Translator: CinderTL
"Luo He?!" Fatty's eyes widened, his voice trembling.
He couldn't explain the intense fear this seemingly placid man inspired in him. Perhaps it was simply because he was Crimson?
"It's really him," Fatty blurted out instinctively.
"Miss Lin gave me this surveillance footage. She also suspects something's amiss," Jiang Cheng said. "She asked if I knew where Pi Ruan had gone. They haven't been in contact for a long time."
After a moment's thought, Fatty asked, "Doctor, should we go find Miss Lin now?"
Jiang Cheng glanced at the phone in Fatty's hand and gestured. "Call Huai Yi. We'll pick him up."
Hearing that they would be bringing Huai Yi along, Fatty's expression turned wary. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Doctor, have you noticed something?"
There was no logical reason to involve Huai Yi in a trip to Miss Lin's, especially so late at night, unless Fatty had sensed danger in Jiang Cheng's actions.
"You think this is a trap?" Fatty asked rapidly. "Miss Lin is just bait, and Pi Ruan—no, Crimson—is pulling the strings?"
After returning from the mission, Fatty sensed a subtle but profound change in the Doctor, as if he were a different person altogether. This was especially noticeable in their communication.
Fatty soon realized that the entire situation reeked of suspicion. If Crimson were truly behind this, would they leave video evidence for them to find? And would someone as ordinary as Miss Lin have stumbled upon it? Recalling his interactions with Luo He, Fatty found it impossible to believe. This was likely a trap.
Clutching his phone, Fatty hesitated to call Huai Yi. Instead, he turned to Jiang Cheng and urged, "Doctor, why don't we hold off on going tonight? We'll head to Huai Yi's place soon, and the three of us can crash with his... ladies for the night. We can find Miss Lin at dawn." He paused, then added, "Wouldn't that be safer?"
"We're going now." Jiang Cheng steered Huai Yi's car onto a side road to the left. "I'm worried Miss Lin might be in danger if we delay."
Fatty had heard whispers of Crimson's ruthlessness. If they discovered their scheme had been exposed, who knew what Miss Lin might face?
Fatty didn't think their acquaintance with Miss Lin warranted such urgency, but since the Doctor had made up his mind, they followed his lead.
He called Huai Yi, but the phone rang for a long time before he answered, breathless as if he'd just survived a brutal fight.
Huai Yi was reluctant to come out immediately, but Jiang Cheng snatched the phone and persuaded him with a single sentence: "The Night Watchers are looking for you."
Then he hung up.
Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, Huai Yi, dressed in thin clothes, was already waiting downstairs when Jiang Cheng and Fatty arrived.
Once inside the car, Huai Yi, pale as a ghost, urgently asked, "What do the Night Watchers want with me? And how did they know I was staying here?"
Jiang Cheng didn't answer. He had no time or patience for explanations. Fatty eventually filled Huai Yi in on Miss Lin's situation.
In terms of experience, Huai Yi was competent, though not on the Doctor's level, he was far more capable than most people they encountered on missions.
After hearing the whole story, Huai Yi shared Jiang Cheng's assessment: this was likely a trap set by Pi Ruan and his group, using Miss Lin and the pretense of gathering information to lure them in.
Driving near Miss Lin's residence, Jiang Cheng parked the car a considerable distance away and switched off the headlights.
"We shouldn't all go in," Huai Yi suggested. "If we get ambushed, we're done for. I think one of us should go while the other two stay outside as backup."
Fatty glanced around nervously and swallowed hard. "Good idea."
Jiang Cheng nodded. "Makes sense."
But then Huai Yi, who had proposed the plan, began to feel uneasy. Jiang Cheng and Fatty showed no signs of moving; instead, they were both staring intently at him.
"Why are you... why are you looking at me like that?" Huai Yi stammered, growing flustered. "You don't expect me to go, do you? I barely know Miss Lin!"
"That's true," Fatty agreed, licking his lips. "It wouldn't be fair to single anyone out, considering the risk. How about... we hold a democratic vote?"
"I'm fine with that," Jiang Cheng said.
Roughly thirty seconds later, Huai Yi grudgingly climbed out of the car, muttering under his breath. Donning Fatty's work coat, he trudged toward Miss Lin's house.
Jiang Cheng and Fatty remained in the car, vigilantly monitoring their surroundings for any signs of movement.
Jiang Cheng reminded Huai Yi to keep his phone call open so they could monitor everything happening inside.
Finding the correct door number, Huai Yi cautiously knocked. But before he could even knock twice, the door creaked open, startling him badly.
The door wasn't locked at all; it was merely ajar.
Standing at the entrance, Huai Yi peered inside. The room was dimly lit, barely discernible as a living room. It was spacious, but the furniture seemed veiled by a thick black mist, reduced to blurry, indistinct silhouettes. Perhaps due to his preconceived notions, Huai Yi couldn't shake the feeling that these shadowy shapes might suddenly shift when he wasn't looking.
Even more unsettling, from his vantage point, he could just make out a partially open door at the far end of the room, likely leading to a bedroom. The door was ajar by only a few finger-widths, emitting a faint glow, likely from a bedside lamp.
Huai Yi's vigilance skyrocketed. Realizing the door wasn't locked but merely ajar, he immediately knew something was amiss and ended the call with Jiang Cheng and the others.
Huai Yi had no intention of going inside. He slowly backed away, his footsteps feather-light. Just as he was about to leave the doorway, he glimpsed a figure dart across the bedroom through the crack in the door.
Cold sweat instantly beaded on Huai Yi's forehead.
It was a woman in a blue nightgown, her head bowed, her long hair obscuring her face.
Terrified, Huai Yi's hair stood on end. He whirled around and bolted, crashing into Jiang Cheng and Fatty shortly after fleeing the building.
Seeing them, Huai Yi nearly burst into tears of relief. He had been worried that Jiang Cheng, realizing something was wrong after the call abruptly cut off, would abandon him.
Crimson truly lives up to its reputation! he thought. They keep their promises!
Huai Yi was about to explain what had happened when he noticed Jiang Cheng's furrowed brow and Fatty's pale face, who kept glancing nervously over his shoulder.
They didn't look like rescuers; they looked like they were being chased.
Before Huai Yi could ask, Jiang Cheng grabbed them and led them briskly in another direction.
After running a considerable distance, Jiang Cheng slowed down. Before Huai Yi could speak, Jiang Cheng interrupted him. "Tell me first," he said, "why did you hang up the phone?"
(End of the Chapter)
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