Chapter 135: Serpent Eyes
Cangnan City, atop a certain signal tower.
A woman casually rested her hand on the railing, the breeze tousling her black, curly hair and revealing a captivating, seductive face. Her strange vertical pupils quietly observed the awakening city below, her lips curling into a half-smile, half-mischief.
Buzz, buzz, buzz...
Her phone vibrated.
She pulled out the phone and answered the call, speaking lazily.
"Hello...?"
"The people you infiltrated into the training camp have been exposed. Yuan Gang has left the camp. You don't have much time left," a deep male voice came from the other end.
"Oh, really?" The woman supported her chin with one hand, speaking in a leisurely tone, "So soon? I haven't had enough fun yet..."
"[Serpent Woman], I think I need to remind you, you're not here in Cangnan for fun," the man's tone grew serious.
"Lin QiYe is the first dual God Agent in history. If we can't recruit him into our Ancient God Church, then we cannot allow him to continue existing in this world. Otherwise, we will have a new opponent, even more troublesome than Wang Mian."
"Wang Mian, huh..." The woman sighed, "Last time, he almost cleaved me in half. How could there be such a man in this world who doesn't appreciate the finer things?"
"You're still a newcomer to the Ancient God Church and your realm is low. When you make contact with Lin QiYe, focus on recruiting him. If that doesn't work, let Han Shaoyun take action. You must kill him on the spot!"
"With Han Shaoyun's strength, in Cangnan, only Yuan Gang could defeat him in a direct confrontation, but someone will hold off Yuan Gang for you."
"There's a Sea realm expert hidden in the city too..." Serpent Woman's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's right, but he won't be able to hold Yuan Gang off for long. You don't have much time."
"I understand." Serpent Woman slowly stood up from the railing, stretched lazily, and her serpentine eyes fixed on a distant small shop, as though an interesting thought crossed her mind. A strange smile curled at the corner of her lips.
"Dual God Agent… sounds like an interesting man."
...
After sweeping the snow, Lin QiYe turned around and walked back into the office, picking up two black boxes from the corner. After hesitating for a moment, he grabbed some New Year snacks from the table and stuffed them into his pockets.
"Heading out?" Chen MuYe emerged from the kitchen, asking.
"Mm." Lin QiYe nodded. "Just going to pay a visit."
The explosion at the lover's hotel was still fresh in Lin QiYe's mind. While he didn't think anything serious would happen to the chubby guy, it was still better to check. If everything was fine, just as he had said, he would make a quick New Year visit.
Of course, there was another reason. Since tomorrow was the last day of the break, the people hiding in the shadows must have already been itching to make a move. He could go out for a while to test their limits.
If any overly powerful enemies appeared, Lin QiYe wasn't afraid; he could just release Nyx and use the cover of night to flee. However, Nyx's divine power could easily stir the Nightwatchers into action, and unless necessary, Lin QiYe didn't want to use him.
Chen MuYe didn't stop Lin QiYe but gave a light nod. "Mm, go ahead."
Lin QiYe picked up the black boxes and snacks, then quietly passed through the snoring-filled dining room and pushed the door open to leave.
After he left, Wu XiangNan, who had been lying on the couch like a dead dog, slowly opened his eyes. After exchanging a glance with Chen MuYe, he slapped Wen QiMo awake.
"Let's go, time to work."
...
After leaving HePing Office, Lin QiYe made his way directly toward the Lover's Hotel.
The once-bustling street had now grown quiet. The shops, with their doors firmly shut, were all adorned with new "Fu" characters for the New Year, and the people inside had already tidied up and gone home to celebrate.
Now and then, a few cars passed by, scattering the snow on the roadside. Lin QiYe wrapped his scarf tighter and veered off onto a more remote alley, where the world fell into a deep silence.
This was an old, worn-out street, with low and dark houses on either side. The moss-covered walls were etched with the marks of time, and the bare tree trunks on the roadside stretched like deep brown thorns, clawing into the sky.
The Lover's Hotel where Bai Li Pangpang and the others stayed was not far from HePing Bridge, only about a ten-minute walk, but the further Lin QiYe went down this road, the more uneasy he felt.
Though he couldn't pinpoint the source of this unease, it had started to grow inside him.
Eventually, he stopped.
On the quiet sidewalk, Lin QiYe furrowed his brows as though sensing something. After a long moment, he turned to look at a dilapidated low building on his right. He stretched out his hand and gently touched the wall of the building.
His fingers, wet with snow, lightly wiped the wall covered in dust and moss. After a moment, a strange crack appeared on the surface of the wall.
The crack seemed naturally formed, closing into a narrow semi-circle. Within this half-circle, several more cracks crisscrossed. At first glance, it seemed insignificant, but upon closer inspection...
The pattern resembled an eye.
A long, narrow, sinister, and enchanting serpent's eye.
"This is..." Lin QiYe's frown deepened as he crouched down. He swept away the snow beneath his feet with the black box, revealing that the sidewalk was covered in these eerie serpent eyes.
These serpent eyes were formed by black lines, resembling charcoal marks or perhaps stains left naturally over time. Some were as small as a thumb, while others were as large as manhole covers, densely scattered all around.
Lin QiYe fully extended his spiritual power, and his expression grew even graver.
The tree branches along the roadside twisted and stretched. From certain angles, they formed serpent eyes.
The snow swept away by the sanitation workers had melted most of it, but what remained on the ground had also taken the shape of serpent eyes.
The walls of the surrounding old houses, too, gradually revealed serpent eyes in bizarre forms.
Even the winter sun hanging in the sky had, at some point, transformed into a serpent's eye shape...
The entire street had turned into a world of serpent eyes!
Lin QiYe finally understood where his unease had come from.
"This is... the Forbidden Ruins?" His eyes tinged with faint gold as he bent down, placed the New Year snacks on the ground, and tightly gripped the two black boxes, vigilantly observing everything around him.
Suddenly, a figure slowly appeared from the opposite sidewalk.
It was a woman, her black curly hair flowing naturally over her shoulders, swaying like twisted black snakes in the wind. Her eerie serpent eyes locked onto Lin QiYe, and her lips curled into a slight, enigmatic smile.