Plan A
Mist Map 19
Views on Love
K City, Police Station.
The atmosphere had sunk into a terrible stagnation; the few people present looked at each other, speechless.
“What if, after four days, we haven’t saved the person?”
“Then you’ll have a dismemberment case on your hands here.”
The captain’s lips twitched, his expression very solemn.
“Not a single clue?”
“Not a damn thing1 has happened, what clues could there be? Only two words, ‘Clown’.”
Captain Xing2 and K City Criminal Police Team Captain were old classmates, and also old rivals, sworn enemies; they usually avoided meeting, and if they absolutely had to contact each other for some reason, they wouldn’t feel right until they’d taken a couple of jabs at the other.
“Hey, what are you yelling at me for? I’m not the killer. I can’t be bothered to argue with you this time, there’s not enough time. Let’s analyze first.”
K City Criminal Police Team Captain Old Mo3 sat down and began to analyze the situation.
“We’ve heard that a circus will be coming to our city to perform, there might be clowns in it. Our city also has a very famous attraction called the Clown House.”
That was a theme park. There were several stories about the builder’s identity; one said the boss was a clown, so he wanted to build a Clown House. Another said the boss really loved watching clown performances, so he specially built a park for his own enjoyment.
“Firstly, waiting for the hare to bump into the tree4 is useless for us, because the killer told me he wants to play a game with me, and this game has already begun. The victim is now somewhere in this city, suffering in a place related to ‘Clown’. The killer might not appear, or he might be watching nearby, and, he has accomplices.”
Su Xin organized her words, laying out the situation clearly.
“Secondly, in this game, we are the passive party. This isn’t an arrest operation, because we don’t know the killer’s name right now, we don’t know where he is. He might be someone without an ID card, whose information can’t be searched. He only gave four days. If we don’t find that person after four days, that person might die.”
They could only get moving and search, not wait.
Liao Qingjie sat silently to the side. In this discussion, she was not in the lead; her responsibility was only to protect Su Xin from danger, and she didn’t need to participate in any case analysis.
“I’ll go check out that theme park first.”
Su Xin stood up, and Liao Qingjie also stood up with her.
“Don’t worry about my safety. If you guys want to follow, then follow. He won’t try to kill me at this time.”
The captain sighed, not knowing whether to be pleased or worried. If the witness were fragile, perhaps this current situation wouldn’t be happening. It would be so much better if this person were a bit smarter, but she just has too many of her own ideas, completely sidelining them, looking like she doesn’t want to act with them, going it alone, making her own decisions.
Su Xin had already energetically dragged Liao Qingjie away. In short, start the investigation first; without investigation, everything that followed would be a waste of effort.
It wasn’t that Su Xin wanted to go it alone and sideline the police; it was just that she was used to doing many things by herself. Moreover, in Su Xin’s view, Liao Qingjie was on the police’s side, so as long as she brought Liao Qingjie along when she acted, wouldn’t that mean cooperating with the police? It was all the same.
Su Xin wasn’t familiar with the routes here, but Fourteen was a mobile GPS navigator. It was just that things related to the case were blocked; other functions could still be used as usual.
Su Xin hailed a cab and gave the place name.
The Clown Theme Park was very famous here; many out-of-town tourists came, drawn by its reputation. The cabbies5 knew the route there like the back of their hands6.
“You’re from out of town, right?”
The cabbie seemed to enjoy talking to people. Not long after Su Xin and Liao Qingjie got into the car, he spoke with a smile while turning the steering wheel.
“Mm, yes.”
“I can tell from your accent, it’s different from how people around here talk. Are you two girls out having fun? You two young ladies should be careful, and you’re so good-looking too. There are many bad people in society, be sure to protect yourselves.”
The driver master7 seemed very warm-hearted; his words of concern didn’t make one feel uncomfortable.
“Mm-hm, Master8, can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead, go ahead! If I can tell you, I definitely will. There’s no place in this city I haven’t driven to, I know it inside out9!”
The driver master was all smiles; being asked questions by beautiful women just felt different.
“Are there any other places or things related to clowns around here?”
“Well now, you’ve asked the right person! Our city not only has a Clown Park, but a circus has also come! It’s over at the Big Plaza, performances start tonight. The show run seems to be four or five days. I suggest you go wander around there first. After all, that circus will leave, but the park doesn’t have legs, it won’t run away.”
“Alrighty, thank you.”
Clown Theme Park.
There was an entrance fee here; it wasn’t free. Tickets were eighty for adults, half price for children. Once inside, you could play for as long as you wanted. There were a few individually charged attractions, but the prices were still very budget-friendly.
Mainly because the economic level of this city wasn’t very high; a small park couldn’t boost the economy much.
On the frame above the entrance was a giant clown head, smiling, making people feel it was very cute.
Clown, clown, clown, what on earth does it mean!
Su Xin stood at the entrance, watching the people coming and going, feeling somewhat lost and confused.
Liao Qingjie took Su Xin’s hand, standing there with her. She leaned slightly to the side to avoid blocking others.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t quite figure it out.”
Su Xin tilted her head, glanced at Liao Qingjie, then looked again at the scene of people coming and going, those vibrant colors, this place full of laughter and joy, hiding unknown darkness and danger.
“Don’t think so much, and don’t add to your psychological burden. Keep it up, we can definitely find it.”
To carry another person’s life on one’s own shoulders, that was an exceptionally heavy thing.
Liao Qingjie swayed their clasped hands, the corners of her mouth turning up.
A clown noticed the two pretty girls standing by the entrance. One was frowning deeply, looking unhappy; the other seemed to be comforting her. The scene was very harmonious.
Having come here, of course, one should be happy.
This was a very, very happy place; everyone should be smiling.
The clown decided to walk over to them, to cheer them up.
Su Xin watched the clown perform magic tricks in front of her, his body twisting and turning, bouncing and jumping, very lively.
He performed, stumbled, comically.
Su Xin tilted her head, still not smiling, but her mood had indeed improved.
“What does ‘clown’ mean?”
The clown in front of her scratched his wig, every movement carrying a comical air.
“Clowns are us, pitiful yet great people.”
The clown’s voice was clear and melodious; one could tell he was a young man. He made a funny face, giggling.
Pitiful yet great.
Making people happy was indeed a great thing.
“Let’s go, let’s look around.”
If you were the killer, where would you hide the person?
Su Xin and Liao Qingjie walked for a full two hours, covering the entire theme park, and took photos with every clown. There was no strange feeling at all.
Su Xin and Liao Qingjie left the park. Su Xin sat on a bench rubbing her legs, and Liao Qingjie kneaded one of her shoulders.
“Do you want an ice cream cone? I’ll go buy you one.”
Liao Qingjie saw that the girls passing by were all holding ice cream or cones, making the stuffy summer feel a bit cooler.
Having lived together for many days, Liao Qingjie had fully grasped Su Xin’s tastes: what she liked to eat, what she didn’t like to eat, what style of clothes and shoes she liked, what animals she disliked, and most importantly, the timing of her menstrual period.
She wasn’t on her period now, so she could eat ice cream.
“Okay, buy me one. I want matcha flavor, or a two-tone one is fine too.”
Matcha is the best!10 Matcha mixed with milk flavor is also excellent.
Liao Qingjie went to the drink shop to queue. Su Xin sat on the bench, observing her surroundings.
This was the rest area at the park entrance. Some children were being led in by their parents, while others came to play by themselves.
In the center of this open space stood a clown statue, vividly lifelike, standing there. Many people were taking photos with it, and there were vendors selling things nearby.
Su Xin noticed the clown statue, stood up, and walked towards it.
People were queuing there to take photos, so she couldn’t get close for a while and could only wait in line on the periphery.
Although there were many people queuing for ice cream at the drink shop, the service was very fast. When Liao Qingjie returned with the ice cream, she found the person on the chair was gone, and her heart panicked.
But soon she found that person in the crowd, and her heart instantly settled. So that saying was true.
When you like someone, even if they are in a crowd and their appearance is unremarkable, you can pick them out at a glance; they seem to be glowing.
Liao Qingjie walked over with the cones, handing one to Su Xin.
“Here, your two-tone.”
“Thanks.”
“Do you think there’s a problem there?”
“I just don’t want to miss any place related to clowns.”
“Okay.”
Actually, this location was probably unlikely, because the foot traffic was too heavy. If someone were trapped inside, it would be hard not to be discovered. More importantly, this thing might not be hollow; it might be solid, although the possibility of it being solid was relatively small. A careful observation would reveal it.
When it was Su Xin’s turn, she didn’t go up to pose for a photo but instead knocked on it with her hand and felt its crevices. The clown statue wasn’t tall; including the base, it seemed to be only about 1.8 meters.
It wasn’t see-through, so she couldn’t see what it was like inside, but it should be hollow.
Su Xin’s actions made the people behind her a bit restless, and they urged her.
“Hurry up, what are you doing? Dawdling! If you’re taking a photo, then hurry up and take it. If you’re not taking a photo, then hurry up and leave! Don’t block the people behind, okay?”
Su Xin licked her cone as she walked away from the clown statue, pondering.
The killer was still using old tricks. The number he called her from was a K City number. When she called back, no one answered.
That number was traced to K City. It might be someone else’s phone, or an accomplice’s, or more likely, stolen from someone else.
Later, the police here mobilized their forces, and the IP was located to a mobile phone, but the owner of the phone had absolutely nothing to do with the killer.
“When does that circus start performing?”
“Six in the afternoon.”
It was now three in the afternoon, the sun blazing fiercely.
“Can we buy tickets now?”
“The venue is probably still being set up. Want to go take a look first?”
“Let’s go.”
The two hailed a taxi and rushed to the next location.
The venue was still under construction, many people bustling about, some onlookers standing by.
Su Xin walked over and found someone inside who was busy directing.
“Um, hello.”
“Sorry, just a moment. Our performance doesn’t start until the evening, you’re too early.”
“Ah, I see. I wanted to ask, what time can we buy tickets?”
“Five-thirty will be fine.”
The person wiped the sweat from their forehead, smiling very amiably.
“Then, does your troupe have a clown act?”
“Of course, his performance will definitely make you roar with laughter.”
The person wasn’t impatient either, because circuses were having a hard time these days; many had disappeared without a trace. Once they got involved in any animal abuse allegations, they couldn’t afford the trouble.
“Then what time does he perform?”
“He’s the warm-up act, you’ll see him first thing.”
“Has he been performing with you all for a long time?”
“Of course, we are very experienced and will definitely not harm any animals.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, hope to see you at the show.”
After Su Xin finished talking, she walked back to Liao Qingjie’s side.
“How was it?”
“There’s one clown, he’s the first to appear during the performance, and he’s been with this troupe for a long time. It would be quite difficult for the killer to disguise himself as him, and even more impossible to disguise the hostage as him.”
“Let’s come back tonight and see.”
“Alright.”
It seemed like they had gained nothing.
This game of hide-and-seek was really too exasperating11. Although this city wasn’t very big, it wasn’t small either, and they only had the keyword “clown.”
Su Xin, calm down.
If you were preparing to kill someone, where would you make preparations?
The most hidden, most convenient, easiest place to approach the target.
“Any thoughts?”
“A little. I suspect it’s still the park. Let’s go back and check again.”
The most hidden: clowns are most common in the clown park, easiest to hide. The thick greasepaint conceals the original appearance, but that is hiding in plain sight, requiring no reason.
The most convenient: clowns are naturally convenient in the clown park. They can go wherever they want inside, exceptionally convenient.
Easiest to approach the target: a clown.
Following her own line of thought, Su Xin felt the Clown Theme Park was the strangest place. If she were the killer, after succeeding, she wouldn’t stay alone in some place—too conspicuous. She would blend into the crowd, become ordinary, and then strike fatally.
Hide oneself, become an ordinary person.
“Okay.”
They’ve come back again, the clown thought to himself.
The two beautiful girls he had seen earlier had played here for a long time, then left. It wasn’t even evening yet, and they were back again.
The clown stood there, silently watching them, feeling that these two girls were very strange.
It seemed they weren’t here because they were in a bad mood, or because they were in a good mood and wanted to feel even better. Their steps were so hurried; what were they looking for?
What were they looking for?
Su Xin felt someone staring at her. She immediately looked towards the source of the gaze. Liao Qingjie was equally sensitive and also locked onto a location.
People walked back and forth, obstructing their view.
“Did you feel it?”
“I felt it from the moment we came in.”
“Go take a look?”
“Mm.”
Su Xin and Liao Qingjie walked in that direction. They didn’t see anyone strange, only the clown they had encountered last time.
The young man with the very young voice.
The clown was startled to see them standing in front of him, but he quickly composed himself and struck a pose for them.
The clown wasn’t very idle; there were also some people gathered around him, but he only performed some small magic tricks, then gestured for those tourists to go inside.
Only when there was no one around did he speak up to greet them.
“Ladies, we meet again.”
“Were you watching us just now?”
“Yes, I was a little curious. Did you lose something? Or are you looking for someone?”
“Ah, it’s like this.”
Su Xin squeezed Liao Qingjie’s hand behind her back, a plan forming in her mind.
“We’re playing hide-and-seek with a friend. He only told me he’s a clown, and I don’t know where he’s hiding. We can’t recognize him after he puts on makeup. Excuse me, do you know all the clowns in this park?”
“So that’s how it is. Of course, I know them all, but I only know what they look like without makeup. Although the staff in our park isn’t fixed, very few new people come in, so basically, everyone is familiar with each other. But we still can’t recognize them after they put on makeup, because makeup can be changed. However, we know each other’s specific habits, movements, height, and build.”
The clown said, smiling mischievously.
“Your staff isn’t fixed?”
“Of course. We have professional clowns and amateur ones. For example, some students or working folks like to dress up as clowns to make others happy and themselves happy too. But they usually don’t have enough time, so they only come for a few hours when they’re free. Some stay for the whole day. The professionals, well, they treat it as a proper job, so of course, they have to report daily, or go to some places to perform.”
Professional clowns were no longer common. Some were trained by professional institutions, while others were self-taught latecomers12.
“Someone like me is an amateur. I like being a clown, performing magic, bringing smiles to everyone. Kids will gather around me, tugging at me to make balloon animals for them, to do magic tricks.”
The clown’s smile was sincere and from the heart, making people feel very happy.
“But my parents don’t let me do it. They think it’s not respectable, that clowns are all weird people, buffoons who make people laugh. I can only sneak out to do this behind their backs.”
The clown spread his hands, looking very helpless.
“You all deserve to be respected. Making people upset is such an easy thing; making them happy is not.”
Su Xin praised him. Every profession deserves respect.
Logically speaking, being an assassin wasn’t really a profession, not recognized by law, but it was an established convention13, tacitly accepted by everyone.
“Then can you help me keep an eye out, after you all rest?”
The park stopped operating at eight o’clock.
“Of course, I can! But you have to tell me what your friend’s characteristics are, otherwise how can I find him?”
Su Xin originally wanted to say he had a scar on his face, but then she thought about it and felt it was impossible. The killer was a meticulous person and would absolutely not expose himself like that.
If an accomplice was among them, it would be even harder to recognize. Who knew what that accomplice looked like.
“I don’t know either, he didn’t tell me. Just please let me know if there are any strangers. Are you always standing at this entrance?”
“Yes, I usually come on Saturdays, and when I come, I like to stand at the entrance and watch many, many people.”
“So, if any clown leaves without removing their makeup, you would know too?”
“Of course.”
“Then I’ll have to trouble you. If you observe anything, please be sure to tell me. This is my contact information. Do you have a phone?”
“Yes, I do.”
After exchanging contact information, the clown took out a balloon, his fingers flying as he twisted it into a cute animal shape.
“Actually, you’re not playing hide-and-seek with a friend, are you?”
“Hmm? We are indeed playing hide-and-seek, but that person isn’t my friend. He took something very important from me and told me that I can only get my thing back if I find him.”
“Wow, that’s kind of cool.”
The clown gave the balloon in his hand to Su Xin.
“Thank you. Then we’ll continue looking around.”
Su Xin took the balloon in her hand.
Liao Qingjie, for some reason, felt a bit unhappy, but she still maintained her deadpan14 expression.
They searched thoroughly once more, confirming that there were no places where a person could be hidden.
It was almost six o’clock by now.
“Let’s go to that circus.”
Liao Qingjie picked up her phone and checked the time; it started at six over there.
“Okay.”
When Su Xin and Liao Qingjie left, they said goodbye to the clown.
They took a cab to the circus performance venue. Su Xin and Liao Qingjie bought tickets and went inside.
At this moment, the clown had already started performing acrobatics, his movements agile, comical, and amusing.
Su Xin and Liao Qingjie only stared at the clown. After the clown left the stage, they didn’t continue watching the following performances but left their seats and headed backstage.
“What are you doing? You can’t just enter the backstage area.”
Someone stopped the two of them.
“We like that clown. Can we take a photo with him and get an autograph?”
Su Xin said cleverly, her eyes looking inward, very much like a fan chasing her idol.
Liao Qingjie was amused by her impromptu act and wanted to laugh, but to avoid ruining the scene, she nodded calmly, yet the feeling of happiness was impossible to suppress.
“Just take a photo and get an autograph, then leave. You can take photos outside too.”
“Alright.”
That person looked them up and down before hesitantly nodding.
“Zhou-ge, someone’s looking for you for a photo!”
The person shouted towards the inside. Su Xin and Liao Qingjie stood at the entrance and saw the clown running over.
The clown wasn’t very tall, looking to be less than 1.7 meters, a bit shorter than Liao Qingjie.
Liao Qingjie was 170 cm, and Su Xin’s current body’s height was 164 cm.
This definitely couldn’t be the killer, and his demeanor didn’t look like that of a kidnapped hostage either.
“Wow, really? You’re looking for me for a photo?”
Zhou-ge was a little excited. He had been in this line of work for seven or eight years, and rarely did anyone ask to take a photo with him. If there were requests, they were usually from children, because those who liked these performances were mostly those innocent and artless15 children, who would feel very happy about novel things. Adults would too, of course, but the proportion was smaller.
“Mm-hm.”
Next came the photo session; nothing happened.
They left the plaza and returned to the hotel they had booked.
After such a busy day, there were no particularly significant discoveries, only that the clown in the circus was neither the hostage nor the killer.
The captain hadn’t returned yet; he should still be at the police station investigating other matters.
They ordered dinner. Liao Qingjie had booked a twin bed room, very calculatingly not booking a single room.
Liao Qingjie had basically figured out what kind of personality her beloved had. This type of person was actually very easy to understand, very direct, very simple. In her world, good was good, and not good was not good, and she liked to define relationships very clearly.
She had different standards of measurement in her heart and would have different attitudes towards different people, not at all coy or artificial.
She possessed great personal charm, was very brave, very resolute, would stubbornly do something and never let go, willing to work tirelessly for it. Such a person was firm yet gentle, gentle yet firm.
One absolutely could not force her to do anything, because once forced to respond, she would reveal her sharp armor, like a hedgehog, curling up and treating everyone with her prickly side.
One absolutely must not make her feel forced. Sometimes, she might be willing to do things in her heart, without anyone needing to urge or say anything, she would take the initiative. But if at this time someone gave her a forceful command, then all those things that originally made her feel pleasant would become less so.
To deal with this kind of person, one should use a slow simmer16, stew her until she’s cooked through, boiled tender, making her accustomed to you like breathing. If one day you weren’t by her side, she would feel very uneasy.
Liao Qingjie told this to Old Liu, but this view on love didn’t get Old Liu’s approval. Old Liu, as a straight man17, reacted with a snort of contempt.
L: Didn’t realize you were such a calculating Old Liao. But this method makes it hard for that girl to recognize her own feelings, right? Maybe what she develops for you is just a feeling of dependence, not love.
J: Ah… you say that like you understand it very well.
L: A little bit more than you.
J: Then are you saying that as a pursuer, it’s wrong for me to make her develop feelings of dependence on me?
L: Right, but… don’t you think your cause-and-effect relationship is a bit flawed here?
J: Is it flawed?
The single young woman looked completely baffled.
There was no reply from the other side yet, but it showed “typing…” Liao Qingjie waited. After a while, Old Liu sent a voice message.
Liao Qingjie wasn’t wearing headphones, so she had to walk from the bed to the bathroom to listen to what he was saying.
L: Terribly flawed! Listen to your bro sort it out for you. Two people like each other and become a couple. For example, you and her. Suppose you’ve already successfully pursued her and become her girlfriend. Because she likes you, she develops a feeling of dependence on you, likes to stick to you, act cute with you. If she sees you’re away from her for too long, she’ll miss you, feel sad, a day apart feels like three autumns18. But, if you haven’t pursued her yet, and you’re still in a friendship stage, and you make her develop a feeling of dependence on you, that’s just dependence between good friends. She’ll feel uncomfortable if she doesn’t contact you, but what kind of discomfort is that? It’s because she can no longer eat the food you cook, doesn’t have you by her side talking to her. Someone like you might be unique and irreplaceable in her heart, even if you’re not together.
After listening to this voice message, because of the last sentence, Liao Qingjie inexplicably felt very good, the corners of her mouth turning up.
Unique, irreplaceable, what wonderful idioms these were.
L: So have you figured out the relationship between these things?
J: I’d like you to explain it more clearly.
Another long voice message.
L: To put it more simply and crudely, even if you later make her depend on you very deeply, to the point where she can’t leave you, she might still refuse if you confess, because that’s not love. Of course, this still varies from person to person. Maybe the girl you’re pursuing will agree. But you have to think, is she agreeing because she doesn’t want to lose you as a friend, so it’s a phenomenon to maintain that, or does she have real romantic feelings for you?
J: Hmm… that’s a bit heart-stabbing.
L: There’s something even more heart-stabbing to come. In this world, no one can’t live without someone else. Even if she depends on you that much, it’s not like she can’t eat, can’t sleep, or can’t talk, right? What did she do before she met you? Couldn’t she order takeout?
J: Before she met me, she did indeed order takeout.
L: Is that the f%cking point I’m trying to make? Can you stop beating around the bush? Please face this problem squarely, don’t evade it, Comrade Liao.
J: Sigh, I was actually quite confident, but after you said all that, I feel like my confidence is about to collapse.
L: What do you admire about this girl? Is she brave, is she confident, is she independent, is she very straightforward?
J: Brave, confident, independent, straightforward, shines brightly, has her own mind and opinions, sometimes thinks of weird and wonderful things, very attractive, and can fight. She can climb mountains and deep dive.
Liao Qingjie leaned against the bathroom door, an unconscious silly grin on her face. This wave of compliments could be said to be very strong.
L: Yes, so if she really has these qualities, do you think she could possibly depend on you so much, depend on you to the point of being unable to leave you?
Old Liu actually couldn’t quite understand what his good friend was thinking. If this girl was so independent and brave, how could she be a dodder flower19 that lives by clinging to others?
Liao Qingjie suddenly didn’t know how to reply to her friend. This point hit her right where it hurt; it was what she feared most.
In the past 20-odd years, Liao Qingjie had no experience with love. She didn’t know why she had fallen for this girl at first sight. The many good qualities she mentioned were indeed reasons for her attraction, but the real reason she fell in love with the girl wasn’t those things. It was because of the girl’s smile, a stirring of the soul, that made her lose all control.
It was as if a little person in her heart kept shouting: That’s right! It’s her! No doubt about it!
The first time she saw her, she knew this person would be her wife.
J: Then what should I do?
L: That’s up to you. Actually, one’s own love doesn’t need others to dictate. Because different people have different personalities, and different sparks will fly as they get to know each other. Old Liao, if you really like this girl that much, how do you want to protect her? Is it by naturally occupying the position beside her, telling everyone you’re a couple, telling anyone who covets her that she’s taken, and you’ll crush all love rivals? Or is it by silently guarding her side, content just to see her happy?
Liao Qingjie walked to the washstand, looking at herself in the mirror. The person in it had a somber expression.
Liao Qingjie was a very selfish person; she never denied this. She could even be described as cold-blooded, capable of using any means to achieve her goals. Although she hadn’t done those things yet, only thought them over in her mind, she never felt she was a very tolerant person.
Whatever was hers should be clutched in her palm, never to escape for a lifetime. She would spoil the person in her heart rotten, spoil them to the point of lawlessness, then cut off her circle of friends, making her eyes and heart only have room for her. Normal social interactions were, of course, permissible, but her heart could only contain her alone.
Liao Qingjie thought carefully and told her good friend her answer.
J: Of course, I choose the former? Do you think silently guarding is my style? I want her to be happy, but the prerequisite is that she cannot be with anyone else. If she’s happy alone, I’ll be happy with her! If someone else appears by her side, that’s something I absolutely cannot tolerate.
L: I knew you’d say that. The former is the female lead route20, the latter is the female supporting character route21. So Old Liao, stop dithering and making things complicated. Once you’re familiar enough, just lay your cards on the table. Maybe the answer will be beyond your expectations?
J: Good idea, but I don’t think we’re familiar enough yet.
L: Hmm??? Then take her out, do things she likes, treat it as a date.
J: We’re currently handling some business together in one place.
L: So exciting!22 What business?
J: A psychopathic killer has targeted her and made a deal with her. If she doesn’t find a hostage within four days, that hostage will be killed, and then the next game will continue. There are six people on this hostage candidate list, now it should be five, right? We have to play along with him; this person is too cunning, we can’t catch him.
L: You two are really quite special… Then you should wait until after this matter is over to confess to her. Now might not be a good time to confess. She’s busy saving others, busy figuring out clues for some things, how would she have time to be in a relationship with you?
J: Mm.
Liao Qingjie pretended to flush the toilet, then washed her hands at the sink and walked out of the bathroom.
Su Xin was still looking down at her phone, busy with her own affairs, completely oblivious to the person beside her.
Su Xin was consulting an old expert, an elderly gentleman who was very knowledgeable about ancient scripts. She had gone through a lot of trouble to find this expert and get in touch with him.
The old gentleman wasn’t very good at using these smart devices; his grandson was helping him. It would still take some time for research.
Su Xin told the old gentleman not to worry too much. It would be good if he could understand the meaning, but if he couldn’t, it didn’t matter either, because she had never seen this type of script before, nor had she found large areas of these recorded symbols in the underground palace; she had only seen these four.
This phenomenon was actually quite strange. How could a tribe only have four symbols when recording things? It was possible that the underground palace was just one of their large structures. After all, although there were many rooms there, it didn’t look like a tribe that could live there properly.
That group of people should have had other places to live, but besides that small town, there were no other villages around that mountain, let alone any ancient ruins.
Actually, the strangest thing was still the absence of symbols that had been passed down. As long as there were traces of life, as long as there was communication, language should have been used.
So, where was their language?
✨ Unlock Early Access to Chapters! ✨
Choose your perfect membership at bamboopandatl.net:
📚 Full Access ($4.99)
• Advanced chapters of ALL ongoing novels
• Access to complete finished novels
• Ad-free reading experience
📖 Single Novel Access ($1.49)
• Advanced chapters of ONE specific novel
• Ad-free reading for chosen novel
PayPal is the only current payment option!