Translator: CinderTL
The moment the head separated from the body, the eerie atmosphere that had permeated the Sculpture Hall vanished abruptly. The half-body statue transformed into a headless statue, completely lifeless.
Jiang Cheng casually tossed the head onto the ground. As if drained of all strength, his body swayed before collapsing onto the floor.
When he awoke, he found himself back in his dorm room, lying in bed. He opened his eyes to see Huai Yi's worried face.
Huai Yi sat beside the bed, looking as if he had suffered a great injustice.
Jiang Cheng's gaze swept across the room. Fatty and Wang Qi were nowhere to be seen.
"Brother Jiang!" Huai Yi exclaimed, leaping to his feet as he noticed Jiang Cheng's eyes open. "You're finally awake! I was so worried..."
"Where are they?" Jiang Cheng interrupted, his voice hoarse.
Huai Yi's expression turned strange. He leaned closer and whispered, "Brother Jiang, Brother Fugui was called out by Wang Qi. He said he wanted to talk to him. I wanted to follow and listen, but Wang Qi wouldn't let me."
"It's not that I'm afraid of him!" Huai Yi quickly explained. "It's just that you weren't awake, and I was worried about leaving you unattended."
"How long have they been gone?" Jiang Cheng propped himself up on his arm.
"It's been a while," Huai Yi recalled, nodding. "Definitely more than half an hour."
"Wait here for me."
Just as Jiang Cheng was about to reach the Gate, the door suddenly swung open from the outside, and Wang Qi entered. He didn't see Fatty.
Jiang Cheng stared at him and asked, "Where is he?"
"Next door," Wang Qi replied slowly, his gaze at Jiang Cheng filled with a strange curiosity. "He's fine, don't worry. He just... needs some quiet time."
Jiang Cheng studied Wang Qi's face for a moment, then turned to Huai Yi and said, "Go next door and keep an eye on Wang Fugui. Don't come back unless I call you."
Huai Yi could sense the tension in the air and nodded before heading next door.
Once Huai Yi was gone, Wang Qi closed the door behind him.
The two men stood in silence, staring at each other until Wang Qi finally grinned, pointing behind Jiang Cheng at his Shadow on the floor. "That guy behind you... is quite interesting."
Jiang Cheng knew exactly who he meant: Wu.
Not long ago, in the Sculpture Hall, he had used Wu's power to forcibly snap the neck of the half-body statue.
This unnatural scene clearly didn't escape Wang Qi's notice.
Wu had awakened the moment he discovered Shen Mengyun's body. He'd felt that strange, unsettling tremor.
That's why he'd had the confidence to gamble against the half-body statue. After all, if he died, Wu would likely be trapped here with him forever.
But now wasn't the time for that. He had many questions that needed Wang Qi's answers.
"Who exactly are you?" Jiang Cheng asked coldly. "And what's your relationship with Wang Fugui?"
Wang Qi strode over and sat down with a swagger. Jiang Cheng obligingly sat across from him.
"You've already guessed part of it, haven't you?" Wang Qi stared into Jiang Cheng's eyes, his voice calm. "Like Shen Mengyun and the others, I'm already dead."
Though Jiang Cheng had already suspected this, hearing it confirmed by Wang Qi still sent a chill down his spine.
Wang Qi curled his fingers and tapped lightly on his head. "I've forgotten a lot. Especially the memories before I met you all. It's as if someone erased that part of my mind with a single stroke."
"At first, I thought it was just me," Wang Qi paused, his expression turning serious. "But then I realized Shen Mengyun, Gao Yan, and I were all the same."
"I have only a vague memory of the bus that brought us here. It was strange... no, terrifying." Wang Qi seemed lost in painful memories, veins throbbing on his forehead. "I can't recall the details, but I'm certain my death was connected to that bus."
"I wasn't the only one. Shen Mengyun and Gao Yan were also killed by that bus, or rather, by something on it."
"And the most unsettling part is that even after we died, we couldn't leave. The bus was like a prison, trapping anyone who boarded it."
"Even in death, there was no escape."
"Inside..." Wang Qi pressed his lips together, describing it as "another world, shrouded in darkness and despair."
Jiang Cheng could vaguely sense the bus's terrifying nature. As the person carrying the Gate, he shared an inexplicable connection with Wu.
For the first time, Jiang Cheng sensed the scent of fear emanating from Wu.
Moreover, based on his observations on the bus, the Abnormality present there far exceeded the old woman who had assigned them this mission.
If they were to describe the mission as a curse, then this eerie bus was like a collection of numerous curses.
Wang Qi's analysis indirectly confirmed Jiang Cheng's suspicions.
While this information was helpful, it wasn't what Jiang Cheng most wanted to hear. "You still haven't answered my question directly," he pressed. "Do you know Wang Fugui?"
At this question, Wang Qi's gaze shifted, becoming strangely guarded. His next words sent a chill down Jiang Cheng's spine.
"Not only have I met Wang Fugui, but I've also met you," Wang Qi said slowly.
"Where?" Jiang Cheng pressed, suddenly feeling like he was on the verge of uncovering the truth behind the events.
At the same moment, his head began to throb again, as if something was actively preventing him from recalling that part of his memory.
He had always suffered from headaches and had gaps in his memory.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember.
"It was in a very large house, but I can't remember the details," Wang Qi said, shaking his head. "There were many people inside. I remember their faces, but not clearly."
"Was I there too, along with Wang Fugui?" Jiang Cheng's sealed memories were slowly resurfacing. He gritted his teeth, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as a sharp headache intensified.
"Yes, but you were different from all of us. I didn't like you, and neither did the others. Perhaps..." Wang Qi paused, pointing a finger at the adjacent room. "...only he was an exception."
"Why?" Jiang Cheng pressed, knowing he couldn't endure this excruciating pain for much longer.
"Because we were imprisoned there, and you were the reason for our captivity," Wang Qi said. "Your very existence caused all the misfortune that befell us."
"You are the source, and also the abyss," Wang Qi suddenly changed his tone, uttering a cryptic prophecy.
"But I don't remember anything," Jiang Cheng insisted.
"I only remember these things too, vividly, as if they were etched into my mind. Even if I wanted to forget, I couldn't," Wang Qi replied. "But I can't explain why."
"What about Wang Fugui?"
At the mention of Wang Fugui, Wang Qi's tense expression softened. His sharp, eagle-like eyes surprisingly softened with rare tenderness.
"He was different from you. We all liked him, loved being close to him..." Wang Qi paused, then looked up. "He was like your opposite, a completely different side of you."
(End of the Chapter)
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