Chapter 45

Chapter 45

From the moment they entered the bar, Xia Zeqin had led Lin Junruo onto the dance floor.

Even as the music changed, he didn’t seem to notice anything was amiss. He held Lin Junruo close, adjusting his steps to match the new rhythm.

Jian Fan was observing Xia Zeqin.

Qin Nan noticed this and nudged Jian Fan’s arm with his elbow. “So, what’s the plan?” As he spoke, he followed Jian Fan’s gaze.

Xia Zeqin.

Qin Nan thought back to his previous suspicion.

“Staring at him like that… someone who didn’t know better might think you’re jealous,” Qin Nan teased.

Jian Fan finally looked away and turned to Qin Nan. “Are you sick in the head?”

Qin Nan simply shrugged.

Qin Weiyi had also noticed Xia Zeqin’s behavior. He reached up to push his non-existent glasses higher on his nose. “I’m curious to see what clues he finds. Though, I suspect he won’t be very keen on sharing them with us.”

Turning to Mu Xin, Qin Weiyi asked, “What’s the situation between you and Lin Junruo? Did you two split up?”

Mu Xin didn’t want to respond.

“Let’s go,” Jian Fan said suddenly, signaling Qin Nan and Mu Xin. However, when he turned toward Qi Shuping, he gave a respectful bow before taking the lead.

Qin Nan and Mu Xin followed immediately.

“Xiao Qin, what should we do?” Lu Jing asked Qin Weiyi, seeing Jian Fan move out.

Qin Weiyi thought for a moment and asked, “Do you think you can take on a Vampire?”

Lu Jing looked troubled. “Those things don’t exist in reality. I’ve never fought one, so I really couldn’t say.”

Qin Weiyi nodded in agreement. “Alright then, let’s steer clear for now. Let’s go.” With that, Qin Weiyi headed off in a different direction, with Lu Jing following closely behind.

Soon, only the four of them-Qi Shuping, Xu Tian, and the two men-were left at the bar.

“Elder Qi, they’ve all left. What about us?” The young man was already getting restless.

Qi Shuping scanned the bar once more before making a decision. “We stay here. We’re not going anywhere. Just act like customers here to have a good time. No matter what happens next or what you see, don’t make a scene. Stay calm.”

The two men looked at each other.

So, what exactly were they going to see?

“Elder Qi, uh… shouldn’t we maybe hide? Staying calm isn’t exactly something we can just decide to do on command,” the man said.

Qi Shuping had already sat back down at the bar. Hearing his words, she smiled and said, “Then go hide on your own. Once things settle down, you can come back here and find me.”

The two men exchanged another look. Finally, they gritted their teeth and decided to leave first.

“Elder Qi, we’ll come find you later then.” With that, the two of them hurried off, chasing after the direction Jian Fan and his group had taken.

Between staying with a child and a middle-aged man, and Jian Fan’s trio-which also looked unreliable-at least the latter had Qin Nan, who seemed to have a normal physique, and the “junior” Elder Qi had acknowledged. That had to be more dependable, right?

The two men rushed to catch up with Jian Fan’s group.

Only Qi Shuping and Xu Tian remained at the bar.

“Child, aren’t you going?” Qi Shuping asked.

Xu Tian smiled and sat down beside Qi Shuping. “I trust you, Grandma.”

Qi Shuping looked at Xu Tian with a smile, though her eyes held a hint of scrutiny. She didn’t say anything else, merely gesturing toward the bartender. “Order a drink.”
Xu Tian nodded. “Okay.”

She turned to the bartender and said, “I’ll have a Bloody Mary as well, please.”

Hearing this, the bartender looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, miss, but the bartender who prepares our Bloody Marys has already finished his shift. We actually have other specialty drinks. Would you like to try one of those?”

“Then I’ll have a Dry Martini, thank you,” Xu Tian replied.

“One moment, please.” The bartender quickly mixed a Dry Martini for Xu Tian and placed it in front of her.

The bar was massive.

In addition to the main hall where they had been earlier, there were also private rooms. Jian Fan led Qin Nan and the others toward the private room area. Once they entered the corridor, the music from the main hall grew fainter, making it much quieter by comparison.

“Where are we going?” Mu Xin asked.

Jian Fan stopped, pushed open the door to a private room, and replied, “We’re here.”

Jian Fan entered first, with Qin Nan and Mu Xin following behind. Qin Nan’s move was purely due to a lack of experience; with a pro leading the way, he naturally followed closely. As for Mu Xin, she was trying to learn how to rely on her teammates.

In situations that weren’t immediately life-threatening, she needed to adapt to letting her teammates take the lead and make decisions. In a team, it was best to have only one decision-maker when handling a situation to avoid conflict.

Of course, if it were up to her, she would have chosen to stay in the main hall and sent her teammates to scout for information.

“What are we doing here?” Qin Nan scanned the room.

It was an empty private room of average size, equipped with its own en-suite restroom.

Jian Fan opened the restroom door. He didn’t answer immediately, first checking the state of the restroom before turning back and pointing at the mirror inside. “The legend of Bloody Mary.”

“The mirror?” Qin Nan looked at Jian Fan skeptically. “That’s one of the key elements for summoning Mary. You aren’t actually thinking of trying to summon her, are you?”

This was just a legend mentioned in passing by an NPC. Whether it could truly predict the future was still an unknown. However, if they failed, the consequences would likely be direct erasure by the game world. This wasn’t something to play around with.

It didn’t seem like something Jian Fan would do.

But if he wasn’t going to summon her, why look for a mirror?

“Every private room should have a mirror,” Mu Xin said, walking forward a few steps to look at the one in the restroom.

Jian Fan gave a sound of affirmation. “The location isn’t unique. Once the mirror requirement is met, there’s also… darkness.” As he spoke, Jian Fan flipped a switch with a *click*, turning off the restroom light.

“What exactly are you trying to do?” Qin Nan became increasingly confused.

“A mirror, darkness, and repeating Mary’s name. If it really can predict the future, that would be a very advantageous point for us,” Jian Fan said.

Qin Nan frowned. Jian Fan’s words made it sound like he truly intended to try it. Yet, based on Qin Nan’s interactions with Jian Fan lately, he knew Jian Fan would never do something so risky and uncertain.

In fact, he felt this might even trigger a Death Setting.

Jian Fan sensed Qin Nan’s doubts and shifted his gaze toward the closed door of the private room.

Qin Nan followed his gaze.

“There are some things we won’t do, but someone else will,” Jian Fan said, before adding, “And if someone does it, then perhaps I can confirm one thing from the outcome.”