Nightmare Assault

“Has the ghost… left the painting?” You Qi’s voice changed. He looked out the door in fear as if the ghost would appear at any moment. After all, that was the only explanation. Plus, Zuo Qing had disappeared…

“Who among you saw Zuo Qing?” Xia Meng suddenly asked, “Who went before Zuo Qing?” Even though everyone wore the same paper doll head and the red costume, there were differences in terms of build. Zuo Qing was taller than Xia Meng and thinner than Chen Qiang.

“The person after me should be You Qi,” Fatty offered.

You Qi gasped. “So you were the one who smacked me!” He grumbled, “Why did you hit me so hard? I thought that was the ghost!” Fatty scratched his nose shyly and didn’t reply. You Qi thought about it and said that the person after him was a tall person. When he patted the person’s shoulder, it was rather muscular, so it should be a man.

“Where did you pat the man?” Jiang Cheng asked.

“The right shoulder,” You Qi said, “My left arm was numb, and I could only raise my right arm, so…”

Jiang Cheng nodded, “It was me.” Only An Xuan and Jiang Cheng matched You Qi’s description. Even though Chen Qiang was tall, he was on the thin side. They noticed that when he changed.

An Xuan nodded, “The person patted my left shoulder.”

“The person after me should be you,” Jiang Cheng looked at Xia Meng. Xia Meng glared at him. The person not only patted her shoulder but also squeezed her at places. Xia Meng instantly knew that it was Jiang Cheng. A normal person wouldn’t do something like that. The person after Xia Meng was An Xuan. An Xuan admitted that easily. Fatty saw them exchange looks with their eyes.

After An Xuan was Chen Qiang. Based on what Chen Qiang said, the person patted his left shoulder twice and then pressed on it purposely. An Xuan confessed to it, “That was me.”

Fatty, You Qi, Jiang Cheng, Xia Meng, An Xuan, Chen Qiang… The order had been clarified.

Everyone’s gaze fell on Chen Qiang. Based on the rules, his next person should be Zuo Qing. Chen Qiang frowned as everyone stared at him. He eventually lifted his head, “No.” He said, “The person after me… was not Miss Zuo.

“The person was rather rotund. I thought…” He glanced at Fatty and You Qi. The meaning was clear. He thought the person was Fatty or You Qi.

“Do you remember anything from when the person handed the bride to you?” Jiang Cheng turned to Fatty.

“They patted my left shoulder,” Fatty thought about it, “once.”

Chen Qiang took a deep breath, “I patted the person’s right shoulder.”

“So… the person after you…” You Qi swallowed, “Is the ghost?!”

Chen Qiang’s heart palpitated when he remembered the shadow of the ghost that was reflected on the paper door. In this mission, there was another entity that had a large body. The ghost had also joined in the play. The extra wooden segment… was for the ghost in the painting. The game had eight participants, seven humans and one ghost.

The first drumbeat was to inform everyone that they could return to the room. Then, there was supposed to be another drumbeat to tell everyone that the mission was over. They hadn’t heard the second drumbeat. Technically, the mission still hadn’t ended. In that case, what was Zuo Qing doing?

A scary thought appeared in everyone’s mind. Zuo Qing was probably still carrying the ghost on her own and circling the lake, looking for her teammates who had already left.

“We have to find her,” An Xuan said firmly, “There is still time.”

“You want us to go…” You Qi glanced out the door. “Now?” It was clear that he was unwilling.

Xia Meng added, “We don’t have much time. However, if we can find Zuo Qing, we should be able to get important clues related to the ghost.”

“I agree.” Jiang Cheng raised his arm. “Miss Zuo is so pretty and has a great figure. I don’t want her to die.”

Fatty blinked in confusion. Then, he grumbled, “Then… count me in.”

“I’ll go as well.” Chen Qiang stood up.

You Qi had to agree to follow. After all, if he didn’t, he’d be left behind. The group of travellers departed for the lake. The sky started to drizzle. The mist thickened. The lake was enshrouded by it. The six travellers formed a small circle and moved along the shore in a counter-clockwise manner. Due to the low visibility, they stayed close to one another.

…

Zuo Qing’s gait slowed. The despair in her eyes deepened. She already noticed something was wrong. She had walked for a long time but hadn’t encountered anyone else.

Had all of them left?

She couldn’t be sure about the rest, but her captain wouldn’t abandon her. He was not that kind of person.

The bride on her back became heavier, or perhaps that was her imagination. After carrying her for so long, she was close to her limits. She knew that she had been targeted. However, she didn’t get it. What did she do wrong that the ghost chose to target her?

Suddenly, there was rustling coming from before her. There was more than one thing. Just as she was about to find a place to hide, a whispered voice that was bursting with voice travelled over, “Found her!” Zuo Qing recognised it as Xia Meng’s voice.

Then, six figures appeared before her. An Xuan was near the back, but the happiness in his eyes was clear. After finding Zuo Qing, An Xuan felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

“How are you doing?” Xia Meng asked.

Zuo Qing stared at them warily. She didn’t answer because the wooden segment was still in her mouth.

An Xuan didn’t waste time. He looked around and said, “This is not the place to speak. Let’s go find a safer place first.” He glanced into the mist and whispered, “There’s something coming.”

The group found a slope and hid behind it. The thing on Zuo Qing’s back was very quiet as if it had fallen asleep.

Moments later, strange sounds came from the mist. There was also a weak glow of light.

CHA…

CHA…