Chapter 202: Breaking into the Tiger's Den

Snow-white paper sheets extended from the floorboards, wrapping around Jian Changsheng’s body bit by bit, sealing him back inside like a coffin.

A glimmer of despair rose in Jian Changsheng’s eyes.

He had thought that since Chen Ling had rescued him, they might have a fighting chance if they teamed up, or at the very least, they could use the [Blood-Dripping Tuo] to escape. But he never expected that, after all that, he would still fall into the enemy's hands.

This [Puppet God Path] user was simply too strong for an Outlander; he was not someone they could handle at their current level... However, now that he had been captured, Chen Ling would likely not be spared either.

The white paper sheets completely swallowed Jian Changsheng’s form, turning him back into a paper figure. As the hunchbacked man casually dotted on two red pupils, the figure fell into a state of absolute, deathly silence.

The hunchbacked man slung the paper figure over his back and turned his gaze back to the building across the way.

"Still haven't caught him... Could it be that I have to take action myself?"

He looked at the lights gradually turning on in the distant residential buildings, his brow furrowing involuntarily. His intuition told him he had to catch that scurrying rat as soon as possible.

He set off toward the building across the way.

……

Between the abandoned buildings, a paper figure moved like a weightless ghost, passing through silently.

A minute ago, it had lost track of Chen Ling. Even after turning over all the abandoned rooms in the vicinity, it hadn't found a single trace of a living being... Chen Ling seemed to have evaporated into thin air.

But it was certain that Chen Ling hadn't left this residential building; otherwise, he wouldn't have escaped the eyes of the main body outside.

As its hollow gaze swept over an abandoned kitchen and confirmed it was empty, it continued toward the next room. Once its figure had completely moved away, an old empty bottle in the corner by the window trembled slightly.

Chen Ling’s heart sank to the bottom.

From this angle, he could see everything happening in the building across the way through the window. He had witnessed Jian Changsheng being instantly countered and killed... Chen Ling could be almost certain that the opponent was definitely more than Tier 4.

Chen Ling and Jian Changsheng were both Tier 2. Even with a larger number of skills, they couldn't defeat the opponent. He could only hide for now by distorting the skills of the Playwright God Path, but this wasn't a long-term solution... because the opponent's main body was now heading toward this building.

So, Chen Ling was left with only two options: either escape immediately while they weren't paying attention, though the odds of success were uncertain; or continue to disguise himself here and gamble that they wouldn't find him.

Chen Ling felt the second option was more feasible. After all, he was the only person in the world with the [Faceless] skill that allowed him to disguise himself as an object. It would be hard for others to suspect an empty bottle standing in the corner, so continuing to disguise himself was the safest bet.

Chen Ling’s brain raced. Just as he was about to execute this safe strategy, a more radical idea suddenly leaped into his mind...

Since others couldn't imagine him transforming into an object, could he use that to gamble on a greater possibility?

Chen Ling had been looking for his heart, but he still had no effective leads. The doctors at Wen Shilin’s place probably couldn't provide information about his heart either... And now, an opportunity to go straight to the mastermind behind the organ trade was right before his eyes.

Since the hunchbacked man wanted to know the whereabouts of Wen Shilin and Lin Yan, he wouldn't kill him here, but would instead take him back for soul-shattering interrogation. If he could coordinate that gap with his [Faceless] skill, perhaps there was room to maneuver?

The moment this thought appeared in Chen Ling’s mind, he was a bit scared of himself, because this plan was simply too crazy and too risky. He had to remember that he didn't have enough audience expectation points right now; if he died, it would be a huge disaster...

But for some reason, the idea wouldn't leave his mind. His hollow chest, which had been calm for so long, seemed to have rediscovered that familiar sense of excitement and pulsation.

The last time he felt this way was on the road to the ancient treasury of the Military God Path, when he risked infiltrating the [Fire-Tamperers].

Tap—tap—tap...

He heard familiar footsteps coming from downstairs. It was the hunchbacked man approaching. He didn't have much time left to hesitate.

Inside the empty, deserted building, a figure carrying a paper figure slowly stopped. He scanned the complex rooms around him and said indifferently:

"Search."

As the words fell, white paper figures automatically folded and appeared from behind him like a crowd of wandering ghosts, rapidly dispersing into rooms in all directions.

If one paper figure couldn't find Chen Ling, then a dozen would search together. This number of paper figures could completely turn the entire floor upside down, leaving Chen Ling no chance to maneuver or hide.

The man toyed with a sticky note in his hand, standing quietly in place, but his peripheral vision had already locked down every window and door in the vicinity. If anything tried to leave this building, he could turn the sticky note in his hand into a lethal weapon and maim it instantly.

Just then, the man seemed to notice something and raised his eyebrows in surprise, looking to the side.

In the dim gaps between the rooms, a flash of gunfire erupted!

Bang—!

The whistling bullet tore through the air, heading straight for the hunchbacked man’s brow!

Before the bullet could get within half a meter of the man, a sheet of white paper unfolded in front of him like an umbrella. The bullet touched the paper umbrella surface and was deflected, leaving not a single mark on it.

"You actually have a gun?" the man said unhurriedly. The umbrella surface in front of him quickly folded back into a sticky note that fell into his palm, and then he flicked his finger!

Having missed his shot, Chen Ling, hiding in the shadows, sank his face. He turned to flee toward the nearest window, but just as he took a step, the sticky note that had torn through the air automatically folded, transforming into the outline of a paper figure at an astonishing speed, slamming him heavily against the wall!

Boom!

Under the immense force, the wall shattered, and Chen Ling’s body flew backward.

At the same time, the dense paper sheets on the paper figure coiled around his body like snakes. Before his body could even touch the ground, they had sealed almost his entire body, leaving only his head to be slowly devoured.

A hunchbacked figure slowly walked toward him.

Chen Ling could no longer move his body and could only roll his eyes. He saw the hunchbacked man stop in front of him, his drooping eyes looking at him indifferently, and a hoarse voice sounded:

"Where are Wen Shilin and Lin Yan?"

Chen Ling smiled coldly, "Who are they? I've never heard of them."

Chen Ling’s answer was within the hunchbacked man’s expectations. He glanced at Chen Ling casually, and the remaining paper sheets completely wrapped him up, turning him into a slightly trembling paper figure.

The hunchbacked man took out a pen and drew two red pupils on the paper figure’s head, saying indifferently:

"Once we're back at the Chamber of Commerce, if you don't talk... I have ways to make you speak."