Chapter 1 The Nightmare Begins

“Don’t worry.” Jiang Cheng gently rested his chin on the ghost bride’s forehead. “Take care of yourself, and I’ll come back safe.”

As genuine passengers on the bus, Huai Yi and Wang Qi felt the presence of the newspaper man far more intensely than Jiang Cheng and Fatty. It was a level they simply couldn't touch.

With the appearance of the newspaper man, Huai Yi's body started to tremble uncontrollably.

The bus gradually slowed down, eventually coming to a stop.

With a creak, the door slowly opened, revealing a world filled with ash outside.

Fatty steeled himself and grabbed Jiang Cheng's arm. "Doctor, let's get off the bus quickly."

"Jiang-ge, Fugui-ge, take care!" The time together was always short. Huai Yi felt a deep sense of reluctance towards the two, especially since this world was connected to the newspaper man, making the danger level quite high.

Wang Qi cast a glance over, but only lingered on Fatty's face for a moment before shifting her gaze to Jiang Cheng. "Ling, you promised me you wouldn't let Number 10 get into trouble."

"I won't," Jiang Cheng said with a serious nod.

Under the watchful eyes of Huai Yi, Wang Qi, and the ghost bride, Jiang Cheng stepped off the bus first, followed closely by Fatty with determined steps.

The moment Jiang Cheng stepped out of the bus, he lost consciousness.

"Rustle, rustle..."

"Rustle..."

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Cheng heard a strange sound near his ear, and at the same time, he felt something crawling on his body, small and furry, trying to burrow into his chest.

Jiang Cheng couldn't open his eyes yet. His body was numb and he couldn't move. It felt like sleep paralysis.

The ground beneath him was hard, and he could feel a rough texture through his clothes. Jiang Cheng realized he was probably lying in a pile of straw or something similar.

Gradually, his fingertip twitched slightly, and he slowly regained control of his body.

When he opened his eyes, he saw several pairs of small black eyes twenty centimeters from his face, staring at him intently, filled with curiosity and fear.

"Get away, get away," Jiang Cheng said weakly, trying to drive away the rats that were crawling on his chest.

As the rats scattered, Jiang Cheng tried to get up from the ground, failing several times in a row. He collapsed back down, panting heavily.

The surroundings were dim, and a rotten smell filled his nostrils. The environment here was terrible.

"Tap."

"Tap."

"Tap."

...

Jiang Cheng immediately became alert. He heard a sound, like human footsteps, nearby, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact direction. The footsteps echoed back and forth, coming from all directions.

"Creak—"

A decayed wooden door was pushed open.

Jiang Cheng instinctively narrowed his eyes. Light shone in, and a blurry figure appeared not far away, holding a torch.

Jiang Cheng didn't like the feeling of being at someone else's mercy. He pretended to be unconscious, squinting his eyes, leaving only a slit, while gathering his strength.

If the person intended to harm him, he would fight back.

The torchlight grew closer and more blinding. Jiang Cheng knew the person was walking over, intending to check on him.

After a moment, a blurry figure slowly crouched down, and a slightly mature man's face gradually came into focus.

"Mr. Jiang?! It's you!" the man exclaimed.

Jiang Cheng could now see the man's face clearly. His thoughts were in disarray, but he recognized the man. After a moment, he finally matched the face to one deep in his memory.

"Xia Qiang?" Jiang Cheng asked tentatively.

"It's me, Mr. Jiang. I didn't expect to run into you on this mission!" Xia Qiang seemed very excited, reaching out to help Jiang Cheng up and then dragging over a wooden barrel for him to lean against.

By the light of the torch, Jiang Cheng could finally see his surroundings clearly for the first time.

It was a warehouse-like place, very damp, with no light nearby, giving the impression that it was built underground.

"Mr. Jiang, did you come alone?" Xia Qiang asked.

Jiang Cheng steadied himself, and after a moment, took a deep breath and replied naturally, "Yes, just me, like last time."

Hearing this, Xia Qiang looked puzzled, frowned, and looked at Jiang Cheng. "Mr. Jiang, I remember there were three of you last time. Besides you, there was a brother Fugui and a brother Huai Yi."

Only then did Jiang Cheng finally relax, and at the same time, he released his hand, letting a small, sharp-edged stone he had secretly hidden in his palm slide to the ground.

The moment Xia Qiang appeared, Jiang Cheng had suspected his identity. After all, the probability of meeting an acquaintance on a mission was extremely low, especially on this mission, so he had to be cautious.

If Xia Qiang had followed his words, he would have stalled for more time. Once his strength allowed, he would find an opportunity to use the sharp edge of the stone to cut "Xia Qiang's" throat.

"What about you?" Jiang Cheng tried to sit up straight. "Who did you come with?"

"Still the same group of people. Me, Zhou Tong, Yuan Xiaotian, Li Mengyao, Feng Jie, and the Lin siblings." Speaking of this, Xia Qiang spat on the ground with a fierce look, his face ugly. "It's that damn ghost bus again, damn it!"

"The Lin siblings are here too?" Jiang Cheng was a little surprised.

"That's right." After mentioning the Lin siblings, Xia Qiang couldn't help but sigh. "Last time, thanks to Brother Jiang's help, otherwise, we probably wouldn't have made it out."

After resting for a while, Jiang Cheng's strength slowly returned. He stood up. "How did you find your way here?"

"My situation is similar to yours. I was in the room next to you. I heard some movement here just now, so I came to check it out." Xia Qiang was still wearing that black leather jacket, giving off a steady and capable vibe.

Xia Qiang led the way, and Jiang Cheng found a torch stuck in the wall outside his room, which he took down.

Not far away, he saw a dilapidated staircase leading upwards.

The two finally stopped in front of a wooden door.

Light spilled out through the gap in the middle of the wooden door.

They could also hear people talking inside.

Xia Qiang listened for a moment, and his face suddenly lit up with excitement. He pushed open the door, revealing a large room, but simply furnished. In the middle was a long wooden table, surrounded by several people.

Seeing Xia Qiang come in, someone immediately stood up.

"Brother Qiang!"

It was a young man in a blue hoodie.

When the man saw Jiang Cheng behind Xia Qiang, he was first stunned, then a look of joy flooded his face. "Brother Jiang! You're really here!"

Jiang Cheng also recognized the man. His name was Yuan Xiaotian.

But compared to Yuan Xiaotian's surprise, Jiang Cheng's heart couldn't help but sink. However, he didn't show it on his face, and asked in a half-joking tone, "Yuan Xiaotian, long time no see. What do you mean 'you're really here'? Did you know I was coming all along?"