Hidden Dead Ends-Chapter 49

Inside the KTV, a staff member had already called the police. As Sima Gui pointed out, it was a legitimate business with no criminal ties, and the contract issues were entirely fabricated by Zhong Ying.

*Bang.*

The car door shut firmly.

Li Chengyi, calm and unruffled, sat down beside Sima Gui, and the two exchanged smiles.

Zhong Ying, seated beside Zhang Sinda in the back row, felt a wave of fear wash over her just looking at them.

"Don’t worry. The electromagnetic interference is on, so any nearby recordings will come out blurry, but it’s not foolproof," Song Ran said.

"Where to now?" Li Chengyi asked.

"Miss Zhong Ying, please tell us where you first encountered the Fog Street dead-end," Zhang Sinda said gently, calming her down somewhat.

"It… it was at a sake bar called Candy…" She shivered as she glanced at Li Chengyi’s cold gaze. "Don’t hurt me! I swear I’m telling the truth!"

"If you’re lying, I’ll hit you," Li Chengyi replied bluntly.

"Same here," Sima Gui added.

"Cut it out, you two," Zhang Sinda said, exasperated.

"Come on, let’s all calm down," Song Ran chimed in, trying to smooth things over.

Li Chengyi chuckled but stayed silent. Sima Gui had taught him an important lesson: when dealing with dead-ends, you never know when it’ll be your last day. So why hold back? Just do what you want, as long as it doesn’t draw too much trouble by exposing the Flower of Evil.

The car started and navigated toward the Candy Bar, only a short drive of three to four kilometers away.

When they arrived, Song Ran found a parking spot, and the group quickly discussed their plan.

"Let’s split up. Memory flashes are more likely if we’re apart. Sima, Chengyi, you two work as a team and investigate the bar’s surroundings. We three will drive around to check for any other potential dead-end survivors."

Zhang Sinda’s gaze turned serious. "If there’s a Fog Street dead-end here, Zhong Ying may not be the only survivor. I’m particularly interested in what rewards the slot machine might offer."

"Understood, Boss," Sima Gui nodded. "I’m curious, though—Zhong Ying, what did you win from the slot machine? Can we take a look?"

Everyone in the car perked up, turning their eyes to Zhong Ying.

She hesitated, shrinking back, her swollen face filled with reluctance.

"It was… just a dagger and a bottle of unknown pills."

Not daring to stall, she slowly took out a silver-gray dagger from her small bag.

The dagger differed from traditional short knives. The handle was teardrop-shaped, adorned with golden vine patterns. The blade was long and diamond-shaped with a sharp tip—more like an elongated awl than a dagger.

"I call it ‘Water Drop.’ Aside from being sharp, I haven’t noticed anything else special," Zhong Ying murmured.

"Mind if we take a closer look?" Zhang Sinda asked.

"Of course." She handed over the dagger.

He examined it carefully, turning it over.

"Weighs less than 200 grams—very light, almost hollow. Feels cold to the touch."

He passed the dagger to Song Ran, then to Sima Gui and Li Chengyi, each of whom inspected it thoroughly but couldn’t discern any special qualities.

Oddly enough, though no one identified any features, they all sensed there was something unique about it, just beyond their understanding.

"This is strange," Li Chengyi commented. "I feel like it’s special, but I can’t pinpoint why."

"Same here," Song Ran and Zhang Sinda agreed.

"And the pills?" Zhang Sinda looked at Zhong Ying.

She immediately retrieved a small transparent bottle about half a finger’s length from her bag, containing at least twenty small, flattened red tablets.

"I tested it on a pet hamster. It got hyperactive after eating one," she whispered.

"A stimulant?" Sima Gui’s eyes brightened.

"Want to take it back and experiment? Can I buy it?" Zhang Sinda asked.

"Well, you could, but I should tell you, it’ll only last four days before it disappears automatically. That information came to mind the moment I got it," Zhong Ying explained. "Also, it only works on me; others won’t get any effects."

"So many restrictions?" Zhang Sinda frowned, disappointed. He’d hoped to study the pills, but this limitation made that pointless.

He returned the dagger and pills to Zhong Ying, then arranged contact details and a meeting time with Li Chengyi and Sima Gui.

Li Chengyi and Sima Gui got out of the car.

"Zhong Ying said she encountered the Fog Street dead-end right as she exited the bar, just as she pushed open the door. Should we head inside first, or…" Sima Gui asked.

"I’ll take a look around nearby," Li Chengyi replied, recalling his last memory flash in Gleis Parking Lot and knowing proximity could trigger the experience.

"Alright."

Sima Gui opted to go inside alone, quickly pushing open the bar’s doors and leaving Li Chengyi at the entrance.

Li Chengyi glanced around, his hands in his pockets, and strolled toward the left side of the bar.

The Candy Bar’s exterior was a bold red, with a balloon arch over the entrance and a few girls in red tops and black shorts holding balloons, swaying as they tried to attract patrons.

The girls seemed quite indifferent to their jobs, casually chatting with each other, even though they were dressed provocatively.

Standing nearby without entering, Li Chengyi drew no attention.

Next door was an arcade, its interior filled with a chaotic medley of music and sounds, making it uncomfortably loud.

He glanced inside, seeing it nearly empty, with rows of idle machines flashing animations and game ads on their screens.

“How does memory flashing start?” He furrowed his brow, turning away and continuing down the left side.

'If Zhong Ying accessed it by opening a door, maybe… I could try opening and closing doors to trigger it.'

With that in mind, Li Chengyi walked forward to the shop adjacent to the arcade.

This shop had its shutters down, with a sign on the wall advertising the space for rent.

He stood at the entrance, peering further down the street.

Ahead was a gray wall, with no more storefronts until a bus stop over a hundred meters away.

From afar, the stop seemed deserted.

'Maybe I should check the other side of Candy Bar,' he thought, turning around to head back.

Hm?

When he turned, the familiar street was gone.

In its place was a strange, fog-shrouded street.

Old, closed shops lined the road, each with rental and transfer notices posted on their walls.

Plastic bags, flyers, torn cloth, and empty cans littered the ground.

Old-fashioned concrete streetlights lined the way like bent-over old men, standing at regular intervals. None of the lights worked; they looked like they hadn’t in ages.

A chilly breeze blew, making Li Chengyi shiver.

‘This must be Fog Street,’ he thought, realizing he’d found it.

He remembered passing the arcade, but now in its place was a closed wonton shop.

He took cautious steps forward, scanning the surroundings.

One particular ad caught his eye.

It was a flyer on an electric pole.

‘Resist… unite to build our community! Contact: 1338…’

The paper was worn, and some parts of the text were blurry, but the passion in the message was clear.

Resist what?

Li Chengyi wasn’t sure. Key parts of the flyer were unreadable.

He tried to take a photo with his AR glasses, but they didn’t respond at all.

With no other options, he continued deeper into the gray fog.

In the distance, a strange electronic melody began to drift toward him.

*Woo woo woo… tick tick tack tack…*

The eerie sound was like some twisted laugh—sharp, grating, with the hum of static.

Li Chengyi quickened his pace toward the sound.

Soon, he saw it: a

colorful slot machine sitting outside a shop.

The machine was decorated with green mountains, jumping rabbits, sheep, and plum deer.

On the player’s side of the machine were two rows of yellow buttons, each representing a different fruit.

Above, flashing lights spun through fruit images, stopping on one to indicate the jackpot.

Strangely, the game interface had a large red “fortune” symbol printed in the center of the screen.