Clown Game
Chapter 289 - 276 Its Game

Chapter 289: Chapter 276 Its Game

"Not this again!"

Chen Xiao instinctively felt very annoyed.

It was the same expanse of white, the same absence of directions or solid ground underfoot—the same wretched place.

He floated in the air, well... since there wasn’t even a concept of ’air’, he just assumed a standing posture following his own will, and so he could "stand" like that.

Chen Xiao was clearly aware that he came here often, the familiarity was even stronger than his apartment on Shell Street, yet it felt so vague, like a delicious meal from the distant past, with a taste so clear in his mind, but impossible to recreate on his tongue.

"Why do I end up here when I’m doing nothing?"

He asked, and immediately, he thought of a chap who had a habit of smoking a pipe; that fellow would probably pop up soon, spouting nonsense at him, yet afterward, he likely wouldn’t remember a thing.

That feeling was really terrible.

Suddenly

"Hehehe..."

A coarse laugh echoed, like the grating sound of rough iron scraping together, making one’s teeth feel sour.

"Tsk tsk... look at you, just look at you~ As docile as a caged Duroc swine~!"

Chen Xiao looked uncomfortably in the direction of the voice.

...

There stood a tall, thin man.

Pale-faced, with dark green hair, his skin so dry that it flaked, his narrow, inverted triangle eyes and his sharp chin that hardly seemed aligned with human skeletal structure gave him the look of a character stepped out of a painting. He wore a purple checked suit; his shoes were dirty and clashed with his pink and white striped cotton socks. All in all, at first glance, he just seemed like an oddball... Oh, and there was his mouth, which extended horizontally, almost reaching the width of Chen Xiao’s mouth—which, for the record, was due to scars from cuts, whereas this guy’s mouth really just grew that way...

Half a second of silence.

"Oh? So the smoker finally choked on the tar in his lungs, has he~ making you the new greeter? ...Well then, out of courtesy, should I ask who you are?" Chen Xiao casually put his hands in his pockets. Now, he felt a strange affinity towards this eerie space, to the point he was less cautious even when facing this odd fellow. He still managed to talk trash casually, of course, all the while observing the other attentively.

...But after giving the stranger a once-over, he found that from the man’s hair to his shoes, from his features to his attire, it was like a random collage of chaotic elements put together to create his image, and in that moment... he couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

In response to Chen Xiao’s question, the other displayed a look of great perplexity,

"Hmm hmm hmm—Who am I?? Now, that’s really a good question... indeed, a good question~" he mumbled oddly and rubbed his ankle against his shoe heel in an uncoordinated manner, "But unfortunately, I also have no idea?"

"Ah?" Chen Xiao grimaced in pain.

"There’s nothing surprising about that, just like yourself, don’t you also not know who you are... hehehe!"

Chen Xiao was at a loss for words, while the other person continued:

"However, just like that guy, he claims to be a detective, so you can call me ’Clown,’ how about that."

"Clown?"

"Yes, yes, look at this image of mine, it’s quite fitting, isn’t it? Hehe, ahahaha. Oh, sorry, I can’t help but laugh because I find it so amusing to explain to you what exactly I am. Where was I? Right, this image, I’m quite satisfied with it, I can’t even think of anything more perfect... Ha! Oh~ I’m not like that guy, all secretive, that’s annoying, right?"

He spoke incoherently, as if even he wasn’t sure about what he was saying, but luckily, Chen Xiao understood, so he didn’t interrupt.

"Hmm... according to your human cognizance, I should be considered a ’concept,’ like chaos, disorder, hysteria, and such. Of course, I don’t really know what it should be, because these are words that I came into contact with only after being confined to this world, and these are just vocabulary from your language, which you don’t fully understand yourselves and keep cramming into your communication with each other. Anyway... I prefer to classify myself as... ’madness’..."

Hehe, right, that’s the deal. Originally, I was just nothingness, I had no thoughts, no physical form, no sense of anything, yet I did exist. I floated through this world, existing within the soul of every living being. I know it sounds hard to understand, but that’s just the way I am, until one day... I opened my eyes!"

As he spoke, he danced around and suddenly closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath with a stretched smile as if immersed in some wonderful memory. During this time, Chen Xiao just listened, without showing any sign of surprise, as if he knew all this all along.

"But... I was imprisoned."

"What?" Chen Xiao was taken aback.

"I was imprisoned, look at me, oh, no, you only see this appearance, but I am indeed imprisoned, in a way that’s hard to explain clearly, you too, you’re also imprisoned, both body and soul. But luckily, it seems that I have found a way to break free... a plan, or rather, a game, and now, I want to invite you to participate... Trust me, it will be very interesting, delightful, you’ll be so engrossed that you can’t stop, you’ll do it for it... haha!"

His tone would always speed up or slow down abruptly, and the corners of his mouth were tightly pursed, as if holding back something.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiao still had his hands in his pockets, staring with dead fish eyes at the other guy, who seemed to be competing with himself. He then asked with some confusion, "A game?"

"Yes, a game, such an interesting plan is of course a game, oh oh oh, you’re right, if it’s a game, there should always be rewards... "

"I never said that..."

"Oh, whatever, anyway, I’m not trying to tempt you from nothing, I’ve never stooped to doing that... hehehe... Look, let’s start with the first step of the game, which is for you to find that old guy who feeds on memories, that smoker should have mentioned him to you, to be honest, I’ve met that old man before. And in return...

I will tear open this cage for you."

As he spoke, he gently spread his arms, with his fingers twisting unnaturally, as if he were slicing through the air above his head with an invisible knife. Following this simple gesture, a slit that tore through the sky opened up in the distant space directly above him. In a moment, the pallid world gained a second color, as crimson light and bright stars spilled from beyond the tear. It looked as if the night sky had been stained with fresh blood, and amidst this eerie and stunning sight, Chen Xiao’s head buzzed painfully, as if blurred memories were being awakened by something...