Lu Tan quickly recalled the night of carnival when he first came to the abandoned capital.
Of the few fellow travelers at that time, only the young boy named Shitou survived.
Lu Tian knew the author Gudu from Shitou, but now he met Shitou again while investigating the disappearance of Gudu. It can be said that it was some kind of fateful connection.
"Do you know each other?"
Drizzt was a little surprised. After all, Lu Tan was obviously not from the foreign land of Abandoned City. The guys he knew must have been met in the mission.
As for ordinary Quiet Place missions, passers-by are either dead or injured. To be able to stand here so intact, it always feels like something is wrong.
"Let's consider it acquaintance."
Lu Tan replied, looking up and down at the stone. This originally frail young man seemed to have become somewhat handsome. Even though he was wearing an old and ill-fitting suit, he still had a handsome temperament, which was completely different from the fierce thug next to him.
Is this a true portrayal of the changing face of reading?
Lu Tan couldn't help but think.
"You became a gangster?"
He blurted out, and you could see the thug next to him twitching his eyelids and about to raise his hand.
"It's not a gang, it's a company."
Shitou corrected and raised his hand to stop the thug. It seemed that he had a high status in this car rental place.
"Because I am literate, I was assigned to work as an accountant here."
"oh."
Lu Tan was not bothered by the name of the gang. Anyway, whether it was the mafia or a big company, they were all similar.
"But that's great, Mr. Lu Tan. I haven't heard from you in the past few years. I thought you had..."
When Shitou saw Lu Jian, he thought of the scene that night and couldn't help but feel frightened.
But soon, the joy that the familiar person was still alive replaced that uneasiness.
After careful calculation, three years have passed since the last time I came to the abandoned capital, which is indeed a long time.
"That's not the case. I don't have any shortcomings. I'm just a bit tough in fate."
Lu Tiao waved his hand.
"By the way, are you still reading books about the ancient capital?"
Lu Tan glanced at the novel at Shitou's hand.
"Well, I think he writes very well."
Shitou picked up the book in his hand.
"Moreover, when I was young, my mother often read me stories from "Old News of the Wasted Capital" and scared me to sleep, so I felt that he was very close to me."
"That's really your biological mother."
Drizzt complained.
"Uh-huh."
Shitou didn't know if he didn't understand or if he really thought so. He nodded and took out the old book from his arms.
The pages of the book had long been worn, obviously after years of flipping. Lu Jian took a look and saw that the book was indeed very worn, and the author's signature page on the title page was missing.
"Are you leaving the city?"
Shitou looked at the form filled out by Drizzt and confirmed again.
"Yes, prepare to go to Hanxu."
Lu Tan nodded and suddenly thought of it.
"Has anyone here recently rented a car and left, but hasn't returned the car yet?"
"That's not true. What's wrong?"
Shitou thought for a while and asked a little strangely.
"No, just ask casually."
Lu Tan thought for a moment and then said to Shitou.
"People of your age should read less books from the ancient capital, otherwise they will easily affect their lives. I have taken them away for you. This is for your own good."
He picked up both "The Rat in the Painting" and "Old News of the Abandoned Capital".
Shitou was a little confused, but after thinking about Lu Tiao's appearance that night, he didn't dare to say anything.
"?"
Drizzt watched helplessly as Lu Tiao stuffed both books into his arms, and looked at Stone who didn't dare to resist.
"Why do you bully children and steal other people's books?"
He couldn't help but say.
"Stealing books is not stealing, and I do it for his own good. If a teenager indulges in such horror novels every day, it will be bad for society and himself, don't you think?"
Lu Tan spoke righteously.
Drizzt twitched the corner of his mouth. Although he knew that Lu Tan was worried that the book in the ancient capital would have a negative impact on the young man, just like the mercenary, this method was still too simple and crude.
"Remember, at your age, you can only read these entertainment books between 8 and 9 pm on weekends every week. At other times, you can work and study hard."
Lu Tan said again.
Shitou nodded confusedly.
The two thugs on the side were a little dumbfounded as they watched the conversation between Lu Tiao and Shi Shi.
"Then let's go. I will come back to see you when I have time."
Lu Tan picked up the key, picked up the car with Drizzt and Shia, and soon drove out of the abandoned city.
The stone left behind, sitting on the chair, seemed to have not yet reacted.
"Boss, they just..."
A thug came over and asked about the stone.
"Don't worry, he's my friend."
Shitou looked at the direction where the three people's car left, thoughtfully.
...
"Let's swing the oars and the boat will push away the waves..."
Lu Tan sang while feeling the cool wind blowing in his face.
He was sitting in the passenger seat, and Shia was in the back seat. She was very interested in things like cars, probably because they didn't exist in the Kingdom of Darkness. The girl sat upright, her body swaying slightly with the car.
"You don't have to be so nervous."
Lu Tiao said, it was dark outside at night, but the road was very smooth. If you didn't consider the cause and effect, it would be like running on a country road.
Scattered lights can be seen in the distance. Indeed, as Drizzt said, there are some scattered villages and towns along this road, so there is no need to worry about being attacked by monsters.
"Can you drive?"
Drizzt suddenly asked.
"No, what's wrong?"
Lu Tan answered decisively.
"Then we need to find a place to rest later. I can't drive all night."
"Oh, then I'll take the time to get some sleep."
As Lu Tan said this, he was about to turn sideways and close his eyes to rest.
"Stop, what are you doing sleeping?"
Drizzt was puzzled.
"If you want to rest later, you must be asleep. I can't sleep, so it makes sense to sleep now!"
Lu Tan was serious.
"It seems indeed..."
While Drizzt was mumbling, Lu Tiao had already closed his eyes and seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep.
"I feel a little dizzy."
It was probably the first time for Shia to ride in a car, and she soon fell into motion sickness.
"You, don't vomit. You'd better close your eyes and take a rest. You can lie down. No, you'd better not lie down. Just sit like this."
Drizzt was a little confused.
Shia soon fell asleep.
The abandoned city at night was silent.
Drizzt drove the car, feeling sleepy gradually coming over him.
At this time, he suddenly discovered that the lights that were dimly visible in the distance were gone.
The whole world fell into darkness.
This feeling is very similar to the feeling of being in the thick fog of the Kingdom of Darkness.
Drizzt did not stop directly, but continued along the road visible to the naked eye.
He felt a little chill down his spine.
Turning on the high beam, Drizzt suddenly saw what seemed to be a creature in front of him.
In just a split second, Drizzt was unable to react in time, and the vehicle directly hit the thing.