Meanwhile, back in the same dilapidated church.
The man in the black robe reappeared, with the same group of war criminals below him.
Except this time, a man of five feet tall was leading them. This man, five feet tall, hailed from the Dark Hall.
"Distinguished guests, you have had a few days to consider. How has your deliberation progressed?"
The man in the black robe spoke slowly. In reality, their consideration was not within the scope of the Dark Hall's concerns.
Or rather, if the Dark Hall ordered them to act, they had no choice but to comply!
In short, even if they didn't wish to act, they were compelled to.
"We just wish to live our lives peacefully. We have no desire to be involved in these matters. Do you understand our intentions?"
Someone spoke up.
They truly did not want to risk their lives again. Ever since their release from the Mobei Prison, they had come to understand the importance of freedom.
Moreover, the risks involved in this particular matter were extremely high.
Recently, the Great Xia King had caused quite a stir in the southern provinces. They were not fools; they would not court disaster at a time like this.
The man in the black robe's wide hood nodded slightly.
Then, with his hands clasped at his abdomen, he remained silent.
Just as they began to believe that the Dark Hall would not force them to act, the dwarf man sitting at the very front, idly fiddling with a butterfly knife, suddenly appeared with a blood-red gash on the neck of the person who had just spoken.
The instant the gash appeared, blood spurted out, and a strong scent of blood instantly permeated the entire dilapidated church!
"This is the consequence of disobeying the Dark Hall!"
"What we want is not discussion, but obedience. For those who are disobedient, we generally eliminate them swiftly."
As soon as the dwarf man's voice was heard, the surrounding individuals were struck with mortal terror!
They had not expected the Dark Hall to be so decisive, to act without even a semblance of discussion!
No, they had discussed; they had been asked to consider.
Such a "consideration" was worse than no consideration at all.
"What is your answer?"
The dwarf man chuckled. He had the complexion of an Asian, but being so short, such a person could only be from that island nation.
"I will act."
"I will act!"
"I will act as well."
Instantly, a group of people nodded in unison. Not a single one refused.
"Since that is the case, after midnight tonight, incapacitate a few security guards and infiltrate the venue. Someone will contact you then. Follow their instructions during the operation, and you will survive. Do you understand?"
...
The venue for the International Go Tournament was the Southern Province Stadium, as only a stadium could accommodate such a large crowd.
According to incomplete statistics, fifty thousand tickets were issued and sold out by 6 PM that day. It was worth noting that ticket pre-sales had only begun at 5 PM.
In just one hour, fifty thousand tickets were completely sold.
This demonstrated the Chinese people's passion for Go.
Those who were able to attend in person were essentially people who loved and understood Go, unlike Mu Hanqi, who had only a superficial understanding.
With half an hour remaining before the tournament began, Ye Longlin, wearing headphones, was communicating with everyone via the established local network.
"Boss, there are no anomalies detected so far. However, last night at midnight, fifteen Dragon Pavilion soldiers lost contact. They will report in half an hour. They were attacked, and I had them stage a performance. They believe they haven't been discovered and have now infiltrated our security team."
The entire venue was under the surveillance of the Dragon Pavilion soldiers. Even on the scaffolding above the open-air stadium, numerous snipers were awaiting orders.
If anything were amiss, they would be able to open fire and eliminate the threat immediately!
"Report any developments immediately."
Ye Longlin said slowly.
Lin Tianai, standing beside him, heard Ye Longlin's muttering and turned her head with a look of curiosity. "Ah? What did you say?"
Lin Tianai was particularly curious today. Her light makeup did not give the impression of a thick foundation; instead, her lightly made-up face clearly revealed fine facial hairs. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her small face was filled with excitement, causing her round cheeks to appear somewhat flushed.
Her luscious lips, enhanced by lipstick, made one desire to kiss them. Her thick down jacket concealed her attractive figure, but it had to be said that Mu Hanqi possessed natural beauty. Even without makeup, she was still stunning.
Ye Longlin was neither a saint nor a hermit.
Ever since the kiss the previous night, something seemed to have been unlocked within him, and the thoughts in his heart could no longer be suppressed.
He turned to look at Mu Hanqi, his gaze flashing with a tender warmth.
As if sensing his gaze, Mu Hanqi, with her little stratagem, did not turn to meet Ye Longlin's eyes. A hint of a smile appeared on her usually cool and beautiful face.
It seemed that the tutorials she had watched online were not entirely useless.
To pursue a man like Ye Longlin, one had to first let his own desires slowly consume him, making him feel that perhaps the two of them together were also quite good.
See? Wasn't that the case now?
"If any accidents happen later, you must stick close to me. Otherwise, I won't be responsible if you die."
Just as Mu Hanqi was happily contemplating a future of uninhibited bliss with Ye Longlin, Ye Longlin's words instantly doused her with a bucket of cold water.
Mu Hanqi abruptly turned her head. As she turned, the distance between them was reduced to almost a single finger's width, as if they were about to kiss.
Mu Hanqi also thought this, gently closing her eyes, her eyelashes trembling involuntarily, clearly betraying her flustered heart.
After a minute passed and Mu Hanqi still felt nothing, she couldn't help but open her eyes. Ye Longlin had already turned his head to look at the stage. Annoyed, Mu Hanqi asked him irritably, "What do you know?"
Ye Longlin repeated his previous statement: "Just remember to stay behind me later."
Mu Hanqi glared at Ye Longlin, feeling increasingly puzzled. Was she not charming enough?
A hand stealthily reached for Ye Longlin's waist, performing a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree...
"Hiss! What are you doing!"
Ye Longlin turned his head and glared at her.
Mu Hanqi also glared back, staring directly at him: "I'm in a bad mood."
Ye Longlin didn't want to bother with her, wondering why this girl was acting so strangely.
He simply couldn't understand women.
"The Ninth International Go Tournament is now officially commencing. Before we proceed to the main event, let us welcome the sixteen players who have reached the finals! They are: Qi Chuyao from the Qi family of Southern Province, Great Xia; Fujiwara Taro from the Fujiwara family of that island nation; Kim Ji from the Korean peninsula; [Country Name]'s..."
"After a period of intense competition, these sixteen have emerged victorious. Today, among these sixteen, the champion of this tournament will be decided. Now, let us welcome the Ninth International Go Tournament with a round of applause, as it officially begins!"