Translator: CinderTL
A cold sensation crawled up Jiang Cheng's back. He hadn't expected the Ghost to pinpoint his location through a few text messages.
No wonder Wang Qi lost his phone.
Damn it. If he'd known, he wouldn't have replied.
From the photos he'd received, Jiang Cheng could roughly determine the Ghost's location: less than 20 meters away, near the fourth-to-last bookshelf.
A new message popped up on his screen, this time from Shen Mengyun:
"Intersection ahead, on the ground."
Shen Mengyun's message was concise and clear.
Jiang Cheng held his breath, scanning the spot Shen Mengyun mentioned. It was the space between two bookshelves, dusted with a layer of flour.
On the flour, a footprint had appeared.
It hadn't been there just minutes ago.
The footprint was enormous, one and a half times the size of his own foot, and its toes pointed directly toward his hiding place.
"You're not here."
Another message arrived on Jiang Cheng's phone, accompanied by a photo of a bookshelf. A half-human-tall, celadon vase stood close by.
Judging by the angle of the photo, the person who took it was standing right in front of the bookshelf.
Jiang Cheng averted his gaze and peered through the gap in the bookshelf. He could clearly see the vase, only ten meters away.
But there was nothing around it.
A moment later, another photo arrived, getting closer to Jiang Cheng. "I'll find you even if you're not here."
Now, the flaw of Jiang Cheng's hiding spot became apparent. While concealed, once the Ghost noticed him, escape was impossible.
At the Ghost's speed, it would surely find him within a minute.
Jiang Cheng hesitated for a long time, considering sending the Ghost an apology text. He had even drafted the wording. But a sudden phone alarm interrupted his thoughts.
"Ring, ring, ring!"
It was a cliché alarm tone, the kind pre-installed on every phone.
Jiang Cheng snapped back to reality, realizing the sound was coming from Shen Mengyun's hiding spot.
He understood immediately: Shen Mengyun must have sensed the Ghost targeting him and was using her phone alarm to distract it, trying to save him.
A few seconds later, Jiang Cheng heard something shatter underfoot, and the alarm abruptly stopped.
Without hesitation, Jiang Cheng seized the opportunity to slip away quietly. He chose the History Section, where Wang Qi had been hiding earlier.
The Burnt Ghost had just left this area.
Jiang Cheng didn't think it would return anytime soon.
"How are you doing?" Jiang Cheng texted Huai Yi, about to send a message to Fatty when Huai Yi's reply arrived.
But the tone of the message gradually eased the tension in Jiang Cheng's furrowed brow.
"Mr. Jiang, this is Shen Mengyun. I'm with Mr. Huai Yi now. How are you?"
Jiang Cheng typed, "I'm fine. I've escaped and found a new hiding place." After a pause, he added another line: "Thank you, Miss Shen."
Jiang Cheng could guess that Shen Mengyun had set a delayed alarm on her phone, and after she had run far enough, the alarm went off, saving him.
"This person is worth saving," Jiang Cheng thought. "Counting this time, Shen Mengyun has saved me twice already."
"Can you pinpoint the Burnt Ghost's location now?" he texted a moment later.
This time, the reply was slightly delayed, as if the sender was somewhat embarrassed. "My foot is injured, so I couldn't run fast. The Ghost noticed my footsteps. Halfway through, I ran into Gao Yan and passed by his hiding place. Then I felt... I felt like the Ghost just vanished. It seemed to have shifted its attention."
Shen Mengyun didn't finish her sentence, but Jiang Cheng had already guessed what she meant. It seemed she had fled to Gao Yan's hiding place and used him to shake off the Ghost.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Cheng replied, "Miss Shen, there's no need to blame yourself. You didn't do it intentionally."
"Brother Jiang, has Brother Fugui contacted you?" The text message suddenly changed tone, revealing Huai Yi this time.
"No," Jiang Cheng replied, a sudden sense of foreboding washing over him.
"Brother Fugui is hiding not far from Gao Yan's location. I'm worried something might have happened to him," Huai Yi quickly texted back. "I just sent him two messages, but he hasn't replied."
Damn it! Jiang Cheng frowned. He had been so preoccupied with Shen Mengyun that he had completely forgotten about Fatty.
Huddled against the side of a bookshelf, Fatty's face was purple with suppressed rage. Just moments ago, Gao Yan, that bastard, had come rushing over in a panic. Then...
Fatty swallowed hard. He had seen a footprint suddenly appear on the flour-dusted floor, less than five meters away from him, right in front of the bookshelf.
The footprint was huge and exaggerated, clearly belonging to the Ghost that had been chasing Gao Yan.
What made it even more infuriating was that Gao Yan had only run over after noticing Fatty's presence.
Diverting the Disaster
Gao Yan had used this trick to screw over Shen Mengyun on the third floor, as the doctor had told him.
Gao Yan didn't escape either. Both of them were now cornered by the Ghost near these bookshelves.
This area offered no other hiding places besides the large bookshelves. Running was impossible; their only option was to stall the Ghost, buying time until the mission ended.
As they passed an hourglass earlier, Gao Yan had cautiously glanced at it. The sand was running low, perhaps only a few minutes remained.
"Clatter—"
Before he could devise a plan, he heard several books crash to the floor from a nearby bookshelf.
A gap appeared in the bookshelf.
The Ghost was searching for them, narrowing down their location.
Fatty cautiously retreated, putting distance between himself and the Ghost. Gao Yan did the same. The two men and the Ghost were now circling the bookshelves in an eerie dance.
The Ghost occasionally knocked books off the shelves, creating noise that seemed like a search, but even Fatty could see it was more like an old hunter toying with trapped prey.
It was clear the Burnt Ghost knew it was only a matter of time before he found them.
Unable to see, hear, or smell, they could only rely on the flour on the ground and the occasional falling books to determine the Burnt Ghost's location.
Gao Yan's anxiety grew. He had a feeling that he was the Ghost's primary target.
Mere delay wouldn't keep him alive. Unless Gao Yan looked toward Fatty, his eyes blazing with a dangerous intensity.
Unless he let Fatty die in his place.
Gao Yan was confident he could handle Fatty, who could only see two lines of text. Now that his target was clear, it was time to formulate a plan.
He not only wanted Fatty dead, but more importantly, he wanted it to appear natural, with no connection to himself.
After all, he was still wary of Jiang Cheng, who could see forty-seven lines of text.
Gao Yan also had his own interpretation of the current situation. The Burnt Ghost held an absolute advantage, yet it hadn't immediately hunted them down and killed them. Instead, it was playing a cat-and-mouse game. This might be a hint.
Perhaps the Ghost wanted to see them turn on each other.
(End of the Chapter)