Flower

The engine roared like an asthma from under the chassis, carrying the tin can-like carriages forward.

Sitting in the last row, Luo Di recalled a scene he had selectively forgotten: when he was just a fifteen-year-old boy, just an ordinary person.

Faced with a monster that had slaughtered the neighborhood and killed family members,

Faced with this clown who exudes fear from head to toe,

Fifteen-year-old Luo Di was not frightened, nor was he dominated by fear. An instinctive anger, originating from the depths of his soul, instantly filled his brain, causing blood vessels to appear in his eyes.

This strong intention was clearly received by the clown, who even made a gesture of surprise or feigned fear.

But when Luo Di tried to step through the door, the clown made a waving goodbye gesture.

In the blink of an eye, the spot where the clown was standing transformed into a red balloon.

The next second, footsteps were heard in the stairwell, and a large number of investigators rushed up to block Luo Di behind them.

"Is it because I said I was going to kill you that you're in such a hurry? Are you afraid that I'll successfully reach the Exploration Bureau headquarters, complete the pituitary structure germination, break through to the next stage, and then I'll be able to threaten you?"

So you must kill me before that happens.

So you're such a coward, such a useless piece of trash.

Luo Di used his acting skills learned from bad movies and his long-term practice in speaking to try to confuse and provoke his opponent on a verbal level.

However,

The clown sitting next to him maintained the same posture, keeping the same stretched-out smile, without any emotional fluctuation, and did not kill Luo Di.

Seeing the clown remain unmoved, Luo Di felt relieved.

Such a powerful, never-before-seen monster should have this kind of emotional control. If it could be provoked by a few words, it would probably have died in the Human World long ago, or in depths of the Corner.

Or perhaps,

Luo Di's speculation was completely wrong.

This mysterious clown seems to only want to take Luo Di to the "residence," but he seems to have a completely different purpose, a purpose that Luo Di cannot even fathom.

Since verbal mockery was ineffective, Luo Di stopped talking and quietly got into the car.

As the bus continued to travel deeper into the building, he wasn't too flustered; in fact, he seemed to want to take the opportunity to explore further.

Even if this bus is heading to a place deeper than the Exploration Bureau headquarters, even if it is the area with the highest concentration of monster activity.

that's all,

A strange balance exists inside the bus.

The two "people" sat close together in the last row of the bus, embarking on this special journey.

Luo Di's eyes remained closed, relying solely on the raven in his beak for his unique ash vision. More than an hour passed, and the darkness outside the window gradually faded.

The in-depth exploration is complete, and the scene is beginning to appear.

Luo Di had expected to find himself in a densely populated residential area or a street full of high-rise buildings, but instead, he found himself on a country lane.

The dirt road was just wide enough for buses to travel on, and the intense jolts came through the seats.

There were no buildings in sight, not even the typical rural bungalows.

The roadside was either overgrown with weeds as tall as a person or ponds covered with aquatic plants, a completely desolate wilderness.

Splash splash~

A light rain was falling outside the window.

The sky was filled with thick clouds, obscuring the stars and moon, and it was uncertain whether such things even existed.

The clown, who had been sitting close to Luo Di, got up and left.

Wearing round-toed leather shoes, he walked straight to the front of the bus, sat in the driver's seat, and started driving himself. The journey ahead seemed to require a change of route, heading towards a completely secluded area.

Luo Di remained motionless, still waiting, seemingly waiting for some opportune moment.

Sudden,

The clown jerked the steering wheel, and the bus veered into the tall grass beside it. The intense jolts nearly sent Luo Di flying and crashing into the ceiling.

These weeds were even taller than the car body, completely blocking all the windows.

Sasa sasa~

As some weeds brushed against the car window, Luo Di caught a glimpse of something strange.

It seemed that something else was mixed in among these tall grasses, like human fingers, extremely elongated fingers, or like strips of flesh that had been cut open.

It took more than ten minutes of driving before we finally broke through the area of tall grass.

There was still no sign of a city ahead.

But a building appeared in front of the car.

It's like a long-closed, completely abandoned amusement park.

When Luo Di saw such a building, he didn't even need to feel it; his tongue was already flapping violently in his mouth, the sound of which was suppressed by Luo Di covering his mouth.

"This is the Joker's [residence]? Located in the middle of nowhere, not in an urban area?"

This must be some kind of special dwelling; entering it would mean certain death.

It's time...

Luo Di, who was sitting in the last row, got up, put on his size 45 leather shoes, and approached the driver's seat. His right hand was already on the hilt of his knife.

The clown, who was driving, seemed completely oblivious and remained focused on driving.

The Chainsaw Blade was raised high above his head.

[cut]

The moment the blade fell,

Luo Di's consciousness suddenly trembled, as if by Sleight of Hand... Buzz! Crow's vision was forcibly shut down, turning into the most ordinary eye vision.

His eyes had opened at some point.

Moreover, he wasn't holding the knife handle; instead, he was gripping the steering wheel tightly.

That's right... a similar 'changing phenomenon' to what happened on the train before has occurred again.

This time, however, it wasn't Head Swap, but a complete body swap.

Luo Di became the clown in the driver's seat.

He tried to remove his hands but found them stuck firmly to the steering wheel. He tried to activate his Old Spine and pituitary gland but found they weren't actually on his body.

Looking through the rearview mirror,

"Myself" was standing behind, the hilt of the knife already back at his waist.

Although the Old Spine showed slight movement, it had been completely suppressed by the balloon threads.

"It's another consciousness exchange."

Even though I didn't look directly at the Joker this time, it still happened. My consciousness was transferred into his body, and the Joker took over my body.

really.

Observation is not the only condition that triggers the clown's scourge. The physical contact in the back row before also counts. Or rather, there are still lingering scourges within me that have not been completely eliminated, and my consciousness could be swapped at any time.

This ability is completely beyond my current capabilities; to kill this guy, I'll have to wait until the door opens. However..."

Luo Di remained calm. He first tried to turn the steering wheel but found it was stuck, and the vehicle would only drive towards the abandoned amusement park.

We're less than a kilometer away now; once we get into their house, things will get really complicated.

At this moment, the clown is controlling Luo Di's body, his hands resting on the back of the seat, maintaining a smiling face.

He seemed to be admiring Luo Di's driving skills.

It seems they've already started planning what to do after bringing Luo Di back.

They seemed to be anticipating Luo Di's reaction to extreme fear.

but.

At that moment, Luo Di, in the driver's seat, slowly closed his eyes.

Although their bodies were taken away and their actions were restricted,

But the mind is free...

He began to seriously recall, think, and miss someone.

This longing becomes clearer, closer, and more tangible in the Corner Depth where I am now.

Luo Di could clearly sense something approaching.

"Mr. Di..."

A voice as Flower Nectar permeated Luo Di's thoughts.

The next second.

The clown suddenly sensed something was wrong.

The body of Luo Di that he possessed seemed to become itchy, as if something was surging and growing deep within the flesh.

He raised his hand to take a look.

The pores on my arms seem to be gradually enlarging, becoming the size of a bean.

Not just arms,

This includes the body, legs, feet, and even the face.

Beneath these countless holes, something seems to be growing.

It is a flesh-colored plant.

The stem, bearing the newly formed flower buds, slowly rises from between the fleshy pores.

The sheer number, the density, and the strangeness of them.

The Joker sensed an ominous, intense sense of crisis. He decisively abandoned his possession of Luo Di's body and once again switched their consciousnesses through some kind of magic trick.

Unwilling to take any unknown risks, the Joker returned to the driver's seat and decisively chose to jump out of the car.

Holding the balloon, he landed steadily on the ground to the side, his gaze fixed on the driver's seat of the bus, watching Luo Di bloom inside.

The clown tilted his head, unable to comprehend this change.

He could feel Luo Di being killed, his body being drained of all its nutrients.

This pain is probably unbearable for most people, and it is even slightly more cruel than the method he envisioned for killing Luo Di.

However,

Looking through the car window,

The flower-covered Luo Di was beckoning to him, even giving him a similar smile, a murderous smile.

The next second,

The uncontrolled bus crashed into the abandoned amusement park.

No explosion occurred.

Shortly after the impact, beautiful flowers of various colors spread throughout the carriages, breaking through the windows and decorating the entire bus.

The floats looked so beautiful in the rainy night, as if they had become part of the amusement park.

Not only that,

These flowers, having absorbed the rainwater, continued to spread, seemingly threatening to invade the amusement park.

The clown didn't rush to clean up the flowers. Instead, he opened the driver's side door again to check the situation. There was no trace of Luo Di inside, only a skin riddled with holes, completely drained.