Paintings of Terror

Chapter 169: Double

Luo Wei couldn’t imagine how the fact of Xiao Qinxian’s smoking would be a clue.

Why would the painting try to conceal this?

As he was mulling over this question, they arrived in front of the restaurant.

Qin Ci stopped and looked at Luo Wei. “While the sky is still bright now, let’s show him the beast marks on our faces to see whether they have changed since last night.”

In fact, he didn’t have to look closely at all. Everyone’s face had been right in front of Luo Wei all this time. He had already remembered all the nuances in his heart. “Nothing has changed. It is almost the same as last night, except that Zhao Yanbao’s red mark that suddenly appeared today is now gradually darkening.”

“What shape is it?” Zhao Yanbao couldn’t help asking.

“It is less like a shape and more like a touch. It’s like a brush dipped in cinnabar and then smeared on,” Luo Wei described.

Zhao Yanbao nodded and didn’t say anything else. As night fell, it would be false to say that there was no fear in her heart. Although the person most important to her had left, it did not mean that the living would become the undead. There were many ways to miss the dead, but it didn’t necessarily have to mean following them into death.

Therefore, Zhao Yanbao was also afraid of death.

Zhao Yanbao was already like this, but the others’ panic was even deeper.

Xiao Qinxian began to sneer to cover up her nervousness. “You’re still in the mood to eat. Right now, it’s better for everyone to find a way to live together. When danger comes, we can resist together!”

“Yes, yes, I think their detective place is quite large. We can move in!” Yu Ji nodded desperately when he heard this. His face was already pale, but as night fell, his face became even paler. “I’m really scared. The roommate who slept with me last night…I can still see him when I close my eyes now.”

Lion also said. “If I can live with Dr. Qin, I think I will feel more secure! If the beast in someone’s body really does something wrong, maybe Dr. Qin can find a way to help.”

Qin Ci smiled bitterly after hearing this. “I’m just an ordinary surgeon. I’m not a god. I can’t do anything with the beast. Moreover, the arrangement of the residence is established. This is one of the rules of this game. If someone violates it, you don’t have to wait for the beast’s backlash. I’m afraid you will die from other unfavorable accidents first.”

“Backlash?” Ke Xun grasped the word sensitively.

Qin Ci further explained, “The beast is originally produced in the hearts of humans. At first, it may be just a thought, but as the thought lingers over and over, it will slowly take root in the body and grow into a beast. Killing the things in your heart, it isn’t too much to call it backlash.”

“I’m just wondering whether this same idea can be used to make the beast smaller or disappear altogether by dispelling it.”? Ke Xun looked at Qin Ci and still could not hide his worry about this old partner. “Take Chi Lei as an example. Death had relieved her of her lingering obsession, but if she could have relieved it before she died, wouldn’t it have diluted the beast?”

“There are no similar cases in the materials I have seen. After all, no one in this city could see the red marks on the faces of the living, so it is impossible to prevent these in advance. Even if the beasts are diluted, there’s no proof to that effect.” Qin Ci’s expression was very apologetic.

Zhu Haowen had already smoked a cigarette in front of the restaurant. He extinguished the cigarette butt, and put it in the place allocated for it in the city trash can. “Let’s not stand here and block people. Let’s go in, eat, and discuss it.”

Although everyone had their own thoughts, they must eat. Only when they are full can they resist all kinds of dangers—although these foods may only feed the beasts in their bodies.

Luo Wei walked beside Zhu Haowen. “Did you hear what I just said?”

Zhu Haowen was a little puzzled. “Isn’t it about smoking?”

“Yes.” Luo Wei nodded. “Many public places have a smoking area, such as hospitals. Unfortunately, even though there are a few smokers among us, you’re the only one smoking in the smoking area.”

Luo Wei had to say everything carefully, for fear that Zhu Haowen would push back with a completely unrelated sentence.

However, Zhu Haowen heard him very clearly. “First, among those of us who do smoke, it seems like I’m the only one who is smoking. Second, I don’t like to go to the smoking area with people, especially those I’m not familiar with.”

A secret joy burst in Luo Wei’s heart. It was like using code words to cipher codes. Some key terms could not be said, but other words could be used cleverly and circuitously to convey meaning. “Are those smoking areas divided by men and women? Just asking out of pure curiosity.”

Zhu Haowen felt even more weird out. He felt that these questions were not in line with Luo Wei’s personality at all, but he still replied, “It’s reasonable. But people tend to stay with the same sex. Especially those women. They seem to like to stick together. The hospital here doesn’t have a smoking area set up specifically for women.”

Luo Wei became agitated, and his thoughts about what to say also became chaotic. When he looked back, he saw Mu Yiran, who was observing himself, as if he had seen a life-saving straw.

Mu Yiran moved his long legs and approached the two of them. His gaze swept over Xiao Qinxian, who was in front of him, and he said, “I saw her smoking last night, and she also smoked a lot. But looking at her performance during the day, there seems to be a problem that warrants closer scrutiny.”

Perhaps because there was too much going on during the day, and Xiao Qinxian wasn’t someone that Mu Yiran was interested in observing, he had ignored this problem for the time being.

Luo Wei felt so moved that tears were almost falling. “So, what we spoke about just now…you won’t forget it in a few minutes.”

Mu Yiran let out a smile. “I don’t think so. This should also be a rule. Anything discovered and mentioned by the people in the city should not disappear out of thin air.”

Zhu Haowen, who was confused, looked at Luo Wei. This buddy’s rhythm of bending…

Luo Wei decided to say his thoughts in one breath. “Actually, when I came out of your room last night, I saw her in the hallway. She was in a strange state at the time, and she mentioned that someone had called her room…”

Mu Yiran suddenly turned his gaze to the front. “I hope that the seat yesterday won’t be occupied by others. It’s the most quiet and most hidden place.”

Luo Wei:..This is like bringing a pot of instant noodles to a boil, and then suddenly, someone poured in a bottle of iced water.

Something seemed to be happening at the cashier counter. Several members were talking loudly to the cashier. Among them, Xiao Qinxian’s voice was the loudest. “There are 33 more purchases?! How is that possible? We obviously have only used it twice!”

The cashier smiled and explained patiently. “Your card has a limit of 39. So far, you have spent twice, and now there are 33 left.”

“What the fuck…” Xiao Qinxian couldn’t help but explode. “Can you do math? 39 minus two is obviously 37! How could it become 33?! Your shop is really good at tricking customers. Use the first purchase as a free gimmick, attracting a lot of returning customers, and then making a fuss with their cards! But your approach is too clumsy, putting your IQ and EQ into doubt!”

Ke Xun made a gesture for Xiao Qinxian to shut up, and then he handed his card to the cashier, who looked equally unhappy. “Sister, can you help check my card?”

The cashier sister looked at this sunny and handsome athletic brother, and she felt a little better. She checked his card and said, “Sir, your situation is the same as her’s. There are still 37 purchases at this time. There will be 33 times remaining after swiping the card.”

“Why is this, Sister?” Ke Xun continued to maintain his bright smile. “We have just arrived here, and we still don’t understand some rules very well.”

“This is Heart City, and so the dates are even in number,” the cashier said in a sweet voice. “Yesterday was April 6, today is April 8, and tomorrow will be April 10.”

“Ah…” Ke Xun was speechless for a while. This was simply an unusual rule, more unusual than some kind of back country rule.

The other members were also dumbfounded. Lion even burst out into a series of English complaints. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, “You mean that every day here is counted as two days? Even if my body only experienced 24 hours, in this city, it would be counted at 48 hours? Therefore, even though we’ve only eaten three meals, in this city, it is counted as six meals?”

Wei Dong couldn’t help but interject, “In other words, a 40-year-old person in this city is actually 20 years old.”

“You’re all confused me!” the cashier couldn’t help laughing. “That’s roughly the idea. I was born in this city, and so I’m accustomed to this time count. People who are born here don’t think much about it philosophically. I just think that since this is the city of romance, everything should go in pairs.”

“Got it. Since that’s the case, let’s just go and grab a seat.” Wei Dong pulled his closest childhood buddy and walked to the same table they had occupied yesterday. “Ke’er, you have to take care of me, I want to drink again…”

Mu Yiran walked behind, and stopped at the cashier to ask, “I’m just curious, are there many out-of-town people in this city?”

The cashier sister felt that she was particularly blessed today, and her mood also became better. “Many people have moved to our Heart City from other places. After all, the scenery here is beautiful and the city planning is also very good.”

Mu Yiran further asked, “Do foreigners need to apply for temporary residence permits when they come here? In this situation, would they be regarded as locals or still regarded as foreigners?”

“Don’t worry about this. Our city is never exclusive. If you have our city’s stamp on your ID card, you’re considered a brother or sister in the same city!” the cashier said. Her face blushed slightly, and she added, “Moreover, intermarriages between people in the same city will result in a lot of welfare support.”

“What if people from the same city marry with people outside the Heart City area?” Mu Yiran’s eyes deepened as he considered this.

The cashier became more talkative because of this look. “I have never seen people outside the Heart City area. The security here is so good that they can’t enter illegally. If people in the city want to go out, they can never return, and similarly, if outsiders want to settle in, they can never leave again.”

“So it’s impossible to leave again?” Mu Yiran asked again in a heavier tone.

“Our city is so good, why would anyone want to leave?” The cashier asked with a smile.

Mu Yiran also smiled faintly. “Yes, this is indeed a magical and beautiful city, which makes many people linger.”