Nightmare Assault

Chapter 332: Decision

At least so far, he couldn’t detect any flaw. He pouted. So, it should be the truth. “Why are they doing this?” Chen Qiang raised his head to ask.

Neither Jiang Cheng nor An Xuan had the answer. Maybe they didn’t know, or they were unwilling to say. Regardless, Chen Qiang got nothing.

Everyone, including Fatty, did not offer the simplest explanation of money. It was the most logical. After all, the Huang Residence was the local baron. The poor theatre group would go after Elder Huang’s money. That was reasonable. However, those who had interacted with Butler Zhou’s troupe knew that things were not that simple. With how much effort and time they had spent, they would not commit to such a huge risk for mere money.

There had to be other reasons.

“This room is so stuffy,” An Xuan suddenly said.

Jiang Cheng nodded. “Let’s go out for the walk. I’m done sitting around.” So far, the ability showcased by Jiang Cheng and An Xuan was the strongest. The others couldn’t rival them. Naturally, no one objected, not even Xia Meng. She accepted it quicker than An Xuan. However, before they left, they lit up the candles in the room and closed the door.

The group reached the lake. The moon was surprisingly bright. It was a sphere in the sky with not a single star in sight. On the cold surface of the lake, a round moon was reflected in the middle of the lake.

This was their first time visiting the lake at night without any mission. At that moment, a light breeze came from the lake. It felt very relaxing. There was no mist or strange Chinese opera singing. An Xuan stood by the shore and looked out at the lake. Jiang Cheng did the same. They were not far from where You Qi’s body was found in the body, but the corpse had disappeared. Only a low-lying swampland remained.

“Mr. Jiang,” An Xuan suddenly turned to say, “It’s getting late. Why don’t you come over and join me in my room?”

However, he couldn’t understand the strange atmosphere between An Xuan and Hao Shuai.

Jiang Cheng looked at the lake silently. An Xuan smiled. He turned towards the wary Fatty and said, “Then, Brother Fatty, I’ll have to trouble you to join me…”

“Fatty,” Jiang Cheng cut in, “You will stay with me.”

Fatty looked at An Xuan and blinked. Then, he shrugged, “Okay.” Of course, he would stick with the Doctor, but he didn’t get it. The Doctor was purposely going against An Xuan. Did they have some kind of conflict?

Suddenly, Fatty remembered what the Doctor said. It didn’t matter if Deep Red existed in this mission or not. The only important thing was that the Night Guardians and Xia Meng believed that Deep Red was on the mission. As long as Deep Red still existed, their fragile alliance would not be shaken… But You Qi was already dead.

Once Deep Red was removed, only Chen Qiang remained. To be frank, the Doctor, An Xuan and Xia Meng didn’t really consider him to be in the picture. Chen Qiang was an astute person. Mimicking the Doctor and An Xuan, he stared at the lake quietly. He didn’t say anything and didn’t side with anyone. He would only side with those who survived.

An Xuan turned back to Jiang Cheng. His tone chilled, “Mr. Jiang, you have no rights to decide other people’s life and death.”

Jiang Cheng turned to Fatty. Fatty caught something he couldn’t recognise in the Doctor’s eyes.

“Since Brother Fatty has appeared in the painting, it means that he has been chosen too,” An Xuan continued, “Even though I don’t know why, tonight is our last chance. If we miss it, all of us will die. I will be the first,” An Xuan said directly, “But what about him?” he pointed at Fatty, “How can you be sure he won’t be the second?” An Xuan pointed out coolly, “You saw his face in the painting. Was that the face of a living person?”

Fatty was confused at first, but in the end, he got it. He had appeared in the painting. This was a shocking news for him. He subconsciously turned to the Doctor. To his consternation, the Doctor still didn’t say anything. So… it had to be real.

Fatty instantly connected this to what happened in the afternoon. How the Doctor refused to let him see the painting, Xia Meng and Chen Qiang’s confusing reactions… The Doctor didn’t want to put him in danger. That was why.

Even though Fatty could be silly at times, he was not dumb. He took one last glance at the Doctor and walked towards An Xuan’s room.

His body shook involuntarily as he stood before the painting. He saw the little beggar again. However, this time, she was a personal maid who wore clean clothes and had a charming smile on her face. The past and future were intertwined.

The painter was very talented. They had masterful control of the layout and lighting. Before his eyes, the girl seemed to have come back to life. He subconsciously wanted to reach out to touch her face, but when his gaze scanned the painted woman, Fatty instantly woke up and shivered.

The painted woman, no, the ghost, was staring at him. The unbridled venom in her eyes was overflowing. It was as if she was waiting for him.

“Brother Fatty,” An Xuan looked at him. “Based on the hints in the painting, you should be the key to solving the last problem. The ancient books have records of this, but they are vague. I believe it means you have acquired something.” He paused deliberately. “Something the girl has given you. That thing can solve the ghost’s threat.”

The maid in the painting held a tray. On the trap was a rounded object that was hidden under a red veil.

“Could it be Butler Zhou’s head?” Xia Meng predicted, “We need to kill him and present his head to the ghost to clear the mission.”