Organization

Translator: Cinder Translations

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After leaving the police station, it was nearly dark. He didn't reveal too much to the police and hurried home, crashing through the door at 5:55 PM. Right at 6:00, he heard the phone ring. Four rings. Not a second more or less.

He sighed in relief. It seemed that Pi Ruan was safe for now. Upon hearing the name Hao Shuai, those people had given up on him and turned their focus on him instead.

When he received the call from Pi Ruan saying that they had found Chen Xiaomeng, he immediately realized it was a trap. It was too quick, too easy.

If Pi Ruan's subordinates as incompetent as they are, can find Chen Xiaomeng so easily, she would have been dead long ago, not even leaving ashes behind.

Based on Jiang Cheng's understanding, once a nightmare mission starts, it never ends. There are two meanings to this "end." One is that the mission will keep finding you, and the other is that the conflict in the nightmare will continue in the real world.

Compared to the uncertainty of the nightmare world, the real world is much easier. For someone like Chen Xiaomeng, Jiang Cheng had the perfect word for it—fishing.

The battles in the nightmare continue into reality. Once you find a teammate from a past mission, you are already hooked. Then, they follow the trail to capture you, and even the forces behind you.

Unlike the one-on-one or small group confrontations in the nightmare, in reality, there are no limits to numbers. For example, if he hadn't figured out the trick in advance and had chosen to call the police early, he would have been in trouble.

The middle-aged man by Chen Xiaomeng's side was no simple character. Jiang Cheng wasn't confident he could take him down in a one-on-one fight.

After this incident, Jiang Cheng's understanding of the nightmare reached a new level. Some of his past assumptions had become reality.

Looking at the familiarity of some teammates, it was clear they had been in the nightmare for some time. Especially Chen Ran—his understanding of the nightmare had reached a terrifying level.

Such a feat couldn't be achieved alone.

There must be a force behind him, guiding him, training him, and even... perfecting him.

The appearance of Chen Xiaomeng today confirmed this.

There were indeed players within the mission who were forming alliances in the real world, and as time passed, this phenomenon would become more and more evident. Moreover, these people were becoming more professional.

It was like a transition from novice to veteran players.

This wasn't just due to their self-explored experience but also due to the support of an organization behind them. This organization was not just a simple, nominal entity.

Jiang Cheng's face darkened. The situation was likely deeper than he thought.

At 6:04, Jiang Cheng picked up the phone on time and dialed back. The phone rang once, and it was immediately picked up. However, the person on the other side seemed cautious. All Jiang Cheng could hear was faint but hurried breathing, but no one spoke.

"It's me," Jiang Cheng sighed.

It was definitely Pi Ruan, sounding this anxious.

"Ah! You scared me to death!" Pi Ruan's voice echoed with exaggerated distress. "Doctor Jiang, you don't know... I'm staying in such a shabby hotel, it doesn't even have a private bathroom, I had to use the public restroom! I really couldn't help it, I had to..."

Jiang Cheng interrupted his complaining, "It's fine now. Just go back."

"Go back where?" Pi Ruan hesitated.

"Go back where you came from."

"Oh."

"Also," before hanging up, Jiang Cheng added, "Don't contact that friend of yours again. If he comes looking for you, just give him some money and send him away."

Pi Ruan blinked in confusion. "Doctor Jiang, did he offend you or something?" After swallowing his saliva, he continued, "Actually, he's a really good guy, just not good with words, the type who's tough but quiet, handles things cleanly, and most importantly, his mouth is tight!" He emphasized.

"Doctor Jiang, you know me," Pi Ruan said, feeling embarrassed. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked him to help you find someone."

Jiang Cheng glanced at the disarrayed office, with overturned chairs, and took a deep breath. "If you get a chance to meet him again, call me."

Pi Ruan suddenly sat up straight on his old wooden bed and nodded. "Doctor Jiang, do you need him to do anything?"

"No," Jiang Cheng replied, "I just want to see how tight his lips are."

The conversation ended in an awkward atmosphere. Jiang Cheng sat for another two minutes before suddenly shouting toward the staircase, "It's fine now, come out."

A moment later, a large head appeared at the top of the stairs. "Doctor," the Fatty said agitatedly, "Are you okay?"

"Drink the water," Jiang Cheng said, sipping the water the female officer had poured for him earlier, before he had a chance to drink it. "I'm fine."

The Fatty hurried downstairs. Wearing a shirt with several buttons undone at the chest—likely torn when he was grabbed during his escape—he had scratches all over his arms. Seeing Jiang Cheng return, the heavy stone on his chest finally lifted.

"Are you okay?" Jiang Cheng asked.

The Fatty rubbed his arm and smiled. "I'm fine. It's good you're back, doctor."

"I was actually on the other side of that building," he pointed in a direction. "When I saw so many people, I borrowed a woman's phone to call the police. I didn't expect the police to be so efficient. I hadn't even dialed through before they arrived."

"Well, we should thank you then."

The Fatty scratched his head, grinning. "No need, doctor. It's good you're okay."

(End of the Chapter)

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