Tap, tap, tap...
Pausing in place, Li Chengyi heard the sound of gunfire and hurried footsteps growing closer from around the corner.
He knew he didn't have much time left to make a choice.
'Take a gamble!'
He gritted his teeth and quickly rushed toward the crevice.
Rather than pin his hopes on his nearly depleted strength, it was better to try this suddenly appearing gap.
In this unchanging underground parking garage, this suddenly appearing crevice was likely the only variable that could provide an escape.
Bang.
Just as he was about to charge into the crevice, a spark exploded on the wall beside the gap.
"Stop!" The voice of the gunman from before rang out once again.
"Sure enough... it really appeared! Hahaha!" He rushed over from around the corner, quickly closing in on Li Chengyi.
Obviously, he seemed to have known the crevice would appear and somehow caught up.
"You!" The man aimed his gun at Li Chengyi while running. "Go and lure that monster away!"
It was only then that Li Chengyi saw the huge human face that was also catching up from behind the man.
That two-meter-tall black and white face floated in mid-air, expressionless, lips trimmed with a black mist, even faster than the man.
The distance between the two was about ten meters, which was steadily shrinking as time went by.
And that woman Meng Dongdong had already disappeared without a trace.
Paralyzed by the aim of the gun, Li Chengyi stiffened, looking at the crevice that was within arm's reach, not daring to move.
Should he dash into it, or stay put to deal with the monstrous face using the Drunken Hand?
The sound of rapid footsteps was closing in.
The armed man and the human face were also quickly closing the distance.
Li Chengyi stood petrified, various thoughts flickering through his mind. Time seemed to slow at that moment.
Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, the shiny drops reflecting the parking garage's cold white light as they trickled down.
Some slid down his nose bridge, others into his eyes.
But he dared not even blink—or had perhaps forgotten to blink.
'What to do!?'
'What to do!?'
'What to do!?'
Li Chengyi watched the quickly approaching armed man and the huge face, his mind boiling.
Finally.
The man was about to reach the crevice, his gun aimed at Li Chengyi.
"Lure it away! Fast!!"
He roared, his wide-open mouth even revealing yellowed, smoke-stained teeth.
The sound seemed to drift in and out from afar.
'Die now, or possibly die later?'
Li Chengyi knew he had no choice.
"Ahh!!"
He clenched his teeth, letting out a low growl that only he could hear.
His veins felt as if they were bursting, his eyes turned red.
Li Chengyi suddenly turned and charged at full speed toward the gigantic face of the monster.
Hiss.
In an instant, he brushed past the gunman.
His hand faintly grazed the other's forearm.
Then, without stopping, he pressed against the wall to his right.
Pfft.
Flower Language Ability activated!
Evil Flower – Drunken Hand!!
An invisible connection instantly bound the man to the wall.
The man screamed as an unseen force pulled him, sticking him to the wall, unable to move.
The handgun slipped from his grip and fell to the ground.
Li Chengyi swiftly turned and rushed towards the crevice without looking back.
Click!
A spray of crimson blood spattered from behind, staining the white wall and floor behind him bright red.
Then came a series of fine chewing sounds, accompanied by the crunch of bones being crushed.
At this moment, Li Chengyi was almost entirely drained, his physical strength taxed to the limit, but his mind was clearer than ever before.
He walked within the crevice, glancing back sideways.
Outside the gap, the giant black and white face was stuffing a thick human leg into its mouth.
Blood gushed from the severed end of the limb, spilling onto the ground.
Accompanied by the human face's grating chewing sounds, everything in sight began to blur and fade.
Darkness slowly enveloped his field of vision.
A deep sense of fatigue and dizziness surged over his eyes in an instant.
He involuntarily closed his eyes.
After a short while, the grating sounds quickly receded, replaced by a faint whisper of wind blowing past his ears.
The breeze carried the scent of flowers and the smell of fresh grass.
Hiss.
Li Chengyi opened his eyes once again.
He stood in the middle of a small park's running track, lost in thought, unsure of how long he'd been standing there.
He had made it out.
This sudden realization did not relieve his heart of even a slight measure of its burden.
Standing still, he did not move, his head lowered, his eyes' pupils slightly dilated, as if he had been stunned.
In the darkness, a light breeze ruffled, lifting his black hair tips to the left.
Among the hair, a pair of eyes, still tainted with traces of blood, reflected the surrounding dim lights.
'I really made it out...'
Li Chengyi raised his hands and quietly squatted down, covering his face.
He didn't know why he was acting like this; he only knew that he was very tired, so tired.
And.
Some things seemed to have changed completely the moment he turned around and decided to use his Flower Language Ability.
Pitter-patter.
Under the dark moonlight, a pair of dark brown, high-top men's leather boots quietly walked up to him.
The boots had two vertical rows of silver metal buckles on the outside, the vamp was polished like a mirror, vaguely reflecting Li Chengyi's twisted figure.
"It seems you're quite lucky,"
a deep male voice came from the darkness.
Then the click of a lighter igniting a cigarette followed, a red glow lit up quickly, and the slender smoke dissipated with the wind.
"Although it's only temporary."
Li Chengyi silently released his hands and slowly looked up, his eyes beginning to bleed again at the corners.
Two streaks of blood streamed down along the sides of his face, drawing two red lines.
He recognized the person before him; it was the middle-aged man who had spoken to him outside the cafe.
"Isn't it over yet?" he asked, his voice carrying a somberness he himself hadn't noticed.
"Of course not. Perhaps it will never end," the man replied, taking a light drag on his cigarette, "I didn't have much hope for you initially, but of the few candidates we found, you're the only one left alive."
He exhaled the smoke, casually tossed away the cigarette butt, and stamped it out with his foot.
Then he looked down at Li Chengyi as he was now.
"Twenty thousand a month, food and accommodation included, weekends off, work hours from nine in the morning until five in the afternoon, daily salary settlement."
He extended his hand, palm open.
"Be my assistant, will you?"
"....." Li Chengyi was stunned for a moment, the recent quietness having allowed him to regain some strength.
At that moment, he looked at the hand extended toward him.
The palm stretching out from the sleeve of a black trench coat was a pale yellow color, wrinkled, aged, and dull.
The fingernails were trimmed extremely neatly, with faint yellow nicotine stains on the middle segments of the index and middle fingers.
When he came closer, he could smell a faint tobacco scent, spicy and pungent.
Li Chengyi didn't smoke in his past life, nor did he in this life.
But at this moment, that slight unpleasant smell of smoke somehow made him feel strangely at peace.
"I don't know anything yet," he said.
"No matter, I'll make everything clear to you. Having successfully broken free for the first time, you'll have at least two months to rest," the man replied.
"Besides, you won't find any information on the Blind Spot on the open internet," he smirked mysteriously. "Know how I found you?"
He didn't continue, but Li Chengyi immediately understood.
Online activity leaves traces.
"Don't worry," the man said, "My people have cleaned up your tracks. No one else is likely to find you this quickly, except for me."
"Does this mean I have no other option but you?" Li Chengyi asked.
"Each year, at least five thousand people might die because of the Blind Spot, just in our country. You're not unique, young man," the man chuckled. "Of course, you're welcome to reject my offer and figure things out on your own, enjoy the last two months of living, or seek help from state departments by going to the police. It's all your choice."
Li Chengyi fell silent.
He struggled to stand up, took out his phone, and checked the time — it was 9:15.
All the supplies he'd prepared had vanished, left behind in the Blind Spot.
"I hope you aren't lying to me," he finally said, slapping the man's outstretched hand. To understand the Blind Spot quickly, this person was obviously a shortcut.
"My name's Cheng Yi."
"Xindela," the man said with a smile, "You can call me Xindela, Li Chengyi, my friend."
"Let's go. First, let me take care of your injuries; if we delay further, your eyes might suffer permanent damage. And I'll show you something interesting as well," he said.
He let go of Li Chengyi's hand and walked towards the exit of the small park.
Li Chengyi exhaled, lowered his hand, and took a step forward, slowly following him.
At the park entrance, a black urban SUV was parked by the roadside.
The car's body was as if folded from paper, with sharp defining angles. The two triangular headlights emitted bright white beams, hitting the ground.
There was also a triangular silver emblem on the front hood, marked with two silver characters on the back: Mist Banner.
The man went to the back of the vehicle, opened the trunk, and took out a metal first-aid kit. He retrieved items to treat wounds.
Turning around, he quickly attended to the cuts by Li Chengyi's eyes.
Then he turned back to rummage in the trunk, and soon his hands were filled with what appeared to be makeup pencils.
"Need to cover up?" he asked.
"Will it help?" Li Chengyi asked skeptically.
"Quite a bit. Let's disguise you a little, lest your family worries," Xindela nodded.
"Then let's try it," Li Chengyi agreed.
"Close your eyes," Xindela instructed.
Upon hearing this, Li Chengyi closed his eyes, and soon felt something cool touching and moving across his face, as if something was being applied.
Quickly, in just a few minutes,
"All done," Xindela withdrew his hand, looking at the young man before him, who now appeared uninjured.
"Just three minutes, and you look refreshed, back to a spirited young lad," he said satisfactorily.
"...." Li Chengyi was at a loss for words, opened his eyes, and took out his mobile phone to switch to selfie mode.
In the night mode, his own image on the phone screen showed no visible injuries on his face. Moreover, the area around the eye cuts felt cool and comfortable.
"The makeup has medicinal effects that can speed up wound healing. It's specially made; you can't buy this outside," Xindela explained.
"Okay. What now? Can you give me the documents? About the Blind Spot," Li Chengyi said calmly.
"What you should do now is go home, get a good night's sleep, rest well, and replenish your energy before doing anything else," Xindela replied. "Also, do you think your phone is secure?"
"All paper?"
"Of course." Xindela paused briefly, "Not," he gave Li Chengyi a look as if he were looking at a simpleton.
"Do you understand how much information there is? Where would I find space for all that in paper form? We use independent storage devices. Ever heard of a K drive?"
"Fine, see you tomorrow," Li Chengyi turned and walked away.
"Don't you want the contact information?" Xindela's voice came from behind.
"I'll wait for your call," Li Chengyi didn't turn back, thinking that if the other party had found his real name, surely they could find a phone number too?
There was no response from behind, and he didn't bother to look back. At that moment, the only thing he wanted was to go home, to his room, and fall asleep immediately.
And then, as soon as he got up, to repair the Floral Dress!