Alliance

Translator: Cinder Translations

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Xia Meng glanced toward the direction of the lake, her gaze seemingly capable of penetrating through walls. She lowered her voice and said, "The sound is coming from the lake, and its position is uncertain, as if it is constantly moving."

Moving on the lake, or perhaps due to the fog that rolled in after nightfall, without any further explanation, the Fatty mentally conjured a rather terrifying image.

On the fog-covered lake, a ghostly woman in red floated, her face indistinct. She danced gracefully, singing a vague yet sorrowful song, creating a very eerie scene.

"Do you remember?" Xia Meng looked at Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng nodded, "In Xiao Shijian Village, there was also a female ghost in the Cold Zhen Pond on the back mountain."

The Fatty didn't participate in that mission, but the doctor had told him about it, and the perilous experience had kept him up the entire night, terrified.

Especially the part where the ghost enjoyed snapping people's necks and ripping their heads off.

In the end, only the doctor, Xia Meng, and a woman named Li Lu survived the mission.

"Something must have happened in this house that led to a woman's death. She may have died in the lake, or perhaps her body was dumped there after she died," Xia Meng speculated.

"Do any of you know opera?" The Fatty shrank his neck, looking very much like he wanted to see what was going on outside but was too scared. He whispered, "If we can figure out what song the ghost is singing, it might give us some clues."

The Fatty's suggestion wasn't bad, but unfortunately, both Jiang Cheng and Xia Meng knew nothing about opera. However, Xia Meng said they could ask others about it once daylight came, when everyone would be awake.

The Fatty's dim expression brightened again upon hearing this. "Right," he nodded repeatedly, "I saw that Qin Jian is quite old, maybe he knows something about this."

The mission had just begun, and the clues were minimal, so further analysis didn't yield much. As for the newspaper Xia Meng was holding, the Fatty understood it as something like Zhuge Jin's bag of tricks, something not to be opened unless absolutely necessary.

Now, their main concern had shifted from the eerie singing outside to how to safely survive their first night here.

Based on the current situation, there didn't seem to be anyone dead in the three rooms for now, but something unsettling had already happened as dusk fell. This night was destined to be long and restless.

"I'll take the first shift," Jiang Cheng volunteered. "You guys sleep first, and when it's time, I'll wake you up, and then you can take the second shift."

On the table, there was a platter with fruits and assorted small nuts. Xia Meng pushed one aside, popped it into her mouth, then wiped her hands. She looked up at Jiang Cheng and said disdainfully, "You don't need to leave a Fatty to watch me," she raised an eyebrow. "In front of Deep Crimson, we're allies. I won't harm you."

"Meng Meng, don't misunderstand," Jiang Cheng explained in a slightly higher voice. "I'm just worried that in the second half of the night, you won't be able to control your evil thoughts and will overpower me."

Upon hearing this, Xia Meng grinned, her beautiful eyes squinting, her lips revealing two cute tiger teeth. After a moment, she suddenly said, "Do you think leaving behind a Fatty will stop me?"

She gave Jiang Cheng a heated look from head to toe, then smiled knowingly. "I'll knock him out and tie him up," she exhaled softly, "Same thing."

"Tsk," just as Jiang Cheng was glancing sideways at Xia Meng, trying to figure out what had gone wrong recently, the Fatty's voice suddenly rang out.

"Miss Xia Meng," the Fatty, who had been timid a moment ago, straightened his back and said earnestly, "I think knocking me out is unnecessary. First, I'm not as easy to knock out as you think. Second," he continued, "as long as you're not too excessive, I won't get in your way."

Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. It seemed like he had figured out what was going on.

In the end, they decided to compromise. Jiang Cheng would take the first half of the night, Xia Meng would take the second half, and they would not interfere with each other.

As for the Fatty, neither of them wanted to keep watch with him.

So he could sleep if he wanted, or sit up if he preferred, but there was one thing: keep his mouth shut and not interfere with the watch.

The Fatty, being sharp-eyed, noticed that Xia Meng had fallen asleep, her breathing steady. He quietly got up and crawled over to sit next to the doctor, who was near a candle.

Stretching his neck, the Fatty casually reached for the fruit platter in front of the doctor, but as soon as his hand moved, he saw the doctor pick up the platter and move it away.

"Doctor," he awkwardly licked his lips, "Don't get the wrong idea. Just now, I was 'in the enemy camp but thinking of the Han,'" he paused, then said determinedly, "I was trying to confuse her and infiltrate their ranks."

TL/N: It's a reference to the Chinese idiom "身在曹营心在汉" (In Cao's camp but thinking of Han), from the Three Kingdoms era. It describes someone appearing loyal to one side while secretly supporting another. The fat man uses it humorously to claim he was pretending to side with Xia Meng while staying loyal to Jiang Cheng.

"Cut the nonsense," Jiang Cheng said, taking a nut from the platter, chewing it, and glancing at Xia Meng's bed. He muttered, "When Xia Meng wakes up, keep an eye on her."

Hearing this, the Fatty nodded repeatedly. "Don't worry, doctor. I'll keep watch."

Afterward, the Fatty's expression shifted slightly. He leaned a bit closer to the doctor and whispered, "Doctor, I think since that middle-aged man wants us to accompany Xia Meng on this mission, it means that at least until the mission is over, we're useful. So, I don't think she'll harm us."

"And there are people from Deep Crimson in this mission. If she hurts us, who will help her deal with Deep Crimson?"

The Fatty seemed to have thought of something, his expression changing. His voice began to tremble as he spoke, "That Deep Crimson driver, you saw how weird he was. Someone like that, I think it would be difficult for Xia Meng alone…"

"Who told you the driver was sent by Deep Crimson?" Jiang Cheng looked up and asked.

The Fatty was stunned, blinking rapidly. "Doctor, what do you mean? Isn't that what we were told before…"

"All the information we have about Deep Crimson comes from that middle-aged man. Even the name 'Deep Crimson' came from him, but who can prove everything he said is true?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"We don't know what Deep Crimson is really like, or even if it exists. The name and story could just be a fabrication."

Seeing the Fatty's lips move, Jiang Cheng interrupted, "If you're going to mention that driver again, just keep quiet. If you really need to know who sent the driver, I can tell you the most likely answer isn't the possibly nonexistent Deep Crimson. It's…" He cast a deep glance at Xia Meng's position.

After a pause, the Fatty's heart skipped a beat.

He suddenly remembered an article from a motivational magazine he'd skimmed through during a boring car ride. The story went like this: the fastest way to make peace with an opponent was to create a common enemy.

And Deep Crimson was exactly that.

(End of the Chapter)

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