Nightmare Strike

By Hannah Yvonne Gail

Waking up from sleep, a strange door appeared in the house. Behind every door is a strange world.
In the nightmare world, Jiang Cheng recounted the news he got from the strong man to the fat man with embellishments, and the latter almost cried, "If you die here, will the whole family stand on their heads and bleed to death?"
"Is such that?"
"Then I don't think you're too scared." The fat man widened his eyes.
Jiang Cheng turned his head and said in a very formal tone, "Because I am an orphan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gail Hannah Yvonne
• Release date: Jul 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9791222430379

Book preview

Nightmare Strike

Author: Gail Hannah Yvonne

Chapter 1 Nightmare

Zi...

Ma'am, is it convenient to repeat what you just said?

Zi...

Zi...

...Yes, but please... Please don't tell anyone, especially my husband and my daughter!

I understand, then... can we start next?

"It all started with a phone call.

The call was from my sister, three nights ago.

She was in a strange state at that time, her teeth were chattering, and her voice seemed to be squeezed out of her throat.

I asked her if she was unwell, but she didn't answer, just kept repeating a dream she had recently. "

Dream?

"Yes, it's a dream.

She said that in recent days, she often dreamed that she woke up at night, then left the bed, walked down the stairs from the attic where she lived, and finally stopped in front of the basement door.

It's very real, very real, so real...it's not like a dream. "

But your sister still uses dreams to describe it, why?

"Because... her house doesn't have a basement at all!

What was even more frightening was that when she faced that strange door, she actually had the urge to open it. "

The results of it?

She disappeared the night she called me.

So, you found me today because you want to...

Doctor Jiang!

Well... you said.

I also dreamed of a door, just yesterday.

...

Turning off the recording pen in his hand, the not-so-large room fell into silence.

Jiang Cheng sat in front of his desk with downcast eyes. On the desk was a copy of Rongcheng's evening paper.

"Lost notice: Hu Yan, female, 47 years old, 160cm tall, with a square face and fair skin, recently left home in the middle of the night on the 13th due to a poor mental state.

His eyes skipped over the contact information, and there was a photo printed on the missing person notice a little to the left. In the photo was an older woman.

It was also the woman who came to him yesterday and left the recording.

Jiang Cheng didn't have the habit of reading newspapers. The newspapers were brought by the police about an hour ago.

Based on clues, they knew that Hu Yan had been here the day before his disappearance.

He truthfully stated Hu Yan's mental state and the story she brought.

He also handed over the recordings left behind with Hu Yan's permission.

After the two police officers, a man and a woman, finished taking notes, they left with the recordings. Among them, the female police officer with a neat ponytail couldn't help but look back at Jiang Cheng a few more times.

This man who was about her age seemed to be too calm, whether he was being questioned or telling the unbelievable story.

After politely getting up and seeing them off, Jiang Cheng sat back in his seat.

The crisp keyboard knocking sounded from time to time, and everything was proceeding normally and orderly.

The night is getting darker, and the neon lights in the distance are lit up little by little.

Jiang Cheng glanced at the time in the lower right corner of the computer screen, stood up, walked to the door of the studio, first closed the outer glass door, then closed the inner door, and then locked it.

After finishing these, he took the time to make himself a cup of coffee.

Holding the coffee cup, he walked to the sofa and sat down.

The sofa is prepared for customers who come to his studio. Ms. Hu Yan yesterday and the two police officers an hour ago both sat here.

The original glossy sofa cover has become gray, and there are wrinkles on the armrests.

Jiang Cheng reached out his hand into the gap between the armrest and the sofa, and took out a recording pen with ease.

The indicator light for turning on was on, and after a few slight flicks of the index finger, the voice of a police officer began to come from inside.

Then came his own voice.

Jiang Cheng sipped his coffee while listening.

After drinking a cup of coffee, the conversation between the police officer and him ended, until he sat up from the sofa, there was no special expression on his face.

Hang the coffee cup washed with clean water upside down on the drying rack, dry your hands, and walk to the desk.

When passing by the sofa, I picked up the recording pen by the way.

Business hasn't been good recently, and the previous recording was this woman named Hu Yan, and Jiang Cheng had a deep impression of her.

The stories she told were bizarre, but for Jiang Cheng, who had come into contact with a considerable number of patients with mild to moderate delusions, he cared more about the integrity of the stories.

In his opinion, it is different from the general patients who over exaggerate the results of a certain difference and hope to get the attention of others, and then blur or even ignore the details.

Hu Yan's description is relatively complete, and the details are handled in place. In Hu Yan's own dream, she even remembered stepping on her daughter's plush slippers inadvertently when going down the stairs.

The police visit also brought some new information to Jiang Cheng.

In their exchanges, they mentioned cryptically that Ms. Hu Yan's disappearance was related to a relative, and in Hu Yan's story, her sister disappeared before her.

Based on two facts, the disappearance of sister Hu Yan should be credible.

Furthermore, it was the missing persons notice published by Hu Yan's family, saying that when Hu Yan left home late at night, she was only wearing pajamas, a thin silk pajamas.

In late autumn, based on his knowledge of the client, Jiang Cheng didn't think she was someone who would do such a stupid thing.

Combined with Hu Yan's mysterious disappearance and her younger sister who disappeared before her, Jiang Cheng felt that this matter was not that simple.

so……

so……

In order to save his brain cells for the business that might come to his door tomorrow, as well as the collagen on his face, Jiang Cheng applied a mask and fell asleep hastily.

His studio is divided into upper and lower floors, the first floor is used to receive customers, and the loft above becomes his living space naturally.

It was about 30 square meters, and he was forced to divide it into two rooms.

Up the narrow stairs is the living room, and further down is the bedroom.

There was no bed in the bedroom, just a thin mattress on the floor.

At this moment, Jiang Cheng was lying in the middle of the mattress, with the quilt pulled up to his chin, sleeping meticulously.

After sleeping for an unknown amount of time, Jiang Cheng on the mattress suddenly opened his eyes.

He stared straight at the ceiling, his eyes gradually became dizzy, and after a while, they narrowed into a slit again.

The upper body left the mattress and slowly sat up.

what happened……?

He has a clear mind and can feel the feedback from every part of his body, but he can't control this body alone.

Strange palpitations surged from the bottom of my heart, as if...something was opened.

First his left leg left the mattress, then his right, and he stood up, mechanically.

While his brain was still thinking crazily, his body started acting on its own initiative again.

forward.

Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot.

One step, two steps...

Walking towards the bedroom door like a walking dead.

After that is the living room.

Finally, walk down the stairs step by step along the wooden stairs.

The old stairs, which should have been creaking non-stop, made no sound.

It wasn't just the stairs, after Jiang Cheng woke up, he didn't hear any sound at all.

The night was as quiet as if he had died.

The eyeballs are spinning within a limited range, and the current situation is undoubtedly weird and dangerous.

Across the night, the familiar environment also became strange.

As the last foot dropped, he saw a door standing before him.

A plain black one.

A door embedded in a wall.

Chapter 2 Game Start

In the distance is a bus station, which is empty.

There were no cars, and no uniformed staff were seen.

The sky was gloomy and rainy, and a small group of people gathered on the wide platform.

About 4 or 5 of them should be passengers.

The dilapidation of the station is obvious, whether it is the exposed red brick platform or the old and dilapidated rain shield.

This also led to the few passengers who could only hide in the corner of the platform to avoid the rain.

At this moment, the eyes of several passengers are all looking in one direction.

In the rain, about 30 meters away, stood a man holding an umbrella.

The man remained motionless and had maintained this position for 10 minutes.

Just as the passengers were whispering something, the man suddenly moved and walked towards the platform.

Getting closer.

He is indeed a man, with a well-proportioned figure and a good appearance. His upper body is wearing a work jacket that is obviously a few X larger than his real size, and his lower body...

She was wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants and a pair of cartoon plush slippers.

The slippers were soaked by the rain and made a crackling sound with every step.

Putting away the umbrella, Jiang Cheng, who came here hastily in his sleep, looked up at the few people in front of him.

The rainwater flowed down the umbrella cloth, merged into a stream, and dripped on the platform.

A petite girl with a pure appearance asked cautiously, Are you a newcomer?

Don't ask stupid questions. A bearded, muscular man glanced at the girl, then his eyes stayed on Jiang Cheng's slippers for a second, and then focused on his face.

He looked at Jiang Cheng with the feeling of scrutinizing prey, and said after a while: Interesting newcomer, it's so peaceful to appear here.

There are five people in total.

Jiang Cheng saw no one else near the platform for the time being.

In addition to the innocent girl and the bearded man who had already spoken, there was also a woman about 35 years old with thin lips.

The woman has a mole on her lip and looks plain.

A balding middle-aged man in his mid-fifties who looks a bit wretched.

A young man with neatly combed hair and dressed as a clerk.

What was different from the others was that the young man seemed to have cried just now, there were tears in the corners of his eyes, and his figure was a bit abnormally bent.

Jiang Cheng scanned the faces of the people in front of him one by one, and finally fixed his gaze on the bearded man, Where is this?

We call it the dream world, because every visitor comes here from a dream, the strong man replied, through a black iron door that didn't exist.

Jiang Cheng nodded, which was consistent with his experience, What do we need to do?

Find clues to complete the mission according to the scene that appears, and then try to survive in the process, he said, pointing to the rain curtain in the distance: "The Dream World is just the name given to this place by the people who first came into contact with it.

Where exactly is this place and what is it, don't ask, we can't answer if you ask, because we don't know.

You just need to know that after opening the door in the dream, you may see a village, a tall building, or even a forest, snowfield, or wilderness.

All the scenes that have appeared in our real world may appear behind the door. "

All the scenes in our world will appear behind the door? Jiang Cheng asked.

Yes.

Then what's the difference between here and our world, or isn't our world behind the door?

Jiang Cheng asked a very relevant, but tricky question at the same time.

But our world will never have two identical us at the same time, the strong man's voice was a little muffled.

His words sounded awkward, but it was not difficult to understand, at least for Jiang Cheng, he frowned, You mean someone met me in the world behind the door?

Um.

The strong man didn't know whether he was talking about these fears, or he felt that it was meaningless to say it to a newcomer who didn't know if he could survive this mission.

In short, he ended the subject.

Can you return to the real world after the mission is over?

Well, the strong man nodded, while looking at the rain screen.

The rain tends to get bigger and bigger, the whole world is filled with gray tones, and the sky is gradually darkening.

Newcomer, the woman with the mole on her lip looked at him, and suddenly said, If you die in this world, you will be erased in the real world. Aren't you afraid?

To be precise, it's missing, Jiang Cheng corrected.

The woman opened her eyes slightly, looking up and down Jiang Cheng with interest.

It seems to want to find something different from him.

I hope you don't mind making friends if you survive this time, the woman said.

Jiang Cheng ignored her and turned to look at the strong man.

The strong man stood on the edge of the rain curtain, his eyes wandering around, his brows were a little anxious.

You are waiting for someone, Jiang Cheng said to the strong man, There is still one person who hasn't come.

The strong man turned his head and asked in surprise, How do you know?

Well... I also know that the person you are waiting for is fat and very flexible.

The expression on the strong man's face can no longer be described with surprise, It is true that there are still people who have not come, so the mission has not started for a long time, but I want to know... how did you know? You especially know that he is a fat man, so flexible and so detailed?

Jiang Cheng didn't answer this question, but walked up to the strong man's side, facing a direction outside the station, clasped his hands into a trumpet shape, and shouted loudly: Hey...! It's safe here, come out, I'll be waiting for you!

As soon as the words fell, a person jumped up about tens of meters away in the rain curtain, and then rushed towards the platform under the shocked eyes of everyone.

The two sausage-like legs swung flexibly, avoiding puddles, and the last one jumped up and landed firmly on the platform.

At this time, a line of words popped out of everyone's mind: Fuck! Sure enough, he is a flexible fat man!

As soon as the fat man came up, he stared at the work coat on Jiang Cheng's body. He was only wearing a khaki shirt on his upper body, which had been soaked by the rain for a long time, and he was shivering from the cold.

able……

cannot!

Jiang Cheng decisively interrupted the nimble fat man's fantasies, and wrapped his overcoat tighter after speaking.

You guys...what's the situation? The bald man who had never spoken at the side asked, looking a little puzzled.

I met him on the road. I came to investigate for him. The price was a coat and an umbrella, Jiang Cheng said frankly.

The fat man who was shivering from the cold looked really bad, so no one wanted to talk to him, only the innocent girl looked at him pitifully, and borrowed him a scarf to tie around her neck.

Chapter 3 Journey

Okay, we should be all here now. The strong man naturally became the leader of the team, The next mission is about to start, everyone get ready.

As if responding to the strong man's words, the distance gradually became brighter.

As the light got closer, two lights pierced the darkness.

A brand new luxury bus slowly pulled up to the platform.

Speak less, observe more, make sure you are safe before doing things, and try not to act alone, before the bus door opened, the strong man took the time to lower his voice and ordered a few more words.

As soon as the voice fell, the car door opened.

A young man jumped down from above.

She has an inch-cut head, a blue sweater on her upper body, and a pair of washed white jeans on her lower body. She looks handsome and is probably in her early 20s.

His mouth moved like he was chewing gum.

I've been waiting for a long time, passengers, I'm sorry for the delay due to the weather, the young man surprised everyone with his mouth, it was actually a woman.

The woman introduced herself: It's an honor to be your tour guide for this trip. My surname is Zheng. You can call me Xiao Zheng, or Director Zheng.

Director Zheng, someone responded.

Everyone had a tacit understanding and didn't address Xiao Zheng.

Okay, everyone, hurry up and get in the car, Director Zheng greeted politely, The weather is bad and the road is not easy to walk. Let's hurry up.

Everyone got on the bus in order from left to right, first the strong man, then the woman with a mole on her lip, the male clerk, the bald middle-aged man, Jiang Cheng, the flexible fat man, and the innocent girl got on last.

After getting on the bus, I realized that there were already other passengers in the car.

A couple is sitting on the back of the left side, the girl is reading a magazine, and his boyfriend is wearing an eye mask and headphones, resting against the glass window.

There was also a middle-aged woman with a big boy sitting in the first row of seats behind the driver.

It should be the mother and the child, but the boy may be sick, his mood is not high, and his eyes are erratic. When Jiang Cheng passed by, he noticed that his hands and fingers were wrapped in bandages.

Director Zheng asked everyone to find a place to sit down after getting in the car, and then the door closed, and she sat on the right side of the driver.

The strong man sat behind the mother and son, and the woman with a mole on her lip sat behind Director Zheng.

The seat Jiang Cheng chose was the second row of seats behind the couple. As soon as he sat down, a huge body approached him, Brother, let's sit together!

Jiang Cheng raised his head, and it turned out to be the nimble fat man, and he said, Yes, but I'm not used to sitting in it.

It's okay, I can squeeze.

Half a minute later, the fat man squeezed in as he wished, but the remaining part still took some places in Jiangcheng, forcing him to move out.

The male clerk wanted to share a seat with other people several times, but he always received a cold face, and finally the innocent girl let him sit next to him.

The middle-aged man was sitting alone in the last row. Jiang Cheng looked back at him and found that his face was so gloomy that water could drip.

Brother, tell me what's going on here? The fat man leaned over and asked in a low voice, I came here when I fell asleep.

Jiang Cheng embellished the news he got from the strong man to the fat man, and the latter almost burst into tears, If you die here, will the whole family stand on their heads and bleed to death?

Is such that.

Then I see why you are not too scared?

Jiang Cheng turned his head and said in a very formal tone, Because I'm an orphan.

The journey was very peaceful, so peaceful that the male clerk felt that it might continue to be peaceful, but with the sudden sound of brakes, all dreams were crushed.

boom!

The huge inertia swept the entire carriage like a storm with shattered glass shards.

The car hit something.

The male clerk huddled in the aisle between the two rows of seats, blocking the way for everyone to get out of the car, with his mouth open, as if he was about to scream. In the end, the strong man dragged him out of the carriage and slapped him twice.

If you don't want to die, just shut up! He threatened viciously.

The male clerk huddled on the ground in disgrace. It took him a while to get up and hide at the end of the line.

really.

The car hit a tree.

The driver came down to check and found that the heavy rain caused the side of the road to collapse, changing the normal trajectory of the vehicle, losing balance and hitting a tree on the side of the road.

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, mostly scratched by broken glass.

But the car can't drive, here...

Looking around in Jiangcheng, it can be said that there is no village or shop behind, there is only a straight road leading to an unknown direction.

The rain, though less, is still falling.

Passenger, I'm really sorry, Director Zheng walked over rubbing his hands, with blood stains on his arms, It seems that today's journey is in vain.

It was only a few hours after the first meeting, and she had already apologized twice, but everyone knew that she was not sincere either time.

According to the strong man, she is just an NPC to advance the plot.

How about this, I know there is a villa in the woods, you can go there to shelter from the rain first, and when we find the car, we will come back to pick you up, Director Zheng said, pointing to the woods not far away.

Even a newcomer like Jiang Cheng felt that this was not a good choice, but the strong man and the others agreed, then turned and walked towards the forest.

The real mission... is coming!

The originally relaxed atmosphere also changed accordingly.

Wait! Director Zheng called to stop them, then ran back to the car to get some umbrellas, Don't get wet.

Thanks.

Walking on the muddy road, if you don't pay attention, you may fall down. After walking for about half an hour, a three-story villa finally appeared in front of you.

The villa is covered by layers of dense forests, and it is extremely difficult to find it without going to a very close distance.

Can people live here? the pure girl asked in a low voice.

The dilapidation of the villa is obvious. It is conservatively estimated that no one has taken care of it for 5 years, and there are layers of fallen leaves piled up in front of the door.

If you don't want to live, you can stay outside, the strong man said without looking back, and then walked towards the villa under the umbrella.

Jiang Cheng looked at the back of the strong man, and the strong man's mood seemed to be getting worse. In fact, everyone could hear that the pure girl was just complaining.

But Jiang Cheng smelled fear from the complaints and dissatisfaction of the two.

After everyone had followed, the fat man who shared the umbrella with Jiang Cheng urged, What are you looking at, big brother, hurry over.

Um.

No one answered when he knocked on the door. The strong man tried to push it, but unexpectedly the thick wooden door was pushed open a gap.

The door is unlocked.

After the door was fully opened, the scene inside came into view.

The spacious living room is only a little old, but it doesn't feel dilapidated. There is a thin layer of dust on the floor, and the rectangular dining table is also there.

Chapter 4 The Villa

There was a thick fur carpet under the luxurious sofa, and the fireplace not far away was dark, as if there were ashes left by some firewood.

The night has taken over the world, they shouldn't be able to see so clearly, but the crystal chandelier above their heads is still on, and the refracted light cuts the visitors into fragments.

This villa also has electricity running.

Look around first, the strong man withdrew his gaze from staring at the chandelier, Let's go together, don't separate.

Soon they found a lot of food in the restaurant's refrigerator, including vegetables, rice noodles, meat, and even a few snacks. There was also a basket of eggs in the innermost position.

It looked fresh, like it was put in an hour ago.

But judging by the dust on the ground, that was impossible.

And the focus of everyone's attention is obviously not here. The strong man looked at the food without any surprise expression on his face, and said after a while that at least we won't be starved to death.

There was the sound of splashing water behind him, Jiang Cheng turned his head and found that the woman with a mole on her lip had turned on the faucet, and clean water flowed out.

After turning off the faucet, she turned to look at the others, and said slowly, It seems that we won't die of thirst.

Then they found a large amount of firewood in a remote small room similar to a storage room.

The firewood is stacked next to each other, neatly stacked.

The second floor is the place to live, with a master bedroom, a study, and two small bedrooms, and there is a locked room at the end.

It can be seen that both the strong man and the woman are interested in the locked room, but both of them have a tacit understanding and have no intention of destroying the door to go in and have a look.

The stairs leading to the third floor were locked by a black iron door. The strong man shook, but the door remained motionless.

The group retreated to the living room on the first floor.

Everyone has spent most of the day in this world, especially after a car accident and a long journey, and they are cold and hungry at this time.

The brawny man suggested that he take the middle-aged man to get firewood for the fire, the woman, Jiang Cheng, and the fat man to cook, and the innocent woman and the male clerk were left to clean up the house.

Jiang Cheng stared at a table of ingredients in a daze, and the woman sneered and ignored him.

Fortunately, Fatty is a person who knows how to cook. His knife skills and culinary skills are excellent. After a while, delicious meals are served, and he even thoughtfully fried an egg for everyone.

The area around the sofa in the living room has been cleaned up, and everyone is sitting around the closet, eating with bowls.

The fire in the closet was burning brightly and crackling.

After dinner, everyone got together to discuss the mission.

However, after discussions and discussions, it almost turned into a quarrel scene between a strong man and a woman. There was no way to do this. After all, the mission had just begun, and there were very few clues, and these two were the ones who had the most say.

Judging by their familiarity, it is obvious that they have successfully completed several missions.

Late at night.

The strong man insisted that everyone sleep in the living room, but the woman always insisted that everyone should sleep in the second-floor bedroom on the grounds that there might be clues there.

In the end, the two broke up unhappy, and the innocent girl chose to go with the woman, and the two walked towards the stairs. When they were about to reach the stairs, the male clerk suddenly ran over.

Jiang Cheng guessed that the strong man's two slaps left a psychological shadow on him.

Just like that, the strong man, the middle-aged bald man, Jiang Cheng, and the fat man stayed in the living room overnight, while the other three went upstairs to the bedroom.

Idiot! The strong man cursed in a low voice, looking at the backs of the few people leaving.

Sleeping in the living room is not so particular, and the rest are all men. There are three sofas in total, one for each person, and there is just one person left to watch the night.

The strong man said that he would be on the first shift, then took out a pocket watch from his pocket, opened the watch cover, and put it on the small table in the middle.

It's about 10 o'clock in the evening and dawn at 6 o'clock, a total of 8 hours. There are exactly 4 people here, and each of them will watch for 2 hours, so that everyone can have enough time to rest.

Just as the strong man was about to continue talking, he saw the fat man in front of him staring at the pocket watch on the table with a strange look.

Don't worry about it, the time is inaccurate. He paused and explained, All clocks brought into the dream world will be disrupted, and their only function now is to keep time.

The time displayed on the pocket watch was 4:18, which obviously did not match the reality.

Since Jiang Cheng and Fatty are both newcomers, the strong man said a few more words, telling them that it is normal for any situation in the dream world that goes against common sense of science.

What they need to do is to find the hidden clues behind the abnormality through various abnormalities, and then crack the mission and leave the dream world.

Jiang Cheng raised his hand, the strong man looked at him and asked, Do you have anything to say?

Since you have escaped from the dream world, why did you come back?

I just escaped temporarily, but it is far from the end. As long as there is no end, you will be involved again and again. By the way, the strong man seemed to think of something, The full name of the dream world is the nightmare enchantment.

Enchantment?

That's right, it's like an enchantment wall that separates reality from illusion. No matter how many injuries you have suffered in the dream world, as long as you have a breath, you will return to reality intact after the mission is over. He smiled wryly, Isn't the name very appropriate?

Then how can we completely break away from the nightmare enchantment? The bald middle-aged man spoke, his voice was hoarse, giving off an uncomfortable feeling.

The strong man glanced at him, and said: Don't ask such stupid questions, you are not a newcomer, you should understand that this question is just like we can't figure out what time in this world we are in, this is an unsolvable question.

The middle-aged man had a gloomy face and stopped talking.

Jiang Cheng raised his hand for the second time.

The strong man looked at him helplessly, If you want to ask anything, just ask without raising your hand.

It should be some day from the end of March to mid-September in 2006, Jiang Cheng said seriously.

The strong man was stunned, and at the same time, the middle-aged man who had lowered his head was also stunned. The fat man also stared at Jiang Cheng suspiciously, wondering what kind of medicine he was selling in his gourd.

How do you know? the strong man asked.

Jiang Cheng unhurriedly took out a small bag from his pocket, and handed it to the rest of the people, who saw clearly that it was a bag of small bread from Dorchi Garden.

Jiang Cheng turned the bread bag over and pointed to a line of small words on it: date of manufacture: March 18, 2006. The shelf life is 6 months.

Then, under the eyes of everyone, he tore open the bag, pulled a piece of bread and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing for a while, he straightened his neck, swallowed it, thought for a while, and said, The taste is good, it's very soft, and it hasn't been damp. Considering that it is stored in the refrigerator, I think the date may be further advanced.

Chapter 5 The Vigil

The middle-aged man turned his head to look at the strong man, but he didn't expect to be stared back by the strong man.

The scene ended in a slightly awkward atmosphere.

The strong man stood up and said that it was too late, so he stopped talking, he went to watch the night first, and urged everyone to go to bed early.

The strong man keeps watch from 10:00 to 12:00, and there are 6 hours left.

After discussion, Jiang Cheng and the others decided that Jiang Cheng would guard from 12 to 2 o'clock, the middle-aged man from 2 to 4 o'clock, and the fat man from 4 to 6 o'clock.

The strong man moved a thick cushion and sat around the fireplace to warm himself up by the fire. The flames reflected his face flickeringly.

The sofa that Jiang Cheng was lying on was next to the fat man's, and the middle-aged man was a little far away from them, at the other end of the living room.

Brother, the fat man stretched his neck over and asked softly, Are you asleep?

Jiang Cheng turned over, leaving him with a back view.

Jiang Cheng remained awake during the two hours of the strong man's vigil, but fortunately, nothing happened except for the sound of firewood burning.

When the time was up, the strong man came over and pushed Jiangcheng, and Jiangcheng woke up.

Be smart during the night watch, and wake us up loudly if something happens. The strong man seemed worried, and continued: The probability of those things happening around 12 o'clock at night is the highest.

What things? Jiang Cheng stood up and asked.

The strong man's face became ugly, but he still lowered his voice and said, A supernatural event.

After a brief exchange, the brawny man lay down on the sofa in front of Jiangcheng, while Jiangcheng walked over, sat by the fireplace, and assumed the responsibility of night watch.

The surroundings were quiet, except for the occasional snoring of the fat man, there was hardly any sound.

Both the middle-aged man and the strong man had their eyes closed, as if they were sleeping, but Jiang Cheng suspected that they were actually awake, just like he was just now.

Two hours passed quickly. Jiang Cheng walked to the other side of the living room and woke up the middle-aged man.

There was no unnecessary communication between the two, Jiang Cheng went back to sleep, the middle-aged man took a few sips of water from the mineral water bottle, and walked to the fireplace.

First, some firewood was added to it, and then I sat cross-legged in front of the fireplace.

He also held the pocket watch in his hand.

The middle-aged man's experience is not as rich as that of the strong man and the woman, but he also escaped from a mission by chance, so he clearly knows what the supernatural means in the mouth of the strong man.

more aware of their horror.

Just as Jiang Cheng had guessed, the middle-aged man hadn't slept since the night watch of the strong man, and was always on guard for some bad things that might happen.

An hour and a half passed and nothing happened.

During this period, he added firewood again, and the fire in the fireplace burned very vigorously, warming the middle-aged man's body, as if this could dispel the chill in his heart.

The two hours were up soon, and he kept the shift to be over. He stood up slowly and turned his head to look at the window.

Through the gap between the curtains, it seems that the sky outside is getting brighter.

People in nightmares paranoidly resist the night, but especially love the day.

Middle-aged men are no exception.

Just when he was moving his limbs and preparing to wake up the fat man in the next shift, a surge of urination suddenly emerged, which even caught him off guard.

He stared at the mineral water bottle in his hand... Did he drink too much?

The fact that it was almost dawn reassured him a lot. He turned around and found that the bathroom was in the corner of the living room, not far from here.

Adjusting his glasses, he was going to wake up the fat man in the next shift first.

But just as he turned his head, he happened to find that the fat man had gotten up.

And... at some point, he had already come to his side.

Quite vigilant... The middle-aged man muttered something in his heart, then waved his hand at the fat man as a signal, and then walked slowly towards the bathroom in the corner.

Carefully opened the door, and carefully drained the water. The bathroom door was wide open. Anyway, there were men in the living room.

After shaking, the middle-aged man felt relaxed after draining the water.

To be honest, after a day of tossing and six hours without sleep, his physical strength and energy have been a little bit behind. After all, he is not a young man in his 20s.

Looking at his exhausted self in the mirror in front of him, the middle-aged man sighed, took off his glasses, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water on his face. The water was freezing cold, but it made him feel very refreshed.

Just when he was about to wash it for the second time, he glanced at the mirror from the corner of his eye, and suddenly found that there was a person standing behind the door to the right in the reflection of the mirror.

The person who came was silent, and no footsteps were heard.

who?!

The shock lasted less than a second, and then the middle-aged man calmed down again. Although he didn't wear glasses, he couldn't see the face of the person clearly, but the fat body still betrayed the person's identity.

it's me.

Hearing that it was Fatty's voice, the middle-aged man was completely relieved, and then he said dissatisfiedly: Next time you come, tell me, don't suddenly appear behind me.

The middle-aged man wiped his face twice with his sleeve, then put on his glasses, and turned around while shaking off the water from his hands.

But the moment he turned around completely, he felt a chill from head to toe, and his blood vessels seemed to be covered with ice stubble.

Behind... no one.

Where is the fat man? Where did the fat man go? !

His eyes turned red almost instantly, and he wanted to look back in the mirror subconsciously, but he didn't because he felt his shoulders sink.

It's like...something is attached to it.

...

Its daybreak.

The three people sleeping in the room on the second floor were similar to the few people in the living room, and they all left one person to watch the night.

The male clerk who was huddled in a corner of the bedroom was about to yawn when he was interrupted by a pig-like howl, which also made him tremble and almost fell off his chair.

The woman and the innocent girl sleeping on the bed were also awakened by the cries.

Several people looked at each other and rushed downstairs.

Jiang Cheng and the strong man surrounded the fat man, and the fat man sat on the ground, his face turned pale with fright, and it was self-evident who came from that pig-killing howl.

All three of them stared at the bathroom in the corner.

With trepidation, uneasiness, and...doubt.

The woman with the mole on her lip looked around, but she didn't find the middle-aged man, so she was already prepared.

She shook off the pure girl's hand and walked to the bathroom alone.

The bathroom door was open, and she stood in front of the door and glanced in quickly.

Rao was as experienced as her, and took a deep breath.

The middle-aged man stood straight in front of the mirror, with his body facing the door and his back facing the mirror, but his head was twisted 180 degrees, facing the mirror backwards.

Through the reflection in the mirror, one could see the middle-aged man's eyes were wide open, almost falling out of their sockets.

After calming down, the woman cautiously walked over to the middle-aged man, and then the strong man.

After observing for a few seconds, Jiang Cheng also followed, standing outside the bathroom door and looking in.

The woman moved her hand away from the middle-aged man's neck, and said after a while, He was suddenly twisted and broken by a huge force.

This is an obvious thing, and naturally no one raised any objections.

Before he died, he was severely frightened, the strong man added, staring into the eyes of the middle-aged man.

Chapter 6 Taboo

After examining the corpse, the three of them exited the bathroom. Facing such a strange corpse, no one felt uncomfortable.

The time of death is probably within three hours, the strong man looked up at the pocket watch in his hand and said affirmatively, that is to say, it will be between 2:00 and 5:00 in the morning.

How can you determine the time?

The strong man glanced at the pure girl who asked the question, told her the time and order of the vigil they arranged, and handed her the pocket watch, which showed that the timer had counted exactly 7 hours.

The next shift in Jiangcheng is a middle-aged man, and the fat man who got off work was woken up by urinating, and when he went to drain the water, he found the dead middle-aged man.

At this time, the fat man got up tremblingly, and asked the middle-aged man why he died. The strong man sighed, and closed the bathroom door, and the group returned to the sofa in front of the fireplace.

As a newcomer, Jiang Cheng hardly ever spoke. He was always listening and analyzing. Most of the opinions he put forward came from the most experienced strong men and women with moles on their lips.

Through the information revealed during the discussion between several people, Jiang Cheng understood that in this world, people are generally not killed for no reason, and the people who were killed must have touched some taboos.

And the so-called taboo is very likely to be the key clue to crack the mission.

What did he do that we haven't done? The male clerk huddled between Jiang Cheng and the pure girl, obviously terrified, he didn't want to die inexplicably like a middle-aged man.

The pure girl frowned, and said, Could it be because he went to the bathroom on the first floor, where is the hidden taboo in this mission, and everyone who goes there will die?

No way, the fat man squatted on the spot, holding his knees with both hands, and said in a low voice, I also went to the bathroom, just yesterday when I searched the living room.

Jiang Cheng turned his head to look at the fat man, and said after a while, Then you have to be careful, even though you have a thick neck, you should be able to break it with force.

The fat man almost cried when he heard this.

The brawny man seemed a little dissatisfied with Jiang Cheng's attitude, but he still didn't say anything. He just shook his head and said that it shouldn't be. Almost all of them have been to the bathroom on the first floor. If something happened, it shouldn't be just a middle-aged man.

Maybe it's just a sequence? The woman with a mole on her lip said, You should understand that ghosts rarely kill people one after another in a short period of time.

The burly man glanced at the woman, but rarely did he refute.

Is there really such a thing...

Jiang Cheng's long-standing speculation has been confirmed. The door that appeared in the dream undoubtedly belongs to the category of supernatural events, and it seems reasonable for ghosts to appear in supernatural events.

So what we need to fight in this world is not a human, but a ghost?! The male clerk turned pale with fright.

In view of his previous performance, no one wants to talk to him at all.

Since someone died, it means that this villa is our destination. The so-called journey does not exist, and that car just appeared to bring us here. The pure girl looked around, The problem is this villa.

What's wrong with the villa?

The innocent girl stared at the fat man who asked the question, and said after a while, For example, there have been some vicious incidents here before.

This villa looked quite luxurious, and there was no sign of damage inside, so it was abandoned for no apparent reason. It was indeed suspicious. Jiang Cheng felt that what the pure girl said was quite credible.

The strong man walked to the door of the villa, grabbed the door handle, and pulled hard, but the door did not move.

It's locked, the strong man turned his head and said without even trying a second time, It seems that this is the mission location. We can't leave until we decipher what happened in this villa.

Now that the mission location has been determined, let's spread out and look for clues. It's already dawn, so it's relatively safe.

Even so, the death of the middle-aged man sounded the alarm for everyone, especially the three newcomers Jiang Cheng, Fatty, and the male clerk.

In order to speed up the efficiency, several people spontaneously divided into groups, one old man and one newcomer.

The fat man followed the strong man, the male clerk followed the woman with a mole on her lip, and Jiang Cheng and the pure girl were in a group.

For safety reasons, the search area is temporarily fixed on the first floor of the villa.

The group of strong men was in charge of the living room and near the door, the group of women was in charge of the remote warehouse, and Jiang Cheng and the pure girl went to the kitchen and dining room.

Everyone is within a straight-line visible range of each other, and once something happens, there will be a response to each other.

This time, with previous experience, the search was more thorough and careful.

Half an hour later, everyone reunited in front of the fireplace, and the sky was completely bright.

We found this in the warehouse, the woman with the mole on her lip took out a thick rope, a hemp rope, with black and red marks on one section.

The strong man took it and rubbed it twice vigorously, then put it under his nose and smelled it, It's blood, he looked up at the woman.

The woman nodded, Just behind a pile of firewood, I picked this up nearby.

She opened her right hand, and in the palm was a light green brooch in the shape of a maple leaf, giving the impression that the owner of the brooch should be a gentle girl.

Had a girl ever been tied up and left there?

What did you find? The woman turned her head to look at the strong man.

Come and take a look with me, the strong man said and walked towards the door, with a group of people following behind him.

Standing by the door, the strong man fumbled to press a spot on the wall. Jiang Cheng had good eyesight, so he saw that it was a light blue button.

The button is embedded in the oil painting by the door, blending with the sky blue background image, it is hard to find without looking carefully.

At the same time as the button was pressed, a crack opened in the wall on the right side of the door, and then it opened slowly, revealing a well-hidden built-in shoe cabinet inside.

There are three floors in the shoe cabinet. Except for the third floor, which is still intact, the partition between the first and second floors has been broken, and all kinds of shoes are mixed together.

After sorting, there are two pairs of men's leather shoes, one pair of women's red high heels, and three pairs of women's casual shoes in front of them.

The woman with the mole on her lip picked out one pair of casual shoes and placed them next to the red high heels, These two pairs of shoes should belong to the same person.

The remaining two pairs of casual shoes obviously belonged to a younger girl, and the two pairs of shoes were exactly the same size.

On the third floor is a pair of men's sneakers. After comparison, the size of the men's leather shoes is quite different.

Currently, this villa used to house a family of four, the host, the hostess, and a girl and a boy, the pure girl looked up and said, This can also be matched with the distribution of bedrooms on the second floor. There is a master bedroom for the host and host, a girl's bedroom, and a boy's bedroom.

Chapter 7

I went to Jiangcheng on the second floor yesterday, and it was consistent with what the pure girl said.

Boys and girls’ bedrooms are easy to distinguish. One is filled with all kinds of dolls, and the other has posters of various military weapons on the wall. There are also military journals on the table, full of military fans.

Next, the two groups of people turned their attention to Jiang Cheng and Pure Girl.

The family atmosphere in this family is not very harmonious, and we found many broken dinner plates and cups in the trash can, some with blood stains on them, Jiangcheng said.

The pure woman added: There are still some marks on the wooden stair railings. We analyze that they may be scratches left by fingernails.

This was a clue that couldn't be ignored. They came to the stairs and followed the position of the innocent female's fingers, and they found some traces left by friction.

The strong man went up and touched it with his hand, his expression changed slightly, That's right, it's a scratch.

Family of four, poor family atmosphere, broken tableware, scratches, imprisoned young girl...

Any combination seems to point to a family tragedy.

There used to be an abused girl here.

Then what do we need to do next? the male clerk whispered, Rescue this poor girl?

Whatever happened here belongs to the past, and we are powerless to change the past, said the woman with a mole on her lip. All we can do is find out the truth and end the mission.

But haven't we already deduced the truth?

The brawny man became more and more impatient and said, Fuck you! How did the girl get abused? Who participated in the abuse? Is the girl dead or alive? I don't know how to end the mission!

After being yelled at by the strong man, the male clerk was too frightened to speak.

The innocent girl looked at the male clerk with pity in her eyes.

Gululu...

Gululu...

Everyone looked at the place where the voice came from, and the fat man held his stomach in embarrassment, That...

Forget it, the search on the first floor is almost over, let's prepare for dinner. After a whole morning of tossing, the strong man also felt a little hungry.

Just as everyone was about to cook, a voice came from behind, I haven't checked there yet. Jiang Cheng pointed to the bathroom where the middle-aged man's body was. I think there may be clues there.

Hearing this sentence, everyone's faces became serious. Everyone in Jiang Cheng's mind knew about it, but it was difficult to convince himself to check it out.

After all, someone has already died there, and if it is not easy to enter the bathroom, you will touch the taboo that leads to death.

When assigning the search range, everyone tacitly avoided it.

After all, reason overcame fear, and the brawny man took a deep breath and said, He's right. There may be clues hidden there. Although it takes some risks, everyone will die if they don't solve the mission.

Rarely, the woman with the mole on her lip didn't refute. She obviously understood the stakes, but she still said strangely, Then who will go?

At this moment, Jiang Cheng interjected, Who has been to the bathroom on the first floor?

Everyone raised their hands.

After counting the number of people, Jiang Cheng continued, Then everyone may have triggered the taboo of death, so this is not only to find clues, but also to save their own lives.

The innocent girl frowned and asked, Then we can't all go in together, can we?

The strong man stroked the stubble on his chin, nodded and said, The space inside is too small, too many people can't use it if they encounter something.

That's right, Jiang Cheng nodded, I reckon two people are enough to go in.

Then... who will go in voluntarily? The male clerk at the back said excitedly.

Everyone was silent.

Okay, let's draw lots to decide, it's fair to everyone, Jiang Cheng spread his hands.

good!

I agree.

...

After some preparations, Jiang Cheng took out a few pieces of paper, two of which were shorter, rolled up the papers into a small roll in front of everyone, and put them one by one in the palm of his hand, Whoever gets the short papers goes in, no problem.

This method is definitely no problem, but... Fatty stared at the small scrolls in Jiang Cheng's hand, and swallowed, How come there are only 5 scrolls, but now there are 6 people.

Others also noticed this problem and were looking at Jiang Cheng suspiciously.

Because I don't smoke, Jiang Cheng said naturally.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then a little angry, the strong man shouted loudly: Why don't you smoke?

Because I haven't been to the bathroom.

You have been here all day and night, and you drank so much water, how could you not go to the bathroom? The male clerk seemed to have found a way to vent, and shouted hysterically: You just want to play tricks! Just let him go in alone!!

The woman with the mole on her lip stared at Jiang Cheng with an unkind expression, and said with a sneer, There is a price to be paid for playing tricks here.

I know, Jiang Cheng said without changing his expression, but I really haven't been to the bathroom, I have evidence.

He raised his finger and pointed in one direction, probably where the window sill was. At this moment, a gust of wind was blowing, raising a corner of the curtain, revealing two mineral water bottles placed behind.

One bottle was full, and the other was only half filled, both of which had a light yellow color that was definitely not the color of normal mineral water.

It exudes a seductive luster in the morning light.

This is... The male clerk suddenly opened his eyes wide.

Hmm, Jiang Cheng nodded, and admitted their guess with a little embarrassment, I think the bathroom is darker, so I just...

The strong man looked at Jiang Cheng with a complicated expression, ...

Then the woman: ...

Male clerk: ...

Pure girl: ...

Fatty: ...you are such a clever little ghost!

Since Jiang Cheng had never entered the bathroom, it was difficult for everyone to say anything. The remaining five people drew lots, and Jiang Cheng stretched his neck to watch.

In the end, the strong man and the male clerk were lucky enough to be selected.

After the two opened the bathroom door, they found that the middle-aged man's body was gone.

The bathroom wasn't too big, and it couldn't hide an adult's body at all.

This is not the world we are in, the woman behind said suddenly, It's normal for some incomprehensible things to happen, just get used to it.

Just like what she said, there was no surprise on the strong man's face, it was just that the male clerk had suffered so much, he was crying in front of the door, and was kicked in by the strong man.

The rest are waiting outside.

The search was carried out very efficiently. In less than five minutes, the two came out. The strong man held a piece of white toilet paper in his hand.

First close the bathroom door, everyone walked to the living room, the strong man unfolded the toilet paper, and inside was a strand of hair.

I found it in the bathtub in the bathroom. It wasn't there yesterday.

The strong man was cautious and didn't even touch his hair with his hands.

The hair is very long, and you can tell it's a woman's.

Chapter 8 Male Models

Could it be the girl who was abused? The pure girl analyzed: The girl died after being abused, and she became a ghost because of undigested resentment. She was the one who killed the middle-aged man in the early morning.

At present, the analysis of the pure girl is reasonable.

It may be so, but we still need some evidence. After coming out of the bathroom, the strong man's momentum was much weaker, and he could even see the fine cold sweat on his forehead.

Jiang Cheng knew that he was not as calm as he seemed.

Let's go eat first, someone suggested.

The cooking was left to the fat man alone, and the pure girl helped wash the vegetables.

It didn't take long for a delicious meal to be ready, even in such an environment, everyone still ate up all the food, one can imagine Fatty's craftsmanship.

Are you a chef? The strong man took a sip of the hot soup, and even looked at the fat man's big face much more pleasing to his eyes.

No, the fat man scratched his head and said embarrassedly, I just ran around and did all kinds of work, so I can order everything.

What do you all do? It's fate for everyone to gather here, the strong man put down his bowl, his eyes softened a lot, My name is Fan Li, and I'm a bodyguard.

I...my name is Xie Yu, I work in an insurance company, the male clerk whispered.

My name is Chen Xiaomeng, and I'm studying at university, majoring in law, Qingchunnv introduced herself.

It was the turn of the woman with the mole on her lip. At first, she thought she would dismiss it, but a slow voice said, You can call me Sister Nuan, I am older than you, and my profession... She smiled cryptically, I am a seller.

Everyone looked at her with inexplicable eyes. The aura displayed by this woman is by no means an ordinary merchant, and what the goods she refers to actually has a lot to say.

But no one was entangled in this issue.