The Box

With a preliminary analysis of the case, their search had become more focused.

Fatty stayed glued to Jiang Cheng's side. Fan Li complained several times that his massive body was blocking his view, but Fatty pretended not to understand, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Soon, they made a discovery in the master bedroom.

A solid-wood frame hung on the wall beside the bed. Inside it was an old photograph.

The photo looked as if it had been soaked in water. Its edges had yellowed, and only the very center was clear enough to make out a family of four standing together.

The man and woman stood in the middle. The woman rested both hands on the shoulders of a girl with two braids, who stood obediently in front of her mother.

The other girl looked taller and more rebellious. She had rolled up her trouser cuffs and sleeves, revealing slender wrists that seemed to bear traces of tattoos.

She stood beside the man, her chin held high.

It seemed this was the family of four who lived in the villa.

What was strange, though, was that everyone's face was blurry. Even the background was indistinct, making it impossible to tell where they had been when the photo was taken.

Chen Xiaomeng stared at the photo, stunned. Then she suddenly grew excited. "I remember this photo wasn't here this morning. This wall was empty!"

Sister Nuan seemed relatively calm. As if she had seen it all before, she explained that this was normal; things like this happened often in the Dream Realm.

"We must have found some correct clues, which triggered the next stage of the plot," Fan Li said.

Jiang Cheng gave him a sidelong glance. "Like stage rewards in a game?"

"More or less."

Next, they found a pair of pliers in the room where they had discovered Xie Yu's body. Beside them lay a flat, round metal tin, the kind used to hold chewy candies.

Fatty picked up the tin and shook it. Something inside rattled.

"What's in here?"

As he reached out with both chubby hands to twist the tin open, Jiang Cheng grabbed him. He held on to Fatty while staring at the pliers, his expression gradually turning odd.

"What's wrong?" Fatty asked, suddenly afraid for no reason.

Jiang Cheng's expression slowly returned to normal. "Nothing. I just thought there might be more clues in the bedroom. I'll go check."

"Oh, okay." Fatty nodded. He had meant to go with Jiang Cheng, but curiosity about what was inside the tin got the better of him.

Three seconds after Jiang Cheng left, Fatty finally twisted the tin open.

His eyes went from curious to confused, then widened little by little until they looked ready to pop out of their sockets. "Holy shit!"

By the time Jiang Cheng came back with his ears plugged, Fatty could no longer make a sound. Fan Li was covering his mouth and dragging the trembling Fatty aside with an irritated look.

Jiang Cheng peeked inside and saw that the tin had been turned upside down on the floor. A few small, milky-white objects lay scattered around it, along with some translucent slivers.

"Just as I thought. Teeth," Jiang Cheng said, nodding as if to say he had been right. There were also some fingernails.

Fan Li and Sister Nuan seemed to have guessed what was in the tin already, so neither of them looked very surprised. Chen Xiaomeng, on the other hand, was deathly pale.

There were no more clues nearby. Jiang Cheng suggested checking behind the door on the third floor, but Fan Li stopped him and pointed out the window.

Dusk was falling.

The darkness was coming again.

Exploring an unknown area at night wasn't a wise choice, so after discussing it, everyone decided to stop searching and rest.

Fatty had thought that after what had happened the previous night, everyone would sleep together for safety.

But Sister Nuan had no intention of doing that. She even sent Fan Li out.

The door slammed shut.

Fan Li stood in front of the master bedroom with a quilt in his arms, like a husband kicked out of his home with nowhere to go.

He also had a floral pillow slung over his shoulder.

"It's okay, buddy," Fatty comforted him. "You can come stay in our room."

"No need. You stay where you are. I'll go downstairs." With that, Fan Li really did carry his quilt and pillow downstairs. His footsteps thudded down the stairs.

Jiang Cheng turned and went into the bedroom they had used earlier. Fatty thought it over, then steeled himself and followed.

After entering the bedroom, Jiang Cheng switched on all the lights, then leaned against the door as if listening for something outside.

After a while, he slowly backed away, went over to the sofa, and sat down.

"Brother, we're not staying here tonight, are we?" Fatty's face was ashen. His gaze kept drifting toward the space under the bed. He remembered the ghost from last night crawling out from under it.

"Of course not. I'll go to the study in a bit," Jiang Cheng said bluntly.

"I'm coming too!"

About ten minutes later, it was completely dark outside. Jiang Cheng checked his watch, stood up, and gently opened the door.

Then he tiptoed to another room, slowly pushed its door open, and slipped inside.

Fatty followed right behind him.

After closing the door, they each found a chair and sat down. Fatty wanted to turn on the lights, but Jiang Cheng stopped him.

Fatty looked at the darkness around them, cold sweat pouring from him. He couldn't help saying, "Just let me turn on the lights. Otherwise, I feel like there's a ghost everywhere I look."

This time, Jiang Cheng didn't insist. He nodded. "Fine."

Fatty shifted around until he finally found a switch on the wall. Just as he was about to press it, Jiang Cheng's voice drifted over from behind him. "Now the ghost won't have any trouble finding you."

"..."

In the master bedroom, on the bed,

Chen Xiaomeng hugged a pillow and sobbed softly.

Whenever she thought of those terrifying tools and the teeth in the tin, her body trembled uncontrollably.

Sister Nuan sat on the sofa. The arrogance in her eyes had faded, and the adorable Chen Xiaomeng reminded her of herself in the past.

"All right, don't cry," she said soothingly. "You can see that the ghosts in this villa target men. Now that we've sent Fan Li away, we're safe."

Chen Xiaomeng looked up, her eyes red. "Doesn't that mean the other three are in danger?"

"Don't be foolish. In a task like this, it's enough to keep yourself safe. You can't look after everyone else." Sister Nuan glanced at the door, as if remembering something unpleasant. Her expression darkened, then she turned back and paused before continuing, "Besides, in a world like this, you need to watch out for more than just ghosts. You also need to be careful of the people around you."