“I don’t know,” Wang Qi said truthfully.

“This time the clues about the mission are very few, and Yuan Xiaoyi hid the most critical part of them,” Huai Yi interjected, his expression grave.

“Yeah,” Jiang Cheng nodded. “This time, she didn’t mention any rules.”

In the previous missions, Yuan Xiaoyi had mentioned the rules in the corresponding ghost stories, which helped them avoid many dangers.

But not this time, because this time they were facing the ghost story that the Mind-Eating Demon (shi xin mo) itself was located in.

The last survivor, Jiang Yanran, was hiding here.

How could it possibly reveal information about itself?

They walked and talked along the way, and the atmosphere was not as heavy as they had imagined.

Back downstairs at the dormitory, Jiang Cheng took out his phone and sent Yuan Xiaoyi a message, comforting her not to overthink things and assuring her that they would rescue the person tonight.

He also probed, asking if there were any taboos in the swimming pool.

Unfortunately, after waiting for a long time, he didn't receive a reply. Fatty comforted him, saying, “It’s okay, Doctor. We’ll just be more careful. It’ll be fine.”

Back in the dormitory, it was completely dark, and that deathly silence descended, as if everything on campus had died at the same time.

None of them had any intention of sleeping for a while, not because they weren’t tired, but because they were all stubbornly holding on. Fatty's eyes were bloodshot.

After tonight, who knows who among them would leave.

“Get some sleep,” Jiang Cheng said. “We’ll take turns resting.”

He was speaking to Fatty and Huai Yi, clearly wanting them to rest first, and then replace him and Wang Qi.

At least that's what Fatty thought.

Fatty didn't insist any further. He looked at Jiang Cheng, then at Wang Qi sitting on the wooden chair, and hesitated before nodding. “Alright, you…” Fatty opened his mouth, paused, “You guys remember to wake me up. I sleep like a log.”

“We will,” Wang Qi said.

Once Fatty and Huai Yi had separated and gone to sleep, only Jiang Cheng and Wang Qi were left awake in the dormitory, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became somewhat oppressive.

In the dim light, Wang Qi looked at Fatty's bed.

Fatty was sleeping on his side, showing only his back, with the blanket pulled up high, all the way to his chin.

With each breath, his body rose and fell evenly.

He was asleep.

“Was he always like this?” Jiang Cheng turned his head, looking at Wang Qi's profile. “Easygoing and stout, able to eat and sleep.”

The other man seemed to be staring intently at Fatty, and only after a few seconds did he react to Jiang Cheng's words, but he still couldn't bear to take his eyes off Fatty.

Such opportunities were becoming increasingly rare for him.

“No,” Wang Qi said in a flat tone. “The family wasn’t well-off before, and there were many people, so there wasn’t enough to eat. Occasionally, when there was something good, everyone would scramble for it.”

“But not 10. 10 was better-behaved than any of us. He always got the most of the good things.”

“He would share the food with the younger children in the family, saying he wasn’t hungry, and he would make funny faces to make everyone happy.”

“Every time he left home and came back, he would remember to bring us gifts.” Wang Qi paused. “Everyone got one, as long as he left home, all of us would wait for him, waiting for him to come home.”

“Until one day, after he left… he never… never came back.” Wang Qi pursed his lips, choking up. “We couldn’t wait for him. Some people said he had forgotten us all, forgotten this family too…”

“He didn’t forget you, and he certainly didn’t forget that family! I can vouch for that,” Jiang Cheng straightened up and said in a very formal tone. “He’s also thinking about you, but his memory has a problem. He only remembers that he has a family, but he doesn’t remember where the home is.”

“He also remembers that he has family, and remembers that his family is waiting for him, but he thinks he’s not doing well and doesn’t want to cause everyone trouble.”

Wang Qi covered his face upon hearing this, his shoulders trembling slightly. “He’s still the same 10 from before, he hasn’t changed at all, he hasn’t forgotten us… I knew it. When I took out the gift he gave me, he recognized it at a glance, and said it was something he once gave to his younger brother…”

“Zero.” Wang Qi wiped his face a few times and looked at Jiang Cheng. “There’s something I want to ask you to do.”

“Tell me about it,” Jiang Cheng said, not immediately agreeing.

Wang Qi glanced at the sleeping Fatty and turned his head. “Let’s go outside.”

Leaving the room, the two came to the corridor. “Zero… Jiang Cheng,” Wang Qi corrected himself. “Have you ever thought about what the significance of the first four ghost stories is?”

“Not related to the Mind-Eating Demon (shi xin mo), I mean… what is the significance to me, and to people like you?” Wang Qi emphasized the word ‘people.’

“Although this world is bizarre, it follows a strange set of laws. This set of rules will provide every guy who participates in the mission with a chance to survive.”

Wang Qi pointed to Jiang Cheng. “You are.” Then he pointed to himself, saying hoarsely, “We are too.”

“Me, and Shen Mengyun, Gao Yan, we’re already dead, but we’re trapped on the bus, unable to dissipate, unable to escape…”

“Participating in this mission is the opportunity left for you,” Jiang Cheng said. “If you can kill us in the mission, you can leave the bus, and we who are killed by you will replace you, staying on the bus until the next batch of people get on.”

“Smart,” Wang Qi nodded. “So you thought of it a long time ago.”

“When did you notice this? About how you’re different from us,” Jiang Cheng asked.

“After coming out of the abandoned playground,” Wang Qi replied. “And my memories are also recovering bit by bit, but the speed is very slow, but I can feel it.”

“You want to ask me not to stop you from killing Huai Yi, right?” Jiang Cheng took two steps back, putting distance between himself and Wang Qi.

No one wanted to stay on this strange bus. There were definitely more than just the old woman among the strange things on this bus.

Just thinking about being left alone on the bus, with unknown strange things hidden in the surrounding mist, unable to escape, unable to die.

That feeling alone could drive people crazy.

In the long wait, loneliness was more deadly than fear.

The only hope was the next batch of people to get on the bus, to use them to replace themselves, to use their despair to nourish their own hope.

Wang Qi looked at Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Cheng's attitude had already made everything clear.

He wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.

But a moment later, Wang Qi shook his head and said, “You’ve misunderstood. I want to ask you to take care of 10.”

Jiang Cheng's retreating footsteps paused.

“I can’t get out,” Wang Qi said, smiling as he pulled at the corners of his mouth. “But 10 hasn’t recovered his memories yet, and he doesn’t have much ability to protect himself. I hope… you can replace me, replace all of us, to take care of him.”

“I will,” Jiang Cheng said.

“Thank you.”