Chapter 138 Panic

Just before the door closed, Fatty subconsciously wanted to call out to the doctor, but a sudden chill interrupted everything.

Fatty's raised hand froze in mid-air.

Unintentionally, bits and pieces from the mission resurfaced in his memory.

He remembered walking along the beach with the doctor, the doctor bending down and staring at the swirling white waves, saying after a moment, "This sea... seems to be empty."

The shock from those words was so great that he overlooked the doctor's next sentence.

Staring at the waves rushing in and then receding, the doctor slowly said, "There's also something wrong with the tides here."

It turned out the problem wasn't the tides, but... the island.

The heartbeat, like an explosion from the deep water, finally had a source.

Fear, madness, confusion, and bewilderment – in a few short seconds, Fatty's eyes flashed with too many emotions.

Compared to the doctor, he was a more emotional person, but he was far less capable of managing and suppressing his emotions.

He began to feel tightness in his chest, as if someone was pressing him to the ground and placing one heavy bluestone slab after another on his chest.

His chest was compressed, and so were his lungs. He crouched on the ground, clutching his head, gasping for breath.

Was this still the world he knew?

Had the bizarre invaded this world, or had he inadvertently glimpsed the truth behind this world through a crack in the closing curtain?

Perhaps... the world behind the door was also real.

And not as the doctor had predicted – that everything inside the door was just a repetition of past history.

No matter what they did, they couldn't change the course of history...

But he was sure that the door had begun to change them, at least it had changed him!

Because... Fatty grabbed his hair with one hand, controlling the other as it trembled and rose in front of him.

He stared at his hand, a sense of unfamiliarity slowly rising from the depths of his heart.

The next second, it spread throughout his body.

Lying flat on the mattress, the quilt neatly tucked up to his chin, Jiang Cheng breathed steadily, as if nothing had happened.

His hands were placed flat on his chest, the quilt rising and falling slightly, his eyes staring at the ceiling as if someone were hanging upside down there.

If there was, that person would have a face identical to Chen Ran's.

"Brother Hao, don't overthink it. I just have a feeling, and my feelings are usually unreliable."

"Like this building, it feels alive to me. Being inside is like being in the belly of a monster, suffocating me."

"The knife is in your hand, and I'm here as a feast for you. Don't you... want to try it?"

"Opportunities don't last forever, believe me, while it's still in your hands."

...

Every word that man had said echoed in Jiang Cheng's ears.

As well as the micro-expressions he had made while saying them.

His grinning mouth, revealing his stark white teeth.

He was conceited, arrogant, and extremely confident.

Especially... the look in his eyes when he looked at himself.

Jiang Cheng felt like he had seen it somewhere before.

Perhaps not him, but someone else who looked very similar to him.

But... who was it?

And why was he looking at him with that look...?

Waves of pain came from the depths of his mind, and darkness gradually clouded his eyes.

He slowly closed his eyes.

...

Jiangzhou.

Late at night.

A secluded private residence by the Fuhan River in the south of the city.

Near the tall, closed iron gate, a middle-aged man sitting in the guard room was bored, scrolling through his phone.

Beside him lay an old dog, advanced in years.

The old dog was quite intelligent and knew that the owner of this residence liked peace and quiet.

So it didn't make a sound at night.

Unless it encountered a special situation.

Like... now.

It immediately stood up from its dozing state, its ears perked up, its whole body trembling.

But the next second, it was hit on the head with a rolled-up magazine.

"That's enough," the middle-aged man, the night security guard of the private residence, said without looking at the old dog, scolding and threatening, "Last time I believed your nonsense, I rushed over recklessly and got a scolding from the butler. Are you trying to trick me again?"

"I'll mix your dog food with my rice if you're not careful!" the middle-aged man grumbled.

He was very satisfied with his job. The owner had few demands, and the pay was good. Who wouldn't want to work for someone like that?

If this dog ruined his cushy job, that would be a real... doggone shame.

"Woof! Woof!" The old dog rushed forward, its front paws standing up, resting on the door, pulling it non-stop.

This scared the middle-aged man. He quickly ran over, trying to control it, at least to shut it up.

But the old dog seemed to have gone mad, constantly baring its teeth, drool dripping down.

It was like this last time.

But last time he had no experience and thought a thief had entered the residence, so he let the dog out and followed it closely with a police baton in his hand.

But when he got to the place, the old dog was lying on the steps in front of the owner's house, barking wildly inside.

Finally, it summoned the butler, who gave the dog and him a scolding.

He didn't know if it was his imagination, but the middle-aged man also felt a strange smell.

No, not a smell.

It was... a subconscious judgment.

He felt that the building in front of him was somewhat different than before.

But he looked for a long time and couldn't find it.

The butler left a word that if this happened again, he would be packing his bags and leaving.

Finally, the owner appeared, wearing light-colored sportswear.

She was a very delicate-looking woman, not tall, not old, more like a girl on the cusp of adulthood.

He heard that the woman's parents had passed away early, but fortunately, they left behind a very solid fortune.

A more senior colleague said that the woman also had a younger brother, but he supposedly had mental problems, so she rarely brought him out.

The siblings usually kept to themselves, so over time, even some harsh rumors spread.

The woman's expression was as indifferent as ever, and she didn't say much, just told the butler to handle the matter as soon as possible and not disturb her brother's rest.

But it wasn't until after the man left and returned to the guard room that he suddenly realized it was 1 a.m.

But the woman was wearing sportswear.

Was she doing some kind of exercise?

By herself?

How strange...

Maybe that's how rich people live, he turned around and closed the door. Just as he was about to teach the troublesome old dog a lesson, he suddenly noticed that the old dog had withered. Not only was it no longer barking, but it had retreated under the bed.

A peculiar musty smell came from under the bed.