The band's performance

Shadow Lamp Bar.

Since it was still daytime and morning, most of the residents of the Outer City of City That Never Sleeps were still working hard at their posts, and even most of the gang members were catching up on sleep. So the bar was naturally empty of customers and quiet and deserted.

However, the bar is indeed open—after all, Shadow Lamp Bar does offer some light meals during the day.

However, the food in bars is certainly not prepared by professional Chef, and the prices are relatively high. It is neither good value for money nor cheap, so it is difficult to win the favor of the residents of City That Never Sleeps Outer City who value cost-effectiveness the most.

After a hard morning's work, you can't possibly spend your lunch break not at the nearby restaurant where you can get a meaty, juicy hot dog meal for just eight Credit Points, but instead rushing to the Shadow Lamp Bar to hastily order a 20- Credit Points chicken and pumpkin salad paired with a 6- Credit Points refreshing lemonade, right?

So...

When Lin Yu pushed open the door and entered the Shadow Lamp Bar, the doorbell rang, and no staff members came out to greet him.

Behind the bar counter was a "Temporarily Away" sign, indicating that the staff probably knew there wouldn't be any customers at this time and had already gone out to eat.

This was good news for Lin Yu —after all, without innocent bar staff and customers involved in the negotiations with the mysterious Player who moved "Ren Gu," he could indeed act more freely.

But the problem is...

The bar is now completely empty.

Not only were there no employees or guests...

There was also no trace of the mysterious Kidnapper or "Ren Gu".

Even when Lin Yu used his Mental Power to scan the area meticulously, he found no signs of life or any abnormalities.

Although the other party's concealment skills were also very good, and they were only forced to reveal themselves by the "Rule" of the Ren Gu, Lin Yu did not think that the other party could really evade his perception.

Just as Lin Yu was wondering if he had been tricked, his Communicator rang.

"Buzz--Buzz--"

Lin Yu glanced at the Communicator in his hand, which showed that Ren Gu was trying to contact him.

Unsurprisingly, this call was from the "Kidnapper."

Lin Yu pressed the answer button.

"Hello?"

The other party's reply came through the receiver.

"You're very punctual, you even arrived six minutes early... Director, I'm very satisfied with your performance."

"Now, please look to your left. There's a chair with yellow tape on it. Please sit down."

Upon hearing the other party's new instructions, Lin Yu pondered for a moment and then asked a question.

Why should I listen to you?

The person on the other end of the Communicator was clearly surprised by Lin Yu 'Lin Yu sudden question.

"What... of course it's because I have Ren Gu. I'm threatening you—do you want me to kill him?"

Lin Yu said, "Of course I don't want to, but... if I sit on it and there's a trap, I'll die the moment I sit on it, and Comrade Ren Gu will still be helpless and at your mercy—I'll just be throwing myself into it."

"This makes no sense."

The Kidnapper on the other end of the Communicator immediately retorted, "Why would I go through all that trouble to kill you with a chair trap? To me, killing you wouldn't require such a hassle!"

"You and Ren Gu, all of you who came here as part of 'Order,' I wouldn't need to go to such lengths to kill you all."

Lin Yu sneered, "What bullshit! The 'Diviner' set up a [Instance] in Shenzhen and still couldn't kill us... I've even escaped from the 'Diviner' several times. You think you're better than the 'Diviner'?"

The Kidnapper immediately retorted, "I'm definitely better than the Diviner. That Liar only got the better deal because of his hair; otherwise, he wouldn't stand a chance against me."

Lin Yu was also puzzled by the other person's statement. "What do you mean by cheap hair... Is there something strange about Diviner's hair?"

"Tsk, you really don't understand at all," the Kidnapper shook his head, "He's silver-haired... White-haired characters are super Coolness Value and popular, and popular characters are usually strong, don't you understand?"

Lin Yu was even more confused. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind if you don't understand. Anyway... if you want 'Ren Gu' to survive, do as I say—quickly sit in that seat, or I won't be polite to 'Ren Gu'."

The Kidnapper threatened again, "I will pluck out his hair one by one, and then I will unleash tens of thousands of fire ants to bite his bald head, making him die in excruciating pain."

Listening to the Kidnapper's serious tone, Lin Yu vaguely sensed that although the other party had said something absurd, he seemed to be serious.

"Then you at least need to let me confirm that Ren Gu is still safe."

Upon hearing Lin Yu's words, the Kidnapper readily agreed, "No problem—you wait here."

Then, a rustling sound came from the other end of the Communicator.

"Say a few words."

The Kidnapper spoke.

As soon as the Kidnapper finished speaking, shouts rang out from Ren Gu.

"This area is off-limits..."

"Holy crap!"

Ren Gu's voice was interrupted; it seemed the other party had once again sealed off Ren Gu's ability to speak.

"Anyway, you heard him, he's quite energetic... Can you sit down in the chair now? Is that so hard for you?"

The Kidnapper's voice came through the Communicator again.

Based on his interactions with the Kidnapper over this period, Lin Yu could roughly sense that the chair was probably not a trap.

The other party doesn't seem like the type to set traps.

"Can."

Following the other person's directions, he quickly found the very conspicuous chair—a cross of yellow tape was pasted on the back of the chair, making it particularly eye-catching.

Lin Yu walked over to try and move the chair back, only to find that the chair legs were glued to the ground.

Although Lin Yu knew that he could probably take the chair off with a little force, he thought about it and ultimately didn't do so. Instead, he sat down on it.

After sitting down in the chair, Lin Yu discovered...

At this moment, his gaze was fixed on a small Stage on one side of the Shadow Lamp Bar.

This bar usually hosts small performances or hires resident singers.

The Stage wasn't very big, only six or seven meters long, but it looked quite exquisitely designed.

The stone countertop was covered with a carpet, and the backdrop was a curtain covered with numerous posters and band nameplates. To the right, there was a dedicated display wall stacked at an angle, covered with photos of various parties and group photos of band members.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that the carpet on the ground has many openings and pre-drilled interfaces for alchemy, allowing people to connect musical instruments or other alchemy equipment used in performances.

Above the Stage are some spotlights and speakers, as well as many suspended tracks that allow these lights and speakers to change their angle and position.

Lin Yu's current seat appears to be the best vantage point on the Stage.

"Could it be that these Kidnapper have prepared a performance for me?"

Just as Lin Yu was pondering this, he suddenly sensed...

Within the range of perception, inside the bar, two more life forms suddenly appeared.

The dish was very familiar; it was from the Ren Gu.

The source of the aura is roughly... directly behind the Stage.

Just as Lin Yu was about to get up and go to the back of the Stage, Ren Gu appeared on the Stage.

Thump!

A Cross fell from above the Stage and landed steadily in the center of the back of the Stage.

Ren Gu was bound upside down on the Cross, his entire body bound like a rice dumpling with some kind of black metal rope, his mouth completely sealed with black tape.

"Comrade Ren Gu!"

Lin Yu stood up and looked at Ren Gu. The other person was still conscious, with some resentment in his eyes.

But after clearly seeing Lin Yu's figure, the resentment in Ren Gu's eyes turned into a warning.

He shook his head slightly, as if warning Lin Yu not to approach rashly.

Just as Lin Yu was pondering what he should do...

"Buzz, buzz, buzz--"

A deep, resonant strumming sound rang out.

Then...

"Bang, bang, bang--"

The sound of metal cymbals being struck rang out.

Behind the Stage, it looked like a band was doing a sound check.

Then...

Thump!

With a heavy drumbeat, several spotlights on the Stage suddenly lit up.

As the lights came on, Drum Kit, keyboard, and guitar appeared on the Stage.

The Drum Kit and keyboard are alright...

The guitar was floating in mid-air.

Soon, without any performers...

The Drum Kit floated up automatically, the keyboard keys were pressed automatically, and the guitar picks began to slide on the strings.

A high-energy Rock and Roll intro begins.

"There's actually a performance?"

Amidst the music, Lin Yu keenly noticed...

About ten seconds after the performance began, a dull Bass Guitar sound suddenly came from the music.

And after Lin Yu heard the Bass Guitar music...

Another figure appeared on the Stage!

A tall, thin man, azure Bass Guitar, jet-black hair with reddish-brown ends, a shimmering silver Necklace and bracelet, tall black leather boots, and a loose red hoodie.

Lin Yu stared at the other person's hands pressing the Bass Guitar and strumming the strings, confirming that those hands should belong to the "Kidnapper".

After this virtuoso and warm-up performance that lasted for about a minute, all the instrumental music stopped abruptly as the man raised his hand.

"Smack!"

All the lights came on, illuminating the young man playing the Bass Guitar.

"Welcome everyone to the performance of 'Steamed Fish Band' -- I am the lead vocalist and Bass Guitar 'Conception'!"

Upon hearing this code name, Lin Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.

"The Conception '... was it him?"

This guy in the band looks a bit off his mind...

It turned out to be the last "Tier 4" unit he hadn't seen before!