The Curtain Rises

"Welcome, sir. Have a pleasant day." The ticket inspector took the ticket from Zhuang Xiaolin's hand and froze for a moment, then quickly resumed a professional smile as she spoke to him.

Emperor really did have that much influence?

After seeing what the words on those tickets actually meant, Zhuang Xiaolin could not help being shocked.

They were merely celebrity entertainment events backed by corporate groups, yet obtaining these tickets was no easy matter. They could not be bought through normal channels; only acquaintances or influential people could get them. However, those people generally would not come to watch the show themselves.

Only Zhuang Xiaolin, Machine Gun Guy, Trap Girl, and Big Shield were preparing to enter the venue. Glaz had been sent to find a high vantage point, monitor the surroundings, and provide fire support.

Heard someone was planning a terrorist attack tonight? Good thing we're professionals.

Zhuang Xiaolin's group entered the venue. According to the seating printed on the tickets, they should have been in the very front row, but Zhuang Xiaolin quietly exchanged tickets with several other guests.

Zhuang Xiaolin sat at the very front of the concert venue, while Machine Gun Guy and the others spread out around the area so they could react to danger at any moment.

The venue was boisterous and packed with people. Zhuang Xiaolin was clearly used to scenes like this, yet he still felt somewhat uncomfortable with such a frenzied atmosphere.

Only after taking his seat at the front did Zhuang Xiaolin notice Texas and Exusiai standing guard near the edge of the stage.

Exusiai happened to meet Zhuang Xiaolin's eyes and casually greeted him. Zhuang Xiaolin returned the greeting.

The atmosphere became increasingly feverish. All kinds of glow sticks shone brilliantly throughout the venue beneath the night sky. The giant searchlights that had illuminated the surroundings were switched off, leaving only the lights near the stage. The glow sticks glittered like stars in the night sky.

"What a lovely sight. It's a pity this beautiful scene is destined to be ruined by an accident." Zhuang Xiaolin stared blankly at his surroundings for a moment, then came back to himself and fixed his gaze on the dozen or so people marked as hostile by the Eye of Death.

"There are more outside the venue? Could there be an insider?" Zhuang Xiaolin studied their deployment and immediately found it strange.

Were the bulky explosives strapped to their bodies just for decoration? Why had no one stopped them? Even if they were supposedly fat, their bodies should not have been bulging here and there like that. That explanation made no sense, so the only reasonable possibility was that an insider had let them in.

"Good evening, dear audience. Welcome to my concert today." The lovely female voice sounded somewhat piercing after being amplified through the speakers, but its melodious quality could still faintly be heard.

"Kong! Kong! We love you!" A petite figure suddenly appeared onstage, and part of the audience immediately erupted into cheers. They rose to their feet, waving glow sticks and support signs with frenzied expressions, rather like fanatics from some church.

Zhuang Xiaolin paid them no mind and simply watched the concert proceed. The first half went extremely smoothly—almost too smoothly. Aside from the fans' fanatical cheers and screams, there was not the slightest other disturbance.

Chen was deeply dissatisfied with this. Although she had become the leader of the Lungmen Guard Department's Special Inspectorate, she still did not understand much about social conduct or conspiracies.

Since someone had made such a declaration of terrorist attack, then unless they were bluffing, they had to be a ruthless person bold enough to actually carry it out.

"Thank you. The final song has now been performed. Next comes our last segment. I'll randomly select several audience members for questions, as a way of thanking everyone for your support." After finishing her performance, the Lupo girl named Kong spoke according to the planned program.

Her flaxen hair was truly eye-catching, and her wine-red eyes seemed filled with inexhaustible vitality.

By popular standards of beauty, the girl named Kong certainly had what it took to become a popular idol.

With that sweet voice and that appearance, she could have become one of the most famous pop singers even in Zhuang Xiaolin's previous life.

Zhuang Xiaolin narrowed his eyes. The audience-selection segment quickly passed, and he saw that Kong had selected one person whom the Eye of Death had marked as highly hostile.

"GLAZ, watch that blue-shirted, red-haired Lupo onstage. If anything goes wrong, open fire at any time." Zhuang Xiaolin gave the order, his expression turning solemn as he adjusted his hat.

Then Zhuang Xiaolin stood up and, amid the somewhat surprised looks of those around him, walked toward the railing at the very front.

"If they make the first move, our primary objective is to keep everyone at the scene alive." Zhuang Xiaolin's eyes remained locked on the red-haired Lupo onstage.

The red-haired male Lupo did not appear threatening on the surface, but a closer look revealed that the inside of his clothes bulged slightly. A long, thin wire also protruded from his thigh.

"Lungmen curse, we put in all that effort just to put on a show for some terrorist who likes pranks?" The concert was about to end. Chen, standing guard outside, was extremely dissatisfied. Just as she complained and prepared to report to her superiors and request the operation be called off immediately, a companion's scream interrupted her.

"Not good! Someone is carrying explosives!" As soon as the words fell, a huge blast came from outside the concert venue, sending several Lungmen Guard Department members flying.

Fortunately, they wore armor. Even if they were injured by the blast, unless they had been at its center, their injuries would only be superficial and would not pose a serious threat to their lives.

But immediately afterward, more and more explosions erupted around the outside of the concert venue.

A tall, green-haired Oni figure sprang into action, whirling the triangular shield in his hand at high speed. When another suspect tried to press some strange button, he moved to stop him and knocked the button from his hand.

Chen reacted quickly as well. When another suspicious-looking person nearby began turning a button, she immediately drew Chi Xiao and swung at him, striking the hand holding the remote so painfully that he dropped it. Yes, she had used the scabbard.

When the people inside the concert venue heard the explosions outside, they immediately descended into panic. The red-haired male Lupo onstage was merely saying something to Kong, but Zhuang Xiaolin noticed that the man was becoming increasingly agitated. Then he tore off his blue shirt, revealing the densely packed Originium bombs beneath it.

Around the stage, the people who had originally been marked as hostile were already moving. Some held knives or crossbows, while others even carried bombs on their backs.

Their targets were the civilians scattering in every direction. They wanted to claim dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of lives in the center of Lungmen.

But Zhuang Xiaolin would not let them have their way.

"Pu—"

As the muted report of a sniper rifle rang out from somewhere on a rooftop, a heart-stirring battle began in the venue.