Chapter 240: Putting Yourself in Your Role

On a deserted street at night, a small, dark figure was running frantically.

The mist from his breath vanished into the cold night. Except for the time District Three was destroyed, Old Man Ding had never run so hard in his life. His feet, unused to heavy labor, felt like they were filled with lead, refusing to obey.

"A ghost... there's a ghost!" Old Man Ding muttered weakly as he ran.

He didn't know the streets of Aurora City, so he darted through alleys like a headless fly. His mind, a chaotic mess, didn't know where to go; he just wanted to escape the ghost, as far away as possible. Even now, he dared not look back, fearing that Fang Lichang's face would appear behind him the moment he did.

Finally, Old Man Ding couldn't run anymore.

He slumped weakly against a wall, drenched in sweat. Holding his breath, he cautiously glanced back. The empty street showed no signs of anyone, and he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"If I'd known I'd run into that kind of evil thing, I wouldn't have given him that damn testimony even if it killed me!" Old Man Ding cursed to himself.

But as his gaze swept over the surrounding humble residential buildings and then returned to the luxurious hotel towering in the city center, greed and desire once again triumphed over temporary fear in his narrow eyes.

"Still, I'm a lucky old man," he thought. "I survived this... My blessings later must be considerable."

Old Man Ding slowly rose. Just then, a figure in a black trench coat swept across the street and quickly approached him.

"Old Man Ding, what are you doing here? Where are the others?"

The moment he saw the face, Old Man Ding's expression drastically changed. He collapsed onto the ground with a thud, his face utterly pale!

"Old Man Ding, what are you doing?" Fang Lichang asked with a frown. "I'm talking to you!"

"You, you, you... who exactly are you??"

Old Man Ding was utterly stunned. He had just escaped the hotel, only to encounter this demonic face again... Despair was unmistakable in his eyes.

Seeing this, Fang Lichang walked straight up, grabbed Old Man Ding's collar, lifted him, and slapped his face with a crisp sound.

"Wake up! I am Prosecutor Fang Lichang! I'm asking you, what exactly happened in the hotel just now??" Fang Lichang's tone was extremely serious.

The slap jolted Old Man Ding's mind a little. He stared blankly at Fang Lichang, suddenly feeling that the man's tone and expression were different from how they had been in the hotel earlier... This person in front of him seemed more like the Prosecutor he remembered.

"Are you really Prosecutor?" Old Man Ding asked tentatively. "You're not possessed by a ghost anymore?"

"Possessed? What are you talking about?"

Hearing this, Old Man Ding finally confirmed his judgment. He almost burst into tears, clutching Fang Lichang right there. He quickly and frantically recounted everything that had happened in the hotel. As Fang Lichang listened to Old Man Ding's description, his expression grew increasingly grim.

"Spade 6? He's just a rat playing tricks," Fang Lichang sneered. "I chased him for a long time, but I didn't see a trace of him. I suspected it was a diversion... and now it seems I was right."

"Then, then where is he now...?"

"Don't worry. Stay with me; he won't dare do anything to you."

Old Man Ding immediately felt reassured. With the Prosecutor protecting him, most of his fear dissipated. He leaned closer to Fang Lichang, a fawning smile on his face.

"Yes, yes, Prosecutor, you are wise and powerful! In your presence, that Spade fellow wouldn't dare even make a peep."

"Come with me. I'll take you to a safe place before the trial," Fang Lichang said.

He turned and walked towards the end of the alley. Old Man Ding quickly followed, afraid of falling even half a step behind.

They walked for a long time until they finally reached a dilapidated warehouse. The dim warehouse stood in a forgotten corner, several kilometers from the nearest street. Old Man Ding asked in confusion,

"Sir, this... is this the safe place you mentioned?"

Just moments ago, he was in the luxurious and high-end Melody Hotel, and now he was suddenly standing before a derelict warehouse... This drastic change made Old Man Ding very uncomfortable, his brows furrowing tightly.

"The Melody Hotel is too conspicuous, making it a target. This place is remote and absolutely safe," Fang Lichang explained.

"This... sigh." Old Man Ding hesitated for a long time. He thought the Prosecutor made sense and was about to agree when he heard a series of smacking sounds from nearby.

In the dim, desolate wilderness, Fang Lichang suddenly began moving his mouth continuously, as if something was about to crawl out. His tongue repeatedly sucked at the gaps between his teeth, making strange noises.

"Sir, what's wrong?" Old Man Ding asked.

"Nothing... I just suddenly feel like there's something in my mouth," Fang Lichang said, turning around with a look of discomfort. "Can you take a look for me?"

Old Man Ding leaned his face close to Fang Lichang's mouth, straining to see inside by the dim moonlight.

As the mouth continued to twitch, something sticky on the crimson tip of the tongue suddenly extended like a snake...

It was a Spade 6.

The moment he saw the playing card, Old Man Ding felt a thunderclap erupt in his mind. He slowly looked up, stiff with shock.

Under the pale moonlight, "Fang Lichang's" face gradually contorted into an exaggerated and grotesque smile:

"Guess... who I am?"

"Ah... AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Old Man Ding screamed until his voice was almost gone. All color drained from his face. At that moment, he felt as if his very brain was boiling and churning with terror... His last shred of sanity was completely shattered by that smile.

Old Man Ding stumbled on his trembling legs, turned, and bolted into the distance. He no longer knew what to do; the only thought in his mind was to get as far away from that monster as possible!

As Old Man Ding fled, an invisible python slipped from "Fang Lichang's" body, nimbly and swiftly climbing onto Old Man Ding's neck, sucking greedily.

Under the pale moonlight, Chen Ling removed the Spade 6 from the tip of his tongue, lightly flicked it, transforming it back into chewing gum, and put it back in his mouth, chewing leisurely.

"Run, be afraid... embrace your role."

"We have plenty of time... to complete this performance together."

Chen Ling, hands in his pockets, chewed his gum and unhurriedly continued to follow in the direction Old Man Ding had fled.