Translator: Cinder Translations
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Opposite to the school stood a row of two-or three-story buildings.
Just like around any typical school, there were restaurants, internet cafes, stationery stores, and such.
The internet café was doing quite well, while the woman standing in front of the stationery store looked like she was about to collapse from misery.
Jiang Cheng walked up to the entrance of a café, paused for a few seconds, and then pushed the door open and went inside.
There was hardly anyone on the first floor. He found the stairs and went up to the second floor, then continued straight to the third.
Upon arriving, he saw that the seats by the window were filled with people.
There were about seven or eight, and at that moment, all eyes were on Jiang Cheng's face.
"Brother!" A fatty squeezed into the corner looked at Jiang Cheng with tears in his eyes. "It's so great to see you here!"
Jiang Cheng hadn't expected to see the fatty here, but after giving him a glance, he quickly looked away.
The people in front of him seemed to be his teammates for this mission.
There were more people than last time.
This time, including Jiang Cheng, there were nine in total.
"Hello," a man in a white suit stood up, smiling as he greeted Jiang Cheng. "You're really impressive, finding this place all on your own."
Indeed, Jiang Cheng hadn't chosen this café randomly.
Most of the buildings around here were low-rise, so this place offered the best view, not to mention that the third floor had large glass windows, providing a clear view of the school across the way.
Jiang Cheng glanced at the school outside the window and slowly turned his head back. "Is the mission location at this school?"
"It seems so," the man in the suit shrugged. "I've already asked the staff here, and it's not an ordinary school; it's an art academy."
Just as the man in the suit was about to say more, a loud, furious roar suddenly echoed in their ears. "Where is this? Who are you people? I'm calling the police!!"
Jiang Cheng turned his head and saw a middle-aged man in a tank top yelling angrily. He was clearly agitated, probably his first time entering the nightmare world.
"We've already explained everything to you, whether you accept it or not is your problem." A young man in a baseball cap, lounging on the sofa, squinted at the middle-aged man, and then grinned suddenly. "I'm not your father, so I'm not responsible for whether you live or die."
"I'm calling the police! The police!" The middle-aged man's face was twisted with anger, but one glance from Jiang Cheng told him that this was just fear.
The middle-aged man had probably realized that this world was different from the real one, but he was instinctively rejecting the truth.
Otherwise, he could have just left, instead of staying here.
There were three recognized newcomers this time. Besides the middle-aged man in the tank top, there was one man and one woman.
The woman wore a cute dinosaur onesie, complete with a short tail trailing behind her. Her face was deathly pale, and she looked like she might faint at any moment.
The man was in slightly better condition than the woman, but according to the fatty, when he first arrived, he was worse than the middle-aged man. Not only did he aggressively question everyone, but he also flipped over a table in the café.
"Alright," the man in the suit stepped forward, speaking naturally. "Shall we go check out the school?"
"Is the school definitely the mission location?" This time, it was a woman in a cheongsam who spoke. Her light smoky makeup had an old-fashioned charm, and though she had a great figure, her face was rather ordinary.
"Not necessarily," the man in the suit smiled at her. "But it's worth a try; we all know that we won't encounter those things until we reach the actual mission location."
At the mention of "those things," everyone's expressions grew more serious, and no one spoke again.
The group walked out of the café, even the hysterical middle-aged man following silently at the back of the group.
Taking advantage of the moment, the fatty squeezed over to Jiang Cheng and whispered, "Doc, I nearly died when I didn't see you here earlier."
Jiang Cheng had no patience for his nonsense and asked directly, "How did you find this café?"
Surprisingly, the fatty licked his lips, looking a bit embarrassed. "I didn't find it. I was born here. I opened my eyes and was standing right on the third-floor table, facing the school."
Jiang Cheng shot him a sidelong glance, staying silent for a moment before continuing, "What about the others?"
"They arrived after me."
"Did they also spawn in the café?"
"Not all of them," the fatty shook his head, then nodded towards the man in the white suit at the front of the group, who was comforting the girl in the dinosaur onesie. "That guy in the white suit, like you, found this place on his own."
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath. "So aside from me and him, the other seven were born in the café, and you even spawned directly on the third-floor table."
"Doc, if you want to put it that way, I won't argue." The fatty seemed much more composed than the last time he entered the nightmare. At least he could talk smoothly. He continued, "But please don't use the word 'born.' I prefer 'descended' — it sounds more dignified."
Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue, about to lecture the fatty when they arrived at the school gates.
The large gates were still, but the small side gate creaked open.
A middle-aged woman stepped out, introducing herself as a receptionist, here to welcome them.
Since they didn't know the details of this mission or the roles they were playing, everyone wisely chose to remain silent, following behind the middle-aged woman, their first NPC.
Typically, the first NPC's role is to inform the players of their identities in the story and the background of their mission.
Through their conversation with the woman, they learned who they were supposed to be.
They were a photography crew from a media company, specially invited to shoot the school's upcoming anniversary celebration.
And just as the man in the suit had said, this was an art academy, mainly enrolling music students and related majors. It wasn't large, but according to the woman, it was quite prestigious and had produced several celebrities.
"Your company's equipment was delivered a day early," the middle-aged woman said. "It's all stored in our equipment room. There's no need to worry."
"Can we check out the equipment room?" The young man in the baseball cap suddenly spoke up.
At this moment, his cap was turned backward, and the stud in one of his ears glinted in the setting sun.
The woman suddenly stopped, her face darkening as she looked at him. "No, absolutely not!"
(End of the Chapter)
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