CHAPTER 457: BLOCK

The atmosphere froze. Weiwei, who hid behind the bed, didn’t even dare to breathe. The lights in the corridor were still on. Jiang Cheng adjusted his posture and silently observed the window on the door. The white paper didn’t reveal any shadow. Did the ghost… leave?

Jiang Cheng denied that possibility. This ghost probably didn’t have a shadow. However, just as he pulled his gaze back, he caught something from the corner of his eye. He froze. Light was still pouring through the bottom gap in the door. And the light was clearly blocked by something.

This ghost had a shadow. It just… didn’t have a head!

Jiang Cheng, who had figured that out, held his breath. He knew that the thing outside the door had discovered them because it had stood outside the door for more than ten seconds. It didn’t seem like it was going to leave. Jiang Cheng’s heart raced. He tried to remember everything that had happened since he arrived in this world, including Director Qi’s description. The fear of the ghost was one thing, but the thing that troubled Jiang Cheng the most was that they knew nothing about the ghost outside the door. Their identity, killing method… Nothing was known. In other words, as long as the ghost entered the room, at least one of them would be killed.

The only thing he could do was to ensure that the victim wasn’t Lin Wan ‘Er or himself. As for Weiwei or Du Feng, he couldn’t care less. After all, they were roped into this nightmare because of Nan Huaili’s disappearance. It was Mrs Nan who found Lin Wan ‘Er, and Lin Wan ‘Er dragged him into it. So, he was the most innocent.

At the same time, he was thankful because if he didn’t follow her, Lin Wan ‘Er would face this nightmare alone. Her skills in real life might not work in the nightmare.

The many thoughts collided in his mind until he heard something… The sound of the door being pushed. The thing outside the door was trying to come in. Thankfully, the force was small. However, Jiang Cheng knew that this was more of a probe. The thing wanted to see if there were people inside the room.

A hypothesis formed in his mind. Jiang Cheng held his breath. After a short contemplation, he believed he was right. The ghost outside the door had no head, so it had no eyes. It relied on other senses to look for people. The headless ghost was trying to see if people inside the room would move around or scream from fear. If they did, the ghost would probably start killing. A door wouldn’t stop it.

Before the ghost could confirm the presence of victims, it was limited by the rules. It pushed the door as a test. Jiang Cheng believed that even if there wasn’t a bed blocking the door, as long as the door remained closed, the headless ghost couldn’t get in. This was a chance at survival, the rules had given them. The thing that worried him then was Du Feng and Weiwei.

If they reacted badly, even God couldn’t save them. Thankfully, they didn’t. They had remained perfectly still as if they had fallen asleep.

Time ticked by. Every second was torment. Thankfully, the footsteps started to move away.

RUSTLE

RUSTLE

…

It was like a tired traveller dragging along its dying body. Jiang Cheng stared in the direction where the footsteps had disappeared. It was the almost-abandoned corridor they crossed that afternoon. All the nearby rooms were locked. The ghost… appeared to have come from that direction.

After waiting for ten minutes, Jiang Cheng slowly stood up and went back to where the beds were. As expected, he saw Weiwei and Du Feng. Their heads were leaning together. Their eyes were closed as if asleep. However, Jiang Cheng knew that they had fainted.

Lin Wan ‘Er sat by the bed quietly. Jiang Cheng couldn’t tell if she had been scared silly or if she was just not scared. “Are you alright?” He asked her.

Lin Wan ‘Er’s body shook before looking up. She told Jiang Cheng in a scared tone. “I’m scared.” Jiang Cheng glanced at Du Feng, who was salivating, and realised his concern for Lin Wan ‘Er was unnecessary. This was not a normal woman. Before the footsteps arrived, Lin Wan ‘Er had already knocked Weiwei and Du Feng out. She controlled the force so perfectly that even he didn’t hear it.

“What was the thing outside?” Lin Wan ‘Er whispered. It felt like she would faint at any moment.

“Ghost.” Jiang Cheng glanced at the door. “And it has no head.”

Lin Wan ‘Er whispered, “So scary.” Since his boss’s brain was not that normal, Jiang Cheng didn’t plan to elaborate further.

“Thankfully, you’re on high alert, or we’d be in trouble,” Jiang Cheng uttered.

Lin Wan ‘Er liked to be praised by Jiang Cheng. She tapped her chin. “I heard the ghost push the door. Why didn’t it open it?” Lin Wan ‘Er knew that a door couldn’t stop a ghost. ṘＡℕ𝙤ʙЕŜ

“I think it’s because we haven’t triggered the death condition.” Jiang Cheng explained, “Didn’t Kui Yi tell us in the afternoon that the ghosts wouldn’t kill for no reason?”

“Even ghosts follow rules?!” Lin Wan ‘Er was surprised.

Jiang Cheng swallowed. He had no idea why the woman’s eyes glowed like she had found a pretty dress when they were talking about ghosts.

“I don’t know.” Jiang Cheng turned away. “I don’t think so. In any case, don’t try to reason with ghosts. We need to find the clues and leave this place.”

Jiang Cheng carried Weiwei and Du Feng back to their beds and told Lin Wan ‘Er to rest. He would stay up to guard the room. One had to always be on guard in the nightmare. The mental exhaustion was unimaginable. It felt like something in the nightmare was gradually corroding their mind and resistance.

For newbies, the time they spent awake in the nightmare world might be shorter than in the real world. However, they would be greatly drained after exploring a few places. After that, they would be greeted by longer nights and a dawn that floated out of reach.