Chapter 53: They Are All Marionettes on Strings

Leaving the cold, stern police station behind, Yu Ling felt the warm sunlight fall upon her, sparing no effort as it drove away the chill.

She narrowed her eyes in comfort and opened her arms to welcome the brilliant sun.

She had put on both a mask and a hat, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Thus, she was not particularly worried that the sparse crowd in front of the station would recognize her.

Perhaps so many people emerged from the building to bask in the sunlight that passersby had long since ceased to find it unusual.

Several cars drove out of the airport. Thirty or forty minutes later, they entered Manhattan, the heart of the world’s center and the most economically vibrant place on earth.

Under the night sky, the city blazed with lights, magnificent and bustling. People streamed through the streets, unaware of what was happening—and even less aware of how much wealth was changing hands.

The largest of them was a bull elephant. Its thick tusks swept outward in two rugged arcs, slanting sharply toward the sky. It flapped its ears and listened to the sounds of the grassland, a trace of loneliness showing in the eyes hidden among its hair.

For some reason, Xu Hao discovered that every door and window of the inn had been shut tight.

As everyone knew, the people of the Thorn Church had always revered the various “secret arts” they had devised themselves, and their system of cultivation was entirely different from that of the Hunters.

In another flower hall, everyone present was an official from Jiangnan Yingtian, with Li Jingyi, Prefect of Yangtai, the most animated among them.

Su Muyin’s eyes reddened with anger. She gave a cold laugh, then suddenly slammed her palm hard against the back of the passenger seat.

“What’s the price?” Li Weidong naturally asked in his hometown dialect, causing the butcher to stare at him for a moment.

However, after seeing Xu Hao flee into the sea, the crabs followed one after another, crawling into the ocean as well.

Besides, this was merely an illusion of the mind. Even if there had originally been no operation, one would come into existence now if Zhou Tunan went to examine it.

Of everyone present, Che Junxian was the first to notice the problem. Hadn’t that fellow Gao Xun been with them all along? Or had he never come in the first place?

It simply vanished in midair, without the slightest warning or sign.

An inability to remain together for long was the cruelest thing of all. He could never express these feelings to Lin Ran; he might even have to endure the pain of doing something that would harm her.

“It is not a capital offense, but it was still something you should not have done. I hope you can recognize your mistake.” Ouyang restrained his anger.

But then a question arose: she had said there was a familiar scent on her. What did that mean? That question could be set aside for now.

“No.” The golden python lay beside the pool, inhaling the fragrance of the flowers and eating roast chicken as it replied with complete indifference.

Blood sprayed from his mouth. Yuan Chen cried out in horror, “Impossible!” The frail man’s left foot seemed to move.

Didn’t he just mention Adele? What had the proprietor thought of? Why had his face turned blue, then white?

“Why should I be afraid of him? He’s only a higher level. If he provokes me, I’ll cut him down all the same.” Lian Hu did not care in the least as he gazed in the direction Zhang Quan had gone.

He stopped worrying about the camel. Mu Rong Tianyu feared neither Heaven nor earth, but Lin Jingjun was extremely weak now. It would be disastrous if they were separated because of this. Amid the raging wind and swirling sand, Mu Rong Tianyu could barely make out Lin Jingjun’s blurred figure. He rushed over and clung to her with all his strength.

A cold glint flashed through Qin Ming’s eyes. The wave paused, then suddenly exploded. The resentful ghost dissolved directly into nothingness, its soul utterly scattered.

After confirmation, a cloud of white mist enveloped Zhang Quan and drew him through a tall gate. When Zhang Quan opened his eyes again, the surroundings had changed completely.

In the Peony Hall of the Mingyang City Friendship Hotel, Wang Ciming, overcome with excitement, drank three cups of strong liquor as soon as the banquet began to show his gratitude to his trusted subordinates. He had not expected that, despite being accustomed to leading others, his stomach could not endure such a reckless amount of alcohol. His face flushed at once, and his head began to swim.