Free Web NovelChapter 481: Chapter 417: Number 49
Yang Xiao was neither a young girl, nor did he have an invitation card, and certainly couldn’t blend in through the main entrance, but he had the Soul-Capturing Mirror.
He found a public restroom nearby, which was empty at this time, locked the door from the inside, set down his backpack, and took out a Drama Robe. Although his target this time was just a useless wealthy heir, it was still best to be cautious.
To avoid drawing attention, Yang Xiao wore the Drama Robe underneath his clothes. Yun Qi City was located in the southern coastal region and was hotter than Rongcheng, but with his skin pressed against the Drama Robe, Yang Xiao felt a chilly sensation, as if he was wearing nothing at all.
He took out Beibei’s short knife and concealed it on his body; tonight he would fulfill his promise to send Pang Cai on his way with this knife.
After adjusting his attire in the mirror, Yang Xiao took out a mask to wear. It was a half-face mask, the same kind worn by the notorious Wu Yanzu, fitting the style of the masked ball perfectly, prepared for him by Fu Qingzhu, tucked inside a document bag.
The information clearly stated that all surveillance cameras inside the bar would be shut down tonight, and cellphones were not allowed, rules set by the rich second-generations that conveniently provided Yang Xiao with great advantages, allowing him to avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.
The airport’s plane would take off at 6:05 a.m. If all went well, he could make it back to Rongcheng in time for breakfast, without delaying his work at the Patrol Defense Office.
The moment he took out the Soul-Capturing Mirror, Yang Xiao’s figure disappeared on the spot, and he reappeared inside the Night of Enchantment Bar at an inconspicuous position.
Tonight the place was extraordinarily lively, with seductive dance moves twirling on the dance floor, the air saturated with the scent of hormones stimulated by alcohol.
Underneath the dim and indecent lighting, one after another, voluptuous girls dressed daringly were like commodities for picking, each marked with different numbered tags.
Like the theme of tonight, everyone here wore a mask, including the waitstaff, which made Yang Xiao who was hiding in the shadows appear very inconspicuous.
Following the tips in the information, he quickly identified his target for the night, a person sitting in the middle of the sofa in booth number three, wearing a silver half-face mask, flirting with several girls around him.
Pang Cai’s characteristics were easy to recognize; he was quite tall but extremely skinny, gaunt in fact—not naturally so, but due to drug use. freёwebnoѵel.com
There were no shortage of girls fawning over Pang Cai, with his friends and bodyguards nearby. Yang Xiao couldn’t find an opportunity to act, and he didn’t want to cause a big scene over a useless heir.
While staying alert of his surroundings, Yang Xiao looked for an opportunity. In the meanwhile, he realized these rich second-generations really knew how to play, the little games played on the sofas made him gape, and simultaneously, he keenly noticed the flirtation between Pang Cai and one of the girls.
The girl wore a lace eye mask, body-fitting sequin blazer up top, and a black bodycon skirt with stockings below; not as revealing as the other girls, but her figure was displayed to its fullest magnificence, with rhinestone-studded high heels stretching the lines of her legs, making her even more appealing.
Although the upper half of her face was covered, just from the shape of her face, one could tell she was a rare beauty, standing out among the other girls.
As expected, Pang Cai seemed to be bewitched by the girl, unable to take his eyes off her, his lustful gaze unmistakable even behind his mask. However, since they were in public, Pang Cai, despite being inflamed with desire, didn’t dare to go too far.
"Beast," Yang Xiao cursed silently. He was a decent man and didn’t like such places. Of course, this didn’t stop him from taking a few more glances at the girl.
Soon, as Pang Cai stood up, Yang Xiao knew his chance had arrived. Accompanied by two bodyguards, Pang Cai left the booth. Yang Xiao quietly followed them, arriving at a secluded private room guarded by another bodyguard outside.
After whispering a few instructions to one of the bodyguards, Pang Cai pushed the door and entered the room with another bodyguard following him. The instructed bodyguard immediately turned and walked back. As expected by Yang Xiao, before long, the bodyguard brought the girl from earlier to the room.
The sequin blazer bore the girl’s number, 49.
The bodyguard first sent the girl inside, and after about half a minute, both bodyguards exited the room. Now, Yang Xiao reasoned, only Pang Cai and the girl numbered 49 should be inside.
Yang Xiao patiently waited without immediately acting. It was not that he feared difficulty, but rather how to deal with the girl afterwards. Even if he intended to let her go, after Pang Cai’s death, she would likely encounter endless trouble. Yang Xiao felt he couldn’t accept harming another innocent person for such a despicable wretch.
No rush, he still had ample time. Besides, judging by Pang Cai’s deathly pallor, it wouldn’t take more than ten minutes for it all to be over.
Yang Xiao silently calculated the time in his mind, but after waiting quite a while, there was still no movement at the door of the private room, and the girl hadn’t emerged. Yang Xiao began to feel that something was amiss. He found a restroom, locked himself into one of the stalls, took out the Soul-Capturing Mirror, and in an instant, appeared behind the room’s mirror.
Looking out through the mirrored surface, what he saw left Yang Xiao utterly dumbfounded. In the dim room, a completely naked Pang Cai kneeled on the sofa, his hands tightly clutching his own throat, his face turning red as he gasped for air, rolling his eyes back as if he were about to expire.
This scene seemed eerily familiar, and Yang Xiao immediately appeared, swiftly taking out the Ghost Lantern to shine its light. Indeed, the darkness was dispelled, but a blurry shadow remained on the ground, mimicking Pang Cai’s action of clutching at his own neck.
The next second, the shadow on the ground moved ominously, and suddenly lunged at Yang Xiao, or more precisely, at Yang Xiao’s shadow.
But Yang Xiao was not the same as before; he simply channeled all his spiritual power into the Ghost Lantern. As the pale green light intensified, the approaching shadow dissipated before it could even get close.
Pang Cai, like a dead dog, tumbled off the sofa, crashing heavily onto the floor. Fortunately, the bar was chaotic and noisy, so it did not alert the bodyguards outside.
After saving Pang Cai, Yang Xiao sharply turned to look out the window, where the girl had already retracted the black shadow. Wrapped in darkness, over half of her body had merged with the night. The girl was decisive; she raised her gun and fired, aiming not at Yang Xiao, but at Pang Cai.
Yang Xiao did not have time to react and immediately used the power of the Soul-Capturing Mirror to pull Pang Cai into the Mirror World. However, the girl took the opportunity to disappear from the window, blending completely into the darkness.
The sound of the gunshot tore through the night; when the bodyguards outside received no response to their loud inquiries, they began to break down the door. Before the door could be breached, Yang Xiao vanished from the room, hiding himself within the Mirror World.
At this moment, Pang Cai was gasping for breath on the ground, his once shattered pupils gradually focusing again. Seeing Yang Xiao approaching, he immediately expressed his gratitude, "Tha... thank you, that bitch... she’s an Angel Envoy, she wanted to kill me!"
"Do you know who she is?" Yang Xiao asked.
"No... I don’t know, but I will find out. I’ll have my father pay to... to have her torn to pieces! Cough... cough cough..." Pang Cai struggled to speak, erupting into violent coughs and continuously touching his own neck.
Yang Xiao drew closer and pulled his hand away, only to see two dark bruises on Pang Cai’s neck. This shocking scene took Yang Xiao’s breath away; it was all too familiar. It was the capability of the Yu Yuan Sect captain, Qilong, whom Yang Xiao himself had killed, and the Resentful Eye known as the Shadow Engraving Stone had been taken by him, and later, he gave this item to Nalan Shuo.
The Resentful Eye abilities the girl used today, including shadow murder and the ability to hide her figure in the shadows to escape, were identical to those Qilong had displayed. Yang Xiao found it hard to convince himself it was mere coincidence.
"What... what’s wrong with this place..." At this point, Pang Cai also came to his senses, realizing something was off about the nearby surroundings. Although it looked similar to the private room he remembered, it seemed much older, as if a filter of antiquity had been applied.
Moreover, it was too quiet around... This silence made Pang Cai, who had narrowly escaped death, even more unsettled, as if the entire world had abandoned him.
Pang Cai clung to Yang Xiao’s arm, pleading, "Brother, brother, take me out of here. You saved my life; I won’t let you down. I’ll get my family to give you money, a lot of money."
The next second, Pang Cai saw the man half-kneeling before him silently raise his hand, and then strike down mercilessly.
"Smack!"
A resounding slap fell, flipping Pang Cai onto the ground with blood streaming from the corner of his mouth.
The slap stupefied Pang Cai; he saw Yang Xiao staring at him coldly. He had no idea what he had done wrong to provoke the other’s anger, especially since it was this person... this person who had saved his life not long ago.
The other was his savior, so why would he hit him? Even if they had enmity, why then save him? Pang Cai’s head buzzed, completely confused about what act was being played out.
However, from Yang Xiao’s eyes, he saw danger, and now not caring about anything else, he scrambled towards the door, crying out loudly for help. Yang Xiao was in no hurry and just followed leisurely behind him. When Pang Cai could no longer crawl, Yang Xiao stepped on his back.
"Mercy, good sir, have mercy!" Pang Cai cried out for mercy, his arrogance completely gone in that moment.
"Do you recognize the name Zhu Junjie?" Yang Xiao was not an impulsive man; he liked to get things clear before taking action.
Upon hearing this name, Pang Cai clearly hesitated for a moment, then shook his head vigorously, "Don’t recognize him, never even heard the name. Bro, are you mistaking me for someone else?"
Yang Xiao didn’t waste words, drawing a short knife with his other hand and swiftly unsheathing it, he lightly slashed across Pang Cai’s cheek, severing half an ear and causing Pang Cai to cry out in agony.
Not knowing him was impossible; this only meant Pang Cai had something to hide. But the young man knew acknowledging it meant certain death. Thus, no matter how Yang Xiao pressed, he stubbornly refused to confess, especially since Nightmare World had no evidence. Looking at the ears and fingers scattered on the ground, Yang Xiao grew infuriated.
"Why must you force me? I didn’t want it to come to this!" Yang Xiao roared, pulling out the Ghost Duster.
