Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 264 The First Death
This restaurant, located on the top floor of the mall, boasts a stunning view of the bustling streets of Sukhumvit through its huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

A waiter dressed in traditional Thai clothing greeted us with a smile, put his hands together, and bowed slightly, saying, "Sawasdee ka."

Jiang Jin and Lin Lu quickly followed suit, pressing their palms together in return: "Sawasdee krap/ka." (krap is the male form of the word, ka is the female form.)
The four were led to a table by the window and sat down.

Saran, with her lively personality, noticed something as soon as she sat down and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey? Lu Ni, where's your wedding ring? Aren't you wearing it today?"

She then looked at Jiang Jin's hand: "Hey, Atai, your ring... looks different from before? Did you get a new one?"

Jiang Jin was startled. The ring he was wearing was indeed the wedding ring generated by the reincarnation system when he married Liu Yan, but its style was naturally different from Atai's.

He quickly made up an excuse: "Oh, the previous one was a bit loose, so I took it to get the size adjusted."

The excuse was a bit far-fetched, but he couldn't think of a better one for the moment.

Lin Lu was also a little nervous and didn't dare to say much, for fear of revealing more flaws.

"I see," Saran said with a smile, seemingly not too suspicious. "Lu Ni, you'd better keep an eye on him. Maybe he's just using this as an excuse to get a new one!"

Lin Lu could only manage a forced smile, feeling increasingly awkward. To be honest, she had a somewhat socially awkward personality, which didn't really mesh with Saran's assertive, business-like nature, especially since today was actually the first time she had met her.

The waiter came over, poured water for the four of them, and then handed them the menus.

Jiang Jin wasn't particularly familiar with Thai food, so he handed the menu to Saiti and Saran: "You guys order, I'll pay the bill."

Saiti flipped through the menu, skillfully ordering a few items such as grilled pork neck and seafood tom yum soup. Then, he turned to a certain page of the menu, immediately flipped it over to show Jiang Jin, and asked, "Atai, this restaurant's mango sticky rice is their signature dish. How about ordering one? Isn't that your favorite?"

These words were like a thunderclap, instantly booming in Jiang Jin and Lin Lu's minds!
Mango sticky rice! Is this Atai's favorite food?

Mango sticky rice of unknown origin that appears in Sweet Home's refrigerator every day!
The rules clearly state, "You can eat it, but never ask who made it!"
This absolutely cannot be a coincidence!
Jiang Jin suppressed his shock and said calmly, "Oh? Okay, then I'll order one."

But the look in his eyes when he and Lin Lu exchanged glances was filled with shock and wariness.

Based on the recurring image of "women wearing hair clips" in the rules, Jiang Jin was almost certain that there was an extremely terrifying connection hidden behind it.

The "third person" who makes mango sticky rice at "home" every day is very likely closely related to Atai's past, especially his university days!
He immediately recalled the abortion incident that Seti had mentioned earlier.

A terrifying hypothesis emerges: could the child of the girl who had an abortion actually be Atai's? Was the other boy who came forward to take responsibility just a scapegoat that Atai found? In this scenario, Atai is portrayed as a shameless scumbag who got the girl pregnant and then cruelly abandoned her, and perhaps the girl later met with misfortune and became a vengeful spirit?

However, in this situation, it is clearly inappropriate to directly inquire about the details of the abortion.

Lin Lu also realized the seriousness of the problem. She seized the opportunity and asked Saran with feigned curiosity, "Salan, do many people know that Atai likes to eat mango sticky rice?"

Saran thought for a moment and said, "Hmm... My close friends from college should know, right? Atai used to buy it all the time, and we used to laugh at him for never getting tired of it. It's a wonder he can still maintain such a good figure now."

Then, Jiang Jin called over a waiter and told them what dishes they wanted to order. The waiter nodded and left.

Then, Jiang Jin took the opportunity to steer the conversation toward another key figure: "Speaking of which, how is Lubana doing lately? She seems to be under a lot of pressure."

He tried to subtly probe into the "secret".

Saran sighed, "Yes, I've been going to see her often lately, trying to comfort her. But she always seems preoccupied and won't say anything when I ask."

Lin Lu asked again, "Saiti, do you know what happened?"

Seti shook her head: "I don't know the specifics either, but it seems like she has some kind of conflict with her family. I once saw her on the phone with Tana in the studio hallway, and it seemed like she was arguing with her mother. She was quite emotional."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jin immediately asked, "What are she arguing about with her mother?"

"It sounded like she was saying something like... she's made up her mind and she absolutely won't change it. Eavesdropping isn't very polite, so I walked away. But Tana insisted on staying and listening. You know what that guy does..."

“Speaking of Tana,” Saran suddenly asked, “what’s he been up to? Why didn’t he come out for dinner today? Isn’t he usually the one who loves to freeload off others?”

“I contacted him,” Jiang Jin replied, “Tana couldn’t say anything at all, and didn’t say why.”

“That’s not like him,” Saran said, a hint of doubt in his eyes. “Is he in a relationship? Busy with dates?”

Seti shook her head and said, "Given his personality, if he really were in a relationship, he would definitely show it off on social media! Don't I know him well enough?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jin began to sense that something was amiss.

“That’s true,” Saran nodded. “Last time he went to Phuket, he even updated his social media about his romantic encounters with local girls. I commented that he wasn’t afraid of meeting ladyboys; maybe when he got to the hotel room, theirs would be even bigger than his!”

When Lin Lu heard Saran, a girl, speak so recklessly, she didn't know how to respond for a moment.

After a while, the waiters began to serve the dishes. The food ordered by Seti and Saran arrived one after another, filling the table with a rich Thai ambiance.

Tom Yum Goong, a classic and appetizing soup, contains prawns and mushrooms and has a wonderful aroma.

Green curry chicken (Gaeng Keow Wan Gai) is made by stewing chicken with green curry, coconut milk, and Thai eggplant, resulting in a rich and slightly spicy flavor.

Pad Thai is a national dish of Thailand. It is made by stir-frying rice noodles with bean sprouts, tofu, eggs, and crushed peanuts, resulting in a sweet and sour flavor.

Grilled pork neck (Kor Moo Yang) is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, served with a special sauce.

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum): A tangy and spicy salad made by pounding green papaya shreds, tomatoes, peanuts, small chili peppers, etc.

And... that crucial bowl of mango sticky rice (Khao Niew Mamuang), with sweet mango paired with sticky rice and drizzled with coconut milk, looks incredibly tempting.

Looking at the bowl of mango sticky rice, Jiang Jin and Lin Lu both found it hard to swallow.

Next, Saiti began to talk enthusiastically about the school anniversary celebration, saying how much the principal valued them as a successful entrepreneur, and how he could meet many accomplished alumni and expand his network when he returned.

“Atai, you’ll give the speech then. I’ve already written it for you; you just need to read it.” Seti chewed on the tender pork neck and said, “Lu Ni, why don’t you come along too?”

As the conversation deepened, Jiang Jin could sense that Saiti, Saran, and other university classmates had a very good relationship with "Atai." Their words were full of familiarity and trust, and they didn't seem to have any deep-seated hatred for each other.

After chatting for more than an hour, Sai got up and said, "I'm going to the restroom."

Jiang Jin immediately followed: "Perfect, I'll go too."

Saran laughed and said, "You guys drank so much of that sour and spicy Tom Yum soup and drank so much water, it's really impressive that you've managed to hold on until now before going to the toilet."

Jiang Jin followed Saiti, and the two entered the men's restroom one after the other.

The restroom was very clean and had a faint aromatherapy scent.

The two stood side by side in front of the urinal, and Jiang Jin felt this was a good opportunity to ask him privately.

Jiang Jin lowered his voice and asked casually, "Saiti, talking about university earlier reminded me of that... girl who had an abortion. What was her name again? Nuoyi, right? What happened to her? Will she come to the university anniversary celebration?"

While washing her hands, Seti said, "Noyi... I heard she got married later, I think she married into another family. I'm not sure if she'll come to the school anniversary celebration, maybe she will? Why are you suddenly asking about her? You're married now, why are you thinking about someone who had an abortion?"

Jiang Jin pressed on, "Are you sure she was alright afterward? That she got married? It was quite a mess back then; I even got beaten up by her parents..."

After finishing, Saiti walked to the sink, took off her watch, turned on the tap to wash her hands, and then gave Jiang Jin a strange look. She said, "Of course I'm sure. Wasn't that matter clarified later? The child isn't yours. What's wrong with you? You're acting strange today, always bringing up things from the past."

Jiang Jin made up his mind and asked the most crucial question: "Nuoyi...does she usually wear hair clips?"

"Hair clip?" Upon hearing this, Satie's expression became even more confused and bewildered. He shook the water off his hands and looked at Jiang Jin. "Atai, what... what are you talking about? Are you alright?" It seemed that he wouldn't get any more clues about "wearing a hair clip" from Satie.

Jiang Jin could only smile and say, "It's nothing, I was just asking, I suddenly couldn't remember."

The two left the restroom and returned to the dining table. Just as they sat down, Seti suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear!" and raised her wrist: "My watch! I took it off when I washed my hands and forgot it on the sink!"

The watch looked expensive, so Satie would take it off whenever she washed her hands.

"Go and get it quickly," Saran said.

Saiti quickly got up and ran back to the bathroom.

Jiang Jin watched his departing figure, lost in thought.

Satie went into the bathroom and found that her watch was still there, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

He went up to pick up the watch, but because the sink was too wet, the watch slipped and fell to the ground.

Satie was startled and quickly squatted down to pick up the watch and check if it was broken.

"so far so good……"

Just as he was about to stand up, he suddenly noticed the toilet stall next to him.

Through the crack in the door, he could see a pair of feet wearing high heels!
This surprised Seti, but he didn't think much of it, picked up his watch, put it on, and went outside.

After returning to his seat at the table, he said to everyone with a wry smile, "Hey, guess what I saw in the men's restroom just now? I saw a pair of feet under one of the stalls, wearing high heels!"

Saran chuckled: "They're definitely ladyboys! Aren't they very common in Bangkok?"

Saiti scratched his head: "It is common, but generally speaking, when they dress up as women, they go to the women's restroom. It would be so awkward for everyone if they came to the men's restroom... I think Bangkok should build more gender-neutral restrooms."

What was said unintentionally alarmed the listener!
Jiang Jin's expression changed drastically in an instant!
High heels! A men's restroom stall?

He suddenly stood up, said, "Hmm, I think I forgot something too," and before anyone else could react, he strode towards the men's restroom again!

He rushed into the restroom and pushed open the doors of each stall without hesitation!

The first one... is empty.

The second one... is empty.

The third one... is still empty!
Everything is completely empty!
Could it be that she really is a transvestite and has already left?

Jiang Jin's intuition told him that it was not that simple!
How he wished his "space-time vision" could also go back to the past, instead of only being able to observe the future!
He walked out of the cubicle reluctantly, closed the door, and frowned.

Just as he turned to leave, his hunter's instincts made him turn back!

Then, the cubicle door he had just closed slowly and silently opened a tiny crack on its own!

It seemed as if something was peering through the crack in the door!

Without any hesitation, his eyes transformed into ghostly pupils!

Then, the ghostly eye penetrated the material layer to observe the pollution layer within the restroom space.

However, in his ghostly vision, the bathroom still appeared "clean," with no supernatural phenomena observed.

"Impossible..." Jiang Jin absolutely refused to believe that what he had just experienced was an illusion or a coincidence.

That being... is extremely well hidden!

On a whim, the Deathly Hound, guarding outside the bathroom, received the order. The undead hound silently penetrated the wall and entered the bathroom.

"Death knell, go deeper! Search the Mysterious Layer! If there are no results, then go to... the Lost Layer!"

After Jiang Jin gave the order, Deathstroke let out a low growl and began to penetrate into a deeper space beyond the material world.

Deathstroke first ventured into the mysterious layer.

The atmosphere here turned cold and the light dimmed, as if shrouded in a layer of gray gauze.

It moved through the compartments, carefully sniffing and sensing.

Jiang Jin looked through its "eyes," but everything remained normal, and he gained nothing.

"Continue! Enter the Lost Layer!" Jiang Jin ordered through gritted teeth.

The death knell gave a low, knowing wail as it marched deeper into the contaminated layer—the Lost Layer!

As soon as he entered the Lost Layer, Jiang Jin felt the sensations transmitted through the Death Knell become heavy and sluggish.

Although the Lost Layer here is not as chaotic and terrifying as the Lanruo Temple, the pollution concentration is still extremely high, and the air seems to be filled with cold, malicious dust.

The movement of the death knell also became noticeably slower.

It continued searching through the lost layers of space, which resembled individual toilet cubicles, but still found nothing.

Jiang Jin made a snap decision and ordered Deathstroke: "Deathstroke, immediately activate the Ghost Domain! Perform a spatial jump! Search layer by layer!"

He needed to know what was hidden deep within the Lost Layer in this tiny restroom!
The death knell opened its ghostly domain, unfolding with difficulty within the Lost Layer, forming a relatively stable spatial realm.

It locked onto a lost-level space within a compartment and suddenly "jumped" inside!
Inside, there might be an even more dilapidated toilet, or a completely distorted and incomprehensible spatial scene.

It penetrates the "wall" and enters the next adjacent lost layer space.

Once, twice, three times... Deathstroke tirelessly (or rather, forcibly sustained under Jiang Jin's orders) traversed and searched through nested, onion-like deep spaces.

Although Jiang Jin had entered the Lost Layer more than once in the past, he had only sensed certain spatial areas within the Lost Layer.

He was only LV2 after all, and at this level, it was difficult for him to adapt to the corrupting rules of the Lost Layer. Using the perception of the Materialist Layer would only lead him further astray. Back in Lanruo Temple, he had to ask the white-robed monk for directions to find his way back. Unlike the Death Knell, which was itself a collection of resentful ashes created from ashes and black runes, a product of the corrupting rules, it could easily leap through the space of the Lost Layer.

Jiang Jin was starting to feel the strain. As a Level 2 cultivator, he only possessed the three-dimensional spatial cognition of the materialist layer, making it difficult for him to withstand the rule contamination brought about by the spatial leaps of the Lost Layer. His SAN value began to fluctuate!
He sighed, resigned to his fate, and was just about to have the death knell withdrawn when—

Deathstroke suddenly pierced through an unusually cold and viscous spatial barrier and burst into a specific toilet stall!
The sight before him sent chills down Jiang Jin's spine as he watched through the shared vision, a coldness rising from his feet to the top of his head!

This cubicle...is unusually bloody and dilapidated!

A man lay face up in a pool of blood, his death extremely gruesome and horrific!
His eyes were wide open, almost bulging out of their sockets, filled with extreme fear and disbelief, his pupils completely dilated. His mouth was open in a twisted "O" shape, as if he wanted to scream before he died, but couldn't utter a sound.

What's most chilling is his cause of death—his entire face was as if it had been precisely sliced ​​open along his hairline by some sharp blade and then torn off, revealing the bloody muscle tissue and the stark white skull beneath!
Blood soaked through his hair and clothes, pooling on the ground into a thick, dark red puddle!
His hands were twisted and his nails were broken, clearly indicating that he had experienced intense struggle and pain before his death.

Jiang Jin's breath almost stopped! He recognized the man!

Despite losing his face, judging from his build, hairstyle, and the T-shirt he was wearing with their studio logo, he was clearly the bespectacled, tech-geek-looking guy on their startup team—Tana!
He... he actually died here?! Died in this restaurant's restroom... deep within the Lost Layer?!

(End of this chapter)