Chapter 592: Joining the Organization Is the Right Choice
The situation was urgent, so the gray-robed man had no choice but to nod.
Huang Junjie hesitated, standing still in place, but Xu Huo said, "Follow along. Staying here only means death."
Huang Junjie shuddered and involuntarily followed.
The group passed through a secret passage, took an elevator down to the underground parking lot. The second underground floor was sealed off. Through a concealed doorway, the Twin Serpents members got into cars and onto motorcycles, leaving the resort at top speed.
They certainly didn't take the main road they had entered by.
Xu Huo deliberately lagged behind, letting Huang Junjie drive him on a motorcycle while he called the others one by one.
Only Guan Sheng answered the phone. As soon as he picked up, he immediately asked where Xu Huo had gone.
Xu Huo carefully inquired about the details of the garden area, paused for a moment, then said, "There was an explosion at the resort just now. Didn't the Special Defense Department get the news?"
Guan Sheng and Qian Xuwen had contacted the Special Defense Department as soon as they left the resort, but the local officers in Water City had been pulled away for emergency rescue half an hour ago and were still on the way.
"Zhou Ning is missing. Go find him."
"What about your side?" Guan Sheng asked.
"Don't worry about me. Just look for Zhou Ning." Xu Huo finished speaking and decisively turned off his phone.
Huang Junjie was confused. "Why not let the Special Defense Department investigate? You came along because you wanted to find the Twin Serpents' real lair, right?"
"The Special Defense Department branch isn't necessarily trustworthy." Xu Huo said this, then asked him, "How did you end up here?"
"I followed the president. He received an invitation." Huang Junjie said, "The people who came with you left. Maybe he left too, since he's not the one the Twin Serpents are looking for."
Xu Huo let out a laugh. "Do you believe that yourself?"
The gathering changed locations, one-fifth more people appeared midway, players were scattered and gathered, then individual transactions were conducted. This whole series of operations was actually just to cover up one thing—the number of players attending the gathering was decreasing.
When they were viewing the statue, Xu Huo had already swapped masks and wristbands with Yan Jiayu. The numbers on the wristbands were also a screening method, meant to separate the truly invited players. He had asked the white-masked players about their numbers earlier, and like Yan Jiayu, they were all five.
From Guan Sheng, he learned that Yan Jiayu, who had replaced him at the garden, disappeared after her individual transaction. She definitely wouldn't have left on her own. Even if she had been attacked, it shouldn't have been so silent. When Guan Sheng and the other went to check, they found no signs of a struggle. One possibility was that she had entered a random instance.
It wasn't impossible for a random instance entrance to be mobile, like the one that awakened the puppet. Or perhaps some place in the resort was itself an entrance.
From the white-masked side, the Twin Serpents' multiple screenings might have been to classify players—strength, mental fortitude, evolution rate, player level could all be screening factors. The Twin Serpents couldn't possibly know every player, so they made a rough classification.
Some people joined the Twin Serpents and were taken away, some finished an ordinary gathering and left, some disappeared during the gathering, all ultimately tied to the numbers on the wristbands.
"Players with number four went to the seventh floor and came back. Brother Liang followed to check the situation but never returned." Guan Zuhong had also called Brother Liang and the others. The two players who had been with Sima Xiao'er and Big Head had left safely, but Brother Liang's whereabouts were unknown.
"How many people were left in the venue when the gathering finally disbanded?" Xu Huo asked.
"Less than eighty." Huang Junjie said firmly.
"What numbers were Tan Yang and Pu Kang?" Xu Huo asked again.
"One and two."
On Xu Huo's side, including himself and the three from Huang Junjie's group, they basically covered six numbers. Six was the most, with seven people. Counting Guan Zuhong and Xiao Zhang, who had accidentally followed, five had left safely. Only Zhou Ning and Brother Liang had unknown whereabouts.
There were only two with number five. Xu Huo had replaced Yan Jiayu on the white-masked side, and Sima Xiao'er had become a "White Envoy."
Number four was missing. Number three included Guan Sheng, Qian Xuwen, and Huang Junjie. The first two had also left safely, while Huang Junjie's situation was like Guan Zuhong and the other's—he hadn't managed to leave.
Number two was Yan Jiayu, who had replaced him, plus Pu Kang. Both were missing.
Number one had only Tan Yang, also unaccounted for.
Leaving number four aside for now, looking at the other five numbers, the Twin Serpents' target was clearly on numbers "one," "two," and "five." Numbers "three" and "six" were just decoys, like those Special Defense Department players who came in, took a lap, and left. One or two going missing wouldn't attract attention.
"Tan Yang and Pu Kang—are they cannibal players?" Xu Huo thought for a moment and asked Huang Junjie again.
"Of course not." Huang Junjie was shocked. "Do you think their disappearance has something to do with cannibal players?"
"Can't be sure. Is Pu Kang a D-level player?" Xu Huo continued.
"No, but his evolution rate is very high, and his family is quite wealthy. He bought two good items through Special Defense Department connections." Huang Junjie answered. After a moment of silence, he couldn't help asking, "Do you think what the Twin Serpents said about predicting the future is real or fake?"
"Street fortune tellers these days don't even use cheap crystal balls anymore. That was just an item." How could one item predict a person's future, especially in bulk? Anyone could go up and test it. It was just a scam.
"I think most of the players at today's gathering might be Twin Serpents people." Huang Junjie said coldly. "They don't even need to choose. They just have to bring over the players who aren't their own."
"There are some, but probably not too many." Xu Huo and his group alone had over a dozen people. The perception that "Twin Serpents gatherings are safe" also needed people to spread it.
Although the information was incomplete, looking at the overall picture, "two" and "five" were likely the stronger and weaker groups. The only surprise was Yan Jiayu—an all-around player had been assigned to the weaker group.
But assuming his line of thinking was correct, this was normal. The Twin Serpents could only make rough divisions; they couldn't possibly follow the plan perfectly. Just like how he and Yan Jiayu had swapped positions, and Huang Junjie's three had been swept into the restaurant.
"Why don't we leave now?" Huang Junjie hesitated. "Since the savior thing is fake, the Twin Serpents definitely have another purpose. With this kind of setup, there might be someone behind it."
Compared to the Twin Serpents' organizational strength and execution, the officially recognized First Association seemed like child's play. But the more this was the case, the more it showed the Twin Serpents weren't simple. One or two players probably couldn't accomplish much.
"You can't leave." Xu Huo pointed ahead. "See those gray-robed men? They've been using items the whole time. Anyone who leaves the group will be dealt with."
"Since you're here, make the best of it. Once you followed Sima Xiao'er into the restaurant, there was no way out. Even escaping wouldn't help. Right now, the best way to stay alive is to join the Twin Serpents organization."
"Congratulations," he smiled. "You're about to hold two jobs at once, shining bright in the player organization."
(Chapter End)