Chapter Fifteen: This is a Lie!
Because of Bai Kai, Lu Yibei often visited the underground entertainment club. From a certain perspective, she was also an experienced “second generation,” so she was aware of some nightclub etiquette.
For instance, if there is no reserved booth, you usually have to buy a ticket to enter, and once inside, you only have seats at the scattered tables, after which sales personnel will come to help you order drinks, and then no one will care about your presence anymore.
However, the above rules do not apply to those with a certain level of attractiveness. In places like nightclubs, good-looking individuals are like a piece of gold; even if they fall into a toilet, someone will find a way to pull them out.
After buying a ticket and passing through the door, the deafening music and chaotic noise flooded into Lu Yibei’s ears like a tidal wave.
The passionate music, laughter, and clinking of glasses, alongside shouts from drinking games, created a cacophony of sounds.
The scent of perfume, the aroma of alcohol, the smell of cigarettes, and a faint hint of vomit from the corners all mixed in the air, blending into an indescribable atmosphere that made people uncontrollably want to revel.
The floor was made of transparent tempered glass, with atmosphere lights underneath changing colors in sync with the rhythm of the music. On the ceiling, geometric shapes in black, white, and gray were illuminated by searchlights that swayed back and forth like searching for prey, wrapping Lu Yibei in a dazzling glow.
All these factors combined created an exaggerated and chaotic ambiance, as if a brightly colored oil painting concealed hidden secrets within.
Standing in a corner near the entrance, Lu Yibei discreetly sent out several small Zhipianxian and began to survey her surroundings, frowning as if sensing something.
Though she had been to the underground entertainment club many times and adapted to the nightclub environment, the ostentatious and noisy atmosphere of this particular nightclub made her feel uncomfortable.
It was as if there was a presence within the nightclub that held contempt for her.
As soon as she stepped through the nightclub’s entrance, that presence noticed her, fixating on her with malicious eyes.
It gave her a strange feeling, akin to being watched while using the restroom.
Restless, tense, unable to find release—it felt like being imprisoned!
What made Lu Yibei feel even worse was that the Proxy Player Sister only knew this was a base of the Solar Eclipse Society and had no idea what person to look for.
Trying to locate members of the Solar Eclipse Society hidden in such circumstances was like finding the only piece of ginger among ten pounds of braised pork without damaging it.
So difficult!
Perhaps I should change my coat into a backless dress to expose the counterfeit Black Sun Totem and wait for a member of the Solar Eclipse Society to seek me out? But would that be too flamboyant?
It’s like wandering the streets holding a sign that says “I’m a terrorist,” where either people would think I was mentally unstable or the authorities would invite me for a chat, Lu Yibei thought.
“Hello, can I buy you a drink?”
Just when Lu Yibei was lost in her thoughts, a slightly chubby middle-aged man with an oily appearance approached her holding a bottle of alcohol.
As if struck by inspiration, her eyes brightened a little.
People say that nightclubs are a hunting ground for witches. Even “The Book of Siye” notes: “Common locations: various nighttime entertainment venues.”
After all, witches just need to release a bit of their charm in the center of the dance floor to attract many people around them, making it easy for them to hunt spirit energy potentials or simply the wallets of those around them.
Before entering the nightclub, Lu Yibei had anticipated being approached, and even if she dressed up, hiding her spirit energy fluctuations with her coat wouldn’t help!
In a talkative state leaning toward the witch archetype, even if it was just her core essence subtly emitting charm, it was enough to attract a considerable number of suitors, much like insects drawn to a light in the dark.
So, after expecting such an outcome, she chose to abandon her disguise, allowing her coat to conceal her spirit energy fluctuations.
However, before the first suitor approached, she hadn’t thought to use the inherent charm from her witch archetype’s essence.
But from a certain perspective, I could count as hunting too, couldn’t I?
Hunting for the trust of the Solar Eclipse Society members and the information they possess is a form of hunting, isn’t it?
Perhaps I could think of a way to turn this vulnerability of being easily approached into an advantage and use it to my benefit? Lu Yibei contemplated.
She knew that in underground entertainment clubs, apart from the dance floor and surrounding booths, there were also private rooms used by wealthy patrons and areas accessible only to club staff.
Since there are such places in the underworld, this nightclub surely has them as well. Relying on those small Zhipianxian to explore slowly wasn’t very efficient.
Though she had prepared other plans—B, C, and D—for when she couldn’t find Solar Eclipse Society members through normal means, before that, if she could find someone to guide her…
Lu Yibei assessed the middle-aged man, nearly the same height as her, and her gaze landed on his red tie sticking out from his suit.
Expressionless, she stated, “I don’t like men wearing red ties.”
She didn’t sense even a trace of spirit energy fluctuations from the middle-aged man; he wasn’t even a spirit energy potential, so it was clear he wasn’t the person she was looking for.
Since he wasn’t who she was looking for, she could find a hundred reasons to refuse the invitation.
So even if the middle-aged man didn’t wear a red tie, she could brush it off with a reason like “Your heartbeat is too loud.”
With the middle-aged man serving as an example, soon the second, third, and fourth suitors appeared.
“Sister, you’re so beautiful! Are you alone? Come join me in my booth and have some fun?”
“No, no, you’re more beautiful, so please allow me to refuse! I would feel inferior for my vulgar looks being next to a man as charming as you! Please, give me a little space to enjoy myself!”
“You speak so nicely, have you considered writing a book? By the way, do you know about Gardsavenn?”
“I do, I do; I have done a bit of superficial research on Gardsavenn. It’s rare to meet someone like you interested in such rare characters.”
“You made up a name of a script, and I didn’t expect you to actually study it? You’re amazing, so knowledgeable!”
The Calamity Witch is so skilled at severing interpersonal relationships that the allure of her charm creates a delicate balance through mutual attraction.
After handling five rounds of suitors, Lu Yibei found a corner to hide in the shadows and rubbed her slightly throbbing forehead, momentarily lost in thought.
Could it be my strategy is flawed?
Why has no one with spirit energy fluctuations approached me for so long?
Is it time to resort to PLAN B?
Lu Yibei pondered, her gaze shifting to the elevated platform in the center of the dance floor, squinting her eyes, and discreetly retrieved a grenade-like alchemical device from the God Realm Prototype.
During her time at the nightclub, discovering a suspected explosive device and reporting it should be reasonable, right?
Having a suspected explosive device in the nightclub, would the police clear the scene temporarily, which would be reasonable, right?
After clearing the scene, the nightclub manager dealing with the police is also reasonable, right?
At that point, she just needed to find an opportunity, remember the appearance of the person who interacted with the police, and later find a time to approach that person alone.
Of course, there were also other plans, like having the Zhipianxian sabotage the nightclub’s power system or deploying alchemical medicines en masse.
In simple terms, it’s all about causing chaos to draw out the snake!
However, there were downsides; if those members of the Solar Eclipse Society discovered it was her doing, their initial good impression would drop to below zero, making it much harder to “conquer” them afterward.
Additionally, other more conventional approaches, like trying to establish business relations with the nightclub, would take a lot of time to succeed and weren’t suitable for today.
She had arranged to meet Jiang Li in the early morning, and now with less than three hours left, she could only act within that limited time frame.
Whether it would be successful was another story.
While Lu Yibei was quietly contemplating, she approached the elevated platform in the center of the dance floor when suddenly a hand stealthily reached out from behind and gently patted her shoulder.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“I’m not doing anything; it’s not a bomb!” Lu Yibei jolted, her hand slipping, causing the alchemical grenade to drop to the ground where it bounced a few times and rolled into the crowd, disappearing from sight.
Followed by an awkward turn of her body, she found herself face to face with Jiang Li’s cold expression.
“Why is Miaomiao Sauce here? No wonder I suddenly felt anxious.”
In her view, she was so skilled in carrying out illicit activities that even if she were caught red-handed, she could remain composed.
But just a moment ago, when Jiang Li had reached out to pat her shoulder, she felt an uncontrollable wave of anxiety wash over her.
It was a feeling akin to a mouse encountering a cat, a sheep facing a wolf, or a student circumventing the wall to get online only to meet the patrolling director with a flashlight—an instinctive panic.
Jiang Li glanced at Lu Yibei, then shifted his gaze toward the direction where the alchemical device had disappeared, sensing the faint vibrations from spirit patterns, and briefly fell into silence.
It’s not a bomb? This is a lie!
Jiang Li didn’t expect that before he could begin his probes, the first words Lu Yibei said upon meeting him would be a lie.
