Nightmare Assault

“So it is as I expect,” Chen Qiang said.

Zuo Qing focused on Chen Qiang’s face. She asked, “What do you mean?”

“Scapegoats,” Chen Qiang said directly, “Newbies are treated like scapegoats, like Tang Shirou.”

Shi Liaozhi narrowed his eyes to study this young student. He praised, “You’re quite astute.”

“I simply don’t want to die,” Chen Qiang admitted.

“So…” Zuo Qing stared at him.

“We should work together.”

“But you’re just a newbie. Why would we work together with you? What can you bring to the table?” Shi Liaozhi raised his chin and scoffed.

“Golden Boy and Jade Maiden,” Chen Qiang uttered, “I know what this play is about.”

Shi Liaozhi was startled. He looked at Chen Qiang like he was crazy, “What if you know that? You said that it was a tale spun by Qin Jian to trick us.”

“Young Master Huang was singing a song from Golden Boy and Jade Maiden,” Chen Qiang said, “Qin Jian was not lying to you.”

Zuo Qing’s eyes narrowed.

“Kid, what are you on about?” Shi Liaozhi gripped his fists, “Didn’t you say…”

“I lied, and you fell for it.” Chen Qiang looked up at Shi Liaozhi, “How is that for something I bring to the table?”

“You…”

“Enough,” Zuo Qing spoke. She glanced at Shi Liaozhi and then Chen Qiang, “We can work together. Now, tell us about Golden Boy and Jade Maiden.”

“Sister Zuo, since this is a cooperation, I need to see your sincerity,” Chen Qiang argued, “I can’t be the one who contributes everything.” Shi Liaozhi suddenly realised he had been ostracised.

Zuo Qing raised her hand to point at the room where Jiang Cheng’s group was staying, “That Hao Shuai is not a newbie. He is an experienced player in disguise.”

“Yes.” Chen Qiang nodded. “I can feel that too. He is very special and doesn’t seem how to disguise himself.” Chen Qiang pressed, “What else do you know?”

“That whole group is a team,” Zuo Qing said slowly, “Hao Shuai, Chen Xiaomeng and Jiang Fugui knew each other before coming here.”

Chen Qiang’s eyes widened.

“Alright,” Zuo Qing raised her chin, “It’s your turn.”

“Wait,” Chen Qiang looked at the two and asked, “Are you two a team?”

“No.” Shi Liaozhi answered unwillingly, “We knew each other in this mission. We have a temporary alliance. Miss Zuo promised that she would not abandon me unless necessary. I made the same promise.”

Chen Qiang nodded. “That is fair.” At a place like this, lies wouldn’t go far. Honesty was much more appreciated. “Then, I’ll hope that you will not abandon me as well,” Chen Qiang stood up, “Of course, I’ll do the same.”

“Alright. Tell us about Golden Boy and Jade Maiden already,” Shi Liaozhi grumbled impatiently.

“Yesterday night, I heard someone singing about the characters in Golden Boy and Jade Maiden, but I wasn’t sure… Not until today when someone mumbled the lyrics.”

“You Qi?” Zuo Qing asked.

“Yes.” Chen Qiang confirmed.

On the way back, You Qi huffed and grumbled. There were a few scattered words. They confused You Qi. Even Shi Liaozhi didn’t pay attention to them. However, they were the verifications that Chen Qiang nodded. After that, Qin Jian even pointed this out for everyone to discuss.

“The gist of Golden Boy and Jade Maiden was as Qin Jian said. A loving couple couldn’t be together, but his ending was wrong.” Chen Qiang’s tone chilled. “He said the female protagonist died with hatred, and the male protagonist stayed as a widower for her out of love. However, in the real together, the couple died.”

“Both of them died?!” Shi Liaozhi asked.

“Yes.” Chen Qiang nodded seriously.

“In that case, the story might have been adapted into this mission.” Shi Liaozhi’s face dropped, “Then… that Young Master Huang might be a ghost!”

“It is possible,” Zuo Qing pressed her lips, “If that’s the case, everything makes sense. Even though Qin Jian wasn’t replaced by the ghost, he knew that he had been targeted. Therefore, he threw out this bait to confuse the others. The ghost can only kill one person at a time. As long as someone made a larger mistake than he did, the ghost might change target.”

“Can the ghost only kill one person at a time?!” Chen Qiang asked.

“Most of the time, yes,” Zuo Qing answered, “But that’s not a certainty.”

“I see.”

Shi Liaozhi stood up to check the door and windows. Then, he closed them until only a small gap remained. The light shone through the gap, leaving a line on the ground. If someone were to spy on them from the outside, they would accidentally block the light.

“But do you remember?” Shi Liaozhi returned to his chair and whispered, “When Qin Jian came back down, he was so scared that he was bloodless. However, after a walk, he regained his composure. Plus… he managed to come up with this elaborate scam.”

The way Chen Qiang looked at Shi Liaozhi changed. Then, he turned around to pour his two temporary allies a cup of tea. The broken tea leaves floated on the water before sedimenting.

“It’s simply,” Zuo Qing took a small sip of the tea, “Someone gave him the idea.”

“That’s right.” Shi Liaozhi played with the dyed hair on his forehead, “It’s that An Xuan.” He said confidently, “On the way back, they purposely walked at the back of the group. They should be talking about how to transfer the risk to others.” He concluded, “They should be working together.”

“That appears to be the case.” Chen Qiang nodded. “Even though Golden Boy and Jade Maiden are popular, most people will not be familiar with them, especially people our age.

“They bet that we wouldn’t know anything about it. Even if we do, we won’t know the details. Plus, they only changed the ending.”

“They want to believe that Young Master Huang is still alive,” Zuo Qing raised her brow. “If he were still alive, then the possibility of Qin Jian being targeted by the ghost would be low. We would be less wary around him.

“This… is interesting.”