Grotesqueries of the Old Domain

Chapter 23: Song Jianguo

Seeing the ticket in the other's hand, Zhang Wenda instantly panicked.

So from the very beginning, the target hadn't been him, but the special ability ticket in his hand.

“You bastard!” Zhang Wenda never stooped to argue with little brats, but now he was truly furious.

He forcefully kicked forward with his right foot and lunged at the other person with all his might.

Facing Zhang Wenda’s approach, Song Jianguo quickly retreated, dashing toward the vegetable field on the side.

Just as Zhang Wenda was about to catch up, a sudden pain shot through his foot.

He looked down and saw a crude trap made of assorted metal trash in the grass, clamped tightly around his right leg.

Song Jianguo stood not far away, watching as Zhang Wenda struggled to pry it open to no avail, and smugly said, “Sorry, I’m taking the ticket and the weapon. Now return the weapon to me.”

Zhang Wenda stood in place and coldly stared at her, the fire in his heart burning even stronger.

“If you’ve got the guts, come take it.”

“I know you’re strong. Don’t worry, I won’t compete with you in strength.” Song Jianguo shook the ticket in her hand and circled around Zhang Wenda.

“Once my cat takes care of the people you brought, I can slowly play you to death.” A hint of wild-cat cruelty appeared on Song Jianguo’s face.

Suddenly, Zhang Wenda looked behind Song Jianguo, a smile slowly appearing on his face, and he shouted into the distance, “I’m afraid you won’t get the chance—Teacher Rabbit! Hurry! Someone’s bullying me!”

Song Jianguo was startled.

She quickly turned around to look behind her, but there was no sign of Teacher Rabbit.

When she turned her head back again, she saw Zhang Wenda’s rapidly enlarging face.

The trap on his leg had already been forcefully deformed by him.

Zhang Wenda grabbed Song Jianguo by the neck with one hand and slammed her to the ground, then raised his fist and began punching her in the face repeatedly.

“Still think you’re tough? Still think you’re tough?!”

“Bam bam!” With each blow, Song Jianguo’s face swelled up rapidly and began to split open.

“Meow!” With a sharp, shrill cat scream, a huge force crashed into Zhang Wenda, flinging him away as a black cat tackled him.

When Zhang Wenda stood up again, he saw Song Jianguo, her face bruised and battered, clutching her neck and coughing up blood, surrounded by a group of cats.

“Give me back the ticket!!” Zhang Wenda said slowly and clearly, his face finally growing serious.

After coughing up a large mouthful of blood, Song Jianguo slowly raised her right hand.

A cat nearby dragged the distant spear to her, and she gripped the weapon tightly, glaring viciously at Zhang Wenda.

She neither left nor returned the ticket—her meaning was obvious.

At this point, Zhang Wenda no longer saw her as a child.

Since she was still this stubborn, she deserved a beating until she gave in.

He didn’t know why she was so insistent on stealing his ticket, but things had reached this point and needed a resolution today.

“Mouse! Don’t be afraid! We’re here!” Pan Dongzi, his face scratched bloody, came running back with the rest of the fleeing students to help.

“Hold off her cats for me! Leave her to me!” Zhang Wenda shouted as he charged at Song Jianguo once again.

When the two were only two meters apart, Zhang Wenda flicked his flashlight on full power, aiming it directly at her face.

Seizing the moment when she was dazzled by the flashlight, he swung it straight at her.

Song Jianguo quickly ducked back, dodging Zhang Wenda’s attack.

Although she wasn’t as strong as him, her agility was clearly superior.

With Fatty and the others engaging the black cats, most of them were held in place, and soon only Song Jianguo remained fleeing from Zhang Wenda.

Although Song Jianguo was furious, she clearly hadn’t lost her cool.

Facing the aggressive Zhang Wenda, she didn’t confront him head-on but used her speed to keep her distance.

When Zhang Wenda chased, she retreated; when he turned back to deal with the cats, she came sticking close again.

In this back-and-forth tug-of-war, time slowly passed, and the sky gradually darkened.

By the roadside, Zhang Wenda stopped, panting heavily.

He knew she was dragging this out, trying to exhaust him before finishing him off.

But he wouldn’t let her have her way.

He had already prepared a trump card before coming.

With a “click,” Zhang Wenda lit his lighter, and the fire slowly pushed back the encroaching darkness.

“I’ll say it one more time—give me the ticket.”

Far off, Song Jianguo said nothing, still coldly staring at Zhang Wenda.

“Still won’t hand it over? Fine, I didn’t want to go this far, but if I can trade that ticket for your house, I’d say it’s a good deal.”

Zhang Wenda headed toward Song Jianguo’s treehouse with the lighter in hand.

This time, a trace of anxiety finally flickered in Song Jianguo’s eyes, but she still kept her mouth shut.

They had run and chased for a while and were now a bit away from the treehouse, but it would only take about five minutes to walk back.

When Zhang Wenda saw the distant treehouse again, he quickened his pace.

But just as he was about to arrive, the hand of the square clock in the distance turned to 6 o’clock.

With a tearing sound, a long gash of blood sliced across Zhang Wenda’s face.

Before he could react, the wound spread from bottom to top, quickly covering his entire body and stacking rapidly.

“This is bad!!!”

The intense pain nearly knocked Zhang Wenda unconscious.

Trembling, he reached for his backpack, instinctively trying to pull out a Lollipop to ease the pain.

Despair and loneliness instantly filled his heart, rendering him almost motionless.

Just as he used the last of his strength to pull out the Lollipop and bring it toward his mouth—

A sleeved hand suddenly reached out and snatched the Lollipop from his grip.

Zhang Wenda slowly lifted his stiff neck.

The last thing he saw before blacking out was Song Jianguo unwrapping the Lollipop and putting it in her own mouth.

In a daze, who knows how much time passed before Zhang Wenda awoke.

When he saw the jar of fireflies hanging from the ceiling, he abruptly sat up.

Quickly scanning the surroundings, Zhang Wenda realized he was actually in Song Jianguo’s treehouse.

In the distance, Song Jianguo, surrounded by black cats, sat with her back turned, busy with something.

“The ticket’s been returned to you,” Song Jianguo said in a low voice.

Zhang Wenda touched his pocket in surprise and found that it really was the Rabbit’s ticket.

He looked at her in shock.

Was this still the same Song Jianguo?

How had she changed so drastically?

What happened?

“Why?”