Chapter 1 A Gamble

Taptaptap...

Standing still for a moment, Li Cheng颐 heard the approaching gunshots and hurried footsteps coming from around the corner.

He knew he didn't have much time to choose.

'Gamble!'

He gritted his teeth and rushed towards the gap.

Rather than pinning his hopes on his dwindling stamina, he might as well try this suddenly appearing crack.

In this unchanging underground garage, this suddenly appearing crack might be the only variable that allows him to leave.

Bang.

Just as he was about to rush into the gap, a spark suddenly exploded on the wall next to the crack.

"Stop!" The voice of the man with the gun sounded again.

"As expected... as expected!" He rushed around the corner, rapidly approaching Li Cheng颐.

Clearly, he seemed to have known about the crack for a long time, and somehow managed to catch up.

"You!" The man ran while aiming his gun at Li Cheng颐. "Go distract that monster!"

Only then did Li Cheng颐 see the giant face chasing behind the man.

The two-meter-high black and white face was floating in mid-air, its expression wooden, black gas escaping from the corners of its mouth, moving even faster than the man.

The two were about ten meters apart, and the distance was shrinking little by little as time went on.

As for Meng Dongdong, the woman, he didn't know where she had gone.

With the gun pointed at him, Li Cheng颐 froze, staring at the crack right in front of him, not daring to move.

Should he risk rushing in, or stay put and try to deal with the monster face with the Hand of Drunkenness?

The sound of footsteps rapidly approached.

The man with the gun and the face were also approaching quickly.

Li Cheng颐 stood frozen in place, his mind flashing through various thoughts. Time seemed to slow down at this moment.

Sweat poured from his forehead, the glistening beads reflecting the cold white light of the garage, streaming down.

Some ran across his nose, some into his eyes.

But he didn't dare blink, or rather, he had forgotten to blink.

'What to do!?'

'What to do!?'

'What to do!?'

Li Cheng颐 watched the approaching man with the gun and the giant face, his mind in turmoil.

Finally.

The man was about to reach the crack, his gun pointed at Li Cheng颐.

"Distract it! Hurry!!"

He roared, his mouth wide open, revealing yellow, smoke-stained teeth.

The voice seemed to float from afar, appearing and disappearing.

'Die now, or die later, maybe?'

Li Cheng颐 knew he had no choice.

"Ah!!"

He gritted his teeth and let out a low roar that only he could hear.

His blood vessels seemed to burst, his eyes turning red.

Li Cheng颐 suddenly turned and sprinted towards the giant face monster.

Chzz.

In that instant, as he brushed past the man with the gun,

His hand lightly brushed against the man's arm.

Then, without stopping, he pressed his hand against the wall to his right.

Poof.

The power of Floriography activated!

Evil Flower - Hand of Drunkenness!!

An invisible connection instantly linked the man and the wall.

The man screamed, his entire body involuntarily pulled by an external force, pressed against the wall, unable to move.

The gun fell from his hand, hitting the ground.

Li Cheng颐 turned sharply and rushed into the crack, without looking back.

Crack!

A splash of scarlet blood splattered from behind, staining the white wall behind him red.

Then came a series of fine chewing sounds, accompanied by the crisp sound of bones being crushed.

Li Cheng颐 was now almost completely exhausted, his stamina pushed to the limit, but his mind was clearer than ever.

He walked in the crack, turning his head to the side.

Outside the crack, the giant black and white face was picking up a strong human leg, stuffing it into its mouth.

Blood gushed out of the severed end of the human leg, scattering all over the ground.

Accompanied by the face's ear-piercing chewing sound, everything in front of him began to slowly blur and fade.

Darkness gradually enveloped his vision.

A deep fatigue and dizziness instantly washed over his eyes.

He involuntarily closed his eyes.

Before long, the piercing sounds quickly faded away, replaced by the subtle sound of wind blowing past his ears, making a whooshing sound.

The wind carried the scent of flowers, mixed with the scent of grass.

Chzz.

Li Cheng颐 opened his eyes again.

He was standing in the middle of the small park's track, staring blankly, not knowing how long he had been standing there.

He was out.

This suddenly appearing fact did not bring him even a trace of relief.

Standing in place, he didn't move, lowered his head, his pupils slightly dilated, as if he were stunned.

In the darkness, a gust of wind blew, causing his black hair to drift to the left.

Between his hair, a pair of eyes with traces of blood reflected the dim surrounding light.

'I'm really, out...'

Li Cheng颐 raised his hands, squatted down silently, and covered his face.

He didn't know why he was like this, he only knew that he was very tired, very tired.

And.

Some things seemed to have become completely different from the moment he turned around and decided to use the power of Floriography.

Pat.

Under the dim moonlight, a pair of brown-black high-top men's leather boots quietly walked up to him.

The outside of the boots had two vertical rows of silver metal buckles, and the instep was as smooth as a mirror, faintly reflecting Li Cheng颐's distorted figure.

"Looks like you're lucky."

A deep male voice came from the shadows.

Then came the sound of a lighter lighting a cigarette, and a small red light quickly lit up, the thin smoke scattering in the wind.

"Although only temporarily."

Li Cheng颐 silently let go of his hands, slowly raised his head, and blood began to flow from the corners of his eyes again.

Two streaks of blood flowed down his cheeks, drawing two red lines.

He recognized the other person, the middle-aged man who had spoken to him in front of the coffee shop.

"It's not over yet?" he asked, his voice carrying an unnoticeable suppressed tone.

"Of course. Maybe it will never end," the man replied, taking a light puff of the cigarette. "I didn't have much hope for you at first. I didn't expect that you would be the only one who survived among the few candidates I found."

He exhaled the smoke, threw away the cigarette butt, and stamped it out.

Then he looked down at Li Cheng颐.

"Twenty thousand a month, including food and accommodation, weekends off, working hours from nine to five, paid daily."

He held out his hand, palm open.

"Be my assistant, will you?"

"....." Li Cheng颐 was stunned. The quietness just now had allowed him to recover some of his strength.

Looking at the outstretched hand towards him at this moment.

The palm extending from the cuff of the black windbreaker, the skin was pale yellow, loose, old, and dull.

The nails were trimmed unusually neatly, and the middle sections of the index and middle fingers were slightly stained yellow by smoke.

He could smell a faint smell of smoke, pungent and irritating.

Li Cheng颐 didn't smoke in his previous life, and neither did he in this life.

But at this moment, this unpleasant smell of smoke made him feel strangely at peace.

"I don't know anything yet," he said.

"It doesn't matter, I'll explain everything clearly to you. Your first successful escape gives you at least two months of rest," the man replied.

"Also, you can't find information about Dead Angles on the open web." He smiled inexplicably. "Do you know how I found you?"

He didn't say the next words, but Li Cheng颐 instantly reacted.

The internet leaves traces.

"Don't worry," the man said, "my people have cleaned up your traces. Apart from me, probably no one else can find you so quickly."

"In other words, I have no choice but you?" Li Cheng颐 asked.

"Every year, at least five thousand people in our country alone may die in Dead Angles. You are not unique, young man," the man smiled. "Of course, you can also choose to refuse me and go it alone, to enjoy these last two months of life. You can also call the police and seek help from national departments. These are all your freedoms."

Li Cheng颐 fell silent.

He struggled to stand up, took out his cell phone and looked at it. The time was 9:15.

All the supplies he had prepared were gone, all left in the Dead Angle.

"I hope you're not lying to me." He finally reached out and slapped the man's hand. To learn about Dead Angles as quickly as possible, this man was undoubtedly a shortcut.

"My name is Cheng Yi."

"Cindra," the man smiled, "you can call me Cindra. Little friend Li Cheng颐."

"Let's go, let me treat your injuries first, if you drag it on, your eyesight will be damaged. I'll also show you something you're interested in."

He let go of his hand, turned and walked towards the outside of the small park.

Li Cheng颐 exhaled, lowered his hand, stepped forward, and slowly followed.

At the park entrance, a black city SUV was parked by the side of the road.

The car body looked as if it were folded out of paper, with distinct edges and corners. The two triangular headlights emitted bright white beams of light, hitting the ground.

A triangular silver logo stood on the front hood, with the two silver characters: Wu Qi (Mist Flag) printed behind the logo.

The man walked to the rear of the car, opened the trunk, took out a metal first aid kit, and took out some things to treat the wound.

Turning around, he quickly treated the cuts on Li Cheng颐's eyes.

Then he turned around and rummaged through the trunk again. Soon, he had some things in his hand that looked like makeup pens.

"Need to cover it up?" he asked.

"Will it work?" Li Cheng颐 didn't trust it.

"It works very well. Disguise you, so your family won't worry," Cindra nodded.

"Then let's try it," Li Cheng颐 nodded.

"Close your eyes," Cindra said.

Li Cheng颐 closed his eyes when he heard the words, and then quickly felt some cool things wiping back and forth on his face, as if he was applying something.

Soon, after about a few minutes.

"Okay," Cindra put away his hand and looked at the young man in front of him, who looked the same as when he was not injured.

"In just three minutes, you're radiant and a spirited young man again," he said with satisfaction.

"...." Li Cheng颐 was speechless, opened his eyes and took out his cell phone, switching to selfie mode.

Under night shooting mode, he could not see any wounds on his face in the phone screen, and the cuts at the corners of his eyes were cool and very comfortable.

"Cosmetics have medicinal effects, can accelerate wound recovery, specially made, can't be bought outside," Cindra explained from the side.

"Okay. What now? Can you give me the information? About Dead Angles," Li Cheng颐 said calmly.

"What you should do now is go back and get a good night's sleep, rest and recover your energy before doing anything else," Cindra said. "Also, do you think cell phones are safe?"

"All paper?"

"Of course," Cindra paused, "not." He looked at Li Cheng颐 with a look as if he were an idiot.

"Do you know how much information there is? Where can I find a place to put it if it's all paper? An independent memory. Do you know what a K-disk is?"

"Okay, see you tomorrow." Li Cheng颐 turned and left.

"Don't you want contact information?" Cindra's voice came from behind.

"I'll wait for your call." Li Cheng颐 didn't look back. Since the other party had even found out his real name, couldn't he find out a cell phone number?

There was no response from behind, and he was too lazy to look. At this moment, all he wanted to do was go home, go to his room, and fall asleep.

Then, the first thing he would do when he woke up was to repair the Flower Scale Armor!