Nightmare Onslaught - Chapter 12 - The Box

With an initial analysis of the case, their search now had clearer direction.

Fatty stayed glued to Jiang Cheng’s side the entire time. Fan Li was irritated by Fatty’s large frame blocking his line of sight and complained to him several times, but Fatty feigned ignorance, and no one could do anything about it.

Before long, they made a discovery in the master bedroom.

On the wall next to the bed hung a solid wood photo frame containing an old photograph.

The photo looked water-damaged. The edges of the background were yellowed, leaving only the center visible-a family of four standing together.

The man and woman stood in the middle, with the woman’s hands resting on the shoulders of a young girl who had her hair tied into two braids. The girl stood obediently in front of her mother.

Another girl, taller and seemingly more rebellious, wore cuffed pants and rolled-up sleeves. Her slender wrist appeared to bear faint traces of a tattoo.

She stood next to the man, her chin defiantly held high.

This seemed to be the family living in the villa.

However, what was odd was that none of their faces were clear, nor was the background of the photo, making it impossible to determine where it was taken.

Chen Xiaomeng stared at the photograph in a daze before suddenly becoming agitated. “I remember this photo wasn’t here this morning! That wall was blank!”

Nuan-Jie remained calm, as if accustomed to such phenomena, and explained that this was normal. Things like this often happened in the Dream Realm.

“It probably means we found a useful clue, which triggered the next stage of the storyline,” Fan Li said.

Jiang Cheng glanced at him sideways. “Like stage rewards in a video game?”

“Something like that.”

Later, they found a pair of pliers in the room where Xie Yu’s corpse had been discovered. Beside the pliers sat a flat, round tin box, resembling the kind used for storing soft candy.

Fatty picked up the tin box and shook it, producing a rattling sound from inside.

“What’s in it?”

Just as he was about to open it with his plump hands, Jiang Cheng grabbed him, his gaze fixed on the pliers as his expression became increasingly peculiar.

“What’s the matter?” Fatty asked, suddenly uneasy.

Jiang Cheng’s expression slowly returned to normal as he replied, “It’s nothing. I just thought there might be more clues in the bedroom. I’ll go check.”

“Oh, okay,” Fatty nodded. He had wanted to go with Jiang Cheng but couldn’t resist his curiosity about the contents of the tin box.

Three seconds after Jiang Cheng left, Fatty finally twisted the box open.

His expression shifted from initial curiosity to confusion, then to an alarming degree of shock-his eyes bulging out as if ready to pop from their sockets. “Ah! Ahhh!”

By the time Jiang Cheng came in with his ears covered, Fatty’s screams had devolved into wheezing gasps. Fan Li had already clamped a hand over his mouth, muttering in annoyance as he dragged the trembling Fatty to the side.

Jiang Cheng leaned in to take a closer look. The box was overturned on the floor, surrounded by scattered, milky-white objects.

“Teeth. As I suspected,” Jiang Cheng nodded, looking highly pleased with himself for predicting correctly.

Fan Li and Nuan-Jie seemed unsurprised by the contents of the box, likely having guessed what was inside long ago. However, it was Chen Xiaomeng whose face had gone pale as a sheet, her lips trembling as if she’d turned into a ghost herself.

“Men. None of them are any good,” Nuan-Jie remarked coldly, her voice dripping with disdain. “They’re all beasts.”

Jiang Cheng paused and turned to look at Fan Li.

Fan Li blinked, then frowned indignantly. “What are you staring at me for?”

With no further comments, Jiang Cheng shifted his gaze toward Fatty in the corner. To his surprise, Fatty stared back at him, eyes brimming with grievance. Feeling a bit awkward, Jiang Cheng rubbed his chin and promptly averted his gaze.

No more clues seemed to be in this area, so Jiang Cheng suggested they go check behind the door on the third floor. But Fan Li stopped him, pointing out the window.

It was already dusk.

Darkness was almost upon them.

Heading off to explore uncharted territory at night was far from a wise decision. After some discussion, everyone agreed to suspend their search and rest for the evening.

Fatty had assumed, given last night’s terrifying events, that they’d all sleep in the same room for safety tonight. But to his shock, Nuan-Jie had no intention of staying together-and even kicked Fan Li out of the master bedroom.

With a resounding “Bang!” she slammed the door shut.

Fan Li stood outside the master bedroom, clutching a blanket like a forlorn husband banished from his own home. On his shoulder rested a floral-patterned pillow.

“It’s alright, buddy,” Fatty tried to comfort him. “You can sleep in our room.”

“No need. You two go ahead and sleep. I’ll head downstairs,” Fan Li replied resolutely. True to his word, he hoisted the blanket and pillow and headed downstairs. His footsteps rang out on the staircase-thud, thud, thud-until they faded into silence.

Jiang Cheng promptly disappeared into the earlier bedroom, with Fatty hesitating only briefly before steeling himself to follow.

Once inside, Jiang Cheng turned on every light in the room and leaned against the closed door, listening intently for noises outside.

After a while, he slowly stepped back, settling onto the sofa as if deep in thought.

“Bro, are we seriously staying here tonight?” Fatty asked, his face pale as his gaze darted nervously toward the bed. He vividly remembered the ghost that had crawled out from under that very bed the previous night.

“Of course not. I’ll move to the study later,” Jiang Cheng said plainly, without a trace of hesitation.

“I’m coming with you!” Fatty said immediately.

About ten minutes later, the sky outside had turned completely dark. Jiang Cheng glanced at the watch on his wrist, then stood up and walked over to the door. He gently pulled it open and stepped out quietly.

He tiptoed over to another room and slowly pushed the door open before slipping inside in one quick motion.

Fatty followed closely behind him.

After shutting the door, they each grabbed a chair and sat down. Fatty reached for the light switch, but Jiang Cheng stopped him.

Fatty, drenched in cold sweat as he looked around the pitch-dark room, couldn’t help but say, “Come on, let me turn on the light. I feel like there’s ghosts lurking everywhere.”

This time, Jiang Cheng didn’t insist and nodded. “Fine.”

Fatty shifted his bulky frame around until he found a switch on the wall. Just as he was about to press it, Jiang Cheng’s voice floated over from behind him. “You know, now the ghosts won’t have any trouble finding you.”

“…”

Meanwhile, in the master bedroom, on the bed.

Chen Xiaomeng held tightly onto a pillow, quietly sobbing.

The ghost in this mission was far more bizarre-and much more frightening-than the one in her previous task.

Whenever she thought about those horrifying tools and the box filled with teeth, her body wouldn’t stop trembling.

Nuan-Jie sat on the sofa, her gaze no longer carrying the arrogance it had earlier. Chen Xiaomeng’s vulnerable demeanor reminded her of her younger self.

“Alright, stop crying,” she said, trying to comfort her. “You’ve probably noticed by now-the ghost in this villa targets men. As long as we can get rid of Fan Li, we’ll be safe.”

Chen Xiaomeng raised her head, her eyes swollen and red. “But doesn’t that mean the other three are in serious danger?”

“Don’t say something so naïve,” Nuan-Jie replied. “In a mission like this, you should be focusing on keeping yourself safe. It’s not your job to worry about others.” She glanced toward the door, her face darkening as if she had suddenly recalled something unpleasant. After pausing for a moment, she turned back and added, “Besides, in the Dream Realm, it’s not just the ghosts you need to watch out for-it’s also the people around you.”