Chapter 21 Traps and the "Cornered Beast

"Woo-hoo—woo-hoo—woo-woo-woo——————"

The reporter desperately twisted around the wooden post!

"Stop yelling, stop yelling, I'll let you down now," Joe James stepped forward, took out a dagger to cut the rope, then pulled out the sack from his mouth, "If you keep blabbering nonsense, don't blame me for breaking your teeth."

"Forget it, he can't understand what you're saying. Call Mr. Zhang over," Tyler said.

"Cough cough cough cough..." The reporter first coughed violently, then shouted in horror, "These people, these people are just executioners! The real murderer is...cough cough...the North City police station!"

"What's he yelling about?"

"God knows. Mr. Zhang, could you please come over?"

Just then, the lights in the theater's audience suddenly turned on! The huge chandeliers overhead were lit one by one, followed by the wall lamps on both sides, and within dozens of seconds, the entire theater hall was completely lit up!

Everyone was stunned by this change.

Even Chaoyang was caught somewhat off guard.

Fortunately, his real body had not followed in the action, so the mere light and shadow wouldn't expose his presence.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

Someone was smacking their tongue from above.

Chaoyang looked up and saw that about a dozen people had suddenly appeared in the second-floor viewing gallery. Unlike the stage's attackers, they were all dressed in indigo blue uniforms with white trousers and peaked caps, and they were also carrying rifles.

One of them, even more conspicuous in his attire, was wearing a tie and had tassels on his shoulders, probably the leader. This person leaned on the railing with his hands, stuck out his head, and said, "Mr. Dane, you shouldn't have said that. If the rats knew nothing, they might still have a way to survive, but now they won't live to leave the theater, even if they manage to escape."

"Damn, what's going on here!?" Joe James looked around and said, "Host, is this part of your plan too?"

"Don't shout! Aren't you trying to contact the mastermind?" Zhang Zhiyuan interrupted coldly, "Now they have come to us."

"You're insane, Ghost! As the chief of police, to do such a thing for your superiors!" Kort Dane said, gasping for breath and speaking fiercely, "I will not let this be buried. Once it's reported, all of you will end up on the gallows! And the corporate heads as well!"

"You always have unrealistic fantasies; it was the same with your last report. The police station had already warned you," the man called Ghost shook his head, "Think about it, with just the courage of the Jeddy brothers, do they dare to publish your so-called truth? And based on your word alone, how many people in town would believe you?"

The reporter was at a loss for words.

"Of course, you won't possibly leave here alive, so resign yourself to being a sacrifice. At the same time, I want to thank you for bringing so many rats to me," the chief of police straightened his cap, "As for those below... there are six hours left until dawn. I hope you guys can last a bit longer."

His subordinates raised their guns one after another.

"I see, that's how it is..." Zhang Zhiyuan said slowly with a grim face.

Why had a serial murder case stretched over several months without being solved, and why had such a large syndicate operated without being detected... It was because it was an inside job! The police themselves were plotting the cases, hiring killers, and even intentionally leaving clues for those who took it upon themselves to investigate. Any pursuer lured in would inevitably become prey trapped!

"Bro Zhang, don't get it, they're holding guns!" Zhou Zhi felt his scalp tingling, "What do we do now?"

"Make a break for the blind spots in their aim," Zhang Zhiyuan made a judgment as he looked at the people on the second floor, "Their guns don't seem to be semi-automatic; we have a good chance of escaping back to the hallways on either side of the hall."

"Listen, listen to you. So, should we run left or right?"

"Left, to where we came from!" Zhang Zhiyuan suddenly shouted, "Run!"

Before his words fell, all six of them began running, all choosing the east side in unison!

At the same time, gunshots rang out continuously, but the firing sounds weren't loud, sounding instead like some sharp, short whistles! Bullets hit the seats, exploding with a crackling sound, and the shattered stuffing flew up like snowflakes, swirling around them.

"Ugh—"

Just when they were about to dash through the entrance, Anthony grunted and fell to the ground. Tyler and Qianyuan Meiko immediately turned back, braving the shots to drag him into the corridor.

"I... I've been shot." The Russian moaned, holding his neck.

It was evident that blood was seeping incessantly from between his fingers, and without prompt medical attention to stem the flow, he would soon go into shock from blood loss.

"Does anyone have a bandage!" Mingzi looked around, "I can wrap it up!"

"It's no use, he injured a major blood vessel, probably the external jugular vein." Tyler shook his head, "That kind of wound, even if you strangled him with a bandage, it wouldn't help."

In fact, Anthony wasn't the only one who had been shot.

Joe, Tyler, and Qianyuan Meiko had also taken a hit or two, but they were lucky—the bullets struck them without penetrating their stab-proof vests.

"What exactly are those weapons they have? The firing rate is much faster than before!" Joe James said indignantly.

"They are guns powered by steam." Chao reappeared and spoke, "The cavalry you met on the beach were using firearms powered by gunpowder."

This wasn't him deliberately setting a trap for his comrades from Earth; in fact, he was equally surprised when he saw the weapons used by the enemy. They carried air tanks on their backs, wrapped in leather covers that at a glance looked no bigger than a travel pack. Because of the extra device for power supply, they didn't need to reload gunpowder and could fire about once every two seconds.

"Steam rifles?" Tyler couldn't believe it, "Aren't those supposed to be just conceptual blueprints?"

"Now that you mention it, it's all making sense," the American spat, "Paradise itself is a kind of fantasy, isn't it?"

"They're about to catch up," Zhou Zhi leaned against the door, seeing all the blue-clothed men hurrying down the staircase to the first floor, "We need to hurry up and get out through the windows!"

"There's no escape." Zhang Zhiyuan shook his head, "Since this was a trap to begin with, the exit must have been blocked early on. Have you forgotten what the journalist said? These people are the police; even if we got out on the street, they could kill us openly and legally."

"Right, and surviving doesn't mean much to us, the points are far more important." Mingzi joined in, "If we don't rescue the journalist, everything we've done in the second half will have been in vain."

The others agreed with her statement.

"Sukarnobert, I quite fancy a fight against them here!" the Russian mumbled, then suddenly raised his eyebrows and slowly moved his hand away, "What's going on, the wound doesn't seem to hurt that much anymore."

"I lowered your pain level, of course, that has nothing to do with the bleeding, you have only about half a quarter of an hour left to live." Chao said.

"That explains it, thanks, host!" Without the sensation of pain, Anthony suddenly felt revitalized.

"Hey, can you adjust it for us too?" Zhou Zhi couldn't help but ask.

"The lower the pain sensation, the less control you have over your body. In simple terms, you become less agile." Chao declined, "Trust me, numbness is not always better in a fight."

"I wonder if it's just my imagination…" the Brit stared at Chao, thoughtfully, "Host, you seem to be getting more and more concerned about our mission."

"It's always good to enjoy a great battle that reveals the truth, isn't it?" the latter replied impassively, "Paradise always stands with the players, hoping to provide you with the greatest enjoyment. Rest assured, the hefty entrance fee you've paid will not go unrewarded, we will make it worth your while. New alert, the enemy is here."