Doubt

Just as Fatty was preparing to step forward and help, he suddenly caught Jiang Cheng's gaze.

That look clearly conveyed rejection, and Fatty instinctively flinched.

The words he had just prepared in his mouth were swallowed back down.

Jiang Cheng shifted his gaze, fixing it directly on Suit Man.

As Jiang Cheng stared at him, the man's expression suddenly became unnatural, and a sense of foreboding churned in his heart.

He was about to say something when Jiang Cheng interrupted him, "Brother," Jiang Cheng said politely, "Could you please lend a hand?"

Suit Man glanced at the corpse with its back to him, and the corner of his mouth twitched violently. At this moment, Hat Man and Ponytail Woman, standing beside him, wore expressions of immense relief.

"Me?" Suit Man frowned.

Jiang Cheng looked at Suit Man and nodded, "Yes, you."

Hearing the conversation in the room, the Sleeveless Shirt Man, another man, and Sleepwear Woman all gathered near the doorway but did not step across the threshold.

Everyone's attention was focused on Suit Man.

Given the circumstances, Suit Man thought for a few seconds and finally agreed. He and Jiang Cheng knelt on either side of Qipao Woman.

As Jiang Cheng instructed, they each grabbed one of Qipao Woman's shoulders and flipped her over.

Suit Man only reached out and grabbed Qipao Woman's other shoulder after seeing Jiang Cheng touch the dead woman's corpse. Then, together, they flipped Qipao Woman over.

"Ah!!" Sleepwear Woman outside the door shrieked. Her legs went weak, and she almost fell into the pool of blood.

Even Ponytail Woman, a former mercenary who had seen all sorts of corpses, couldn't help but change her expression.

Qipao Woman's death was horrific.

Most chilling of all, her jaw was missing, exposing the upper part of her oral cavity, along with twisted muscles.

It was clear something had gripped her upper and lower jaws.

And then forcibly torn off her jaw.

Seeing the gruesome sight, Fatty almost vomited.

Now, Qipao Woman lay on the floor, her elegant qipao soaked in blood, resembling an ink wash painting rendered in cinnabar.

The most terrifying part was Qipao Woman's eyes.

Her eyes were wide open, her eyebrows dramatically arched. She must have seen something extremely terrifying before she died.

Even in death, her face was etched with unspeakable fear. Her eyes weren't even closed, and upon closer inspection, one could still see the bloodshot veins within.

After the initial discomfort subsided, Ponytail Woman stepped forward and knelt beside Qipao Woman's corpse. After a long pause, she said, "Her tongue is gone too."

Her voice was unusually calm, devoid of any emotion, merely stating a fact.

Yet, her calm tone at this moment made everyone uncomfortable.

"She's really dead," Sleeveless Shirt Man shivered violently. Although he had already realized this, it couldn't compare to the horror of seeing the corpse with his own eyes.

No one paid him any mind. In a nightmare, death was quite normal. What they needed to do was to figure out how she died.

And from that, deduce what the key to this mission was.

Blood had splattered radially throughout the room – on the walls, the bed, the wardrobe, the mirror, even the ceiling. The long-absent smell of blood assailed their nostrils, setting a disquieting tone for this mission.

"Her jaw was likely snapped and ripped off in an instant," Ponytail Woman said, examining the corpse closely.

Although she said "person," everyone knew this was undoubtedly the work of a ghost.

The ghost in this mission had killed her.

With this level of strength and speed, it was hard to find any other explanation besides a ghost.

After observing, Hat Man, with his arms crossed, suggested they leave. Everyone agreed. Jiang Cheng glanced at Qipao Woman for a few more seconds before also exiting the room.

Standing outside the door, they briefly exchanged opinions on Qipao Woman's death. But even Fatty could tell there was nothing substantial, just useless chatter.

After the crowd dispersed, Sleepwear Woman, who had been hiding at the back, suddenly spoke up, timidly asking if they should do something about Qipao Woman's body, perhaps bury her to give her some dignity.

A fiery red handprint marred her delicate face, making her look even more pitiable.

If this were the outside world, such an appearance might have garnered some sympathy. But this was the Nightmare World.

Suit Man and the others completely ignored her. In the end, Fatty, feeling sorry for her, told her that this was the dream realm and she didn't need to worry too much about such things, suggesting the body might disappear on its own soon.

To his surprise, upon hearing that the body might disappear inexplicably, the girl became even more frightened, clearly associating it with many strange things.

That was no longer Fatty's concern. He had simply told the girl the truth.

Though it was cruel.

According to the guide woman, their purpose this time was to be invited to film the academy's anniversary celebration.

The date was in 7 days.

Counting from now, there were 6 days remaining.

This meant that this was the time limit for the mission.

With time pressing, they briefly discussed and decided to head to the cafeteria for breakfast first, then wander around the school.

Since my role in this mission is a photographer, I should explore more. The clues might be hidden in some inconspicuous place.

Fatty suddenly reminded, "Don't forget, our camera is still in the equipment room."

Jiang Cheng turned his head and replied, "Then let's split up and meet in front of the equipment room at noon."

It was a sensible suggestion, and no one objected.

Jiang Cheng and Fatty turned to walk downstairs. At this moment, Sleepwear Woman caught up, trailing behind them pitifully, her pajama tail wagging, quite adorable.

Perhaps it was because only Fatty had spoken to her earlier, so she decided to try her luck.

After all, Qipao Woman was dead, and she, living in Room 407, had become truly alone.

"There's no point in following us," Jiang Cheng said calmly. "Daytime is relatively safe. If I were you, I'd think hard about how to get through the night."

Sleepwear Woman's steps faltered, and then, as if she had figured something out, she turned and ran in another direction.

Ponytail Woman stood in front of Room 406, pondering something.

The campus was larger than expected. Yesterday, with a woman leading the way, it didn't seem like much, but now, finding the cafeteria on my own took quite some effort.

Jiang Cheng had been distracted the whole way, leaving the task of finding the way to Fatty, which was the direct reason they hadn't found the cafeteria yet.

Fatty swallowed and asked, "Did you notice something?"

Jiang Cheng didn't answer directly, only nodding. "Let's eat first, and then we'll talk."

Thanks to Jianqiang, Mohuang, and Brother Weihao 6715 for their tips.