Nightmare Strikes

Translator: Cinder Translations

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"Tap, tap, tap." 

The lively and chaotic footsteps echoed in the empty corridor as a man and a woman ascended the staircase along the far-right safety passage, their eyes scanning their surroundings.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Zhou Taifu's voice was low and hoarse, his once suave demeanor replaced by a sharp, piercing gaze.

Walking beside him was his partner—Yu Wen.

They were also lovers.

Unlike the glitz and glamour that men and women are accustomed to today, the two met, got to know each other, and fell in love in the muddy quagmire of Southeast Asia's rainforests.

There, amidst gunfire and the presence of snakes and ants, white maggots crawled from the eye sockets of the dead, falling into the mud and rolling, tainting their corpulent bodies.

Both were mercenaries.

They engaged in whatever work paid them the most, serving whoever offered the highest price.

Whether it was government troops, rebels, or various warlords, religious leaders, and tribal chiefs, they were all their employers and targets.

In the damp, foul-smelling bomb shelters that resembled muddy pits, they had once agreed to stop after earning two million, then return to their hometown to open a small supermarket.

They dreamed of leading a peaceful and stable life.

But… 

Two million, three million, four million... 

As their skills and coordination grew more refined, they gained notoriety in their line of work.

Employers loved such people.

They were silent, cold-blooded, and efficient; whether it was disarmed soldiers or the elderly and children caught in the crossfire, none were left alive.

Bodies were shoved into the muddy pits for burial, and blood was spilled in the dense forest.

They only waited for a heavy rain.

The rain would wash away all traces, even sins.

This also alleviated the employers' concerns.

Gradually, they forgot their original agreement; they thrived in bloodshed, the gunfire they shot at night drawing beautiful trajectories in the air. 

Lives were as expendable as grass.

Only then could they truly find peace.

Underneath a giant tree that required several people to embrace, they nestled together, inhaling the potent air infused with the scent of blood and gunpowder that lingered.

Mutilated corpses riddled with shrapnel were everywhere, and blood dripped from the tips of leaves like a light rain. 

Near the horizon, the setting sun looked like blood.

It was at this moment they finally understood.

What they desired was not just money, but the fleeting satisfaction that followed such extreme madness.

But human hearts are like an abyss.

That was far from enough.

Until one day, in a dream, they pushed open a strange door.

"Are you sure the archive room is here?" Zhou Taifu frowned, asking for the second time.

His mercenary career had endowed him with heightened perceptual awareness, making his personality increasingly paranoid.

"It should be right," Yu Wen scanned her surroundings. The nearby doors were all locked, suggesting that this place wasn't frequented. She confirmed, "I asked Feng Lan and used a lot of reasoning before she finally told me."

Zhou Taifu tilted his head and asked, "Is Feng Lan reliable?"

Yu Wen thought for a moment, then shook her head, "I don't know, but it's better to be cautious."

She pulled out her phone, checked the time, and urged, "Let's move quickly. Zhen Jianren probably won't last much longer; we should avoid attracting the students and teachers later."

A fierce light flashed in Zhou Taifu's eyes, "If they dare to come, they can only blame their bad luck!"

"Try not to kill anyone else," Yu Wen's expression darkened as she turned to him, her tone becoming serious. "Don't forget, there are rules here."

"Okay, I got it."

As they turned a corner, a very strange room appeared before them.

From the outside, the room occupied the space of three or four ordinary rooms, but the door was peculiar—a relatively new alloy security door.

It seemed to have been replaced less than half a year ago.

You see, many other doors in this corridor had locks that were already rusted.

At the same time, the expressions of both changed.

After a moment, Zhou Taifu spoke coldly, "Do you smell that?"

Yu Wen nodded, glancing at the door with an unnatural expression, "It's the smell of blood."

It appeared something was wrong inside.

Zhou Taifu positioned Yu Wen behind him, using his left hand to pull the handle of the security door while flipping his right wrist, revealing a glinting dagger in his palm.

Over the years, the two had developed a seamless cooperation; Yu Wen instinctively protected his back.

As he pulled the door open, Zhou Taifu immediately stepped back.

"Creak—"

The door hinge emitted a piercing scraping sound, but there was no immediate danger.

As the door opened, a nauseating smell of blood rushed out.

In the corner against the wall lay a person, head facing outward, feet inward, unmistakably dressed as Luo Yi.

"Just as I thought."

Yu Wen said coldly, her face revealing no surprise.

Just like Jiang Cheng, she had noticed something was off with Luo Yi; not long ago, during the meeting in room 404, she had observed that the camera, which should have been kept by Jiang Cheng, was missing.

She discreetly searched and finally found the camera hidden under the bed while tying her shoelaces.

The lens faced outward, faintly reflecting light.

Jiang Cheng sat at the edge of the bed, deliberately hiding it with his leg.

Almost simultaneously, Yu Wen's brow furrowed as she recalled Jiang Cheng's motive for doing this.

One of them must have been possessed by a ghost.

This explained why, as the deadline for the mission approached, the speed of deaths had actually slowed, and even the ghost had disappeared for no apparent reason.

After tying her shoelaces, she sat back down, her expression casual, entirely nonchalant.

Who could it be? 

She pondered in her mind.

First, she ruled out Jiang Cheng, and then the fat guy could be excluded as well.

If the fat guy were the ghost, Jiang Cheng wouldn't have needed to gather everyone together for this test; he probably would have slipped away long ago.

Of course, it was also possible he had died.

Then the three people on her side could also be ruled out since they had never separated, leaving no opportunity for the ghost to kill and replace them.

What remained were the two individuals from room 405.

Yu Wen's gaze subtly assessed Zhen Jianren and Luo Yi.

But no matter how she looked, she couldn't discern anything; both of their actions were entirely reasonable, without any flaws.

Luo Yi, upon hearing the analysis of the ghost, even showed a hint of fear in his eyes.

An idea struck Yu Wen, and she suddenly looked toward Zhang Yinyin.

The latter had an impressive perception and noticed Yu Wen's gaze mere seconds later.

Their eyes met for just an instant before they discreetly looked away.

After leaving room 404, Yu Wen and her group returned to room 406.

While organizing their belongings, Yu Wen caught a glimpse of light flashing across Zhang Yinyin's hand, but when she looked closely, her hand was empty again.

She approached discreetly, leaned down, and whispered in Zhang Yinyin's ear, "The mirror in your hand can reflect ghosts; I saw you use it yesterday."

Zhang Yinyin's hands paused as she was organizing her things.

The next second, Yu Wen continued, "Now... the ghost has infiltrated."

(End of the Chapter)

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Translated 1.3K+ Chapters and 1.5M+ Words.