Tricks

It wasn't neglected or run-down; it was spotlessly clean.

The bed was neatly made, the table had been wiped spotless, and a pot of flowers with an unfamiliar name sat on the only windowsill.

The flowers were pale purple, giving off an inexplicably sorrowful air.

The Fatty said wistfully, "Doctor, don't you think we're like duckweed adrift in a time of chaos, swept up in these nightmares? We drift without knowing where to take root, living one day at a time. Maybe death will come for us the very next second."

"Maybe." Jiang Cheng sighed. "But at least I have you with me."

Hearing this, the Fatty was suddenly moved to tears. "I never thought we'd grow so close after knowing each other for just a few days."

Looking into the Fatty's earnest eyes, Jiang Cheng said emotionally, "Fatty, think about it. If even you can survive, could the danger we faced back then really have killed me?"

"I'm sure I'll die after you," Jiang Cheng continued. "So don't worry. If that day really comes, I'll do my best to take your ashes out and bury them in a flowerpot in my studio. You're a big guy, so your ashes will have more calcium and phosphorus than an ordinary person's."

The Fatty fell silent for a moment. "Doctor, nobody ever taught you how to talk, did they?"

Jiang Cheng had already carefully searched the room. Aside from a very small locked cabinet that he couldn't open no matter what he tried, he hadn't found anything suspicious.

After confirming the room was safe, the Fatty flopped onto the bed. His stomach rumbled. "Doctor, there's something strange about this place. I just got here, and I'm already starving."

But it was completely dark now, and wandering around at night without any clues would be foolish and dangerous.

Besides, the woman who had led them here had specifically warned them not to go out at night. They still didn't know why.

To the Fatty's surprise, Jiang Cheng pulled a large bar of chocolate from his pocket. It had red packaging, like the kind the Fatty remembered being popular when he was very young.

"Where did you get that?" The Fatty sat bolt upright, his eyes shining.

"On the way here." Jiang Cheng broke off a piece and tossed it over. The Fatty hastily caught it.

After taking a small bite, the Fatty chewed for a moment as if realizing something, then looked up and asked, "On the way to the café?"

When the Fatty had left the café, he'd seen several supermarkets of various sizes nearby. What he couldn't understand was how Jiang Cheng had bought chocolate when he didn't have any money.

After entering a nightmare, most of their belongings were stripped away, including their money.

Jiang Cheng also took a small bite of chocolate. Gazing out the pitch-black window, he chewed slowly and said, "I didn't buy it."

"You didn't buy it?"

"No."

"Then where did it come from?" The instant the Fatty finished speaking, his eyes suddenly widened as if he'd realized something shocking. "You didn't steal it, did you?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Jiang Cheng glared at the Fatty. "The supermarket owner insisted on giving it to me. When I refused, she got angry."

The Fatty stared at Jiang Cheng suspiciously. "Come on, Doctor. Tell me where I can find an owner like that. I'll take a dozen."

Jiang Cheng put down the chocolate, ready to argue with the Fatty about whether such a generous shop owner existed. But the Fatty gave up first, raising a hand. "Doctor, you've got me completely sidetracked. We're in a nightmare, and we could be dead by tomorrow."

"Don't be so pessimistic." Jiang Cheng patted his shoulder consolingly. "You might not even make it through tonight."

The Fatty: "..."

Room 407.

Dinosaur Pajamas Girl curled up on the bed, a blanket covering most of her body as she shivered nonstop.

Dinosaur Pajamas Girl looked at the Qipao Woman sitting in a chair. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Sis, don't you think it's really cold in here? I'm freezing even in my pajamas. Aren't you cold?"

Like Jiang Cheng, the Qipao Woman's first action upon entering the room had been to search every inch of it.

She'd found only a comb broken in half inside the desk. There had been no other abnormalities.

Even the trash can was spotless, with a brand-new garbage bag inside.

"If you're just trying to make conversation so I'll talk to you and ease your fear, don't bother," the Qipao Woman said coolly. "It's pointless. You'll only distract us for nothing."

The Dinosaur Pajamas Girl seemed a little intimidated by the Qipao Woman's imposing manner, and said no more. But her stomach betrayed her, rumbling loudly.

"Turn around and close the curtains," the Qipao Woman ordered.

The Dinosaur Pajamas Girl's bed was right beside the window, which had a blue curtain—not very large, but probably enough to cover it.

The Sleepwear Woman shakily reached out from under the blanket and hurriedly drew the curtains.

"Be gentle," the Qipao Woman said sharply. "If you tear them down, who knows what trouble that might cause?"

The Sleepwear Woman paused, taken aback. "What kind of trouble?"

The Qipao Woman glanced at her a few times, then looked away without answering. She stood, went to her own bed, and lay down, pulling the blanket up to her chin.

"Doctor." The Fatty watched Jiang Cheng carry the blanket and mattress onto the floor. "Why are you sleeping on the floor when there's a bed?"

After a while, the Fatty seemed to have a sudden realization. His mouth twitched. "You think a ghost might crawl out from under the bed in this world, so you're preparing for it in advance?"

"Not at all." Jiang Cheng spread out the blanket, set down the pillow, and patted it several times until a hollow the size of a person's head formed. Then he lay down comfortably and wriggled into position. "I'm just used to it."

The Fatty nodded. Although he'd never been inside Jiang Cheng's bedroom in the real world, he remembered Jiang Cheng once telling him that if he ever wanted to steal something other than money, he could try Jiang Cheng's bedroom—but there was no bed, just a mattress.

"By the way," the Fatty said, scratching his head. "Why are you targeting that Suit Man?"

He paused, then continued, "He hasn't done anything to us. I don't see the point of what you're doing, and you've made yourself a formidable enemy for no reason.

"To put it bluntly, if you hadn't targeted him, we probably wouldn't have ended up in this Room 404."

Jiang Cheng stared at the ceiling, his hands tucked beneath his head. After a long pause, he finally said, "He was the one who started playing tricks."

The Fatty was startled. He sat up and stared at Jiang Cheng, eyes wide. "What did you say?"