Nightmare Onslaught - Chapter 19 - Stockholm Syndrome

Jiang Cheng sighed theatrically, “At first, I didn’t understand either, but now I think she might have a mild case of Stockholm Syndrome, commonly known as hostage syndrome. So, I thought-”

Fatty’s heart skipped a beat, “What did you think?”

“I think she might have fallen in love with me,” Jiang Cheng said somewhat helplessly.

Fatty was speechless.

Jiang Cheng waited for a while, noticing that Fatty didn’t say anything, he turned to look at him and asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Fatty took a deep breath, “Wait for me to smoke a cigarette to calm down.”

Just as Jiang Cheng was eagerly about to analyze with Fatty that Chen Xiaomeng’s feelings for him weren’t just because of his good looks, his stomach inadvertently growled.

Fatty instantly perked up and asked Jiang Cheng if he was hungry, offering to make some food.

Jiang Cheng, recalling Fatty’s culinary skills during their mission, nodded and pointed towards the kitchen. Fatty scurried off as if escaping.

Left alone, Jiang Cheng smacked his lips, still savoring the moment.

Jiang Cheng rarely cooked, and the fridge was mostly stocked with frozen foods. In the corner, there was a box of Kangshifu instant noodles, bought on discount before they expired.

After half an hour of effort, Fatty managed to put together two dishes.

With no staple food, he opened a few packs of instant noodles and stir-fried them. When served, Jiang Cheng devoured most of it by himself.

“Doctor,” Fatty said after taking a bite of noodles and putting down his bowl, “Do you usually live here alone?”

Jiang Cheng picked up the plate, scooped the remaining food into his bowl, ate it all in one go, then pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth, and nodded, “Most of the time, yes, and I don’t plan to take in anyone else.”

Fatty frowned, “Doctor, don’t be like that. I may not be as wise or as handsome as you, but I’ve done many jobs and can definitely help you.”

Jiang Cheng looked at the empty bowls on the table, seemingly pondering for a moment, and didn’t answer immediately.

Feeling hopeful, Fatty perked up and said excitedly, “Doctor, you don’t have to decide right away, think it over carefully!”

“We’ll talk about this tomorrow,” Jiang Cheng stretched his slightly stiff neck, “I’m tired, let’s sleep.”

Fatty quickly gathered the bowls and chopsticks and took them to the kitchen, accompanied by the sound of water rinsing the dishes, “Doctor, you go to sleep first. I’ll wash the dishes and then just crash on the sofa.”

But when Fatty finished washing the dishes and walked out of the kitchen, shaking the water off his hands, he saw Jiang Cheng sitting on the sofa by the table, seemingly unmoved.

“Doctor,” Fatty asked in confusion, “Is there something else?”

Jiang Cheng looked Fatty up and down, raised an eyebrow, and said, “You go sleep upstairs too. I’m afraid of the dark when I’m alone.”

Fatty was stunned, then as if he thought of something unpleasant, he suddenly covered his buttocks in panic, “Doctor, I’m not as casual as you think!”

“No?”

After thinking for a moment, Fatty resolutely said, “Not even in death!”

“Alright then,” Jiang Cheng naturally stood up, showing no sign of forcing anyone. He first walked towards the stairs, then went upstairs. When his figure was almost out of sight, he paused, tilted his head to look at Fatty, and said, “Be careful tonight,” pointing to the opposite wall, “The door in my dream appears there. Also, unlike you, I didn’t walk into that door myself; I was grabbed by a huge ghostly hand that reached out from inside.”

After saying this, Jiang Cheng went upstairs without looking back.

After Jiang Cheng left, Fatty sat alone on the sofa, his eyes fixed on the wall, restless.

He couldn’t determine if what Jiang Cheng said was true. This was a person who didn’t like to play by the rules, but in a sense, he was trustworthy, at least he had brought him out of the Nightmare Barrier alive.

As soon as Fatty closed his eyes, he felt as if the iron door Jiang Cheng mentioned appeared again, and a huge ghostly hand with claws reached out from inside.

Pale-faced, Fatty stayed downstairs for less than 5 minutes before running upstairs. Upon reaching the top, he bumped into Jiang Cheng leaning on the handrail by the stairs, apparently waiting for him.

Before he could open his mouth, Jiang Cheng said, “You sleep in the living room, I’ll sleep inside.”

Fatty followed Jiang Cheng’s gaze and saw a door separating the small living room, presumably leading to the bedroom.

“Doctor,” Fatty said earnestly, “If you’re afraid of the dark, I can consider squeezing in with you.”

Lying on the mattress, Jiang Cheng didn’t feel much sleepiness. He half-closed his eyes, staring at the empty ceiling, the scenes from the nightmare replaying in his mind repeatedly.

Fatty was in the living room outside. He had suggested Jiang Cheng not to close the door, so they could look out for each other.

But Jiang Cheng felt he didn’t need Fatty’s care, so he politely declined. Not only did he close the door as usual, but he also locked it.

Reflecting on recent experiences, Jiang Cheng naturally thought of the missing Hu Yan, as well as his younger sister who had disappeared before Hu Yan.

Their disappearances were likely also related to this so-called Nightmare.

According to Fan Li, those who die in the Nightmare manifest in the real world as missing persons.

Without any warning or reason, they vanish mysteriously.

No one can find any leads.

The missing person notice for Hu Yan clearly stated that she disappeared late at night, wearing her pajamas.

Even her husband, who slept in the same bed, noticed nothing.

The middle-aged man who died first in the Nightmare mission once asked how one could completely escape the Nightmare. To this, Fan Li responded by telling him to stop asking such foolish questions.

The Nightmare is either experienced zero times or countless times. Once that iron door appears in your dreams, it’s almost impossible to escape-until you die.

As he thought about this, drowsiness gradually crept in. Jiang Cheng didn’t resist it and let himself drift off, closing his eyes.

The physical strength consumed in the Nightmare returned to his body once the Nightmare ended, but the mental exhaustion couldn’t be recovered. Jiang Cheng slept deeply.

In a half-asleep state, he heard a series of clinking and clanging sounds, as if the neighbors were renovating or someone nearby was hammering nails. The floor even trembled slightly.

He rolled over, curled up, and pulled the blanket over his head, falling back asleep.

What finally forced him to open his eyes was a knock on the door.

“Doctor,” Fatty’s loud voice came from outside the bedroom door, “Are you up yet?”

After getting up and tidying himself up a bit, Jiang Cheng opened the door and walked out.

The living room outside the bedroom was empty, with no sign of Fatty. He made his way downstairs.

His phone showed it was already 11 a.m. Jiang Cheng was surprised he had slept until noon, and his head still felt heavy.