Chapter 159: Series Gathering

Wu Chang hid among the audience, watching the band's movements on stage—if they didn't come up with anything new, he was going to make his move.

He really didn't like how these guys operated; as Transcendents, launching large-scale attacks on ordinary people had already crossed the line.

Fine, attack if you want—controlling them, PUA-ing them, or even brainwashing them into becoming followers, those are at least things a human would do. But turning them into tentacle monsters—what were they thinking?

And those dense tentacles, all growing on their faces—neither aesthetic nor practical.

It triggered his trypophobia and "happy beans" effect all at once.

Never mind whether what Hearing Zhanghuo said before was true or false, or whether these so-called evil god believers are actually resisters—these bastards in front of him really deserve to die!

Just imagine—if they took the dominant position and wantonly attacked ordinary people, everyone walking the streets would wear masks or hoods, and the moment they took them off, a face full of tentacles.

Apart from the Fourth, probably no one could stand such a world.

After the music stopped, everything seemed to freeze; the audience below the stage stood there dumbly, as if someone had hit the pause button.

A few band members set down their instruments, jumped off the performance stage; the lead singer vaulted over the bar counter, hauled out a case of beer, and handed it out to the others.

The members of the Pilot band chatted as they drank their beer, acting as if no one else were around.

The drummer stayed seated in place, tapping out beats one-handed with his drumsticks; one could see the tentacles on everyone's faces swaying in perfect sync with the rhythm.

The drummer set down his drumsticks and said with satisfaction: "This batch of seeds is ripe; we can make them blossom and bear fruit now."

The guitarist said proudly: "Thanks to that Erosion Instance that suddenly appeared—if it hadn't affected people's minds and pushed Wanghai City's exposure to Transcendent power further, this batch of seeds would probably have needed another month or two to ripen."

The bassist looked down, tuning his instrument, and said coolly: "They're the last batch. Once they ripen, the plan can move to its second phase."

While the others were talking, the lead singer had already chugged three bottles of beer; from beneath his puppet mask came a hearty "Ha—".

"Nothing beats a couple of cold ones after a set."

The bassist was dissatisfied with the boss's laid-back attitude: "Boss, what do we do next?"

The lead singer shrugged and said: "We don't have to worry about what comes next—why are you rushing? This isn't the first batch of ripe fruit; in all these years, nothing's ever gone wrong. What's there to worry about?"

"Fair point."

After chatting for a while, the group saw that the newly implanted tentacles on the audience had stabilized, so they returned to the stage and began to play again.

With a fierce guitar solo as the finale, the audience in the venue came to their senses as if waking from a dream; after a brief daze, they began shouting the band's name with all their might.

"The Aviators!"

"The Aviators!"

……

The audience only thought the band's performance was so wonderful that time flew by while they were immersed in it; no one realized it wasn't time moving fast—they had lost a stretch of time.

Even after the band members left the stage, the audience was still immersed in the shock of the performance.

"Amazing—only the Pilot's music can truly let me feel the scenes contained within music."

"Indeed, I just now felt as if I really saw the Gates of Heaven and felt the light of paradise."

"I felt it too—this is the charm of music, this is the charm of metal."

"The Pilot, forever the GOAT!"

Listening to the chatter of the people around the bar, Wu Chang pressed his lips tightly together, barely holding back a laugh.

Was that the charm of music? That was clearly the charm of mysticism—this music isn't something you should be listening to, it's all mysticism and nasty tricks; listen too much and you'll foam at the mouth.

The Pilot band's exit also brought Zhao Yan, who had rolled under the bar counter, back to his senses.

He climbed up from the ground, his cheeks swollen and red, and looked at Wu Chang in bewilderment: "What happened? Why does my face hurt so much?"

Wu Chang said innocently: "You said if you were being controlled, I should give you two punches. I hit you at least twenty, but you still didn't wake up."

Zhao Yan rubbed his cheeks, feeling something was off: "Normally in this kind of situation, after four or five hits you realize they won't wake up—shouldn't you stop then?"

Wu Chang: "You were coming in and out of it, so I had to keep hitting you."

Zhao Yan thought carefully; he could recall fragmented pieces, but those memory fragments were filled with noisy metal music as background, making it impossible for him to recall exactly what had happened.

But precisely because he couldn't remember clearly, it proved even more that the Night Song Bar had a problem. He hurriedly asked:

"What happened during the time I was hit?"

Wu Chang glanced around and said quietly: "Let's talk outside."

After the Pilot band left the stage, the members present felt their souls and bodies greatly satisfied; the following acts became dull and boring.

As large numbers of people left, a few waitstaff stood at the bar's entrance, inviting all members present to join a temporary group.

The two asked several members and learned that tonight's event was a series gathering themed around the Gates of Heaven.

Every so often, the Night Song Bar would hold similar themed series gatherings—four or five consecutive gatherings combined into one large gathering.

Tonight's event was the opening of the Gates of Heaven series gathering.

After leaving the Night Song Bar, Wu Chang and Zhao Yan found a spot, and he briefly described what had happened tonight, though the details became vague and unclear.

After all, behind the Night Song nightclub stood a master of mysticism; with his current attribute panel, not being affected by mystical rituals was already rare enough—if he could still see everything so clearly, that would be a bit much.

But even the scenes he had blurred out still gave Zhao Yan quite a fright; he asked Wu Chang three or four times whether he had grown any grotesque flesh and blood, or whether he had tangled together with strangers nearby.

When Zhao Yan learned that Wu Chang had knocked him under the bar counter to help him dodge the disaster, he immediately shifted from worrying about whether his face hurt to worrying about whether Wu Chang's hand hurt.

Face hurts? That's as it should be!

If his face didn't hurt, then on waking up his butt would have hurt!

After worrying about himself, Zhao Yan began to worry about Wanghai City.

No matter how many times the Night Song Bar had done this before, just tonight's single event meant at least four or five hundred people had been controlled by some unknown power.

No matter what Tang Renquan's schemes were, they couldn't let them keep going.

As Zhao Yan spoke, he was about to report tonight's findings to Meng Yawen, so that Meng Yawen could organize people to raid the Night Song Bar and let Tang Renquan have a taste of the iron fist of justice.

Wu Chang saw this and quickly stopped Zhao Yan, saying: "Now is not the time."

Zhao Yan asked, puzzled: "What do you mean?"

"Remember the monkey you mentioned? Being able to pull off all of this—it's obviously not something Tang Renquan alone, some ordinary player, or some small organization could accomplish. There must be a powerful force backing them."

They dared to eliminate a member of the Administration who might know something—how could they possibly spare Tang Renquan? Snatching Tang Renquan rashly would only alert the enemy; if they killed him then, we'd merely remove a minor pawn without touching the mastermind at all. Zhao Yan calmed his mind, thought for a moment, and decided Wu Chang was right.

He fell silent for a moment, then said: "Since meeting you, I've begun to reconsider my view of passive-aggressive players."

Wu Chang asked: "What do you mean?"

"Don't pretend your passive-aggressive players can't handle direct combat—they're truly meticulous and incredibly patient. If it were me, seeing everyone in the bar grow twisted tentacles under the music's influence, I couldn't stay calm, and I'd never dare gamble that I'd remain unaffected—I'd either attack outright or slip away quietly."

Zhao Yan sighed. That D-rank connection he once looked down upon had not only surpassed him in rank, but even as an Administration member resolving supernatural issues, handled them more maturely than he ever had.

Time doesn't spare anyone—yet this has only been a short while. No, wait—since Wu Chang joined the Administration, only half a month has passed.

It's not that time flies—it's that the interval is truly short.

When he realized Wu Chang had gone from a complete novice to this state in just half a month, his gaze toward Wu Chang changed.

Had Wu Chang not been able to activate reward dungeons no higher than level ten during their first meeting, he'd have thought the kid was faking it, pretending to be weak while hiding his true strength.

But now, he could only admit: among players, there are vast differences. Some, given even a single opportunity, can rise meteorically in a very short time.

"So what are you planning to do?"

!

When Zhao Yan said this, he had already tacitly accepted Wu Chang's leadership, positioning himself as the supporter.

Wu Chang said: "I plan to use my immunity to continue participating in the Night Song organization's series of events. Once I trace their true intentions and uncover the mastermind, we'll act—no rush."

"Until then, only inform a handful of people. Prevent the Administration from having their moles—don't let them catch wind. Best to tell only two or three. If a leak occurs, we can use it to flush out the traitor."

Zhao Yan pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He was truly convinced now: Wu Chang didn't just manipulate Tang Renquan—he even manipulated the Administration itself when reporting intelligence.

Such a passive-aggressive player has a filthy mind. Better watch out from now on—can't keep calling passive-aggressive players useless anymore.

"Alright, I'll follow your plan. But isn't it reckless to act alone? You're not a frontline combat player—I'm worried you'll run into danger."

Wu Chang waved his hand dismissively: "Precisely because I don't fight head-on, I'm safe. If I can't win, can't I just run?"

Zhao Yan fell silent for a moment, then said: "Your thinking is sound, but don't be reckless. If danger arises, call for backup immediately. This is our turf—no matter how many they send, make sure they never leave."

"Don't worry about failing the investigation and letting the mastermind escape. They've set up such a large operation in Wanghai City—they won't give up easily. As long as we're prepared, they won't hide long."

Wu Chang smiled: "I humbly follow your instructor's guidance."

After parting with Zhao Yan, Wu Chang returned to Jinjing Garden.

He advocated suppressing the Night Song Bar incident for now—not just to catch the mastermind, but also to attend more events and establish more anchor points.

The cooldown for the esoteric detector was unknown; since the Night Song group had come to him willingly, he might as well make good use of them.

He got home at three a. m. The house was pitch black, but upon entering the inner world, Ailin was still waiting for him.

Ailin paused the public lecture playing on her tablet and turned to ask: "Was your career change quest successful? Do you need my help?"

"There was a small hiccup—but thanks to them, the quest went smoother than expected."

Wu Chang hung his coat aside and sat beside Ailin, glancing at what she was studying.

She was learning everyday phrases for foreign tourists in Xiaoguo: visiting attractions, daily activities, and so on.

The instruction was thorough—even how to apply for JuXin and how to scan QR codes was explained in detail.

Wu Chang looked at Ailin and asked: "Want to go out and see?"

Ailin nodded. "I'm curious about your world. I want to see it with my own eyes, experience it firsthand."

Wu Chang teased: "They say to understand a person, first understand their environment. You're so eager to learn about my world—aren't you trying to understand me?"

Ailin's cheeks flushed slightly. "Yes. I want to understand you better, just as you understand me."

Indeed, sincerity was the ultimate killing move. Ailin's bluntness left Wu Chang speechless.

From birth until now, not even a single female—let alone any friendly human—had ever voluntarily told him they wanted to understand him better.

He felt he should respond somehow, but this context touched his knowledge blind spot—he didn't know how.

He turned away, pulled out his phone, and @everyone in the 426 Dorm Group, then sent a message.

"Emergency! A woman says she wants to understand me better—what should I do? Online waiting!"

Fourth roommate He Wei replied first: "Out of ten, how hot is she?"

Wu Chang replied immediately: "100!"

He Wei: "Then why ask? My advice: strip naked. Put your user manual on the parts that need censoring—bilingual, Chinese and English. Let her understand you however she wants."

Wu Chang shook his head. That perverted advice was unreliable. He @Fang Hui alone, seeking the love guru's help.

Two minutes later, Fang Hui replied.

"The manual is overkill—it wastes time. But the rest of what Wei said is spot on."

Gao Xuezhong chimed in: "Even though I don't know either, I think Hui and Wei are right."

Wu Chang shut his phone screen and glanced at the Firm Light standing beside Ailin. He swallowed hard.

These bastards—none of them reliable. He'd have to handle this himself.

As a bold, decisive man, Wu Chang returned to Ailin's side and continued the conversation.

"Since you want to, let's go out tomorrow!"

Ailin smiled. "Great. But won't I cause trouble? The lesson said you need official identification to move around in Xiaoguo."

Wu Chang pulled two transformation pills from his inventory. "A slight change in form solves that. And as long as we don't stay at hotels, registration isn't usually required."

Ailin's common sense hadn't caught up yet. "We have a home—why go to a hotel?"

Wu Chang was momentarily stunned. He stammered: "Sometimes… hotels are more convenient than home."

As he spoke, his phone vibrated. He assumed it was the 426 bastards causing trouble—but it was a new announcement in the newly joined Night Song chat group.

"Five days from now, the 'Gate of Heaven' series event, Part Two, begins precisely at 11 p. m. Please arrive on time."

(End of Chapter)