Banquet Guest

Just as Lin Ye thought the night would carry on like this until the event ended, someone knocked on the theater doors again. This time, however, the sound was a little strange; whatever was knocking was made of a different material.

"Come in."

Lin Ye spoke.

An enormous, bloated, dark-brown insect squeezed into the theater. Had the entrance not been wide enough, it would barely have fit.

Only the giant insect's head squeezed inside, with the rest of its body still outside the theater. Wounds on the verge of healing covered its body, making it look as though it had just been through a fierce battle.

The giant insect surveyed its surroundings in satisfaction, then spoke:

"This place is nice. Leave. I'll spare your life."

Lin Ye looked at the giant insect curiously. He could clearly hear the strange noises it made, yet his brain could understand what it meant. The system's translation ability was quite absurd.

"Isn't being alive good enough? Did you have to come here to die?"

Though his words were merciless, Lin Ye had already focused his mind, ready to strike with everything he had at any moment.

This giant insect far surpassed him in both psionic energy and physical strength. Without the theater's bonuses, Lin Ye would have fled long ago.

Of course, he did not believe for a moment that it would spare his life. If he really walked out, he would probably be killed halfway there by the impatient insect at the entrance.

"Weakling, I'm not refraining from killing you outright because I can't, but because I don't want to get hurt. I'll give you one last chance. Leave this place. It's your only way to survive."

The giant insect pressed forward, the dozen or so pairs of bright-yellow eyes on its head staring fixedly at Lin Ye as it took a stance to attack.

"The only reason I haven't killed you is that you haven't come far enough inside. Come in, then die here."

Lin Ye focused to the utmost. He did not think the giant insect would retreat, because if only their inherent strength counted, Lin Ye might not even withstand one of its normal attacks.

"You've angered me."

The giant insect charged into the theater, sending countless seats flying in every direction. In just a few seconds, it reached the foot of the stage.

Thud!

The giant insect crashed into the psionic energy protection formed from numerous protection runes. Countless blades of psionic energy pierced its head, the raging energy churning its brain to mush.

But this injury was not fatal to the giant insect. Its weak point was in its rear abdomen, tucked beneath its body.

Lin Ye drew the Red Blade and slashed at that spot. Psionic energy spilled from the blade, and an invisible blade of psionic energy swept up the surrounding chaotic energy and struck the giant insect, slicing through its psionic energy protection and body.

Thud!

A bullet passed through the wound and pierced the giant insect's weak point, blasting its mutation organ to pieces.

Watching the giant insect's corpse disappear, Lin Ye put away the CL0 Pistol.

All the corpses were teleported into the loot space, leaving him unable to use the magazine to absorb flesh and blood.

I'll have to do it once I get back to the Shelter.

Before Lin Ye could catch his breath, numerous mutated creatures charged into the theater. As though they had planned it together, they all rushed toward the stage.

Lin Ye watched them expressionlessly. Numerous cutting runes activated, and dozens of blades of psionic energy swept toward the theater entrance.

These blades posed very little threat to the giant insect and could only wear it down, so Lin Ye had not activated them earlier.

After all, each time the runes were activated, some time had to pass before they could be activated again.

These mutated creatures had gathered nearby and refused to leave because they thought Lin Ye was weak. Then, after seeing Lin Ye finish off the giant insect in front of the stage, they thought he was at the end of his rope, and only then dared to charge inside and risk their lives.

As long as they could finish Lin Ye off, everything he had gained earlier would be theirs.

Unfortunately, they had chosen the wrong opponent.

Every mutated creature that charged into the theater was sliced apart by invisible blades of psionic energy. Their flesh and blood were teleported into the loot space, while all manner of fluids soaked the entrance.

Watching the flesh and blood disappear gave Lin Ye a headache. The thought that the system might dump these corpses into his Shelter like garbage made it hard for him to breathe.

"The system wouldn't do something that horrifying, would it?"

After thinking for a moment, Lin Ye decided to stop thinking, focus on the present, and leave everything to his future self.

"You're quite strong. Very good. I'm very satisfied."

A voice rang out behind Lin Ye. He extended his perception behind him. At some unknown point, a person had abruptly appeared at his back.

Lin Ye turned around and saw a human in formal attire standing there.

He was male, around twenty years old, and highly similar to a Blue Star human, with orange-yellow hair and eyes and a bright-orange suit.

"Who are you?"

Lin Ye retreated and jumped off the stage, directing psionic energy protection to cover his entire body. If the other party could get behind him without a sound, he could also kill him before he could react.

"You don't know? I was wondering why there was such a delicious offering. I thought you were a Believer who had willingly offered himself up. To think you're a Madman who came to seize a seat without knowing anything. It's remarkable that you can still keep your wits."

The man spoke with a smile.

He stood at ease in the middle of the stage, as though he had not noticed Lin Ye's vigilance.

"...Feast of Revelry?"

Lin Ye suddenly understood why it was a feast.

"I'm a Banquet Guest, and you are the Main Course."

The man's smile broadened as he continued:

"I like taking your form. It gives eating you a special flavor."

Lin Ye stared at the man. Though he could not even sense the extent of the man's strength, he did not give up resisting. Since this was a system event, there had to be a way to deal with him.

"All right, we've talked enough. It's time for the Feast of Revelry to begin."

Before the man finished speaking, a snow-white arm pierced his chest, its hand clutching an orange-yellow Crystallization.

"How... is that... possible? What... the hell... are you?"

The man shattered and vanished like an illusion, leaving only Xiao Ye holding the Crystallization.

"Nicely done. Though if it were me, I'd probably have waited until he made his move."

Lin Ye walked onto the stage, aborting the attack that would have used the theater to take them both down.

"Normally, I would indeed have waited a little longer, but not now. Every pointless word he said was testing my patience."

Xiao Ye licked his lips, his gaze burning as he looked at Lin Ye.

"What's wrong? Are you all right?"

Lin Ye felt that something was off about his condition.

"It's nothing. The atmosphere of revelry just got to me."

Xiao Ye's cheeks were slightly flushed, but his tone was quite calm.

"Is it the Revelry Potion's mental effects? Did you take them for me?"

Lin Ye quickly guessed the right answer.

"It's nothing to me. At most, it makes me a little more excited."

Xiao Ye crushed the Crystallization. An immense mental force merged into the theater, and Lin Ye's mental strength swelled once more. The theater also underwent some sort of change.

If the theater was considered a seat, then they were now sitting at the highest point in the city, far above the other seats.

"We ought to do something onstage at the end of the banquet. Would you like to dance?"

Xiao Ye suddenly spoke.

"Uh, I don't know how."

Lin Ye spoke with slight embarrassment.

"Neither do I, but that doesn't matter. A fevered mind and a fevered body-that's what dance was born for."

Xiao Ye declared.