Chapter 1 Jiangcheng's Discovery

Upon hearing this, Jiangcheng withdrew his gaze from the window and focused his attention on the driver for the first time, looking through the rearview mirror.

"How so?"

The driver subconsciously swallowed. This area was relatively desolate, but the road was straight and had few intersections, making it easier to drive. He didn't have to worry too much about a car suddenly appearing.

Glancing at the rearview mirror, the driver lowered his voice and said, "You're not from around here, so you might not know, but Rongcheng has been... a bit restless lately."

"In just the last while, several people have gone missing, vanished without a trace, scared everyone to death." The driver said, still shaken.

Not hearing a response from the two, he continued on his own, "A friend of mine's child works at the bureau." He licked his lips, hinting, "The police station, you know. According to him, his son has been so busy for a while that he can't even go home. Everyone there has had their vacations canceled, and those who are away are rushing back."

The taxi industry, due to its unique nature, is quite well-informed.

Hearing this, there was a slight change in Jiangcheng's expression, as well as Fatty's. Both of them couldn't help but think of the Nightmare Mission.

Moreover, Jiangcheng also recalled what the police officer driving the car had said to the female police officer in the office.

The two things immediately corroborated each other.

"How did they disappear?" Jiangcheng expressed interest, leaning forward slightly, his tone different from before.

His eyes were filled with curiosity, even a hint of fear.

Because the doctor was being so dramatic, Fatty didn't bother acting much, just sitting there quietly as a background.

The driver was even more enthusiastic when he heard someone was agreeing with him. He said mysteriously in a low voice, "How would I know the specifics? I heard the bureau doesn't have any leads."

"But I heard they all disappeared at night," he paused, seemingly thinking of something particularly terrifying, his tone becoming strange, "What's even stranger is that some of them were sleeping at home at night, but the next morning, they were gone. Isn't that scary?"

"And... and there were other people at home!"

"It's really freaking weird!" The driver abruptly turned the steering wheel, and the car entered a fork in the road. Taking this route seemed to be a bit shorter.

"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?" Jiangcheng said, "These things get more and more exaggerated as they're passed around. Originally, it might not have been a big deal, but by the time it gets to the end..."

Before Jiangcheng could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the driver. "Little brother," the driver, who wasn't much older than Jiangcheng, suddenly lowered his voice, "If the previous things were all hearsay, then this matter is definitely true."

Becoming inexplicably nervous, the driver's voice also lowered, "To make it easier to find fares, we drivers have a group, with several of the guys who usually hang out together. There must be dozens of us. One of them, an older brother in his early 40s, also had an accident."

"Disappeared?"

"Yeah," the driver nodded, "Just three nights ago."

"He usually works the night shift, but that day he went out and played mahjong for half the day, so he couldn't stay awake at night. Around 12 o'clock, he thought about finding a place to park and rest for a while."

"Actually, it was just a nap," the driver explained, "But that nap caused trouble. He disappeared."

"How do you know he disappeared because of that nap?" Jiangcheng asked, thinking about it.

He wasn't trying to find fault, he just genuinely thought there was a loophole in the driver's words. According to the driver, the missing driver should have been alone when it happened.

So how did he know?

Especially... how could he be so clear about it?

"Sigh!" The driver sighed, somewhat annoyed, "We played mahjong together during the day. Like him, I also work the night shift, but there was a shortage of people that day, so I..."

At this point, the driver seemed to suddenly realize something. His eyes flashed, and he immediately changed his words, "No, no... it was him, he was the one who pulled me in."

After noticing that the two passengers in the back seat didn't show any unusual reactions, he calmed down and continued, "After we left that day, it was almost 6 pm. We went to eat first, and then we came out to find fares together."

"We kept the walkie-talkie on along the way, chatting all the time, as a way to keep each other awake. You know, we're dealing with cars every day, and as long as we're on the road, our families are always worried."

"As a result, around 12 o'clock," he thought for a moment, and then continued in a confirming manner, "That's right, it was around 12 o'clock, because a radio channel I often listen to started. I remember it very clearly."

"It just so happened that he said he was tired at that time, and I tried to persuade him to go home and rest early, but he didn't agree. He said that since he came out, he couldn't just go home without earning enough for gas."

"So he told me that he wanted to find a place to take a nap, a more secluded place, at least one that wouldn't be caught on camera. After a while, he said he had found it, behind a dumpling restaurant."

"Then he happily told me that the location was good, quiet, and no one was watching, so I asked him to send me the location, in case I might need it in the future."

"He also made an appointment with me, saying to call him in an hour. At that time, the bars and barbecue restaurants would just be letting out, and business would be better," he said.

"I was pretty busy at that time, so by the time I remembered him, almost two hours had passed. I hurriedly called him, but it showed that the call went through, but no one answered."

"I thought he was just sleeping too soundly, so I didn't take it seriously. Before long, I happened to pick up a passenger who got out near the location he sent, so I went over to find him."

At this point, the driver suddenly stopped talking.

Fatty was engrossed in the story, but since the doctor didn't say anything, he didn't dare to urge him.

"Phew—" Letting out a long breath, the driver slowly slowed down, as if to give himself a buffer.

"But when I arrived, the car was empty," he paused, "He wasn't in the car."

"At first, I thought he had gotten out to relieve himself, so I stood next to his car and called him again, but... but his phone rang in the car, right on his driver's seat, and the screen was lit up!" His breathing began to quicken, and Fatty felt a bit eerie just imagining it.

"What happened next?" Jiangcheng asked.

"I subconsciously reached out to pull his car door, and found that it was locked," after a moment, his voice suddenly became louder, "But that's not normal. There's nothing blocking the area, it's especially desolate. How could he leave his phone behind and walk away alone?"