Chapter 24: Poker

"Wait, why did I use 'also'?" Chen Ling thought.

Chen Yan was Chen Yan, not something else wearing his skin; Chen Ling was certain of this.Since the Gray World had descended this time, and since the "Audience" could merge with him, why couldn't another descending calamity merge with a human?But these were all Chen Ling's guesses. The truth, perhaps, could only be known by asking Chen Yan directly.

Just as Chen Ling hesitated whether to knock, the door opened from the inside."Brother," Chen Yan said, rubbing his eyes, "What are you doing here?""...There's something I want to ask you."

Chen Yan was about to say something when he glanced at Chu Muyun's room across the hall. He pulled Chen Ling inside and closed the door."A'Yan, I'll be direct," Chen Ling said, looking intently into his eyes. "The one who massacred Ice Spring Street... was it you?"Chen Yan's body tensed. Seeing the fragmented peace talisman in Chen Ling's hand, he silently lowered his head."...Yes."

Seeing Chen Yan admit it so readily, Chen Ling, who had been preparing to persuade him further, was momentarily stunned."It was really you?" Chen Ling asked again. "So, you also merged with a calamity?""...I don't know. When I woke up, I was already there.""You also lost a period of memory?""Yes."

Chen Ling's brow furrowed slightly.He believed Chen Yan wouldn't lie to him, and he himself was in a similar situation—inexplicably transmigrated, inexplicably gaining the "Audience" in his mind, and waking up back at home."But wasn't the point of Gray World convergence in the back mountain? You should have been in surgery then... Why would you be affected?""I don't know," Chen Yan shook his head again. "I just remember the doctor giving me anesthesia. When I woke up, I was on Ice Spring Street... I was really scared, so I hid in the back mountain. When I came out again, I saw you, brother, crawling out of that monster..."

Hearing this, Chen Ling managed to piece together the sequence of events.However, why Chen Yan was affected by the Gray World convergence was still a question. Did that calamity perhaps encounter Chen Yan on the operating table after it broke into District Two? And then they merged?Chen Ling didn't quite understand the "merging" process and couldn't think of anything further.

"I understand."Chen Ling nodded. "Stay home these next few days and don't go anywhere, understand? I'll handle everything else."Chen Yan seemed about to speak but stopped himself."What is it?""I... I wanted to go see Mom and Dad..."

Chen Ling paused, then after a long silence, he spoke softly, "Let me clear your name first, brother. Once things calm down, I'll take you to see them, okay?""Okay," Chen Yan nodded obediently."Stay away from Chu Muyun these next few days. Don't let him touch you, and talk to him as little as possible.""Okay.""If Han Meng comes looking for you again and asks you questions, answer like this...""Okay."

After giving his instructions, Chen Ling turned and left.

Chen Yan gently locked his door and lay back down on the hard plank bed.He turned his head to look out the window. Reflected in his chestnut eyes was the vast blue aurora across the sky.Suddenly, at the far end of the auroral sky, a faint red glow appeared, like a vermilion star."Here it comes again," Chen Yan murmured.As the vermilion star grew brighter, a dreamlike path extended from nothingness, reaching all the way to Chen Yan's bedside. The path floated and swayed between the star and him, like a soft ribbon.Chen Yan lay on the bed, calmly watching this path to divinity, an olive branch offered by a god.Moments later, he slowly raised his hand and grasped the flickering ribbon.Then, he crushed it with force!

*Thump—*

A faint, almost imperceptible sound echoed in Chen Yan's ears.He crushed the path to divinity with one hand, turning it into countless fragments that vanished into nothingness. Simultaneously, the vermilion star in the sky quickly dimmed.He refused divine favor.

Chen Yan opened his palm; a thumb-sized fragment of the divine path lay quietly in his hand, like vermilion glass.He casually opened the bedside drawer, tossed the vermilion glass inside, then closed and locked it.In the dark drawer, over thirty identical pieces of vermilion glass shimmered faintly.

***

Morning.

Chen Ling got up early and washed up.Today, no "kind soul" would reimburse his travel expenses, so he had to walk to Ice Spring Street. The round trip alone would take over four hours, which meant he had to wake up earlier and return later than other probationary law enforcers.To his surprise, Chu Muyun seemed to be up even earlier.As Chen Ling entered the living room, he saw Chu Muyun sitting sideways at the table, dressed in a casual shirt and knitted vest. He held an ancient medical book, appearing to be engrossed in study, occasionally adjusting his glasses.It was as if he wasn't sitting in a drafty, dilapidated living room, but rather in an elegant café in Aurora City.

Seeing Chen Ling awake, he smiled and put down his book."Good morning.""Morning," Chen Ling replied casually, then hurried out to grab breakfast at Zhao's Breakfast Shop across the street.Ever since he had "tipped off" Uncle Zhao last time, he felt a bit guilty, so he made sure to patronize their shop every morning, bringing Uncle Zhao a little more business. As for Zhao Yi, he had been grounded by Uncle Zhao for a week and still hadn't left the house.

After Chen Ling had left, Chu Muyun slowly set his book down.He stood up and walked directly towards Chen Ling's room, his feet making no sound on the old floorboards, like a ghost.Chu Muyun stood by Chen Ling's bed, his eyes behind his glasses narrowing slightly.He put on white gloves, took a pair of tweezers from his pocket, and meticulously collected a few strands of hair and tiny skin flakes scattered on the pillow, placing them all into a small brown bottle.After doing all this, he quietly exited the room. With a slight wave of his hand, a gentle breeze swept across the floor, completely erasing his footprints.

He didn't return to his own room but walked directly out of the house, passing through several streets until he arrived at a dilapidated convenience store.

*Ding-a-ling—*

A clear bell rang as he pushed open the store door."What do you want to buy?" a woman sitting behind the counter asked casually, letting out a lazy yawn."A ray of hope."

At this reply, the woman's gaze instantly solidified.Her previous lazy indifference vanished completely, replaced by cold, sharp eyes. She stared at Chu Muyun before her and slowly spoke:"Show your identification."Chu Muyun lightly lifted his finger, and a white playing card appeared as if by magic in his palm. He placed it face down on the counter.The woman flipped the card over—The Seven of Spades."The password," she said again.Chu Muyun replied calmly,"Human civilization...""Shall never be extinguished."