School

Across the street stood a row of two- and three-story buildings.

Just like the area around any ordinary school, there were restaurants, internet cafés, stationery shops, and the like.

The internet café was doing brisk business, while the female owner standing outside the stationery shop looked as though she were about to drop dead.

Jiang Cheng stopped outside a café for a few seconds, then pushed the door open and went inside.

There was hardly anyone on the first floor. He found the stairs, went up to the second floor, then headed straight on to the third.

As soon as he arrived, he saw that every seat by the window was occupied.

There were about seven or eight people, and all of them were looking at Jiang Cheng.

"Brother!" The fat man, squeezed into a corner, gazed at Jiang Cheng with tears in his eyes. "It's so good to see you here!"

Jiang Cheng really hadn't expected to run into the fat man here, but after giving him a glance, he looked away.

These people in front of him seemed to be his teammates for this mission.

There were more of them than last time.

Including Jiang Cheng, there were nine people in all.

"Hello." A man in a white suit stood up and greeted Jiang Cheng with a smile. "You're really impressive, finding your way here by yourself."

Jiang Cheng hadn't chosen this café at random.

Most of the buildings nearby were low, so this was the best place for a view. Besides, the third floor had a large glass window, offering a clear view of the school across the street.

Jiang Cheng looked out through the glass at the school, then slowly turned back. "Is that school the mission location this time?"

"Probably." The Suit Man shrugged. "I already asked one of the servers here. It's not an ordinary school, but an art college."

Just as the Suit Man was about to say more, a furious roar suddenly rang in their ears. "Where is this place? Who are you people? I'm calling the police!"

Jiang Cheng turned his head and saw a middle-aged man in a tank top shouting at them. He was worked up and seemed to have entered the Nightmare World for the first time.

"We've already told you everything you need to know. Whether you can accept it is up to you." A young man in a baseball cap was lounging on the sofa. He narrowed his eyes at the middle-aged man, then suddenly grinned. "I'm not your dad, so I'm under no obligation to care whether you live or die."

"I'm calling the police! The police!" The middle-aged man looked fierce, but Jiang Cheng could tell at a glance that he was simply terrified.

The Middle-aged man had probably realized that this world was different from reality, but deep down, he refused to accept it.

Otherwise, he could have chosen to leave instead of staying here.

There were three newcomers this time, by everyone's reckoning. Besides the middle-aged man in the tank top, there was also a man and a woman.

The woman wore a cute dinosaur onesie, with a short tail trailing behind her. Her face was deathly pale, and she looked like she might faint at any moment.

The man seemed a little better off than the woman, but according to the fat man, when he first appeared, he'd been even worse than the middle-aged man. He'd not only frantically questioned everyone present, but had even flipped over a table in the café.

"Right." The Suit Man stepped forward and spoke naturally. "Let's go take a look at the school."

"Is the school definitely the mission location?" This time, it was a woman in a qipao who spoke. Her subtle smoky eye makeup had a distinctly old-fashioned feel, and she had a great figure, though her features were unremarkable.

"Not necessarily." The Suit Man smiled at her. "But there's no harm in giving it a try. We all know that we won't encounter those things until we reach the actual mission location."

At the mention of those things, everyone's expression turned grave, and nobody spoke again.

The group left the café. Even the hysterical middle-aged man silently followed at the very back.

Taking the opportunity, the fat man squeezed over to Jiang Cheng. "Doctor," he whispered, "I was scared to death when I didn't see you here at first."

Jiang Cheng couldn't be bothered to make small talk. He asked outright, "How did you find the café?"

To his surprise, the fat man licked his lips and said, somewhat sheepishly, "I didn't find it. I spawned here. I opened the door and found myself standing on a table on the café's third floor, right across from the school."

Jiang Cheng gave the fat man a sidelong glance and said nothing for a while. Then he continued, "What about the others?"

"They arrived after me."

"Did they spawn in the café too?"

"Not all of them." The fat man shook his head, then lifted his chin toward the front of the group. The Suit Man was walking beside the Dinosaur Pajamas Girl, speaking to her reassuringly. "That guy in the white suit found his own way here, just like you."

Jiang Cheng drew a breath. "So, apart from him and me, the other seven all spawned in the café. And you were standing right on a table on the third floor."

"Doctor, if you put it that way, I'm not going to argue with you." The fat man seemed to have improved a lot since his first time in the Nightmare World. At least he could speak fluently now. He continued, "But please don't use a word like 'spawn.' I think 'descend' sounds more sacred."

Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue. He was about to give the fat man a lecture when they reached the school gates.

The main gate didn't move, but a small door beside it creaked open with a long groan.

A middle-aged woman came out and introduced herself as the school's receptionist, there to welcome them.

Since they didn't know the mission details or what roles they were playing, everyone wisely chose to follow the Middle-aged woman—the first NPC—without saying a word.

Usually, the first NPC's role was to explain the players' identities in the scenario, as well as the background of the mission they faced.

After talking with the woman, they learned what roles they were playing.

They were a photography team from a culture and media company, invited to photograph the school's upcoming anniversary celebration.

Just as the Suit Man had said, it was an art college, mainly enrolling students in music and related fields. It wasn't large, but according to the woman, it was very prestigious and had produced quite a few celebrities.

"Your company delivered the equipment a day ahead of time," the Middle-aged woman said. "It's in our equipment room now, so there's no need to worry."

"Can we take a look in the equipment room?" the young man wearing the baseball cap suddenly asked.

He was wearing his cap backward now. A stud in one ear seemed to have something set into it, catching the light of the setting sun.

The woman stopped abruptly. Her expression darkened as she looked at the young man. "No. Absolutely not!"