Chapter 524: Life Script

Rain lashed down on the metal roof, emitting a dense, crisp sound like clattering drumbeats, or perhaps the urgent奏鸣 of an era.

Amidst overlapping curtains of rain, Chen Ling, clad in a large red opera robe, gazed indifferently at Nie Yu, who stood under the gun. His robe swayed gently in the wind.

"Any last words?" Nie Yu, his face covered in blood, sneered weakly. "Only cowards... need last words to move their enemies, begging for a chance to live... Defeat is defeat. I have nothing to say."

"Alright, then I'll ask it differently." Chen Ling's eyes narrowed slightly.

"...Where is Ying Fu?"

"I don't know," Nie Yu calmly stated.

"Didn't he send you?"

"I don't know."

Chen Ling's brows furrowed slightly. He knew, of course, that Nie Yu was refusing to answer and simultaneously concealing Ying Fu's whereabouts. But what he hadn't expected was how loyal this person was to Ying Fu.

"I don't understand... If Ying Fu, like me, returned using the 'era archive,' then his active time in this era should be synchronized with mine... In such a short time, how did he manage to make you so utterly devoted to him?"

Nie Yu's one remaining eye met Chen Ling's gaze calmly.

"I... don't know."

Chen Ling shook his head helplessly. "Since you're unwilling to cooperate, I'll have to see for myself..."

Chen Ling activated his mental power. A pair of apricot-red eye corners reappeared, and vermilion patterns covered his face. His pupils seemed to hold a certain magic as his gaze pierced into Nie Yu's eyes like a sword!

A fragmented memory flooded into Chen Ling's eyes!

*Whoosh whoosh whoosh...*

Chen Ling opened his eyes again, still amidst a downpour.

However, this was no longer the abandoned factory building at the service area, nor was it even within the country. A dilapidated and chaotic street appeared before Chen Ling's eyes. Rain washed over the muddy ground as a figure passed through his ethereal body and stumbled forward.

It was a man in ragged clothes, like a beggar. His hair was greasy and disheveled, as if it hadn't been washed in a long time. His body exuded a foul stench from an unknown source, as though he had just crawled out of a sewer.

But on his back, he carried a battered hunting knife. The blade still bore dark bloodstains, emitting a terrifying reek of blood.

Even though Chen Ling hadn't seen his face, he knew who it was. He was too familiar with that figure carrying the hunting knife on his back... Although Nie Yu's figure seemed somewhat thin at the moment, the chilling and sharp killing intent emanating from him could not be washed away by the heavy rain.

As he proceeded, from the dilapidated streets on both sides, some people of East Asian descent, dressed simply, peered out. Most were small, slender children who pointed and gestured at the stumbling Nie Yu, their eyes filled with curiosity.

"Is this... Myanmar?" Chen Ling looked at his surroundings, deep in thought.

The dying Nie Yu's mental power was already fragmented beyond repair. Through the Vermilion Eyes' technique, Chen Ling easily glimpsed a corner of his "life script." If all went as expected, this was the most deeply imprinted scene for Nie Yu.

Chen Ling wasn't sure if Ying Fu would appear in this scene; he just wanted to try... As Nie Yu gradually walked away, he also followed.

Finally, Nie Yu slowly stopped in front of a bar at the end of the street.

He took a deep breath, and a flicker of pain and struggle crossed his tired eyes. But eventually, he pushed the door open forcefully and entered. As the bar door creaked open, rhythmic music, mixed with a heady, intoxicating scent, wafted out from inside.

Inside the dim, confined space, neon lights flickered dazzlingly. Black leather sofas were scattered throughout the bar, where people of various complexions gathered, laughing and talking amidst heavy metal music that pierced the eardrums...

Seeing the bar door pushed open, at several booths near the entrance, a few Black men holding drinks sized up Nie Yu. Their expressions turned somewhat unfriendly when they saw the hunting knife on his back. More and more gazes converged on him.

The curtain of rain fell behind the ragged figure. Nie Yu, with the knife on his back, simply stood at the bar's entrance. His gaze meticulously scanned every corner of the bar.

Just then, several burly figures, their bodies heavily tattooed, blocked Nie Yu's path. Their faces grim, they spoke:

"Kid, what do you want?"

Nie Yu was silent for a moment. "Looking for someone."

Nie Yu uttered the name "Huang Cuifang" in Chinese. Seeing no reaction from them, he directly pulled out a photo and held it up in front of them. They exchanged glances, shook their heads, and seemed to begin motioning for Nie Yu to leave.

But Nie Yu had no intention of leaving just like that. He simply ignored them, forcing his way past them into the bar. Amidst angry shouts, he quickly moved between every booth, carefully identifying each figure.

The burly men surrounded him from all sides. Some even pulled guns directly from their clothes. Nie Yu seemed not to notice, still frantically searching... But as a spotlight swept across him, finally settling on a corner of the bar's stage, Nie Yu suddenly froze.

On the neon-lit stage, several scantily clad dancers came forward amidst cheers, carrying a vase. The vase was only about half an arm's height, typically used for small potted plants. But at this moment, a head grew from the top of the vase...

It was a woman in her fifties, without a body or limbs, only a lone head growing from the mouth of the vase. It was as if a deformed monster had been stuffed into the bottle. Her eyes were dull and lifeless, devoid of any vitality.

Just then, her peripheral vision seemed to catch sight of a familiar figure. Her pupils involuntarily dilated...

Seeing that face, Nie Yu stood frozen.

The roaring music pulsed. The audience below cheered at the dancers' sultry performance. One by one, fierce, brutish figures grabbed Nie Yu, pressing gun muzzles to his temples and roaring something in anger...

But Nie Yu had no reaction to any of this, as if he had completely detached himself from this world.

As the woman in the vase began to cry, and as Nie Yu was slowly dragged towards the door, this special forces operative, who had relentlessly hunted for fifteen days in the Golden Triangle, suddenly burst into laughter.

His expression gradually became ferocious. His eyes gleamed with absurdity and madness. He broke free from the grip of several burly men, pulled the hunting knife from his back, and with a flash of the blade, the stunned heads of the men were thrown high into the air...

The music played wildly, drowning out all terrified screams for help. Nie Yu, like a god of slaughter emerged from a sea of blood, wielded the grim reaper's hunting knife, dancing madly under the neon lights.

That day, not a single person was left alive in the bar... including Huang Cuifang in the vase.