Chapter 224
Chapter 224
“Sis.” Yellow Hair forced the word out with some difficulty. “How did you know all that?”
Yang Zhen remained perfectly calm. “Is it strange that I know?” Then she gave a small “oh” and said, “Did I forget to introduce myself? I’m Yang Zhen–an assassin, a lone wolf, and No. 11 on the Assassin Rankings.”
What?
They already knew her name was Yang Zhen, but the assassin part left everyone rather bewildered.
“Assassins actually exist?” Lin Junruo asked in astonishment.
Yang Zhen nodded. “Of course. Plenty of people are in the business.”
“Then why don’t you have a gun?” Mu Xin asked from beside her.
Yang Zhen’s previously placid expression instantly turned resentful. “I do! I just didn’t have it on me. The rules here are way too strict–I couldn’t get it through at all. Forget a gun; they even confiscated my knife at the airport. I thought I was only coming home to visit family and wouldn’t need that stuff. Who could’ve known!”
Everyone suddenly felt a little sorry for her.
Yang Zhen sighed. “This line of work is much better abroad. It’s too difficult here, so it’s no surprise you haven’t heard much about it.”
“Then how did he end up on the Assassination Bounty List?” Qin Weiyi asked earnestly.
Yang Zhen glanced at Fang Kang. “One of the people he killed had a son living abroad who’d done pretty well for himself. Fang Kang murdered the man’s parents, so of course he wanted revenge. He put up a huge reward, and there you have it–Fang Kang landed on the list.”
Now they understood.
The Assassination Bounty List was ranked by the size of the reward.
Fang Kang scoffed as he listened to Yang Zhen.
Yang Zhen had not originally planned to take on any assassination jobs, but when she heard him scoff, her eyes shifted slyly toward him. “Hey, brother, where have you been hiding these past two years? Come on, tell me. We’re all in the Realm of Death anyway, and I’m curious.”
“You think I’m an idiot?” Fang Kang rolled his eyes at her.
Yang Zhen laughed. “You’re not an idiot. You’re just a coward.”
“You, a woman, think you can kill me? I’ve been hiding in my wife’s hometown. Come find me if you’ve got the nerve,” Fang Kang said.
Yang Zhen nodded at once. “Sure thing, brother. Once we’re out, I’ll definitely come find you so we can properly catch up.”
Watching the two trade barbs, the others all had the same thought.
Fang Kang did not seem terribly bright.
As they talked, the bus carried them toward the next world.
When it stopped, Fang Kang was the first to get off. Xia Zeqin had originally been ahead of him, but Fang Kang shoved him aside and even snorted contemptuously at him as he passed.
Xia Zeqin: “?”
His expression did not change, though his gaze lingered meaningfully on Fang Kang for a moment.
The others filed off the bus in turn.
Jian Fan’s group of seven stayed together, with Shi Chen and Yang Zhen silently choosing to remain near them. The remaining three–Xia Zeqin, Fang Kang, and Zhou Jingying–each kept to themselves. The lines between the groups were already perfectly clear the moment they arrived.
No one cared about that now.
As soon as they stepped off the bus, they began surveying their surroundings.
An extraordinarily dreamlike castle stood before them, while they themselves were gathered in front of a musical fountain. Many people moved in and out of the castle, men and women alike, all of whom appeared to be servants.
They had not been standing there long when a middle-aged man in a Tuxedo came over to greet them.
“Welcome, honored guests. I am the Steward for tonight’s ball. You have traveled a long way, so please return to your rooms and rest. The ball will begin promptly at eight this evening.” The Steward gave them a courteous smile.
A castle. A ball.
Question marks filled everyone’s minds.
The Steward had no intention of offering an explanation. He bent at the waist and gestured for them to follow. “Honored guests, this way, please.”
With that, he started forward. Jian Fan followed without hesitation, and the others did the same, though they exchanged looks as they walked.
The group entered the castle.
The main hall was bustling with preparations for the evening’s ball. The Steward led them around it, through a Corridor, and up to the Second Floor.
“These are the honored guests’ rooms. Please choose whichever you prefer.” The Steward glanced at the watch on his wrist and smiled. “It is now exactly four in the afternoon. You have four hours to rest and prepare. At precisely eight, please dress in appropriate formal attire and arrive at the ball on time.”
After speaking, the Steward bowed to them and left.
Once he was gone, only the twelve Players remained.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xia Zeqin chose a room and shut the door behind him. Fang Kang went next. He swept a contemptuous gaze across everyone present before withdrawing it and choosing a room of his own.
Then came Zhou Jingying.
She paid no attention whatsoever to anyone else. After surveying the surroundings, she immediately made her choice.
Before long, only Jian Fan’s group of nine remained in the Corridor.
“What do we do?” Qin Nan asked.
Without waiting for Jian Fan to answer, Qin Weiyi grabbed Lu Jing and headed toward one of the rooms. “See you at eight.” Then he pointed to the room next to his own. “Lu Jing, take that one.”
Naturally, Lu Jing agreed.
“It’s an NPC’s instruction,” Jian Fan said.
Qin Nan made an okay sign to show he understood.
They could not refuse an NPC’s demand, or they might be erased.
The others did not linger. They immediately selected rooms and went inside.
Qin Weiyi entered his room.
Like the rest of the castle, the guest room was decorated in a dreamlike style. Qin Weiyi stood in the doorway and looked around until his gaze came to rest on a formal outfit nearby.
It was water-blue from top to bottom and covered in sequins. Sunlight streamed through the window and struck them, making the entire outfit sparkle.
This… couldn’t possibly be what he was supposed to wear tonight, could it?
Qin Weiyi rather wanted to refuse.
But some things were not his to decide.
Reluctant though he was, Qin Weiyi still walked toward the outfit.
A blue box sat beside it.
After a moment’s thought, Qin Weiyi opened the box first.
Inside was a hair ornament the same color as the outfit, adorned with several feathers. Beneath it lay a card.
Qin Weiyi picked up the card.
Only three words were written on it.
The Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid? What was that supposed to mean?
While Qin Weiyi was still puzzling over it, the hair clip suddenly vanished from his hand. At the same instant, the water-blue outfit appeared on his body out of thin air. But that was not even the most shocking part. To his dismay, Qin Weiyi discovered that his legs had transformed into a glowing water-blue fishtail.
A fish…
Qin Weiyi dearly wished he could black out on the spot.
He did not faint, but an intense weakness abruptly flooded his body, as though his life force were being drained away. He collapsed to the floor.
As Qin Weiyi took stock of his condition, an absurd thought surfaced in his mind.
Was he dehydrated?
A fish out of water–and now he had become a fish…
His desire to pass out grew even stronger.