AZI Volume 3 Chapter 21

"I see, how unfortunate for them. And? What does that have to do with me?"

"…?"

A look of confusion appears on Li Zi Xiang's face in response to Long Hua's question, to which, the latter raises an eye, and remarks—

"What? Did you expect me to come quietly with you if you just had some hostages in hand? C'mon, I barely know whoever those two you caught were. Grill them, fry them, steam them, do whatever the hell you want with them. What do I care about the fate of two faceless strangers?"

"…A person like you is just the worst."

A chuckle escapes from Long Hua's mouth towards these words, as he replies—

"One of the things that I hate the most in this world—is to be threatened to do something, especially so if it comes from a stranger. If you want to invite me over for something, then it's only courteous to prepare some beverages, or snacks."

"You…-"

Just as Li Zi Xiang is about to say something, she stops, and directs her eyes towards the wireless headpiece—that is stuck to her right ear.

"Fine, you're invited over as a guest. Follow me then."

Turning around, Li Zi Xiang gestures for Long Hua to follow, while the latter asks—

"How far are we walking?"

"Not very far at all. We just need to grab your other squad-mates as well."

Under the watchful eyes of masked faces, Long Hua is escorted to where Ye Chen and Li Xue are.

Upon Li Zi Xiang and Long Hua's arrival onto the scene, the sea of people parted to the side—to let them through.

"…"

"…"

Standing on the opposite side of Ye Chen and Li Xue is Chen Lan—with two individuals behind him, holding the unconscious bodies of Yu Ji and Qing Yue.

(Well, this is awkward…)

Not knowing where to really position himself in this standoff, Long Hua decides to just position himself between the two confronting sides, as if to say he's completely neutral on this matter.

As soon as Li Zi Xiang had positioned herself in front of Chen Lan, Ye Chen asks—

"So, you're the one in charge, then?"

"I'm only the vice-commander of our group."

"And the actual commander?"

"You'll get to meet him soon enough."

Saying this, Li Zi Xiang takes out a slightly thick piece of parchment—that is half the size of an A4 sheet.

(A talisman?)

Recognizing the item, Long Hua raises an eye beneath his sunglasses.

Without wasting any more time, Li Zi Xiang tosses the talisman down, and—

"Activate."

Upon its activation, the teleportation magic array—that is imprinted onto the talisman's surface, peels, and expands in size.

"Immortal arts?"

Recognizing this to be an item that belongs to an Immortal, Ye Chen can't help but frown, while Li Zi Xiang says—

"Our boss is waiting on the other side."

"And how can I be certain that this isn't a trap?"

"Do you have a choice?"

Asking this, Li Zi Xiang directs her thumb towards her side's hostages.

"…"

As Ye Chen hesitates about the matter, Long Hua nonchalantly walks forward—causing the former to direct a questioning look at him.

"There's drinks and snacks on the other side. Wouldn't do to keep them waiting—since it's impolite, right?"

Having said this, Long Hua steps onto the magic array, and in the next instance, his body vanishes from sight.

"…"

Taking a few steps forward, Long Hua suddenly finds himself inside the main area of a nightclub.

As it is currently off hours, there is no loud music being blasted off, and the lights—that are set to be white, grant the place a clearer view.

To the far back of the club is the stage area, where a DJ would be positioned.

Directly on the opposite side of the stage area—right behind Long Hua's current position, is a bar counter.

Lining the back walls of the counter is an array of different alcoholic beverages.

And to the right side of the bar counter is an entrance—with its door labeled with the letters "VIP."

"…"

Taking his sunglasses off, and looking upwards, Long Hua notices the presence of two additional floors above this one.

The centers of these upper floors are hollowed out—allowing them to all share a single disco ball with the base floor.

"I was expecting Zi Xiang to be the first one to come in, didn't expect someone else."

Turning his head towards the source of this voice, Long Hua sees a man with red hair—who should be around the same age as Ye Chen.

The area the man is seated in consists of a rectangular table with short legs, along with three leather sofas surrounding it. All the other seating areas are of a similar arrangement.

"The name's Shào Tiānmíng."

Introducing himself, Shao Tianming ignites a cigarette, and places it in his mouth.

Attire wise, Shao Tianming is dressed in a fur-hooded white jacket—with the figure of a ferocious dog, stitched onto its back. Beneath this jacket, he wears a black shirt—coupled with ripped jeans, and a pair of tall black boots.

Other than that, Shao Tianming also wore two black bracelets, and a loose black ring around his neck; these two accessories stood out to Long Hua, for they are the same as the ones that he would wear when riding his bike.