Chapter 1 A Glimpse

In a daze, a magnificent scroll slowly unfolded in Jiang Cheng's mind. In the dark night, a towering pavilion stood tall, its grand hall brightly lit, filled with distinguished guests, their swaying dance moves radiant and dazzling. The sounds of silk, bamboo, strings, and pipes never ceased. Truly a night that never sleeps, filled with revelry, singing, and dancing. Jade necks, crimson lips, fox-like eyes, skin fairer than frost and snow, faces that could topple kingdoms.

The courtesan in the center, dressed in a red dress that outshone blood, slightly lowered and raised her head, her eyes full of charm, coyly holding a pipa, half-concealing her face. Her willow waist seemed unable to bear its own weight, each delicate step a lotus flower blooming. The Nuanyang Pavilion, the Mandarin Duck Stage, candles blazing, fine wine overflowing, music and dance, lasting until dawn, every frown and smile, telling tales of love and romance...

The shock of the scene before him was beyond words. Jiang Cheng could only think of six words: Tongtian Stage, Paradise Pavilion.

It must be. The previous people were all lured into this legendary Paradise Pavilion.

Rumor had it that once inside the Paradise Pavilion, there was no return. Not because of any strict rules, but because the pleasures and beautiful scenes within were so numerous that no one who entered could resist its allure, lingering within, unable to extricate themselves.

In just a brief moment, a mere glimpse, Jiang Cheng was captivated by the splendor and beauty within. His expression gradually became dazed before he finally regained his senses after a long while.

He rushed over and grabbed the walkie-talkie. The voice inside continued, becoming more enchanting and eerie. He flipped the switch, wanting to turn off the obviously strange device, but the switch seemed to be malfunctioning. No matter how he fiddled with it, it had no effect.

In desperation, Jiang Cheng found an opening on the back of the walkie-talkie, probably for the battery. He immediately pried open the battery compartment.

But the next second, he was dumbfounded. The damn walkie-talkie had no battery at all!

"Where is this thing connected to?"

Jiang Cheng looked at the stunned man beside him and asked urgently.

The man's body trembled uncontrollably. His dazed gaze, after Jiang Cheng's shout, regained a brief moment of clarity. "It's... it's another team, the team ahead of us!" the man stammered.

That's right, the missing team must have entered the Paradise Pavilion, as well as the so-called geological survey team, Lin Wan'er and the others. They... they are all in that legendary Paradise Pavilion!

That Paradise Pavilion that can only be entered, but never left!

The voice from the walkie-talkie became increasingly bizarre, faintly carrying a burst of laughter. The laughter was very soft, very muffled, as if someone was covering their mouth, trying to stifle it. Neither male nor female, it was impossible to tell. And after listening for a long time, the laughter seemed to come out of the walkie-talkie, ringing out in all directions, within this forest.

Daring not to hesitate any longer, Jiang Cheng suddenly raised the walkie-talkie and smashed it against a large rock beside him. He didn't know how much force he used, but the military-grade walkie-talkie was smashed to pieces. In that instant, the remaining images in Jiang Cheng's mind shattered, and all sound disappeared.

Jiang Cheng staggered back a few steps, squatted down, and gasped for breath. His body was soaked in cold sweat. He knew he had done the right thing. If it had continued, they would also have been taken away by that mysterious laughter, taken to that Paradise Pavilion.

"Doctor, are you... are you alright?" Fatty cautiously approached. The moment he placed his hand on Jiang Cheng's body, the latter began to tremble uncontrollably, as if still frightened.

Even Number 2, who was usually more aloof, couldn't help but ask, "Zero, what exactly is wrong with you?"

Jiang Cheng clutched his head. His mind had never been so chaotic, as if different people were fighting him for the right to use his brain and control his body.

After listening to Jiang Cheng's fragmented account, everyone couldn't help but gasp. Finally, the experienced and prudent Luo Yunshan stepped forward and said very seriously to Jiang Cheng, "I must tell you, we didn't hear any of the music or singing you mentioned, and we didn't see any Paradise Pavilion."

A chilling sensation swept through Jiang Cheng's body. He raised his head in disbelief and looked at Luo Yunshan. The other man's face was cold, and he didn't seem to be joking at all.

Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty as if seeking confirmation. Fatty was looking at him, his eyes full of worry.

"The walkie-talkie did suddenly make a sound, but it was just meaningless static. Before we could react, you seemed to be... seemed to be stimulated. You rushed over, snatched the walkie-talkie, took out the battery first, and then, still not satisfied, smashed the walkie-talkie."

Number 13 seemed to be frightened by Jiang Cheng's behavior. His voice was very soft as he spoke, as if afraid of stimulating Jiang Cheng further. After all, the other man's behavior could no longer be described as strange.

"Doctor, have you been too stressed lately?" Fatty comforted him. "I know you're worried about Boss Lin's safety, but things have to be done step by step. Don't be... don't be too..."

The series of events had exhausted Jiang Cheng. What was even more terrifying was that he couldn't calm down now. He knew that he was already involved, but he didn't know what methods the other side was using.

He forced himself to calm down, because even the most elaborate deception would have flaws.

As long as he found the flaws, he could break the game.

He pushed away the burly man who was blocking him, squatted down, and began to search. The wreckage of the walkie-talkie and the scattered fragments were near a large rock. He wanted to confirm whether he had a problem or whether the people around him had a problem.

Just now, there was a subtle but obvious divergence in their descriptions. The matter of the painting and the Paradise Pavilion was vague and inexplicable, but the walkie-talkie did exist in reality. According to Luo Yunshan and the others, the walkie-talkie had a battery in it, which he had taken out. But he was sure that he had not seen a battery at all.

If he could find the battery next to the rock, it would prove that Luo Yunshan and the others were not lying and that his mental state was the problem. Otherwise, the problem lay with Luo Yunshan and the others.

Either they were fake, or they had also entered a hallucination, and one that was even deeper than his. Although Jiang Cheng didn't think that there was a hallucination that could drag everyone in, a hallucination that spanned an entire mountain, especially one that could deceive top experts like Number 2, and Wu.

But disbelief didn't mean it didn't exist. The Watchman had been planning for so long, they must have some amazing cards up their sleeves.

A moment later, Jiang Cheng, who was squatting on the ground, trembled all over. He stared at the battery in his hand. His mind went blank again. That's right, he found it. He found a battery.

At this moment, Luo Yunshan seemed to have seen something. He walked towards Jiang Cheng alone and said something shocking, "Your condition is very wrong. I suspect that your door is affecting you. Something is indirectly controlling you through the guy in your door."

Number 2 nodded in agreement, looked at Jiang Cheng, and said in a calm tone, "That's what I think too. Their original target that night was you, but something went wrong and they only took Wu. Because of the contract between you and Wu, they're using Wu to indirectly influence you."

Hearing this, Number 13 also said with concern, "I know that guy Wu. He's very powerful, Zero. I'm afraid we can't help you this time. You... you must be careful. This is a demon of the heart."

"There will only be more things like this in the future. You have to be careful to distinguish them, and you must remain restrained. I hope... I hope Wu won't come looking for us." Mentioning Wu, Number 13's already unhealthy face became even paler. After all, everyone knew that with their current lineup, they couldn't stop Wu at all.

Thinking of this brother who had always been by his side, Jiang Cheng felt powerless. Wu in the video was obviously not right, and almost pushed him away, but he preferred to believe that it was Wu's last bit of consciousness that had protected him, which prevented the other party from succeeding, but Wu was taken away.

Rubbing his temples vigorously, a few seconds later, Jiang Cheng's slightly closed eyes suddenly opened. Then, as if he had discovered something, he raised his arm and kept sniffing with his nose.

Soon, Jiang Cheng seemed to have discovered a new world. He called Fatty and the others over, stretched out his arm for them to see, and said excitedly, "You... smell it!"

When Luo Yunshan, Number 2, and the others saw Jiang Cheng's appearance, they didn't dare to approach at first. Only Fatty walked up immediately and lowered his head to smell it as Jiang Cheng said. A few seconds later, Fatty suddenly raised his head, whether excited or frightened, his pupils trembling violently. "How... how could this be? It's the smell of alcohol. Doctor, you actually smell like alcohol! A very strong smell of alcohol!"

At this time, the others gathered around. Everyone was surprised to find that Jiang Cheng was actually stained with a strong smell of alcohol, and even some fragrance, a very special fragrance, which seemed to be the smell of a woman's sachet.

Putting all these things together, Jiang Cheng boldly speculated that the Paradise Pavilion he saw was not an illusion, but a real place. It's just that... only he could see it, just like that bus. Only those with the brand were allowed to board that bus.

The brand…

Wu was the brand!

Because Wu was in the pavilion at this moment, he could see the pavilion for a short time!

In this way, everything made sense.

After hearing Jiang Cheng's analysis, the remaining people, although shocked, all agreed with Jiang Cheng's view. Luo Yunshan had the most knowledge. He analyzed that this possibility did exist, and it also explained why everyone was together, but only Jiang Cheng often fell into illusions.

This place was not suitable to stay for long. Everyone quickly retreated. In order to protect Jiang Cheng, Fatty let him walk in the middle this time, with himself, Number 2, Luo Yunshan, and the others surrounding him.

They didn't know how far they walked, but they finally walked out of this forest. What made them feel a little relieved was that the outside was not the strange mountain village, and there was a glimmer of light in the sky.

Choosing a terrain with a good view, everyone stopped to rest temporarily. Luo Yunshan asked the man wearing the headset whether communication with the outside world had been restored. The man shook his head at him with difficulty.

In this way, they waited until it was completely bright before everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Only those who had experienced a long night without hope knew how precious dawn and sunshine were.

Number 13 was not reconciled and said that he wanted to go to the mountain village again to take a look. After experiencing what happened last night, he might be able to find some clues, but Luo Yunshan directly rejected it. Luo Yunshan asked everyone to set off immediately and go down the mountain.

"What about the remaining people if we go down the mountain now?" Number 13's face was full of unwillingness.

Luo Yunshan still insisted, his attitude without any room for change, "We must leave now. The outside world doesn't know what's happening to us. Our top priority is to pass the message out, otherwise, once other teams enter the mountain again, the losses will be immeasurable."

"We can't save people with just us now. We need to go back and discuss it in the long run. And have you thought about it, once we get trapped in it too, what about Lin, and who will have the ability to save them? Then they will really have no way out."

Luo Yunshan's decision was reasonable and well-founded. Although it seemed inhumane, it was the best option at the moment.

The good news was that although the communication equipment had a problem and could not be used, the compass had returned to normal. After a long trek, they finally found a road that had been marked before. Walking along the road, at noon, the group walked out of the mountain and returned to the foot of the mountain not far from the starting point.

At this time, someone was already waiting at the foot of the mountain. Seeing their figures, they immediately greeted them. Luo Yunshan was picked up by a car alone. Obviously, the big shots above wanted to find him to understand the details. After all, this matter involved too much. Those missing Icebound Disciples were time bombs.

In the evening, after anxiously waiting, Luo Yunshan returned, and he brought back a piece of news that Jiang Cheng was very interested in, "We found the person you asked me to find."

From Luo Yunshan's tone and eyes, an ominous premonition suddenly emerged in Jiang Cheng's heart. Before entering the mountain, he had asked Luo Yunshan to look for the whereabouts of Li Bai, Yao, Shun, and Yu.

Sure enough, Luo Yunshan opened his briefcase, took out a mobile phone from it, clicked a few times on the screen, and handed the phone to Jiang Cheng. The moment he saw the screen, Jiang Cheng and Fatty's eyes dimmed.

The picture was simple. It was a man lying on a white bed. The background was relatively blurred, but it could be felt that it was in a relatively old house. The man's eyes were closed. It was Yao, Shun, and Yu.

"He… is he dead?"

Fatty's lips trembled non-stop. Although he had thought about it, he still hoped that Yao, Shun, and Yu would be alright. After all, they were friends.

Luo Yunshan nodded officially, "Yes, he is dead. The body was found in a rental house. This person's whereabouts are very strange. We tracked his recent movements and found that he chose some very remote places to live, and he was not used to using electronic payments. We found a lot of cash in his bag, enough to pay for him to live in a better place."

"He seems to be deliberately avoiding someone." Luo Yunshan finally said.

Jiang Cheng stared at the screen, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Where did you find the body, I mean the city."

"Luojiang City."

Jiang Cheng and Fatty frowned. It could be seen that they seemed to have never heard of this place. Luo Yunshan explained, "This is a county-level city, not famous, it's normal that you don't know it, it's thousands of kilometers away from here."

"What I want to say is another thing, about the cause of this person's death. We didn't find any wounds on his body, nor were there any signs of taking medicine. He left very peacefully, like... like he had a sweet dream."