Chapter 80: Chapter 77: Invitation from the Promised Land
"Haha, Ms. Chen, you really came early, didn’t even notify me beforehand."
Wu Liang didn’t show any flaw, but his tone was slightly sarcastic, as if mocking the other party for not telling him the exact time.
Seemingly sarcastic, yet it had a deeper meaning.
He wanted to confirm whether Chen Lili was still the same person as before.
"You’re joking, forgetting to tell you the specific time on Monday was my oversight, but you’re here now, aren’t you?" Chen Lili responded with a smile.
There was no trace of her previous embarrassing state at home; now she appeared like an elite of the officialdom.
There’s nothing more to say; Wu Liang could pretty much confirm that this woman was no longer the same person he had interacted with before.
Or rather, it wasn’t the same memory.
In Chen Lili’s current understanding, she was the one who told Wu Liang about the banquet on Monday.
"It’s impolite to chat at the door, please come in." Chen Lili extended her hand to invite him inside.
But Wu Liang didn’t hold her hand, he simply walked inside, still remembering how outrageous Zhang Hang had been in the residential area before, making him feel a bit nauseated.
Walking into the venue, he saw a variety of elite officials exchanging conversations.
Whether about work matters, current government arrangements, or many discussing future plans for various aspects of Chengyang City, it was quite enlightening for bystanders.
Unfortunately, Wu Liang couldn’t understand these twists and turns.
After all, he didn’t care about the city’s future or his position.
Anyway, since he was here, he might as well eat something, right?
Thinking of this, Wu Liang headed straight to the long dining table, picked up a plate, and piled it high with delicacies, starting a feast.
While eating heartily, he also observed the venue’s layout.
"1, 2, 3, 4... 50, still a few short."
Counting the attendees, most of those affected by the Monkey Claw were here, with only a few absent from the venue, yet he could still sense their presence in the building.
Taking a few more steps forward, Wu Liang noticed the chat areas were quite scattered, indicating the true big shots had not yet arrived.
That would be the host of the banquet, "Mr. Qin."
Buzz—
Just as Wu Liang thought of this, the lighting in the venue suddenly dimmed significantly, with only the stage ahead remaining relatively bright.
Everyone’s conversations stopped, and they began to move towards the stage.
"Good evening, everyone. I am Qin Yuesheng."
An elegant and composed voice appeared out of nowhere, echoing directly into everyone’s ears as if the owner of the voice was omnipresent.
Everyone’s gaze turned to the center stage, where a man in a tailcoat and wearing a white mask slowly walked up.
Becoming the focal point of the gathering, he smiled and continued, "Today, the honored guests here should have helped me to some extent; let me thank you first."
At this point, Wu Liang clearly saw someone’s hand holding a wine glass tremble slightly.
After all, not everyone was complicit with the Promised Land from the start; many were inadvertently dragged in by Zhang Hang’s Monkey Claw influence.
Their original intentions might not have been like this.
But now they were onboard and couldn’t get off safely.
"I believe most of you here still have no idea what I intend to do; some may follow for reasons of fame, wealth, or even women."
The man’s tone was steady, as if narrating something trivial.
"These are your current pursuits, but they are not the future!" His voice suddenly rose.
"Our true goal should be focused on the future! To liberate human society from the fear of supernatural resurgence!"
With each of his astonishing words, although under normal circumstances they would seem ludicrous, somehow they stirred a bit of commotion among the people at the venue; it’s as if his words carried a magical power.
Pfft—
Just as everyone was engrossed in listening to his speech, an abrupt burst of laughter appeared.
All eyes instantly turned toward it.
Wu Liang clutched his stomach while laughing, "Sorry, sorry, couldn’t hold it in, please continue the show; I’ll try to restrain myself."
His comment directly labeled Mr. Qin’s content as a performance.
Upon hearing this, surprise flickered in the people’s eyes, uncertain why this unfamiliar young man was behaving so boldly and arrogantly.
Without waiting for others to question, Qin Yuesheng also laughed and said, "So, you’ve come too."
With that, the venue’s lights instantly focused on Wu Liang, illuminating him and the tiles beneath his feet.
However, he didn’t seem to care, continuing to laugh while picking up seafood from his plate, devouring two large bites, leaving others frowning.
Eating at a time like this? It’s too impolite, no matter how one looks at it.
"Let me introduce, this is the ’hero’ who dismantled the Monkey Claw incident at the base area, brought Zhang Hang to justice, but ultimately didn’t implicate any of you—the official investigator, Wu Liang."
Qin Yuesheng’s voice remained elegant and composed, but there was a hint of irony in his words.
Calling him a hero but saying he didn’t implicate them clearly suggested leniency and favoritism.
Many people’s gazes towards Wu Liang turned somewhat friendly again, and of course, there was some solidarity mixed in.
To them, since the case was solved, it proved that Wu Liang was originally conducting official duties fairly.
But not implicating them also meant he probably was dragged into it for some reason, not out of his own volition, hence the solidarity.
Little did they expect, Wu Liang merely swallowed his food, cleared his throat, and replied, "So, Mr. Qin, why do you think I didn’t expose you all?"
Right now, he was rather keen to chat more with these guys.
Because, apart from watching Jiang Tao Hong’s Hanged Ghost in the Ghost Compendium, all Fierce Ghost Minions had been stealthily summoned to search this hotel for abnormal items.
His objective was, naturally, to stall for as long as possible.
"Of course, it’s to join us; otherwise, why would you avoid the officials and assault multiple cadres in the residential area?" Qin Yuesheng said at a leisurely pace.
Many present were the leaders who, during that residential incident, were slapped unconscious by Wu Liang, intimidated within a dream, and coerced to reveal today’s gathering and the Promised Land organization’s details.
Hearing these words, the previous solidarity vanished instantly.
Their gaze towards Wu Liang turned unfriendly, as no one would have a good face for someone who intruded into their home and knocked them out.
"You know about that? Then tell me why I should join you jesters?"
Wu Liang was indeed somewhat surprised that the other knew about his actions, but he wasn’t frightened.
In certain aspects, he was quite similar to Minister Long; to him, these guys’ identities were utterly insignificant, still like ants that could be easily crushed from a power perspective.
Calling them jesters wasn’t inappropriate at all.
"Do you mean the jester is me or the Promised Land?" Qin Yuesheng asked softly, putting his hand on the mask.
"Both, don’t you find Promised Land a laughable name?" Wu Liang wouldn’t back down.
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Yuesheng took off his mask and threw it towards Wu Liang’s feet.
He articulated each word, "Well then, would you be willing to join this joke now? Son."
In an instant, the mask transformed into a human figure standing.
The aura of the Fierce Ghost erupted without hindrance, terrifying everyone in the venue into not daring to move, afraid of provoking this frightening entity.
This mask turned out to be a Fierce Ghost in body!
And Qin Yuesheng’s familiar face—the sight caused Wu Liang to crush the plate in his hand.
His father, Wu Xiaoyao!
He’s really alive!?
And he could use Fierce Ghost power too!?