"Captain Wu is in danger." Lin Muwan raised her notebook, with this line written on it. The slightly hasty handwriting showed the woman's worry.

Her eyes shone with a light of expectation, but those who were swept by this light avoided her gaze.

Lin Muwan subconsciously looked at her brother. Lin Muyun didn't know how to explain to his sister, and could only open his mouth, finally letting out a sigh.

In the end, Xia Qiang decided to play the bad guy. "Miss Lin," he said to Lin Muwan, his tone heavy, "This world is different from the world we live in. You can think of it as a large-scale immersive game. Here, apart from us, everyone else is a character in the game. They...they aren't real people, so..."

Xia Qiang's words became more and more unnatural. After staying in the mission world for a long time, his mentality had gradually changed, and he was even beginning to blur the lines between the two worlds.

A hint of disappointment appeared on Lin Muwan's face. She shifted her gaze to Jiang Cheng, seemingly certain that this man, whose temperament was somewhat similar to her brother's, wouldn't lie to her.

Jiang Cheng pursed his lips slightly. "Miss Lin, Captain Xia is wrong. Whether it's in the mission world or the real world, we should respect life, revere life. If we can, we will lend a helping hand to everyone who deserves to live when they are in danger."

Hearing this, Lin Muwan's expression softened. She opened her mouth, but before she could make a sound, Jiang Cheng continued, "But this time the situation is slightly different. Miss Lin, we can't determine whether Captain Wu on the other end of the phone is a person or a ghost. This is likely a trap."

"The goal is to lure us to the Mystery Mansion and then wipe us out in one fell swoop." Jiang Cheng glanced at Lin Muyun, who was standing next to her, and added, "Miss Lin, you saw the strange things inside the Mystery Mansion during the day. You don't want your brother to risk his life with us, do you?"

The word "brother" touched the softest part of Lin Muwan's heart.

Seeing Lin Muwan's slightly lowered eyes, Jiang Cheng knew that his words had worked, but strangely, he didn't feel the joy of success. On the contrary, he felt a sense of loss in his heart.

Looking at Lin Muwan again, he no longer had the composure and ease he once had.

Feeling the concerned look Lin Muyun cast at her, Lin Muwan nodded, then picked up her notebook and quickly wrote a line on it: "Sorry for causing everyone trouble."

Jiang Cheng turned his head, avoiding the words on the notebook.

The night was eerily quiet.

And the phone in the office didn't ring again.

The series of events that had occurred had dispelled everyone's sleepiness. More importantly, everyone knew that it didn't matter whether they slept or not, because when the time came, they would be forced into sleep.

At that time, there would be an alarm sound as a reminder.

Everyone sat around the sofa. Xia Qiang pondered for a moment, then turned to Jiang Cheng and said, "Mr. Jiang, would you mind having a private chat with me?"

The two of them moved away from the group and went to the window. From this position, they could see the scenery outside. The neon lights twinkled, and the traffic on the road was like a river. Everything was the same as in the real world.

Xia Qiang followed Jiang Cheng's gaze to the outside of the window, and after a long time, he said, "Staying in a world like this for too long always makes you feel like you're becoming more and more suited to this place, rather than the real world. Maybe if you stay long enough, you really won't be able to go back." His voice was tinged with melancholy.

"Mr. Jiang," Xia Qiang said, retracting his gaze and looking intently at Jiang Cheng's profile, "Do you think that guys like us are more like people, or more like those things?"

Xia Qiang also carried a door on his back. Jiang Cheng smelled a familiar madness and throbbing from him.

Gu (Note: No meaning, just a filler word.) Xia Qiang concealed it very well. At least, it seemed that he still had some time before he was completely eroded.

But Jiang Cheng understood that the fact that he could ask such a question meant that he didn't have much time left, at least much less than it seemed.

"Whether we're like people or ghosts depends on ourselves," Jiang Cheng said. "You've been through many missions, so you should understand that some people in those missions are more terrifying than ghosts."

Xia Qiang smiled. "You're right." After a pause, he looked Jiang Cheng up and down with a scrutinizing gaze, and then continued, "It seems that Mr. Gong Zhe's concerns were a bit excessive."

"Gong Zhe?" Jiang Cheng was a little surprised. Lin Wan'er also had a high opinion of this name. After Xia Tan was completely eroded by the door, this man named Gong Zhe became the pillar of the Xia family.

Jiang Cheng had met him a few times, and none of them were pleasant. He was a very difficult guy to deal with, and just standing there put pressure on people.

"Yes," Xia Qiang said very naturally. "Mr. Gong Zhe rarely shows interest in anyone, but you're an exception."

"Well, I'm quite honored then." Jiang Cheng didn't like being judged, and he didn't like Xia Qiang's attitude when he spoke to him.

Xia Qiang didn't mind. He was a man who seemed to be very forthright, and he was very sincere in his feelings for his subordinates.

In this regard, he was very similar to Captain Wu, who had called earlier.

"Mr. Gong Zhe said that you're a very special person," Xia Qiang continued. "And that one day in the future, he might regret letting you go."

"You will grow into a very terrifying thing, perhaps..." Xia Qiang's expression became serious, "...an existence that even he finds棘手(jíshǒu - troublesome)."

Jiang Cheng looked at him and said, "Captain Xia, you called me here not just to say these things, right? I don't see what these things have to do with the predicament we're currently facing."

"What does Mr. Jiang think of the current situation?" Xia Qiang changed the subject, seemingly without any awkwardness.

"The situation has become complicated," Jiang Cheng said bluntly. "Our visit to the Mystery Mansion today should have triggered a new phase of the plot. As for whether it's good or bad, it's hard to say right now."

"But according to the clues, finding the Mystery Mansion and Room 19 is only a matter of time," Xia Qiang said.

Jiang Cheng remained noncommittal, seemingly thinking of something, and his expression changed strangely for a moment.

Xia Qiang noticed the change in Jiang Cheng's emotions and asked, "What did you think of?"

"The current clues are rather chaotic. We need to go to Room 19 at least one more time," Jiang Cheng said in a low voice.

"That player's handbook." Xia Qiang said knowingly. Judging from the name, it was a very important clue, but if they wanted to get the handbook, they would have to face the ghost's attack head-on. They hadn't yet found a rule that would allow them to avoid the ghost.

To Xia Qiang's surprise, Jiang Cheng thought for a moment, then shook his head. "That handbook is very important, but I feel like there's something even more important than it."