Chapter 72

Chapter 72

The NPC behind the mask chuckled.

“Ma’am, are you sure you want to trade masks with me?” he asked.

Qi Shuping nodded, her tone still carrying a hint of a smile. “Is that alright?”

“Of course.” With that, the man suddenly reached out and removed his mask, revealing his true face.

If Qin Nan and the others had been here, they likely would have recognized him as the man who had raised his glass to Qin Nan from a distance earlier.

Qi Shuping did not hesitate. She removed her own mask and handed it over, taking the man’s mask in return.

This was just a party, and there were no rules stating that masks couldn’t be exchanged. Not having a Vampire Mask didn’t necessarily mean one wasn’t a Vampire; conversely, possessing a Vampire Mask didn’t truly mean one was a Vampire.

The game’s rules merely gave the Vampires an opportunity to find their first prey at the start. As for anything else, who could say?

“You’re quite the trendsetter, ma’am,” the man whistled at Qi Shuping. He then donned the mask she had been wearing and turned to leave, quickly disappearing into the crowd on the dance floor.

It seemed like a simple mask swap; nothing else happened.

Once the man was gone, Qian Xing finally breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Heaven knew how nervous he had been while Qi Shuping was talking to that man. Thank goodness it was just a false alarm.

“Professor Qi, you nearly scared the life out of me.” Qian Xing still felt a lingering sense of dread over what had just transpired.

Qi Shuping didn’t respond. Instead, she looked at the Vampire Mask in her hands, turning it over several times to inspect it.

“Professor Qi, are you really going to wear that Vampire Mask?” Seeing her fussing over it, Qian Xing couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.

Qi Shuping still didn’t answer. She seemed to have finished her inspection, though whether she had discovered anything was unclear. Qian Xing only saw her give a sudden chuckle before she put the mask on.

Qian Xing froze. Staring at the Vampire Mask so close to him, his breathing instinctively quickened. Even though he knew it was Qi Shuping, having someone in a Vampire Mask suddenly appear before him was a bit too much for his heart to handle.

To be honest, he was feeling a bit panicked.

“Don’t the game rules say that only Vampires can bite people? Now that there’s no one around who can bite me, aren’t we safe?” Qi Shuping suddenly said to Qian Xing.

Qian Xing was stunned.

Could it… really work like that?

It actually made sense.

According to the party’s rules, the Vampires were at the top of the food chain. Other guests wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on Qi Shuping while she wore the Vampire Mask. Qian Xing’s mind immediately began to race-what if he followed her lead and went to get a Vampire Mask for himself?

The thought only lasted for a moment.

Based on their understanding of the game, their current theory was that the Vampires would begin their hunt after the party. Therefore, those wearing Vampire Masks were very likely to be actual Vampires.

While he wasn’t sure if that man earlier was one, this was ultimately a choice where risk and reward coexisted. Qi Shuping had the courage for it, but as Qian Xing considered his own personality, he felt he probably couldn’t pull it off.

Qi Shuping stood up from her seat.

Seeing this, Qian Xing hurried to stand up as well, and Xu Tian followed suit.

Qi Shuping said with a smile, “I think I’ll take these old bones of mine over to join the fun.”
The Bartender smiled as he watched Qi Shuping. “I hope you have a pleasant time.”

Qi Shuping led Qian Xing and Xu Tian into the dance floor. As they passed others, many people began to whistle at Qi Shuping upon seeing the Vampire Mask on her face.

The crowd around them danced like demons, yet Qi Shuping walked through them with total composure.

She was clearly out of place, yet somehow, she didn’t seem strange at all. Standing there, Qi Shuping seemed to be a style all her own.

Qian Xing followed closely behind her.

He felt that their current situation could be described with one phrase: wealth is found in danger. They were certainly in danger now; it was highly likely that some of the people they had just passed were actual Vampires.

But at this point, Qian Xing felt that following Qi Shuping was better than acting alone.

Xia Zeqin and Lin Junruo were also at the dance floor.

After putting on his mask, Xia Zeqin had taken Lin Junruo straight to the Bar hall. After a quick glance at the situation, he had decisively headed toward the dance floor and joined the chaotic revelry.

Deafening music filled their ears as they were surrounded by guests dancing and partying.

The Bar hall was undoubtedly lively, but Lin Junruo’s heart was cold.

She had heard the introduction to this Bar party back in the private room.

Even though she knew very little about this world, based on her past experiences, she wasn’t stupid enough to miss that there was something wrong with this Vampire-themed Theme Party. However, she didn’t know exactly what the problem was.

The less she knew, the more her mind raced. Lin Junruo was currently panicking.

Despite being in the middle of a boisterous dance floor, her fear didn’t diminish at all; instead, it crept up bit by bit.

Right now, she just wanted to find Mu Xin. If not her, then Qin Nan would do. Even being with that tight-lipped Jian Fan would be better than staying by Xia Zeqin’s side.

“Zeqin,” Lin Junruo suddenly spoke up.

Xia Zeqin was dancing to his own rhythm. Hearing her voice, his tone rose slightly at the end. “Hmm? What is it?”

“We’ve been dancing for a long time. Do we really not need to look for clues?” Although she no longer intended to keep following Xia Zeqin, Lin Junruo still didn’t dare to offend him.

There were too many unknowns surrounding him.

“Am I not looking right now?” Xia Zeqin asked back with an amused smile.

Lin Junruo paused, then asked with a hint of pleasant surprise, “What did you find?”

“Look.” Xia Zeqin suddenly wrapped an arm around Lin Junruo’s waist and pointed in a certain direction.

Lin Junruo looked where he was pointing, but all she saw was a sea of people. She was confused.

“Zeqin, what am I supposed to be looking at?” she asked.

Xia Zeqin let out a chuckle.

The music in the Bar suddenly shifted. Along with the change in tempo, the movements of the people around them seemed to change as well. Xia Zeqin’s hand, which had been around Lin Junruo’s waist, suddenly shoved her outward.

Before Lin Junruo could get an answer from him, a sudden force sent her body stumbling forward. Just as she thought she was about to fall, someone suddenly grabbed her hand.

The person gave her a tug, and she tumbled right into their arms.

It was a stranger.

And on his face, he wore a Vampire Mask.

Lin Junruo’s face went deathly pale. Although she didn’t know much about this world, for some reason, looking at that Vampire Mask made her heart race violently.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

It felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her chest.