Chapter 65: An Astonishing Discovery

On his way back to the tavern, Li Changlu sold off Hei Wa and Xiao Qing, slipping away alone.

He could have comfortably lain in the tavern, waiting for the mission reward—this was Li Changlu’s ideal outcome. But he could not resign himself to being played for a fool…

The first time he’d ever been tricked…

He felt… so humiliated.

So helpless.

So thrilled.

So eager for revenge.

It was Li Changlu’s life creed never to let a grudge last overnight. Petty, perhaps—but he had never claimed to be a gentleman.

So, even if he could win by lying low, it would do nothing to soothe his wounded pride.

Revenge was all he could think about.

Although he had no idea where Young Master Long Qi had run off to, when Li Changlu carefully studied the comic page in his hand, he noticed a common detail.

Both his comic page and the one held by Young Master Long Qi shared an odd similarity: in an inconspicuous corner of the illustration, a little girl stood with her back turned, as if calling for help.

At first, Li Changlu thought nothing of it. Artists, after all, often have their quirks and eccentricities—odd habits that are hard for ordinary people to understand. Some calligraphy masters, for instance, would wail and contort themselves into strange poses while writing, as if possessed, producing words that looked like incomprehensible scribbles.

But that, apparently, was art—something not everyone could appreciate.

So when Li Changlu first noticed the little girl in the comic, he chalked it up to the artist’s personal whimsy, awkward as it seemed in the overall composition. He thought nothing more of it.

However…

When he recalled the page in Young Master Long Qi’s hand, he realized something startling…

He was left speechless for a long time.

Because hidden within was an earth-shattering clue…

And as he stood before a self-built villa community on the outskirts of Li City, comic page in hand, he looked again at the spot where the girl squatted. In the shadow of her body, a line of words was scrawled…

He couldn’t help but sigh at the ingenuity—this cry for help was simply…

An insult to anyone’s intelligence.

For there, in the shadow, was written: “Li City, Qidian District, Self-Built Community, Villa 99—come j-o-i-u us…”

Good grief…

There were so many words, they spilled out of the margins…

And what was with the misspelled pinyin?

You can draw but can’t write?

Are you a grade-schooler?

Li Changlu was astounded by the careless execution of this distress signal—it was infuriating.

At the very least, you could have hidden the message in an acrostic poem or a subtle illustration…

There was no technical merit in this plea for help—you deserved to be stuck in trouble.

Li Changlu cared nothing for the message; he only wanted to know if that bastard Long Qi had already found this place. He wanted payback…

He needed to get his hands on him…

But after waiting outside the self-built community for quite a while, he saw no sign of Young Master Long Qi.

“Number 99?”

Li Changlu wondered if the bastard had already gone inside, so, vengeful at heart, he stepped into the community.

Such self-built communities were common in Li City, constructed to house those relocated by urban development. Because they were on the outskirts, the land was cheap, so each family had their own detached villa.

But Li Changlu was no fool. He didn’t charge straight to villa 99; instead, he carefully observed the neighborhood as he walked.

The suburban community had a warm, down-to-earth feel, unlike the concrete chill of the city. Under the streetlights, small groups chatted and played cards. In the yards, people tended small vegetable plots and weeded their gardens.

It was a scene of peace.

“Young man, you look unfamiliar. Are you looking for someone? Need some help? The aunties here know everyone in the neighborhood,” an older woman called out warmly, stopping Li Changlu with concern.

“No, Auntie, I’m heading home—my mother’s waiting for me to eat.”

He refused the good-natured auntie without a second thought.

“Oh, it’s getting dark—why not have a bite at my house before you go?” she persisted, eager to have him stay for dinner.

“No, Auntie, I suddenly feel like throwing up. I think I’m unwell and need to go home and play some games to feel better.”

Li Changlu had no hesitation in rebuffing her enthusiasm. He turned to leave at once.

“Oh, you child! You’re just going to leave like that?” the auntie exclaimed, reaching out to grab his arm.

Li Changlu tried to shake off her grip.

And then—

There was a crisp snap.

Crack!

The auntie’s arm, holding his hand, was twisted off with hardly any effort from Li Changlu.

He stared, dumbfounded, at the two arms in his hands, then tossed them aside.

“No worries, no worries. Let’s go—have some dinner at my place before you leave,” said the armless auntie, utterly unfazed, as if she’d just lost a strand of hair instead of her limbs.

Strangest of all, not a drop of blood spilled from her torn arms.

Li Changlu wasn’t all that surprised; he’d expected something like this.

Because…

The moment he entered the community, he realized that everyone there was paper-thin.

More precisely, the people in this community looked like living drawings—people painted onto paper.

From the front, they looked normal enough, but from the side, you could see they were trapped within a sheet of paper.

It was deeply unsettling.

“Auntie, your arms are broken—I’ll go buy a bucket of 520 glue to stick them back on,” Li Changlu said, pointing at her.

Without another word, he bolted, fleeing this terrifying place.

“How many times have I told you? Come eat at my house, eat! Why won’t you listen?” The auntie’s once-kind face twisted into a ferocious grin as she cackled after him.

“If you won’t eat, then I’ll just have to eat you…”

The armless auntie pelted after him at a run.

Li Changlu dashed madly for the community gate, head blank, tripping and scrambling several times without slowing.

Thankfully—

The gate was just ahead…

Thankfully—

He’d realized in time…

Thankfully—

No way he could lose a footrace to an auntie.

Overjoyed, Li Changlu sprinted toward the gate, feet pounding.

Behind him, the armless old woman watched the gate unhurriedly, swallowing repeatedly like a starving wolf who’d already trapped her prey, ready to savor her meal.