The Joke

Translator: Cinder Translations

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As the lid was lifted, a face of confusion and uncertainty appeared.

It was Liang Long!

She had her arms and legs tightly bound, forcibly shoved into the basket, and her mouth was stuffed with what seemed like a cloth, though it was unclear if it was a rag or something else. She stared with wide eyes, unable to make a sound.

Actually, that's not entirely accurate.

If you listened carefully, there was a muffled "mm-mm" sound, though it was almost inaudible, covered by the sound of the wind.

"It seems Miss Liang is fortunate," Chen Ran said, looking down at her from above, his gaze as if appraising a piece of craftsmanship.

Without giving him further opportunity to show off, Jiang Cheng stepped forward and opened another covered basket.

Sure enough, inside was the old woman.

But unlike Liang Long, who was tightly bound, the old woman had her hands tied with a simple cloth strip, and it wasn't a reverse bind. It seemed like escaping wouldn't be difficult.

The old woman still wore that soulless expression, her eyes vacant as if her soul had been drained. Her lips trembled as she muttered something incomprehensible.

"Crazy woman," Su Xiaoxiao said coldly.

The Fatty swallowed hard, his eyes shifting as he looked at Chen Ran. He hadn't expected that this seemingly gentle young man was using his teammates as experiments.

And so openly!

Leaving aside his methods, everyone knew the purpose: Liang Long, tied up, was the subject of the experiment, or rather, the bait for feeding.

They were testing whether the motorcycle woman was truly...

Jiang Cheng reached into Liang Long's mouth and took out the object she had been gagged with. The Fatty expected to hear curses, like "You're a madman" or at least some kind of discontented muttering.

But...

He heard nothing.

Liang Long, who had been rescued, didn't dare to look at Chen Ran. Her limbs were numb and stiff from being bound for so long, but even so, she struggled to move away from Chen Ran, curling up in the corner by herself.

That corner was where the old woman had been.

Her whole body was trembling uncontrollably.

Chen Ran remained calm and collected, unaffected by the others' gazes, showing no sign of embarrassment or discomfort.

The Fatty paused, then suddenly understood the previous confusion. No wonder Liang Long hadn't left with Chen Ran, and no wonder the doctor had said—"Of course, she wouldn't dare."

That's right, Liang Long definitely wouldn't dare stay alone with the old woman!

But she had been forced!

Chen Ran had controlled her, possibly even done something to her, then bound her like a crab and tossed her next to the old woman.

If they had come in and found Liang Long missing or dead, they would have known which threat in this mission had to be neutralized.

It was the old woman.

Once the threat was identified, everyone knew what would come next.

Just as Chen Ran had said, "Some necessary measures would have to be taken."

Whether it was tying the old woman up and throwing her into the sea to drown, or pushing her into the forest to let her fend for herself, both were within the realm of unavoidable actions.

The threat must be eliminated.

Otherwise, everyone would die.

"So, is this the method you mentioned?" Jiang Cheng asked, looking at the old woman with empty eyes, then turning his head to Chen Ran.

Chen Ran squinted, his half-open eyes seemingly hinting at something.

The Fatty felt something was wrong and, concerned that a conflict might break out, quietly took a wooden stick from the wall and hid it behind his back.

Then, he acted as if nothing was happening, simply watching the show.

Just as the Fatty's heart was pounding, worried about an imminent conflict, he noticed a faint, glittering light out of the corner of his eye.

He turned his head, realizing the fleeting light came from Su Xiaoxiao's sleeve. Her wrist was turned, and the knitted sweater's sleeve bulged noticeably.

But what puzzled the Fatty was that Su Xiaoxiao's gaze was fixed on the doctor.

Taking a deep breath, the Fatty realized the situation was even more complex than he had thought.

Even if the doctor was strong, he was probably on equal footing with Chen Ran, and with Su Xiaoxiao involved, the Fatty tightened his grip on the stick, ready to act first if things took a turn for the worse.

The atmosphere in the stone chamber suddenly grew tense.

Suddenly, Chen Ran opened his eyes, and a suppressed smile spread across his lips. He dusted off his sleeve as he said, "I see, Brother Hao doesn't like this method. I was too abrupt."

He looked at the trembling Liang Long in the corner, politely bowed, and said with a smile, "Miss Liang, it's just a little joke. Don't take it to heart."

Upon hearing this, Liang Long trembled even more.

Jiang Cheng shifted his gaze and, the next second, seemed to glance faintly at Su Xiaoxiao. The latter's body tensed immediately, but then Jiang Cheng looked away as if nothing had happened.

"You... look!" The Fatty pointed to the window, his voice unnaturally loud.

Jiang Cheng took two steps back, almost pressing himself against the wall, before he glanced outside.

There was no need for such precautions. The room, once bright and glaring, had started to darken, and the only remaining light source was the fire in the center.

The sky... had turned dark again.

But because of the Fatty's quick thinking, everyone noticed something unusual. The sudden nightfall wasn't quite right.

To be precise, Chen Ran raised his eyebrows in an eerie way.

This night was different from the outside world. By the time the Fatty pointed it out, the entire outside world had turned pitch black in less than ten seconds.

Everyone saw clearly!

A dense, locust-like black fog surged from all directions, covering the once clear sky.

The fog came from all sides, with no clear source.

This wasn't real night.

It was a sinister black mist.

Upon seeing it, the Fatty's eyes began to grow strange. This fog brought with it a feeling of eerie familiarity and an even stranger fear that seemed to come from the deepest part of his heart.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed the words.

He looked at the doctor, who had half of his face hidden in the shadows, his eyes unseen.

The Fatty wanted to tell the doctor that this fog was not unfamiliar to him—it filled the depths of that forest.

The dark mist there was like a bottomless swamp, and staring at it too long felt as though one might sink into it. He had felt that way before.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, the sound of whale-like calls echoed in his ears.

The Fatty froze for a moment, and his pupils slowly contracted. Suddenly, he realized something. It was that very sound of the whale calls that shattered the darkness in front of his eyes.

How could that be?

Aren't they...

"Everyone, stay alert," Chen Ran clapped his hands. His eyes reflected a light akin to excitement. He turned to everyone and grinned, "Our old friend is here!"

Outside the window, on the pitch-black sea, a curving light was moving toward them.

(End of the Chapter)

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Translated 4 Series, 1.65K+ Chapters and 2.01M+ Words.