Figure in the Painting
Bang——
The heavy room door closed. 【Jian Changsheng】 and 【Heart 9】 stood inside the empty room, letting out a long breath...
"Finally shook them off..."
This was the original Beidou 【Casino】, but now it was Chen Ling's property. Before leaving, he had arranged everything properly. The casino area operated as usual, while some hidden rooms deep inside had become 【Jian Changsheng】's temporary stronghold.
Although it wasn't as luxurious as the auction's 【VIP Guest Lounge】, the layout was also quite good. The most important thing was that the location was hidden, and coming in and going out was very safe.
"Shaking them off wasn't hard. The main thing was that we had to lure them near the Beidou Consortium." 【Heart 9】 shrugged. "If that guy 【Heart 6】 hadn't insisted on causing trouble, I would have killed them all long ago!"
"You almost killed me too!" 【Jian Changsheng】 couldn't help but curse, "We've only been together for a few days, and you've already blown me up twice! The enemy didn't harm a single hair on my body, but one of my own cracked my head open with a bomb!"
"Don't mind these details. As long as the task is completed, it's fine!"
【Jian Changsheng】 rolled his eyes at him, turned on the lights in the room, and looked out the window. The first floor of the 【Casino】 was crowded with people. This time was exactly when it was fully packed. People from all walks of life in the Red Dust 【Main City】 gathered here, spending money like water, and business was extremely booming.
"【Heart 6】 left. Next, we can only rely on ourselves." 【Jian Changsheng】 murmured to himself.
"Not 'us', you."
【Heart 9】 sat on the sofa, casually peeling an orange and tossing it into his mouth. "You can call me for fights, but in other aspects... I will most likely only be a hindrance."
"... I can see that."
To tell the truth, 【Jian Changsheng】 was really afraid that if this master was unhappy one day, he would blow up the 【Casino】 over some trivial matter. Then everything they had done up to now would be for nothing, returning overnight to the days of gnawing on steamed buns by the side of the road.
"What plans do you have next?" 【Heart 9】 asked.
"What plans can I have? Hold our ground, gather information, and wait for the other members of the 【Dusk Society】 to come over." 【Jian Changsheng】 looked down at the crowded 【Casino】. "At least, we shouldn't be short of funds now."
"You should learn more from 【Heart 6】 when you have time. Look at his disguises and wealth-gathering, he's proficient in everything. I don't know where 【Corpse Shattering Chu】 found this talent."
【Jian Changsheng】: ...
"Right, what about that painting?" 【Jian Changsheng】 seemed to have remembered something.
"It's with me."
【Heart 9】 swallowed the orange in his mouth, then opened his mouth wide, stuck his right hand in and dug around. Unexpectedly, a metallic clashing sound came from inside his throat, as if an entire 【Warehouse】 was hidden there...
After a moment, he seemed to have grabbed something, and a slender scroll was pulled out from his mouth.
【Heart 9】 handed 【The Scroll】 to 【Jian Changsheng】, but the latter took a half step back with a look of disgust, as if he found it a bit sickening...
"No saliva on it!" 【Heart 9】 couldn't help but curse.
【Jian Changsheng】 reluctantly took 【The Scroll】 and unrolled it. There was indeed a mark of the 【Eight of Clubs】 on the back, but when he turned it to the front and saw the portrait of a maid, his brows furrowed unconsciously, and he let out an uncultured sigh identical to Chen Ling's:
"What the hell is this drawing..."
"Don't ask me, I don't understand it either."
【Jian Changsheng】 turned the painting over and over in his hands and looked at it for a long time, but couldn't figure out anything. Just as he was preparing to put it away and find time to hand it over to the 【Dusk Society】, his nose suddenly twitched.
He froze for a moment, doubtfully brought the painting close to his nose, and sniffed forcefully.
"That's not right..."
"What's not right?"
"There is a smell of blood in this painting."
【Heart 9】 raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth wide in shock. "What is this, 【Path of the Soldier】, [Military Dog] 【Path】?!"
【Jian Changsheng】: ...
【Jian Changsheng】 knew that 【Heart 9】 was taking revenge for his previous "【Path of the Artisan】 [Robot] 【Path】" comment, and was too lazy to argue with him. He placed 【The Scroll】 flat on the table, and began to observe it bit by bit from the side.
Subsequently, he seemed to have discovered something. He pressed his fingertip against the corner of 【The Scroll】 and forcefully wiped downwards.
Under the wash of his 【Killing Intent】, the pattern on 【The Scroll】 rapidly peeled off, and beneath it, another pattern was revealed...
"What's the situation, there are two paintings?" Seeing this, 【Heart 9】 spoke in astonishment.
"It should be that the 【Eight of Clubs】 painted another layer on top of this original painting, covering up the original content..." Glints of light flashed in 【Jian Changsheng】's eyes. He rapidly peeled away the maid portrait on the surface, and an entirely new scroll was exposed before their eyes.
【Heart 9】 sized up the painting inside and spoke doubtfully:
"What the hell... Underneath the 【Portrait Painting】, is still a 【Portrait Painting】?"
"Also a woman?" 【Jian Changsheng】 stared at that face for a long time. "Who is this person, do you recognize her?"
"Don't recognize..."
"I also don't recognize her."
"The woman on this painting, is exactly the message the 【Eight of Clubs】 exhausted all his efforts to pass to us?" 【Jian Changsheng】 scratched his head, deeply puzzled. "But... but who exactly is she?"
On 【The Scroll】, a woman was lying quietly on the ground, her hands peacefully folded together. Flower petals formed from embellishments of fresh blood were spread all around her, bright and serene.
The woman was wearing a white scientific research robe, as if she had fallen asleep.
If Chen Ling were here, the moment he saw this woman's face, his mind would inevitably be greatly shaken... Unlike 【Jian Changsheng】 and 【Heart 9】, barring any accidents, he was perhaps one of the few existences in this era who could recognize this woman.
A member of the original 【Red Star Fragment】 【Exploration Team】, and currently one of the 【Nine Monarchs】 of humanity...
Doctor of 【String Theory】, 【Su Zhiwei】.
...
"Finally back."
Chen Ling pushed the cart, traveling across the desolate gray earth. Seeing the faintly discernible 【Clown Peak】 in the distance, he let out a long breath.
He took off that golden mask, reached up to his chin and gave a tear, changing back into Chen Ling's appearance. The black windbreaker also transformed into the 【Great Crimson Theatrical Robe】, fluttering in the wind.
"Yi ya!!"
【Clown】 sat on the mountain of piled-up silver note boxes, his small face also written full of excitement. For him, this was his first time traveling far. After playing wildly outside for a few days, seeing 【Clown Peak】 again now, he also missed it very much.
He jumped forcefully on the silver note boxes, and his entire person flew up against the wind, landing lightly on the top of 【Clown Peak】. Facing Chen Ling walking slowly up from the bottom of the mountain, he struck a "welcome home" pose.
Chen Ling smiled and patted 【Clown】's head, saying:
"【Fifth Brother】, I will go report back to the senior brothers and senior sisters first... We'll see each other again at dinner."
"Yi ya!!"
As his voice fell, Chen Ling pushed the cart to the edge of the cliff, and with the entire cart of silver note boxes, leaped down!