Chapter Ch398.1 - Investigation
Regarding the silver mask, all the team members who experienced the Liuxi Village secret room had an impression of it. The first time they met the masked man in Liuxi Village of 4 of Spades, he wore a silver mask. The man’s temperament was very special and the mask on his face was also unique. Some strange black patterns were drawn on the silver mask as decoration.
Shao Qingge carefully recalled the mask in his mind. “No wonder I felt like the masks of the hunters in the labyrinth were a bit familiar. Didn’t we see it in Liuxi Village before?”
Ye Qi walked to Xiao Lou and asked softly, “Professor Xiao, do you think the twins are also hunters? It shouldn’t be a coincidence that they are wearing the same mask as hunters, right?”
Xiao Lou couldn’t give an accurate answer. A mask alone couldn’t explain the problem. This person code-named White Fox was a mystery and he might also have a twin brother. Were these twins allies or enemies? For example, if he was a hunter, why did he have to convene a large number of challengers to gather in the bar after the stampede incident and encourage them to pass the secret rooms to leave this world? Yet if he was on the side of the challengers, how could he wear the same mask?
Xiao Lou was puzzled. He glanced at Tang Ci and asked, “Mr Tang, is there any information from the Intelligence Bureau on this White Fox? Is he still at the bar in the City of the Sun?”
“Wait a minute, I will check it.”
Tang Ci opened his laptop and typed a series of characters which they couldn’t understand, logging into the Intranet of the Intelligence Bureau. This was the information network established by Tang Ci and it had collected more than 90% of the challengers’ information, including when they entered the main city, their residence in the main city, their team formation and part of their information in reality.
White Fox, formerly known as Bai Jinyu. There was very little information about him. Tang Ci only knew that he came to the City of the Sun a year ago and opened the bar in the City of the Sun 6 months ago. He usually lived in the bar and there was no information on his teammates at all.
The Intelligence Bureau had limited information so Tang Ci simply hacked the surveillance system of the City of the Sun. His eyes were fixed on the computer as he checked the surveillance near the bar. Soon, he fixed his mouse on the surveillance screen and pointed to the image on the computer. “His bar is open.”
Everyone entered the World Weekly at midnight on Saturday night and it took them four and a half hours to clear the World Weekly. It was now just 5:00 a.m. Bars were generally open at night so this wasn’t unusual. The strange thing was… during the surveillance, Bai Jinyu appeared at the door of the bar to grab a package of takeout.
Xiao Lou was stunned. “Isn’t he a challenger? If he is a challenger, he should’ve entered the World Weekly like us and he shouldn’t have come out yet.”
Yu Hanjiang analyzed it. “We took 4 hours and 38 minutes to clear the labyrinth, ranking first in the world. If there were no hunters that popped up in the middle, we wouldn’t have rushed to escape using the riskiest method. Other challengers would move through the labyrinth according to the normal thinking and it would take more than five hours.”
In other words, if Bai Jinyu was a challenger, he wouldn’t be able to get back to the main city so quickly. Even if his team was ranked second in the world, the time wouldn’t be so short. 99.9% of challengers would still be stuck in the World Weekly labyrinth at this time.
There were only two explanations for why Bai Jinyu would appear in the bar in the City of the Sun at this time.
One, he wasn’t a challenger. Two, before the World Weekly opened at midnight, he forcibly opened another secret room on the card wall, entering the secret room to avoid this World Weekly.
Tang Ci moved his mouse and quickly retrieved Bai Jinyu’s information. “He came to the City of the Sun a year ago and the ID number used at that time was indeed a challenger number. A challenger’s ID card has the first four digits different from a native’s ID card. This is why I recorded his information. Why didn’t he participate in this World Weekly? Did he open a secret room ahead of time to avoid it?”
Opening the fixed secret room on the ward wall before Saturday to avoid the World Weekly was the method that Lu Jiuchuan taught to Yu Hanjiang in the beginning. Some time ago, Xiao Lou’s team used this technique to avoid several rounds of the World Weekly.
However, even if he opened the secret room before the early hours of Saturday morning, could he clear it so quickly? There were no teammates mentioned in the database. How could he successfully break through the level alone?
The more they thought about it, the stranger they felt.
Lu Jiuchuan touched his chin. “This White Fox is suspicious. Should I personally go to meet him?”
Yu Hanjiang immediately objected. “You are now the key monitoring target of the Hunter’s League. You shouldn’t appear easily.”
“It isn’t a problem.” Lu Jiuchuan smiled and took out a card. It was the mask that he used to go undercover in the Hunter’s League. It could immediately change his face.
Yu Hanjiang just wanted to ask his brother what he would change into when Yu Hanjiang saw Lu Jiuchuan transform himself into a fashionable university student in his 20s. His hair was dyed blond and the studs in his ears flashed brightly.
Tang Ci, “……”
Tang Ci saw the chunni version of Lu Jiuchuan in front of him and looked away in disgust.
Lu Jiuchuan smiled and wondered, “Does anyone want to accompany me?”
Ye Qi was interested in the bar and raised his hand. “I want to go.”
Shao Qingge stopped him. “You shouldn’t go. On the night of the stampede incident at the concert, you showed up and played the piano on the stage. You will probably be recognized.”
Ye Qi thought about it and obediently put down his hand. Qu Wanyue smiled and volunteered. “I will go with Long Sen. We haven’t made a public appearance yet and we were also invisible in the labyrinth with the Chameleon card. The monitoring of the Hunter’s League shouldn’t have captured us.”
Long Sen agreed. “Yes, even if they go to the City of the Moon to check our information, it will take time.”
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged looks. They also felt that it was more appropriate for Long Sen and Qu Wanyue to go to the bar. Xiao Lou inquired, “Teacher Qu, have you used your invisibility cloaks?”
Qu Wanyue took out the card. “No.”
Xiao Lou explained. “We used them when passing through the 18 hells and the cooldown time hasn’t ended yet. Let us borrow your cards and I will go with Hanjiang. At that time, you and Brother Jiu will act separately at the bar to delay Bai Jinyu. Meanwhile, I will investigate privately with Hanjiang to see what secrets this bar might be hiding.”
Qu Wanyue and Long Sen immediately handed the cards to Xiao Lou.
Tang Ci advised them, “The five of you should act carefully. The rest of us will stay behind.”
His eyes swept over Shao Qingge, Ye Qi and the others. “For safety, don’t disperse for the time being. Rest here tonight, this way we can take care of each other.”
No one complained about the arrangement. Tang Ci’s presidential suite was large enough to rest on the sofa.
Lu Jiuchuan waved his hand and the group of five started to act. Lu Jiuchuan drove Tang Ci’s personal car with his four teammates. The group followed the navigation and soon arrived at the bar beside the sea.
The location of this bar was very good. After opening the French windows, customers could see the white sandy beach and endless sea. It was 5:30 in the morning but there were still many customers at the bar and people on the beach having night barbecues. It was leisurely and romantic. There was a soft guitar playing at the bar, accompanied by the voice of a female singer.
Qu Wanyue listened for a moment. “This song… I’ve never heard of it before. It shouldn’t be a song from our world. Have any of you heard it?”
Everyone said that the melody was unfamiliar.
Yu Hanjiang told them, “After we stop, Xiao Lou and I will put on the invisibility cloaks and explore the bar.” He glanced at Lu Jiuchuan in the front and said, “Brother, you might’ve changed your face and look like a rebellious university student but you should still be careful so as to not be recognized.”
Lu Jiuchuan smiled. “Don’t worry.”
He parked the car in the parking lot, opened the door and got out smoothly. He lit a cigarette and held it to his mouth. The rebellious youth with blond hair, earrings and a cigarette was played vividly by him and Xiao Lou couldn’t help laughing. After spending so much time in the secret rooms, everyone’s acting skills had really improved.
Lu Jiuchuan looked at Qu Wanyue and Long Sen and joked, “The two of you should act as lovers, this will show your true colors.”
Qu Wanyue smiled. “Okay. Brother Jiu, we will pretend not to know you.”
Lu Jiuchuan agreed. “Yes, you get into your roles. I will go first. Hanjiang and Xiao Lou, follow me. The two of you, wait a few minutes before coming in.”
He left the parking lot first and headed toward the bar. Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou followed using the invisibility cloaks. They only had 30 minutes.
Lu Jiuchuan opened the door and deliberately held it open for a few seconds without closing it. This made it convenient for Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang to enter. This was a ‘clean’ bar. The melody of the song sung by the resident singer was soft, the lights in the bar were warm and the decorations were stylish. Unlike ordinary bars that were smoky and full of dancing, this one was more suitable for a few friends to meet and chat while drinking.
The moment Lu Jiuchuan entered the bar, he saw a man with an outstanding temperament standing behind the bar. He used his slender fingers to hold two bottles of wine, slowly pouring them into the glass. The two types of wines mixed together and the glass changed into dazzling colors. Bai Jinyu was making cocktails for the guests. The face of the man was hidden by his mask. Only a pair of dark and deep eyes could be seen.
This mask reminded Lu Jiuchuan of the hunters he encountered in the labyrinth. In particular, the black pattern decorations on the silver mask looked like they came from the same batch produced by the manufacturer.
Lu Jiuchuan walked to the bar and tapped his finger on the countertop. “Give me a glass of tequila sunrise.”
Bai Jinyu’s voice was gentle. “Yes, please wait a minute.”
He skillfully prepared a glass of tequila for Lu Jiuchuan. The color was a beautiful orange-red and it had a gradient of light to dark from bottom to top. It was just like the morning glow when the sunrise was going to occur.
Lu Jiuchuan took the cup and sat down to drink. Tequila was a strong alcohol but he drank it without changing his expression. After drinking it, he ordered another glass. Three consecutive glasses later, Bai Jinyu couldn’t help reminding him, “This type of drink has a strong alcohol content. You will be drunk if you drink more.”
Lu Jiuchuan smiled and waved his hand. “Don’t worry about me. Give me another one.”
Just then, Qu Wanyue and Long Sen also walked into the bar. They entered the bar arm in arm, as if they were a couple in love. Qu Wanyue wore a strapless dress with her long hair scattered around her shoulders. She looked very sexy and charming. Long Sen wore a shirt and trousers. Combined with his tall and muscular body, the two people matched very well when they walked in.
Long Sen gazed at Qu Wanyue gently and asked in a low voice, “What do you want to drink?”
Qu Wanyue’s face was a bit red. “I don’t drink very much.”
Long Sen glanced at the alcohol list and said, “Give her a glass of white coconut grove.”
This glass of alcohol was similar to the color of coconut milk. Qu Wanyue took a sip from the straw and the rich coconut taste stimulated her taste buds. It was sweet and sour. Long Sen placed his hand on his wife’s shoulder and wondered, “Do you like it?”
Qu Wanyue nodded. “Yes.”
“Would you like to try something else?”
Qu Wanyue thought about it before glancing at Lu Jiuchuan. “I want to drink what he’s having.”
Long Sen questioned it. “Is that tequila? No, it is too strong. You will be drunk.”
Qu Wanyue smiled heartlessly. “If I get drunk then you can carry me on your back.”
The two people started to show affection and many single people in the bar were blinded by this affectionate couple.
Next to them, Lu Jiuchuan drank while speaking in a pained voice. “Xiao Nian, I love you so much… how could you ask to break up? In this world, no one loves you more than me…”
Yu Hanjiang, “……”
Xiao Lou, “……”
Please continue to perform and buy time for the two of them.
Fifth entry by B.K0036: When you can’t draw men so Long-Sen becomes a Chameleon
CG 10K event
Proofreader: Fictional Reality & Paranoid Kitten