Chapter 624: Everything Under Control

"...Hmm?"

Liu Qingyan looked up in confusion, looking at the lead-gray sky.

She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she seemed to hear a voice mixed in the sighing gale, drifting out from the Gray Realm intersection point...

The moment this voice sounded, the shadow centipedes around her seemed to have their hair stand on end, instantly letting out a roar. Their massive bodies spun rapidly on the ground and then dove into the ground, disappearing, as if they had encountered something extremely terrifying.

"That was..."

Now that Chen Ling had been taken away by the Floating Life Painting members and the other Twilight Society members had disappeared, only Liu Qingyan stood alone in this messy sea of blood... and only she had heard this voice.

Liu Qingyan frowned and stared at the sky for a long time, then walked toward the distance.

In her mind, the conversation between Chen Ling and Yang Muquan from a few minutes ago resurfaced:

"I can tell you what I know, or I can surrender without a fight... but I have one condition." Chen Ling pointed to Liu Qingyan in the crowd. "She is not a member of the Dusk Agency; she is a female entertainer I forcibly abducted. If you let her go, I will go with you."

After saying this, Chen Ling looked back at Liu Qingyan, his gaze as deep as an abyss.

At the time, Liu Qingyan had even prepared herself to stand behind Chen Ling and fight a bloody path out, but when she heard those words, she was suddenly stunned...

To an outsider, this sentence might hold many subtle meanings, and one could easily imagine a dramatic, cliché-ridden emotional saga—such as a Dusk Agency member kidnapping a female entertainer for her beauty, only to develop feelings during their time together, leading to a "bossy, reckless love" plot, like something out of a "Gangster Boss Fell in Love with Me" story.

But Liu Qingyan was far too clever; she knew clearly that Chen Ling had no such intentions. That look of his clearly held a deeper meaning.

"Lord Chen Ling... what exactly do you need me to do?"

Liu Qingyan muttered to herself.

……

Several figures moved along the ruined streets.

Numerous members of the Floating Life Painting surrounded the figure in red, their expressions solemn and their bodies tense, looking as if they were prepared for anything.

The reputation of Heart of Hearts 6, Chen Ling, was legendary to them. After witnessing his insane slaughter and the act of devouring a heart just moments ago, this figure in red had left them with deep psychological trauma... With such a monster being escorted right beside them, no one dared to relax for even a second.

"Wang Jincheng, your injuries are too severe. Go back and rest first." Yang Muquan glanced at Wang Jincheng, who was trailing at the back of the group.

"...Alright."

Wang Jincheng hesitated for a moment before nodding.

A top-tier wanted criminal like Heart of Hearts 6 could certainly not be held in a regular police station cell; it was highly likely he would be taken to the headquarters of the Floating Life Painting... And as someone who was not a member of the Floating Life Painting, Wang Jincheng did not have the clearance to enter.

The Floating Life Painting was different from the Law Enforcers of the Aurora Domain; anyone who possessed a Divine Path could become a Law Enforcer, but the Floating Life Painting only recruited those with the "Blue Divine Path." This was why Wang Jincheng, despite being a Tier 6 powerhouse, could only remain in the police department.

Just as Wang Jincheng turned to leave, Chen Ling, who was surrounded by the crowd, suddenly spoke up:

"Chief Wang."

Wang Jincheng’s footsteps faltered. He looked back at Chen Ling, his expression full of vigilance.

"...Thank you for your protection. As I said, you are a good person." Chen Ling smiled slightly. "I will come looking for you again."

“？？？”

Hearing the second half of the sentence, Wang Jincheng’s face turned as ugly as if he had swallowed a fly. He glared fiercely at Chen Ling. "I don't need you to define what kind of person I am... Also, I don't want to see you again."

Wang Jincheng left without looking back.

Chen Ling watched this scene with a smile, but a cold snort came from beside him.

"Give it up. You won't have a chance to return here again... Your fate has only two outcomes: death, or eternal imprisonment."

It was Yang Muquan who spoke. He pulled his hands from his pockets and drew a line in the void; a square black frame was outlined around Chen Ling, boxing him in completely.

Immediately after, Chen Ling’s figure became visibly flattened, as if compressed into the black frame, resembling a life-sized color comic panel.

A flash of surprise crossed Chen Ling’s eyes. He grabbed the sides of the black frame with both hands, trying to pry it open, but couldn't shake it in the slightest... Chen Ling tried to step out of the frame, but no matter which direction he walked—forward, backward, left, or right—it was as if he were walking in place within the frame, like a comic space completely isolated from the outside world.

Yang Muquan waved his hand gently, and Chen Ling, inside the comic frame, floated up like a balloon, following behind him.

Chen Ling’s mouth opened and closed in surprise, but no sound came out. Only a speech bubble appeared from the side:

——【What an amazing skill.】

Yang Muquan didn't look at Chen Ling again. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his black-and-white spotted jacket and stomped his foot hard on the ground. Black comic lines, full of power and speed, emerged from his side.

His figure instantly leaped up, crossing hundreds of meters in a single jump!

And the red-clad Chen Ling in the comic frame automatically followed closely behind him, with absolutely no room to escape.

Chen Ling had tried several methods, but he couldn't step out of this frame. After all, Yang Muquan was a Tier 7 powerhouse; trapping a Tier 3 like him was effortless... Fortunately, he didn't intend to escape anyway. Dressed in red, he leaned against the edge of the frame and lazily yawned.

The next moment, a white shadow suddenly darted out from behind and silently collided with the frame Chen Ling was in.

"Huh?"

Chen Ling raised an eyebrow. He saw it was a flying white dove that had crashed into the frame from the outside, immediately transforming into a flat piece of white stationery that drifted silently in front of him.

In the upper left corner of this stationery was a miniature "Jack of Clubs" emblem and an elegant magician's top hat.

It’s him?

In Chen Ling’s mind, the tall and mysterious image of the Jack of Clubs surfaced, and he couldn't help but feel surprised... After all, Yang Muquan was a Tier 7, and for the Jack of Clubs' dove to silently pass through the frame and reach his side, the Jack of Clubs himself must be at least a Tier 7.

Moreover, this method of sending letters via white dove, along with the magician's hat in the corner, allowed Chen Ling to guess his path... The Jack of Clubs had told him before that although his path was also the Drama Divine Path, it didn't focus on self-transformation or disguise. It seemed his skill tree was entirely invested in object transformation.

Magic, how could it not be considered a form of "Drama"?

At this moment, there was only one simple sentence on the stationery:

"Need support?"

Seeing these four words, Chen Ling chuckled. He casually bit his finger and used his blood to write four large characters in response:

——【Everything is under control】.