I went over, then came right back

On the fifth floor, in the corridor.

Dwarf hopped backward, slapping his head and struggling to put out the flames. His upright topknot had already burned down to half its length.

"I hate fire." Dwarf glared venomously at Gu Nian and gave clear-headed orders. "Qigong Master, block them downstairs. Prisoner Woman, find the target. Let's finish this fast!"

"Got it!"

As soon as he spoke, two players charged toward the stairwell without hesitation. The female player with the cold draft coming from her neck turned to the lock on Room 501, her pupils focusing.

Creeeeak...!

A teeth-grating noise came from inside the lock, and the door popped open with a snap.

Seeing the woman approach the room, Gu Nian immediately directed her Magic Wand to stop her.

"Hey, your opponent is me." Green light shone from Dwarf's eyes. "We didn't have time to fight that day in University Town. Now... I'll give you a taste of Witchcraft."

Two porcelain bottles appeared in Dwarf's hands. He spat out a stream of green vapor, and two centipedes crawled from the bottle mouths, instantly swelling in size.

Thud! Thud...!

By the time they hit the floor, each centipede was half the size of a large pet dog. They lunged straight at Gu Nian.

Across from the apartment building, at Xinyuan Spa.

Little War Wolf, nearly "seventy," had been escorted into Room 302 by the young receptionist. Sitting on the bed, he took off his outer clothes while sensing the intense star source fluctuations coming from the apartment building.

"This came out of nowhere. Not many New Year's Watchers showed up...!" Little War Wolf frowned slightly, then instantly locked his senses onto the person he "cared deeply about." "What's he standing there for? Why does he look like such a dumbass?"

By then, he had stripped down to his underpants.

Creak!

The door opened, and Plump Woman, whom Ren Ye had chased out earlier, entered carrying a small case. She eyed the scrawny old man on the bed in alarm and asked nervously, "Sir... at... at your age, coming out for this sort of service... is a bit dangerous."

"What services do you offer?" Little War Wolf asked.

"...They're cracking down right now." On the subject of her profession, Plump Woman answered discreetly, "I can only add ten at most."

"Come on, give me the full package. Let this old man test your professional skills." Little War Wolf switched off the light and rolled onto his stomach on the massage bed.

"The old hands really know their stuff. No messing around." With that remark, Plump Woman walked over.

In the dim room, Plump Woman covered him with a bath towel and began massaging his legs.

Whoosh!

The light went out, and the soul rose.

Massaging the warm body of the elderly man, Plump Woman noticed nothing unusual. Little War Wolf's soul, however, passed through the window and drifted toward the apartment building.

This body was too old to use any supernatural abilities, and he would still need it later. Little War Wolf had no desire to have it smashed again.

Meanwhile, in the rain-drenched alley, Mr. He hid in the shadows, toying with a model of a Theater Stage. Eyes closed, he murmured, "One second-stage, seven first-stage, and a spell type... Hmm, that's not right. Why is there a soul too?"

Not all the cards had been revealed yet. He could wait. There was no hurry.

In the stairwell, halfway between the fourth and fifth floors.

Huang Wei stood on the steps, radiating murderous energy. Black-and-red flames seemed to envelop his entire body, their glow rising around him.

Whoosh!

At a command from his mind, an ancient-looking Crimson Greatsword materialized in his hand.

Ren Ye stared blankly at him. Seeing how imposing he looked, with such a badass appearance, shattered his established impression of Huang Wei for a moment.

Wasn't he just a meathead? Wasn't he weak as hell?

The Crimson Greatsword was even larger than the Black Iron Heavy Sword Yang Guo wielded on television, yet it matched Huang Wei's tall frame perfectly.

Tap, tap...!

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded upstairs as two Bell Society players rushed down.

Ren Ye knew exactly how little he could handle. With Huang Wei blocking the way in front of him, he immediately retreated two steps.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two figures appeared, one tall and one short, one fat and one thin.

The tall, thin man's pupils contracted when he saw Huang Wei. "A second-stage New Year's Watcher?!"

Snap!

He suddenly snapped his fingers. "Qigong Master-Qi Explosion!"

Bang!

Boom!

An enormous blast rang out. In the empty space between Ren Ye and Huang Wei, the air abruptly compressed, then instantly detonated.

Thud!

The shock wave hurled Ren Ye several meters, slamming his back into the wall. His arms, which he had just raised to protect his chest, spurted blood, and agonizing pain pierced his bones.

For some reason, after the four Wordless Steles sealed this place off, the stairwell itself had become incredibly tough. The Qi Explosion left the walls completely undamaged.

Three meters away, Huang Wei had taken the Qi Explosion head-on without suffering a scratch or even moving.

He stood there like a god of war, his crimson eyes fixed on the two targets. Raising his sword, he shouted, "Bloodbath!"

Bang!

A cloud of bloody mist burst from Huang Wei's body, passing straight through his clothes.

"Blood Sacrifice!"

As Huang Wei recited the words without a trace of emotion, the blood mist around him rapidly gathered and condensed into the Crimson Greatsword.

The two men above turned deathly pale at the sight and activated their defensive skills together.

"Qi Wall!"

The tall, thin man abruptly bent his body, and the surrounding air seemed to come alive, rushing toward him from every direction.

"Dark Affinity, shrink, shrink...!"

The other man, a fatty, shouted urgently. His body shrank from an adult's size to a teenager's, then to a baby's in the blink of an eye. Finally... he slipped into the shadows, no bigger than a toy soldier.

Buzzzz...!

Below the steps, the Crimson Greatsword began vibrating wildly.

A red flame mark appeared in the center of Huang Wei's forehead, and several red-and-black veins bulged from his neck.

He looked down upon the two men on the steps and shouted with what little reason he had left, "Ren Ye... watch closely. This is what a second-stage player is!"

"Blood Sacrifice—Great Annihilation!"

His furious roar echoed.

With a single swing, blood-red light engulfed the entire space.

Pfft!

Crimson sword energy swept across, puncturing the Qi Wall with a soft pop.

Bang!

The sword energy detonated. The Qigong Master's body burst like a watermelon, spraying a sticky rain of flesh and blood across the surrounding walls.

One swing, one instant kill.

There was no chance to struggle.

Bang! Bang...!

The toy-soldier-sized player was torn by the chaotic sword energy. One arm shattered, and he fled upstairs like a beaten dog. "We've run into a second-stage brute! Qigong Master's dead! I can't stop him...!"

Beside the wall, the injured Ren Ye stared at Huang Wei in shock, inwardly exclaiming, This bastard's actually got something!

"Ah, ah...!"

Huang Wei shook his head frantically, growling. His expression twisted in pain, as though he were about to lose his mind.

Whoosh!

"Don't come near me for a while." Leaving those words behind, Huang Wei charged upstairs.

Room 501.

After entering the living room, the female player called Prisoner Woman immediately spotted Ren Daguo, Li Feng, and Editor Xu slumped beside the dining table.

All three were unconscious from poison. Their bodies were distorted and blurred, isolated outside this space by the Wordless Steles.

But that posed no problem for Prisoner Woman. Her class belonged to the evil type, and her supernatural abilities leaned toward destruction and crime.

"Spatial Penetration-Thievery!"

Prisoner Woman quickly glanced over the three men, then raised an arm toward Ren Daguo and lightly curled her fingers.

Whoosh!

Ren Daguo's previously blurred, distorted body slowly became solid and full of life. Prisoner Woman had pulled him inside the Wordless Steles.

"Heh?!"

Prisoner Woman sneered, stepped forward, hoisted Ren Daguo over her shoulder, and rushed toward the window.

Downstairs, rain poured in torrents.

"Prisoner Woman, take Ren Daguo and leave first. Keep an escape route open." A strange smile curved Mr. He's lips. "But he's no longer our main target. I've sensed Ren Ye. Everyone, get ready to take him down."

"Roger!"

"Roger!"

"...!"

The Bell Society members responded swiftly.

Outside the apartment building, Little War Wolf's Soul Body drifted through the torrential rain, heading straight for the fifth floor.

Fine, I'll help him... Little War Wolf hesitated, muttering inwardly, I worry about him more than his own dad does!

Shaking his head, Little War Wolf sped toward the window, directly toward Prisoner Woman.

Inside Xinyuan Spa.

The plump Number 68 lightly patted the old man's back. "Want some water? Hey, sir? Sir?!"

After two calls, the old man still showed no response. Plump Woman walked around the massage bed, leaned closer with a frown, and firmly jostled his head twice.

Huh?

No response at all!

Goose bumps inexplicably rose all over Plump Woman's body. Tentatively, she extended a finger and held it beside the old man's nostrils.

Five seconds later.

"Aaaah!!!"

Plump Woman rushed out of Room 302 like a madwoman, stumbling and scrambling downstairs. She shouted at the obese Boss Lady, "...Something terrible happened! I said no extras, but he insisted on adding ten... I... I massaged him to death... I massaged that old man to death...!"

At the window of Room 501 in the apartment building.

Just as Prisoner Woman was about to leave with Ren Daguo over her shoulder, she suddenly felt a cold draft rise behind her neck.

At the same time, Little War Wolf floated up to the window and was about to strike when he abruptly froze.

He quickly scanned the four people in the room. His gaze lingered on Ren Daguo and Editor Xu, and he suddenly felt his hair stand on end.

He was a ghost!

Even a ghost could feel his hair stand on end. That alone showed just how profoundly those two had shaken him.

Whoosh!

After a single glance, Little War Wolf turned and fled, muttering cryptically, "I'm out... This ride looks pretty solid... They've got something. They've really got something."

In the shadows.

Poised to act, Mr. He suddenly frowned. "Why did that soul leave again? And why's it running so fast...?!"

As he spoke, he sensed the nearby New Year's Watchers beginning to send reinforcements. Huang Wei had also reached the fifth floor.

"Forget it. Their reinforcements will be here soon... Time to set the stage."

Mr. He withdrew his senses, raised his arm, and threw the Theater Stage Model toward the fifth floor.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the delicate little Theater Stage Model expanded, enveloping almost the entire fifth floor.

On the fifth floor, Gu Nian, who was fighting Dwarf, Huang Wei and Ren Ye, who were running, and Xu Peng, who had just arrived, all felt their vision go black.

Within a breath, an enormous Theater Stage appeared out of thin air.

Red curtains, baskets of fragrant flowers, solid wood flooring reflecting a faint glow. At the stage entrance sat clappers, drums, gongs, cymbals, and other instruments commonly used in Peking opera.

Everyone stood on the stage. The brilliant spotlights dazzled them, forcing them to narrow their eyes.

"What scene shall we perform?"

"Then let us perform a scene from the 'Battle of Changban'!"

An ethereal operatic voice drifted through the air.

The clappers, drums, gongs, and cymbals on the Theater Stage began playing on their own.

Clang, clang, clang, clang...!

A lilting melody burst forth, and the red curtain slowly opened.

Holding an Opera Spear, Mr. He faced the assembled New Year's Watchers in a white opera costume, four small flags mounted on his back.

Dressed as an opera performer, he embodied Zhao Zilong of Changshan!

Mr. He raised a leg, lifted the hem of his costume, and said softly, "Take the stage-Chujang!"

In traditional Chinese opera, "Chujang" meant the lead character's entrance.

He was a second-stage player in the Star Gate. After his fall, his stage title had become Theater Fiend, and his supernatural abilities were related to it as well.