"You came into the city to record the numbers left by the 'Dark Gate' assassins every day?" Chuanliu directly exposed the boss's whereabouts.
"How did you know?" The boss was taken aback for a moment and said, "The reporting point has been in the city recently, and I have to keep records and report every day."
“So after you finish recording, you’ll scrape off those marks,” Chuanliu continued.
The boss looked at his hands, which bore traces of plaster from the wall, and nodded.
Chuanliu continued flipping through the contact book, "You're just telling me about the 'Secret Door' like this? Aren't you afraid 'Queen of Spades' will find out?"
The boss shrugged. "What did I tell you? Besides the 'secret' contact method you already knew, it's just this notebook. Even I haven't known who these numbers represent all these years. What use are these numbers to you?"
Chuanliu closed the notebook and handed it back to the boss.
"Do you know who died in your basement?" she asked again.
The boss shook his head and said sternly, "Our assassins from the 'Dark Gate' would never do such a rule-breaking thing."
He paused, then peered down and asked tentatively, "So you killed those two down there?"
Chuanliu's cold gaze swept over him, and the former immediately shut his mouth, repeatedly saying, "I didn't say anything, I don't know anything."
It seems that even the boss, who is the liaison for the "secret door," is unaware that Song Luo is actually two people.
Chuanliu didn't speak, but instead pondered his boss's words silently.
According to the numbering in this contact book, a total of three groups of numbers entered the territory of the Cube City in the past two days, which means that in addition to the assassins they dealt with in the previous two days, there was another newcomer.
Could it be Chen Qingmo, who was being chased and fled by the "Two of Spades"?
Chuanliu guessed, then waved his hand to make Zhuiming release the boss.
Killing the boss didn't mean much to her.
The boss didn't know the identities of Sister Hua and Wood, and would only confirm the disappearance of one of the numbers when he made another record this evening.
By then, it's uncertain whether she'll still be in the City of Blocks.
Keeping the boss around, on the contrary, would allow her to always know about the existence of a "secret" stronghold, so she could cause them trouble at any time—or rather, give them preferential treatment.
Chuanliu and Zhuiming left behind two room keys and departed the inn amidst the owner's farewell. What the owner would do with the two corpses in the basement was none of their concern.
Starting from the outskirts of the City of Squares, one must cross the outer edge of the City of Hearts to reach the City of Spades. The road to the City of Spades is destined to be treacherous, so Chuanliu and Zhuiming changed their clothes again to avoid being recognized.
Are you sure this is just a cover-up?
Zhuiming touched his nose, looking at his glittering gold shirt that exposed most of his chest, and the words "I don't understand" were practically written all over his face.
Chuanliu chuckled twice, then said seriously, "You don't understand. This is called 'the darkest place is under the lamp.' Under your blinding light bulb, who can see me?"
The girl who spoke followed behind Zhui Ming. Her black dress accentuated her beautiful figure, and her long, wavy hair covered half of her face. In addition, she wore large black sunglasses, which almost completely obscured her fair face.
Although the girl said that, her actual attire was quite eye-catching.
The two walked down the street like a nouveau riche taking his woman for a stroll, ostentatious and flamboyant, attracting frequent glances from onlookers.
Just like Chuanliu said, even if she really encountered an assassin who wanted to kill her, she should get closer and take a good look to see if she was really their target.
As you leave the City of Cubes, the surrounding scenery gradually becomes desolate, and the number of pedestrians decreases. The flowers, trees, and shrubs along the roadside become increasingly lush, with only a man-made path winding its way from the starting point into the distance.
The two walked silently toward the edge of the City of Hearts.
After walking for about an hour, Zhui Ming suddenly slowed down and called Chuan Liu to a halt.
His sharp gaze swept across the surrounding jungle, pointing at the vegetation, and he whispered to Chuanliu, "Something's not right. There are obvious signs of a fight here. Someone must be injured. Be careful."
Sure enough, a branch was broken off, there were several unusual sets of footprints in the jungle, and marks from weapons hitting the branch. Several pieces of torn clothing were scattered on the ground. Chuanliu followed Zhuiming's finger and saw that a few fallen leaves were still stained with dried blood.
All signs indicate that a fierce fight had taken place here not long ago.
Chuanliu nodded in acknowledgment, and the two slowed their pace, continuing forward along the trail of the fight.
Not long after, they found a man lying on the side of the road.
The man stood motionless with his back to the two men, seemingly in a deep coma. His clothes bore obvious marks of being torn by a weapon, and were surrounded by blood, most of which had congealed and dried, turning a deep red, indicating that his injuries were quite severe.
Zhuiming and Chuanliu exchanged a glance and cautiously stepped forward.
When their gazes fell on the man's face, Chuanliu's eyes relaxed, and he murmured, "It was him?"
Zhuiming remained silent, merely observing the unconscious man, and asked the girl in hushed tones, "Should we wake him up?"
"He looks beyond saving, let's go."
Chuanliu shook his head, then called to Zhuiming, and continued walking forward without looking back, leaving only the silence of the jungle behind.
However, just as they were about to disappear from sight, a series of rapid coughs broke the silence.
"Cough cough cough, cough cough cough..."
Immediately afterward, with a splatter of blood on the ground, the unconscious man suddenly sat up. His eyes were filled with terror and helplessness as he struggled to look at the two disappearing figures, his voice weak yet pleading: "Help...help..."
Chuanliu stopped and asked Zhuiming, "Did you hear anything?"
Zhuiming smiled and shook his head, saying cooperatively, "No."
Then, the two continued walking forward.
At this moment, the frail man behind him suddenly seemed less frail. Although he still looked sickly, his voice grew louder as he shouted, "Two kind people up ahead! Help!"
Chuanliu continued walking, saying as he went, "As Wu Cheng'en once said: 'High mountains are bound to have monsters, and steep ridges are home to spirits.' Today, we've actually run into one. How strange, how strange."
Zhuiming smiled silently, but his eyes, which were the only part of his face visible, held a hint of caution.
Sure enough, before the two had taken more than a few steps, they heard the man who had been dying miraculously stand up and limp toward them.
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