[Cruise Ship Carnival] Murder at the Banquet

Multicolored lights played across the dance floor.

Everyone wore a cheerful expression as they danced gracefully, twisting their waists and swaying rhythmically to the music.

Deafening music came in wave after wave. Si Yehan found a bartender, had a drink mixed, then sat at the counter and drank alone.

He gently swirled the stemmed glass in his hand, setting the deep red liquor rocking. Si Yehan gazed at the bustling crowd and drained his glass. All the food and services aboard the cruise ship were free, and everything provided was top-of-the-line.

After finishing his drink, Si Yehan raised his gaze slightly and looked through the dense crowd at Chen Guang, who was dancing with Xia Ruifei. His eyes were indifferent. The two were so close together now that he could only slaughter them both at once.

There was still plenty of time. Killing with a blade was the way to bring pleasure to his mind. Recalling the contents of the envelope, Si Yehan set down his glass, slipped his right hand into the outer pocket of his trench coat, and lightly scraped his fingers along the dagger's sheath.

As Si Yehan stood up, the bartender leaned against the wall behind him and saw him off with a smile. "If you'd like another drink, you're welcome to come back."

Si Yehan didn't respond. He disappeared into the crowd.

Seeing him vanish, the bartender picked up his walkie-talkie. "Mr. Yan, the man you mentioned has started making his move."

Yan Jingxing's voice came through the walkie-talkie. "Keep a close eye on his movements and be ready to clean up afterward."

The bartender replied respectfully, "Understood."

The entire entertainment hall was filled with a roar of voices, and the bartender's actions drew no attention at all. The singing seemed loud enough to shake heaven and earth. As each syllable rang out, humans, being social animals, could easily have their emotions stirred in such an environment.

As Chen Guang danced with Xia Ruifei, he looked particularly relaxed, his dance steps utterly natural.

Xia Ruifei, on the other hand, seemed somewhat awkward. Chen Guang was leading her entirely. The two were beginning to dance in sync. Si Yehan hid among the dancing crowd, using the movements of the other dancers to conceal himself.

Chen Guang's eyes were half-closed, his face rapt as he hummed a tune. In this environment, Xia Ruifei couldn't help developing some appreciation for the art as well. She began humming along, her short hair drifting lightly as her eyelids involuntarily closed.

Si Yehan had always been unmoved by music and dance, let alone had his emotions stirred by them. Seeing the two so entranced, he felt no stirrings in his heart. Instead, he thought it was a good time to strike.

His steps were steady and brisk as he moved through the crowd. His aloof, handsome face and tall, slender figure didn't stand out here. Otherwise, it would have made things harder for him. Si Yehan took out his dagger and hid it in his sleeve, the cold blade pressed against his wrist.

After surveying his surroundings, Si Yehan noticed that the bartender from earlier, as well as some of the ship's security personnel, were watching him. When he turned his head toward them, they all quickly looked away.

They were probably people sent by Yan Jingxing. Si Yehan's expression didn't change as he thought about how to kill them later. He turned sideways to avoid the flow of people and moved away. If someone witnessed him making his move, there was no guarantee that these security personnel wouldn't turn against him.

He might as well wait for chaos to break out. Five Ghost Slaves had disguised themselves as humans and infiltrated the banquet, so sooner or later someone would die.

He might as well seize that opportunity. Not only could he kill, but he could also clear himself of suspicion, accomplishing two things at once. The night was still long, and there was no need to rush.

Si Yehan didn't stay on the dance floor for long. If a Ghost Slave targeted him and asked him to dance or sing, things would get rather troublesome.

He didn't go back to the bartender for another drink, either. Instead, he headed for a corner of the entertainment hall, where there were steps and some seats, making it easy to observe the situation throughout the hall.

Si Yehan sat down and closed his eyes to rest, his thoughts surging like a rushing current. It would be a shame to use this opportunity to kill only Xia Ruifei and Chen Guang.

He might as well kill a few of the natives along with them.

Night had yet to fully fall, and the ghosts' killing patterns had yet to emerge. Who knew if he might be unlucky enough to become the first to die?

With that thought, Si Yehan gently tapped the armrest, gradually smoothing out his thoughts before organizing all the information currently available to him once more.

So far, this instance didn't appear particularly difficult, though the natives were somewhat smarter. But no one like the person pulling the strings in the previous instance had appeared, and that native Ghost Tamer had died before Si Yehan ever met him.

As he pondered, a succession of screams interrupted his train of thought. He opened his eyes and looked at the scene before him. Just as he had expected, someone had collapsed on the floor, eyes rolled back, limbs twitching incessantly, white foam spilling from their mouth and blood flowing from all seven orifices!

The people closest to the fallen person erupted in screams. "Someone's dead!"

Several security personnel rushed forward, carried the body away, and cleaned up all the bloodstains.

As for the people dancing farther away, they ignored it and carried on dancing and singing, showing no sign of panic at all. It seemed such things were commonplace on the ship.

Instead, a trace of anticipation appeared on the faces of those singing and dancing, as though something tremendously exciting was about to happen.

The nearby crowd was only slightly agitated. Looking at the degree of chaos before him, Si Yehan wasn't surprised, but he wasn't very satisfied, either. It seemed that more shocking things had happened on this ship before.

With that thought, Si Yehan quickly entered the crowd. Chen Guang and Xia Ruifei had both turned away and were staring toward the entrance, where several security personnel had carried the body away moments earlier.

People crowded tightly around them. When Si Yehan stood behind Chen Guang and Xia Ruifei, neither of them noticed in the slightest; they were still staring at the entrance. After briefly composing themselves, the people nearby plunged back into their frenzied singing and dancing.

A thin layer of icy mist drifted through the air, carrying a fragrance that filled the nostrils and excited the mind. Si Yehan observed the reactions of the people around him. The natives grew even more frenzied and absorbed, their awareness of their surroundings seemingly dulled, but the smiles on their faces grew wider, and screams rang out on all sides.

The singer onstage sang in an increasingly clear, melodious voice. The instance's natives reacted particularly strongly to it, while the participants, Si Yehan included, weren't affected in the slightest.

Xia Ruifei turned her head and met Si Yehan's gaze. Startled, she took a few steps back. "Why are you here?"

Chen Guang also turned around beside her. His trademark smile still hung on his face, but his eyes narrowed slightly, and his muscles had already tensed.

Si Yehan responded with cool composure. "I went for a walk after my drink and happened to see someone die just now, so I came over."

No one nearby was paying attention. If he wanted to avoid making a commotion, he had to kill them in a single strike.

Just as Si Yehan was thinking, the door was thrown open with a bang. The woman who had been seated earlier, wearing a qipao with a cloak draped over her shoulders, walked in. She wore stiletto heels and a smile as gentle as water.

More than ten security personnel followed close beside her. Chen Guang and Xia Ruifei's attention was drawn to them. With a sharp flip of his hand, Si Yehan drew his dagger and first stabbed Chen Guang in the heart from behind, gripping the hilt tightly and twisting it three times.

In a flash, Si Yehan swung the dagger at lightning speed, then suddenly seized Xia Ruifei around the neck and drove the blade through her throat.

His movements were so fast that neither of them let out so much as half a scream.

Everyone nearby was looking toward the entrance. Si Yehan quickly put away his dagger and slipped into the crowd.

Chen Guang crumpled to the floor, blood gradually staining his leopard-print shirt red. He stared fixedly at Si Yehan's retreating figure as blood welled up in his throat, unable to make a sound.

Xia Ruifei's eyes were wide, filled with terror. She died swiftly.

The cold mist in the air grew thicker. The senses of the people nearby seemed to have been dulled, and they failed to notice the bodies beside them for some time.

The surging crowd hid the two bodies from view.

In the distance, the bartender narrowed his eyes. He hadn't even seen clearly how Si Yehan had struck. By the time he realized what had happened, the two were already dead.

Wearing a mask and accompanied by several security personnel, he quickly pushed into the crowd and carried the bodies away.

There were many people in the entertainment hall, and those farther away could hardly spare the attention to notice what was happening here.