Chapter 1 The Nightmare Deepens

　　The closer he got to the driver's seat, the more Jiang Cheng felt uneasy. That gaunt figure had become his nightmare.

　　Even someone as strong as Gong Zhe had been defeated by the old chairman, along with Number 1 and dozens of high-level frozen disciples. This overwhelming strength was an objective reality. Jiang Cheng wasn't harboring any illusions. Even if Wu Shui Laoye (Old Man of the River), Da He Niangniang (River Goddess), and Wen Zhao, the four top-tier paranormal entities, joined forces, they probably wouldn't be a match for the old chairman.

　　The real key to victory this time lay with him and Fatty beside him. Jiang Cheng couldn't explain why, but he just had a feeling.

　　He was Zero.

　　He was the critical point from nothing to something, the place where everything began and ended, an invisible cycle.

　　Steadying himself, Jiang Cheng finally reached the driver's seat. The grayish-blue mist had dissipated, but the next moment, Jiang Cheng was stunned.

　　Through the blurred, broken window, he saw that the driver's seat was empty.

　　The old chairman was gone!

　　Even more alarming to Jiang Cheng was that the old sliding door outside the semi-enclosed driver's seat was ajar, shaking constantly as the bus traveled.

　　Cold sweat instantly soaked Jiang Cheng's back. He realized that the old chairman hadn't disappeared; he'd come out of the driver's seat and was now on the bus!

　　Before Jiang Cheng could turn around to warn Fatty and the others, a loud crash rang out. Due to inertia, Jiang Cheng was instantly thrown forward, smashing heavily into the front windshield. Before he could fall, another series of dizzying rotations followed. In his last moments of consciousness, Jiang Cheng thought they had crashed, and it seemed... it seemed that the bus had fallen off a cliff...

　　...

　　Darkness, a long, unending darkness. Jiang Cheng felt everything slipping away from him. He felt like he was sinking into the depths of the ocean or walking into a tunnel with no end.

　　Despair, only despair, and nothing else.

　　Countless fragmented scenes filled Jiang Cheng's mind. He even saw himself in these fragments, observing his past self from an outsider's perspective.

　　Those who haven't experienced it will never understand how strange it is, like... like walking back into his own memories.

　　Suddenly, he heard a sound, a sound urgently calling out to him.

　　It was a completely subconscious action. He was tracing the source of the sound, unable to control himself. He knew the sound wouldn't harm him.

　　Following the sound, cracks appeared in the darkness. Light gradually returned, and other sounds slowly emerged, until... Jiang Cheng slowly opened his eyes.

　　"You're finally awake!"

　　Before him was a somewhat blurry face. Jiang Cheng looked for a few seconds, and his vision gradually focused. Finally, he could confirm that it was Fatty.

　　However, Fatty's condition was clearly not good. His face and body were covered in injuries. One spot near his ear was the most severe, still bleeding.

　　Jiang Cheng tried to move slightly, but every part of his body ached. He gasped in pain, realizing that his condition was similar to Fatty's. He was covered in injuries, his clothes were torn, and he was lying on a broken straw mat.

　　He cursed the old chairman a few times in his mind. What a hellish start! To be so injured right from the beginning, how was he supposed to play this game?

　　If a ghost appeared, he wouldn't even be able to run.

　　Seeming to sense Jiang Cheng's worries, Fatty wiped away his tears and the blood on his face, forcing a smile as he tried to reassure him, "Don't worry, the monks in the temple have already brought some herbs. I've applied some to you. These herbs are very effective. I was in even worse shape than you just now, but now I can stand up and move around."

　　"Temple?" Jiang Cheng asked, sounding a bit dazed.

　　"Yeah, we're in a temple now. A temple is obviously full of monks," Fatty said, slowly helping Jiang Cheng up and handing him a chipped, coarse porcelain bowl filled with water.

　　After taking a few sips of water to moisten his throat, Jiang Cheng felt a bit better. He looked around. He and Fatty were in a small thatched hut. Although it was simple, it was kept relatively clean.

　　"How... how did we get here?" After confirming that they were temporarily safe, Jiang Cheng relaxed his vigilance slightly. He leaned against the wall, the cool herbs on his body making him feel much better.

　　Fatty's expression became tense as he recalled what happened, "Doctor, do you remember? In the end... in the end, it seemed like we crashed."

　　"I remember," Jiang Cheng nodded.

　　Fatty scratched his head. "My memory stops at that moment. When I opened my eyes again, I was in this temple. There was a monk in the room who was applying medicine to me. He said we were rescued by a group of people passing by. We had fallen off a cliff and were barely alive."

　　"What about Yao Shunyu and the others?" Jiang Cheng rubbed the back of his head, where a large bump had formed from the impact.

　　"They're not here. It's just the two of us," Fatty said, sounding dejected.

　　Hearing this, Jiang Cheng suddenly looked up, a sinking feeling in his heart. "You mean that group only rescued the two of us? What about the others? Weren't they saved?"

　　"No, no, you've misunderstood," Fatty quickly explained. "I asked the monk. The group only found the two of us. Only the two of us were at the scene. And... and the bus wasn't there either."

　　After a pause, Fatty added, "This time it's a bit strange. We didn't get off the bus through the door like normal to enter the mission. And the monks in the temple don't know what a bus is. Judging by their clothes and that dark herbal medicine, I think the timeline of this world is close to ancient times."

　　A moment later, Jiang Cheng seemed to suddenly remember something. He began to pat his body, finally finding a hard object in his pocket.

　　Thank goodness, his phone was still there.

　　And surprisingly, even after such a violent crash, the phone wasn't broken. Not only was the screen intact, but there wasn't even a deep scratch on the phone.

　　Seeing this, Fatty said worriedly, "I thought of that too. I've already tried calling Yao Shunyu, Li Bai, Tang Qisheng, and Zhu Jie, but I can't get through to any of them."

　　Jiang Cheng considered the problem more comprehensively than Fatty. He knew that the probability of all four of them dying so soon after entering the mission was almost zero, but that didn't mean they weren't currently facing danger. So, he decided to send a message to each of them instead of calling.

　　Just as he finished sending the messages, he heard footsteps outside the door. A moment later, the wooden door creaked open, and a delicate-looking young monk walked in, carrying a basin of water.

　　Seeing that Jiang Cheng was awake, the young monk put down the basin of water, put his palms together, and said, "Esteemed guest, you're awake. Senior brother in charge instructed me to bring a basin of water. After you've cleaned yourselves up a bit, you can go to the dining hall together."