As night fell, the ship was brightly lit, its music interwoven with the sea breeze, laughter and joy serving as fervent adornments.
Every guest attending the banquet was clad in exquisite attire, their faces adorned with various styles of half-face masks.
These were also delivered to their rooms by the ship's staff that evening, along with their identity cards for the night, informing them of an interesting game and hoping for their punctual attendance.
A game, how wonderful.
Those who wished to join the party and have some excitement were delighted by this arrangement.
Those who intended to cause trouble during the party were even more so.
A game, how wonderful.
Of course, there were also those who were not pleased.
"All these fake clownish tricks," Xifu said displeasedly, looking at the items sent by the staff, her lips turned down. "It's a shame I prepared to dress up so nicely tonight."
She had wanted Xia Qingtian to get a good look at her beauty!
Even with a disguise, she could still be stunningly beautiful!
She was the most suitable person to stand beside Nie Qingkong, not some old woman who could be Nie Qingkong's mother!
Nie Qingkong stood before the mirror, adjusting his bowtie, and then placed the half-face mask on his face. The face in the mirror, which he hadn't gotten used to yet, now looked completely unfamiliar.
With such a face, he was to kill people, to kill those familiar to Xia Qingyu.
Xia Qingyu might not even recognize him.
After a brief moment of relief, a sense of lost panic followed.
Even if Xia Qingyu didn't know, could he pretend not to know?
Once he truly did so, an insurmountable chasm would form between him and Xia Qingyu.
The face in the mirror, so cold and unfamiliar, and his eyes were also gradually becoming strange.
However, this mask surprisingly felt somewhat familiar.
It was as if... this thing had always been on his face, never removed.
He couldn't remember when it started.
He had put on a mask for himself, and never taken it off again.
No, it seemed he had taken it off.
Once, he had taken it off in front of someone.
As Nie Qingkong stared blankly into the mirror, Xifu waved her hand in front of his eyes. "Tarik, what are you thinking about?"
"Nothing," Nie Qingkong replied after snapping back to reality, pushing Xifu's hand away. "I'm just a little... unaccustomed."
"This face, right? I'm unaccustomed to it too." Xifu was applying the realistic fake skin on her face in the mirror, and lamented slightly. "If it weren't for the fear of causing unnecessary trouble, I wouldn't want to wear this thing; it's stuffy and ugly."
Her beautiful eyes flickered, and Xifu said with a smile, "But this is good too. If someone can recognize me through such a layer of skin, then this must be true love."
After speaking, Xifu looked at Nie Qingkong and said, "Tarik, no matter what you disguise yourself as, no matter how your appearance changes, I will still recognize you at a glance."
As she spoke, Xifu looped her arm around Nie Qingkong's neck, her expression sincere. "In this world, there will only ever be one me, and one you."
"Put on your mask," Nie Qingkong ignored Xifu's confession, pressing the half-face mask onto Xifu's face. "I have a mission tonight; don't cause me any trouble."
"You're so annoying, you have no romance," Xifu complained as she took the half-face mask and put it on. Then, the two of them walked out of the room together, heading towards the deck.
Shortly after they left, a woman in a black evening gown appeared at the door. She knocked twice rhythmically before entering.
After the woman went in, Xiang Xueyuan, who claimed to be uninterested in the party and wished to rest in his room, emerged from the master bedroom of the suite. He had a different fake skin on his face, but his white hair was still tied back.
"Master," the person who entered was Gaia, who had been obeying orders in the shadows. "The signal is chaotic, and we can't establish contact with our people in a timely manner."
"It's alright, it's good to play around a bit longer." Xiang Xueyuan curved his lips, took a half-face black mask from Gaia, and smiled faintly. "Let's go, let's see if Tarik can complete the first trial I've given him."
"Yes," Gaia responded and followed Xiang Xueyuan, and the two of them walked out together.
The guests on the ship who wanted to enjoy themselves, and those with ulterior motives, all began their actions.
Meanwhile, in the control room, Bai Yuqi was adjusting his bowtie. "My dear, are you really not going to join the fun tonight? I specially prepared a custom-made suit for you, from that Italian tailor you've always liked. Wouldn't it be a shame not to go? Let's have some fun."
"No, there are too many people who want to kill me," Lu Yaoyang said, stirring his instant noodles with a fork. "It's better for me to keep watch here."
"Tch, you're so paranoid. We haven't even reached the island yet; who would be looking for a fight at this time? Aren't you afraid the ship will turn back directly, leaving them empty-handed?" Bai Yuqi scoffed.
"Not everyone is after the treasure," Lu Yaoyang looked at Bai Yuqi and said. "Wen Jiu will impersonate me later, so keep an eye on Er Ya and Miao Tong."
"Got it!" Bai Yuqi shook his head speechlessly. "I still think you have persecution complex."
"Then consider me to have such an illness," Lu Yaoyang said, slurping his instant noodles before continuing. "If I didn't have this illness, I might not have survived until now."
Hearing this, Bai Yuqi said no more, only huffing, "Anyway, I'm going to enjoy fine wine, good food, and beautiful women tonight. I've been staring at these people and organizing this data for days; my eyes are about to go blind! If anyone obstructs my pursuit of pleasure tonight, I won't hesitate to throw the clueless bastard into the sea!"
"Go ahead, enjoy yourself to your heart's content," Lu Yaoyang's tone remained unchanged. "Later, I'll give the precious footage on the deck directly to Yu Yinyin as a souvenir, a parting gift."
"You, you, you, you!" Bai Yuqi's eyes widened immediately. "My dear! Did I owe you in my past life? We weren't even close to beginning, and now you're breaking the pen for me!"
"Yu Yinyin is an excellent artist under my company," Lu Yaoyang smiled faintly at Bai Yuqi. "Protecting artists from bad influences is what I, as the helmsman, should do."
"I! You!" Bai Yuqi was so angered by Lu Yaoyang that he didn't know what to say. "I was just speaking carelessly! I'm not a scumbag!"
"Don't worry, I'll watch myself," Lu Yaoyang chuckled at Bai Yuqi. "You must enjoy yourself to the fullest, with beautiful women in your arms."
"I..." Bai Yuqi puffed out his cheeks, and finally, in a manner of helplessness towards Lu Yaoyang, said, "I really owe you! Fine, fine! I'll keep a close watch on the deck! No fun, just watching, alright!"
"Thank you for your hard work, Young Master Bai," Lu Yaoyang said, then shifted his gaze back to the surveillance screen, continuing to slurp his noodles.
Bai Yuqi gnashed his teeth behind Lu Yaoyang for a long time, then stomped away in anger.
After Bai Yuqi left, Lu Yaoyang pushed the instant noodles aside, his gaze sharp as he stared at the screen, not letting any suspicious person escape his notice.
Bai Yuqi had always thought the real battle would commence after landing on the island. In reality, the battle had already been initiated by him tonight.
Let's see who can land on the island alive after tonight!