Scarred Hearts — A Girls' Love Tale - Chapter 72

Everything was going according to plan. Yan Shuangfei led her people to confront the artist’s group. When they met, neither side said a word—they just pulled out their weapons and opened fire. Gunshots erupted immediately. The artist’s team seemed to have expected this, and they didn’t make any threatening remarks, which only made Yan Shuangfei more certain that the artist had other plans.

She glanced at the situation ahead. Both sides had suffered casualties. Although Yan Shuangfei’s side was originally outnumbered, she had already made up for that disadvantage. The firepower on both sides was roughly equal. If time had allowed, Yan Shuangfei could have called in more reinforcements, which would have made things much smoother—but it was obvious the artist wouldn’t let that happen.

While the battle was at a standstill, Yan Shuangfei gave a signal to Ying Sha and the doctor. The three immediately followed their original plan, leaving the battlefield and bypassing the firing zones. They slipped behind enemy lines.

But instead of feeling relieved, the three grew tense. Before setting out, they had already noticed something strange—a house in the middle of the jungle. It was a single-story concrete building, covering a large area. Ying Sha easily used her gun to unlock the door, and the three pushed it open.

No one was guarding the place. Either the entire force had been deployed elsewhere, or this was a trap—they had no way of knowing. They had already come too far to turn back.

The journey had been tricky at first, but thanks to their skills, the three handled it well. Afterward, things went surprisingly smoothly, which only made them more cautious. Ying Sha carefully pushed the door open. The tropical sunlight poured inside, lighting up the room. She picked up a stone from the ground and threw it across the room. It bounced and rolled without triggering any traps.

Yan Shuangfei circled the outside but didn’t dare enter further. She told Ying Sha there were no other exits besides this door.

“Really,” Ying Sha grumbled, “are they trying to get us to blow this place up?”

“You better stop having those dangerous ideas,” Yan Shuangfei warned harshly.

Realizing her mistake, Ying Sha quickly covered her mouth. She caught the doctor shooting her an annoyed look and felt like crying. Weakly, she asked, “You… wouldn’t really eat me, right?”

What nonsense! The doctor sighed at Ying Sha’s wild imagination—her mind was truly a runaway dog’s.

The three backed against each other, guns ready, moving forward slowly. Ying Sha’s sharp eyes caught a radio in the corner. She pointed it out to the others. Yan Shuangfei picked it up and turned it on.

The radio crackled for a moment, then a voice came through. The artist spoke casually: “You arrived just about when I expected.”

The three stiffened. The artist continued in a cheerful tone, “Ying Sha, and my excellent former assistant, hello. This time, you probably won’t be much help because I only want to play a game with Yan Shuangfei. I designed the challenges carefully. If you take part, that’s cheating and no fun.”

“What do you want to do?” Yan Shuangfei shouted into the radio.

“You lost your temper, Yan Shuangfei,” the artist said lightly. “Right now, the initiative is in my hands, and you only have to obey.”

Yan Shuangfei fell silent, waiting for the artist to continue.

“Don’t get upset,” the artist soothed. “I promise she’s safe for now. If you can pass the challenges I set, your lover will return to you perfectly. Yi Cheng, we’ve known each other a while, not long, not short. But you should know I don’t break my promises, and I never make impossible tests.”

“You call this a test?” Yan Shuangfei couldn’t believe it.

“Yes. A test,” Ying Sha almost wanted to imagine the artist sitting comfortably, sipping a drink while saying this. “Testing your so-called love.”

“You care a lot,” Yan Shuangfei mocked.

“Say what you want,” the artist ignored the sarcasm. “In my mind, there is no eternal love—only eternal interests. People everywhere hustle either for fame or profit. Yan Shuangfei, can you guarantee you’ll never change your heart?”

“I can’t guarantee that.”

“Honest of you,” the artist laughed softly. “But I’m not interested in so-called love. This game honestly has little to do with love or difficulty. At most, it satisfies some of my daily little hobbies. I just need someone skilled enough to help me complete it, so I won’t waste my efforts.”

Yan Shuangfei was speechless. “Thanks for thinking so highly of me.”

“I like dealing with straightforward people,” the artist said happily. “I want you to open that door in front of you and drop your weapons. The house is under surveillance. If I see anyone or anything you shouldn’t bring in…” The artist chuckled a few times and then hung up.

“That one…” Ying Sha was stunned. “How credible do you think this is?”

Yan Shuangfei calmed down, slowed her breathing, and adjusted herself to her best state.

“I think it’s credible,” Yan Shuangfei said steadily. “After all, the initiative is really in the artist’s hands. We’re just being led around by the nose.”

“Why is she so clever, then, and yet didn’t just ambush and kill us here?” Ying Sha made a chopping gesture across her neck.

“Stupid,” the doctor tapped Ying Sha’s head in disgust. “Do you think we wouldn’t notice an ambush? Either you overestimate her or underestimate yourselves. Hey, don’t tell me you’re scared of her?”

“Not at all,” Ying Sha pouted and turned away.

The doctor looked at Yan Shuangfei seriously. “The artist… besides those weird, hard-to-accept hobbies, she’s actually not a bad person.”

Seeing their doubtful faces, the doctor sighed and continued, “Take Ying Sha, for example.” She pointed at Ying Sha, who was surprised and blinked curiously. “She once fell into the hands of the artist—and me. The artist is so powerful; how do you think we escaped?”

“Not luck or good planning?” Ying Sha’s brain was fuzzy.

“Do you think we could have escaped if the artist hadn’t turned a blind eye sometimes?” The doctor was frustrated, full of scolding.

“Ohh. The artist cut us some slack.”

“That’s right.” The doctor patted Ying Sha’s back of the head to encourage her.

“The Artist told me she let things slide as a thank you for my work over the years.” The doctor had already put away her weapon and awkwardly rubbed her hands. “After all, what the Artist does is more like forensic work. Saving lives—that’s more my area of expertise.”

Are you sure you’re saving lives and not making people’s deaths worse?

Yen Shuangfei and Ying Sha thought the same thing for once.

“Don’t look at me like that,” the doctor said. “We all know that stuff means nothing to the Artist. It’s just her OCD needing a reason for everything. We just happen to be the unlucky ones who got caught up in it. Once the word’s out, it accidentally sparks the interest of some crazy person…” She shrugged, showing how ‘normal’ she thought she was.

“I was even diagnosed with multiple personalities!” Yen Shuangfei realized she had gotten off track. Looking at the time, she threw all her weapons to Ying Sha, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.

As soon as Yen Shuangfei stepped inside, the door slammed shut behind her. She turned around and tried to open it, but it was locked tight by a mechanism she couldn’t undo.

Turning back, the sunlight from outside couldn’t reach in. The only light came from an old chandelier overhead, casting a dim yellow glow that filled the room with a hazy atmosphere. It gave Yen Shuangfei a creepy feeling, and she got goosebumps.

Instinctively, she rubbed her arm with the other hand to get rid of the chills. She walked across the room to the other door and tried to push it open. A heavy lock hung on it, impossible to break. She didn’t think her bones were tough enough to snap that lock by force.

Turning to look for other clues, she soon spotted a cement platform with a sunken pool-like hole in the middle, filled with water. Leaning over to look inside, she saw something sealed at the bottom.

It had to be a key! Yen Shuangfei got excited and wanted to grab it, but she feared it might be a trap set by the Artist. She checked several times for tricks and finally reached out cautiously.

The moment her hand touched the water’s surface, she quickly pulled back like she’d been shocked. Holding her fingertip up to her eyes, she saw fresh bl00d dripping. Under the light, it looked horrifying.

Sure enough. Yen Shuangfei stared at the bl00d on her hand. How could the Artist let her pass so easily? The pool wasn’t filled with water at all, but with a strong acidic corrosive liquid. She looked around; the room was empty except for this platform.

Did the Artist want something in return for what she wanted? Yen Shuangfei couldn’t guess the Artist’s intention. Closing her eyes, she reminded herself not to waste more time. Losing so much time on the first step already hurt. Gritting her teeth, she looked down and started taking off her clothes. She really regretted not wearing more layers. Ignoring the risk of exposure, the Artist must be watching happily through cameras.

Wrapping her hand with some cloth, she plunged it into the pool and grabbed the sealed item inside.

As expected, the corrosive liquid ate through any fabric it touched. Even though she was quick, a layer of skin was rubbed off, and her entire hand looked bloody and gruesome.

Yen Shuangfei didn’t care. She hurriedly opened the sealed container and found a key inside. Relieved, she picked it up and felt a bit calmer. Next to the key was a small note, stained red with her dripping bl00d. Without thinking, she opened it. Though soaked, the note still clearly read two words:

“Turn off the lights.”

Yen Shuangfei seemed to realize something. Hesitating for a moment, she thought it might be a clue for what comes next. She walked to the wall, searched around, and soon found a switch. Pressing it, the lights went out immediately.

In the darkness, Yen Shuangfei saw a place circled by a glowing pen. Turning the lights back on, she walked over and touched that part of the wall, knocking on it. It sounded hollow.

Feeling the material carefully to confirm, she took a deep breath and elbowed the center of the hollow area hard, shattering it.

She cleared away some broken stones and, ignoring her injured hand, found a glove buried underneath. Sitting down, Yen Shuangfei felt certain now. She had just confirmed her guess by touching the glove. The glove was made of acid-resistant material—meaning she could have gotten the key without injury if she had thought things through calmly.

A strong sense of failure rose up. She hated her own incompetence at that moment. And the note was clearly the Artist’s way of guessing she wouldn’t notice the trick inside. Yen Shuangfei was too eager to finish and lost her careful thinking.

She warned herself not to be careless anymore. It was only the first step, and she had already failed miserably. Putting on the torn glove, she stood up straight with a cold smile on her lips. What was this? Could the Artist really guess her thoughts and choices so easily? Yen Shuangfei refused to believe it.

She opened her mouth to taunt the Artist, wondering if the Artist thought of her as the saw in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But reality wasn’t like a movie. Human hearts aren’t so easy to control. What gave the Artist the nerve to act so recklessly? She herself valued her life.

Still, she held back the sarcasm, swallowing her words. Now wasn’t the time for talk. If she didn’t have this self-control, then Yen Shuangfei felt she might as well just die.

She slipped the glove into her pocket, just in case it might be useful later. After carefully checking the room again to make sure no clues were missed, she pulled out the bl00d-stained key. With a crisp click, she opened the second door.