Translator: CinderTL
Following the list was a detailed report. Over the past few weeks, several people had mysteriously vanished near the Chuangrong Building.
The report included photographs of the missing individuals.
Men and women of various ages and backgrounds were represented.
The photos were in black and white, suggesting that whoever released the information knew those caught in such an incident had no hope of survival.
Jiang Cheng immediately recognized one man from the photos.
Middle-aged, impeccably dressed in a suit, with a calm and resolute gaze—clearly a successful individual.
It was Nan Huaili, Nan Jin's father.
His photo hung in the office on the 17th floor. Investigating his disappearance was Jiang Cheng's primary objective in coming to the Chuangrong Building.
"These are just the confirmed missing," Huai Yi added from behind Jiang Cheng, implying that there were others whose identities remained unconfirmed.
"Who are these two?" Jiang Cheng asked, pointing to two photos where the faces were blurred with mosaic patterns, making them stand out strangely.
"Like me, they were members of this website. They also took on this case, but the result..." Huai Yi paused, then forced a bitter smile. "They disappeared too."
It seems they were lured into the Ghost Hospital and killed by something from within Xiang Nan's Gate.
"Disciples of the Door?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," Huai Yi replied with a strange tone. "The website's members come from all walks of life. Even some self-important ordinary people come here looking for easy gains."
"For people like us, the Gate is just a layer of protection, and not a very reliable one at that," Huai Yi continued.
Jiang Cheng nodded. Huai Yi was right. With enough cunning, ordinary people could survive these missions.
He himself was the best example.
"I can feel it," Huai Yi said, his voice tinged with frustration. "The thing inside my Gate is growing restless. It's probably because I've been using the Power of the Door too much lately."
But there was no other choice. If he didn't use it, he would die instantly, not even waiting for the Gate to fully consume him.
Each time he used the Power of the Door, the corruption deepened. Eventually, he would lose all sense of self and become a mindless husk.
A moving Gate.
Just like their recent encounter.
After speaking, Huai Yi turned to look out the window. The setting sun cast long shadows, and from his vantage point, he could see the scene near the community gate.
Old men held children's hands as they walked in from outside the community. The children, backpacks bouncing on their backs, skipped and hopped along. Some doting old men even helped carry their heavy schoolbags.
Yet even this simple scene wouldn't last long.
The ultimate fate of all Disciples of the Door was to be consumed by corruption or killed before they were completely consumed.
A hand rested on Huai Yi's shoulder. "Don't worry," Jiang Cheng's voice said. Huai Yi turned to see Jiang Cheng's sincere eyes.
For a fleeting moment, Huai Yi felt as though Jiang Cheng had read his mind. "Even though he's Crimson," Huai Yi thought, "he must have his own hidden struggles. After all, we're all Disciples of the Door; some emotions still resonate between us."
"Thank you," Huai Yi nodded. He hadn't expected a Crimson to comfort him in his darkest moment.
"No need to thank me," Jiang Cheng said righteously. "We're brothers. After you die, I'll take care of your sea-view villa and your little sister. Don't worry about a thing."
"Oh, right," Jiang Cheng added as if suddenly remembering something. "Did you pay for the villa in full? I'm not helping you with the mortgage."
Huai Yi felt like crying. He now understood why Crimson was wanted. These guys deserved to be shot on sight.
"What's this?" Jiang Cheng asked, noticing a notification flashing on the information panel. He tapped it open to reveal an email.
The background was quite stylish: a city plunged into Eternal Night.
A man in a black trench coat stood atop the city's tallest building, with countless Ghosts clawing their way up towards him.
Black background, white text.
"Mr. Huai Yi, regarding your recent third application to become an external action specialist for the Night Watcher, we respond as follows:"
"Your ability assessment meets the requirements for B-rank. However, our evaluation indicates that your response to crises prioritizes self-preservation over resolving the crisis itself."
"This doesn't align with our principles, so we won't be considering your application at this time."
The message was followed by a flamboyant signature: Night Watcher.
The air grew heavy.
Huai Yi's lips began to turn pale and purple, as if he were on the verge of tears. What kind of situation was this? Why was his life so miserable?
Everyone knew the Night Watcher and Crimson were sworn enemies. When they met, one side would never rest until the other was completely annihilated.
"Are you planning to join the Night Watcher?" Jiang Cheng asked indifferently.
"It's all a misunderstanding! Someone must have hacked my account. I've always hated them—their black trench coats are the worst! And they're always going on about saving the world, so utterly hypocritical!!"
As if to prove his words, Huai Yi immediately deleted the conversation with the account, then cursed under his breath as he blocked the user.
Jiang Cheng didn't care about Huai Yi's stance. To him, both the Night Watcher and Crimson were equally dangerous.
Crimson's methods were more direct.
What concerned him was how brazenly the Night Watcher operated on this website, even without bothering to conceal their identities. Did this mean the Night Watcher was pulling the strings behind the scenes?
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Jiang Cheng knew the answer.
It had to be.
After all, in terms of scale, the Night Watcher was no match for Crimson, as the information he had gathered earlier clearly showed.
This website was backed by the Night Watcher.
And the only entity capable of standing behind the Night Watcher was one of comparable scale.
After briefly browsing the website's posts, Jiang Cheng found the content far richer and more complex than he had imagined, with a constant stream of supernatural events.
Connecting this to the recent disappearances in Rong City, Jiang Cheng's suspicions were gradually solidifying into reality.
The Nightmare was invading the real world, the barrier between the two slowly dissolving. It wouldn't be long before the Nightmare manifested directly in their world.
The Chuangrong Building Ghost Face Incident is the perfect example.
"Brother Jiang, Shen Bubu won't do," Huai Yi said, his face as long as a coffin. "You can take the sea-view villa girl and all that, but I contributed to this mission too. Shouldn't I get a share of the reward?"
Jiang Cheng, who had been lost in thought about the Nightmare's encroachment, paused at Huai Yi's words. "Reward?"
"Yeah, the red paper," Huai Yi said, his gaze shifting uneasily to Jiang Cheng. "Brother Jiang, you're not trying to welsh on the deal, are you?"
"I didn't see any red paper, let alone take it," Jiang Cheng said truthfully. He only knew that ordinary Nightmares produced Lifeline Notes. He'd never even heard of red paper.
"Of course you didn't take it. The woman who was with you did," Huai Yi said. "Miss Lin."
"Her?!"
(End of the Chapter)
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