Hidden Dead Ends-Chapter 50

“Yes. I moved here with my mom when I was young. She had me out of wedlock, and nobody back home knew who my dad was. The gossip became too much, so we moved here,” she replied.

“And where is your mother now?” Zhang Sinda asked.

“She’s dying. I’m working to earn money for her treatment,” she said plainly.

“Cut the crap. Tell the truth,” Song Ran interjected with a frown.

“...Alright, she ran off with some random man when I was five. Left me on the street,” she quickly amended.

“You sure?” Song Ran’s voice rose.

“I… fine, I was fifteen. I’m not lying this time! Really!” Zhong Ying shrank back, fearing another slap.

“What do you need all that money for?” Song Ran asked in exasperation.

“For my looks, obviously. I need to fill out my figure, and the high-grade gel I want costs a fortune,” she replied, suddenly enthusiastic.

“You don’t have any other family?” Zhang Sinda asked.

“Oh, I do, but they look down on us, call us dirty,” she scoffed.

“You don’t seem like the type to sell yourself,” Zhang Sinda observed. Despite her flashy appearance, their investigations had shown that Zhong Ying hadn’t resorted to that line of work, instead making money through scams and cons.

“Would you believe me if I said I didn’t?” she sneered.

“What’s with that attitude?” Song Ran snapped, making her shrink back again.

“Show some respect for the boss,” he added.

“Of course, I understand,” Zhong Ying replied quickly.

The three of them circled around the Candy Bar twice more but found nothing of note. They then widened their search, slowly driving through the surrounding neighborhood.

As night deepened, the crowd began to thin, leaving the streets a bit desolate. With so many residents relocated, this old neighborhood had lost much of its former vibrancy. Only a few shops still had lights on, catering to a dwindling number of regulars.

They waited several minutes between passing cars, the mist of the evening settling heavily.

Song Ran left markers in specific spots along the route with his phone.

“Wait, Sima Gui and Chengyi’s phones have lost signal!” he said suddenly, his expression tightening.

“They must be inside, experiencing a flash,” Zhang Sinda understood immediately.

Having tracked dead-end survivors for so long in his search for his son, Zhang Sinda knew well what could happen.

“I’ll boost the signal tracking and prepare to retrieve them as soon as they come out,” Song Ran replied firmly.

“Good. Don’t worry too much; the Fog Street dead-end isn’t particularly dangerous,” Zhang Sinda reassured him.

Song Ran nodded, about to respond, when something black suddenly dropped from above, spreading across the windshield like a massive net.

The car’s electronics went dead instantly, and the steering wheel jerked left, sending them skidding as the emergency brakes kicked in.

*Screech!*

The tires left twin black streaks on the road as they screeched to a halt inches from a fire hydrant.

A gray figure leapt from the second story of a nearby building, yanking open the left car door with a powerful grip.

*Bam bam bam!*

Three gunshots rang out, aimed right at the intruder’s head. Three powerful armor-piercing bullets struck, leaving deep indentations in the gray figure’s face but bouncing off.

The gray figure staggered back but regained balance quickly, just as Song Ran lunged forward and struck it in the neck.

*Thud!*

The two grappled, rolling on the ground in a vicious struggle.

“Boss, get out of here! It’s a full conversion!” Song Ran shouted, fighting to pin the figure, but it felt like trying to hold down a rhinoceros. Within seconds, he was thrown off.

Zhang Sinda quickly grabbed Zhong Ying and made for the old buildings along the street.

Glancing back, he saw Song Ran pinned under the gray figure, receiving blow after blow.

“Get ready,” Zhang Sinda said suddenly.

Still in shock, Zhong Ying didn’t understand what was happening. Before she could speak, Zhang Sinda yanked her forward.

She fell, landing hard with her chest squashed against the pavement.

*Clink clink.*

Two thin black needles appeared on the ground before her, seemingly from nowhere.

Zhang Sinda spun, fired two shots in quick succession, then continued dragging her forward.

“Is… is your life always this exciting?!” Zhong Ying gasped, her face a mask of fear.

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Even entering a dead-end hadn’t scared her this much. In the dead-end, all she’d done was pull a lever on a slot machine, with no real danger.

“Just bad timing; today’s the exception,” Zhang Sinda said, his face grim. One of his eyes had turned a deep shade of purple, faintly glowing.

As they ran, he lowered his gun and discreetly pressed the emergency call button on his phone.

Nearby, on the balcony of a second-story apartment in an old building, a tall woman in a gray trench coat watched the chase unfold on the street below.

“What’s going on? You can’t handle two half-finished conversions?” She scowled, clearly unimpressed.

“There’s something off about them, and our men have restricted functionality. At the moment, we can only mobilize two at a time; the authorities are keeping a close watch,” a man’s voice replied through her earpiece.

“Damn it, if it weren’t for the silence fortresses in every city… two half-finished conversions!” she muttered angrily. “Forget it. I’ll handle it myself.”

She raised her hand, watching as the skin on her palm turned from flesh to silver-black. Her hand split open, revealing a small silver missile.

*Click.*

The missile deployed small feather-like protrusions along both sides, resembling wings.

Raising her arm, she aimed it at Zhang Sinda.

“Hold on! Someone’s here—Chen Jingsong!” the man’s voice sounded in her earpiece.

“Damn it! Why so soon?” The woman cursed, quickly retracting the missile and restoring her hand.

“Lucky them. Withdraw!”

“Got it. We can still take out the other two who are separated,” the man replied.

“Hongjin Company has sent reinforcements. Act quickly,” the woman said coldly. “We’ve alerted them now, so be decisive. Many eyes are on us.”

“Understood.”

Without further comment, she turned and disappeared back into the apartment.

---

Back in the Fog Street dead-end…

Li Chengyi slowly approached the utility pole, crouching down to examine the little white flower. He stretched out a cautious hand toward it.

The flower was about the size of an egg, with six smooth white petals and a green center dotted with a hint of yellow.

‘What kind of flower is this?’ he wondered, touching one of the white petals with his finger.

‘Chinese hawthorn: also known as red fruit, mountain hawthorn, a small deciduous tree in the rose family… Information incomplete. Medicinal properties… incomplete. Flowering season… incomplete…’

How could this be hawthorn?

Li Chengyi was momentarily dumbfounded. Hawthorn was a type of fruit tree, usually quite tall, and definitely not a small single plant with flowers.

Examining the plant further, he noticed that its tiny leaves were densely packed, each about the size of a fingernail. The stem was divided into multiple branches, slightly bent, as if struggling to support the flower at the top.

‘Why is there only information on the plant’s description? Where’s the flower language?’

Dissatisfied, he placed his hand gently around the flower, encasing it.

At last, a faint, cool sensation flowed into his hand, and new information surfaced in his mind.

‘Flower language: Heaven-Cutting, Earth-Shattering Divine Mind Technique (Thirteen levels, created by an unknown supreme master. Cannot be recorded; only accessible through the flower language. Mastery grants the power to intercept divine will, infusing one’s consciousness with it. With this strength, one can shatter mountains and pierce the heavens, a force capable of defying armies and conquering peaks.)’

‘Flower Scale Armor Collection Progress: New flower deity position not yet activated.’

“…” Li Chengyi froze, caught in a moment of stunned disbelief.

*Heaven-Cutting, Earth-Shattering Divine Mind Technique*?

What kind of bizarre ability was this?

Was this even possible in his world? Wasn’t this something out of a high-fantasy martial arts novel?

The sheer wonder of the flower language’s ability left him momentarily speechless.

He had assumed it would grant some unique skill, like his previous flower languages, but…

‘Maybe it’s a glitch… the missing information must have scrambled it… but if it’s real…?’

His heart began to race wildly.

If this flower language ability was genuine—if this technique actually existed—then…

Could he cultivate it? And if he could…

‘No… it’s only one flower. I can’t collect enough Flower Scale Armor to unlock the full flower language ability.’

Taking a deep breath, he stood up, both excited and frustrated.

This flower’s potential was almost too good to be true but remained out of reach.

‘I’d better check out that slot machine.’

Forcing himself to look away, Li Chengyi turned his gaze back to the brightly colored slot machine by the shopfront.

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars and likes of the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!