Chapter 8: Biubiu's Black Paper Figure

Duan Wenxuan spent one night at Ning Lin’s place without any incidents. However, considering his own body had been lying at home for nearly a full day without food or drink, he grew concerned about potentially starving himself.

Feeling somewhat disappointed, Duan Wenxuan decided to leave and briefly considered chatting with the girl across the hall once more. But as he knocked on her door, he heard what sounded like an agitated smashing of a glass cup inside. With that, Duan Wenxuan descended in the elevator and headed straight home.

Upon returning, when Duan Wenxuan sat up using his own body from the bed, the first thing he did was rush to the bathroom. Afterwards, he quenched his thirst and ate a meal. Only after these activities did he realize that surprisingly, he felt remarkably energetic, completely devoid of fatigue.

With his body feeling refreshed, Duan Wenxuan began stretching before stepping onto the treadmill. Ever since deciding to learn Eight Trigrams Palm from Tang Tianlu, he had focused on building a strong foundation. Speed, in particular, is a crucial skill—no matter how powerful one’s attacks may be, they’re useless if they can’t land a hit.

Finding no abnormalities with Ning Lin’s situation, Duan Wenxuan finished his workout and called Zong Cheng. He wasn’t one to dwell on a single issue; if there were no leads from Ning Lin, he’d explore elsewhere.

“Around 2 A.M. last night, she sent a ’…’ emoji to Yan’er, and since then, we haven’t been able to contact her at all.”

“Uh,” Duan Wenxuan was unsure how to respond.

“Yan’er plans to visit Ning Lin’s parents after work to confirm what happened. I’ll reach out to you again this evening.”

“Alright.”

After Zong Cheng hung up, Duan Wenxuan went online to search for more information. Unfortunately, in this era of big data, sifting through countless true and false entries proved challenging. As an average internet user, Duan Wenxuan could only perform standard searches, yielding few useful results.

Later that night, still donning Tang Tianlu’s appearance, Duan Wenxuan remained undeterred as he evaded the neighborhood surveillance cameras and ventured out. He decided to make one final visit to Ning Lin’s house; if nothing unusual occurred tonight, he would give up on pursuing it further.

Cao Yan had gone to Ning Lin’s parents’ home after work but found nobody there. When she asked neighbors about their whereabouts, they remained tight-lipped. Cao Yan felt something was off, yet there was little she could do.

Zong Cheng had already informed Duan Wenxuan about this incident, though they didn’t discuss it in detail. However, they both vaguely understood that something extraordinary must have occurred, similar to Duan Wenxuan’s earlier experience where there were no subsequent reports, making it seem as if nothing happened at all.

Duan Wenxuan’s objective was clear: he wanted to figure out what exactly was wrong with this world and then strive to survive, preferably well. Therefore, whenever possible, he aimed to avoid getting entangled in other matters.

Upon arriving at the residential complex, climbing upstairs, and opening the door, nothing unusual occurred.

This time, when Duan Wenxuan deliberately made some noise while entering, the girl next door did not open her door, nor could he hear any movement inside. He suspected she might have moved away, just like Ning Lin. However, considering Ning Lin’s situation, if their issues were indeed similar, simply moving away wouldn’t completely resolve the problem.

Lying on Ning Lin’s floor, Duan Wenxuan felt no drowsiness initially. He tossed and turned without falling asleep until late into the night when fatigue finally began to set in. Just as he drifted between sleep and wakefulness, Duan Wenxuan suddenly heard a scream, causing him to bolt upright instantly.

From the neighboring apartment.

Quickly dressing himself, despite his now aged body, Duan Wenxuan exhibited a sudden burst of terrifying speed and strength.

• Bang.

Without hesitation, Duan Wenxuan kicked open the bedroom door and simultaneously flicked on the light switch nearby. The bright white illumination instantly flooded the room.

His swift actions left both Duan Wenxuan, the girl inside, and… something else… momentarily awkward.

The girl’s hair was disheveled, her complexion sallow, with particularly heavy dark circles under her eyes. At that moment, she was desperately gripping the glass of the living room balcony with both hands, yet her feet uncontrollably moved towards its edge.

On the table in front of her sat a figure approximately fifteen to sixteen centimeters tall, resembling a black paper doll without any facial features, casually crossing one leg over the other.

It seemed the black paper doll hadn’t anticipated someone entering at this moment.

Clutching onto the door frame, tears streaming down her face, the girl looked pleadingly at Tang Tianlu. Unable to speak, her eyes conveyed a strong desire for survival.

The black paper doll stared blankly at Duan Wenxuan. After four or five seconds, it cautiously uncrossed its legs and gently collapsed, transforming back into a flat, ordinary-looking piece of black paper lying still on the tea table.

What the heck?

The black paper figure lay on the tea table, seemingly sensing Duan Wenxuan’s gaze still upon it, discreetly lifted its arm and quietly slid to one side with a “biubiu” sound.

Just then, three more individuals burst through the door. The first two were dressed in police uniforms, while the person in the middle wore ordinary civilian clothes, appearing grim-faced and ready to flee at any moment.

“Who are you?!” Li Dong, tall and imposing, instantly aimed his gun at Duan Wenxuan as he charged inside.

After Ning Lin’s death the previous night, Li Dong had promptly reported the incident to his superiors. They immediately conducted a thorough inspection of Tianlan Haiqing Gardens but found no issues. However, adhering to caution, they specifically assigned two officers to replace the security guards on duty.

The girl’s loud scream earlier must have prompted someone, likely concerned for their safety, to call the police right away.

Li Dong’s swift arrival was coincidental; he had just bought some late-night snacks and managed to persuade a young colleague to accompany him for a check-up. As they approached the neighborhood, hearing about the incident, they rushed over immediately.

Li Dong didn’t involve the other officers stationed nearby, knowing that if this truly was an ‘unusual’ event, having more people around would be counterproductive and increase the chances of further mishaps.

Seeing the guns, Duan Wenxuan instinctively panicked; these were real firearms, despite Tang Tianlu’s current invincible bug-like state theoretically protecting him. A cold sweat broke out on his back, leaving him momentarily frozen. After a few seconds, he regained his composure and pointed towards the tea table, “You shouldn’t be asking me; the true issue lies right there.”

At that moment, the black paper man was slowly sliding down the table leg. Feeling all eyes on him halfway through, the paper figure abruptly froze, becoming completely motionless.

Li Dong immediately turned to the young man beside him.

The young man nervously raised his hands, shaking his head repeatedly with a trembling voice, “Y… Captain Li, don’t look at me. Just half a month ago, I was an ordinary person, nothing special at all. I can’t do this.”

Li Dong glared sternly at Mao Qisheng, frustrated by his lack of confidence.

With a corner of his mouth twitching, Mao Qisheng reluctantly pulled out a red-tipped cinnabar brush from within his jacket. Holding it, he managed to steady his shaking somewhat.

Half a month earlier, something unusual occurred with this brush—it spontaneously emitted a red glow one night. Curious, he sought answers online, which eventually led to Captain Li Dong personally arriving with experts to explain its significance.

The pen’s effectiveness varied unpredictably when in his hands, entirely dependent on its grandfather’s mood.

Naturally, when used by others, it remained completely ineffective. Therefore, despite Mao Qisheng’s timid nature, Captain Li Dong had no choice but to include him in the special forces team.

“Imperius!” Mustering all his courage, Mao Qisheng roared and hurled the pen towards the black paper figure.

Thud.

The pen landed uneventfully on the ground, rolling a few times before bumping into a corner and coming to a stop.

Duan Wenxuan blinked, casting an innocent glance at Li Dong. With Mao Qisheng’s loud shout and righteous expression, he had expected some powerful move.

Mao Qisheng opened his mouth briefly, then quickly shrank behind Li Dong, feeling timid.

Heaven be witness, he tried his best.

At that moment, the black paper figure swiftly slid onto the floor and, with nimble hands, clutched its stomach while giggling uncontrollably. Despite having no discernible features, the laughter resonated audibly for everyone to hear.

Mao Qisheng secretly sighed but dared not breathe too deeply.

As the black paper figure’s laughter grew louder, the struggling girl intensified her efforts even more. After about seven or eight seconds, she gradually released her grip on the window frame and mechanically walked toward the balcony railing.

“You’re being utterly unreasonable! My life goal is to be a carefree otaku, chilling and waiting for death, so why should I have to save the world?!” Mao Qisheng suddenly blurted out, directing his scathing words at Li Dong.

As soon as he spoke, he instinctively covered his mouth.

However, the nearby police officer jumped up and threw a punch at him, snarling, “I’ve had enough of your attitude for too long! With that vermilion brush, you act like we owe you everything.”

Mao Qisheng couldn’t withstand such a forceful blow; blood immediately streamed from the corner of his mouth as he stumbled and fell. Despite this, he refused to back down, defiantly shouting, “I’ve had it with all of you! Is this how you treat citizens? I’m going to expose you!”

“Bullshit! Every time we needed your help, didn’t we politely plead multiple times? We even arranged for someone to clean your place. If not for that pen, no one would ever bother stepping foot in your house, given your attitude!” Li Dong abruptly turned around, his words filled with agitation.

After venting, Li Dong felt a severe throbbing pain in his head.

In that brief moment, he seemed to hear countless internal thoughts from Mao Qisheng—displeasure, resentment, and anger—all directed towards him. The gun in his hand uncontrollably twitched, urging him to fire a bullet at Mao Qisheng.

Bang! Bang!

Li Dong fired his gun, but not at Mao Qisheng; instead, it was aimed at the black paper figurine still hopping and laughing incessantly.

His aim was precise, effortlessly piercing through the black paper figurine. It gently collapsed onto the ground, yet moments later, the figure sat back up, laughing even louder.

The girl had already climbed onto the railing, unable to control herself.

Guns were useless.

Affected by the black paper figurine, Li Dong involuntarily blurted out secrets he’d never shared with anyone before. After all, everyone carries a few secrets throughout their lives—big or small, there’s always something they keep hidden from others.

He wasn’t alone; Mao Qisheng and another officer experienced the same phenomenon.

As time went on, after exhausting their secrets, they began hurling insults at each other, their uncontrollable rage spreading throughout their minds… In a final desperate move, Li Dong swiftly grabbed the second officer’s gun along with his own, forcefully tossing both off the balcony. Holding onto their guns any longer, he feared, could lead to a tragic outcome.

Duan Wenxuan faced a similar situation, continuously recounting childhood lies. However, as soon as he mentioned ‘the door,’ he suddenly froze.

Before he could finish, at the moment of his hesitation, Duan Wenxuan snapped out of his agitated fury.

“Get lost!”

Veins bulged on Duan Wenxuan’s forehead as he resolved internally, “If Tang Tianlu meets his end here, I’ll take care of his family!” With this determination, Duan Wenxuan leaped forward, his calloused and powerful hands closing like giant pincers, aiming with relentless force towards the black paper figurine.

The wooden floor beneath them bore deep handprints from the impact, yet surprisingly, Duan Wenxuan managed to grasp the black paper figurine firmly within his grip.

This time, the black paper figurine truly panicked and began wildly struggling in Duan Wenxuan’s palm. Despite its small and delicate appearance, it possessed immense strength, with the edges of the paper cutting like razor blades against his skin.

Tang Tianlu had practiced Eight Trigrams Palm since childhood, making his hands incredibly strong and resilient. Even so, Duan Wenxuan grimaced in pain.

Fortunately, due to the Undestroyable buff, aside from the discomfort, his hands remained uncut and bloodless.

The paper figurine struggled for quite some time before seemingly becoming exhausted. It gradually calmed down and repeatedly nodded at Duan Wenxuan, displaying a pleading expression as if saying, “I’m innocent and pitiful.”

“Don’t struggle anymore.” Duan Wenxuan held the paper figurine firmly, showing no intention of letting go.

As the paper figurine calmly pleaded for mercy, the girl suddenly screamed and swiftly climbed down from the railing, then hugged her knees and burst into tears.

The trio had just engaged in a chaotic brawl.

To be fair, Mao Qisheng was already out of action, his face swollen like a pig’s head after the beating. The vermilion brush seemed to have rolled back into his hand at some point, its frayed bristles resembling a mocking grin.

As for Li Dong, he found himself battling against his own colleague.

Li Dong managed to compose himself, pressing a hand on his arm despite the pain. Earlier, amidst his disoriented state, he hadn’t really paid attention to what happened with Duan Wenxuan.

He might not have noticed before, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t now.

Duan Wenxuan clearly held the paper figurine in his grasp!

“Old gentleman,” Li Dong hesitated briefly before speaking up, “I think you need to come with me to the police station.”

Duan Wenxuan retreated towards the balcony railing, muttering, “The world is changing…”

Li Dong’s eyebrows furrowed deeply as he abruptly chased after him, demanding, “What’s your name? What do you know?! How has the world changed?!”

“I am merely an old relic nearing the end of my life, with little use left. Whatever changes the world undergoes, they no longer concern me.” Duan Wenxuan lowered his gaze and, gripping the railing, vaulted over.

The building was tall, but Duan Wenxuan effortlessly grasped the edges of balconies along the way, using the outdoor air conditioning units as footholds to descend swiftly into the night.