“Oh, right.” Feng Lan’s heart pounded rapidly, and her cheeks flushed. Her fingers twined together, and she tried to say calmly, “Thank you, Miss Xu.”
Zhou Taifu looked at Feng Lan who had forgotten he was there and was speechless. Xu Wen didn’t situation. Therefore, she changed the topic. She turned and urged, “Let’s go, Miss Feng.”
As Feng Lan walked past him, Xu Wen took a step forward to look into the cubicle Feng Lan just vacated. The door was open so she could look into it clearly. A few seconds later, her tense face relaxed. She finally understood everything. There were two footprints on the rim of the white toilet bowl. Feng Lan should be squatting on the toilet bowl. That was why Xu Wen didn’t see her legs through the gap in the door.
“Miss Xu?” Feng Lan was almost out of the toilet when she realised Xu Wen was not with her. She turned around and saw Xu Wen standing before the cubicle.
“Coming.” Xu Wen reacted and walked away.
“What were you looking at?”
“I think I saw a rat.” Xu Wen lied with ease. She acted frightened as she patted her chest, “I am so scared of those things. I was dazed by it.” Perhaps because she was an NPC or because she was blinded by affection, Feng Lan accepted this excuse. Zhou Taifu sighed. If only all the NPC in the missions were so easily-fooled.
As they were about to leave, Feng Lan suddenly ran to the sink, switched on the faucet, dampened her hands and squeezed the sanitiser. Zhou Taifu and Xu Wen watched her. They were glad that they found Feng Lan to be their guide. At least, in this matter, they were better than the groups from 404 and 405.
Xu Wen and Zhou Taifu thought of Jiang Cheng and the words he said. Things like the ghost’s hand was twice his size, he was in his puberty and so on.
Zhen Jianren was probably dead. They wondered how Hao Shuai and Fatty were doing. Whether they had found Department Head Li and what information they had gotten from her. Or had they been killed?
The mission was about to end. The ghost would only become stronger. Anything could happen during this period. If the ghost broke through all the limitations the rules had imposed on her, they would all die…
Xu Wen remembered a senior saying that half of the nightmare missions ended with the death of everyone. In the nightmare realm, one requires both ability and luck to survive. Hopefully… she looked at herself in the mirror. Her throat trembled involuntarily.
Just as Feng Lan delicately wiped her hands, the three of them raised their heads at the same time. There was a strange reaction as all of them met the gazes of their reflections in the mirror. It was a very strange feeling… especially considering where they were.
As time passed, Zhou Taifu noticed his reflection turning unfamiliar. His skin paled like his blood was draining away. His body was turning uncontrollably cold. He was someone who was very resistant to cold. Or rather, he was very resistant to temperature changes. His experience in the rainforest and Siberian desert provided him with great assassination skills and a powerful physique. However, both were useless at that moment. He stared at his reflection dully. His consciousness seemed to have departed from his body.
Heart palpitations echoed in his ears. His pupils narrowed. Life force escaped from his muscular body.
Distortion, silence, coldness, hatred… And the endless darkness that threatened to swallow him. His world became deprived of light and hope… He fell headfirst into the deep sea. He was enveloped by bubbles, but they did nothing to buoy him up…
There was a crisp snap, causing the dark world to vibrate. Zhou Taifu frowned slightly. There were a few more snaps. When Zhou Taifu recovered, he was standing upright before the mirror. His face… he touched his face with confusion.
His face was hot from pain. Then, he realised his cheeks in the mirror were burning red. They were covered in clear palm prints. The next second…
Another giant slap landed on Zhou Taifu’s face. He had just come to. His legs wobbled, and he almost fell over. Xu Wen, who stood to his side, rolled up her sleeves. Sweat poured out of her forehead.
Feng Lan’s voice shouted. There was a hint of confusion mixed in the joy. Earlier, when they were about to leave the toilet, Zhou Taifu suddenly paused before the mirror like he was possessed. No matter how they called or shook him, he didn’t move. His eyes were dead as he stared at his reflection. It was very weird.
Xu Wen reacted quickly. When she realised normal methods couldn’t wake up Zhou Taifu, she instantly gave him two big slaps. It was not until blood oozed out of his lips that Zhou Taifu finally woke up.
Xu Wen finally relaxed. Her concern for Zhou Taifu was real. If this happened to someone else, she would have left already. However, she kept her relief in her heart. She didn’t show anything on her face.
“I…” Slowly, Zhou Taifu’s soul returned to his body. He moved his neck left and right. He realised his body was rather stiff. He looked at Xu Wen with befuddlement. “What happened to me?”
Xu Wen glanced at the mirror before quickly turning away. “This place is strange. We should leave.”
Xu Wen grabbed his arm and pulled him away. His limbs were still numb, so his movement was inordinate. When Xu Wen leaned into Zhou Taifu, she whispered everything to him.
When Zhou Taifu heard what happened to him, he felt a chill run up his spine.
Had he… been targeted by the ghost?