Clown Game
Chapter 309 - 296: Card

Chapter 309: Chapter 296: Card

A night... a farce

The cafe opened as usual, and those fat cats also arrived as scheduled. Everything was like usual — nobody knew what had happened in a certain factory on the outskirts of town, and no one knew how that little ruffian, the murderer Bill, and that group of rats were getting along.

Of course, no one cared either.

Everyone followed their own lives; the joys and sorrows of others were merely a movie to them. Sudden wealth, heartbreak, war, sickness, birth and death, glory, and richness — all these emotions were just momentary reflections in someone else’s eyes. Quickly, they would turn into topics discussed over drinks and lose all significance. Even for those who experienced them firsthand, like Boss Yu, once back to regular life, would involuntarily summarize those painful experiences as unreal dreams, only feeling a hint of emotion before sleep.

Actually, if you think about it carefully, if it weren’t for the help of his two employees and Chen Xiao, he might now be like other prey, turned into a broken corpse sunken in the sea. So you might say his mind was clouded by the anime world or call him heartless — anyway, he seemed to think this incident wasn’t that hard to accept. It was just a kidnapping by a murderer, compared to the lolis moving about in mirrors, compared to those hammers and axes that appeared out of nowhere, compared to that "Shield agency agent" who was bound to get diabetes sooner or later, a murderer was simply too normal a thing.

It was like a story, and everyone had their own part to play.

Like that little ruffian, who was doomed to die in his own indignation and anger.

Like Boss Yu, who was gradually recognizing this world, and would make his mark in the final battle.

Like the man and woman who had walked into the cafe a few days ago; they were destined to sip coffee and chat, embarking on a mystery that no one knew how long would take to solve.

...

So, the time comes to two days before Chen Xiao received the card painted black.

At a table by the window, a man and a woman sat...

"So, you’re still involved in those boring things?"

The bespectacled man rested his cheek on one hand and rhythmically tapped the arm of his glasses with his fingers.

The woman sitting opposite him wore a beige trench coat, her hair naturally curled, revealing a youthful vibrancy that didn’t match her age. It was hard to imagine, just less than half a month ago, her "husband" had just fallen off a balcony, impaled heartlessly by a fence on the first floor.

"Why bring up these topics again? We haven’t met for so long, I thought you might have developed a bit of fondness for me..." she said, somewhat plaintively, her every glance and smile exuding an intoxicating, yet subtle intellectual charm. However, the bespectacled man knew well that this charm was like invisible poisonous vines. Anyone who slightly steps on them would get entangled gently and sweetly, until pulled into an endless abyss.

"Fondness? Don’t joke about that, I don’t intend to become one of your toys," he sighed somewhat helplessly. "I heard you switched identities again recently? What was it this time... nevermind, anyways, another poor soul suffered, right?"

"Oh, you mean him? He was a pretty nice person," the woman said lightly, smiling as if recalling something incredibly delightful. "He was just too suspicious, or we could have played for a few more months. Oh, right, now I’m an economics doctor who studied abroad. How suitable, isn’t it?"

The man massaged his temples. He really couldn’t stand the woman sitting opposite him because she had an extremely wicked hobby.

She liked watching people courting death.

This hobby might sound quite bizarre, but that was how she was.

Every time, she would choose some so-called "interesting toys," then approach them, quickly integrating into their lives. After that, she would design countless "ways to die" for them... These ways of dying were just parts of the toys’ lives. She watched as the other hung on the edges of the traps she had set, excitedly anticipating them falling into some abyss. To her, it was as thrilling as a football fan waiting for a goal in the World Cup.

Of course, she would also change her identity every time. She could be a childhood friend who was close to the "toy," or a frail girl rescued from the hands of villains, even a daughter or even a mother. In summary, she could be anyone, transform into millions, and after playing her part, she would leave completely, also meticulously cleaning every link between herself and the "toy."

These tasks, which seemed impossible to ordinary people, were a piece of cake for her.

She was tireless about it.

This was why the man with glasses disliked her. But what could be done, among these seven people, who else but himself was normal? (Actually, the others thought the same...)

"But honestly, I’m tired of these people. So, won’t you reconsider? I promise, I’ll be very gentle... very gentle," she said softly, smiling without any peculiar gesture, but the man with glasses felt a fleeting daze inside.

This devil-like woman knew exactly how to tear open someone’s heart...

"Why don’t you go play with him then?" the man with glasses grumbled discontentedly.

"You mean Chen Xiao?" the woman responded. "Playing with him is the most boring, he never plays by the rules, not before and not now."

Upon hearing this, the man with glasses seemed to find it quite reasonable and nodded.

"Alright, let’s talk business. Everyone knows, your toy living in the same block as him isn’t a coincidence. So, do you think it’s time?"

"Cut it out, you men are all the same, even catching up seems bothersome," the woman said somewhat melancholically. "Alright, I did meet him a few days ago, and there’s no sign of his memory recovering."

The man with glasses furrowed his brows, started tapping the arm of his glasses again, "According to his plan, he should have broken free of the constraints within a year after his memory was sealed."

"His plans always derail because of his own doing; that’s his nature, even with amnesia, it’s the same. So, let’s just stick to our process... Now that he’s noticed that old memory eater, he’s bound to cause trouble for the ’Pacific Division.’ To prevent him from endangering himself..."

As she spoke, the woman pulled out a card painted like a crow in black and handed it to him.

"Help him out..."