.
When the time was up, the burly man approached and nudged Jiang Cheng, who "woke" up.
"Stay sharp during your watch. If anything happens, shout to wake us," the burly man said, sounding somewhat uneasy. "Things are most likely to happen late at night."
"What things?" Jiang Cheng asked as he sat up.
The burly man's expression darkened, but he lowered his voice. "Supernatural events."
After their brief exchange, the burly man lay down on the sofa Jiang Cheng had occupied, while Jiang Cheng moved to sit by the fireplace, taking on the responsibility of keeping watch.
The surroundings were silent, with only the fat man's occasional snoring breaking the stillness.
The middle-aged man and the burly man both had their eyes closed, as if sleeping, but Jiang Cheng suspected they were actually awake, just like he had been.
Two hours passed quickly. Jiang Cheng walked to the other side of the living room and woke the middle-aged man.
There was no extra conversation between them. Jiang Cheng went back to sleep, and the middle-aged man took a few sips from a bottle of mineral water before heading to the fireplace.
He added more wood to the fire and then sat cross-legged in front of it, holding a pocket watch.
The middle-aged man's experience wasn't as rich as that of the burly man or the woman, but he had narrowly escaped death during a previous mission, so he understood very well what the burly man meant by supernatural events.
He knew all too well how terrifying they could be.
Just as Jiang Cheng had suspected, since the burly man began his watch, the middle-aged man had not slept, remaining alert to the possibility of something bad happening.
An hour and a half passed without incident.
During that time, he added wood to the fire again. The flames burned brightly, warming the middle-aged man and seemingly dispelling the chill in his heart.
With two hours nearly up, he stood slowly and turned to glance at the window.
Through the gap in the curtains, it seemed the outside world was getting a bit brighter.
Those trapped in nightmares stubbornly resist the darkness and are particularly fond of the day.
The middle-aged man was no exception.
Just as he was stretching his limbs to wake up the next watchman, the sudden urge to urinate overwhelmed him, catching him off guard.
He stared at the mineral water bottle in his hand. Had he drunk too much?
The thought that dawn was approaching eased his mind considerably. He turned around; the bathroom was in the corner of the living room, not too far away.
Adjusting his glasses, he prepared to wake the fat man first.
But as he turned his head, he noticed the fat man was already up.
And, without him realizing when, the fat man had come over to his side.
Quite alert, the middle-aged man muttered to himself, then waved his hand to signal to the fat man before heading toward the bathroom in the corner.
Cautiously opening the door, he carefully let the water flow. The bathroom door was wide open, after all, the living room was full of men.
After finishing, the middle-aged man felt relaxed, shaking off some tension.
To be honest, after a whole day of toil and having not slept for six hours, his stamina and energy were starting to wane—he wasn't in his twenties anymore.
Looking at his weary reflection in the mirror, he sighed, took off his glasses, and turned on the tap, splashing cold water on his face. The icy water was shocking, but it felt refreshing.
Just as he was about to wash his face a second time, he caught a glimpse in the mirror and suddenly noticed that someone was standing behind him, slightly to the right, near the door.
The newcomer was silent; there was no sound of footsteps.
"Who?!"
The shock lasted less than a second before the middle-aged man calmed down again. Although he couldn't see the person clearly without his glasses, the stout figure gave away their identity.
"It's me."
Hearing the voice of the fat man, the middle-aged man relaxed completely but then said unhappily, "Next time, say something before you appear behind me."
He wiped his face with his sleeve, put on his glasses, and turned around while shaking the water off his hands.
But just as he fully turned around, a chill ran from his head to his toes, as if his veins were filled with ice.
There was no one behind him.
Where did the fat man go?!
He felt his eyes redden almost instantly and reflexively wanted to look back at the mirror, but he didn't, feeling a heaviness on his shoulder.
Like a pair of hands had rested there.
The sky was brightening.
The three people sleeping in the second-floor room, like those in the living room, had left one person to keep watch.
The male office worker huddled in the corner of the bedroom was just about to yawn when a scream like that of a pig being slaughtered interrupted him, causing him to shudder and nearly fall off his chair.
The woman and girl sleeping in the bed were also startled awake by the scream.
After exchanging glances, they rushed downstairs.
Jiang Cheng and the strong man surrounded the fat man, who was sitting on the floor, pale with fear. It was clear who the pig-like scream had come from.
The three of them focused their gazes on the corner bathroom.
Filled with terror, unease, and confusion.
The woman with a mole by her lips looked around, not finding the middle-aged man, and her heart began to prepare for the worst.
She shook off the girl's hand and walked alone toward the bathroom.
The bathroom door was open, and she quickly glanced inside.
Even someone as seasoned as she was taken aback.
The middle-aged man stood straight in front of the mirror, facing the door with his back to the mirror, but his head was twisted 180 degrees, looking back toward the mirror.
Through the reflection, one could see his eyes wide open, nearly popping out of their sockets.
Once she calmed down, the woman cautiously approached the middle-aged man, followed by the strong man.
After observing for a few seconds, Jiang Cheng also stepped forward, standing outside the bathroom door and looking inside.
The woman moved her hand away from the middle-aged man's neck and said after a moment, "He had his neck suddenly broken by a great force."
This was obvious, and no one disagreed.
"He was also severely frightened before death," the strong man added, staring at the middle-aged man's bulging eyes.
(End of chapter)
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