Chapter 1005
Chapter 1005 - 991: Taking the Stage
1,482 words
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8 min read
"Beat him! He’s almost dead!"
"Coward! Get in there!"
"Ahhh, idiot, you can’t even dodge that! My money!"
Annoyed voices were everywhere, spilling over with impassioned emotions that sent waves of life force and psychic energy vibrations, Lu Ping’an noticed for the first time a weakness in his "eyes"; perhaps being too sensitive wasn’t always a good thing.....
"...I feel like killing someone...uh, just kidding."
Taking a deep breath, Lu Ping’an closed off most of his observational field. The overly excited emotions and frustrated fury were starting to influence him.
His "Eye of Truth" was in some sense a "Vibration Source Radar."
Now, with the Vibration Source too close and abundant, and the frequency of the waves too high, he was instead resonating with the "emotional resonance."
"Tsk, this is really bad."
After turning off most of his perception, the surrounding noise, and the sudden blank area made him feel uncomfortable.
At this moment, all around him was a noise crowd.
They were surrounding an octagonal cage, shouting and yelling, while two men inside the cage were fighting each other naked.
Neither’s technique was particularly good, and their foundations were even worse; Lu Ping’an felt he could easily crush them....
"Ugh, stay calm, stay calm, don’t get swept away."
Considering this, Lu Ping’an adjusted the focus of his "observation." When he surveyed the large area from a bird’s-eye view, the perspective seemed a bit awkward, but at least he was no longer disturbed by the "emotional resonance" of the thousands of people jostling around.
"...So many people, to think it’s such a ghastly place, I thought it would be more like a....."
"A Fighting arena? A temple? It used to be one, but ever since some genius realized that this kind of festival could not only sell tickets and broadcast rights for money but also please that so-called God of Martial Fight to a greater extent, the outer ocean became the best place to host deathmatches."
"...So, the guy isn’t an Evil God? But a well-known Proper God?"
"Didn’t you already know? Whether an Evil God or a Proper God, it’s just a matter of thought."
Unable to stand the agitating environment of this underground fight club, Lu Ping’an straightforwardly made his way up to the VIP stand on the second floor.
"...Do you have a pass?"
A man who looked like a hired thug tried to block him.
Lu Ping’an just looked up at him.
"...Sorry."
The bodyguard quickly stepped aside without any hassle.
An old stager who mingled in such ghastly places had their own way of survival. Even if he hadn’t recognized "Su Xi," just those eerily calm eyes were enough to give one the creeps.
He knew that the more one saw life and death, the calmer their eyes became, the less they saw people as human... but none of the professional assassins he had seen had such a vacant gaze.
"...How many people has he actually killed."
Lu Ping’an didn’t take any offense, considering that it would be rather bothersome for him to show passwords and identify himself as a Contractor.
Having reached the VIP stand, although the noise was still there, at least there were far fewer people.
Only then did Lu Ping’an remember something and pinned a maple-leaf-shaped badge to his chest.
And the blood-red color staining the maple leaf would save him a lot of trouble...
"This badge.... is it an assassin from the Maple Monk Association?"
"The evil hounds in the woods? Tsk, these guys, they actually come out in broad daylight....."
"Stop talking, the more people, the bigger the chance of slip-ups. Careful not to be remembered...uh!"
Lu Ping’an silently turned his head away, facing two sweat-drenched, trembling faces.
Then, he turned back towards the stage below, seeming uninterested in further confrontation with the two.
The two didn’t linger to watch the match anymore, hastily left the VIP seats, and made their escape.
Lu Ping’an paid them no mind and kept his attention fixed on the match.
"Is this it...."
Watching the outcome below as victory and defeat were decided, and life or death was imminent, Lu Ping’an felt somewhat disinterested.
With the distance widened and no more interference from the emotions of the crowd, he only found this low-level deathmatch boring.
If it weren’t for the vague feeling that many people were watching him, and lying down to sleep didn’t fit his public image, Lu Ping’an really wanted to doze off right there and catch up on some sleep.
"When does it start?"
"It’s still early, we haven’t reached the open sea yet."
"... Um, Chris, are you familiar with this?"
"Yeah, I’ve participated before, it’s quite interesting."
Well, a moment of silence for the participants who had to face Big Cat in their edition.
Since it was still early, after some thought, Lu Ping’an chose to return to his room.
Originally, he had heard that there was a fighting arena below the ship and thought there would be participants, so he came over to have a look.
Now it seemed like ordinary people were engaged in underground fighting, and he instantly lost interest.
"Where are the other contestants?"
"They should still be mingling in the crowd... You’re too conspicuous, you probably have already been marked."
"Isn’t that a good thing?"
Second-hand smoke, stench of sweat, and excessively agitated emotions mixed in the confined space was indeed a torment for Lu Ping’an, who was "sensitive in perception," and blindness made it impossible for him to fully sense his surroundings, having already accumulated too much negative emotion.
"Let’s save the killing for the festival’s start. If we’re short on sacrifices, the God of Martial Fight will be displeased, and even if you win, the Divine Grace granted will be lessened," said Big Cat, sharing his experienced insights, leaving Lu Ping’an with no choice but to sigh.
Finally, he returned to the deck, looking at the cabbage-color ocean and feeling the sea breeze, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"... Excuse me, do you need information support?"
And at that moment, he also received what he had been waiting for.
Originally, his showing up was to look for something that was sure to exist at such a gala—information dealers.
Unlike the old stagers who had prepared for more than half a year, he came on a whim, and to say his collection of information was incomplete would be an understatement... he had virtually none at all!
Lu Ping’an looked up and, sure enough, saw a sleazy middle-aged man.
"What’s the extent? How much?"
"100 credit-coins, includes basic data of over a hundred twenty planned contestants, with marks for those confirmed aboard. The upgraded version, for 1000 credit-coins, includes professional information and records, among other things. If you wish detail down to the personal career, it will be an additional 10 to 1000, depending on strength."
"Who am I..."
"Su Xi" didn’t reach for her wallet, but instead asked coldly.
"You... Excuse me, you must be ’Twin Claw of Tiger and Leopard,’ Lord Su Xi!"
"How did you recognize me?" Still inquiring calmly while feeling that nickname was somewhat odd, Lu Ping’an was also curious about the answer.
"There aren’t many Red Leaf Assassins from the Maple Association! Even fewer are that young, and then there’s your Golden Lion Eyes..."
Uh, so that was it, the colored contact lenses that Big Cat had specifically had Meow paint on, turned out to be Su Xi’s signature ability and feature?
"Give me the 1000 points one, and leave your contact method with me. If I need you again, I will find you."
"Of course, of course."
The information dealer nodded eagerly, handing over a thick file and then prepared to leave.
After all, the reputation of the Maple Association was not a good one, and this person in front of him was even more...
"By the way, if someone wants to buy my information..."
"Sir, I would absolutely not sell it!"
"No... give it to them, and then tell me."
Lu Ping’an didn’t even look up, continuing to quietly watch the seagulls in the sky.
This simple and direct "scrounge some fries" impulse of foraging desire was much more comfortable than the complicated human heart below.
"Yes, of course, I will offer them a false lead! And then relay the message to you right away!"
"Give them the correct information... I’ll give you another thousand credit-coins per person."
So, the information dealer left with a face full of joy, having just sealed the deal.
Meanwhile, Lu Ping’an continued to quietly observe the sky, patiently waiting for those wishing for death.
— End of Chapter 1005 —