[Cruise Ship Carnival] On the Eve of the Banquet

The corridor's white walls were adorned with gems, exquisite in every detail.

When they reached the entrance to the fourth floor, the four security guards stepped back of their own accord. Two hostesses with sweet smiles on their faces pushed the doors open. "Honored guests, please come in."

The moment the doors opened, a blaze of colors filled their vision! A burgundy carpet covered the floor, and portraits and paintings in all manner of styles hung along the walls on both sides. Luxury was evident everywhere.

A sweet fragrance filled the air, pleasant without being cloying, leaving their minds increasingly clear. A thin layer of cold mist drifted through the room. Young women in long gowns attended to the left, while young men in black formal attire attended to the right.

They all wore polite smiles and bowed.

A voice came from the seats behind a white curtain. "You may all leave."

The young women and men filed out. The moment the doors closed behind them, the white curtain was abruptly pulled aside, revealing four people sitting there.

There were men and women, old and young.

They carried the air of privilege bred by high standing. Each held a cane and tapped it lightly against the floor, the sounds lingering in the room.

Appraising gazes fell on the eight of them.

The obese old man among the four put on an endearingly genial smile. "Honored guests, we called you here only to inform you of one thing."

Chen Zhongshou asked, "What is it?"

Rather than answer directly, the obese old man tapped the table in front of him. The black screen in its center suddenly lit up, flashing with brilliant blue light: [Five Ghost Slaves will appear at the banquet. If you refuse to dance or sing with them, you will be killed.]

At the sight of the words "Ghost Slaves," the expressions of the seven others, everyone except Si Yehan, changed at once. The locals of this instance had clearly given them a shock.

Si Yehan, meanwhile, felt no different. The wandering expert in the previous instance had clearly been a Ghost Tamer, and even the ordinary locals there had known of the existence of ghosts. The same situation in this instance was nothing unusual.

Evidently, ordinary people in instances could know that ghosts existed, unlike ordinary people in reality, who could know nothing about the Weird Game, its participants, or anything related to ghosts.

The kindly smile vanished from Chen Guang's face, and even his voice changed pitch. "How do you know ghosts exist? Could it be..."

Although he left the rest unsaid, his meaning was already quite clear.

A thin man in a dark gray coat, seated among the four, let out a mocking laugh. There was derision in his gaze, and a trace of contempt flashed through the gray eyes beneath his high-bridged nose and faint eyebrows. "This hasn't been much of a secret among the rich and powerful for a long time. We invited you here only because, though we know about it, we lack the ability to influence it."

Chen Guang raised his eyes and looked intently at the man in the dark gray coat.

A woman seated among the four, dressed in an emerald-green qipao with a white fox-fur cloak draped over her shoulders, spoke with a broad smile. "All right, honored guests, there's no need to be shocked by the existence of Ghost Slaves. Go back to your rooms and wait for now. Someone will bring food over later. If you don't want to eat it, you can go to the restaurant instead. Once you've eaten, you can prepare for the banquet."

She waved a hand, and the doors opened. Two hostesses walked over to the group and led the way.

Si Yehan rubbed his fingers together, pondering where he might find some sharp objects that would be handy to use. In a place like this, he had to keep thinking at all times. Only then could he respond to changes in the situation.

The eight left, and the doors closed behind them.

Only the four in the seats remained in the room. The old woman, who had been silent all this time, slowly raised her eyelids, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes. Her body was wrapped in thick clothing, and the skin exposed to view was covered in black spots.

Looking toward the doors, the old woman suddenly grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. "Tell me, how many sacrifices in this batch will manage to survive three days?"

The woman in the qipao smiled. "Maybe one, or perhaps three."

The obese old man kept his endearingly genial smile, looking especially benevolent. "I'd say none of them will survive."

The man in the dark gray coat wore a cold expression, a touch of arrogance in his gaze. "This is the last batch of sacrifices. Does it matter how many live or die? In any case, we'll soon be rid of the curse, and the lowly commoners who died unjustly and linger on the ship will soon vanish from this world."

As the four conversed, the cold mist in the room grew thicker, obscuring their expressions.

Elsewhere, the two hostesses led each of the eight to a separate cabin.

After entering his room, Si Yehan locked the door behind him. The cabin had separate living and sleeping areas, as well as a private balcony. A starry-sky ceiling stretched overhead, a burgundy carpet covered the floor, and a faint reddish light suffused the room.

The bedroom contained a soft white bed measuring 2.1 meters, a private bathroom, and a projector. A label beside it read, [If you wish to watch a film, simply summon a staff member.]

Si Yehan sat on the bed and looked out at the sea being swallowed by the night. Searchlights illuminated the water for a hundred meters around the cruise ship. Waves rolled across the surface, and shadows seemed to be following beneath it.

Before he knew it, Si Yehan had connected the scene before him with his earlier dream and noticed a slight resemblance.

He raised a finger and rubbed the windowpane before him. He wouldn't be able to find a suitable sharp weapon right away, so he could only check later whether the cutlery provided was sharp.

The time for slaughter was fast approaching.

According to what the man in the dark gray coat had said earlier, these people had no command of a ghost's power, so they could also be counted as prey to hunt.

Ghost Slaves would be infiltrating the banquet. It really was a good opportunity to fish in troubled waters. He could take the chance to begin killing and pin his actions on the ghosts.

A faint smile curved Si Yehan's otherwise impassive face.

Three knocks sounded at the door. Xu Yuanjin's voice followed, carrying a note of urgency. "Si Yehan, come to Chen Guang's room. The eight of us are having a discussion, and you're the only one missing."

Si Yehan didn't answer. The information they had discussed on deck was already enough. What was there to discuss now?

Chen Guang really couldn't sit still, and why had this woman come to fetch him? There was a certain pride in her character. Why would she take orders from someone else?

Was it really Xu Yuanjin herself outside the door?

Thinking this, Si Yehan walked to the door. He looked through the peephole and saw the corridor, brilliantly lit by a stark white light.

There was no one in sight. Si Yehan said nothing and didn't open the door immediately.

Suddenly, a deathly pale face lunged into view and pressed against the peephole. Two bulging eyes stared into Si Yehan's.

Si Yehan remained unruffled. A face jumping out at him like that was not the least bit frightening to him. Besides, it had a somewhat plastic texture and probably wasn't a real ghost.

Sure enough, the pale face slowly moved away the next moment, revealing a face he had seen before.