The Trap

Fan Li, who had gotten on the bus earlier, finally noticed that Jiang Cheng and Fatty hadn't followed. He turned around, looking at them with a strange expression.

But Fatty didn't have the energy to care about him at the moment. He realized that Guide Zheng, standing before him, was staring at Jiang Cheng, his face growing increasingly grim, his eyes filled with malice.

A few more seconds passed. Without any visible action from the driver, the bus door slammed shut with a bang.

The speed of it startled Fatty.

Then, the bus sped away, leaving only two deep tire tracks on the ground.

"Something's wrong! Something's wrong!" Fatty was terrified by Guide Zheng's gaze, trembling uncontrollably. Comparing Sister Nuan's situation to the current one, he realized with a delayed shock, "This is a trap! Guide Zheng isn't human, it's a ghost!"

Jiang Cheng ignored Fatty, simply watching the bus disappear and shaking his head slightly.

Back at the villa, Jiang Cheng went directly to the iron gate leading to the third floor. Fatty tried to ask Jiang Cheng a few questions several times, but didn't get the chance.

Jiang Cheng reached out, and the iron gate actually opened.

It wasn't pushed open by Jiang Cheng; instead, a hand from inside turned the lock and pulled the door open.

"It's you!"

As the door opened, Fatty exclaimed.

Chen Xiaomeng, who appeared behind the door, still had her harmless demeanor. She opened the door, Jiang Cheng walked in first, and Fatty hesitated before following.

Just as Sister Nuan had said, the third floor was indeed a dark room with no windows. The only lighting came from two white candles as thick as a baby's arm.

But by the faint candlelight, they could see the room was very large, bigger than the master bedroom. A few meters away, a pure black iron door was embedded in the wall.

Upon seeing this iron door, Fatty's heart finally settled completely.

The black iron door gave him an indescribable, eerie feeling, a feeling that couldn't be faked.

"I'm curious how you figured out it was a trap?" Chen Xiaomeng sat in a chair, resting her chin on one hand, the other gesturing vaguely in the direction behind the villa.

She didn't seem nervous at all, her eyes even showing a hint of excitement.

Of course, it wasn't for Fatty, but for Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng sat in the chair opposite her, looking at her as he said, "Although you set it up very realistically, leaving a rope on the stairs and cutting the hemp rope in the storage room, hiding them behind the firewood to create the illusion that you left through the back door of the storage room."

"But what I found strange was, if you had already left, why would the ghost disguised as Sister Nuan still appear in your bedroom? That doesn't make sense."

"Also, the master bedroom where you slept was meticulously tidied. I can't think of any reason why a ghost would need to do that."

Chen Xiaomeng smiled, "But after all that, you were still lured out of the villa by us, only you didn't get on that bus at the last moment."

Jiang Cheng shook his head, "You're wrong."

"Oh?" Chen Xiaomeng was a little surprised. "Where am I wrong?"

She considered Jiang Cheng a stubborn mule, and it had been a long time since she'd met someone so interesting in the Dream Realm.

"There are three things wrong. First, I wasn't tricked out of the villa by you; I left voluntarily."

Jiang Cheng then explained, "The tire tracks remained on the muddy ground behind the villa, but there were no footprints from you walking. So, you never left the villa at all. This was a deception."

"Second, only you deceived us, because Sister Nuan is already dead."

As he spoke, he took out a coin-sized object from his pocket and threw it in front of Chen Xiaomeng, whose smile had largely faded.

It was a button.

Square, made of tortoiseshell, quite rare.

"I found it in the master bedroom. There were still broken threads attached when I found it," Jiang Cheng said. "If I remember correctly, it was from Sister Nuan's coat."

"I think when I reached your room door, that ghost had just killed Sister Nuan. During her struggle, this button flew off. After the ghost left, you cleaned the room to prevent us from discovering that Sister Nuan was killed by a ghost, creating the illusion that you had escaped the mission."

After Jiang Cheng finished speaking, he fell silent.

The smile on Chen Xiaomeng's face had completely disappeared. After a long pause, she asked in a low voice, "And the third point?"

"The third point, and the most important one," Jiang Cheng sat up straight, his gaze level. Chen Xiaomeng and even Fatty, standing beside her, felt a sense of tension.

"I want to know. Who gave you, this unremarkable, short, self-important, dull, stupid, and flat-chested foolish woman, the courage to scheme against me?" he said, looking at Chen Xiaomeng.

Fatty was stunned for a moment. He knew Jiang Cheng was someone who didn't play by the rules, but he hadn't expected his tongue to be so sharp.

Time seemed to stand still. Chen Xiaomeng's mouth hung open, unable to utter a single word.

"Alright," Jiang Cheng retracted his neck, leaning back comfortably in his chair, his chin raised. "Now, I ask, you answer."

"I'll answer your sister!"

Chen Xiaomeng grabbed a porcelain vase beside her and threw it, but Jiang Cheng dodged it by moving his neck. Her face turned red, and she looked like she was about to fight Jiang Cheng to the death.

After dodging, Jiang Cheng calmly said, "I advise you to think carefully. This is a locked room, and there are only two of us, a man and a woman. If you don't do as I say, some very unpleasant things might happen."

Chen Xiaomeng sneered, "Are you threatening me?"

Fatty licked his lips and interrupted, "Brother, you're not the only man here. I am too."

Jiang Cheng glanced at Fatty, then continued to Chen Xiaomeng, "Yes, there's Fatty here too. Think it over."

Chen Xiaomeng's face turned pale bit by bit. Then she quickly glanced back at the iron door. At this moment, Jiang Cheng's voice came again, "Don't think about running. That door is 5 meters away from you, and I'm only 3 meters away. It would be easy for me to catch you."

Chen Xiaomeng laughed angrily, "There are less than 10 minutes until the door opens. I don't believe you'll do anything!"

Jiang Cheng stroked his chin, a look of sudden realization on his face. "So there are still 10 minutes left." He stood up, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "It won't take that long at all. Thirty seconds will be enough."

Fatty's eyes widened abruptly.

Chen Xiaomeng clenched her fists, trembling whether from anger or fear. After a long pause, she gritted her teeth and said, "What's your question? Ask it quickly."

Jiang Cheng smacked his lips and sat back down, looking somewhat regretful.

"How did you open this door?"

Chen Xiaomeng glared at him fiercely, replying impatiently, "After you left yesterday, the ghost that killed Sister Nuan dragged her body here. I followed it in."

Thanks to Brother Ren Jian Chun Ri for the tip! Thanks to Brothers Ren Jian Chun Ri, Gong Zi, haoghty人偶师, Faith, and Nethereil Chuan Qi for their continued support!