Nightmare Strikes

Translator: Cinder Translations

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With a preliminary analysis of the case, their search became more targeted.

The Fatty stayed closely beside Jiang Cheng. Fan Li complained several times that his large body obstructed his view, but the man pretended not to understand, and others were powerless to do anything about it.

Soon, they made a discovery in the master bedroom.

On the wall next to the bed hung a wooden frame containing an old photograph.

The photo seemed to have been soaked in water; the background was yellowed, but in the center, four family members stood together.

The male and female heads of the household stood in the middle. The woman had her hands resting on the shoulders of a girl with two braids, who stood obediently in front of her mother.

The other girl, looking taller and more rebellious, had rolled-up pant legs and sleeves, revealing what appeared to be tattoo marks on her slender wrists.

She stood beside the man with her chin held high.

It seemed this was the family living in the villa.

However, it was strange that each person's face was very blurred, and the photo's background was indistinct, making it impossible to determine where the photo was taken.

Chen Xiaomeng stared at the photo in a daze, then suddenly became excited. "I remember this photo wasn't here this morning; this wall was blank!"

Sister Nuan remained calm, explaining as if it were a common occurrence that such things happen in the dream realm.

"We must have found some correct clues and triggered the next phase of the plot," Fan Li said.

Jiang Cheng glanced at him sideways. "Like a stage reward in a game?"

"Pretty much."

Next, they found a pair of pliers in the room where Xie Yu's body was discovered, next to which was a flat, round metal box, similar to one that would hold soft candies.

The Fatty shook the box, and a clattering sound came from inside.

"What is it?"

Just as he reached out his chubby hands to open the box, Jiang Cheng yanked him back, his attention fixed on the pliers, his expression gradually becoming strange.

"What's wrong?" The Fatty felt inexplicably scared.

Jiang Cheng's expression slowly returned to calm as he said, "It's nothing; I suddenly thought there might be more clues in the bedroom. I'll go check it out."

"Oh, okay," the Fatty nodded. He had originally wanted to go with Jiang Cheng but couldn't resist his curiosity about what was in the box.

Just three seconds after Jiang Cheng left, the Fatty finally managed to open the box.

His eyes went from curiosity to confusion, then bulged out, nearly popping out of their sockets. "What the hell!"

By the time Jiang Cheng returned, covering his ears, the Fatty could no longer make a sound. Fan Li was covering his mouth, disdainfully dragging the trembling man to the side.

Jiang Cheng peeked in and saw the box turned upside down on the floor, with several milky-white objects scattered around it, along with some translucent thin slices.

"Sure enough, it's teeth," Jiang Cheng nodded, looking pleased that he hadn't guessed wrong. There were also some fingernails left.

Fan Li and Sister Nuan seemed to have guessed what was inside the box long ago, so their faces showed no surprise; instead, Chen Xiaomeng looked pale.

There were no more clues nearby, and Jiang Cheng suggested checking behind the door on the third floor, but Fan Li stopped him and pointed out the window.

The sky was already darkening.

Night was quickly approaching.

Exploring an unknown area at night was not a wise choice, so after some discussion, everyone decided to stop the search and return to rest.

The胖子 (Fatty) thought that after last night's incident, everyone would want to sleep together for safety.

However, he didn't expect Sister Nuan not only to have no such intention but also to push Fan Li out.

With a "bang," she shut the door.

Fan Li stood in front of the master bedroom door holding a blanket, looking like a husband thrown out of the house, homeless.

He also had a flowery pillow slung over his shoulder.

"It's okay, big brother," Fatty comforted, "you can come to our room."

"No need, you all stay there; I'll go downstairs." After saying that, Fan Li really took his blanket and pillow and went downstairs, the sound of his footsteps echoing on the stairs.

Jiang Cheng turned and entered the previous bedroom; Fatty thought for a moment and followed him in.

Once inside the bedroom, Jiang Cheng turned on all the lights, then leaned against the door, as if listening to the sounds outside.

After a while, Jiang Cheng slowly backed away, walked to the sofa, and sat down.

"Bro, we're not staying here tonight, right?" Fatty's face turned pale as he kept glancing under the bed, remembering how the ghost had crawled out from there last night.

"Of course not; I'll go to the study in a bit," Jiang Cheng replied straightforwardly.

"I'll go too!"

About ten minutes later, the outside was completely dark. Jiang Cheng looked at his watch, stood up, and gently opened the door.

He quietly walked to another room and slowly pushed the door open, slipping inside.

Fatty followed closely behind.

After shutting the door, they each found a chair to sit in. Fatty wanted to turn on the lights but was stopped by Jiang Cheng.

Fatty looked around in the dark, cold sweat dripping down his back, and couldn't help but say, "Just let me turn on the lights; otherwise, it feels like there are ghosts everywhere."

This time Jiang Cheng didn't insist and nodded, "Okay."

Fatty shifted his body, finally found a switch on the wall, and just as he was about to press it, Jiang Cheng's voice floated from behind, "Now the ghost won't have trouble finding you."

"..."

In the master bedroom, on the bed.

Chen Xiaomeng was hugging a pillow, quietly sobbing.

Whenever she thought of those terrifying tools and the teeth in the box, her body trembled uncontrollably.

Sister Nuan sat on the sofa, her gaze no longer as arrogant as before; Chen Xiaomeng reminded her of her former self.

"Alright, stop crying," she comforted, "You should see that the ghosts in this villa are only targeting men. Once Fan Li is gone, we'll be safe."

Chen Xiaomeng looked up, her eyes red, "Aren't the other three still in danger?"

"Stop talking nonsense; it's already good to protect yourself during a mission. Who has time to worry about others?" Sister Nuan glanced at the door, as if recalling something unpleasant, her expression darkened. Then she turned back, paused, and continued, "And in this kind of world, you need to be careful not just of ghosts but also of the people around you."

(End of chapter)

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