Nightmare Assault

Chapter 254: Start

“Did you call the police?” Jiang Cheng asked.

The driver nodded. “Yes. I called his wife first. He didn’t go home. His family didn’t know where he went.”

Fatty licked his lips. He hugged his chest. The driver’s story gave him a bad feeling. He felt a chill. Even the sun that shone on him felt cold.

“Because of this, I stayed at the police station until the sun came up. I was still scared even after I went home. But… the next morning…” The driver’s voice trembled like he just remembered something. His lips turned a strange green colour.

“Don’t worry.” Jiang Cheng said calmly, “It’s all over now. Please continue.”

Fatty realised the Doctor’s words did work. The driver calmed down, and he slowly returned to normal.

“There was news from the police station the next day. They said they managed to pull surveillance video from near the dumpling restaurant. Based on the video, his taxi didn’t move after it was parked there. No one exited the vehicle. He… disappeared while inside the car!

“The driver’s seat was pushed back. There was a leather jacket laid on it. It was as if… someone was sleeping on the jacket and then suddenly disappeared!”

The driver failed to control his emotions when he said the last sentence. It had a huge impact.

Fatty had started to break out in goosebumps. The chill enveloped him. Perhaps he had imagined it. It felt like a giant net had covered him, and it was slowly closing in. The strange feeling suffocated him.

Jiang Cheng suddenly said, “You can drop us off here.”

“What?” The driver looked around. He checked the GPS and asked, “Brother, we are still some ways away from the destination. This is in the middle of nowhere. Are you sure…”

“It’s not often that we get to visit the countryside, so we want to walk around,” Jiang Cheng answered.

It was clear that the driver was not satisfied with this. Along the way, they didn’t encounter other cars or people. This place was secluded. It would be hard to find another passenger to ferry back to the city. Thankfully, his current passengers paid him quite a bit.

Before he left, Jiang Cheng turned around to ask, “What is the name of your missing friend?”

The driver counted the money several times before he answered unwillingly, “Qin Dongguo.”

After the doors closed, the taxi drove away, leaving behind a calm Jiang Cheng and a confused Fatty.

“Doctor,” Fatty looked left and right, “Where are we? Aren’t we…”

“No.” Jiang Cheng took out a phone from his pocket to send a message. After leaving the taxi, Fatty felt warmer. The sun was comfortable as it shone on him. It felt like there were two seasons inside and outside the car.

Fatty stared at the Doctor before saying hesitantly, “Doctor, that driver was so strange.” He was used to the Doctor not responding. He stared at where the taxi had disappeared and continued, “He knows too much about his friend’s disappearance. He said he got news from the station the next day…” He licked his lips. “But shouldn’t things like that be confidential? He’s just a taxi driver. Why would the police keep him in the loop?”

Jiang Cheng put down his phone to look at Fatty. The things in his eyes worried Fatty, “Doctor, just say what’s on your mind.” Fatty shivered, “Your stare is making me uncomfortable.”

“Continue,” Jiang Cheng prompted, “What else?”

“That’s all.” Fatty thought about it, “The driver gave me a strange vibe… But I can’t really pinpoint it.” Fatty scratched his head, “I guess it’s my instinct.”

A race car zoomed over from the distance. It raised up a dust storm. Fatty covered his mouth and nose. Slowly, the abandoned road became crowded. More cars passed by. There were even some bikes. There were hawkers who tied bundles of items on the back of their vehicles. The engines roared as they moved past the two. The drivers covered their faces with cloth. They were hawkers going to town to sell their wares and those returning from the night market.

Several minutes later, Fatty’s pupils shrunk.

Jiang Cheng sighed. He continued in a tone that confused Fatty, “Life has returned…”

It dawned on Fatty. He finally knew what that strange feeling was. It was the nightmare realm. The scent of the nightmare!

The strange feeling that encircled the driver was similar to cunning and irrational NPCs as well as ghosts in the nightmare realm.

But… how could that be possible? Weren’t they in the real world?

They came out of the Doctor’s office. The sun was up. He could feel the sun’s rays on him. They didn’t fall asleep. He looked up. The rays blinded his eyes. He could feel the wind on his skin. The feeling couldn’t be more real.

So… what happened? Too much information curled in his mind. He had a feeling that he was close to the key point, but the feeling disappeared. It felt like he had grasped at the mist.

Soon, a ping from the phone interrupted Fatty’s thought. He turned around to look at the Doctor pleadingly.

Jiang Cheng got a message on his phone.

“Doctor Jiang,” Pi Wan still sounded as energetic as ever, “I’ve asked my friend to check the car plate you sent over. It belongs to a taxi. The driver disappeared three days ago. The case is still unsolved. The car is now in the police compound.” Pi Wan thought of something and added happily, “I’ve sent you the driver’s detail.”

Jiang Cheng clicked open the file. The driver’s name was Qin Dongguo. He was a Rong City local. Jiang Cheng scrolled through the file until a picture appeared on his screen.

Jiang Cheng’s finger paused.

When Fatty leaned over to check the picture, his face dropped. His brain buzzed.