Chapter 34 An Unexpected Encounter "Come out."...
Sudden.
The carriage wheels seemed to have run over something, and paused for a moment.
Then, an unpleasant odor quietly entered my nasal cavity.
It's a bit like stinky tofu that's bursting with juice.
Sang Li looked over.
A dead rat with mottled fur and a twisted body "squeezed" out from between the carriages.
Foul-smelling, filthy, mixed with sewer waste.
Sang Li: ?
So fat!
Are there many dead people here?
How can a rat be this fat?
Slo looked over, wondering what was going on.
How come there are rats here?
He then went to see Sang Li.
He thought she would scream, frown, or immediately throw herself into his arms; he had even raised his hand to protect her.
But Sang Li kept staring at the dead rat, muttering, "It's completely dead... but its body is still quite intact."
"..."
Slo's movements froze for a moment.
She looked up at him, a hint of confusion in her expression: "Is this...London?"
"Yes," he replied calmly, regaining his composure.
“Oh,” she nodded, her tone as casual as if she were saying, “The breakfast was pretty good.”
She continued muttering, "That's right. It's London with rats."
He didn't say anything, but breathed a sigh of relief, though he was also slightly annoyed that he hadn't touched her earlier.
She was even more adorable than when they first met. She wasn't a porcelain doll that would cry at the sight of a dead mouse, but rather a chocolate-covered liqueur candy.
Slo's lips slowly curved into a smile.
That's fine too.
The carriage continued forward, its wheels grinding over gravel with a slow, rhythmic creaking sound.
The atmosphere inside the carriage was eerily quiet.
Sang Li leaned back on the cushions, her gaze casually sweeping across the window.
“They just released a new perfume, it should be a scent you like,” Sloe said, trying to keep the conversation going. “Oh, and they also opened an Italian restaurant, it’s really authentic, the owner is of Italian descent, we can go try it. The weather’s nice today, don’t let a mouse get to you, it didn’t even stain your skirt.”
Sang Li agreed, seemingly unintentionally, still thinking about the mouse from earlier.
Where did these clean and tidy streets come from?
There was no mud or excrement even on the sides of the road.
She didn't listen to what Sloan said at all.
Suddenly, her fingertips trembled.
She saw someone, and her gaze paused slightly.
Not far ahead, by the stone bridge, a man stood beside a bridge pillar. The man's hair was disheveled, and his profile looked somewhat pale, suggesting he hadn't had enough rest, yet he appeared surprisingly familiar.
He was smoking.
The wind blew past the hem of his clothes, stirring up a few ripples.
The man seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up.
His gaze met Sang Li's across the moving carriage.
In the blink of an eye, Sang Li was stunned.
The man was also stunned.
It feels so familiar.
Their eyes met, and though it was only a few seconds, it felt like an eternity had passed.
Suddenly, my mind went blank, as if something had exploded.
Sang Li narrowed her eyes. Who was that person?
He definitely has something to do with me.
Even if it's not there now, it definitely will be in the future.
It's as if something was preordained in the dark.
But the carriage did not stop.
Crunch, crunch.
The carriage continued on its way, pulling her out of her daze.
A warm breeze swept by, and the scenery outside the car window rushed past.
The man's figure gradually faded into the distance, became blurred, and disappeared.
***
Lu Jin was standing by the bridge.
He found her, Sang Li.
Fortunately, the map isn't too big.
Three hours ago, he entered the world created by BEAM-0248.
After the image distorted violently, the ground beneath his feet finally stabilized.
The glaring light faded, revealing a vintage, tranquil landscape, the air filled with the scent of roses and oil paint. But the paint smell vanished in an instant, and the place felt like the real world.
To be honest, the spiritual dimension constructed by BEAM-0248 is enough to achieve a level of realism that is indistinguishable from reality. He was referring to the objects, details, and scenery.
However, in his view, the whole world was fake and dreamlike.
This doesn't feel like 17th or 18th century Europe; it's more like a Western fantasy film that Sang Li would enjoy.
Where in real historical Europe was it really this beautiful?
Sang Li once said that even the streets of London were littered with excrement.
It's disgusting because it's so fake.
Lu Jin learned that there was only one duke in the vicinity, and the duke had a wife, who he guessed must be the "person in the painting" and Sang Li.
Is this trying to create some kind of princess and prince fantasy?
dream.
He waited on the only way out of the castle, BEAM-0248 was certainly eager to show Sangli his whole world.
Inside the carriage, she wore a white princess dress, lacking her usual leisurely beauty, as if she were forced to conform to some kind of script.
Sitting next to her was a man in a black suit, his face blurred, as if he had no features.
Lu Jin was startled and almost rushed forward.
But he forcibly suppressed his impulse.
Do not move.
He is now "part of the creation," and all his actions can be captured and utilized by the painting.
If it's discovered that he's infiltrated the painting, even with a mental stabilizing agent, he'll still suffer irreversible damage. Furthermore, if 0248 discovers him, Sang Li might not be able to escape.
Lu Jin's eyes hardened, his fists clenched, and he narrowed his eyes.
Tang Lan is right. Once the painting is damaged, it will activate a self-devouring mechanism, and all the victims may face the risk of having their memories erased.
Lu Jin hailed a carriage and leaped aboard.
He was going to see where Sang Li had gone.
Is she alright now?
Do you still remember yourself?
The wheels rolled swiftly on the stone pavement.
Lu Jin maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far from the carriage.
In terms of individual combat capability, the "person in the painting" is no match for him at all, but this time there are too many constraints, and moving one will affect the whole situation.
Lu Jin pressed the button on his earpiece: "Can you see the image?"
"Boss, analysis complete. The man next to Sang Li is BEAM-0248, and he also appeared on the day you went to the Cherry Blossom Lovers art exhibition. I've done image analysis, and he has indeed been tracking Sang Li." Zhou Fangyang's voice came through as he rapidly typed on the keyboard. "Also, I'm combining this with facial recognition; everyone near you right now is a recently missing victim. Be careful."
"Okay, Yu Qi and Tang Lan should not come in until I find the logic behind this painting."
"Understood, boss."
"By the way, is this London?" Lu Jin suddenly asked a nonsensical question.
Zhou Fangyang: "I checked the information and the world in this painting is indeed based on London, but London in history was not like this. For example, people were starving and freezing at that time, plagues were rampant, and the Black Death was everywhere. How could people grow roses on balconies? Moreover, bakeries would not have soft and delicious bread, and traditional kilns could not control the moisture at all."
Lu Jin raised an eyebrow slightly; "You seem to know a lot about this."
Zhou Fangyang scratched his head and said, "That's what Sang Li said the other day. She seems to know a lot about these things."
Sang Li is indeed a special girl. She seems quiet and gentle, loves playing otome games, can draw, and appreciates beautiful scenery. But at the same time, she is a horror movie enthusiast, a fan of violent aesthetics, a lover of medieval dark history, and even studies things like goat heads and sorcery.
Lu Jin was quite annoyed that even Zhou Fangyang knew about it, but Sang Li never told him.
Yesterday, Sang Li finally wanted to go out for steak and a movie, and it was even the same zombie movie she had planned to watch with Bai Heng last time, but it was all ruined by this piece of junk, BEAM-0248!
He will not be spared.
Lu Jin drove the carriage and followed, while Sang Li's carriage stopped in front of a high-end clothing store.
Sang Li got off the bus.
As the shoe tip dripped, the white skirt fell to the ground, and the edge of the skirt swept a group of black mud stains onto the clean floor.
But there wasn't a single trace of water on the ground.
At the same time, Lu Jin, who had stopped, smelled an indescribable odor again.
It smelled fishy and foul, like a mixture of dead fish and rotten mud, with a hint of the pungent smell of undried paint.
Lu Jinxin's heart sank suddenly.
An unrealistic idea suddenly popped into my head.
The once dry and clean cobblestone street was now suddenly seeping black water from both sides. The thick, black liquid oozed from the cracks in the stone slabs, as if something underground was slowly breathing and seeping upwards.
The streets also seemed to be distorted.
The cobblestones began to crumble, and the shadows of the buildings along the street were stretched out, becoming like the arms of giants, twisted and drooping, as if trying to grab a wheel.
At the edge of the black water, two enormous rats emerged.
Their fur was wet, their eyes were like glowing coals, and they dragged long, pointed tails as they galloped past the carriage wheels. They seemed completely unafraid of people, even watching him intently.
"Zhou Fangyang, help me..." Lu Jin hadn't finished speaking when he looked again and the ground was clean again.
Zhou Fangyang: "What's wrong, boss?"
"Did you see that?"
"What do you see?"
"never mind."
Zhou Fangyang realized something: "Just now, there was an abnormal magnetic field fluctuation. Boss, you need to be careful."
Lu Jin: "Okay."
At the same time, Sang Li, who was standing on the street, seemed to have heard the noise as well. She turned her head to look, but saw nothing.
She looked at the sky again, then turned and went into the clothing store.
The shop was filled with a dazzling array of clothing, all of considerable value.
The shop assistants noticed that it was a wealthy woman and her husband, and they offered her warm greetings and concern.
The clothes are beautiful and gorgeous.
"How about this one?" Slo pointed to the princess dress with pearl trim on the hanger.
"not good."
To be honest, Sang Li wasn't very interested; something felt off.
“Okay, how about this one?” He changed into another outfit, pointing to a black swallowtail dress with a red silk flower on the shoulder.
It really accentuates the figure, and it's low-cut.
"That's not good either."
Sloan: "..."
Sang Li ignored him, her gaze quickly sweeping across the shelves before she stopped.
Another outfit was a silver-gray female knight's outfit, made of leather and metal, with a dark red cross on the chest. The cut was neat and the waist was slender, while the skirt was split just right.
It's kind of nice.
"I want to try it."
“I’ll go with you.” Slo followed.
Sang Li turned around and blocked his way: "You want to see me change clothes?"
Slo was taken aback, then quickly raised his hand: "I wouldn't dare."
He suddenly felt a little afraid of Sang Li, for some reason.
"Be good and wait here." After saying that, Sang Li carried the clothes and walked towards the fitting room.
The fitting room was a separate two-story room with a deep red carpet and a mirror as tall as a person.
She went inside, put down her clothes, and turned her back to the mirror.
The air was very quiet.
Instead of changing her clothes immediately, she slowly turned her head and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Then, her lips twitched slightly, her voice calm with a hint of a smile, but she didn't speak to anyone: "Come out."
Outside the curtain, the clothes hanger swayed slightly, making a soft click.
“Sang Li”.
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