Chapter 590: Eight Guests
When he was shoved aside, Huang Junjie sensed something was wrong. By the time the elevator descended, he realized Tan Yang wasn't with him. He tried to stop the elevator, but the button panel was completely blocked, and the players in front showed no intention of moving aside.
Just as Huang Junjie withdrew his hand, someone beside him yanked the person blocking the button panel. "What are you blocking for? We need to get off."
Huang Junjie looked up in shock, only to see Sima Xiao'er remove his mask and slap his hand across the panel, lighting up most of the floor buttons.
The people in the elevator, who had been facing the door, all turned their heads simultaneously, silently staring at him. The scene was rather eerie.
Sima Xiao'er didn't flinch. Instead, he said, "What are you looking at? Never seen someone get off an elevator before?"
Guan Zuhong and Xiao Zhang, who were with him, were both nervous. Huang Junjie wanted to warn them, but he couldn't tell whether these people were Twin Serpents members or other players, so he dared not speak.
The elevator doors opened and closed, opened and closed again. When it stopped on the sixth floor, everyone inside suddenly moved, pushing and shoving to get out. Sima Xiao'er, who wanted to stay, was grabbed by the shoulders and forcibly pushed out. Looking up, he saw several black-robed figures standing outside.
One of them said, "Please follow me."
Sima Xiao'er didn't want to go, but the masked players around him forcibly hoisted him up and followed the black-robed figures.
"Where are you taking us?" Sima Xiao'er shouted. "What exactly does Twin Serpents want?!"
No one answered him, but he soon found he couldn't speak anymore. He turned to look for Guan Zuhong, but everyone around him wore identical masks, making it impossible to tell who was who. After searching fruitlessly, he had to give up.
Huang Junjie pretended not to know what was happening and followed the group. When they were brought before a large door, another group approached from the other end of the corridor. The leading black-robed figures exchanged greetings, then opened the door. In the next second, the three white-masked players from the opposite side, along with Sima Xiao'er and his group, were pushed into the room.
Thinking he hadn't been exposed, Huang Junjie turned and fled. But as he lunged toward the door, he slammed into an invisible wall, sending him flying several meters back. He knocked over another player before stopping. Supporting himself on the edge of a table, he stared in shock at the doorway.
"Are you okay?" The player he had knocked over approached, speaking in less-than-fluent Mandarin, a string of prayer beads hanging from his outstretched hand.
Huang Junjie glanced at him before standing up and surveying his surroundings.
The overly spacious dining room contained only a long table. Seated around it were four white-masked players, along with ten black-robed figures standing by the windows on either side of the room, all adopting a meditative pose.
"Aren't we just short four people?" The female player seated at the table spoke.
"Four white masks, isn't that perfect?" Another male player said.
Sima Xiao'er, along with the prayer-bead player and his two companions, made exactly eight white-masked players—eight chairs.
The extra Guan Zuhong, Xiao Zhang, and Huang Junjie had masks of different colors.
"What the hell is going on?" Guan Zuhong asked the others. "Why have they brought us here?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Xiao Zhang said, whipping out a long chain and lashing it backward toward the nearest black-robed figure by the window. "These people have bad intentions, or they wouldn't have sealed the doors and windows."
The black-robed figure stood motionless, but the carpet beneath his feet suddenly rose up, twisting around the chain and then wrapping itself around Xiao Zhang. In the blink of an eye, he was rolled up like a scroll.
"Xiao Zhang!" Guan Zuhong rushed forward to catch him, quickly slashing twice on the outside. But the carpet kept tightening—not only could he not pull the man out, but even the opening he made near the mouth and nose instantly shifted.
Sima Xiao'er ran over, pulled out a water gun, and sprayed the carpet twice. Wherever the blue liquid touched, the carpet immediately withered and shriveled, crumbling with a light tap.
The two successfully rescued the man, but the black-robed figures beside them suddenly acted. Two black nets descended from above, covering the three of them respectively, then automatically cinched shut, trapping them tightly.
Sima Xiao'er struggled forward two steps before being heavily pressed to the ground. Furious, he cursed loudly, but since he couldn't make a sound, he could only mouth the words.
At this point, no one could deny that the Twin Serpents organization had ulterior motives. Both standing and seated players were on high alert, their items already secretly clutched in their hands.
Just then, the inner door of the dining room opened, and a gray-robed figure emerged, followed by several black-robed figures carrying chairs. After they arranged the chairs, the gray-robed figure solemnly invited everyone to sit down and explained the earlier incident. "A misunderstanding. We only invited eight players. These people tried to sneak in and cause trouble—we had no choice."
He gestured for the black-robed figures to retract their items and release the men. "Only the eight friends wearing white masks are Twin Serpents' guests. Escort the others out."
Before Sima Xiao'er and his group could react, Huang Junjie paused. Just as he was about to speak, a white-masked player standing by the table said, "You say invite, you say send away—I think none of us should stay. This is clearly a Hongmen Banquet."
Hearing this familiar voice, Huang Junjie and Sima Xiao'er simultaneously looked over.
Xu Huo's gaze swept over the prayer-bead player, then he continued inciting the others. "This resort isn't Twin Serpents' territory. Everyone's here to trade on neutral ground, with the understanding that players come and go freely. Detaining people and driving others away is unreasonable."
"We're all players. Why does Twin Serpents put on such airs? Do you think trapping us here with items is enough? Don't forget—we still have our tickets!"
The players, who had been somewhat restrained by the earlier intimidation, began to chime in. "If you have something to say, say it. If you want to fight, fight. What's with all the mystification?!"
The gray-robed figure gave Xu Huo an unfriendly look, then smiled. "I didn't realize you all had doubts. But who is on the invitation list isn't up to us."
He walked to the wall behind him and pulled down the red cloth covering it. Beneath the cloth were three framed oil paintings, each depicting a different scene. From left to right: the first showed a great fire consuming the world, with thousands of people trapped in the flames; the second depicted three glowing figures born from the fire, extinguishing the flames wherever they appeared; the third showed these three luminous beings spreading light in all directions, completely eliminating the fire, while thousands of suffering people became thousands of worshippers prostrating at their feet.
"Very religious," the prayer-bead player said, walking up to the paintings and making an awkward religious gesture toward them. He asked the gray-robed figure enthusiastically, "May I ask if this is a newly established religion? Do you need followers?"
Compared to the others, this man was as enthusiastic as a fool. The gray-robed figure glanced at the prayer beads, crosses, and other items hanging from his hand, pretended not to hear, and turned to the others. "These are actually three prophetic paintings."
(Chapter End)