Chapter 510: Nightmare Losing Control |
“I asked her who she was talking to. She said she wasn’t talking to anyone. She just wanted to use the bathroom.
“I entered the bathroom. It was a small room. The only space that a person could hide was the cupboard under the sink. I opened it. It was empty. I was confused. Xiang Nan asked me if I had been hallucinating because I had been overworking. She told me to go back to bed.
“However, I was sure that I wasn’t hallucinating! From that moment on, I started to pay attention to her every move. Soon, I noticed more and more strange details about her.
“She often mumbled to herself when she was alone. Most of the time, it was in the bathroom. Whenever she did that, and I was on the phone, the signal would become very bad. There would be a lot of static, as if something were interrupting the line.
“One night, I came back late. Before I went upstairs, I heard Xiang Nan arguing with someone. I removed my shoes and sneaked upstairs. I wanted to see what was happening. I discovered Xiang Nan standing in the corridor, shouting at the wall. She was agitated. She used terms I didn’t understand, like "door" and "take-over".
“I could ignore that until she mentioned… Xuanxuan. She said she could even give it Xuanxuan as long as it let her go! Xuanxuan was our son!
“I was furious, but I tried to be quiet. I suspected there was something wrong with my wife. Regardless, I loved her. Even if she were crazy, I would accompany her and treat her.
“Before I could do anything, Xiang Nan started to scold the wall. She cried and screamed. She wanted something to leave her body, claiming that she didn’t need it! She said she had always followed its rules and had sacrificed so much… So why wouldn’t it let her go?
“She didn’t need it, and she didn’t wish to live a shapeless life anymore. Then, I heard a low chuckle. I recognised it immediately. It was the person talking to Xiang Nan in the bathroom.
“That person… claimed that XIang Nan was already 70 years old! How was that possible?!”
The man’s emotions frayed. Jiang Cheng could even hear his heavy breathing.
“Then, Xiang Nan suddenly yelled at the person to stop. Then, she covered her face and started to apologise. She asked for the person’s forgiveness. She said that her face, youth and beauty were her everything. She begged it not to take them away. No matter what the person’s request was, she would satisfy it. However, she only had one request… She begged it not to harm me!
“My heart shuddered. I really thought she had lost her mind. I even felt like I had lost my mind. However, I didn’t think that, even so, she still cared about me. Before I could think more of it, she said she would push the plan forward to find it more sacrifices. I resisted the urge to charge forward because I wanted to see what she was doing.
“However, to my surprise, Xiang Nan suddenly wiped her tears and returned to our bedroom. She probably knew that I was coming back home. She didn’t want me to see her like that. I didn’t know what I was thinking. I was angry that she’d sacrifice our child, but I was also touched. She still cared about me. She loved me as I loved her.
“I made a decision. I would send her to the best doctor. My career means I have good relationships with many hospitals. I would find her the best doctor. However, the next second, when I pulled my gaze back, I noticed something wrong from the corner of my eye.
“The shadow! It was her shadow! After Xiang Nan left, her shadow… lingered on the wall!”
Jiang Cheng’s face changed. The identity of the man in the recording was clear. He was Xiang Nan’s second husband, Yi Zhenliang. It was as the travellers expected, Yi Zhenliang also discovered something wrong with Xiang Nan. It was why he sent her to the hospital. Unfortunately, Director Qi showed up as an unknown factor.
The thing that surprised Jiang Cheng the most was that Xiang Nan had a door inside her body. Yi Zhenliang’s recording proved that Xiang Nan murdered her two children. To be precise, this was a trade between her and the thing inside her body. Xiang Nan called it a sacrifice. She needed to sacrifice living humans to trade for permanent youth.
Jiang Cheng glanced at his shadow. Even though his shadow looked normal, he knew the terrifying existence that resided inside it. Wu hadn’t asked anything of him, but he had a feeling that the price he needed to pay would be heavier than his life.
Holding the radio, Jiang Cheng compared this mission with the others. Clearly, this mission was very special. He was not dragged into it through a nightmare, but from the real world. Did this mean that the door inside Xiang Nan was different from the other doors?
Based on Jiang Cheng’s understanding, he assumed that the door would disappear once the host died. However, the incident with Xiang Nan vetoed that observation. After the host died, the door remained. It no longer needed the nightmare as a medium. Instead, it started to lose control and began to invade the real world.
Perhaps… that was Wu’s actual goal.