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墨書 Inktalez
“Like a couple?!” I thought, puzzled. “Could they be acquaintances of Hu Fang?”
With that in mind, I asked the shopkeeper, “Do you know where they went afterward?”
The shopkeeper scratched his somewhat dirty hair and replied, “I didn’t pay much attention, but it seems they headed in that direction…” He pointed down the street.
Just then, the group that had been browsing inside the store came out, holding some strange souvenirs and asking the shopkeeper for prices.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper smiled broadly and muttered to himself, “It’s been a long time since anyone came to buy anything. Thanks to you all…”
As they confirmed the prices, everyone bought their respective items. After thanking the shopkeeper, I left the general store.
“What are these Demonic Marks you bought…” I said as I looked at the odd items they were holding.
Li Zhisheng replied, “Who cares what they are? We just grabbed whatever. Let’s see if there are any marks around here…”
Hearing Li Zhisheng's words, Yao Long quickly started looking around, and I didn’t dare slack off either; we all began searching the streets for any signs…
The four of us searched tirelessly along the town's streets, but since seeing that mark in the general store, we hadn’t spotted any other signs.
A sense of unease crept into my heart. “The shopkeeper Hu Fang was with that handsome young man and they seemed to have had a dispute. Could it be that Hu Fang’s act of leaving a mark was discovered, and then that man knocked him out and took him away? And who exactly was that man?”
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck me. “Could it be Gu Kai?!”
But I quickly dismissed that thought. If it were him, he could have taken Hu Fang openly; none of us would stand a chance against him. Moreover, based on Gu Kai’s previous actions, he didn’t seem like someone who would do such a thing. Ever since the incident at the amusement park, I felt like Gu Kai was helping us from a position I didn’t fully understand.
As I pondered this, I glanced at the sun sinking gradually toward the horizon and murmured to myself, “Searching aimlessly like headless flies isn’t going to work. The sun is about to set; if we don’t find her soon, who knows what will happen when night falls…”
Lost in my thoughts, Yao Long suddenly stopped in his tracks and sighed, saying, “This isn’t working; we can’t find any traces at all. It feels like all our leads have gone cold.”
"Could it be that you just didn't notice and overlooked something?" Li Zhisheng questioned.
"That's impossible," Death Apostle replied. "Yao Long has been with me for so long; I know him well. If he wanted to find something, he would definitely not miss anything. Since he has acted this way, we can be sure there are no other clues."
After hearing this, I stood by the street, watching the bustling crowd pass by, while my mind replayed all the clues I had discovered. However, the noise around me—vendors shouting, people chatting and laughing—made it impossible for me to concentrate.
"What are these people talking about? I can't understand a word..." Death Apostle complained. Upon hearing his words, it felt like I had grasped a clue and quickly pulled him aside. "What did you just say?"
Startled, Death Apostle saw that I seemed to have realized something and hurriedly repeated what he had just said. When he finished, he asked, "So, did you think of something?"
I ignored his question and muttered to myself, "Right! How did I not think of this before? Hurry! We need to go back to that grocery store! The owner is suspicious!"
With that, I set off at a brisk pace back the way we came. Although the others were confused about what was happening, they followed me due to my urgency.
Moments later, Yao Long caught up with me and asked, "What did you think of? Can you tell us so we can be prepared?"
As I ran, I explained, "Death Apostle's comment reminded me that the grocery store owner we encountered earlier was acting strangely. He hasn't had business in a long time, which means he's probably been here for a while. But when I listened to him speak, nothing seemed off. So I suspect that the owner might be an outsider. The mark in front of his store could very well be the last clue. In other words, that mark likely points to something inside the grocery store."
"If all these deductions hold true, Hu Fang could very well be in that grocery store right now. Everything the owner said was meant to mislead me... No wonder I found it odd..."
Since my voice was raised a bit too high, not only Yao Long but also Death Apostle and Li Zhisheng behind us heard me clearly. "If that's the case, doesn't that mean we've exposed ourselves? The grocery store owner might have already moved Hu Fang..." Li Zhisheng expressed his concern.
"That's a possibility, but it's not certain. Besides, this is the only lead I can think of right now. Even if he has already moved Hu Fang, we still need to check it out..."
We continued running and soon arrived back at the grocery store entrance. By now, the sun had completely set, and darkness enveloped this eerie town. At some point, two flickering light bulbs had been hung at the entrance of the grocery store. It was fine when there were no lights; now they seemed somewhat unsettling.
"Owner! Are you there? We want to buy something..." I called out from the doorway.
As soon as the words left his mouth, someone from the back room responded, "Coming, coming! Why is business so good today..." The Boss staggered out.
Upon seeing us again, he was momentarily taken aback, but quickly coughed to cover his surprise. "Oh, it's you all again. What do you want to buy this time?" A gentle smile appeared on his face, making him seem anything but the villain who had kidnapped Hu Fang.
But one should not judge a book by its cover; even the most amiable-looking person could be a ruthless criminal. "We're not here to buy anything this time..." I said, my expression turning serious.
"Then do you have any other questions for me?" the Boss continued.
Yao Long, unable to contain his impatience with the Boss's evasiveness, stepped forward and grabbed the Boss by the collar, lifting him off the ground. "At a time like this, you're still playing dumb! Where have you taken our person?!"
To our surprise, the Boss didn't panic at all. Instead, he raised his hand and gently flicked it. With a sharp sound, Yao Long's hand was instantly knocked away.
The Boss landed gracefully on his feet, still wearing that warm smile. "Young man, don't be too impulsive in your actions..."
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