Chapter 18 Unexpected Letter

The car stopped, and the two got out. The studio was not far away.

Wu disappeared, leaving only his shadow quietly on the ground, looking unremarkable.

Along the way, Jiang Cheng's comforting words had improved Fatty's mood a lot, but this only lasted until they returned to the studio. Upon entering, seeing the messy room, the traces of life everywhere, and Huai Yi's jacket draped over the back of the sofa...

Several pairs of shoes were placed behind the door, the rightmost pair being Huai Yi's sneakers. Fatty had picked them out for him last time they went to the supermarket. Huai Yi had said they were too old-fashioned, like something an old man would wear for a walk, but he still bought them in the end.

More than a dozen empty beer cans were scattered on the kitchen floor. Just a few days ago, they had been drinking and celebrating together.

But the world was unpredictable. Back then, no one would have thought that when they returned to this studio, only two of them would be left.

"Doctor." Fatty turned to look at Jiang Cheng, rubbing his face with forced ease, then pulled out an awkward smile. "Don't be sad. Huai Yi is still here, just trapped in that car, just like the Wang Qi brothers. We'll definitely be able to get them out of the car." He paused, summoning his courage. "Soon."

"That's right." Jiang Cheng was playing along, casually unbuttoning his clothes, tossing the jacket aside, and sitting on the sofa, saying with an envious tone, "That kid's really lucky. Leaving the two of us behind while he hides away to enjoy the good life."

After hearing Jiang Cheng's words, Fatty couldn't help but imagine a group of blonde, blue-eyed women surrounding Huai Yi, obeying his every whim, while Huai Yi sat imposingly on the bed, acting like he was choosing a concubine.

Fatty's worry suddenly shifted from how to bring Huai Yi out to how to deal with Huai Yi not wanting to leave when the time came.

Worried that Fatty would overthink things alone at night, Jiang Cheng dragged the mattress out of the bedroom and placed it next to the sofa where Fatty was sleeping, keeping him company.

The night passed without a word.

In the morning, Jiang Cheng slowly opened his eyes. The sky outside was already bright, but that wasn't why he woke up. He had been awakened by a series of tremors, like an earthquake, but strangely rhythmic.

He put on his slippers and went downstairs. Before he even reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw a huge figure standing in front of a desk on the first floor of the studio, facing away from him, doing high-knee exercises.

A phone was placed on the desk, playing a workout video. Accompanied by rhythmic music, it seemed to be some kind of instructional video.

"Fatty?" Jiang Cheng had just woken up and thought he was seeing things.

Wearing a small vest, Fatty turned around at the sound, but didn't stop moving. "Doc... Doctor, you're awake?" Fatty was panting heavily, his face covered in sweat, but he maintained perfect form.

"Are you okay?" Jiang Cheng was a little panicked.

"I'm exercising." Fatty wiped the sweat from his face and explained with a smile, "Did I wake you, Doctor? Next time… tomorrow, I'll be careful. Or… or I can go outside."

"Oh, right, Doctor, breakfast is in the kitchen. Get it yourself when you're ready. Don't wait for me, I still have to go for a run." After speaking, Fatty went to grab his jacket and put away the phone on the desk.

Jiang Cheng quickly went up to stop him. "Fatty, don't be so disciplined. It's scaring me."

"Doctor, don't worry. I just want to get in better shape." Fatty pushed Jiang Cheng's hand away, pursed his lips, and finally said, "You know, I'm not as smart as you guys. I can't help much with finding clues during missions, but I'm in pretty good shape."

"Look, if I get in good shape, then if we're ever in danger, even if you're injured, I can carry you and we can run, right?" Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng reassuringly after speaking, and said seriously, "Doctor, I can't keep holding you back. Future missions will definitely be more and more dangerous. I want to be a useful person, at least be able to do something for you."

"You're already doing great, Fatty," Jiang Cheng said softly. Of course, he understood what Fatty was thinking.

Fatty then grinned, seemingly wanting to smile easily, but it turned into bitterness. "You don't have to comfort me, Doctor. I know myself best. If I was really doing well, things wouldn't be like this now..."

He suddenly stopped, then began to squat down to change his shoes, while mumbling, "Doctor, go eat quickly, or it'll get cold. I'm going for a run."

Since things had already been said to this point, Jiang Cheng couldn't say anything more. Besides, letting him go out for a run now was also a good thing. Staying at home, Jiang Cheng was worried he'd get depressed.

While Fatty was out, Jiang Cheng began to pack up Huai Yi's things.

Fatty was sensitive, and even the smallest thing would make him miss Huai Yi.

Jiang Cheng planned to put all these things together, then find a place to put them away, and return them to Huai Yi when he came back.

As he picked up the jacket Huai Yi had left on the sofa, Jiang Cheng frowned slightly. Something felt off. Jiang Cheng put down the jacket and finally found a pocket on the inside. Inside the pocket was a folded piece of paper.

Slowly unfolding the paper, the familiar handwriting made Jiang Cheng's hand tremble slightly.

"Brother Jiang, Brother Fugui, by the time you find this letter, I think I'll already be dead."

"Let me guess who found this letter? I bet it's Brother Jiang, because when tidying up my things, you'll definitely send Brother Fugui away. You're afraid he'll be sad."

"You're a good person, and so is Brother Fugui. I never thought I'd meet people like you in the Nightmare World."

"There are good people in the Nightmare World, but they can't survive, because they're neither smart nor ruthless enough. The ones who can survive in the Nightmare World are all monsters in human skin."

"The reason I initially chose to cooperate with you was actually because I valued your abilities, Brother Jiang, and the resources behind you. You're a member of Scarlet, and there's that guy in your shadow, Wu. Just looking at me made me terrified."

"You're strong enough, whether it's you or your background. Following you is much easier than being alone."

"I'm just an ordinary person, I don't have any other extravagant desires, I just want to survive. I can pay any price for it, even if it means using clues to kill people in missions."

"But later, the feeling you gave me slowly changed, and the same goes for Brother Fugui. I originally thought his kindness and innocence were a disguise. How could there be such people in the Nightmare World, especially since he's from Scarlet?"

"But later I realized I was wrong. Scarlet is completely different from what the rumors say. At least you and Brother Jiang are definitely not like that, and that Miss Lin too. She seems even more capable than you, and she looks cold and unapproachable, but I can vaguely sense that she's not a bad person either, and… she's very good to you."