Fog

Translator: Cinder Translations

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"Damn it!" the Fatty exclaimed, "Why are there so many sneaky bastards in the nightmares lately? Did the orphanage let out for a holiday?"

"Tsk," Jiang Cheng's expression immediately changed. He suspiciously looked the Fatty up and down, feeling that this Fatty wasn't as obedient as before and seemed to always have hidden meanings in his words.

Fortunately, Jiang Cheng only stared for a few seconds before shifting his gaze. He walked over to the table where Xia Meng was sitting and took a seat. He first sneakily glanced at the cup in front of Xia Meng before pouring himself a glass of water.

This house looked off, so it was better to be cautious. The safest approach was to follow in the footsteps of those who came before. For example, after seeing someone drink water and being fine, then he would drink too.

Xia Meng had just taken a sip of water, and both he and the Fatty had seen it.

As if seeing through Jiang Cheng's thoughts, Xia Meng gave him a disdainful glance.

After taking a sip of water to moisten his throat, Jiang Cheng contentedly pulled open his clothes and deliberately made a show of flaunting the clue newspaper in front of Xia Meng.

He squinted his eyes and said in a rhythmic tone, "Let me see what's written inside."

Before he could open the newspaper, Xia Meng sprang up and pressed the newspaper down on the table, "Are you an idiot? Opening it now?"

Although her voice wasn't loud, it was clear she was deliberately suppressing it, otherwise it would have been much fiercer.

Luckily, the quality of the newspaper was good. If it were an ordinary newspaper, Xia Meng's slap would have likely torn it apart.

Jiang Cheng blinked his eyes, looking innocent, clearly waiting for her to continue.

"Is there a specific time to open this thing?" The Fatty had the same question. He pursed his lips, just as he picked up his teacup but hadn't had a chance to drink, he shivered and spilled it all over himself.

All the information he had about nightmares was told to him by the doctor. He only knew that the clue newspaper contained mission clues, and they would only reveal themselves upon entering the nightmare.

After realizing that Jiang Cheng and the Fatty weren't pretending, Xia Meng sighed and finally glared at Jiang Cheng, who had almost ruined things, before slowly sitting back down.

Of course, the newspaper was returned to its owner.

"The later you open the newspaper, the greater the reward," she succinctly said.

A few seconds later,

"So the clues inside aren't fixed? The later you open it, the more clues... are revealed, right?" The Fatty seemed to have grasped something, swallowed, and continued, "Is that what it means?"

"Yes."

Having received a definite answer, the Fatty secretly turned to look at the doctor.

Noticing the Fatty looking at him, Jiang Cheng immediately straightened his neck and exclaimed in a rhythmic voice, "I know!"

The rain came fast and left just as quickly. Before long, the sound of the pattering rain had completely disappeared, giving Jiang Cheng and the others a feeling that the rain had only been meant to drive them into the side room.

"Look," the Fatty walked to the window and poked his head out, "the rain has stopped."

Xia Meng also walked to the window. After a while, she said, "Strange, although the rain has stopped, the sky hasn't changed. It's still this dark."

The Fatty turned his head, "Is it going to rain again soon?"

"Doesn't seem like it," Jiang Cheng replied. He walked to the door on the other side, hid behind it, and peered through the crack. After a while, he pulled back and slowly said, "It seems more like it's almost night."

Although the flow of time in nightmares has always been a mystery, from the time they woke up, it had only been two hours at most. Going from morning to night in just two hours was still excessively bizarre.

"Could it be related to the mission in this nightmare?" the Fatty asked.

Xia Meng nodded, "It's possible."

Although the rain had stopped, a thin fog had risen over the lake outside the window. The fog came suddenly, and by the time the Fatty noticed, it had almost enveloped the entire lake.

"Doctor, there's fog," the Fatty said, watching as the doctor found a few candles and lit them immediately. The room was gradually filled with light.

Xia Meng, on the other hand, was responsible for checking the doors and windows to ensure they were closed, trying to keep the fog from blowing in.

After all, this fog coming from the lake was truly eerie. If it was said that there wasn't something wrong with it, they probably wouldn't believe even themselves.

The group huddled in a spot some distance away from the windows and doors, quietly waiting.

Before long, an ethereal sound reached the Fatty's ears. At first, he only heard a little, but then, as if sensing something, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Just as he turned his head to say something to the doctor beside him, a hand reached out from his shoulder and suddenly covered his mouth, "I heard it too," a barely audible voice came from beside his ear.

It was the doctor.

The doctor didn't choose to place the limited candles around himself. Instead, he spread them out, placing two behind the door and two behind the window, illuminating both areas brightly.

The last remaining candle was held in the doctor's hand, seemingly not intended to be lit for the time being.

Even though the three of them were huddled together, he couldn't see the doctor and Xia Meng's faces very clearly. There were only vague outlines, shadowy and indistinct, and after a while, it started to feel a bit terrifying.

It was the sound of opera singing, yiyayaya, coming from the direction of the lake. The singing was extremely mournful and very eerie.

The Fatty quickly searched his memory and frowned. He seemed to have heard something somewhat similar before.

After a while, his face suddenly turned pale. He remembered. It was when the doctor had fallen asleep watching a horror movie. The female ghost in that movie had sung in a similar style.

That female ghost's name was Chu Renmei.

Remembering the eerie image of the female ghost in red standing at the bottom of the lake, the Fatty immediately became uneasy, and his body started to tremble slightly. He didn't believe such a coincidence could happen.

Deep in the ancient house, at night, by the lake, the sound of opera singing, the fog... No matter how you combined these elements, it was a perfect setup for a horror movie.

He tried to block his ears with both hands, but it was useless. The sound seemed to pierce through his palms and go straight into his mind.

Just as the Fatty was about to lose his composure, the singing gradually faded away. Soon, the outside became completely quiet. Jiang Cheng and the others didn't get up immediately to check but waited a bit longer before slowly standing up.

When it was the Fatty's turn, his legs were numb, and he couldn't stand up. Moreover, he didn't dare to speak because he hadn't heard Jiang Cheng or Xia Meng make a sound.

"Do you remember what that woman said?" It was the doctor's voice.

After a pause, Xia Meng's emotionless voice sounded, "The master likes quiet. The house is usually deserted, with few rooms occupied. At night, please stay in the side room and don't wander around, so as not to disturb everyone."

"That must be what's disturbing them," Jiang Cheng said.

(End of the Chapter)

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