Betrayal?
In the haze,
Chen Ling slowly opened his eyes.
Chen Ling didn't know how long he had slept, nor did he know where he was. An unprecedented sense of exhaustion surged from every corner of his body. His consciousness was still blurred... In his mind, that ferocious grimace in the lightning and that black and red Theatrical Robe suddenly emerged again.
Grimace... Theatrical Robe... Path of the Actor...
"Wait, your Divine Pathway... is actually also distorted??" This sentence echoed by Chen Ling's ear, like thunder exploding!
His chaotic consciousness instantly regained clarity. His entire person abruptly sat up from the bed, beads of sweat sliding down his cheeks...
What did "also" mean?
Could it be that in this world, besides him, there were other people with a distorted Path of the Actor?
This sentence was like a nail piercing into Chen Ling's heart. He urgently wanted to know that person's identity, wanted to know if there really was another distorted Path of the Actor in this world... But the current Timeline Save File couldn't be entered yet.
Chen Ling let out a long sigh. After resting for a long time, he gradually recovered his calm from anxiety and urgency.
He began to look around.
Currently, he was lying on a pure white bed. This seemed to be a quiet private room. The curtains blocked the light from the outside world, making the room exceptionally tranquil.
Looking at Chen Ling himself, his body was wrapped in thick bandages, like a mummy that had just crawled out of a tomb... And the positions of his chest and left arm were empty, looking extremely miserable.
"Was one shoulder blown to pieces by that shot..." Chen Ling recalled that sniper bullet piercing through tens of kilometers, having lingering fears.
Although Chen Ling possessed the [Blood Raiment] and his recovery ability far exceeded ordinary people, that sniper's ability seemed even more vicious... After being hit by a shot, the recovery speed of his flesh and blood was substantially curbed. Even though the bleeding had stopped now, wanting to rely on self-healing to recover was basically impossible.
For ordinary people, this would mean lifelong disability, but for Chen Ling, it wasn't a big deal...
As long as he died once when the Expectation Value was sufficient, all wounds would be automatically repaired, restoring him to peak condition. A pierced chest and a shattered arm meant absolutely nothing.
Just as Chen Ling was pondering, the door was suddenly opened. A figure walked in unhurriedly with his hands in his pockets.
"Yo~~ Isn't this our 'Rest Assured Brother, won't explode this time' Six of Hearts..." Little Jian seemed to have just gotten a haircut and even styled it. The dashing wolf tail was clean and neat. He came in while being sarcastic,
"What's the matter, Rest Assured Brother, messed up this time??"
Chen Ling: ...
Chen Ling dared to be certain that this guy had definitely been waiting outside the door for a long time. He might have even secretly rehearsed this scene several times, just waiting for him to wake up, and then immediately throwing shade at his face.
The moment he finished saying this sentence, every cell up and down Little Jian's body had the word "refreshing" written all over them!
Having been unlucky for so long, having been suppressed by Chen Ling for so long, finally having a chance to feel proud and elated, naturally he couldn't miss it no matter what.
Chen Ling cut straight to the point, "What is this place?"
"Of course it's Tianshu Domain, and moreover, it's my stronghold." Jian Changsheng emphasized the words "my stronghold", putting his hands on his hips, seemingly waiting for Chen Ling to continue asking.
And Chen Ling also followed his intention, asking that question:
"You still have a stronghold in Tianshu Domain?"
"Of course." Jian Changsheng spoke leisurely. "From coming out of Aurora Domain to going to Red Dust Domain, wasn't I doing other missions outside? Guess where I was at that time?"
"No wonder..."
Chen Ling instantly understood Jian Changsheng's meaning. It seemed that during that period, Jian Changsheng's mission was carried out in Tianshu Domain... Calculating it, this was already Jian Changsheng's second time coming to Tianshu Domain. It was normal to have had a stronghold here previously.
"If it wasn't for me this time, you really would have died in the Gray World." Jian Changsheng looked at Chen Ling. "Didn't we agree it wouldn't be like last time? Do you know how far I walked carrying you all the way? On the way we even encountered that bitch... If I hadn't protected you underneath back then, you probably would have already turned into a puddle of meat paste!"
"Bitch? What bitch?"
"It was that bitch on the train. Wearing a Tang suit, wearing a pair of small Round Sunglasses, looking very punchable at first glance! I was originally planning to hitch a ride, but he kicked me off with one foot!" Jian Changsheng gritted his teeth,
"That guy should also be heading to Tianshu Domain. It's best not to let me run into him again, otherwise..."
Hearing Jian Changsheng's description, Chen Ling roughly guessed the situation for the most part. Just as he was about to ask something more, the door of the room was opened again.
A figure wearing a black long gown calmly walked in from outside.
"... Awake?"
"Of course, I said it, this guy's life is very tough." Jian Changsheng answered familiarly.
Chen Ling looked at this unfamiliar figure, turning to look at Jian Changsheng doubtfully. The latter also immediately explained:
"This is..."
"First time meeting, Six of Hearts." Without waiting for Jian Changsheng to introduce him, that person spoke himself, "Last time when Little Jian came, I kept hearing him mention you. Now we finally have a chance to meet... I am [9 of Spades]. Last time Little Jian's mission, I was the one who led him to do it."
While speaking, he took out a poker card from his clothes. The Card Face was exactly [9 of Spades].
"So it's a senior of the Dusk Society." Chen Ling nodded slightly.
"How are the injuries?" 9 of Spades asked with concern.
"Oh, just a minor injury."
9 of Spades looked at Chen Ling's chest, that bloody hole that could be seen through to the outside window, as well as that left arm that was empty including the shoulder. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and he didn't say much more.
This Six of Hearts, just like in the rumors, was a ruthless person...
"By the way, there is relatively blockbuster news today. You two just came over from the Gray World side, you probably aren't clear yet." 9 of Spades seemed to remember something, and took out a newspaper from his clothes. "You can take a look first."
Jian Changsheng was closest to him and directly took the newspaper over. After sweeping a glance at the headline, his pupils abruptly contracted, his entire person freezing on the spot.
"This... How is this possible?"
"Let me see."
Chen Ling saw Jian Changsheng's reaction, and his heart also had some doubts. He reached his hand out to take the newspaper over. Seeing the content on it, his whole body shook!
He carefully read this article three times, and still hadn't recovered his senses...
An unknown amount of time passed before he raised his head blankly:
"Five Ruling Proxies... simultaneously betrayed the Human Domains??!"