Hidden Dead Ends

Chapter 8

Watching the car gradually drive away, Li Chengyi stood still on the spot. He wanted to chase after it, but the meaning in the man’s words made his heart freeze.

The man’s friends and son seemed to have died in Dead Ends.

This world... seemed peaceful, but dangers like Dead Ends seemed to be everywhere.

And what did the man’s last sentence mean?

Why would calling the police lead to losing his last glimmer of hope?

Many thoughts ran through Li Chengyi’s mind, but he didn’t have any clue.

He picked up his phone and kept searching for information about Dead Ends.

The sky gradually darkened, and the street lights by the roadside lit up with yellow lights.

Some students began to stroll around in groups of twos and threes.

The stores on both sides of the street lit up one after another, and the halos of various colors illuminated this area.

Li Chengyi was still standing on the spot, frantically searching for information about Dead Ends.

But there was nothing.

All the information seemed to have been censored and deleted, leaving only some simple missing person cases circulating online.@@@@

He lowered his phone in disappointment and looked up at the sky.

In the sky, the full moon was hanging quietly in the middle.

There must be a way... Li Chengyi looked back at the cafe but didn’t return. Instead, he put away his phone and walked toward the bus stop.

When his pant legs approached the strip of greenery between the street and the sidewalk, a line of clear black words once again emerged on the back of his right hand.

Li Chengyi didn’t pay attention to it, nor could he see it. He kept thinking about the strange underground parking garage and the bizarre giant human face.

The intense pressure and panic filled every part of his body. If he hadn’t forcibly controlled his body, he might have been trembling in fear.

He walked along the greenery.

All kinds of methods were flashing crazily in Li Chengyi’s mind, methods that might be able to get him out of the Dead End.

He planned to go back and prepare various weapons, knives, alcohol fuel, strong pepper spray, and so on. Anything was better than nothing.

He should make use of everything that could help.

He also had to prepare food and water. In case he got rid of the human face monster but was still trapped in the Dead End and couldn’t come out, he would need to eat and drink.

There was also the cassette player. He recalled that he had been playing music on it before entering the Dead End.

So he had to take it as soon as he returned.

In addition...

Right! A thought suddenly flashed in his mind. The pattern on the back of my hand! That pattern looks very mysterious. It might be able to help me!

A glimmer of hope quickly rose in Li Chengyi’s heart.

He raised his hand, but he couldn’t see anything on the back of his hand. The pattern needed to be reflected in a mirror to be seen clearly.

He quickly walked to the display window of a clothing store and looked at the back of his hand through the reflection of the window.

At this moment, the words on the back of his hand had disappeared, and the black pattern had reappeared.

So, how do I use this thing? What is the use?

Looking at the black pattern on the back of his hand, Li Chengyi thought of a solution. He turned on his phone’s camera and pointed it at the back of his hand.

As expected, he could clearly see the black pattern on the back of his hand on the phone screen.

It was a flower pattern formed by small black flowers.

They seemed to be swaying in the wind and were slightly tilted. They also seemed like black flames burning, throbbing and deep.

Maybe there’s a trick? Li Chengyi looked at the black pattern and reached out to touch it carefully, but his fingertips couldn’t feel anything, as though the pattern didn’t exist.

I can’t wait any longer. Time is running out. I have to prepare other things first!

Without knowing what use this pattern had, Li Chengyi quickly turned around and jogged toward the bus stop.

He needed to prepare all kinds of items as soon as possible.

Even though the middle-aged man had said that weapons were useless, he was just a stranger, and Li Chengyi couldn’t believe everything he said.

If I die, will I transmigrate again? A strange thought popped into his mind.

I really don’t know where that black flower comes from. It can actually do such an unbelievable thing...

Li Chengyi sighed inwardly. Now that the end was coming, he was strangely not as nervous as before.

This was a very strange feeling. It was as though his mind had suddenly become empty and clarified a lot, and his thoughts quickly became clear...

Wait!

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed across his mind.

The pattern appeared because of the small black flower. I transmigrated because I came into contact with the black flower bush.

The major my predecessor studied was plant conservation. All of this involves plants...

So, is this pattern also related to plants?

Once this connection was formed, it quickly occupied all of Li Chengyi’s thoughts.

The more he thought about it, the more likely he felt that it was. I’ll give it a try!

Immediately, he looked around. There were no plants at all.

With the bag in hand, he changed his shoes, quickly rushed out of the house, ran down the stairs, and rushed to the area between the buildings of the neighborhood.

Simple oval gardens were built in these area.

There were small trees, green grass, and small flowers.

The outside was simply surrounded by a fence with a sign that said, “Be careful of stepping on flowers and plants.”

But Li Chengyi couldn’t care less about being careful now. He turned and crossed the fence. As soon as his feet touched the grass in a garden, his body quickly reacted.

The black pattern on the back of his right hand quickly distorted, squirmed, and turned into a line of clear words.

[Please keep touching for ten seconds to activate.]

Li Chengyi picked up the phone camera and looked at the back of his right hand. This time, he clearly saw this line of text.

It was the most commonly used Chinese characters in his previous life!

Sure enough! I’m right! A numbing sensation like an electric current flashed across his scalp.

The countdown began to appear on the back of his hand.

[Six.]

[Five.]

[Four.]

[Three.]

[Two.]

[One.]

Swish!

In an instant, all the words disappeared. The black on the back of his hand returned to the black pattern.

Streams of invisible information instantly entered Li Chengyi’s mind through a mysterious method.

[Activation successful.]

Buzz!

In an instant, a deep, dark fog appeared out of thin air from all directions.

This fog enveloped Li Chengyi’s entire body.

The surroundings turned pitch-black.

This is...?! He was at a loss and stood frozen, not daring to move.

Ding...

A clear and reverberating echo resounded like jade hitting a bell or zither. He couldn’t tell what instrument it was.

In the darkness far away...

A tiny purple light slowly emerged, brightened, and approached.