[Chapter.2. Performance]

Ernst is a janitor at Bratos Special Education School. His rented house is nearby, so he's usually the first to arrive at the school every day, and today was no exception.

But today, the school seemed particularly desolate, as if there was no one around.

When he tried to push open the door of the first classroom, ready to start cleaning, the tool in his hand dropped to the floor.

The scene before him startled him into a daze, and there was liquid seeping out of his pocket.

One by one, the headless students sat upright in their respective seats.

As he came to his senses, trying to retreat and dial the Investigation Bureau, he suddenly felt he bumped into something behind him, like someone's belly.

Looking at the attire mirror in the corridor, a chubby child painted all over with white paint, with a smile drawn with lipstick, was standing behind him.

He had seen this child before; it was the one often beaten up in the bathroom. It seemed his name was Joke.

However, he was just a janitor, not a teacher, he always just watched and never intervened, after all, it wasn't his business.

The cold blade sliced across his neck, and his view fell just into an iron bucket, the pain was quick to subside.

Joke wasn't done with his plans, he stayed at the school, waiting for the teachers to enter one by one, ensuring there were no fish that slipped through the net.

When the investigator arrived and pushed open the school gate, they triggered a mechanism.

The big bucket placed on the stairwell was overturned, hundreds of heads rolled down like balls, each painted with a smile, as if everyone was happy.

The vile nature of this incident was entirely a regulatory mistake of Mars City.

Considering that most of the students at this school were either abandoned or neglected special children, handling it was relatively easy, and the city promptly covered the whole matter up.

Joke had already hopped on a bus leaving the city to start a new life uniquely his own elsewhere.

He held no attachment to this city, ready to begin a special journey of performances, with all the itineraries completely random.

For instance, if arriving at a station just in time for a bus to leave, he would hop on it.

Upon leaving the station, if there was a bus coming, he would get on it.

Upon arriving at any random place, he would look for those unnoticed "dark corners".

He would randomly encounter passers-by there and randomly give them a clown performance he had just learned.

No matter how these passers-by reacted,

whether with praise, disdain, or fear, their heads would be removed.

Only one kind of people could survive, those who completely disregarded the performance, with eyes showing no desire for the world, and these people would receive a smile-painted balloon from Joke.

Although these clown performances were one-on-one and occurred in secluded areas unknown to anyone.

The local Investigation Bureau still quickly followed up, even capturing some bizarre performance scenes through hidden cameras.

However,

Joke seemed very adept at escaping, skilled in survival, always managing to withdraw just in time or perfectly escape from the investigators.

His resilience was exceptionally strong, seemingly well accustomed to being beaten by others.

As his vagabond crimes continued, his personal performance skills grew, even being made into special videotapes that circulated in the black market.

Joke's audacity grew during this process,

no longer confined to performing in small alleyways, abandoned buildings, or park restrooms, he began attempting acts in larger public areas.

To evade the pursuit of local investigators, he swiftly caught a bus heading out of the city.

At this moment,

a film shot gave a close-up of a bus with the destination [Jupiter City].

Without undergoing any identity checks, Joke hid between the luggage in the form of a balloon.

Jupiter City was new to him, mainly inhabited by Huaxia people, compared to other cities, it had a richer, more vibrant lifestyle.

Joke also tasted Huaxian delicacies for the first time, eating two roast ducks and over ten large meat buns in a row, packing a portion of cold noodles to eat on the walk as he left.

He tried to focus his attention on some upscale neighborhoods, movie theaters, and department stores.

But found that the patrol density here was high, forced performances not only presented high risks, but also didn't achieve the desired effect.

Many attempts ended in failure. Just as he was brooding over not finding a good performance venue, a bus suddenly arrived, so since he had nothing better to do, he got on it.

Joke sat in the last row by the window seat.

Little did he know, the neighboring passenger was a naughty child, occasionally stepping on him and even spitting bubblegum onto Joke.

The child's parents were completely absorbed in short videos, not noticing the situation here at all.

Joke wasn't the least bit angry, even took the bubblegum, put it in his mouth, and blew it into a huge balloon, giving it as a gift to the child.

When the parents took the child off the bus, Joke also got off at the last second.

An old resettlement community appeared before him,

there were fewer surveillance cameras, and looking around, no investigator patrols were seen.

Joke laughed to himself; he finally found the public stage he'd been searching for.

He couldn't help but rub his palms together, trailing behind the naughty child back home.

However.

The weather that was supposed to clear up suddenly became overcast, as if a heavy rain was about to fall.

As Joke headed towards the building where the naughty child's home was, the camera didn't follow but moved to the street opposite the resettlement community.

[Anxin Noodle House]

"Take care, boss! Hope to see you next time for more noodles."

The noodle house owner rarely met such a "big customer," who ordered almost every type of noodle and even packed a large beef noodle portion and iced cola after finishing.

Step!

A pair of size 45 large leather shoes stepped outside.

The napkin used to wipe away the grease from the corner of his mouth was tossed into a nearby trash can,

rubbing one hand on the neck area, as if from a stiff neck last night or some cervical unrest.

He yawned as he walked toward the community across the street,

causing a speeding vehicle to brake abruptly as he crossed the road.

The driver rolled down the window to shout profanities, but seemed to see something frightening, retracting into the seat.

When the black leather shoes stepped onto the curb opposite... boom!

Thunderclouds rolled,

a torrential rain poured down,

and children playing outside the community, along with the elderly watching them, all headed home,

yet this person did not stop, didn't carry an umbrella but walked heavily towards the deepest part of the apartment buildings.

He seemed to be a resident here, living in a certain interior room.

[Chapter.3. Joker]

When the naughty child's head and the bubblegum balloon exchanged places, only then did Joke finally exhale in relief, a huge weight lifted from his heart.

Joke excitedly lit a cigarette, dancing in the room as smoke swirled around.

As his state gradually recovered, he officially began the performance program in this resettlement community.

Still keeping it random.

Randomly selecting apartment buildings, randomly ascending a certain floor, randomly knocking on a resident's door.

He would preemptively cover the peephole with a balloon, pretending to be a volunteer offering free clown performances.

No matter if the resident inside opened the door, as long as there was any response from within, he would pry the lock open.

And so,

the performance proceeded very smoothly.

The sound of the storm masked the screams echoing from different households.

Joke gradually arrived at the innermost apartment building, perhaps immersed in public performances, he unknowingly reached the top floor.

After hesitating for a moment,

he knocked on the door on the left.

There was no response, no approaching footsteps, seemingly uninhabited.

Joke could only press his ear fully against it, listening intently. He heard sounds, like the sound of slurping noodles.

Someone was inside but chose to ignore him.

Joke was instantly thrilled, his body reacted, ready to give this household a special performance.

He pressed his palm against the door lock, as the balloon seeped in, forming a corresponding key for the lock... click!

The door opened.

A family photo sitting on the entrance shoe cabinet, such a harmonious family, he absolutely loved it.

What's strange was, there was a puddle of water on the entryway floor, as if an uninvited guest had arrived earlier.

Joke was somewhat excited, this unexpected situation might make the performance even more interesting.

He tiptoed, clenching his arms, and quietly snuck inside, wanting to see the source of this puddle, curious if another thief had come in.

Strangely,

neither the connected living room nor dining area showed any signs of family life.

Only one man, soaked from the rain, sat at the dining table,

eating with sweat pouring down his face,

eating without even looking up,

eating with a deep overwhelming heat over his body.

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