There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

Chapter 304 The Banquet at Hongmen

In a dark alley of Huai'an District.

This place was notorious for its filth and disarray, where there was hardly ever an opportunity to see the sky and the sunlight.

Even darker than the slums at the very bottom level was the area beneath them, hidden underground.

It had a natural soundproofing effect.

No matter how explosive the drumbeats were, the moment the thick iron doors closed, everything became as silent as the grave.

The dazzling lights flickered, their blurry colors weaving a magical scene, and the bar's grand hall was like a demons' dance, with crowds of all kinds dancing wildly to the music.

But if you passed through the backstage door and continued down the pitch-black staircase, you'd find a bright silver underground passage.

The subterranean corridors were complicated and twisty, it took a long time before another tightly closed door came into view.

In the hall full of electronic machinery, a group of people sat lazily or casually on the plush sofas, but a few others were arguing over something, getting so intense that the hot-tempered ones were nearly coming to blows.

The others watched the drama with schadenfreude for a while before coming over with feigned sincerity to try to break up the fight.

"Alright, alright, it's just one failure, right? Ma Long and Emi even died in the fight and you didn't hear them complaining!" the person advised without much conviction.

So, could the dead even speak for themselves?

The ones arguing were some of the people who ambushed Yin Banqian and Cheng Can at Jiangpu Port yesterday. The battle ended so abruptly that they almost got cornered by the Inspection Team that arrived later, so they hid and even got injured in the process.

And the guy with the spatial barrier shield, not only did he betray his teammates without a second thought in the middle of the fight, but he also didn't even tell them which direction the Inspection Team was coming from when he ran off, leading the two of them to run straight into them!

Another big bruiser was even more infuriating. This simple-minded muscle man didn't meet up with them after Ma Long died!

His excuse was—he got lost!

He got so lost that even the Inspection Team failed to find him!

In any case, after the battle at Jiangpu Port, the two of them were marked by the authorities, and they were now on the wanted list, yet everyone else had no issues at all!

The more they thought about it, the angrier they got, and now they were making a scene over it.

However, if you really got down to the root of the problem, it was because someone on a whim said they wanted to mess with the New An Bureau, leading to their complete failure to gain any advantage yesterday, on top of suffering casualties.

But no one dared to blame that guy.

When the discussion reached this point, people cast wary glances toward the corner of the hall.

There, on a gaming chair, crouched a slender youth. He stared intently at the computer screen in front of him, restlessly biting his thumb, his emerald eyes filled with madness and excitement, the distorted darkness chilling to the core.

If everyone from Paradise Bird was mad, then this guy was the madman among madmen!

They only show their craziness overtly toward those weaker than themselves, but a true madman doesn't care how powerful you are—he'd recklessly bite off a piece of flesh from you and go down together in the end!

When he went mad, he wouldn't even distinguish friend from foe!

Apart from their leader, nobody dared to provoke him, nor did anyone like this companion.

It wasn't just because of his position within the organization, but also because of his powerful psychic ability and molecular manipulation ability, both beyond provocation.

Suddenly, someone in the hall paused, closed their eyes for a long moment, then opened them to say, "The boss says there's an urgent mission, again related to the New An Bureau."

As soon as the voice fell, the youth sitting on the gaming chair whipped his head around to look at him, his green eyes staring intently, the widened pupils somewhat terrifying.

He wore a strange smile on his face, his voice gentle yet eerie and sinister, "What?"

The messenger shivered successfully.

...

...

Meanwhile, after lunch, Xu Shuo relocated once more to the residential area in Kapok Port of Huai'an District.

Cheng Can's two-bedroom apartment was located here.

And Yin Banqian, who had long been waiting to attend an official meeting at Silverglow Tower, appeared to be completely free from psychological pressure.

"I've looked over the meeting records kept by the New An Bureau in the past, and actually, they're not much of anything big. Those conglomerates just want to get some benefits from us," Yin Banqian said.

"And that's not a big deal?" Cheng Can rolled his eyes. "What can the New An Bureau even give them?"

The New An Bureau had no money, only people!

Yin Banqian casually smiled and then had Xu Shuo drop him off near the Huai'an Center district, right in an office building's restroom five kilometers from Silverglow Tower.

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Afterward, they agreed that once the Storm kicked up, Xu Shuo would go in to retrieve him.

"Senior, take care on your way. I'll wander around nearby to see if there's any ambush," Xu Shuo waved to him.

"..."

Yin Banqian initially thought nothing of the former part of the statement, but the last sentence made him hesitant to speak.

He considered stopping his junior from courting death, but then he thought about how the latter entered this scenario partly for experience, and if he really avoided all action, it probably wouldn't make much difference whether he came or not.

So in the end, he only advised, "Be careful with everything."

Xu Shuo obediently watched him leave.

When he said that earlier, he was merely creating an excuse to justify the possible fluctuation in the distance of their team formation later on.

Team formation was generally great, except for this one setting that always displayed the distance to one's teammates and couldn't be hidden, which could be quite inconvenient at times.

This made it difficult for him to find an opportunity to check in with the Prophet.

Hong Rao had told him to hide his abnormal state during the operation as much as possible, and Xu Shuo also felt the necessity to avoid trouble.

After Yin Banqian left, Xu Shuo used props given by Cheng Can to disguise himself, then put on a hood and a mask, truly just strolling around the vicinity casually.

Then, he noticed there were some people who were also wandering aimlessly like him.

Xu Shuo cautiously eyed them.

'New Humans really are a bunch of annoying bugs, making me work overtime.'

'I'm so hungry, I haven't had lunch yet.'

'Nothing strange seems to be around here. Is it necessary to be on guard from this far? Besides, if a real fight breaks out, we probably won't be of any use.'

'Those people always make a mountain out of a molehill. I wish I could just finish my shift.'

'Huh? Why is that person dressed so heavily?'

Reading this thought, Xu Shuo calmly walked to a vending machine, bought a can of drink, and while sipping with his mask pulled up, he casually activated his Micro-end and walked away.

He didn't look around, absorbed in the Micro-end game, and nearly stumbled over some trash on the ground.

On the side of the corridor, a man sitting on a lounge bench glanced at him a few times, then looked away again.

'Nothing special.'

Xu Shuo walked out of the range of the office building and then quickly slipped into an alley.

He looked at the upper right corner, judging by Yin Banqian's distance, he should have reached Silverglow Tower by now. Before entering the tower, the former also left a message in the chat room.

He had gone invisible the entire way.

Being a New Human meant having a certain mystique about New Humans.

While he still had the chance to check his Micro-end, Xu Shuo also sent a reminder, "There are people within a five-kilometer radius."

The official caution was a bit surprising; even five kilometers out there were plainclothes patrols. It's possible this gathering could really be a trap.

Yin Banqian: "Understood."

He had his own confidence and then stepped into the towering Silverglow Tower.

...