Chapter 21

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Chapter 21: Traps and “Cornered Beast”

“Waaaah—waaah—waaaaahhh—” The reporter desperately writhed on the wooden pillar.

“Stop yelling already, I’m about to let you down.” Joe James stepped forward, pulled out a dagger to cut through the ropes, and then removed the cloth from the reporter’s mouth. “If you keep making such racket, don’t blame me for breaking your teeth.”

“Forget it, he doesn’t understand what you’re saying anyway. Call Mr. Zhang over here,” Tyler said.

“Cough, cough, cough…” Initially, the reporter burst into violent coughs before shouting fearfully, “These people, these people are just executioners! The true culprit is… cough… the Northern City Police Department!”

“What’s he blabbering about?”

“Who knows? Mister Zhang, please come take a look.”

Just then, lights suddenly illuminated the theater’s audience area! One by one, the massive oil lamps overhead were lit, followed by the wall lamps on both sides. Within mere seconds, the entire theater hall became completely illuminated!

Everyone was left astounded by this sudden change.

Even Chaoyang was caught slightly off guard.

However, fortunately, his main body hadn’t accompanied them, so mere light or shadows alone wouldn’t expose his presence.

“Tsk tsk tsk…” someone above clicked their tongue.

Chaoyang looked up and noticed that over a dozen individuals had suddenly appeared on the second-floor viewing gallery. In stark contrast to the assailants on stage, they wore indigo-blue uniforms with white trousers, tall hats, and held long rifles in their hands.

One of them stood out more prominently, sporting a bow tie at his collar and epaulettes on his shoulders—likely their leader. Leaning forward with both hands resting on the railing, he called down, “Mister Dunn, you shouldn’t have said that. If the rats knew nothing, perhaps they might’ve had a chance to survive. But now, even if they escape from this theater, they won’t stand a chance.”

“Dammit, what’s going on?!” Joe James exclaimed, glancing left and right. “Host, were these part of your plans too?”

“Don’t shout! Didn’t you want to contact the mastermind behind the scenes?” Zhang Zhiyuan coldly interrupted, “They’ve conveniently delivered themselves here.”

“You’re insane, Guster! As a police captain, how could you assist your superiors in such acts?!” Kurt Dunn panted heavily as he rebuked sternly, “I will never let this be covered up. Once it gets reported, all of you will end up on the gallows! Including those company executives as well!”

“You always indulge in unrealistic fantasies, just like with your previous report. The police had already warned you then.” The man referred to as Guster shook his head. “Think about it—given Jeddy Brothers limited courage, would they dare publish the so-called truth you speak of? And based solely on your word, how many people in the city would believe you?”

The journalist was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Of course, you won’t be leaving alive anyway. Just settle in as the sacrificial offering. Meanwhile, I must thank you for luring all these rats here.” The police captain adjusted his hat brim. “As for everyone down there… There are still six hours until dawn. Let’s hope you can hold out longer.”

His subordinates raised their guns collectively.

“I understand now, so that’s what’s been happening…” Zhang Zhiyuan murmured grimly.

Why couldn’t a serial murder case spanning several months be solved? Why were no traces found despite such a large-scale criminal operation… It was because the crimes were being committed by those entrusted to prevent them! Members of the police force themselves were orchestrating the murders, hiring killers, and deliberately planting clues to entrap anyone who pursued the investigation independently. Every investigator drawn in inevitably became prey within their carefully laid traps!

“Brother Zhang, look out, they’re holding guns!” Zhou Zhi felt his scalp tingle with fear. “What should we do now?”

“Dive towards their shooting blind spots.” Zhang Zhiyuan observed the crowd on the second floor and quickly assessed the situation. “Those guns don’t seem capable of rapid fire; we have a good chance to escape back into the corridors on either side of the main hall.”

“I..I will listen to you then. Should we go left or right?”

“Left, back where we entered!” Zhang Zhiyuan suddenly shouted, “Run!”

Before he finished speaking, all six individuals sprinted away, instinctively heading east.

Simultaneously, gunfire erupted, but the sounds were not loud, resembling short, sharp whistles instead! Bullets struck the chairs, causing explosive cracks as shattered cotton flew like snowflakes around them.

“Ugh—”

Just as they were about to dart through the entrance, Anthony let out a muffled groan and collapsed onto the ground. Tyler and Asahara Naruko immediately turned back, braving the gunfire to drag him into the corridor.

“I… got hit,” the Russian man moaned, clutching his neck.

Blood was visibly seeping continuously from between his fingers. If not promptly stopped, he would soon go into shock due to blood loss.

“Does anyone have bandages?!” Naruko looked at the group, “I know how to apply first aid!”

“It’s useless. He hit a major vessel, likely an external vein,” Tyler shook his head. “Even if you tightly wrap him with bandages, it won’t help.”

In fact, Anthony wasn’t the only one struck by bullets.

Joe, Tyler, and Asahara Naruko also sustained a couple of hits, but fortunately, the bullets merely grazed their protective vests without fully penetrating.

“What kind of weapons do they use? The firing speed is much faster than last time!” Joe James exclaimed angrily.

“They’re steam-powered firearms,” Chaoyang once again spoke up unexpectedly. “The cavalry you encountered on the beach used gunpowder-based weapons instead.”

This revelation wasn’t intended to deceive his fellow Earthlings; rather, he too was genuinely astonished upon seeing their weaponry. The enemies carried compressed air tanks strapped to their backs, encased within leather covers, resembling travel bags in size. Due to these additional power sources, they no longer needed to reload with gunpowder, enabling them to fire approximately every two seconds.

“Steam rifles?” Tyler exclaimed incredulously. “Aren’t these things supposed to be mere fantasy creations on paper?”

“You saying that actually brings me some relief.” The American spat out, “Isn’t Paradise itself just a kind of fantasy?”

“They’re about to catch up,” Zhou Zhi leaned near the door, observing all the blue-uniformed men rushing down the stairs towards the first floor. “We need to quickly escape through the windows!”

“We won’t get far,” Zhang Zhiyuan shook his head. “Since this was set up as a trap, the entrances must already be blocked. Have you forgotten what the journalist said? These people are police officers; even if we make it onto the streets, they can legitimately take us out.”

“That’s true. Surviving holds no significance for us; points matter more,” Naruko chimed in. “If we don’t rescue the journalist, our efforts throughout the second half would have been futile.”

This sentiment resonated with the others.

“Suka blyat’, confronting them here suits me just fine!” the Russian muttered, then suddenly raised his eyebrows and slowly moved his hand away from his wound. “What’s going on? It seems like the pain isn’t as intense anymore.”

“I’ve lowered your pain threshold, but note that this has nothing to do with the bleeding. You have approximately fifteen minutes left to live,” Chaoyang stated.

“No wonder it feels better now. Thanks, Host!” With no pain sensation, Anthony immediately perked up.

“Hey, can you adjust ours too?” Zhou Zhi couldn’t help but ask.

“The lower your pain perception, the less control you’ll have over your body. Simply put, you’ll become less agile,” Chaoyang replied, refusing the request. “Trust me, in combat, being overly numb isn’t ideal.”

“I’m not sure if this is just my imagination…” The Brit stared at Chaoyang, his eyes seemingly contemplative, “Host, it seems like you’re becoming increasingly concerned about our mission.”

“Well, for this decisive battle revealing all truths, we ought to give it our fullest, right?” Chaoyang responded, his voice utterly calm. “The Paradise always stands on the players’ side, aiming to provide maximum enjoyment. Rest assured, the high entrance fees you’ve paid will not go unrewarded; we guarantee they’ll be more than worth it.”

“New alert: enemies incoming.”