There was a buzzing sound. The traveller’s souls trembled. It was the sound of the door. It came from the loft.
At the same time, the boat retreated and drove towards the shore. Fatty’s hand still lingered in the air. Moments later, he became himself again. He slowly knelt down. His large figure curled up. From the back, he looked as depressed as a homeless dog. The group was reflected in the water. As the waves rippled, the reflection became clear and blurry.
The boat paused at the shore with a thud. The iron door wouldn’t stay forever. The group jumped out of the boat and ran towards the loft. However, no one noticed that there was a shadow in the water that didn’t leave with its owner. It remained in the water. The shadow turned around to glare at the travellers. The reflection of An Xuan’s face became twisted with hatred before disappearing.
The travellers slowed down. Even Fatty noticed that something was wrong. They had been to Young Master Huang’s loft, but this time…
“What is going on?” Chen Qiang gasped hungrily. He stared at the top of the loft, and his eyes coloured with confusion. They had run for more than ten minutes already. It felt like they were about to reach the building, but the distance between them and the loft never changed. The buzz dwindled and started to fade away.
Jiang Cheng turned around and looked at An Xuan, who lagged behind the team. His eyes were eerily calm. The next second, it dawned on Xia Meng as well. She did the same thing as Jiang Cheng. However, the emotions in her eyes were more complicated.
The situation was clear. An Xuan had been targeted. The ghost… refused to let him leave. The original ghost in the mission had disappeared. The ghost who targeted An Xuan was You Qi. An Xuan violated the rules, and this was the consequence.
To be honest, Xia Meng didn’t wish for An Xuan to die. However, there were things that she had no control over. Plus, time was of the essence. The door was about to close. If they delayed this longer, everyone wouldn’t be able to leave.
She had discussed this issue with Uncle Gong before. She was curious about what would happen if the travellers failed to escape through the door and weren’t killed by the ghost.
Xia Meng widened her eyes to press, “Or what?”
“Or fall into a deeper nightmare.”
“How… would you know that?” Xia Meng was curious. Moments later, the way she looked at Uncle Gong changed. She gasped, “Have people survived after experiencing all that?” It was already dangerous dealing with ghosts in the nightmare. She couldn’t imagine the despair one would be under when trapped in a different space and time. Furthermore, the place would be filled with ghosts.
Uncle Gong moved his eyes away. “I don’t know. That is my guess.” He added, “Don’t take it seriously.”
Don’t take it seriously…
This message was more impactful than Uncle Gong’s strange analyses of the nightmares. In her mind, vague terms like maybe, perhaps and guess would rarely come from Uncle Gong’s lips. It felt like he was telling the truth.
“Promise me.” The middle-aged man looked at her, “Never be the one left behind in the nightmare. No matter what,” He paused, “You cannot be abandoned in the nightmare.”
Compared to Xia Meng, An Xuan looked at ease. “You guys can go. I’ll join you later.”
Even though he didn’t know the rules, Chen Qiang could sense… something extremely dangerous approaching. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew they had appeared to be trapped in a loop.
“Goodbye.” Jiang Cheng nodded and ran towards the loft. He pulled along the stunned Fatty. After taking a huge swallow, Chen Qiang turned and ran as well. Only Xia Meng remained.
“Are you… really not leaving?” Xia Meng pressed her lips and looked at him. “If you need me, I can…”
“Beware of Jiang Cheng.” An Xuan stared into Xia Meng’s eyes.
Xia Meng was surprised. Even at that moment, he was more concerned about the others. The Night Guardians were definitely not normal. She still had more to say, but An Xuan smiled at her. Then, he lifted his clothes. The next second, Xia Meng instantly took a step back, and her face paled.
An Xuan’s right leg was submerged in a puddle. A hand reached out to grab tightly onto his ankle. The puddle was shallow. A person’s blurry figure appeared in the water. The person’s face was bloody, and he had no eyes. Blood was still leaking from his eye sockets. His ears, nose and lips… had been cruelly cut off. His head was like a bloody gourd covered in knife scars.
Xia Meng stopped hesitating and turned to run. The sky started to rain. She ran over some puddles, which caused the water to splash. Jiang Cheng’s group had already reached the building. Xia Meng was the last to join them.
They ran up the old staircase. When they came to the second floor, the folding screen was moved away. A black iron door was on the wall next to the human skin drum. The door was encircled by a grey mist. The door appeared to be alive.
“Meng Meng,” Jiang Cheng said intimately, “You need to leave first.”
Xia Meng glanced at him and left through the door. Fatty was next.
When it was Chen Qiang’s turn, Jiang Cheng pulled him back. Chen Qiang seemed to have expected this. He looked at the door and said hurriedly, “Everything I told you is the truth. My name, my address, my school and my phone number. Please, you have to trust me.” He emphasised, “I will never lie to you!”