Chapter 361: Showdown
Mr. Dong and Hu Shan did not enter the music room. After Xu Huo and the other six entered, the door closed behind them.
"Everyone, please don't be shy. Have a seat."
You Qiwen and Fry exchanged a glance before sitting down one after the other on the side near He Pu's bedroom. The others took their seats in turn.
Xu Huo sat in the center, with the Chen brothers behind him, Fry on his left, and Wei Landeng and Liu Zhengping on his right.
Compared to the other players' calmness, Wei Landeng and Liu Zhengping were visibly restless. He Pu, standing on the stage, looked at them with a gentle smile. "What's wrong? Is your stomach still uncomfortable?"
Their expressions stiffened. Wei Landeng was about to speak, but Xu Huo interrupted her first, saying to He Pu, "Why not invite Mr. Dong and Hu Shan in as well? Having just the few of us listen feels a bit too sparse."
The other players stared at him in shock. Wei Landeng forced a smile and said, "Mr. Dong and Hu Shan must have their own things to do."
The fact that He Pu was separated from Mr. Dong and Hu Shan was good for them. What was Xu Huo trying to do by gathering everyone together? Was the difficulty not high enough?
However, Xu Huo paid no attention to the players' hints, whether obvious or subtle. He leaned back in his chair and gestured for He Pu to begin.
He Pu's smile deepened. He lightly tapped the strings of a cello with his baton, and a resonant string sound rippled out, reaching the door. The music room door swung open, and Hu Shan pushed her way in. "Sir, do you have any instructions?"
"Mr. Xu has invited you and the butler to join the concert."
Hu Shan glanced at Xu Huo in surprise, but upon receiving He Pu's signal, she was still delighted and entered without hesitation. Mr. Dong, however, was clearly opposed to this and refused to even step through the doorway.
"When a guest makes a request, how can a butler refuse?" He Pu said casually, then turned to face the stage, which was filled with instruments but no performers. He raised his baton:
"Boom!"
The bass drum sounded on its own, startling everyone present. A tingling numbness shot from the soles of their feet up to their calves, then to their knees, and finally to their thighs.
Instruments that no one was playing began to sound one by one. The multitude of musical notes blended together, amplified by the speakers. The cramped music room was too small to contain this tangible sound; the entire room trembled under the pressure. Within just a few breaths, the small space could no longer withstand the musical assault, pouring all that pressure doubled onto the players!
All the players sat frozen in their seats. Whether it was an illusion or reality, a bizarre, iridescent halo surrounded them. Their eyes darted erratically, teetering between consciousness and oblivion.
Hu Shan knelt on the floor, tears streaming down her face, gazing worshipfully at the man waving his baton on the stage. Mr. Dong stood by the door, still expressionless.
After about a minute, Hu Shan suddenly stood up. She pulled a finger-length blade from under her apron, walked behind You Qiwen, grabbed his forehead with one hand, and aimed the blade at his throat with the other.
"Wait... wait...!" You Qiwen struggled to speak. The dizziness made him feel weightless. His hand loosened, and a metal ball clattered to the ground, unleashing a surge of electricity that knocked Hu Shan and the surrounding players off their feet!
As the people tumbled to the floor, the players barely managed to snap out of the deafening music. Wei Landeng, half-supporting herself on a chair, managed to raise a rocket launcher and fire a shot at He Pu. But the shot went wide, and a sticky liquid splattered onto a violin, immediately distorting the already vibrating strings.
Amid the chaotic, unmelodic musical bombardment, a change in one instrument's tone did little to alter the overall effect. However, Hu Shan became enraged. She abandoned You Qiwen, kicked Wei Landeng against the wall, and pursued her with a flurry of punches and kicks, shouting, "Who do you think you are! How dare you interrupt the master's concert!"
"Imprisoning Circle!" Chen Tu crawled forward and slammed his hand on the ground. Hu Shan's feet were instantly rooted in place. Unable to kick or fight, she slowly straightened up, but instead of using the blade from before, she pulled out the massive square hammer.
Seeing this, Chen Nan quickly reached for the substitute mirror. But then Fry shouted from behind, "Intimate Distance," and Hu Shan was yanked from her position, pulled close to Xu Huo, who was half-lying on the floor.
Seeing her approach, Xu Huo forced himself up, struggling to roll away toward the stage to dodge her.
Hu Shan sneered and immediately raised the square hammer. But at that moment, the music from the stage suddenly diminished, and the sounds of several instruments abruptly ceased.
"Master..." she began to speak, but You Qiwen, who had regained his mobility, suddenly lunged. The electric current he unleashed instantly bound her tightly, hurling her toward the door. He then quickly threw out a small glass box shaped like a coffin. The box expanded mid-flight, catching Hu Shan perfectly. The lid snapped shut, and the box, along with Hu Shan inside, froze into a block of ice.
The ice box slammed into the wall. Mr. Dong, standing only a step away, not only failed to rescue her but actually stepped aside.
Seeing this, You Qiwen turned toward the stage. His electric whip transformed into an electric blade, and he leaped to strike He Pu!
At that moment, Fry also stood up. An iron bow materialized in his hands. Without an arrow, he drew the bowstring and aimed it at the stage!
You Qiwen, who had been attacking He Pu, suddenly spun around and swung his blade mercilessly at Fry!
"What are you doing...!" Fry dodged the electric blade, but his hands were caught by the current. The iron bow fell to the ground. Before he could retrieve it, another electric whip lashed out. He retreated quickly, furious. "You Qiwen, have you lost your mind?"
The other players were also stunned by You Qiwen's move. The Chen brothers, who had just pulled out a cloth-covered mirror, were startled and instinctively moved away from the two. Seeing Xu Huo, who had just managed to stand on shaky legs, nod, they tore off the cloth. First, they reflected themselves and Xu Huo in the mirror, then raised it to capture He Pu's back.
Once that was done, they retreated to the corner farthest from the stage, guarding the mirror.
Liu Zhengping staggered to his feet, staring at You Qiwen in disbelief. "Are you a non-task player?"
"He's not. Fry is." Xu Huo dusted off his pants, used a string to bring the iron bow over, and directly stored it in his luggage compartment.
Fry sneered at this. "I don't know what you're talking about. You Qiwen ambushed me. Are you two in cahoots?"
Xu Huo pointed at Fry's slightly raised hand. "I suggest you save your energy. Your 'Face-to-Face Negotiation' requires you to be face-to-face with someone, and it can't affect multiple people at once. You can guard against one, but not two."
Fry's expression remained unchanged. "You've been watching quite closely."
"Of course I have to be careful. After all, you were the one who urged us to kill Mr. Dong." You Qiwen slowly backed toward the wall, his gaze shifting between Fry and He Pu.
By now, He Pu had turned around. He didn't look at Xu Huo, who was right behind him with his back turned, but instead smiled at You Qiwen. He tapped his baton, and an arc-shaped shockwave struck the pile of chair debris at the foot of the stage.
An inconspicuous doll figurine was dragged out just before the debris was blown apart, pulled back into Xu Huo's hand by a thin thread.