Translator: CinderTL
After a moment, Fatty seemed to realize what had happened. He spoke rapidly, "Doctor, don't be sad. Maybe... maybe there's been a misunderstanding. Boss Lin must have her reasons. I can feel it—her feelings for you are genuine."
"Don't say any more," Jiang Cheng said, his head bowed, his voice barely a whisper. "You're right. We shouldn't deceive ourselves any longer."
"Doctor..." Fatty wanted to comfort him, even if it meant making up some flimsy evidence to placate him. But the words caught in his throat, unable to escape.
A doctor was a doctor. What perfect lie could possibly fool him? Only someone like Boss Lin could pull it off.
After a long silence, Jiang Cheng spoke first. "Actually, from the moment I first saw you, I felt a strange familiarity—a feeling I couldn't quite place. We should know each other, but I've forgotten."
"From the moment you followed me back to the studio after your first Nightmare ended, I knew something was off about you."
"But I've been watching you for a long time," Jiang Cheng said slowly, shaking his head. "You're so clumsy and stupid, your mind works in ways no normal person's does. I'm more worried about you getting tricked and sold off one day than about you plotting against me. Relying on someone like you to scheme against me feels insulting."
"Yet, even I couldn't have predicted that I'd keep someone like you by my side for so long."
"Ever since you appeared, I've felt myself changing in a strange way—my personality, my thoughts, my logic, my judgment..."
"I've become hesitant, indecisive, and increasingly like the foolish idiot I used to mock you for being."
"This change fills me with inexplicable fear. I've warned myself that once I uncover the secret you're hiding, I'll make you disappear immediately." He whispered, "Forever."
Fatty shivered involuntarily at these words. He hadn't thought so deeply about it. At first, he'd just wanted to latch onto a powerful thigh. Later, he'd found he enjoyed being with the Doctor.
"But who knew that as I thought about it, I'd forget," Jiang Cheng sighed, gazing out the dark window. His obsidian eyes seemed to merge with the night.
"You're a good person, Fatty," Jiang Cheng said, his voice soft. "Whether as a friend in life or a partner in missions, you're always trustworthy."
"You've never been a burden, not once. Having you by my side makes me feel safe. Even when we're targeted by a Ghost or trapped in a desperate situation, I know I'm not alone."
"Not far from me, there's a Fatty who, though not the sharpest tool in the shed, would give his all to save me. Even if it meant using the most foolish method—trading his life for mine—he wouldn't let anything happen to me!"
Jiang Cheng looked into Fatty's swollen, red eyes and whispered, "You're my rock, Fatty."
Fatty's lips trembled, and for a moment, he looked like a lost child.
Jiang Cheng patted Fatty's shoulder, his tone earnest. "I promise you, I'll get to the bottom of everything. But now isn't the time for grief. We need to pull ourselves together and focus on getting out of here alive."
Jiang Cheng's words seemed to rekindle Fatty's hope. He quickly wiped his face, drying his tears, and nodded repeatedly at Jiang Cheng. "I'll do whatever you say, Doctor!"
Creak—
The door creaked open, and Huai Yi peeked inside, only to stumble upon Jiang Cheng and Fatty in a moment of brotherly affection. He froze. "Brother Jiang, Brother Fugui, that Wang Qi said he needs to discuss something with you."
Wang Qi stood just behind Huai Yi.
"Come in," Jiang Cheng gestured.
Huai Yi, sensing the awkwardness, wisely stayed out of the way.
The shift in their relationship had left Fatty with a strange mix of emotions toward Wang Qi. The jade pendant served as proof of his identity, but Fatty genuinely couldn't remember Wang Qi's face.
If he had to describe it, it was like two brothers who had never met before, one day one brother shows up with a family heirloom jade pendant, saying, "Big Brother, hello! We're long-lost siblings!"
The facts were true, but the emotional shift and acceptance would take time.
Wang Qi noticed Fatty's discomfort and offered a reassuring smile. "Our code names are just numbers. Let's keep calling each other by our names, like before."
"That Huai Yi... I don't remember him," Wang Qi said, glancing toward the door. "Is he reliable?"
"He should be fine," Jiang Cheng replied.
"That's good. Now I have some thoughts on the mission. Let's call Huai Yi in too," Wang Qi said.
Huai Yi entered and behaved very obediently, choosing a seat neither too close nor too far away—a wooden chair. He seemed to sense something.
"This time, we still failed to rescue anyone," Wang Qi said. "We didn't even find a body."
"That's right. This is the fourth time already, and we only have five chances in total," Huai Yi said anxiously. If the final mission failed, everyone would be trapped here forever.
Thinking of this, he glanced at Wang Qi, only to find the other man staring back at him—a completely uninhibited gaze.
After a moment, Wang Qi spoke calmly, "There's nothing to hide. I'm already dead. What I am now is essentially a Ghost trapped on this bus."
"My role is just a bit special—I'm your teammate. As for why this is happening, I don't know either," he said, tapping his finger to his head. "That part of my memory has been erased."
Although Huai Yi had already guessed Wang Qi was a Ghost, hearing it confirmed in such a casual tone still sent shivers down his spine.
Wang Qi didn't mean to make things difficult for Huai Yi. He was simply stating facts. Then he turned to Jiang Cheng and said, "I can understand the first three mission failures, but last time, we even resolved the half-body statue within the time limit, ending the Urban Legends of the Sculpture Hall at their source. Why did we still fail to save the missing people?"
"Go on," Jiang Cheng urged.
Wang Qi's expression grew strange. "Could it be possible that these missions are simply impossible to complete? No matter how well we do, these missing personalities are destined to die?"
"Then this mission has no chance of success?" Fatty asked in surprise.
"Of course not," Wang Qi replied, "but I still feel like something's missing. Perhaps..." He paused, his tone turning odd. "The truth lies hidden within the final mission."
After a night of turmoil, everyone was exhausted. After a brief discussion, they decided to rest until the world's sun rose for the last time in a few hours.
Wang Qi told them to rest while he stayed up to keep watch. Jiang Cheng didn't object.
The sun rose later than they expected, compressing their planned hour-and-a-half class into less than half an hour.
After class, they didn't have time to eat at the cafeteria. They bought a few jianbing guozi and headed straight for the Small Woods.
The sun rose later than everyone had anticipated, compressing the originally scheduled 90-minute class into less than half an hour.
After class, the group didn't have time to eat in the cafeteria. They bought a few jianbing guozi and headed straight for the small grove of trees.
(End of the Chapter)
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