Invasion

Translator: Cinder Translations

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"They will be tortured until they are unrecognizable, then dragged across the ground like dead dogs, and finally thrown out the door like a bag of trash," the middle-aged man said, rolling up his sleeves. A scar, as grotesque as a giant centipede, slowly appeared on his wrist. "They will return to the real world unharmed, but afterward..."

He glanced toward the door. Night had fallen. "Most of them will mentally collapse and eventually choose to end their lives," he added. "Before the next nightmare arrives."

It was unimaginable. The fear that Deep Crimson inflicted on people surpassed even that of the nightmare itself.

Turning his head, the middle-aged man stared into Jiang Cheng's eyes. His sharp, eagle-like gaze gradually became more pronounced. It seemed that the pitch-black night was his true domain.

Jiang Cheng moved his lips. "What about the last group of people?"

The middle-aged man froze, his sharp gaze suddenly narrowing. After a long pause, he finally spoke. "Young man, you're stronger than I thought."

"You said there was another group of people, not another part," Jiang Cheng responded. "That doesn't follow the language habits of Eastern people."

"Right," the middle-aged man nodded, staring intently into Jiang Cheng's eyes. "There's a tiny fraction of people, so small that we almost overlooked them at first."

He took a deep breath. "They will be chosen by Deep Crimson."

"They'll be absorbed into it," Jiang Cheng nodded. This part wasn't difficult to guess.

Gathering a group of madmen in reality without detection is difficult, but in the nightmare, this gathering of madness becomes much easier.

The middle-aged man suddenly laughed, an inexplicable laugh laced with a rare, desolate tone. "No, it's not just that," he leaned forward, his voice gravelly. "They will be chosen to invade this world."

Upon hearing this, both Jiang Cheng and Fatty were stunned, especially the latter. The word "invade" instinctively filled him with fear.

What was even more terrifying was that this fear stemmed from the unknown.

"Alright," the middle-aged man sat up straight and said to Jiang Cheng, "I have to ld you what you asked for. Now I need a response from you."

After a few seconds, Jiang Cheng nodded. "Fine, but during the mission, your people must follow my lead."

The middle-aged man didn't show any surprise. He slowly stood up, adjusted his suit, and turned to leave. "No need to contact me. When the time comes, I'll come to find you."

Just as his figure was about to disappear into the night, Jiang Cheng suddenly spoke, "Wait."

The middle-aged man halted.

"How do you know the people from Deep Crimson will get involved in the mission, since it hasn't even started yet?"

For Jiang Cheng, the middle-aged man was likely the person who knew the most about nightmares, and he didn't want to miss any opportunity to learn more. Besides, these people didn't seem to be as dangerous as they appeared. After all, he had initiated the conflict with them in the first place.

"This isn't covered by the deposit," the middle-aged man replied.

"Then let me ask another question. This mission must be important to you, right? Aren't you worried that I might back out at the last minute?" Jiang Cheng squinted.

The middle-aged man slowly turned around, and behind him, the neon lights were not far off.

The city under the cloak of night was just beginning to stir. The streets lit up, with faint sounds of cooking from nearby food stalls.

For those trapped in the nightmare, this mundane life was something they could only wish for but never reach.

"I advise against it," the middle-aged man's tone wasn't forceful but carried the weight of someone who had been in power for a long time, unconsciously exuding an intimidating aura. "I don't like people who break their promises. If you're unhappy with the terms, you can refuse. But if you make a promise and then betray it for a bigger temptation..." He paused, his voice darkening. "Then no matter where you hide, I will find you. I will use every method available to make you pay for what you've done."

The rain started pouring heavily, and the wind howled, making the old doors and windows creak and groan.

Jiang Cheng sat at his desk.

Fatty was huddled on the sofa, his chin resting on his knees, looking worried.

He wanted to advise Jiang Cheng against getting involved in this mess. The middle-aged man's influence was not something they could handle.

"Doctor," Fatty hesitated before asking, "What do you think?"

"I need their information, and there are some things I need to verify," Jiang Cheng said casually, tapping on the keyboard.

"You better be careful," Fatty swallowed nervously, whispering, "I have a feeling that middle-aged man doesn't look like he's lying. Deep Crimson might be even more terrifying than he said."

Jiang Cheng didn't respond. He was too focused on searching for something online. If Fatty had come over to look, he would have seen a long list on the screen.

It was a screenshot taken from a forum.

The names of people who had gone missing in the last few months filled the list, all from their city, Rongcheng.

One of them was a woman named Hu Yan.

Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. He couldn't help but recall a conversation he overheard not long ago between a female officer and a young officer in a car.

"Wei Jie," the officer carrying a bag had said, "Team Liu called and said we need to speed things up. Someone went missing in the south of the city last night, and the team doesn't have enough people."

Again.

In the next moment, the strange, mysterious behavior of the middle-aged man appeared in Jiang Cheng's mind.

"No, not just that," the scar on the middle-aged man's lip twisted grotesquely. He leaned forward and, in a hoarse voice, said, "They are chosen to invade this world."

It was as if there was an unspoken connection between the police officers and the middle-aged man. Two completely unrelated voices suddenly merged, entangling with one another uncontrollably.

Like a ball of yarn tangled by a cat, getting messier and more complicated until it snapped.

"Invade, huh?" Jiang Cheng leaned back in his chair, his gaze deep and murky.

(End of this chapter)

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