Chapter 18 A Trap Within a Trap

After arriving at the sedan chair, Jiang Cheng didn't waste much effort using his fire poker to pull out a female paper figure.

To be honest, Jiang Cheng didn't see it clearly at first glance. It was dark and he was startled, but when he saw the bright red nail polish on the female paper figure's hand, he understood everything instantly.

"He hid a paper figure, which means A Biao brought out two female paper figures..." Although angry, Jiang Cheng knew this person was not easy to deal with, possessing both courage and brains. There might be some trick inside.

He had only paid attention to Yu Chengmu, but he didn't expect this A Biao to be much more troublesome than he imagined. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, realizing things were starting to get interesting...

Time was limited. Jiang Cheng dropped the paper figure and came to the door where the paper figures were stored. The door was half open, and he could clearly see a lantern placed in a conspicuous spot inside.

The lantern was extinguished. Judging from its position, A Biao was very considerate, not even hiding the lantern.

Without using his hands, Jiang Cheng slowly pushed the door open with the wooden stick. Fortunately, apart from the harsh sound of the door hinge, there were no other abnormalities. After checking that there were no tripwires or other mechanisms in front of the door, he carefully stepped inside.

The lantern was placed as if it had been specially prepared for him, the handle facing the door, making it easy to pick up. After confirming the surrounding area was safe, Jiang Cheng half-knelt on the ground, examining the lantern 360 degrees.

Finally, he found some inconspicuous barbs on the handle.

"Heh."

Jiang Cheng clapped his hands, stood up, and wore a look of utter nonchalance, like someone protesting too much.

Originally, he thought there might be something wrong with the lantern, especially since the night watchman had mentioned being careful with fire. But now it seemed that this lantern was likely a very important prop.

Not far from the lantern, he also found a fire starter.

And a wooden ladder that looked very sturdy.

Ignoring these things, Jiang Cheng followed his original plan, first walking around the room to get a feel for the environment. After inspection, there were a total of three female paper figures suspended with clean feet.

Combining the known clues, a clear thread quickly appeared in Jiang Cheng's mind. Of the remaining three paper figures, only two were safe, and the last one was the ghost.

Moreover, Jiang Cheng had a guess that this ghost was Zhou the paper craftsman's missing wife.

She had indeed returned home, and had hanged herself in this room specifically for storing paper figures.

As for A Biao taking away two paper figures, it was also to trick them, so that a mission that everyone could potentially complete would turn into one with an almost certain death.

And if nothing unexpected happened, the one who would die would be Du Moyu, the last one.

But he thought this writer of supernatural stories was not bad, and also quite pitiful, so he planned to help him if he could, because Jiang Cheng sincerely felt that he was a good person.

The most important issue now was to determine which paper figure was the problematic one.

Jiang Cheng tried to observe first, but it didn't work. In the end, he chose the lantern. He didn't remove the barbs, leaving them for those who came later. He only held the outermost section of the wooden stick.

With the lantern's light, it immediately worked. One of the paper figures didn't cast a shadow on the wall.

"It's you!"

Jiang Cheng mentally marked the problematic paper figure, turned around, and brought the ladder over to paint the nails of a safe paper figure. Everything went smoothly. After painting, Jiang Cheng took down the paper figure and moved it to the door.

Again, it didn't go out.

His own task was completed. Next, he had to design something fun for A Biao's accomplice, Zhou Qing. Courtesy demands reciprocity. "You give me hell difficulty, I'll give you King Yama difficulty!" Jiang Cheng's smile in the shadows was more terrifying than the surrounding paper figures.

...

Extremely nervous, Du Moyu stayed by the table, waiting for Jiang Cheng to return, although he didn't know if he could come back.

The sound of the clapper had passed for a while, and Du Moyu clenched his fists, growing more anxious.

Suddenly—

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Knocking sounded on the door without warning, scaring Du Moyu so much that he almost jumped up.

"Who is it?" Du Moyu asked subconsciously.

He had already experienced a teammate being killed, and the ghost disguised as a teammate returning, so he was very vigilant.

"It's me," Jiang Cheng's voice was as casual as ever, "The ghost in disguise."

Du Moyu: "??!!"

"Open the door!"

Du Moyu: "Get lost, nobody's home!"

With a rustling sound, Jiang Cheng came to the back window, then pushed it open and jumped in nimbly, landing in a rather handsome pose.

Dusting off his clothes, Jiang Cheng glanced at Du Moyu, "Is that how you talk to your savior, future supernatural fiction bestseller?"

Du Moyu held up a broom, looking like he would rather die than surrender. "I have to survive this mission first before I can talk about the future! Are you a human or a ghost!"

"Do you need me to pick you up and throw you out the window?" Jiang Cheng walked to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and gulped it down. He seemed to be in a very good mood.

Du Moyu put down the broom, excitedly saying, "It really is you, you came back alive!"

Next, Jiang Cheng told Du Moyu about the situation he encountered, making Du Moyu click his tongue. "I knew these people had no good intentions. They killed Pang Xiaofeng last time, and now they're going to mess with us again."

"Right," Du Moyu asked, "Did you run into Zhou Qing on the way back? What did you say to him?"

Jiang Cheng shrugged. "I didn't run into him. I hid by the roadside and came back after he passed."

"Smart!" Du Moyu couldn't help but clap. "Zhou Qing didn't run into you, so he must be feeling guilty. He doesn't know if you're dead or not, but the sound of the clapper has already sounded, and he doesn't dare not go."

After saying that, Du Moyu couldn't help but think of himself, and said with some regret, "To be honest, Mr. Jiang, I'm not you. My position in the order is also awkward. A Biao is really ruthless. If… if Zhou Qing doesn't make a mistake, then when I go, there will be no safe female paper figures left. I might have to..."

Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Don't worry, he will definitely make a mistake."

Hearing this, Du Moyu blinked. "Brother Jiang… Jiang, did you do something?"

"Courtesy demands reciprocity." Jiang Cheng reached into his clothes, took out a candle, and threw it on the table. The candle was quite thick, and only a small half of it was left.

Looking at the candle, Du Moyu was completely stunned. After a moment, he reacted and stared at Jiang Cheng's face, "You… you took the candle from the lantern?"

"Mmhmm!"

A glow appeared on Du Moyu's face, and he excitedly said, "So Zhou Qing doesn't have a candle, so he can't tell which of the remaining two female paper figures is the ghost. He can only guess!"

"Guess?" Jiang Cheng grinned. "He wishes!"