Fifty-four feathers
As the sun sets and dusk approaches, the top floor of the Research and Investigation Department is brightly lit.
Qu Yaoguang distributed four royal blue tickets to those who were going to the masked ball. "These are the tickets. You must hold them carefully. Someone will check them when you enter."
They looked at each other, and each ticket had a different number printed on it.
"And what does this number mean?" Su Mo looked at the number above, not knowing what it meant.
"This represents the identity of each of you. No one there knows your name, and we recognize each other by number," Qu Yaoguang explained.
"Where did these coupons come from? Where did you get so many?"
It is not easy to get four or five admission tickets, and Qu Yaoguang did not tell them at the beginning that they needed tickets to enter.
“Imitation.”
"Imitation? Who imitated it?" Zhao Tang was also shocked when he heard this. He had been in the Research and Investigation Department for a while, but he didn't know that the professor had such a skill.
He had always thought that the professor only specialized in experimental research, but he didn't expect that he also had some unconventional skills.
"It's me." A cool voice sounded from outside the door.
Several people turned around at the same time and found that the person who spoke was Jiang Wanru.
"Senior Sister? How come you are here?" Zhao Tang widened his eyes and stared blankly at the person coming from outside the door.
Except for Qu Yaoguang, everyone else present was shocked, because although she was a victim, she was also a criminal. It was just because of her status that she was handed over to the police for custody, which also made it convenient for Liao Xihe to be with her. But no one expected to see her here again.
Jiang Wanru smiled and shrugged, "Why can't I be here? I'm from the vampire clan. How can the police control me with their methods?"
But as she spoke, she noticed Su Mo's hand reaching for her lower back. She knew exactly what that meant, so she quickly raised her hands and explained, "Don't worry, I just want to help you. Don't misunderstand."
While she was speaking, Ye Linghan also caught a glimpse of Su Mochun's right hand that was about to move, and quickly raised his hand to stop him. He shook his head at him, signaling him to calm down.
"After all, I'm the only one who knows this technique, so without me you wouldn't be able to get in." Jiang Wanru was calm and composed, explaining without any panic, "So in other words, you should thank me. It's worth all the effort I put into helping you get in."
Qu Yaoguang also explained with his arms folded, "It's like this. To enter the inner arena, you must have their special admission ticket, and the ticket contains a vampire-specific potion. Therefore, if you want to imitate it, you can only rely on Wanru."
"But since it's a replica, won't it be discovered?" Ye Linghan said.
Qu Yaoguang raised his eyebrows, his expression filled with helplessness. "Then guess how I get in every time?"
"I thought you always got in through formal channels." Ye Linghan said angrily.
Having said that, Ye Linghan was still skeptical about Professor Qu. Not only him, but the other three also had doubts in their hearts.
Qu Yaoguang saw through their thoughts, held his forehead with his hand and smiled bitterly, and patiently explained for the first time in his life, "You don't have to be so hostile to me and Wanru. If we really had bad intentions, there would be no need to go to such great lengths to bring you in."
"Okay." Su Mo reluctantly compromised. He put away the coupon in his hand and said, "In that case, let's go."
Before leaving, Ye Linghan paused and turned to look at Jiang Wanru, "Senior Sister, are you coming with us?"
He vaguely sensed that the other party didn't seem to show any signs of moving.
As expected, Jiang Wanru smiled and shook her head, "No, helping you forge the admission tickets has already consumed a lot of my energy. It's time to go back and rest."
When she meant going back to rest, she simply meant returning to the police station cage and going to a place where her family would be with her.
Several people came downstairs, and including Qu Yaoguang, there were five people in total, just enough to fit in one car.
Because Qu Yaoguang was familiar with the road, Su Mo agreed to let him drive.
As Qu Yaoguang drove, he reminded everyone, "When you get inside, be sure to remember your codenames. They're marked on your tickets, as I mentioned earlier. Also, try not to get separated. This is called a dance, but in reality, many people are doing shady deals behind the scenes. It's dangerous, but you might find what you want."
"How do you know what we want?" Su Mo asked.
"I don't know." Qu Yaoguang first denied it, then explained, "But what you want must also be what I want to find."
Su Mo couldn't help but frown. What did he mean? On the one hand, he denied that he didn't know, but on the other hand, he said that everyone had the same goal. It was simply contradictory.
He could no longer see the person in front of him clearly.
It turns out that the old ones are the wisest... But since I have already boarded the "thief's car", I have no choice but to accept my fate.
Ye Linghan, on the other hand, was not worried about what might happen next. He just closed his eyes and listened quietly to their conversation.
The car sped all the way and finally arrived at a detached manor villa on the outskirts of the city.
Several people looked at the scenery outside through the car window. This was indeed their first time here, and they couldn't help feeling curious.
Qu Yaoguang parked the car in the yard. After getting out, several people were led to the gate of the villa by a man in uniform and an ordinary black mask.
The five people in the car had already put on masks before arriving.
During the journey, several people looked back and forth, observing their surroundings vigilantly.
About a dozen men wearing the same uniform and masks stood outside the villa. When they reached the door, one of the masked men stepped forward, nodded slightly in respect, and said, "Please show us your tickets."
His tone was quite polite.
Qu Yaoguang handed it over first, and the masked man scanned it carefully with a special light. After confirming that it was correct, he stepped aside to make way. Qu Yaoguang looked back at the remaining four people and walked in without saying a word.
After watching the other party go in, Ye Linghan and the others seemed calm on the surface, but in fact they were all extremely panicked inside. If it weren't for the masks, their expressions would have betrayed them.
Because although the imitation technology is said to be superb, it is not genuine after all, so there are still certain risks.
According to the order from 17 to 20, the one who got number 17 was Su Mo. As he was the captain, he had no choice but to step forward, and the others followed behind him tacitly.
After repeated inspections, fortunately Qu Yaoguang did not lie to them, and with Jiang Wanru's superb skills, they all passed the inspection smoothly and entered the inner field.
The entire villa was built magnificently, with an air of romance and nobility. Because a few people had just entered, the gazes of some people who were originally in the inner field were fixed on them like spotlights. Fortunately, they were shielded by masks, so it was impossible to tell what they were thinking.
"Why are they all looking at us?" Zhao Tang couldn't stand the uncomfortable feeling of being stared at. He gritted his teeth and used his abdomen to make sounds, and asked Ye Linghan beside him in a low voice.
"I don't know." Ye Linghan also looked around at the people around him. Everyone was dressed elegantly and luxuriously, and their whole body exuded the aura of money.
"Could it be that they all know each other privately, and since we are here for the first time, they exclude us?" Yao Qingluan also asked Su Mo beside her in a low voice. Her hands were tightly grasping the corner of Su Mo's clothes behind her, for fear that they would be separated by the crowd.
Su Mo patted Yao Qingluan's shoulder gently. "No." He looked at her and comforted her through the mask. "Everyone has a first time. They shouldn't do anything to us. Besides, we have weapons to protect ourselves. If things don't work out, we can just run away."
After hearing Su Mo's words, Yao Qingluan felt a little relieved.
At this time, a familiar figure walked towards them. Several people recognized the other party's mask. It was Qu Yaoguang. He had one hand in his pocket and casually held a high-heeled glass in the other hand.
When he got closer, he asked jokingly, "Would you like a drink?"
After saying that, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers, calling over a masked man holding a tray with several glasses of champagne on it.
The four of them pretended to hold a cup in their hands.
Although soothing piano music was playing in the backstage, Ye Linghan still keenly caught the footsteps approaching from far behind him. Under the mask, he curled his lips and a hint of tenderness appeared in his eyes.
He turned around and saw a black-haired man wearing a half-dress with a tuft of feathers walking up to him.
But Ye Linghan was completely unprepared for the other party's attire and was completely unaware of it.
Zhao Tang, who was standing nearby, saw such a tall man standing in front of Ye Linghan and asked nervously in a low voice, "Who is this?"
Without waiting for Ye Linghan to speak, the black-haired man bowed politely, extending a hand in front of him. As everyone stared in shock, he slowly spoke, "Would you mind if I could invite this gentleman to dance with me?"
A pleasant and magnetic low voice reached Ye Linghan's ears. Even with the mask on, it couldn't hide the smile on the corner of his mouth.
Zhao Tang knew Ye Linghan best and knew that he would not do anything rash, but when he saw the man in front of him who looked very similar to Yin Chen, he couldn't help but feel worried.
He muttered softly, reminding the people around him, "You are a married man..." Before he finished speaking, he saw Ye Linghan naturally put his hand on the black-haired man's hand.
"It's my honor."
What the hell? Even the mask couldn't hide Zhao Tang's wide eyes. He looked at the two of them in astonishment.
"Ye Linghan! Are you crazy?" Not only Zhao Tang, but Su Mo beside him also asked coldly.
No one would have thought that Ye Linghan, who usually seemed to be extremely affectionate and loving with Yin Chen, would actually take the opportunity of wearing a mask to hold another man's hand.
But Ye Linghan didn't care. He just tilted his head and asked in confusion, "Is there a problem with me holding my boyfriend's hand?"
Upon hearing this, the black-haired man closed his palm and wrapped Ye Linghan's hand tightly.
"What?" Yao Qingluan exclaimed, looking at the black-haired man carefully.
The other two were also shocked by what Ye Linghan said.
How did he become my boyfriend? Doesn't Yin Chen have white hair? But the guy in front of me has black hair.
Ye Linghan spoke slowly, asking the question that puzzled the others, "Why did you dye your hair black?"
He was brought into the other person's arms with a little effort.
Through the mask, one could vaguely see Yin Chen's lips curled into a smile. "I didn't dye it, I just put on some hair powder." He leaned over again, leaning close to Ye Linghan's ear, his warm breath spraying on his neck. "I have to keep a low profile to protect my wife's safety."
Ye Linghan chuckled upon hearing this, then lifted Yin Chen's hand and turned it over, placing a gentle kiss on it. He then whispered into Yin Chen's ear, "Thank you for your hard work, my personal bodyguard."
"Hey, let's go."
"This is all about that."
"It's unnecessary to ask!"
The people around also roughly understood the whole story. They couldn't help but feel disgusted and retreated to Qu Yaoguang's side with smacking their lips. Especially Zhao Tang, he felt even more embarrassed. He never expected that the person who came was Yin Chen. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Ye Linghan was not honest for not telling them in advance that Yin Chen was coming. So he secretly took note of it and planned to give him a good beating when he had the chance.
Qu Yaoguang witnessed the whole process from the side, his eyes full of the satisfaction of an old father seeing his son find his ideal partner, but when he saw the other three people coming to him pitifully, he couldn't help but feel pity.
"How about we go first?"
He expected that the person coming must be no simple person, so he didn't need to take care of anything. Instead, he would split the troops into two groups so that the target would be smaller and it would be easier to succeed.
Su Mo knew Yin Chen better, so he was not worried and agreed to the proposal.
"Do you know this place well?" Ye Linghan asked. He knew that Yin Chen would not fight unprepared, so he would definitely know something about it in advance.
He casually placed the untouched bottle of champagne in his hand on the table beside him, fearing that it might have been drugged. Even if it wasn't, drinking it could easily lead to mistakes.
Yin Chen held Ye Linghan's hand tightly, "Yes, I have understood it, but I'm not sure."
Ye Linghan felt surprised that there was something that Yin Chen was not sure about.
So he said, "What's going on here? You can't control it?"
"It's very complicated. I asked Sun Mao to investigate. There's practically no information about the higher-ups. Furthermore, the arrangement of the facilities changes with every gathering here. However, we can roughly analyze the pattern. If the changes were too drastic, they might even fall into chaos."
"But I guess the one who brought you here must be experienced, so don't worry about your teammates."
Ye Linghan nodded, but he wasn't too worried about them. "Well, where are we going now?"
As for this place, he is still in an unknown state.
"Do you see the clock in the center?" Yin Chen gestured for Ye Linghan to look up.
In the center of the inner field, there is a classical clock hanging, and the hands are moving regularly.
"Yeah, I see."
"This clock will start at twelve o'clock and will chime twelve times. Then it will chime a few times at different times, announcing the midnight revelry."
Ye Linghan turned his head to look at Yin Chen: "A carnival for the vampires?"
"In theory, that's right."
Vampires generally move around at night, so night is their time for indulgence.
"So, we need to find their trading location before twelve o'clock. Then, when the bells strike twelve, we can take out what you need. Otherwise, it will be difficult to act at other times because there will be too many people around."
"Okay, I understand." Ye Linghan always handled serious matters neatly and efficiently. "So where are we going now?"
"Auction."
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