Translator: Cinder Translations
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Just as the Fatty was about to gather his courage and step forward to help, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Jiang Cheng's gaze.
That gaze carried a clear sense of rejection, causing the Fatty to instinctively shrink back.
The words he had prepared to say were swallowed back down.
Jiang Cheng averted his gaze and stared straight at the man in the suit.
Being stared at like that by Jiang Cheng, the man in the suit suddenly felt uneasy, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
Just as he was about to say something, Jiang Cheng interrupted him, "Brother," Jiang Cheng said politely, "Could you lend a hand?"
The man in the suit glanced at the corpse lying with its back to him, his mouth twitching. At this moment, the woman in the ponytail and the man in the baseball cap beside him both looked relieved.
"Me?" The man in the suit frowned.
Jiang Cheng nodded at him, "Yes, you."
Hearing the conversation inside the room, the middle-aged man in the vest, another man, and the woman in pajamas all moved closer to the door but did not step across the threshold.
Everyone's attention was focused on the man in the suit.
At this point, the man in the suit hesitated for a few seconds but finally agreed. He and Jiang Cheng squatted on either side of the cheongsam woman.
Following Jiang Cheng's instructions, they each grabbed one of the cheongsam woman's shoulders and flipped her over.
The man in the suit only reached out to grab her shoulder after seeing Jiang Cheng touch the dead body. Together, they turned the cheongsam woman over completely.
"Ah!!" The woman in pajamas screamed, her legs giving way, nearly causing her to fall into the pool of blood.
Even the ponytail woman, who had seen her fair share of dead bodies as a former mercenary, couldn't help but show a change in expression.
The way the cheongsam woman had died was horrifying.
The most chilling part was that her lower jaw was missing, leaving the upper part of her mouth grotesquely exposed, with twisted muscles visible.
It was clear that something had grabbed her by the jaws and forcefully tore off her lower jaw.
Upon seeing this ghastly scene, the Fatty almost vomited.
The cheongsam woman now lay on the ground, her once-elegant cheongsam soaked in blood, resembling a crimson ink painting.
The most terrifying thing about her was her eyes.
Her eyes were wide open, and her brows were unnaturally raised, as if she had seen something utterly horrifying just before her death.
Even in death, her face bore an indescribable terror, and her eyes remained open, with red blood vessels still faintly visible upon closer inspection.
After the initial shock wore off, the ponytail woman approached the body, crouching beside it for a while before saying, "Her tongue is also missing."
Her voice was eerily calm, devoid of any emotion, simply stating a fact.
But at this moment, her calm tone made everyone feel uncomfortable.
"She's really dead." The man in the vest shuddered violently. Although he had already realized this fact, seeing the body firsthand was far more terrifying.
No one responded to him. Deaths in nightmares were nothing unusual; the real question was, how did she die?
And from that, they hoped to deduce the key to completing this mission.
Blood had splattered all over the room in a radial pattern—on the walls, the bed, the wardrobe, the mirror, even the ceiling. The familiar scent of blood filled the air, setting an ominous tone for this mission.
"Her jaw was probably twisted off instantly by someone," the ponytail woman said after inspecting the body carefully.
Though she said "someone," everyone knew this was undoubtedly the work of a ghost.
It was the ghost in this mission that had killed her.
Such strength and speed couldn't easily be explained by anything other than the supernatural.
Afterward, the man in the baseball cap suggested they leave, and everyone agreed. Jiang Cheng gave the cheongsam woman one last look before exiting the room with the others.
Outside the room, the group exchanged a few words about the cheongsam woman's death, but even the Fatty could tell that the conversation was full of empty words with no real substance.
After the group dispersed, the woman in pajamas, lingering at the back, timidly asked if they should deal with the cheongsam woman's body, suggesting it might be best to bury her for decency's sake.
Her delicate face still bore a fiery red handprint, making her look all the more pitiful.
If they were in the outside world, this appearance might have garnered sympathy, but here in the nightmare world, it meant nothing.
The man in the suit and the others completely ignored her. It was the Fatty, feeling sorry for her, who explained that in the dream world, there was no need to worry about such things. The body might even disappear on its own soon.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing that the body might vanish without explanation, the girl became even more frightened, clearly imagining all sorts of strange possibilities.
But that wasn't the Fatty's problem anymore. He had already told her the truth.
Even though it was harsh.
According to the guide woman, their goal this time was to film the academy's anniversary celebration.
The event was in seven days.
That left them with six days now.
Which meant that was the time limit for this mission.
Time was short, so after a brief discussion, everyone decided to head to the cafeteria for breakfast and then explore the school.
Since their roles in this mission were as photographers, they needed to explore the campus thoroughly. Clues were likely hidden in some unassuming place.
The Fatty suddenly reminded them, "Don't forget, our cameras are still in the equipment room."
Jiang Cheng nodded, "Then we'll split up, and meet back at the equipment room around noon."
It was a reasonable suggestion, and no one objected.
Jiang Cheng and the Fatty started heading downstairs, with the woman in pajamas pitifully trailing behind them, her small ponytail swaying cutely as she followed.
Perhaps because the Fatty had been the only one to talk to her earlier, she decided to try her luck by following them.
After all, with the cheongsam woman dead, she was now truly alone in room 407.
"Following us won't do you any good," Jiang Cheng said calmly, "Daytime is relatively safe. If I were you, I'd start thinking about how to survive the night."
The woman in pajamas froze for a moment, then, as if she had realized something, turned and ran in another direction.
The ponytail woman stood in front of room 406, lost in thought.
The campus was bigger than expected. Yesterday, with the guide woman leading them, it hadn't seemed like much, but now, finding the cafeteria on their own was proving to be a challenge.
Jiang Cheng seemed distracted the whole time, leaving the task of finding the way entirely to the Fatty, which was why they were having such trouble locating the cafeteria.
The Fatty swallowed nervously. "Have you figured something out?"
Jiang Cheng didn't answer directly. He only nodded and said, "Let's eat first. We'll talk after breakfast."
(End of the Chapter)
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