Void Jigsaw Puzzle

Zhang Chuyu finally regained his strength, stood up from the sofa and left the shabby room.

As he opened the door, he was hit by a damp smell mixed with the smell of cheap alcohol. Before him lay a dark, narrow corridor, littered with empty bottles and cans. The floor was wet, and he couldn't tell if it was water or alcohol.

The lights in the corridor were still dim, and on both sides seemed to be rooms like the one he had just stayed in.

"We have to leave this damn place quickly..."

He carefully stepped through the gaps between the bottles and cans, walked through the entire corridor, and found that there was a staircase leading upwards at the end.

He walked along the stairs and finally saw a tightly closed wooden door. When he pushed it open, he felt a flash of light and shadow before his eyes and almost fainted.

It turned out that outside this door was Macbeth Path, a branch of Zhulin Road, the most prosperous street in the center of Fengyao City.

However, the place where he was imprisoned was underground, so when he finally saw the light of day again, it was already night outside and the lights were on.

Whenever night falls, the entire Fengyao City is immersed in a scene of lights and feasting.

Fengyao City is not very large, and its population is less than 100,000. Most of the people are concentrated near Zhulin Road, Jack Road and Peter Road in the city center. These three streets are winding, forming a triangular area in the city center. The towering Ronaldo Building in the area is the entertainment center of the entire city. From the first floor to the top floor, there are all kinds of entertainment venues.

Numerous small paths, such as Macbeth Trail, extend from both sides of the three main streets, like capillaries leading to the aorta and veins, distributed in every area of ​​the city center.

Zhang Chuyu staggered along Macbeth Trail, his mind still confused and his stomach empty. He planned to find a fast food restaurant to satisfy his appetite first.

In just a few dozen meters, he was approached by three groups of people.

"Handsome guy, would you like a massage? Your technique is very good and will make you feel ecstatic."

"Little brother, do you want to accompany me? You don't need to stay overnight, two hours is enough. I have money."

"Hey, big brother, you're so handsome. You must be from Fengyao City, right? We have a great job opportunity here. Would you like to chat?"

"..."

He had no intention of paying attention to these people, nor did he pay attention to the admiring and loving looks cast at him by more people on the street.

He's already used to it.

Finally sitting in the corner of the fast food restaurant, while waiting for the set meal to be served, he carefully sorted out his thoughts.

In fact, there were some things that his memory didn't completely match reality, but he had been busy with different jobs and women these days and hadn't taken the time to think about them. Now, after being slapped twice by the man named Tan Jia, he woke up.

If he reflected carefully, he would find that the day not long ago was a watershed. In his memory, many of the experiences before that day were completely different from those after that day, as if they belonged to two different worlds. Before that day, he had a stable job. Although he had been single for a long time, his life was fulfilling and peaceful. He worked diligently at work, and after get off work, he immersed himself in his own spiritual world, writing and reading, drinking with friends, and discussing the future. Before that day, he seemed to have never paid much attention to his appearance, and not many people around him praised his good looks—although he believed that he was by no means ugly.

After that day, for some reason, everything seemed to change. The entire Fengyao City industry became much more monotonous, with everything focused on the entertainment sector. Conversely, he became restless, finding it difficult to hold down a job for long and unable to truly enter a new relationship. But what surprised him most was the constant compliments he received on his looks, sometimes to the point of fervor. Some women even offered him a high price for a night of companionship.

Perhaps, some of these women were related to Tan Jia, or even Tan Jia's women, which led to him putting himself in solitary confinement and slapping himself twice?

Apart from this, Zhang Chuyu could not think of any other possibility.

However, when he thought of this, he still felt his face burning. He unconsciously gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"I must avenge this!"

After the set meal was served, he gobbled it up in big mouthfuls, gradually feeling his stomach getting fuller, and the new energy and warmth brought by digestion gradually spread throughout his body.

He breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, and glanced aimlessly at the customers in the store.

Because this store is on the street and the prices are affordable, it is already packed and busy.

Recalling the chat he had just encountered on the road, "You are so handsome, you must be a local of Fengyao City", Zhang Chuyu frowned slightly.

Local? Outsider? What's the difference?

Fengyao City's population wasn't large, but due to its exceptionally developed entertainment industry, many people from outside Fengyao City came and went daily. According to his understanding, the planet Fengyao City was located on was called Core P1, or simply P1. This meant that many of the people who came to Fengyao City to spend money came from other cities on P1.

He had never paid much attention to the differences between locals and outsiders before, but now that he thought about it, it seemed there were indeed differences. The people of Fengyao City, including him, generally had more regular and neat appearances. Those from outside Fengyao City, on the other hand, all had their own differences: some had more hunched bodies, some had more complex facial features, and some were simply overweight.

Following this line of thought, he suddenly realized that some of the job opportunities in the past period of time were also provided by people from outside, and the women who paid for his company seemed to be from outside Fengyao City.

Recalling Tan Jia's appearance again, he was already very sure that this man must not be a native of Fengyao City.

Zhang Chuyu dragged his exhausted body back to his residence, his mind filled with details he had experienced but never paid much attention to, as well as some unresolved questions. That night, he had a dream that seemed to be from a long, long time ago. At that time, there was a girl who made his heart beat fast, but they later became separated.

He never saw her again.