Trap

Translator: Cinder Translations

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Losing three sons in a row, along with Asumu, caused this elderly man, already in his sixties, to completely break down. He lowered his head, muttering words that no one could understand.

Soon after, the final whispers ceased.

The village chief, whose heart had been lost, wiped the blood from the wall as he collapsed. There was a bloody hole in his chest, oozing fresh blood, and a trail of blood smeared down the yellowing wall.

His head was also lost.

The twisted figure wavered slightly, then appeared in the dark room in the next moment.

Three heads were carelessly tossed onto the floor.

The village chief, Qian Jianxiu, and... Asumu.

Asumu's head was only about a meter away from Jiang Cheng. His head was noticeably larger than the other two, and due to the angle, Jiang Cheng couldn't see his face, only a tangle of bloody hair.

The gruesome blood flowed freely across the dark floor.

The twisted figure, making unnatural, inhuman movements, opened the wardrobe door, then walked inside. The door shut with a creak.

She had left.

Of course, what else could she have done? If she didn't leave, why would she stay?

The long-awaited revenge had finally been achieved, and for her, it was also a form of release.

Jiang Cheng couldn't help but think of the women in Xiao Shijian Village, remembering the hostility and exhaustion on their faces. This life for them was nothing but torture.

Some of them had already died inside.

Even if they could leave Xiao Shijian Village in the future, it would be hard for them to ever return to the way they were.

The years of torment and the scrutiny of the world would be like a second knife around their necks.

While thinking, Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a strange sensation, as though... there were eyes watching him.

He immediately turned his gaze toward the wardrobe.

The wardrobe door was tightly shut, and the dark room was eerily silent.

He then slowly shifted his gaze, searching the room. It was covered in a strange glow, which Jiang Cheng guessed must have been emitted by the iron door.

Every piece of furniture was in its place, glowing with the odd light. This dark room—no, this building—seemed to have no living beings left.

But that feeling of being watched...

Jiang Cheng slowly pulled back his gaze. In that instant, a flash of light passed before his eyes. Then, his entire body stiffened involuntarily.

He had finally found the source of his gaze.

It was... Asumu!!

His crooked head lay on the ground, his eyes wide open, his mouth twisted in a grin, staring directly at Jiang Cheng, as if trying to finish what he couldn't say.

Normally, Jiang Cheng wouldn't be affected by such a sight, but this time it was different because he clearly remembered that Asumu's head had been facing the other way earlier.

How could this be...?

He stared at Asumu's eyes in confusion.

Jiang Cheng quickly realized something was wrong. He tried to force his gaze away, but couldn't do it. Asumu's eyes were like a bottomless, cold pool, so chilling yet impossible to look away from.

His mind was being affected, and his right leg uncontrollably lifted, as if trying to leave the influence of the door and return to the world of his mission.

It was a strange feeling. He fully understood the situation and what he needed to do, but his limbs weren't obeying.

Damn it...

This feeling immediately reminded him of a place—Cold Zhen Pond.

He had realized he was caught in a trap, set by the ghost.

She hadn't left.

She was still here.

And she could see him, or at least sense his presence.

But due to the rules, she couldn't harm him inside the door. However, she could affect his mind, pulling him out.

One thing was clear: if he left the iron door, he would die for sure.

He tried biting his tongue, hoping the sharp pain would wake him up. But even though he was about to bite through his tongue, he still couldn't break free.

What was worse, he didn't feel any pain at all.

The ghost was slowly eating away at his thoughts, controlling his consciousness.

Asumu's head was the trap set by the ghost.

It felt like a wild porcupine was repeatedly ramming into his brain. The thoughts he had just gathered were shattered, and his head throbbed as though it was about to explode.

Asumu's voice echoed in his ears.

It seemed to be filled with pain. At times, he pleaded with Jiang Cheng not to leave him, while at other times he urged Jiang Cheng to come closer and close his eyes.

Jiang Cheng's raised right leg slowly approached the edge of the glow.

His struggles weren't without effect.

He was stalling for time.

The iron door wasn't going to last forever, and when the time ran out, he could return to the real world... as long as he could hold on until then.

How much longer? He didn't know. The flow of time here couldn't be measured by normal standards, but Jiang Cheng refused to die here, not knowing how or why.

Until he heard the sound of something cracking.

The next second, the light in front of him dimmed.

Less than 20 centimeters in front of him stood something that could barely be called human.

The thing had a broken face.

It was facing him directly.

Its right face was relatively intact, but the left side was completely split open, with the frame twisted and the thin-framed glasses broken, hanging crookedly from its right ear.

The exposed gums had collapsed inward, and the scattered teeth were embedded in the bloody flesh, resembling a swarm of maggots feeding on rotting flesh.

It was clear that the left side of the face had been beaten in with a hard object.

Jiang Cheng guessed it was probably something angular, like a stone.

He suddenly felt a cold chill spread through his body.

This must be the true face of the ghost.

Hidden behind disheveled hair, a pair of bloodshot eyes stared at him in a panic. Jiang Cheng had no doubt that if he had been even a few seconds slower and stepped out of the glow's range, his head would have been torn off by her.

The next second, the surrounding scenery began to twist, and a huge force pulled Jiang Cheng backward.

After a familiar dizziness, his feet finally steadied, and in the dim light, he saw his own office.

He swayed and almost fell to the ground.

The iron door behind him disappeared before he could even look back.

He took a deep breath, then stood up, his legs numb and stiff, and walked to the coffee table, pouring himself a glass of water.

The water was still warm.

The smooth sensation went down his throat, and he felt much better.

He didn't hide his movements, so soon after, tentative footsteps were heard near the stairs. Jiang Cheng could imagine the cautious expression on the Fatty's face.

He must have heard something downstairs but wasn't sure what it was.

"Doctor?" The Fatty's voice came before he appeared. "Is it really you?"

Jiang Cheng took another sip of water, held it in his mouth for a few seconds, and then slowly swallowed it. "No."

At that moment, the Fatty's large head appeared around the corner of the stairs. Upon seeing Jiang Cheng sitting on the sofa, his expression immediately turned surprised. "Doctor, you're quick! I just went to change clothes, and you're already done."

(End of the Chapter)

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Translated 4 Series, 1.5K+ Chapters and 1.78M+ Words.