Si Yehan raised his eyes and looked toward a spot not far away.
"You really do have impressive skills." Yan Jingxing emerged from the stairwell and stepped into the corridor.
Five security guards armed with shotguns followed close behind him, their barrels trained on Si Yehan. At the slightest suspicious move, they would pull their triggers immediately.
Si Yehan considered his chances of dodging, but they were close to zero. Standing in the corridor, he gazed indifferently at Yan Jingxing, showing no sign of panic even with guns pointed at him.
Even if Si Yehan really died here, he would feel no fear, only some regret.
Seeing the look in Si Yehan's eyes, Yan Jingxing reined in some of his arrogance. He turned and barked at the five shotgun-wielding guards behind him, "Lower your guns. How can you point them at an honored guest?"
The five looked at Si Yehan, then at the bodies on the floor, fear appearing in their eyes.
He had killed ten armed men without taking a scratch, and they were security guards with some training, not ordinary people who sat in offices or worked on factory assembly lines, their bodies riddled with hidden injuries.
"I hope you enjoy the next three days. I expect you'll do even better when the great purge comes. If you need weapons, I don't mind helping. As for the scene of the killing, someone will take care of it for you." Yan Jingxing left with the five armed guards.
Si Yehan showed no change in emotion. He turned, went back into the room, and washed his hands. As for the great purge Yan Jingxing had mentioned, he alone would be enough.
He sat in the living room, and before long, twenty women in protective suits streamed into the room and began dealing with the bodies. Every trace of blood and every bone fragment was thoroughly removed.
The objects were also returned to their original places. The women worked with great efficiency, and there was not a trace of fear in their eyes. They were more like a stagnant pool of numb, dead water.
Carrying various cleaning tools and pushing carts, they loaded all the bodies, bone fragments, and scraps of flesh into them. The blood was mopped off the floor until it was spotless.
They worked quickly and efficiently throughout, leaving the scene in excellent condition. It seemed the ship had long had a procedure in place for this.
Before leaving, the women bowed to Si Yehan. "We wish you a pleasant killing spree."
Si Yehan locked the door behind them and looked at the spotless floor. His eyes were indifferent, but thoughts churned in his mind. A great deal of killing really had taken place aboard this cruise ship, and an extremely efficient procedure for dealing with bodies was already in place.
The sheer number he had killed today left Si Yehan's thoughts calm and his heart full of joy, though none of it showed on his face.
After returning to the bedroom, he took off his outer clothes and slept peacefully.
Meanwhile, the crimson mist in the entertainment hall had gradually begun to thin. In one corner, the five participants led by Chen Zhongshou looked at one another, avoiding the sight of the hall around them.
Men and women lay everywhere. The air was thick with the scent of perfume, and stimulant syringes had been tossed haphazardly across the floor. Everyone's face was flushed, their eyes were excited, and foolish grins hung on their faces.
After the woman in the qipao known as Manager Su arrived, Wang Yuxiu had found a chance to slip away from the white man and rejoin Chen Zhongshou and the others.
She turned her head away from the scene in the hall and adjusted her round glasses. Her voice was steady, without a hint of embarrassment. "Chen Guang and Xia Ruifei are nowhere to be found, and neither is Si Yehan."
Xu Yuanjin looked at the men and women lying everywhere and the lust that hung in the air, disgust showing in her eyes. She tucked the blue hair by her ear into place. "I saw the ship's security guards carry Chen Guang's and Xia Ruifei's bodies away earlier. As for Si Yehan, I didn't see him in the mist, but I heard he was invited away by someone called Manager Yan. That Manager Yan was probably one of the four people seated there earlier."
Chen Zhongshou's face darkened slightly when he heard that Chen Guang and Xia Ruifei were dead. "Is this instance really that dangerous? People have already started dying, and it isn't even fully dark yet. Should we change our strategy and sleep two to a room? There's strength in numbers, and we'd feel safer that way."
Cheng Zhuiyu's expression changed. "I'd rather not. I take up too much room in bed."
Jin Zhiguang's tone was somewhat grave as well; he seemed far less relaxed now than he had that afternoon. "There are three men and three women left now, so it really isn't very convenient. Besides, there's only one bed in each cabin. There really isn't enough room for us to share. And if we trigger a ghost's killing rule, it won't matter how many of us there are."
Xu Yuanjin's tone was distinctly unwelcoming. "I'm not used to sharing a bed with someone else."
Chen Zhongshou could only drop the idea. He nodded and said, "All right. The mist seems much thinner now. Should we leave?"
Wang Yuxiu turned her head and surveyed the surroundings. "Since nobody has invited us, we'd better play it safe and wait until the banquet is over, then return to our rooms before curfew. Otherwise, we might trigger some special killing rule. This ship gives me a very eerie, bloody feeling. Those four powerful bosses we met acted harmless, even friendly toward us, but I still feel uneasy. And..."
Wang Yuxiu paused there and caught her breath before continuing. "We can't be sure whether the Ghost Slaves they mentioned are real. After all, we haven't seen any at today's banquet. The people who died at the banquet might have been killed by those bosses."
Xu Yuanjin closed her eyes and leaned against the wall to rest. "Better to believe they exist than not. It's always good to be cautious."
Jin Zhiguang's eyes were grave as he watched the mist in the air grow thinner. "Miss Xu is right, but we can also keep Miss Wang's analysis in mind and have a backup plan."
The chorus of sounds coming from all around was suddenly swallowed up by a strain of melodious music. The crimson mist was drawn out of the air bit by bit, and wisps of cool mist descended from the ceiling, making everyone feel much clearer-headed.
Xu Yuanjin slowly opened her eyes. The doors to the entertainment hall were pushed open, and Manager Su walked in on slender high heels, surrounded by six security guards.
Her voice was full of laughter as she looked at the mess covering the floor and the people gradually coming to their senses and straightening their clothes. "Everyone, tonight's pleasure has come to an end. Please prepare to return to your cabins. I wish you a good night's sleep and peaceful dreams."
After such extreme pleasure, people became rational again. Those present no longer showed their earlier fervor, holding the people beside them tightly without noticing at all that anyone had died at the banquet.
When Chen Zhongshou and the others looked up, they happened to meet Manager Su's gaze on the stage. Her face was full of smiles, but a trace of mockery reached the depths of her eyes.
Xu Yuanjin's knuckles cracked sharply, but the sound went unnoticed in the entertainment hall as it grew crowded with people getting to their feet. She watched them leave, making no effort to hide the arrogance and disgust on her face.
Her tone turned harsh. "What a bunch of animals in heat."
The five participants followed the stream of people out of the entertainment hall. On the stage, Manager Su's eyes curved with a smile, as though she were waiting for a good show.
The sea breeze swept in, the tide slapped against the surface, and schools of fish danced beneath the cruise ship.
Music poured out of the entertainment hall and flew toward the vast, boundless depths of the sea!