Chapter 1 The Ending Is Already Written

　　Sensing Fatty’s strange gaze, Wu’s anger intensified. Having glimpsed a portion of the truth at the urging of Newspaper Man, Wu understood Fatty's situation even more thoroughly than Fatty himself. The door on Fatty's body existed to save Jiang Cheng from falling into the abyss, and from the moment it was peeled away, the ending was already written.

　　Fatty passed Newspaper Man’s test. He obtained an absolutely unique opportunity to survive, yet he gave it up. Wu clearly understood the reason, but he did not accept it.

　　Seeing Wu’s gradually tightening brow, Fatty's gaze suddenly turned warm. "Thank you. All along, you've protected me and the doctor. If it weren't for you, we probably would have died long ago. You're a trustworthy partner, always have been. The doctor has a good eye."

　　Wu’s ice-cold expression paused for a moment, then turned sinister again. "It's useless to say this now. This time, I'm powerless too. You made the wrong choice. Because of your stupidity, the only ending waiting for you is to disappear. You will disappear forever."

　　"No, I won't. At least you guys will still remember me. You, Doctor, and... and Huai Yi, Wang Qi, my family. Everyone will remember me." A look of nostalgia appeared on Fatty’s face, but soon after, he laughed again, carefree. "Isn't there a saying that a person experiences three deaths in their lifetime? The first is the moment they lose their heartbeat, when the EKG becomes a straight line, and they no longer breathe. From a biological perspective, that's when death is determined."

　　"The second is when the funeral is held, and the person's social identity is completely erased."

　　Speaking of this, Fatty paused subconsciously. A hint of dimness appeared in his eyes, and his voice softened. "The next is the third time, when no one remembers you anymore."

　　Seeing this, Wu turned his head away impatiently. "Enough. You can't die yet. You're still useful. I won't let you die easily. Neither will that person."

　　Following Wu’s gaze, Fatty looked towards the bedroom door, recalling the days he spent with Doctor and Wu. Although difficult, the beauty within could not be concealed.

　　When Fatty came back to his senses and wanted to say a few more words to Wu, he discovered that the corner was already empty.

　　He lay back down on the sofa, pulled the blanket up to his chin, and after a long while, a soft sigh echoed in the dim room.

　　Jiang Cheng slept restlessly that night. He kept having dreams, bizarre and illogical dreams, each one related to him and Fatty.

　　Even more terrifying was that each dream ended with Fatty's death. His methods of death included, but were not limited to, being eaten by ghosts, being cut in half by ghosts with knives (both vertically and horizontally), being hanged by ghosts, falling to his death while walking, being hit by a car, being crushed by falling objects, and choking to death while eating. Of course, the most bizarre, and the one that left the deepest impression on Jiang Cheng, was Fatty being pierced through the body from behind by a knife. The blade pierced through his heart and emerged from his chest. Because... this time, the one who killed Fatty was not a strange ghost, but Wu. Jiang Cheng recognized the knife and saw his face clearly.

　　It was this dream that completely startled Jiang Cheng awake. He sat alone on the mattress, his whole body soaked in cold sweat. The scene from the dream kept replaying in his mind, stimulating his nerves.

　　Jiang Cheng also tried to comfort himself, saying that there was nothing to fear in such an absurd dream, but it was useless. His self-suggestion completely failed at this moment. On the contrary, the lingering fear from the dream was gradually invading reality.

　　He picked up his phone and glanced at the time. It was almost noon.

　　Without hesitating, Jiang Cheng rolled out of bed, pushed open the bedroom door, and saw that the blanket on the sofa was neatly folded. Not seeing Fatty, Jiang Cheng walked downstairs.

　　He had only gone halfway when he smelled a fragrance of food.

　　The fragrance was tempting, the kind of junk food Jiang Cheng didn't reject.

　　After going downstairs, the first thing he saw was Fatty with his back to him, wearing a tank top and shorts, with headphones on, doing push-ups on the floor, his muscles tensed. Judging from his condition, he had been working out for a while.

　　On the table were fried chicken burgers, two glasses of iced cola, and a bucket that used to be large but was now severely shrunken. A fragrant aroma emanated from these items, and Jiang Cheng's stomach couldn't help but growl.

　　Fatty stood up, paused when he saw Jiang Cheng, and took off his headphones. "Doctor, you're awake so early. I thought you'd sleep longer."

　　Jiang Cheng pointed at the fried chicken burgers. "Did you buy these?"

　　"Otherwise? Did the flower shop owner next door, who has admired you for a long time but hasn't succeeded, send them over?" Fatty grinned and joked with the doctor. The fitness guru video was playing on the phone in his hand and the atmosphere was very enthusiastic.

　　Jiang Cheng frowned. "It's not necessary to go out. The situation outside is unclear."

　　Fatty blinked and waved his phone at Jiang Cheng a few times. "Doctor, open your eyes and look at the world. Don't you know there's such a thing as takeout?"

　　After a few back-and-forth words, Jiang Cheng's fear from the dream gradually subsided. Nothing could make him feel more at ease than seeing Fatty alive and kicking in front of him. Because drinking cold drinks on an empty stomach is bad for digestion, Jiang Cheng first stuffed down a whole burger, then gulped down iced cola, and finally tore open the bucket and attacked the chicken wings and egg tarts inside.

　　"Aren't you going to drink?"

　　Looking at Fatty, who was covered in sweat after his workout, Jiang Cheng handed him a glass of iced cola.

　　Fatty shook his head and refused firmly. "You eat, Doctor. I don't eat this junk food. I've given up these carbonated drinks that only give otaku a sense of empty happiness."

　　Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue and sized Fatty up and down, thinking that things really do change. Fatty actually dared to call the headliner of the nightclub an otaku. Is it that there are no mirrors in this world, or that the cameras are all dead?

　　The result of this matter was that Jiang Cheng ate two more chicken wings to calm his nerves.

　　In the afternoon, bored, Fatty sat cross-legged on the sofa downstairs reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, while Jiang Cheng was concentrating on playing a single-player game with cheat codes at his desk. Just as he was enjoying himself, his phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

　　Jiang Cheng stared at his phone and ignored it, but after a while, the number called again, as if testing Jiang Cheng's patience, ringing again and again, with the determination of not stopping until he answered.

　　After thinking about it, Jiang Cheng pressed the answer button. As soon as he answered, a woman's voice came from the other end. The voice was low, but very anxious. The other person seemed to be in a very open place, and a faint echo could be heard. "Is... is this Jiang Cheng? I'm Li Bai. You must be careful. The mission isn't over, the mission isn't over!!"