Xiao Linghe naturally recognized the black market boss and quickly explained, "We were bored since the ball hadn't started yet, so we organized a game ourselves."
"It's alright, you guys play, I'll just watch." Gu Xiuwen's voice was calm and composed.
Despite what was said, everyone became noticeably more uncomfortable with Gu Xiuwen present.
Before coming to the black market, everyone had naturally heard rumors about the black market boss's strength. He was Ninth Tier superpowered expert, a top expert standing at the pinnacle of the Federation's pyramid.
Playing such childish games in front of him just feels a bit off.
Xu Jintang, however, did not have the courage to do so.
She looked away and continued the game, "Let's start voting now."
The atmosphere was somewhat silent.
Xiao Linghe cleared his throat and continued, "Yes, let's begin voting now."
Voting results: Huai Yangxia's teammate was eliminated with the highest number of votes.
The third round of the game began. Xu Jintang and Xue Zhongqi both opened their eyes. After reaching a consensus, they decided to kill one more person.
At this moment, the person who had just been eliminated in the previous round stared at the two of them in shock, his mouth opening and closing for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word.
He thought Big Watermelon was a good person, but it turned out it was all an act!
They finally got him voted out.
Gu Xiuwen also understood the game, and his gaze inadvertently fell on Xu Jintang, his thin lips slightly pursed.
Another round of muddled voting has ended.
Ultimately, the two undercover agents won.
When Xu Jintang and Xue Zhongqi stood up and cheered, the other players on the field were all dumbfounded.
Weren't they just arguing?
"No, they really were undercover agents!"
"I trusted them so much just now, I must have no conscience at all!"
The good teammate who was voted out forced a smile, "Now you know how unjustly I died."
Xu Jintang leaned over the table, grabbed all the prizes with both hands, and thanked everyone with a smile, "Thank you all for your trust, thank you so much."
"Come on, let me help you carry some of the prize." Xue Zhongqi jogged over from the other side, smiling as he took half of the prize.
Xu Jintang put the prizes into the bracelet's storage space one by one. When she turned to leave, she moved too fast and bumped directly into Gu Xiuwen's chest.
Her head bounced back, and the ghost mask on her face was knocked askew.
Gu Xiuwen looked down at her, then reached out and adjusted the mask on her face. "Be careful."
Xu Jintang looked up, her smile not reaching her eyes, and replied, "Thank you."
Of course, she still remembered the time when a fragment of Ninth Tier ability user's consciousness was placed on the Soul-Seizing Bell.
This black market boss is definitely not as kind as he seems.
After her thoughts returned to normal, Xu Jintang walked around him and turned to walk away.
Xue Zhongqi caught up from behind, a hint of mockery in his eyes, "Squad leader, do you know the black market boss?"
I met him once before, when I was getting the Soul-Seizing Bell.
Xue Zhongqi was about to continue gossiping when the emcee's voice rang out through the microphone, "Thank you all for accepting the invitation to this grand ball. The ball will officially begin in ten minutes. You are welcome to find your dance partners and dance together."
Xu Jintang went to the rest area, picked up a glass of red wine, and sat on the sofa for a short rest.
At this moment, the dance floor was completely empty; there wasn't a single person in sight.
Most of the contestants who can participate in the Ability User Competition are inherently proud, and none of them would go out of their way to find a dance partner.
It's fair to say that if this misunderstanding hadn't been organized by the competition organizers, many people probably wouldn't have participated.
A short while later, Yan Yuting and the others came over and sat down to rest together.
"Nobody's dancing. Is this dance party just a casual invitation for us to have fun?" Yan Yuting wondered.
Song Tianqi leaned against the other side, bored. "This is so boring. I thought there would be some exciting and fun activities at this dance."
Most players from other teams also exhibited this behavior.
After waiting a while, melodious classical music began to play, instantly filling the ballroom with atmosphere.
But the dance floor remained deserted.
Xu Jintang got up and went to the dessert table to find something to eat.
Just then, a figure hurried past her, accidentally knocking over a champagne stand in his haste.
The commotion attracted a lot of attention, but once everyone saw that it was just a waiter who had knocked something over, they quickly looked away.
Xu Jintang felt that this person looked familiar, so he took a few more glances at him.
The waiter quickly cleaned up the spilled champagne and then hurried away. Before leaving, a dark purple badge fell out of his pocket.
Xu Jintang wanted to call for help, but the waiter walked away too quickly and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Xu Jintang frowned, walked over, and bent down to pick up the badge that had fallen to the ground.
The badge has a familiar-looking circular planet design.
Xu Jintang pondered for a long time before realizing what was happening. His expression changed instantly, and he immediately gripped the badge in his palm, turning back to the sofa area where he had been standing.
"Something's happened," she said in a low voice.
Yan Yuting, who was eating dessert, subconsciously looked up and exclaimed, "Huh?"
Song Tianqi and Jiang Shiyi also turned their heads.
"What's going on?" Xue Zhongqi put down his wine glass, realizing that things seemed to be more complicated than they appeared.
Xu Jintang pursed her lips and secretly showed the badge she was holding in her palm to the four of them. "This should be the badge of the Reform Society. It was dropped by the waiter who just knocked over the champagne table."
"Damn it!" Song Tianqi couldn't help but swear.
Realizing he was too emotional, she quickly covered her mouth and calmed herself down.
The Reform Society is a political party whose primary goal is to resist the Alliance. They chant reform slogans but frequently commit heinous acts that disrupt interstellar peace.
For example, deliberately causing large-scale disasters, inducing ignorant superhumans to engage in anti- Federation behavior, etc.
Simply put, the Reform Society is a criminal organization that breaks the law and violates discipline.
Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows these things.
But no one dares to mention this organization openly, mainly for fear of being implicated.
"Squad leader, are you sure you didn't see wrong?" Song Tianqi cleared his throat and asked cautiously again.
Xu Jintang showed the badge to Jiang Shiyi and the others, saying, "See for yourselves."
Xue Zhongqi examined the design on the badge, nervously swallowing. "Yes, it should be the badge of that organization."
"No, this... how could there be members of the Reform Society in the underground black market?" Yan Yuting lowered his voice very much, afraid that he might be overheard by outsiders.
"I don't know. But this place can't be left here any longer," Xu Jintang quickly concluded.
Whatever their reasons Reform Society being here, it's none of their business; staying away from trouble is the best course of action.
"Yes, yes, let's go quickly." Xue Zhongqi hurriedly stood up.
The five of them were completely in agreement on this matter, but they didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble, so they remained quite rational throughout.
Xu Jintang led his group to the exit of the ballroom and apologized to the staff, saying, "I'm sorry, something came up and we have to leave early."
The staff member glanced up at the five people and replied with a smile, "The dance has already started. It would be very impolite to leave before the music ends. Why don't you wait two more minutes until the music is over?"
At this moment, Xiao Linghe, noticing that the five of them wanted to leave, walked over.
"The dance has only just begun, why are you in such a hurry to leave? If you're not interested in dancing, we can always organize another round of spy games."
As soon as Xiao Linghe arrived, the attention of the other team players also shifted to him.
Huai Yangxia had suffered a crushing defeat earlier, also came over with a dark face. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Taking our prizes and leaving like that is a bit unfair. It's still early, let's play another round."
Xu Jintang immediately felt like he didn't want to talk to someone who was brainless.
She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "There are members of the Reform Society here. If you don't want to get into trouble, you'd better leave now."
Her voice was so soft that only the two of them could hear it.
To outsiders, it seemed as if the two of them were having a private conversation.
Huai Yangxia immediately assumed they were discussing some tactic against him. "What are you two talking about? If you're so capable, talk openly and honestly. What kind of skill is it to whisper?"
Xu Jintang gave him a look that said, "Look at me like I'm an idiot," and without saying a word, turned around, pushed aside the staff member blocking the door, and said, "Sorry, it's really urgent, I have to go."
The staff member who had been maintaining a polite smile suddenly became tough.
His smile faded, and his voice turned cold. "During the ball, no one is allowed to enter or leave the premises at will."
Xu Jintang narrowed his eyes, subtly channeling his supernatural power into his palm. "We hadn't heard of this rule before we came."
Song Tianqi and the others behind him also sensed something and immediately assumed a fighting stance.
Xiao Linghe, who was standing to the side, was still pondering what Xu Jintang had just said.
Realizing something, his face gradually darkened. "I've never heard of any ball that forbids people from leaving midway."
The moment he finished speaking, a massive surge of spiritual energy erupted from his body.
Chapter 97
The commotion quickly attracted the attention of others.
The remaining members of the Soul Awakening Team immediately surrounded them, "Captain, what happened?"
Xiao Linghe frowned, glancing at Xu Jintang out of the corner of his eye.
"Something happened."
The Reform Society incident had a huge impact, and he wasn't sure if what Xu Jintang said was true, so he could only make up an excuse to get by for the time being.
The members of the Soul Awakening Team clearly trusted him and immediately activated their supernatural abilities, preparing to fight at any moment.