Jiang Cheng had probably guessed what they found in the car that Chen Xiaomeng and the others drove – probably hemp rope, enough to wrap one or two people in a carpet, and disinfectant and other items.

Those who had completed comprehensive criminal investigation courses understood what these things represented better than he did.

But it seemed they hadn't found any dangerous items like firearms, otherwise their posture would definitely be more than this. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

By the time he left the police station, it was almost dark. He rushed into his house at 5:55 PM, and then at 6:00 PM sharp, he heard the phone ring.

Four rings.

No more, no less.

"Hoo—" He exhaled. It seemed Pi Ruan was still safe for the time being. Those people had indeed abandoned him after hearing Hao Shuai's name, and turned their attention to him.

As soon as he received Pi Ruan's call saying he had found Chen Xiaomeng, he immediately realized it was a trap.

Because… it was too fast, and too smooth.

If Chen Xiaomeng could be found so easily by Pi Ruan's useless subordinates, she would have been dead and cremated long ago.

According to Jiang Cheng's understanding, once a nightmare mission was activated, it would never end.

The end here has two meanings: first, the mission will keep finding you, and second, the confrontation in the nightmare will extend to the real world.

After all, the rewards are real.

Whether in the nightmare or in reality, as long as you kill the owner of the reward, you can get the good things from him.

Clue newspapers, or even life-saving white paper.

It's just like playing a game, killing an opponent might drop his equipment.

And these things don't require fingerprint or iris recognition to use, it’s first come, first served.

Compared to the various uncertain factors in nightmares, it's much easier in the real world. Regarding someone like Chen Xiaomeng, Jiang Cheng thought of a very apt term—

Fishing.

The killing in the nightmare will extend to reality, but when you find a teammate from a past mission, you've already taken the bait. Then the latter follows the trail to wipe you out, and even the forces behind you.

Unlike the solo battles or small group confrontations in nightmare missions, there is no limit to the number of people in the real world. For example, today, if he hadn't seen through the opponent's trick in advance and chosen to edit a text message to call the police, he would already be dead.

In all likelihood, he would have been wrapped in the blanket in the trunk, sprinkled with disinfectant, and taken back as a stupid trophy to exhibit.

Chen Xiaomeng was definitely capable of doing something like that.

And that middle-aged man beside her was no simple character either. In a one-on-one situation, Jiang Cheng wasn't confident he could take him down.

After this incident, Jiang Cheng's understanding of nightmares reached a new level. Some of his past assumptions had become reality.

Judging by the proficiency of some teammates, they had obviously been in nightmares for some time, especially Chen Ran. His understanding of nightmares had reached a rather terrifying level.

It would be difficult for him to achieve this alone.

Behind him, there should be a force pushing him, training him, and even… perfecting him.

The appearance of Chen Xiaomeng today also confirmed this point.

There is indeed a phenomenon of players in missions huddling together for warmth in the real world, and as time goes by, this phenomenon will become more and more obvious, and these people… are becoming more and more professional.

It's like the transition from novice players to veteran players.

All of this, in addition to their own accumulated experience, is probably inseparable from the help provided by "gang"-like organizations behind them. These organizations are not just simple forms in a literal sense.

Jiang Cheng's expression gradually darkened. The water here… is probably extremely deep.

At 6:04 PM, Jiang Cheng picked up the phone on time and dialed back. It rang almost only once before the call was connected, but the person on the other end seemed very cautious. Jiang Cheng could only hear weak but rapid breathing, but no sound of speech.

"It's me," Jiang Cheng exhaled.

It was undoubtedly Pi Ruan, being such a coward.

"Oh, you scared me to death!" Pi Ruan's wailing voice sounded, "Dr. Jiang, you don't know, the broken hotel I live in doesn't even have a private bathroom. I have to go to the public restroom. I really have no choice but to use a mineral water bottle…"

Jiang Cheng interrupted his complaining like a wronged wife, "It's okay, go back."

"Go back where?" Pi Ruan's lazy voice paused.

"Go back where you came from."

"Oh."

"Also," before hanging up, Jiang Cheng reminded him, "Don't contact that friend of yours anymore. If he comes looking for you, just give him some money and send him away."

Pi Ruan on the other end of the phone blinked, and asked suspiciously, "Dr. Jiang, did he offend you somewhere?" He swallowed and continued, "Actually, that person is very good, just not very good at talking. He's the type who is ruthless and doesn't talk much, and gets things done cleanly and neatly. The most important thing is that he keeps his mouth shut!" He emphasized.

"Dr. Jiang, you know me," Pi Ruan said embarrassedly, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have used him to help you find someone."

Jiang Cheng glanced at the messy office, and the overturned chair, and took a deep breath, "If you have a chance to see him again in the future, remember to call me."

Pi Ruan, who was huddled on a broken plank bed, suddenly sat up straight and nodded, "Dr. Jiang, do you still have something you need him to do?"

"No," Jiang Cheng said, "I just want to test how tight his lips really are."

The conversation ended in a slightly awkward atmosphere. Jiang Cheng sat for another two minutes, and suddenly shouted towards the stairs, "It's okay, come out."

After a moment, a large head stretched out from the stairs from the first floor to the second floor, "Doctor," Fatty said excitedly, "Are you okay?"

"Drop the 'ba'," Jiang Cheng took a sip of the water the policewoman had poured for him, which he hadn't had time to drink yet, "I'm fine."

Fatty, who was rushing down the stairs, was wearing a shirt, but several buttons on his chest were torn open, with only threads showing outside. It should have been caused when he was escaping and someone grabbed his clothes, and he broke free.

"How are you?"

Fatty, whose arms were covered with scratches, felt a huge weight lifted from his heart when he saw the doctor return. He rubbed his arms while smiling and said, "I'm fine. It's good that you're back, Doctor."

"Actually, I was on that building over there at the time," he pointed in one direction, "I saw that they had more people, so I robbed... no, I borrowed a woman's phone to call the police. I didn't expect the police to be so efficient now. I hadn't even gotten through yet when they arrived."

"Then it seems I should thank you."

Fatty scratched his head and smiled innocently, "You're welcome, Doctor. It's good that you're not dead."